I’ve had two pleasantly encouraging moments today that let me know that my life and my work are making a difference in people’s lives.

First, I received an email from someone whose family has been attending our church for the past few months.  She said, in part:

[My husband] and I agreed that the Christmas Eve service at Living Hope was by far the nicest and most MEANINGFUL one we have ever attended.  It really started our Christmas off right.

We got back from Indy on Sunday night.  I really felt a loss at missing Sunday morning’s service.  I never felt that way before.  That’s a testament to how much Living Hope has become a part of my spiritual life.

Second, I just noticed today that last week (on my birthday), my friend Nichole wrote this post about Giving on her blog, in which she mentions something that stuck with her from her visit to our church a month or so ago.  I was excited just to see her that Sunday.  It’s nice to hear that something from that day has stuck with her and is still influencing her thoughts & life today.

Please understand: I’m not the kind of person who wonders if my work really matters…. but it’s always nice to hear real-life examples of ways that what we do makes a difference to the people around us.  It’s just… encouraging, you know?

If you’ve had this sort of thing happen to you recently, please share it in the comments below!  I’d love to hear about it!

Today is the 13th anniversary of the day that Stacey and I stood in front of God, family, and friends and promised to love each other for the rest of our lives.

Thank you, Stacey, for agreeing to be my wife & letting me be your husband! I’m proud of all you’ve accomplished in the past 13 years, and I’m looking forward to all that the next 13 years will bring!

(To all the rest of you, my apologies for being absent from this blog for the past few months. Maybe I’ll do better in the new year…?)