Sunset of a Career Part IV

 In 1984 we moved to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and I worked for a firm involved in high-end residential design.  That housing bubble burst so I went to work for a firm with a more diverse client base.  Still, the economy tumbled and I was out of work by the beginning of 1987.  There were hundreds of architects looking for work in the metroplex.  One week-end we took a trip to Tulsa to visit my parents.  In the Sunday paper there was an ad for an architect in Rogers, Arkansas.  We drove home, I sent them my resume' and scheduled an interview.  I got the job.  I started work in May of 1987 and have been there ever sense.  I found out later that the ad I answered was scheduled to run in the Dallas paper the following week-end.  Was it blind luck that I happened to be in Tulsa on the week-end that the job was advertised in the Tulsa paper.  I think not.  God is at work in our lives even when we are unaware of His presence.  The job in Rogers, Arkansas put my wife and I one hour from her parents and two hours from mine.  No more six and eight hour drives from Dallas.
Once we got settled in here in Northwest Arkansas we found our home church.  As soon as the pastor found out I was an architect he put me on the long range planning committee.  I stayed on that committee for sixteen years.  We built a new children's building soon after our arrival.  Several years later we embarked on the design and construction of a new worship center and music suite.  By then, I was joined on the long range planning committee by another architect, and very good builder, and an experienced construction manager.  Once the construction began several of us became part of the construction committee.  You have to understand, there is a committee for everything in a Southern Baptist Church.  The sanctuary seats 1600 plus 150 in the choir.  It is a first class facility.  Was it mere coincidence that we joined a church in the midst of expanding their facilities?  I think not.  God expects all of us to be involved in His work.  We are to use our talents and gifts to glorify Him in our lives.  To this day, the largest single project that I have been involved in, is this facility.  I believe that was a part of God's plan all along.  Let's see how that works.
God gave me a talent to draw and a desire to become an architect.  He provided me with a wife who supported my dream and encouraged me all along the way.  He gave me His approval by stepping into that design exam when things were not going well.  He put me in a position to accept my present job by placing me in Tulsa at precisely the right week-end.  He placed me in a church that needed the help of an architect to direct the planning...not design the building.  I believe that God has spent my lifetime preparing me for this work.  God did not bring me to this place to design retail and restaurant projects.  Instead He placed me here, that that I might serve Him through the construction process of His church.  My day job just provided me with the means to pursue His will.
That work has been completed for several years now.  I have seen my daughter, and three of my grand daughters saved and baptized in the facility that God allowed me to be a part of the planning and construction.  That is far more precious to me than anything I would ever accomplish at my day job.  Thank you Lord for your blessings, your goodness and for everything you have done to bring me to this place...to be continued.