Wow, it has been a while. Many things have happened in the past however long so i'll do a quick update on the most important ones.
Honeymoon:
After the wedding, Tiffany and I went on our honeymoon in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Tiffany's parents were gracious enough to give us a week of their timeshare so we could stay there for free. Since Tiffany's birthday fell on that week, my present to her was a Mustang Convertible car we rented for the week. We had fun going to the Keys, Miami, South Beach, Sawgrass Mills (guys stay away!), and also the other days just laying around on the beach a few steps away from our room. And we ate some DELICIOUS food! One of the "highlights" was one night as we ate dinner at a restaurant in South Beach, I ran into a guy named Rhonaldinho. Click here for that picture. No big deal, just one of the biggest soccer megastars in the planet!
Aletheia:
After several months of trying to make it a point to attend Aletheia Norfolk we finally did a few weeks after coming back from our honeymoon. After all the churches we visited, big and small, this was perfect. Tiffany and I got in our car that night and decided we would try to make this our home church. And we have. The relationships we've built there and the desire to see it grow so more Old Dominion University students can hear the good news have built a strong foundation for us in that church. We are joyously serving with everything we can and have truly found our home in this church.
Young Life:
Tiffany has resisted leading Young Life for the past 4 years or so. The reason was more than likely because I was calling her to it. Well that is no more! The Lord has called her to it now, and she couldn't say no if she tried! She has been leading with me at Hickory High School in Chesapeake, and due to other circumstances she is at the moment our only girl leader. Her idea of "just being in the background" has been shattered and the Lord has called her to take charge. What a joy and blessing it is to serve the Lord with your partner in life. Our marriage is my first ministry from God, but how delightful it is to have my wife participate and battle with me in ministry at church and Young Life.
I recently interviewed for a staff position with Young Life Ministries, but after speaking with one of the directors, I have decided to wait before i take on a position. The reason for that is that there are no openings in this area, and Tiffany and I's call to serve at Aletheia Norfolk has been very strong and clear, that I could not imagine leaving.
Job Change:
In September of 2009 I was let go from my job at the bank i was working for. It was a pretty big blow for us. We were newlyweds with a house payment and only one of us working full time. But what a blessing it was to finally be able to let go of my self reliance and literally pray for everything. The Lord swept in and through miracles, literally miracles took care of us financially until late November when I was hired at another bank. The best part about that period was the peace I had in my heart the whole time. I got to spend most of my time doing ministry and it was so rewarding.
The new job I have has been one of my main struggles. It is a very big challenge to do something, when you know you're called to doing something else. I know the Lord has called me to ministry, and I am fighting hard to get to that point.
Present:
I guess the present has a lot to do with my job. The Lord is teaching me how to live according to Colossians 3:22-23 as far as working goes. I keep fighting Him on it, even though I know I'd better give in. I'm praying that I can continue to do well at my job so that I can be an example of Christ there. Also, I'm praying towards starting to raise my own funds to switch into ministry full time which will make me much more effective in serving Him in the things God has called me to. I also hope to keep updating more frequently.
