Jody: What really attracted me to Jim was his inner strength and calm. He has a deep faith.

Jim: I was raised by wonderful godly parents and came to know the Lord when I was nine. But when I met Jody I wasnt practicing my faith, I was enjoying the college life of an athlete.

Jody: After we married, I found a teaching job. Jim was still in school and I couldnt find a job using my bachelor of science and technology degree. I now know that God used that miraculous circumstance to bring me to Him. A co-teacher introduced me to Christ. I was on fire! That was 1988, and Ive never looked back. What an exciting adventure!

Jim: Jodys experience inspired me to rededicate my life to the Lord. I have grown in faith and maturity. We joined Second Baptist in Houston and became involved right away. We just said yes to everything they asked us to do, whether it was in our area of giftedness or not. We loved our pastors leadership.

Jody: After three years, I was asked to teach in a co-ed adult Sunday school class. I taught that class for eight years and it was a fabulous experience of growth in my life.

Jim: Jody and I decided early on that we would live on my income once we had kids, so she could stay home. We have always done that, and it has freed us to be heavily involved in ministry. I work as a benefits consultant for an international company.

Jody: One day one of our pastors at Second Baptist told us he was heading for Seattle to plant a church. We were stunned. Before they left, I had lunch with his wife, because I was so curious about what they were doing. My spirit was thirsting for something new, and their move sounded so exciting.

Jim: I had lunch with the pastor the same day and had the same sense of excitement from the Lord. However, I never seriously considered a move since my elderly parents lived in Houston, and we didnt want to leave them.

Jody: When Jim came home from work that day, I was on the Internet checking out home prices in Seattle! We began to talk and laugh and said, wouldnt it be funny if. But we knew we couldnt leave Houston.

Jim: Even though it seemed impossible, we couldnt let it go. I was feeling a definite call to church planting.

Jody: Me too. But we thought the Lord was calling us to be involved in Second Baptists new church plant in our neighborhood.

Jim: One day it just hit us. The call was to Seattle. We prayed and talked with my parents about it. We called our pastor and told him the news.

Jody: Two couples had already backed out from going to Seattle, so when we telephoned he did everything he could to discourage us. Basically he didnt want us to make that big a move if we werent absolutely sure it was Gods call.

Jim: We were sure. My company has a branch office in Seattle, and I was able to transfer right away. Within a few months, we had moved to Puyallup, close by the new church.

Jody: It was such a release of energy! After two years of languishing, I felt God move in my life like never before. It was the most exciting thing weve ever done.

Jim: Because we wanted to live close to the church in Puyallup, I have to commute three hours every day back and forth to my job in Seattle. Even though the days are long, I am still able to be involved evenings and on weekends as the membership ministries director at High Pointe. Our church, which began with one dedicated church planter and his family, has grown to 600 in under two years, so I am busy.

Jody: I am the childrens director at High Pointe. Because the church got so big so fast, I had to develop the program from the ground up. God has done a huge work in my life through this. My goal is to have the best ministry for children not just in Washington state, but in the whole U.S. Thats my competitive athletic side!