Yesterday we headed to the house immediately after church as our new stove and patio door were being delivered. We spent HOURS scraping off the wallpaper in the kitchen. Not a fun job, but we were thankful there is only 1 room of wallpaper to do. Mark put many screws in the floor to get some of the squeaks out of the kitchen. Funny how the room looks worse than ever - slightly a disaster right now!
Today was a slower day. It was all about prep and shopping for odds and ends that any project needed. Jim joined us again and gave great advice on wall prep and on what we need to do to move the dining room light switch to a different wall. We also found out that there is no grounded outlets in the kitchen so we will have to do some rewiring from the main fuse box before we install our garbage disposal. Lots to do and think about.
The good news was that we choose and ordered our counter tops! They will look great. Also, Emily started priming one of the bedrooms while I filled screw holes and sanded the kitchen wall. The kitchen wall just needs to be washed and it can be primed too. Over the next week Emily will be doing some painting at the house (God bless her!) when she's not subbing. Our next big work day will be to cut the hole in the exterior wall for the sliding door and build the frame for the new window in the kitchen.
We pray for God's help with every detail.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Renovation Day One
This was an exciting week as we closed on our house on Thursday, and today made the first significant renovations. The house has been well taken care of, but there are many updates that can be done over the next few years. The first one we are tackling is the kitchen and dining room. We wanted to remove most of the wall separating the two rooms so that there could be a nice flow between the two spaces. The two other objectives are to create more counter space in the kitchen for cooking and baking and to swap the sliding door in the kitchen with the window in the dining room.
Two great friends from Living Waters who have lots of construction and renovation experience helped me during this first day. Thanks Jim and Gary! Now that the wall has been cut out and parts of the kitchen moved around, we are seeing what the kitchen will look like when all is said and done. Tomorrow Emily and I will remove the old wall paper from the kitchen (groan) and re-secure the floor to the floor joists to remove squeeks. Woo hoo.
Two great friends from Living Waters who have lots of construction and renovation experience helped me during this first day. Thanks Jim and Gary! Now that the wall has been cut out and parts of the kitchen moved around, we are seeing what the kitchen will look like when all is said and done. Tomorrow Emily and I will remove the old wall paper from the kitchen (groan) and re-secure the floor to the floor joists to remove squeeks. Woo hoo.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
A Fall Breather, Dec 10
I can't believe it is already the middle of December! We have plowed through the fall, starting up programs, coordinating new elders, prayerfully searching for deacons, discussing the drawbacks and benefits of church budgeting. This new mission church continues to surprise me with how "different" they want to be. The time has flown by. We are in the midst of planning Christmas worship! my first one as a solo pastor.
Having just come through Thanksgiving I have been thinking about what I am thankful for. Here is a list, stream-of-consciousness style:
1. My loving and supportive wife
2. Leaders who are passionate about their relationship with Christ and the power of God's Word
3. A beautiful church building that we are not even close to filling
4. A fun new town to explore
5. A warmer climate
6. A cute little house
7. New friends
8. More time for prayer
9. Restful Saturdays
10. Only one time to preach on a Sunday
11. Fires in my very own fire place
I always wondered what life as a solo pastor would be like. It is different than I imagined actually. Maybe because I always pictured a solo pastor as serving a two or three-point parish in the countryside. But instead, I am serving an energized mission church, made up of the leaders of three or four other Lutheran churches in town.
Personally, this fall has been one of big growth for me. I have had to lean on the Lord in new ways, and trust him that he will provide the gifts necessary to follow his call. Particularly I have prayed for gifts in administration. Being thrown into leading a group of elders, even helping to give shape to what their jobs will be, giving direction to the formation of a constitution and bylaws, and making many important decision on the fly has been stretching and exciting. So far I have heard back from folks in the church that the congregation feels more settled, happier, and more unified than before I came. One member commented, we are no longer four churches but one. Now the next step is to unify the church around a vision. That vision must be tangible, but also far reaching enough to keep us moving together for years ahead. One project, a partnership with His Helping Hands, may provide that opportunity. We shall see.
At this point my one concern is that with so many of our energies going into church life and development, how will Emily and I make friends who are more peers than church members. Maybe that is not the most important thing, but to have friendships that are not in some way connected to our congregation would be nice. Not that we don't love the people at Living Waters, we do, and many are becoming very close friends. But we do not have many folks who are really at our life stage. But, God will provide. We know we are weird: to be a couple in their 30s without kids is not normal. So finding people at the same life stage is a challenge anyways.
