Another year.....

I'm sitting in my favorite second office, Starbucks, in Texarkana. I just wrapped up preparations for tonight's message. Some of you are aware today is my Birthday. I am reflecting on another year of life.

It is easy to forget what God has done in the last year. If you want to read on, great. If not, really this blog is more for me to look at later and remember what God did this past year (you know I am getting older....so, I might forget). LOL!

In the last 12 months.....in no particular order.

1. I would not be where I am at today without the love and support of my wife, Sasha. The last 12 months have been a whirlwind in some ways. Sasha flat out amazes me. She keeps our family going. She excels in her profession. She is going through grad school (1/2 way through now)! She helps at the church! She is an amazing mom and wife! I love her! Yeah, I know....I married out of my league....don't tell her though. :)

2. I love my girls. Mady and Kenzie are awesome. A couple of nights ago, they met me at a restaurant. Both girls fought over who was going to sit by me. I ended up with one on each side.....it was a little tight. Sasha looks at me and said "It's tough to be popular." My girls make me feel special. They are both unique. Mady is very smart. She blesses me with how well she is picking up Junior Bible Quiz. She loves God's word. In the last few weeks, she is becoming more spiritually aware. I thank God for that. Kenzie is our comic relif. My prayer is that she never loses that joy. I am thankful that I can be a dad.

3. I had a great experience of working with a great group of people. It has been since I was in college, that I worked outside "the church." This experience was amazing. It gave me a fresh perspective of what people deal with in their day to day lives. It also gave me a new sense of purpose. The experience boosted my confidence. God gave me incredible favor in the few months I was with the company. I loved the experience.

4. Again, God took care of our needs incredibly. During the season that I worked outside the church, I took a huge cut in pay. During that time, through miracles and God's provision, I maintained the same standard of living we had grown accustomed to....our bills were paid, our needs were met....God was faithful.

5. September 1, I began a new journey as Student Ministires Director at Northside Church. It has been awesome. I get to work with great people....starting with Pastor Jimmy and Renata. He has been a great friend and mentor to me over the past couple of years. I have learned so much. I also get to work with a great team of people in the church. The Youth Staff, Kid's Leaders and Workers, the rest of the Student Ministries Team and now the Worship Band and Team have all been amazing. I feel I've grown as a person and a leader. I am so excited that I get to be a part of this great team. It is so surreal being back at Northside after all these years.

6. Part of my responsibilities include leading the youth ministry....I love these students! They are a lot of fun to be around. We have seen some great things happend and I cannot wait to see where we are a year from now. Thank you 180 for your encouragement and for allowing us to be a part of your lives!

Thank you God for taking care of me and my family! I can't wait to see what you are going to do this year!