Jan
13
New Orleans Video
Filed Under Life
Here is a video/slide show I put together from our trip down to New Orleans…enjoy!
Jan
12
One Piece at a Time
Filed Under Life
After being in full time ministry for almost a year now, I have people already asking me how long I see myself doing this.
My answer: I have no idea.
And I’m okay with that.
I’ve never been that person with a 10 year or a 5 year plan. I have a tendency to take it one year at a time. In the past 10 years, I have lived in 13 different places – 8 different cities and 4 different states…and I am planning to move within the next couple weeks (just to another city…still here in Ohio). Does that qualify me as a nomad?
The question I ask myself every so often is, “Will I ever settle down?” Again my reply: I have no idea. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to get married and have kids some day. I just don’t know when. I feel like my life is one big jigsaw puzzle. Every year or every couple years or even every month, God gives me a new puzzle piece for my life. Sometimes they fit with the other pieces He has given me and it makes perfect sense. Other times He gives me a piece that makes me ask, “What in the world am I supposed to do with this???” It’s not until years later that He gives me more pieces to make that one piece make sense and that corner of my puzzle becomes clearer.
Here’s the interesting catch…I don’t know what my completed picture looks like. God is holding onto the box cover, so I have to put the pieces together blind…figure things out as I go. At times it is frustrating when things just don’t make any sense. But then I am in complete awe when I see how two pieces given to me 7 years apart fit perfectly together.
God has a plan. He sees the final picture. He is walking this journey with me. That is why I put my faith in Him and take life one piece at a time.
Dec
20
The Little Drummer Boy
Filed Under Life
I’ve never really listened to the words of “The Little Drummer Boy” but one night while I was riding home, the song came on the radio and I actually paid attention to the words. Here they are for you:
Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.
Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That’s fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?
Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.
Here is this little boy, wanting so badly to give a gift to his king. I can just envision the sadness in his eyes when he says all he has is his drum. He doesn’t feel he has a gift that is fit for a king, but since it is all he has, he gives it his all. He “played [his] best for Him.” Then when it was all over, “He smiled at [him].” pa rum pum pum pum.
Sometimes we may feel the gifts we have to give are not elaborate or “good enough.” But when we give it our all, when we don’t short change the gifts God has given us, there will be someone smiling at us – if not here on earth, then up in heaven.
I was at the inaugural Bowerman Award presentation, which is awarded to the most outstanding collegiate men’s and women’s track and field athlete. Porscha Lucas, from Texas A&M, was one of the finalists. She said, “I thank God for my talents, but I have to perfect my talents.”
God has given us all talents and we need to embrace and perfect them. Sometimes I envy other peoples’ talents and feel mine aren’t good enough…they’re not fit for a king. But it is my King who gave me my talents…they are my gifts from him. To truly honor Him, I will perfect them and use them to glorify the One who gave them to me.
Dec
10
New Orleans
Filed Under Life
Four years have passed since Hurricane Katrina hit, yet there is still a lot of work to be done. We partnered with a couple different ministries while we were down there – Crisis Response and Urban Impact (there may have been more, not sure…there were people coming out of the woordwork when we were down there!) Because of the rain, our schedule got chanced a wee bit, so instead of doing some demolition work, we went to another house to hang some drywall. This home owner had received his money (not sure if it was from insurance, or who) to rebulid his house. He paid a contractor to come in and fix his home. Well the contractor came in, took the money and ran. Unfortunately, that is quite common down there. Way to kick someone when they’re down, people!
Before and after shots of one of the rooms we worked on.
We all really enjoyed working with the people of Crisis Response and I almost mastered the art of using a roter zip.
When the rain settled after two days, we set off for our original house, which technically wasn’t a house. There were no walls nor ceiling and our job was to tear up the rest of the floor, but salvage what wood we could.
Another aspect of our ministry was working with Urban Impact. They created this thing called the Challenge Circle for the kids. While showing these kids love, they instill messages of staying in school and never quitting. We played a lot of four square and had a lot of fun with these kids.
We did have a free day and we toured the city. We saw the two levies that broke, and the Lower Ninth Ward, where most of the damage was done. We also visited a cemetery, which is highly creepy, but their graves are above ground so it was interesting to see. (We visited the cemetery where “Double Jeopardy” was filmed). There was a grave digger there who gave us a “tour”. The “tour” was complete with him showing us an empty tomb he was preparing and crawling into it! Many of us questioned whether he really worked there or if he was some random guy who came along to collect “donations” for his “tour”. The worst part was that we got locked in so he had to take us out another gate.
The evening was rounded off with a Tide win over the Gators (ROLL TIDE!) and bengiets at Cafe du Monde, a New Orleans dessert, which is very, very yummy (and really not that good for ya!)
All in all, the trip was a good one and hopefully I will be able to take an AIA Track & Field team down there to do some ministry. We had a good crew go down and there were a few times I laughed until I cried and couldn’t breathe (the best kind of laugh!) Please continue to pray for the people of New Orleans.
Nov
27
Nine States in One Month
Filed Under Life
December will be filled with lots of traveling, starting Monday (which is technically still November). Monday, there’s about 13 of us staff members heading down to New Orleans. We’ll be driving…13 hours in a van or car. It shouldn’t be too bad, since road trips are so much fun when you have people to enjoy them with…as long as they don’t have teeny tiny bladders so you have to stop every 10 min. We’re not completely sure what we will be doing, but we’ll be helping with some Katrina clean up…possibly building something. I have borrowed a toolbelt, will be bringing my tools and safety goggles, so I am hoping to swing my hammer! I believe my favorite part will be on the way back because we will be staying in Tuscaloosa for the night. Granted it will be short and brief, I will be happy to be spending the night in my second home.
Then I come back to Ohio for a week. My next trip will be the 14th-17th to Orlando for a coaches convention. Tim, Tim and I (the AIA T&F Department) will head down there in hopes to connect with college coaches across the country and expose them to AIA. Then it’s back to Ohio for a few days to take a Level 1 Coach’s Certification class and then head home to MN Dec 22nd. I am excited to see both family and friends and spend some quality time with all of them. And I’m super excited to see my nephew who is ridiculously crazy and hilarious!
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and took time to see all you are thankful for 