Today's flow

I was a pastor instead of personally productive today. haha

The Pure Heart

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God Matthew 5:8

As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man Proverbs 27:19

So if the man is often seeing God in his everyday life it is fair to say that his heart is purely searching for God.

God is bigger than our imaginations

"To most of us a person, a human being, seems to be a maximum of being, the ceiling of reality; we think that to personify is to glorify. Yet do not some of us realize at times that a person is not a superlative, that to personify the spiritually real is to belittle it? A personification may be both a distortion and a depreciation." -Abraham Heschel
God is bigger than our imaginations.

Trace Faubel and Kevin Brock moving up!

So i have two friends moving up to be a part of ministry up here in Lansing, MI. My friend Kevin Brock
from Indiana Wesleyan University is moving from Indy and my friend Trace Faubel
going back as far as elementary school is moving up from San Diego. They both will arrive in this Saturday night. Its gonna be good time.

Getting back on the saddle

First off, let me apologize for being a horrible blogger as of late.
Second, Laughing is Good

Third, here are some raw thoughts from an old journal a few years back.

There seems to be a consistent difference between what people say or think they believe and know to be true And how they REALLY feel

They need to realize the difference between recognizing how they really feel, believe, and act

and how that compares to what God actually means by what he asks of them

We are good at getting people into church and telling them what they should believe

But I’m not sure we are so good at helping them actually see and believe it themselves

Often, when we haven’t completely faced our deep seeded beliefs and have just accepted what others have told us.

We aren’t seeking… we are following and listening to whatever we are told.

Evy Mazellan put Marion IN on the Surf map!!!

You got to check this out! how legit is this! Evy Mazellan put MARION, IN on the surf map!!!
haha. He's the lifeguard the guy is talkin about in the article and i'm pretty sure Evy also took the picture.

A Foretelling moment of the future ministries colliding?

5 things ministry wise going on simultaneously

After Christmas this will be a huge one to try and learn how to manage...

· Personal Fun/UG people at volleyball

· Endowment meeting for NZ and larger church involvement

· Dewitt building meeting

· 3dYouth Band practice at church

· and I had almost thought that I could just go home and rest tonight at 5 from a long weekend :)

Lansing Fun So Far...

I don't have pictures up, but a few of the things i have done so far are a:
Bonfire
Grand Rapids
college/young adults homegroup
Ignited conference

and Random Friend Visits from:
Heidi
Kevin
Codey Holliday
Dave Hopewell

Good times

The House & Churches in Lansing

I still have a few videos and pics to go:
Service & UG video, dewitt pics/ office pic, etc.
but here is a quick look at my life!

FAITH CHURCH
My office

I have deer that always come behind the church windows

Sanctuary
This is a smaller venue where we hold the nigh service
I don't have a good picture of the sanctuary yet. this is it at night with no one in it! :)3D Youth Room...


DEWITT CAMPUS
This is the campus where we will launch in February
Parking Lot
We played volleyball here in the summer
Parking Lot from Entrance and overhang
The Sanctuary
Before the carpet was torn out.the awesome colored microphone covers and projector improvisationHall Way Before being torn down
The Afters are to come
Irony
Both these pictures so a desire to reach out although we are now going about it in a different way
Nursery extra rooms
The Parsonage Where I'm living
Kitchen Floor before
and After

Cursed to Taco Bell

You know how it talks about generational blessings and curses in the Bible, the idea where your parents good and bad decisions can continue you on generationally in their kids, grand kids, etc?

Well the only one that i think i have come across is that i think i am doomed to crave Taco bell and be perfectly content to eat Taco Bell on a daily basis because of my dad. Okay, well maybe it is my own fault and decision as well, but i'm still not sure how much of a choice i had in this matter. :)

One of THE MOST AMAZING dance moves and football catches i have ever seen.

I just rewatched this dance moment from America's best dance crew 5 and it still blows my mind every time i watch it!

I would say the same exact thing about this football catch made by prothro

Party in the AUK made New Zealand TV!!!

Apparently Party in the AUK was played on Iamtv this last week!!! how awesome is that! If you didn't know, me, John Gorveatte and a load of other friends in New Zealand including laura, stephenie, and ben made a video talking about New Zealand and other things in Auckland. You can watch it below. It made my day to hear that the video made it on to tv though! so cool.

On the Move.

I am officially getting a car and moving up to my new place today (Saturday) to preach my first Sunday at my new job in Lansing, MI. Kinda crazy. WIll post a pictures and update soon.

My Top 10 Favorite Movies

I just got done watching August Rush again and loved it... i honestly think it would go in my top ten favorites and it got me thinking so this is gonna be my top ten in no particular order (and yes i cheated where i couldn't make up my mind)...

