Impressions as of late

I can't believe that I have lived in Houston for over a month now.  I know many people have been asking for an update or wanting to know how life has been in my new city and in my new role as a church planter.  Life honestly is normal and not flashy.  I am adjusting to living alone, eating lots of meals in different people's homes, serving lots of coffee, and navigating my new city with my GPS in hand.  I am this sick human in the fact that I see my adjustment as very academic and can predict my own stages of culture shock.  I had kind of a rough lonely week at about week 3, but knew it was about that time of my adjustment and that it should happen and that it would pass. However, these are some impressions or thoughts that I have had along the way.

1. Living with Andy and Corey is like taking a class in home ec and wood shop 101.  They make quite the pair.    Andy is quite the handy man (saws, air guns, routers, and work benches) and Corey is quite creative crafty (glue, paint, stain, signs, and the perfect eye).  Their weekends home have been spent building tables and signs for the opening of our church.  They let me help out and it makes me dig deep into my creative side.  I am still loving living with them on the weekends, they are one of my biggest blessings.

2. I find myself on my new churches website ALL THE TIME.  I am obsessed with seeing fruit of something tangible of what God is doing and somehow I just keep ending up there.  There seems to be something new added everyday.  Today we got a link for online giving!  

3. The men at my church have made an impression on me.  It has been awesome to see so many men who are loving their wives, parenting, established in their careers, and helping build the church.  No bans here. 

4. I have had the joy of hearing different families stories of how God called them to plant Bayou City Fellowship. It has been beautiful to see a God who is on the move, rearranging lives, and moving people towards mission.

5. I have never been so honored to serve under a pastor who understands missional living and will be relentless to teach it from the pulpit.  

6. Our church has not had to raise any money thus far for our church plant.  How crazy is that?!  Another handprint of God's faithfulness.

7. I have visibly seen the body of Christ working together to be the Church.  It takes a lot of amazing gifts and talents both spiritual and tentmaking.  It has been awesome to see each person contribute their piece to the puzzle that is building this church... from budgets, to coding websites, to leading worship, to becoming a business, to everything.  The body working together is beautiful and I have a tangible lived out example that it will forever mark this season of life for me.

8. I haven't  been excited about ministry and what God can do through the Church in my entire life.  I am excited for the days to come.

9.  Starbucks for some reason decided to tell me I would get full-time hours, but in fact has been only giving me 20.  So I am kind of in a pickle.  Trying to see about transferring, but don't want to.  So we shall see.

10.  I am kind of bored these days.  I should probably be busier, but life is just simple right now.  No school classes or homework, no trips to San Francisco, a very small but growing community, and trying to manage my time that is free for something productive.  I fight lazyness and the heat.