We went to Buffalo Wild Wings tonight with Brooke and Darrin to watch the Hawkeyes take on the Cyclowns in basketball. I love spending time with them cause they are such a great couple. We really enjoy their company and look forward to more times like this.
Many of you have noted that life has been really hectic for me the last few months, and I thank you for your concerns. November was filled with schoolwork, ministry, getting the house ready for guests, and anything else you can think of. Now that Thanksgiving has passed, things have slowed down a lot, and I am thankful for the break God has provided. I have one more week in my Christian Ethics class before a two week break until my Old Testament Poetry and Prophecy class starts. Two weeks may not sound like a long time, but in the CALL program, it's like a summer break. I will take the time to work ahead on my online class and try to finish that up before January just to take a breather (although I could take the time to work on my final for 30 days…I might have to consider that). Anyways, January will be here before you know it, and it's going to get busy again with planning the Mexico trip (with the added bonus of coordinating with three other churches), high school ministry, and everything else. The two main people that keep me sane are God and Nicole, and the quality time I spend with them. Everything else flows from that.
Well, my phone died today. I was trying to hold off replacing it until next year, but it didn't cooperate, so here is the replacement. I've only just started to get to fiddle with it. Nicole likes it too.
Ezra 3:10-11 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel. With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: "He is good; his love to Israel endures forever." And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid.
Next Saturday (the 12th) we will be heading out to Mexico. This mission trip has been heavily on my mind for the last few months as it drew nearer. The daily devotionals have been great at keeping me focused, and the anticipation is growing. Last week the decision to have Amor lay the foundation ahead of our arrival was made. I immediately thought of this verse, but I couldn’t remember where I had read it. Last night I found the reference in my notebook and decided to share it.
I am overjoyed at the thought of doing a service project in addition to the 3 homes we are building. The thought of providing a soccer field for Pastor Adolfo and his flock fills me with joy. To read the impact he had last year on people and then to be able to do this for his church is just another way Jesus shows His love for us. To serve those who serve others…the thought that God would use clay pots to do His work…makes me realize how unworthy I really am, and how awesome He is.
I look at the Israelites and the joy they had and I am inspired. They were celebrating the House of the Lord being rebuilt. How much more joy do we have in the fact that we ourselves are temples of the Lord?! Not only that – we are going to have the honor of being His hands and feet in Mexico. We will be visible expressions of His love, and leave behind a tangible reminder of His love and faithfulness.
How awesome is that?
Last week Nicole and I had a staycation. We decided to stay home for our vacation and take in what Indianapolis has to offer. We started the weekend off by attending various graduation parties and stuffing ourselves with food and treats. We then spent Monday cleaning the house (yeah, I know we were supposed to relax, but the house won’t clean itself). Tuesday we headed up north to the new mall in Noblesville to check it out. It’s a lot like Clay Terrace, so it was pretty cool. Wednesday we went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. We spent 2 1/2 hours visiting the first floor gallery. Nicole and I had a lot of fun (well, except for the creepy security guard who yelled at me for forgetting to turn the flash off and then proceeded to follow me around). On Thursday we visited the Zoo and had fun visiting the animals. The koalas were sleeping (they sleep 18-22 hours a day!!! Seriously!! What a life!!). I think I took almost 300 pictures. Yes, I am trigger happy with our new camera. Unfortunately I had to go back to work on Friday, but that night Nicole and I went to Puck’s for dinner as our splurge for the week. Saturday we went over to Jake and Trudy’s for a meeting with the ministry leaders to discuss the past year and to thank them for their work. Then we took Jordan to the Fashion Mall. Jordan is interning with the high school ministry this summer and is staying with us. Sunday I went to a few more grad parties before attending summer catalyst. Nicole went back to work Sunday so I went solo.
Whew, what a week. I think I need a vacation to recover from our staycation.
The annual rite of summer for those who work with the youth. Seniors and their families celebrating their graduation from high school. Friends and family gathering to share in their achievement. All sorts of food and treats and no cooking for weekends on end. What fun!
And a little sadness. It’s a goodbye to 4 years of your life. It’s a splitting of ways, of saying goodbyes. It’s never seeing your friends in the hallway everyday anymore. No more bad cafeteria food, no more buses to catch.
It’s also the beginning of a new path. For some, it’s college. For others, it’s work. But a new path nonetheless.
For me, it’s with seeing young men and women whom I’ve mentored going out into the world, spreading their wings and taking off to find their way. I wave goodbye with a mix of sadness and exhilaration, of hope and trepidation. Will they ever know how much they mean to me? How immensely I enjoyed serving them? Maybe. Maybe not. Those questions may never be answered, and maybe they will. Maybe they already know.
As I wave goodbye, I turn slowly to the next group of people I can share life with, and do it all over again.
I picked 3 of the 4 teams that made the Final Four (why did I choose UConn over UCLA?? And Duke winning the West?? Was I smoking something?). It has been a great tourney so far with several upsets and Cinderellas (By the way, where are Davidson and Siena located, and just what is a Hilltopper??) I am anxious to see how the last 3 games play out. I have UNC winning it all, but Kanas may repeat what they did 20 years ago with Danny Manning leading the team and win it all. Memphis has something to prove, and UCLA is looking to add yet another trophy to their collection. It should be interesting.
We just got back from watching the Super Bowl at the Ferguson’s house. What a game!!! Easily the best NFL game ever. The fact that we got to enjoy it with our small group and other friends made it sooo much better. We love spending time with everyone. We even got to hang out with our new Lead Pastor Aaron and his family. The whole family looked great in their Colts gear. The Barkers new dog Ocy joined us too. It was a great time.
I will admit that I was torn. Part of me wanted to see the Pats win and complete a perfect season while part of me wanted to see them lose due to their hubris. Still, I think they had a great season, and they should not hang their heads – they still had a regular season for the ages.
One thing that I have realized as I get older is that it’s only a game. Win or lose, the games do not affect my life (we can revisit this statement if my Cubs ever win the World Series). This realization may stem from the fact that I am used to my teams not being consistent winners, but I do know that life is too short to worry about games. I would rather worry about those we got to spend time with and enjoy the time we get to be together.
I am sitting in my sister-in-law Erica’s 
living room thinking of what to write, and I don’t really know where to start. We spent the afternoon spending time with Nicole and Erica’s cousin Lucy who is recovering from severe burns she suffered in a kitchen fire. Lucy is healing well, and her prognosis is looking real good. The skin grafts are going well for the most part, and she is being transferred to a rehab facility in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Iowa area. It was fun visiting with her, and I am pretty sure she enjoyed the company. We then went had dinner with the in-laws and then came here. Now I’m sitting here in front of my laptop wondering where I’m journeying to.
I don’t really know where God is taking us, but I do know that He has great things in store for us. He’s already blessed us with great friends and family (take a look at Matt’s May 9th blogpost to get a glimpse of what I am referring to), and He continues to reveal Himself to us daily. I used to like the bumper sticker that read "God is my co-pilot" until I realized that if He’s the co-pilot, He and I need to switch seats. Well, we have, and the journey begins….
