On Monday, I was sworn-in as our next State Representative by Supreme Court Justice and resident of the 101^st District, Elizabeth Weaver of Glen Arbor. My wife Jamie held the Bible, as Justice Weaver administered the oath in front of a standing-room only crowd of friends, supporters, and elected officials.

You can see other photos from my inauguration at our Flickr page here.

As the ceremony took place, I placed my hand on the Bible, opened to:

1 Peter 4:10

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

This is a verse that encompasses much of what I believe about democracy, that all of us have certain talents and that we should use our talents to serve one another. I built on this theme in my formal comments during the inauguration, knowing that we can only overcome the challenges facing Michigan by working together and by each of us contributing our unique strengths and energy to building a better Michigan.

I am extremely honored that the citizens of Northwest Michigan have put their trust in me, and I look forward to working hard across party lines to get our state back on track. We have real challenges in Michigan, but I’m confident that working together we can turn challenges into opportunities.

I plan to hit the ground running when session begins in January. As State Representative, I will do everything I can to help make our state a better place to live, work, and raise a family.