Cousins I haven’t seen in years! It was good to see them all.

Lots of transitions going on right now. Bethany is going from being an infant to a moblie baby. She’ll be a toddler before we know it. Timothy is transitioning into “little boy” status–playing with cars, jumping and spinning, getting bruises and talking up a storm. Andrea is going from mom to supermom–two mobile kids will definatly do it.

One significant transition that we’re all going through is from being members of our small group to leaders of it. Our small group leaders are moving to Chicago and since I was apprenticing to be a leader, I am going to take over that responsibility.

Let me tell you how this scares me and invigorates me at the same time.

First of all, I’m the youngest member of our group–so it’s bizarre for me to be leading all of these people that are older, but I do believe that God put it in place this way.

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

I Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

Also, I know that as a shepherd we must live out our faith. Sometimes I have difficulty doing that. But I’ve already noticed God strengthening me. It’s like this is really the next step in my spiritual formation.

Mostly, I’m excited because I know that with all the things the Purcells were doing, our group is going to have to step up to make it happen. And when that does happen, it’s going to be obvious that the twenty-somethings with 2 little kids really didn’t do much, and that it just had to be God.

That’s what we want anyway!

So, pray for us if you would… under control or not, it can still be daunting.

Andrea stays up at night…. googling for Harry Potter

In the background you hear…

Out come the gates.

I’m crying because my grandpa died today. I haven’t seen him for a long time. I meant to go in the spring to take Timothy to see him–but I just didn’t ever get to it.

Part of me was scared because I knew he was slipping away mentally… and I didn’t want to remember him frail. But now I just wish I’d gone.

Honestly, I didn’t think I would react like this.

I’m glad he doesn’t have to hurt anymore.

God Bless, Grandpa.