Let The Road Trips Begin

Well Im back from CIY with the youth group and it was really good. Many people that I had talked to said that they thought it was the best they've been to in years and Id have to agree with them, it was pretty good. We had a little trouble with the youth group this year, again as we do every year, but it was the first night there in the dorms and so needless to say we didnt get to bed until 3 or so that morning.

It was good to see some old faces and to meet some new ones. Some of you may know that Court and I have been talking and just wondering about church planting and whether or not thats what we want to do or called to do and while at school I talked to two good friends about doing church planting and especially up in the New England area and they too had talked to each other about doing it as well, without knowing that I had talked to them both as well. Well I met a guy this week, one day at lunch and all the seats were taken by my youth group so I decided to meet someone new. I asked if this seat was taken and he said no and our friendship began. We introduced oursevles and did all of that get to know you stuff. . .where you from . .what do you do and so on. Well he began to ask me about what my plan is after the internship was over and I went on to tell him about helping out with a church plant here in Knoxville and then proceded to tell him about my ideas of maybe doing church planting in the New England area. Well Rick got real big and wide eyed and said "No Way", at this time I just assumed he was an energetic guy, but he began to tell me his story. Well Rick was from a bigger church in Florida, but he grew up in Rhode Island and would love to go back there. He began to tell me about how God was working in him and about how a few weeks ago they had a guest speaker come in and talk to his congregation about church planting. He said it was very interesting to him and sparked something in him that caused him to want to move back to the New England area and maybe do church planting. He told me about how just this week, he had talked to someone about doing church planting and moving back to that area up north and about how he would love to go back and reach his home people. The New England area is deeply rooted in Catholicism and to be honest, I have not done a lot of research on Catholicism, but I am extremly interested not due to this fact, but I am just interested in learning about other religions and their beliefs, but this also gives me a little more motive. So with the fact that the New England area is so rooted in Catholicism, it would be great to have someone like Rick who grew up there and who has a heart for the peope of New England.

I feel like God is up to something. With this conversation and with the conversations I have had with friends at school and probably the conversations that I will have in the future.

On a lighter note we went to McKays last night, one of my favorite places here in Knoxville and I got two books Im excited about, The Desire of the Everlasting Hills and The Gifts of the Jews by Thomas Cahill. So Im looking forward to going up to Michigan to have some time to read these books and probably a few others.

I think that I put the finishing touches on the apartment that Kyle and I will be living in this year, pretty small but good enough for me and they're cheap so Im not going to complain. If you know of a good job or a good place for me to work, let me know.

Well we're getting ready to leave to head to Johnson City for Nate and Emily's wedding and to see some family so it will be fun. The road trips are about to begin, 1st stop - Johnson City, TN, 2nd stop - Noblesville, IN, 3rd stop - Port Hope, MI and then back to either Indiana or Knoxville, not sure yet for me. So I may not be able to post for a week or so with me being up in Michigan and not having a computer so to the few that read this, have a great week or two.

Cleave and Leave

I leave tomorrow to go to CIY in Cleveland, TN at Lee University. With that said it might be a few days before I post next, I dont know if I'll have internet there or not. I kind of like this blog thing so far, it gives me a chance to write about whatever I want.

Im excited to get out of Memphis, its been an interesting summer to say the least. I've realized that I want to work with someone that is a little more organized than my "boss" this summer. Not that Im some kind of OCD person or anything, I just like to have things somewhat lined up and be somewhat organized and that wasnt the case this summer but thats ok. It was hard to get people motivated out here to do stuff and to acutally take God and Christianity serious. It's frustrating, and I know its not just here in Memphis but everyone there will be people, but its frustrating to me that people do not see church as something that is living and breathing rather than just a building. People think that being a "Christian" is just about being a good person and doing nice things and the right things and about saying the right things at the right time and looking good to everyone else. They fail to see the relational aspect of Christianity, the relational aspect between us and God and between us and other people. But I will take what I have learned here and value that and move on from here and onto the next thing. I will soak up the good that has taken place this summer.

Im looking forward to getting back into Knoxvegas and hopefully help out with a church plant. Thats something completely new to me and something that is extremly appealing and attractive to me, especially creating a come as you are enviroment and not reaching to the middle class, white amearicans and putting on a show for everyone, but actually having community and having relationships and caring for each other and praying for each other and loving each other and being the church.

Thats all I have for now, off to finish packing my car and getting things ready for the road.

Hi Betsy.

Here We Go

Well here we go, I finally decided to give into to technology and into the fad thats going on. I've always been a little behind the times with getting the new and improved, next best thing. I didnt get my first cell phone until right before my freshman year of college, I still have an old computer (no MAC for me), just got an ipod for Christmas and still don't know of to fully work it, and I don't know that much about the technology world and so this will probably be a long and slow process so I ask for patience with me and this new project I am taking on. I've never been one that is great with journaling or keeping up with stuff like this, so we'll see how this goes, but I'll try to keep up and post as often as I remember to. I swore I wouldn't get a xanga, so I decided to get this instead and I may as well have one cause I read everyone else's, so here's to you Betsy.

Im getting ready to leave Memphis for good, we're taking the kids to CIY and then off to Nate and Emily's wedding I go then off to Port Hope, MI to see where I might end up one day with Courtney. Im actually pretty excited about the next few weeks and the traveling I will be able to do and just getting away and having some free time and being able to spend some time with the misses, haven't seen her much this summer, so it will be good times had by all. However I am also excited to get back into Knoxvegas and see friends and live there hopefully and maybe be involved in some new and exciting stuff that is soon to be happening there, still havent heard anything yet on the apartment however. Well thats about all I got for now, finishing packing up the office, I have too many books for my car I think, I may not have room for all my clothes and other belongings with all the books I brought, good thing Im a professional packer. But this has been fun and hopefully I'll hear from all 1 maybe 2 of you that will read this and hopefully you'll hear from me soon as well.