Jim and Karin's Big Adventure!

The plans and arrangements have been made and tomorrow...I'm leaving!  California has been my home since Lyndon B. Johnson was president (1965).  I went to high school here; got saved here; met my first, second, and third wives here; entered and returned from the Army here; raised my 3 girls here; bought my first home here; planted and grew a church here; and lived a LOT of life here.  But tomorrow I fly out of HERE and take up a new residence THERE...in Tennessee.  And, starting tomorrow, a whole new book will begin in the ongoing life saga of The Blythe's.  Karin is going to be an author and I am going to make wood instruments.  I will also be pastoring a little church called Gallatin Free Methodist Church in a little town called Gallatin, Tennessee (20 min northeast of Nashville).  I'm 55 and life is just beginning, again!  It's going to be a big adventure.     

"Adios, Hasta la Vista, Bon Voyage!"

If you really know me you know that, after 10 years, I'm stepping down as pastor of The River Church, Long Beach, CA.  Planted and serving this church has been one of the top experiences of my life.  The people and the experiences have been remarkable.  I have grown as a Christ-follower...as a man...as a lover of people...as a leader...and as a teacher and in MANY other remarkable ways in this time at The River Church.  And there has been so much "fruit" in these 10 years for our King and His Kingdom.  Stroll with me down Memory Lane:  A church has been planted and built in Zeway, Ethiopia; significant financial relief has been sent in response to natural disasters around the world; fresh water wells have been drilled and installed in Haiti; child slavery has been fought and driven back in Thailand; mission trips to Ethiopia, Kenya, and Sudan have been taken; tens of thousands of trees have been planted in Africa and Haiti;  hundreds of AIDS orphans are being supported and educated in Kenya.  And in our city:  Miller Children's Hospital has been equipped with DVD players, movies, Wii Consoles and video games for the kids; advocates for abused children have been supported; local rescue mission and women's home and rehabilitation centers have monthly scheduled teams providing ongoing ministry; hundreds of food baskets and gifts given at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  And then there are the stories of lives changed, marriages restored, addictions broken by the Name and power of Jesus Christ!!!   This Sunday, April 3rd, 2011 the good folks at The River Church will be throwing a "Are You Still Here?" party for Karin and me after church at 5:00pm.  Then, the following Sunday, April 10 is my last Sunday.  Thanks to all who have invested in my life and the many, many, many faithful partners that have stood with me over these 10 years.  You are the story and the legacy.  And welcome pastor Justin and Clarissa Baker!!!  The story continues.