20959 Day 17

summer_reflections

today i attended a meeting debriefing the summer with all the directors from the summer camps who go to hale reservation. we had a rough summer in some respects and so i was a little apprehensive that this meeting might turn in to an "all the ways that bird street sucks" kind of event. it wasn't that at all. in fact, it was kind of affirming to hear some of the trials and tribulations that other camps had and to hear some similar complaints and feedback from other directors.

i think it will be a long time before i am able to fully process all that went on this summer. sometimes it feels like the most colossal waste of my time, and other times, like when i look back at pics like this one, it seems so fun and i get very nostalgic. i suppose the truth is somewhere in the middle of that.

20859 Day 16

a_million_little_churches

there are at least 10-15 churches on our "temporary home" street. (this picture is actually a bad picture because this is not one of those churches, it is a school that's associated with one of the churches, but i do like it because its architecture captures the essence of these buildings). if you continue northwest from norfolk on to washington street you'll see another 15 or so churches. all on in about a one mile span.

i have completely mixed emotions and thoughts concerning this reality. on the one hand i understand why there are so many: they meet the specific needs of "niche" groups...you'll have your pentecostal-french-speaking-haitian church, and one block over your baptist-spanish-speaking-dominican church, and a million more examples. i also love the idea of small communities meeting all over the city (sounds familiar)...smallness has many advantages. and yet, everyday as i walk home from the train station i can't help but feel like something is not quite right about this.

thoughts?

20759 Day 15

bike_ride

i made a deal with myself today. we are experiencing some beautiful late summer/early fall weather here in boston. the best weather we've had in a long time actually. a "must be outside" kind of day. so i said, "self, get your work done quick and then go for a bike ride." amy and i recently invested some money in fixing up some bikes and i used mine almost every day during camp, but haven't had much of a rhythm with it since that ended. it felt really good to get back on this today...

...i discovered via a handy "bike map of boston" amy acquired at some free event on campus that it is very easy to get from the Nelson's to the infamous dorchester bike path that i've heard so much about but never biked on before...

what a cool trail! not hard in any sense, but it kind of reminded me of durango...

...ok, so it only reminded me of durango in this one spot, but, still, quite the oasis of beauty on a path that runs around and through some of the rougher areas of boston. i love it. plus you end up in a place like this...

which is pretty cool. needless to say, i had a great experiencing a little beauty in the middle of busy week and a crazy town.

20659 Day 14

nate

this is nathan and he is a good man. he chooses his words well and he dresses sharply. he also loves Jesus very much and cares deeply about the ways that God's Kingdom are discovered and expressed, especially in a place like dorchester. he's been a major leader (THE major leader, in fact) in the Quincy Street partnership that Sojourn has (the partnership that led amy and i to move to dorchester).

nathan and i were able to hang out today and talk a little bit about the future...in particular we are starting to think of ways that we can link our houses and ministries together in a way that is healthy and makes sense in our particular neighborhoods. these are fun and very encouraging conversations! thanks nate

20559 Day 13

king_bowl

today was a big day for sojourn as we jump into a new semester (and year). we had our annual kickoff event at king bowl (free bowling and pizza). this is a pretty important event for us since we don't do much in terms of large group gatherings. in fact, other than our sunday morning gatherings at reunion this is the only time we get "everyone" in the same room. so, it is a good opportunity for connection and for people to see the faces that go along with our community groups. we had a great time and a good turn out (about 80 people) and lots of new sign ups for community groups. amy and i are launching a brand new, BU specific group that starts this week, so if you get a chance to pray that follow up goes well over the next few days that would be great! this is going to be a big week.

20459 Day 12

usc_at_mcgreevy's

little picture today. after a morning meeting and a restful afternoon, amy, myself, and our fun canadian friend, luke, went to mcreevy's to watch the USC/Ohio St game with the new england USC alumni. it was really fun. and it was more fun to watch the game (with its epic fourth quarter drive) in a room full of 'scers.

big day tomorrow as we officially kick off the fall semester sojourn style!

20359 Day 11

on_campus

i spent my first significant time on the campus of UMASS-Boston today. amy and i signed up for the athletic center a couple of weeks ago (free for the clergy, nice!) but i have not been around when school was actually in session. lots of activity today, though. i like the vibe of UMASS a lot, although hard to quantify, it is different from, say, Boston University.

i sat for a while in the campus center and had a great view of the bay while i was doing some work. i mean, the view's are incredible. i find it hard to believe that no other schools got their hands on this property. did i mention the views are amazing. they are, and i, of course, forgot my camera. awesome.

