Life Changes ... Moving to Colorado

Something interesting happened when Jenn and I got married. One day we had a conversation about where we would like to live. We both said, without hesitation, Colorado. That’s been on our hearts for years, although we eventually started thinking that God meant for us to retire there or something like that instead of moving there now. Well, I guess we were wrong.

God’s hand has definitely been on us with this move. I had no idea that we would be heading to Colorado when I reopened the job search in February. In fact, we made the decision to apply everywhere at first. I applied to jobs in Alaska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, North Carolina and other places. I even filled out paperwork for positions in the Virgin Islands and China!

In the end, we narrowed down our search to a couple states: Tennessee, Colorado and Ohio. I think I submitted applications for every open social studies position in Ohio between March and early May. However, only one school in Ohio called me in for an interview, and although I did well, I wasn’t chosen for the next round.

Last year, I interviewed with 13 districts in Ohio. This year, it was a different story. With that in mind, I braced for another long summer, and quite frankly, I wasn’t looking forward to it. The job search humbled me in many ways in 2013. I didn’t want to go through it all again this year, but that’s what I was starting to think would happen one day when I came home to several rejection emails from a single district in Colorado.

However, something was different this time. A thought came to mind about a tiny district in Walden Colorado that I had applied to two weeks before. I looked up the district’s phone number and decided to give them a call. I’m not sure what pushed me to take action that day, although I can make a pretty good guess. The phone rang and a recording noted that the school was closed on Fridays. I shrugged and figured I’d leave a message for the principal. Instead, I was surprised when she answered the phone. Somehow, someway, I scored a 20-minute phone interview with her right there on the spot.

The principal told me that she was glad I called, because she had put my resume aside, hoping to learn more about me. She remembered me as the Navy guy who sent her an introductory email a couple weeks back. The principal then explained that the school planned on narrowing down a list of interviewees on the next day. She asked me to sell myself on why I should get an interview. I did the best I could to explain my background and passion for teaching, and as we were getting ready to hang up, she asked me if I could make it out there for an interview if I was chosen. Trusting God, I said that I would.

I got off the phone knowing that I’d made a good impression, but I wasn’t sure I would get an in-person interview. Knowing the expenses involved, Jenn started asking God to close the door if I wasn’t meant to teach in North Park. Well, I guess God had other things in mind, because the principal called me the following afternoon and offered me an interview.

I flew out to Denver a few days later and drove through the mountains to Walden. I prayed here and there along the way, and I eventually arrived a few minutes before my scheduled interview. The principal’s husband was there to greet me. He took me on a tour of the school and the town as the interview board finished up with another prospective teacher. Soon I was sitting in the hot seat in front of five different interviewers.

I’d like to tell you that I gave a perfect interview, but I didn’t. I made some mistakes along the way. I’d like to tell you that I felt confident as I drove back to Denver that night. I’d like to tell you that the job was mine as I landed in Cincinnati the following Saturday afternoon. The truth is that I went home thinking that I did alright, but I had been down that road before.

The principal called me on Monday morning and offered me the job. I wanted to say yes immediately, but we felt that we needed to take it before our church family before we gave a final answer. We also considered everything, including money. It was clear that making the move would fulfill a dream of both of ours, but it would also put us in debt. In the end, it was the lack of a reaction from our church family that helped us make a decision. I figured they would question everything if they felt in their spirit that we shouldn’t go. Instead, they blessed us and gave their support for the move. I accepted the job the next morning.

Here’s the deal: we’re trusting God here. There are plenty of questions in our lives right now. Jenn and I have no idea why God chose Walden for us. All I know is that we’re both excited and scared. We’re excited about whatever the Lord has for us, but we’re concerned about the amount of debt that we’ll have to take on for this move. We know that God made this happen, and since it’s the work of His hands, we can rest assured that we’ll be just fine.

There is one request that we would have from everyone: prayer. We need a lot of prayer. There is plenty of stress over the finances of this move, and we would really appreciate our friends and family stepping up and praying for us. Teaching is my mission field. I’m there to make a difference in my students’ lives and in the community. Please pray that we continue to rely on God to meet our needs and believe in His purpose for our lives. Thank you all for your love and support! We’re going to need it on this awesome adventure.

Answering the argument

I usually don’t pay any attention to the atheists who make statements on my Facebook feed. I don’t have a problem with them, and I have no desire to argue with them about God. Yet I saw an argument on my feed today that bothered me. Click here to read it.

It begins with Abraham’s post. He quoted John 3:16 and stated that Jesus loves you all unconditionally. “Atheist” replies by noting the condition, “whoever believes in Him.” The problem I see with many atheists is that they truly don’t understand what the Bible means. John 3:16 is referring to our salvation. Jesus is stating that we must believe in him in order to be saved and spend eternity with him. This does not mean that Jesus does not love us. I don’t always listen to my wife, but she loves me anyway. I haven’t always followed my mother’s advice, but she still thinks I’m the best thing since “All My Children.”

“Atheist” then refers to a scripture that he says led to his atheism: 1 Peter 3:15. That scripture states, “15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...” (NIV)

“Atheist” argues that if you cannot present the evidence, you’re failing as a Christian, which has some truth to it. He or she also argues that “...if you DO have good evidence that you can present and you aren’t, then you’re wasting your time, potentially being the direct cause of someone going to hell.”

There are many problems with this argument. Peter wasn’t acting as God but giving advice about carrying out your faith in a world that is struggling. 1 Peter 3 spends much of its time giving fatherly advice in living your day-to-day life. It doesn’t condemn someone to hell for struggling. He’s giving sound advice on what things we should aim for as mature Christians.

I do agree that a Christian who is unable to present evidence of their personal faith is probably failing in some kind of way. But that does not mean they are failing as a Christian; it means that the Christian is not where he or she should be in their faith.

Peter stated that we should be prepared to present a defense of our faith, which should always be the case regardless of what you believe in. If someone asks you why you are a Christian, you should be ready to answer it. I mean, come on, I’ve never met an atheist who wasn’t prepared to explain why he or she is an atheist.

“Atheist” also mentions Matthew 6:6-8 and how the “public invocation of your deity” is a “big no-no,” but he or she fails to understand those verses are referring to your personal prayer time. There are multiple examples throughout the Bible of a spiritual leader or, in Israel/Judah’s case, a king, leading his people in prayer. God does not ban that.

“Atheist” also references Galatians 5:19-21 and how it bans idolatry. He notes that the special significance put on crosses and crucifixes by many Christians “bars” them from heaven. I agree that people who worship their crosses, crucifixes, and other artifacts are indeed committing a sin. However, only unforgiven sin bars you from heaven; that’s what John 3:16 promises. (I don’t, however, believe that having a cross or crucifix is wrong. It’s not an idol unless you treat it as such. Whenever I’ve had a cross, it’s always pointed me towards the one who bore it for me.)

At the root of this, it’s clear that this person has no real understanding of Christian doctrine. This is common with many (though not all) atheists. There are quite a few half-truths within his or her argument that make me believe that someone has deceived him.

If you’re an atheist and reading this, please understand that I respect your beliefs. I don’t agree with them, but I do respect them. What this person did was disrespect the Christian’s beliefs through mostly untrue statements about the Bible and its doctrine. What’s worse is that this seems to be happening more and more within the atheist community.

I don’t mean this for all atheists, but there is a point to be made here. If you don’t believe in God, that’s your decision. Why do you even bother attacking those who do believe in Jesus Christ? Just live your life. Have a great time. Why waste time criticizing a person who did nothing to attack your beliefs? And here I thought that Christians were the ones labeled as intolerant.