Time and Movement

After prayerful consideration and for what seems like the umpteenth time, I will be changing jobs again. I have resigned from a perfectly good job with many good people because I hear God’s call on me…again. It feels like jumping from a perfectly good plane with a questionable parachute. I will be launching into the unknown and trusting God and my small bag of experiences. At first there were faint echoes, in the end a shout for me to jump. At first, I didn’t see it coming. Here at the crossroads, I’ve now seen the multiple signs that have brought me to this exact location in place and time. I didn’t do this for money, but the money was helpful. It will allow me to pay off all my remaining debts over the next year. Some of this was about location. Some of this was about personal loss. A lot of it was about love. All of it somehow revolved like the hands of a clock around the concept of time and forgiveness or paying of debts. All of it was about a timeless God.

The last two years have been life-altering for many around me. I have seen some setbacks that were not even mine, yet I felt them acutely. My fiancé’s cancer specifically affected me and made time stand still. My mother’s deteriorating health pains me also. The loss of too many friends, family and even a coworker. The idea of time and the elapsing of time keep coming to the fore…inescapably so. I know time cannot be redeemed. I’ve needed to make some enormous decisions in a very brief period of time that will profoundly affect my remaining time on earth. I have been presented a new course by God and it’s clear that it is a path (at this point in time) He wishes I take even though I’m extremely uncomfortable doing it. All the signs point in the same direction simultaneously. As with any momentous change in life, I take the first steps with trepidation.

The change begins November 11, 2025. Veterans Day. The day my father died, 15 years to the day. The date of my resignation seemed insignificant at first glance until I realized what day it was. Dad’s departure from this world. The new opportunity is geographically dead center between my current home in Boyertown and my future retirement home in Jim Thorpe. They are both exactly 40-minute commutes. The serendipitous nature of these numbers in this story seems sovereign because of their symbolism in the Scriptures. They are directly related to time and provision only available from God by faith.

In the Bible the number (15) fifteen is symbolic of provision, joy and grace. The number is closely tied to God’s blessings during significant events like the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The more profound connection to me is that the number 15 is directly associated with communal/corporate remembrance and worship in the Year of Jubilee (every 50 years) which starts on the 10th day of the 7th month (Ethanim/Tishri). We know it as October. The Jubilee includes a significant 15-day period leading to atonement (Leviticus 25:9). This event symbolizes freedom, restoration, and spiritual renewal.

The 15th day of the month of Ethanim/Tishri also marks the Feast of Tabernacles, a time for celebration and remembrance of God’s provision and spiritual growth. Basically, an autumn harvest festival of provision. A celebration of provision…God’s blessing. 

The year 2025 is in fact a Jewish Jubilee year, a time to have debts forgiven. This can’t possibly be a coincidence. It shouts of God’s sovereignty over my life, my fiancés life and even sovereignty over time itself.

Additionally, Passover is celebrated on Nissan 15 a provision against death that would’ve surely befallen the Hebrew slaves if not for the blood of the lamb. A shadow of the One to come who would shed his blood on the cross so that death would not overcome us too. The number 15 has often marked pivotal moments in spiritual transformation, exemplified by King Hezekiah’s 15 additional years of life. Then there was the dedication of Solomon’s temple which took place during the month of Ethanim. It included the Feast of Tabernacle festival lasting 15 days, showcasing corporate worship and divine favor. The Tabernacle / Temple being the dwelling place of God among men. Later to be replaced by the Holy Spirit in a believer’s heart because death passes over the believer but has no lasting effect because of Christ's resurrection and power over that death.

The 40-minute commute from both locations is significant for me too. The number 40 obviously holds significant chronological Biblical meaning, symbolizing a period of time of testing, trial, or probation. Jesus’ fasting for 40 days in the wilderness followed immediately by temptation, represents spiritual discipline and preparation. The Great Flood, where it rained for 40 days and nights, indicated a time of judgment. Moses spent 40 days on Mt Sinai in the presence of God. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years, which signifies a period of trial and transformation. Elijah journeyed for 40 days and nights to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. This arduous journey symbolizes a time of spiritual renewal and transformation. It required Elijah’s complete dependence on God’s strength and guidance, as well as his commitment to fulfilling God’s purposes.

The 40 years of kingship when King David reigned, establishing a period of stability and prosperity. This period of kingship represents leadership and authority, as well as the fulfillment of God’s promises to David. It serves as a reminder of the importance of righteous leadership and the blessings that come from following God’s ways. It highlights the authority that comes from aligning with God’s purposes. Overall, the number 40 is associated with important moments of testing and preparation throughout biblical narratives. All these things have been constant reoccurring themes in my life over the last 40 years. They all apply right now.

The irony is not lost on me.

I had a lot of time to discuss God with some of my coworkers on and off the job. They’ve all said I’ve had a positive impact on them. This I have come to believe was and is part of my ministry. To be there to talk to my coworkers when life has them flummoxed and talk to them in a biblical manner. I also need to be a leader as much as I’ve tried to avoid it. My door will still be open to any of them but the intensive part of what I was there to do at my old employer is done. I know now it’s time to move on. Just like the many people that have departed this life over the last two years and will continue to do. I still have other work to do. I’m leaving geographically but I am still in this world to complete God’s work. It's not my time to completely check out, only move.

I will be leaving the gym I’ve lifted at off and on for the last 40 years, the Boyertown YMCA….a gym which I also used as a ministry field. Recently, some have come forward for reasons unknown. Some have spoken to me as recently as last Friday to tell me the positive lifting and spiritual impact I had on them 5, 10, 20 and even 40 years ago. They’ve ranged in age from 30 to 75, male and female, Jew and Gentile. A 40-year-old father influenced when he was 17 and I was in my 30s to take up weightlifting. There was a 75-year-old widow whose husband spoke to her about my conversations of God with him before his passing. An old lifting acquaintance that encourages me as I encourage him to keep going and to keep moving. A recovering addict who saw me recover also and straightened my life out. It made him believe he could do the same and started lifting instead of shooting up. I have been truly humbled by God revealing this to me lately. All things are possible.

Pray for me as I step into the unknown. I believe it is what I’m supposed to do. There’s a time for everything under God’s sun. That time is now.