Archive for February, 2008

Ok…it’s time to get back at this

Honestly, going back to Paris and dealing with all that had to be done while we were there sucked any extra blogging energy that I may have had out of me. But the good news is that I think that I’ve recovered…well at least I’m on the road to recovery.  To give an insiders view as to how my blog life goes…When I am in a situation that I don’t feel like I can communicate, I give up all together and stop communicating. Our time in Paris is nearly ‘incommunicable’…wow I wasn’t expecting that to be real word…So I haven’t even bothered to write about it since leaving.  

So the quick update of my life for the moment is this: We made it back to the USofA on Wednesday. We had drama on the trip (of course), but it all got worked out thanks to the amazing Lufthansa employee that delayed the flight for us to get Maisie’s paper ticket out of our suitcase…the suitcase that was on the plane. That is for another post. We’re recovering nicely from jet lag…well 2 of the 3 of us. Maisie has gotten sick and her sleep schedule is jacked up…well, it’s actually normal now for a baby!

So we get to get on with life and continue to lean into what the future may hold. We’re excited about this season of life and lessons we will learn with may come. We’ve already lost a bunch of support after the announcement of our season of life in the States, but we are confident that we are doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing…and that includes being confident that we made the right decision to leave Paris. (I thought that it was going to be difficult to leave Paris again. But this time I was even more ready to leave than the last.) We know that God has lead us to this place and we are excited (and freaked out a bit) that He is getting at stuff deeper in our lives than ever before. I can feel us growing up in a number of ways. I can feel myself being ok with letting go of control. I can feel myself trusting and believing. I can feel my hands opening to let go of my own plans for the future. I can feel my hands receiving ministry and my calling as a gift to enjoy, not a right to own. These are all good things…but things that I’m only learning through conflict, isolation, questioning, and self-doubt…the biblical word for this is pruning, but that just sounds too safe sometimes.   

We did get to go to Madrid and hang out with the CA team there. It was super refreshing and challenging. It was cool to see how they very much carry the same DNA as our church in Paris, but go about it in a way that suits their gifts and abilities. We were encouraged to spend time with a team that has a lot of experience and is doing really well. We were really impressed with how organized they were and how they are going about accomplishing what God has put them there to do. It will be interesting to see how/if these people will be a part of our lives and journey in the future! If you want to check out their church’s website click here: Oasis Madrid.  

 That’s all I have to say for now…Hopefully I’ll continue to find ways to communicate all that is going on! Maybe my random typings are some sort of attempt. 

How to Kill a Movement Blog Series

I’ve received a number of comments and links about the list a few posts down called, How to Kill a Movement…ironically (or not) I didn’t write a word of it. But I’ve read over the list a few times and I’ve decided that I want to spend some time expounding on the different things. I don’t know when I’ll have time to start, but just know it’s coming…I know you’re on the edge of your seat.

CAI Changes

We just got an email update about some restructuring that is happening within CA…I have to be honest, I am so proud of our organization and how they are actually trying to do things that we talk about. They are allowing our values and scripture to form how our organization is structured and saying goodbye to old models of leadership that prove over and over to be outside of the bounds of God’s intentions…good models, but not great models…from good to great…that should be a book.

Anyway, I’m stoked to see how these things will better our organization and equip more and more people to lead in the ways God intended for them.

It Happened

Yesterday morning I had a near emotional collapse. We missed a call from the shipping company…well we answered it, but the call got dropped because of bad reception. I got dressed quickly and ran outside to call him back. But the minutes on our pre-paid phone had ran out. I tried to send the number a text message…but again, no credit on the phone.

So, I went to a café to get some coffee and recharge the minutes. But my French bank card wasn’t working. Somewhere between finishing my café creme and walking back to the apartment I came close to losing my mind. Something about this place makes it easy to do…

But of course…problem solved 30 minutes later. I walked to the phone company and paid cash for more minutes. No biggie. Then I went to the bank and found that our card was locked because of inactivity for so long, and it will be fixed on Monday.

But…i still couldn’t get a hold of the shipper.

He called finally, at 7pm. His first words after I told him I needed it picked up today were, “It’s not possible.” This is the European way of saying, “I don’t think I want to make this happen.” But in the end, the guy was great and he did make it happen!!! At approximately 1pm the shipper came! He was very hesitant about getting our stuff because I don’t think that this is something he normally does. After calling back to home base to check to see if this was kosher (which made me nervous), he was gracious and helped me load all our stuff in his truck. And he was off. Our material possessions off in a little Volkswagen moving van. It will be really weird to see our European life expressed in possession on US soil. It will be like when you run into friend in a weird place that you don’t expect to see them in.

So now, I hope that I’ll be able to enjoy being here. Enjoy sleeping better. Enjoy mornings at the café reading. I’m feeling relaxed just thinking about it.