Chapter XXIII: Dear Michigan

I know...a day late...I'm sure this is hard to handle given my amazing track record of punctual updates. (This was a day late when I wrote it, but apparently it didn't publish right away).

The funny thing about this post is that instead of an update for Illinois from Michigan, it's for my Michigander family from Illinois....Props to those of you who understood that.

SO...for those of you Michiganders...

Christmas vacation for me meant visiting my family and friends from my hometown of Rockford, Illinois. While I hate the city itself, the people I spent my week with are pretty awesome. I got to swing dance, ice fish, rock out, shop, play video games, and eat.

Lots of eating.

And the best part is the cooler full of leftovers I was sent back with.

My favorite part was the visiting with old family and friends...Some of whom I hadn't seen for 2 or 3 years. It's amazing how much more drastic change seems to be when you see it all at once instead of a year long process. Most of my friends and family seem to change so much every time I see them, and I wonder if I change just as much throughout the year.

Not a whole lot of meat or potatoes to this update (I ate most of those over the weekend), so I'll leave the Michiganders in my life with this thought...

Illinois as more snow than you. And a better NFL team....Ouch.

Writing from home to home,
-B

Chapter XXII:Closing Time

The parting of the Red Sea. Healing of Sick. Military victories. Creation. The Resurrection. The LORD has done some miraculous things. His latest?

Getting me through my first semester as a youth pastor.

My new church family accepted me as both a friend and leader. They have made west Michigan feel like home. And they've fed me quite a lot of food. Basically, most of the LORD's support throughout the semester came from their hands, calls, cards, cookies, and kitchens.

As this past week progressed, I wished "Merry Christmas" to many of my students and friends as we all scattered for Winter Break. As we gathered for one last class/meeting/meal/game for the semester, one could feel a heightened sense of energy from everybody. This was most noticeable in the High School students though....especially at last night's Ugly Sweater Party.

This week also saw the Twelve Strings of Christmas. This benefit concert hosted by myself, John, and Amy (she made cookies...lots of cookies) was attended by roughly 30 people and raised over 60 dollars for ACCESS Food Pantry. The music was decent and the show was really fun. John and I had a blast putting it together and look forward to a repeat next year. But our show was definitely upstaged by another group this weekend;

The Olivet Children's Christmas program.

During our service yesterday, the little kids (with some help) told the Christmas story. In addition to being absurdly cute and hilarious, the program served as an awesome reminder to our congregation that we are a family. It was awesome to see different age groups come together to lay our worship at the feet of the King.

Looking ahead, I'll be heading back to Northern Illinois for the holidays. It'll be great to see my family. Especially my little brother and dog since I haven't seen them in 6 months. I am excited for a few days away from work and the opportunity to recharge my batteries. I ask for your prayers for travel as many people are heading home for the holidays.

It's been a great five months in Michigan, and I look forward to more. This semester was a blast and we all learned a lot about our faith as well as each other. But this semester is over. And while it's closing time for this half of the school year, the next half looks even brighter!

Grateful for the past,
-B

PS This week's picture isn't mine. Credit goes to the talented Katie Groeneveld for the photography

Chapter XXI: Iowa

My apologies for a late blog update. In addition to a lack of motivation, I struggled to find a way to describe the past week. It was an average week, not great but not bad, and that's why it was an Iowa Week.

For those of you who have driven from the mid-west out to Colorado or someplace awesome, you know there's one thing you have to do first. Drive through Iowa. The corn-filled state of Iowa isn't horrible, but it's not great. It's just something you have to get through.

And that's how my week was.

It was a decent week who's sole purpose was to be a stepping stone for the week after it. There wasn't much special about this past week. It just had to happen so that we could get to the next one.

The weekend was fun in the sense that it was literally filled with nothing but climbing, Halo Reach, and burgers.

Lots of burgers.

You see, we (Andy and myself) love burgers. We wanted to find the best recipe. So 5 lbs of beef, 16 burgers, and 8 different recipes later, we were full of both meat and knowledge. Over the course of the weekend, we tried out unique burger ideas such as nacho, pizza, and chili. After an intense tasting and rating process, we found a winner. The Teriyaki Burger.

If you want the recipe, I'd be glad to share.

I'd also like to share something I've been struggling with for the past week or two. As mentioned above, I'm feeling a lack of motivation. I'm growing weary of the same schedule. Basically, I'm facing the early warning signs of burn-out. Part of the problem comes from self reliance. I am working to seek my strength from God and not myself. I am working to let God work through me instead of me working for God. I am working on letting God drive through Iowa.

Bored with corn,
-B

Chapter XX: Has It Really Been 20 Weeks?

The last time I wrote you, there was no snow on the ground. Unfortunately, there still isn't much on the ground. Michigan has thus far been a disappointment in the snow department. So much for the intense "lake effect snow"....

