Since I've been here there are some random things I've had to get used to. I thought it would be nice to list the things I've noticed so far so you can get an idea of what it's like here.

Houses:
This one is hard to explain without a picture to go along with it. But houses here are almost like houses back home yet different. There is a LOT od brick houses around for one, and the designs are well, different. The back yard is called the "garden" (the front is called the front garden, from what I gather) and the back yards of the Morris' and the Van driel's are fairly large.

Roundabouts:
We have some in the states, but here traffic lights are rare and roundabouts are almost everywhere. When I do go out, I'm still a bit thrown by driving on the left hand side of the road and especialy how one navigates these roundabouts without having a major accident (I'm still just a passenger, I'm not daring enough to drive just yet!).

Taking the mick out:
Teasing. When you're taking the mick out of someone your giving them a hard time. Ex: Almost everyone I've met has taken the mick out of me for my accent. I try explaining that I've got the real accent (It's TOE-MAY-TOE not toMAto!!) but no one seems to agree...I guess there's a reason why Americans rebelled against that Queens english...

Football:
Soccer. I must admit we do have a silly way of mis-labeling things in the states. I prefer football because it's played with your feet and you kick a ball. I do like american football, but you don't really use your feet much.

Posh:
It means your very proper. Celebrities are considered posh here. It can also mean you're rich (i think).

Texting:
People here LOVE to text other people with their cell phones. I know some use texting in the states but let me tell you it's everywhere here. At the mall, on the train, in a crowded street...it's crazy.

The carriage way:
The expressway. You know, where you drive really fast. I still haven't figured out all the rules of the road, so I can't tell you where the slow and fast lanes are. Oh yeah, al the cars i've taken a ride in are manual transmission. As much as I like driving stick shift, I'm a bit afraid of learning to shift with my LEFT hand!

The Tube:
The subway where the train goes in London.

CRB:
Criminal Records Buraeu. The agency that performs background checks on childcare workers.

Hole in the wall:
The ATM. I've seen it myself, and it is in fact called the hole in the wall. Why, I don't know.
Con-doms: (yes, two seperate words from what I can tell). i was shocked to hear this word from Ian Morris the other day and I thought we didn't have the word in america-until he called it a rubber. I'm sure the look on my face was a bit embarrased:-)

Cheeky:Acting silly.

The tele: television.

X-factor: Britains version of American Idol. It's different actually. They have a 24 and under crowd, they have the 25 and older and then they have groups. Simon Cowell is part of the show and he's no different here. I don't really know who the other two judges are. They have had some elderly people come on the show and sing their hearts out, so that's been interetesting to see. Apparently two weeks ago some teenage girls came on and did the song "Breath". they didn't get through, and took a bit of abuse from the judges for it, but it was a nice show of faith I thought.

So that's pretty much it for this round. I'll post more as I find strange words or other interesting things that are funny or different. Later!

Over the weekend...

So to update:

Here i am in Bognor Regis (bog is another word for toilet, so in spite of how beautiful it is here, some look down on the town due to it's name). I've been asked to stay on to further explore a role with the church (which is good considering my flight home was Friday, 2 days ago!)
Friday was a low key day here at the Morris' house. It was raining and i didn't get out at all. Saturday was different: Sunny and a darn good day to head off to see the D-Day museum over in Portsmouth. It was a bit of a longer train ride than I expected, but oh well. I got there and went over to the museum straight away and had a really nice time.

I really like WWII history. I think it's a fascinating era, and what the world had to live through was really hard. To see it from Englands perspective was even more dramatic (nightly bombing raids by the germans and facing the threat of invasion for years on end while the Battle of Britan raged in the skies above). Thankfully the Germans never achieved their goal of owning the skies over England, so when the Americans arrived there was quite the anticipation of the tide turning.

The museum told a lot of what life was like for the English living with war on their doorstep. I was amazed at all the artifacts and things preserved from the war. I think there is undue American pride over the war but really it was such a international event that i don't think any country can claim they had the "best" had in winning the war. The simple truth is that if the world had not united in the face of such a threat, many of us would be living much different lives to say the least. But enough of my rambling over history...

Today was a bit of a hard day for me. I woke with emotions going nuts with the thought that I am out of my comfort zone. Now I know that this is where God is calling me, and that He has a plan and I need to trust Him. But in the face of that is some worry over how long it will take before I REALLY feel at home here. I don't have a Dave Fife or an Ian Carroll or other friends who know me and who can offer advice over a meal. I mean I have connected with some people but it can feel a bit daunting when I think of the time that it took at Oak Park and how long it may take to REALLY get to know people here.

