A late July posting

Well, well, if it isn't the missing blogger, back from the land of poor time management. Yes, it's been quite a while since I've posted, and as usual, I have no excuse for my absence. Except the whole having a job thing, but that's a pretty thin excuse. At least this post will be a pleasant one (read: you don't have to listen to me whining about not having a job).

So, how are things going? Very well, when it comes right down to it. The job is going well. There have been the usual snafus along the way, but overall, I love what I'm doing. Actually, I love doing anything, really, but this is a great job. The main difference between this job and any other ministry work I've done (volunteer or paid) is the difference in the health of the church. Cedar Grove is a healthy church, but like with many things in life, you don't know what healthy churches are really like until you've experienced one. It's not that all the churches I've worked at have been completely unhealthy (just varying degrees), but a truly healthy church is hard to come by, and I've found it.

Do we have our problems? Sure. One of the main things I'm trying to sort out right now is how to rev up this ministry I'm in charge of. The 18-29 age group is tough to mobilize, especially after a couple of years of taking blows. They're a little cagey, and I'm not sure if they're really ready to trust that I'm going to be there long-term--I don't even know if I'm going to be there long term, but more on that later--so they hold back a bit. It's okay. It'll come. What we need is consistency and energy, and I hope I can provide both.

The one thing that keeps catching me off-guard is how difficult an adjustment it's been going back to work again. It's like riding a bike after not having done so for many years. Sure, you remember--after all, one never forgets how to ride a bike, right?--but at first it's a bit touch-and-go. You're not sure of yourself; your balance is a bit off, the gear changing is clunky, and you just don't look smooth at all. That's about how I'm feeling right now. I know I can do this, I just need to find my legs.

There are a couple things that I have to get used to. First, the whole concept of having a job again is strange, and leaving for work in the morning with wife and child at home is a different experience. In fact, the last job I had was about a block away, so I could always come home for lunch or whatnot. This job is a 40-minute commute--more if there's bad traffic--so I'm gone for the day. It's a bit weird leaving the family at home and going away, but I guess I've been spoiled since the boy was born by being able to stay home. It's a bit tough to explain to him why I'm gone all day, too. Don't scoff--he may only be 18 months (which in and of itself is unbelievable),but he understands a lot. And right now, he can't quite figure out where daddy goes all day, and why he only comes back at dinner time. It's tough to leave in the morning when he looks at me with those sad eyes and starts to cry. A dagger in the heart. So there's the whole family transition.

The second tough transition is the fact that I've never even attended, let alone worked at, a large church before. There are probably over a dozen people on staff (I'm counting full- and part-time staff, so the number's a bit fuzzy), and so there's always a staff person who does something. For example, I'm used to being able to put announcements in the bulletin about upcoming events, but at the Grove, announcements have to be vetted first, and then edited for length before they make it into the bulletin. There are myriad examples like that, and I'm finding new ones every day it seems. But that, too, is a learning curve, and I'm sure I'll have it down in no time.

Other than that, well, exciting things continue to happen around here. We're in the midst of installing new laminate floors in our entire lower level. Yes, we're doing them ourselves. No, I can't feel my knees anymore. Thanks for asking. It's a long, painstaking process, but one that is moving ahead at a good pace thanks to my father-in-law who really knows how to lay a laminate floor. This weekend I'll have my dad, my wife's dad, and me doing the floor, so that should make things go even faster. It's a beautiful floor--much nicer than our carpet that was starting to deteriorate (after 15 years, which is a pretty good lifespan for something that's so high-traffic and wasn't cleaned by the previous owner at all). It'll be worth it when it's done. I just wish it was done so we could get to the "worth it" part. Oh well.

I think that'll be all for the evening. I have garbage to collect and a bed to sleep in. I played squash this evening with a co-worker, so I have a feeling about how my muscles are going to feel tomorrow. Squash? Yes, squash. 1986 called and wanted its favourite sport back. Anyway, it was fun, and my playing partner wiped up the court with me, but I'll get him back sometime. Right, I was leaving. Thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you next time I post an update.

Monday, July 2

Hello again, everyone. Happy Canada Day weekend to you all. And hey, thanks for checking the blog again after so much inactivity. I'm back because, well, I finally have some news: starting Tuesday, I'm back to work!

It feels like it took forever, but it finally happened for me. It's a really long story, but in the end, everything happened really quickly. I got the call last week that they were interested in bringing me on, and by the weekend, I was hired. Snap.

What kind of job is this that I can get hired onto so quickly? Surely it's not a ministry job--those things take forever. Well, yes it is a ministry job; more specifically, it's a summer internship, leading to a full-time position in the fall should things turn out well for all of us. I'm now the young adult ministries intern at Cedar Grove Baptist Church in lovely Surrey, BC. I got connected with them through a friend at school who happens to be the senior pastor's son. Initially, I had talked to them several weeks ago about coming on in a permanent capacity, but they have a paradigm of hiring from the inside, so that was pretty much a no-go. However, they don't seem to have anyone on the inside who can step up in this case, so they asked me to come on as an intern so that I can become better known to them. If things go well, we're good for the fall. If not, well, no hard feelings, I suppose.

I know, it's a pretty startling turn of events. And really, it's nothing but God's guiding and leading that accomplished it. Throughout the process there were times when it seemed like there were more obstacles to overcome than could be overcome, but God cleared the way for all of them to come down, and move me into the position that I really wanted in a really great, healthy church. Folded into my job description is mucho music as well, so basically I'm getting paid to make friends with people and play music. Not bad.

Thank you so much to all of those who have been supporting our family in prayer through this time. It was difficult, that much is for sure. But alas, God has opened up a new and exciting door for us to walk through, and we're so pumped to be moving forward in it.

With this new job comes a renewed sense of blogging, so expect more from this blog over the next couple months than you've gotten over the past two. I'm sure I'll have lots of stories to tell, and if not, I'll just make some up. That's always good for a bestseller or two (just ask James Frey).

Moving on. There are things I've been meaning to do on this blog for some time, like post pictures. So here you are, friends, the family update, including much son and dog photography.

You know, having a dog is a lot of fun. There are people who have called us stupid for getting a puppy when we have a toddler in the house. I'll admit that some days I agree, but most days, I think it's a lot of fun. Our dog is well-behaved, is very well housebroken, doesn't bark too much, and sleeps for a good portion of the day and throughout the night, so really, what's wrong with that? Oh, and he's really cute, too. Look, I have proof...

See? Told you. It gets even better when you add a cute baby to the mix, too. Especially a cute baby sitting at the table reading the paper with his morning sippy-cup...

I had a classic dad moment the other day, when we bought the boy a tricycle and I assembled it. Welcome to fatherhood. Seeing the boy ride the thing, well, it's just priceless...

Hey, he even does tricks...

So cute. So much fun. Next time, I might even get a picture of him on his new favourite toy--daddy's motorcycle. Until then, you're just going to have to wait. Oh, come on, it'll be worth it.

So thanks again for coming by. As I said, keep coming back now that I have something to talk about, and I'll hopefully be able to give you a little bit more than I've been giving. See you then.