One day...
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
True Friendship
Micah really wants to be a friend to Bjorn. Bjorn does not like to hold his own bottle, either.
Friday, May 09, 2008
What I Missed...
This is what I missed this week being gone at the Regent Pastor's Conference this week. It was a great time of soul-care this week, and I am glad to see this kid's face again!
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Graduation
It was cool at graduation to sit just one person away from my good friend Chris who graduated on the same night. He lives in Bellingham and we carpooled many-a-time and had some great conversations about theology, ecclesiology and "wife-ology."
I am looking forward to seeing what God is going to do with his life!
I am looking forward to seeing what God is going to do with his life!
My Installation Service
We had a great time at my installation service for FBC this past Sunday! Click on the pic for a few more pics.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
It's Official!
I have here in my hand a piece of nice paper that says, "We, the Governor, President and Faculty of Regent College, certify that Jeffrey Louis Flint...has been awarded the Master of Divinity."
It has been an emotional weekend! Ups and downs with church members on the verge of death, other church members of the verge of giving birth, my niece dealing with her Leukemia, my brother and sister-in-law dealing with her Leukemia, I was installed as the pastor Sunday afternoon, I graduated Monday night.
Today we are getting Micah's haircut for the first time and then we are going to take advantage of this beautiful day to go see the Tulips!
It has been an emotional weekend! Ups and downs with church members on the verge of death, other church members of the verge of giving birth, my niece dealing with her Leukemia, my brother and sister-in-law dealing with her Leukemia, I was installed as the pastor Sunday afternoon, I graduated Monday night.
Today we are getting Micah's haircut for the first time and then we are going to take advantage of this beautiful day to go see the Tulips!
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Is this Really Real?
Well, I just received the following email from Regent College:
Dear Jeff,
Congratulations on the completion of the Systematic Theology A Continuing Studies course. You have officially received an A. This grade has now been recorded and has been sent to the Registrar's office.
--
What in the world! This was an audio course that I finished in February the week before it was due. I went up about three times that week to write a paper and to take the exams. I wrote my paper on open theism, which is not the easiest subject to tackle, (especially when you are leaning in favor of it), and I knew there were some holes or things I didn't say as well as they need to be said. The exam was five questions, and there is never enough time to write all you can about them, so they looked less than comprehensive to me. I didn't think it was a failing grade, but I certainly didn't expect an A. Those are the best.
I thank God for his grace. Thinking is a means of grace and I thank him for it.
Dear Jeff,
Congratulations on the completion of the Systematic Theology A Continuing Studies course. You have officially received an A. This grade has now been recorded and has been sent to the Registrar's office.
--
What in the world! This was an audio course that I finished in February the week before it was due. I went up about three times that week to write a paper and to take the exams. I wrote my paper on open theism, which is not the easiest subject to tackle, (especially when you are leaning in favor of it), and I knew there were some holes or things I didn't say as well as they need to be said. The exam was five questions, and there is never enough time to write all you can about them, so they looked less than comprehensive to me. I didn't think it was a failing grade, but I certainly didn't expect an A. Those are the best.
I thank God for his grace. Thinking is a means of grace and I thank him for it.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Our Niece
We found out some bad news this past week. Jordan, our 3 1/2 year old adorable niece was diagnosed with leukemia. My brother (Joel) and his wife (Jodie) have been updating everyone on her situation with this website: CaringBridge.
Check there for all the details. In the meantime, thanks for your prayers and well-wishes.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
A Souvenir from Israel
Well, on Thursday morning in Israel, I woke up and I knew something was wrong. I had that sick feeling in my throat and the achiness in my body. We then went out on our final day of the tour for 6 hours. We walked around the archeological remains of the Temple Mount, went up around the Western Wall, and then visited the Garden Tomb and the place of the Skull. We had a nice time of communion there in the Garden to finish off our trip. We then came back to the hotel just to put our bags together, eat dinner and then load the bus to the airport.
We then had a 12 hour flight from Israel to Newark and another six hour flight from Newark to Seattle. I got back on Friday, went to bed and didn't wake up again until Saturday morning. I went to the doc, who said I had the influenza. Brutal. I have been down ever since. Bethany had to preach my sermon for me on Sunday since I couldn't go. She was great, I heard. She is the best. She has been by herself with Micah these past two weeks, looking forward to me coming home. Then, I come home sick and she takes care of both of us. I have the best wife in the world, I believe...
By the way, click on the flickr box and it will take you to my pics from the trip!
We then had a 12 hour flight from Israel to Newark and another six hour flight from Newark to Seattle. I got back on Friday, went to bed and didn't wake up again until Saturday morning. I went to the doc, who said I had the influenza. Brutal. I have been down ever since. Bethany had to preach my sermon for me on Sunday since I couldn't go. She was great, I heard. She is the best. She has been by herself with Micah these past two weeks, looking forward to me coming home. Then, I come home sick and she takes care of both of us. I have the best wife in the world, I believe...
By the way, click on the flickr box and it will take you to my pics from the trip!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Israel Day Eight
Today may have been my second favorite day on the trip so far; it's close to being my favorite. Today was all about exploring the City of David, which is a little section of Jerusalem to the north along the Kidron Valley. (Think like Fairhaven is a part of Bellingham.) We walked to a place where we could walk through Hezekiah's tunnel. This was a tunnel that allowed water to get into the city from an artesian well in the Kidron Valley and ended at the Pool of Siloam. We were walking through that tunnel! There was water on the bottom up to our ankles. The ceiling was low in some spots where we had to duck down. It was pitch black without our flashlights. It was narrow so that my arms were touching the sides. It was awesome walking through it!
From there we went to the Israel Museum, where they had a huge model of the city of Jerusalem from Herod's time, the time of the Second actual temple. To see the scale of the Temple in comparison to the rest of the city made my jaw drop. It was the most helpful part of the trip so far to see the magnitude of the place. We also saw "The Shrine of the Book" where they housed the complete Isaiah scroll that they found in Qumran. (Although, for our trip, the manuscript was put away and a facsimile was in its place.) It was very cool to see the fragments of papyrus from some of the jars they found in Qumran. (Pastor nerds like me find that kind of thing interesting...)
From there we stopped at King David's tomb. (Which is probably not the place he was buried, but again its in the vicinity.) We stopped by a possible place where the Upper Room may have been, which has since been taken over by the Moslems and turned into a mosque. We sang "Amazing Love" in there that was really beautiful.
The next stop was lunch in a little market area, where I had pizza and a pepsi and where we could overlook the cardo - the main street (think "cardio" = heart = heart of the city) It was Main Street.
We made our way from there to the Western Wall (we know it more as the “wailing wall”). We will spend more time praying at the wall tomorrow, but today, we took a tour alongside the wall down underground. The city has been built up so many years, that the original wall goes under the earth 65 feet. (Again, the Temple is massive.) This was not a day for those who don’t enjoy close quarters or are claustrophobic. Some of the walkways were tight. Anyway, the stones they used to build the Temple were 400-700 tons and 20 feet long at least. Those people were amazing how they moved them around and put them in the right spots. It was phenomenal. I touched history. I am humbled by the opportunity to be here…
From there we went to the Israel Museum, where they had a huge model of the city of Jerusalem from Herod's time, the time of the Second actual temple. To see the scale of the Temple in comparison to the rest of the city made my jaw drop. It was the most helpful part of the trip so far to see the magnitude of the place. We also saw "The Shrine of the Book" where they housed the complete Isaiah scroll that they found in Qumran. (Although, for our trip, the manuscript was put away and a facsimile was in its place.) It was very cool to see the fragments of papyrus from some of the jars they found in Qumran. (Pastor nerds like me find that kind of thing interesting...)
From there we stopped at King David's tomb. (Which is probably not the place he was buried, but again its in the vicinity.) We stopped by a possible place where the Upper Room may have been, which has since been taken over by the Moslems and turned into a mosque. We sang "Amazing Love" in there that was really beautiful.
The next stop was lunch in a little market area, where I had pizza and a pepsi and where we could overlook the cardo - the main street (think "cardio" = heart = heart of the city) It was Main Street.
We made our way from there to the Western Wall (we know it more as the “wailing wall”). We will spend more time praying at the wall tomorrow, but today, we took a tour alongside the wall down underground. The city has been built up so many years, that the original wall goes under the earth 65 feet. (Again, the Temple is massive.) This was not a day for those who don’t enjoy close quarters or are claustrophobic. Some of the walkways were tight. Anyway, the stones they used to build the Temple were 400-700 tons and 20 feet long at least. Those people were amazing how they moved them around and put them in the right spots. It was phenomenal. I touched history. I am humbled by the opportunity to be here…
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Israel Day Seven
Today was a very emotional day for us. We began the day at the Mount of Olives, traveling down the “Palm Sunday Road” as they call it. It goes from Bethany to Jerusalem, and overlooks the whole city. From atop the Mount you can see the place where the devil took Jesus in Round Two of the temptation story, the corner overlooking the Kidron Valley. The valley is much deeper and narrower than I imagined. The Mount of Olives is also very, very steep. When you walk, you have to kind of lean back a bit to hold back your momentum. This is the place where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. They had missed the “perfect timing of God’s coming to them” (Luke 19:44) and Jesus knew they were going to be destroyed in 70 C.E. only a generation later.
May our hearts weep in compassion for those who don’t know that God has come to them in the person of Jesus Christ.
At the bottom of the Mt. of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane simply means “olive press” because that was where they would take the olives to be pressed for oil. This was the place where Jesus would have been spending time with his disciples before Judas came because it was down in the ground in caves, out of the elements. Some of the olive trees I saw were 2000 years old. (!) We had some time on our own to reflect and pray, which was nice because there are just so many tourists that come.
We then stopped by Caiphas’ house where Peter denied him three times. At this point we are looking back across the Kidron Valley towards the Mount of Olives. It is not a far distance at all. Here we saw the caves where prisoners were taken as well. Dark, alone, and helpless, Jesus would have recalled Psalm 88.
At lunch we ate at a place where we could see the fields where the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. In the distance, there is a mountain built by Herod the Great, and he built it up so that it looked like a volcano, so people would be afraid to come attack him!
Our final stop was the Holocaust Memorial. I just have to shake my head at the atrocity of what happened to these Jews and the amount of evil that occurred (and is still occurring) against these people. I don’t know how many groups of people began their history 3500 years ago and are still around…
We closed off today’s activities with a talk given to us by a woman named Frida Keet, who is the “Voice of Israel.” She gave us some more perspective on the political aspects of the nation’s history. Too much to go into now, of course, but an interesting and hard plight these people have gone through.
May our hearts weep in compassion for those who don’t know that God has come to them in the person of Jesus Christ.
At the bottom of the Mt. of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane simply means “olive press” because that was where they would take the olives to be pressed for oil. This was the place where Jesus would have been spending time with his disciples before Judas came because it was down in the ground in caves, out of the elements. Some of the olive trees I saw were 2000 years old. (!) We had some time on our own to reflect and pray, which was nice because there are just so many tourists that come.
We then stopped by Caiphas’ house where Peter denied him three times. At this point we are looking back across the Kidron Valley towards the Mount of Olives. It is not a far distance at all. Here we saw the caves where prisoners were taken as well. Dark, alone, and helpless, Jesus would have recalled Psalm 88.
At lunch we ate at a place where we could see the fields where the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. In the distance, there is a mountain built by Herod the Great, and he built it up so that it looked like a volcano, so people would be afraid to come attack him!
Our final stop was the Holocaust Memorial. I just have to shake my head at the atrocity of what happened to these Jews and the amount of evil that occurred (and is still occurring) against these people. I don’t know how many groups of people began their history 3500 years ago and are still around…
We closed off today’s activities with a talk given to us by a woman named Frida Keet, who is the “Voice of Israel.” She gave us some more perspective on the political aspects of the nation’s history. Too much to go into now, of course, but an interesting and hard plight these people have gone through.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Israel Day Six
Today we left the Dead Sea and we are now in Jerusalem.
[By the way – in my last post I said I was “low.” That was a joke because we were in the lowest part of the world at 1300ft below sea level. I am not depressed.]
I went for an early morning float this morning so I could get picture to actually prove I was in the Dead Sea. I tasted some of it just to see what it was like and I almost gagged to death. It is 10x saltier than any other salt water in the world.
