June has been a great month and as I've settled in to my summer routine I can't wait to tell you about what God has been up to in my life and ministry!
School of Ministry
At the beginning of June I began teaching a class as a part of Focus' summer school of ministry. Each summer, Focus offers classes that are aimed at allowing students to go more in depth in their understanding of God through Scripture and other writings. This summer I was given the opportunity to teach an 8 week course on the gospel of Mark. Although we've only had one class (with the second one tonight) it's been a big blessing to me. I love the Gospel of Mark and immersing myself in it has always brought me face to face with Jesus, and thus my life is changed again and again. It's impossible for me to read his words and observe him through the text and not be moved in so many different ways. It's also a huge blessing to get to teach the 50+ students from different campuses across the metroplex. Getting to know them and learn with them is special and I don't take it for granted. It speaks volumes of our students that they would spend 2 hours every Wednesday night listening to lecture on the Gospel and taking notes, asking questions, and growing their faith. I'm so proud of them and thankful I get to share the blessing of the Gospel with them!
Summer One-on-One Training
Last year we started something new: in the summer we invited students in our ministry who we thought could have a significant impact on the campus to a once-a-week training on how to do one-on-one ministry. Over t
he course of this 4 week training, we tried to fire them up and enable them to reach their peers individually rather than relying on impersonal large events to do it for them. We also wanted them to get to know one another and our staff. It was a huge success and our students regularly referred back to it as important for them. This year we decided to do the same thing and we're currently in the process of planning for it. We're expecting around 45 students to be a part of this years training and we're SO excited to get to know them and get them excited for real ministry. That starts in two weeks so please be in prayer about that for us!
Our Baby!
Just a quick update on our baby boy coming in October: he's doing great! So far so good. I'm conserving sleep like a squirrel collecting acorns in Fall. Just kidding, I wish it worked that way! Erika is doing great too. She's such a trooper and has been in good spirits as she entered her 22nd week of pregnancy. I can't tell you how thankful I am to have a healthy wife and child as we're in this season. I've no doubt that your prayers are being heard. We're eager to meet the new guy! Next step: agree on a name.Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. I'm praying blessings for you and your families.
In Christ,
Garrett
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