New Orleans-Trip Two

Being back in New Orleans was alot different than the first time back in January...different in more of a good way than a bad way. I really didn't know what to expect which is, honestly, the manner in which I like to experience life so it worked out fine. The first thing that is most evident is number of people who've come back to rebuild and live in the city again; the streets are busier, more stores and restaurants are open, street lights are on...just the little things that you notice which give indication that New Orleans is slowly moving forward,and the operative word there is slowly. While alot has been done, there still alot more to do. There were parts of the city that haven't been touched...a couple of our projects were with houses that nobody has been to since Katrina hit.
We stayed at Jeff Box's church at Suburban Baptist. The last time we were here, we helped get the place ready for their first church service since the hurricane so it was cool to take part in what they've done since and see their plans to expand the church even more. I got to work in Lee and Bonnie's house as well. Again, it was good to how far along they've come since we were there in January...Bonnie was so incredibly happy with her new kitchen; being how its the center of the house and the place where the whole family can finally come together for dinner, I couldn't help but be filled with the same joy. I remember how stark and cold it looked with the ground floor and studs and now to see it taking shape as a true home was amazing. And of course it was more than just a house, the progress and work also symbolizes the mending of their lives and the healing of a broken community.
And I think thats what stuck with me this time around...I know that whenever we work, its unto the Lord but when you get the opportunity to help and serve those you know personally, its always a little more special. To be able to put a face to a name or meet the person whose house you're gutting or whose lawn you're clearing is always a memorable experience. Personally, meeting people and spending time serving or sharing with them about life, sports, God, etc., is a large part in why I chose to come back to New Orleans. I've said it before, it is a great city filled with great people.

Artery 2006

The first annual Artery showcase ends today with kids' gallery display. I worked tickets for Thursday's musical "Songs for a New World" by Jason Robert Brown and last night's Dance Showcase directed by Sarah and Shannon. Both events were amazing; I'm blown away by not only the level of talent around us but by the excellent quality of the arts as well. I mean, I don't know much about theatre and dance but from an outsider's perspective, I was more than impressed. Getting to experience artistic expressions from people I know was pretty cool, from Shannon's music to Justin's musical direction to Abigail's dance...very sweet.
I think Artery opened alot of doors for us and gave us more exposure to the art community...I had people constantly walking by and asking what Artery was about and who we are as a church; several people were disappointed that they hadn't heard about it or that they were bummed they missed out on some of the things we were showcasing. I hope we can use this as a springboard to reach and connect with more talented and creative people. It is my prayer that we allow God to transform us and this space into a conducive environment where people from all kinds of walks of life can search and be loved without fear or judgment. I feel that we have lost this middle ground that connects the church with those outside of the building...which is why I'm excited to have been a part of this and to see where the Lord will lead us going forward.
And, a very big THANK YOU goes to Kaiti B. for being the architect for Artery 2006. You rock!

my one year

Before the Artery began tonight, I realized that today marked my one year of being here in New York. That is so crazy...I can't believe its been 365 days already! Just goes to show that you never really know where God is leading ya. As I was thinking about all that has happened in my own life during this past year, all the happenings in my family and friends' lives since I moved to NYC came to mind as well. Here are some things that crossed my mental processes:
1) Adam moved to SF 2) Aaron went to Ghana 3) Emily graduated 4) Tommy graduated and just started at Berkeley 5) Kristi and Craig had their first baby girl 6) Jason and Jen had their first child 7) Ric and Torie had their first child as well 8) None of us are on high school staff any longer and 9) I'm frickin' 26!
There are a bunch of other things that I'm recalling even as I'm posting this...I look forward to seeing where I'm at next September 12th, and I just don't mean physically.

Artery-Saturday

Artery was kick-offed tonight with the opening of the art gallery which was really impressive. There were submissions from very talented and artistic individuals...the theme of redemption resonated with the artwork, and it was interesting to see people's responses to them. Following that was the viewing of the film "Most" which fit perfectly with the redemptive element of the art showcase; I would encourage everyone to see it. Its only about half an hour long but it will definitely move you. It was Oscar-nominated and is pretty powerful on many different levels.
Plus, Shannon is in town visiting and will be playing Tuesday night for the Singer/Songwriter event. Pretty sweet, huh?

DC roadtrip

Some of the guys in our Hi-Riser group took a quick trip to the nation's capital last weekend. It was pretty cool to see some of the monuments and memorials that I have always read about or seen on TV; stuff like the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, the Declaration of Independence, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, so on and so forth. The two things we did that had alot of resonance with me was seeing all the names on the Vietnam wall and visiting the Holocaust Museum: My life here in the States is a result of all the people who sacrificed their lives during that war; those men and women fought not only for this country but for people like me whom they never knew...thats just incredible to think about. As far as the Holocaust Museum is concerned, you don't visit it as much as you experience it...I mean I've read about the Holocaust, studied it in school, seen "Schindler's List" and others documentaries but this is something else entirely...the museum combines all these elements together in a very impactful and solemn manner.
And of course, being how this was a roadtrip with a bunch of guys, it had its fair share of toilet humor, girl-bashing, and jokes which all adds up to an incredibly fun time. Thanks Andrew.

Beach Baptism July 29th

that a boy!

My good buddy Aaron just told that he's gonna be heading to Ghana in a couple of weeks to work in a hospital and I couldn't be more thrilled for him. I mean, this is something we've all been praying for and hoping would work out for the longest time, and now to see the Lord opening those doors is such a cool thing to see unfold. I'm so thankful that the Lord never ceases to amaze me...

