Big News Revealed

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.”   Genesis 12:1 

This is the LAST verse I thought God would be using to speak to me at this stage in my life.  Yet after weeks of praying and seeking His face, I’m confident He has used it to speak to us in a clear way.

 A few weeks ago  Annette  and I began a journey that has been filled with about every emotion you could imagine… but has finally led to some incredible news:   WE ARE MOVING TO  CHICAGO !!   A close friend of mine is a pastor there and has invited me to join his staff.  After much prayer and wrestling, we came to the resolute conclusion that God was clearly asking us to take a step of faith and move there.

Take a deep breath.  Yeah, me too!  This has just blown us away!

I want everyone to know that we love SBC and the people here SO SO much, and this church has been a beautiful community for  Annette  and I and the boys.  Leaving here is the last thing we ever thought we’d be doing, and it’s in some ways been as much of a surprise to us as it probably is to you, but I’m really excited and I’m confident God has been speaking to us and challenging us to take a huge step forward.  When we launched this whole Beyond Our Walls campaign, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that Annette  and the boys and I would go beyond these walls literally!  We’re going to spread some of the amazing DNA of SBC to a great church community in the suburbs of Chicago .  

Now on to the next step in our journey… we’ll be transitioning there in the next few weeks.  I’ll share insight into the journey as we go (as well as some history of how we got to this point).  

Everyone has asked me a number of questions, and I’ll post some of these here:

  1. Do you realize how cold it is in Chicago?  Answer: Yes, well aware.  We actually love the snow and bitter cold, and I make a mean chili as well as a mean chicken and dumplings.
  2. Sox or Cubs?  Hmm, I don’t know enough to make a decision yet here.  But I’ll always be for the OU Sooners :)
  3. What will you be doing up there?   Trying to stay warm :) I’m not entirely sure.  We’re going to feel that out as it goes along.  I’ll likely be helping with connections in some way here and there, and who knows what else.  It will be a lot of fun though and I’m excited to get to know more about the Orchard and the awesome people there!
The Orchard is a remarkable place with a powerful story and we’re looking forward to diving in there!  We are going to miss SBC like crazy, but hope to come back and visit once a year or so on our “back to the homestates” tour.  I’m so blessed to have served under an incredible senior leader (who still thinks my blog is a man diary!) and alongside a great team of pastors, elders, staff, and volunteers the last few years.  I know SBC will continue to have a tremendous impact on this community.  Thanks SBC’ers for allowing me to be a part of your lives here!

It’s bittersweet, but we look forward to Chicago.  If you’re reading this and you’re from the Orchard, we can’t wait to meet you!  Look me up on Facebook or Twitter .

Now, where did I put my coat?

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You’re currently reading “Big News Revealed,” an entry on Larry Boatright's Blog

Published:
November 7, 2008 / 5:20 pm
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