I do feel loved and accepted for the most part. But there are hard moments where I just want to be in a place that's familiar and around people who know me (and where I don't feel like such a %&^! tourist!!!). On the other hand if I returned to Oak Park, what would I have to do? This is where God has me, and as hard as it is sometimes, I don't want anywhere else (unless God says "go").

Anyway, those feelings wore me out by the time we got home from church. I went and napped for an hour or so before lunch was ready. I met Ian Morris' mother and sister and brother-in-law and that was a nice time. Then Sara, James and I met up with Ronin over at the Baptist church for their "youth led" evening service. It was a nice time and I've been hearing a lot about the team from Brazil that's over there. But they were away for the weekend, so I didn't get to meet any of them! I met the pastor and another leader though, so my goal of making some connections paid off.

In the car on the way home Sara shared some things about one of the young people from Vineyard. Ian asked me my thoughts and I really realized for the first time what may be happening (or about to happen) among some of the students coming back from Soul Survivor.
The good thing about S.S. (soul survivor, a huge youth gathering every year here in England) is that it brings people together and participants see a spike in friendships and in what God is doing. It's a really good thing cause it opens people up in a way they might not in church on Sunday morning.

BUT the downside is that when they come home those tight friendships can:
A: exclude others who didn't attend
B: produce emotional attachments that can be unhealthy and
C: Put the emphasis on friends rather than God when it comes to dealing with hard issues.

I've seen some of all three but my intuition tells me that C may be something that will need to be dealt with soon. There is a line where friends can be a good thing, but there is also a need for "tough love" where the group needs to help point the way to Jesus because He's the one that wants to deal with the deep hurts and the group can not keep covering up those hurts by talking to friends. And friends come and go, but God is around for ever.

So now to try and encourage the group to seek deeper intamacy with God. I realize that when tough love is shown I can only give advice on what might be a good option. Other than that it's up to each student to work it out with God.

So it's a lot starting to form. I need to go to bed now cause there is an EARLY prayer meeting I'd like to attend at 6:30 am (12:30am in Oak Park!! hard to believe...)

Please pray for me and this group as these things develop. It helps me feel a bit more "involved" when I think like a pastor, so I'd like to see more opportunities come up to help point the young people to Jesus. Miss all of you!!

Troop night

So tonight was Troop, the "older" crowd. i think the age range was 15-19 tonight and there were 13 of us crammed into the morris' living room. Sara thought it may have been the biggest group (at least since the start of Troop if not the biggest ever).

I talked to the youth about being bold in faith and where they want to go with their faith. I copied a bit of Ian's talk where he used the terror alert colors as a scale for the young people to measure their faith (where would the enemy be if you came around?) I thought it was a good night in general although some points were a struggle to read how the young people were processesing everything. I imagine it will take some time to feel out where to go with the group and see what sort of rutine we go for. I really see a need for some rutine of learning from the Bible and also taking time for the young people to share with other's what's going on. How that all get's worked (or sussed) out remains to be seen.

I am feeling a bit exhausted with all that's happening now. With all the details to be worked out i somehow missed the step where i check with someone (immagration or the U.S. Embassy) to see if i CAN arrange my visa from this end. This leaves me feeling like a bit of a dork in the wake of cacelling my flight out tomorrow...

But the leaders here are OK with it and see that maybe it's better to get some things settled here and then if i need to go back in three months then so be it. Or maybe i just need to be out of England to apply for it (day trip to France, baby!!) I'm a bit stressed though at working things out.

I may very well be into my new place by next wednesday! I'll leave the morris' Sunday night or so (cause they're water will be off for most of next week while they have work done on the new rooms of the house) so it's back to Jan and Lisa's for a few days before i check out the flat (and meet my new room mates).

I helped Ian (Mr. Morris) paint the new rooms today. It was nice to feel put to use and to not think about all the other stuff...i think i'll try and get out a little tomorrow to walk if it's a nice day. I'm also getting into tea here, so that's kinda funny. I didn't like tea much in the states but with a bit of milk and sugar it's pretty good here.

That's the major news right now. I'm off to bed. Good night! :-)

Continued thoughts...

Ok, so i can't shake the excitement and i wanted to post again.

Housing is getting lined up and tomorrow i cancel my ticket home. I can stay for 6 months as a tourist and during that time i can earn money through "gifts" from friends. So now to get the word back out to former supporters of my new situation...

