I Glanced At the Calendar...It Was September 20th

Yesterday passed fairly quietly. I mowed the lawn, watched Notre Dame get beat, and drove to New Carlisle for a cross country meet.

Somewhere along the way I glanced at a calendar and realized the day: September 20th.

Here is what life looked like 14 years ago on September 20th...

• I was 27 years old.
• Faith and I had a 2-year old toddler and a 1-month old baby.
• I weighed 135 pounds and had a full-head of hair...complete with a mullet.
• We lived in a $39,000 home along with our dog, Minnie Mae (no, I didn't pick the name).
• I was driving a 1985 Delta 88. We affectionately called it "the boat."
• I had just finished a 9-year run at Life Action Ministries--where I had started straight out of high school, and where I finished as director of personnel and computer services.
• We had just started attending a new start-up church in a movie theater. The young pastor, Mark Beeson, was full of energy leading the small congregation of around 300 people.
• Over the previous few months, I had become captured with the possibility of what might happen through the impact of a local church where it was normal for people to meet Jesus and continue to take steps toward Him.
• And, it was on September 20th, 1994, that I showed up (in my suit and tie) for my first day of work at Granger Community Church. I joined Mark, Rob, Dennis, Lynda and Jody as the 6th  staff member.

I'm older now. Hopefully wiser. But joining the staff team at Granger is a decision I've never once regretted. I've seen people come, and I've seen people go. I've stood with Mark and others to weather some really tough times, and I've had a front-row seat to hear the stories and see the thousands of changed lives. I've been able to hire friends to join me in ministry, and I've had to go through the pain of firing a few friends. I've watched people get married and have babies, and have sadly seen a few close friends leave this earth way too early.

It all started 14 years ago on September 20th.