As I read and understand the Scriptures, FAITH is less
about what you believe and more about how you live what you believe. In essence, FAITH is more about actions. For years, I have preached that walking on
water requires getting out of the boat.
Nothing great has ever happened for the kingdom by people who merely sit
in the boat and stay in their comfort zones.
I am certainly not one to stay in the comfort zone.
Back in April of this year, Natalie and I both felt the
winds of change blowing, but didn’t know what that meant at the time. The more we prayed and sought God in the
manner, the more we felt that it had to do with us. While on vacation at the end of May, first of
June, we felt as if our direction was being made more clear. We continued to pray, fast, and seek the Lord
for more answers and direction.
I personally, spent many sleepless nights and many weeks
under great stress and restlessness. One
of those days in late August, I was greeted by a text message from a prayer
warrior in my life. The text basically
said that God was instructing me to rest and nap during the day as He was
reserving the night for Himself. As
tired as I was, I wasn’t about to miss this opportunity to sit still and
quietly before the Lord in solitude and listen for His voice. Little did I know that this would be the
night that solidified our future plans for my family and ministry. During those early morning hours, God
revealed to my heart His desire for me to let go of Bridges of Hope and step
out of the boat. He gave me the date of
my resignation and the date of my last service.
After hearing His plan, I drifted off to sleep for more than 12 hours
straight. Since that day, Natalie and I
have been filled with total peace and faith in trusting God’s plan for our
lives. We KNOW that this is God’s will
for us and Bridges of Hope Fellowship!
Following that night, I cannot begin to tell you the
numbers of phone calls, texts, emails, Facebook messages, face to face
conversations, sermons, songs, etc. that God has used to confirm His Word to us
over and over again.
Today, I stood and gave a message that God had placed on
my heart about “Changing Seasons,” which can be viewed in it’s entirety at www.GetHopeOnline.info. At the end of the message, I shared what I
will call my “letter of resignation” and it reads:
“I planted my first church in Athens, TN and was there for
4 ½ years when God spoke to my heart after a prayer revival in May of 2005 and
told me I was finished. I had no idea
what I was going to do. Little did I
know that He was preparing to send me to McMinnville in September of 2005 as
the pastor of an established church. One
year later, God had brought that short season to a close and opened a new
season of HOPE as we stepped out in faith to plant what we know today as
Bridges of Hope Fellowship.
These past 7 years have been filled with many blessings,
hardships, laughter and tears. However,
every step along the journey has been God ordained. There have been many people to come and many
to go. Very few have stayed the course
with us from our first days at the Best Western Hotel on Sparta Street. Regardless, each person that God has allowed
to walk with us on any step of the journey has been a true blessing and joy in
our lives.
Today, God is changing our seasons again. Embracing that change is never easy, but a
must if we are going to stay in the will of God and fulfill the mission that
God has us on. It is after much prayer,
fasting, sleepless nights, and time in the presence of the Lord that I must
share with you that I am resigning as pastor of Bridges of Hope
Fellowship. My last Sunday with you will
be on October the 13th, our 7 year anniversary. It has nothing to do with money, another
church, or any problems or people. It is
directly the expressed will of God in my life.
We have no idea what the future holds for us as we cannot see the next
step, but are solely stepping out of the boat and walking by faith into the
next ministry assignment that God has waiting for us.
The elders knew nothing of this until 2 weeks ago, when I
boldy heard from the Lord as to what I had to do. They nor I knew what God had planned for
either of us.
We are currently praying and planning for the days ahead
and will be sharing more information with you weekly as we approach the 7 year
anniversary. So, let me encourage you to
make every effort to be in attendance each week as we walk through this countdown
in our remaining weeks together. Let’s
take full advantage of every opportunity given to us by God during these next 4
weeks.
The difficulty for us as humans is when God changes our
seasons and we don’t understand why.
Remember that God’s ways are not our ways, but they are higher than
ours. Even when we don’t understand His
plans, we must trust His will and desires for us.
Our family wants you to know how much we love you and are
grateful for how you have loved us. A
huge part of us will always be at Bridges of Hope as we are sent out as
missionaries on a journey for the Lord.
We are asking you to please stand by us as we make this transition and
to continue to stand by YOUR church as it progresses forward to reach Warren
County with the love of Jesus Christ.
The church is not about a man or a personality, but rather the body of
Christ worshipping the Risen Christ.”
As stated, we have no idea that next step of the journey
that God has for our family. All we know
is that we are to follow Him in FAITH and OBEDIENCE as we journey each step of
the way. Soon, it shall be
revealed. I am confident of that one
thing.
Until then, we simply ask for the prayers and support of
our family, friends, church family, and all those who have stood by us
throughout the years. God has a BIG
plan!
With great FAITH and lots of LOVE,
Pastor DeWayne, Natalie, and Dwight
Jeremiah 29:11
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