Regardless, it is wonderful to have this restful Saturday ahead of us. We are headed to the mall for some Christmas shopping before the ice storm comes this afternoon. I wonder if we will have many in church tomorrow if we get all the weather that is predicted!
The words of Paul come to mind: "He who promised is faithful!" This is most certainly true.
Having just come through Thanksgiving I have been thinking about what I am thankful for. Here is a list, stream-of-consciousness style:
1. My loving and supportive wife
2. Leaders who are passionate about their relationship with Christ and the power of God's Word
3. A beautiful church building that we are not even close to filling
4. A fun new town to explore
5. A warmer climate
6. A cute little house
7. New friends
8. More time for prayer
9. Restful Saturdays
10. Only one time to preach on a Sunday
11. Fires in my very own fire place
I always wondered what life as a solo pastor would be like. It is different than I imagined actually. Maybe because I always pictured a solo pastor as serving a two or three-point parish in the countryside. But instead, I am serving an energized mission church, made up of the leaders of three or four other Lutheran churches in town.
Personally, this fall has been one of big growth for me. I have had to lean on the Lord in new ways, and trust him that he will provide the gifts necessary to follow his call. Particularly I have prayed for gifts in administration. Being thrown into leading a group of elders, even helping to give shape to what their jobs will be, giving direction to the formation of a constitution and bylaws, and making many important decision on the fly has been stretching and exciting. So far I have heard back from folks in the church that the congregation feels more settled, happier, and more unified than before I came. One member commented, we are no longer four churches but one. Now the next step is to unify the church around a vision. That vision must be tangible, but also far reaching enough to keep us moving together for years ahead. One project, a partnership with His Helping Hands, may provide that opportunity. We shall see.
At this point my one concern is that with so many of our energies going into church life and development, how will Emily and I make friends who are more peers than church members. Maybe that is not the most important thing, but to have friendships that are not in some way connected to our congregation would be nice. Not that we don't love the people at Living Waters, we do, and many are becoming very close friends. But we do not have many folks who are really at our life stage. But, God will provide. We know we are weird: to be a couple in their 30s without kids is not normal. So finding people at the same life stage is a challenge anyways.
Regardless, it is wonderful to have this restful Saturday ahead of us. We are headed to the mall for some Christmas shopping before the ice storm comes this afternoon. I wonder if we will have many in church tomorrow if we get all the weather that is predicted!
The words of Paul come to mind: "He who promised is faithful!" This is most certainly true.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Hitting the Ground Running
Well, it has been over a month since the last post.... I was hoping to do this every two weeks. But lots to do as a pastor in a mission church. It has been a whirlwind month and Emily and I are still catching our breaths. Today I took my first full day off in probably three weeks. But we are very happy and encouraged with the way the first month has gone. Here are some highlights:
1. Participated in two service projects with Living Waters
2. Started a praise band
3. Started weekly coffee shop hours
3. Hosted an open house at our home and had a house blessing (Sept 26)
4. Attended the LCMC national gathering in Minneapolis
5. Sold our condo in Edina, (Sept 30)
6. Started Confirmation (Oct 6)
6. Launched the new church website: www.livingh2opeoria.org
7. Met twice with our new elders, planning an elders' retreat
8. Installed as pastor (Oct 16)
9. Began hosting members in our home for Sunday dinner
10. Emily began a high school girls bible study
11. Completed first preaching series: Desert Formations based on the faith lessons of the Israelites in their time between the Red Sea and Canaan Oct 31)
12. Affirmed and commissioned the first elders of Living Waters (Nov14)
We continue to enjoy our lives here and we are so thankful for all the great people we have met. Our church is filled with faithful, energetic, friendly and committed Christians. We are thankful too for growing numbers in worship.
1. Participated in two service projects with Living Waters
2. Started a praise band
3. Started weekly coffee shop hours
3. Hosted an open house at our home and had a house blessing (Sept 26)
4. Attended the LCMC national gathering in Minneapolis
5. Sold our condo in Edina, (Sept 30)
6. Started Confirmation (Oct 6)
6. Launched the new church website: www.livingh2opeoria.org
7. Met twice with our new elders, planning an elders' retreat
8. Installed as pastor (Oct 16)
9. Began hosting members in our home for Sunday dinner
10. Emily began a high school girls bible study
11. Completed first preaching series: Desert Formations based on the faith lessons of the Israelites in their time between the Red Sea and Canaan Oct 31)
12. Affirmed and commissioned the first elders of Living Waters (Nov14)
We continue to enjoy our lives here and we are so thankful for all the great people we have met. Our church is filled with faithful, energetic, friendly and committed Christians. We are thankful too for growing numbers in worship.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Sept 19th, Dedication Sunday for Living Waters
Today we celebrated as a congregation as Living Waters Lutheran dedicated its charter membership of 113 individuals. This has been an eventful journey for this young congregation. In April of 2010 the initial worship service was held and now only six months later the church officially received its membership.
