Month One

It’s hard to believe we’ve been in Austin almost a month. The time has flown by as we’ve established our residence, registered our cars, and waited in line to get our drivers licenses. Actually, the time hasn’t flown by while we’ve done any of these things, but the rest of the time it has. I’ve been busy meeting with anyone who will sit down with me.

I’ve had lunch with old and new friends, coffee with fellow church planters, and swapped emails with pastors of existing churches and school administrators. The goal for this month has been to get our family settled and start becoming familiar with the community. So far so good.

We really like the area of North Austin in which we’re living (I35 and Parmer). We’ll only be in this apartment through the summer, and then hopefully we’ll rent a house. For now, it’s given us a great central location, from which we’ve been able to go in all directions and explore the sights, sounds, and tastes of Austin. I’ve eaten at Threadgills, Shadey Grove, Hut’s, Rudy’s, Trudy’s and a great little Indian joint a block away from our apartment. I think the reason people in Austin are so active is because they have to burn off all the great food they’re eating in order to survive.

Within two weeks of being here, Heather landed a job at Crossfit Central. She’s loving working there and I’m loving working out there. We’re making new friends and getting in great shape. One of the things I love most about Crossfit is that the people you work out with tend to be open, supportive, and positive. You have to be to survive the workouts!

Before moving here, I was hesitant to say too much about the vision and strategy for the new church because I didn’t want to declare too much before I knew my zip code. Now that we’re on the ground, some things are starting to fall into place. I’ll sketch out a simple strategy in a future post.

I’m typing this post on my new MacBook Pro. It’s dreamy. I’m pretty sure it will change my life. I expect it to help me be more organized, enjoy more frequent flourishes of creativity, show more compassion to my enemies, and grow two inches taller. All of that, and I can take pictures of myself whenever I feel like it.

Sorry for the long hiatus on the blog. I’ve been trying to figure out how to right click on this new computer of mine.

It’s also been hot here.