Bless the Lord, O My Soul

Golly folks, I haven’t a clue as to when I last posted on this blog. Like many of you, I still find myself checking it almost daily - ever pleased to see something new pop up. I miss you guys like crazy and I can never get enough of your words. That said, I suppose it’s due time for me to be that ‘something new’ that pops up. I think it’s easiest if I simply jump right in. Buckle in, if you will.

Upon returning home from Kaleo, I received a phone call from a pastor and old friend requesting that I help him lead his church’s youth group for the summer. After flippantly denying him on three separate occasions, I finally conceded to his persistence and went to check it out. As it turned out, this youth group spawned from a young church plant (only a year or two old at the time). It was comprised of roughly 20-30 students who met regularly in the basement of the pastor’s home. There was no church building, no worship team, no youth pastor and no set plan. It was simply kids curious to hear scripture taught – wooden and plain. I was overwhelmed by how practical and simple this little group was. More than that, I was overwhelmed by the relevance of pure, unhindered scripture – it was no frills teaching. Lives were being changed. Rapidly! This place was sticky with God’s fingerprints. Ha. There was no way I was going to let this opportunity pass me by. I spent the next two summers teaching and leading worship for this group.

(Below is a picture of myself and some of the fellas from the yg looking manly).


I thank God for such an unmerited opportunity to serve the above mentioned youth group. Of course, the majority of these past two years were spent at Briercrest, where I was able to acquire my B.A. in Biblical Studies. More importantly, I was able to acquire a deeper passion for God’s Word and Christ’s Church. I am so very grateful for the ways God shaped me through my peers and professors in that place (something not terribly different from what we experienced with Kaleo). You’ll have to forgive me for sticking to the vague edges of my time at Briercrest. I’m afraid to break the surface of those details for fear that this post will turn into something of a drab novel – long and overflowing with my own selfish nostalgia. I’ll spare you.


As graduation drew closer, the pastor of the little church plant contacted me once again. This time he invited me to come on board with the church full time – without pay. Ha. Certainly, this was a tough choice to make. Unfortunately, I can’t say if it was faith or naivety, but I decided to go for it. So, for the past summer I’ve been living off the generosity of my parents and my little church family (which was God’s clever way of force feeding me humility). However, this enabled me to focus my time and energy into leading both the youth and music ministries at the church. Words can’t describe how grateful I am for this opportunity to grow as a leader, a learner, a teacher, a musician, a lover of Christ and a lover of people. I was telling Jim the other day that for the first time, I feel as if I’m slowly becoming a Christian. Not because of things that I do – but because of the things that God has done through my willingness to say, “OK, I surrender.” Jim reminded me of Jeremiah 9:24, “But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” I say all of this not to boast – far from it. I say this because, like many of you, I’m beginning to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (perhaps genuinely for the first time). And that’s worth shouting from the rooftops. When God is at work, it is seldom an act of humility to keep it hidden. Lets all be quick to add fuel to the fire of our collective praise to a God who is worthy! That said, I’m always happy to hear how God has been working in all your lives. Keep those posts coming – we need that.

(Below is a funny and nostalgic photo to keep your attention).


Of course, what is life without trial (other than our blessed hope for eternity)? And in that regard I ask for your prayers. I deeply love serving with this church plant, but it can be terribly exhausting. I love these students with all my heart, but sometimes it’s easier to selfishly ignore their text messages than to have the listening ear that I need to have. I love to teach, but when my only time to study ends up being midnight the night before, I have second thoughts. I love the little town where I serve, but when gossip begins to spread from family to family it can be easy to grow bitter. So, I ask for your prayers: that God will continue to provide me strength and renewed passion day by day; that God will offer me protection and appropriate perspective in the face of temptation; and that I will always have eyes to see His good works. Thanks, friends.

But for Pete’s sake, I can’t end there! Oh man. I realize that I have entered into the danger zone of losing your attention. If you’re still with me – thanks, yo. However, I have a few more reasons to praise God – a little more fuel for the fire, if you will. First, God provided a job for me this past week working with special needs kids at the local middle school near my church. It’s a full time day job with evenings and summers off. Basically, I work only when students are in school, which means that I can continue to lead the youth group without any interference from my job. Not to mention the fact that I now have constant contact with the very people that I’m trying to reach. Thanks God. Second, I was privileged to have Jim and Sarah stop in for the weekend here in Rockford. Talk about two worlds colliding! I so appreciated their listening ears and gentle words (you know how that goes). On the brink of two full time jobs (with aspirations of starting my Master’s degree on the side), I praise God for this extra helping of encouragement and strength from these two marvelous people. Third and last (but certainly not least), I started dating a beautiful and clever girl from Saskatchewan. I’m not entirely sure why she has chosen to remain in contact with me. My absent mindedness is almost more than I myself can handle. Perhaps she has enough mind for the both of us (or at least patience). I couldn’t be more pleased. And to all of this I say, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!” Much love.