From our hotel we went to the fortress of Masada, which is amazing. Masada was a community of people living on top of a mountain. It is amazing how they got water and how they lived and farmed. The place looked impenetrable but in 73 CE the Roman army led by Sylvas actually laid seiged to it, made it to the top, but found everyone dead. They committed suicide so that they wouldn’t be killed or be forced into slavery. It took Sylvas three years to figure out how to get up there. It is an amazing story – there is a movie about it that is pretty accurate in telling its story. Anyway, you have to see some pics of it; it will astound you. It is even more phenomenonal in person.
It just goes to show that even the most earthly, human-invented forms of security can still be destroyed. The only eternally secure thing is not a thing at all, it is a person! Our security is found in Jesus Christ, whose word is so strong that now matter how much wind and rain come, you can stand. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house upon the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matt. 7:24-25) “The Lord is my Rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2)
From Masada, we went to the Ahava Cream Factory. I will be honest with you – this one was for the ladies… We watched a video (!) about their products and then shopped a bit, ate sandwiches and left. I am still trying to find an “ahava” reference in the Bible!
Our next stop was in Bethlehem, which is actually in Palestinian control. We had to go through a security stop and load a different bus because our driver and guide are Israeli and they don’t allow Israelies to go through. They stayed behind. We went to a shop first, which is owned by some Christian men (most of the Christians live in Bethlehem) and then went on to the Church of the Nativity, which is a church built on top of the area where Jesus was born. In this church, there are catacombs where Jerome lived for 38 years translating the Greek NT into Latin, what we know today as the Latin Vulgate. (a major accomplishment for that time) We sang a couple of Christmas hymns in the church and then went on to our hotel for the night.
I am bushwhacked and I miss my wife and son!
[By the way – in my last post I said I was “low.” That was a joke because we were in the lowest part of the world at 1300ft below sea level. I am not depressed.]
I went for an early morning float this morning so I could get picture to actually prove I was in the Dead Sea. I tasted some of it just to see what it was like and I almost gagged to death. It is 10x saltier than any other salt water in the world.
From our hotel we went to the fortress of Masada, which is amazing. Masada was a community of people living on top of a mountain. It is amazing how they got water and how they lived and farmed. The place looked impenetrable but in 73 CE the Roman army led by Sylvas actually laid seiged to it, made it to the top, but found everyone dead. They committed suicide so that they wouldn’t be killed or be forced into slavery. It took Sylvas three years to figure out how to get up there. It is an amazing story – there is a movie about it that is pretty accurate in telling its story. Anyway, you have to see some pics of it; it will astound you. It is even more phenomenonal in person.
It just goes to show that even the most earthly, human-invented forms of security can still be destroyed. The only eternally secure thing is not a thing at all, it is a person! Our security is found in Jesus Christ, whose word is so strong that now matter how much wind and rain come, you can stand. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house upon the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matt. 7:24-25) “The Lord is my Rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2)
From Masada, we went to the Ahava Cream Factory. I will be honest with you – this one was for the ladies… We watched a video (!) about their products and then shopped a bit, ate sandwiches and left. I am still trying to find an “ahava” reference in the Bible!
Our next stop was in Bethlehem, which is actually in Palestinian control. We had to go through a security stop and load a different bus because our driver and guide are Israeli and they don’t allow Israelies to go through. They stayed behind. We went to a shop first, which is owned by some Christian men (most of the Christians live in Bethlehem) and then went on to the Church of the Nativity, which is a church built on top of the area where Jesus was born. In this church, there are catacombs where Jerome lived for 38 years translating the Greek NT into Latin, what we know today as the Latin Vulgate. (a major accomplishment for that time) We sang a couple of Christmas hymns in the church and then went on to our hotel for the night.
I am bushwhacked and I miss my wife and son!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Israel Day Five
Today we headed south along the Jordan River on our way to our hotel tonight at the Dead Sea. We are 1300ft below sea level right now, the lowest point on earth. I am feeling kind of low right now for some reason... There is no place to go but up I guess!
Our first stop this morning was at Gideon Springs, the site where Gideon's army was chosen by the way they drank the water. The ones who did not lap like dogs were the ones chosen to go to war. The funny thing is that those people never even lifted a sword against the enemy; they just shouted and the enemy started killing each other. The place was in a national park and we hiked a bit to get to the place. It was nice being the only people around at this site.
From there we went to a place called Bet Alpha, a site where a beautiful original Mosaic was found at the time of Emperor Justinus (6th century). It was pretty amazing to see the whole thing right in front of us. Some farmers had apparently just been digging fields to plant their crops and discovered this mosaic underneath the dirt.
Our 3rd stop was at a place call Bet She'an (though this word's meaning is unknown, a similar word means "house of rest"). This place was AMAZING. It was one of the Decapolis cities of the Roman empire called Scythopolis. The dig was huge, and the rest of the city was covered underneath the earth. We saw the theater which sat 6000 people and heard the great acoustics from the stage to our seats at the top. This city was a place Jesus would stop everytime he made his was from Galilee to Jerusalem. It was the place where you paid the tax and it was here that Saul fought with his sons. We also made our way to a circus ring - the coliseum where the gladiators performed and where Christians were fed to the lions. Sobering...
[Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:10]
We drove for a while after that and arrived at the Qumran cave sites. Qumran is the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found that contained all the books of our Bible. What is significant about these fragments is that they are 1000 years older (and better) than what we previously had (for translations like the KJV). The interesting thing is that there are still jars in the caves we were looking at, but because of the cost, the politics, and the time, they have not made an effort to go get them. It was hot today, especially here at Qumran.
Our 5th stop was at En Gedi. This is the place where David fled from Saul and hid in a cave (which we saw). Saul entered the cave looking for David, but didn't see him. David cut off a piece of Saul's robe to say, "Hey, I could've killed you but I didn't." When the rains come upon this place, the tiny waterfall turns into an unstoppable river.
We are now at our hotel right on the Dead Sea. I went with some of my new friends down to go float in it and I am still tasting salt! [By the way, there are 5 pastors who had their way paid for by a generous woman in Spokane. They are all 30-40 and pastoring churches similar to FBC Bellingham. It is neat to see some of the "fresh" blood in our region and they work they are trying to do to grow healthy churches. They are hilarious guys and it has been great getting to know them.]
Again, sorry about no pics, but this internet here is limited and pics don't upload easily. Tomorrow I am going for another Dead Sea float/swim. The mud here is supposed to be amazing for your skin, so I will have to try and bottle some up for the ladies of our church. (Have you heard of Ahava products?) Tomorrow night we will be in Jerusalem for our final three nights. I can't believe it is coming to a close soon...
Our first stop this morning was at Gideon Springs, the site where Gideon's army was chosen by the way they drank the water. The ones who did not lap like dogs were the ones chosen to go to war. The funny thing is that those people never even lifted a sword against the enemy; they just shouted and the enemy started killing each other. The place was in a national park and we hiked a bit to get to the place. It was nice being the only people around at this site.
From there we went to a place called Bet Alpha, a site where a beautiful original Mosaic was found at the time of Emperor Justinus (6th century). It was pretty amazing to see the whole thing right in front of us. Some farmers had apparently just been digging fields to plant their crops and discovered this mosaic underneath the dirt.
Our 3rd stop was at a place call Bet She'an (though this word's meaning is unknown, a similar word means "house of rest"). This place was AMAZING. It was one of the Decapolis cities of the Roman empire called Scythopolis. The dig was huge, and the rest of the city was covered underneath the earth. We saw the theater which sat 6000 people and heard the great acoustics from the stage to our seats at the top. This city was a place Jesus would stop everytime he made his was from Galilee to Jerusalem. It was the place where you paid the tax and it was here that Saul fought with his sons. We also made our way to a circus ring - the coliseum where the gladiators performed and where Christians were fed to the lions. Sobering...
[Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:10]
We drove for a while after that and arrived at the Qumran cave sites. Qumran is the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found that contained all the books of our Bible. What is significant about these fragments is that they are 1000 years older (and better) than what we previously had (for translations like the KJV). The interesting thing is that there are still jars in the caves we were looking at, but because of the cost, the politics, and the time, they have not made an effort to go get them. It was hot today, especially here at Qumran.
Our 5th stop was at En Gedi. This is the place where David fled from Saul and hid in a cave (which we saw). Saul entered the cave looking for David, but didn't see him. David cut off a piece of Saul's robe to say, "Hey, I could've killed you but I didn't." When the rains come upon this place, the tiny waterfall turns into an unstoppable river.
We are now at our hotel right on the Dead Sea. I went with some of my new friends down to go float in it and I am still tasting salt! [By the way, there are 5 pastors who had their way paid for by a generous woman in Spokane. They are all 30-40 and pastoring churches similar to FBC Bellingham. It is neat to see some of the "fresh" blood in our region and they work they are trying to do to grow healthy churches. They are hilarious guys and it has been great getting to know them.]
Again, sorry about no pics, but this internet here is limited and pics don't upload easily. Tomorrow I am going for another Dead Sea float/swim. The mud here is supposed to be amazing for your skin, so I will have to try and bottle some up for the ladies of our church. (Have you heard of Ahava products?) Tomorrow night we will be in Jerusalem for our final three nights. I can't believe it is coming to a close soon...
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Israel Day Four
[again, with the picture thing...]
Today, we made six stops. Our first stop was at the Mt. of Beattitudes, which was the place where the Sermon on the Mount most likely took place. They only way we can know that is because of its natural acoustics that allow Jesus to speak to many people without amplification. The Arabs have planted crops over the actual hillside (what Matthew 5:1 calls a mountain side) where Jesus would have been because they didn’t want a whole bunch of tourists meeting there. I have to be honest – I went in expecting a spiritual experience being there, but I ended up just feeling like a tourist. There were so many people there; people from Nigeria, Russian, Hong Kong, etc. were there. It was noisy and crowded and so I was caught off guard by that more than I thought I would be.
[pic of that here…]
Our second stop was at a possible place where the 5000 men were fed. (All these places we are visiting are just possibilities of the area where Jesus did his works.) There was an old church there built by the Byzantines, which was okay.
Our third stop was down by the Sea of Galilee commemorating the place where Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection. It was also the place where Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. It was neat being on the water there:
[Sea of Galilee pic]
Our fourth stop was in Capernaum, where Jesus lived. (Matt. 4:13) This place was pretty cool, because here is where Jesus did much of his preaching, teaching, and healing. Peter’s house (again, perhaps) was excavated, which showed how their rooms were set up and organized. There were synagogue ruins that were built in 4th century, but represented well the place where Jesus taught often. Here we sang songs and prayed and had a healing service. Again, there were so many people around, so it was different than what I expected.
[peter’s house pic]
We then had lunch: [fish pic] and then went down to the highlight of my day: the Jordan River. We had to pay $9 for a robe and a towel in order to be baptized in the Jordan. There were railings to go down into the water and we had our tour pastor baptize about 12 of us. The water was very cold and slimy, but it was neat to think about Jesus’ experience in this same water. (Though probably not at this place we were at.) This was the most meaningful place for me today.
[Jordan river pic]
We came back to the hotel for a rest, and then for our sixth thing today (whew!) we took a boat ride out on the Sea of Galilee. This was a fun time, too, because it was just us and we sang some songs, read some Scripture and had a devotional time.
Today, we made six stops. Our first stop was at the Mt. of Beattitudes, which was the place where the Sermon on the Mount most likely took place. They only way we can know that is because of its natural acoustics that allow Jesus to speak to many people without amplification. The Arabs have planted crops over the actual hillside (what Matthew 5:1 calls a mountain side) where Jesus would have been because they didn’t want a whole bunch of tourists meeting there. I have to be honest – I went in expecting a spiritual experience being there, but I ended up just feeling like a tourist. There were so many people there; people from Nigeria, Russian, Hong Kong, etc. were there. It was noisy and crowded and so I was caught off guard by that more than I thought I would be.
[pic of that here…]
Our second stop was at a possible place where the 5000 men were fed. (All these places we are visiting are just possibilities of the area where Jesus did his works.) There was an old church there built by the Byzantines, which was okay.
