2024, Meet 2025!

When I first became a Christian, I attended a church in Pensacola, FL. This was the church where I got saved, learned to lead worship, joined the staff, and was ordained—not all at the same time, of course. That church was formational for me!

My pastor at that time, Bobby Lepinay, had a consistent practice of blogging almost every Friday. Of course, this was back when blogging was still cool... Anyway, I always found his blogs helpful and insightful. They made me feel more connected to him and the church.

My goal for 2025 is to adopt this practice for the congregation entrusted to Alex and me—and for whoever else might read. So, here goes nothing!

2024 Recap - My Top 12 Moments

1. Abandon Annually

Pastor Alex and I take time at the beginning of the year to do what we call “abandon annually.” We learned this from our former pastor (the one I mentioned above), and he got it from Rick Warren. The saying goes: “Divert daily. Withdraw weekly. Abandon annually.”

The principle is to take time every day for yourself—whether it’s a devotional time or even just watching a funny video. Keep it short—10 minutes or less.

Withdraw weekly means taking a Sabbath: a day of rest with minimal responsibilities and some joy-filled activity.

Abandon annually? That’s when you completely disconnect. Take time off work, turn off your phone, don’t check emails, and get away! In January, we flew to California, explored Los Angeles for a couple of days, and then went on a cruise.

This wasn’t always such an elaborate trip. Over time, we’ve budgeted and planned for this. For example, this January’s trip has been in the works since 2023! When we first got married, it looked more like a weekend at a bed and breakfast, sometimes gifted by friends, just 45 minutes away. It doesn’t matter where you go or what you do—just make a plan and stick to it.

2. Art of Neighboring

In February, I preached a fun series for our church based on the book The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak. I rearranged all the chairs, removed the extras, and condensed the seating.

The series itself was good, but the real highlight was the look on people’s faces when they walked in and saw their usual seats missing. It sparked great lessons and conversations!

PSA: The point wasn’t to annoy people about chairs... but it was an interesting byproduct!

3. Soccer in March

Jensen joined his school soccer team and loved it. Watching him compete and develop a passion for the sport was a highlight for me.

His coach was incredible—leading devotionals before every practice and game. And March in our area? Perfect weather—cold mornings that warm up in the afternoon.

4. Preaching and Theology Cohort

I was able to be part of a preaching and theology cohort with Rich Nathan. Rich is an incredible pastor and teacher who has been in the Vineyard forever. He has successors who are co-pastoring the church he pioneered in Columbus and is spending all of his time now raising up young pastors. This was extremely special to be part of.

The picture is from our first meeting where he utterly (and kindly) destroys us. I am better for having gone through this class and still going through some of the homework he had given as well as his manual. This class was incredible!

5. Ratliff Family & Baptism

May 31 was bittersweet. The Ratliff family had dinner with us for a private baptism for Aubrey since they were moving to Tennessee the next day.

What they didn’t know was we had planned a surprise going-away party and baptism celebration. It was such a meaningful send-off. We miss them dearly!

6. Grandpa and YaYa Move Here

My parents sold their house in Florida and moved to Indiana to be closer to us. They now live just 10-15 minutes away, and we couldn’t be happier!

Obeying God often means missing family, so this was a huge blessing.

7. Summer Baptisms

Summer baptisms have become a cherished tradition at our church. We’re blessed to live on a property with a pond, and the first time we saw it, I told Alex we’d be doing baptisms there ASAP.

There’s nothing like witnessing people declare their faith publicly, and doing this with Alex makes it even more special.

8. Summer Highlights

Summer was really busy. We took a quick trip to Michigan to my aunt and uncle’s house. Jensen was there a full week with them before I came. I used to take a trip like this to visit them every summer too!

We had a lot of fun at Vineyard National Conference. Lots of life changing moments in prayer with our team.

Josiah’s birthday… my favorite picture and video. He is so full of Joy in this picture knowing so many people love him. I pray he always realizes this in his life.

