7.29.2005
travel to traverse
Getting ready to make the annual summer pilgrimage to Traverse City. Gretchen and I are headed up to Interlochen for a day trip tomorrow to have lunch with Mr. Stolper. I haven't seen him in about 5 or 6 years so it will be great to catch up. The weather looks like it will be absolutely perfect - high 70's, partly cloudy. There really are beautiful places in Michigan, you just have to head north! The shallow water in the twin bays there is aquamarine like somewhere in the Carribean.
7.28.2005
Loving 1 Peter
The more I am reading in 1 Peter, the more he seems to be getting right at the heart of who we are as people submitted to Christ - what the attitude of a fully submitted person should be. Submission is not something to be taken lightly, and we need to know that we can trust our Ruler... we also learn that trust as we do submit. Again this is where faith comes in. God will never let us down, in contrast to every other person and system who we are rightly trained to question and challenge. That rock-solid truth that He embodies is more worthy of our trust and the control of our lives than we are, as flawed people. His unshakable character makes Him worthy of our submission, and also shows why submission to Him is essential for being a Christian.
Peter explains so well that we are here for a purpose greater than ourselves, and to fully experience this purpose we must fully give our lives to it. The more we hold back for ourselves, the more we miss out, the more meaningless our lives become. The purpose of bringing God glory is inescapable... we will glorify Him in the end whether we want to or not... wouldn't it be so much better to actively work for it? To let our lives return to their original purpose? To be fulfilled in a way that we all long for? God says the answer is complete submission to Him. He promises the opposite of what we think submission means - oppression, unfairness, chauvinism. He promises ultimate freedom, ultimate justice, and ultimate love.
For the sake of His glory we are called to endure unfairness, injustice, and suffering on earth just as Jesus did... but we have the hope of ultimate vindication, and the promise that it is for His glory. We need to accept these things for the sake of His and our greater purpose. We need to lay down our "rights" before Him. Bringing Him glory is more important than demanding eartlhy justice - and the hope of heavenly justice comforts us.
1 Peter 2: 20-22: But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
Peter explains so well that we are here for a purpose greater than ourselves, and to fully experience this purpose we must fully give our lives to it. The more we hold back for ourselves, the more we miss out, the more meaningless our lives become. The purpose of bringing God glory is inescapable... we will glorify Him in the end whether we want to or not... wouldn't it be so much better to actively work for it? To let our lives return to their original purpose? To be fulfilled in a way that we all long for? God says the answer is complete submission to Him. He promises the opposite of what we think submission means - oppression, unfairness, chauvinism. He promises ultimate freedom, ultimate justice, and ultimate love.
For the sake of His glory we are called to endure unfairness, injustice, and suffering on earth just as Jesus did... but we have the hope of ultimate vindication, and the promise that it is for His glory. We need to accept these things for the sake of His and our greater purpose. We need to lay down our "rights" before Him. Bringing Him glory is more important than demanding eartlhy justice - and the hope of heavenly justice comforts us.
1 Peter 2: 20-22: But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
black dutch?
The great topic of discussion this week is ethnicity and heritage. This all began when Matt's mom told him on Sunday that his non-Mexican half was Scottish. This information precipitated an identity crisis for Matt as he always thought his other half was German. After all the obligatory kilt jokes, being the information nerd that I am, I had to find out.
Little did I know the can of worms that I was opening up. Just as Matt was warming up to the idea of having his own plaid, I shattered his Braveheart-esque dreams by finding out that he was probably half-English, not Scottish, thus making him a Mexi-Wasp.
While I was in history mode, I decided to research Justin's family claim of "Black Dutch." Wow. I found out that no one knows what Black Dutch really is, and it could refer to mixed ethnicity of anything from German to Black to Cherokee. (And it's probably not Dutch at all.) Needless to say, Justin now was having an identity crisis of his own. Bravely facing the fact that he might not be the target of Goldmember-inspired Dutch jokes anymore, he called his Granny June and we had an interesting conversation. What we ended up concluding is that.. Justin is...
WHITE!
Big surprise there. He's most likely English, Scotch-Irish, and German. There is a slight possibility that in the middle ages he may have inherited some Moorish blood... meaning that maybe a thousand years ago his family could have had rhythm.
As for me, I'm perfectly satisfied being a Jewish Wasp. :-) AND I can prove it!
Little did I know the can of worms that I was opening up. Just as Matt was warming up to the idea of having his own plaid, I shattered his Braveheart-esque dreams by finding out that he was probably half-English, not Scottish, thus making him a Mexi-Wasp.