Our third stop was down by the Sea of Galilee commemorating the place where Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection. It was also the place where Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. It was neat being on the water there:
[Sea of Galilee pic]
Our fourth stop was in Capernaum, where Jesus lived. (Matt. 4:13) This place was pretty cool, because here is where Jesus did much of his preaching, teaching, and healing. Peter’s house (again, perhaps) was excavated, which showed how their rooms were set up and organized. There were synagogue ruins that were built in 4th century, but represented well the place where Jesus taught often. Here we sang songs and prayed and had a healing service. Again, there were so many people around, so it was different than what I expected.
[peter’s house pic]
We then had lunch: [fish pic] and then went down to the highlight of my day: the Jordan River. We had to pay $9 for a robe and a towel in order to be baptized in the Jordan. There were railings to go down into the water and we had our tour pastor baptize about 12 of us. The water was very cold and slimy, but it was neat to think about Jesus’ experience in this same water. (Though probably not at this place we were at.) This was the most meaningful place for me today.
[Jordan river pic]
We came back to the hotel for a rest, and then for our sixth thing today (whew!) we took a boat ride out on the Sea of Galilee. This was a fun time, too, because it was just us and we sang some songs, read some Scripture and had a devotional time.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Israel Day Three
[Well, for some reason I can't upload any pics, so I will do that when I get a chance...]
We got into Tiberias last night, which is on the Sea of Galilee, and woke up to this view:
After a breakfast buffet once again, we headed north around the Sea of Galilee to a place where we got into Jeeps for an off-road ride up into the Golan Heights, which overlooks the Huleh Valley. The weather has been perfect so far and the area is just beautiful. Everything right now is so green and lush and the temperature is in the 70s and 80s.
[jeep pic]
The Golan Heights area is where the 1967 Six-Day-War took place between Syria and Israel. It was interesting learning the political history of the area from the people who actually lived through it, and it turns out that it was over water. Our Jeep driver was 23 years old and had already served in the Iraqi army at 18. These people are tired of war…
[mines sign pic]
From there we went to the area of Caesarea Phillippi:
[cave pic]
This was a very pagan area with many shrines and temples built to other gods, and it was here that Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” It was here that Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” The Living God – Jesus is the son of the God who is alive and interactive with his creation! He comes in the flesh and walks into pagan cultures and says, “Upon this rock (see the picture!), I will build my church.” Jesus’ word is so strong that it has no fear of the pagan culture around it. We know who will triumph in the end! The question is not will we worship, but whom will we worship?
From there we went to a tourist attraction where they had dug up a 2000 year old boat from the Sea of Galilee. It was pretty impressive the way they restored it and it is kind of fanciful to think that Jesus may have ridden in it. (But of course, there is no way to verify that…)
Finally – I had laffa for lunch today: crepe-like bread, goat cheese, and olive oil. Here is a pic:
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Israel Day Two
We got up early for breakfast this morning and this is the view to which we woke:
That is the Mediterranean Sea.
From there we went to Mt. Carmel, which is where Elijah brought down fire against the Baal prophets and told Namaan to dip himself in the water 7 times to be healed of leprosy. We could see for miles up the Valley of Jezereel (more familiarly known as the Valley of Armaggeddon).
These are a couple of my new friends Zachary and Abby. That's the Valley behind them.
After Mt. Carmel we had falafel lunch, and then headed out to be what was, for me, the coolest part of the day - Megiddo. It's really a fortress on top of a small mountain, or "tel." Tels were mountains because people would just build houses on top of other houses, thereby building up the land... Our guide said there were 27 layers of houses! We saw some steps that either Solomon or Ahab would have taken to get to the city gate. Yes, at the city gate, we were standing on 3300-year-old stone. We had better views of Mt. Tabor (perhaps where the Transfiguration took place), Nazareth, and Samaria.
These are the steps Solomon or Ahab took to get to the gate.
That is the Mediterranean Sea.
We headed to Caesarea for our first stop, which is where Herod the Great lived. He had some amazing buildings built in his time, even building stuff underwater. It is just amazing how they have still remained to this day:
From there we went to Mt. Carmel, which is where Elijah brought down fire against the Baal prophets and told Namaan to dip himself in the water 7 times to be healed of leprosy. We could see for miles up the Valley of Jezereel (more familiarly known as the Valley of Armaggeddon).
These are a couple of my new friends Zachary and Abby. That's the Valley behind them.After Mt. Carmel we had falafel lunch, and then headed out to be what was, for me, the coolest part of the day - Megiddo. It's really a fortress on top of a small mountain, or "tel." Tels were mountains because people would just build houses on top of other houses, thereby building up the land... Our guide said there were 27 layers of houses! We saw some steps that either Solomon or Ahab would have taken to get to the city gate. Yes, at the city gate, we were standing on 3300-year-old stone. We had better views of Mt. Tabor (perhaps where the Transfiguration took place), Nazareth, and Samaria.
These are the steps Solomon or Ahab took to get to the gate.Megiddo may be most familiar with the idea that this valley of Armageddon (Har="mountain"+megiddo) is where the site of the final battle of this age is to take place. That is gathered from Revelation 16:16 where John sees the kings gathering at Megiddo. Yet this interesting thing is that this battle never takes place. You will see that because after 16:16, John does not describe an actual battle. Instead he sees the seventh angel next. He then goes on to describe Babylon in chapters 17 and 18 and 19, up to verse 10. Then in verse 11, John sees heaven open and there is Jesus. The final battle never takes place because Jesus shows up. And when Jesus shows up, it's over! John says the kings get ready for war (v. 19) but immediately the beast is thrown into the lake of burning sulfur (v. 20 - the very next verse). The battle never takes place. When Jesus shows up, we will join in the Hallelujahs that come from the multitudes in heaven: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments." That will be a glorious day. It always is when Jesus shows up!
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Israel Day One
Well, I have to admit that I wasn't really sleeping in that post from yesterday... I just had some guy took a picture of me while I was pretending to sleep. I actually got in trouble from our group leader for being away from the group rather than with everyone for the long layover. I was just off reading and studying, but he was pretty upset at me later on! I guess I am the rebel one on the trip...
So today was just a big long travel day. The international flight was not too bad, really. The 777 was roomy, I watched 2.5 movies, slept for a few hours, ate dinner, ate breakfast, then landed. I sat next to nice smelling people, so it was okay.
We are at our hotel right now in Tel Aviv where we just ate some dinner. I asked at the front desk about internet access and they said it was $17/day. But when I got up to the room and tried it out - I got on! For free. Nice. The food is good here - different tastes, of course, but very good. Olives - tons of the them. We just stay one night here and then head off in the morning for Caesarea (Roman capital of Judea) and Mt. Carmel (Elijah calling down fire) and Megiddo. We will head to Nazareth and finish up in Tiberias where we overlook the Sea of Galilee that night. We will stay at that hotel for next three nights.
I get to Skype with Bethany in a few moments and so I am looking forward to that. They are meeting me at the church each day at 11:30am so that they can use my church computer to see and hear me from my laptop here at 9:30pm. They both are macs, and so they have the mic and camera built right in, seeing as macs are highly superior machines... Technology can be more cumbersome than it ought sometimes, but it's times like these that make me enjoy it.
This is our tour guide on the left who will be with us all week. Gershon is his name. On the right (not the one leaning over...), that is Clint Webb, our tour host (and the one who chewed me out...!)
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Travel Day
Here I am at Newark Airport in the armpit of the world. (My friend from Jersey called it that, not me...) We are here for 6 HOURS (oy) before we leave for Tel Aviv at 10:50pm tonight. I will arrive in Israel tomorrow (my twin brother's birthday - happy 32nd, bro) at about 4:15pm Tel Aviv time, which is 6:15am PST or 8:15am CST. Thanks for all your prayers and well-wishes!
The flight from Seattle was a little adventurous - we had one of the ladies on the tour with us get all dizzy and faint in the aisle. The flight attendant called for any nurses or doctors that were on the plane to come help and they worked on her for a while. There were about 5 people that came and helped out. She is going to be okay it turns out. One of our other tour members was the main person working on her, so I feel good about having a nurse on our team should I get caught in enemy fire. (Mom, Bethany - I am just kidding! It is very safe) I was able to get a quick nap in, read some Spurgeon sermons for Good Friday research, and make some new friends. There is a good range of people going on the trip - from 10 years old up to 80 years old, and most of them come from the western Washington area. We are all just so touristy in our nifty red around-the-neck pouches. I am not going to be a tourist in my own country, though, so I am waiting to put it on until we get there!
Alright - I am going to take a nap, watch a movie, do my laundry, write a novel, plan the next 2 years of sermons and solve world hunger in the layover time that I have left! Until tomorrow night (which may be morning for you)!
Monday, March 03, 2008
Leaving on a jet plane...
...back on March 14.
I board the shuttle tonight to ride down to Sea-Tac at 2:15am, arrive at the airport at 4:45am, where I will meet the 40 other tour participants at 5:30am and depart at 7:20am. From Seattle, we fly to Newark where we have a 5 hour layover until our flight leaves at 10:20pm for Tel Aviv. That flight is 10.5 hours, and I have a window seat, so I am praying my legs won't go too numb. I plan on sleeping and reading a lot because when I get back I have Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter right away...
Stay tuned for more updates from the trip!
I board the shuttle tonight to ride down to Sea-Tac at 2:15am, arrive at the airport at 4:45am, where I will meet the 40 other tour participants at 5:30am and depart at 7:20am. From Seattle, we fly to Newark where we have a 5 hour layover until our flight leaves at 10:20pm for Tel Aviv. That flight is 10.5 hours, and I have a window seat, so I am praying my legs won't go too numb. I plan on sleeping and reading a lot because when I get back I have Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter right away...
Stay tuned for more updates from the trip!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Finally, an Update
I don't know why I don't update this thing very much... If anyone still reads this, bless you.
So a few things going on...
- I got my grades back from my marathon Fall schedule: A, A-, A-, A-, B+. That's one of those things where you just thank the Holy Spirit for getting you through. I actually signed up for six classes last fall, but one was an audio course and that grade hasn't been given yet. I crammed in 6 months of work into the week before it was due. I received my graduation letter in the mail the other day, which made me very excited. Now I have all this free time - what to do? Oh yeah, maybe I'll pastor a church.
- I have seriously enjoyed my first two months as senior pastor. I figured out I like preaching every week, studying the Word and figuring out ways to share the gospel in language our culture can understand. Adjusting to a different worship situation has been more difficult than I thought, but I am grateful for the team God has formed to share the load.
- I am leaving on Tuesday for 10 days in Israel. It's a free trip, too! (minus the $127 expedited Passport renewal, doh.) A pastor friend of mine leads these groups every so often and someone had given him a grant to take a couple of young pastors along. I am looking forward to the experience. My dad actually went a couple of weeks ago with another tour and from what I hear it is like drinking from a firehouse. I plan on blogging each day so that my church and whoever reads this thing can keep up with what I am doing over there. There will be pictures. One thing I am looking forward to is standing on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem, and recalling the words of Jesus from Luke 19:41-44.
Pray for my wife, though, because that is ten days without daddy to help with Micah.
Peace.
So a few things going on...
- I got my grades back from my marathon Fall schedule: A, A-, A-, A-, B+. That's one of those things where you just thank the Holy Spirit for getting you through. I actually signed up for six classes last fall, but one was an audio course and that grade hasn't been given yet. I crammed in 6 months of work into the week before it was due. I received my graduation letter in the mail the other day, which made me very excited. Now I have all this free time - what to do? Oh yeah, maybe I'll pastor a church.
- I have seriously enjoyed my first two months as senior pastor. I figured out I like preaching every week, studying the Word and figuring out ways to share the gospel in language our culture can understand. Adjusting to a different worship situation has been more difficult than I thought, but I am grateful for the team God has formed to share the load.
- I am leaving on Tuesday for 10 days in Israel. It's a free trip, too! (minus the $127 expedited Passport renewal, doh.) A pastor friend of mine leads these groups every so often and someone had given him a grant to take a couple of young pastors along. I am looking forward to the experience. My dad actually went a couple of weeks ago with another tour and from what I hear it is like drinking from a firehouse. I plan on blogging each day so that my church and whoever reads this thing can keep up with what I am doing over there. There will be pictures. One thing I am looking forward to is standing on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem, and recalling the words of Jesus from Luke 19:41-44.
Pray for my wife, though, because that is ten days without daddy to help with Micah.
