The Week in Review

This past week has certainly been eventful. While the week itself has not been particularly busy or stressful for me, I have had the chance to experience some incredible things:

Thing 1:
Yesterday morning, our great friends Brent & Jessica Hodges had their first child. Mason Hodges came into the world at 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 21 3/4 inches long. Heidi and I went to visit them in the hospital to hold the little guy and congratulate Brent and Jess. We could not be happier for the two (three) of them; I know that they are going to make great parents. We love you guys!

Thing 2:
This past Sunday marked the pinnacle of the Seize the Moment capital campaign at our church. What I found amazing through this campaign is seeing the faithfulness of both God and the members of Palm Valley. Our Leadership Commitment Event a few weeks ago was a testament to the faithfulness of the church leaders, and Sunday was a testament to God's faithfulness.

As most of you probably know, Pastor Greg, was in bad shape on Sunday. You can read about the details on his blog, but I was encouraged to see so many people pray for him and then to see God to give Greg the perfect amount of grace/energy/ability to communicate what he needed to communicate. Obviously, God wasn't going to let anything hinder the message that Palm Valley needed to hear. Sometimes, having Satan attack is a cool thing because it gives God the chance to show up big. I think He did just that.

Thing 3:
Last Friday night and most of the day Saturday, Heidi and I got to watch Noah Rudd, the son of our other great friends Justin & Bethany. Most of you know that we have wanted kids for some time now and this past weekend was a great, albeit short, test-run for us. In an effort to clearly show us just what we are asking God for, Noah started his day at 5:30 a.m. Other than the fact that he is a morning person, he is a great kid.

We loved having the chance to see a glimpse of what life will be like with a child. I got to get him out of his crib in the morning, we both got to play with him, we got to take him to Lowe's to shop for gardening equipment, I even changed my first poopy diaper (definitely one of the less appealing events in child-rearing). Still, it makes me look forward to the day when Heidi and I are finally blessed with a child of our own. I hope that our kid can be as fun, cooperative, and cute as Noah.

Thing 4:
On Sunday, we also met and held Connor Bewley, the newly adopted son of Troy & Alison. It was fun for us to see a great couple so proud of the child they have prayed so long and hard for, but it was also good for our hearts to see that God is faithful even if it is not on our timeline.

We waited a long time to meet you Connor, and we're glad you're here.