"How you like it here?"

That was the question I heard yesterday at lunch as I sat down to eat with one of the older members of our congregation.  Given that Robin and I have been in Dulce a bit more than four years, and that yesterday's lunch was something we gave our congregation as a way of celebrating our tenth anniversary, from my vantage point the answer would be obvious.  We like it here quite a lot! 

I could give a long list of the relatively less-important things we like about Dulce, such as the milder winters than in the Midwest, and I could make another list of the inconveniences about living here, such as the physical distance from our parents as they age, but neither list would get to the heart of the matter, which is that the people whom we live and serve among have really touched our hearts. 

When Robin and I are asked to tell the story of how we found ourselves in Dulce we are confronted with the fact that this is just about the most unlikely destination we could have envisioned when our search for a congregation to serve began.  But in nearly every day since coming here we can see at least one thing about ourselves, or our family, or the needs of the people in our congregation, that says to us, "Of all possible places, this is probably the best place for us to serve the Lord."

When our friend asked me that question one of my first thoughts was that four years is a lot of time to look for other opportunities when you are in a place you're not fond of.  But we are very fond of her, and of so many of the people in our congregation.  Four years is also enough time for people to see my weaknesses as their pastor, and perhaps suggest that we move on.  But the many kind and thoughtful words we heard around the tables at lunch suggest that the feelings we have for this place and these people run both ways.

How do I like it here?  I like it quite a lot.  We like it quite a lot, and we plan on staying just as long as the Lord and His people would have us here among them.