Emiline and Kelly's visit

This past week with Kelly and Emily here flew by so fast. I got to do some of the touristy things that I've been wanting to do like going to the Empire State Building, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, seeing the Statue of Liberty from the Staten Island ferry, hangin' at Coney Island for the hotdog eating contest. (I must say that Nathan's does make some incredible hotdogs especially the bacon cheese one...so goood!) This is such a great city, and I was glad that I was able to share it with some good buddies from back home...whether it be watching fireworks at Battery Park or exploring SoHo or walking around Times Square. Em, Kel...thanks for the good times.

block par-tay!

Last Saturday, we threw a party for the whole community at the park across the street from the church. It was such a great day; the weather was nice, alot of people showed up, there were a bunch of kids running around with balloons and face paint, popcorn and snowcones were everywhere. It was good to be in the community and connecting with the people around us. Its so meaningful to me to know that at the heart of the 411 is this overwhelming love for God demonstrated through loving our neighbors...that we do things like this not so much as to pull people into a building but to draw the hurting and broken-hearted and weary to the Father and His son, Jesus...isn't that what its all about?

LA roadtrip

So, I came up with this awesome idea to have a roadtrip to LA for my brother and some of his buddies to celebrate their high school graduation which turned out to be one of the best trips I've ever taken. We stayed in the OC Friday night, rode all the sweet coasters at Magic Moutain Saturday, and caught some sun at Huntington Beach Sunday afternoon. I'm glad I got time to hang out with Tommy and Laurie...I hadn't realized how much I miss hearing them talk or seeing them laugh until we were on the road having a good time playing Taboo. Its good to see them growing up with their own lives and everything...memories of us playing around as kids come to mind; I'm filled with joy knowing that we made some more lasting memories this weekend.

celebration time, c'mon!

It was so good having our first worship celebration in the new church space this morning! No more unloading, setting up, tearing down and loading back up every week, haha!Its not about the building itself b/c we all know that church is the people and not the place but to have the space now to do the creative things that we have imagined is very exciting. It gives us many more opportunities to connect with people in the city as well as provide the church more contacts and exposure to the arts community. Scott and I have talked about how having this space is the next step in God bringing the vision He has given him to fruition and that more people are gonna get excited as they see more tangible evidence of the Lord's work in New York through the 411.

Father, thank you for leading me to a community of Christ-followers who have such a genuinely thrilling desire to worship you in bold and creative ways. I'm so grateful that You have prepared great works for us in advance and have instilled in us wonderful imagination and captivating talent to serve and pursue You. Its hard for me to contain the anticipation and excitement that resonates within my spirit right now as I imagine what those works may be...its time like these when I get out of the way and allow You to truly speak to my soul that I know You alone are worthy of such glory and praise.

Shaunald's wedding

Ronnie and Shaunti finally got married on Saturday! The ceremony was short and sweet; I haven't been to many weddings but this one has got to be one of the most efficient. The after-party was at a restaurant in Chelsea that was pretty cool, too. Food, drinks, music, dancing, cake, laughs, car flirting, people, pictures, smiles=fantastic time.

Shaunald's wedding shower

Shaunti and Ronnie (aka Shaunald(for the slow ones out there, I just combo'd their names)) celebrated their togetherness in style with the karaoke shindig of the year. There was some good food along with lively entertainment. Its supposed to be "karaoke" but since most people there can actually sing, its not really "karaoke" but still good times nevertheless. I took some video of it but since the lights were dimmed, you can't actually see much but the audio is still amusing to hear. My favorite was Kyle and Justin ripping it old school with Boys2Men's MotownPhilly...Kyle doing Michael Bivins was wicked funny! (That crazy lady who threatened to call the cops on us was pretty funny too.) Anyway, Ronnie and Shaunti, you two lovebirds are one step closer to being m-a-r-r-i-e-d!

Easter Sunday

This was my first Easter away from home and so I felt a bit sad wearing the traditional tie w/o my family being there but God is good b/c I'm so grateful He has surrounded me with awesome people at the 411 that I was excited to spend the morning celebrating such an incredible day together with all of them. Keith and Anna Beth were kind enough to invite me over for Easter dinner making missing out on my grandma's Easter feast a little easier to bare. Keith is a lucky man b/c Anna Beth can cook like its no tomorrow; I mean, she is absolutely fantastic! They had a pretty cool group of people there from work, church, and the neighborhood. After dinner, we played a good game of Balderdash in which Jerry(who claims he's never played before) won. I had a wonderful being there with good food and good people.

seasons of life

After my conversation with some close friends of mine last night about my upcoming trip back home in a couple of months, I realized how much things have changed. There are so many things that'll be different from when I left that I can't help but wonder about the scheme and timing of it all. Its weird when I recall how life was pretty much just moving along for myself, my family and friends for the longest time without any major events and then, within a short period of time, how many new chapters of life all around me have opened or will be opening: I'm in New York, Adam is in San Francisco, Kristi and Craig/Jason and Jen/Ric and Torie are all gonna have kids in the next month or so, Tommy is graduating high school in June and headed to UC Berkeley in Sept., Ronnie and Shaunti are getting married in May, Chase just got back from Iraq, the 411 found more permanent space, no more youth group...trust me, the list goes on. It seems that God decided this was His time to stir things up in our lives and in our faith. I'm just amazed and grateful that He has allowed my journey to be interwoven with the adventures of some amazing people in my life.