Family Gatherings

We are getting ready to load up the CR-V and head north to Raleigh, North Carolina for Thanksgiving. Katie's aunt and uncle live up there (actually in Cary), so we are going to celebrate a day of thanks with them. I counted last night that there will be 16 people in one house. That's right, I said 16!

After my anxiety attack, I told Katie it sounded like there wouldn't be enough room to accommodate all of us. Then comes the information that we will be sleeping on an air mattress for 3 nights. Ugh! This should be FUN!

Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we decide to pack a house full of people in order to celebrate a holiday? I don't know about you, but celebration to me doesn't involve sleeping on the floor for 3 nights. I like to leave conditions like that for mission trips; not celebration.

Anyways, it's off to Raleigh. Keep me in your prayers.

Breaking The Silence

I have been silent for some time, but I have decided to be more disciplined about my blog. I apologize to anyone who has been waiting to hear some words from me, but I have been really busy (I know it isn't much of an excuse).

I was in Atlanta this past weekend for the National Youth Workers Convention, and again it was a truly wonderful experience. This year I did something new at the convention - the Labyrinth. I had always wanted to do it in the past, but I could never find a time to sign up. I was able to find a time this year, and I am grateful that I did. It was an experience that was moving, challenging, provocative, cleansing, peaceful, difficult, inspiring, revealing, and restful. I hope to use the same model with our youth group some time in the near future. 

That was certainly the highlight of the convention for me. The speakers were great, but one stood out amongst the rest - Shane Clayborne. He got on stage and said that sometimes we focus more on our own story when we should be focused on the greatest story. Then he began to read "the greatest sermon ever preached," which meant he read the whole Sermon on the Mount. Halfway through I thought, "He's just going to read the scripture and that's it." I was right. He finished the reading and prayed that Jesus would give us the courage to live out the greatest sermon ever preached. Truly awesome!