I taught this past Sunday, July 5th; the 3rd message in a 13 week series on 1 John called "Summer of Love". The passage I taught from is 1 John 1:8 - 2:2 (5 verses). Click the title to listen: "A Light Shines in the Darkness"
You can check out www.rooftop.org for the previous 2 messages...
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The Narrow Path
Showing posts with label Rooftop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rooftop. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
A Good Day
Yesterday was a very full day for me and a very good one as well. Let's recap...
Early Sunday morning Julie left on a trip back to Michigan to see my sister, brother-in-law, and their newborn daughter, Ruby...their first child. We had hoped to see little Ruby before we left, but God's timing in bringing us to STL did not coincide as she was not born until June. We are so excited for Katie and Kent and I was thrilled to see Julie go and spend several days with them. Katie and Kent have been a great aunt and uncle to our children. Our other siblings, my sister Heather and Julie's sister Jodi are good aunts, but have children of their own and lived some distance away from us when we were in Grand Rapids. Yet Katie and Kent regularly made the trip out to our home and blessed us each time they came. The fact that they did not have children of their own increased their flexibility for sure. Now that they have their first child, we are sad that we will not be able to shower them with love and support in being the great aunt and uncle they have been. They are going to be great parents for sure!!! So we sent our Zilkie ambassador, namely Julie and her attendant Selah, on a three day trip to Detroit.
The other positive is that Julie can use the break as she has been stretched thin these past couple months since moving into a temporary home here in STL. She is doing great and taking great care of our home, but this time away for her is good. In the meantime, I get to watch our four oldest by myself for three days...which is a blast. Sunday afternoon we made pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese...and a slice of buttered bread. Not fancy, but a perennial favorite with the kids...and a meal that Julie would never dream of serving. In fact David said that it was his "favorite noodles". Sometimes simple is best. Then this morning we were up, fed, and at the zoo by 8 a.m. There was nobody there and it was great. We saw the penguins and puffins, touched the stingrays, walked through the bird sanctuary, reptile house, monkey house, and insectarium. We had 2 full hours of zoo fun and were out of there by 10 a.m. when the crowds started showing up. Also, David and Jonathan watched Star Wars for the first time yesterday afternoon. Then today they watched Empire Strikes Back for the first time and they want to finish off the trilogy tomorrow afternoon with Return of the Jedi. They are mesmerized by the movies, the larger than life characters, and they remind me of what it was like to watch those films when I was a child when they were first released. It has been a very cool time.
The second thing that was special yesterday was being part of a baptism for a neat woman and sister in Christ named Claire. Claire is the fifth child in a family of 17. Her mother Rita gave birth to 17 children in 20 years and did not have any multiples. Pretty amazing. Claire is now in her 50s with three grown daughters of her own and has a beautiful faith in God that only really took hold about three years ago. Claire grew up in a strongly denominational church-going family. Her parents were amazing people and sought to impart their faith into the lives of their children as best they could. However, with 17 kids, odds are some might not "get it" from the start. Well with many of her family and friends present yesterday, Claire got up in the service and read the story of her spiritual journey. It is a beautiful one. Her eldest daughter is the one who actually pursued her heart and was the lynch-pin for her finally seeing and believing in Jesus for herself three years ago. Not only that, but Claire is now heavily involved in the life of Rooftop and in the lives of her three girls as a loving and godly mother and grandmother. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations as we talked about her spiritual journey and what she wanted to share before being baptized. The water in the baptismal was cold, but the warmth of support and love in the room from Rooftoppers, her family and friends, and the blessing of God's presence more than made up for it.
Finally, I met with a bunch of Rooftoppers who volunteer their time and energy to serve our church community. We are planning a big fall serving event that will hopefully accomplish much in line with God's will for our church and for our community. There are more details to come, but it will be successful because of the great servants and volunteers God has placed at Rooftop.
Yes, yesterday was a good day. I continually get excited to think of the many like it that, Lord willing, are yet to come.
Early Sunday morning Julie left on a trip back to Michigan to see my sister, brother-in-law, and their newborn daughter, Ruby...their first child. We had hoped to see little Ruby before we left, but God's timing in bringing us to STL did not coincide as she was not born until June. We are so excited for Katie and Kent and I was thrilled to see Julie go and spend several days with them. Katie and Kent have been a great aunt and uncle to our children. Our other siblings, my sister Heather and Julie's sister Jodi are good aunts, but have children of their own and lived some distance away from us when we were in Grand Rapids. Yet Katie and Kent regularly made the trip out to our home and blessed us each time they came. The fact that they did not have children of their own increased their flexibility for sure. Now that they have their first child, we are sad that we will not be able to shower them with love and support in being the great aunt and uncle they have been. They are going to be great parents for sure!!! So we sent our Zilkie ambassador, namely Julie and her attendant Selah, on a three day trip to Detroit.