There is a bit of tension in the air i think for both sides, considering it's totally new territory for all involved! It's a really good thing we all think, but working out the logistical details is kind of a challenge when you're not totally sure how it's all going to come together.

My title may not exactly be "youth pastor" and i'm ok with that. there are a number of young people aged 11 to younger 20's who they are hoping i could draw along side and help disciple. so the plan is to take the next 6 months and then review where the plan is at. a bit of tension there as well at least for me cause it's stepping out in a new place. I think God has equipped me for this task, and i feel he's opened this door so it's just walking out stuff i know in a new setting. yet somehow that seems really challenging.

the young people are really active here. There is an event they are doing called Raise Ya Hands which is a night of music (10 local bands) and other events to raise money for a charity in South Africa! It's happening in October and it seems really cool and I'm amazed at the passion that's driving it forward.

Oh yes, tonight was FOAM (Friends On A Mission) which is the 11-14 year olds. It was a good group, and they really like Pink Spot (a youth group game I learned in the states). I have yet to introduce other games like fruit basket or the i like/ don't like game. Ahhhh....the looks on their faces when it's a new silly game they've never played before. It was also a good night to challenge their faith with stepping out more and take risks to pray for people they might not normally pray for. They really had good questions on how to approach someone if you feel God is leading you. I thought it was good. I'm excited to see where things go.

Tomorrow night is Troop (the older crowd 15-18 although i think the oldest we have is 16 or 17). I think i'll be talking on standing in God's strengh in the midst of trials and temptations.
Oh, James, the young guy who was worried about moving away from the group got news that his folks have decided that if he's old enough to stay in London then he's old enoough to stay in Bognor! So Sara was happy about that tonight. Also i heard James was really happy to hear i'm staying on as well. it's just amazing how God has prepared hearts for this time, and it leaves me speechless to see it all just unfolding!

Anyway, off to bed now. I may get back over to Portsmouth tomorrow to see the D-Day museum...or not. I don't really know. thank you for reading this. it's such a great way to get out thoughts and stories, and even though i'm so far away from home i at least feel some connection with this. come visit if you get a chance!!

I've been asked to stay!!!

(Written 9.19.2006)


So how do i feel??

Well, my jaw hasn't left the floor since i heard. it's so amazing and i am trying not to worry over what the next steps are. You know when life seems to be going SO FREAKIN well that you feel like "wait, something has to go wrong sooner or later cause this is too good!" that's a bit how i feel at the moment.

But i'm trying to fight that because God's been so faithful and i haven't done a thing to earn this much favor. It's almost like "God are you SURE you got the right guy?" but it's true and i want to believe it with every cell in my body. please keep praying that God would move the process along and that his timing would come through. I'm only human and i have to rely on God for everything. I don't want to forget that fragile balance of keeping my head in the game and staying focused on God and drawing my strength from Him.

I talked to my parents tonight and they were the first to hear. It was nice to hear their familliar voices. I haven't heard a familliar voice in weeks (execpt in my dreams....i've been dreaming of home like three nights out of the last week...vineyeard oak park looks the same in my dreams!)
I wanted to get this out before youth group started over there, but oh well. You all have to spread the word that God's opened up a VERY LARGE AND FREAKIN HEAVY DOOR for me, and i need all the prayer i can get to go through it and see what's awaiting me on the other side. And let me know how i can pray for you!

I went back to portsmouth today with DJ and had a great time walking around the harbor. I saw the HMS Victory, wich went against Napoleon's fleet and survived. I saw the HMS Warrior, a huge ironclad steam ship built in 1860 and I saw the Mary Rose, and OLD ship that sank in the 1500s and is now on display here. I still want to go back and see the D-Day museum some time....but that may be a bit delayed while we work out how to get me settled....

Me, in England as a youth pastor. Wow. I need to go to bed now, but thank you all. I'm missing home and i am so thankful for such kingdom people to stand with me in such an amazing time. Plese let me know how you're doing. I really want to hear news from home!!!

Decision time

Ok, so it may NOT be as big a thing as electing a president, but this is a huge decsion: Does paul stay in England, or does he return to the states?

The decision is on the bill for the leaders to discuss tomorrow at the leaders meeting. There are other things on the list i'm told, but i imagine this is pretty big.

Please pray for this process especially that God would be heard crystal clear on their end. If it were up to me i would stay and they know how i feel. But it comes down to discerment and all that "fancy" stuff, lol. I don't really know and for them it's gotta be pretty interesting as well cause it's a new sort of circumstance for all of us really.

