Indiana Sunset

Mitch

Occasionally friends from home ask how my sweet, furry friend is doing... Mitch is doing great.  The highlight of his mornings include the daily emptying of the dumpsters by the loud and scary trash trucks.  Breakfast is non-negotiable from the moment I am awake and he dearly, dearly loves his brushes.  He sends his love to all those he's met and hopes that you too have soft blankets to cuddle with.

Sweetwater

 I wish my brain could hold audio and technical knowledge.  But it's like there's an escape valve inside of me. I can watch, listen, even repeat, but as soon as something comes along and my attention is diverted....bam! It's gone.  I took advantage of a sound training event for worship leaders down at a little place called Sweetwater a couple of weeks ago.  We ate pizza, listened to 33 miles (love me some acoustic guitar and vocals!), and then got some scoop on ways to improve church sound.

 And what I really loved was the behind the scenes tour I got from a couple of friends after the seminar.  The warehouse is GIGANTIC and I finally hit some golf balls on the indoor putting green.  I most appreciated seeing my friend's photography room, where they can shoot multiple pics of upwards of 140 guitars in a day! Crazy!

Sweetwater is a definite perk to Fort Wayne.... and I do enjoy eating lunch in their cafeteria!

Stopped by a train

I sat back in the dentist chair today for part II of my root canal. But instead of lingering on that.... here's some train pics when we got stopped up on some country road north of Fort Wayne a while back.

Praise Park

A somewhat long time ago, Saint Joseph UMC purchased some land within a mile of the church....the dream was sown that it would one day become a park where people could run, walk, and play.  They called it the mission field, and trusted that even though years went by, it would come to be.

Fast forward to this summer, and we are looking at the opening of Praise Park! In just about a month, we are going to have a huge fair....with music, artisans, food vendors, sports and kids activities going on....dunk tank anyone?  I wanted to post some before pics..... we spent some time exploring a few months back.  It's actually come a long way since then...grass growing, ponds dug, pavement about to be laid. But we saw it in its beginning glory:

It was wide open space in the midst of hustle and bustle.  We did run the risk of being run over by gigantic construction equipment that day, but it was worth it to stand in the middle of all that land and dream of the possibilities.  Soccer, picnics, concerts.... who even knows what comes next. I cannot wait to post pics later this summer!

Indiana Annual Conference

 I just had the distinct honor and privilege to lead worship at the Friday night celebration/communion service of the Indiana Annual Conference.  And it was hands down. Spirit filled. I'm still processing and unpacking that night.

 Growing up in Virginia, I'd attended annual conference several times...once with a choir, and a few times to catch up with old friends.  Last summer, the staff of Project Spy showed up in our matching polos and represented throughout the mission service.

This was my first time to the Indiana Annual Conference....which since I've only lived here for the last six months...should come as a shock. :o) Held at the convention center in downtown Indianapolis, it was a awesome to be urban bound for a few days.

flash mob by the youth

 I went down on Thursday, to play an acoustic set on a side stage, and to get prepped for the limited rehearsal time we had with the vocal team, sound check, band.....none of which happened all at the same time....tight schedule!

I spent most of last week wrestling with God. Old insecurities bubbled up and I found myself worried and nervously anticipating the night.  Who am I to lead in such a large gathering?  God had laid the groundwork all along to prepare me, but it was hard to walk in the complete freedom of Christ.

Somewhere between Thursday night and Friday afternoon, I surrendered.  I had been asked to lead.  I was prepared to lead.  And God knew once again what He was doing all along.

The theme of the conference was "Make More Room" and I was only one of many new voices that were added to the night.  We shared the scripture of the wedding feast, where the invited guests refuse to come....and so anybody that could be found was brought in; the poor, crippled, blind, and lame....and there was still more room for more.  Our message was split into testimonies of various ages who shared when the church made room for them.

I sang a song I wrote. And then I led How He Loves.  Just me and my guitar and 1,500 methodists. And they sang. I mean, really sang.  As in, I stepped away from the microphone and they still sang.  I almost lost it mid-service.  The voice of the corporate body of Christ is beautiful and humbling...I want to join it, not lead it!

God unlocked something in me that night.  It overflowed into worship at Saint Joe this morning. We were jacked up for Jesus.  The scariest thing is what comes next.  There are things God's stirring up in me.  We talked about stepping into the river this morning. You aren't in it, until you are in it.  I remember the words God spoke to my heart in Colorado way back when....my love, you haven't even stepped in the water yet.

I am thankful.  That the old and new in music, liturgy, leadership, and people came together.  That so many of my new St Joe family were there to be involved and lend their love.  That God is unchanging and all knowing. Thankful.

Summer in the Midwest

Although there has been a blessed dip in temperatures this past week, summer has arrived with the opening of pools and the kick off of bbq season! While I have yet to learn the art of sitting for hours in the hot outdoors with plates of chips, potato salad, and burgers in hand.... it is nice as evening sets in to have the opportunity to get to know new faces and share stories.  And sometimes you get the joy of a friend like this guy, named Chubs, sweet, loving.....and a complete drool monster!

The moments you can look out into open space are awesome....I'm learning to enjoy that even if there aren't mountains in the distance.

And I may be falling in love with the Indiana sunset.... Summer is a breath of fresh air after the grayness of winter.  As my dear friend Kelsey posted recently about her current venture in Illinios...."the sky really is big out here."