Well, Jesus has not called me to another congregation and I am not resigning. I am, however, letting you know about a transition in my life and ministry. I will become the full-time President of Christians' Haven in January of 2009. This is an organization with two facilities currently in the Philippines that seeks to rescue street children and orphans. There is an estimated two million street children in the Philippines at this time and the number is growing. These children are prey for prostitution, drug trafficking, and even terrorist activity. Our daughter was a ward of this place prior to our adoption of her in 1996 when she was three years old.

Please know that the Ragsdale family is not moving to the Philippines or anywhere. Our U.S. office is in Webb City, MO and will stay there.This is our home and you are our family.

When I came to Christ's Church of Oronogo just over ten years ago I made a commitment to make this my last preaching ministry before retirement. I am not changing that commitment. I do not believe that retiring from Christian ministry is something that one should do.I rather believe that God desires a "re-tooling." Life has many chapters and many people miss chapters because they fear risk or the unknown. I had always prayed that God would provide me with a final chapter in ministry (my re-tooling chapter) that would be challenging and beneficial to His kingdom.I am blessed that He has chosen to do so.

But what about Christ's Church of Oronogo? First of all, I did not die nor have I moved away. This is my church and you are my family. That will continue. I will still be in my small group. I plan to teach adults, be a youth sponsor, and even, on occasion, preach from this stage. You may see me greeting at a door or directing traffic in the parking lot. I am humbled and honored that the elders have requested that I remain an elder and work with them in building this great church. As one elder put it, Lynn will just change places in the boat. Still rowing with us and now making room for another to join our team to get us to that next level.

The simple fact is, I not only recognize that God has opened a door for me in ministry but my ability here may be limited in the future. I may not possess the strength and energy to lead this church to where God wants us to go. Since I arrived over a decade ago the church has more than doubled in size. We are currently building a state of the art facility and have the best "state of the art" staff anywhere. I will not become a lid to the next level of growth.

The elders, staff, and I are already working on a nation-wide search for the right man to become our lead teacher from this stage. We are amazed already at what God is doing in this area. Many of you have never been part of a healthy church correctly making a transition like this. Hang on and enjoy the ride. You are about to experience a positive and energizing adventure. There is absolutely no reason for panic or conflict in the family when a healthy church does God's work God's way.

Now back to work. We have a facility to build and empty seats at optimal times to create. We have lost friends who need to be in this great church. Let's get after it together.

Now, what do I need and expect from you? I hope for a reaction somewhere between "O my, the sky is falling!" and "Halleluiah, this is awesome!" But I really need you to stand in the gap and clarify any miscommunication that may occur.

1.Is Lynn retiring? NO, Lynn is "re-tooling."

2.Is Lynn sick? NO, Lynn is just getting oldER.

3.Is Lynn moving away? NO, the Ragsdale family will be right here at CCO.

Now go and change the landscape of the culture where God is going to take you this week.