If i do get the job, then it's a lot of work to do in a short ammount of time so it's by no means near the "end". I don't even know what the end is at this point, i just know there is more to sort if i stay. Thank you for standing with me in prayer. I really feel that so much of the good progress that's happened here is due to so many hearts in prayer. For that i don't know what to say other than thank you and even that feels like it doesn't convey how i feel when i think about it.

If i stay i'll feel slightly sad cause that means i don't know when i'll be home next. But that day will come eventually and i can't wait to see you all again. Vineyard oak park is my home and a big chunk of my heart!!!!!!!

Off to bed now. I met with James tonight and it was short but seemed to be sweet for him. I hope so. I didn't get to talk to him much after prayer cause he had to get home. I'll see him Thursday and we'll see how he's doing after a few days. tomorrow is back to Portsmouth with DJ and i'll get to see a bit of historical warships and fun stuff like that!
Till next time,Paul

England x3

So it's been a few days since my last post, hasn't it?

Anyway. Tuesday was a really good time at the "younger" housegroup (20-30's) and at the end of it i stayed and talked with four of the members until midnight. Paul is a drummer here as well and he has been a christian for only about a year and we got to talking about God and the ways he's impacted lives. The study was on Hebrews chapters 10-12, and i really liked the group to say the least. i had a chance to share some things and when we got to discussion questions i was asked by kevin (who led the group that night) my thoughts on hope and faith. it opened the door to me giving the example of my mix of hope and faith in coming to Bognor, and they seemed to like what i had to say. it felt like i fit in on the first night and they've invited me back if i stay. so that's tuesday in a nutshell.

Wed. i went to Chitchester (a local town slightly more posh than Bognor) and walked around for a bit, drank an iced coffee in Starbucks and then went over to the cathedral for a look. it was great to stand in a big church that's been around since the 1500's. i really like that sort of thing. then Jan took me to lunch and then back to the house. that night we went down to Portsmouth and walked around the gun wharf and saw some really old ships in the harbor (there's the HMS Victory from the era of Napoleon which i hope to go back and see up close next week) then we went over and saw the D-day museum. it was closed when we got there, but I REALLY REALLY like WWII history and i plan to see that next week as well.

wish i could post pics, but right now i don't really have the means to, so you'll have to wait:-(
Thursday Verity (DJ's room mate) came by and we were going to go ride bikes but then typical english weather set in (clouds and a bit of rain) so we went to chitchester, had lunch, talked a while and went out for a drive and a walk through the countryside. Verity is 26 years old, a redhead, and a very charming personality. Before you get to giddy that i've gone and met a nice english girl who i'll end up marrying, think again. she's got a boyfriend and a HUGE passion for Sierra Leon (West Africa!). so those two fronts are just the top of the cake why she's NOT a candidate for marriage. I know some of you (ahem-MOM!:-) will probably post anyway and tell me some cheesy line like "you never know till the rings on the finger" or "God likes surprises". sheeeesh....

So that said, we had a nice time and some really good chats. i even had her convinced that we don't have eye doctors in the states. After a few minutes of pulling off the joke, i told her the truth. she was slightly red and we both had a laugh. little did i know what i was in for...laster as we walked through the countryside (i only wish the sun was out cause the view looked spectacular!) she got me to believe some farmers breed kangaroo's here for their meat. I was so taken by it that when we got back to Verity's flat (appartment) she told me she had some kangaroo meat in the freezer and if I would like to have some for dinner. i bought the whole thing. It wasn't until DJ confessed to me on the way to Troop later that evening that it was really beef i ate. Hmmmm....now to think of a way to get Verity back....Maybe i tell her I spent an hour crying my eyes out that it wasn't really kangaroo?? no, that might be too nasty:-)
Anyway, Troop (the sort of Sr. high) meets Thursday nights here at the morris' house. It was a smaller group than usual (7 of about 11 kids came) but it was nice. I didn't get to talk much, but i did boldly ask for time next thursday. they all agreed and are seem excited to have me. DJ suggested they pray for me and i was a but shy, but as they prayed i really felt like they want me to stay on. i could be wrong, but that seems like a darn good thing.

Friday some of the youth (and me) went up to london!!!! we saw a wax museum (i got lots of pics with famous people!!) and it was a blast. there was one section that you walk through and it's kinda scary cause live actors jump out of dark places and scare the snot out of you. I was laughing at the group until James said "put the yank in front!!" I wasn't so happy then. but it was a fun time and a good story.

