River City Connections — 2026-02-17 (Patreon)

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SLOW TUESDAY by Cindi Curtis

I am exploiting a few circumstances to indulge myself with a second cup of coffee and time to finish a chapter.

One of the circumstances is that the normal “Tuesday Touch-Base” meeting has been moved to Wednesday. (I have no idea what that sound-bite will be!) The other circumstance is that Memphis is an hour ahead of Colorado, so my official start time isn’t for another hour.

Mom has begun sending things from the still-unsold house in Woodland Park. A box came Saturday with the contents of my dresser that I didn’t pack when I first came to Memphis. In it was an old book my dad had me read long ago.

“Disciples Are Made Not Born: Helping Others Grow to Maturity in Christ” by Walter A. Henrichsen and Howard G. Hendricks was a challenging read when Dad gave it to middle-school me. Now, I’m more challenged by the ideas than the vocabulary.

It’s about the discipleship process, how Paul led Timothy to mature faith. The idea of me leading someone is, frankly, terrifying. I can barely look at strangers without my heart racing.

I’m going to read this slowly and figure out how to apply it.

Quick thought—then I’ll get back to the chapter.

You might have noticed I’ve been sharing the stories of Jordan, Carter, Hayes, and Roman here. I think they are a big part of my life now, so that seems fitting.

And… wow! They’ve been busy this last week. I hope you like seeing what they’re doing as much as I like sharing it. I’m pretty sure I shared all of Carter and Jordan’s road trip to get my car. And I think I shared Hayes and Roman’s trip to Bora Bora.

I’m planning on putting their posts here, too, so you can keep up with whatever they’re doing.

Now, I’m going to see about finishing this coffee and the last pages of this chapter. Thank you for being part of my life.

LOCKSTEP ISN’T LOVE by Carter Ellis

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Jordan thinks I didn’t notice the look on her face at Huey’s yesterday. I had mentioned that seeing how happy Hayes and Roman were the day before had been amazing. And it had been, but she read something into my words I didn’t intend.

She tried to play it off. But I saw it—the quick calculation behind her eyes. The part of her that was bracing.

“Carter, please don’t copy-cat propose to me.”

I blinked because I genuinely hadn’t expected that.

But after I got over the surprise, I understood.

When you watch your friends get engaged—especially in a way that feels cinematic, intentional, beautiful—it does something to the room. It shifts the air. It makes you evaluate your own timeline.

Roman put a ring on Hayes’s finger in Bora Bora. That’s not subtle. That’s not quiet. That’s not something you don’t think about later.

And I did think about it.

I thought about Jordan’s hand in mine. I thought about what her ring might look like. I thought about how quickly six weeks can feel like six months when you’re building something steady.

But here’s the thing.

Momentum is not the same as conviction.

You don’t marry someone because the season feels romantic. You don’t propose because the group chat is buzzing. You don’t escalate just because someone else did.

You do it when the ground beneath you feels settled.

When she said she didn’t want a sequel episode, I almost laughed—but not at her. At the idea of me rushing something that matters that much.

Jordan deserves to be chosen deliberately. Not reactively. Not competitively.

She doesn’t know this, but I had already decided that if I ever ask her that question, it will not be within arm’s reach of someone else’s spotlight.

It will be a day that belongs entirely to us.

There’s a temptation, when you’re a man in your late twenties and things are going well, to accelerate. To lock it in. To secure it. Especially when you see something beautiful happen for people you respect.

But restraint isn’t hesitation. It’s intention.

When I told her, “Our time may come,” I meant it.

Not as a placeholder. Not as a soft no.

As a promise that when I step forward, it will be because I’m certain—not because the tide was moving that direction.

And for the record? If I had asked, I’m fairly sure Jordan would have said yes.

I could see it in her eyes when she panicked.

That’s the part that steadied me the most.

She’s not afraid of forever. She’s afraid of borrowed timing—of falling in step with someone else’s dance.

And so am I.

When I ask her something that big—and to be fully candid, the way things are now, it seems likely I eventually will.

But when I do, it will be because it’s right—not because it’s next.

Be your best you!

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