Get out!

Yeah, that’s exactly what Emily and I are feeling right now!

It all started on Thursday night.  Emily and I got talking about selling our house By Owner or getting an agent . . . the conversation escalated to a rather emotional conversation about moving pregnant vs. moving with a baby, stress, time, energy, and anything else we could possibly verbally throw at each other . . .

But that was only the beginning.

Friday afternoon, it happened.  I was at my desk at work . . . and my phone rang.  I had seen the number before, but couldn’t place it.

It was “that girl who loved the house” from back in June . . . it turns out that her husband had indeed gotten a job in the area, so they wanted to make an offer on our house.

She came to show her husband the house on Saturday, and then sat down at the dining room table to talk it out.

In the end, the price was what we wanted . . . so Emily and I have less than 3 weeks to get totally out!  And we’re only 2 months away from becoming parents!

So, instead of focusing on “church planting” and “Towson” on this Monday home . . . we spent the day looking for a place to rent!

We found something we like, but they don’t usually allow pets.  Pray for “Roxie Grace,” so we can start moving.

After Yesterday and today . . . I’d say we’re over 25% packed up.  Roxie is confused as our world is turning upside down and boxes pile up all around her . . .

But God is good.  We’re convinced this is the absolute right time for us to get out of the house, get some debt paid off, and focus on the future God has for us.

If you were wondering where my blog posts were this week . . . now you know!

20-hit update

We’ve been back from Baltimore since Tuesday, and I haven’t even had time to write an update.

That’s the nature of vacation, isn’t it?  You have a great time relaxing, being rejuvenated, reconnecting with your wife, etc. etc. etc. . . . and then you get back to the piles on your desk at work . . .

Well, here’s the update:

1. Emily and I are convinced that we will be locating to Towson, Maryland . . . Probably around January.
2. We fell in love with the community, had a great time talking with some locals while attending some local 4th of July events.
3. I made some connections in architecture.  One in particular was extremely positive and I’m looking forward to how it all works out.  Having a job in the area would give Emily and I a ton of peace to know that God is at work.
4. Enjoyed the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra set to fireworks a whole lot more than dealing with the crouds and rain for a merely good fireworks display at the Inner Harbor. 
5. Inner Harbor fireworks had two launch-points — most from Ft McHenry, and some from a barge in the harbor.  Either one would have been bettern than Auburn’s usually are.
6. Spent a lot of time driving around in a silly little KIA . . . but we got to know the area well and have zeroed in on a couple of specific communities within Towson to watch for a house/townhome to meet our needs.
7. It’s more expensive in Baltimore, but not quite as much as we had originally expected.  I’m hoping I can find a job that will fill in the difference. Would be nice to get full-price on our house here as a help . . . and One more outside job, like an average-sized house plan would pay off one more debt before we go . . . anyway . . .
8. We took a lot of things slow for our vacation.  Emily is getting bigger.  I am excited to be a daddy!  Less than 10 weeks left!  It’s funny how walking around with the cutest pregnant lady ever becomes an automatic conversation-starter.
9. Drove through Towson one night . . . passed 4 Starbucks stores with no more than 3 customers.  Obviously not a good place to meet people during the evenings on a holiday weekend in Towson.
10. Went to church at another fairly new church in the area.  Am glad to see them doing what they are doing . . . but was also glad to see that they are a different flavor than our vision, so we’ll be able to reach different folks and impact Towson together. One of the pastors said he would hook me up with a local ministerial association that really wants to get things done.  I would love an opportunity to network with other local pastors to Transform a city and region!
11. Towson University is in Towson . . . They are the Tigers and have an Auburn Drive on campus.  That MUST be a sign from God!
12. Several possible meeting locations came to mind . . . but actually getting into them may be a challenge.  This will be a God thing!  So many possibilities, I’m confident we will be able to grow at least one relationship to opportunity.
13. Already have a location in mind for a church office.  Awesome location, and it’s pretty cheap, too!  Long-term issue, but couldn’t believe the possibility fell in my lap!
14. Spent tons of time just praying as we saw  people in neighborhoods, walking down streets, navigating through the mall, filling a ski-slope to watch fireworks, etc.  The area won’t be an easy area, but it already feels a bit like home.  People need a life-changing encounter with Jesus.  I want to be the delivery man to take it to them.
15. Was glad to see Roxie healthy when we got home (was sick when we left).
16. Roxie was definitely glad to see us.
17. Roxie is being very dilligent to protect Emily’s growing belly.  Definitely not a typical Chihuahua.  Curious to see how she does with Katie when she is born.
18. Was extremely glad to have absolutely no contact with my office while I was gone.  First time since we started the company 3 years ago that I was 100% unplugged from the office.
19. Since our vacation, God has just been working on my as I read the Bible like He hasn’t done literally in years.  I’m getting really fired up for everything that is happening over the next several months.
20. I’ll be glad to get back to Journey Church tomorrow and see what’s up with our new series, “WAKE UP!”

