An update since its been a month!

I have been learning a lot about balancing my time and efforts as I want to make sure my time with God and family is in order. The challenge with the interconnectivity available due to new technologies has lead to both positives and negatives including the opportunity to stay connected with my wife on a regular basis as well as hearing from teens in almost real-time when they are really needing encouragement and support. YET there is the need to balance 24 hour access (not just texting but facebook and all) with the need to turn everything off for a time and have face-to-face time with JUST my family.

Ministry has been going well although not without its challenges. I have preached once (on I Timothy 1:12-17) as well as have enjoyed the Senior High ministry opportunities and leadership growth; yet Junior High ministry is a challenge with the small number of kids and difficulty trying to connect with parents. Please be praying for what this might look like and what God is doing which I have been blind to thus far.

Please be praying for the biggest challenge thus far which is educational. For numerous reasons, we aren't happy with the public school system thus far and we are seeking God's direction on what this might mean for next year.

Where do I begin?

Hey ALL! It's been over a week since my last posting so I thought I would jump back on and report what's been going on since I last posted.

1. Family update
After getting a new couch, chair and footstool, Lois is definitely feeling more 'at home' in our house. We still need to get a grill and probably one more utility shelf for the house; otherwise God has really provided for us. Last night a gracious gentleman and myself went up the hill to pick up that new couch (sleeper sofa), chair and footstool, which helped Lois feel more at home. Although she is worried about Ethan, because he is still telling us that he is playing by himself at the playground at the elementary school he attends. Ethan has started to attend CSB Treeclimbers at our church and he seemed to connect well (a ministry I attended when I was younger). Lucy seems to be adjusting well at her preschool as well as cubbies at a different church. Because the Stroudsburg/East Stroudsburg area is so different than Denver, it will take some time to adjust, but God has been faithful in providing friends, family and places to serve.

2. Ministry update
I am pouring my heart and soul into getting to know the youth adultleadership as well as getting to know the youth families; I am also working diligently on praying and rethinking the Junior High ministry. Because of my hiring as well as the concern of many, this is the time to work towards retooling the ministry with the intention of creating a family-friendly ministry (not dragging teens out on another night) which excites the young people AND challenges them out of God's Word.
The Senior High ministry is presently thriving due to the prayer and efforts of the leadership who have lead the charge this past year. I will be working towards challenging student leadership as well as organizing an calendar which challenges teens in their walk with Jesus in a fun way!
I also signed up for a vision trip with the church to Senegal which takes place the beginning of December. I am not leading the charge but I believe God is calling me to participate in order to vision the part the youth and young adults can play in a partnership with a village there in Senegal.
I have also been working on discovering with whom I can partner and network when it comes to area churches and youth ministries. I have so far found a kindred spirit with the worship/youth leader at the Berean Bible Fellowship church; although I still haven't connected with all the other youth pastor/associate staff in the area (seeking evangelical connections).

3. Personal
I have made sure I have made time with God; although I am finding the balance hard between the competing demands on my time (especially ministry). I have been able to get some one-on-one time with the kids, and I am usually able to carve out time for Lois; but I can see myself just getting busier as youth group has kicked off this past week. Please be praying that I would make my family the priority they need to be. I am working on building friendships with those in the area; as I have family connections, but Lois and I would also like to have friends too (primarily within the church).

Thanks for your prayers and your willingness to read this update!

Ministry Update and Struggle

Ministry Update - We have now been in Stroudsburg, PA for two and a half weeks and its been a whirlwind of ministry busyness due to the fact that youth group for both Junior High (Wednesday nights) and Senior High (Sunday nights) begin this Sunday! I have been blessed with an incredibly supportive lead pastor as well as a secretary who is generous with her time! Although we are close to New Jersey (as the crow flies, about 10 miles away from our house or so), we are in a traditionally rural area which has received an influx of immigrants from the urban expanse around New York City due to fear surrounding the 9-11 event of approaching nine years ago.

Struggle - Since my departure from my last ministry position was less than ideal, I need to show not just the people in this new church but I need to show myself that I can do this job; however God is challenging me through His Word, books (been challenged lately by In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars by Mark Batterson), and my new boss at the church to trust God who called me to this ministry is faithful (I Thess. 5:24). Thanks for your prayers and willing to follow how things are going here in Stroudsburg, PA!

