Thoughts on Transition

My first post on this blog was about my friends Loyd and Christy moving on from CORE. I’m sad to be writing another one of these so soon after.

For those of you who don’t know, Todd has been asked to step down from his position as student pastor at CORE.

I’d like to share some thoughts with those of you who are involved in the situation.

• Process this however you need to – If you need to mourn for a long time, do it. If you don’t feel sad, that’s ok. The entire leadership team is in agreement that everyone in the CORE family (parents, students, leaders) has permission to work through this however they need to. CORE has always been a safe place to deal with pain and we intend for that to continue.
• Encourage one another – The first thing that I learned from Todd when he came on staff was the amazing power of encouragement. He never lets a day go by without telling me that he appreciates me. Let’s honor that in the coming months by lifting up one another.
• Avoid unnecessary negativity – It’s ok to feel sad, hurt, angry, confused, betrayed, lost or abandoned, but lets not make this worse for ourselves or each other than it already is. I have decided that I have enough to process without adding anything to the pile. Focus on the positive whenever you can.
• Dont let yourself grow calloused – When you’re hurt in the same way over and over, its easy to become jaded or calloused. Don’t do it. Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it. I know that it seems safer to start expecting the worst, or to close yourself off, or to decide not to trust people again, but by doing that you’ll miss out on so many wonderful things. I personally have decided that I am going to continue to make myself vulnerable no matter what. I would rather hope, trust and expect the best of people, even if it means that I could be hurt deeply again.
• And finally, CORE is a still a safe place - Todd and Trina are leaving. But Joel, Lisa, Ash, Sara, Wayne, Heidi, Chris, Tami, Paul, Tyler, Elaine, Julianna,  Jarrod, John, Sam, Leah and I are still here, and we still love you. You can still bring your pain, doubt, questions, joys, sorrows, triumphs and failures to CORE and be accepted just as you are, and I can promise that that is not going to change.