A Classy Kid & Classy Friends....

Well this past weekend we celebrated in a major way! Our Open House for Josiah's graduation from High School was more than a blast, it was humbling....



Our house was filled to overflowing as our friends and family gathered to congratulate this newest member of the class of 2009! Probably the thing that caught me off guard the most is all the people who were at this party from the various "eras" of our lives...

• From my High school days.... folks who in fact pretty much kept me on the straight and narrow path like Earl & Pat... who have known Josiah since he was about two years old!

• From our college days.... friends like Kim & Wade... friends who have modeled what it means to persevere through the curves that are part of this thing called life... again friends who have known Josiah since he was a baby...

• From our first ministry back here in the US... Sue Haynes who has loved on my kids since we first met her about 15 years ago...

• Friends like Ted & Jane... who have encouraged us and our children in ways too numerous to count... even when we felt like dorky parents their encouragement has carried us for miles....

• Marc & Beckie, who just about a year ago prepared to send their oldest off into the world... just like we will in a few months...

• Carol, Wally & Brian who for some strange reason continue to love our family unconditionally...

• Amado, Joy, Rick, Mindy, Rob, Dave, Mary, Jen, Kyle, Chris, Lisa, Jonatan, Cinthia, William, Tracie, Karla, Linda, Mont and Christie... people who are way more than "fellow staff" members and spouses... they are our family...

• My spiritual leaders who continue to hold my family up with their prayers... John, Harris & Tom...
  

• Our small group at Westbrook, who are attempting to make this journey with us and keep encouraging us every step of the way....

• There are a multitude of names i did not mention and for that i apologize... it's not that i didn't want to... there are just so many of you who have been a such a blessing to our family... thank you so very much!

Yep, it was a very special night for a very special young man, with folks who have been and continue to be very special people.... and i am not just saying that because he is my son...

i'm saying it because it's very true.

Multi-Ethnic Church Planting....

Last week i had the opportunity to participate in the National New Church Conference, otherwise known as Exponential... it was great! Under the banner of the Mosaix Global Network, my Senior pastor Mont Mitchell, along with Mosaic of Central Arkansas' Mark DeYMaz put together a teaching track on Multi-Ethnic Church planting.

The story behind our connection with Mark and Mosaix Global Network is pretty cool...
Our family over the past few years has traveled to different parts of the country and stayed in various resorts that are part of a network we first found out about from very good friends in Indianapolis. Over the past several years we have traveled to resorts in Florida, the Poconos, Fox Valley in Illinois and a few years back for the first time ever, we traveled to central Arkansas. We were thrilled to go to Arkansas because we knew we would be able to "sneak" school in on our kids, without them even knowing it! The part of Arkansas we were in was fairly close to Little Rock. In addition to being the capital of Arkansas, Little Rock was "ground zero" of the Civil Rights struggle in our nation back in the late 1950's. It was here that the Little Rock Nine entered the previously whites only Central High School on September 27th, 1957. We took some time to visit the school and tour the museum across the street that chronicled the history of the school and the role it played in the events of the fall of 1957.

As we were leaving the city of Little Rock that day to head back to our resort, we turned down Colonel Glenn road.... (ok, i'll admit it i had no idea where i was) and looking to my right, i recognized a sign advertising a church that i recalled seeing online. i had spent some time before we left on vacation looking for churches committed to multi-ethnic ministry and suddenly there was Mosaic of Central Arkansas! After freaking my family out due to the 90 degree turn at 40 miles per hour into their parking lot, i had the opportunity to meet Mark and several of his staff.

That ultimately led to a connection with Mosaix and a growing network of churches committed to multi-ethnic ministry! It has been a great connection and i am thrilled about the future of multi-ethnic ministry not just in our nation but around the world in the coming years!

A New Era....

A few weeks ago i wrote about A Long And Winding Road.... and now it seems that we have taken another turn (a good one) on that road....

Just this past week, Josiah, Ruthie and i (along with his future roommate Tyler Mitchell and his parents Mont & Christie) took a trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan for a Family Orientation Day at Cornerstone University and it was a great trip! Josiah had committed to attend Cornerstone University, sight unseen! Ask Josiah and the he will tell you that his deep admiration for their president, Dr. Joe Stowell, didn't hurt his decision at all either!

i must admit my own disappointment however... i mean seriously.... why Michigan? Florida... Southern Cali, Arizona.... now that would have been nice... but Michigan?!? i know they have Cherries and Blueberries and stuff like that but they also have a whole lot of SNOW!

i on the other hand told Ruthie that at one point in the day, i was sitting in the chapel service while the student led worship was taking place and let my mind begin to wander.... i wondered about how incredible it was that we were sitting on this campus, preparing to release our son into this environment. An environment he would have never considered as a viable possibility as little as five years ago.... as a matter of fact five years ago our family was in a place that could have seriously hindered his decision to become part of a university like this one.

So here we are on the edge of a new era... i recall with crystal clarity standing in Jon's driveway as we prepared to drive over six hours to our college of choice in Missouri. As Jon got ready to leave the last person he saw at the door was his dad. With the car packed to the "gills" he said goodbye to his dad and gave him kiss on the lips. i recall distinctly thinking to myself... one day I want to have a son that i can send off to college with a kiss on the lips... i just didn't think it would come so soon.