Winding Down ... Winding Up

This is such a strange time for us. It seems like we are letting go of a lot of precious people and places right now.

Jocelyn and Joshua are beginning their lives as young adults in Indiana. Jocelyn is getting married and will be in her senior year at Indiana Wesleyan University this Fall. She may go on for Masters work in Indiana and only God knows where He will lead Jon and her in the future. Joshua is graduating from high school in a few weeks and then he is moving out to Indiana at the beginning of this summer to work at Indiana Wesleyan over the summer and then attend school there this fall. We love both of them so much and we will miss them as they begin new lives in many ways, but we know that God has great things in store for both of them. I pray this verse for both of them

"You are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance for you to do."
Ephesians 2:10

We are also leaving Horseheads Community Church and many, many people there that we love and care about. It feels like we are letting go of family members in many ways. They have shared our lives and we have shared theirs. They have seen our ups and downs and we have seen theirs. It has been a challenge and a pleasure to minister there for the last 13 years and I thank God for giving me this opportunity. But again I believe that God has great things in store for them and their new Sr. Pastor, Bob Russell. I pray these verses for Community Wesleyan and Pastor Bob

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other".
1 Thessalonians 5:11-13

So some things in our lives are winding down, but some are winding up and just getting started. We know that there are many people we have not met, there are many lives that God will call us to touch, there are places we will go we have never even imagined yet. Our lives will never be the same, but that does not mean that they will be less, just different. We love you all - those we know and love, and those we have yet to meet.

"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all".
2 Corinthians 13:14

I love Community Wesleyan Church!

Wow, it felt so good when I wrote that blog title. Because it is the truth. We have developed so many wonderful friends, co-workers, 'grandmas', 'grandpas', 'uncles' and 'aunts' here. It has been a privilege and a joy to be part of what God has done in and through this church in Horseheads, NY. We will miss the church very, very much.

As recently as the past Sunday we saw God moving in lives again. 5 people were baptized this past Sunday and their testimonies of God's forgiveness, healing and mercy left nearly everyone in tears. One of the people being baptized was talking about the church and he said that he was blown away by the love he felt here. He said that he came initially because someone 'forced' him to come, but then he realized that the church had something he did not have and he wanted it. He came to understand that 'it' is the peace and joy of knowing God our Father through his Son Jesus. I have heard that same story dozens of times, what a great testimony!

This past Sunday there were well over 200 people at CWC praising God in song, giving out hugs and handshakes, reading God's word, developing Christian relationships and growing in their relationship with God. What an awesome time, what an awesome place. There is a song that has come to my mind over and over again as I have prayed for CWC over the years.

You are awesome in this place mighty God,
You are awesome in this place Abba Father,
You are worthy of all praise,
To you are lives we raise,
You are awesome in this place mighty God.

That song says what should be happening in every church. The church should be a body of believers where God is lifted up and where believers are committing themselves to God's leading. An unbeliever should leave church in awe of what God can do in lives and what God can do through lives - 'ordinary people who serve an extra-ordinary God'. I firmly believe that CWC is that kind of church and that they will continue to be that kind of church. I cannot wait to hear how God continues to move in hearts and lives over these next years. I love this place!

Fear -- FAITH -- Foolishness

Since Joan and I seriously began to consider leaving Community Wesleyan Church we have encountered a lot of fearful thoughts -

• "Where is God leading us?",
• "What will the people be like?",
• "Will they accept us?",
• "Are we in God's will or coming up with our own agenda?",
• "How will CWC do without us?",
• "How will God provide for our needs (and some of our wants)?".

One day I was kind of spinning some of these fearful questions and God led me to a new insight.


As humans we tend to either live in fear or in foolishness. Fear means that we play it safe because we are unsure of the best course of action, or we have been burnt before and we do not want a repeat. Foolishness means that we are throwing reason and caution to the wind and we are going to do what we 'feel' or what we 'want'. Foolish actions come from denying the realities around us - the value of relationships, human and divine laws, social mores, the effect of addictions, etc.


It hit me that these two ideas are on polar opposites on the spectrum of decisions we make. We all know people who lean very heavily one way or the other. We cannot understand how they could be so limited by their fears or how someone could make such foolish choices. So what is the balance between these two opposites? I believe it is Faith. Faith means that we are trusting God to lead us to what is best. God's leading might take us through fearful times, or places that seem like foolishness to us or others, but if we faithfully follow God's leading we will eventually see what God was trying to accomplish in our lives or in the lives of those we affect.

As we read the stories of men and women of faith in the Bible it is obvious that they went through times of fear - Moses before Pharoah, Elijah and Jezebel; and sometimes God's leading seemed like foolishness - Moses wandering in the desert for forty years, Noah building an ark on dry land. We cannot let either of these issues derail us from what God is leading us to be.

FOOLISHNESS - 1 Corinthians 1:25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.

FEAR - 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

FAITH - Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

So, the Swansons are trying very hard to live in faith at this point in our lives. We have the natural fears that accompany change and we do not want to do anything foolish, but we do understand that God might need to lead us through some tough places to arrive at God's place for us.

In Christian Love,

James

Information About this Blog

My name is James Swanson and I will be the primary blogger for seewhatgodisdoing.com. I have been a pastor for over 20 years and the past 13 years have been spent in Horseheads, NY at Community Wesleyan Church. It is a wonderful church which is located in the Southern Tier of central New York, about one hour west of Binghamton. The church has changed a lot over those 13 years and it has been a joy to watch God change lives on a regular basis. We have grown from about 70 people to a church of over 225 on a Sunday morning. Many people have taken on ministry responsibilities, men and women have been called into the ministry and about seven years ago we were able to build a new sanctuary, Sunday School class rooms and offices. God is so good! It truly has been a joy to be a part of what God is doing through Community Wesleyan Church.

About five years ago I began to sense God leading me to minister in eastern New York. About a year and a half ago I spoke to the Central New York Wesleyan District Superintendent (DS), Rev. Wayne Wager, about this leading and he said he would be praying with me about this possibility. The call to eastern New York has grown stronger and at the end of 2008 my wife, Joan, and I felt it was time to begin the process of moving that way. I interviewed with the Wesleyan DS of Eastern New York and New England (ENYNE), Rev. Paul James, and it became obvious right away that we share a common heart for souls and for the body of Christ.

I resigned from Community Wesleyan in early February and my family will be moving to eastern New York at the end of June. At the moment we do not know exactly where we will be located. There are several possibilities - we are seeking God's guidance and working closely with Pastor Paul to see what God might have in store for us. At this point it appears that we might be most useful in a church revitalization project somewhere in the district. We are excited about the possibility of being used by God to touch lives.

Please pray with us that we would land in the town or city that God has planned for us. And pray that our hearts would be right as we seek that exact type of ministry situation that God has in store for us. Most importantly, pray that men and women, boys and girls would come to know God the Father through Jesus His son, and that we would play whatever role He asks of us in this Kingdom work.

More posts will be coming with further details about the process God leading us through. If you would like to contact me you can email me at seewhatgodisdoing@gmail.com.

In Christian Love - James