Bloom Where You Are Planted

Bloom Where You Are Planted

These two flags represent where I came from and where I am now.

Can I just say that I miss HOME? Uuuuggghhh, something fierce.

There are many striking differences between these two lands:
· THE FOOD – BBQ in SC in pork. BBQ in Texas in beef (as God intended it). This took me a long time to get used to. And it’s a mustard-based sauce. In TX it’s a tomato-based sauce.
· THE DRIVING – Oh my word. Drivers in SC are the slowest going people I have ever met. It’s like they truly are on a joy ride every hour of every day. They will drive right next to you and especially right in your blind spot. In TX people will literally run you over if you do not get out of their way.
· THE NIGHTLIFE – In SC there is no nightlife. Almost every restaurant closes well before 10pm. In TX if you wanted homemade tortillas at 3:00am then you could go to about 20 different places and have as many as you wanted.
· THE GENERAL PACE OF LIFE – I think everything is just a little slower in SC. It didn’t even have its first Starbucks until a year after I moved here. In TX life is so fast paced. Everything is new and constantly changing. There were three Starbucks with in a 5-mile radius of my home when I graduated High School.

There may come a time in your ministry career when you are asked to move. It may be 200 miles, it may be 2000 miles or even half way around the world. I have had to move twice. I left Austin, TX to go to Raleigh, NC, and then left Raleigh to move to Columbia, SC (where we are now).
This concept of “bloom where you are planted” really didn’t take root in my heart until a couple of years ago. When we first moved to Raleigh I was so home sick I didn’t give the city a chance. I pretty much went to work, went to church and stayed at home. I really missed out on a beautiful city. There is a lot to do there.
When we moved to Columbia I slowly started to investigate what was out there.

Here are a few suggestions to help when (and if) you ever have to move away from someplace that you love:
· Ask the locals! Hey if it works for Rachel Ray, then it can work for us. Talk to people at your church and see what they suggest. Talk to your neighbors and co-workers. Talk to people that have lived there their whole life and people who have recently moved there as well.
· Take an adventure! Get in your car and just drive. By a map and search the land. Get out of the house and stretch your legs. You never know what you’ll find.
· Use tools like City Search and Google to help you see things you didn’t know about.

The point is, your there. Grow some roots, learn the culture and have fun while your doing it.