Peace.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Happy Birthday Mark!
Today is my friend Mark Miller's birthday. I will never forget it because that was the day Micah was supposed to be born, but now it belongs to Mark alone. Happy Brithday, bro - I am glad you are in the great Northwest!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Monday, January 07, 2008
The New Year!
Welcome to 2008. I have not so much entered gracefully into 2008 as 2008 has come full barrel into me. We began this year with a tragedy in our church family. One of our newest attenders was stabbed and killed by his son. In reality, it's more like the mental illness affecting his son is the perpetrator. We had an amazing Spirit-filled worship service this past week where we could gather around the grieving family and support them. We prayed for them, we loved them, we were simply present with them. It was a ministry moment that I am glad we didn't miss.
I never thought that my pastorate would begin like this, but the Spirit has sustained me personally, and I know that He is sustaining the family as well. The most amazing part of it is their faith. They knew the risk of having a son who was diagnosed with schizophrenia live at their house, rather than some institution. They knew the risk and took it anyway. They chose to fight the battle together with their son. The Father's heart is seen most clearly in people like that. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
Reflect on your relationships and cherish the moments. Don't waste undue energy on things that don't matter in the long run. And make sure to tell those you love that you love them.
I never thought that my pastorate would begin like this, but the Spirit has sustained me personally, and I know that He is sustaining the family as well. The most amazing part of it is their faith. They knew the risk of having a son who was diagnosed with schizophrenia live at their house, rather than some institution. They knew the risk and took it anyway. They chose to fight the battle together with their son. The Father's heart is seen most clearly in people like that. "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
Reflect on your relationships and cherish the moments. Don't waste undue energy on things that don't matter in the long run. And make sure to tell those you love that you love them.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Back from Texas (warning - long!)
Well, we have a lot to blog about! Yes, not posting for 2 months will do that to you. But really, we do have a lot going on. I know Jeff usually does the blogging, but Bethany is interjecting here.
In Mid-September Benno (B’s dad) came up from TX and built this amazingly incredible fence for us. We wanted a little privacy for our backyard from the busy street, so with the help of Jeff and our friend Marv Benson, Dad built this in 6 days. It’s 27 feet, from our house to the garage.
Then, Sept. 26, Benno, Bethany, and Micah traveled to TX. Benno went back to Abilene and Micah and I visited friends and family all over. Here was our schedule:
Wed. Sept 26: We traveled from Bellingham to Seattle on the Shuttlebus, then flew from Seattle to DFW. Charlie, Becky (Jeff’s Dad, Mom) met Micah and I at the airport. Benno and Charlie “shook hands” through the glass at the airport, since Dad still had a flight to Abilene to catch.
Thurs. Sept. 27: I had lunch with Diane and Lisa (technically my grandmother and aunt) Knarr. Lisa now works for Prestonwood Baptist Church, which means that they are admin assistants at churches down the street from each other! (at very different churches.) I think this was also the night we had dinner with the Bixtons.
Friday. Sept. 28: On Fridays, Charlie and Becky watch our niece, Jordan. Becky and I took Micah and Jordan to Aunt Julie’s 5th grade class just for fun. It was hilarious. You would have thought they were celebrities, the way the kids oogled over them. I think my favorite was when Jordan was erasing the dry erase board and the kids kept encouraging her to erase their homework. We also found out that Jordan is going to be a big sister to a little sister! Micah started really crawling this day. Look out world, here he comes!
Sat. Sept. 29: Joel, Jodie, Jordan, and Julie came over for the day. We went to a place called “Kids’ Clubhouse” that had different themed rooms for kids to play in. I look forward to taking Micah there more when he’s old enough to enjoy it. We spend the evening playing games (“Flintopoly”) and picking out baby names for the new little Flint girl. So fun.
Sun. Sept. 30: We went to church at Prairie Creek Baptist, Jeff’s home church, and where we were married. Micah did great in the nursery and it was fun to see PCBC folks. Then, my dad picked up Micah and me and the three of us drove to Paris (TX) to visit my grandfather.
Mon. Oct. 1: Granddad, Dad, Micah and I spent a great day together. It was my first time back, obviously, since my grandmother passed away mid-August. It was certainly different being there without her. But I’m so proud of Granddad for plugging away and taking life one day at a time. I can’t imagine losing the love of your life. I miss her and I didn’t live with her. I can only imagine how he feels. But, he’s dealing in healthy ways, such as attending a grief class, keeping busy, and wanting to set up a scholarship in her name.
Tues. Oct. 2: Dad, Micah, and I drove back to Plano, where we picked up Becky’s car. Dad went on to Abilene, and Micah and I visited Becky at the Dr.’s office where she works, then went on to Denton to see our good friends, the Hipps and the McCurdys. Jenny Hipp and Kristen McCurdy were my two constant college roommates and are my close friends. We’ve shared several stages of life together (lived together, went to graduations, were in each others’ weddings, etc.) and now we’re all moms! Jenny has a daughter, Jordan, born 9 days after Micah (even though she was due before him, but that’s another story!) and Kristen has a daughter, Katelyn, who was born August 24. We all ate dinner together that night.
Wed. Oct. 3: It was a Jenny, Jordan, Kristen, Katelyn day! So fun.
Thurs. Oct. 4: J & J, K & K, B & M had a playdate in the morning and a yummy lunch courtesy of Jenny. Then, Micah and I drove to Arlington to visit my grandmother and grandfather. My little cousin Meredith was there, later to be joined by her mom (Brenda, my cousin), dad (Dave), and new baby brother, Jake! The Hudsons have recently moved to Red Oak, just south of Dallas. It is nice to have them in Dallas, and I’m sure I’m not the only ones who think so!
Fri. Oct. 5: Aunt Jan drove up from Austin (for the UT/OU game as well) and Gramer and I drove down and met Brenda, Meredith, Dave, and baby Jake and saw their beautiful new house. We ate lunch at a super-fun place called the “Dove’s Nest” in downtown Waxahatchie. You should have seen us all pile into Brenda’s car: Gramer in the front passenger, Brenda driving, Jan and I in the very back, and three car seats in the middle with munchkins! Gramer was in great-grandma heaven that day.
Sat. Oct. 6: I first drove to Brownwood and saw Jay, Melissa, Catherine, and Hannah Smith. It was terrific to see them after a year and see how the girls have changed and to hear about their new lives. Jay was our pastor here at FBC Bellingham. Then, Micah and I continued on to Abilene, where I saw my parent’s home for the first time since they have redone so much. We had dinner that night with my good friend Lisa and her son Spencer. What a joy to catch up.
Sun. Oct. 7: We worshipped at FBC Abilene, my home church. They spent a year undergoing a sanctuary remodel and it is beautiful. Dad and I took Micah around before church introducing him to friends. It was a great service, then the nursery staff placed sleeping Micah in the “brass bed,” which is behind a window so everyone can see babies on their first Sunday at church. I was in the brass bed as an infant, so it was neat to see Micah there too. Then, “Grandma Weezie” hosted an open house so friends could come meet Micah. It was so great to see friends and catch up. And I’m sure Weezie never tired of Micah-bragging.
Mon. Oct. 8: I visited with my long time friend, Jen King, and met her super-cute daughter, Carly. We loved catching up. Then, Mom’s school-buddy, her daughter, Mandy and grandsons and another gal and baby came over and Mandy took pro pictures of the boys in my parent’s backyard. I can’t wait to see them. Then, Mom, Dad, Micah and I went to our old house to see all the progress made to prepare it for the next people to move in. It was very nostalgic to walk around and remember. We then went to a sculpture on the ACU campus called “Jacob’s Dream” that was very impressive. Here are some concept pictures:
http://www.acu.edu/academics/cas/art/faculty/maxwell/jmwork1.html
These pictures do not do justice to its beauty. It is truly a reverent site. Then we ate dinner at a cool sandwich shop.
Tues. Oct. 9: Micah and I drove back to Plano. Of course, we stopped at a Chick-fil-A for one last fix (our niece, Jordan, calls it “Chick-a-lay”). We had dinner that night with the whole Flint Fam one last time too: Charlie, Becky, Alice & Ben Logan, Julie, Joel & Jodie, Jordan. It was great to be together again, but we missed Jeff, so we skyped him!
Wed. Oct. 10: Micah and I boarded the plane again to Seattle, then the shuttlebus back to Bellingham. We missed Jeff so much and it was so good to be reunited. When we pulled into the stop in Bham and Micah saw Jeff out the window, he banged on it with both hands, looked at Jeff, and yelled “Dat! Dat! Dat!” Sweet Jeff had a roast dinner waiting for us.
Phew! What a trip. It was exhausting, but so worth it. How special to see everyone and see what’s new in their world, and to just spend time with friends and family, sharing Micah with them. I’m glad we were gone for such a long time because it allowed us to spend more time with people. I was physically exhausted and sore afterwards, from lugging bags, carrying Micah, and picking him up off the floor when he crawled into mischief. Thank you to all that carved out time to host us, feed us, visit with, and hang out with us.
So, some other news: Jeff and I are in the process of purchasing the lot next to our house (that looks as if it were our backyard). Thursday, Jeff and I signed the final papers for it! It will be recorded this coming Friday. That is also the day our new windows are installed. So, we get windows and a lot on the same day! These two events are the first steps in improving our home, onto which we want to add some rooms in 2009-2010 so we can grow our family.
In Mid-September Benno (B’s dad) came up from TX and built this amazingly incredible fence for us. We wanted a little privacy for our backyard from the busy street, so with the help of Jeff and our friend Marv Benson, Dad built this in 6 days. It’s 27 feet, from our house to the garage.
Then, Sept. 26, Benno, Bethany, and Micah traveled to TX. Benno went back to Abilene and Micah and I visited friends and family all over. Here was our schedule:
Wed. Sept 26: We traveled from Bellingham to Seattle on the Shuttlebus, then flew from Seattle to DFW. Charlie, Becky (Jeff’s Dad, Mom) met Micah and I at the airport. Benno and Charlie “shook hands” through the glass at the airport, since Dad still had a flight to Abilene to catch.
Thurs. Sept. 27: I had lunch with Diane and Lisa (technically my grandmother and aunt) Knarr. Lisa now works for Prestonwood Baptist Church, which means that they are admin assistants at churches down the street from each other! (at very different churches.) I think this was also the night we had dinner with the Bixtons.
Friday. Sept. 28: On Fridays, Charlie and Becky watch our niece, Jordan. Becky and I took Micah and Jordan to Aunt Julie’s 5th grade class just for fun. It was hilarious. You would have thought they were celebrities, the way the kids oogled over them. I think my favorite was when Jordan was erasing the dry erase board and the kids kept encouraging her to erase their homework. We also found out that Jordan is going to be a big sister to a little sister! Micah started really crawling this day. Look out world, here he comes!
Sat. Sept. 29: Joel, Jodie, Jordan, and Julie came over for the day. We went to a place called “Kids’ Clubhouse” that had different themed rooms for kids to play in. I look forward to taking Micah there more when he’s old enough to enjoy it. We spend the evening playing games (“Flintopoly”) and picking out baby names for the new little Flint girl. So fun.
Sun. Sept. 30: We went to church at Prairie Creek Baptist, Jeff’s home church, and where we were married. Micah did great in the nursery and it was fun to see PCBC folks. Then, my dad picked up Micah and me and the three of us drove to Paris (TX) to visit my grandfather.
Mon. Oct. 1: Granddad, Dad, Micah and I spent a great day together. It was my first time back, obviously, since my grandmother passed away mid-August. It was certainly different being there without her. But I’m so proud of Granddad for plugging away and taking life one day at a time. I can’t imagine losing the love of your life. I miss her and I didn’t live with her. I can only imagine how he feels. But, he’s dealing in healthy ways, such as attending a grief class, keeping busy, and wanting to set up a scholarship in her name.
Tues. Oct. 2: Dad, Micah, and I drove back to Plano, where we picked up Becky’s car. Dad went on to Abilene, and Micah and I visited Becky at the Dr.’s office where she works, then went on to Denton to see our good friends, the Hipps and the McCurdys. Jenny Hipp and Kristen McCurdy were my two constant college roommates and are my close friends. We’ve shared several stages of life together (lived together, went to graduations, were in each others’ weddings, etc.) and now we’re all moms! Jenny has a daughter, Jordan, born 9 days after Micah (even though she was due before him, but that’s another story!) and Kristen has a daughter, Katelyn, who was born August 24. We all ate dinner together that night.
