Here, There, and Everywhere

Sunday's Announcement - The Back Story

noreply@blogger.com (David Toledo) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 05:39:00 +0000

Associate Pastor of Worship Committee Report from FBC Keller on Vimeo.

This past Sunday morning was quite an exciting day. After a year-long search process at FBC Keller, the Associate Pastor of Worship and Creative Arts Search Committee announced the proposed candidate....and it was ME! Needless to say there were a lot of surprised, but thankfully, happy people at church.

Now, I know what you were thinking...I thought David wasn't a candidate...I thought he was going to teach after he finished his Ph.D. After all, he told lots of people that.

Yes, you are correct. That's the path that I have pursued for many years now, but God did an amazing work of clarifying my direction and clearly showed His will both to me and the search committee. I plan to share this story next Sunday night, but I wanted to go ahead and share it now here as well. Prepare yourselves...I'm writing a dissertation in my spare time, so I'm in the writing mood! :) I want to share the whole story...if for the benefit of my memory alone.
It starts about three years ago...

2007
After graduating from SWBTS with my Master's degree in Church Music, Lindsey and I faced a crucial decision point. After graciously providing housing to us in our first years of marriage, the church had informed us a few years earlier that we needed to move out of the house on Lorine Street and make other housing arrangements. Faced with the decision of whether to stay at FBC Keller and buy a home, or move on to another area of ministry, after much prayer, we felt God's calling to stay at FBC Keller and for me to pursue my Ph.D. at SWBTS.

Ph.D. Studies
For many years I have felt God's calling to serve the Church, and in keeping with the gifts and interests that God has given me, I have pursued the avenue of teaching and preparing future church musicians. For the past 3 years I have had the blessing of pursuing my doctoral studies at SWBTS and have learned so many tremendous things. This time has helped shape my philosophy, theology, and approach to ministry. At the same time, I have continued to serve as the Associate Minister of Music at FBC Keller.

Beginning in the December of 2009, I pursued several teaching opportunities in colleges and universities in Texas and other states in the southern U.S. After a time of no response, soon I was engaged in second and third interviews with several institutions. Needless to say, Lindsey and I were both excited and filled with a bit of trepidation at the thought of moving. By this time, we were expecting our first child and were unsure of how much life would truly change.

January 2010
In the first few weeks of January 2010, John Parker, the Worship Pastor of FBC Keller accepted a call to serve at Parkview Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. While all of us were sad to lose such a great musician and faithful minister, we were excited for the ministry opportunities that God had in store for John and his family in Baton Rouge. I immediately went to our pastor and shared with him the teaching opportunities and interviews that we were already engaged in and told him that we were going to pursue them and not be a candidate for the newly opened position at the church.

As soon as John left, many church members approached me concerning the prospects of serving in this new role and I shared with all of them the same story...that I felt God calling me into the teaching profession and that God had me at Keller to help the transition to our next Worship Pastor. The first few months were a whirlwind as I sought to balance school and new responsibilities at work and prepare for the birth of our son.

April 18, 2010
Things changed dramatically for us on the morning of April 18, 2010. Lindsey's water broke nearly a month early...on a Sunday morning at church no less! Will was born later that night and it was truly an amazing experience! It is absolutely mind-boggling to consider the many ways that our precious son has changed our lives, marriage, and spiritual walk in the 10 months that he has been with us. Suddenly many preconceived ideas about life, careers, and ministry had a much different perspective as I was now a father.

Summer of 2010
We continued along the path to which we felt God calling us and as the summer began we had two very promising opportunities to teach at wonderful institutions in other states. In July I traveled to one of those schools, interviewed, and was offered a faculty position in Church Music and Worship Arts. Here it was...the type of teaching job I had worked so hard for...at a great school...but we didn't feel God leading us in that direction and we declined the offer. Needless to say, it was a struggle to understand but we remained hopeful because a different school was still interested. Without giving all the details, after much promise that opportunity suddenly ended and Lindsey and I were forced into another time of prayer, conversation, and discernment.

