I earned some money 2day

Most of you probably know we managed to raise a housing stipend to help us make ends meet over the next 3 years, so technically I have made some money twice in our time in Montana. However, today I actually worked a job. I made $10.65 an hour for 1 3/4 hours at the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch, it was orientation.

I recently accepted a part-time position with them working roughly 10 hours a week. I am a Family Crisis Case Worker, which is basically someone who works with a single youth and their family to help them manage emotional issues. (Anger management, etc...) A part-time worker can accept up to 3 kids at a time (30 hours), but I'll probably only have time for 1 because the hours are nights and weekends. These are the major times I try to meet with people, have dinners, etc...about the church. I sense I will like this job. Unfortunately as a leader of a ministry we often make decisions based on what is best for the group and not the single individual. Churches are built this way and it is a failed ideal, but it is nonetheless ingrained in our culture. 

Check the song "To Bring You Back" by Paul Allan, lyrics say this, "And I left the ninety-nine to find the one." Over the years I have had to make some tough calls with students and I always used the group perspective. I believe Jesus always kept the individual perspective, I hope to honor that with this job for now. 

Other part-time jobs: I have a job interview at City Brew a local coffee shop on Friday and I am still trying to gather up all the documents to apply to Substitute Teach here in town. Oh yea, I stuck my name in at the local Sportsmen's Warehouse for a part-time position. Pray for something to open up from 10-20 hours during the day time, preferably on MWF. :)

We are not in Kansas anymore

Yesterday, I went to Bozeman, MT to visit my friends Bruce/Debra and Elizabeth Gourley, Bruce and I needed to work on a few things and we also had a wonderful lunch with some CBF friends.

Anyway, Bozeman is a special place, unlike any other I have ever been. Its location brings about quite a bit of Yellowstone National Park and other outdoors related traffic. (River related kayakers, etc...Skiers, Rock Climbers...and so forth)

So, I stop as I get to Bozeman at a gas station and a big sign on the door said, "Please leave all backpacks and other related outdoor gear outside. Thank you!"

That was a first for me. Are shoes considered outdoor related gear? Just a thought.

We have a name...

Our church officially has a name today...our leadership group has spent the last several weeks praying over this and seeking a name that speaks to what we are attempting to accomplish. A good friend of mine says, "a name can't tell you everything, but it does tell you something."

wise counsel! with that in mind we decided to call our church Missional Life Church. It is our desire for this church (meaning the individuals who make it up) would live a missional life. 

An admission: This is a semantics issue, missional life is the same thing as being a Christian, etc, etc... However, too many years of churches and Christians living out a faith that compartmentalizes our relationship with God has left a culture skeptical of words like the Christian life. So we simply hope to use a new word to share an old message. 

More importantly we hope to truly build a body of believers living out a missional life. We have a bank account, a reservation of name (Montana State Law) and slowly we are beginning to see the vision God has for Billings, MT.

Keep praying for God to send the people He wants to lead this work.

Chipmunk Whisperer...

Thank You

Got a package today full of notes from old friends...it was perfectly timed. Thanks to everyone who sent a card, e-mail, note or message to me in the last few days. God used your kindness!

34 and counting...

I turned 34 today. B-days aren't that big of a deal for our house, normally very little fan fair. Today was different, some friends are visiting so we went to Beartooth Pass, it was still awesome. Snow in August! Then we had a nice dinner and Court surprised me with a Red Velvet cake, it was cool. I also was surprised to get several walltowalls on facebook with well wishes, thanks! 

All in all it is good to be 34, I feel like I earned it. :)

Everything is bigger in Montana...

Big Sky country...How about big sausage country...These puppies are from the state fair.

Twenty Days and Counting...

La Brea St. Cook Out

I know I haven't posted anything of note in a long while. Truth is I have been struggling! I can't completely describe the way I feel, but I miss my friends. It feels like I graduated 50 or so students instead of the normal 10 and to make it worse I don't have 40 or so left to hang with and ease the pain. I look at Court and I know she is home sick and it hurts. Avery, is probably just gett'n into the terrible two's but I can't help but blame myself when she acts bad. 

The church has some positive things going, but the other stuff (mentioned above) is fighting for my focus. 

We have a goal of planting a church, but we also know there are long odds on that and we can't do it all today anyway. We can however, try to be kind today and show concern for others when the opportunity arises. That whole Love God, by Loving your neighbors thing.

Anyway, in an effort to be kind we spent the last couple of weeks inviting the neighbors on our street to a cook out. We live on a small street. (8 houses, 1 duplex) It is a bit scary asking people to come over you don't know, much like asking that girl out in high school. Truth, I never asked a girl out in high school that I wasn't sure she was going to say yea. Thanx to weeks of investigation! So maybe asking neighbors to come over for a cook out is scarier. We asked anyway, and waited...

The last couple of days have been hard, for the reasons mentioned above. I 1/2 expected nobody to show up 2nite. I am not sure I could have handled that, but I was preparing myself. God has a way of giving us what we need, cause at 6:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time people began to show up to our house. Nothing amazing happened 2nite, but we do know our neighbors. I can't speak for our neighbors, but I believe they appreciated the opportunity to meet us and to meet other neighbors or renew old friendships. Turns out one of our neighbors had a birthday 2day so we sang and another neighbor took the time to buy balloons for all of the kids. That was cool! Avery of course released her balloon the minute it touched her hands which was actually really awesome in Big Sky Country, because we could see that balloon floating away for a long, long, long, long time.

For what it is worth, I am thankful for the gift of time our neighbors gave us 2nite. We needed it! We needed to be reminded God would provide and 2nite He provided by sending our neighbors over to honor our invitation. I have no idea if any of our neighbors read this blog, but thanks!