Brothers & Sisters,
I cannot begin to express the whirlwind that this week has been! Oliver's arrival came just under 5 weeks early. We had a long list of "to do's" that we were supposed to start knocking out this week.. but God had other plans. We went from having "all the things to do" to being forced to let it all go and to pivot the direction that He was having us go. Autumn and I were reflecting on that this morning. We are prone to forget that God is sovereign and in control. We had this birth meticulously planned right down to the date and time. Yet, here we are! I'll spare you the details but we've learned a lot of lessons on fear, control, and trust!
The greatest lesson we are learning, though, is one of gratitude. I shared yesterday that I have had the privilege of serving as a pastor in three different churches. While all three churches have taken care of us we have never experienced the kind of care that we have received from First Baptist Church. Being a Pastor is an interesting thing. Sometimes the shepherd doesn't always feel a part of the flock. There are various reasons for that, some justified... some not so much. Maybe some of that has to do with assuming the one who does the majority of the care is fine. Whatever the cause, we don't feel that here at all. The shepherd and his family feel just as loved, just as cared for, just as encouraged, just at blessed, just as much a part of this church as others often express here at FBC. We truly know that we are as much a part of this congregation as we are leading it.
So, I wanted to provide a personal note of thanks.
This past year has been overwhelming. I have had every intent of sitting down to write personal thank you's almost every single week and the moment I do I have found that I suddenly have 3 or 4 more to add to the list. I have been overwhelmed by the frequency of your blessing and the depth of your love for myself and my family. Though I have been told many times we are not, I feel indebted to you all. I was reminded that there has never been any desire that we pay back what has been gifted. In that sense then, your continued care in my family's life is a constant reminder of Christ's very love toward us! The best part about all of this is that I know that we are not the only ones. This has become a part of the DNA of our church - a devotion to each other.
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” -John 13:35 ESV
Thank you for ensuring that we are a part of that!
