Happy Anniversary

As always, Christmas is a busy time of year here on N. Wintzell and, as such, a pretty important day in the life of our family often gets neglected. On the 18th, Suzanne and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. It's been quite a journey, and I can't say enough how blessed I am to have Suzanne as my wife.

For those of you who know us, you know that our entire relationship has been a whirlwind. We met at the end of February, went on our first date in March, and were engaged on the 1st of June. At her insistence, we waited until December to get married. We married at Cottage Hill Baptist on December 18th and started a new life together. Within a few months of our marriage, I was dealt a blow as we lost my grandfather. As we mourned his loss, unexpected joy would come to me via text message, as I sat in a classroom in Pensacola: "You need to call me". "What is it?" "We're having a baby!"

So it was that, just like we knew what we were doing, we celebrated our first anniversary with a one month-old. In the spring of 2006, I finished seminary, and we did something a little crazy. I took a church in Wetumpka, Alabama. We thought we were moving to the other side of the world. She had questions. We talked. We prayed. She supported me every step of the way.

We spent four joyful years in Wetumpka. During our time there, we welcomed a little boy into the world, and celebrated anniversaries 2, 3, 4, and 5. In the months following #5, I found out more news via text: "Do you want your 3rd child to be a boy or a girl?" She would be a girl. We moved again.

Moving home was easy, changing jobs was more difficult. I had a lot of questions and fears. Youth ministry was a lot of fun. Never let any boohooing over-wrought student minister make you feel sorry for how bad they have it. I loved being the minister of fun trips, media, and eating after church. I had always wanted to be a pastor, but to actually do it? What if I mess this up? What if I fall flat on my face? She's been my encouragement and my support every step of the way. She saw what God was doing in our lives bringing us back here before I did.

I'm happy to report that, to this point, I haven't fallen flat on my face. I believe that God is at work in our church, and I believe that He has some good things in store for the future of First Baptist. We're living the good life. There have been a few bumps along the road, and things haven't always been easy, but we're blessed people. We've crammed a lot of life into the past 6 years: 3 kids, 3 jobs and a Master's degree a piece, and now I'm back to school again. We've moved half-way across the state and back again. And now, here we are.

Today on N. Wintzell, I'm in my office, and as I sit here typing, I can look through the window to see my wife pulling up at our house. Two shining children are piling out of the minivan as she pulls the third out in a baby carrier. In just a few minutes, I'll join them for lunch. We'll share a smile and a laugh (hopefully) and she'll probably give me a little scolding for something I've left undone. What I hope that she knows is that I love her, and I can't imagine my life without her. Above all men, I'm blessed. As we share a few minutes together, I'll be able to echo Solomon and say: "This is my beloved, this is my friend".

A Quick Christmas Post

Greetings,

Christmas is almost here! I hope to have something more substantial up in the next few days about Christmas, my anniversary, and some of the other exciting goings on here in the Bayou, but for now, I wanted to share this with you. If you are involved in any kind of social media, you have probably seen a number of Christmas videos this year. Some are old, some are new, but I've been amazed by the way my life has been touched by several of them. Here are a few of my favorites. So, take a few minutes, sit back, and enjoy the show.

First up is a little bit of fun as we combine Handel with a flash-mob:


Admit it, you secretly wish this would happen to you at the mall one day.

Second, we have a real classic:


This never gets old.

Third, we have a modern take on a timeless story:


I can't believe how touching this is. My curmudgeon gene wants to make an ugly face like my two year-old when I see facebook and nativity combined, but this was excellent.

Finally, my personal favorite, as we have some young New Zealanders giving us their take on the Christmas story.


I dare you not to smile!

Blessings to you and yours, and a very merry Christmas.

My View from N. Wintzell 12/16/10

Tomorrow marks an important milestone in my life and ministry, as the 17th will see celebrate my 6-month anniversary in the pastorate. It's been an exciting ride so far, and it's been filled with more joy than I could have possibly imagined. Like any other job (yes, I know it's a calling. I'm not trying to be unspiritual, I just recognize that the calling that God has placed on my life also puts food on my family's table) there are some days that are better than others, but in the past 48 hours I've been incredibly blessed by the opportunity to minister in a unique way.

When I arrived in my office on Wednesday morning, I was greeted with a voice mail that had arrived early that morning. The person on the other end is someone that I know fairly well, and he requested that I call him as soon as possible. A bit later as I returned his call he passed on a bit of surprising news. Someone he knew had felt led of God to provide a financial gift to a particular person in our community. The money passed through several channels to get to this person, and I was the last stop. My instructions were to deliver the gift along with the message that "someone was listening to God and wanted you to have this".

After meeting the previous courier, I made my way towards the recipients house and after two fruitless trips Wednesday afternoon, I decided I would have to wait for Thursday morning when I knew that this person would be home. This morning, I headed over first thing and had a good visit and had the opportunity to listen for a few minutes as this person shared about a significant and unexpected need that had arisen the previous afternoon. This was the reason they were not at home when I made my earlier attempts. As I presented this person with an envelope and told my story, I listened as the person I was visiting with confessed that they had not been able to follow through with fixing their problem the day before because, as you've guessed, they didn't have the money. Over the next few minutes we wept together, we rejoiced together, and we lifted up a prayer of thanksgiving to God together. As I walked away from this mornings experience, the words of this dear person rang in my ears throughout the rest of the day: "How could God be so good to me?"

That's a good question. I don't believe in the prosperity gospel. I believe that suffering is a real part of the experience of a disciple of Christ. Today I was reminded that my God is a provider. As this dear saint had spent the previous night crying out to Him for help, they had no idea that a Baptist preacher had knocked at their door two times that afternoon with the necessary provision for their need.

I'm glad that somebody listened to God. I don't know that this story will make it backwards through all of the necessary channels to get to that person or not, but I hope it does. I know that God is a provider, but sometimes our blessings come as gifts from others. I noted to myself this morning that I had the best job in the world. I got to deliver a gift from somebody to somebody. I was entrusted with someone else's money and I got to pass it along to someone with a need.

I think that's probably the way that it always is with God. Perhaps if we recognized that the money that we cling on to is His anyway, we wouldn't worry so much about giving it away. Maybe if we realized that it was His, we could let go of it, and be cheerful givers. If I recognized that I am a steward of God's resources and not their owner, I might experience the joy of blessing others more often. Maybe I'd worry less when I'm in need myself. I think I could say like Paul,

18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Philippians 4:18-20

That's my view, anyway, from here on N. Wintzell.

Christmas Time

It's the most wonderful time of the year. So, the song says and who am I to argue with the song? As we prepare for Christmas around here on N. Wintzell, I'm finding it more and more difficult to take time to reflect on the birth of Christ. Maybe you're in the same boat. Around the Landry house, I find myself surrounded by decorations, candy, and gifts hidden in every available nook and cranny. Even apart from the upcoming holiday events, life in general has been jam-packed.

As we make preparation for the last few weeks before Christmas, I wanted to let my friends out there online know about a few upcoming events that we hope will help place our focus on Christ during Christmas. Sunday morning at 11, our choir will be sharing with us in music as they present this year's Christmas musical. It's full of classic Christmas music, and I know that it will be a blessing.

Also, on Sunday night at 6, our church will be hosting a Candlelit Lord's Supper. This service will include David Akridge as our special musical guest and will be followed by a time of fellowship. I believe that both of these events provide us with a great opportunity to worship Christ during the Christmas season. If you're out there and don't have a church to call home, I'd like to invite you to come out and share in one of these services with us!