Before:
small gap
After:
LARGE GAP
Congratulations to Halle for losing her first upper tooth (and third tooth total)! She’s pretty excited, can you tell?
Yeth, she ith very eckthited!
Thanks for sharing in our family memories!
Grace,
Brian
As I stated last week, I would like to start my week blogging about “Faith Foundations.” This morning I arrived early to Cutter’s Point Coffee on the South Hill of Puyallup to meet with a Youth Pastor, Troy. Whereas, last week, I felt the overwhelming need to be prayed for (so that was the subject of my first Faith Foundation) today, I was praising God for the opportunities for fellowship I knew I was going to receive today. I just had no idea I was going to be blessed with it right away!
I knew I was going to be meeting with the YMAP (Youth Ministry Apprenticeship Program) Team (we like “team” better than “board”). Some of my older friends in youth ministry are part of this team. It is always encouraging to sit with them. Then later tonight Elisabeth and I are going out to dinner with Marc and Debbie Gronholz, long time friends (and my most recent Sr. Pastor). I knew today was going to have a “refuge” feel to it and I was excited for that!
But, my meeting with Troy was an amazing time of encouragement, fellowship, and mutual “spurring.”
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25 is one of my favorite passages. Troy was able to speak to, what he called, “failure” in networking as a Youth Pastor. I hope our two hours together will spur him on toward doing it more. He is a little bit older than the average youth pastor and has much wisdom to pass on to some of the younger (and even older) YP’s. There was no “failure” that I could see, he certainly gave me food for thought! He spurred me in the area of insights into a couple passages in Acts. Some great stuff as we both are drawn to that book. I loved his take on a couple passages!
I see the day approaching! Do you? Let’s be quick to encourage other believers, but let’s also be quick to live it out among the lost! The day is quickly approaching and many do not see it coming; and how will they know unless we tell them? Brothers and sisters, keep meeting together (it is a faith foundation), but may we also be quick to depart and do the work as well (serve, share and support… very “pastor-like” with the three S’s huh?)!
Grace,
Brian
One of the things I’m most looking forward to about the Youthmark Mission Venture strategy is the sense of Team! I’m not recruiting “clients” (Youth Leaders and Youth Groups joining the trips), I really am inviting, “teammates!” In this team mindset, I look forward to seeing the gifts and talents of each person bring Glory to His name. The Youth Pastor/Spouse Retreat, two spring retreats and the Launch/Debrief weekends of the YMV’s will have a “team leadership” approach.
I’m excited to see what sort of Gifts the Lord brings to the table. One person (and set of gifts) I know of already is Joe Monto. A friend of mine and a Youth Pastor at Calvary Chapel South. I can’t wait to see Joe inviting students to the foot of the cross through worship/song! Here’s an original he wrote that I hope he will teach us!
Can’t wait to see the other gifts and talents He brings through each one of the staff and students joining us this year!
Grace,
Brian
I knew it would happen. Expected it would have happened sooner. It was bound to eventually take place.
What is it?
Well, I was finally “stood up” for a scheduled meeting with another Youth Pastor.
I’ve had guys cancel and reschedule, but this was the first no-show with no call, text or email. Fortunately I had a meeting before and another one after in the same area (Puyallup). I won’t name names, because I am smart enough to know that eventually I am bound to be the one who misses a scheduled meeting!
Praising God for this extra hour to catch up with emails and such!
Grace,
Brian
Thanks to all who were praying for the launch of the Kent/Renton Youth Leader network. We met this morning at the RiverRock Restaurant (at the Maplewood Golf Course). I had 6 churches represented and 11 in attendance… we had a great time of fellowship and good food. The plan is to compile the information each submitted (times that work for them to meet consistently, etc.) and then start a monthly gathering! Very cool to hear/see the hearts of those in attendance!
After the Kent/Renton Breakfast I commuted down to Olympia to meet with an existing network of North Thurston youth leaders! What a great bunch of people (about 30 in attendance at that!).
Pretty cool to see the Body of Christ working together! Be encouraged!
Grace,
Brian
A long, but good day. Here are the high points (praises) of my Wednesday (and in order).
1. Got to cuddle with Will for quite some time tonight. Got special time with Halle taking and picking her up from Pioneer Girls and got to play with Audrey while Halle was gone (and Elisabeth & Will were out with E’s sis tonight).
2. Got to eat dinner (made on our brand new stove) with the family for the second night in a row!!! (Plus my wife made her awesome meatloaf).
3. Had a fantastic network meeting with the Burien/Normandy Park YP’s and presented YMV’s to three other Youth Pastors (individually) in Kirkland, Bothell and Woodinville.
