The Torch Run and Building Dedication

As soon as the kids' musical was done, we changed into our running clothes and got ready to run a special relay! :) Josiah, Jacob and I got to be the first leg of a torch relay to run a torch from our current church property down the 4.5 miles to where our new property is! The torch and cauldron was lit at our church property by Mrs. Ruth - a sweet lady in her 90s that is the last remaining "original" member from when Northside was first started more than 60 years ago. She handed the torch off to me and then the boys and I took off running! We had a police escort in front and behind us, and their was a camera truck in front of us to record it. It was very fun and the boys LOVED it! Each of them took turns carrying the torch, and then after we ran our leg, we handed it off to the next runners for their leg of the run. The whole thing was recorded and shown at church during part of the dedication service while the song "God of this City" was played. It was very powerful and was a neat picture as we prepare to move this summer!

The kids and I grabbed lunch and headed home for Caleb to get a quickie nap in and then we headed to the new property! The concrete walls were up and the church body met for a dedication and prayer service. It was really neat to be in there singing praises to God with just David on a microphone and an acoustic guitar. Thinking about how it will be several months from now when we are all officially moved in there! We had communion and a candle lighting to signify our dedication to being the light of this community and sharing the light of Jesus with the neighborhoods around us. Then everyone was able to write on the concrete slab names of people that they were going to be praying for to come to know the Lord. Jacob wrote the name of a friend from school, David and I wrote the names of some neighbors, and Josiah declared that he wanted to write "Lincoln and Levi" - the two precious boys that my dear friend Courtney is adopting from Rwanda!! It was a really neat, special time. The family that was sitting in front of me has a little boy that's in my children's choir. She came and found me later and said "You know what Brennan wrote on the slab? He wrote Hebrews 4:12 - For the Word of God is alive and active!" I almost burst into tears. That was one of our four verses that I had the children's choir memorize - and he did and it is burned into his sweet little heart! It was just what I needed to hear after a VERY long and exhausting day. THAT is, after all, the reason that I work that hard and spend all that time on choreography and teaching songs to 4 year olds through 5th graders. So that they will KNOW and believe the truth that is in God's Word!