I'm really starting to get into the Christmas spirit. The combination of snow, advent liturgies, and Christmas music has really put me into a holiday mood. As a result...I have invested a fair amount of time and money into decorating my house...FALSE. I show my Christmas cheer through music. Our church went caroling on Friday, and believe it or not, it was my first caroling experience...I've also been doing a lot of arranging of Christmas songs. In preparation for our benefit concert in a few weeks, I have been putting together a lot of music.

For some reason, it already feels like December is nearly over. Christmas is quickly approaching, and as usual, I haven't even started my shopping. Looks like another year of heading out a day or two before Christmas to find presents for my family. Why does it always seem that something as joyful as gift giving turns into a stressful habit? Perhaps a year without Christmas presents might do us all good.

In other news, we brought on the final member of our new band, Misfit Plaid and will begin practicing in January. I also took second place in the intermediate division at a climbing competition this weekend. And I also think I'm getting the hang of lindy-hop (type of swing dance).

Even better news: Our church officially has an interim pastor who will begin working part time this week. I'm very thankful for the work that he's going to put in here, but I'm even more thankful for somebody to be here to back me up on some of my decisions.

That's really about all there was to last week...To be honest, I don't really have a whole lot of motivation right now to do much, so I'll just ask for your continued prayers for our church and call it a day...

Time flies,
-B

Chapter XIX: It's Almost Here

Something seems different now. Something has changed in the past week. Things aren't the same as they were the last time we spoke.

I'm not sure what exactly has changed, but the LORD has done something in my life over the past week. It's one of those times when I can look back at the Brian Boucek of last week and thank God for the difference between the two of us.

In addition to a lot more facial hair (Almost done with No-Shave-November), this past week has given me a sense of maturity. The combination of successfully organizing my first fundraiser and preaching a difficult message to a critical congregation has aged me more than just a few days.

While this week was busy, I loved every moment of it. The Chili Cook-off went really well (although a chowder recipe won the contest) as we had a great turn out and raised a lot of money.

Our Thanksgiving service went really well, and I hope to replicate the same intimacy, simplicity, and comfort of that service for our regular Sunday morning meetings. I was blessed enough to spend the actual meal with a few families from our church, and the food was good enough to offset the depression of another loss for the Lions.

My sermon went over better than expected. While I am very appreciative of the congregation's support and encouragement, I have to give credit to the Holy Spirit. From the start of the planning process to the closing prayer of my message, the Spirit's hand was upon me.

The Spirit didn't stop there though. His hand seems to be much heavier the past few days as our church is starting to come to a crucial moment. As discussions continue and people voice their opinions, it is becoming clear that something is going on. Something is going to happen. Something is going to changet.

A few other highlights from this week included some new guitar gear via the Black Friday madness, a first time ever climb of a 5.12 route, a new friend, reunion with some old friends, some great pictures of downtown, and a clean house.

Looking to the future, December is going to be an awesome month filled with Christmas concerts, Christmas caroling, Christmas parties, Christmas music....pretty much just Christmas in general.

As mentioned above, our church is reaching that crucial moment when something big happens. Please continue to pray for our church family, and pray for the interim pastor candidate as he discern's God's will for his involvement with our church. That's really about it for now, so hang loose, pray hard, and keep lovin' life.

Eager with anticipation,
-B

Chapter XVIII: A Whole Lot of Ministry

I don't mean to brag, but I've now gone an entire month without a late post...It's perfectly acceptable to applause.

This punctual update means that it's been 7 days since I last spoke (wrote?) with you, but it's felt a lot longer. Three lunch meetings, two climbing nights, and one crazy lock-in later, I'm still standing.

Met some new people on Tuesday night at swing dance, sent a few new routes at the climbing gym, and nearly finished a new song I've been working on. I broke a capo (thing used for a guitar), but I also got Rose (my acoustic) worked on a bit and now she sounds as pretty as she looks.

Our annual Fall Lock-In took place this weekend, and the turn out was great. With nearly two dozen students in attendance, we had fun with karaoke, games, Nerf guns, pizza, and a midnight Meijer dash.

Wednesday was a challenging day for me personally as I had to make some last minute changes to our Rake'n'run and I had to lay down some strong discipline at youth group. I find that it's much easier to love kids in a way that makes them smile as opposed to a way that makes them angry...But Christ wasn't about making people grin...He was about making them better.

On the flip side of the emotion coin, yesterday's worship service was simply awesome. The recently beefed-up worship band played/sang extremely well, and did so with an awesome amount of enthusiasm. The congregation worshiped with their voices and bodies throughout the service and the best part was the overwhelming sense of joy that filled the sanctuary.

Now ministry is not about numbers, but here are a few to summarize the week.

150 pies made at our annual Pie Baking Days
72 people at our weekly Neighbor Night (almost twice the usual!)
24 hours I went without sleep
22 students at our annual Fall Lock-In
9 pizzas devoured by hungry students on Friday night
6 songs used in worship on Sunday
3 new musicians added to our Worship Band
2 yards that are now leaf-free thanks to our High School students
1 guitar capo that will be sorely missed

Looking ahead, I've got four areas of focus for prayer. The first is our Chilli Cook-off. This fundraiser helps support the youth ministry and is starting to stress me out a little.