4. Had coffee or tea from 3 different companies at 4 different locations (Tully’s, Starbucks, Starbucks and Peet’s).
Now, it is time to go to bed (no worries, the caffeine consumption ended by 5:00 PM). If you’re reading this in the morning, please pray for the Kent/Renton Youth Leader breakfast! Hoping to get a network started and to be able to share about the Mission Ventures!
Grace,
Brian
Many of you have not had the privilege of meeting my son, Will, yet. For those of you who have, you can cheat and participate as well if you’d like!
They say a picture says 1000 words… well, I don’t want 1000, but a couple will be fine. When I uploaded this picture to my macbook I had to chuckle, I think this picture, for some reason, shows Will’s personality so much.
So, based on this pic, and as an experiment to see if a picture does speak volumes, what are the words that come to mind to describe Will’s personality traits? Keep in mind, I have the power to delete any answer I don’t like, so don’t take any shots at me/us! Ha.
What do you think this picture says about his personality?
Grace,
Brian
One of the areas of my blogging I sensed was missing was the area of Scripture Study/Application. So, I have added a category entitled, “Faith Foundations.” I’d like to make this a Monday staple as much as possible (or at least as much as I can remember to do it on Monday!).
Upon arrival to Starbucks this morning I felt the overwhelming need to be prayed for. Last week I sent out my Prayer email to my Youthmark Prayer Team (if you’d like to be on that list, please email me–brian@youthmark.com). Even with that letter out there, I sensed the need to start this week by soliciting prayer. Don’t know why, but He does. So will you? I will conclude this post with the specific requests.
The Scripture: Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
My foundational thought for this morning has to do with the “prayer” part of this passage. As the church was being formed and before the Apostles dispersed they were held (by the Holy Spirit) in Jerusalem. They practiced (lived out) their faith in their backyard by being committed to several main areas: community, communion, teaching (The Word), and prayer.
As I recruit pastors (and in turn students) to our 2009 mission training and mission trips, will you be committed to the same things in our Jerusalem? Before we are sent, we are seasoned. The seasoning doesn’t not always mean you’ll be sent (in other words, some are called to ALWAYS remain in Jerusalem, but we are all called to make disciples no matter where we are). In this time of seasoning (for the sake of our own Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria or Uttermost), will you pray for the work of the Holy Spirit? Specifically pray for the Spirit’s work in the lives of these teens who will be a witness on their own campus, at their own homes, in their own clubs, at their jobs or on their athletic fields. As they are seasoned, and as the become more and more reliant upon the Him, may we see “The Lord add to their number daily those who are being saved!” Prayer is such a hard thing to understand, but I do know it works. It is called for, so we’ll do it. Please pray for His work and will to be done!
Specific Prayers for This Week:
Saturday was a day of discovery. The problem, my discovery: I’m getting old. My knees (and really my legs in general) are really achy. The bones, muscles and joints are all talking back to me right now.
What did you do, run a 10k, climb Mt. Si or go mountain biking?
Hey Brian, did you do an all day workout at 24 Hour fitness?
These would be appropriate assumptions/questions. But no; I installed a gas line under our house. My friend David came over… he was the “gas guy” and I was simply his helper. But spending 9 hours on one’s hands and knees in a crawl space, installing pipe and finding an angle to tighten the joints of said pipe apparently wreaks havoc on one’s body.
The good news: We will have our new stove/range installed on Tuesday (we are switching to a dual fuel, thus the need for the gas to be routed to the kitchen). And, on top of that, we are now ready for a gas insert (if we ever desire to do that) in our fireplace AND we’re ready to switch off propane and use natural gas for grilling in the summer (ahhh, no more trips to refill the propane tank mid-grilling!). So really, it was three projects in one!
So, yes, it is worth the stiff muscles and swollen knees; bu not sure it was worth the discovery that I’m getting old.
Grace,
Brian
Megan and Nathan
Last week the Aabys joined the Schlauds (okay, Nathan and Megan aren’t married yet, but it’s fun to tease). We revisited the place I took Nathan the day he arrived from Michigan to begin his year of serving with me. He was the Apprentice (insert Donald Trump joke here).
Okay, back to dinner, the seven of us went to Stanford’s Restaurant down by Southcenter. We had a wonderful time with Nathan and Megan catching up and talking about their wedding; in fact, our girls are going to be in their wedding. But, we received some TERRIBLE news while at Stanfords. Stanfords has basically become a brand new place. They have the same seats and the same employees, but they were bought out and have a brand-new menu! Which means, my favorite, The Classic Club, is no longer on the menu. The new menu is great. We loved our food, but it is a whole new place. But I was SOOOO looking forward to my club!
All this to say… Help me find the best Classic Club! Have any suggestions? This is my new contest. If you point me to the best club in the greater Seattle area, and I deem it “a great club” then I’ll treat you to one. Deal? Let the suggestions begin!
Gotta run, for some reason I’m hungry now!
Grace,
Brian
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