BBC (Barb Body Challenge) update…

So a week ago I posted about being challenged by Carlos Whittaker at Ragamuffinsoul.com regarding this time of year where schedules not only get busy because of school, work, holidays, etc, but that they are also filled with copious amounts of food and sweets and all of that “good stuff.”  So he challenged anyone who would join him to work for the 30 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas on their personal health on 3 levels … Physical, Spiritual and Relational.  You can refer back to my last post to see the 3 goals that I set for myself during the “Barb Body Challenge” … I thought it needed a fancy name … sounds more important that way .

Here’s my update:

Physical: I’m still doing pretty good on my workouts … I’ve moved into the 2nd section of P90X which means new workouts, which means variety, which means its fresh and ‘exciting’ to do something new.  The eating part … I’m doing ok.  I’ve cut out most fried foods (for now) and I’m trying to be more conscious of what I’m eating.  However, I’ve had the opportunity to host a few different groups at the house for dinner and such, and although I love doing that, I don’t necessarily cook the healthiest foods for those, and seem to always have leftovers … so still working on getting better at that!

Spiritual: I’ve made it through the first verse of the 5 that I selected to memorize during the challenge.  My list includes several verses dealing with things that God has been teaching me lately … many of them are familiar verses, and ones that I know … but have never taken the chance to intentionally work on memorizing … This week was Galatians 2:20 “I have been cricified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Relational: Since Thanksgiving I’ve had the chance to see and/or talk to a couple of my good friends.  The last week I’ve had 2 really good conversations with friends over the phone that I hadn’t visited with in a while, and it was so good to talk with them that it made me wonder why I wasn’t better at keeping in touch with people, and made me excited to make some phone calls and talk with other friends!

This semester has flown by so quickly, but it has been an amazing time for me.  I’m learning so much, and being challenged in new ways.  I shared with my family over Thanksgiving that it felt like I had a very “adult job” now, but I catch myself sometimes thinking that it’s really cool that I get paid to do something that I enjoy so much.  I’m blessed that God counted me worthy of such a position, and pray every day that He would live through me, because I know that I cannot do this on my own!

Hope everyone is doing well!

-E

Thanksgiving to Christmas … the challenge

So,  I was able to go home for several days over Thanksgiving week.  I got to see friends in Jeff City, spend time with my parents, see my extended family, and spend time at my brother’s as well!  It was great!  HOWEVER … if you read this thing, you will remember that I started doing P90X 3 weeks ago … and its actually been going well.  I’ve been committed to the exercises and actually lost about 9 pounds before going home for Thanksgiving … then … well, I didn’t do so great at home!  I mean it is just a little more difficult when there are little snacks ready for the taking, and copious amounts of desserts at Thanksgiving dinner … and usually this is the time of year when those pesky little extra pounds start to make a comeback … BUT when I got back this morning, I read Ragamuffinsoul, a blog I follow discussing the same frustration and a challenge was presented.  I’m taking him up on it.  Here’s what he says:

“You heard about that worship leader getting drunk that night and rolled your eyes…
That pastor who has been flirting with his secretary makes you nauseous…
You can’t believe they let their kids get away with that…

All the while, from Thanksgiving to New Years, you live the most hypocritical life imaginable.
You stuff your face with food till you can’t walk, multiple times, and gain some lbs. in the process.
You let your serving God replace your knowing God.
You ignore your family because you are too busy volunteering and helping someone else.

I see no difference between the first list and the second list.
So let’s stop using the holidays as an excuse to stop being healthy.
Let’s kick off this season with 30 days of physical, spiritual, and emotional health.”

 

So, my 3 benchmarks are:

Physical – lose 10 pounds by Christmas and develop healthier eating habits …

Spiritual- memorize 5 new verses before Christmas

Relational- be intentional about re-connecting with some old friends

 

So, here goes nothing … I’ll keep you updated on my progress!

Tomorrow is December!  Can’t believe it!  Hope you are all well!  Maybe not physical, spiritual or relational … but what are your goals leading up to Christmas?

-E

All things new …

So this seems to be a recurring theme in my posts lately … things being new, new job, new places, experiences, etc.  Here are some more:

1) I’ve had the opportunity during the time I’ve been here to visit a few different churches, and haven’t rushed into getting involved for a couple different reasons.  Number one, wanting to make sure that whenever I do get involved that it is the right place, and number two, I haven’t been able to be around very consistently so far these first few months.  Next week I’ll be meeting with the pastor of a church that I’ve been to a couple of times (it is actually the church that I went to when I was in Cape Girardeau in 2005) to talk about the possibility of getting involved in a small group within the church and some potential ministry opportunities that I can be a part of to start volunteering in the church.  I’m excited about that!

