And now its February....

Time for another update! I was avoiding it at first because I was in denial that I am back into the swing of things. But alas, I am. Tatum and I had a wonderfully relaxing break over Christmas. It was the first time that both of us had off of school since June 1st, so we were definitely excited. We spent some time in Colorado with family and in Idaho with friends. We talked about things other than school, played the wii, enjoyed snow, watched some movies, went skiing, and ate more food than we really needed. We definitely got the relaxation we needed for the final push of school. It is hard to believe that I am done in 5 months and Tatum is done in 6 months. Go ahead. You can let out a cheer!

This quarter in seminary is going to be a challenge because I am taking both of my classes independently. That means I do not have to go to class, but it also means I do not technically have deadlines. Just one: at the very end. For those that know me, that is not ideal. I have set my own deadlines and have already missed most of them. Good times. So please pray for diligence since I really want to graduate.

Regarding Flood, the first few weeks back included a 3-day staff retreat, the big growth group launch (at least big for me), and the Fripple Awards, which is our thank you event for all of our volunteers. The retreat was good, but unfortunately it made me realize how much I have on my plate over the next couple months. The Fripple Awards were also a success as almost 200 people came out to celebrate what Flood has done over the past year. We really do have amazing volunteers and its always fun to see how God has worked through each one of them over the past year. We also shared the vision for the year which is centered on the theme of Risk. I’ll share more as things come into fruition.

Our growth group launch was the biggest ever on the guys side. We have 5 new groups and 3 other groups with a few openings. We will see if everyone that signed up actually follows through with it, but we filled up each group by the end of the last church service. I am blessed with the leaders that God has put around me and I’m really excited to see where the men’s ministry goes over this next year. I’ve included the big things coming up next month in case you want to put some prayer behind it. February will definitely be a busy month.

➢ New to Faith → Our next New to Faith class starts on February 8th. I’m not sure how many will be participating, but prayer is always needed as seekers wrestle through their questions and roadblocks.
➢ Growth Group Leader Training → We will start up another training on February 8th. We are hoping for a few more guys, which will force two trainings.
➢ Men’s Event → The next men’s event will be on February 23rd. Todd Langerveld, who has been on staff with Campus Crusade for the past 25 years, and discipled Pastor Matt, will be in San Diego and will share on dangerous friendships. We are really excited to see how God uses him.
➢ Soma Conference → Febraury 26-28 marks our annual Soma conference, where we talk through how God has created us and His desire for wholeness in our lives. Todd will be staying the whole week and will be the keynote speaker for the conference as well.

Thank you for all of your support and prayers. It is a blessing to serve at Flood and you all make it possible and make it a joy. Its crazy to think that I am in the final leg of my internship. And it will be fun to celebrate with all of you.

Eric