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!
