June Update: Classes, Ministry, and Joshua
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
These past six months have been more incredible than I ever imagined. The Lord has blessed us with new friends, a new church, new aspirations, and new appreciations for what He is doing in the life of our family. These months have been difficult and required many hours of prayer as we rely on what God has planned for us. There were times I did not know how we were going to pay the bills or even if we would be able to stay in the apartment we are in. The Lord has been teaching us to persevere in faith as we fully trust in Him. As we have continued to be faithful to this calling He has given us, we have been blessed far beyond what we could've hoped for or even imagined!
At church God has blessed us with a new pastor, Michael Wilder. Michael has quickly become a invaluable mentor, friend, and ministry partner to me. When I took the youth position at First Southern, I never imagined that I would be able to work with such a wise and pastoral leader. I appreciate his heart, his humbleness, and his desire to reach the community around Floyds Knobs.
My job was upgraded from Youth Minister to Director of Family Ministry when Michael was hired in. We are both working on a part-time status to meet the needs and direct the ministries of First Southern as a team. I am blessed by the opportunity to learn and grow under a man who has many more years of experience in ministry than I do. I am excited and hopeful for the many things the Lord is going to continue to do through First Southern. This job change also took care of some of my financial fears in regards to sustainability of continuing school without loans. God is truly good and faithful.
I finished my first semester at SBTS with an A and two A-'s. God was very gracious in allowing me to finish my classes with such good scores. I learned much from my classes and enjoyed the many new friendships I gained from these classes. My heart and mind have been challenged in many new ways through the classes I took this semester. There were many relevant subjects within my classes that I have both enjoyed learning from and been greatly challenged by for many years. I do believe that I am closer to knowing what I believe in most of these subjects but I still have much to learn and wrestle with.
I am thankful for the many new friendships I have made and have found comfort in the encouraging conversations I have had. Seminary is much more fulfilling when there are other Godly men to wrestle through the issues with. It is great to hear new perspectives and to be able to talk out the many different ideas and theories floating around in your head. It also has been great to have stand-up Christian men around me who have challenged me to walk a life that honors Christ in all that I do. I am thankful for their character and yet also thankful for their honesty in their own struggles.
After an almost two week hold out, Joshua Michael Ivey finally decided to grace us with his presence when we induced on Wednesday, June 18th. He was born a healthy 9 lb, 11 oz boy. Though I admit to being biased, I think he is an incredibly handsome and mild mannered little boy. We are excited to get to know him. Sam has learned his name and is learning what it means to be a big brother. I am not sure that this is a role he has fully embraced yet but Josh is winning him over more and more each day.
I am continually amazed at the words coming out of Sam's mouth. There are times that he will come up and just commence a conversation that is still mostly unintelligible and yet enthusiastic. I am learning more and more of this sloppy toddler language each day and have been impressed at what he understands and continues to learn. Though we are encountering the toddler defiant challenges more and more each day, all in all we have been extremely blessed by our precious little man. I never knew that I could love another human being so much. I am so thankful for the many blessings the Lord has given our family!
As we continue to walk the Ivey trail that God has set for us, please pray that we would be obedient, faithful, and willing to do anything the Lord leads. I shutter to think where we would be today if we had not taken a leap of faith on this journey. All the people I would have never known. All the opportunities to see God move actively in the life of my family and myself. All the many opportunities and ministries I would've missed out on by not being faithful. As you read this blog tonight, I ask that you pray for us as we follow the Lord's lead in our lives but I also pray that you will boldly follow the Lord's will for your own life. There is no greater joy than being in the center of God's will. No matter what struggle you face, your truest joy will be found in full obedience to the call He has placed on your life, whether in full ministry or just sharing Jesus with your next door neighbor.
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
