Definition of Suck

In October we sat down with our teens and the parents to decided whether we had the finances to continue planning to attend Logos5. We decided the the finances were not there so we began pursuing Creation Fest as an alternative. Over the next few months we stepped up our fund raising and very successfully raised the money to go.

Sunday we had our final meeting with the teens and parents, where we went over the final things they would need and to field and final concerns. With everything in place we met tonight to load up the vehicles and get all the final paperwork. We had just finished packing the vehicles when we found out Creation NorthEast 2006 had been canceled do to large amounts of rain over the past 48 hours and the anticipated rain over the next week.

This was gonna be the biggest thing the youth had done in almost ten years. You could have cut yourself a big old piece of disappointment in the room after the news hit. So now we have to figure out how we're gonna make it up to the teens.

The Definition of Suck: When after 8 months of planning it all falls apart in 8 seconds.

Big News & Big Trips

The big news in my life is I'm moving across the country. From Coast to Coast. In 60 days I'll be flying to British Columbia to start my Masters work at ACTS Seminaries on Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C.

Special Props go out to Jeremy Cummings, Aaron Perry, and Jay Major, who gave me advice on how to choose my Seminary. These guys have always saw the potential God has placed in me and encouraged me to chase God size dreams. Always with common sense and practicality in mind, right AP?!

My first classes are Introduction to Greek, Introduction to Hermeneutics, Believers' Church Theology, and Reseach Methods. I'm pumped about my classes, especially Greek & Theology. I've already learned my Greek Alphabet (thanks again AP).

I've found a place 10 minutes from the the campus. It's a really sweet townhouse with a gym and clubhouse all included. It also has cable and wireless internet access. I've included some pics to show you how sweet it is. Like something out of a magazine, I hope it isn't.

Tithing Times

Last year I was at a job where I was paid bi-weekly and I averaged between $350-400 a pay-period. In February (2005) God put a challenge before me. He asked me to start tithing $50 each pay in faith that he would increase my pay to a point where $50 would be 10%. I couldn't pay my monthly bills and I was geting behind, so he asks for more?!

Over the ensuing months I would tithe the $50 and my pay didn't get any better.I actually was losing money and getting even further behind in my bills. Six months later I got a new job and within the first 2 months of being at this new job my pay went up to a point where $50 was under my 10% tithe.

After I got the job I had forgotten about God's challenge and it's just been in the last month or so God said, "See?! Told ya!" I'm not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but now I can pay my bills and I'm not constantly scrapping change together for a Tim's Coffee. I know we've heard prosperity preachers tell us time after time, "Give money and God will give you untold fortunes!" This is not what I'm saying.

Tithing is just another way God has shown himself faithful to me.