The other positive is that Julie can use the break as she has been stretched thin these past couple months since moving into a temporary home here in STL. She is doing great and taking great care of our home, but this time away for her is good. In the meantime, I get to watch our four oldest by myself for three days...which is a blast. Sunday afternoon we made pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese...and a slice of buttered bread. Not fancy, but a perennial favorite with the kids...and a meal that Julie would never dream of serving. In fact David said that it was his "favorite noodles". Sometimes simple is best. Then this morning we were up, fed, and at the zoo by 8 a.m. There was nobody there and it was great. We saw the penguins and puffins, touched the stingrays, walked through the bird sanctuary, reptile house, monkey house, and insectarium. We had 2 full hours of zoo fun and were out of there by 10 a.m. when the crowds started showing up. Also, David and Jonathan watched Star Wars for the first time yesterday afternoon. Then today they watched Empire Strikes Back for the first time and they want to finish off the trilogy tomorrow afternoon with Return of the Jedi. They are mesmerized by the movies, the larger than life characters, and they remind me of what it was like to watch those films when I was a child when they were first released. It has been a very cool time.
The second thing that was special yesterday was being part of a baptism for a neat woman and sister in Christ named Claire. Claire is the fifth child in a family of 17. Her mother Rita gave birth to 17 children in 20 years and did not have any multiples. Pretty amazing. Claire is now in her 50s with three grown daughters of her own and has a beautiful faith in God that only really took hold about three years ago. Claire grew up in a strongly denominational church-going family. Her parents were amazing people and sought to impart their faith into the lives of their children as best they could. However, with 17 kids, odds are some might not "get it" from the start. Well with many of her family and friends present yesterday, Claire got up in the service and read the story of her spiritual journey. It is a beautiful one. Her eldest daughter is the one who actually pursued her heart and was the lynch-pin for her finally seeing and believing in Jesus for herself three years ago. Not only that, but Claire is now heavily involved in the life of Rooftop and in the lives of her three girls as a loving and godly mother and grandmother. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations as we talked about her spiritual journey and what she wanted to share before being baptized. The water in the baptismal was cold, but the warmth of support and love in the room from Rooftoppers, her family and friends, and the blessing of God's presence more than made up for it.
Finally, I met with a bunch of Rooftoppers who volunteer their time and energy to serve our church community. We are planning a big fall serving event that will hopefully accomplish much in line with God's will for our church and for our community. There are more details to come, but it will be successful because of the great servants and volunteers God has placed at Rooftop.
Yes, yesterday was a good day. I continually get excited to think of the many like it that, Lord willing, are yet to come.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Trusting God
As Julie and I continue to settle into life here in St. Louis and at Rooftop we often find ourselves reflecting back on our journey in getting here. The other day we both looked back on all of the churches where we applied to throughout 2008 and the numerous ministry positions which we made the final 10, final 5, and on several occasions the final 2 or 3. Yet at each point we were told, "sorry, we are going in a different direction." I remember the feeling in my gut when I heard that after months of pursuing each of these different positions, once again this was a closed door. We got used to, and even pretty good at being rejected with grace and also with inquisitive questions as to what we were lacking.
There was a church in Grand Rapids which we were one of the final 3 candidates and getting all the right signs from them. It looked very promising after our on-site interview and we were getting quite excited and then a week later...they went silent. Our family attended their service that weekend and the previous enthusiasm we had seen had been replaced with a polite "hello" followed by a little awkwardness. A week later we hear that they had gone with the dark horse candidate who took the interview process by storm and ultimately took the position.
There was another church in the Houston area that we traveled to for a formal interview. It was between me and an older gentleman. The church had a choice of the younger, passionate, and somewhat "risky" Jeremy or the older, established, stable (other guy). We had a lot to offer that church and community in connecting better with younger people and families and I thought we were going to get that offer. In fact, although Julie wasn't sold on the church I kept telling her that if they offered us we should accept. However, if I am honest, I was saying "yes" for many of the wrong reasons. We would have been repeating some of the problems we faced at our previous church that were related to how we "fit" with the church culture, and yet I was feeling desperate. It was pretty much a coin flip and they chose the other guy. You can only wonder what would have happened had they said yes and how different so many things would be.
There was even one church in Tennessee who after speaking with their two lead pastors decided that they were going in a different direction as well. When I asked them about other candidates and what they had found, they said, "oh, there are no other candidates, we just don't feel like you would be a good fit." Ouch! I had been rejected before, but at least someone had bested me for the position...in this case I lost out to nobody which is much worse.
But it was after the Houston visit in November that things changed for me and for our family. Around Thanksgiving God convicted me of some sinful thoughts and beliefs of mine that were rooted in fear and lacking faith. This was very startling to me as I realized it and led me to fast for an extended period of time in hopes that God would straighten me out. After the fast, heading into 2009, everything had changed. My heart had been renewed and Julie and I had been freed from the process of looking for a church. We were now down to one ministry position (Rooftop) and had decided that if Rooftop didn't work, God was closing the ministry door. In addition to that, I was no longer desperate to get back into vocational ministry. If Rooftop didn't work, then into the marketplace we would stay and likely move back to the Detroit area.
Yet, God had a plan and we had been given freedom from the Holy Spirit. Freedom to say "yes" or "no", based on what God wanted and not what we "needed" to transpire. It was a much different process for us which led to a little drama in the final weeks of the interveiw process here at Rooftop before being offered the position. In our desire to walk this different path, we made some contrarian decisions which contirbuted to the previously mentioned "drama". Ultimately, God is faithful and worked it out for His glory as we authentically sought to seek and obey Him. He can be trusted. The real question is, to what lengths will we go and what will we give up to show our trust in Him?
