You know those times in life where it just doesn’t seem to slow down? Like you finally climb a mountain & feel the relief of tackling that challenge… only to be smacked in the face with the next mountain to climb? Tessa and I have found ourselves in the middle of the mountain range for the last 7-8 months.

To give you some insight, Tessa and I were married on July 10th of 2020. We left for a week long honeymoon (which was fantastic) only to come back and face our first big decision as a newly married couple. We were asked to take over as interim youth pastors of Restoration Church through the end of the year. We came to the agreement that this is where God has called us to be right now, and boy did He deliver.

Honestly, I did not know what to expect when we started… but what has happened has blown away any expectation I had. We’ve seen students discover their spiritual gifts, we’ve discussed COVID and how to navigate life during these unprecedented times, we’ve had to say goodbye to a young man who took his own life in the wake of one of the worst mental health crisis we’ve ever seen, I’ve seen students step into the callings that God has given them… and I’ve truly grown to love working with young people.

I’m incredibly thankful for every single person who has taken time out of their life to serve the youth along side of Tessa and I… Christine & Randy, Ashley, Mike S, Heather, Becka & Mike B, Erik, Brent… I’m honored to work with you, and I so look forward to what the future has for us as we lead this ever-growing group of teenagers.

God has blessed us abundantly during this season of life, and I know that He has more in store for us in the coming years.

I say all of this to preface my next statement-

We’re tired.

While the blessings have been abundant… the weight, at times, has been overwhelming. We have shouldered the pains & trials for a lot of hurting students, adults, and friends alike. We lay in bed at night and discuss how to handle different situations that arise, and how we can help bring peace to disrupted circumstances. And while we are so grateful to be in this position, sometimes we need to “Take a sec.“

Because I think what happens when you work, eat, breathe, live the church… life moves very fast. You travel from mountain to mountain with very little time to process anything that you just did. You see a lot of hurting people, you see a lot of loss, a lot of suffering… And sometimes you have to take a step back just so you can simply assess the situation, process it, and move forward.

I think this is a feeling that is present in many of our lives, not just if you live in the “church world”. To be quite frank, the world isn’t awesome right now. We see a lot of dark, depressing things every day & I think it’s okay if, every once in a while, we “Take a sec.“

Now let me be clear, this is not a cry for help. It’s not a plea for appreciation or applause… I will never go looking for that. It’s not about me or Tessa or anybody… It’ll never be about us. It will always be about Jesus.

What I’ve come to realize is that this isn’t a job. This isn’t a 9-5 shift. It’s a life decision and commitment that we have made to serve this community and help as many people as possible. And with that comes sacrifices. Sacrificing time off, sacrificing family time, sacrificing financially… because we know that a difference is being made.

And it’s a decision that I’m so thankful for. I cherish it. I look forward to being there for people all the time as a shoulder to cry on, a ear to hear, and a person to pray with.

But forgive us if we ever need to “Take a sec.” to process & move forward.

1 John 16:33 – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

– Andy