We also have our Thanksgiving service in a few days...something different but fun.

I am preaching to this congregation for the first time on Sunday. The sermon is titled "All You Need Is Love" and it isn't really started yet.

Lastly, our congregation has made a selection on an interim pastor, and he met with our staff this morning. He's still unsure whether or not to take the position, so please pray for us and him.

The days and weeks are flying by as we quickly approach December...and lately I've been doing a whole lot of this ministry thing. Approaching the four month mark on my time here in Grand Rapids and I can confidently say that all is well.

Still rockin' out,
-B

Chapter XVII: Bring It On

For those of you faithful few who keep up with my blogs from week to week, the build up mentioned last week has begun to fully sink in. For those of you who are fair weather readers, I am talking about a build up of things I haven't gotten around to doing yet (or have put off).

Anyways, the combination of special holiday services, fundraiser dinners, and church events have got my calender almost as full as my brain. In addition to these seasonal happenings, our church is beginning to look at some new changes, most of which revolve around our worship services. So things are starting to get somewhat busy (keyword: "somewhat"... I'm not overwhelmed or anything).

Folks, I have to be honest here.

I like it.

I enjoy doing these sorts of things.

Planning, contacting, preparing.
Studying, researching, thinking.

Asking questions, surveying congregation members, listening to people's ideas and concerns. It's all part of what I do here and it's all awesome. My work load has increased, but not uncomfortably. I'm using my God-given gifts to help lead His people, and nothing could be more fulfilling. I like being busy.

Does this mean I'm crazy?....I hope so.

Had a bit of a rough patch on Tuesday night, but the LORD used that to draw me closer. Our Wednesday Neighbor Night went really well this week, with both a good turn out and good food. Spent a lot of time working with music this weekend, and I got to travel up to Big Rapids to visit Cran Hill Ranch (where I will hopefully be working as a chaplain for a week or two in the summer).

Yesterday was really awesome. The service was good, and the cookies rocked my morning (in a good way), but the highlight for me was the discussion in Sunday School. Roughly 30 of the members combined for class this week, and we made some awesome progress in talking through our differences.

We're beginning to embrace our diversity in an effort to unify.

Our church is looking at so many changes, and faces so many challenges, and yet I continue to feel the guiding hand of the LORD daily as we journey through this process.

For the first time ever, I don't have any new prayer requests. Things are good and God is faithful. Of course our church needs prayer as we are in a challenging time, but hopefully you're praying for that already.

Embracing my challenges,
-B

Chapter XVI: I'm A Big Boy Now

Another fun week...Pretty decent throughout...

Tuesday evening I was presented with an unexpected opportunity to play some songs at Founders. 20 minutes later John and I borrowed a few guitars, and basically improved some music. It was terrific. I'm also making progress in my quest to Lindy Hop (a type of swing dance).

The weekend was really terrific too. I spent it down in Chicago with my friends and I took part in a climbing competition. We climbed in a higher division than last time, and I pulled off 5th place. I climbed really well and had a ton of fun.

I've begun looking at my life a little more seriously. Recognizing some responsibility I need to start taking. I need to tidy up my finances. Maybe brush twice a day instead of once. I need to start running again. And eating healthier. (Trying out a new recipe tonight!)

Things at Olivet continue to go well. We had a rough time with our Jr. High ministry this past Wednesday, but we learned from our mistakes and the LORD is still working in the lives of those students. Still in the process of searching for an interim pastor, but also still surviving without one.

I'm beginning to notice a build up of things that I need to do. Long term projects that haven't been started yet are starting to loom in the distance. Things like retreats. Our summer mission trip. Our fall fundraiser. Thanksgiving and Christmas services. And my sermon.

That's right. In just under three weeks (November 28th) I am preaching at Olivet. Prayer would be nice.

I suppose the moral of this blog is that God has presented me with the brutal facts that I need to get my act together a bit. He's given me some time to transition, but it's time to grow up a little. I have to face the fact that I'm no longer a college student. I can't continue eating junk food without exercise. I can't spend money just because I have it. I can't procrastinate projects because it's not my grade that might suffer, but the time and welfare of others.

All this being said, I'm also still treasuring my youth and loving it! Trying to make the most of every day I have. And trust me, there will still be plenty of stupid decisions (like jumping off the balcony in my house) in my future.

And that's why I need prayer. Pray that I would have the wisdom to continue to grow and mature, but not lose my youthful (and stupid )ideas of fun.

Growing up,
-B

PS This week's picture isn't mine. Credit goes to Climb-On gym in Homewood, Illinois

Chapter XV: There's Something Happening Here

Two weeks. In a row. Blog updated on time.

It's ok to be impressed.