Saturday, June 6, 2009
The Boiler Room
Tonight we experienced our first "Boiler Room" at Rooftop. That is the worship night to include communion that takes place every 3-4 months. Not only that, but I was able to work with Jason in planning it and was able to contribute some of my heart and personality into the evening. It was a great privilege for sure.
In addition to that, one of my Rooftop brothers asked this week if we wanted to lay hands on David and pray for him at some point. I felt like the Boiler Room was the time and place for that. So about half way through, I went and got David from his kids room at the church and we sat down and read James 5:13-18 together. I asked him what James said to do if you were sick, and he said, "ask the elders of the church to come and pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord". I asked David if he would mind if we did that, he said "No, I would like that".
I couldn't ask everyone to pray as I did not want to take away the focus of the evening. However, I know the Rooftop family loves and embraces us and our family and our recent challenges. I am thankful for each of you who want to live fully for Jesus and allow me to be encouraged and motivated by witnessing it first hand. I also pray for David, that he would see passionate followers of Jesus who love Him above all else and will obey His commands. I don't know how, but this was a big night for David. As I was praying I thought of Jacob who wrestled with God in Gen 32:22-32 for a whole night and before the dawn He bested God in the wrestling match and got his blessing. But...God touched his hip and he walked with a limp thereafter.
I believe we acted in faith by praying for David and I do believe God will heal him. Might I be wrong, maybe...but more importantly, I am praying that whatever the journey my son goes on with his God, that David may be convinced of God's blessing on him and if the price for that is a limp like Jacob, then so be it.
The Boiler Room finished up, the band and the horns did a great job. Communion was awesome as we knelt collectively at the improvised altars...it was a special night for sure. Just another short wonderful chapter for us here in St. Louis, following God's call on our life to go to a land I will show you.
In addition to that, one of my Rooftop brothers asked this week if we wanted to lay hands on David and pray for him at some point. I felt like the Boiler Room was the time and place for that. So about half way through, I went and got David from his kids room at the church and we sat down and read James 5:13-18 together. I asked him what James said to do if you were sick, and he said, "ask the elders of the church to come and pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord". I asked David if he would mind if we did that, he said "No, I would like that".
I couldn't ask everyone to pray as I did not want to take away the focus of the evening. However, I know the Rooftop family loves and embraces us and our family and our recent challenges. I am thankful for each of you who want to live fully for Jesus and allow me to be encouraged and motivated by witnessing it first hand. I also pray for David, that he would see passionate followers of Jesus who love Him above all else and will obey His commands. I don't know how, but this was a big night for David. As I was praying I thought of Jacob who wrestled with God in Gen 32:22-32 for a whole night and before the dawn He bested God in the wrestling match and got his blessing. But...God touched his hip and he walked with a limp thereafter.
I believe we acted in faith by praying for David and I do believe God will heal him. Might I be wrong, maybe...but more importantly, I am praying that whatever the journey my son goes on with his God, that David may be convinced of God's blessing on him and if the price for that is a limp like Jacob, then so be it.
The Boiler Room finished up, the band and the horns did a great job. Communion was awesome as we knelt collectively at the improvised altars...it was a special night for sure. Just another short wonderful chapter for us here in St. Louis, following God's call on our life to go to a land I will show you.
Happy Birthday, Julie!!!
Yesterday, June 5th was my wife Julie's birthday, her 35th to be exact. Her day started with David, Jonathan, Caroline and I making a trip to the mom and pop doughnut shop at the end of our street to pick out Julie's favorite doughnut, an apple fritter! Of course, the kids all had to pick out one as well! Later that day, the same three kiddos and I went out for flowers for Mama as well. They all wanted to get Julie sunflowers which had just come in fresh that day. In addition to that, David got Julie an orange flower, Jonathan a red one, and Caroline a pink one. It is wonderful watching the kids pick out flowers for their Mama, as they did back for Mother's Day as well. I think it is more of a blessing and treat for me watching them select the flowers than it is for Julie to receive them. Our children are truly amazing creations...for sure.
Thanks to some generous Rooftoppers, who volunteered to watch our kiddos, I was able to make dinner plans for just the two of us...errr, three of us including a nursing Selah. But, three is more romantic and peaceful than seven so we were thrilled to bring her along. And actually, Selah is the key to the rest of our evening, which turned out to be an amazing night and birthday...one of the best we have celebrated together in our 10 years of friendship.
We live in South St. Louis, very near the Italian district and along with that community are a slew of great Italian restaurants. Not knowing St. Louis all that well, I asked a friend and very knowledgeable restaurateur named Will, and he was very helpful. The first recommendation was Cunetto House "the standard" for Italian food here in St. Louis, but they did not take reservations. Next on his list was Trattoria Marcella, which did take reservations, so we had our birthday restaurant.
