Baptism

Sunday was an extra special day. Three of our youth made the decision to express their love and commitment to Jesus through baptism. It is always so exciting to witness such a celebration! This was a special day for Kyle, as well, because it was his first time to be the "dunker" and have the honor of experiencing such an incredible step with his youth!

Sam

Abby

Kelsie




My prayer for their spiritual journey is that they would truly understand that it is a journey. And that, as a church, we would always make the dominant understanding of our faith that of a journey and not a destination.

"One of the illusions of faith is that at some point we get it all mapped out and things get smooth and predictable. It is not true. The way of Jesus is a journey, not a destination. On a journey, the scenery changes. A lot. We can prepare for some things but not all. We make mistakes, figure it out as we go along, and try new things. Failures are really just opportunities to learn." - Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis

Chicago

A couple of weeks ago Kyle and I had some very special friends of ours, Nate & Laci Bridges, fly up and hang out at our new home and make a quick trip to Chicago with us. It was so good to spend time with them! There is a ton to do in Chicago but here is my pictures list of some of our favorites, firsts, and fun times!

1. Beginning our first journey with Amtrak.

2. Our first time walking in the rain like dumb tourists for hours.

3. Eating Chicago’s famous deep dish pizza at Giadorno’s

4. Seeing Chicago from the John Hancock building.

5. Eating at Ed Debevic’s and laughing at their mock sarcasm.

6. Walking through Millenium Park and the silver bean.

7. MJ.

8. All the cool water life at Shedd Aquarium.

9. Hanging out at Navy Pier & riding the ferris wheel and swings.

10. Seeing Chicago at night.

Vegas & Cruise...Finally!!

I'm finally blogging about our recent trip to Vegas and our cruise. Here's a simple list of what I enjoyed most and great memories made! (in no particular order)

1. Spending time with amazing people. (Kyle's family and LifePoint pastors & wives)
2. Access to ice cream and cheese + fries 24 hours.
3. Eating at the top of the stratosphere. (BEST STEAK EVER)
4. Watching an awesome Cirque de Soleil show.
5. Picking up a green marble. (aka jellyfish)
6. Surviving Kyle's driving in a 2-seater speedboat in the ocean.
7. Room craziness....Dan & Carolyn walking into an unmade bed....someone else having a key to our cruise room and walking in.
8. Laying out in the silence.
9. Finding great deals at the outlets in Vegas.
10. Did I mention hanging out with awesome people?
11. Being blessed with 2 amazing vacations.

Blessed

During the music at church today I was overwhelmed at how blessed Kyle and I are to be a part of LifePoint. As I looked around at various people I couldn't help to get excited about how many opportunities I saw for God to show His brilliance. Opportunities for Him to take a dead situation and bring life...vibrant life. Opportunities for Him to use people and their talents to change the world. Opportunities for Him to change mediocracy into passion. His plans are so much bigger than I can begin to imagine...and having Him whisper to my soul, "Just think of what I can do through..." brought emotions and excitement I cannot even describe.