Archive - Missional Living RSS Feed

Daisies, Neighbors and Chicken

January 11, 2010 in Daily Life, Missional Living, Parenting with 0 Comments

I’ve been reading Introducing the Missional Church and the most recent chapters have been about engaging your neighborhood.  What that means is befriending your neighbors, listening to the story of their life and then discerning where the Spirit is moving in their life – how is God working to draw them to Him.  The idea, then, is that you join in with what God is doing – addressing specific needs in their life.

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to meet some families in our neighborhood at our daughter’s Daisy (Girl Scouts) Vest Ceremony.  It was really cute.  A bunch of other kindergartners stood in a line and received little green vest they will soon be forming a daisy on with with “petals” they earn.  The ceremony included an informal carry in dinner and families were invited.  What a great opportunity to make some new friends!

To make a long story short, I chickened out.  There were about 7 or 8 families there, including a handful of other Dads.  I didn’t introduce myself to one person.  And I was very disappointed in myself.

I am a self-diagnosed closet extrovert who grew up thinking he was an introvert.  I never learned good conversation skills and the thought of initiating a conversation – especially on the phone – causes me mild anxiety. But when I finally get into a conversation, I am very energized.  My dad never knew a stranger and I remember him always chatting it up in line at the grocery store.  I really hope that is hiding in me somewhere.

So anyway… I was really hoping to make some new friends there but, alas, I let a prime opportunity slip away.  We did chat with a family on the way out but I still did not learn any names.  Why is it so hard for me to go up to someone and say “Hi, my name is Ben, what’s yours?”  I know there are a number of tricks out there to help fellas like me.  My friend Jared, who is a Marine Recruiter (until his recent promotion) told me to remember F.O.R.M – Family, Organization, Recreation, Music.  4 areas of life to ask questions of.  But my first hurdle is working up the nerve to initiate the conversation.

Give me an email or a blog and I’ll talk your ear off.

Do any of you have the same problem? Any tips or encouragement you have would be appreciated! :)


What 2010 May Hold For Me

December 29, 2009 in Missional Living with 0 Comments

It’s the final countdown. A few days until the new year. I remember one year when I was a kid, my little sister and I secretly cut up a bunch of confetti out of construction paper, filled up 2 cups with it and hid it behind the TV. When the new year arrived we grabbed them, threw the confetti in the air and yelled “Happy New Year”. It was funny for a second but mostly pretty lame.  Other than that, there really aren’t any new year’s moments that really stick out.

What will this year hold for me and my family? I’m not altogether sure.  For the most part, I’ll take it as it comes.  Here are some things I know for sure (God willing)

Race
January 4th will mark my first day of training for a Half-Marathon. Now that I’m 30 and getting old, I figure my time is running out to get myself in the shape I want to remain the rest of my life. (round IS a shape, but I’d rather opt for something different) I completed my first half-marathon last spring and was extremely happy with the results. “Completed” means that I ran 8 miles of it and walked the rest. I feel like I have a better idea of what I’m doing this time around.

Travel
Our newborn has been with us a little over 2 months now and already my wife and I are itching to travel. We love traveling and hope to instill the same love in our kids. We hope that because they have no choice :) Washington D.C. to visit my sister is very likely. Chicago always makes it’s way in there somehow.

Vegetables
This year we will finally create a real vegetable garden. We moved into our house just about a year ago and last spring/summer was spent doing some preliminary work on the yard and, really, just getting our bearings. I know some people wonder how anyone would care about gardening but there’s something in me that love it. We can’t deny that when God created man he placed them in a garden. There has to be something significant about that. Oh yeah, and this family will be uncertified organic.

Mission
As my wife and I continue to explore Life in the Kingdom, there’s no doubt we will become more acquainted with our Master’s voice. With that comes the need for courage to obey His commands for us. I have no doubt that God wants us to get to know our neighbors. We will also be seeking to figure out how to get our kids involved with serving others. I have one cool idea that I hope we can work out sometime this year. It involves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a wagon, and a little boldness.

Vision
Our trajectory is almost set. This year we will launch a new vision for our church. One that is God directed and one that will require God to succeed because it is what we call God-Sized. As a professional Christian (aka, minister) I am very excited what the near future holds for our church. The church Leadership is very interested in partnering with God to see lives changed and bringing the hope of Jesus to those in our communities who need it (which is, like, all of us)

I’m sure there’s more but that’s off the top of my head and, frankly, I just don’t have a lot of extra time to blog! If I don’t write again, I’ll see you in the new year!

What 2010 May Hold For Me

December 29, 2009 in Missional Living with 0 Comments

It’s the final countdown. A few days until the new year. I remember one year when I was a kid, my little sister and I secretly cut up a bunch of confetti out of construction paper, filled up 2 cups with it and hid it behind the TV. When the new year arrived we grabbed them, threw the confetti in the air and yelled “Happy New Year”. It was funny for a second but mostly pretty lame.  Other than that, there really aren’t any new year’s moments that really stick out.

What will this year hold for me and my family? I’m not altogether sure.  For the most part, I’ll take it as it comes.  Here are some things I know for sure (God willing)

Race
January 4th will mark my first day of training for a Half-Marathon. Now that I’m 30 and getting old, I figure my time is running out to get myself in the shape I want to remain the rest of my life. (round IS a shape, but I’d rather opt for something different) I completed my first half-marathon last spring and was extremely happy with the results. “Completed” means that I ran 8 miles of it and walked the rest. I feel like I have a better idea of what I’m doing this time around.

Travel
Our newborn has been with us a little over 2 months now and already my wife and I are itching to travel. We love traveling and hope to instill the same love in our kids. We hope that because they have no choice :) Washington D.C. to visit my sister is very likely. Chicago always makes it’s way in there somehow.

Vegetables
This year we will finally create a real vegetable garden. We moved into our house just about a year ago and last spring/summer was spent doing some preliminary work on the yard and, really, just getting our bearings. I know some people wonder how anyone would care about gardening but there’s something in me that love it. We can’t deny that when God created man he placed them in a garden. There has to be something significant about that. Oh yeah, and this family will be uncertified organic.

Mission
As my wife and I continue to explore Life in the Kingdom, there’s no doubt we will become more acquainted with our Master’s voice. With that comes the need for courage to obey His commands for us. I have no doubt that God wants us to get to know our neighbors. We will also be seeking to figure out how to get our kids involved with serving others. I have one cool idea that I hope we can work out sometime this year. It involves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a wagon, and a little boldness.

Vision
Our trajectory is almost set. This year we will launch a new vision for our church. One that is God directed and one that will require God to succeed because it is what we call God-Sized. As a professional Christian (aka, minister) I am very excited what the near future holds for our church. The church Leadership is very interested in partnering with God to see lives changed and bringing the hope of Jesus to those in our communities who need it (which is, like, all of us)

I’m sure there’s more but that’s off the top of my head and, frankly, I just don’t have a lot of extra time to blog! If I don’t write again, I’ll see you in the new year!

Page 4 of 4«1234