Well, I hit 20, so I need to stop. More later.

Amazed

Isn’t this the sexiest pregnant lady ever?

Another great weekend is behind us.  Emily had a doctor’s update on Thursday, so I went with her and got to hear the baby’s heartbeat yet again.  It’s the coolest thing . . . to think that God is allowing Emily and I to take part in this unbelievable miracle called birth.  I’m finding myself poking Emily’s belly and talking to “baby Kulp” more and more.  I just don’t understand how such an amazing and complex process could be relegated to billions of years of evolution.  It takes a whole lot less faith to believe that God is carefully knitting this little child together inside of Emily’s womb.  I’m really excited because we will get to see the baby and hopefully find out the gender in under 3 weeks!

With the rain this weekend, Emily and I spent a lot of time inside talking and resting.  With the excitement of finding out the gender looming over us, we got talking a lot about creating a spiritual legacy in our home.  I think the growing belly is really starting to help us evaluate the responsibility that is going to be upon us before we know it.

Wow.  It’s just sooo cool!

FYI — I’m glad the sun is finally coming out!  I got up early to run this morning, and it rained all over me.  We need the rain, but couldn’t it stop BEFORE I started running?

Are you a leader?

If you are a leader in anything . . . I have something that’s worth your time.

If you are a leader in the church . . . I have a must-read for you.

Shawn Lovejoy is doing a series on “Not-so-commonly talked about leadership practices.”

His post today was awesome.  There’s definitely a balance to be had between being a leader and taking care of your family . . . But I think our American “keep me safe, comfortable, and well fed” culture has kept leaders from being leaders.

Great post.

Another Long Saturday

Emily and I have committed to having a dinner date on Thursdays and a stay-home together night on Fridays.  We made this decision several weeks ago and are pretty much sticking to it.  With me essentially working 3 jobs right now, my Saturdays are very busy.  Emily accepts that as reality for now.  She’s cool with it, because she knows she has me on Friday nights.  That’s her night, and I look forward to giving it to her each week.  She’s definitely worth it.  Actually, she’s worth a whole lot more than I could ever give her.

Well, today was a typically busy Saturday.  I completed my first-ever monthly report for the Baltimore association.  Filling out the form probably helped me realize how much we have to do than it did help me feel like we’ve gotten a lot accomplished.  However, I feel like part of the team in some small way. 

I also did my usual Travel Guide and got it online for the Growth Groups at Journey.

AND, Emily and I cleaned the house up enough to get some pictures taken and I uploaded them to our InfoTube listing site.  As I worked on my computer in the office, I saw several people pick up brochures today.  It sure would be nice if we could sell our house soon.  It would be a huge step in moving into church planting quickly.

I’m looking forward to a couple days off from architecture to go to the ChurchPlanters.com conference.  I’m ready to EVOLVE!

Well, it is now midnight.  I’m off to bed.

Doing something right . . .

If you think you’re too busy . . . if your life has you wound so tight you might just spring loose any second . . .

Don’t forget what’s important.

I’m working 44+ hours a week in a city 45 minutes away.  I’m leading the Growth Groups ministry at Journey Church.  I’m trying to be intentional about talking to people around town.  I’m working feverishly to get the assessment process for church planting done.  I’m trying to get the vision for Transformation Church down on paper so we can raise support and recruit a team . . .

