Category Archives: On a Personal Note

We are knee deep in our plans for moving to Richmond.  This Sunday December 4th is Carrie’s last day as the Live Out Loud Children’s Director at EBCC.  My last Sunday as the Lead Minister at EBCC is December 11th.  Between now and then we are going to be packing boxes and saying goodbye to the friends we have in Bartlesville.  So far our plan is to arrive in Richmond the evening of  Sunday December 18th.

Once arriving in Richmond our main focus will be on developing a team of people who can help launch this new church.  Until then we are on a commercial break.  It is a break because I need to focus on moving and I need the next couple of weeks to debrief from my time at EBCC.  One would think that starting a new church and serving as a Lead Minister in an existing church are very similar roles. It is not true.  I need to have a couple of weeks to really wrap my brain around doing things differently.  So this is a break.

This is a commercial because I am advertizing the need for people to help us move.  If you are in Bartlesville and are interested in helping us load a truck let me know.  If you are in the Richmond area and are interested in helping us unload a truck let me know.

I am excited to be moving back to Richmond. Having grown up in Richmond we still call it home.  It has been almost 12 years since we left but know we still have some great friends in the area.  Hey if you are interested my family and I will be in Richmond later this week.  I would love to meet with you and share what is happening so far with this new church.  I have several meetings already but have plenty of time available.  Who knows I may even buy your meal…or not?

Also if you are stalking my blog in hopes of knowing when our family is going to be gone from our home I must warn you of the alarm system and  neighborhood watch that includes a crazy old man with a shotgun and pet rotweillers.  The dude really is crazy!

I have several friends who recently started a new church or will be doing so over the next year.  It is funny that we all battle some of the same emotions.  One minute we are stressed over the workload and the pressure of succeeding and the next we are like little kids on Christmas morning waiting to open up packages.  I think these emotions are healthy because, while it is an honor to be able to start a new church, it is hard work and a very important one as well.  Successful churches do not just appear overnight.  It takes time and hard work.  I also think it is healthy to be excited.  I think starting a new church is exciting because of the impact we will have on our city.  There are people in the Richmond area right now whose lives are a mess.  We have the opportunity to help change everything for them.  That excites me!

We move to Richmond sometime late this year/early next year.  While leaving our current church provides certain emotions there is also a sense of anticipation for what is ahead.  Will you do me a favor today please?  Just pause for a moment and ask God to do something extreme through this new church.  You notice I said “through this new church”, not “for this new church”.  We are not starting this church for us, but for others.  I mean I want you to ask for something so big that it could only be possible if God were leading it.  We don’t want to start “just another church”.  We want to take over a city.  Taking over a city with God’s love is a big dream.  With a dream so large I should expect to continue to bounce between stress and anticipation and that is not a bad thing.