As soon as we arrived, the hostess saw little 7 lb Selah and she was enraptured with her. In fact everyone who sees little Selah these days is enraptured with our 2 month old who looks like a newborn still. As we were seated Mike introduced himself as our waiter and did a great job all evening. This was the first time Julie and I had an evening away from the family since arriving here in St. Louis. We don't need many of these as we adore our family and love being together, but an evening away is special anytime you can get one.
Throughout the evening we talked, got caught up on our day, enjoyed the numerous courses and slow atmosphere of the restaurant. It was wonderful time connecting with my bride and wife of 8 1/2 years. Periodically throughout the evening people would see Selah and comment and several conversations would begin. Julie and I, loving to engage people, were thrilled to meet people and get to know them... however briefly.
Shortly after we started with out dinner, the table next to us filled with an older couple who looked very sharp and whom immediatly took notice of....you guessed it, Selah. When we shared that she was not our first, but rather our fifth we got the usual look of surprise. This started a conversation that was intermittent at first, but increased progressively throughout the evening. John and Jan were from West County and had three grown children of their own. They vacationed at a cottage in Northern Michigan and John was an officer in the Marine Corps in the 70s. Additionally, they are Jesus followers as well and we shared numerous wonderful family stories and anecdotes throughout our evening. After some time they finished their meal and said their good byes. We were just finishing our dessert but had not yet gotten our bill. As they left and I asked Mike for our bill, he had a little surprise for us...
John and Jan had anonymously paid for our bill and wanted to leave before we knew. Julie and I sat there in shock. We had saved for several months and with our budgeted funds had spent quite a bit on dinner that evening, and yet this wonderful couple, fellow Marine, brother and sister in Christ gave us the ultimate gift on Julie's birthday. You see these past several weeks stuff has happenned that is part of life but has caused us some difficulty and presented some challenges. These difficulties and challenges have not yet gone away and they might not for some time. Yet, that expression of grace from God through John and Jan, left us both speechless and with tears in our eyes. This was God's gracious gift to us amidst our little storm and it confirmed His presence with us and also His tender and gentle touch upon us in the midst of our struggles. Julie and I laid in bed that night just reveling in the amazing evening that God had brought about. Even today, we still are soaring on the wings of God's work through one expression of generosity and grace last night. Happy birthday Julie!!!
Thanks to some generous Rooftoppers, who volunteered to watch our kiddos, I was able to make dinner plans for just the two of us...errr, three of us including a nursing Selah. But, three is more romantic and peaceful than seven so we were thrilled to bring her along. And actually, Selah is the key to the rest of our evening, which turned out to be an amazing night and birthday...one of the best we have celebrated together in our 10 years of friendship.
We live in South St. Louis, very near the Italian district and along with that community are a slew of great Italian restaurants. Not knowing St. Louis all that well, I asked a friend and very knowledgeable restaurateur named Will, and he was very helpful. The first recommendation was Cunetto House "the standard" for Italian food here in St. Louis, but they did not take reservations. Next on his list was Trattoria Marcella, which did take reservations, so we had our birthday restaurant.
As soon as we arrived, the hostess saw little 7 lb Selah and she was enraptured with her. In fact everyone who sees little Selah these days is enraptured with our 2 month old who looks like a newborn still. As we were seated Mike introduced himself as our waiter and did a great job all evening. This was the first time Julie and I had an evening away from the family since arriving here in St. Louis. We don't need many of these as we adore our family and love being together, but an evening away is special anytime you can get one.
Throughout the evening we talked, got caught up on our day, enjoyed the numerous courses and slow atmosphere of the restaurant. It was wonderful time connecting with my bride and wife of 8 1/2 years. Periodically throughout the evening people would see Selah and comment and several conversations would begin. Julie and I, loving to engage people, were thrilled to meet people and get to know them... however briefly.
Shortly after we started with out dinner, the table next to us filled with an older couple who looked very sharp and whom immediatly took notice of....you guessed it, Selah. When we shared that she was not our first, but rather our fifth we got the usual look of surprise. This started a conversation that was intermittent at first, but increased progressively throughout the evening. John and Jan were from West County and had three grown children of their own. They vacationed at a cottage in Northern Michigan and John was an officer in the Marine Corps in the 70s. Additionally, they are Jesus followers as well and we shared numerous wonderful family stories and anecdotes throughout our evening. After some time they finished their meal and said their good byes. We were just finishing our dessert but had not yet gotten our bill. As they left and I asked Mike for our bill, he had a little surprise for us...
John and Jan had anonymously paid for our bill and wanted to leave before we knew. Julie and I sat there in shock. We had saved for several months and with our budgeted funds had spent quite a bit on dinner that evening, and yet this wonderful couple, fellow Marine, brother and sister in Christ gave us the ultimate gift on Julie's birthday. You see these past several weeks stuff has happenned that is part of life but has caused us some difficulty and presented some challenges. These difficulties and challenges have not yet gone away and they might not for some time. Yet, that expression of grace from God through John and Jan, left us both speechless and with tears in our eyes. This was God's gracious gift to us amidst our little storm and it confirmed His presence with us and also His tender and gentle touch upon us in the midst of our struggles. Julie and I laid in bed that night just reveling in the amazing evening that God had brought about. Even today, we still are soaring on the wings of God's work through one expression of generosity and grace last night. Happy birthday Julie!!!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Our New Home...For Now
It is Saturday evening and we are getting ready for our second Sunday here in St. Louis. Tomorrow Julie and I will be interviewed by Matt Herndon (the Lead Pastor at Rooftop) during both services. In the meantime, we are getting settled into our new home and really enjoying life here in the city of St. Louis. Our house is small for a family of 7, but we are managing okay. We love our neighbors and the street we live on. The houses are beautiful and I have walked up to the local hardware store multiple times with the boys in the 10 days we have been here.
