Wins & Losses: Summer 2018 Recap

What I thought would be a two-week rotation of W&L turned out to be nothing even close to that. A whirlwind of a summer put blogging on the backburner, and so I hope to recap everything in a concise, but thorough manner here. And away we go…

Wins

• You can probably guess that the arrival of Kennedy was the highlight of the summer for us. Welcoming this laid back child into our family last June was an event for which we had grown very impatient. She’s been such a joy to have and I have loved spending my days with her, her sister, and her mama.
• In mid-July, I accepted the call to come on board at First Baptist Church of Gray, GA as the Pastor of Music & Creative Arts. While I originally had written this place off due to other circumstances, the Lord made it very clear that we were supposed to be here. I love the staff here, and can’t wait to get to work with them. The transition is uncomfortable (as is with all transitions), but we couldn’t be more excited to begin a new stage of life in the geographic center of the state of Georgia. Y’all come see us!
• A quick trip to the beach with Becca’s side of the family, right after our Georgia trip, was well worth the wait. We normally take vacations in June, but Orange Beach in July did not let us down or make us wish we’d come earlier. It was a great time to get away, especially after we’d just been confirmed at FBC. Reagan absolutely loved playing in the sand and the pool. I can’t wait for the day when all four of us can be in the water at the same time. That will be fun for sure.
• Several times throughout the summer, I was given the opportunity to accompany congregational singing at Grace Community Church (PCA) in Cordova. Playing with those talented musicians was always a swell treat. Philip Himebook, the music director, came to be a dear friend with whom I could share great conversation. We always enjoyed talking about church work, hymns, Reformed theology, and other topics that interest music nerds like us. He does great work at GCC and I’m thankful that he thought to let me play with them from time to time.

Losses

• Though we are beside ourselves to move to Gray, it doesn’t come without some sadness about leaving our families and friends in Tennessee. We both love Tennessee very much, and there will be much to miss about it (especially since my in-laws just bought a house with a pool; bad timing, methinks).
• Every person has those moments in which they are reminded just how broken he is. I encountered a few of those moments this summer. I found myself in places I never thought I’d be and had to totally rely on God’s grace and strength to get me through it. Though we always learn something through the trials God places in our lives, actually going through it is never fun.