2008

2008 is almost here.

I hope 2007 was as eventful for you as it was for me. 2007 for me will go down as one of the best yet. It was full of ups and downs and life changing events.

Memorable Moments of 2007:

• Traveled to Miami, FL to launch numerous boats to the press at the largest boat show in the world
• Got stuck in the Philadelphia airport overnight on the same trip. Was one of the most surreal moments I've ever had
• Traveled to Dallas, TX to scout a dealer meeting location for the same boat company
  
• More flight problems - Got stuck in Dallas, TX
• Bought a Land Rover
  
• Got married to an amazing woman in June
• Her sister was married a month before us
  
• Michelle & I committed to a marginalized neighborhood
  
• Started mountain bike riding and am now addicted
  
• Was let go from my job after asking God for clarity for the next phase of life - what a sense of humor our God has!
  
• Traveled to St Louis CCDA conference
• Traveled to Baltimore for a World Relief conference
• Michelle & I vacationed in Denver, CO with our dear friends the Ramseyers
  
• Established a relationship with Community Harvest Food Bank
  
• Was asked by World Relief to work on a fund-raising initiative with them
• Working with The Reclamation Project on communication structuring to keep up with their tremendous growth
  
• Strengthened relationships with many new people

May 2008 be stretching year for you. We all must live in the tension because if we are not, we aren't growing.

Blessings to you and your journey!

More Questions Than Answers

Do you ever feel like there are more questions than answers in your life? Spiritual journey?

I definitely do. I guess it's essential to our learning and development. If we never had questions then would we ever learn anything.

A recent example for me is in a passage I recently read from Acts. Acts 12:6-11. Peter has just been captured by Herod Agrippa, who was a tyrant leader that was out to persecute as many believers as he could. Herod had placed Peter in jail under watch by more guards than usual. Herod jailed Peter instead of killing him immediately due to a religious festival called Passover. Once Passover was over, the plan was to kill Peter.

So, Peter was hanging out in jail and went to sleep while being locked up. Out of nowhere an angel appeared and freed Peter from the jail without a commotion or anyone knowing it. Now Peter thought it was a vision but then realized it was the real deal.

Here is where the questions come in.

An angel just appears and frees him? How do the guards not see what's happening? Peter doesn't question this?

For me, this is crazy. For me to have faith, I must question this and believe that God can deliver any of us from anything. Even from jail if he chose to.

The journey is long and I have to keep reading and praying for answers to the questions even though I know there will be more questions.

Peace be with you today. God is Love

Face of Hunger...

I volunteer a few days a week at Community Harvest Food Bank. Every Monday and Wednesday afternoon from 1-4pm. Most days I serve in the Community Cupboard, which is basically a small grocery store where people throughout the city can come upon being referred by a social services organization. People of all nationalities and all circumstances walk through the door seeking to fill their cupboards and feed their families. Their situation determines the amount of food they can get, and everything is weighed in pounds.

Other days I serve in the Senior Pak area, which is a section within the food bank that assembles and distributes over 900, 20 - 22 pound bags to homebound, fixed-income seniors. This area is a big staging area with all types of food, mostly single serve and highly nutricious food. When I work here, it's mostly stocking and organizing the shelves from which the bags are filled from. Another key element of this area is the fact that all of the bags are delivered by volunteers that commit to a route every other week. I have also taken part in this.

This week, I spent most of my time in the staging area of the big Salvation Army area. Each year the Salvation Army does an amazing job of making sure families have gifts, food, and clothing on Christmas. This year, in partnership with the food bank, they served 1,200 families food. Each family received 50-100lbs of food. So Mon-Wed, all day long, people were streaming through the food bank warehouse selecting their food.

This was such an experience. You have the folks that work at the food bank trying to organize everything and handle the important details such as weighing the food and filling the staging areas. You have the Salvation Army employees and volunteers helping out. You even have the department of corrections with their people helping, whom have to wear orange vests to point them out. And then there is myself just taking it all in.

