:: FAQ About Leaving TCBC, 6: "Do You Regret Your Time?"

[I’m answering some questions about being asked to leave TCBC – more focused on how Jess and I are doing, etc., plus some facts for clarity. I will NOT be writing anything against Trinity Chapel, the elders, etc. – we love the church way too much for that. If you have further questions, post below; BUT if they’re potentially divisive, etc., please email me personally rather than use a public forum to do anything negative to the peace and unity at Trinity Chapel, part of the body of Christ. Thank you. **AND, this one was written quickly, w/o editing, etc. - sorry if misspellings, bad grammar, etc!]

**Click a # for part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of this blog series**
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QUESTION 6: DO YOU REGRET YOUR TIME @ TCBC?

This is a question I've been asked many times, and I've struggled with it - not with the answer, for that has always been immediate in my mind. Instead, I've struggled with the premise of the question; I haven't fully understood what "regret" could mean. But it's been on my mind for a couple weeks, so on my last day on staff, I thought I would take a stab at it.

The answer to the question, "do I regret my time at Trinity?" is, and has been throughout this process, a resounding, whole-hearted, "NO!" I deeply regret the manner in which we're leaving, but nothing in me regrets the nearly-20% of my life I've spent in this body. There are many reasons I'm sure I haven't thought of, but here are a few reasons why:

• We have developed strong, meaningful relationships: I said this in an earlier post, but Trinity Chapel has been our family! As hard as that makes it to leave, the relationships, friendships, and deep, true, unforced community that we've seen for the past five years is invaluable. We will miss some of those relationships, but while they won't necessarily be week-to-week relationships, we will keep those good friendships, because they run deeper than a "shared affinity/association."
  
• We have grown much during my time here: As I look at my own spiritual walk during my time at Trinity Chapel, as well as that of my wife, I know that we are walking out with a deeper knowledge and love of God than when we arrived. During my time here, I got better trained at DTS, discovered deep truths about scripture and theology, walked with a number of great staff and leaders, grew in my understanding of worship, I know how to lead better, and so much more. Jess and I are stronger as a couple, and all aspects of our lives are stronger as individuals, because this church family has surrounded us during the first few years of our marriage.
  
• TCBC has helped solidify my calling in ministry: on a practical level, because of the small staff and full ministry of a church plant, I have gotten to "try my hand" at many aspects of ministry. I walked into TCBC with four years of paid ministry experience, but my "niche" had always been high school and junior high kids. Walking out, I've gotten to (among other things) preach, teach, develop classes, develop teachers and curricula for those classes, oversee groups, develop structure, direction, and leaders for those groups, develop film and theology nights, host dinner seminars, dabble in recovery, learn more of the "tech/A/V" side of things, make videos, learn about websites and podcasting, counsel people, understand the college world, and develop and cast vision as we began many ministries from scratch. In short, I've gotten to experience a lot of different sides of ministry, and in doing so, have solidified my strengths, passion, and place in ministry. I have learned what a church is, and what it should be; how to lead and how not to; how to serve and how not to; how to be rely on God and not rely on myself; and so many more valuable lessons. And I wouldn't have gotten much of that without TCBC.
  
• Most importantly, we have seen God change lives: This is hands-down the best reason we are thankful for our time at TCBC - with high school or junior high students the first two years; with 12 college students in a room nearly five years ago or with the 200+ we've had the honor of working with since then; with our beloved leaders; with folks we've gotten to know and walk beside, we have seen God move in miraculous ways in "our" ministry and in our time at TCBC: depth of knowledge & love of God; living on his mission; temptation overcome; ability to study scripture; freedom from brokenness and shame; marriages restored; maturity on all levels of life; and most importantly, God has brought people into his kingdom! We take no credit for any of it, but it's been our honor to see, hear, and stand alongside God's work in individual lives over the past five years.
• And even in our leaving, we have seen God change OUR lives: Even in these final days, we have seen God working in us - we are learning what it truly means to "press on toward the goal"; to "work our our salvation" by his power not ours; to be completely broken and have nothing to rely on but God; to test our knowledge that God is both sovereign and good - seeing if we truly believe what we teach; to suffer for his glory, producing perseverance. And there is more good in this, which we're sure we'll continue to realize as we reflect and walk through the next several days and weeks. And we trust in all this, he is changing us "from one degree of glory to another," refining us, preparing us, and growing us, so that we will be better able and more equipped (a) for what he's calling us to next, and (b) to glorify him even more deeply with every aspect of our lives. And, even in the midst of the hardest time we've ever had, for that we find ourselves thanking God, praising him, and getting excited for what he's doing in us.
  

For these, and I'm sure many other reasons, we are grateful for our time at Trinity Chapel - thank you for every moment; again, we'll miss you and we love you. See you around!