A little catch up

I’m so sorry I haven’t written for a while. Seems like life has been very, very full since we got home from America!

Just to let you in behind the scenes, we have been busy with church, gearing up for conferences, listening to mixes for the album, normal family life, and everything else that manages to squeeze itself into our days.

I’m so thrilled with the album! The mixes are sounding wonderful!!! In fact we decided to do a bonus track of the live version of Hungry I led on the Friday night in Bethel, so I was in the studio re-singing that yesterday.

I’m delighted that we get to do the live album like this - where we had the opportunity to lead worship on four separate occasions in Bethel (really let us choose the best take without having to focus too much on the actual recording at the time - felt much more like just leading worship), whilst at the same time having the time to re-sing everything afterwards. The thing I love the most about this is that you don’t lose any of the passion of the worship moment, and yet you get to smooth out some of the pitchy singing. I don’t know about you, but I get pretty excited when I’m leading worship, and I don’t intend to change that, but it can sound a little edgy at times - not always something you want to press repeat on afterwards :) In the words of Miley Cyrus - it’s the best of both worlds.... (you can tell how old our kids are eh?)

Church is wonderful too. It’s brimming over. Easter was stunning! More than 1000 people turned up at our two Coleraine services, and another almost 100 in Ballymena. The reason that excites us quite so much isn’t the numbers, but the fact that lives are changing in our town!!!! That is the reason we came to plant a church. We long to see the kingdom come, with people finding who they were made to be, falling in love with an incredible God, and ultimately changing the communities in which we live - regardless of which church they decide to go to. I LOVE it!!!!!

On the family front, the girls are doing so well! They loved their time in America - they even went to school for a couple of days while we were away. They have decided that American school is about a million times better than home because they didn’t have to do any work while they were there! I have tried hard to explain that it’s not quite the same when you are a visitor, that in real life American kids have to work really hard too (not sure they believe me yet). Despite this, they have settled really well back into school and life at home.

And, we started puppy school last week too! Our dog Charlie is coming up on 7 months and he is FULL of personality! He’s a sock stealing, laundry lifting bundle of fun, and we are loving having him in our family!!! I won’t mind when he has spent a little time learning the rules of engagement just a little more thoroughly though ;) Will keep you posted on how we get on with our lessons.

SO, that is a round up of what has been going on with us.

God bless you in your own circumstances, with the unique things that fill your days, that stretch your thinking and expand your heart....

K