A New Chapter

It has again been a while since my last post.  Life has not been without things to talk about, but the time had not been right.  I mentioned in my last post that God had begun to move me in a new direction and that opportunities had begun to open up to reveal God's will for my life next.

Last month I completed my fourth and final trip to Virginia this year.  "What in the world were you doing in Virginia?" you may be asking.  Amazing things.

Last year I completed a two year long course of instruction offered at my church called FORGE.  It consisted of one year of Systematic Theology and one year of Advanced Individual Training in which I was able to explore my spiritual gifts and strengths.  As the course neared an end God began to reveal through divine orchestration of events and people that I should pursue an opportunity in consulting with churches on strategic planning and revitalization - much more than that actually.

So in a whirlwind of meetings and discussions I found myself all of a sudden on a plane bound for North Carolina and an hour and a half drive up to southern Virginia to begin a training/observation process on a journey to become a church consultant alongside a well-respected author and professor.  "How do I get myself into these things?", I thought.  It's not me doing it.  What unfolded was an amazing time with a group of people hungry to transform their church into what God desires for every one of his churches; A body that proclaims the good news of His son, Jesus Christ and seeks to increase His kingdom with disciples.

I went back again in March and then on our April trip I had the honor of presenting some of our material.  It was fantastic!  There is nothing like the feeling of knowing you're doing exactly the right thing at exactly the right time.

We concluded the process with this church and left them in the capable hands of their pastor.  We will be working with them still for a while remotely, but it's up to them now to start the real heavy lifting and implement what we've worked with them on for many months.

This new turn of life is just getting started for me and while it will take some time before I transition out of full-time "computer guy". I'm excited to be where God wants me to to be and following Him in obedience.  You may start seeing a different subject matter here on the A.J. Mathieu Blog so stay tuned if you're interested.  I don't know if I'll be able to shake some political and social commentary, but there will be more in the areas of healthy and unhealthy churches, leadership development, disciple making, community outreach, church staffing, facilities and finance and probably some funny travel stories.  I hope you'll join me on the ride.

A.J.