A fellow Rooftopper Hudson stopped over earlier this week and took some pictures of our family and our home.
Here is a shot of our back yard and the alley that runs behind it...
...it is small, but the kids manage well and unlike our home in Grand Rapids, we have a finished basement for them to play in.
Our new home...
A fellow Rooftopper Hudson stopped over earlier this week and took some pictures of our family and our home.
Here is a shot of our back yard and the alley that runs behind it...
...it is small, but the kids manage well and unlike our home in Grand Rapids, we have a finished basement for them to play in.
Our new home...
Friday, May 1, 2009
Life on the River (the Mississippis River if you weren't sure)
It is almost midnight Saturday morning and I am finally able to get away to the office/building to do some work and get caught up with my correspondence. Update from the last week:
Sunday - Had a great crew of friends and neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ, show up to help out with the loading of the truck. Got everything packed up and slept on the dining room floor of our empty home, our last night at 512 E. Main St. in Caledonia. We spent 8 years in that home, had 5 children there, and had a ton of life experiences. It was great to reflect with Julie about God's faithfulness during those years.
Monday - Woke up and finally got my Uhaul trailer on the third attempt. Filled the trailer, said good bye to the home and drove an hour south to our friends home near South Haven to stay a couple nights.
Tuesday - Our dear friends Brant and Mary came out with their boys (Dawson, Braydon, and Hutch) and spent the afternoon and evening with us.
Wednesday - Packed up the Uhaul again, said good bye to our friends and began the drive to St. Louis at 9:30 am Central Standard Time. We made decent time with the boys cheering when we crossed from Michigan into Indiana and again when we crossed from Indiana into Illinois. I remember being young and how cool it was to drive from one state to the next. At 6 pm about 30 minutes outside St. Louis, the Mississippi, and the Missouri state line...Caroline "gave back" her sandwich from lunch along with remnants of the huge bowl of BLUE MOON ice cream from the night before. Combine this with the red coloring from the drink she drank some of and well... Luckily we were only 1 mile from a rest stop on I-70 in southern Illinois and pulled in there to clean her and the van before continuing...so there I was in this dungeonesque janitor's closet scrubbing out the colorful stains in Caroline's clothes and her car seat. Finally, we hit the road, grabbed a bite to eat (except for Caroline) and were welcomed by my fellow staff members at Rooftop and their beautiful families. That night we again slept on the floor, this time in our new home, waiting for our stuff to arrive the next day.
Thursday - The trailer is delivered, but the house we are staying in needs to be inspected by the city first and so we have to wait until 3 pm to begin unloading. Rooftoppers begin showing up around 3 (thanks Bonnie and Jason) and more and more show up throughout the evening. Eventually, we have more people than we can give stuff to and the trailer is cleared in no time. Meanwhile, some guys are putting together the crib, some ladies are helping Julie organize the kitchen, and others are helping organize the many items sent to the garage for temporary storage. Julie and I were so blessed by our new church community and friends as we were blessed by our church community and friends which we left in Grand Rapids. The bonds of our faith in Christ are strong and endure whatever location you may find yourself. Thursday night we slept in our own bed and loved it!!!
Friday - Today we returned the small trailer to Uhaul. They came and towed away the large trailer. I had my first official Rooftop meeting over lunch up in Clayton, which is the finance district of St. Louis if you didn't already know that. I spent most the rest of the day helping unpack at home and spending time with Julie and the kids. Then after everyone went to bed I headed off to the church building and my new office to start getting caught on my admin, correspondence, and begin planning the days and weeks to come.
Who would have thought 5 weeks ago that we would sell our home, find a month to month rental, have a baby, move our family, and be ready to go May 1st here at Rooftop Community Church. God's grace has been felt and is deeply appreciated by our family. We look forward to relying more and more on God's grace as we continue building our life here and the relationships which are so vital to our lives and the building of the kingdom of God here in St. Louis. I am so thankful to God for His faithfulness after 2 1/2 years of waiting on him, and trusting that He in His time would lead us exactly where He wanted us to go.
Sunday - Had a great crew of friends and neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ, show up to help out with the loading of the truck. Got everything packed up and slept on the dining room floor of our empty home, our last night at 512 E. Main St. in Caledonia. We spent 8 years in that home, had 5 children there, and had a ton of life experiences. It was great to reflect with Julie about God's faithfulness during those years.
Monday - Woke up and finally got my Uhaul trailer on the third attempt. Filled the trailer, said good bye to the home and drove an hour south to our friends home near South Haven to stay a couple nights.
Tuesday - Our dear friends Brant and Mary came out with their boys (Dawson, Braydon, and Hutch) and spent the afternoon and evening with us.
