Winter Chill

JT and I have the privilege every Sunday and Wednesday to help out with our youth ministry at church. A few weekends ago we kicked off the Spring semester by taking all the junior high & senior high to Pine Cove in Tyler, Tx for a weekend retreat: Winter Chill.

JT was the main speaker for the weekend and Cody Kimmel was the worship director. For those of you who have never been on a youth retreat, I'd like to share some words that will paint a picture for you. For those of you that remember youth retreats oh so well.... enjoy reminiscing :)

• Traveling by bus
• Sleeping bags, pillows, and luggage
• Bunk-beds, cabins, leaking roofs
• Communal bathrooms
• Middle of nowhere forest camp
• Ice breaker events: good 'ole toilet bowl diving & poop deck (see pics below)
• Late nights with only 4 or less hours of sleep
• Early mornings and no sleeping in
• Crud wars
• Crushes/relationships
• Making new friends
• Time with God
• Small groups
• Challenging sermons and powerful worship
• God showing up and the Holy Spirit moving
• Glad to be going home but wishing you could stay
• Looking forward to the next...

Here are some pictures to tell of our time there. If you want to see all of them, go here. 

Lives were changed. God was praised. 

Read more...

Our Small Group

Since October '08 we've been apart of a married couple's small group through our church. Since then our group has multiplied, changed meeting times/places, said hello to new couples and said goodbye to ones we did not want to see go. Every Wednesday night JT and I look forward to getting together with some of our closest friends to talk about how we can know God more and how we can make Him known in our lives and marriages.

We get to see Acts lived out every week when we're around these people. As soon as you step foot into this group you are automatically family and things will be given and lives will be shared to support, love, and encourage you in life. It's truly a picture of what the church looks like.

Since November '08 we've known Katie and Ben. We've had the pleasure of getting to know them better over the last year and can now say with confidence that we will be friends for life. This past summer we started praying for opportunities for God to take them overseas for missions and can now celebrate that after months of prayer and preparation, God has placed them in Haiti to minister to the Haitian and missionary community. They officially moved to Haiti on December 29th (last Tuesday). Praise the Lord for his provision.

To learn more about the Kilpatricks click here.

JT and I have also found a specific ministry at our church: students :) High school and middle school to be exact. We, along with Katie and Ben, are having to leave our beloved small group and serve where the Lord is leading us to go. Our Christmas party was a time for food, laughter, and celebration. We love this group so much and are excited to see how it will grow and send other couples in the coming year.

This is us with Caleb & Lindy Jo (we co-lead the small group with them).

Read more...

Great is Thy Faithfulness

After a lifetime of God pursuing her heart, Marcy has dedicated her life to glorifying the Lord. Over the past three years we have witnessed a miracle only God could do. He has refined her heart into a heart that fears and loves the Lord with more passion than many people we've ever known. She is a woman of deep faith and conviction, and everyone in her life knows it.

It was just a week ago that she told us she wanted to get baptized. We both were so excited it moved our hearts to tears. JT said, "If you were to tell me 3 years ago that my mom would be baptized, I wouldn't have believed you. What God has done in her life is nothing short of a miracle." It was our pleasure tonight to see an outward expression of what has inwardly happened in her life. She has been washed in the blood of Jesus and been forgiven of her sins, and desires to love him for the rest of her life.

Watch and be blessed...

Read more...