8.31.2006

cinco


Five more days until our big departure! Brooke looked at me today and said, "We're really doing this. Whoa." Whoa indeed.

We are back in St. Louis after a good, but tiring time in Michigan. We spent our time up in the homeland saying goodbye to many friends and family. We tried to convince everybody that our leaving Michigan wasn't much different than usual since we'd be back in December, nobody really bought it though. Something about going to the other side of the planet feels different to grandmothers than just traveling a few states over. Brooke has posted pictures of some of the people we got to see and will probably post more in the next few days.

On our way back to STL we stopped off at Wheaton College to say goodbye to one of Brooke's girls, Rachael, who was gone most of the summer. We spent the afternoon with her and had dinner before driving the last leg back home, though "home" is a relative term for us these days.

While we were hanging out with Rachael we stopped in at a local coffee shop, La Spiaza. Nice place, good Americano. While there Brooke found the following quote in the restroom:
"The powers of a man's mind are directly proportioned to the quantity of coffee he drinks."

Oh how I wish this were true. I'd be a genius.

8.29.2006

learning basic theology, all over again

As Christians, Brooke and I profess belief in a deity who is transcendent (def. “existing outside the material universe and so not limited by it”) and sovereignly in control of everything. We also believe this deity is ultimately personal, so much so that his very nature constitutes what it means to be a person (i.e. humans are persons because we reflect the personhood of this deity who created us). We believe that this deity, whom we call God or Father, cares deeply for his people and works intimately to bring about their greatest good in all circumstances.

These are things we believe and acknowledge on a regular basis. However, it is much easier to say that God is in control of everything and has our best in mind when our daily experience doesn’t demand that we actually trust in this belief.

At the end of June we moved out of our apartment and sold or gave away most of our worldly possessions. Over the last two months we have lived in a different place almost every week. While these various changes have been tiring, they have also proven to us that our Father is able to provide us with shelter and all that we need.

When we moved out in June we didn’t have a penny of the money we would need to embark on our New Zealand adventure and we didn’t have any guarantee that any of that money would materialize. As we enter into our final week of preparations we can report that all of our support has come in. Our Father has been faithful in taking care of our needs.

Brooke and I have both had situations in our lives where we have had to be content to trust God and wait for his provision, but none of them have been quite like this. Our reliance on him for our daily existence has been highlighted for us through the events of this summer.

We have more learning ahead of us. We enter this new chapter of life with no guarantees. It is quite possible that our three months in NZ will reveal to everyone involved that Brooke and I are not a good fit for service there. If that’s the case we will return to St. Louis with no clue what comes next and no source of income. On the other hand, if the next three months demonstrate to us and others that we are being called to NZ, we will then return to St. Louis with no idea where the funding for long-term ministry in NZ will come from.

There are many people with situations much more painful and difficult than ours. The thing that’s difficult about our situation is that we are living in a way that is diametrically opposed to the cultural values pressed on us since we were children. The reality is that the future we are pursuing is one huge question mark with no earthly security. This must look like foolishness to many people. Our only assurance in this adventure is that a God we have never seen is working for our greatest good (whatever that means) and that He will be with us wherever we go.

Despite my questions and hesitations I can live with this one assurance. I can live with it because even though I’ve never seen this God I serve I have seen him make good on his promises.

8.26.2006

10


Okay, this is just a quick post to say that after today we only have ten days left in the states! It feels really weird that we will soon be embarking on the next step of our life together and we have no idea where that step will eventually lead us. Crazy.

For now we are still visiting friends and family in Michigan. We had coffee and donuts with our friends Karen & Juanito and their beautiful children. Then we had some great Indian food with our friend Bock who is an amazing artist and sometimes a dance partner for Brooke. After that we had coffee with another friend, Brian, who just moved to North Carolina but is back in GR for a bike race. He's a professional cyclist. From here we're headed to dinner with some folks who used to be in the youth group that Brooke and I worked with at Harvest OPC. After that we have a birthday party for our friend Jeannie. Needless to say I'll be ready for bed tonight.

It'll be nice to get back to St. Louis next week and have a few days to catch our breath before we leave for New Zealand. Oh yeah, did I mention that we do that in TEN DAYS!!!!

8.24.2006

have purpose, will travel


Since there are several people who have checked this blog who don’t know any of the details about why we are going to New Zealand I figured I should post a quick word on that subject.

Too make a long story short, Brooke and I have been invited to come down to Auckland for three months to pursue the possibility of long-term ministry there. This invitation has been extended by the Elders of Redeemer GPC (see their link under my NZ links).

During this three-month visit Brooke and I will be serving in various capacities. Brooke will be working with teenagers in the church and in the Presbytery at large (for you non-Presbyterians a Presbytery is simply a group of churches in the same region). She has the freedom to explore several other areas of service while we are there as well. I will be serving as an assistant pastor for the three months. I will be preaching on the topic of Gospel Relationships for about half of the Sunday’s that we are there, teaching a Sunday School/Bible Study on developing a Christian worldview, guest teaching a few classes at Grace Theological College, and fulfilling other pastoral duties. While we are there Brooke and I will organize and lead a weekend retreat for the youth of the Presbytery. We may also be planning and leading a Friday night to Saturday afternoon training conference for local youth leaders.

