Weekend Review

After all the running around for the holidays, it was very nice for things to get back to normal this weekend. Sure, we had to go downstate for my grandpa's surprise 85th birthday party, but we went down Saturday morning and were back that evening. Sunday was a very nice day: we tried a new church, Northpointe Community Church, and really liked it. It reminded us of our old church in Mt. Pleasant, MPCC, but smaller. The music was amazing and the pastor who delivered the message was an older, taller and whiter version of the wise, entertaining Marc Hong!

I guess they don't really have a full time pastor, though. The guy who spoke yesterday visits only occasionally but I get the impression he is well-loved by the congregation. Apparently, while they search for a new full-time pastor, three of the church elders take turns leading, depending on the series in which they are currently engaged. The nice lady at the welcome area said some people like it, some don't, but we will just have to see for ourselves. When we asked about small groups, this young guy popped over real quick and asked if we lived in Grand Ledge, because he just started a new group there. Unfortunately, that's a bit far away for us but it was nice to get a genuine invitation so quickly. The Welcome Lady even gave me her name and phone number, then took my email address so she could send me more small group info.

Also on Sunday, we made our first foray into the "see it" stage of the property search. We drove by four parcels of land in the St. Johns area and knocked them all off the list because they were just big fields. I did, however, organize the other 18 or so properties under consideration and start to map them out, using our trusty atlas. We'll probably go down to the Charlotte/Eaton Rapids area on Saturday to see some promising ones.

Other things are falling into place, too: I've recovered from a moderately icky sinus infection and have resumed training in preparation for the mountain bike season. We've also become members of the Michigan Mountain Biking Association's Mid-State Chapter, which we hope will help us meet more bikers in the area, and found open-gym volleyball, which starts tonight. And my Business Law class at Alma begins tomorrow; strangely, I'm looking forward to it, though I avoided the subject like the plague during undergrad.

Well, I have a meeting that requires some preparation, so off I go. Oh, and can I request some quick prayers of thanks? Mitch got in car accident this morning but everyone involved is fine and we have very good insurance. Mitch does say, though, that he is very impressed with the Ford Fusion's performance in a collision!