Filled with highs and lows, this week was an emotional sugar rush. Had to deal with a pretty hefty downer on Tuesday, but a great weekend experience evened things out. Once again, my two best buddies came up for a great (cold) climbing trip. We spent Friday afternoon climbing at Grand Ledge, camped in Lansing (horrible camp site, but great experience), and then climbed again on Saturday. The weather was pretty wonderful and it was great to climb outdoors and have fun.

Saturday night was our annual Trunk or Treat. It was everything I had hoped it would be, and we had so many people trick-or-treat their way through our parking lot that we all ran out of candy (despite the efforts of multiple candy runs). Over 300 children were exposed to our church!

But the real highlight of my week came with the recognition of our church's growth. Our society, our world, and our community are forcing our church to face necessary changes. Olivet has come to a crossroads, and we're forced to either sink or swim.

And we're starting to learn the breast stroke.

The congregation is becoming more welcoming to our Jr. High students and treating them like family. Little things (like our bulletin) are becoming more simple. Students are starting to take more interest in the politics of our church. People are learning and facing change. Hatred and division are becoming love and unity.

We're getting it.

We are starting to come together and seek God. Resolving our differences and stepping out of our comfort zones to do God's will. Olivet is faced with some grim facts, but also with amazing opportunity to serve God. We're given the chance to step up and really mold our church into something awesome.

And it's happening.

Everyone is talking. Everyone is participating. People are eager to see what's God's going to do in our community.

Ideas are forming. Leaders are rising. People are loving. God is moving.

The ball has started rolling and the momentum is building. BUT misguided momentum is a dangerous thing, and that's why prayer is critical to the ministry of our church. So I'd ask you to continue to lift our church family up to the LORD in prayer.

Witnessing the Work of God,
-B

Chapter XIV: On Our Own

As promised...A punctual blog update....miracles do happen.

The word to describe this week:

Thankful.

Throughout the week, I was constantly reminded of how blessed I am and how the LORD has watched over me. On Friday I got to spend the evening fishing, relaxing, and hanging out with John, and it made me realize that the LORD has given me great peace in every aspect of my life.

Additionally, my parents came up to visit, and they continually reminded me of how proud and impressed with my current situation....I cannot thank the LORD enough for how far He has brought me and all that He has given me...because without Him, I'm nothing.

This week came with two new Grand Rapids discoveries: The B.O.B (a great restaurant downtown) and the backwoods lake out in Allendale where I went fishing.

On a more ecclesiastic note...today marks the first day of our church family being without a senior pastor. Already, our staff (now just myself and the secretary) is discovering all the details that our pastor normally handled. I imagine that our congregation and church leadership will all be stepping up in the coming weeks to "fill the gap" of our pastor.

Which will be awesome.

I imagine our church will become more caring. More united. More involved. I imagine members caring for members. Lay people doing pastoral care. Elders preaching and praying.

Basically, our people are going to be empowered.

They will become the hands and feet of God.

I imagine our interim pastor will help the process, but until that time, we'll be seeking leadership from our own ranks. And that's where I'd ask for prayer. Specifically, I need prayer as I have already taken on a few new responsibilities, and I fear I might take on too much.

Holding down the fort,
-B

Chapter XIII: Looking Ahead

I would apologize for this post being two days late, but you're all probably used to that happening. Last time though...We'll get back on track next week Monday.

This past week was pretty awesome. Met a few cool people both at swing dance and the laundromat (I love doing laundry there). Also started connections with a new lead guitarist for our band.

Saturday was our guys/gals retreat and it was a blast! The guys went disc golfing while the gals hung out at church planning an ambush for the boys (they soaked everyone except me....wise choice ladies). We then gathered for some guy vs. girl games (we let the girls win) and finished off the night with pizza and a bonfire (still have bruises from wrestling students on the beach)

Also had my buddies Andy and Paul come up, and got in some sweet climbing time with them. This included flashing two new 5.11's (the next level of difficulty for me).

Praise band played on Sunday, and it went pretty well (especially "Sweetly Broken"). We also had a town-hall meeting where we discussed the current pastoral situation. And I have one word to describe my feelings towards this:

Excited.

Don't get me wrong. I love our pastor and all that he's done for our church and myself. But his departure presents our church with an amazing opportunity to facilitate some necessary change. Within the next few weeks, a part-time interim pastor will be leading the Olivet family, and hopefully guiding us through the process of discerning God's will for our church.

Additionally, this change is exciting because it is going to offer (force?) everybody in our congregation a chance to step up and make this ministry their own. I am hoping that this lack of pastoral leadership will make our family see that we function as a body...everybody has a part in everything.

Prayer stuff: Focus all of your efforts on our church as we are going through this adventurous time between pastors.

Looking forward to moving forward,
-B

Chapter XII:

My apologies for another delayed blog...I blame my lack of self discipline...

Pretty sweet week. Went swing dancing for the first time since moving to Grand Rapids. Pretty fun. The highlight of my week was Friday. I spent the afternoon biking all the way downtown to check out some Art Prize. It was really great to spend some alone time riding around the city, looking at art, and taking some pictures.