20259 Day 10

a_big_thick_book

required reading we are wading our way though this semester. reminds me of seminary, which is always fun.

i also made my first google doc. it was a pretty exciting day.

now, time to hang out with amy =)

20159 Day 9 (project_365)

video_conference

we had a staff meeting via tokbox today. because we are awesome.

=)

20059 Day 8 (project_365)

BU_community_groups

amy and i are going to be leading/facilitating a BU specific community group starting this semester. this is cool for several reasons. one, this has been amy's campus for the past 2+ years and i am excited for her to be invested in there in this way. two, i am trying to integrate myself into the life of the BU campus and this will be the first group "exclusive" (loosely defined) to BU, so that is a cool opportunity for me. third, i am really excited to do anything with Amy and i know that we are both super stoked to have a group of college kids to love on. so please be praying that students, many of whom are wandering the gigantic buildings of this downtown campus, feeling a little lost and lonely, will be drawn to our community in the next weeks and months.

19959 Day 7 (project_365)

new_semester

today we had our sojourn leadership team together to talk about the new year, dream a little, plan out a few details, and basically just get excited for what God is going to do. it was a good time and a very tangible reminder for me that this is really happening...and i couldn't be happier about that...i feel like i'm actually "doing" something! i totally forgot to take a picture of the team, though, so i thought i'd just use another pic from our weekend. here's a view of the white mountains. seemed appropriate, you know, mountains, reaching the summit, overcoming obstacles, all that motivational stuff =)

19859 Day 6 (project_365)

gratitude

our ability to get up to new hampshire this weekend is due completely to the generosity of my parents. there was a point, a couple of months ago, where we weren't sure if this plan was going to work...not knowing what our schedules/life would look like made getting out of town an uncertainty. but, as it turns out, we needed this weekend away badly and so the last couple of days have been a HUGE blessing to us. and, just as important, it was great to hang out and connect with family, which is always a challenge when you live 3000 miles away and in a time zone that makes phone calls difficult. so, thank you mom and dad for this great gift!

19759 Day 5 (project_365)

weekend_away

we were able to get up to new hampshire this weekend for some time away and some much needed relaxation before the semester really gets going. we were in an area of NH known for its lakes and the white mountains. this is a view of squam lake. pretty cool.

19659 Day 4 (project_365)

desk_job

i spend a lot of time sitting in front of this pile these days. as a Sojourn staff member i am responsible to raise my own salary. in a strange way i kind of enjoy this. maybe i am learning patience or something. whatever it is, i enjoy the process of sitting down, thinking about the people we've known in our lives, how they've influenced us, and the experiences we've shared. then i pray about and for them and then write them a personal letter. i've chosen to make each letter unique and as personal as possible, since i don't have the capacity to meet with everyone face to face. i think this is a good way to do it. some would argue that i shouldn't write any letters, i should do it all face to face. others argue that to be more efficient you need fancier slogans and slick mass mailings to get the word out quickly and to as many people as possible. but i like this way better. i like thinking about people and what we've done together and how this can be a continuation of relationship and partnership. but it is hard and slow too. i guess, what i really want to say is that if you get a letter like this from me please know that i am not thinking of you as a dollar figure but as a friend, and i am so grateful for the ways that you have influenced me and been a part of my life.

enjoy your holiday weekend everyone!

19559 Day 3 (project_365)

new_home

- for the next two months, or so, while our house is in the process of closing and being transformed into livable space, we will be living with the Nelson family on Norfolk St. some early observations: if we're not going to be in our "own" space, then it's nice to be with a family (especially when they pray for you in their kitchen)...this part of town is different than where we were (perhaps a little "rougher")...we're extremely grateful for gracious hosts!!!

and last, but not least, before we left 48 Granger we had sort of adopted a neighborhood kitten. it's was cute and stuff, but with the nelsons we have access to a dog, Misty, who is hanging out with me as i type this! pretty cool =)

19459 Day 2 (project_365)

boston university

- i spent a little time at BU today. a couple of significant things:

1) today is the first day of Amy's last academic semester on campus!

