White House

We now have a white house. The plummers have run our plumming and we now have showers and tubs in the house. They have also put in our fireplace. There is still a long ways to go, but we are getting anxious. We got to know a couple of our neighbors tonight. We had met the husband before, but him and his wife stopped by and we talked for quite a while. This has to be one of the friendliest neighborhoods I have ever seen. It is going to be awesome. I will be starting my class with TVA one week from Monday. I am a little nervous, but I am also ready to get it over with.

We are planning a trip to Missouri in September. My cousin, Justin, is going to be getting married. We are really excited for him and can't wait to meet his future bride. I am trying to find him a job and talk him into moving to Chattanooga now.

Ryan has launched a couple of vidoes dealing with why people no longer come to church. He has a huge heart for people who don't feel comfortable in church. They are pretty cool videos and just a glimpse of a project in the making to see why people aren't attending church, and more importantly, creating a place where they feel comfortable doing so. Check out the videos at http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22if+you+hate+church%22&search_type=&aq=f.

Until something new comes along, I'm out of here.

Up, up, and on it's way...

We now have a roof. Not exactly water proof yet, but it's coming along. At least there isn't much to mow. We are going to pick out our stone next week for the front. It is exciting to see everything starting to come together. It seemed like this day would never get here. We have met several more neighbors, and everyone is extremely friendly. This is going to be an awesome place to live. I also spent of couple of days at Watts Bar Nuclear Power Plant. I am finally starting to see what my job is going to consist of. It is amazing how large the plant is. I will be starting my schooling on July 7th. I can't honestly say that I am excited about school again, but it will pay off in the end. That is the latest in our world.

Rock City

Today started out as a day to learn the area. We decided to drive and see where we ended up. In the process, we saw 7 states. We didn't actually go into 7 states, but from where we ended up, we could see all of them. We ended up driving up Lookout Mountain and the view was amazing. There was a waterfall, crevices between cracks that we could barely fit through, lots of stairs, and a couple of sprinkles. As you can see, it was well worth it. From Lover's Leap (pictured), you can see Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, South Carolina, and Kentucky. And of course, all the way up there on the mountain, was a Starbucks.
We also had the honor of eating dinner with an amazing couple who have lived here in Chattanooga for about 5 years. They are interested in joining the launch team for our church. Whether they join or not, we have made some great friends with kids the same age as our own.
Chattanooga is turning out to be better and better everyday. We are learning to love it here and can't wait for our house to be built and the church get going.
One last thing. Here is a link to the message that Ryan gave at our old church in South Carolina. It's a great message. Just follow the link and click on the one labeled the unknown. http://www.seacoast.org/Story.asp?storyid=1536

Sticks and Stones...

Our house is finally starting to come together. Between zoning issues and rain, it has been delayed a few times. As you can see, the frame work has begun. You can see the garage doors to the right that lead into the basement, and the beginnings of the framework for the first floor. This was taken last night, and today they were already starting on the second floor framing. More pictures to come. Aaron is excited about getting to pick out his own room and play in the "forest" behind our house.

Tomorrow, I will officially finish my first week at work with TVA. It has been an awesome experience so far. I am really excited to work for a company that is doing so much. They have really reshaped this region, and I am excited to be a part of that.

Speaking of being excited to be a part of something, the church plant is continuing to come along. I talked to another gentleman tonight, who has been talking to his wife about becoming part of the "launch team." Everything is coming together with people, finances, and God's continuing work in this plan. This is one of the most exciting things that I have been able to be a part of .

That pretty much summarizes the last couple of days. More to come later.

Penguins, Clumpies, and Cheeburger Cheeburger

We have now been in Chattanooga for just over a week. I started my new job yesterday. So far, so good. It was hard going back after 45 days, but I am excited to be a part of TVA. Last week, we took advantage of me not working and enjoyed a day at the aquarium. Aaron and Luke both loved the butterfly exhibit (I know butterflies at an aquarium, but it was really cool). Afterwards, Aaron wanted to get in the pool at our apartment and play penguin. He had one of the penguins come right up to him and then they just stared at each other. As you can see in the picture, we were there during feeding time, so Aaron go to play rock, paper scissors with a scuba diver. I highly recommend the aquarium if you are ever in the Chattanooga area. We have also been trying to check out the local restaurants. Just today we ate at Cheeburger Cheeburger. It was awesome. Definitely one of the best burger joints I've been to. They have a 20 ounce burger that you get your picture on the wall if you can finish it. I chickened out tonight, but one day it's mine. We also found a local ice cream shop called Clumpies. Again, it was awesome. The small business foods are always the best. I have already spotted another burger place, pizza place and hot dog place that I need to try. Today was the Riverbend festival, so we went down to the riverfront to check it out. It was your typical festival...overpriced food and rides with a couple of good concerts. Mercy Me was there tonight, but they didn't start until 9:30, so we had to get the kids home. The framework for our house was supposed to start today. We are going to have dinner with a couple that live right down the road from there tomorrow night, so we will be able to see how things are going. It has been a busy first week out here, but we are slowing getting settled in. Until something exciting new happens, or I just have some time to kill, I'm done for now.