Got offered the position as a lead guitarist for a Christian rock band, but decided to decline the offer. I recognized the need for me to manage my time, and this band wasn't a part of that. Along with this decision, came the inspiration to begin working on a new musical project as I am forming a band and pursuing some new music that I'm not as familiar with.

Injured my finger climbing during the week. But it happens....

Went camping for a night with two of my buddies. Then spent Saturday climbing and disc golfing with Andy....it was good.

Finished reading the book "Who Stole My Church"....really good, and it's amazing at how much it has to say to our congregation.

Our pastor made the decision to accept the call in New York...which means that as of October 25th, we won't have a senior pastor. It's going to be a challenge for all of us, including me....

But I'm up to the challenge.

Continued prayer for the Baron family as they are moving. Also prayer for our church family as we are going through the transition between pastors. That's about all for this week. Again, apologies for the late and not terribly creative post.

Coasting through the week,
-B

Chapter XI: Crazy World, Crazy Smells

The last 7 days have been very interesting, filled with all sorts of new things and quite a few lessons.

To begin with, I turned 23 this past Tuesday, and I've realized that I have gotten to the point in my life where birthdays just aren't as exciting. I don't get any new freedoms with my new age. However, I did receive many a wish and card from friends, and I am always reminded every year of how blessed I am. I can't thank the LORD enough for giving me yet another year of life.

I also went through my first band audition, and I gotta be honest...it was a TON of fun. I played really well and enjoyed the company of other musicians. I also got together with some guy on Thursday and jammed a bit with him downtown. Again, quite a lot of fun.

Our Jr. High night seemed to go really well, and I feel like I'm finally connecting with some of the students. Our Sr. High ministry is also going really well as the Spirit is bringing the students deeper and deeper into the Word. And to top it off, it would appear as though our ministry is growing! A new face here and a new face here! It's amazing to see God bringing people into the church!

All in all, my actual week seemed to be very draining and I was exhausted by the end of it. This lead to the downer of my week; the weekend. I spent some time with Jr. High at the frolf course (awesome), and I put in some time at the climbing gym (also awesome), but for the majority of the weekend, I did three things.

Sleep.
Movies.
Futurama.

Late Sunday night, God sorta took me by the shoulders and said "Hey! Fool! Get off your butt and stop wasting your life!" I pretty much spent a weekend doing nothing, and that's not OK....I need to dial back on the naps a bit. I mean, I had darn near three days to go see ArtPrize, a world renown (free) art fair located 15 minutes away, and didn't. That's just wasteful.

It seemed like a jumbled up week, which makes for a jumbled up blog. So now it's time for a few less organized random thoughts from this past week:

-I still love the Bears
-Climbing shoes: Buy for comfort, not performance
-Molly (my fish) seems to be dying and floats sideways and does flips...but hasn't died yet...pretty strange
-The character "Black Widow" from Iron Man 2 is very pretty
-I cleaned my house! Yay!
-Discovered a new favorite Psalm (its actually found in 2 Chronicles)
-Watched some "LOST"....really miss that show
-Hair cut...not easy to do by yourself, but far more rewarding

The upside to all of this is that life goes on. Crazy stuff happens, and that's what makes it life. While this wasn't the most coherent of weeks, it certainly did come with some unique experiences, and I am grateful for the lessons learned through living.

That's about it. As always, I have a few prayer requests to lay on ya. Continued pray for the Baron family would be great, as they will be making their decision this week as to where Josh is to pastor. Pray also for a friend in Washington as they are going through a tough time right now.

Livin' and learnin'
-B

Chapter X: Oh Yeah....

Last week was the valley to this past week's summit. Things since my last update have been considerably well. It all started on Wednesday...

I felt a lot better about our Jr. High meeting on Wednesday evening, partially due to the smaller turnout that allowed for a more intimate setting. Then there was our praise band practice....

Simply awesome.

The band sounded great, and we even had a few people hanging out in the sanctuary grooving to the music. With the exception of our bassist (who sadly couldn't make it because of work) we sounded even better on Sunday morning! The people in the sanctuary worshiped and I even saw a few dancing...

This past weekend was spent in the Chicago hanging with my buddies. We did a short hike, some climbing, and of course, just hung out and did stupid stuff. But the highlight of my weekend was recording and finishing my new EP, "Stories," which turned out pretty well.

Our youth group on Sunday night was a lot of fun as we played a new game I designed (not Death Sticks) and talked about our Christian relationships.

All in all, the LORD has just blessed me with this incredible sense of peace and contentment with my current situation. My job. My home. My life....And it's awesome. As per my persona, when things slow down, I like to add something new to the mix...

Thus my newest and latest quest for a band....

I have been in contact with local musicians and friends in regards to finding the next musical adventure for me to embark on. It seems that the LORD has given me the gift of music, and I certainly don't want to waste it. I have a couple of leads with pre-existing bands, and there is talk with a few friends about forming a band. My first audition is tomorrow night as the new lead guitarist for a Christian Rock band called Perfect Shelter.

