One blog post for the last three weeks? Impossible. So much has happened.
Last February, long before my wife and I had a clue about what would transpire throughout the remainder of 2015, we began looking at each other and saying, “We want to go on the adventure of a lifetime.” And then, in the last few weeks, I discovered that Coldplay, one of my favorite bands, just put out a new song titled Adventure of a Lifetime (click on title). Yep, God and Coldplay are connected.
I cannot explain how odd it is to get off a plane and then begin living somewhere. We bought one-way tickets and boarded the plane with four suit-cases, two backpacks, and arrived in a city we had never visited to begin the next chapter of our lives within hours.
One of our best friends picked us up from the airport on January 17th. We have been unpacking, shopping thrift stores to find a few basic pieces of furniture (a dresser and a desk), connecting with the people in our new spiritual community (River City Church), and making a home in the upstairs area of Thomas & Rachael’s home. We pitch in every month. This arrangement keeps us mobile, for we are not tied into a contract of any sorts. If I were to win a Ph.D. scholarship in the next few months, we need to be able to move in the early fall without any complication. Who knows what will happen between now and then.
For now, we are focused on being present. Meet new people. Be kind and see where that leads for Jesus. Get familiar with my new workplaces. Start living by a budget again now that we are settled. You know, all of the stuff of life.
As for as jobs, God has proven to be a kind, leading Daddy again. We moved up here for one adjunct course at Whitworth University. Within a week of getting here, I had an interview at Spokane Community College and was offered an adjunct position teaching philosophy there as well! That course begins in April. The Whitworth gig began yesterday. Because these are adjunct jobs, I needed another job working approximately 20 hours per week to make ends meet. Well, the online Christian middle/high school that one of my best friends work at invited me in for an interview. They are willing to work around my schedule, are paying me a great hourly wage, and it is once again in the education sphere of society. I love it! I am able to support my family teaching, one of the great passions and callings of my life. I feel so blessed.
So much more has happened that I will weave in and out of future blogs. For now, rest assured, God is a good Dad that has truly shown to keep his word. What word? Psalms 16:8 reads, “I have set the Lord always before me…” I have prayed this prayer all of my adult life. He has come through again. He keeps coming through. God is that pinch hitter that you feel like at times is sitting in the dugout not contributing and then all of the sudden, he steps up to the plate and changes everything. He is quite and loud. He is soft and strong. He treads lightly and kicks. He wrestles while gently holding your hands.
Remember, as true Christ-followers, we walk by faith, NOT by sight (2 Cor. 5:8). We forget this so easily. I cannot forget a man in Picayune, someone I greatly looked up to, looking me in the eye and saying, “Well, you will regret this.” I PROMPTLY responded while looking him in the eye, “No we won’t.” And we haven’t.
Any discomfort we might feel in any given moment is offset with the thought, “We are still trying to find our footing because we were willing to jump.” Leap. Dive. We took the plunge. And all of the way across the United States, we are learning that God is everywhere, Jesus’ mission hasn’t changed, people are still people, and that buying a one way ticket with a family was really cool!
BJ Condrey, Ph.D. 