Thank God thats over with!

This year was a little crazy for Humphries Nation.  We experienced major life altering change that we won’t feel the full impact for decades to come, and I’m looking forward to a year that we can get “settled” in a bit.

Highpoints to the year:

5. Disney World for a week – Though it was two days too long, it was hotter than Hades and I finally rode “Its a small world afterall”,  the kids had the time of their lives and Mariah and I enjoyed the experience.  I loved having my sister Angie and her husband Rick with us, it allowed for “adult moments” which kept the kids from domestic violence and CPS from being called in.  I can now go to my grave feeling relieved that I made my American Mecca journey!

4.  Making the Break from Gilead – A bigger deal than you would think.  Gilead Baptist Church is my home and I have to say in all honesty I bleed this place.  I worked on staff there for 11 years and knew my time was done, but leaving is hard to do.  I passionately love this church and ministry, and pray that God continues to bless it and use it to reach the community of Downriver Detroit.  I am grateful for the nurturing and influence Pastor Tom Downs has had in my life, and I am very grateful for the care in which he took for me and my family over the years.  Leaving was painful, and I’m sure I didn’t do it completely correct, but I will always be in debt to the people and leadership of Gilead.  I just hope I can make them proud as I follow God’s will for my life.

3.  Moving to Waco – Moving five people across the country with everything you own, in 100 degree heat, with a car that doesn’t have air conditioning, and towing a trailer on the back of a Trailblazer that doesn’t allow you to go faster than 55 mpg is not something I want to do again!  It was such an adventure, the kids were eager to get there, and Mariah and I were a little stressed to say the least.  We only had to stop once to totally repack the whole trailer, and we got to the safety of Louisiana in two days!  Getting into a rental house, finding a job for Mariah, and the kids getting registered and starting school all happened the first week we were in Waco, and I still have to admit I’ll be searching through boxes for the next year!  In the end we made it, it wasn’t easy, but we’re Humphries and we’re made for things like this!

2. Saying Goodbye to Mom – In June we buried my mother’s remains in Louisiana.  It brought closure and had a bigger impact on me than I thought it would.  A generational thing happened, losing your last parent puts the weight of heritage on your shoulders.  I really believe this helped motivate me to pursue a senior pastorate more than anything else.  It brought things into prospective, making the choices seem clear in their historical context.  I’m in charge of my family, they’ll get their identity from the choices and efforts I make.  It has been an emotional roller-coaster this year, but I can feel the chapters of my life change and I’m comfortable with it.  Its my time, and we’ll see what I do with it, but in the end I didn’t have a choice if I was ready or not.  I miss my parents, I feel strangely alone without them.  I’m so glad I have my wife and best friend with me, and my beautiful children following close behind, but my life will never be the same again.  I will only look forward to the time when my sisters and myself pass away and leave my children behind, such is the cycle of life.

1. Being voted the Pastor of Park Lake Drive Baptist Church – What an incredible responsibility!  This is a real game changer, you can’t get away from the burden of taking spiritual care of a congregation.  I love it!  I love the role, the responsibility, the leadership, and the stress.  I have a great group of people to work with, and the congregation is a blessing to behold!  I’m enjoying the role of master teacher, and I have always enjoyed implementing a vision.  I think of everything that has happened this year on the grand scale, this is the most important.  This is where God has designed me to be, and I look forward to what He has in store for us this year.

Tie for 1.  Almost losing Hannah – I can’t say enough about how traumatic this was.  I am just getting over the situation, and more than likely in some respects never will fully recover.  You can never fully appreciate the power of God until you’re faced with it in a life/death situation. I hug my kids a little harder, a little longer, and with more sincerity than I did before.  I cry a little easier at touching moments, I miss my parents a little more, I am completely humbled by God’s presence in my life.  I’m not sure what God is doing in my life, I’m just glad He’s in control and He has proven that He loves me.

These are the top 5/6 things in my life this year, I hope next year is full of good times and encouraging news.  Whatever it brings, I know we’ll make it through, Humphries were made for hard times, if it was easy everyone would be doing it!