It's your birthday...

June 9th, 2023

Today is our annual celebration of Leigh-Ann’s journey around the sun. We’ve officially been married for more than half of her life.

Wow!

I still remember the first time we locked eyes….there was certainly a spark. We lived a time zone away from each other, however just over a year later we began dating.

We made it official on June 6th, 1996.

It would take a book to write everything I love about her, and I don’t want to be late for our dinner reservation, so you will have to trust me that she is amazing.

As we have grown in our relationship, we have learned a lot about each other. We each have plenty to frustrate the other….although, I’m sure if we counted (which we don’t) I am probably more frustrating.

On the other hand, we have plenty to celebrate about each other. Leigh-Ann is beautiful inside and out. She loves well and is wise and discerning. She is hilariously sarcastic and has a great sense of humor (she even laughs at most of my dad jokes).

Leigh-Ann is a passionate follower of Jesus, the best wife and mom, and a mentor to many.

We have grown to know each other so much better since we first locked eyes in the spring of 1995.

This is not to say we haven’t had our struggles. There have been seasons when we haven’t felt as close or connected as we would like. Most often these moments of “disconnection” can be traced back to our failure to meet the expectations of the other. Often these expectations were unattainable…. sometimes we just simply fell short.

A relationship that demands perfection will fail because we are human and unable to achieve perfection. Rather a relationship that grows in intimacy will be marked by vulnerability, failure, and forgiveness.

The same is true for our relationship with God, He doesn’t want our conformity, God wants intimacy.

This Sunday, I look forward to sharing a sermon from our series in Galatians, “Deep Faith in the Gospel of Grace” explaining how to grow in intimacy with God as opposed to conforming to a list of rules.

We will study from Galatians 4:21-31. In these verses Paul contrasts the two sons of Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, and concludes, the only way into God’s family is through our genealogy, but rather through faith in Jesus.

I hope to see you this Sunday at 8:00, 9:15 (Full KidCity available), or 10:45 am, or you can watch the Livestream on YouTube (Like and Subscribe) or Facebook at 9:15 am. Additionally, we are also publishing our sermons on Spotify.

Have a great weekend,

Troy