 |
Lord, please lead their hearts in Your way, as they carry Your name!
Four ½ years ago, my then 19 year old son, Jake, called me to get some advise about a school project. He was in a PR class and needed to interview someone in the “real” world who was involved in some sort of PR or marketing campaign. He wanted to know if it was too brazen to select someone who worked for an organization he wanted to work for as well. As a career counselor, who knows the value of “who you know,” I strongly encouraged him to take advantage of this opportunity and do so with gusto!
Although a bit timidly, he did contact this individual
and arranged to meet him at a coffee shop in Spartanburg. They had a great
conversation, Jake got an “A” on the project, and, until yesterday, has been
working with the organization ever since.
The organization in question was NewSpring
church and the young man Jake interviewed that day was Shea Watts. Shea not only served as a subject for the school project, he subsequently invited Jake to be part of the Worship Team at the Spartanburg campus, where he served for two years. Eventually he was asked to serve on the teams that launched the Boiling Springs and Lexington Campuses, and finally to serve as a keyboardist at the Columbia campus. Jake and his wife Jessica, who served on staff at both the Lexington and
Columbia campuses, have made lifelong friends through their association with
the church, and they have been mentored and loved. In addition, they have been
given the opportunity to grow professionally and personally, and they have
certainly gained a greater understanding of working in full time ministry.
The pictures you see on this page were taken Sunday, August 21,
2016, on Jake’s last day with the church. He and Jessica are now answering the
call to begin ministry with The Summit Church in the Raleigh/Durham area and
will be moving away from me (sad mama), but towards their future (happy mama) … in 10 short days!!! I
will miss them, but I could not be happier for them as they take this next
step.
 |
As I sat in the auditorium of the Columbia campus on Sunday, watching Jake on stage, I was overcome with gratitude for the
opportunity he was afforded 4 years ago. I am so grateful to a great God who
saw fit to answer my prayers, that began when he was still in my womb, that
others would come along side him when I was no longer his main influence ... to
love, encourage, guide, teach and to lift him up. I was overwhelmed as I sat
with his wife, Jessica, an amazing godly young woman, knowing that we both love
him so deeply, and that he will be in her amazing hands for this next chapter, and
beyond.
I know I will always be his Mom, and I know our calls and texts will continue, but this time, unlike the drop off at college 6 years ago, he’s entering the next chapter as a man, not as a boy becoming one.
We have weathered 24 years of life together, and he has become for me what I was for him all those years – an anchor, a confidant, a strong hand to hold, and a friend. As a mother, I could not be prouder, and more excited to see where this next chapter leads them. But, as a mother, I am struggling to not cry every time my mind’s eye pictures me driving away from their house in Durham next weekend, knowing that this time it’s different. This time it’s permanent.
But, as I captured this picture of Jake's hands on the big screen Sunday, God saw fit to be sure I saw the lyrics that where projected at that very moment. "I know God will not be shaken," and I know He is clearly leading them. So, as I close this, I will offer a prayer for them, as I try to see the screen through me tears!"God bless them and keep them, place a hedge of protection around them, and keep them wrapped in Your loving arms. May they find Your strength when they struggle, and see Your face in the joy ... and, by the way, Lord, bring them home to Lexington, at least occasionally :)
