Cedar Park

You would think that at this point in my life, after seeing how God has consistently provided for us (most times miraculously and exactly what we needed) I would be convinced without a shadow of a doubt that God always has our best interest at heart. But here I am, once again, amazed, humbled, and so thankful. I sometimes forget the tiny little fact that God created us. I forget that He knows us better than we know ourselves. Which means He also knows exactly what kind of environment we need to be in, to use the gifts He has given us most effectively. To say that this new position is a "perfect fit" would be an understatement. Brad is definitely in his element! He's spent the entire week networking with youth staff, youth leaders, different department Heads in the church, the school on campus, and Northwest University. In fact I told him jokingly, "I'm not sure why you wanted us over here, we've only seen you for a total of 15 minutes in the past 6 days!" He's definitely been busy. But a good busy. There's a certain air of excitement that comes when somebody new is hired, and all the excitement and exuberance is contagious! Brad has spent hours dreaming, brain-storming, and envisioning what could be, and what it will take to make it happen. It's exciting to see what is taking place already! Our first youth service was Wednesday night. The youth kids welcomed each person in our family with a gift. Brad and I got a $75 gift card to Maggiano's, and a $35 gift card to the movie theater. And Reagan, Josiah and Madelyn each had a huge gift bag full of things that were amazingly right on target for what they were interested in! It was "Student Take Over" night, which means students run everything: worship, ice-breaker, and a portion of the sermon. Brad wrapped it up, and gave an altar call where 5 students gave their hearts to the Lord for the first time! So awesome!

The next day Brad spoke in the school that's on campus. As a welcoming gift they gave us tons of gift cards to different restaurants, coffee shops, and a bunch of Cedar Park Christian School t-shirts (see above picture). We've been showered with hugs, gifts, dinners and so far we haven't had to cook a meal! (I'm not complaining by any means!) Every night has been reconnecting with old friends, or making new friends. As Easter approaches the crazy pace of life is starting to hit home, and we're both getting a little tired. A good time to sit back and reflect on exactly what this Easter weekend means. We are so thankful that Christ loved us so much He was willing to suffer and die so that we could have freedom and life. It's amazing to think that not only is He alive, but He's working in our every day lives if we only take the time to stop and notice.