A little update on life in Charlotte

Dear Friends & Family-  We’ve missed you!  Our apologies for the delay between blog posts.  Life here in Charlotte has been one crazy happening after another, and (thankfully) it doesn’t look like things will slow down any time soon.  That being said, let’s see if we can catch you up on what’s been happening in the Queen City/ Life of the Gloers since our last post…

February:

What a fun-filled and exciting month!  With our Super Bowl party at the beginning of the month to FCA Real Time at the month’s end, we barely had time to breathe– and it was fantastic!  See below for a wonderful recap of the month via photo montage (exciting, I know)!

Valentine’s Day 2012 was a huge success!  Ryan surprised me with beautiful flowers, a trip to the movies to see “The Vow” (what a romantic!), and a wonderful dinner at Olive Garden (one of my favs!).  A few days later we enjoyed time with our Hickory Grove Sunday School friends at our Valentine’s Day class social.  Candace and Caty made an incredible pasta dinner, and we had so much fun playing “The Newlyweds Game.”  Ryan and I even won!  (See, Ry, my constant question-asking paid off.)

A typical game night at The Gloer house with the UNCC crew. Always entertaining. Grateful for these guys– they make us feel like college kids all over again.

 Kali came for a visit (yay!), and we were so excited to show her around Charlotte.  We spent the weekend exploring downtown and visiting Discovery Place, where (of course) we were the oldest people there (without kids). 

The end of month took us to Kansas City for FCA’s Real Time IV (an event that happens every three years and allows FCA staff to reconnect, recharge, and rejuvenate spiritually).  We had a blast exploring the city and spending time with dear friends like Bo, Angie, & Durham Fowler, Matt & Colleen Wise, Chris & Elise Regen, Lindsey Wilckens, Shep, LJ, and so many other staff members.  Looking forward to Real Time 2015. (We even were blessed with the opportunity to meet up with my Kansas family before flying out– cherished that time!)

Uncle Ben was nice enough to drive up to Charlotte for a visit and to stay and watch over the house AND Tiger while we were in Kansas City.  He certainly had his hands full.

March:

March has proven to be just as action-packed as the previous month, and it encourages us greatly to see the unique and powerful ways God is working in Charlotte.  He has BIG plans for this city (especially on campus), and we are humbled and excited to be a part of it all.  Once again, see below for pictures of all that’s happened so far this month.

I’ve been trying out this new thing called “cooking,” and I think Ryan and I are both a little surprised with the outcome.  Needless to say, I can’t stop– it’s so much fun!  I think most of our pictures now consist of food or Tiger.

The weather in Charlotte has been absolutely beautiful the past month, so Tiger and I took the opportunity to enjoy some time outside and soak up some rays.

First let me say, I love Pinterest.  Second, I decided to finally try out a few of the many home decor/ craft ideas I’ve “pinned” from Pinterest.  These are our new light covers in the bedroom and Ryan’s office.  Tiger even tried to help.

 University of North Carolina Charlotte’s first official FCA mtg was this past Monday night, and it was awesome to see how God showed up in BIG ways.  He had more than 30 student athletes in attendance.  It was definitely exciting to be a part of, and we were overwhelmed by His faithfulness and humbled BIG time.

Tiger is certainly keeping us busy.  Every time we turn around, she’s into something new.  This was less than 24 hours after her bath.  Lovely, to say the least.  Can’t help but laugh at what a character she is. (Update: potty training is still a work in progress!)

I would say that’s all for the month of March, but the truth is, we still have several exciting events planned.  This weekend we have the privilege of serving as the senior boys’ host home for Hickory Grove’s Disciple Now.  Stay tuned for even more updates and pictures, as I guarantee it will be an eventful end to the month.  (And this time, we’ll be better about posting in a time manner.)

As always, please join with us in prayer as God continues to open doors and build relationships here in Charlotte.  Specifically, we ask that you pray with us in our journey to raise support for the ministry of FCA here in Charlotte.  Pray also that God opens the hearts of students and community members alike, as we commit ourselves to His ministry, sharing His Truth/His Gospel, and allowing Him to use us to build His kingdom right here in the Queen City.

