The last week...

I wish I could describe how busy I have been the last few weeks.

I enjoy blogging, but it is not a high priority in my life.  So inevitably, it has been placed to the side and I have not blogged much lately.

We have opened our Non-Profit, Fair Trade coffee shop and the first few weeks of business are always full of mistakes with a pretty steep learning curve.  Things are going great but it makes undistracted study and contemplation very difficult.  

Friday, on my day off, I performed my first Wedding.  That was a crazy 18 min. experience.  Yeah it was probably the fastest wedding ever!  On top of that, saturday, we built our stage and really busted out some serious work on our sanctuary.  Our new stage is 43" high 50 ' long and 24' deep, it is pretty massive.  God is doing some amazing things at The Rock!

1:30 am sunday morning I received a phone call from the Rock Island Police Dept. (that will get your attention even at that hour) our alarm at Areopagus was going off, and the door was unlocked.  It was just a mistake by an employee, but it messed me up even more.  

So what I am saying is, 

Growing Youth Ministry + Coffee Shop + Church Construction + MMA Training + Pastoral Responsibilities + Family Life = One thinly spread individual who feels like hiding in his room and not coming out for a few days.

In the words of the great Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins "I feel like butter spread over too much bread."

I am not complaining.  I know that I need help, and help is coming.  I know that my leaders are taking more and more responsibility every single day.  I thank God for my leaders.

I also know that this is what churches do.  They kill people.  If left unchecked, churches will kill their leaders.  They will run them into the ground like a great workhorse with no rest.

They don't destroy on purpose.  They do it with "good" intentions and the greatest purpose on the face of the planet, the great commission.

So, as a leader, I will sabbath this week.  I will spend my friday with my wife and family.  I will have a date night with my wife, listen to Justin Manhardt preach his first message, and spend saturday relaxing with my family and helping my wife prepare for her art show debut.  No church construction, no emails, no studying, no answers, no employees, just life lived well.

I love you all!

The morning spot

So the Coffee Shop opens up at 6 am.  I have been showing up about 6:30 to spend some time with God in the mornings.  I wanted to mix up my morning routine a little.  So an early morning coffee and $.50 doughnut does the trick for me.  

Areopagus is pretty quiet that early so I really enjoy it for my studies and the atmosphere is killer!

I was sitting here watching people come and go, and a huge sense of gratitude starting flooding my soul.  We are starting to develop a clientele and that is really cool, actually it is more than cool.  I was talking to my wife last night, and we were thanking God because there were so many times in the last few months that we just wanted to give up on the coffee shop.  The money wasn't coming in when we wanted it to.  I couldn't find the right people to staff it.  I was already so busy with all of my other endeavors that I just couldn't put enough time into it, and it was a headache.

And now, we have our funding, we have a great staff, we have great coffee, and this place is awesome!  Praise God!

Yesterday I ran into a guy down here who has just started coming to the church.  He was just checking out the place but came over and sat down at my table and started sharing his heart.  I was able to spend about a half hour with him and it was one of those "God encounters" or "divine appointments."  That never would have happened if we didn't have this place.

We are changing lives, one cup of coffee at a time!