In the world of prayer, I would love if you could focus all of your prayer effort on the Baron family. Our senior pastor, Josh Baron, has been offered a call to another church. I ask that you pray for him, his family, and our church as we collectively discern God's will for the Barons.

That's all for now....I'm very excited for this week and looking forward to ArtPrize here in Grand Rapids

Loving Life,
-B

Chapter IX: Times of Trouble

Another week (and another win for Da Bears) has come and gone, and the LORD has continued to make Himself known to me.

We had our first Neighbor Night of the school year, which means we had our first Jr. High gathering. I have to admit, I wasn't prepared for the unique group gathered at Olivet this past Wednesday. The group is a pretty rad bunch of students, but they presented me with new challenges. I'll have to admit that it was a little discouraging at first, but now I'm quite grateful for the opportunity to grow as I see the LORD for guidance in this area of my ministry.

We had a youth event planned for Saturday, but it got changed at the last minute on account of the weather. Still we had a fun time with a mall scavenger hunt, movie time, and lots of pool (turns out I am horrible at pool).

I enjoyed four evenings of climbing this weekend, and celebrated my new status as a route setter with a new bouldering route for the gym. I also did some work on my home and put in a few new pieces of furniture. I also finally bought a copy of The Message for teaching and for my personal devotional reading.

I learned two things this week (apart from all the information I gathered during our mall game). The first is that a skillet breakfast at Rainbow Grill is not a good start to the day. The second is that while the movie Bolt might be entertaining for some people, the majority of people will find it absurd....

It wasn't all fun and games however, as Lauren's mom passed away this weekend. Please pray for Lauren and her family as they go through this valley. I would also appreciate prayer for me in regards to my ministry for Jr. High. I also would like your prayers for our praise band as we will be practicing new songs with some new instruments for Sunday.

Found a weakness,
-B

Chapter VIII: Welcome Home

You know that week before exams? You know....study, prepare, research, write...It's actually more work than the finals themselves. That's how it was for me this past week....

And I loved it!

Yesterday was our annual "Kick-Off Sunday" which marks the beginning of our Fall programming. This meant that my week was full of last minute preparations for brunches, small groups, and weekly meetings. I spent a lot of time planning my first lesson, and it felt great to dive into the Word in a theological mindset and discover God's lessons.

Logged a lot of hours at the climbing gym this week, but I also got a chance to rest. One could call my weekend "the calm before the storm." Friday was spent at Grand Haven planning a youth trip and taking pictures. Saturday brought some muddy ultimate frisbee, and Sunday brought the first win for the Chicago Bears.

I learned a very important lesson this weekend during Celebration on the Grand. As I sat with my friend listening to a blues band downtown Grand Rapids, I recognized the level to which I had been serenaded by Western Michigan. I didn't realize how much the LORD had in store for me when He brought me here. I really have fallen in love with this place. Fallen in love with my job. Fallen in love with my church.

Fallen in love with home.

I know I keep saying how much I enjoy living here, but it really hit me hard this weekend. Today I spent some time at the DMV, and I can now say that I am officially a Michigander (which means I will support the Lions, AFTER the Bears)

Our first youth meeting was last night, and it went well. We enjoyed some games some learning, and some snacks. Our brunch yesterday also went really well, and the food was great.

However, today was rough....

I got word from a friend that her mom didn't have much time left. This news literally put a stop to my day. I couldn't focus on a whole lot for the rest of the afternoon. It has forced me to rely on the LORD for strength.

In the praying world, I would appreciate if you could focus your efforts towards our youth group, specifically our Jr. High which meets for the first time ever this Wednesday. I would also like prayer for the Verdon family as they are handling this rough news regarding her mother.

Home at last,
-B

Chapter VII: The Weekend

Again, I apologize for not sticking to my normal schedule of updating on Mondays. So, this entry will simply cover Labor Day Weekend, and then next Monday will cover the week of September 6-12....

So this past weekend was pretty much the best weekend I have had in a long time. My three closest pals came up and spent the entire weekend with me. We did some rock climbing (I finally nailed a route with a difficult dyno that I have been working) and some disc golf, and of course, we played Halo. A few other highlights included a visit to Calvin, a bonfire filled with flour, two new computers donated to the church, and the purchasing of a movie for super cheap.

On a more serious note, this weekend made me realize how incredibly blessed I am in SO many ways. For instance, I have my dream job in a pretty ideal location. The LORD has been extremely good to me in providing such a wonderful opportunity. I have some AMAZING friends. These guys are like brothers to me. Having people like that to share life with is another tremendous blessing, and I don't thank the LORD enough for that. Finally, I realized how awesome my new church family is and I really should recognize that more often.

That's about all for the weekend, and as this isn't the most normal of entries, I will end it at that. Check again on Monday for the regularly schedule updates.

Recovering,
-B

Chatper VI: Up, Up, and Away!

