So our first Sunday has come...

It's crazy to step back and look at whats gone on... The journey God has taken us through as a community over the last three years has been incredible.

Jeff mentioned in his blog (that I am ticked he got up before me) that it seems odd to say our church started this past week cause many of us have been living life together for the last 3 years. Some of us even longer... but this "ministry" started 3 years ago as what many called "Hungry"... So i guess it seems like we have been a church together for a while now...

None the less... our first "official" wprship gathering as Visio Dei occured this past Sunday... it was probably one of the most beautiful things I have ever been apart of... and honestly, it couldn't have been more "us"...

The manager who was supposed to show up and let us in somehow didnt show up (no big deal if you end up reading this... it worked better than we could have ever planned.) So after we found a door unlocked and debated for an hour as to if we should just go in or not (again if you are the manager and reading htis then ignore it) we decided to just hold the our first gathering ever outside in the parking lot...

My brother went and picked up his generator... and we set up shop outside... Rebecca started making some phone calls and told everyone to call everyone they knew and somehow we ended up with well over a hundred chairs, lounge chairs, blankets, dining room chairs, futon cusions, and even a big inflatable monkey(?)... We had our childrens ministry out in the grass on our safety mats... everything just went on like it was supposed to.. we didn't miss a beat...


It turned out to be far greater than anything we could have planned for ourselves... We are there in the parking lot, worshipping God, bright blue skys, sun coming up over everyone, and two huge hawks flying over head... I was in awe and could barely speak, much less sing (which is totally fine unless people expect it from you...)


(Jeff, you're so wise...)

I have said from the beginning I would be a bit dissapointed if our story was simple... easy... explainable... I dont believe the God we follow is that way and I don't believe He would lead His church to those places... it was so great to have friends remind me of that on Sunday... this is the path we are choosing... this is the path we have been given... I owe so many a huge thanks for being willing to follow God the way you do...


I pray together we will learn what it means to follow Jesus and that we could be used to bring God's Kingdom... May this story continue for all eternity...

Love and Peace,

-J

I woke this morning wanting to go back to Kyrgyzstan...

I miss the people... the simpleness... the beauty... I am ready to go back...

Amazing...

Amazing how the sound of your wife's voice brings a smile... how a message from a friend can light up your day... how conversations can lead you to an appreciation and a desire for life...

Tonight I find myself thankful and amazed... Lord, I pray I could be as much a blessing to the world as my friends and familiy are to me...

Goodnight...

-J

So we made it to Miami...

Jeff and I made it down to Miami. We've got tickets to the Dolphins/Packers game for tomorrow and are coming back home Tuesday. Lookin forward to some much needed rest. We talked about going to South Beach and Coconut Grove but honestly sushi, wine, and quite sound pretty good to me right now...

We got to the airport this morning at 6:45am to find out our flight was delayed til 10:30am... that's cool... then we had to fly to Cincinatti Ohio before we could fly down to Miami, Florida... sounds right?!?!? - hah... again not a big deal just seems a bit odd... but then again I am not a flight direction engineer guy...

Anyways all joking aside I am glad to be here although I already miss my wife and am bummed about not seeing our friends for few days... but then again I do have Jeff...

Thanks for all I can call a friend... much love...

-J

New Coffee Spot...

So me and my boy Chris found this new coffee spot downtown... and I thought so highly of it that I would let you all know about it... added to the amazing company (Mr. Boyette) was friendly folk, great design, and super cool vibe...

You must check it out...








Outside store front...

Chris Chessin'

Little flowers on the table...

Would love a wall like this in my house...

Nice vibe...

Plenty of space...

The endings of a beautiful morning...

Hope friday is going well...

Peace and love,

-J

The Fair...

So Diana, Rebecca, and I hit the fair up last night...

Diana is always a big fan of the exhibits so of coarse we hit those up. And I mean all of them... I love you babe...

Then we enjoyed a nice dinner consisting of a Giant Turkey Leg and Polish Sausage between the three of us...

We then headed over to the ferris wheel for Rebecca's first ferris wheel ride ever... We are honored to have been apart of such an occasion...

Then rootbeer floats and fried dough for dessert... Dang, it was the best rootbeer float ever... This same couple goes every year and it is a staple of my fair journey year in and year out... Please forgive me Lord for my over consumption...

Here's to good times with good people...


The girls and some fried dough...


The best rootbeer floats ever... This couple is here EVERY year!!!



The Ferris Wheel...


Pretty cool stuff with a camera...

I can't take credit for the pictures... They're all Bec's... Check out other pics from the night at her Flicker site

Have a good one...

Much Love...

-J

Lost = Really Good Writers

So glad this show is back on... I can say I am honostly not a big tv watcher (other than football) but this show is so good... granted i get mad cause sometimes i feel like not much happens in an hour show but then some episodes are like last night and i'm like... YES!!!

No idea what's really going on but I have some confidence the writers do and that makes me happy...

They also ask some great questions about life with some touchy one liners... love that as well...

"We're the good guys..." (doesn't everyone think they're the good guys... who is good then? why?)

"It's not who he is, it's who you're not" - ouch - that just hurts.. but there is a ton to unpack there if you take some time...

Oh well... Lost = Really good writers and a great cast... I like it...

Much Love,

-J

ps
the office is very funny too...