1. Dumb & Dumber
2. Braveheart or Gladiator
3. The Elf or Home Alone
4. To End All Wars or the Passion
5. Shawshank Redemption or The Count of Monte Cristo
6. Hitch
7. The Bourne Trilogy
8. The Lion King
9. August Rush
10. The Newsies

don't judge :) just enjoy some great movies .hahaha

My first US observations

My initial observations being back stateside:

1. Square Land Plots-

Compared to flying over NZ, the US was so much more consistently structured in its development as i looked out the plane window

2. Hot-

Going from 12C=54F to 35C=96F in a day was a shocker with the change of seasons over night.

3. It is Light a lot later-

Also weird for it to be 9pm and still light out since i switched to summer time over night.

4. Flags-

After being patriotic and friends commenting on our respect for the flag, i notice the how many more US flags around houses and places i see compared to the NZ flag in New Zealand

5. Stomach getting used to the food-

It always happens and i always forget, but it usually takes my stomach a little while to change to the quantity of food and different food consistencies that i eat in the US compared to NZ

6. Hispanic/ African American Influence-

I wish i remembered my spanish more. It is weird getting use to hearing spanish and seeing a different style of light brown people always around.

People also have different accents and it is interesting to hear the lingo of african americans and even the voice differences. It is also hilariously good to see more swagger and baggy jean sagging again... oh how i missed that.

7. Being a Minority to Normal-

I went from being one of the few who stuck out as an american with my accent to just being one of many back in the states. This is not a "woe is me" statement but an acknowledgement that this hasn't been my world the past 2 years, that i am just one of the many, and that it will take a little time to re-find my place in what is a more natural everyday life.

8. American Dream Mentality

We were driving by and looking at some nice houses and condos a long a lake and i was surprised at how quick my mind drifted into dreaming about having a place on the water and what i could do to make that happen on the future (haha on a pastor's salary haha ! :)

Traveling & Life over July and August

Here is my life in photos the past 2 months so far!

July 1-5 Auckland, New Zealand

(Last Days)

John Gorveatte and I singing at the Gathering

Got to help Stephenie Garey get settled in her first 2 months in NZ as a missionary

Me and the guys filmed a video called "Party in the AUK" talking about Auckland. Great time just to hangout with these guys where i wouldn't normally and a memory that will last a long time. You can watch the video below but be warned, it is mainly nz phrases! :)

Dinner with the Snell Family

My Last lunch with the ATC youth

A rainbow came in at my favorite raglan view!

i love how rainbows are everywhere in the winter in NZ

Hanging out after Sunday lunch with the Els
Was able to seen a partial lunar eclipse
and see an All Blacks Rugby game with some close friends
Varun (above) was a newer friend towards the end that was able to get to know and invest in while teaching the guitar
Random adventure under the dock

Hanging out with friends before leaving

Went and hung out with the mackays before i left too and made the video below talking about other new zealand phrases. love that house

Had an amazing send off from friends. Definitely felt loved and knew i would miss them

July 5th Sydney, Australia

(Hillsong & Ben/Leen Time)

Was able to spend some downtime in Sydney before heading straight back home.

I took the train everywhere
Made some new friends and got to see some old friends like Amy in the middle above and Ben (below) and Leen who moved to Oz not too long ago.

July 9th Plymouth, Indiana

(Parents)

Was only home for a day :)

July 10-21 Lexington & Holden Beach, North Carolina

(Grandparents & Family Vacation)

Went to the farm with the grandparents

Had a bonfire and kayaked on the pond at midnight with my crazy cousin becca gray the night before we left!

This was the last little bit we saw pappaw and the last goodbye wave as we drove out before we would drive back for his funeral.

got to surf and goof off at the beach for a bit

July 25-29 Lexington, North Carolina

(Pappaw's Funeral & My Ordination)

Had a few days of work and rest before finding out 3 days after our return that pappaw passed away and we drove back to NC for the funeral and back up to Marion, IN just in time for me to be ordained in the Wesleyan church!

Relatives together after the funeral

August 4 Indianapolis, Indiana

(Global Partners Visit)

Able to catch up with my help on the stateside and begin to take care of all the end details of a trip

August 10-16 San Diego, California

(ECWC Camp Speaker)

I am off to San Diego Today for just under a week and then will spend a few days movie and trying to put a rough draft of an NZ book together before the big move to Michigan.

August 22 Lansing, Michigan

(1st Sunday at Lansing Faith)

This is not Faith Church in Lansing, MI that is hired me, but this is the second site/venue/campus whatever you call it that i will work closely with

and the place i am looking to move into
and the inside of the church