Wed. Oct. 3: It was a Jenny, Jordan, Kristen, Katelyn day! So fun.
Thurs. Oct. 4: J & J, K & K, B & M had a playdate in the morning and a yummy lunch courtesy of Jenny. Then, Micah and I drove to Arlington to visit my grandmother and grandfather. My little cousin Meredith was there, later to be joined by her mom (Brenda, my cousin), dad (Dave), and new baby brother, Jake! The Hudsons have recently moved to Red Oak, just south of Dallas. It is nice to have them in Dallas, and I’m sure I’m not the only ones who think so!
Fri. Oct. 5: Aunt Jan drove up from Austin (for the UT/OU game as well) and Gramer and I drove down and met Brenda, Meredith, Dave, and baby Jake and saw their beautiful new house. We ate lunch at a super-fun place called the “Dove’s Nest” in downtown Waxahatchie. You should have seen us all pile into Brenda’s car: Gramer in the front passenger, Brenda driving, Jan and I in the very back, and three car seats in the middle with munchkins! Gramer was in great-grandma heaven that day.
Sat. Oct. 6: I first drove to Brownwood and saw Jay, Melissa, Catherine, and Hannah Smith. It was terrific to see them after a year and see how the girls have changed and to hear about their new lives. Jay was our pastor here at FBC Bellingham. Then, Micah and I continued on to Abilene, where I saw my parent’s home for the first time since they have redone so much. We had dinner that night with my good friend Lisa and her son Spencer. What a joy to catch up.
Sun. Oct. 7: We worshipped at FBC Abilene, my home church. They spent a year undergoing a sanctuary remodel and it is beautiful. Dad and I took Micah around before church introducing him to friends. It was a great service, then the nursery staff placed sleeping Micah in the “brass bed,” which is behind a window so everyone can see babies on their first Sunday at church. I was in the brass bed as an infant, so it was neat to see Micah there too. Then, “Grandma Weezie” hosted an open house so friends could come meet Micah. It was so great to see friends and catch up. And I’m sure Weezie never tired of Micah-bragging.
Mon. Oct. 8: I visited with my long time friend, Jen King, and met her super-cute daughter, Carly. We loved catching up. Then, Mom’s school-buddy, her daughter, Mandy and grandsons and another gal and baby came over and Mandy took pro pictures of the boys in my parent’s backyard. I can’t wait to see them. Then, Mom, Dad, Micah and I went to our old house to see all the progress made to prepare it for the next people to move in. It was very nostalgic to walk around and remember. We then went to a sculpture on the ACU campus called “Jacob’s Dream” that was very impressive. Here are some concept pictures:
http://www.acu.edu/academics/cas/art/faculty/maxwell/jmwork1.html
These pictures do not do justice to its beauty. It is truly a reverent site. Then we ate dinner at a cool sandwich shop.
Tues. Oct. 9: Micah and I drove back to Plano. Of course, we stopped at a Chick-fil-A for one last fix (our niece, Jordan, calls it “Chick-a-lay”). We had dinner that night with the whole Flint Fam one last time too: Charlie, Becky, Alice & Ben Logan, Julie, Joel & Jodie, Jordan. It was great to be together again, but we missed Jeff, so we skyped him!
Wed. Oct. 10: Micah and I boarded the plane again to Seattle, then the shuttlebus back to Bellingham. We missed Jeff so much and it was so good to be reunited. When we pulled into the stop in Bham and Micah saw Jeff out the window, he banged on it with both hands, looked at Jeff, and yelled “Dat! Dat! Dat!” Sweet Jeff had a roast dinner waiting for us.
Phew! What a trip. It was exhausting, but so worth it. How special to see everyone and see what’s new in their world, and to just spend time with friends and family, sharing Micah with them. I’m glad we were gone for such a long time because it allowed us to spend more time with people. I was physically exhausted and sore afterwards, from lugging bags, carrying Micah, and picking him up off the floor when he crawled into mischief. Thank you to all that carved out time to host us, feed us, visit with, and hang out with us.
So, some other news: Jeff and I are in the process of purchasing the lot next to our house (that looks as if it were our backyard). Thursday, Jeff and I signed the final papers for it! It will be recorded this coming Friday. That is also the day our new windows are installed. So, we get windows and a lot on the same day! These two events are the first steps in improving our home, onto which we want to add some rooms in 2009-2010 so we can grow our family.
Monday, August 13, 2007
The Vote
After 30 million votes, the next pastor of First Baptist Church is Jeff Flint! This fall I will be going to school full time so that I can finish up my Masters of Divinity degree and start the position in January 2008. That will be 18 credits, so it will be a lot, but I am highly motivated to do it. It must be done. What helps this year is that Regent is giving two "fall breaks" (which they call Reading Weeks), so I will be able to catch up or stay caught up on the material. The course list I am taking:
Advanced Preaching with Darrell Johnson
OT Book Study: Exodus with Carl Armerding (don't know this person yet)
Reading Film: A Theological Approach with Bruce Marchfelder
Advanced NT Exegesis: 1 Corinthians with Bob Derrenbacker
Worship Beyond Words with Janet Danielson
and an Audio Course: Systematic Theology A with J.I. Packer
After looking at that list, I am getting nervous... BUT - it HAS to be done! Bring it.
Advanced Preaching with Darrell Johnson
OT Book Study: Exodus with Carl Armerding (don't know this person yet)
Reading Film: A Theological Approach with Bruce Marchfelder
Advanced NT Exegesis: 1 Corinthians with Bob Derrenbacker
Worship Beyond Words with Janet Danielson
and an Audio Course: Systematic Theology A with J.I. Packer
After looking at that list, I am getting nervous... BUT - it HAS to be done! Bring it.
Monday, July 30, 2007
The Call
As many of you might know, we at FBC Bellingham have been in the process of searching for a new senior pastor for the past year. I can't believe it has been that long - sometimes it flew by, sometimes it dragged on. This past Sunday, the search committee announced that they are inviting me to be the next pastor of First Baptist Church!
It was quite an emotional day overall yesterday - we also said goodbye to our piano player of four years, Jennifer Sours. She is an amazing talent and a perfect addition to FBC. I hope that one day she can return to Bellingham on a permanent basis...
So, the congregation still has to vote on me in two weeks, so I get to preach that day once again.
I am hoping to be a bit more regular on the blog updates as well.
It was quite an emotional day overall yesterday - we also said goodbye to our piano player of four years, Jennifer Sours. She is an amazing talent and a perfect addition to FBC. I hope that one day she can return to Bellingham on a permanent basis...
So, the congregation still has to vote on me in two weeks, so I get to preach that day once again.
I am hoping to be a bit more regular on the blog updates as well.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Celebrating Mommy's B-day!
Micah really enjoyed a whipped cream taste for Mommy's birthday. Anyone who comes up here must come in July for some amazing raspberry pie!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
In Memoriam
Something very sad happened today... Jester was hit by a car outside our house and died.
We were out doing stuff and when I got back, there was a message on the answering machine from a lady crying and saying that our cat got hit. She (or someone) had put Jester is a bag and called the Humane Society to come pick him up. I walked up the street and there he was with his collar outside the bag. So I got a box, put him in it and made the hard call to Bethany.
We were able to bury him in our backyard today, but we miss his loud little cries and big ol' ears already.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Day Three of the Meet Micah Tour
On Monday, Bethany, Micah and I traveled to the Lone Star State for the "Meet Micah Tour." Micah did quite amazing on the planes flights, fussing at the appropriate times and eating and sleeping well. We left Bham at 5:45am and got to TX at 1:45pm (after a stop in Seattle) and he was fine. The air pressure issues are easily taken care of by feeding him on the way up and down. He slept during the flight and entertained those around us.
My (Jeff's) mom had a "Welcome to Texas, Micah" sign when we walked into the baggage claim, and Micah felt very special and welcomed. We hung out with at my brother's house with the whole family, enjoying watching their daughter Jordan and eating fajitas. Jordan is a doll! She got Micah a new play toy and enjoyed showing him how to play with it.
We are at B's grandparents now in Paris, TX. It is thunderstorming and I forgot how much the rain is different here. Meanwhile, it is sunny and warm back in Bham!
It is nice to be here, although it is not much of a vacation because I have papers to do for the courses I took at Regent the last two weeks and I preach the two Sundays we return from TX. At least going into a vacation knowing that softens the expectation a bit.
My (Jeff's) mom had a "Welcome to Texas, Micah" sign when we walked into the baggage claim, and Micah felt very special and welcomed. We hung out with at my brother's house with the whole family, enjoying watching their daughter Jordan and eating fajitas. Jordan is a doll! She got Micah a new play toy and enjoyed showing him how to play with it.
We are at B's grandparents now in Paris, TX. It is thunderstorming and I forgot how much the rain is different here. Meanwhile, it is sunny and warm back in Bham!
It is nice to be here, although it is not much of a vacation because I have papers to do for the courses I took at Regent the last two weeks and I preach the two Sundays we return from TX. At least going into a vacation knowing that softens the expectation a bit.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Hanging with my son
I couldn't resist posting this pic.
We had a fun evening last night with our friends Jason and Alli. They came over for tacos. Alli is due any day now with her son Bjorn. You can see her on the flickr pics with Micah sitting on him.
We had a fun evening last night with our friends Jason and Alli. They came over for tacos. Alli is due any day now with her son Bjorn. You can see her on the flickr pics with Micah sitting on him.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Banjo Practice
So on Easter this year, I wanted to play banjo for the service - a la David Crowder Band on "I Saw the Light," and "I'll Fly Away." I practiced for a couple weeks enough to get those two songs down.
Micah listened to me practice and gave me some good hints on how to play it better...
A few more pics on flickr, click on the pic...
Micah listened to me practice and gave me some good hints on how to play it better...
A few more pics on flickr, click on the pic...
Friday, March 23, 2007
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Waking Up
This is what we woke up to this morning... I lost Micah in there somewhere, so I am going to go find him.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
An Update...
So Micah turned 5 weeks old yesterday. He is fitting better into his clothes and he gets longer (taller?) everyday. B's parents came a couple of days after he was born to spend some time with us. That was great. My parents came in a week later to stay for a week. We loved having grandparents around to help soothe, feed, hold, and cuddle!
B was able to finish her school responsibilities for the semester (yes, ours ended in Feb. this year due to snow...) and so now she is free from school stuff for a while. We are still contemplating future plans...
Click on the photo for some updated pics of the past couple of weeks. One thing I have learned is that everything is now shorter - showers are shorter, nights are shorter, sleep is shorter, productivity is shorter, tempers are shorter, dinners are shorter... Bethany is doing an amazing job as a mom and she gets better at it each day. I get the mornings with Micah which is a very special time between him and me.
So, having a baby has slowed the blogging, but we are getting a routine down pretty good, so I will try to pick it up more...
B was able to finish her school responsibilities for the semester (yes, ours ended in Feb. this year due to snow...) and so now she is free from school stuff for a while. We are still contemplating future plans...
Click on the photo for some updated pics of the past couple of weeks. One thing I have learned is that everything is now shorter - showers are shorter, nights are shorter, sleep is shorter, productivity is shorter, tempers are shorter, dinners are shorter... Bethany is doing an amazing job as a mom and she gets better at it each day. I get the mornings with Micah which is a very special time between him and me.
So, having a baby has slowed the blogging, but we are getting a routine down pretty good, so I will try to pick it up more...
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Baby Micah is here!
Weight - 6lbs 10oz.
Length - 20.5"
So a crazy thing happened a couple of days ago - we had our son. His name is Micah Charles Flint and he is pretty much perfect. Click on the pic to see more...
So on Sunday night, B is feeling contractions pretty hard, but tries to shrug it off and cope with it because it was way too early for our kid to be born. He was supposed to have been due the 25th.
Well, she went to work Monday, teaching right through her contractions. She comes home and begins to time them, but she is still not thinking labor because of how early it is. I get home that night (wanting to watch the BCS Championship Game I recorded...) and she could not get to sleep, so we begin to time them and she is pretty much 5 minutes apart on average.
