God has a way of taking all of the worries we have and leaving peace and direction in their place. Praise Him for that! After the last blog post, Alayna and I, along with countless other people, prayed without ceasing for the direction of my educational career as well as the direction of NewDay church. It was a long but amazing few days filled with many a deep conversation, but all of it was shrouded in the Holy Spirit. So cool.

Thursday seems to be a recurring day of importance in my walk with Jesus, and this story is no different. Last Thursday Alayna and I were praying for an extended period of time, really waiting on Jesus to reveal His heart for us. During this time, we both felt like God was saying that the sudden increase of school costs was not an obstacle He wanted me to overcome, but instead a door that was shutting for this time.

I want to share with you a picture He gave me, because it does a really great job of explaining where He has me right now. He gave me a picture of a bicycle wheel, and in the center of it was Transy, and then all of its spokes were labeled “work,” “family,” “friends,” etc. He showed me that this was the old wheel of my life, and that He had me leave Transy in the spring so He could re-make it. The new wheel He showed me has NewDay in the center, and two concentric circles surrounding the center. The inner circle is Alayna, and the outer circle is my community. Then the spokes surrounding the center are things like “work,” “school,” etc. The meaning behind this image is that the spokes surrounding the center support the center and all together allow the wheel to turn. If the spokes are not supporting the center, then the wheel falls apart and can no longer function.

When I was starting out in college, being a student was my “center.” It was my primary motivation, and everything I did, the spokes, was to support that primary goal. However, when God took me to NewDay, the center began to change. I realize now that NewDay needs to be my primary right now, because God has entrusted me with this beautiful ministry. School will come, and I am excited to finish my degree, but school must support the center, not the other way around.

When I arrived at church on Sunday morning, I spoke with several people whom I had asked to pray for me about this situation. All of them confirmed that what I was hearing from God is what they had also heard. This gives me an immense amount of peace and I am overjoyed with God’s provision in this way!

In the past few days, God has continuously told me that He is so excited for the plans He has for me, and that He cannot wait to show me what they are. I am beyond excited to see where this season takes me! There are so many stupendous things coming down the road already (my wedding, several trips, etc.) and I can’t wait to see what God has in store. As NewDay continues to wane and wax through this transitional time, I am so excited to see how God uses my freedom this semester for His glory! Stay tuned for that!

Also, I want to give a big shoutout to Alayna. She already is so supportive of me and my ministry, and she prays with me about all of these really hard decisions. I am so thankful to be starting out my ‘adult’ life with this beautiful woman whose trust in God is deep and unwavering. God has great things for us, and I cannot wait!

Thanks for your continued prayers, they truly bless my ministry. Stay tuned for more awesome things God is doing in my life!