waiting on the world to change

Two weeks ago, Jessica and I came back to Huntington in the hopes that we would be able to find jobs to start working and to start saving money.  Let's look at what's been going on thus far:

Jess has had two interviews.  The first was at Maurice's in Huntington.  This job looks somewhat promising.  The only thing holding her back from the job is the fact that she can't make a 6-month commitment.  Her second interview was at Victoria's Secret this past Saturday.  Both places have called her references (we know this because one of them is our friend Bob, and he's told us about them).  Both places are looking hopeful.

Now, for my job story...

Nothing.  I've applied at about 15 different places and called around 30.  No one is hiring except Lowe's.  That's the only lead I've got right now.  I had two interviews at Logan's Roadhouse, but at the second interview, they told me that my hours were not what they needed.  I'm still jobless, penniless, and in a bit of an emotional slump.  I need a job not only to pay my bills (which are coming up fast), but also to keep my sanity.

In the meantime, I've played a lot of Nintendo Wii.  I beat Super Mario Galaxy and am a little more than halfway done with LEGO Star Wars:  The Complete Saga.  I'm bored out of my mind and my trust in the LORD falters now and then.  I know He's going to provide.  I've just got to let go of my desire to have the money in the bank three weeks before the bills are due.  It'll come when I need it to.  It's just hard to be trusting when you're in the crunch.

the last time i counted...

There are about 143 days left until she becomes Mrs. Jessica Elaine Burris...

It's been a wonderful trip this far.  I can only hope and expect a wonderful trip the rest of our lives.  She's stretched me and helped me grow in so many ways.  What a blessing it has been to have her by my side!

How the heck did I score such a babe?  Divine intervention is my only answer...

the baby or the bath water?

After perusing the world of Facebook, I've noticed something quite interesting.  Many of my friends list in their religious views section something to the effect of "it's not religion, it's relationship."

Now, I'm the first one to agree that Christianity is about relationship.  I know that religion can become a "lip service" with no meaning.  But are we helping ourselves by denouncing religion as archaic, irrelevant, or "stupid," or are we losing something profound when we throw the baby out with the bath water?

Religion is like dating...  I know, it's a stretch.  It is the art of practice.  It is how we come to remember who we are, who God is, and what He's done for us.  When it becomes dull and fake, it needs to be revitalized.  So, instead of shoving religion out the back door, let's try our best to re-energize the ancient practices.

Stop the Willow

One of my goals for this break was to read the book The Gospel According to Starbucks by Leonard Sweet. I picked this book up off a table of free books in the hallway outside the youth office at New Covenant. At first glance, I thought the book would be total trash, but I was still intrigued because I like the Gospel and Starbucks coffee.

After reading this book, I have definitely begun to rethink the way of doing church. Sweet's premise for the book is that the church has given up being a lifeboat to give over to a yacht club model. We preach "feel good" instead of Christ. He doesn't say all of this, but the vibe is there.

I'm not writing this to bash the church. It's made of people just like everything else. This whole post is to say that Sweet has some good points in this book. One of those points is that the church needs to stop conforming to the models of a few megachurches. That's right... The title of this blog is referring to Willow Creek. I love Willow Creek, I'll must admit. But when churches start drooling over Willow Creek and implementing everything Willow Creek (or Saddleback, or any other megachurch) does, they begin to lose something. That something is uniqueness. One of the things that Starbucks does right is that every store is different inside. Not any two Starbucks coffee shops are the same. It provides a sense of uniqueness that is attractive. So attractive, in fact, that some people are in the habit of collecting Starbucks'. They are consumed with visiting as many Starbucks stores as they can. They want to experience the uniqueness that each has to offer.

Also, Starbucks employees are different. Although many of them wear the same uniform, I've seen many different kinds of people working at a Starbucks. This is one of the things I've come to appreciate about Starbucks. You aren't told how to look. You aren't made to remove all the piercings, cover the tattoos, or have the right hairstyle. The baristas are all allowed to demonstrate their uniqueness to some extent.