2) this is the one of the campuses i will be focused on this year...in particular, one of our big goals for this semester is to get registered as a student group on campus.

3) we also got engaged here =)

lot's of energy on campus today with classes starting...it was fun to see some freshman (so little!), all cute and nervous on their first day. it all got me excited to see what happens this semester.

19359 project_365: day 1

a couple of months ago my good friend, nathan, initiated a new practice in his life and blogging called Project 365. the idea is do a picture and post a day for a whole year.

this seems like a great idea, especially since the next year is going to be so full of adventures and exciting new things. a preview: starting my new career in ministry with sojourn collegiate minsitry...the rehab and move in to our new home in dorchester...amy's final year of school and new job...possible pets...the giants in the world series...wait, what...and those are just the things we can count on happening.

so, hold me accountable to this...everyday, starting today, for the next year, i will have a picture and post and you'll be able to follow our adventures in new, cool ways.

Day 1

here's our first apartment we lived in as a married couple. not my favorite residence of all time, but special because it is the first place we lived. everyone always says the first year is the hardest...the jury is still out on that one, but a lot of major conversations and life decisions took place in this house. plus we hosted a community group here for exactly a year...and some wonderful relationships, our first real boston friends in fact, came out of that group (which continues on, i case you were wondering). today, then marks, the first day out of 48 granger and so day 1 is about commemorating our first abode.

19259 fun_raising

here's how coming on staff with sojourn works, in a nutshell: a person gets really excited about what sojourn does, feels the call of God on his or her life, does the pertinent research and conversation having, decides to go for it, makes the necessary arrangements, and then begins the arduous, and nerve wracking, process of raising sufficient funds.

I'm at the arduous and nerve wracking stage.

in july i got back my first round of receipts, which would have been for the month of june. not bad for the first month! we received well over a third of what our monthly budget would be. awesome, i thought, what a great start. then july came and went and we had a grand total of nothing. not awesome.

here's how the process has gone so far:

we did two fundraising events, one in Boston and one in Salinas. both went well, with the Salinas event being particularly special and affirming. then i spent the summer working on packets for churches. we ended up sending out nine packets, fully equipped with video and other visuals. so far, we've heard back positively from four of the nine, and the other five i am in the process of following up with. actually, i've been pleased with the response we've received from churches, as campus ministry has kind of a historical love-hate relationship with church. all, along i've felt like if three of the nine came on board financially we'd be well on our way.

now i am in the stage of writing letters and sending off packets to individuals. this is actually kind of fun (hence the "fun" raising title, not a typo)...i enjoy the time i get to put in to each one, and love being able to think about great moments i've shared with the person i'm writing, or some way that they have influenced me over the years. but it is slow. i've eschewed the mass form letter for person petitions. that feels better to me, especially since so many people i know are in California and i can't sit down and take them out to coffee and explain what we are doing.

i like this process in some ways and hate it in others...how do you ask for money without being annoying? how do you follow up with people with out being super annoying? is asking boldly a great act of faith and courage, or does that just put people off? is asking humbly a simple and nicer way to do it, or is that just being a chicken? and on and on the self-questioning goes.

the bottom line is this: i have never been more convinced in my entire life that what i am doing is exactly what i am supposed to be doing with my life. i also know, based on a long history of seeing God work, that our needs will be more than met. but despite all that i still struggle in the in-between place.

so there are some thoughts on the weird life of a fund-raiser.

be checking back tuesday for the beginning of a new approach to the illumination dilemma...i think you all will like it.

19159

- some pics and video from the end of camp. the pictures are from the overnight experience amy and i took the kids on. the video is of my two favorite campers...they are new to the US from Ethiopia (ten months ago). they are simply two of the brightest and most polite kids i've ever met. and they're not bad at step either =)

- overnight fun!

- stepping awesomeness! (my apologies for the poor quality)

19059

updates to last week's post:

1) one week of camp to go. this last week was especially crazy. two of my counselors (and two of my better staff as far as working with the kids goes) got into a crazy fight. the police were called, threats were made, charges were considered to be pressed. it was out of control. both were terminated which means we've been short staffed and will be through the end of camp. crazy, crazy, craziness. all that to say the sense of heaviness i've experienced this summer hasn't lessened this last week.

also, amy and i are feeling more and more compelled to consider adoption. not like next week or anything, but, you know, it's something we are talking about.