First off, an apology for skipping two weeks of blog updates....So today ya'll get two for the price of one!

Week of August 15-21:
Went pretty well, this week was primarily occupied by two things. First off was the preparations for my climbing trip this past week. Second off was my first time leading a praise band at church. That praise band was mighty fine, and, as our bassist had claimed, "We were the best praise band in church today!"....

Week of August 22-29:
Here's the tale of my journey to Colorado...
Wednesday was our day to hike in and set up our base camp in South Colony Basin. So we parked the truck at 9,500 ft. and hiked up to our base camp at 11,000 ft. It was a fabulous camp site with some nice sittin' spots and Barbara was able to rig up a nice kitchen shelter with some seats and table made out of logs.

Thursday was the big day. Little did I know it would be one of the most challenging days of my life. We were up and on the trail before the sun and headed up to summit the Creston Needle, a class 3 mountain at 14,200 ft. It was an awesome climb, very senic, and very hard. The majority of the climb was scrambling, and the later half of that climb was so steep that it was difficult to find spots for multiple people to sit and rest. We made the summit around 1:00 amidst hail and with the company of some Georgia climbers....took our pictures (of course the monkey hogged all the shots), and started down. 6,000 vertical feet and 15 hours round trip and I had bagged my first 14er...The day had been very rewarding and fun, but also extremely demanding and quickly ranked as the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

We all slept in on Friday, and most of our climbing party was really sore, so I decided to climb the other mountain on our list, Humboldt Peak by myself. It was a really enjoyable climb, and after about 5 hours I had returned with my second 14er under my belt, and I had successfully summited a mountain solo. Being solo had some advantages and disadvantages. I had a great chance to hang with the LORD and I was able to climb at my own pace, take rests (and a nap on the mountain), and take plenty of pictures. The disadvantage was that I couldn't get a second opinions on route finding, and a simple ankle sprain could have stranded me on the mountain for a day or two. Ended Friday with a group meal of Tortilla Soup (Bear Creek makes awesome backpacker food)

Saturday came around and none of us were ready to leave (especially the "Little U") so we took our sweet time. But eventually we said goodbye to our new made friends (some climbers from Georgia and our neighboring camp-mates from Oklahoma), hiked down to the truck, and enjoyed a sweet sweet lunch in Westcliffe (burgers are SO good after a half week of pastas and dehydrated meals).

Overall, the trip was amazing. Trying to desribe it is just like trying to photograph it, there are so many things to take in, but no way to capture it all. We met TONS of cool people, had the best weather the Basin has ever seen (including moons so bright that it lit up the mountains). And next to no injuries. Overall, the LORD kept us safe and provided us with a great trip. He really did give me a chance to get up and away for a bit before the Fall started.

In the world of prayers, I want to thank the LORD forgiving me an awesome opportunity to climb and keeping me safe. It would be great if you could pray for the high school and college students as they go back to school and also keep our discipleship ministry in mind as we begin our Fall programming.

Refreshed and ready,
-B

Chapter IV: Pace Yourself

Ever get to the beginning of a week and wonder what happened to the second half of the week before? Yeah...that's about where I'm at...

I had a pretty rad week that was spent hanging out with students and getting into the swing of things. I preformed at Founders again, bought a new TV, and spent the majority of my weekend with Alex. We got to spend Friday night roaming the streets of downtown Grand Rapids enjoying the sites and not enjoying the spiders. I also ate more pizza in the last three days than I have in the last three weeks...(not literally of course!)...and while I do enjoy JB's Pizza, there is something to be said for Jet's Sausage and Bacon Pizza.....

Our first official youth event went really well, and it was a great opportunity to hang out with the students, talk about the upcoming semester, and eat some amazing Jello cake. The youth ministry also met together to plan the fall semester, and come up with our ministry's vision statement:

Living the real life Together in Christ.

It's not all fun and games though...as this week as brought it's trials. Three of my friends are really struggling this week, I've had to make the first tough decision regarding my ministry, and I started to recognize the signs of burnout this weekend.

I've been spending a lot of time hanging out with youth, planning and sitting through meetings, and looking through calenders....It's all great stuff, but just like a giant cake cookie, too much of a good thing can be bad. So I started working towards having some down time and celebrated that at the beach yesterday. I walked away with a better understanding of myself and God's calling for this ministry, but I am also sporting a sweet one-sided sunburn. More importantly, I realized that while youth ministry is awesome work, I need to pace myself by setting personal boundaries to make sure I don't get burnt out.

Check out my other blog Reading Revelation for a more in depth look at burnout:
Reading Revelation: Love Affair

The LORD blessed us with good weather and turnout for our Sr. High Pool party and is continuing to provide for me here in Wyoming (I love living in Wyoming and Michigan at the same time!). For this week, I would ask that you continue to pray for our youth group, but also pray for my first Sunday leading the praise band at Olivet as well as a prayer retreat that Pastor Josh and I are taking on Tuesday....

Still learning,
-B

PS: Look into playing the game called Munchkin...I'm pretty much obsessed.