Being a little naive about the whole thing, I say - well, let's just time them some more. That was at 12:25am on Tuesday morning. They start to get worse in intensity and so at 2:05am I say - let's call the hospital.
We call, they say bring her in and she is deemed 8cm upon arrival. It went fast from there - no time for drugs (although she really wanted them!); no time for getting ready - he just came! With about 10 minutes of pushing, he was born at 4:14am. Though, in reality we thought we had two more weeks to decide a name, so we had to come up with one pretty quick. Micah means "who is like the Lord?" (No one! Who else can create such miracles?)
Before we left for the hospital, I was running around the house trying to figure out what to put in a bag to take with us. B was no help because she was in labor, and I was just throwing things in a bag. We turned out alright, though...
What an amazing experience!
Length - 20.5"
So a crazy thing happened a couple of days ago - we had our son. His name is Micah Charles Flint and he is pretty much perfect. Click on the pic to see more...
So on Sunday night, B is feeling contractions pretty hard, but tries to shrug it off and cope with it because it was way too early for our kid to be born. He was supposed to have been due the 25th.
Well, she went to work Monday, teaching right through her contractions. She comes home and begins to time them, but she is still not thinking labor because of how early it is. I get home that night (wanting to watch the BCS Championship Game I recorded...) and she could not get to sleep, so we begin to time them and she is pretty much 5 minutes apart on average.
Being a little naive about the whole thing, I say - well, let's just time them some more. That was at 12:25am on Tuesday morning. They start to get worse in intensity and so at 2:05am I say - let's call the hospital.
We call, they say bring her in and she is deemed 8cm upon arrival. It went fast from there - no time for drugs (although she really wanted them!); no time for getting ready - he just came! With about 10 minutes of pushing, he was born at 4:14am. Though, in reality we thought we had two more weeks to decide a name, so we had to come up with one pretty quick. Micah means "who is like the Lord?" (No one! Who else can create such miracles?)
Before we left for the hospital, I was running around the house trying to figure out what to put in a bag to take with us. B was no help because she was in labor, and I was just throwing things in a bag. We turned out alright, though...
What an amazing experience!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
New Church Sign
We got a new sign for the church this year and it was just installed last Monday. It should get fired up today so we can begin to light it up.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Update...
Okay, I made the previous video public on youtube so that people could see it. I haven't read all the fine print over there... Hopefully this works!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
An Amazing Thing
So last night, I had the most amazing thing happen to me. Two of our friends, John and Sara, arrived at our house bearing a gift - a very heavy gift. It was addressed to me and our godchild helped me open it, since he helped me wrap it. In this box was the nectar of the Almighty Himself - Dublin Dr. Pepper. A full 24 cans of it.
If you have not had Dublin Dr. Pepper, you do not know what you are missing. What an amazing thing - to have friends like that, and to have Dublin Dr. Pepper here in Washington state.
If you have not had Dublin Dr. Pepper, you do not know what you are missing. What an amazing thing - to have friends like that, and to have Dublin Dr. Pepper here in Washington state.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Swaddling
Tonight we learned about swaddling at our Childbirth class (among other things...). I definitely have to practice to get good, but I am determined to get it down to almost ninja-like fashion. I will not be stopped. It was amazing watching the Doc on the video swaddle the kid, pick her up on her side and the kid quit crying immediately. We'll see if that works with our son. I hope so. There's a few other skills we are learning, too, to help the kid utilize his "calming reflex."
Prepare to be amazed at my awesome, cosmic powers! (But show grace when I can't get the boy to stop crying!)
Other notes - we had our Harvest Festival last night at the church. The same kids as usual came this year. It is fun to see them growing older each year. I did my usual "Lazarus' Coffin" booth this year where I scare all the kids by having them stick their hands in a home-made coffin to touch his brain, eyes, teeth, heart, and intestines. (Cauliflower, olives, chicklets, peeled tomato, cooked spaghetti, respectively...) It is pretty funny to watch the kids stick their hands in.
My sister ran another marathon two Sundays ago in San Francisco where she did the best time she has ever done. I am amazed at her skill! That takes preparation, training, and perseverance - and she pulled it off. Way to go, kid.
I am writing a paper on Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It is probably the best paper ever written. Ever. I am so good at those papers. I amaze me.
Prepare to be amazed at my awesome, cosmic powers! (But show grace when I can't get the boy to stop crying!)
Other notes - we had our Harvest Festival last night at the church. The same kids as usual came this year. It is fun to see them growing older each year. I did my usual "Lazarus' Coffin" booth this year where I scare all the kids by having them stick their hands in a home-made coffin to touch his brain, eyes, teeth, heart, and intestines. (Cauliflower, olives, chicklets, peeled tomato, cooked spaghetti, respectively...) It is pretty funny to watch the kids stick their hands in.
My sister ran another marathon two Sundays ago in San Francisco where she did the best time she has ever done. I am amazed at her skill! That takes preparation, training, and perseverance - and she pulled it off. Way to go, kid.
I am writing a paper on Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It is probably the best paper ever written. Ever. I am so good at those papers. I amaze me.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Monday Project
Well, I go in to try and fix the stop up... Two bottles of draino later it looked like this. (The draino didn't do that, though...)
Also, after 3 trips to Lowe's, it was put back together. Yet, the stoppage was still there, so I went back to Lowe's and bought an auger and drilled it out through the pipe...
I also repaired our dryer's burned out thermostat today. I am a man.
Also, after 3 trips to Lowe's, it was put back together. Yet, the stoppage was still there, so I went back to Lowe's and bought an auger and drilled it out through the pipe...
I also repaired our dryer's burned out thermostat today. I am a man.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Life and Its Happenings
My mom and dad are up for a visit this week. We have enjoyed eating together and just talking about all the stuff of life we have missed sharing in person over the past few months. The weather has been absolutely perfect for them here, so they went out to Friday Harbor for a ferry ride, walking, and some lunch. Mom went crazy and brought us some baby clothes for child-who-has-yet-to-be-named. It was pretty fun and our kid is going to be pretty stylin'.
I preached on Sunday on the Christian hymn in Philippians 2:5-11. It practically preaches itself, so it was pretty fun to talk about it. It was titled "What's in a name?" and I joked about B and I being in the "what are you going to name your baby" phase of questions that pregnant couples go through. I joked that I was going for the name Buford, but B (and Mom!) wouldn't go for it. Afterwards, everyone was calling our kid Buford! What have I done!
I got some positive comments on the sermon, so that's nice. I am always looking to improve, though, so we'll see how it sounds to my ear when I hear it back... Plus, it's easier when you're doing one or two-shot sermons here and there. The part I like the most is seeing what the Spirit does with the work you've put into birthing a sermon.
I preached on Sunday on the Christian hymn in Philippians 2:5-11. It practically preaches itself, so it was pretty fun to talk about it. It was titled "What's in a name?" and I joked about B and I being in the "what are you going to name your baby" phase of questions that pregnant couples go through. I joked that I was going for the name Buford, but B (and Mom!) wouldn't go for it. Afterwards, everyone was calling our kid Buford! What have I done!
I got some positive comments on the sermon, so that's nice. I am always looking to improve, though, so we'll see how it sounds to my ear when I hear it back... Plus, it's easier when you're doing one or two-shot sermons here and there. The part I like the most is seeing what the Spirit does with the work you've put into birthing a sermon.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Child Birth Class
B and I had our second child birth class last night. We meet some very cool people there and we are excited about getting to know them better. We are the couple with the latest due date, so we sit at the end. Last night we broke into guy/girl groups and our question was "What are the top three things you have seen change in your wife since becoming pregnant?" Well, of course the first repsonse was appearance - but we clarified it to say that there is a different "glow" about her...
We practiced some relaxation techniques for when the contractions begin. It was kind of weird to spoon with your wife with everyone else there. Oh well - I'll take any chance to spoon with my wife!
Other: I am preaching for the next two Sundays... My parents come up this Saturday... Church stuff is up and going - we have search committee now and taking steps forward (slowly)...
We practiced some relaxation techniques for when the contractions begin. It was kind of weird to spoon with your wife with everyone else there. Oh well - I'll take any chance to spoon with my wife!
Other: I am preaching for the next two Sundays... My parents come up this Saturday... Church stuff is up and going - we have search committee now and taking steps forward (slowly)...
Monday, September 25, 2006
Post Falls, ID
I am here in Post Falls, ID and they have wireless and I brought our new comp, so I though I would try it out and say hey to everyone from Idaho. (Safari hasn't enabled html use for Blogger, and I haven't downloaded Firefox for the new comp yet, so I will have to put up links later. or you could Google Earth it.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Weekend with the Bro (& SIL)
My brother Joel and his wife Jodie came up to the Northwest for a little R&R this past weekend. We had a great time with them just hanging out, talking, drinking coffee, watching football, and eating the saltiest brisket ever. (I need a do-over on that one..) The BU/WSU game was such a great game, even though we lost. B, Joel, Jodie and I met up with Mark, Becky and their kid Jenna at the game. We were the only Baylor fans around us, and so every time we cheered on a good play, we sat down real fast and didn't carry on too much. The alumni and major Baylor section were at the other endzone, so we felt far from the BU faithful. But, it was a perfect sunny, cool day and we were with such great people, how could it not be a good day?
Maybe the most fun we had was Skyping my mom and Dad who were watching Joel and Jodie's daughter over the weekend. We were able to see and talk to them over the 'net on our new laptop. It was such a hit that Joel and Jodie went and got themselves their own camera so we can chat it up with video.
Maybe the most fun we had was Skyping my mom and Dad who were watching Joel and Jodie's daughter over the weekend. We were able to see and talk to them over the 'net on our new laptop. It was such a hit that Joel and Jodie went and got themselves their own camera so we can chat it up with video.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
School Help
This is a pic of our new laptop. It is pretty sweet. I would use our old laptop for taking notes in class, and as I would type, the letters would appear about a second after I pressed the letter key...
Anyway, this one should last us another good while.
Anyway, this one should last us another good while.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Dinner with the Millers
I am a bit late in posting this, but last week our good friends from TX moved up to Washington and they drove up to have dinner with us. Click on the pic to go to Mark's photo set of the evening.
It is pretty fun to have some old friends move up and be a bit closer. Now if we can just convince the rest of our friends and family to move up here, too!
It is pretty fun to have some old friends move up and be a bit closer. Now if we can just convince the rest of our friends and family to move up here, too!
One More Step
I finished painting the garage yesterday. It only took about 4 hours and I had to do two coats of the white to get it to look good. It went by fast, though because that door is so huge.
We have one more step to do and that is the gutter.
We have one more step to do and that is the gutter.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
It is In!
This is me and my friend Tyler after we put the garage door in! Click on the picture to head over to the rest of the pics! I will finish up the siding on Monday, hopefully, and have a finished garage...
B is very excited about pushing a button to get into the garage, and not getting out, putting up, getting in, driving in, getting out, putting down, going in...
B is very excited about pushing a button to get into the garage, and not getting out, putting up, getting in, driving in, getting out, putting down, going in...
Monday, August 07, 2006
Monster Header
We put up a header for the garage today - and if it wasn't for my friend Mel, the garage might be in a pile of rubble...
The old garage had a load bearing post right down the middle of the front of the garage. We are going to be putting in an 18 foot door with opener, so we needed to make a strong enough header to suppor the weight. That thing is 18' 3" long, 5.5" thick (with sandwiched plywood and 2x12s), and 13.25" wide. It must have weighed about 300 pounds. I had a 5 guys come over and lift it up for us so we could nail it.
Check out the set at my flickr page to the right...
The old garage had a load bearing post right down the middle of the front of the garage. We are going to be putting in an 18 foot door with opener, so we needed to make a strong enough header to suppor the weight. That thing is 18' 3" long, 5.5" thick (with sandwiched plywood and 2x12s), and 13.25" wide. It must have weighed about 300 pounds. I had a 5 guys come over and lift it up for us so we could nail it.
Check out the set at my flickr page to the right...
Thursday, August 03, 2006
one step at a time...
Sorry for all you guys who have 100 degree heat - we are enjoying 70s here! The top has been down on the Jeep for a couple of months.
This week has been a bit stressful - my office administrator is gone, so I am doing her job, my job and Jay's job this week! It's crazy. I have been learning a lot about Adobe's InDesign program and I think I am going to try and learn some more about it so we can do some cool publications from the church.