Love the pic of Jensen with Hayden Cherry at the bar during a pastors dinner at conference. Don’t worry, they were getting hyped up on caffeine. All I remember is someone saying, “I just saw Jensen, he’s with a friend and they seem to be making themselves very comfortable hanging out at the bar.” Good times!

9. Carmel Trips

I was invited to be part of a professional development cohort with the company I work for which required me to travel to Carmel, Indiana once a month for a couple days to attend a class. Little did I know that this would become a place of reprieve for Alex and I during a difficult year. Better yet, my company was already paying me to be there, so it was a monthly getaway with my wife that I didn’t have to pay for. God provides in our times of need.

Carmel, Indiana is amazing. The above picture is us at our new favorite restaurant there, Cake Bake. Loved this place!

Some of the evenings we had were spent outside in a courtyard enjoying drinks from Sun King. Thankful for this time in this place with my wife this year!

10. Family Cruise for Jensen’s Birthday

We took a short cruise out of Miami for Jensen’s birthday. Some of his cousin’s on Alex’s side of the family were able to come as well as a set of grandparents, and a set of aunts and uncles.

We had a blast. Everyone should take a cruise some time!

Check out Jensen’s “drip.”

Also, Fort Lauderdale is not Miami and Miami is not Fort Lauderdale. It’s a 45 minute to an hour long drive. Go figure! Lesson learned!

11. November to Remember

November was great and sucked all at the same time. We started off with a bang! Trip to Florida with the Cherry Duo for the next part of their church planting journey. An organization called Stadia has an incredible event called “Discovery Event” to challenge the readiness of church planters. We saw amazing things come forward in Jeny Cherry in particular and it was incredible to watch God move in other people’s lives through this event as well. Great time!

The sucky part is right after we got back, Alex had to go into the hospital. Turns out she had a lot of internal bleeding in her abdomen. 12 days in the hospital for her, lots of pain, and a lot of stress in the midst of all of this happening. She’s still recovering and doctors are still trying to figure out what the heck happened.

What I will say is this - our friends and family rallied around us in every way possible. So many people watching kids for us including my parents now that they are Hoosiers! Beyond that: So. Many. Gift Cards. I spent majority of my time at the hospital with Alex, cooking was out of the question. Being able to receive meals wasn’t conducive. So thankful for all of the provision we received from so many people while I lived on drive thru meals, restaurants, and hospital cafeteria food for two weeks.

We ended November on a high note with family in town for Thanksgiving. There’s nothing like a Hassett Thanksgiving. Thankful that my brother and his family made the drive down from Virginia.

12. December Was FULL!

I started off December in Kansas City with some friends! Earlier this year I did some prophetic ministry for a group of business folks who love Jesus. It was really special. Well, that group invited me back in December and it was FANTASTIC. These folks are doing a special thing and hosting a special gathering where God is moving.

Then our church hosted our first ever “Breakfast with Santa.” The team that put this on did an incredible job. 115 new faces walked through the doors of the church and now know who we are and that someone cares about their family. Spectacular event!

The last service of the year included a couple baptisms and a small wedding ceremony. This is a testimony beyond belief. I’m so happy for Mike and Cheyenne and believe God has amazing things planned for them.

Final highlight of the year, Perfect North in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. They have some slopes here good for skiing, snow boarding, and tubing. We had a BLAST with our family from Florida. 10/10 recommend doing this with your family and friends!

Well, this transitioned from a top 12 moments to a walk down memory lane or a year in review. Sorry about that!

As we step into 2025, I love looking at 2024 and searching for God’s hand. Israel did this consistently. Just read the Psalms… they say hindsight is 2020 and it’s true. You don’t have to usually look that hard for God at work as long as you remember to actually look!

So, 2024, meet 2025! I am looking forward to all 2025 has in store with eager anticipation.

Blessings!

-Brian