Please Read!

Hey there blog fans.  I wanted to let you know of a few changes.

Here at “Meanderings” you will continue to find updated posts about pretty much everything under the sun except for our upcoming transition to New Orleans and subsequent creation and launch of The CENTER – a new community center launching in Fall of 2010.

We have created a separate blog (just click here) for all updates of The CENTER and I would ask that you subscribe to these updates as we want our friends and family to be on this adventure with us every step of the way and to be praying for every aspect of our transition and The CENTER.

Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement.

Christopher

Transitions

For many people change is a curse word.

The fear it.

Run from it.

Hide from it.

I embrace it.  It is a reality and inevitability of life as well as growth. However, just because I like change does not mean its always easy.  Specifically those large transitions in your life that change everything.

Today is a rough day because the realities of the current transition and coming change have befallen me.  Where as my wife will struggle and mourn the changes once they have happened I struggle and mourn long before the changes actually occur.

I love the church we are leaving.  I love the people, the leadership, and the vision.  Over the past three years (specifically the last year and a half) we have shared intense brokenness and healing together.  We have shared frustrations, joys, heartache, and much ridiculousness.  It’s hard to just walk away from that, even if it is following the call of God on your life.

As I finish up at Revolution, doing my best with the ministries I am involved with and helping in the transition of new people, I also am looking ahead to New Orleans.  I never knew how overwhelming it could be to be in the middle of the two worlds. On the one hand you have the realities of New Orleans.  Obvious facts like, the city is different since we left, most of our friends are gone, we have no place to live or jobs to make money, and then we have the exciting but complicated and time consuming process of beginning a community center and possibly a church launching out of that community center.

Couple that with the realities here in Southern California, namely, not being around family and friends as often, walking away from a ministry that you know God has used you in ways you didn’t even think possible, finishing strong, and the odd sensation of helping plan for a future that you will not be apart of.

It is all of these things that for some reason have all come crashing down on me today.  It will all be fine, I know that in my head and heart, but today I mourn the transition because I need to.  I need to wrestle with the pain, fear, doubt, and loss that accompanies change.  If I don’t how can I move forward with the excitement and passion that is lurking deep within?

So I guess I leave you with this, transitions and change are not the end of the world…

but today, for me, it kind of feels that way.

Until next time…

An Announcement!

Well my blogging fast is finally over.  Of course I am 13 days late in breaking said fast but I needed to wiat for a few things to happen first before I broke my fast with our announcement.  So here it is…

Leanne and I are planning to move back to New Orleans. While leading Revolution’s annual mission trip to New Orleans during the first week of July, Leanne and I were overwhelmed with a call to return to a city we’d left almost 4 years ago.  After much prayer and fasting by us and many others, it became clear that we needed to take a giant leap of faith and commit to an unknown calling in a city that we care deeply about.

When that decision was made in early August, we only knew two things. 1. We were going back to New Orleans and 2. We felt strongly it should be near the beginning of 2010.  Other than that we knew nothing.  We had no idea where we would work or live.  Nor did we know what specifically we were being called to do in the city.  All we knew is that we had on overwhelming sense that we were supposed to go and serve the people as best we could in ways that would meet their tangible, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs.

Although we still do not know where we are going to live or work, there are a few exciting things that have become clear to us that we want to share with you.

1. Leanne is going to (once again) pursue graduate level studies in Community Counseling.  This is something that Leanne began before Katrina, but was forced to put on hold after the storm.  Leanne has never lost her passion for making a difference in urban areas and now, as we get ready to move back, it appears that God’s original call in this area wasn’t wrong…it was just preempted.

2. The Center – Having a job is one thing.   Having a call and purpose are entirely different. Last weekend, Leanne and I felt that God finally unveiled his purpose for our lives in New Orleans.  A community center.  A community center that targets kids, teens, and adults of every background, socioeconomic status, and education level.  A community center that lives out what being “missional” is all about–going into the community to be the hands and feet of Christ by meeting the needs of the people.

This is obviously not a small undertaking…let alone something either one of us knows anything about.  It is a God idea- something that we fully believe is from Him, but we want to be sure.  Which is why we are asking you to pray for continued clarity and direction.  We want to ask you to pray for us about this and give us your honest feedback.

We want what God wants. Period.  So as we begin to move forward, it is important for us to have people praying for us every step of the way.

Please pray for….

• Vision, Clarity and Wisdom.
• The time frame in which all of this is happening.  We don’t want to move before God wants us to move.
• Location of our future home as well as a site for The Center.
• Fellow workers who are committed to the city to be called alongside us in this endeavor.
• Financial provision/jobs
• Provision for Leanne’s schooling.  God began to answer this prayer four years ago, so we are confident He is able to do it again!
• Comfort for our families, friends and church family we are leaving behind.
• For Bella’s purpose in all this to be evident as well.  God gave her to us for a reason.  We want to honor Him with her.

Feel free to email Leanne and I with any questions, thoughts, and encouragements.

So there you have it!  As we move forward Leanne and I will both be blogging this process, and you know me, I’ll always have the random blogs thrown in.  We thank you in advance for being there for us.

Ready to see what God will do,
Christopher  and Leanne Lytle

Christopher@revolution242.com
562-505-8302

LeanneLytle@gmail.com
562-484-4852