What’s Ahead in 2016

So last night, I posted some stuff about what happened in 2015. More specifically, I went over the top ten blog posts from my humble little corner of cyberspace. But that got me to thinking: what is 2016 shaping up to look like? Well, I’m glad I asked.

In terms of writing stuff, 2016 is kind of nebulous right now. What I mean by that is this: I have no publishing contracts right now. Nothing is in the pipeline as of this moment. That’s not to say that I haven’t been writing. I finished off a book I’m tentatively calling The Iron Staff and I’m hoping it’ll find a home this year (you can read some updates about it here). And I have more ideas brewing as we speak, one that might show up on the blog in the next couple of months. We’ll see what happens with it.

Normally around this time, I’d also be planning some writing-related trips, such as to the national ACFW conference or to the fast growing Realm Makers conference. As a matter of fact, I think I kind of promised some friends of mine that I’d definitely be attending the latter, but sadly, I think I won’t be able to keep that promise. At first, it was because I was looking at a ridiculously busy summer, but then, just a few weeks ago, all of that changed.

2016 is going to be a significant year because my “day job” is changing in a major way. I’ll still be the same snarky Lutheran pastor that I’ve always been. But I’ll be doing that in a very different place.

For the last eight years, I’ve served as sole pastor of Concordia Lutheran Church in South St. Paul, Minnesota. I’ve been very blessed to be there; the folks of this congregation have been very loving and supportive to me and my family. But about six weeks ago, I received a job offer (or as we label it in our little corner of Christendom, I received a call) from Timothy Lutheran Church in Blue Springs, Missouri, to serve as their associate pastor. I deliberated on this new calling for close to five weeks and, in the end, I felt led to Missouri.

That means that sometime in the next few weeks, I’ll be leaving Minnesota and heading south to Missouri.

This is an exciting and frightening experience. My family and I need to find a house down there (we think we’ve found one; now we just have to actually buy it!) and sell our current house in Minnesota. Then there’s a move across three states and learning the ins and outs of a new parish.

So that’s what my 2016 looks like: new adventures in a new city with new parishioners and new partners in the ministry. But somehow, I think things will be okay…