the yard

I was walking in the back yard heading to the shed to get the mower.  In typical fashion I was thinking about what I was going to think about.  I remember the thought crossing my mind, “that’s a big stick laying there.”  Then I realized there wasn’t a tree around me and I paid more attention to the stick…which was dark brown…about 2′ long…and curvy…and wasn’t a stick…but a snake.

I took 3 GIANT steps back (more like leaps) and started dancing about like a little girl.  I’m surprised I didn’t squeal.  The snake just sat there (lay there, what does a snake do?) sunning.  No clue if it was a garden snake or copperhead (we live next to a creek bed) and I wasn’t going to find out!

There’s a little lost sheep needing help

Monday was Memorial Day and in true fashion the office was closed.  That makes me happy.  But that isn’t the reason for this post.  No, I’m going to share what happened on that day that somewhat scared the poo out of me, made me reevaluate my compassion skills (and I have little), and caused me to want to throw things at people.

Since the office was closed we were invited to some friends house for a cookout.  Well, it rained so the cookout was moved inside and after a few hours of eating and talking it was decided I needed to go get the Wii from the Student Center.  (Yes, I can do that.  I’m the Student Minister, I have a key to the Center, and it met the criteria for getting the Wii out.)  I got here and decided I’d take care of something Melissa and I were going to come take care of later.  So I’m sitting at my desk, the only person in the building and then I hear it.  A distant, unattached voice, “Is there anyone here?  There’s a little lost sheep needing some help.” 

Several things happened as those words hit my ears.  First, my stomach knotted up.  Who is in the building and how did they get in?  It’s supposed to be locked.  Second, my mind said, “Ignore it.”  Third, I wondered if I had had just made it up.  Maybe the hamburger I ate was laced with drugs and I was tripping.  But no, I heard the voice again.  So I stepped out of my office, my safe haven of Wiidom, and met Becky.  I’ll save you all her story (cause I’m not sure I can repeat all of it, it was bouncing around from topic to topic) but I will say that after 2 sentences I knew she wasn’t firing on all cylinders and I was trying to determine if she had a knife or other weapon on her.  The adrenaline was flowing and I was running every scenario in my head: had i told Melissa I loved her, how long does it take to bleed out, could I use the church directory next to my hand as a weapon, why had I eaten the second helping of beans they were going to slow me down if I ran.

After talking for several minutes it was determined that she and her family had been asked to leave the shelter they were staying at for causing trouble and they needed a place to stay and food.  Here’s where things get conflicting- we have a Care Ministry at SSBC and they handle all our outside benevolence but it was a holiday and I knew the guy who runs it was out of town that day.  I also knew I didn’t have the money to put her and her family in a hotel but there were immediate needs that needed meeting.  So what could I do?  There were hungry kids in the car, it was raining, 2 of their car windows wouldn’t roll up and I’m standing there trying to figure out what needs I can meet immediately.  I managed to meet a few of their needs and they also said they had one more church to try.

When I finished, I walked the building and found 2 doors that were totally open.  No lock had been applied.  That made me want to throw things at people (it also brought out much laughter as Melissa shared with me what she’d tell people who leave the doors unlocked) but oh well. 

As an update, Becky and her family came back Tuesday and after I talked with our Care Center guy I found out they had been there in the past and had rejected the help we could give because we asked to much of them (sit and talk with a volunteer and allow us to follow up with them a few days later).

There’s a little lost sheep needing some help.  Pretty sure that phrase will stay with me for a while.

Preparing

Vacation is quickly coming (leave on Friday) and I can’t wait.  7 days of nothing – no meetings, no phone calls, no emails, no emergencies, no random people walking the buidling when it is closed (I need to share that story).  NOTHING!  Here is what I do have planned on vacation – sleep, spending time with Melissa who I have been not spending a lot of time with, sitting on the beach (and hopefully not burning), learning to play bass or improving my guitar playing (not sure which I’m going to take with me), reading books that have nothing to do with ministry, and eating seafood.  I may go to the outlet mall if I feel I have a need for a new pair of shorts.

