2021 “An Ending” Update from Carrie
Everyone should have access to a deciduous tree.
Everyone should have access to a deciduous tree.
Not just for the flashy colors, either — in our backyard, oddly enough, it is only the needled conifer (a lovely bald cypress) who humbly disrobes every winter, while the broad-leafed fruit trees remain evergreen. There’s something about watching that stalwart fixture voluntarily trade all vestige of dignity for bare-bones dormancy, especially here where an actual freeze is unlikely.
Better yet, maybe people should be deciduous. Can you imagine if we had to orient our Super-Important Livesâ„¢ around an annual molt? It would be hard to take oneself or others overly seriously if a month or so of complete hair loss or skin shedding was part of the picture.
In reality, it seems that despite our lofty aspirations, we humans have more in common with the annuals — corn, cucumbers, pansies, and the like — than sturdy perennials and trees. I guess it’s scriptural; “As for man, his days are like grass — he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.â€
The latter half of 2021 is proving to be a bit of a “molt†for the Whelpleys. The Lord seems to have our connection with certain roles, relationships, and organizations that have been dear to us changing to make way for whatever is next.
One of the most significant is our connection with Cru. After being involved as students then as staff for over half our life, the Lord seems to be leading us to explore other options vocationally. While we still hold tremendous respect and affection for the organization that has arguably been more a part of our spiritual formation than any other, Jayson has been seeking out advice from old friends; some of them have stuck it out for many more decades than us, some have left, and some did both. In the end, it seems that the breath of the Spirit is blowing us out of what has been a safe, familiar harbor for two decades.
That said, “Come Help Change the World†is a hard vision to leave behind. Please pray that we would trust the Lord just as much with the “civilian†calling of “Come Be a Normal Christian Doing a Job in the World.â€
For years since the vision got into our blood in college, we have beat the drum for normal believers equipped with the Holy Spirit and the good news of Jesus to faithfully invest in the kingdom of God in and around them. Now we get to set aside the trappings of professional Christian identity and dive in ourselves!
Again, this is both exciting and terrifying, as transitions tend to be. But we’ve always loved rubbing shoulders with those outside the “bubble†of the faith, and it seems to be time to leave the Shire professionally.
While all the details are a bit much for this short letter, it might be helpful to share the things that are and are not the reasons for our departure.
We’ve always been in ministry because the Lord has continued to call us to places, and to roles; we’ve always sought to be obedient. And to quote a close friend of ours, we’re called to obedience before we’re called to fruitfulness.
We’re not leaving because we’re walking away from Jesus; our faith is solidly intact and growing. We’re not leaving because we’re upset with Cru, with anyone within Cru, with Cru’s general direction, or anything negative related to our ministry.
We’re not leaving because we’re walking away from Jesus, our faith is solidly intact and growing. We’re not leaving because we’re upset with Cru, with anyone within Cru, with Cru’s general direction, or anything negative related to our ministry. We are also not leaving due to any financial reasons.
We are also not leaving due to any financial reasons. That said, it would be a huge help to our family if you would plan to stick it out with us until the end (sometime in the next 3-6 months) and to consider giving a special gift so that we can finish fully funded.
In the next week or so, we’ll be sending out another update of what we know about our timeline, and what you may want to know about our transition. Let me end this letter by saying “thank you” for being behind us as you’ve been able. We appreciate your support and partnership more than we can express.
Love,
Yes! I’d like to
Taking a rest from being “farm hands” at Erin’s house Home school “science Friday”
with friends.We grew some bananas! Cai at lunch with Jayson after a doctor appointment. Mae Elene (“Bright”) Whelpley Giddyup! (Bad Ideas in motion!) Fia helping with the new tree fort. Fishing success! Fishing success!
