Grateful for 10 Years

Dear church,
 
Today marks ten years since I first stepped into the role of pastor at First Christian Church. It feels both like yesterday and a lifetime ago. When I think about the person I was in 2015 and the person I am today, I’m overwhelmed—not only by how much life has changed, but by how consistently God has met me, shaped me, stretched me, and surrounded me with people who have helped me become who I am.
 
Do you remember when I started? I do. I was a single pastor trying to figure out ministry, adulthood, and life all at once. I had no idea the journey God was about to take me on, nor the ways this church would walk with me through every step. A couple of years after I started as pastor, Libby and I started dating and we started getting to know each other. One year later, in August 2018, she and I stood together and said, “I do.” People will often ask how long we’ve been married and I’ve learned to say, “not long enough.” With Libby, I gained my very best friend, a partner in every sense, and someone who has stood by me with grace, joy, and a steady love that has been one of God’s greatest gifts in my life.
 
Shortly after we got married came a season that tested us, shaped us, and humbled us. We found out that we likely would not be able to have children. To say that was a difficult season doesn’t begin to scratch the surface. We grieved. We prayed. We asked God for direction. And in that season, He led us into the beautiful and painful privilege of fostering babies. Opening our home to little ones in need was one of the hardest and most meaningful experiences of our lives. It changed us. It softened us. It made us long even more deeply for a child of our own. And—just as He often does—God met our longing in the most unexpected way.
 
Through the incredible gift of medical wisdom, the support of our community, and the grace of God, we were able to conceive through IVF. And in May 2025, our miracle girl, Naomi Rose, entered our world and instantly changed it. Every smile, every snuggle, every moment is a reminder of God’s faithfulness and goodness. I am endlessly grateful for her. I am endlessly grateful for Libby. And I am endlessly grateful to God for writing a story we could never have written ourselves.
 
In the past ten years I’m reminded how grateful I am for my church – the people who have become our family. First Christian Church has allowed me to grow, to fail, to learn, to dream, to lead, and to love. You have encouraged me in seasons of strength and supported me in seasons of weakness. You have prayed for me and with me. You have celebrated life’s joys and walked with me through its hardships. You have been patient, gracious, generous, honest, and faithful.
 
I am deeply grateful for our staff and, especially, for Pastor Darren. Darren has served this church for more than twenty-three years, and he has become far more than a co-laborer to me. He has become a friend—someone who has encouraged me, challenged me, supported me, and made ministry lighter and more joyful. I could not have asked for a better partner in shepherding this church. His faithfulness, humility, humor, and heart for people have blessed not only this congregation but my life personally.
 
I want to express my profound appreciation for the pastors who have shepherded me throughout my life—those who mentored me when I was young in faith and young in ministry, who believed in my calling, and who helped shape my understanding of what it means to be a servant-leader. I am equally grateful for the pastors in our community here in Douglas County whom I have the privilege of serving alongside. This county is filled with faithful, humble, kingdom-minded leaders who love Jesus and love people, and I count it a joy to partner with them. I am thankful as well for the ministry leaders across Douglas County who tirelessly invest in the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of our neighbors. Their passion inspires me and strengthens the unity of the Kingdom in this place we call home.
 
I am also profoundly thankful for the ministry leaders who pour their hearts into this church week after week. You lead with love, creativity, perseverance, and faith. Many of you serve behind the scenes in ways most people never see, but God sees it, and I see it. Thank you for every prayer, every meeting, every late night, every early morning, every act of service that makes this church a place of welcome and warmth.
 
And to the elders I’ve served alongside these past ten years—you have been steady, wise, prayerful, and supportive. You have been guardians of the gospel and shepherds of God’s people. You have helped carry the weight of ministry, and you have helped me carry my own. Thank you for walking with me, believing in me, and pushing me to keep following Jesus with integrity, courage, and humility.
 
I would also be remiss if I did not pause to honor the many beloved members of our church family who have gone home to be with the Lord over these past ten years. Walking with their families through seasons of grief has been one of the most sacred privileges of my ministry. There are far too many dear saints to name individually, but each life mattered deeply, and each loss was felt profoundly within our church. I cherish the moments we have stood together as a family—crying, remembering, celebrating, and comforting one another with the hope we have in Christ. Serving those families and honoring those lives has shaped me, humbled me, and reminded me again and again of the preciousness of our shared faith and community.
 
As I reflect on ten years, I realize that my deepest passion remains the same:

• To help people live authentic lives of faith—real, honest, and rooted in Jesus.

• To help build healthy relationships—horizontally with one another and vertically with God.

• To give every person, in every season, an opportunity to meet Jesus and respond to Him.
  

I am not the same person I was a decade ago, and I thank God for that. My life is living testimony that no chapter is ever final. God is always writing, always redeeming, always restoring, and always leading us into new seasons of grace. If He can reshape my story in such profound ways, He can do the same for yours.
 
Thank you, First Christian Church, for the honor of pastoring you. Thank you for loving me, loving my family, and letting us love you in return. Thank you so much for yesterday – for every kind word and every expression of love. I felt so loved and so grateful.
 
I’ve wanted to preach since I was eight years old and the last ten years have been a dream come true. The longer I’m blessed to be able to spend my life here at First Christian Church my dream come true as shifted just a bit. I love preaching, but to pastor you, my church family, is the dream come true I never realized was waiting for me.

Here’s to ten years—and to the God who has carried us this far and will continue to lead us forward.
 
All glory to Him.


~ Pastor Daniel 


(By the way, if you’re reading this and didn’t get the chance to sign the beautiful jersey Libby put together for me on Sunday, swing by my office the next couple of weeks – I’d love to have you sign it!)