I realize for many of our friends and family, it's been a while since you have seen us or had a chance to talk. So I thought it would be a good idea to catch everybody up all at once via the modern miracle of the internet. Here's what's been going on with us the past year or so...
I am still working at Hope Baptist Church as the Creative Arts Director. That's a fancy title but mostly I do video production and the occasional drama. If you want check out some of the videos and skits I've written,directed and produced you can click here. I also play drums in the praise band along with my son, Erik, who also plays in the student praise band. He is an excellent drummer, much better at his age (15) than I was. Erik is working on guitar and will be quite the musical tour de force by the time he's an adult.
Cheryl is still a nurse,working at Southern Hills Hospital here in Las Vegas in the mother/baby unit. She is much loved by all her peers and has had a lot of opportunities to share the gospel with her co-workers there. She also leads a ladies' prayer group every Monday morning. She home schools all three of the kids; Erik is in 10th grade, Whitney is in 5th and Wil is in preschool. Somehow in all this she finds the time to look amazing!! She has lost over 30 pounds this past year and she is even more beautiful than when we first met.
We are involved in a small group fellowship every Friday night with 5 other families and having a great time. We also make time for a lunch date together every Friday. We have discovered the joys of sushi and can't get enough! Our favorite is a thing called Touchdown at a little place called Sushi Bay in Henderson. We had it just today, in fact. As Wil would say,"It's dang it good!"
Erik, as I said, is an accomplished musician already at 15. He is very involved in our student ministry here at Hope Baptist and volunteers in the preschool area. He feels strongly that God has called him to work with that age group. He is also a paid child care worker here and a sought-after babysitter. We are very proud of Erik. He is a godly young man with hunger to know God and a strong moral compass. Plus the dude is funny!! Man, he cracks me up.Whitney is so incredibly beautiful, it's scary. Of course with a mom like Cheryl what would you expect? She is a talented artist and the wall of my office is covered with her artwork. I call it the Wall of Whitney. She is my encourager. If the whole world turned against me, Whit would be there with a hug, telling me she loves me. I absolutely adore her. And she has an amazing sense of humor. She can do a wide variety of funny voices and faces that keep us all in stitches. But Whit's biggest passion is for animals. Her heart's desire is to work with wildlife. We are trying to encourage her in that and to help her find a way to use it to point people to Jesus.
Wil is amazing! What a hilarious little guy! He has a remarkable vocabulary for his age (5) and a solid grasp of abstract concepts. His little heart beats for superheroes, Star Wars and video games. He dresses up in his Batman and Fantastic Four costumes and plays superhero around the house. Every night I read him a comic book, strictly the classics: Spiderman, Fantastic Four, old Batman, Justice League, and Superman. What can I say? I'm raising him right.
We are very happy here in Vegas. I know that sounds strange -- heck, it seems weird to me and I've lived here for four and a half years now! -- but God is up to something here. There is a real sense at the church that He is moving and doing a unique work in this area. And it's cool to be in the middle of it. My kids are getting to see Him do amazing things and change peoples lives all around them. As much as I love the South and miss Georgia, I'm very glad to be where I am.
Well, that's it for now. I'll tell you more when I get the chance. I want to show you what my wife got me for Christmas. It's SWEET!! Next time...
