Happy Fall, y’all!

Life has been moving fast for the Post family over the past four months. It’s been quite a while since the last time I’ve posted a legitimate blog entry. Typically, I like to post some of my theological reflections. But I feel it might be a good time to give an update on our family’s transition from LA to L.A. (or Crowley to Cali).

I am succeeding Wade Mikels who pastored at Village for 30 years. During the search process, the elders suggested that Wade and I connect over the phone. That conversation was very pivotal for me. In a pastoral succession situation, obviously the incoming pastor will inevitably do some things differently than the retiring pastor. But it’s so important that they share common ground and mutual support.

In our phone conversation (and in subsequent conversations), it was very apparent that Wade and I share much in common when it comes to theology, ministry philosophy, and our emphasis on spiritual formation. I was blown away when I learned that before Wade came to Village, he was the pastor of a church in St. Paul where Greg Boyd attended (just before he planted Woodland Hills following Wade’s departure). Over the last fifteen years, Greg has been probably the single-most important influence on the way I understand theology. I was similarly surprised to learn that Dallas Willard (another hero of mine) spoke at Village several times years ago.

After that conversation with Wade it began to sink in that Village Church very well may be the place God was preparing us for (after three years of sensing that a transition was coming).

These three months at Village have been nothing short of wonderful. The themes and concepts I’m preaching seem to be perfectly aligned with the direction Wade has led the church through his teaching over the last three decades. The staff, elder board, and the entire church at-large have all embraced us with open arms, and we all seem to sense that the Holy Spirit is leading us in a unique way. Difficult times will come, of course. But the Post family knows we are exactly where we’re supposed to be.

Speaking of family, Carrie has a job working in the spiritual life department at VCS. She really enjoys her new position and has found a great mix of friends at the church and school. And both of our children have adapted extremely well. Carson is excelling in the classroom and playing bass guitar in the Village Youth worship band. Reagan is also making great grades and is playing volleyball for the Middle School team at VCS.

Our transition to the city of Los Angeles has been much easier than expected. The housing market out here is N-U-T-S. Thankfully, we’ve been able to rent a home across the street from the school for the foreseeable future until the market calms down.

Things we’ve had to adjust to:

• Freeway traffic. We don’t have to get on the freeways much, but when we do, we always have to pay attention to what time of day we need to leave to avoid long delays.
• Cost of living. I recently saw a place in Burbank that sells gas for $3.99 and found myself thinking, “Wow, that’s cheap.”
• Strict COVID measures. Like anywhere in the U.S. people have a mixture of opinions around here about COVID and how to approach it. And they can tend to hold to their opinions rather fiercely. But after coming from South-central Louisiana (the reddest part of a red state) to Los Angeles, there’s been a noticeable difference in the general mentality people have. There are definitely exceptions, but we see a lot more masks here and businesses tend to follow guidelines.

Things we enjoy about L.A.:

• So much to do. Hiking, beaches, museums, sports, concerts, etc. All within a few miles.
• The weather. Our friends here might be surprised to read this, but we’ve really enjoyed the weather here. The mornings and evenings tend to be nice and cool. The daytime definitely gets hot, but without the humidity we’re used to.
• The laid-backness. In general, people are loose, relaxed, and go-with-the-flow.

So things are going really well. And we’re starting to settle into a routine. We want to say hello to all of our friends and family in Louisiana (and elsewhere). And particularly our church family at Northside in Crowley. We’re delighted to see that things are going very well, and we’re excited about what’s ahead for Northside. We are praying that the new pastor’s transition to Northside (whoever that person may be) will go as smoothly as our transition has gone.

Blessings to you all!