2) we have some dates now for closing on the house. october 9th is the magic day! we still do not have a solution for the intermediate, no house, time. we're getting mildly nervous, but not too much. at least not yet =)

3) we've had some preliminary meetings with the Boston University team and I am getting really excited about jumping in there in a few weeks! we've also finished all the church packets and are waiting to hear from a few and following up with some others. now it is time to move on to individuals. we are continually impressed with all the ways God is taking of us in this time.

that's it for now! peace.

18959

many, many things going on....so here we go:

1) in two weeks from today, camp will be over and i will no longer be employed by bird street community center.  what an interesting adventure this has been.  camp, this summer, has been challenging in so many ways and i have been incredibly stretched as a leader.  the most challenging thing has been what i am calling the "expansion of knowledge and care."  last summer i had 10-15 kids in my unit...i got to know them and their stories of brokenness and it was hard.  then this year in my after school program i had 25 kids, and i got to know them and their stories of brokenness and it was hard.  and now, this summer, we have had 100+ kids and 20 or so staff and i have gotten to know them and their stories of brokenness and it's REALLY hard.  

this last week has been especially difficult.  we have this little boy in camp who is six and has already been in four foster homes over the last year.  his mom is on drugs and in a lot of trouble.  he is a really sweet boy (most of the time) but is extremely angry and you can see the foster child story playing out already (even though he hasn't even been in the system a year).  i just found out on thursday that the couple he is with now (also really sweet people, but they are in their sixties and can't really handle his energy) are trying to move him.  this is just one of a hundred stories that rips me apart on a daily basis.  amy met him yesterday and wants to adopt him!

also, this week there was a double homicide that took place about half a mile from our home and right across the street from the community center (also, very near to the quincy street neighborhood).  there are a number of homicides that happen in the area, and i usually read about them, but feel somewhat disconnected even though they happen in our "neighborhood."  well, this time there was no disconnect. one of the victims was a really neat young guy who had life guarded at a pool i took the after school kids to every friday.  we were by no means close, but saw each other often, knew each other's first names, and i always appreciated the way he dealt with some of our rowdier students.  the incident happened early monday morning and affected a couple of people on my staff (as well as me and several people in our community group).  in some ways, this demonstrates that we are getting "deeper" into the community at large, but also it's been a tougher pill to swallow.

all that to say, it's been a heavy summer.

2) the process of buying a house has been extremely difficult and slow.  it's looking very much like it's going to happen, but man is it taking forever!  because of the slowness of this process we are going to be out of housing for about six weeks (yikes!) and are scrambling to figure that out.  for those of you who are praying types, this is a huge request!  this is another situation where i know in a year we will look back and have some good stories and laughs, but right now feels totally ridiculous.  

3) school (as in colleges and universities) is beginning soon, and i can't wait to tackle my first semester with Sojourn.  i am getting really excited about some partnerships with local stuff that we can get students plugged into.  some cool opportunities are starting to present themselves and this gets me fired up!  

the other side of that is the continual process of raising sufficient funds.  on the one hand this process has also been really slow (mostly due to my lack of time), and on the other it's already been amazing to see how people are responding and being even more generous than expected.  right now, my focus has been on churches.  i have created a little packet for ten churches to look at and review.  my hope and prayer is that three (i don't know where that number came from, but it feels like the right one) will financially support us, another three will be willing to send teams to help us out with our house and other projects, and that all of them will be praying for our ministry.

apologies for the long update.  i usually try to keep things shorter, but not this week!

peace

18859

can't decide if i have nothing to say or too much to say and not enough energy to write it all down.  so we have, instead, a list of things that i like right now...

1) nathan's picture a day blog: home sweet 22

2) books about suffering: one about the blues and one about creativity

3) websites about puppies

4) blogs about potential baseball trades

5) online giving

have a great week, hopefully i'll have more to say next time 

18759

nantasket beach!

