Brandon Lyons helps run the leadership search, supervise the PEACE interns, assists with strategy for 12 cities global church planting efforts, and teach out evangelism class for The Peace Plan with Saddleback Church. He maintains a site about being a better servant. Whether that’s at your job, in your marriage, or at your church. He and Nicole have been through an incredible journey together.
Walking away from everything is never easy, but when my wife said, “I’ll follow you to ends of the earth,” it was a whole lot easier.
We were content to make good money, travel around the world, sell wine, and live in our small agricultural town in California. We were living our dream and we were happy. But our dream isn’t God’s plan.
God waited until he had me alone on a rainy November night in San Diego. God said two things to me that night, “You’re wasting your life,” and “It’s time to get trained.” It was so outside of our timing. My wife and I were just establishing our lives and our careers and God was telling me it was time for us to start over? I had no idea what my bride would say, but her response encapsulates her: “I don’t know why God speaks to you the way he does, but I know he does. I trust you and I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth. Let’s do it.”
Eight months later we had sold or given away everything we owned to follow Jesus. It took two years for us to land full-time jobs. (A year of unpaid internships. Another year of multiple part-time jobs.) Thousands of dollars invested into seminary education, and two years surviving off the charity of kind families who had an extra room and extra food.
It hasn’t been easy, but it has been good. Good time learning in the midst of pain. Good time investing in young married couples. Good time restoring marriages that were lost. Our journey is only just beginning and we’re eager to share what we’ve learned. I hope you’ll journey with us.
Read more and follow Brandon’s blog, here.
