The horizon is wider from the hill.

Most of us have a vision of where we want to be — a deeper faith, a healthier family, a life that reflects what God has been whispering to our hearts. But the tension is often figuring out the path to get there.

For our family, that path began with a direct question from a pastor who had been walking with us, seeing God’s hand, and learning our hearts: “What do you and Samantha think about planting a church?”

That moment echoed a message Pastor Lynn Winters preached years before on Elijah and Elisha — the call to “burn the plows and kill the cows.” Leaving the Panhandle wasn’t just a relocation; it was a total step of faith.

Between late 2025 and early 2026, Deke and his 9-year-old son, Cash, made regular long drives through North Texas — looping from Highway 82, down 377, across 380, and up 75. Between pulling over at local ponds to cast a line and spending hours in prayer, God made the “where and when” clear: He was calling us home to Pilot Point.