An interesting note - one of my little brothers from my year at Doulos Ministries in Branson, MO was on the TV show "The One" on ABC. Austin Carroll is his name (you might know his dad Bruce...) and he sang pretty awesome. I remember he was a great singer back at 16, and at 23 he is better! He is still the same personality, I can tell - fun and personable. Sadly, though, the show was canceled after only 2 weeks. (It's not really that sad - the show was pretty lame...) What might have been...
We have the state church softball tournament this weekend down in Fife, WA (near Tacoma). We'll see how we do!
This week has been a bit stressful - my office administrator is gone, so I am doing her job, my job and Jay's job this week! It's crazy. I have been learning a lot about Adobe's InDesign program and I think I am going to try and learn some more about it so we can do some cool publications from the church.
An interesting note - one of my little brothers from my year at Doulos Ministries in Branson, MO was on the TV show "The One" on ABC. Austin Carroll is his name (you might know his dad Bruce...) and he sang pretty awesome. I remember he was a great singer back at 16, and at 23 he is better! He is still the same personality, I can tell - fun and personable. Sadly, though, the show was canceled after only 2 weeks. (It's not really that sad - the show was pretty lame...) What might have been...
We have the state church softball tournament this weekend down in Fife, WA (near Tacoma). We'll see how we do!
Friday, July 28, 2006
Correction
Yes, a correction on the trimester - B is done with the first trimester, not the third. The end of the third will be in January!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Wow, a month?
Well, it certainly has been a while since I have updated, hasn't it? This past month has been uber busy, though, so bear with us.
1. My boss (pastor, friend, Jay, etc.) has left for Howard Payne University to teach young aspiring pastors how to be good preacher, teachers, shepherds, etc. I am very excited for him - it is a great fit. Although it is Brownwood, TX! We miss him already up here.
2. I am taking over for the meantime with more administrative stuff and pastoral visits. I don't mind, though, because I love bringing Jesus to where people are at in their everyday lives. I just can't lead worship AND preach every Sunday - it would be too much for me and the congregation!
3. B is done with her third trimester of pregnancy and we had our first ultrasound a month ago. It was really cool to see Fetus Flint jumping around in there!
4. We went to Mexico for a little vacation. Pictures to flickr soon.
5. We had our huge day camp week at the church with 88 kids who came. This year FBC Arlington did not come, and we did it all ourselves. Well - God did it - that is the only way it could have gotten done!
6. I am preaching on Sunday: John 12:32 - If I am lifted up, I will draw everyone to me. That is the place you want to be, folks - with Jesus.
1. My boss (pastor, friend, Jay, etc.) has left for Howard Payne University to teach young aspiring pastors how to be good preacher, teachers, shepherds, etc. I am very excited for him - it is a great fit. Although it is Brownwood, TX! We miss him already up here.
2. I am taking over for the meantime with more administrative stuff and pastoral visits. I don't mind, though, because I love bringing Jesus to where people are at in their everyday lives. I just can't lead worship AND preach every Sunday - it would be too much for me and the congregation!
3. B is done with her third trimester of pregnancy and we had our first ultrasound a month ago. It was really cool to see Fetus Flint jumping around in there!
4. We went to Mexico for a little vacation. Pictures to flickr soon.
5. We had our huge day camp week at the church with 88 kids who came. This year FBC Arlington did not come, and we did it all ourselves. Well - God did it - that is the only way it could have gotten done!
6. I am preaching on Sunday: John 12:32 - If I am lifted up, I will draw everyone to me. That is the place you want to be, folks - with Jesus.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Baby Fever
Well, we are pregnant. What is crazy is that our friends Jenny (one of Bethany's best friends from Baylor)and Jamie are due on the SAME DATE! What is up?! Yeah! They are in China right now visiting Bethany's other best friend Kristen who is over there with her husband Dave. So, right now B is on the phone with Jenny (and Kristen, both in China) and they shared the news to each other that they are due on the same day - January 25th.
Can I get a what, what?
Can I get a what, what?
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Happenings
This past Sunday, Jay officially announced that he was taking a job as a professor at Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas. This has been a 3 month struggle of a decision, so it was not an easy choice for him to make. I am super excited for him because he is so gifted in that area. He and his family make a perfect fit for that environment, and God was evident throughout the decision making process. There were a number of things that Jay was looking for and they all happened. I am very proud of him! He's the man, people.
Needless to say, that will make my job a bit more interesting, but I am very excited for what God is going to do with FBC in this new season. I will be taking more administrative roles and still doing worship while we bring on an interim and go from there...
Also, my gospel quartet is no more due to one of our members moving out of town. Also, my friends who lead worship at a church across town have stepped down. So, things are changing here in Bellingham. It is fun to be a part.
Needless to say, that will make my job a bit more interesting, but I am very excited for what God is going to do with FBC in this new season. I will be taking more administrative roles and still doing worship while we bring on an interim and go from there...
Also, my gospel quartet is no more due to one of our members moving out of town. Also, my friends who lead worship at a church across town have stepped down. So, things are changing here in Bellingham. It is fun to be a part.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Softball Champs!
Well, it was a crazy weekend. On Friday night, we had a cool Southern Gospel Quartet group called Liberty Quartet come and sing a concert for us. The church was packed and everyone had a great time. They are fun guys who do that for a living, so to come to a little church like ours is awesome of them.
Then on Saturday, I got up at 5:15am to head down to Bremerton with our church men's softball team. We had to scramble to pick up enough players to even play in the tournament, but seven games later, we had the first place trophy! It was way cool because in the championship game (#7), we were down 6 runs in the bottom the of the 6th inning. We were home team, and you only play seven innings in softball. Well, that bottom half of the 6th we came back and tied it. (I had a triple to right field in that come back.) Then in the last inning, we got them out 1-2-3 and we knew right then that we were going to win. Our first batter got up and popped out. The second batter hit a double to left field. The next guy hit a single to left field, scoring the runner on second and winning the game. It was amazing.
Oh, and I was chosen MVP of the tourney by my team. I got a collared shirt with "MVP" on it and even a little plaque to put up in my office! We got home at 2:00am.
Sunday, after church and a church cookout, I went to bed at 4:30pm, woke up at 10:30pm, went back to bed at midnight and woke up again 8:00am Monday morning. I am still sore...
Then on Saturday, I got up at 5:15am to head down to Bremerton with our church men's softball team. We had to scramble to pick up enough players to even play in the tournament, but seven games later, we had the first place trophy! It was way cool because in the championship game (#7), we were down 6 runs in the bottom the of the 6th inning. We were home team, and you only play seven innings in softball. Well, that bottom half of the 6th we came back and tied it. (I had a triple to right field in that come back.) Then in the last inning, we got them out 1-2-3 and we knew right then that we were going to win. Our first batter got up and popped out. The second batter hit a double to left field. The next guy hit a single to left field, scoring the runner on second and winning the game. It was amazing.
Oh, and I was chosen MVP of the tourney by my team. I got a collared shirt with "MVP" on it and even a little plaque to put up in my office! We got home at 2:00am.
Sunday, after church and a church cookout, I went to bed at 4:30pm, woke up at 10:30pm, went back to bed at midnight and woke up again 8:00am Monday morning. I am still sore...
Monday, May 29, 2006
It was a good Memorial Day weekend for us here, too. Bellingham has a Ski-2-Sea race weekend every year at this time, with a parade on Saturday and a race on Sunday. The race is 7 legs, starting with downhill skiing, then running, then cross-country skiing, then mountain biking, then road biking, then swimming, then kayaking. It starts at Mt. Baker and ends up in Bellingham Bay. Where else can you do that? That is awesome! All of you have to come up here to live.
At the parade on Saturday, our church had a float to advertise our Summer Academy that we do every summer. It's like a day camp for kids with fine arts, sports, and faith stuff going on. The float was designed and build by a team of church members lead by Bethany. She was very good coordinating everyone, I must say. Here is a picture of the float:
We also handed out 500 squeezie balls shaped like basketballs and soccer balls that had the dates of our Summer Academy on them with our phone number. We might have 80-100 kids this year...
Sunday was a fun day at church - mostly good stuff going on during service. That night we had our Alias and 24 watching party for the season finales. Alias was bit disappointing, but 24 was awesome! I love that show. We had burgers from our half-a-cow we bought. We only have 45 pounds of hamburger meat left.
Tonight we had a couple of softball games, but they were of no consequence because none of the umpires showed up on account of the holiday. I am the pitcher and we are warming up for a tournament this weekend. I am going for 3 strikeouts.
At the parade on Saturday, our church had a float to advertise our Summer Academy that we do every summer. It's like a day camp for kids with fine arts, sports, and faith stuff going on. The float was designed and build by a team of church members lead by Bethany. She was very good coordinating everyone, I must say. Here is a picture of the float:
We also handed out 500 squeezie balls shaped like basketballs and soccer balls that had the dates of our Summer Academy on them with our phone number. We might have 80-100 kids this year...
Sunday was a fun day at church - mostly good stuff going on during service. That night we had our Alias and 24 watching party for the season finales. Alias was bit disappointing, but 24 was awesome! I love that show. We had burgers from our half-a-cow we bought. We only have 45 pounds of hamburger meat left.
Tonight we had a couple of softball games, but they were of no consequence because none of the umpires showed up on account of the holiday. I am the pitcher and we are warming up for a tournament this weekend. I am going for 3 strikeouts.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Eating Crow
So, I just put a nice t-bone steak from the half-a-cow we bought last week out on the grill. I come inside to start making mac and cheese and rotel. I go back outside and there is my steak in the grass with two crows pecking at it. I just looked at them and said, no way.
If you're going to have eating crows, put the grill lid down.
If you're going to have eating crows, put the grill lid down.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Coming Up for Air
This past week had a lot going on with us. Bethany got back yesterday from a sail boat trip where she taught students about marine biology. They stayed on the ship Friday and Sat. night, coming back on Sunday. She had a great time and learned how to sail a little bit, I think! She said at one time they were going so fast that the boat (160 feet long, btw) was leaning over to the side with a little bit of water spilling in. You've seen those sailboat races where they are tilted way to the side - kind of like that.
Friday and Saturday I was at our American Baptist convention down in Everett. It made for long days because we drove down and back each day. I played a few songs Friday night for special music and then lead worship at our dinner banquet that night. It went pretty good, but we were running behind so late that everything felt rushed and very rough. Saturday, Jay and I put on an emergent worship workshop. It began with Cowboy worship and talking about how big Cowboy church is in rural areas nowadays. I approached the emergent church worship from an urban perspective and did a "model" emergent worship service. It went well - too bad there were only 4 people there for it!
Then church yesterday - Jay was gone and another person preached. Then a hymn sing-a-long down in Warm Beach at which I played my trombone. It was a long weekend, so today I have a headache and no motivation to do anything. I do get to take Friday off, though, which will be nice.
Friday and Saturday I was at our American Baptist convention down in Everett. It made for long days because we drove down and back each day. I played a few songs Friday night for special music and then lead worship at our dinner banquet that night. It went pretty good, but we were running behind so late that everything felt rushed and very rough. Saturday, Jay and I put on an emergent worship workshop. It began with Cowboy worship and talking about how big Cowboy church is in rural areas nowadays. I approached the emergent church worship from an urban perspective and did a "model" emergent worship service. It went well - too bad there were only 4 people there for it!
Then church yesterday - Jay was gone and another person preached. Then a hymn sing-a-long down in Warm Beach at which I played my trombone. It was a long weekend, so today I have a headache and no motivation to do anything. I do get to take Friday off, though, which will be nice.
Friday, May 05, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Update on Sys B
The final is over and my hand still feels cramped. We had to write freehand on notebook paper, double-spaced, and one-sided our responses the questions, which I posted previously. The questions I ended up writing about were:
What really matters is the soul. The body is a trap, a burden, to be laid aside in the resurrection. So let's concentrate on saving souls.
Jesus was a wise teacher and an exemplary human being. Christianity has built him up into a god, even though he never claimed to be one.
Salvation is fundamentally about forgiveness of sins, and that's what Jesus won for us on the cross.