Chapter III: Moving Forward

Two weeks under my belt and I'm still loving the ministry the LORD has placed before me. Last week was filled with VBS (which was awesome by the way) and getting acquainted with some of the Sr. High youth group members. I also had a chance to share some music with the congregation on Sunday and lead worship for the consistory members.

As for the exploration of Grand Rapids, I made an amazing discovery on Tuesday night thanks to one of our church members. It's a place called Founders Brewery, and it has some of the most amazing tasting brews I've ever had. But what was really cool about this place was that is hosts an open mic night every Tuesday, so I got my first chance to play for Grand Rapids. The show went well, and even included the unveiling of a new original song called "Place to Start"


During the weekend, I was able to visit Chicago and reunite with my inner circle of friends, but this experience caused me to learn two very important lessons. The first being that I have been blessed with an amazing group of friends whom I love very dearly. The second is that visiting Chicago made me realize how much I like Grand Rapids and how much I feel at home here now.

This week I am planning on returning to Founders, wandering the downtown area on Friday, and finally visiting the lake on Saturday. Maybe I'll get around to the climbing gym again....

In the world of prayer requests, the LORD was definitely with us at VBS and He provided me with many opportunities to meet people. For this week, I would ask for prayer for our first Youth event on Wednesday and the continuing preparations for the fall semester.

All is well,
-B

Chapter II: Remember Your Training

The turtle you see here was a pleasant surprise I found while visiting Reed lake after a walk through East Grand Rapids. I also spent time in Byron Center and put in quite a few hours at Brewer Park throwing some discs. But the point of this update is that I survived (and maybe even thrived) as a youth pastor for a week. It was great. And like all things, it was way cooler than I expected it to be.

The LORD has really been grooming me for this position since that fateful September day so many years ago when I was born. Every church and ministry I have been a part of has brought me experiences that I am already drawing upon. Countless discussions with peers, pastors, and professors have given me knowledge and understanding for this one thing. It's like I've been doing a puzzle without the box and finally finished the edges.

I spent the majority of my week laying the foundations for relationships, orientating myself throughout the church, and I think I even caught myself extending my hand and saying "Hi I'm Brian" in my sleep. But through it all, the LORD has been there to support and guide me. Here are a few things that I have come to know about Michigan:

1) Turning left...works a little differently around here, but sidewalks are cool
2) Cans and bottles: RECYCLE!
3) When asked where they're favorite place is, 9 of 10 Michiganders will say something involving ice cream
4) We have "hallway monsters" (Just ask the little girl who lives next to me)

Again, the LORD has answered my prayers regarding a starting point for this ministry. He has provided me with ample volunteer help, and given me the tools to focus my vision for the job. My prayer requests for this week would be a petition for the VBS going on in the evenings, and more opportunities for me to get to meet, know, and understand the youth from my church.

Finally doing it,
-B

Chapter I: The Mission

Monday morning....I arrived at my apartment at 2:30. Got to bed at 3:30 after unloading and locating my bed stuff.....First staff meeting at church starts at 9:00 AM....

All lack of sleep aside, it was a great day. The LORD has brought me to this wonderful place and this awesome church, and today He gave me my marching orders. My new church is a church in transition, and God has called me to be a part of this change. The people I have met and begun to work with thus far are amazing and have been super helpful, but most of all, they have been patient (Especially our church's secretary) as I learn how to do things like use the phone system, fill out insurance forms, and practice using keys for locks....

I have also been very blessed with a phenomenal place to live, and I was able to really settle into my new home this evening. Between that and spending the day learning names and organizing my new office, I look forward to really beginning planning out this new ministry that God has brought me into.

Again, the LORD has answered my prayers and brought me safely to the Grand Rapids area, and even allowed the moving process to go relatively smoothly....My prayer now is that God would provide me with a starting point. I know what He wants me to do, and I have a billion ideas on how to do it, but I'm not sure where to start. Please pray for wisdom and discernment as I begin my ministry....

Taking the first step,
-B

Preface: Chi-Town

Every tale has a beginning, and mine is in Chicago. Since graduation in December, I have been working at a local church as a worship leader. The past 7 months have come with its trials, but also its joys. Chicago has become my home with all of my friends, my family, and of course, my home climbing gym. For the past 4 years, Chicago has been my training ground, and now I'm being shipped out.

God is now calling me to a new ministry at a church outside of Grand Rapids where I will be serving as both a youth pastor and music director. It will be challenging, but equally enjoyable as I fill God's purpose for my life. I know very few people here, and am not familiar with the Michigan territory, so this truly will be an adventure.

Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, I can share a bit about what's going on. In just a few days, I will hopefully (I say this because my car is having troubles and might not be fixed in time) be making the move out to Michigan after countless trips for interviews, meetings, and apartment tours.

As I prepare for the move and conclude my life in Chicago, I would ask for your prayers on the moving process and transition process into both a new church family and a new place of residency.

Ready to go,
-B