We saw Buckingham palace, big ben, Dowining street (where the prime minister lives), went for a look around Harrods (a huge department store kinda like Fields or other large stores in chicago) and guess who showed up to sign books??? DAVID FREAKIN' HASSELHOFF!!! i was like, this guy would NOT get this kind of attention in the states...it was funy! we saw the london eye (a HUGE ferris wheel) and then made our way back to the train. i spent the night in Bedford with my cousins and had a wonderful time walking around bedford today. I got a picture with the John Bunyan statue in bedford. ever read Pilgrims Progress? he wrote it from his prison cell in Bedford! yeah, it was pretty cool.

On a more serious note, i'm back at the morris' house, and need to go finish my lesson for the youth in church tomorrow. i got some ideas but they need to be put on paper.
as far as if i stay or come home i try not to think about it. I was fine last week, but as decision time draws near i find myself feeling a bit worried either way. i want to stay, but there are moments where i feel so alone and foriegn...they're only moments and not hours or days, which i'm glad for, but they are there. i really like the people here, but if i stay what happens after this sort of "honey moon" phase ends? i can't think about that cause i don't know. but what happens if i come home? there is an option there, but i don't really find myself too excited about that commitment and i don't REALLY know if i'm coming home either. so life is up in the air for me...

i'm doing the best i can at keeping a level head and my emotions in check, but it's hard. i'll let you know how it all pans out. i really need to go and get the lesson done. Thanks for your prayers. I really miss you all and I enjoy hearing from you.

england x2

so here it is part two of my diary from england. a bit shortere this time around cause i'm about to go eat lunch and then i'm off to littlehampton. it's 1pm here! home in the states i really wouldn't be up...considering it's 7am there.

my week is filling up. every night this week i'm off doing something. tonight is meeting with the 20something home group, tomorrow jan and i are going off to brighton or somewhere to see other sights, thursday is the youth night (troop is the group name) friday some of the youth are going to london and they were kind to invite me along!!! i'm not as big a dork here as in the states, lol.

friday to saturday is when i'll be in bedford to see my cousins, sunday is church (i've been asked to share something with the youth at church). Oh and from this thursday to the 22nd i'll be with another family from church (Ian and Trish morris). So it's quite the time as you can see. I also found that i'm not too far from dover (you know, famous for it's white cliffs!)

anyway, soup is up so i gotta go eat. i think i am making the adjustment to the 6 hour time difference now. i slept most of the night the last two nights (a lot better than the first two nights here!!) thank you all so much for your prayers. i'm feeling a bit homesick, but also eager to see what God has in store. Apparently i'm the talk of the town as one person put it. Oh yes, i had a chance to chat with DJ, who has led the youth over this last year. she's been a great resource in finding out about where the youth are at (they just got back from soul survivor a few weeks ago and that has tightend their friendships a lot!) we'll see how i manage with them on thursday!

Short stories from England

Well it has been a remarkable few days here already!!

Friday Jan and I had a good hour and a half to 2 hours to kill while driving to Bognor from Heathrow airport. We talked about a LOT of things and i found that jan is a movie buff kind of like myself. we share the same interests in movies and even some television. His family is quite nice (they have four children, Jamie, Megan, Johan, and Jacob) Jamie is a foster child, and a verry polite kid. Megan is 12 and in the youth group. She's quiet but seems pretty inteligent when she speaks. Johan is an avid soccer (football) player and scored the only goal in his teams 8-1 loss today. jacob is 5 years old and seems to be bent on getting the most attention (kind of like me when I was 5). I was very pleastantly surprised when Jacob asked if i would read him his bedtime story my 2nd night here.

jan is married to Lisa, a very good cook and very polite. even though i don't feel like i've connected as well with her i do get the impression that she's a bit more introverted than jan is, and it's nothing i take personally.

the church is very much like oak park (at least, op 6 years ago) they are trying to find ways of reaching out into the community and so far they have a store front called the Vineyard freetrade shop. over here the cause of free trade seems to be a valued one, so my impression is they've tapped into a growing issue among locals. On top of this, they are doing a small outreach this year to university students returning to school. I hope I can bring some outreach ideas to the table if i stay on.

jan and lisa live a very close distance to the beach. it's not the best beach i've seen, but it is nice and hard for an american like me to imagine that just across that water is france! today i went out after church with a few of the youth and Trisha, a leader and a mother of two young girls in the youth group (also along were some other kids in the youth group as well as younger siblings of said youth members). we watched people hurl themselves off the pier in a contest called the Bognor Birdman contest. if you know what the Red Bull Flutag is, then you know what this is. The only difference is that they have two days of events here and yesterday (the day we missed) was the day with the silly contraptions going off the end of the pier. Today was a bit more serious with people wanting to go for distance and longest air time.