While I was in history mode, I decided to research Justin's family claim of "Black Dutch." Wow. I found out that no one knows what Black Dutch really is, and it could refer to mixed ethnicity of anything from German to Black to Cherokee. (And it's probably not Dutch at all.) Needless to say, Justin now was having an identity crisis of his own. Bravely facing the fact that he might not be the target of Goldmember-inspired Dutch jokes anymore, he called his Granny June and we had an interesting conversation. What we ended up concluding is that.. Justin is...
WHITE!
Big surprise there. He's most likely English, Scotch-Irish, and German. There is a slight possibility that in the middle ages he may have inherited some Moorish blood... meaning that maybe a thousand years ago his family could have had rhythm.
As for me, I'm perfectly satisfied being a Jewish Wasp. :-) AND I can prove it!
7.27.2005
natural redhead
Justin needs to stop taking the photos and get in them. This shot was the result of Matt betting the youth that they couldn't bring 15 people to VBS. He vowed to dye his hair if they did... and voila, behold the magenta mexi-fro!
holy (rock 'n') rolling
Andy, Max, and Matt get some time together. (Justin too, he's taking the photo!) I particularly like the "Honky-Tonk Heroes" slogan in the background.
the real thing
I find that I have severely underestimated the value of raw faith. The kind of faith that has nothing yet everything to do with belief... the kind of faith that says I know what is right and I'm going to do it no matter if I believe it or not, no matter how i feel about it. Reckless trust that just puts a situation back into God's hands. I think this is a part of being after God's own heart, something precious and genuine that he values. Yesterday I read in 1 Peter 1:6-7 ...
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
It's at that crucial point where authenticity is tested and tried.... when we make the choice in our sufferings to do what is right. Whether it's taking a thought captive to the obedience of Christ or physically turning away from something, or clinging onto His perspective for dear life, that is where we find out if we and He are for real. Lip service and nice religious sentiment are exposed and shown as their true flimsy selves. That is what I love so much about God is that He sees right through us and is only concerned with what is authentic. That His truth is so real that it can stand up to anything, and that truth is the material of that mustard-seed faith He plants in us.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
It's at that crucial point where authenticity is tested and tried.... when we make the choice in our sufferings to do what is right. Whether it's taking a thought captive to the obedience of Christ or physically turning away from something, or clinging onto His perspective for dear life, that is where we find out if we and He are for real. Lip service and nice religious sentiment are exposed and shown as their true flimsy selves. That is what I love so much about God is that He sees right through us and is only concerned with what is authentic. That His truth is so real that it can stand up to anything, and that truth is the material of that mustard-seed faith He plants in us.
7.25.2005
Another scorcher
I can't remember a hotter summer here in Michigan. I always brag about our comfortable temperatures here but the 90s seem like they're here to stay. Thank the Lord for central air! Gretchen and I hit the Ann Arbor art fair early on Saturday and managed to escape before we got too fried by the heat. I did have hte sensation of feeling like a piece of produce at one point when we walked by a "mister." What a good idea!
The yard sale pile in the garage is turning into a mountain. It's a great feeling to get rid of so much stuff but overwheming to think how much is still left to purge. I'm glad we have an excuse to go through all of it. In the meantime I found some pretty hilarious pictures in some of my old files. If I can get my hands on a scanner I may put some up for your enjoyment.
Please remember us in your prayers. I feel like we're headed in the right direction ministry-wise because we've been encountering an unprecedented onslaught of spiritual opposition lately. Please pray that we would be prepared according to Ephesians 6:10-18. I especially need God's strength, perspective, and an extra dose of maturity to handle some interpersonal situations.
We are still praying for a female staff member for the Greek ministry in the fall. We know God has this situation in hand. On our drive back from Connecticut, Justin, Matt, and I took some time to study Titus together. Please pray for us and our staff to desire to be blameless, with integrity and Godly character. (Titus 2:6-8)
Some upcoming events... our first church mission trip is planned for mid-August. We are going to go up to the Bambi Lake state retreat center and give one of ther chalets a makeover. Some of our ladies have been sewing new curtains and we're getting ready to paint and redecorate. We would love for this trip to be a bonding time for our church family as well as a good serving experience.
The yard sale pile in the garage is turning into a mountain. It's a great feeling to get rid of so much stuff but overwheming to think how much is still left to purge. I'm glad we have an excuse to go through all of it. In the meantime I found some pretty hilarious pictures in some of my old files. If I can get my hands on a scanner I may put some up for your enjoyment.