Emily and I feel very honored to be part of such a Spirit-filled group of believers. They are not afraid to be a "different" kind of Lutheran church that holds tightly to good theology, but is willing to think outside the box and try non-Lutheran practices to reach the lost for Jesus Christ. For starters they called a pastor who was clear to say that he will not wear "liturgical garments"! Even, when I informed them that I tend to borrow from both Lutheran and Baptist tool boxes when preparing sermons, they did not even bat an eye. They are determined to break out of mold and seek to fulfill our call to make disciples of every nation. I am pleased that each time I have preached and asked people to hold up their bibles, almost 90 percent of hands are holding the Word of God. Then, they open their bibles in their laps ready to follow along with the message and use their sermon notes. We are off to a great start.
Emily and I feel very welcomed and cared for by this congregation as well. When we arrived in Peoria our little house was already filled with 15 church members who quickly unloaded our truck, installed our washer and driver, and put together our bedroom. It has been a busy first weekend and now I am enjoying a typical pastor practice, Sunday afternoon football on the couch! Tomorrow I plan to open my first office hours in a local coffee shop, inviting members of the church to drop by for spiritual conversation and fellowship.
God is truly good. Please pray for church unity, energy for mission, and passion in worship!
Mark and Emily
Emily and I feel very honored to be part of such a Spirit-filled group of believers. They are not afraid to be a "different" kind of Lutheran church that holds tightly to good theology, but is willing to think outside the box and try non-Lutheran practices to reach the lost for Jesus Christ. For starters they called a pastor who was clear to say that he will not wear "liturgical garments"! Even, when I informed them that I tend to borrow from both Lutheran and Baptist tool boxes when preparing sermons, they did not even bat an eye. They are determined to break out of mold and seek to fulfill our call to make disciples of every nation. I am pleased that each time I have preached and asked people to hold up their bibles, almost 90 percent of hands are holding the Word of God. Then, they open their bibles in their laps ready to follow along with the message and use their sermon notes. We are off to a great start.
Emily and I feel very welcomed and cared for by this congregation as well. When we arrived in Peoria our little house was already filled with 15 church members who quickly unloaded our truck, installed our washer and driver, and put together our bedroom. It has been a busy first weekend and now I am enjoying a typical pastor practice, Sunday afternoon football on the couch! Tomorrow I plan to open my first office hours in a local coffee shop, inviting members of the church to drop by for spiritual conversation and fellowship.
God is truly good. Please pray for church unity, energy for mission, and passion in worship!
Mark and Emily
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Start Date Set for Sept 19, 2010
Emily and I are in awe of the power and the work of God. We remember just a few months ago sitting together in our little rented house in San Luis, Costa Rica, wondering, with some anxiety, where God would lead us. At one point we asked the question in faith: I wonder where our mailing address will be as of the middle of September? It was an innocent summation of the way we felt at the time. We had just been researching tickets to fly for Canadian Thanksgiving but realized that we had no idea where we would be flying from! That was a surreal experience.
But God has moved mightily. We came back from our mission year in Costa Rica to find a note on our condo door. It read: "Mark, call Marty, he wants to buy your condo. He is aware of the price you are asking." This was from our condo president who said she had lots of feelers in the community. God used her and quickly we sold our condo without even having to list it! And, even in this market God provided a little equity toward a down-payment someday. Mike Garrett, who served as the pastor of our church in Costa Rica, had said prophetically: God is saying for you two, "trust me." We were starting to see why.
Then we headed out to preach and interview. For months we had felt God's strong leading toward Peoria, Illinois, to an exciting mission start congregation called Living Waters. We spend 10 days with them as part of our interviewing tour of the midwest and pacific northwest. Those 10 days confirmed at every point that God was directing our steps to Peoria. The clincher for me was when I stepped into the pulpit and felt a new presence and a new freedom in the Holy Spirit. The 10 days in Peoria went quickly and culminated in a vote to extend the call of pastor. We were very thankful and humbled to accept.
At every turn during our year of service we have seen God's provision and care in a way that neither Emily nor I have experienced personally before. Prior to our mission year neither of us felt that we had "testimonies" in the way others had testimonies of God's obvious hand at work. Not that we have never felt him at work in our lives, but not in ways that openly shocked us. Now we have testimonies like that to share with others. Truly God is good!
