With the Olympics ending in Beijing, I can finally get some sleep and take some time to update my blog. Maybe I can incorporate an "olympic" feel in my next entry...
It is that time of year when the days get shorter and school gets back into session. When I was in Youth ministry I found it always to be a bittersweet time as I had to say goodbye to students who were in my group for five years and say hello to a whole new batch of 7th graders. Don't get me wrong...7th graders are great...really...I mean they are really cool...in their cute, 7th grader way. Anyway, my transition out of youth ministry is almost complete. We have 7 people in our church who have felt God's call on their life to be in the ministry. We are giving these 7 people the chance that I had 8 years ago. Hopefully a few of them will be on staff with us a few years from now.
Rachael and I are in completely different places in life and it feels as if we have traded places. If things were back to normal, she would be in school and I would be at work. But today I find myself waiting for my next class to begin while Rachael is hard at work. Rachael is loving her job but day after day I am finding that I understand her less and less as she is learning a new medical language complete with crazy abbreviations. Something that I'm sure Jake has been privy to since Erin started med school. Her patients, though I don't know names because of patient confidentiality, seem to be enjoying working with her and it has been amazing seeing how charged up she gets because she is doing what she loves!
It is a little weird but as the title of this entry states...this is my last lap. That's right, I will graduate from the University of Utah in the spring. I have 13 credits this semester and so far my classes don't seem like they will be too much of a stretch. That could mean that the classes are easy or that I am actually starting to grasp the concepts that these professors are teaching. I'm banking on the easy factor.
Worship ministry is going good. I am finding that it is a much more "in the spotlight" position than youth ministry. It is easy to celebrate victories but for everything that you do right there are several people who don't like the volume, the style, the look, or the overall feel of worship. I am of the school of thought that worship is not about us at all, but that is a difficult message to get across sometimes. I have enjoyed introducing new songs to our congregation...our band recently learned the song "The Stand" by Hillsong. If you haven't heard it, check it out. I have a lot of support from our Sr. Pastor Kevin and our other Associate Pastor Robert. We also have a team called the church leadership team or CLT. They have provided a lot of support for the changes we have been making across the board.
All in all, it has been one crazy summer and in a weird way, I am looking forward to the routine of a school semester and the fall. Go Utes!
Currently listening to: Myriad, Muse, Edison Glass, The New Frontiers, Radiohead, and lots of Ben Harper.
Currently watching: Nothing...didn't you read above?...school is back in session!