Wednesday - Packed up the Uhaul again, said good bye to our friends and began the drive to St. Louis at 9:30 am Central Standard Time. We made decent time with the boys cheering when we crossed from Michigan into Indiana and again when we crossed from Indiana into Illinois. I remember being young and how cool it was to drive from one state to the next. At 6 pm about 30 minutes outside St. Louis, the Mississippi, and the Missouri state line...Caroline "gave back" her sandwich from lunch along with remnants of the huge bowl of BLUE MOON ice cream from the night before. Combine this with the red coloring from the drink she drank some of and well... Luckily we were only 1 mile from a rest stop on I-70 in southern Illinois and pulled in there to clean her and the van before continuing...so there I was in this dungeonesque janitor's closet scrubbing out the colorful stains in Caroline's clothes and her car seat. Finally, we hit the road, grabbed a bite to eat (except for Caroline) and were welcomed by my fellow staff members at Rooftop and their beautiful families. That night we again slept on the floor, this time in our new home, waiting for our stuff to arrive the next day.
Thursday - The trailer is delivered, but the house we are staying in needs to be inspected by the city first and so we have to wait until 3 pm to begin unloading. Rooftoppers begin showing up around 3 (thanks Bonnie and Jason) and more and more show up throughout the evening. Eventually, we have more people than we can give stuff to and the trailer is cleared in no time. Meanwhile, some guys are putting together the crib, some ladies are helping Julie organize the kitchen, and others are helping organize the many items sent to the garage for temporary storage. Julie and I were so blessed by our new church community and friends as we were blessed by our church community and friends which we left in Grand Rapids. The bonds of our faith in Christ are strong and endure whatever location you may find yourself. Thursday night we slept in our own bed and loved it!!!
Friday - Today we returned the small trailer to Uhaul. They came and towed away the large trailer. I had my first official Rooftop meeting over lunch up in Clayton, which is the finance district of St. Louis if you didn't already know that. I spent most the rest of the day helping unpack at home and spending time with Julie and the kids. Then after everyone went to bed I headed off to the church building and my new office to start getting caught on my admin, correspondence, and begin planning the days and weeks to come.
Who would have thought 5 weeks ago that we would sell our home, find a month to month rental, have a baby, move our family, and be ready to go May 1st here at Rooftop Community Church. God's grace has been felt and is deeply appreciated by our family. We look forward to relying more and more on God's grace as we continue building our life here and the relationships which are so vital to our lives and the building of the kingdom of God here in St. Louis. I am so thankful to God for His faithfulness after 2 1/2 years of waiting on him, and trusting that He in His time would lead us exactly where He wanted us to go.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Moving Day
It is 11:30 pm, I am exhausted and should be sleeping, and yet...I am sitting in a van outside our local coffee shop where I can still get internet access since our modem was accidently paced up and is in a small box somewhere in our 27 foot trailer of stuff. Selah is with me since she was having a hard time sleeping and keeping Julie and I awake as we tried to sleep on our one remaining matress in the middle of our dining room. I want to write more and I will this week...there is so much to refelct on:
-leaving the home we have spent almost 8 years in and all that house has meant and been to us
-leaving our dear friends and neighbors who are WONDERFUL and such a blessing to us and our family
-excited about moving to St. Louis and beginning our life and ministry there with the Rooftoppers
Tomorrow we begin our journey south. Two nights at a friends cottage in Grand Junction, an hour south of Grand Rapids. Wednesday morning we drive to St. Louis and stay the night somewhere (to be determined), and Thursday we hope our stuff is delivered to our new home as we unload it and begin life in St. Louis.
P.S. For those of you following along I apologize for infrequent posts lately. We have been very busy and I do not know how often we will have internet access this next week. I hope this catches you up and I look forward to sharing more soon.
-leaving the home we have spent almost 8 years in and all that house has meant and been to us
-leaving our dear friends and neighbors who are WONDERFUL and such a blessing to us and our family
-excited about moving to St. Louis and beginning our life and ministry there with the Rooftoppers
Tomorrow we begin our journey south. Two nights at a friends cottage in Grand Junction, an hour south of Grand Rapids. Wednesday morning we drive to St. Louis and stay the night somewhere (to be determined), and Thursday we hope our stuff is delivered to our new home as we unload it and begin life in St. Louis.
P.S. For those of you following along I apologize for infrequent posts lately. We have been very busy and I do not know how often we will have internet access this next week. I hope this catches you up and I look forward to sharing more soon.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Friday Morning, 5 a.m.
It is Friday morning at 5am and I am hitting the road right on time. 8 hours of driving while gaining an hour crossing the time zone should put me at the Rooftop Church Building right around noon...we'll see. I have an appointment to see one rental at 1:30pm this afternoon and Julie is going to try to come up with another one or two this morning while I am on the road. Some Rooftoppers have been helping us with some leads. Hard to find 3 month rentals. Everyone wants 6 and mostly 12 months for a rental...See you in St. Louie
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Weekend in St. Louis - 12 Days...