2) Also, as of today it has been exactly one month since running the Chicago Marathon (man where does time go!) That being said … I lost between 15-20 pounds during my training for the marathon, without even changing my diet … just from the level of activity.  Well, due to nearly a month of relative inactivity since the marathon (and a cruise and birthday celebrations in there) … I’ve gained most of that back!  So, I’ve started a workout this week … I figure if I actually put it on here, that I might have some mental motivation/accountability to keep it up … have you seen the P90X infomercials?  Yep, that’s what I’m doing.  I bought it a couple years ago, started it, then hurt my ankle and couldn’t do it for a while, gave it to my brother for a while, and now I’ve started again … so here’s hoping that in 90 days I’ll be “ripped”  HA!  It really a pretty intense program, so we’ll see!  Maybe I’ll even be brave and post my before and after pictures if the results are noticeable! … maybe.

3) Again with the “new” theme …

2 Corinthians 5 :17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come”

I’m recognizing this more in my life, and realizing that as I submit more to what the Lord desires for my life that my thoughts, desires, priorities are shifting … I have definitely noticed how God has specifically healed my heart of some past hurts, and changed my outlook on those things.  It’s just been very encouraging to finally see how God has worked in those situations and to live in the “newness” of those realizations … if that makes sense.  It does to me!

Taking a group of International Students to the City Museum in Saint Louis this weekend … should be fun.  Maybe some pictures to come!

Anyhow … things are good, and I hope the same is true for you!

-E

Really, are people that interested??

I get no fewer that 10 new visits per day to my blog from people who have been sent to it after searching for Ho-Ho’s and Swiss Cake Rolls … all because of this post.

I need to know … are people REALLY that concerned about the differences between Swiss Cake Rolls and Ho Ho’s … I mean we did this for fun, but c’mon now … HUNDREDS of people have come to this post…  makes me laugh!  That particular post has been viewed exponentially more than any other … glad to know snack cakes are so important!

-E

Reading and listening..

It’s been a little bit since I’ve posted, and in an ongoing effort for personal/leadership growth I’ve been reading a lot.  I have a hefty stack of books that I’m trying to work my way through.

Here is what I’ve just finished and what I’m currently working on:

 

Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer:

Compelled by Love by Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation

Working on these now:

Breaking the Missional Code by Ed Stetzer and David Putman

 

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

 

Listening to:

Not Guilty Anymore by Aaron Keyes

 

Catalyst Music Project by Various Artists

 

What are you reading/listening to?  And what have you been learning lately?

Lots …

Okay, so a lot has happened since my last post, and a lot is still happening … so here is a quick run-down:

Last week I was able to attend the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta with several other campus missionaries/BSU directors from Missouri.  It was a great conference with great presenters/speakers.  The most valuable part to me was probably the time I had to fellowship and talk with other men who are doing the same thing I am doing all over the state … learning from their experiences/advice.  It was great.  I’ve told a few people this, but each time I go to a conference like that it is like trying to take a sip from a fire hydrant!  So much information in such a short period of time.  There were some pretty profound things said at that meeting that I’m still processing … maybe more thoughts on that later!

I then left Atlanta and flew to Chicago to run in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon with Team World Vision.  (you can click that link to see why I ran, and to continue to give to the cause that I ran for) I had been training for about 6 months for the marathon and was excited that the weekend was finally here … but no part of my training in warm-er weather could have prepared me for the start temperature of 30 degrees on Sunday morning!  It was so cold in the windy-city.  The run was tough, especially the last 5-6 miles, but I completed it in an official time of 4 hours 24 minutes and 22 seconds …. finishing 17,132nd out of 33,608 finishers!  LOL   I have been asked several times since Sunday if I’ll run another one … and my answer has been “never say never” … but for now, I’m fine having some time back in my life not running!

I got back into town late Sunday evening from Chicago, and today I’m leaving with a group of students from the university on our Fall Break Mission Trip.  We’re going on a service project trip to a horse ranch just outside of St. Louis that runs a non-profit ministry to handicapped and special needs children and adults.  We’ll be working on getting some things repaired and ready for some upcoming events that they have at the ranch.  I’m excited for our students to meet the owners, to hear their stories and the vision that they have for the ministry of their farm!

