"Your grace abounds in deepest waters. Your sovereign hand, will be my guide. Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me. You've never failed and You won't start now."

These are some of the lyrics to one of my new favorite songs. I probably listen to it more than any other song out there right now. Mostly because I identify with it so strongly.

I'm pretty much scared of most things I don't understand. I don't always like to admit that but it's true. I'm a pretty smart kid; I understand and can make a plan for most things. Every once in awhile life will throw me a curve ball and my first reaction is always to freak out. I will often immediately revert to worst case scenario and drive myself crazy.

The funny thing is that I only do this when I feel the need to be in control (which is most of the time). It is amazing the freedom that comes when I am able to trust someone else to take care of what's ahead.

When I was growing up we would often pile the whole family of 6 into the minivan and embark on trips. Sometimes we knew exactly where we were headed; but sometimes these trips took us to unfamiliar places and we would hear Mom and Dad talking in low voices in the front and pulling out the map. This was before GPS and iPhones and it was easy to get turned around and not be 100% certain you were going in the right direction. Whenever we would find ourselves in this predicament my dad would always say "we're not lost, we're on an adventure!" I often liked adventures; at least while Dad was driving. I trusted that although I didn't know where we were at the moment he knew where we were headed and I had absolute faith that he would get us there successfully.

Lately we've been talking a lot about what's next. As a church family, City Church has a lot of next steps. Moving to the new location, and reaching more people than ever before is a big part of that. Just like on family road trips, I have complete confidence following these steps because I trust the people who are navigating for us. I'm excited to be a part of it.

Those of us that make up the City Church family have a lot of next steps in front of us as well as individuals. These may not be as easily defined, and in our personal lives it is often harder to be certain that we are headed in the right direction. It may mean making a decision to take your next step in your relationship with Christ and follow in baptism, it may be learning how to lead your family to be gospel centered, or making tough decisions about your personal finances to ensure that you are honoring God with your money and letting him dictate your budget. It may even be changing your 5-year plan entirely because God had a different idea than you did.

For example: Mr. Ratliff and I moved to Tallahassee in January of 2010 with every intention of staying two years, getting a diploma and getting the heck outta here. We started attending City Church one week after we arrived in town and God started interfering with our lives and our plans. Three and ½ years later we are still here and have no plans to go anywhere anytime soon. We believe God has called us to be a part of what City Church is doing in Tallahassee. So, we found careers, invested in our community, put down some roots, and have settled in for the duration. I have absolutely no idea what's next, but I know we're supposed to be a part of it. Maybe you are starting to feel the same way; that you need to go all in.

All I know for certain about the next chapter in our lives, is that we're on an adventure and I'm trusting that my Father knows where we're going. He's never failed, and I am confident that He won't start now.

(Andi has been married to her husband Clay Ratliff for 5 years, and has called Tallahassee home since 2010. Andi and Clay lead a college community group and serve on the First Impressions team at City Church. She loves coffee, books, her husband, Florida State Football, her family and Jesus (not necessarily in that order). She is a sales manager at DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Tallahassee.)