“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” (John 4:34-38 ESV)

 

All our love and prayers,

Brittney, Ryan, & Tiger

Niner Nation

This is the first draft for the UNC Charlotte FCA logo that I've been working on

“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.” [Acts 20:22]

Although we are not in Jerusalem, this verse sums up a lot about our initial journey to Charlotte, North Carolina. Responding to the burden the Lord laid on our hearts, Brittney and I followed the Lord’s prompting to lay the foundation for the ministry of FCA on the UNC Charlotte campus. I realized that if we tried to figure everything out before the leap, then we would miss out on a lot of what God was trying to show us. Now having been in Charlotte for a little over one month, the Lord has confirmed to us more times than we can count that this is where we are supposed to be and that He is the one who works in people to will and to act according to His good purpose.

On one very unique occasion just a couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet with a guy I had never met with before. We made an instant connection with both of us having a passion to reach coaches and athletes for Jesus Christ through the medium of sports. As we sat there and talked, he informed me that he was headed to meet with a student and then invited me to join. We walked across the UNC Charlotte Campus expecting to meet with a student, but only the Spirit of the Lord can orchestrate what happened next. We sat down with what developed into a group of athletes with their Bibles cracked open right in the middle of campus as thousands of other students were making their way to class. I was reminded of Matthew 5:14, which says, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”

I sat humbled as a few more guys joined us, not knowing who we were. Not long into the discussion on John chapter one, a guy passing by saw the open Bibles and came up and unashamedly asked, “You guys getting into the Word?” I couldn’t help but to smile as I answered, “Yeah man!” to his question. He sat down and pulled his Bible out of his gym bag; turns out he is an athlete on campus. [The astonishing part about him passing by and then sitting down was that we randomly, but divinely, connected through e-mail a few weeks prior. While I was still in Georgia, someone passed along an e-mail to me about a student at UNC Charlotte who led a resident assistant to Christ. I got pumped up about it and looked the guy up on Facebook. When I got a response back from him, we decided that we would meet up sometime when I arrived in Charlotte. Well, having never met nor knowing what one another looks like — turns out that the guy from the e-mail (I’ll keep his name confidential for now) is the same guy that was passing by and asked us if we were in the Word.] As the study closed, they all asked, “Can we meet again next week?” There is only one answer for that question! When we did meet again the following week, those guys were so hungry and excited for Jesus that they all invited a friend. The number of guys that met in week two was double the group of guys that formed during that first week. All glory to God and God alone, there is a steady group of usually eight or more athletes from different sports meeting every Thursday to talk about Jesus and explore Biblical truths.

A group of guys during the second Bible study we ever had.

Our home has already become the normal spot for numerous types of gatherings for these guys and many others– from hangouts and game nights to nights of fellowship and Bible studies.  The Lord continues to answer one of the things we prayed about as we were seeking a place to live in Charlotte; our prayer was that our house be a place used on a regular basis for His glory.  Brittney continues to coupon each week so we are able to feed the hungry college students something more than Ramen noodles.  People we have never even met are showing up at our house because someone invited them to tag along.  We are grateful that the Lord opens up new doors weekly for us to have the chance to invest in people in personal ways. 

One of the first gatherings we had at the house -- the Super Bowl party. We knew about half of the people! (Awesome)

Apart from meeting with that special group that continues to grow each week, I have the opportunity to disciple and invest in some of the baseball players one-on-one. Discipleship is a strong passion of mine and I am grateful I have the chance to pour into guys each week. One of the desires of my heart is to live out 2 Timothy 2:2, a life verse of mine, which says, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” Disciples need to be equipped to pass on their faith and make disciples of others. I can’t tell you how excited I am that this is already taking place and I am stoked to see what else develops in the Niner Nation. I pray that one by one people would authentically and radically come to know Him and that they would make Him known.

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” [Acts 20:24]

"And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" Acts 2:47

Love,

Ryan and Britt