Church is about 120 folks (including kids) on Sunday. i spoke for about 15-20 minutes on the jews crossing the sea out of slavery and into God's promises. Something that i feel God's been drawing out of me over these last two years at least. I felt that God wanted to speak to people on the challenges of leaving slavery, but the feedback i got was more than i expected. people felt deeply touched by what i had to say and said they felt a genuiness about me. i was very happy that something of my honesty and god's heart came across. i also forgot to mention that a very nice mother (jo) and a really nice older gentleman (Robin) asked if they could pray for me as worship was happening. they didn't know who i was, and didn't know that i was just wanting to know that God was with me. they had very significant words for me, and that paved the way for me to hear God say that i don't need to worry at all about anything because He's been waiting for me to get here, and that He has gone before me to prepare hearts. Dare I say it felt like God was calling this home for me?? we'll see what happens.

i then left and went and spent a bit of time with the Grapes group (the middle and high school group) and just kind of observed the different personality types in the group. it was good to see them coming into a relationship with jeusus, and i think God has more for me to say to them. I'll meet with a 20something homegroup Tuesday just to meet others my age, and then Thursday i'll see the youth again. Friday i'm going to London with some of the youth, which I am very excited about. From there i hope to hop over north to bedford and see my cousin Abi. We'll see how it all goes, but so far it's exciting. I'm a bit tired with Jetlag and a long day on my feet so I'll sign off for now. But thank you all for your prayers and I look forward to letting you know how things develop.

Oh yes, I'm trying hard not to pick up an english accent cause i feel odd speaking with one, but it is slowly happening i think. you'll just have to tell me the next time you see me. it is interesting though how american english draws words out (door, god, car, book are some that i have picked up on interms of how the english say it here) and i laugh at myself for sounding like the odd one. it's nice though to feel so comfortable thousands of miles from anything that's really famillair...oh and pardon the spelling errors. I'm tired, a bit lazy ad still jetlagged, so spelling isn't the number 1 care on my list. Till next time...

Engram to England

WOW!!
So I heard today from the Vineyard in Bognor (south coast of England) and the flight has gone through. I am now set to leave (for at least two weeks, if not longer) to see if God has a place for me as a youth pastor.

I have spent a lot of the past month in prayer about this. At times it seemed right in front of me and so close all I had to do was reach out and take it. And yet there was always one more step to take. I began to get nervous with the idea that it might not go through and I would have to again turn my sights stateside. I prayed a lot because I knew that God was in control, and it is up to Him. All I want is to go where He has a place for me and anything less than that isn't what I want.

These last two weeks have been quite a ride. I gave my eight year old cat away to the Anti-cruelty soceity two weeks ago today, and then had to prepare myself for the challenges of Engram. And I must say,God is truly awesome. We had over one hundred people this year, and God showed up in amazing ways! From the start of the week, we highly encouraged everyone to fix their eyes on Jesus and to seek him in all circumstances. The result was that a number of us leaders were commenting that the first night of worship and ministry felt a lot like a level that would normally be seen at the second or third night. God was with us, and not only spoke to individuals but he also used us as a whole to bless approx. 15,000 people over those four days.

The last night was a bit hard for me, because it may very well be the last time (or at least a while) before I see some of these leaders and students again. I am in awe over how God has used me to touch lives in amazing ways over these last four years of being involved with the youth at Vineyard Oak Park, and how much confidence I've found in the gifts of leadership God has planted in me. I look forward to seeing more of God and more gifting from God unfold as I move on to England or wherever God has for me. Thank you all so much for praying for me and walking with me. Please pray that God would continue to be in this process weather or not England is a go!

ENGRAM!!!!

It's late summer again, and that can only mean one thing around here: ENGRAM!

Engram is the "scientific" word meaning "to remember" or "the physical trace of a memory". This event was started three years ago (or was it four?) by our youth pastor, and what was once a small gathering of about 15 people has now grown to over 100 this year. Several area churches are sending their youth to us (mostly other Vineyards) and we are very excited over what we expect to be a very fruitful time together.

Previous years have focused on outreach and serving people. Last year we gave away over 3,000 bottles of water and hundreds of other small tokens to let people know that God loves them. This year we have about 7,000 bottles of water and I am currently looking at $1500 in quarters that we are to give away! While we have spent a lot on giveaways, there is more that we hope to see happen this year.

The theme for this year comes from the Exodus event where God called Pharaoh to let his people go "so they may worship me." I think that it is more than possible for us as Christians to let other "things" take the place of God and distract us (and even put us in bondage) away from what's really important: our relationship with the One who made us. This year we are striving to break free of whatever has distracted us and pursue God. I believe that when people gather with open hearts ready to be changed by God, things happen...even supernatural things!

I personally am very excited to be here. As of two months ago I thought I wasn't going to be around for this huge event. But as of right now nothing is developing on the job front (I'm still waiting to hear on a confirmed flight to England) so I guess God has me here! I'm looking forward to this week (Okay, MOST aspects I'm looking forward to like outreaches, going to the beach, worship and teaching...but the lack of SLEEP we usually get is not really a happy time for me!) I think though that when all is said and done I'll feel like it was worth it.

I got a digital camera for a "graduation" gift! So now I can click and post pictures in a short amount of time. I'm hoping to snap a lot of pics this week, so watch for pics from Engram next week or so! Happy August everyone!

Thoughts on moving on

Well, I’m done with VBI. I have turned in and passed all my assignments. So now it’s just waiting for my diploma. It’s almost august, and I thought by now I would be on to my next step. But even though that’s not the case, I’m ok with it most days. It means I’ve been around for things that I didn’t really want to miss. I’ll be around for Engram (our summer youth program) in August. Even though I’m not as involved as I was last year (only this last week have I really begun to mentally prepare myself for being here for engram) maybe that’s a good thing. I think it will be a good week, and I need to remember that I’m not there for myself. That’s what made Toronto ’06 so memorable: I was there for the students and the more I got excited over what God was doing with them the more I could focus on Him. Funny how that works…the less caught up I am about myself the more I hear God speaking.

The theme for Engram this year is based off the Israelite exodus out to worship. And I’ve been thinking about that whole story (all of Moses’ life really). There are a lot of things I am noticing about God’s character in that story. Moses faced death even before he could talk. His parents knew there was something special about him and the only thing they could think to do was risk sending him down the river in the hope he would be saved. I heard somewhere that the future of Israel rested on whether or not a baby survived. That’s a pretty big risk when I think about it. But even then God was not worried that everything would fall apart.

Years later Moses is called by God. What his parents saw was God’s hand in his life, and it finally came about. God tells him what he wants to do, and it’s a big deal. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want to see such an amazing thing (a whole nation’s freedom). But Moses didn’t want it at first. God even got angry at him for rejecting his destiny. But Moses finally agreed (after Aaron was brought in to help).

God proceeds to show His power in very calculated ways against Egypt. Each plague is a direct sign to Egypt that the gods they serve are dead (the Nile to blood for example was a sign that the Nile god had been killed and the river carried his blood). Pharaoh was raised with a hard heart so that God’s power would be displayed. It took the death of his first born male to break him (and even then he chose to go after the Israelites in pursuit).

Crossing the Red sea must have been a scary turning point for Moses and the rest of Israel. Freedom is a great thing, but it’s scary when all you’ve known is a life of slavery. All Israel knew for the last 400 years was slavery. No one alive among them knew what it was really like to be free. And now they were going to the unknown desert to serve God and to enter a land they knew almost nothing about. I would imagine that while slavery wasn’t easy it was what they knew.

For me this is where I feel I relate. I’m crossing out of Oak Park and all my familiar surroundings and entering new territory. It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it. But I’m also being challenged to move to a deeper level of belief in God. There have been times where God has spoken about my future and that He has a plan for me. And like Moses’ parents I have to trust that He knows what He’s doing. And like Israel standing at the shore of the Red sea, I have to believe that I will cross over in safety and on dry ground. It’s easy to hear something but hard to do what it takes to get there. It’s been a long two years here, and now it’s actually coming to an end. Kind of surreal in some ways.

Even once Israel reached freedom, they still had to fight. The freedom was challenged again and again. It’s like that with destiny. It’s not a one shot deal. It’s a constant event. And it happens when we surrender our lives to God every day.

plunder the goods blog

This is a REALLY good blog by my good friend Sam. Check it out for other theological thoughts!

plunder the goods blog

Reflections on the hope of glory

This is a blog by my friend Bethany. It's a really good one, and she's got some really good thoughts and comments on the current culture in America. Check it out!

Reflections on the hope of glory

Theology files

By clicking on the link called "Kingdom Theology Teachings" you can access my other web page and hear the latest teachings on Kingdom Theology by Dan and me. I will try and post the teachings within 24 hours of the class. Hope you find them helpful!!

What's new

So it's been a little while since I've posted. A lot has happened since the last post. Youth Sunday was a blast, and searching for jobs has been quite a road to travel. I haven't heard anything from any of the possible options on the table, and in light of that fact I have decided to try the international scene. I sent my resume to about 40-50 Vineyard churches in and around the UK last week, and one of them got back to me the next day. So far it's only a maybe (just like the rest) however I do find myself excited over the idea of going overseas for a while.

I also have started teaching a class on Wednesday nights on Kingdom Theology (Dan Pietrini and I are teaching this class as a requirement for our Vineyard Bible Institute class). Tonight is the second class of six, and I'm pretty excited about it. I hope to figure out how to upload sound files and then add the recordings of our class on here in the future.

Along the note of VBI, I'm so close to the end and I can't wait to be done. It's been a long road, and I can see the end from here. But then today a slight curve ball came my way. I got an F on one of my essay's, and that means a re-write. At this point it's something I can't really afford to have. So all day today has been kind of a bummer because I feel so cramped for time, and now here's something else to take up a chunk of time. Long days at work are not my idea of fun. I'm sure there is a lesson in here somewhere, but I'm too shocked at the F to think about it :-)

Job searching is hard. With all the options that are on the table one could easily think that SOMETHING has to develop. And yet that has not really been the case. It's kind of a strage waiting game. Going to Kentucky would be interesting and it could play along the lines of my strengths, and yet I'd like to stay within the Vineyard cause that's where I feel most at home, and then I like the idea of going overseas and see new things and expereince a new culture...so it all is very appealing on some level, yet it seems God is using it to test me and ask "Do you still trust me even if it means waiting till you might explode with the feling that you can't wait anymore??" Trust. I'm sure there's a lesson there to, but it's kind of hard to think about and see when I'd just like to close my eyes and be two months down the road and see how everything works out. In any case I have started to plan certain events for the summer, and just trust that where ever I end up they will be OK with the fact that I have things to do back home.

In case you haven't figured out by now, my mind has been all over the mental map the last few weeks since I last posted. If it's confusing to you, trust me it's been interesting navigating life for me. The feeling of progress in one area and regress in another has been quite frustraiting. And underneath it all it comes down to trust. Trusting that I'll get through VBI and trusting that I'll end up in just the right place at the just the right time. When I entered this process a few months ago, I knew it would be a challenge, but this is a bit more than I barganed for...

In any case I know God's not done with me yet, and I'll get through it.

Busy week

It's the middle of my week, and it feels like a lot on my plate. Youth Sunday is this weekend, and I'm the first of three speakers (Dan Pietrini, the other intern and Hannah Kircher, one of our students will be speaking as well). Last night was our "dry run" at youth group, and presenting our talk felt un-coordinated (on top of a very chaotic night). The youth band is playing Saturday night (at our one time a month Saturday eve Deep service) and then again on Sunday morning. So that's a lot of involvement for me this weekend. Plans for Dan and me to teach Kingdom Theology have been all but finalized, and if nothing comes up we'll be teaching in two weeks (the course will run for six weeks). I've also downloaded and printed my next to last section in my Theology studies course. It's hard to believe that within a month I could be done with something that felt (at times) like it wouldn't end. After that's done, I'm pretty much released to go from Vineyard Oak Park. I've been kind of emotional at times over this past week as I look ahead. This church has been my home and my family for the last five years, and now I am preparing to move on. It's exciting to think of all the possiblilities that lay ahead, but who wants to leave their roots? I've really come to love and respect a lot of people here, and I feel they have come to love and respect me as well. And while I feel deep in my heart that this is what I was made for (moving on and becoming a youth pastor somewhere else) it doesn't make leaving any easier. Chaotic weeks like this are probably a good thing, because I get to see first hand how it is to balance a heavy load of work as a pastor :-) I'm sure I'll fit in and find wonderful and amazing people at whatever location I land.

Point A

Ok, so here it is. My new blog, and a way for folks to K.I.T. (Keep In Touch). It is almost 10pm here, so I'll keep this short and brief. I plan to use this space to post news of my life, thoughts, and progress on being a youth pastor (in Kentucky or wherever God takes me). I look forward to how this site develops because it may be a good way to connect with friends who I don't really see. Feel free to interact with the blog as much as you wish (although I can't promise I'll reply to posts in a timely fashion). Thank you, and have a nice day :-)
And there you have it! The new picutre (I wanted to go blond for the summer).