This Saturday I will be 40 years old. It doesn't even seem possible that I have lived that long. Life seems to happen on fast forward. When I got married people said that the day would be a blur...but when I was born no one told me that my life would be set at Mach 9. Of course there are those days that seem that they will never end, but where are they now? Long gone...a distant memory.
I'm not too worried about 40. I wasn't that worried about 30 either. I'm just not one to get too worried about a number. However, I don't want to waste this life either. I want to be used by God for His glory in every moment I have in this life. I have done some incredible things in my life and some incredible things have happened to me in these 40 years. These are the times when someone pushed the frame by frame button...time slowed down... days or seasons I will never forget and have helped make me who I am. Here are 40 of those moments
1. February 11, 1977 -my birth. No I don't remember it, but it remembers me.
2. Singing Songs on a "Joy Bus" in Ganado, TX
3. My parents divorce in 1982
4. Eating Push Pops Ice Cream with my Grandpa
5. My brother hitting me in the head with a Fisher Price thick plastic shopping cart
6. Teaching myself to ride a bike
7. First grade -I get glasses, my brother diagnosed with diabetes
8. Third grade -The Challenger Shuttle exploded
9. In fifth grade I got in trouble at school twice -Once for fighting (I won) and second for saying a bad word (I lost)
10. Concussion in 7th grade football
11. Braces in 8th grade
12. My brother moved to my dad's house when I was in 8th grade
13. MY first job was at JC Penney when I was 16
14. First Car accident as a driver, Second Car accident as a driver, Third car accident for my car when my mom allowed an 18 wheeler to driver over the front of it
15. Graduating High School
16. Camp Bandina in 95 where I realized I wanted to do ministry as my career
17. My freshmen year in college at a junior college when the whole girls' volleyball team stood up (literally too) against our atheist teacher in defense of God...I stayed in my seat
18. Hearing my step-dad (not a church-going man) brag to his friend on the phone about me going to school to be a minister (he didn't and doesn't know I heard that)
19. Working with a church as a youth ministry intern at Southwest Central Church of Christ in Houston, TX
20. Meeting Leah for the first time (non-romantically)
21. Moving to Abilene for ACU
22. Begin working for Highland Church of Christ
23. Internship in Waco, TX and one Sunday Leah and her family show up for worship
24. Last Semester and Leah comes to ACU
25. At Whataburger one night late and Leah and I decide not to date each other, by the next week we begin dating
26. Graduating ACU
27. First Job in Full-time Ministry -While working here our church dealt with 8 different significant crises (Enron, 9/11, shuttle explosion, Yates children, TS Allison, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike)
28. Engagement Night 2001
29. Married April 12, 2003
30. My Granny passes away 2005
31. Move to Abilene for new Job 2006
32. Summer of 2007 we are told we are having twins...later...twin boys, Boys are born in 2008...healthy...full-term pregnancy by my wife
33. Graduate with my Masters of Divinity in 2010
34. Leah's Memaw passes away 2011
35. We accept the Sr. Minister position for UCC in Conway, AR, we move to Conway, AR
36. Leah is pregnant again...with a girl...just one this time, Brynn Leigh is born
37. Grandpa (Pops) passes away 2013, My Step-mom passes away (2015)...Leah's Grandaddy passes away (2016), My Uncle Rusty passes away (2016)
38. Boys start school...3 years later Leah starts teaching again
39. I wrote my first (only so far) book
40. Help lead and develop a refreshed vision for UCC
40+ I have no idea of how the next 40 years will turn out. But as I reflect on these 40 moments and the many others I took off my list (ask me about those), I know that I am one with the Spirit and the Spirit is one with me. Most of these revolve around family and career. But there have also been those times when on vacation, sabbatical, and times when it seemed insignificant things were happening, God was there all along. God has been faithful throughout this journey and I continue to choose to walk with him and you on this path.
I'm not too worried about 40. I wasn't that worried about 30 either. I'm just not one to get too worried about a number. However, I don't want to waste this life either. I want to be used by God for His glory in every moment I have in this life. I have done some incredible things in my life and some incredible things have happened to me in these 40 years. These are the times when someone pushed the frame by frame button...time slowed down... days or seasons I will never forget and have helped make me who I am. Here are 40 of those moments
1. February 11, 1977 -my birth. No I don't remember it, but it remembers me.
2. Singing Songs on a "Joy Bus" in Ganado, TX
3. My parents divorce in 1982
4. Eating Push Pops Ice Cream with my Grandpa
5. My brother hitting me in the head with a Fisher Price thick plastic shopping cart
6. Teaching myself to ride a bike
7. First grade -I get glasses, my brother diagnosed with diabetes
8. Third grade -The Challenger Shuttle exploded
9. In fifth grade I got in trouble at school twice -Once for fighting (I won) and second for saying a bad word (I lost)
10. Concussion in 7th grade football
11. Braces in 8th grade
12. My brother moved to my dad's house when I was in 8th grade
13. MY first job was at JC Penney when I was 16
14. First Car accident as a driver, Second Car accident as a driver, Third car accident for my car when my mom allowed an 18 wheeler to driver over the front of it
15. Graduating High School
16. Camp Bandina in 95 where I realized I wanted to do ministry as my career
17. My freshmen year in college at a junior college when the whole girls' volleyball team stood up (literally too) against our atheist teacher in defense of God...I stayed in my seat
18. Hearing my step-dad (not a church-going man) brag to his friend on the phone about me going to school to be a minister (he didn't and doesn't know I heard that)
19. Working with a church as a youth ministry intern at Southwest Central Church of Christ in Houston, TX
20. Meeting Leah for the first time (non-romantically)
21. Moving to Abilene for ACU
22. Begin working for Highland Church of Christ
23. Internship in Waco, TX and one Sunday Leah and her family show up for worship
24. Last Semester and Leah comes to ACU
25. At Whataburger one night late and Leah and I decide not to date each other, by the next week we begin dating
26. Graduating ACU
27. First Job in Full-time Ministry -While working here our church dealt with 8 different significant crises (Enron, 9/11, shuttle explosion, Yates children, TS Allison, Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike)
28. Engagement Night 2001
29. Married April 12, 2003
30. My Granny passes away 2005
31. Move to Abilene for new Job 2006
32. Summer of 2007 we are told we are having twins...later...twin boys, Boys are born in 2008...healthy...full-term pregnancy by my wife
33. Graduate with my Masters of Divinity in 2010
34. Leah's Memaw passes away 2011
35. We accept the Sr. Minister position for UCC in Conway, AR, we move to Conway, AR
36. Leah is pregnant again...with a girl...just one this time, Brynn Leigh is born
37. Grandpa (Pops) passes away 2013, My Step-mom passes away (2015)...Leah's Grandaddy passes away (2016), My Uncle Rusty passes away (2016)
38. Boys start school...3 years later Leah starts teaching again
39. I wrote my first (only so far) book
40. Help lead and develop a refreshed vision for UCC
40+ I have no idea of how the next 40 years will turn out. But as I reflect on these 40 moments and the many others I took off my list (ask me about those), I know that I am one with the Spirit and the Spirit is one with me. Most of these revolve around family and career. But there have also been those times when on vacation, sabbatical, and times when it seemed insignificant things were happening, God was there all along. God has been faithful throughout this journey and I continue to choose to walk with him and you on this path.
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