What’s our new hashtag?

Almost two years ago we took on a big leap of faith as a family. We moved from a small town in Alabama to San Francisco, CA to minister to children as Kids Pastors. I remember the only thing I kept hearing from the Lord was “I want to give you an out-of-the-boat experience.” So like Peter we stepped out of the boat of comfort in our known land, and like Abraham began the journey with our family to a foreign land.

Oh, the joys of moving across the country. We ate new things and drank new things like Boba Tea. We lived differently. We learned how to separate the trash into three bins, how to parallel park on the street while being uphill, and how to live without air conditioning for the first time. We did ministry a new way. We tried new strategies to reach families, we built relationships with many different ethnicities, and we dug deep into our God-given gift box to spread as much pastoral care as possible to every child and family we met.

In the first year, I put this statement on my wall in my home.

“If it doesn’t change you, it doesn’t challenge you.”

This was our family motto as we approached each new month as a family living in SF. I was over complaining about how things used to be. My life was no longer simple or convenient. It was now completely in God’s hands. We had stepped out of the boat and we were walking on water. Our eyes had to be fixed on Jesus, that was the only way!

During these past few years, I learned a few key things…

• Just because you step out on faith doesn’t mean you will always make good choices. You will fail, just like Peter. You will drop your eyes, just like Peter. But when you fail, Jesus is quick to pull you back up and breathe life into you again. So don’t give up just because you failed at something. This season taught me every time we failed that this was God growing us, preparing us, and enriching our character.
• Your family is your first ministry. I knew this but learned this even more in this season. It was an area I personally admit I needed to work on. God shaped in me a desire to put my family before the ministry. The kids and I have created this new bonding time right before bedtime where we share stories about our day, read, and pray together. Before, I was so drained from the work of the day that I wasn’t spending this time with them as I should. I found out real quick that to keep my family safe, it wasn’t just about making sure they knew how to cross the street. It was more than that. I needed to create a safe place for my family to be vulnerable so God could do his best work.
• Embrace change. I really like to be in control. This makes change hard for me. I learned real quick that the way I had always done things would not work in SF. I needed to embrace change. Change I learned is actually good. Change develops us, grows us, and matures us. Change was everywhere we turned, and it was the best thing for our family. We endured the changes to move beyond our normal mindset into the realm of thinking that only God can lead us to. God is so big – and yes He never changes, but he does create. He can create spaces of change that develop our character.
• Bless those who hurt you. It’s tough. It works! Matt, just got him some ink therapy to remind him of this very thing. “Love them anyway – Luke 23:34” Hurt people indeed hurt people. We can stand here all day talking about how people did not do us right, will that help your situation? It wasn’t going to help me process pain. The only way was to bless those that I felt like didn’t give me a chance to explain or walked away relationally. That’s okay. “May the Lord bless you and keep you, may his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.” That is the final word I was given.

Our experience in SF was the best thing we ever did as a family. We are stronger people today. God stretched us. Now, this chapter in our life comes to a close. We leave behind a beautiful church family, wonderful friendships, and mountains and oceans that we loved from the first sight. It was a beautiful and glorious experience that we will always be grateful for.

In our next chapter…if, you read this far – you wanted to know the answer to this question.

What is next for the Cannon family?

We are moving our family to the Sunshine State of Flordia. There we plan to join the CityLife Church in Tampa and raise up little world changers for Jesus as Matt will be taking on the role of Kids Pastor. I will be personally building the brands of other Christian leaders around the globe through social communication strategies as I settle my family in our new home. I will continue to write, share, and pursue the call of God on my life.

We are moving, knowing that this is the season God was preparing us for and He is not finished with us. Guess what? He’s not finished writing your story either.

As the days move ahead, I plan to share a few of the simple things I did to embrace the season, so stay tuned. Nothing is wasted. God uses everything for His glory. Never forget you are valuable to the King.

So we are moving from #californiacannons to ________________? We would love your suggestions on a new hashtag for our family as we approach our next season! Share your suggestions in the comment box. – The Cannons