18659

we have a lot going on right now.  summer camp is in full swing (a fairly all-consuming swing at that).  amy is in the midst of an intense 10 week clinical experience.  we are in the nitty-gritty stages of the home buying process.  plus we have family visiting, weddings to attend, more social gathering invitations than we have time for.  oh yeah, and i'm working on fundraising so that i can actually have one job and focus this fall.

i have to admit that in the middle of all that sojourn gets lost.  september, though right around the corner, still feels a long way off, especially with more pressing details and deadlines staring me in the face.  

which makes me all the more glad for the series we are going through at reunion right now.  it's called "roots" and it looks at the four generations described in genesis, starting with abraham.  which is cool, but even cooler, for me, has been the series of video stories they've done where different people in our community have shared about their own spiritual "roots".  we've heard three stories so far and for each one the pivotal moment arrived when they were in college.  

fascinating.  inspiring.  

these five minute stories are keeping me focused right now, reminding me that what i'll eventually be doing this fall is so vital and important to God's kingdom.

18559

i have a lot of books on my shelves about leadership.  some of them are inspirational, some are informative, some are analytical, some are anecdotal.  they are all intended to make the reader a "better" leader.  

i've read all of them.  i've taken classes on leadership.  i've been to the leadership summit.  i've been a leader in different contexts.  i've been a leader by title, by position, and by circumstance.

we are only four days in to summer camp and already this is the most challenging leadership experience i have ever had.  over the course of a given day i have had to get 10 five year old boys changed and ready for the pool, talk a seven year old girl into participating in activities with the rest of her group, motivate a sixteen year old junior counselor to "go above and beyond" by carrying one more cooler up the stairs, teach a unit leader how to be a leader to the kids and junior counselors they are overseeing, inspire the art teacher to think of something to do on a rainy day when she'd already seen all the kids once that day, speak frankly to a parent about their child's behavioral issues, and the list goes on and on (and almost all of this is cross-cultural as well).

so, i sit in my living room and look at all those books and chuckle to myself because they are fairly worthless when rain and thunder and lightening are bellowing forth from the sky and you have to get fifty kids off one broken bus and squish them on to a second bus with the same amount of kids, all while burning up your cell minutes trying to figure out where you are going to spend the day because hale reservation is no place to be in a storm like this one. 

and that was just the first week =)    

18459

something i'm learning about myself...

in three days i will be done with the after school part of my involvement with bird street.  it feels like it's been a long year but it's also gone by so fast.  and i think i'll miss it in a way.  or at least i will certainly miss some of the kids i've been able to get to know over the year.

on thursday we had our year end party and awards ceremony.  i wanted to do something fun that the kids would enjoy, but also something that would speak into their lives.  who knows how much impact a green certificate with some words on it can have in a kids life, but i really felt like this was something we needed to do.

they loved the awards ceremony even if they didn't completely "get" it.  for each of them i created a certificate for something they accomplished or contributed during the year (everything from excellence in math to best laugh).  but then i also tried to connect their accomplishment to something they want to do in the future (for example the student who won the leadership award wants to be a teacher, so i tried to help her see how those go together).

i think this is a big part of who i am.  i really enjoy the opportunities i get to cast some vision into people's lives and help them see what could be.  whether it is a kid in an urban school, a college student, someone in our community group, my wife...i want to be the kind of person who cultivates vision and passion and not someone who squashes it.

andy stanley writes in visioneering: "what would happen if you were to begin speaking to people's potential rather than their performance."  there is somewhat of a fine line here...some people would say that its wrong or irresponsible to tell a kid they can be whatever they want to be.  but i think i would rather error on the side of speaking to people's potential.  and with the kids in my program it feels even more important to be "irresponsible" because not many people in their lives will be.

i guess what i am trying to say is that other people can speak to performance...i'm learning that my role is to speak to potential.

 

18359

one of my favorite phrases used by the kids i work with is "been knowed."  as in "i been knowed that," as in "i already knew about that which you speak of before this present moment."  for some context, you might overhear the following conversation:

some second grader: "i'm smarter than you even though you in third grade."

some third grader: "no you ain't."

second grader: "aight...what's 6 times 6."

third grader: "i been knowed that since first grade...36!"

sometimes, for emphasis, you might even hear: "i been DONE knowed that," just to drive the point home.

as someone who grew up in the church, went to seminary, and has served a church community as a pastor there are a number of elements and practices that feel like "i been knowed."  one of those is sabbath.  i been knowed that sabbath is important, that we need rest, that God rests and invites us into that rest.  but, despite being a pretty relaxed person, i really stink at sabbathing.

