Newlywed Update

Happy Thursday! As promised, I will begin to update all by starting with the best accomplishment made since we have been married and moved to Birmingham....

We have found a church!!! When we first moved to Birmingham we were given a list of churches to visit. Key aspects for me when we would visit was to look at the type of worship (classic vs contemporary) and if the preacher used a Bible during the sermon. For Tony,  he looked to find a place smaller in size so that we would feel like we were at church and not a big conference or concert. He prefers a place the size similar to where we grew up. However, if you are not from a big city or do not currently live in a big city, I will say that church is very different here versus small town life. You do not know who you are sitting next to, some preachers do not use a Bible, and most of the time services can last up to two hours. Above all, Tony and I agreed to find a place where we felt welcome, at home, and a part of something that would benefit the Kingdom.

 

We worked our way down the list to The Church at Brookhills. We have fallen in love with the atmosphere, worship, and the word David Platt brings each service. During the past three months he has preached on the book of Revelation which is really interesting to study in depth. The church's ministry is based on disciple-making, the biblical model of teaching God's Word, mentoring others and sharing faith. I guess it is safe to say that for now we have stopped visiting the rest of the churches on the list and plan to continue attending services at Brookhills. If you would like to learn more about The Church at Brookhills click this link: http://www.brookhills.org/

If you have never heard of David Platt I would suggest if you are ever in Birmingham on a Sunday you should stop by Brookhills. His messages are tailored to be informative, historical, and convicting. He is the author of the New York Times Best Seller Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream and its follow-up book, Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God. I hope to have a chance to  read these over Christmas break!

 

This neat little waterfall below is actually connected to flow inside the sanctuary and serves as the baptismal pool. For visitors who have never been to Birmingham- this area of Alabama is gorgeous. There are beautiful hill like mountains everywhere, unbelievable sunsets, and little waterfalls scattered about. Besides the traffic, everything about Birmingham is very peaceful and full of nature. Personally, I thought this waterfall baptismal was a perfect representation of the area we live in. Plus, it is very different and unique to the church atmosphere.

 

We ask that any prayer warriors continue to lift us up as we make decisions on possible small groups. As a college student and a wife, it is very awkward for me to "fit in/be accepted" in the college crowd or the newlywed crowd. The two paths do not cross often with most students or wives but we are determined to not let comfort zone issues affect our involvement.

Regarding school- IT IS FALL BREAK! I made it through the toughest midterms that I have ever had as a college student. Also, I have taken two of the three Alabama state requirements that were set forth before me to complete for this semester. So far, I received my scores for one test and PASSED! Praise the Lord! Although I am retaking many courses at UAB, I am actually learning to apply and associate knowledge and skill for professional development instead of only memorizing information for test purposes. If progress continues, I should be able to apply to TEP this summer and start student teaching next Fall (fingers crossed)! Plus, I am finally getting back to my high school roots of involvement. I have joined two organizations that will help me to meet new people, establish relationships within my field, and be of service in the education sector of the community. As for now, I am pretty excited for all the future holds and hope to be able to continue to hold the work load of a transfer.  

Tony is in the final stages of designing a project that he has been working on since he was a co-op student three years ago. I can only imagine the reality of working on something for so long and knowing that it will soon become a final product! Also, he officially started his fall season with the men's softball league. He plays on the Southern Company team so our Thursday nights are full of aches and pains. We may still be in our mid 20's but we are certainly not as physically fit as we were in high school. It is one of those small joys to relive the glory days. :)

Recently I was tweaking the blog layout and came across an important piece of my heart. I began googling a few web links to add to my side feed and just somehow happened to google "TonyandKalyn" in search of our wedding website address from TheKnot. The first thing that popped up was our wedding video from J Franks Photography! Before I even hit play I immediately burst into tears. As Tony and I sat and watched as our wedding day play before us I could not even talk. I must say that our wedding day was the very best day of my life. For those of you who missed our big day video I posted it below. Turn the volume up, sit back, and enjoy :)

Until next time, happy blogging!

http://vimeo.com/44622957