Acts 9:22-26

This is going to sound lame and trivial, but I feel just like Saul in this passage. He had just made a major decision and was going through a significant life change, but nobody was with him. The people that he was going to didn't believe that he had changed, and the people that he had left had just kind of let him go without helping him transition.
I feel like right now my wife and I are all alone. We're leaving our church. I know the people there care about me and love me. We're going to a church where I know God wants me to be and I know that people will love me. But for some reason I don't feel it. I'm just kind of overwhelmed by the emotion. When it comes down to it, I'm a pleaser. I want people to be happy. I want people to like me. And I hate hurting people. Especially people that I love. It hurts me. I mean, it really grieves me.
When I first started talking to my new church about going up there I had no idea it would hurt this much. I'm extremely excited about my new job, but right now this sucks. JM

Resignation

Here's my resignation as I read it to the second hour worship service. JM

Telling The News

It's so tough to drop a bomb like announcing your resignation, and I had to do it four times. I told middle school at 9:15, high school at 9:30, our first service at 10:10, and our second service at 11:45. Each one was unique, but I said the same thing to both MS and HS and something different to the services.
The notes of what I told MS and HS I posted yesterday.
Telling MS was tough because I work with these students every week. They took it really well. It was so quiet in the room. I didn't have any problems maintaining my composure (even though I don't ever cry, I thought I might doing this). At the end there were a few questions that mainly dealt with logistics. It was interesting to see their reactions afterward. Two of the 8th grade guys that I know very well just kind of walked right past me. I don't think they were mad or anything, but just didn't know what to say or do. It's weird for them. Heck, it's weird for me. The 8th grade girls spent their small group hour crying about it. It took me a long time to earn their trust, but I finally did about a year ago. They've been awesome this year and are really the best leaders I have. They help plan our events and plan an opening time for the MS girls every Sunday morning.
Telling HS was actually a little bit tougher because of my relationship with the 10th grade guys. They were sitting to my left and I had trouble making eye contact with them. I'm sure it hurt them pretty good. I know it hurt me to tell them. Most of them responded well, but some of them you could tell didn't know what to do. It's just an awkward situation all around. I'm sure I'll probably have to do it again at some point, but I really don't like doing it. JM

I Quit

I quit my job today. It was weird telling the middle school and high school students. I'll post some more about all of this later as well as the whole process that I went through. I'll post the video of me announcing my resignation in big church tomorrow. I'll also post as we go through this transition. It will be cool to look back at eventually, but right now it's just kind of sad. JM

Thankful

I'm so thankful for my children. I just stumbled across this blog about a couple that lost their premature son about a year ago. It's really interesting to read, but it's exceptionally sad, so be prepared. JM

Experience Makes Me Sad

I just heard a story on our local news here in Atlanta about a middle school boy that found a dead baby in a bag on the side of the road. The police aren't sure if it was stillborn or if the baby was murdered. It's so sad for me to think about. Before I had kids, I wouldn't have cared at all. Now, I can't imagine. I hurt for the mother, I hurt for the child, and I hurt for the boy that had to discover that.
Georgia has a "safe haven" law that allows mothers to drop off newborn babies to a hospital, police station, or fire department if they feel that they are unable to care for it - no questions asked. Completely anonymous. I can't imagine the sorrow and stress that poor mother must be feeling.
I love my kids. I want to go lay with them right now. JM