I’m pretty darn busy.  But I’m trying not to lose sight of what is really important.

I must be doing something right, because my wife felt led to put up a blog post like this:

http://emmyk.wordpress.com/2008/01/26/saturday/

I love Emily.  I would drop every bit of what I am doing in life if my relationship with Emily was on the line.  She knows that, and I try to live that.  What would your spouse say about you?

Goals for 2008

OK — I’m not a big “New Years Resolutions” type of guy, but I do take the time to think of some goals and other things I’d like to accomplish . . .

1 - Transformation Church — Yes, without a doubt, my biggest challenge for 2008 will be growing the vision for Transformation Church, going through the assessment process, recruiting partners and a core team, relocating to Baltimore, and getting a new church off the ground in some manner.

2 - Journey Church — Since Emily and I are probably leaving Auburn and Journey Church during this coming year, I’ve been thinking through goals for our ministries at Journey Church before we leave.  Since most of them relate to specific ministries and affect certain people, I want to reveal those goals to those people before I reveal them here.

3 - Family — Emily and I are praying for God’s timing in starting a family.  We’re crazy for praying this in the midst of everything else we plan on doing this year, but hey, I tend to like change in big doses.  In 2005, I quit my job and got married in the same month.  Why not one up it this year?

4 - Career — Despite the fact that I plan on backing up in the architecture arena, I still have goals to accomplish here.  My time in architecture is still far from over, so I do not want to drop the ball before there’s someone there to catch it.  As my transition becomes immanent, I have specific goals to help Godwin-Jones move forward and be better in the future.

5 - Personal — Last, but certainly not least, I have some great personal goals that are of utmost importance to me this year: 

1. Continue to grow in my personal time with God, and learn to create more separatation between ”personal time” and “ministry time” with God. 
2. Be much more intentional about building relationships with people around me, especially those disconnected from God and/or church.
3. Establish a deeper responsibility for the spiritual well-being of my family.
4. Read at least 1 book per month related to Church Leadership, Church Planting, Personal Growth, or similar topic.

Happy New Year

Well, my break from the world is coming to a close!

Emily and I got back in Auburn last night.  After sleeping in this morning, we made our way through New Years Day . . .

I love my wife!  She spent most of the day unpacking and doing laundry while I was a lazy bum and watch Florida screw up a gift and lose to Michigan.  How can you force 3 turnovers at the 1 yard line and still lose a freaking game?  I am reminded so much that I really HATE the Florida Gators!  So much for the SEC cleaning house in the Bowl Games.  Of course, we all new Arkansas would lose . . .

After Florida lost, I cleaned up the outside Christmas decorations and then helped Emily clean up the inside decorations . . . packed them up and put most of them back in the attic . . .

I read all 36 blog entries from the blogs I read that I hadn’t read yet . . .

Now I’m making my own entry, then I’ll see if Emily wants to do anything.  If not, I’ll continue reading unChristian.

I’ll Be Home For Christmas — NOT!

Yeah, Emily and I are NOT home for Christmas.  And, I am NOT going to my parents’ home for Christmas.  This year, we got to make the long treck across the SouthEast to Austin to visit with Emily’s family.  We left yesterday after church, drove until about 9pm, and then finished the trek about 3:30 today. 

This is the second time we’ve had Christmas in Austin.  Her family has very different traditions than my family.  We’re having the traditional mexican meal for Christmas Eve tonight.  Not a tradition my family ever did.  I love mexican food, so this new tradition is definitely cool with me.

Emily has already demonstrated her 3-days worth of guitar-learning to everybody . . . I have to admit, I am abundantly impressed with my wife’s ability to learn music stuff so quickly.  She’s doing a great job.  I married quite well, if I do say so myself.

As I sit here in front of the TV writing my blog, the whole family is now gatherered around me, talking and catching up. The food is almost ready, so I’m going to sign-off with a hearty MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Baltimore and Family

Did I mention that my mother-in-law got to ride a train all the way from Austin, TX to the wonderful city of Baltimore (before heading over to DC)?

The choir at her church gets to sing at the White House Christmas.

How cool is that?