Back on the Horse

Well, it's been so long. So many good ideas gone by and no posts, which is perhaps a small commentary on our lives since moving to Holland. We've been busy. We've been having fun. Sorry to those of you who actually read this and wondered what we've been up to.

Rather than put too much pressure on myself to write niftily, I'll just post a picture.

While it's still near Epiphany if you grant me some liturgical elasticity, here's my nativity scene that my parents help me make as a kid. The added flair is compliments of some European traditions [Southern France, Italy] in which they put townspeople surrounding the stable. We saw one at Meijer Gardens that had bakers bringing bread for Jesus, and other such things. So, I thought Alf and Homer would want to worship Jesus too.

busy - quick update

Wow. We moved into Holland a month ago tomorrow. Yikes. Time has escaped us.

It's been a great month. We're loving being back in Holland. Things have gotten going pretty quickly for me at Zion. Here are a few highlights of the past month. I'll try to put pictures of Ordination and house up soon.

- 4th of July w/ Menzes at Kollen Park
- Party with my beach house boys from Hope
- Saw fellow staff member and good friend, Joseph Byrd in Room Service at
Hope Summer Repertory Theater
- Biking
- Ordination & Installation w/ many friends and family there
- Friday mornings at Donutville

On the Edge

We're sort of on the edge. Tomorrow we move into Holland, Michigan, where I'll be Associate Pastor for Youth and Christian Education. Tonight we sleep at my folks in Lansing; Tomorrow we'll sleep in a parsonage. Tonight I'm my parents children, bumming food and shelter; Tomorrow I'll be a responsbile, grown-up, pastor-like person...maybe ;)

Since the last post we've had eventful times. Here's just a few notes:

- Graduated from Concordia Seminary May 22, 2009. Yay!
- Amie finished teaching at Missouri School for the Blind. Already misses her kids. They are some of the sweetest people you'll ever meet.

Vacation: 2 weeks out east visiting fam, friends, and seeing the sights

- Hiked, camped, rafted in the Smokies
- Drank Mt. Dew in Appalachia (sp?)
- Toured Monticello & Univ. Virginia. got caught in huge storm at The Rotunda.
- Waterskied w/ Uncle Jeff and cousins Adam & Ethan in Maryland
- Saw DC United practice
- Visited Independence Hall, ate Cheesesteaks, visited cousins and Steve Miller in Philly
- Was in audience at Letterman
- Caught a game at the new Yankee stadium...had to work the scalpers hard to get a deal.
- Wandered cool streets of Brooklyn

Sleep time. Big day tomorrow. Have to grow up overnight ;)

Tour de Sem

Yesterday was the annual Tour de Sem, the 90-mile bicycle ride down to the original Concordia Seminary in Altenburg, Missouri.

It was a good time. My power breakfast surely gave me an unfair advantage. Custard-filled donuts pack on calories better than anything I know! The ride was quite fast as we all enjoyed a strong tailwind.

After 90 miles in the morning, I thought I'd lay rather comatose on the couch in the evening. Hardly! I went out for 11 more miles yesterday evening to make it a century ride for the day. Oddly enough, I felt pretty good for the 11-mile cool down...much better than the hills of southern Missouri around mile 80.

Then I had a pumpkin pie for dinner.



Top pic is Concordia Seminary. Bottom is the original log cabin, built in 1839, now covered by a shelter.

My Preaching Idol

I thought and thought about how I could possibly follow up a post about being called into full-time ministry. You know, brilliant little thoughts. Nothing of the sort came to me. So, I give you a glimpse of my great aspirations in life: the farting preacher. You may have seen it already. He's pretty popular.



Ok, so really, he's a kook who's been investigated for bad money stuff.

Call Day - We're Going to Holland, Michigan!

Five years at Concordia Seminary led to a climactic service last night in which the fine young men in my class received our Calls to serve in churches in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

I received a call to be Associate Pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Holland, Michigan, where I will focus on areas of Youth and Discipleship/Education. Amie and I are really excited to be going back to Holland.

Michigan is a wonderful state, Holland a wonderful city, and Zion a wonderful group of godly people. We feel blessed/lucky to get to go there. Before we can go, I still have a month until graduation. So, I better keep up the (good) work, passing exams and writing papers!

Here are some pics with family who came.

the 'rents


Aunt Dee, Cousin Hannah & (husband) Dustin


Joseph Byrd - good friend and staff member at Zion

Waiting Game

Once again, all my brilliant ideas for fun posts just go to the wayside amidst my busyness and/or laziness.

But we do have exciting news! Well, not yet, exactly. On Wednesday, I will officially be called to a church to serve as a pastor. So, the exciting news up to this point is that I have successfully completed all the requirements to be a pastor in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. I "passed" the certification interview with 2 faculty members, and then was recently approved by the entire faculty. It's not as glamorous as it sounds. I think they just go around the table, looking at our pictures in the directory, and give a thumbs up or down. I got a thumbs up, either do to my amazingly good looks or my theological astuteness. Either way, I'll take it!

Until Wednesday, we play the little waiting game. The "higher ups" in the church body that do the actual assigning [by the direction of the Holy Spirit] met this weekend to sort it all out. So, Amie and I just do what we've been doing for a while: pray, trust, pray more, trust more, wait. Wednesday at 7pm CST is the service at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri. Feel free to watch on the internet. My folks are coming down. It'll be an exciting day. We just have to play the waiting game until then.