Please remember us in your prayers. I feel like we're headed in the right direction ministry-wise because we've been encountering an unprecedented onslaught of spiritual opposition lately. Please pray that we would be prepared according to Ephesians 6:10-18. I especially need God's strength, perspective, and an extra dose of maturity to handle some interpersonal situations.
We are still praying for a female staff member for the Greek ministry in the fall. We know God has this situation in hand. On our drive back from Connecticut, Justin, Matt, and I took some time to study Titus together. Please pray for us and our staff to desire to be blameless, with integrity and Godly character. (Titus 2:6-8)
Some upcoming events... our first church mission trip is planned for mid-August. We are going to go up to the Bambi Lake state retreat center and give one of ther chalets a makeover. Some of our ladies have been sewing new curtains and we're getting ready to paint and redecorate. We would love for this trip to be a bonding time for our church family as well as a good serving experience.
7.21.2005
We've Returned
We've made it back from our trip to Connecticut in one piece, which includes all the fragile stuff that came through just fine in the U-Haul thanks to Matt's packing job. We had a great time - got to see (almost) everyone and do all the fun CT stuff. Despite days full of pea-soup fog, I FINALLY got to jump in the ocean again after 5 years of missing it! I also discovered that Justin really doesn't like seaweed. :-) We completed the beach experience by my managing to gross both Justin and Matt out by slurping down raw clams on the half shell. Mmmmm.....
We also survived the very cozy, 15 hour trip back on the bench seat of our U-Haul despite extremely dorky customs agents and the mind-numbing landscape of southern Ontario. I must say that I've never before been asked by a customs agent if I've ever seen corn growing. As soon as he saw that Justin was from Oklahoma he started asking about corn. Justin replied very respectfully that it was actually wheat that was grown there. After telling the agent that we only got food and gas in Canada, he informed us that he does the same at Taco Bell. So, with that enlightening information, we were on our way.
I will put some photos up soon of our trip. In the meantime, our living room looks quite swanky with our new entertainment center, and we're sorting through all the stuff that we brought back and filling the garage to the brim with stuff for a yard sale. Out with the old, in with the new.
We also survived the very cozy, 15 hour trip back on the bench seat of our U-Haul despite extremely dorky customs agents and the mind-numbing landscape of southern Ontario. I must say that I've never before been asked by a customs agent if I've ever seen corn growing. As soon as he saw that Justin was from Oklahoma he started asking about corn. Justin replied very respectfully that it was actually wheat that was grown there. After telling the agent that we only got food and gas in Canada, he informed us that he does the same at Taco Bell. So, with that enlightening information, we were on our way.
I will put some photos up soon of our trip. In the meantime, our living room looks quite swanky with our new entertainment center, and we're sorting through all the stuff that we brought back and filling the garage to the brim with stuff for a yard sale. Out with the old, in with the new.
7.14.2005
July News
We're getting ready to leave for Connecticut on Saturday to pick up some furniture from my dad. It will be an interesting drive back in the u-haul. I made sure to get a 3-seater but I'm not sure how well Justin, Matt, and I are all going to fit in there! I'm just hoping that the weather is nice so that we can go to the beach - I've been dying to jump in the ocean all summer.
We had our first organizational meeting on Sunday night for the MSU Greek Life ministry that we're starting up in the fall. It was really encouraging. We got to meet Tina from CMU who is going to coach us through the startup process. She has some great ideas and it was really fun to meet her. I loved hearing her testimony and seeing yet again how God transforms people; it's so amazing.
In other news... we started up a women's Bible study through church this week and are looking forward to that. Tim is chomping at the bit to go to Hawaii and see Jerri. He and Dusty are going to a casting call for the "Amazing Race" this weekend in Kalamazoo. I hope something makes Dusty laugh... that will get them in for sure! The church voted to license Matt to preach at business meeting last night, how cool is that...
We had our first organizational meeting on Sunday night for the MSU Greek Life ministry that we're starting up in the fall. It was really encouraging. We got to meet Tina from CMU who is going to coach us through the startup process. She has some great ideas and it was really fun to meet her. I loved hearing her testimony and seeing yet again how God transforms people; it's so amazing.
In other news... we started up a women's Bible study through church this week and are looking forward to that. Tim is chomping at the bit to go to Hawaii and see Jerri. He and Dusty are going to a casting call for the "Amazing Race" this weekend in Kalamazoo. I hope something makes Dusty laugh... that will get them in for sure! The church voted to license Matt to preach at business meeting last night, how cool is that...
Greetings
Hi everyone. Owing to the success of the FatGuy blog, I thought I'd start a personal one to keep our friends, family, and supporters updated on the goings-on at our place. Hope y'all enjoy it.
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