Like I said, it’s been busy, but it will slow down a little bit here soon … I even have a cruise coming up at the end of the month!  Great timing on that deal!

Be Blessed!

-E

Reading/Listening

Okay, here’s attempt #1 at getting back onto a somewhat “regular” blog schedule from the Cape.

Took my long weekend to continue finish unpacking from the move, and to fit in my long training run (it was an 18 miler this weekend) … I can’t believe that the marathon is only a month away!  Still raising $ before the race to help benefit the ministry of World Vision to under-developed villages in Africa … if you’re interested helping let me know!

So, I thought I’d just give a quick update today with some things that I’ve been reading and listening to lately.  I’ve got a LARGE stack of books on my desk at home that I am looking forward to getting to, but need to get settled in to a little bit of a more regular schedule right now before I start too many of them!

So here’s the list:

Missional Renaissance by Reggie McNeal

It’s a great book that challenges your thinking on what the Church is and should be and gets you to thinking about how to live a missional life.

Samson and the Pirate Monks by Nate Larkin

A book for men on authentic brotherhood, challenging men to find community with one another where you can be completely real, completely honest and free to be who God created you to be.

Listening:

This is my current favorite:

Jimmy Needham  “Not Without Love”

I’ve heard some of his other stuff, but this one has been on repeat since I got it.  This may be a terrible description, but sort of like the Jason Mraz of Christian music? … whatever it is, I like it!

That’s what I’ve got for now… what are you reading or listening to?  Any recommendations?

-E

you’ve been waiting I’m sure ….

Well, maybe the handful of you that read this thing haven’t been clinging to the edge of your seats over the last month waiting for me to post something again (well, maybe you Hayward … ) But, lots has happened, especially over the last 2 weeks, so I thought I would post a new update and let those of you who read this, and don’t already know, in on what’s going on in my life right now.

I posted this on my facebook last week:

Let the ambiguity cease… I know that I’ve been pretty un-clear with some of you about what is next for me, and I’ve been keeping to myself a little bit trying to not be presumptuous or get too excited until I had a more certain answer, BUT ….

I received a call today from the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Baptist Student Union at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau offering me the position of Campus Missionary/BSU Director, and I said yes. This was an opportunity that first came to my attention this summer, and through lots of prayer, discussions, and an interview process … the decision has been made. I’ll be officially starting in September.

I’m very excited for the opportunity, I feel like this is something that the Lord has been preparing me for. In addition to being excited I’m also a little overwhelmed at the task in front of me. It is a great responsibility to reach college students, disciple them, and to impact a campus for Christ, but I know that God is faithful, and He will continue to lead as I surrender to follow!

I can’t thank you enough for your prayers … some of you were able to pray specifically, and some had to pray more generically because I didn’t give up any details, but I’m thankful for all of them! I am blessed to have friends like you all who love and show such great support. And, trust me, I’ll be keeping in touch and asking that you continue to pray as I do take the next steps into leading this ministry at SEMO.

The time line looks like this for me… I’ll travel to Cape next week to look for and secure a place to live. While I’m there, I’ll attend the first weekly service/meeting of the BSU for the semester and be introduced as the new campus missionary/BSU director. Then, I’ll travel to St. Joseph for a conference on Friday and Saturday, and then back to Springfield on Sunday to continue to pack and get ready to move, which will hopefully take place early that week. It is going to be a crazy couple of weeks, but like I said before, I’m excited.

So, thank you for your prayers. Continue to pray that I listen intently to God as He continues to lead in this, and that the transition period over the next couple weeks goes smoothly!

Well, I’ve been in Cape Girardeau for a few days this week trying to find a place to live, and looked at SEVERAL today, and hopefully have found one that I can get into. I’ll hopefully hear back from the leasing agent tomorrow. In the meantime, there are opening week activities every night sponsored by the BSU this week. I was able to hang out with them last night at their game night and will be with them again this evening for their “sports night” with sand volleyball, frisbee, football, etc. It has been good to get to meet and begin getting to know some of the students, and meeting the student leadership that is already in place. Tomorrow night is our first worship service for the semester and I’ll be addressing the students for the first time. I’m excited, and nervous at the same time. I’m pretty sure I’m landing on the passage about the woman at the well and the end of 2 Cor. 5.

