The Goings on and Work of Sam Mahlstadt

I am now in my final week on staff at Cornerstone, and it seems crazy that my time here has drawn to an end. I have been wrestling with many emotions: I am sad to leave, excited to get married, and anxious to help begin a new work in Winston-Salem. Several chapters are coming to an end in my life, which fuels the many emotions I am facing. I will end my time as a single man in 13 days. I will end my time of being trained at Cornerstone in 6 days. I will also end my time of being on the leadership team for 63rd and Park in 6 days. These are all milestones on their own, and the fact that they are happening simultaneously makes it a bit overwhelming. One thing I shared with the group at our school of prayer was that in this point in my life, I feel like I am seeking and hearing the voice of God in my life like never before. I also shared that I am very grateful to be completely unaware of the challenges and obstacles that accompany moving, marriage and starting a church. If Amanda and I knew what took place in all of these changes, I don’t know if we would still be following what we feel God is leading us to do. I know that sounds quite unspiritual, but it is the truth. People continually remind us that the first year of marriage is tough, moving is stressful, planting a church is next to impossible. Then, people will look at me with an expression of “oh you are so naive, and so in for it.” Here is the thing though; we are so excited that on our own, this would be doomed to fail. We are in a place in our relationship with God and with each other where we know that success will come only if God is in this with us. We are competely aware of our naivete, but we are also completely confident that God is leading us, and our level of trust in Him has never been greater. So…here we go, please pray for us.