Wow!  It’s been over a month since I’ve posted due to late April-early June being packed.  Here’s the rundown of the past several weeks:

I,  my family, and a couple of guys from our Burlington City Church leadership team,  joined the Point Community Church pastors and families for the Exponential Church Planting Conference in Orlando.

I had the privilege of speaking at the Green Mountain Baptist Association’s semi-annual meeting.  It was so humbling to speak to a group of pastors, church-planters, and leaders who are living out the gospel and making a huge impact around VT.

Our daughter Wren celebrated her 1st birthday.  I’m fairly biased, but she’s the sweetest baby I’ve ever been around.  Check out Christin’s blog post about Wren’s birthday.

Christin and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary.  We enjoyed an evening out, just the two of us, with plenty of reminiscing and uninterrupted adult conversation.

I turned forty and enjoyed a surprise two night getaway to Stowe with my family (thanks to Christin’s planning).  I suppose it’s a significant milestone, but it’s kind of funny being congratulated on hitting a milestone that only requires not dying.

This past weekend I traveled back to NJ to speak at the Point Community Church- the church we helped start several years ago.  God’s doing amazing things in and through that church as they continue moving full-speed ahead.  They have a great team of pastors and are already praying about where to plant the next church.

So back to the whole turning forty thing. Something about hitting this milestone has caused me to be especially reflective these past couple of weeks.  It’s also created a great sense of excitement about what God has in store for this next decade of my life. Here are a few of those reflections and thoughts (in no particular order):

• Being forty feels much different than how I anticipated when I was twenty.  I just don’t feel as old as I expected, except when I try wrestling the guys in their twenties.
• To celebrate my mid-life crisis someone blessed me with a road bike-thin wheeled and pedal powered.  It at least provides the illusion of feeling younger, since my back and knees don’t ache like when I run.
• Many of the people who’ve mentored me both in person and from a distance (via books, sermons, and blogs) really turned the corner in their forties.  I also believe this decade will be my sweet-spot.  God’s taught me a lot about life and ministry these past twenty years, and I still have the energy and excitement to live out those lessons.
• I realize that many of the unwise decisions I’ve made throughout my life could have turned out much much worse.  God has shown me a great deal of grace both directly and via encouragement and accountability from my brothers in Jesus.
• The highs and lows of life and ministry don’t hit me nearly as hard (but they still exist).  After twenty years of church-based ministry, God’s provided plenty of spiritual markers that prove He’s faithful and that this is His church.
• Believing that life does not end with physical death really allows us to go “all in” for the next week, year, or decade of our lives.  Even if something terrible and unexpected happens, we know a bigger life awaits us.
• I’m not sure whether I’m improving as husband and father, but I know I enjoy being Christin’s husband and Jude & Wren’s dad more than ever.  I’m excited about watching, knowing, and discipling the most important people I’ll ever minister to over this next decade.

Let me close by sharing the best birthday messages/wishes I received:

Kevin, I’ve mailed a special birthday package to you with enough Depends and Ensure to get you through the week

Brian, my brother

For some reason the song “Knockin on Heaven’s Door” came to mind as I was writing this message to you.

Scott, my brother

You are so old.  How are you even still alive?

Jared, my brother-in-law