The Summer Swing of Things
It has been a crazy few months here in the Northwest. My family has been overwhelmed with great moves, busy schedules, and summer fun. I have been kept away from my normal routine but am jumping back into the swing of things today! But before we march into the future, I wanted to take a minute to share some of the great things we have been doing these past few week.
Lets start with family stuff. My beautiful wife is now seven months pregnant. Bria and I are expecting a baby boy toward the end of October and our preparations are in motion. Having a baby is difficult; having a baby while taking care of previously-born babies is more difficult. Our four and two year old kids are doing great. They are as cute and curious as ever. Adele' and Oliver really enjoy the new house we moved into. It is further away from my office but a big upgrade from the apartment we have been in. The kids love the space and playing in the yard (so do I). We are blessed to be where we are and look forward to a more normal schedule this September.
Summer camps have been excellent. I have enjoyed serving in Carlinville, Plain, Lake Stevens, Medical Lake, and look forward to speaking in Silverdale with my family. Five camps in ten weeks is difficult but it has been awesome to see kids transformed by face to face encounters with the God who made them. Some highlights for me include shooting .22s at Ranger Camp with my grandpa, getting blobbed by a 390 pounder, connecting with missionaries Mark and Sunny Rodli, working with four great directors, and hearing from two excellent speakers. It is awesome to work with such exceptional teams.
I have been reading like a mad man and look forward to writing reviews on The Everything Store, A Tale of Two Cities, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, The Pursuit of God, The Martian, Center Church, Innovation's Dirty Little Secret, Essentialism, and The Clockwork Universe. There are so many great ideas out there and I look forward to completing my 156th book review this December.
I promise to slow down a bit. The summer has been a blur and a blessing. I am honored to serve a great network of churches here in the Northwest. I am humbled by so many great leaders and their commitment to the church. The future is bright for children's ministry in the Northwest Ministry Network with clear vision, strong leaders, and innovative approaches toward the mission of God. As good as this summer has been I know that we are just getting started.