a couple of months ago, at church, we talked about finding joy in the midst of exhaustion, a sermon that hit WAY close to home.  for most of the year amy and i have been extremely busy monday through friday, working over 50 hours a week at our respective jobs/schooling (plus community group and coffee meetings with people), then going over to Qunicy street on saturday mornings, cleaning the house on saturday afternoon, going out with friends/dates on saturday night, going to church on sunday morning which involves travel and means we aren't home until mid afternoon, which leaves just enough time to do the laundry and dishes and go to bed and start the whole thing all over again.  i just got exhausted rereading that sentence.  something had to be done.

so, we've made saturday our sabbath.  which has been hard because it means saying no to some really good things.  like being present in the quincy street neighborhood on saturday morning.  or not doing every social thing available to us on the weekends.  it gives the impression of being a flake or antisocial.

i think that's been harder on amy who has a longer history with quincy street than i do (and i get more than enough kid time during the week).  plus she's taking on an administrative role over there, meaning she's behind the scenes, which, as she can tell you, has pluses and minuses.  

difficulties aside, we've found this new practice of sabbath to be really good...life giving and life saving, to be perfectly honest.  i've recently been reading The Dangerous Act of Worship: Living God's Call to Justice which argues that a life of justice is the natural outpouring of our worship of God.  particularly affirming and convicting has been a chapter titled: "Doing Justice Starts with Rest."

two good quotes:

"justice is God's business.  God's people are important but are secondary players in this cause.  the gospel underlines that only God can establish peace and justice.  faithful worship shows that God is relentless in this and wants to use us in the effort.  but God calls us to live out of his rest, which teaches us in matters of injustice, as in all else, that we do not have the final authority or responsibility."

and 

"our engagement in works of justice arises out of a worshipful life.  it comes not out of being activists but out of living in God's rest, every day.  this is one of the most profound aspects of a Christian social ethic.  it is not that we are meant to find our lives by being community organizers.  it is that, as we live in the rest of God, we live in our true home, in the heart of God in Christ, in whom 'all things hold together.'"

all of that to say, i "been knowed" that sabbath is important, but i am finally experiencing that in a real, tangible, sacrificial, life giving way right now.

18259

amy and i have been married for 365 days...which equals 1 year!  we went to the blue hills, and it was awesome...check it out.

18159

amy and i are off to the blue hills this weekend to celebrate our one year anniversary...before we leave though, id like to share two cool bird street stories.

- i've written about aishah before and this year she has really struggled in our program (for a lot of good reasons).  over the year we've come to a good place as far as being able to exist together civilly for three hours every day.  she wrote me a thank you note yesterday (on thank you stationary).  here's what she said:

"Thank you Steve for teaching me and being there for me.  Even though you are annoying I still appreciate you.  Love, Aishah"  

wow!  that's huge

- we've also been doing a lot of surveys and it's been cool to get feedback from teachers and see how students have improved over the year.  it was also fun to do student surveys and see what they've thought about their year.  there was one free response question where they could write or draw about "what they learned this year."  a lot of them said stuff about hip hop dance, or art, or playing outside, fun stuff like that.  my favorite, though, was isiah who simply wrote: "i learned to be good."  another wow!  i asked him about and i think he really means it...cool!

18059

updates...

- last weekend amy and i flew to california to share with some of our favorite people about what we are doing with sojourn.  it was a truly awesome time!  we feel so blessed and incredibly encouraged.  so far, in fact, the whole fund raising experience has been overwhelmingly positive.  we still have a lot of work to do and much money to raise yet, but i'm actually enjoying it and consistently in wonder at the partnerships that are developing.  i'm learning that the best thing about raising your own support is that you discover how creative God is in taking care of your needs, and that is pretty cool.

- thank you so much to those who continue to pray about our housing search.  we feel like we are zeroing in on a pretty incredible opportunity.  there are many details still to work out (so keep praying!) but again, we are constantly surprised by how the pieces of this puzzle are falling in to place.

- i have 16 more days of work as a site coordinator, then camp starts.  i'm really looking forward to the change that camp represents (never thought i'd say that after last summer).

- finally, we just feel really grateful for all the wonderful people in our lives...so thanks!!! 