While I wait for vacation to get here I’m trying to wrap up some projects in the office, make sure all the loose ends are fairly secure (Debbie, my assistant, is also going to be gone and today is Adam’s last day for the semester so no one will be in the student ministry office) and trying to keep myself from saying something that might hurt someones feeling but I’m pretty sure I’ve already done that more than once this week so that may be an effort in futility.

2 days.  That is such a nice thought!

sunday mornings

They are supposed to be a time of preparing to worship and teach, however, most of them are excercises in maintaining my composure and not losing it upside someones head.  Such is the life of ministry sometimes - gotta go move every chair in the student center now.

hotel thoughts

If people are going to stay at hotels for the sake of sleeping I have a few suggestions for hotel chains.

1.  Why not put all the people who stay up all night on the first floor rather than the upper floors where their running around keeps the people below them up all night?  All the hotel has to do is ask if you are a night owl, have young children who are active or if you like to stand in your doorway and have a conversation with your wife/husband/roommate that should happen in the room.

2.  Why not hire a hall monitor or to make it even more effective a hall enforcer.  Being a loud neighbor?  Expect the enforcer to come and take care of you.  Can’t get your kids to stop running up and down the hall (or maybe you’re letting them)?  Expect the enforcer to show up with a dodge ball to bean them senseless.  Lied about being an early sleeper so you don’t have to be on the first floor?  Yup, the enforcer shows up put you to bed (preferably with a bat.)

3.  Sound proof.  How hard is it to soundproof rooms/floors a little better?  I know it might cost more in the long run but those who sleep light anyway, we’ll pay for a little (actually a lot) more sound control.  The only thing I want to hear in my room is that which is happening in my room.

I’m tired and going to bed in the hotel room I have on the first floor.  I’m not a night owl and I sleep light . Hopefully I won’t have to get up and go enforcer on the person running around the room above me!

and they said it couldn’t be done

Had a first today and hopefully a last.

Today we had to move a box spring upstairs for my sister.  The box spring was 62″ inches wide.  The stairs were 59″ (or so) and the window would only accommodate 57″.  So we did something that most the constructions guys said we couldn’t do.

We folded the box springs in half and carried it up the stairs.  We didn’t set out to do it that way but thats what happened.  First the corner pieces came out, then the middle support, then the slats running the width of the box springs, then some more corner support and then we folded it into a triangle…and carried it up the stairs.

Putting it back together was a booger but it held my 230 lb frame so I think it will hold her.  As long as she doesn’t do back flips on it.  If you need help or want me to show you how to fold a box spring I’m willing as long as I don’t have to put it back together or sleep on it later.

into the maw

It is 28′ long, 12′ tall and as wide as the lane I drove it in…it is the yellow beast

 

and I drove it through the heart of Chicago to move my sister. 
Life is complete.

chicago

I’m going back to Chicago – I leave tomorrow to help my sister move there.  There will many hours of driving a box truck through multiple states, many conversations with family, and probably my fair share of disagreements (hopefully they will only be about listening to country on the radio. UGH!

and now I can say

A few weeks ago there was a post about not being able to share something but now I can so here it is…

Melissa and I are going to have a baby! 

The due date is late November/early Decemeber and we are very excited about this.

If you know us you know our journey here.  2 miscarriages and many years (about 4) of asking questions, feeling like God wasn’t there, doubting and many other things.  But in all of that I feel we continued to trust God – to acknowledge HIM as Lord, as bigger than us, with more understanding of where we were and where we are going than we do, in the consistency of His love.  That didn’t always make it easy but it did allow me to move even if it was only side to side.

I don’t know why it took us as long as it did or why we went through the emotions, conversations (people can really say stupid stuff when they think they’re “counseling” you), rawness, etc.  but we went through it all and every minute of it is worth it.  God has shown HIMself faithful even though we struggled to be just that.  He reaffirmed His loving nature even when there were times we didn’t want to love HIM.  We have a miracle happening – like many of our friends- we are having a child.  And I can’t wait to hold this miracle and tell him/her all about God, to show him/her His love, to answer questions and make memories.

I’m sure there will other posts on this topic but for now I’m excited to share that God is allowing us to have a child!