headed home...

We had a great week here but we are ready to head home! Today we just hit the beach and cooked out one more time. We heard that the fox station in Nashville ran the story about the little girl who got bit by the shark. It was cool to break the story right here on my blog! It is a great thing to spend a week with family and be thrilled about coming home to a city we love and church where we are thrilled to invest our lives. I have spent so many vacations over the years trying to figure out things going on back home in the church I served at. It was wild this year to just be at peace with church stuff. Chelsea and I both know God has amazing plans for Grace Community and for the first time we see our family locking in on one city and group of people at GCC. I am 32 now and have been able to serve in some amazing churches. At each of these places God has revealed more to me about His call on my life. Now has has planted us in Clarksville and given us a peace about seeing what staying in one church for 10 - 15 - 20 years looks like. I have some good friends who have been able to stay in one place for years and it looks so rewarding. We pray we get to see what that looks like here. The best thing about it that I get to serve with some of my closest friends and my girls are close to their grandparents! My mom loves that!

For all of you out there serving in hard places, HOLD ON. I man it, HOLD ON. You may know that God has not wired you to serve in the church you are at, but you need to serve with all your heart where you are at right now. I look back and see that one thing I was able to do at every church I was at was give it 100% and love the people God placed in my life. I am so glad God placed me in every church I served at even though my heart longed to be involved with a church plant. If you know change is coming do not underestimate the lessons God has for you in the present. You have to lead where to are at and dream about the future at the same time. God has you where you are a for a reason. HOLD ON!