17959

it's been exactly a year since i left durango...i've been reflecting on this for the last couple of days.  it's been quite a year.  it's been a strange year...let me explain.

on the one hand this has been the best year of my life.  the transition from being single to being married has been relatively simple.  i love being married to amy!  i've also been able to make a few friends and establish some good relationships here in boston.  we love our church and it's been pretty easy to integrate into the life of reunion.  our community group has surpassed all expectations i had going in...what an amazing experience that has been!  i've been able to work and earn enough income to provide for our needs...we have great health insurance, and haven't had to worry too much about money.  God has provided for us in so many ways beyond jobs...we received some inheritance money, i sold my car (actually mom sold my car =), we got a lot back in taxes, and there just seems to be a myriad of big and little ways we've been taken care of beyond our own efforts.  we're even in a position where we are able to at least consider purchasing property.  beyond all that, it's just fun living in a city, exploring boston, and enjoying opportunities to see the red sox and good concerts.  finally, as i posted a few weeks ago, there has been lots of growth this year in my own life, "how to be a man 101" stuff that has been really good.

on the other hand, this has been a really difficult year for me, especially vocationally.  starbucks has taken a pound of my flesh (literally, as i have been dealing with some skin issues on my hands), and bird street has taken a pound of my soul.  i've been working at least 50 hours a week for almost eight months now.  i wake up at 4:45 am at least three days a week and i feel exhausted most of the time.  now, i've added fundraising and preparation for time with sojourn on top of the rest of the craziness.  

someone (i think it was sarah beth) asked me how i thought transitioning back into ministry would be a good way to "slow down" and simplify my schedule and life.  and it may not be.  but i remember a conversation i had once with my brother in law, john, who worked construction during his first year of marriage.  that experience led him to believe that he'd rather "break his back building the kingdom of God than building houses."  i feel the same way.

in so many ways, this has been a crazy year, and we may be stepping into a whole new level of craziness and uncertainty.  but i think if i'm going to give up my life for something, it's not going to be for coffee and after school programs. 

17859

- sarah posted a video in honor of mother's day, which i thought was a great idea, so here's my mother's day video tribute...love you mom!

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- tuesday night was my first fundraising event as i prepare to come on staff with sojourn college ministry.  the night went really well...it was cool to see how deep we (amy and i have) gone already, in just 10 months of craziness, with some of our friends here.  i think that was the thing i was most impressed with...how much we really appreciate the people we got to hang out with. 

- the highlight for me was definitely being introduced by my friend caleb.  i've lucky enough to be honored a couple of times in my life, but i don't know that it has ever been done so well.  aside from being really encouraging caleb included references to high fidelity, dio, and and john cusack.  amazing!

- enojy the pics

17659

it's been a while...my apologies.  the season is changing rapidly here in boston...winter is long gone and it's feeling a lot like summer will soon be upon us.  which reminds me of what our house felt like when we first moved in...and the warmth makes me think of camp...and i realize it's almost been a year now since i left durango, got married, and made the move to the east coast.  so while we've been going at a breakneck pace for a while there has been some time for reflection in recent days...

...as i make yet another transition (back into full time ministry) i can't help but think about what an incredible year of learning this has been...learning how to be married, how to work in a difficult environment, how to speak up for yourself at work, how to buy a house, how to live in community, how to make new friends, how to budget for two, how to survive in the city, how to love, how to work with kids, how to live on less than 6 hours of sleep a night, how to balance two jobs, how to go to a church you didn't start, how to raise support, how to make decisions as a couple...

...the list could go on and on.  i don't pretend to have learned how to do any of those things well...but i do know that this year has been an education like no other.  i like to call it "how to be a man" and it's the best class i've ever taken!

17559 opening_day_fenway

we finally made it to opening day...26 hours after it was supposed to happen!  it was a great game (recap)...mvp pedroia followed up his big year with a home run in his first at bat...josh beckett (who is also on my fantasy team) struck out 10.  it was freezing but it was so much fun!!! (also, the giants won today...so not a bad way to get the season started)

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throughout the year most of my students in the after school program have been working with a science/environmental awareness group called "e" inc science.  they've been learning about the rain forest, primates and other animals that live in the rain forest, and have been creating action plans to lessen the human impact on rain forests (like using less paper, using both sides of a sheet of paper, creating recycling boxes for classrooms, etc).  

some of their work is currently being shown off in the Prudential Building Mall (downtown).  this friday we got to take them there, to show off their work and to get honored for their creativity and the projects they have undertaken this school year.  

it was awesome to see them honored so well, and to see them receive their honors.  it was the best behaved hour of the year =)  i was very proud of them...it was one of those rare moments where you can see some of the work you've done actually paying off.

here are some photos: