to my alpine family...

For those of you who were not at alpine this past week and missed my attempt at speaking while crying for 10 minutes... or if you were there and could not understand what i was saying... here's the script of what i attempted to say:

Over the past 10 years Cindy and I have learned quite a bit about following Christ's footsteps. We've done so by watching some of you, and some from our Alpine members that have moved on.
We've learned that God uses people to do His work. If you don't believe that, you never had the pleasure of meeting Ed and Rhonda McMullen, Nancy Lifsey, and countless others who God continues to use here at Alpine as His garden hose to pours out His blessings on those around them.
We've learned about prayer. God doesn't always give us what you ask for, but He does meet the needs of sincere hearts. He has also blessed those who have accepted with faith the situation that God lays out before them.
We've learned to worship in song as our praise teams have used their voices to make me want to shout for joy at times, and have left me in tears other times.
We've learned to value community and love. Our friendships and our small group have brought an indescribable richness to our lives. God has truly answered our prayers.
We've learned to be a family, as we've observed some families that have been busy in the task of raising their kids not to just be church-goers, but they've raised them to be Christ-followers. This has been one of the richest blessings we've received from the Alpine Family.
We've also learned to be a family by being able to worship with my family here, thank you for the love and grace you have extended to the Pruitts and the Peurifoys. We will miss them dearly, and we claim Jesus' promise in Mark 10:28-30.
We've learned a lot. We've been brought to tears as we hear our daughters praying, thanking God for our church that loves us so much they'd send us to Disney World. Now that's crazy love. There is no way I could repay you for that trip. Your expression of love is so humbling. We thank you.

For the past 10 years, I've never worked 40 hours. Some weeks more, some weeks... less, honestly, as far as work goes. But Alpine never bought a single hour of my heart. It's never been about working. It's been about sharing our lives. It's been about a church that has loved us and supported us as we live our lives and as we encourage and equip others in Christ. I think a good example of this relationship is shown in I Thessalonians 2:8 when Paul says:

"We loved you so much that we were delighted

to share with you not only the gospel of God but

our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."

I want to point out to you a few folks who have made our service here at Alpine a possibility:

• Please stand if you have been an elder at this church at any point over the past 10 years
• Please stand if you are one of my fellow Ministers on staff and our secretaries
• Please stand if you have been a parent of a teenager in the youth group over the past 10 years
• Please stand if you've ever been one of our small group leaders in the youth group over the past 10 years: Huddles, Life Groups, Reach Groups
• Please stand if you've taught a class for our teens
• Please stand if you've served pizza and Dr. Pepper for our teens in the LOFT
• Please stand if you've served as a sponsor on our youth group trips over the past 10 years. Mission Trips, Retreats, Winterfest, LTC, ski trips
• Please stand if you've bought stock or served as a prayer warrior for our teens as they've served God on mission work
• Please stand if you've ever given money into the general contribution, or the missions contribution, or ATV fund

at this point i want to make sure you realize that 95% of the people present were standing. that was the point.

See, it's never been about me. God's fellowship comes together and works together to share our faith by living it out in front of our teens. God's plan is for us come together, use our gifts together to serve together. You have made a difference in the lives of teens. You have made a difference in mine and Cindy's lives. Please be seated.

For over a year now, I've felt a sense of completion about my ministry here. Not in a sense that it was perfect, or that there is no room for improvement. But a very clear sense that God has used us here to accomplish what He had had us here to do. I wish I could say we had a peace about that but we didn't. I wrestled with it. Because we didn't know what was next for us. We begin to have a sense about us that Alpine needed something fresh, maybe even a little different, but a new voice that would share the Gospel with teens and their families. I feel like the leadership could use a fresh voice, new ideas, and a fresh passion. We also felt the need for freshness in our own lives and ministry at the same time.

Over the past few years several churches have asked us if we wanted to even talk to them about opportunities to serve with them. Cindy and I have never felt the need to follow through with any of those phone calls. God had something else in store for us, we just didn't know what it was. I thought and hoped it was going to be church planting. God has not opened that door for us yet.

This past June and August, we had two conversations that intrigued us with a church. A few weeks later, in late August, in a prayer meeting with Terry Booker and Steve Caldwell, we prayed for "clarity of vision for our ministry and our calling to ministry". Terry commented that those were dangerous prayers to be praying (of course he warned me after we prayed about it). The very next day a church extended an invitation for Cindy and I to join them in ministry to their teens. We had no idea what this church was like. They have been in transition in their youth ministry over the past year, and desperately need someone to cast a vision for parents, teens, and youth workers. Their needs in youth ministry fit the experiences God has work through us here at Alpine. The job is not a "step up the ladder" by any means. It's probably the biggest ministry challenge that I've faced in my life. It's more like an invitation to "come work hard"... now doesn't that sound attractive!