The purpose of these three months is to assess whether or not we are a good fit for life and ministry in New Zealand and at Redeemer in particular. It gives everyone there a chance to check us out and vice versa. We will return to the States on December 6, either to begin preparing to go back to New Zealand long-term or to be homeless and unemployed. If we go long-term I will be serving as a pastor at Redeemer and teaching part-time at Grace.

People keep asking if we are excited. The easy answer is “Yes”, but honestly we are experiencing a whole swirl of emotions. We are excited, nervous, curious, scared, hopeful, confused, contented. The list could go on. Part of the trepidation I feel is over the fact that I don’t consider myself spiritually fit to be a pastor. Everyone tells me that a sense of inadequacy is a prerequisite for the position. That’s great, but how do you tell the difference between a sense of inadequacy and the presence of real inadequacy? That’s probably a good topic for a separate post.

Anyway, that’s the short and skinny of why we are headed to the land of the Kiwi’s. If you have specific questions about all of this feel free to email them to me.

8.22.2006

finding common ground


I have a love affair with coffee shops. While in seminary I spent more hours in Kaldi’s (the original, not the new franchises that look just like Bread Co.) than I did in class. In many ways Kaldi’s became my second home and my natural habitat. In the midst of our chaotic summer I have missed my regular time at Kaldi’s. I miss the friends, acquaintances, and regular strangers I’ve come to know by being a part of that community.

For people who don’t frequent them it may sound strange to refer to a coffee shop as a community but that is precisely what they are. A coffee shop becomes something of a social hub for the various people who, for some reason, claim it as their shop. When the person becomes a regular customer they are actually treated as more than a customer. In this way a coffee shop becomes a place where a person feels they belong. The desire to feel like you belong is a good and normal human impulse. In our broken and fragmented world these places of belonging are often hard to find.

There are relatively few places where I feel comfortable and where I feel that I belong and, for whatever reason, coffee shops tend to be the places where I feel like a fish in water. Not all coffee shops are created equal though. There are definitely shops that don’t fit the bill when it comes to community expectations. I for one can’t stand Starbucks. On top of the fact that their coffee is bitter and over caffeinated the whole atmosphere is generally one of commercialization. I wonder if this makes me a coffee shop snob? If so, oh well.


My chosen shop whenever I’m back in Grand Rapids is Common Ground. Common Ground has good coffee (the House Blend is my favorite), good atmosphere, and a great Italian sandwich. Common Ground also fits my definition of a coffee shop community. The three times I have been here since arriving in G.R. last Thursday have been enough for me to spot some of the regular customers. Common Ground is home to teenagers, college students, white and blue-collar working adults and elderly retirees. It would be a home to me as well, if we lived here.

When I consider the fact that in exactly two weeks Brooke and I will be boarding a plane bound for New Zealand I have a lot of questions about our future and about whether we will find a home in Auckland. I wonder if we will discover a sense of fitted-ness and belonging in the Church, culture, and society. It may seem petty or trivial, but for me a large part of this questioning includes wondering whether I will find a coffee shop to claim as my own.

8.19.2006

breaking it down


over the last two days anytime the subject of my new blog has come up brooke has mocked me for the title i chose. she says it's strange and obscure. i pointed out to her that her blog title is no less obscure than mine. she agreed but still thinks my name is dumb. oh well, good thing married folks don't have to agree on every issue.

i thought the title was pretty straight forward but i realize there may people out there who agree with my gentle and tactful wife. so for those of you who don't get it, here's how the name breaks down:

trans-: prefix, 1. across, on the other side of, beyond 2. through 3. indicating change, transfer, or conversion

pacific: n. pacific ocean, adj. relating to the pacific ocean, or to the territories that surround it or are surrounded by it

-ism: suffix, 1. action, process 2. characteristic behavior or manner 3. state, condition 4. unusual or unhealthy state 5. doctrine, system of beliefs 6. Prejudice 7. distinctive feature or trait

there is also an intended double entendre in the word transpacificism. i'll let you figure that one out for yourselves though. it's really not that difficult.

all this discussion about names makes me curious. what are some of the most interesting/confusing blog titles you have come across?

8.17.2006

entering blogosphere


well, i've finally done it. after much hemming, hawing and other such hesitations i have started a blog. i'm still not entirely sure how much i like the idea of being a "blogger" but i figure this is the best way to keep the most people connected with what's going with me and brooke. does that make me a utilitarian?

anyway, i don't know how often i will post here. my hope would be at least once a week. if i discover that i rarely post anything i'll probably just delete the blog. once we get to new zealand i have no clue what our internet access will be like so my post regularity will definitely be affected by the situation there. i guess we'll just have to wait and see.

speaking of new zealand, things are wrapping up for us here in the states. only 19 days left before we take the long flight. brooke had her last day of work yesterday and we are heading up to michigan tomorrow. we'll be there for about two weeks before we come back to st. louis for a few days. we leave for auckland on september 4 and arrive on september 6.

one other thing to make note of before i finish this super-exciting first blog post is that i am almost completely inept when it comes to technology. this will probably severely limit my blogging abilities so if any of you fellow bloggers out there have any tips for me feel free to email me or leave your tips as comments.

well, until next time...