A Season of Change

This has been a summer of changes for me. The biggest and best of which has been the decision to join Bayou City Fellowship.  Aside from the brief hiatus in college, I have attended the same church since birth. It is a phenomenal church. I learned to worship there. I learned scripture. I learned to love the nations. And most importantly, I began my relationship with Christ. Most of my story has taken place at that church. But, as with every story, there comes a time when, in order for the character to continue growing, something must change. For me, in this season, that has been my place of worship.

I had known for some time that the Lord was calling me out from where I had been, but I was lost as to where it was I should go. And, now,within a week, I had two roads before me. One, a job in another city. It was a job that seemed a perfect fit, the one I'd been hoping for since graduating from Texas A&M. And the other road: join a team of people who were stepping into the journey of planting a church in Spring Branch. What followed was a couple of weeks of interviews, prayers, and waiting. Both roads were filled with promise and both were filled with challenges. I couldn't have even told you which of the two roads I preferred. However, when I was told the job would be going to someone else, I did not experience the sting that usually accompanies the closing of a door. Instead, I found that I was thrilled to know that I would be linking arms with a church full of individuals and families that from day one would seek to love God and love our city well. A church called Bayou City Fellowship.

BCF has been an indescribable blessing. Over the last few years, my faith had taken a bit of a beating. I had come to a place where I was not convinced of the Lord's goodness, and I was questioning if He was really worth my obedience. For several months before joining BCF, my prayer had been, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief." (Mark 9:24). And through this new community, The Lord has been answering that prayer. I have witnessed the Lord's faithfulness through Bayou City Fellowship and I can confidently say that the Lord has been doing just what I asked, helping my unbelief. As I have stepped into this new family, I have begun to see the Lord's faithfulness a little more clearly. In preparing for our launch on September 11th, we have, more than anything else, spent time on our knees asking the Lord to move. And I have seen those prayers answered. As we have prayed for healing, provision, vision, and opportunity, the Lord has answered. I invite you to come hear for yourself the stories of how He has healed, provided, given new eyes, and opened doors. I am blessed and honored to be a part of this church and I cannot wait to see what the Lord will continue to do in me, in Spring Branch, and in the world through Bayou City Fellowship. For His glory, for His Kingdom!

On the Market

213 Pershing

College Station, TX 77840

(Identified by the City of College Station Community Enhancement Division as one of the 2010 “Outstanding Residences” in the city’s historic district.)

PRICE: $397,750

 3 bedrooms; 2 baths

1,760 sq ft; 0.25 Acres

Property Details

Lot Size:            0.25 Acres

Lot Size:            10,875 sq ft

House Size:        1,760 sq ft

Year Built:          original construction in1947

Style:                 Traditional

Stories:              1

Garage:              1 attached w/double drive

Property Type:   Single Family Home

Neighborhood:  Oakwood Historical Dist.

Schools:             College Station Schools

Property Features

·     Well maintained lot with medium and large trees; walking distance to A&M campus and Kyle Field

·     Utilities: city sewer, city water, overhead utilities

·     Modern kitchen w/custom cabinets; slide out shelves in lower cabinets and pantry; (will leave all appliances: refrigerator, washer, dryer dishwasher, stove/oven, microwave, freezer)

·     Garbage disposal

·     Living room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room with laundry/utility room inside.

·     Side deck w/privacy lattice

·     Central heat and air conditioning

·     Wood floors under carpet

·     Tile floors in kitchen and baths (marble surrounds in tub/showers)

·     Ceiling fans throughout

·     Plantation shutters in formal areas

·     Modern (anodized) windows throughout

·     Gas water heater; gas heating unit

·     30 yr. composition roof

·     New 10’ x 12’ storage building in back

·     Sprinkler system

·     Garage door opener

·     Large enclosed attic storage room

·     Double driveway with brick feature in front

Tax History:  Appraised: $245,950;  Assessment: $194,592;  Taxes: $4,365 w/o exemptions

Viewing by Appointment Only

Contact:   Joe Woods   Phone: 281.556.8866   Cell:  281.467.2625   

Email: intl.pinpoint@sbcglobal.net

Daddy-O

Here in the United States, we are experiencing "The Fatherless Crisis".  Approximately 25 million children are growing up in the US without a father. These children are more likely to join gangs, abuse drugs, have teen pregnancies, and commit suicide. 

I am one of the blessed who can be counted among those who do not fall into the statistics above. I am sure there are "technically" many reasons why I haven't fallen victim to such things as gang violence, teen pregnancy, or suicide. I am sure that researchers could look at my DNA, my education, my geographical location and any number of things that would point to this. But, I know one thing is for certain. I have a dad who loves me. 

My dad has worked hard to provide for us. We went to good schools. We got to do extra-curricular activities. We even were given cars which is above and beyond what a good father should do. He did it because he wanted to. He coached my softball team for 4 years. He came to my plays and my basketball games. He played basketball with me in the driveway. He let me sit in his lap and drive around the neighborhood. He made my friends feel welcome (even if it meant i felt embarrassed)...all my friends loved my dad. My dad made sure we had food, good food. He made sure the bills were paid. He was at all our birthday parties. He took us to Disney World and every summer to Red River, NM. He would rent a jeep and drive us to the top of the mountain and do donuts in the open space. He would race go-carts with us. He would take the fish off of my line when I caught one. He taught me how to round the bill of my ball cap. He made sure my brother and I could go to college. 

Now, my brother and I are grown. We are out of the house and paying our own bills. College is long over and adult decisions have replaced the hours of softball practice, backyard basketball, and sleepovers. Instead of wrestling with dad in the living room, we are now wrestling with the choices before us as adults. But I am the adult that I am because my dad broke the cycle. Without having a good father to pave the road for him, he turned around and became a good father. And so, now I can say with confidence that my future kids will have a good father because I have seen and know what to look for in a good man. 

Thanks Dad, for providing, for disciplining, and mostly, for being present in our lives. This year, to honor you, I have made a donation to The Mentoring Project. The Mentoring Project is an advocacy and training organization that serves as a liaison between faith communities and matching agencies to provide mentors for fatherless youth. Through dynamic church trainings, national mentor recruitment, and the creation of sustainable mentoring communities, The Mentoring Project seeks to rewrite the story of the fatherless generation. Perhaps because of the mentors who step into the lives of these children, there will be many more boys who grow up to be men who stop the cycle in their own families. Men who stay. Men who work hard. Men who love their children.


Thanks for loving us, Dad,


Love,
Erin