Ignition Point Ministries | Jeremiah and Courtenay Bowser

[October 2, 2006]

I love the changing of the seasons. Especially from summer to autumn. The humidity begins to dissipate, the mornings and evenings get cooler and the air just seems lighter. 

Sometimes I feel that the natural seasons are symbolic of spiritual seasons. For example, when the new year comes, it always seems to signal something new for my wife and me. Just as the new year begins, a new chapter seems to begin. 

This is why I love the autumn season. Things just seem to come a little easier in the fall. At least I hope so. We have just been through a tough season this summer. As we stepped away from my church staff position, we had the feeling that it would not be an easy step to take. After all, we were leaving a very comfortable position and taking a step into the unknown. (kind of like Peter stepping out of the boat). However, we knew it was a step that we had to take. As predicted, it was a tough one.

Our spring season started off briskly. We were very busy, traveling and ministering. It was a very fulfilling time as our new ministry was begining to grow and get established. But, after every spring comes a hot and slow-moving summer. This proved absolutely true for us. We had a few great ministry trips, but also met a few huge snags along the way.

One example of this was the production of my new CD, "Changing Everything". At every turn things seemed to go wrong with the project. From scheduling difficulties and changes in the creative team to last minute mistakes and long subsequent delays. This all resulted in about 5 months of delays.

Initially, these delays were pretty big frustrations. As the financial debt mounted and the delays kept occurring, it was tough to see how God was working this situation out for good. But, looking back... this time was necessary. Through the process of fixing mistakes and re-working things, we made some changes that brought about a much better result and a much better sounding project! Had I been able rush the production and push the project through on my original schedule, the result would have been lacking. Now, I feel like it is an accurate representation of the songs that God has allowed me to write over the last few years.

So, with autumn approaching, things are changing. Our new website is complete. Our new worship CD is complete. The schedule is continuing to fill up with ministry opportunity. What  looked like the start of a negative trend was just a season - and seasons change.

God takes us through seasons. Some of them are full of supposed success... and some are difficult times of testing. One thing is for sure... They are all part of God's plan for you. And His plans are to prosper us and not harm us, to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).