Coastal Callings

Wow!  Does anybody else feel like it was just Christmas?  How is May already coming to an end?  We’ve posted many “Carter’s Corners,” thoughts we’ve had as we study scripture, or just multiple things God continues to teach us…  However, we haven’t shared an update lately on what’s been going on in our world.  If I shared it all, it’d be page upon page…  So, we’ll try to pick one thing that’s happened each month the last few months. 

January: Kristin began her second semester of teaching.  She says it every time someone asks how teaching is going, “What an amazing opportunity it is to be back in the classroom!  These students bless me each and every day.”  Kristin thanks God every day for reminding her that His plan isn't always "my initial plan." We all know He guided her down “this teaching” path, a path different than where she thought she’d be.  How cool it is to enjoy going into work every day!

At the end of January, Carter was in Charlotte for his first residency.  He thoroughly enjoyed meeting all his cohort buddies.  There are first, second, and third year students all together.  This first residency was “Pastor: Counselor and Caregiver.”  He was super impressed and liked how they could talk about some of the most difficult topics in a respectful and mature manner with one another.  Those two weeks flew by so quickly…he can’t wait until they are all together again next February.

February: We continued our “house hunt” journey.  We found what we think is going to be an awesome house and neighborhood for us.  Let the fun of house mortgage begin…ha!

We managed to escape on a youth ski adventure for a long weekend.  Like always, we cherish our time with these kiddos!

March: Kristin was just as excited as her students for Spring Break.  It was nice to sleep in and enjoy random beach walks.  (Our weather definitely wasn’t “springy” yet.)  We enjoyed the Robinsons being here that week for their spring break as well.

April:  What a fun filled month!  We celebrated our 2^nd anniversary as well as Carter’s birthday!  We had one of our youth from Fairview, Alicia, come spend her spring break with us.  Was so awesome to have her here. We also went up to Myrtle to see a Fairview family, the Warnkens.  The Verdins stopped for a visit on their way to Charleston, too!  Towards the end of April, we made a short visit to North Augusta.  We squeezed in a couple dives in the river there. : ) Kristin was excited to be able to attend a women’s event at Fairview. Was awesome to catch up with so many of those women I miss! Always great to catch up with friends!

May:  We began the month with Kristin finishing up her Spring semester of teaching.  The day she finished, a couple of Kristin’s vet girlfriends, Fig and Rachel, came for a visit. 

Then, we headed to Atlanta for my Uncle John’s funeral before starting our vacation. 

From ATL, we went south to Macon to have dinner with Laura, Daniel, and SE for Kristin's birthday,

and then down to West Palm Beach to visit Leigh (vet school roommate) and to dive.  More dive stories will come…we are still in awe.  What an awesome WPB trip!  Wonderful first warm water, terrific visibility dive experiences! 

 

Some of our PIPC youth went through Confirmation.  What a joy it was to have the opportunity to work with these students!  Carter led most of the classes, and Kristin was honored to be a mentor to a beautiful teenage gymnast, Caroline!

We thought we were going to be closing on our house this month, but God has different timing.  Maybe next month?  He’s led us every step of the way of this whole “house process.”  We trust Him.

We enjoyed our time with Carter’s aunts, Brenda and Lynne.

 

For those of you who didn’t know, Kristin has been going through the interview process for full-time teaching.  She was extended an offer before she left the college Wednesday.  After more prayers and conversation with Carter, she accepted it the next day!!!!!  So blessed to be part of this HGTC family more full-time. 

More terrific news: We’ve been super excited with our “Under 40” fellowship group.  After much continued prayer, we recently had a “Under 55” cookout, which was a success, too.  On top of those, Carter has been working on a “young” men’s ministry.  It’s already started to take off. Kristin is busy getting a “young” women’s ministry started as well.  It’s been a slow start, but is coming around.  Just getting an email listserve set up with all the women under 55 in our church has been time-consuming yet exciting!  (There are more than I think folks realized, which is a good thing. He he.) We can already see that God has amazing things in store for these groups!

So…we’ve been busy bees.  Not a day goes by that we aren’t thanking God for His continual blessings He’s showering upon us.

Love you all!

Thanks for your continued prayers about my first Doctorate of Ministry Residency in Charlotte last month. Although it was intense and powerful, it was also a wonderful two weeks. The first residency was called “The Pastor as Counselor and Caregiver.” We dealt with so much over the two weeks, including the statistics I mentioned in my sermon on Sunday, February 24th. Some of you asked for a recap…The statistics I shared were:

*Almost 20% or 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety disorders. In a congregation of 400, that’s 80 people statistically.

*All of us will deal with grief, and NORMAL grief usually lasts 2-5 years.

*16% of Americans suffer, or have suffered from depression severely enough to warrant treatment; 40% of relatives living with someone who is depressed have some level of depression also. Over 80% of people, who suffer from depression, are successfully treated. Would it surprise you that according to a study 58% of the elderly are depressed? I don’t know what the qualifications of elderly are, but 58% is a staggering statistic.

*A survey indicated that 50% of men in an evangelical church look at pornography. A pastor didn’t believe this statistic so he did his own anonymous survey at his
 church. His survey showed that in the last year, 60% of the men looked at pornography, and 30% in the last month.

*There are over 3,000 abortions a day in the US— over 1 million per year. I say this not to talk about abortion itself, or to make those who have had one feel guilty, or condemn them, but to say that there are many people out there who have had abortions and who need healing from the effects, grief, and guilt that come along with this decision of having an abortion.

*We learned about the staggering suicide rates, and how 2/3 of those who commit suicide were depressed. This issue is in the news again as another celebrity took their life recently. Everyone who knows someone who has committed suicide, or knows someone who has tried or has thought about suicide, recognizes that it is painful and traumatic.

*Approximately one in four women around the globe has been physically abused by an intimate male partner, such as a husband or ex-husband. In fact, a woman is more likely to be injured, raped, or physically threatened by a current or former partner than by a stranger or another person.

Sadly enough, most people don’t get help. Most people don’t come to their pastor any more. If you choose to not talk to your pastor, make sure you go to a Christian counselor or your Christian mentor…someone who can healthily help you and lead you in the right direction. Obviously, Kris and I are here in Pawleys, but hey, we are only an email or phone call away.  We love you. More importantly, God loves you.  We pray that you find your hope in Him.