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

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

100…

This is my 100th post … woo hoo!!

Super Summer …

Well, thought it was about time to bring a brief update for the summer since I’ve been away from internet most of the last week, and have a few days off now, I thought I should bring you up to date and give you some visuals from Super Summer.

The last two weeks one of my main responsibilities was as a small group leader for the students attending Super Summer that just graduated high school and are moving into college, work, service, etc. We were the SILVER team … each age group is assigned a color to identify themselves as… we got silver, I wondered if they just thought that was the most appropriate color to signify those that were getting older … okay it was a lame joke, but I laughed when I thought about it.

I had great small groups for both weeks of Super Summer, there are always brief moments when it is hard leading a small group and it always takes a little while to “get comfortable” with each other, but both of my groups ended up being really great, and I think that God is really at work in some of those young men’s lives. It is exciting to see. Our “curriculum/teaching” was based on the ideas of movements, and joining the movement. I really just wanted to walk through the week with my groups and help them process what God was doing in their lives and encourage them along the way. It was also a goal to help them to see that God wants them to “join the movement” right where they are. They are in the positions in life that they currently find themselves for a reason, and God wants to use them right there! So, I’m really praying for them, and for God to continue to work in their lives to break strongholds, and to show them which steps to take for Him.

It’s really been a privilege to work with some of the sharpest young people in the state of Missouri the last few weeks as fellow small group leaders. There were probably close to 30 small group leaders each week, and these young men and women continually poured their lives into the lives of youth, counseled them, prayed with/for them, and had such great servant’s hearts. I was encouraged to see a generation of college students surrendering their lives for a week, two weeks, or the whole summer to serve the Lord in that capacity. Great job guys! Lives were changed for eternity, and God chose to use you in that!

This weekend, we have the weekend off, and I was home in Springfield to relax, participate in a team long run with my training team for the marathon, and to celebrate Sarah’s birthday. Happy Birthday Tomorrow, one of the interns that I’m working with for the summer is leading worship for a church in the area with his band, so I’m going to go show my support, and then head up to Green Ridge to visit my dad for a few hours on Father’s Day before heading back to Jefferson City tomorrow evening for our church worship service.

A brief update, hopefully I’ll get to do that a little more often the next few weeks. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from Super Summer:

-E

Mufa Puffa (Obstacle Course during Rec. one day … they did it all carrying a can of soda and then had to chug it at the end):

Worship/band:

Silver team:

Ho Ho’s or Swiss Cake Rolls

Today, we put to rest the age old question of which was better . . . Ho Ho’s or Swiss Cake Rolls … It had been a debated topic in the house the first few weeks. So, today on our trip to Wal-Mart we bought a box of each and had a blind taste test between 5 of us.
The results:
Only 2 of us could correctly identify which was which based on touch and taste, and the taste preference was that 4 out of 5 named Swiss Cake Rolls as the best tasting based on the blind taste test. So the debate can finally be put to rest that Swiss Cake Rolls are definitely better!

Okay, so we aren’t just spending our time on blind taste tests and the like … we actually had a great week at Bolivar for Super Summer week 1, and will leave in the morning for Super Summer week 2 in Hannibal. Our team of interns are being small group leaders in several of the different teams as well as helping out with other random responsibilities like helping sell items at the merchandise table in the evenings, etc. Tomorrow will be a busy day as we get things set up in Hannibal and prepare for the students to show up on Monday afternoon.

2 questions:
1) What are you doing with your summer?
2) Which do you think is better, Ho Ho’s or Swiss Cake Rolls

Love…

This word gets used ALL THE TIME.

What do you think of when you hear the word love?

What do you think it means?

Go…

Repentance …

… what does that mean …

Something I’ve been wrestling with the last week or so.  Any thoughts?

-E

Go “Elf Yourself” …

My brother and sister-in-law sent me a video yesterday that they made of my nephew and his cousins.  It was funny, so I decided to make one of myself . . . I can’t get the video to embed on the blog, but you can go to this address:

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/u24XQZAQ5Ud1VpMw4DP2

and view my fabulous dance moves . . . I bet you didn’t know that I was actually a triplet who was part of a traveling dance troupe … enjoy.

If that doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit, I don’t know what will . . . lol.

hymns

I’ve been listening to a lot of hymns lately. As a worship leader, I’m always keeping an ear out for good, worshipful music/lyrics.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of a lot of the current worship songs, but they seldom match the eloquence of the hymns from my childhood and beyond.

I grew up singing these songs, but took the beauty of the words for granted as I sang with the lack of a truly conscious reverence.  If you stop to listen to and truly meditate on some of these songs, you’ll see how truly rich they are.

Having said that, I guess I’m a sucker for someone who  can take these hymns and give them a little personal touch as they present their versions.  Now, I’ve also heard some of these GREAT hymns completely butchered, and un-recognizable . . . that’s not what I’m talking about here.  I grew up in a traditional Southern-Baptist Church, so I know what these hymns “sound like”, so I think it’s refreshing to hear someones interpretation on the original.  Here are a few that I’ve been enjoying recently:

Jadon Lavik: Roots Run Deep

Chris Rice: Peace Like a River

What are your favorite hymns/lyrics?