SeanOKelly.us

Well last night was the hardest youth night Amanda and I have ever had.  When you know God’s will, and you know you’re doing the right thing, it’s hard to see the sometimes adverse affect that it can take.  Announcing we are stepping down as the youth pastors from CCC is 100% unquestionably God’s will for our family at this time, but it was hard to see the hurt on students faces.

It also was refreshing.  Sometimes you really don’t know the impact you have made until you are leaving.  It touched both Amanda and I to have students crying over our leaving.  We’ll all miss each other, but with endings come new beginnings.  Someone new will come in and pick up and do amazing things that I never saw happen.  That’s exciting for us knowing the students we had the chance to spend the last 5 years with will have new opportunity for faith challenges and growth.

I’m usually tough on my sermons, and on my preaching, but I felt like last night was one of the best messages I’ve had and it went great.  It was God’s message for the night, and I hope that if people only remember one sermon I ever preached (other than living a life for God) that it’s this one.  We follow Jesus because of what He did, and who He is, not because we have amazing, smart, good looking youth pastors 🙂

For Amanda and I, stepping down without a new job to jump into is a little scary.  But our life has never been the model of easy, and it almost sounds sick to say I wouldn’t have it any other way… but I wouldn’t.  As God leads us through each step, we will take it.  I want to know all His reasons and answers, but I don’t need any of that to know it’s ok to just blindly follow what I know God is asking.  He has always taken care of our family.  Through sickness, joblessness, pay cuts, benefit cuts, tough times and good times, God has always seen us through.  I wouldn’t expect this transition to be any different.  Here is what I know 100% to be true:

1.  God broke my heart for Swaziland last August and I needed to go.  He has worked it out so that in 2 weeks from today, I’ll be on my way there.

2.  My resigning from CCC is a step of faith knowing that God has clearly spoken that our time is done.  We are leaving with integrity, and in good spirits and attitudes and we have loved our church family and time here.  It’s made us the family we are today.  Stepping into the unknown is scary, but when God is your guide it’s ok.  We know we’ll land somewhere amazing, and that God already has those answers.

For those with questions, feel free to ask them.  For those who think we’re crazy, we are… for Jesus.  For those looking to rent in Sacramento, hit me up in a few weeks 🙂