Revolution

Biggest Moments of the Decade

Isn't it crazy that we're about to begin a new decade when it seems like only yesterday that we were freaking out about all the Y2K problems? As we start a new decade, I think it's good to look back over the last 10 years & reflect on the moments that were milestones for us. Here's my list:

10) Boston Comes Back To Beat The Yankees & Win The World Series
-OK, so I'll admit this one is a little trivial, but if you're a lifelong Red Sox fan, you know why this made the list. It's not just winning the World Series; it's not just beating the Yankees. It's how the Red Sox did what had never been done & did it against the Yankees, & they had to do it at Yankee Stadium.

9) Hanging Out With Students
-This encompasses everything from roadtrips to Gainesville with Clayton, Andrew, Ben, & Larry to watch the Gators to hanging out at Starbucks or Chick-fil-a with Tyler & Ellie. Over the years, I've got to hang out & build relationships with some great teenagers, relationships that have lasted over the course of this decade.

8) Swimming In The Arctic
-A couple of years ago, I got the opportunity to help lead a mission trip to Kotzebue, Alaska. We worked our tails off while we were there, but one afternoon we had a chance to goof off a little, & a few of us decided that we would take advantage of this once in a lifetime chance. So we went swimming in the Arctic waters. It was July & a warm day by Arctic standards, but for a guy from west Tennessee, it was still cold.

7) Buying Our First House
-We were one of the few who actually bought a house we could afford. I just hope when the time comes, that we'll actually be able to sell it! This was a bigger deal than I thought it would be. We've lived in this house almost 2 years, & it's packed with memories simply b/c when 1 child has lived their entire life here & the other has spent most of their life here, a lot of 1sts tend to take place.

6) Serving At Summerville
-In the nearly 4 years that we spent at SBC, God taught me & stretched me so much as a leader. He surrounded me with some great students & church members. There are some moments that I'll remember forever: taking our students up to Global for a leadership retreat & building an altar to remember it, talking late into the night about life w/ Brooks while we were at camp, spending over a week on a roof with Don in Alaska, & watching the radical transformation that is still happening in the lives of students like Ellie, Erica, T.J., Stephanie, Cora, & Tyler.

5) Leaving Summerville
-Not all the big moments have to be positive ones. Difficult times & times of adversity can be major mile markers on our journey just like all the happy moments. In almost 4 years, we put a lot into the ministry there. Not everything was positive, but it never is. However, I can look back & know that I followed God's guidance & that He used our time together to change lives that will go on to impact their world.

4) Serving At FBC Jackson
-This place was pivotal in my life. It's where I met Valerie. It's where my relationship with my mentor, Roger Glidewell, was able to go to another level, & it's where I learned a lot of the valuable lessons about ministry that have served me well in the years since. On top of that, I was able to develop life-long friendships with some great people at FBC.

3) September 11, 2001
-9/11 is the kind of moment that sort of transcends our personal experiences. 9/11 happened to all of us. I think it was Mayor Guiliani that said, "on that day we were all New Yorkers". That day wasn't just a pivotal moment for my generation; it was a turning point in the history of our nation & our world. We're still feeling the effects of it; people are still processing it, & we don't know what the future still holds as a direct result of that day.

2) My Marriage To Valerie
-June 7, 2003 (I think that's the right date) was a day my life officially changed. Until then, Valerie & I both could have gotten out; now we're stuck together! It's unpredictable; it's sometimes frustrating, sometimes exhilarating, but always worth it.

1) The Births of Julia & Audrey
-Getting married is great, but I think even my wife would agree that there's nothing like seeing a new life come into the world. These two little girls look a whole lot alike but they are so different, even going all the way back to the pregnancies. It will be so cool to see them grow up & to see what God does through them.