Catching up with the train called ministry...

Thanks for your patience as I haven't blogged in a number of days (over a week?)! I knew it was going to be more difficult to blog once I arrived, but I didn't think I would be so busy so quickly! What has God been up to so far here in Stroudsburg?

1. Celebrated our anniversary (9th) yesterday although we are planning to head to the shore and New York City this coming weekend as a bigger part of our celebration!

2. Church Picnic - The church organized a picnic after church this past Sunday to welcome us to the church, which was very gracious and helpful for beginning to make connections with people in the church.

3. Meetings - I have been in meeting after meeting (an elder board meeting which went to basically 12am) in order to get caught up quickly on where God has been and potentially is at work...

4. Beautiful house - We are currently renting a wonderful house where we could not just have a house but a home! Lois has been diligent (along with the help of my family from NJ and many others from the church) in getting everything unpacked and organized quickly.

5. Getting oriented - We are fairly quickly finding places to grocery shop and

Syllabus Shock

I expected to feel overwhelmed and tired after a few years back in youth ministry. I expected that God would provide the energy I needed to at least make it that far... nope! I already am overwhelmed! I feel just like I did when I would start a new semester of college. I would be so excited about the classes for which I had signed up as I was a nerd and loved school. Then I would glance at the papers, exams, homework and reading for which I was responsible over the next three months, and I would FREAK! Sometimes we would ask the professor if he realized we had other classes for which we were responsible (as well as sundry responsibilities outside of academia). He wasn't bothered at all, instead it seemed as if he reveled in the opportunity to provide us with a challenge. Yup... I feel challenged and overwhelmed! NOW, I need to make time to sit quietly before God and remind myself of who He is and what He has done for us even over just these past sixteen months or so. He is an incredible God

First day on the job...

Today was my first day in the office. I had planned to get all my books put on the shelves. I began by spending some good time with God (which I haven't had a while and I have desperately needed!!) before getting time with the kids at Dunkin Donuts (only the best donuts for the kids!). I knew Lois needed time to sleep in, while I needed time with the kids. I also need to ease into ministry life. Once I got to the office, I spent more time talking with the custodian so I could better understand the church from his perspective. I also was invited to the monthly senior citizen lunch gathering at which I was introduced to many of the elderly of the church. Then I was caught up seeking a package of Ethan's clothes which we sent to the church almost a week and a half ago... only to find out it hasn't arrived but will be here in the next day or so. Finally I forgot to check on our in-house internet connection (have access to a laptop from church) with which my brother was helping. Then I realized I needed to get on the road due to a number of errands which needed to be run including setting up a bank account and finally getting a workout in. I made it home in time for supper following which a deer showed up in our backyard to eat apples from a tree. Thus, I didn't get much done from my one priority; yet I believe that I was successful in ministering to the elderly, learning about church culture from the church custodian, following up on some things for my wife, etc... I did get about six boxes emptied, unfortunately I have about 35 more boxes to empty before I am done. I believe though that especially with the senior pastor on vacation, I am going to have to remain flexible (as well as the fact that my poor wife needs my support now more than ever!). Thanks for your prayers and your willingness to read my deliberations! I will be more reflective next time...

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Thoughts after leaving NE behind...

Stardate 08/17/10 4:05pm in Westmont, IL...

We are taking two days to rest in the Chicago area (as well as getting time with more of Lois' family) before we finish the trip on Thursday and Friday and land in Stroudsburg, PA.

We left Nebraska behind yesterday when we left Lois' brother and their family in rural eastern Nebraska. I appreciated the beauty (yes... I believe rural Nebraska has its own kind of beauty between the endless fields of crops as well as the large horizon), the friendliness of the people, and the lack of automobile traffic. There were things I didn't enjoy as well including the flies and the deafening crickets; but overall I have learned to appreciate rural life while living out West. I have lived in the environs of a large city (Denver) for most of my last eleven years, as opposed to actually residing in the heart of rural life; yet with the number of times we visited Lois' grandma and other relatives/friends in rural Nebraska, I have had many opportunities to experience life away from the city. Two things specifically I appreciated...
1. Peace and quiet - In these times when the hustle and bustle of the city has become crazier and crazier due to technology. I believe it does our 'bodies' good to rest not check our email or facebook or cell phone every five minutes. It can be very beneficial to our time with God to create our own oasis from technology in order to allow ourselves some uninterrupted time with God.
2. Opportunity for real community - In the city, its so easy to gravitate towards those with whom we automatically connect; yet I believe that throughout the pages of especially the New Testament, God expects that we will grow in our relationship with Him as we deal with those with whom we struggle to relate. In a small town, unless people move away, there are certain people in town with whom you will have to get to know no matter how much you dislike them.

