MAJOR CHANGES… July 27, 2009

Some major changes are in store for me and Marlene in the next few months…

So, I thought I’d let you know by updating my “40 by 40″ list:

5) Plant a church / Well, not technically. But I have been called to serve as Senior Minister at Northwest Christian Church in Arlington, Texas. I will end my service in Lufkin at the end of August and begin at Northwest in mid-September. And I’m sure all of the things I’ve learned about church planting will come in handy. It will be very hard to leave Lufkin (again) and all the people here (whom I love dearly), but I am also excited about this new opportunity.

6) Become a dad / We are pregnant! 13 weeks along and due in February!

9) Own a Mac / Planning on buying one when we make the transition!

12) See a live UFC fight / UFC 103 is in Dallas…and I have tickets!

24) See a game in the new Cowboys stadium / I’m hoping this will happen since I’ll be living less than a mile away!

35) Be a keynote speaker / I will be keynoting Central Area’s CYF Conference in 2010!

37) Take my step-dad to Colorado / This actually happened over Spring Break…but I haven’t updated since then!

So, yeah…lots of major changes. Please be praying for us!

MY SKYDIVING VIDEO… February 8, 2009

40 BY 40 LIST… February 8, 2009

Now that I am 30 years old and completed all but two of my “30 things to do before 30″ list, I now present my new list:

Cory’s 40 Things to do before 40 (in no particular order):

1) Lose 50 lbs.

2) Skydive again (or multiple times)

3) Learn Spanish (carryover #1)

4) Go overseas (carryover #2)

5) Plant a church

6) Adopt a child/become a dad

7) Kiss Marlene at least once daily

8 ) Alaska or Hawaii (or both)

9) Own a Mac

10) Make my age in salary each year

11) See Banff

12) See a live UFC fight

13) Teach a college class

14) Learn to ride a motorcycle

15) Own an RV

16) Do a canopy tour

17) Begin process of acquiring retirement property

18 ) Swim with dolphins (or sharks!)

19) Get in a fight

20) Memorize an entire book of the Bible

21) Run a 5K

22) Own a Jeep

23) Visit New York

24) See a game in the new Cowboys stadium

25) Pay off my student loans

26) Visit the Caribbean

27) See a concert every year

28 ) Give Phil a BOB ring

29) Go back to Christ in the Desert Monastery

30) Perform the wedding of someone who was/is now in my youth group

31) Scuba Dive

32) Eat clam chowder on the Atlantic Ocean

33) See Shawn get married

34) Build something with my hands

35) Be a keynote speaker

36) Increase my charitable giving by at least 1% every year

37) Take my step-dad to Colorado

38 ) Meet somebody famous

39) Live in the mountains (again)

40) Lead at least 5 people to Jesus

So, what do you think? Anything I should add or remove?

Please don’t assume you know what something means. If you have a question, ask…

CELEBRATING IN STYLE… February 8, 2009

I turned 30 on January 28th, 2009.

While I stealthily planned and pulled off a major surprise party for Marlene’s 30th (with the help of her friend Courtney), I told her I wanted only two things: a low-key dinner with family and to skydive.

About 5 years ago, Marlene and I made a “30 things to do before 30″ list (long before The Bucket List had been released!). On the advent of my 30th, only three things remained on the list: learning a foreign language, visiting Europe, and jumping out of an airplane. So, I wanted to eliminate one of the three.

Well, Marlene acquiesced to my demands and provided both. On the evening of my birthday, we gathered with family at Ralph and Kacoo’s (local Cajun seafood restaurant) for a very informal dinner. And, as an added bonus, we also had a low-key lunch the following Sunday with our other “family” – several friends and fellow ministers from the church.

Then, on Thursday, I jumped out of a plane!

Following that amazing experience, we headed a little west to a cabin in the middle of nowhere, right outside of Brenham, Texas. We mostly relaxed and disconnected from our normal world for a couple days. Couldn’t have been better…

Next up, be looking for my “40 things to do before 40″ list!