Anyway, this book has a lot to offer the church. I think it has so many good points, and it was definitely an interesting read. I would recommend it to anyone out there who is a pastor, elder, or church leader.

Christmas: The Great Adventure!

What a whirlwind of a break! It seems just like yesterday that I was leaving my family at New Covenant. It's been quite an adventurous break, though. I accomplished many of the things that I had set out to do at the beginning of this break.

Christmas was amazing and relaxing. We borrowed a van from some friends so we had more room to drive out there. Our '99 Ford Windstar just seemed to be a little small now that Jacob (the youngest brother) is 13 and probably about 5'5" now. So, we borrowed a big Chevy van we affectionately called the Party Van. The trip was rather uneventful. I was able to read a lot and we watched part of Transformers on my Macbook. The actual time we spent in Missouri was very well spent. It was very nice to be home for this last holiday I have as an unmarried man. We enjoyed a lot of good food on Christmas. It was also awesome to have 18 people gathered in one house for a meal. I know, I had said in the earlier post that there were 17 people, but my uncle's mother Emma joined us. This was the second year her husband has been gone (he died of a heart attack), and it was harder for her than last year. I really enjoyed having so many people at the house ranging in age from 4 years to upper 60's.

I got a nice sweater from my grandparents this year for Christmas. More importantly, I had a nice vacation with my family. God is faithful. He has brought my family through many testing periods, and this Christmas was a testament to his faithfulness in my family.

El Fin

Wednesday was the finish.  I turned in my notebook for PRIME, and called it quits for the semester.  I am really quite confident in how the semester turned out.  I think I'll probably be getting a high grade on the experience as a whole.

With the end of PRIME comes the joy of vacation.  I've been able to spend the last couple of days with Jess and her family.  It's been quite fun.  We put up their 9 ft. Christmas tree (with much frustration).  We also had the chance to go downtown in Chicago yesterday.  It was quite a great experience.  We had dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe.  It was a really nice restaurant above the Ann Taylor store on the corner of Michigan and Ontario.  We then proceeded north on Michigan Ave towards Macy's.  We made a few stops along the way in Crate & Barrel, The Apple Store (much joy had here), The Disney Store, Hershey's, Borders, and The American Girl Store (don't ask).  She and I finished up the evening with tall gingerbread and eggnog lattes (respectfully).  It was a much needed date after 6 months.

I'm also looking forward to going home for a few weeks.  Here's a chronological order of things I'm looking forward to doing over the break:

• Spending a week mostly alone during the day
• Reading "The Gospel According to Starbucks" by Leonard Sweet
• Maybe reading a couple other books
• Going to Missouri for Christmas
• Christmas dinner in Missouri (17 people, lots of food, so much fun!)
• Spending time with my family
• Possibly seeing my friends Ben, Andrew, and Tiffany
• Welcoming 2008 with outstretched arms
• Finally moving back to school

Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Bean "Today"

Bertie Bott has released a new flavor of the famous Every Flavor Beans. The newest addition to the lineup is a flavor called "today." Some of you might be wondering what today tastes like. It's different for each person each day.

For me, today tastes bittersweet. After spending 6 months with a great group of students, two amazing admin assistants, and two wonderful youth pastors, I am leaving to return home. I have grown to love the students at New Covenant. They all have potential for greatness. I have been super privileged to get to work with them. From Mexico to the Fall Retreat, this group has been like family to me.

Though I leave a great family of believers, I do get to spend some time with my past and future families. I get to fly to Miami tomorrow to drive back with my supercool soon-to-be wife (my future family) and we get to spend some time with my family in Indiana. It's going to be a rollercoaster week with driving 16 hours to southern Illinois, Waveland, and Huntington. It's going to be worth every second, though. I wouldn't trade it for the world!