Thanks for taking the time to read along on this journey of ours! BLESSINGS!

Do I trust God more like the electric company or the librarian???

...well the librarian knew my wife's grandma for many years and trusted we would return the books so she let us borrow them on her card....

...in this town when they begged and begged to borrow some books. I refused because we didn't have a card or way to return them after yesterday morning...

..a lengthy process but we got it worked out after a few hours. I was in a small western NE town in a library at their fax machine with my kids on our last day

...our credit isn't good so our new electric company required we either pay a deposit or we get a guarantor since we lack any credit history with them. It was..

No access to desktop... been challenged by God in terms of low trust and high trust environments. Yesterday I found out that because of our short sale...

Last day in Mitchell, NE

Another day in paradise... (NO more comments from the peanut gallery!)

It has been wonderful to be able to get time with God in the morning relaxing with the Bible and various other books I have been reading (preparing my heart for our arrival in PA in exactly a week!). Also, I am able to relax with my kids, wife and family; as well as Bud Wilson who is a great Christian brother who lives in a town just west of Mitchell (which is just west of Scottsbluff).

I have been challenged recently by God who reminds me how frustrated I get with Him regarding my impatience for what He has next for us... yet I get frustrated with our kids on this journey (already!) when they get frustrated regarding their impatience for the next stop. They want to be there NOW!

I want an answer from God NOW... especially as we were even recently waiting to hear if my sister and family were going to move to Rhode Island. Then just after we saw them for the last time in Denver; God landed the 'yes' letter in their lap our last afternoon in Denver!

I am still learning to be patient for God's answer in His time!

Anticipating our new home

After an inane conversation with a resident of Mitchell here in western Nebraska, I have realized that (at least during this ten day trip to PA) I can resonate with how we should ideally be living as Christians.

We have left our old home behind in Denver; and although we have a home in Stroudsburg, we feel homeless because we aren't there yet (and it doesn't feel like home). When someone in the last 24 hours has asked 'where's home,' we haven't quite been sure how to respond. Denver is home; and yet Eastern PA is now home... kind of!

This is how I should be living as a Christian. I am kind of home here on earth; and yet I should be anticipating my home in heaven... while living as a Christ-one here on earth for His glory no matter what I am doing.

Hard...yes... redeeming... yes!

The Adventure continues...

Stardate 081010 810pm... and we have landed in this weird flat and dry place they call western Nebraska!

Just kidding (kind of!)

Yet its been an emotional and physical roller-coaster today; as we have not just traveled 3 and a half hours, but we have left Denver and our life in Colorado behind after eleven years. Friends, family, memories and our neighbors (who have been all a gift of God!) are physically in a very different place; which made our drive from Denver to Scottsbluff tearful and difficult...

YET, God has called us to move to Pennsylvania not because its easy or logical; but because it is where He has something for us to be through something He has us to learn through allowing Him to work through us on His behalf. That's exciting and scary at the same time because it won't be easy necessarily!

Lots to think and pray through.... and

thanks for coming along on this journey as I pray.. think and journal!

We are picking up the truck this morning and getting last-minute things packed!

with a few more people tomorrow as we load the truck. Steve and Jimmy arrived safely and we are looking forward to watching them perform their packing magic.

Our last night in Denver! We are anticipating what God has for us not just when we arrive in Stroudsburg but on the way there. We are excited to reconnect...

Beginning of a New Adventure

Three days ago I was working for the unemployment office in downtown Denver... Two days ago, I was unemployed ...and now I am on staff with a church in East Stroudsburg, PA! The start of a new adventure directed and lead by God.

Thanks for joining me on this adventure! I plan on writing blogs of various types throughout the trip; and then when I arrive at our destination, I will write 1-3 times a week depending on what's going on and how I see God at work around me (meaning that I am praying that I can become more and more aware of His work in the lives of others!). We load the truck on Tuesday and leave later that day for western NE where I plan to write my next blog! See you then!