One thing that I’ve been encouraged to do lately is to put together a personal prayer support team. I know that many of you who read this already are praying for me, and I am SO thankful for that, but in the near future I’ll likely be putting together a team who I can count on to pray specifically for me as I move forward in my personal life and in my new leadership position with the BSU.

For now, I need to get going. I’m so thankful for the way God has been working in and through my life over these last few months, and blessed to have friends and family like you to walk with me through all of this!

More updates soon I hope!

-E

mentors of faith

I’m meeting a lot of people this summer who are quickly becoming mentors in the faith. Our team is getting the incredible opportunity to sit with and visit with some really great guys who are working in ministry in different areas of the Missouri Baptist Convention. So far I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with 3 guys that work in collegiate ministry in different parts of the state Gene Austin who works on the campus of Truman State, Randy Dudik who works at Missouri S & T in Rolla and Bill Victor is a regional collegiate ministry coordinator. All are men that I worked on a team with during our two weeks of Super summer, they are great men, and I’ve learned a great deal from them.
Also throughout the summer we’ll be spending days in the office with men who will come talk/teach about different things (the above men included). This week Gene came and talked with us about strengths, gifts, and leadership. It was great. It’s always crazy to me to take those sort of tests that consist of like 20 questions and then get a 25 page report back that explains me and my personality to a “T”!

The last couple of days we’ve had the opportunity to spend some time with Rick Hedger who is the Partnership Missions Specialist for the MBC. I LOVE hearing his heart! I was so challenged by him in just the short amounts of time that we were able to spend with him. The way that I pray for missions will change after our time with him this morning. Another thing that I took away from today was that Rick calls the places we serve as missionaries, “appointments,” . . . “what’s your appointment?” We blur the line a lot of times by having people say that they are “called into full time missions” . . . we are ALL called to live a misisonal life. Sure, some people are called to do mission work full time in other parts of the world, but some are called to be missionaries in our public schools, some in their offices or factories, or in their classes, etc. Another thing that stuck out to me today was Rick said, “you are either a missionary, or a mission field.”

This weekend we’ll be traveling to the St. Louis area to spend some time with another convention worker and his family for the 4th of July. I’m really excited to be getting to learn from all of these men. The crazy part is that (in the words of Jeff Carson) most of what I’m learning is being “caught” rather than “taught.” You see I’m learning a lot, and being challenged and convicted more by just watching their lives than I am by hearing them teach. Sure, they are great teachers, but just seeing them live out their faith has been incredible

Anyway, had part of the afternoon off from the office and just finished up some reading, so I thought I’d jump on here and leave a post while I had the chance! Hope you are all doing great!

-E

… another quote from this summer “a ‘radical Christian’ is likely someone who just loves Jesus a little more than you”
things that make you go hmmmm.

5 lbs. of sweat…

So, I’ve been continuing my training for the marathon this summer among our busy schedule of Super Summer’s and office work days. This morning AJ (one of the interns who I convinced to run with me this summer) and I ran a 6 mile run. It was the first 6 mile run I have done in Jefferson City, and boy was it hilly! I miss the relative flatness of Springfield! I weighed this morning before we left, and then again when we got back and I think I lost about 5 lbs. of sweat! I was really excited for AJ too . . . He had run in high school, but hadn’t run in a while, and started running with me during our Super Summer week in Hannibal, and he finished the 6 miles today only about 4 minutes behind me. Good job buddy!

On to other news, it has been a great week back in the office, busy with lots of projects like counting, sorting, storing all of the resources and supplies we took with us to Super Summer (I always hate having to sort thing back after a long trip, and that’s what this felt like), they “remodeled” … basically made a new hallway and closed off a door in our offices, and were getting ready to switch around some of the office arrangements, so we’ve been making some of those changes in the office too. My favorite parts of the week have been serving at the Salvation Army. Our intern team went to the Salvation Army twice this week to prepare and serve lunch for the residents there. It was cool to be able to serve them in that way, and to start to make some connections with the people. We’ll be going back next week on Wednesday to assist with a VBS that they asked for help with, and were invited to come on Thursday just to come and eat with them. We also plan to go back and serve more this summer. That was great!

In addition to all of that, I’ve had some things come up that are requiring a lot of thought and causing some mental fatigue, so I’ve been trying to handle that as well!

Anyhow, thought it was about time for another brief update! Hope everyone is doing well!
-E