In a matter of a week we transfer into a new chapter in our lives as a pastor and pastor's wife in Peoria Ill, at Living Waters Lutheran. It will be an exciting new life for us. And, a little scary too. This will be our last official blog sent out to our Costa Rican mission supporters. As you see I have changed the name of this blog to "Life and Ministry in Peoria, Ill." We will continue this blog as a journal of our new life so we can continue to give glory to God's work. We won't be sending out reminders to read the blog anymore by email, but we invite you to check it every few weeks and to leave your comments, questions and encouragements. This blog will have far fewer volcanoes, toucans and palm trees....
During this year of mission service you were a comfort to us as we knew you were praying for us and supporting us. Please let us know if there is anything we can ever do for you as you follow God's call. What an adventure!
We remain in Him,
Mark and Emily
But God has moved mightily. We came back from our mission year in Costa Rica to find a note on our condo door. It read: "Mark, call Marty, he wants to buy your condo. He is aware of the price you are asking." This was from our condo president who said she had lots of feelers in the community. God used her and quickly we sold our condo without even having to list it! And, even in this market God provided a little equity toward a down-payment someday. Mike Garrett, who served as the pastor of our church in Costa Rica, had said prophetically: God is saying for you two, "trust me." We were starting to see why.
Then we headed out to preach and interview. For months we had felt God's strong leading toward Peoria, Illinois, to an exciting mission start congregation called Living Waters. We spend 10 days with them as part of our interviewing tour of the midwest and pacific northwest. Those 10 days confirmed at every point that God was directing our steps to Peoria. The clincher for me was when I stepped into the pulpit and felt a new presence and a new freedom in the Holy Spirit. The 10 days in Peoria went quickly and culminated in a vote to extend the call of pastor. We were very thankful and humbled to accept.
At every turn during our year of service we have seen God's provision and care in a way that neither Emily nor I have experienced personally before. Prior to our mission year neither of us felt that we had "testimonies" in the way others had testimonies of God's obvious hand at work. Not that we have never felt him at work in our lives, but not in ways that openly shocked us. Now we have testimonies like that to share with others. Truly God is good!
In a matter of a week we transfer into a new chapter in our lives as a pastor and pastor's wife in Peoria Ill, at Living Waters Lutheran. It will be an exciting new life for us. And, a little scary too. This will be our last official blog sent out to our Costa Rican mission supporters. As you see I have changed the name of this blog to "Life and Ministry in Peoria, Ill." We will continue this blog as a journal of our new life so we can continue to give glory to God's work. We won't be sending out reminders to read the blog anymore by email, but we invite you to check it every few weeks and to leave your comments, questions and encouragements. This blog will have far fewer volcanoes, toucans and palm trees....
During this year of mission service you were a comfort to us as we knew you were praying for us and supporting us. Please let us know if there is anything we can ever do for you as you follow God's call. What an adventure!
We remain in Him,
Mark and Emily
Thursday, August 19, 2010
But Will It Play In Peoria?
The last few weeks in Minnesota have been a blur for us: reconnecting with friends, cabin time, preaching in Portland... We can hardly believe that we have been back that long and that a month ago we lived a completely different life in Costa Rica as volunteer missionaries. We miss our friends and our work there very much. But we are excited to find out soon what our next missionary role will be.... and where!
Tomorrow morning we are headed out to our second preaching and interviewing engagement for this month. We are off to Peoria Illinois to interview at a wonderful new LCMC church. We are excited for a road trip together and nervous for the importance of this trip. A lot is riding on the next two weekends. Of course it is God's leading that we are waiting on. We are conscious that if God intends for us to begin our new ministry in Peoria, he will make that clear to both us and to the church. We have full faith. As Mike Garrett told us prophetically in Costa Rica, "God is telling me to tell you: Trust me!" We have seen that prophetic word fulfilled in many ways.
We ask for prayers for these next ten days as we get to know the congregation and anticipate a vote on Aug 29th.
Tomorrow morning we are headed out to our second preaching and interviewing engagement for this month. We are off to Peoria Illinois to interview at a wonderful new LCMC church. We are excited for a road trip together and nervous for the importance of this trip. A lot is riding on the next two weekends. Of course it is God's leading that we are waiting on. We are conscious that if God intends for us to begin our new ministry in Peoria, he will make that clear to both us and to the church. We have full faith. As Mike Garrett told us prophetically in Costa Rica, "God is telling me to tell you: Trust me!" We have seen that prophetic word fulfilled in many ways.
We ask for prayers for these next ten days as we get to know the congregation and anticipate a vote on Aug 29th.
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