A Merry Christmas Wish...

From the tops of our heads to the tips of our toes... or, in this case, reindeer!

Prayer Walk

This past Sunday Brian led 705: on a prayer walk through the city of Houston. We made stops in a variety of areas throughout the city focusing our prayers on the people God has placed in our paths.

While in and amongst the highrises we prayed for those who commute in and out of the city each day and occupy the offices downtown and those who call the streets home. In the theater district we praised God for creativity and the gifts and talents of his people. Standing on the overpass of a major interstate we prayed for those in the cars traveling to and from places unknown. We asked God's blessing upon each of the house communities that are currently meeting around the Houston area, 3 in all.

Our cry is that God would use 705: to infect and affect the city for Him. As we try to maintain that focus, we must focus our eyes, ears, thoughts and words on the calling of the Spirit in each of our lives. Is He calling to you?

The Frozen Tundra

This past weekend I (brian) was blessed to travel from the winter weather in Houston to the Twin Cities...and the frozen tundra. I mean seriously, when I left H-town it was 75 degrees and when I arrived in Minneapolis/St. Paul is was 17! Yeah, I couldn't feel my face. For those of you who now live in a warm climate...I'm sure you know what I mean.

I was honored to share in an amazing day with a close friend of ours, Matt Blackford. It was a day that he would commit his life to Amy and I was honored to sing a couple of songs for that amazing moment. But the wedding was not the only thing that I did while in the North.

Weddings can be expensive. But, Matt and Amy had found me a host family to stay with. How can I say this...they were awesome! As soon as I arrived in the Twin Cities, Tom and Patti picked me up from the airport and gave me a quick tour of the St. Paul area. We quickly returned to their house and I was able to find some extra clothes (I know what many of you are thinking...and you're absolutely right...I'm a wuss). After about 20 minutes Tom, who is about 6'3" and 240, laid his big paw of a hand and said, "Pastor, we're going to a wine tasting and you're coming!" Now, I was happy to oblige. We went to a quaint little store and tried several wines(eight in all), and left with a couple for the evening. As we were leaving the wine house, Tom laid his big paw of a hand again on my shoulder and said, "Pastor, have you ever had oysters?" "No" I replied. "Well, we're havin' oysters and you're havin' some." Alright, now I don't know how many of you have ever had oysters...but I put a number of them down, and right out of the half shell (for those of you who've never had the joy...think wet mushroom that tastes like the sea), but of course that came with another bottle of wine. Then, dinner was to start. Another couple came over and wouldn't you know it...they brought wine. We had oyster stew and several bottles of wine. Needless to say, I felt like I was in Europe once again! Tom and Patti were incredible hosts are the epitome of Hebrews 13.3 which says, "Do not neglect to entertain strangers..." To Tom and Patti...THANK YOU!

I was also able to visit with some very dear friends, Josh and Gail Brecht. I traveled with Gail for a year in a Christian rock band. We haven't seen each other in probably 4 years. As a musician, every once in a while you come across someone and you think, "yeah, she's got it." Well that's Gail and her husband Josh. They've since started a band called Fuller Still. If you have a chance, check them out. Much love to you both.

Below are the pictures from the weekend. I hope you enjoy!

Trot before Turkey

Thanksgiving was here before we knew it this year. Time flies when you're growing babies and ministries!

We were blessed by the opportunity to give thanks with the Waterman clan (sans Kelly... sorry). The day started bright and early with Houston's Turkey Trot. It was a beautiful, brisk, 40 degree day (brrrrr) for a run. Brian and Kari ran the 10K, Dave ran the 5K, Erin stood on the sidelines freezing waiting for them to run by, and Sherry stayed home to prepare the day's spread.

The meal and conversation were fantastic. It's always good to get caught up with friends. Thank you Waterman's for being such fantastic hosts and making us feel at home. It was truly a Thanksgiving to be thankful for!

One other fantastically exciting note on our Thanksgiving day... Erin's older sister Alison announced that she and her husband Russell are expecting twins! Please keep the four of them in your prayers as they are in quite the year of transition.

Speaking of babies... For those of you who were aware Brian's siter Sara and her husband were expecting a wee one, yes, he's here. You too can view our nephew Isaac on Sara and Adam's blog. (see link on right)

So, below are a few trotting and turkeying pics for you!

Well, friends...we have made another trip in the wonderful state of Texas. That's right, we actually got out of Houston and headed to the State Captial. Does everyone know where that is?? All you Texans aren't allowed to answer.

Brian was asked to preach at Concordia University, Austin at their 9.08 chapel. It's a student led chapel held on thursday evenings at, you guessed it, 9.08. We were invited by Ted Doering (the son of our Senior Pastor), who has become a close friend. It was a joy to visit with him, eat at Pei Wei, and enjoy the tea at Mozarts. As a part of preaching, Brian was asked if he would lead the worship team. He, of course, was overjoyed to play...go figure, Brian overjoyed that he gets to play music. Who would have thought? The worship team was awesome and they all did well. It was fun for Brian to be able to mentor others in service to the church. Kudos to everyone involved.

For those of you who are reading and attended another Concordia (you know, the one in the corn field), it's still the best. For those of you who didn't attend Concordia Cornfield, we're sorry. Someday everyone will realize that Seward is the place to be...unless it's Friday! Anyway, we really did enjoy our time. It was unfortunate, but we weren't able to stay more than one night and missed our opportunity to be tourists in Ausitn. We did drive by the state capital building. We're hoping to get back soon and spend some more time there.

Just as a ps, we want to thank Nate and Mindy for opening their home. It was awesome to see you three. Much love and peace.

Getting ready for baby...

This post has been a long time in coming. With life in fast forward, I'm not posting as punctually as I should be. Sorry! Fasten your seatbelts, because you're in for a ride. Check back over the next few days as we'll put some new info on our adventures out there for you. We don't want to overwhelm you all at once!

In early November, we made a trip up to St. Louis for the wedding of Meghan and Tim Yang (see post below). Unbeknownst to me (Erin) my sister, Nora, and mom planned a surprise baby shower for baby and I while we were there! It was certainly a surprise and an enjoyable time as well. Thanks Mom and Nora!

As I was actively participating in the shower itself, I don't have any action shots. What I do have is the picture you see below...



This is a picture not only of the switchplate that matches the super cute bedding set we registered for, but also of an expertly painted wall. Brian and a good friend tackled the nursery a few weeks back and came out unscathed (minus being slightly effected by the fumes). The result a gold buff nursery that we are very pleased with. We'll get full nursery pics out once the crib, bedding and all that other good stuff is in place. It currently still serves as a guest bedroom.

As a side note, for those of you who are lacking a true Fall as we are here in Texas, I'll share a few photos we snapped while in STL. Ah, the colors on the trees are so refreshing...