Next...

A couple things about me...

1) I hate making decisions.
2) I hate it even more when somebody tells me what to do.

I am wrapping up stage 2 of my sabbatical.

Stage one was me going to Disney and spending time with my family. This entailed 24 hours driving from Decorah to Orlando, spending all day running around parks, eating too much, and trying not to lose my cool and begin screaming at people while waiting in line for the log ride. Seriously, I almost lost it. Luckily I was able to vent on my phone to my brother as opposed to actually yelling at people. Seriously, I don't think I have come that close to screaming at somebody in a really long time. Trying to stay calm in front of my son was not an easy task.

Stage 2 involved me leaving my family for 2 weeks and going to the Twin Cities for a time of visiting pastors, youth directs, and worship leaders about what they are doing to reach young adults and students in today's culture.

I was tasked by Tiger to do 3 things. 1) write down 3-5 bullet points so when somebody asks me about my sabbatical time, I can tell them things I learned, what it meant, etc. 2) Do a longer write up about both the practical and theoretical things I learned and how it has shaped me. 3) Send him a check paying him for his time.

While there are some things that are going to be easy to explain to people (i.e. how a lovely young woman spent time with me walking me through how to use vine, twitter, etc) and a few things that, well, will be much more difficult (day of renewal at the Urban Retreat). Even as I sit here, I have a bunch of different emotions going through me that I can't even explain.

So as I struggle to write this down, here is what I do know.

1) There are a wide range of people in the cities, from different denominations and theological backgrounds that are doing the best they can to live out their faith and reach out and share the gospel.

2) The churches, whether or not I agreed with their methodology or theology, I most admired were those who knew who they were and what they were called to do, let that drive everything they did in their church and community without apology.

3) Sometimes I need to sit back and give God a chance to talk.

I hope to use this blog in the next couple weeks to help me process some of what I experienced. Some will be ho hum, some will be interesting, and hopefully some will make you think I am a complete mess. At any rate, I need to do this to help me figure out the What? So What? and Now What of these past weeks...

Here is a video I will leave you with. Gungar is doing some amazing music that I really dig. Not sure why I typed dig. I always think of the line "Can you Dig it?". Good movie. Anyway, enjoy!