Quiet Time

Getting up early is not my thing.  I like the quiet time to read and pray, but it is hard for me to get out of bed.  I am kind of forced to some days though.  On Wednesdays, I have a staff meeting at 7:00 in the morning, and it takes me about 25 min. to get there.  I try to leave the house by about 6:30 and pray for no traffic.  This means getting up at 6:00 and getting a shower, getting ready, and scooting out the door just in time.

Today I tried something a little different though.  Usually my duty in the morning is to get Ansley out of bed, fed, and ready for the day.  If KJ wakes up, I take care of her too.  Then I leave at about 8:30.  Since I’m gone before anyone is out of bed on Wednesdays, I figured that I would try to maximize that time.  So today, I woke up at 5:30, and was gone by 6:00.  I went to Larson Park in Webster Groves, and spent about 25 min. just walking around, taking pictures, and sitting down and praying.  What a great way to start my day.  I needed that reminder of how important that alone time with God was.  Not just for myself, but for Laura as well.  I pray so often that I won’t forget to “take the girls” so she can have that time to be with God.

Thank you God for time to be alone with you, and thank you for a wife that desires that time as well.

One Crazy Summer

I’m sitting at my desk in my new office, and papers are everywhere.  I’m trying to get a grip on the fact that I have a new job in a new city, and living in a new house (new to me at least).  In June, Laura, the girls, and I packed up our “Pods” and moved to St. Louis to start a new life as the Youth minister for the Mid-County Church of Christ.  I officially started on July 1st, and went on a mission trip to Portland, ME on July 10th for 11 days.  It was a GREAT way to get to know the kids, maybe a little too much.

Once we got back, the summer went by in a blink.  We had a foat trip, Soul Lift, and so many other things going on that it truly seems like a blur now.

In the mean time, Laura has been at home with 2 girls, trying to hold down the fort, and not get too frustrated with me being gone so much.  (Such is the life of a youth minister in the summer)

Now that summer is over, and the youth group is back in school, my transition officially begins.  This is the first fall since I was in Pre-School that I am not getting ready for a school year.  After teaching for 6 years, I actually liked school, and looked forward to the excitement of the first day.  Now, I feel like I’m still finding my rhythm.  After 2 months of being here, I can tell you that I like office time to a degree, but I would much rather be with my youth group kids, than in here.  I have a self diagnosed case of ADHD, so I move around a lot, and try to stay away from too much coffee in the mornings.

The most difficult thing right now, is balancing my roles of husband, dad, and youth minister.

All that being said, I am so excited to be a part of the MidCounty family.  They have blessed my life so much, and have made this move much less stressful than we ever anticipated.

God is so good, and I can’t wait to see how he uses my family in St. Louis.