Hello Blogging Family, Grace and I have some bittersweet news to share…after nine and a half years in San Jose, Lord-willing we will be relocating to Indianapolis next month! I’m excited to share that I’ve accepted the position of Fine Arts Director at Heritage Christian School. The Lord has been so gracious to open this door of opportunity, and we are trusting Him to continue guiding us in this next chapter.

As the prophet Jeremiah said:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
    great is Your faithfulness.”

lamentations 3:22-23

Truly, great is God’s faithfulness. It’s often easier to see this in hindsight, but it is nevertheless true at all times. When Grace and I moved from Riverside to San Jose in June 2017, we could never have imagined all that lay ahead for us here. We moved with the mindset of, “God will provide” — and He did, in a way only He could have.

As many of you know, my training is as a musician; my undergraduate and Master’s degrees are in Piano Performance. In tech-saturated Silicon Valley, this is a bit of a niche skill set. Many professional musicians make a living by combining incomes from performing, teaching, and maybe composing or arranging. However, given Grace’s acute medical needs at that time, I knew we needed more financial stability than a gigging lifestyle could provide. Teaching music at a school would allow me to use my music training while providing a stable income.

In God’s great mercy, He opened the door for me to work at Valley Christian Schools (VCS) immediately after we moved to San Jose. I initially applied to teach Junior High science (not having a professional background in science, but knocking on every door I could find). In God’s providence, very kind and helpful people helped me connect with the Director of the Conservatory of the Arts at VCS. I spoke with him and he graciously invited me to join the Conservatory team as a Junior High and High School teacher.

Over time, I shifted my emphasis from teaching to school administration. Four years ago I took on the role of Associate Director for the Conservatory; and last summer by God’s grace I completed my EdD in Organizational Leadership. I’ve really enjoyed working in school administration, as it’s given me the opportunity to think strategically while at the same time continue to work with teachers, students, and families.

This past summer, I became aware of Heritage’s search for someone to lead their arts department; we connected, and on August 31st, Grace and I flew out to Indianapolis so that the following day I could visit Heritage in person. In God’s timing, the Fine Arts Director position was offered, and I accepted. (Incidentally, this is also where the picture above comes in; we had reserved a “compact” rental car online, but received the pictured Jeep Wrangler instead! Neither Grace nor I had driven a Jeep before, so this was also a new adventure. 😉)

I used the word “bittersweet” at the beginning of this post because, while Grace and I are excited for this next stage in my career, we are at the same time very much not looking forward to saying goodbye to the many wonderful people we’ve met and formed relationships with here in the Bay Area. To our San Jose community: thank you for being channels of God’s blessing in our lives over these past nine years. May you seek the Lord more and more each day, and may He lead and bless you.

To our future friends and community in Indianapolis: We look forward to walking alongside you, and pray that God would use us to bless and encourage one another as we seek to honor Him in all we do. To all our blog family, thank you for faithfully walking with us over the past (almost) ten years! Here’s to new horizons.