I ended up with 24 pages by the end. It was pretty draining, too because there was just so much information to get out of my head and onto paper. A summary of each:
1. This view of creation is incomplete and inaccurate, causing one to hold to a low view of God's creative capacity. We are made in the image of God with both a body and a soul, therefore both are valuable dimensions worthy of redemption. Also, Jesus himself had a resurrected body recognizable by his disciples, though not at first. He didn't lay aside his body, so we won't either, since Jesus showed us what it means to be truly human.
2. Jesus was more than just a wise sage or a model human being - He was fully human and fully God, true God of true God. I went through the seven stages of Jesus' career showing how each contributes to his divinity. (Incarnation, Inauguration, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, Intercession, and Return)
3. Salvation is more than just forgiving our sins (I had to differentiate between sin and sins). We are saved to shalom - that fulfillment of who we are in God. Jesus was our representative on the cross, absorbing our sin onto himself; he was not simply a substitute like you have in a basketball game where someone comes in for you. Jesus represented all of humanity as he died on the cross, overcoming sin and evil.
What really matters is the soul. The body is a trap, a burden, to be laid aside in the resurrection. So let's concentrate on saving souls.
Jesus was a wise teacher and an exemplary human being. Christianity has built him up into a god, even though he never claimed to be one.
Salvation is fundamentally about forgiveness of sins, and that's what Jesus won for us on the cross.
I ended up with 24 pages by the end. It was pretty draining, too because there was just so much information to get out of my head and onto paper. A summary of each:
1. This view of creation is incomplete and inaccurate, causing one to hold to a low view of God's creative capacity. We are made in the image of God with both a body and a soul, therefore both are valuable dimensions worthy of redemption. Also, Jesus himself had a resurrected body recognizable by his disciples, though not at first. He didn't lay aside his body, so we won't either, since Jesus showed us what it means to be truly human.
2. Jesus was more than just a wise sage or a model human being - He was fully human and fully God, true God of true God. I went through the seven stages of Jesus' career showing how each contributes to his divinity. (Incarnation, Inauguration, Crucifixion, Resurrection, Ascension, Intercession, and Return)
3. Salvation is more than just forgiving our sins (I had to differentiate between sin and sins). We are saved to shalom - that fulfillment of who we are in God. Jesus was our representative on the cross, absorbing our sin onto himself; he was not simply a substitute like you have in a basketball game where someone comes in for you. Jesus represented all of humanity as he died on the cross, overcoming sin and evil.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Men in Church
Ever since I went to a birthday party for a friend of mine - at which there were many guys my age - I have been burdened by the question - "what would it take for these guys to come to church?" I have since been struggling with this answer...
When I checked out Mark Driscoll's blog (pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle), I found this article that he wrote. Maybe we need to have kickboxing in our services... or blow stuff up...
When I checked out Mark Driscoll's blog (pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle), I found this article that he wrote. Maybe we need to have kickboxing in our services... or blow stuff up...
Friday, April 07, 2006
Systematic Theology B
I want to give you a look at what our final will be for this class. The final will consist of three of the following seven propositions. The test will have five that we will choose three from.
Respond to the following propositions in the following way:
1. Rephrase them to make sure you understand them. (i.e. make sure the prof knows I understand them!)
2. Indicate what about them you can affirm: what is at least partly accurate, well-phrased, comprehensive, significant and helpful.
3. Indicate what about them you cannot affirm: what is at least partly inaccurate, badly-phrased, truncated, trivial and unhelpful.
4. Conclude briefly with your overall evaluation of them.
Here are the propositions:
What really matters is the soul. The body is a trap, a burden, to be laid aside int he resurrection. So let's concentrate on saving souls.
All of earth's creatures are holy, and none are more important than any others. So we human beings shouldn't hunt or fish or eat meat.
Jesus was truly a holy man and the Son of God. But other religions have their founders, too, and Christians shouldn't insist that Jesus is better than the founders of other faiths.
Jesus was a wise teacher and an exemplary human being. Christianity has built him up into a god, even though he never claimed to be one.
Christianity has offered "pie in the sky by and by." But what really matters is the here and now, and Christianity isn't very helpful in solving immediate human problems.
If God has chosen me for salvation, then I'm in. And if he hasn't, then I'm not. So it doesn't really matter how I live, since it's God's decision, not mine.
Salvation is fundamentally about forgiveness of sins, and that's what Jesus won for us on the cross.
---
My study group has divided these up and I have the last one about salvation. I will probably address the two phrases separately - asking what is salvation really all about and then asking what did Jesus really achieve on the cross?
Want to join my class?
Respond to the following propositions in the following way:
1. Rephrase them to make sure you understand them. (i.e. make sure the prof knows I understand them!)
2. Indicate what about them you can affirm: what is at least partly accurate, well-phrased, comprehensive, significant and helpful.
3. Indicate what about them you cannot affirm: what is at least partly inaccurate, badly-phrased, truncated, trivial and unhelpful.
4. Conclude briefly with your overall evaluation of them.
Here are the propositions:
What really matters is the soul. The body is a trap, a burden, to be laid aside int he resurrection. So let's concentrate on saving souls.
All of earth's creatures are holy, and none are more important than any others. So we human beings shouldn't hunt or fish or eat meat.
Jesus was truly a holy man and the Son of God. But other religions have their founders, too, and Christians shouldn't insist that Jesus is better than the founders of other faiths.
Jesus was a wise teacher and an exemplary human being. Christianity has built him up into a god, even though he never claimed to be one.
Christianity has offered "pie in the sky by and by." But what really matters is the here and now, and Christianity isn't very helpful in solving immediate human problems.
If God has chosen me for salvation, then I'm in. And if he hasn't, then I'm not. So it doesn't really matter how I live, since it's God's decision, not mine.
Salvation is fundamentally about forgiveness of sins, and that's what Jesus won for us on the cross.
---
My study group has divided these up and I have the last one about salvation. I will probably address the two phrases separately - asking what is salvation really all about and then asking what did Jesus really achieve on the cross?
Want to join my class?
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
The Weekend
Friday night we went down to Bellevue for dinner with our friends Jamie and Matt. Downtown Bellevue reminded me of the upscale Plano - people dressed up real nice and looking rich. We ate at Maggiano's Italian restaurant at about 9:30pm that night and stayed until 11:30 - I don't think I've ever eaten that much that late! That night we stayed with Matt and Jamie on their air mattress, which slowly deflated during the night. So, in the morning I can't get out to go to the bathroom because I am sunk in the middle with Bethany on top of me. To get out, I had to pull up on the dresser next to me.
Saturday we came back and Bethany went to work on our church's float that we are making for Bellingham's Ski-to-Sea Parade on Memorial Day. They are making it out of PVC, plywood, and big styrofoam balls. We'll have our FBC logo (standy-man cross), a soccer ball, a strip of film, a music note - it should look pretty good.
I went to work on a book review of Hans Boersma's Violence, Hospitality, and the Cross. It is a fresh look at the three main atonement theories of the Church - moral-influence, penal substitution, and Christus Victor. It was a brilliant book...
Saturday night we went to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra concert at Mount Baker Theater. It was hot. They were good. Though with the time change, it made for a really late night - two in a row.
Sunday morning was a fun day at church. I had our sax guy take a ride on "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" while I did the soulful 6/8 feel on my guitar. He wailed and it was fun. A friend of mine from BAylor - Tracie Gray - was up in the Northwest on vacation running in the Oak Harbor marathon. She did the half. Anyway, we had dinner with her at Jay's house and then she came over to our house for the 24 watching party. It was really good seeing her again.
Yesterday I had Regent, Quartet Practice, College Home Group, and I am glad to just chill tonight. Whoever reads this is awesome.
Saturday we came back and Bethany went to work on our church's float that we are making for Bellingham's Ski-to-Sea Parade on Memorial Day. They are making it out of PVC, plywood, and big styrofoam balls. We'll have our FBC logo (standy-man cross), a soccer ball, a strip of film, a music note - it should look pretty good.
I went to work on a book review of Hans Boersma's Violence, Hospitality, and the Cross. It is a fresh look at the three main atonement theories of the Church - moral-influence, penal substitution, and Christus Victor. It was a brilliant book...
Saturday night we went to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra concert at Mount Baker Theater. It was hot. They were good. Though with the time change, it made for a really late night - two in a row.
Sunday morning was a fun day at church. I had our sax guy take a ride on "The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" while I did the soulful 6/8 feel on my guitar. He wailed and it was fun. A friend of mine from BAylor - Tracie Gray - was up in the Northwest on vacation running in the Oak Harbor marathon. She did the half. Anyway, we had dinner with her at Jay's house and then she came over to our house for the 24 watching party. It was really good seeing her again.
Yesterday I had Regent, Quartet Practice, College Home Group, and I am glad to just chill tonight. Whoever reads this is awesome.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Bono's Prayer Breakfast Speech
I thought it was interesting that Bono spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast last month. I found this link to the video and thought I would let you enjoy for yourself! It's about 25 minutes...
Daydreamer Concert @ Three Trees Coffee House
This was from the concert last Friday night at a local Christian coffee place in Bellingham. It was sweet. This concert did what I want concerts to do for me. It makes me want to practice my guitar and it makes me want to go be creative. Thanks, guys!
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Last night, we had a Home Group party at my house for the college students. Most of them are taking finals and so it was a good study break for them. It was cool because a lot of the people who don't usually come to Home Group could make it to this. (Funny how a party can do that...) I don't know if the students just don't like the things I teach or it's not practical enough for them, or what, but hey - they know it's there for them to help them grow in Christ.
I want to plug my friends who play in a local band called Daydreamer. Check out their website and listen to some of the song clips that they have. They lead worship at a local church here and I play racquetball with their lead guitar player. Their lead singer is a guy who I started taking guitar lessons from when I first moved to Bellingham, but our lessons times starting turning into more of a coffee/chat time. They are great artists and I am pretty excited about this new album of theirs...
Just a quick update post - thanks for reading!
I want to plug my friends who play in a local band called Daydreamer. Check out their website and listen to some of the song clips that they have. They lead worship at a local church here and I play racquetball with their lead guitar player. Their lead singer is a guy who I started taking guitar lessons from when I first moved to Bellingham, but our lessons times starting turning into more of a coffee/chat time. They are great artists and I am pretty excited about this new album of theirs...
Just a quick update post - thanks for reading!
Friday, March 10, 2006
Back from the trip.
We returned from Orlando, FL on Tuesday night after a fun two days of frivolity in the magical world of Disney. I had to wear a button that said it was my birthday and all the employees had to say happy birthday to me and Joel. I have posted the pictures from the trip that we took with our camera. I think my favorite is the Buddha man at Epcot. You'll see what I mean.
The coolest part about the trip is that my entire family went down there, too. Mom, dad and sis meet us there and celebrated our 30th birthday. Joel had no idea and I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he walked into baggage claim and everyone was standing there waiting for him.
I had a little bit of it figured out, but I didn't know that my parents and sister would be there. B and I were waiting our shuttle bus and I decided to call dad to see where he was. He had actually been down at baggage claim waiting for us, but since we didn't have any checked baggage, we went straight to the shuttle bus. He said on the phone - "Don't get on the bus! Don't get on the bus!" Just as the bus was pulling up to take us to the condo, mom, dad, Julie, Joel, Jodie and Jordan walked up and hugged us. Julie even made a sign that said Happy Birthday Jeff! (I still have it, Julie)
Anyway - Bethany and Jodie did an incredible job of surprising us and making their husbands feel really good about turning 30. We are lucky guys, bro.
The coolest part about the trip is that my entire family went down there, too. Mom, dad and sis meet us there and celebrated our 30th birthday. Joel had no idea and I wish I could have seen the look on his face when he walked into baggage claim and everyone was standing there waiting for him.
I had a little bit of it figured out, but I didn't know that my parents and sister would be there. B and I were waiting our shuttle bus and I decided to call dad to see where he was. He had actually been down at baggage claim waiting for us, but since we didn't have any checked baggage, we went straight to the shuttle bus. He said on the phone - "Don't get on the bus! Don't get on the bus!" Just as the bus was pulling up to take us to the condo, mom, dad, Julie, Joel, Jodie and Jordan walked up and hugged us. Julie even made a sign that said Happy Birthday Jeff! (I still have it, Julie)
Anyway - Bethany and Jodie did an incredible job of surprising us and making their husbands feel really good about turning 30. We are lucky guys, bro.
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