I would like to take credit for converting him , but I can't. The South itself has won him over.

1. Luke is really taking off with his reading. It's a lot of fun to witness. And the best part is his own excitement over it. He is particularly proud that he is now reading "chapter books!" So are we.

And here's Papa bringing up the rear.

Along with Aunt Tracy.

And finally, Santa, who apparently prefers horseback to a sleigh out here in the country.

4. A little news on our church plant. After much deliberation we have a name. Riverside Community Church. There are three rivers that run through Columbia: the Saluda, Congaree, and Broad. They merge in the Downtown area and run along the west side of the city. So while we don't have riverfront property we consider the city to be "riverside." So there you have it. We are loosing our meeting place at the end of this month so if you think about it please pray that we will find new space that will serve us well long term and as we grow.

1. Last week we pulled out the Christmas decor. Over the years we have had to make some changes with little one's roaming the house, always looking for new ways to wreak havoc in our home. Last year we decided that we should forgo a tree altogether. I had visions of Timothy pulling it down, Wil being trapped underneath, Timothy climbing all over the fallen tree yanking ornaments off, Wil getting tangled in the lights as he tries to make his way from under the tree, Luke in a state of panic over the whole affair. . . and on and on. You think I am overreacting? Please stop by one afternoon, say around 5.30, when the boys are at their wildest and you will understand. So last year we did this. It was fine but it wasn't the same. So this year we went back to a tree.

It was an awesome win for the Gators which caused James to giggle and cackle a good solid hour after it was over.

4. A common phrase around here, as of late, is "Timothy, leave your clothes on." Here is the sequence of events we now deal with on a daily basis.

After he frees himself of his pajamas and takes a victory lap around the house he stops to remove his diaper.

When we talk to him about keeping his pajamas on he just laughs and laughs. I think we need a padlock to keep him from unzipping.

5. We are officially underway with the new church plant. It has been a very encouraging time for us. We have a solid group of folks eager to see a healthy, bible teaching church planted in downtown Columbia. We have an advisory board made up of pastors from respected, healthy churches within our denomination. And we have supporters that are committed to sticking with us through this next phase in our ministry. For those of you that don't know what I am talking about, I apologize. I haven't shared, here, about all that has gone on over the last six months because I haven't felt it was appropriate. Maybe one day I will share the whole saga of our move to SC to plant a new church in partnership with a local congregation and how we ended up parting ways with the leadership of that congregation. For now, I will just say that the last six months have been challenging and confusing while simultaneously being encouraging and faith-building.

Have a great week!

We have been going at this church planting thing for over one year now. It has been good and hard. We are figuring out our place in downtown Columbia as we juggle family, new relationships, and ministry opportunities in the city. Yesterday was the first Sunday in our new location. It was good to be there and the location feels like a good fit for us. I left my camera at home so you will have to wait until next week for a looksy. In the meantime please peruse our new website. We are really pleased with it. The music is Hannah Miller, a local folk rock musician who attends our church. She has a great sound, check her out!