I recently had the privilege of being invited to a luncheon, two and a half hours north of Phoenix, in cool Flagstaff, Arizona (a good 20 degrees cooler). This was not an ordinary luncheon. It was hosted and held in the lovely home of the class leader for the Moving On After Moving In morning class at Christ’s Church of Flagstaff. It was an opportunity for me to meet the morning and evening (yes, two classes!) leadership team. As eight of us sat around the dining room table and were served lunch, the women shared their ‘moving stories’ and how much the class had ministered to their hearts after moving. Now they will be ministering to others in new classes starting in the fall as they move into leadership roles. From their own sense of loss and loneliness after moving, to a new wholeness found in Christ and in a new place, they are now ready to reach out to other ‘movers’ who have gone through similar feelings and emotions, giving them the hope and encouragement of Jesus Christ.
Their stories were not new to me, only their names and faces were different. The familiar words always resonate within my heart. Many times during the afternoon tears came to my eyes as I actually witnessed God’s healing love through their new friendships and a new purpose in their lives. They were ready to ‘move on.’ They knew how to reach into a hurting heart of a mover because they had walked in her shoes. In fact, their footprints were still all too fresh. They had not forgotten the friends and family they left behind and the disconnectedness they felt when they moved. It has given them the sensitivity to embrace the new women God will put in their life.
I walked away with such a sense of joy and awe as I observed how God is working through these women to minister to new women in their church and community. I count it a privilege and honor to stand on the front lines of Just Moved! and watch…. and listen… and pray… and cry… and love… and behold our great God through the lives of my ‘moving friends,’ both here and all over the world!
If you have recently moved, or perhaps moved some months back, and just haven’t been able to put the pieces of your life back together—don’t leave our web site until you check for a Moving On After Moving In class* near you. If there isn’t one offered nearby, you might consider starting a class in your home using our DVD’s,** or perhaps you can start a class in your church. Who better to teach or facilitate a class than someone just like you.
*Class Location Directory (go now)
**Video Teaching Series (go now) |