It is Wednesday and I am getting ready to hit the road to St. Louis early on Friday morning. I am driving down to drop off our car, look for a home to rent for several months, and take care of some business at Rooftop. I also plan on attending a cool Trivia Night event that the church is hosting on Friday evening, and then fly back to Grand Rapids on Saturday evening. As I have noted previously, our transition to Rooftop has gone quite well with the home selling in 4 days, Selah being born nearly weeks earlier than her due date of 4/21, and a bunch of other stuff that has been very complimentary to a quick and smooth transition to St. Louis.
Well, in the past 24 hours our two best leads for a home to rent are looking less probable as one reported a serious interest in purchasing their home and the other telling us of a long term rental inquiry which would be much better for them as well. We understand and are happy for these former Rooftoppers and their recent good fortune. The Zilkies however are still looking for a place to stay...
We are leaving our home in Caledonia on Monday (4/27) 12 days from today. We will live out of suitcases while staying locally at a friends cottage for a couple of days and then driving together to St. Louis on Wednesday (4/29) or Thursday (4/30), meeting up with our stuff the end of that week.
This weekend will be a great time as I love road trips, am thrilled to get to spend more time with our new church community, and the challenge of finding a short term rental house in a short time is also somewhat exciting. However, I would welcome your prayers for my travels, Julie and the kids as they are without me for a couple of days, and finding the right house in the right location which will help us connect all the more quickly with our new church family as well as keep me close to home during this challenging time of transition. Thank you in advance for your continued prayers and support!!!
Well, in the past 24 hours our two best leads for a home to rent are looking less probable as one reported a serious interest in purchasing their home and the other telling us of a long term rental inquiry which would be much better for them as well. We understand and are happy for these former Rooftoppers and their recent good fortune. The Zilkies however are still looking for a place to stay...
We are leaving our home in Caledonia on Monday (4/27) 12 days from today. We will live out of suitcases while staying locally at a friends cottage for a couple of days and then driving together to St. Louis on Wednesday (4/29) or Thursday (4/30), meeting up with our stuff the end of that week.
This weekend will be a great time as I love road trips, am thrilled to get to spend more time with our new church community, and the challenge of finding a short term rental house in a short time is also somewhat exciting. However, I would welcome your prayers for my travels, Julie and the kids as they are without me for a couple of days, and finding the right house in the right location which will help us connect all the more quickly with our new church family as well as keep me close to home during this challenging time of transition. Thank you in advance for your continued prayers and support!!!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A New Chapter - 3/21/09
Today, after 2 years, 4 months, and 12 days since leaving our last church ministry position here in Grand Rapids, Julie and I have excitedly accepted an offer to join Rooftop Community Church in St. Louis as their new associate pastor. Rooftop has close to 300 attendees, 3 staff members including me and to find out more about it, check out the website above.
This journey has been a long and challenging one. 28 months ago I would have had absolutely no idea that God would lead where we have ultimately followed. He truly is the Shepherd, leading his sheep, at least those of His sheep who are willing to humbly trust Him and follow Him, even over dangerous paths and through difficult terrain they would otherwise not want to travel.
The journey to Rooftop alone has been an adventure unto itself, beginning late into the night of October 21st, 2008 after Julie and I were brought to our knees beside our bed in repentance and prayer, experiencing the conviction of our sins and of our self-centered living over the many years prior. In the hour after that time, when I couldn't sleep, the posting for Rooftop first came up on the "ministry position" website I was checking most often at that time. There is much more to that story, which will have to wait for the time being. First, let's take a step back to see where God has led...
Sept 2006 - Express our differing ministry views with previous church employer; mutually agree it is time to part ways.
November 2006 - Leave our church and ministry of 5 years with a grateful heart and hopefully in a fashion that honored them and God.
Winter 2007 - Take a break, visit Utah with family, go to seminary full time for a semester, and get ready for mission trip to Zimbabwe.
April 2007 - Travel with Julie and no kids to Zimbabwe with an openness to serving in Africa full time.
June 2007 - Travel back to Africa with an openness to serving in Africa full time.
July 2007 - Africa is not God's plan at this time, but sense His clear movement in a different direction...south to Indiana.
Summer 2007 - Make plans to move our family to a new "niche" housing development/community.
November 2007 - County in Indiana abruptly and surprisingly rejects previously approved housing plans...housing market crashes 6 months later along with our Indiana plans.
January 2008 - Not sure where to go next, yet continuing to trust God, we began looking for church ministry positions again.
Jan-Nov 2008 -Submitted resumes to over 40 different churches, advanced to final round of interviews numerous times, one of final two candidates several times...yet no offers.
December 2008 - I am freed from the "need" for a church ministry position (which I felt at times) and Julie and I decide to stop pursuing them for our vocation.
January 2009 - Begin making plans for life as lay leader in the church and get excited realizing our best and most fulfilling ministry happened as lay leaders at Kensington Community Church.
February 2009 - Rooftop invites us for interview much to our surprise; we excitedly come and interview, preach in their Sunday service "my message" , and although we enjoyed our weekend, we leave with no assurance or inclination yet of God leading us to Rooftop.