Then there is this wide variety of people walking through the doors receiving the food. Many nationalities, races, and circumstances. Some seem used to the idea of selecting food from big wire bins who if I had to guess are used to being in the system. Some you could tell that this was an overwhelming experience. And then you have individuals that cannot speak English and are having a hard time comprehending what's going on or what to do or even what some of the food actually is.

The thing that broke my heart and brought the most joy were the children. You have these young kids that don't know any better that run around and smile like crazy not knowing the circumstances of which they are being brought up in. In these kids you can tell they are loved by their parents and are encouraged to be kids. In other kids the same age, you can tell they are seen as just problems or stress makers. Parents that are so strung out on their issues that their child's actions are huge deals. Kids just being broken down for being a kid and the kids doesn't know any better because they are being who they are. And finally you have the children of the non-English speaking families that have been forced to grow up way to fast and carry too much responsibilities. Middle school children required to translate and make decisions for their parents and also take care of their younger siblings.

As you read this, I'm sure you begin thinking about all of the circumstances and forming your own thoughts and if not, please do. I write this as just laying out the scene because for me to actually try to write out what I think about all this will not make sense. I'm in process... I'm always in process.

What I do know is that God is Love and everyone deserves to be sacrificially loved.

God is big and the journey is long....

Merry Christmas to you all

Understanding Listening..

For those that know me, you know that I am currently in a position where I have a lot of time on my hands. If not, let me tell you. Since Oct 1st, I have been unemployed and spending my time open to what every journey would present itself. I have been volunteering my time with a few organizations in Ft Wayne and in Baltimore, MD, helping in all sorts of ways. From marketing & communications issues to stocking shelves at a food bank.

I've been learning a lot about what it means to truly listen and ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit. As Christ followers and church attending individuals, we are constantly urged to create space to make this happen. We all get pumped up and try to do this and succeed at times and if you are anything like me, you get discouraged more about your lack of doing this. Well, when you're unemployed and open to this, it's amazing to see what happens.

I feel like I've learned a lot about space for listening in the last 6 weeks. I've got way more to learn, but I'm seeing what space for listened looks like. Some of the things that I've been learning and challenged by have been from the Holy Spirit moving and my position to hear them. Three months ago, there was no space for listening. Just 100mph lifestyle.

There was only space for rest. the only time i had was for resting and it's not the same as giving space for listening for the Holy Spirit. Listening is beyond rest. In my experience, we need to be rested in order for our body and mind to be open for listening. It's in those extended times of silence recently that I've been aware of some really great things from the spirit.

I have been toying with the idea of a non-profit marketing firm partnering with a for-profit firm. For me, this was a spirit led thing. I have no clue how to make this happen, i just know it's a worth-while venture that needs to be pursued for some reason. it may not be about creating a non-profit, but for something else.

the spirit led me to having lunch with the executive director of the food bank which led to sending a resume to the city. i hadn't thought about civil duty at being a place of positioning. i definitely wasn't thinking about this while i was a BIG. I was just thinking about myself.

the biggest thing I'm learning from this time, is the fact or the question of, "how does anyone do this and make a living and keep commitments?"

if you have to work 40-50 hrs, be a part of this and that, where is the space to for rest and even past that, listening? i have no idea how to sustain a full time job and be open to listen and not only just listen, but pursue those spirit led initiatives. i even believe that we do hear the spirit but are no where even close to being in a position to pursue it.

And, if we do, it's costly if we do. It costs jobs, money, time, relationships, ridicule, shame, anxiety, maybe everything, and certainly everything that is known or comfortable.

This is a reason why my journey is long. I am just becoming aware of this and will think about this throughout my life and will struggle to give space. I do know now that it is crucial to a spirit filled life..

Welcome

Today is a new day. Also a day that I enter into a web blogging world that is very large. As I write this, I wonder why anyone would want to read what I would have to say and why I would share my life with others in this way.

I guess it's what Christ followers have always done. For me, sharing our journeys is a vital way for each of us to grow in our faith and understanding of our relationship with Christ. We're in a technologically advanced world as we all know and I'm going to take advantage of that.

So, today is the day that I open the window to my journey.

The journey is long and must be pursued...