“The heart of man plans his way,
Proverbs 16:9
but the LORD establishes his steps.”
As 2022 began to wind down, my plans for the coming months began to ramp up. I had accepted an elder nomination at my church. We were looking at homes in Southwest Michigan to consider buying in the spring. I signed a couple new authors for some forthcoming publishing projects at Hosanna Revival and sent a couple projects off to print.
Sometime in October, I received an email from Banner of Truth. They were looking for a marketing lead for their North American operations. My interest was immediately piqued. I responded to the email, but I didn’t really expect to hear back from them as I have no relevant degree (though I do have several years of marketing experience). To my surprise, I did hear back—and even got an interview. Several weeks later, I was invited to visit the Banner of Truth offices in Carlisle, Pennsylvania for a final interview. A couple weeks later, I received an offer letter.
Initially, I had mixed feelings about everything. There was no remote option, which meant I could only accept the offer if I was willing to leave my beloved home state of Michigan. We have friends here. We love our church family. I am the founder of a 320+ member cigar club which has been a great place for community (another story for another time). We live just minutes away from Lake Michigan. I love Michigan dearly. However, over the span of a couple weeks, through much prayer, discussion, counsel (and even tears), God made it clear: this job offer was an open door and an answer to prayer.
A couple weeks before Christmas, I accepted the job offer. Over the next several weeks, my family will be preparing our home—and ourselves—for the transition from the Great Lakes State to the Keystone State. We are sad to be leaving so much behind, but we are excited for the future.
My time at Hosanna Revival has been an incredible experience—more than I could have ever hoped for. God has richly blessed Katie and Nick and their small, passionate team. I am grateful for their friendship and to have had the privilege of working alongside them to build a publishing department at Hosanna Revival.
Our church family at the Christian Reformed Church of St. Joseph have been a timely, God-sent blessing. They welcomed us with open arms and have been so warm, kind, and gracious with us as we have grown with them. I especially want to thank Steve and Bethany Schultz for their gospel-centered hospitality—one of the first blessings God used to lead us to become covenant members. All five of our children were baptized here. We’ve worshiped together, laughed together, and cried together. We have been richly blessed during our time here.
Pastor John DeVries has become a close friend and mentor and I thank God for his friendship. He has encouraged and challenged me as a Christian, worship leader, and preacher. I will miss him greatly.
Goodbyes are never easy, but we rest in the gracious providence of our sovereign God, knowing that “What e’re my God ordains is right.” The Lord establishes our steps, and we follow with joyful expectation.