March 2009 - After expressing our uncertainty, Julie and I are invited back to visit Rooftop a second time. This second visit, we stay in a Rooftoppers home for two nights, skip the rental car and are chauffeured wherever we need to go, have a very enjoyable 2 days of sharing and connecting with the Rooftoppers and in the process...God moves in our spirit and our hearts, He removes the uncertainty and brings His peace. In fact, during our debrief on the flight home I asked Julie the following question, "If we were to move to St. Louis for no particular reason and you had to pick any church that you wanted to attend and join, what church would you pick?" She said, "Rooftop" and I agreed. Even as lay people, we would want to attend Rooftop for so many reasons...so it is settled. A week later, after talking to their leaders and getting the necessary feedback, they offer us their open pastoral position. Honored and with great enthusiasm, we accept the offer and agree to join the Rooftop family.
I will talk about the steps in the postings to come, if for nothing else but to journey through them in my own mind and heart. My prayer therein is to see God's ultimate glory revealed, to strengthen the validity and appeal of trying to live out a truly biblical Christianity (the contrarian way), and to invite others to step out on the narrow path which God is calling all of His children to traverse.
As far as today, March 21st, 2009, exactly eleven years since I was discharged from the United States Marine Corps, we have a church home and a new community of Jesus followers to love and learn to love more deeply, to serve and learn to serve more selflessly, to rejoice with and to rejoice with all the more, to mourn with and to (Lord willing) share our souls with through the trials and suffering that comes to all who dare to follow Jesus and walk TOGETHER on the narrow path...
This journey has been a long and challenging one. 28 months ago I would have had absolutely no idea that God would lead where we have ultimately followed. He truly is the Shepherd, leading his sheep, at least those of His sheep who are willing to humbly trust Him and follow Him, even over dangerous paths and through difficult terrain they would otherwise not want to travel.
The journey to Rooftop alone has been an adventure unto itself, beginning late into the night of October 21st, 2008 after Julie and I were brought to our knees beside our bed in repentance and prayer, experiencing the conviction of our sins and of our self-centered living over the many years prior. In the hour after that time, when I couldn't sleep, the posting for Rooftop first came up on the "ministry position" website I was checking most often at that time. There is much more to that story, which will have to wait for the time being. First, let's take a step back to see where God has led...
Sept 2006 - Express our differing ministry views with previous church employer; mutually agree it is time to part ways.
November 2006 - Leave our church and ministry of 5 years with a grateful heart and hopefully in a fashion that honored them and God.
Winter 2007 - Take a break, visit Utah with family, go to seminary full time for a semester, and get ready for mission trip to Zimbabwe.
April 2007 - Travel with Julie and no kids to Zimbabwe with an openness to serving in Africa full time.
June 2007 - Travel back to Africa with an openness to serving in Africa full time.
July 2007 - Africa is not God's plan at this time, but sense His clear movement in a different direction...south to Indiana.
Summer 2007 - Make plans to move our family to a new "niche" housing development/community.
November 2007 - County in Indiana abruptly and surprisingly rejects previously approved housing plans...housing market crashes 6 months later along with our Indiana plans.
January 2008 - Not sure where to go next, yet continuing to trust God, we began looking for church ministry positions again.
Jan-Nov 2008 -Submitted resumes to over 40 different churches, advanced to final round of interviews numerous times, one of final two candidates several times...yet no offers.
December 2008 - I am freed from the "need" for a church ministry position (which I felt at times) and Julie and I decide to stop pursuing them for our vocation.
January 2009 - Begin making plans for life as lay leader in the church and get excited realizing our best and most fulfilling ministry happened as lay leaders at Kensington Community Church.
February 2009 - Rooftop invites us for interview much to our surprise; we excitedly come and interview, preach in their Sunday service "my message" , and although we enjoyed our weekend, we leave with no assurance or inclination yet of God leading us to Rooftop.
March 2009 - After expressing our uncertainty, Julie and I are invited back to visit Rooftop a second time. This second visit, we stay in a Rooftoppers home for two nights, skip the rental car and are chauffeured wherever we need to go, have a very enjoyable 2 days of sharing and connecting with the Rooftoppers and in the process...God moves in our spirit and our hearts, He removes the uncertainty and brings His peace. In fact, during our debrief on the flight home I asked Julie the following question, "If we were to move to St. Louis for no particular reason and you had to pick any church that you wanted to attend and join, what church would you pick?" She said, "Rooftop" and I agreed. Even as lay people, we would want to attend Rooftop for so many reasons...so it is settled. A week later, after talking to their leaders and getting the necessary feedback, they offer us their open pastoral position. Honored and with great enthusiasm, we accept the offer and agree to join the Rooftop family.
I will talk about the steps in the postings to come, if for nothing else but to journey through them in my own mind and heart. My prayer therein is to see God's ultimate glory revealed, to strengthen the validity and appeal of trying to live out a truly biblical Christianity (the contrarian way), and to invite others to step out on the narrow path which God is calling all of His children to traverse.
As far as today, March 21st, 2009, exactly eleven years since I was discharged from the United States Marine Corps, we have a church home and a new community of Jesus followers to love and learn to love more deeply, to serve and learn to serve more selflessly, to rejoice with and to rejoice with all the more, to mourn with and to (Lord willing) share our souls with through the trials and suffering that comes to all who dare to follow Jesus and walk TOGETHER on the narrow path...
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