So, Cindy and I have visited twice to learn a little bit about their congregation. The Southern Hills Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas, has asked me to join the ministry staff and bring my family along to share our love with them and them with us. As of Friday, Cindy and I have accepted this invitation. Between now and Christmas, we will be preparing for our move to Abilene. We will serve God there as a Youth Minister with that church.

To our youth group here, I want to say, that I love you. We are not upset with you, or at anyone in the group. Nobody drove us away. We truly feel like God has someone in store that will love you and help you to grow deeper in Christ. We truly believe this. We also want you to know that it's taken us two months to pull the trigger on this decision because you are one of the big reasons we wanted to stay. We would not go if we did not feel that God was leading us there. We've only met 5 of their teenagers and I couldn't even tell you their names. But we also feel that you need something we cannot give right now.

Cindy, myself, and the elders here have peace about this decision. That doesn't mean that it was an easy decision, but we believe that God is opening a door of new possibilities, for us and for Alpine. We know that some will be sad, some will be mad, and some will be... glad at this transition Cindy and I are making. Some may not even think it makes sense. So we ask that you extend us grace and we need your prayers for my family, and for the High School Ministry here at Alpine.

So, I say thank you and we love you. We hope that you will pray for us and our children as we embark on this new adventure, and as God turns a new page in Alpine's life.

Thank you to my fellow ministry team members: Melissa Kitchens, Rodney Cox, Larry Parker, Jerry McCaghren, Eddie Gooch, Sandra Boorman, Rachel Smith, & Paul Boorman.

Our secretaries that have helped me have been: Debbie Secord Knight, Nancy Lifsey, Rhonda McMullen, Maggie Morgan, Beverly Ray, Jill Corbitt, Rebecca Horton, Sandra Braumbaugh, Sharron Sanders, and Patricia Castillo.

We are very grateful for the loving teachers at Alpine Christian Academy and Camp Sunshine: Misty and Joy, Debbie, Dolores, Sharon, Shelley, Teresa, Margaret, Robin, Brenda, Jessica, Grandmommie, Christy, Bobby, & Linda. We are indebted to their directors: Mary Alice, Annette, & Sandra.

I've been blessed to work with incredible loving Youth Workers: Jimmy and Jannelle Carver, Jay and Teresa Knight, Bubba and Donna Bogue, Doug and Dona Williams, Steve and Carol Caldwell, Bill and Cecilia Carr, Bill and Cindy Ellman, Ed and Rhonda McMullen, Rand and Maggie Morgan, Tom Rutledge, CV and Karen Dickson, Scott and Anita Cranston, Charlie and Cindy Farrell, Scott and Michele Heolzle, David and Tara Rangel, Drew and Jill Corbitt, Brian and Nicole Hoyle, Erin and Melissa Higgins, Bernie and Shelley Krupa, Charlie and Cindy Farrell, Adam and Christy Norton, Mark and Lacy LaLena, Patty Burns, Panta Utakrit, Margaret McWilliams, Carolyn Taylor, Tina and Steve Howard, Tesa Wilson, Edie Beckner, James Townsend, Jeremy and Diane Belyeu, Chris and Angela Mays, Kory and Jaymie Phillips, Chris and Mindi Collier, Rebekah Rotzler, Debbie Hoelzle, Joe Campbell, Bob Burke, Don and Janie Farrer, Don and Charlotte Esch, Kyle and Kaye Perry, David and Debbie Nelson, Jess and Leann Dowdy, Lanny and Brenda Buck, Kerry Woods, Kathlene Smith, Charles and Julie Orr, Steve and Brenda Alexander, and Melissa Kitchens. Many others have joined us on trips, but these volunteers have served as small group leaders or hosts, or as constant volunteers. I know I've left out some names, but it would have been impossible with out these servants and more.

My interns have been: Melissa Wiley Kitchens, Charles Kiser, Taylor Davis, Sean Paul Jones, Audrey Everson, Melody Forrest, Eric Albright, Steven Spiess, Loren Britton, Matt McMullen, Justin Thompson, Jenna Trapasso, Beau Brasher, Justin Wyatt, Allison Hubbard, Jordan Bills, Adam Bagley, Abby Stutzman, Shannon Morgan, Julie Kelley, and Bobby Burke. These people have enriched my life as we've shared ministry together to our teens at Alpine.

I know that all these words fall short of describing the inner seach Cindy and I have been through over the past year. Trying to list the names of those who have helped in very direct ways is even insane. But... this is my attempt to let you into our hearts and minds' journey.
Still serving WITH you,
Ricky, Cindy, Aubrey, Lolo, Cooper

FYI: and important part of our spiritual journey has been the music and lyrics of third day's new album "revelation" (tracks 5, 6, & 9, and others too), and chris tomlin's "hello love" (several, but especially track 4 - God of this city). buy those two albums and you'll be blessed.