Fall of 2010
These seeming disappointments did have a silver lining...after months of uncertainty, wondering if we were going to move in the coming weeks...we were able to take a deep breath and commit to staying in Keller for at least another year. That was the real beginning of opening our hearts and spirits to what God was doing. All the while, our precious son continued to grow and change us in dramatic ways. Quite simply, we were becoming different people than we were at the beginning of the year.

I successfully completed my Qualifying Exams and began the dissertation phase of my Ph.D. studies and prepared our church for all of the worship and musical opportunities of the Christmas season. It was at this time that God began to work in my heart and get my attention. Several very special members of our church whom I hold in tremendous regard privately came to me and asked me to reconsider (non-search committee members for the record!). While many at the church had done so already, these few people caught my attention with some of the words they spoke.

I wrestled inside for weeks before sharing with Lindsey...

What about the call I had felt for so long?
I've been so vocal about the direction of ministry...now I'm going to change?
Will people think I'm trying to come in at the last minute?
Am I considering this just because it is the more "comfortable" option? (i.e. close to family, not having to move, wonderful church...)

All of these questions went back and forth in our minds and conversations. I committed to a time of prayer and focused on the tasks that God had given me at the moment and resolved to let God work out the other future details.

Search Committee Process
One of the blessings of this entire process has been the wonderful Search Committee tasked with seeking God's will for the position at FBC Keller. I can honestly say that not a single one of the members approached me to convince me to become a candidate. I knew that they were faithfully seeking God's will and resting in God's timing...even if it meant waiting.

I firmly believe that anyone's call to ministry is a two-sided affair. There is obviously a call from God on the individual's part (although often not in dramatic "Damascus Road" style). There is also a recognition of this call by the local church (as in ordination and ministry service).

After months of seeking God's will, Lindsey and I felt that the next step in our journey was to share with our Pastor our struggle in seeking God's will. The uniqueness of the situation is that FBC Keller is our home church. Lindsey grew up in this church and I have served here for over 10 years and have lived here basically my entire adult life. We believed that God would work through the Body of Christ to reveal His will for our lives and the church...just as He promises to work in the scriptures.

After sharing with the Keith and the search committee of our desire to covenant together in prayer concerning this opportunity, I asked the committee that we take December "off" so that I could focus on the many services of December and spend the time in prayer. They agreed and we all spent the month seeking God's will. I was fully prepared to come back after that month with a renewed call to the teaching ministry. In fact..truth be told..that's what I expected to happen.

But the more I prayed and sought God's will, the more it became clear that God had been working in my life for the past 10 years to prepare me for this opportunity of ministry. I won't go into detail, but experience after experience was brought to mind and God revealed His purposes behind them. He also showed me that my desire to teach was His idea but that it was a manifestation of my love for the church and a desire to serve the church. I am fully convinced that I will have that opportunity at some point in my life, but now, God was leading me to serve FBC Keller in this way at this time.

After spending a much-needed vacation over the Christmas holidays, and after seeking out counsel from our family and several incredible men of God who had no connection with our church, we felt that we should pursue this opportunity.

It's hard to describe the overwhelming sense of peace and assurance that I have had since the month of December. The past 3 years have been filled with anxiety about the future...some was the unhealthy kind Paul warns about in Philippians 4:6...but most stemmed from my desire to get to the next stage in my ministry. For so long I have felt like I was in preparation for something...always on the cusp. Of course, that might stem from being in college for 15 years now!

Throughout the month of January, the committee and I met, discussed, and prayed together concerning this matter. I can't describe how amazing it is to see God work in the lives of your fellow church members and brothers and sisters in Christ to reveal His will. It quickly became apparent that this was the direction in which we were all led. This has been confirmed in numerous large and small ways over the past 6 weeks.

It's been so hard to keep this quiet the past few weeks! We have been bursting at the seams with excitement and anticipation with all of the things that we believe God will do through the Worship and Creative Arts Ministry at FBC Keller!

So...that's a long answer to a short question. Simply put, I'm a different person than I was a year ago at this time. Becoming a father, finishing my doctoral studies, becoming quiet before the Lord and listening, learning to hear God's call as a couple and not simply as a single person...all of these have led us to this point.

Regardless of the outcome next Sunday, it's been a blessing to see God work in our hearts. I now truly understand the words of Deuteronomy 4:29 that I learned so many years ago as an aria from the oratorio Elijah.

But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and will all your soul.

Winter Weather Pic/Vid Post

noreply@blogger.com (David Toledo) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:29:00 +0000

We are seriously falling behind in the blogging world. So I thought I would take advantage of our winter weather lockdown to post some pictures and videos of Will. Our little boy is growing up so fast! In the past few months, he has gotten 3 teeth, began eating lots of food, learned how to stand up, learned how to crawl, and is beginning to make some sounds that are a lot closer to words.

Here are some of our favorite pictures and videos.

Our Family at the Pumpkin Patch

You have to love that smile!

Always looking for adventure!

All bundled up for the cold weather.

6 Months Old

noreply@blogger.com (David Toledo) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:33:00 +0000

Yesterday was Will's 6 month birthday. It's hard to believe that it has already been 6 months since the day he came into our lives. To say that our lives have been changed is an understatement. It's hard to imagine being able to love someone as much as you love your child.

Will is continuing to grow and develop each week. We began feeding him rice cereal and sweet potatoes in the last few weeks and he loves them. He opens up his mouth like a little baby bird. It's the cutest thing ever! He still hasn't started crawling yet, but he's starting to get more comfortable moving around on the floor. Last night he slept in his crib for the first time instead of his bassinet and he did great! We have our 6 month check up on Thursday and can't wait to find out how much he has grown.

On a side note, David has finished his written doctoral exams and did well on them. Yay! His oral exams are next week and then he is done with tests forever. Lindsey continues to spend most of her time playing with Will but still finds time to be involved in church and recently started working in the childcare during the weekly activities.

Ok, enough about us. We all know you are here to see pictures of Will.

Our First Family Picture

Playing in my swing

Love that smile!

I want to swim Mom!

Ready to Trick or Treat

Geaux Cowboys!

Ready for Work

I love my Daddy!

6 Months Old

An Exciting Weekend!

noreply@blogger.com (David Toledo) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:56:00 +0000

Will had so much fun this weekend! This Labor Day Weekend will definitely be one that we won't forget for a long time. It all began Saturday with Will's first LSU football game! We have been preparing him for weeks by getting him used to wearing LSU attire.

After lunch on Saturday, we all got changed into our LSU Outfits. We

won't talk about how poorly LSU played in the second half, but Will is convinced that they started playing badly after he went to bed!

After getting up early on Sunday morning, we all got dressed up to go to church. This morning was a special day because we dedicated Will in the 11:00 a.m. service. Will had so many of his family members there to celebrate the special occasion.

The verse we picked out to celebrate this day and pray over Will was Colossians 3:16-17.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Here's a video recording of the dedication. Thanks to everyone for making this day such a special one for our family!

First Trip to Louisiana

noreply@blogger.com (David Toledo) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:33:00 +0000

Things have gotten really busy around the Toledo family lately, so we have some blogging to catch up on. At the beginning of August, David, Lindsey, and Will made a week-long trip to Louisiana. This was Will's second out-of-state trip in four short months! As always, he was a trooper with the traveling.

The car usually puts him asleep right away and he slept from Keller to Shreveport!

When we made it to Pineville, Mimi, Pops and Pa-Paw were there to greet us!

After spending the night, we drove to Baton Rouge where we got to visit Grandpa and Grandma Toledo!

Will, Mom, and Grandma had a blast swimming in the pool!

While we were down there, we got to visit with Mrs. Kristin and Karter!

We then went back to Pineville where we spent a few more days. Aunt Casey got to meet Will for the first time!

On our way home, we visited Mr. Matt and Mrs. Sarah and, of course, our friend Gracie!

We had a great trip and we love all of our family and friends! Will is blessed to have so many people who care for him!

Six Years and Counting

noreply@blogger.com (David Toledo) — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:06:00 +0000

Six years ago today, I woke up with a million things to do and lots of excitement as I prepared to marry the woman of my dreams. It's hard to believe that it has already been six years. So much has happened over those years, but it has surpassed even my wildest dreams. God has been so faithful to provide for us and this year has been the best. As we left the church that afternoon in August, we could have never imagined the joy we would have when our first child came into the world.

I'm excited about the coming years and know that they will be even better than the past six. Happy Anniversary Lindsey! I love you so very much!

Here's a quick look back across the past few years.

Buca da Beppo with friends

Engagement Photo

August 14, 2004

Just Married!

Honeymoon in Mexico

Buying our first home

LSU/Arkansas Game

Washington D.C. Trip 2008

Disney World Trip 2009

Five Year Anniversary at Emeril's in New Orleans

First Family Picture

The Joy of Our Lives - Will

Bath Time

noreply@blogger.com (David and Lindsey Toledo) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:37:00 +0000

These are just too cute not to share!

High School Choir Tour

noreply@blogger.com (David Toledo) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 02:04:00 +0000

From July 9 - 15, the high school music ensembles from FBC Keller went on the HS Music and Missions Tour to Little Rock, Arkansas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We had a fantastic time of singing, serving the Lord through missions, and fellowship.

It's hard to believe but this was my 10th Choir Tour at FBC Keller. Plus, this was Lindsey's 15th tour!

Lindsey and Will came for a few days to Little Rock before leaving home a little early. All in all, Will's first road trip was a success!

Here's a slideshow of the trip! Enjoy!

A Smile to Light Up My Day

noreply@blogger.com (David Toledo) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 02:48:00 +0000

Will is about 2 1/2 months old now and is beginning to show his personality and smile. Here's a video we took today. It's too cute!

2 Months Old

noreply@blogger.com (David Toledo) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:50:00 +0000

It's been a long time since we have posted on our blog, but things have been so busy. At some point we want to sit down and write out the whole story of Will's birth because it is so crazy! (It involved Lindsey's water breaking while David was leading worship at church!) Our precious little boy turns 2 months old today and we can hardly believe it. It seems like it was just yesterday that he was born, but some of his newborn clothes are already starting to fit snugly on him.

We have posted several of these on Facebook already, but we wanted to share some beautiful pictures of our son. Some of these pictures were taken by a friend of our family, Amanda Gipson, who did an amazing job. If you live in the DFW area and need a photographer, we highly recommend her!

3rd Trimester

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey Toledo) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:19:00 +0000

So, it has been awhile since I last posted anything here, so here is an update.

I am officially in my 3rd Trimester and have been for a few weeks now. When I saw the count down calendar roll over to “3rd trimester” it was a little weird because I was not anticipating that. I’ve always know there were three trimesters but during the first one it’s all about getting past that point so you feel better and can enjoy the pregnancy. When I saw “3rd Trimester” it became a little more real that David and I will be bringing a little boy home in a few short weeks. The count down is now at 8 weeks and 5 days until his expected arrival. However he has been measuring about a week larger ever since our 13 week appointment. So he could come early (cross your fingers) or I’ll have a huge baby. :)

So far I have had a wonderful pregnancy!!! Praise the Lord!!! I do have little issues with breathing and sudden heart rate increases, but the docs are keeping an eye on that and so far everything seems fine. Other annoying things are having to potty 20 times a day (which is hard when you’re a teacher) and back pains after sitting too long. So far, no swelling and hopefully it will stay that way. I have been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, maybe once or twice a day but they don’t hurt (not yet.) The coolest thing is feeling Will move ALL the time. I wonder if this poor boy ever gets to sleep. I am constantly around music and much of that is loud and can be pretty obnoxious to a baby. (I’m an elementary music teacher in case you forgot. Currently I am teaching mallet instruments such as drums, and xylophones to my younger kids and Recorders to my older kids. You get the picture.) Although, it is really neat when he’s moving at school and my kids get to see it or even feel it for themselves. My kids are so sweet. It never crossed my mind how much knowledge they would have about pregnant women and how they might feel and what they can and cannot do. Then I realized many of them have younger siblings and went through the same things with their momma’s. I love how they are all constantly looking out for me, from the kinder kids to my 5th graders. It’s great!!! The hard part about being around kids is when they want to ask me the hard questions: How do you get pregnant? How does the baby come out? I hate to avoid their questions, but it is easy for me to say “You need to talk to your mommy about that!” Then I quickly move on to the music. :) I guess I’ll have to be thinking about how to share that with Will and other future kids. Thankfully I have a little while.

Let’s see…what else…well, we started our Prepared Child Birth classes a few weeks ago. This week will be week 4 out of 6. The first week was good. Lots of information, much I had known and heard but a lot of new stuff for David. He enjoyed most of the class. I’m not sure his complete thoughts during the relaxation part, but he made it through. The second week we watched some video of three different ladies giving birth and going through the labor process. That kind of freaked me out. It made me very uncomfortable. Not the giving birth part, but the length of the process and the pain that accompanies it. Although, none of these ladies had medicine. I am more sure now that I will be getting that Epidural! Although that makes me a little nervous because once you are numb you cannot get up to walk around or do anything to help things progress. And…Last week, week 3, we got to visit with a pediatrician and he happens to be one out of Keller, Heritage to be exact. This doctor had a good first impression with David and me. I’d like to ask a few other questions and look at or talk to a couple of others but it’s nice to know there is someone who works out of our hospital and in Keller! We also got to tour the hospital. That was neat. It’s becoming more and more real! I know Will needs a few more weeks to grow big and strong, and we need more time to get his room ready, but I cannot wait to meet him!!!

And He Shall Be Called...

noreply@blogger.com (David and Lindsey Toledo) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:54:00 +0000

After a lot of prayer, discussion, disagreement, dare I say...argument...we have a name for our son.

Meet William David Toledo!

William is David's father's Middle Name (and his grandfather's as well). We are so excited to welcome Will into our family. He will be here before we know it.

Here are some pictures from our latest sonogram taken right after Christmas.

It’s a Boy! Probably!

noreply@blogger.com (David and Lindsey Toledo) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:44:00 +0000

Last Monday Lindsey had her second scheduled doctor’s appointment. She had the first semester screening sonogram which tested for Down’s Syndrome and other scary sounding conditions. Everything looks normal and our baby seems to be perfectly healthy! Praise God!
During our first sonogram, the doctor indicated that she might be able to determine the gender of the baby during this visit. Well…she is pretty sure that we are having a boy! It’s not definite, but she said she was 90% sure that it was boy.
Now we aren’t going to start buying boy clothes or painting the nursery blue just yet, but it will help us to focus a little more on boy names. Here are some new sonogram pictures.

Click here to hear an audio file of Baby Toledo's heartbeat.

So…my first official blog.

noreply@blogger.com (Lindsey Toledo) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:44:00 +0000

I have been wanting to to do this for quite awhile now but I don’t fancy myself much of a writer. However I have heard that down the line I will be thankful that I can look back and retrace all the memories from my pregnancy and parenthood. So…here it is…

On Friday, Sept. 11, 2009 I woke up at 5 am and took my first pregnancy test. I was so excited when I saw the two pink stripes appear which indicates that I am pregnant. I wanted to shout from the rooftop but my precious husband was still sleeping (and would be until I woke him shortly before I left for work.) It was very hard, but I did not tell him the news. I wanted to find a little gift to give him, like a #1 Dad item, or world’s best dad shirt, so I waited. Well, about half way through the teaching day I felt very ill, fever, chills very sore throat. I went to our school nurse and she told me I had a low grade fever and possibly strep throat. So I left school early, went to the doc and sure enough I also had strep. What a great way to start a pregnancy. I wasn’t feeling very well so I decided just to see what kind of Daddy gifts I could find at Wal-Mart. All I could find was an “I Love My Daddy” bib. This wasn’t my first choice seeing as I wanted something David could wear or carry with him, but this would get the point across. (And no I didn’t make him wear it!) So I wrapped that and the test in a little box and gave it to David when he came home. He open it and asked, “Are we pregnant?!” I politely said, “No, I’m pregnant and yes we’re having a baby!” He was, I think shocked, but very excited. He asked if I really had strep or was this a ploy. No, I really had strep and let me tell you it was not fun, especially being a vocalist.

Well, also that weekend my parents (dad and Lisa – stepmom) went out of town, so David and I packed up some things and our dog and went to dog sit for a few days. So I didn’t tell me parents until after they got home, almost a week later. I made my dad a “World’s Best Grandpa” t-shirt and gave Lisa and my mom “I Love Grandma” bibs also. I bought the bibs first because that’s all I could find and think of and when I couldn’t find a grandpa bib I decided to make something. All of our parents we very excited, Lisa even screamed and jumped up and down. It was kind of fun to see!!! It took me awhile but I also finally got with all my sisters and brother, grandmas, and close girl friends and told them all the great news and everyone has been so excited and very supported. I know this baby is going to have a wonderful extended family to love and to lean on. The weekend after we told the family we decided to share the news with our Christian brothers and sisters at church. Seeing reactions from people at church has been so much fun! I know many of them have been waiting for probably a few years to hear this news. :) I am so grateful to have such a wonderful group of Godly people around me. I have my family, my great K-town girl friends whom I’ve been friends with since high school and some since middle school, and all of my friends from church many of whom I’ve known since I was in middle school, 15 years ago. I love you all and sometimes can’t believe God has given me so much for so long. He is so gracious!

Well, here are a couple of belly shots. The first is from almost 5 weeks (the day after I found out.) And the second one is from 12 weeks.

My face is kind of blurry here…sorry

I think I had just finished lunch and might have been a little bloated. :)

By the way, I feel great most of the time. I’m still tired but not as tired as I was in the first several weeks. I am much more hungry and find myself eating and craving fresh fruit. I love spicy things and fortunately have not had much if any heartburn. There are only a few smells that really make me want to gag but they are smells that most people can’t stand to begin with like sticky bathrooms and sticky trash. Other than that I feel like the same person except bigger and hungrier! :)
Love to you all!
Lindsey <><

Christ Through A Musician's Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (David Toledo) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:30:00 +0000

Warning: This post will contain some pretty nerdy musical references, but some hopefully good spiritual references. :) Stick with it to the end. It will be worth I hope!

One of the seminars that I (David) am taking this semester as part of my Ph.D. studies is a music theory course in which we are studying the 9 Beethoven symphonies. At the beginning of the semester I was a bit apprehensive in approaching these works because I am a vocalist and an orchestral score can be cumbersome and difficult to read if you aren't used to it. Not to mention that fact that it was a doctoral level seminar!

Part of the requirements for the course has been to listen to each of the symphonies three times during the semester. This has been quite the journey. The more I listen, the more I am amazed. It is incredible that God gifted this flawed man with the insight, ability, and emotional capacity to write such music.

Music up until Beethoven's time largely followed a closely regulated system of compositional rules, customs, and traditions. There were musical geniuses that preceded him (Bach, Mozart, Haydn) but none revolutionized music the way in which Beethoven did. His groundbreaking 3rd symphony announced to the world that from the first performance onward, music would never be the same.

This got me thinking about Christ and the way that he transformed the lives of those in Israel when he was on earth and how he continues to revolutionize the way in which his followers live.

Following his baptism and temptation in the wilderness, Christ inaugurated his ministry by preaching at the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth. He was invited to speak and, as was the custom, was handed the scroll and opened it to the appointed place for the day's readings. Then he read words that were familiar to all of the Jews present in the synagogue - a prophecy concerning the coming Messiah.

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."

The scriptures then say that he slowly rolled up the scroll and took his seat (in those days the rabbi sat and preached while the congregation stood!) Everyone's eyes were fixed upon him, waiting to hear what this promising young teacher would have to say about this familiar text.

His family, childhood friends, and community had no idea what he was about say. "Today the scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." From that moment on, his earthly life and those with whom he came into contact would never be the same. He perfectly fulfilled this prophecy by demonstrating the new Kingdom of Heaven on earth through incredible signs and miracles. More importantly, he made provision for humanity's ultimate problem - spiritual death through sin - by his death on the cross.

The same person who shook Nazareth to its core with his first proclamation is the same one who in the book of Revelation proclaims "Behold, I am making all things new." True to his word, he is making all things new, one transformed believer at a time. As we are conformed into the image of the Son through the power of the Spirit, we regain our true identity as the image of the Creator and ultimately bring glory to God.

Each day our lives have the opportunity to proclaim to the world and those around us that, like Christ in Nazareth and Beethoven through his symphonies, there is more to this life than what they see, think, or could imagine. There are greater possibilities and newer heights to experience. The transforming power of Christ displayed in our lives reflects God's nature and speaks volumes more than the greatest of Beethoven's symphonies.

Big News! We’re Expecting!

noreply@blogger.com (David and Lindsey Toledo) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:41:00 +0000

After 5 wonderful years of marriage, our family is finally expanding. Yes, that’s right! We’re having a baby!

Our beautiful baby boy or girl has a due date of May 16, 2010. Although we have told lots of people at church already, we wanted to wait until our first doctor’s visit to let everyone online know.

Our first appointment was today, and obviously we were very excited!

Lindsey had a sonogram and we were able to see the first pictures of our baby. We heard the fast swish of a heartbeat and saw him/her move a leg and wave an arm at us. It was a moment that we will never forget! Here are a few pictures of our baby!

Our lives will never be the same! We plan to update our blog frequently to let everyone know how Lindsey’s pregnancy is going. Please pray for the safety and health of both Lindsey and Baby Toledo. God is good!

32 years and counting...

noreply@blogger.com (David Toledo) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:40:00 +0000

Last week I celebrated my 32nd birthday. It's really hard to believe that I am that old now, but it's reality. So much has happened since I graduated from college, but in many ways I don't feel like I have done enough.

Enough of the self-examination. I had a fantastic birthday! The morning began with Lindsey fixing breakfast in bed for me. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Yum! Did I mention yet how awesome my wife is?

That afternoon we ran some errands in Fort Worth and ate lunch/dinner at Blue Mesa Grill. It's hard to beat sweet potato chips.

And for my real birthday, we made a trip to the Apple Store!

After two years of window shopping, I finally got a Macbook. Of course, it's for pictures and videos when have children. :) That won't stop me from enjoying it until then.

All in all, it was a great day. The best presents in the world have to be my beautiful wife and our dog. God is so good!

Back to School, Back to School…

noreply@blogger.com (David and Lindsey Toledo) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:45:00 +0000

After talking about it for almost 2 years, Lindsey and I have finally decided to start a blog. I really don’t know what we will have to share, but our lives never lack for excitement, or at least busyness.

We have had a fantastic summer! As soon as Lindsey and I finished with the spring semester, we began the summer of travels.

It all started with Lindsey’s two weeks of Orff Music Training at SMU in Dallas.

Next, we took about 60 students and sponsors on our Chapel Tour through Louisiana, Florida, and Mississippi. David directs the Chapel Choir and Lindsey directs the Chapel Bells.

The next week we traveled to Baylor University and participated in the Baylor Alleluia Conference, where the Chapel Choir sang and David presented several conference sessions on student music ministry.

And finally, we just returned from our 5 year anniversary trip to Walt Disney World. We spent a day in each park and had an amazing time!

We spent our actual anniversary in New Orleans, where we had an amazing dinner at Emeril’s. Delicious!

And next week we both go back to school. It’s been an amazing summer and we trust that God will continue to bless us this coming school year!

Stay tuned for more updates from our busy, exciting lives!