What a great few weeks

The last several weeks--those ending the summer months--have been great for us. We celebrated Stephanie's birthday just a few days back, have been to some fun get togethers (with our youth group and with our families). I got an opportunity to preach and to lead worship at our church. Ministry has been great. We've been able to make some new friends. We went to a great concert this past weekend.

And we both have really been growing spiritually in recent days. Stephanie is reading through Genesis and is loving really thinking about deeper issues like the young-earth/old-earth debate. She's developed a real interest in studying these things. As for me, I have really been on a counseling/parenting kick as of late. I'm reading Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp right now. It is fantastic! I actually wrote about it on my church blog today: ariseandeat.blogspot.com

Please keep us in prayer as we head into this school year. We are excited about what God has planned for us, but this is a definite time of transition into a more "stable" time of year. Stephanie will be going back to substitute teaching as opportunities arise. I will be trying to get more involved in school activities and children's ministry programs (since I've focused primarily on youth so far).

I am SO thankful for where God has brought us. We could not ask for a better situation. Thank you for your encouragement and prayers. We miss everyone a great deal but are thrilled to be where God wants us to be. Let us know how we can pray for you.

Here's some pictures of us with our niece Aubrey: