Bowling Adventure

Recently, Chris Roe and I took Caleb and Brennan on their first Bowling Adventure. It was quite an amazing time of Male Bonding. Wild At Heart can actually happen at the bowling alley...

Conversation Recap...

Last night we had another good "Conversations" evening with couples. It was a relaxing time to share and open up about marriage stuff (plus Melody made some incredible pumpkin pie!! with cool whip!!). We tackled the subject of "perseverance in marriage". What does it mean to persevere through challenging times, instead of retreating. What does biblical perseverance look like??

For those unable to attend, I wanted to post a basic framework for what we discussed...to give you an opportunity to have a "conversation" with your wife/husband/significant other...

A few quotes...--A character in Anne Tyler's novel A Patchwork Planet.-- This book's thirty year old narrator has gone through a divorce and now works at an occupation that has him relating almost exclusively with elderly people. As he observes their long-standing marriages, he comes to a profound understanding:
"I was beginning to suspect that it made no difference whether they'd married the right person. Finally, you're just with who you're with. You've signed on with her, put in half a century with her, grown to know her as well as you know yourself or even better, and she's become the right person. Or the only person, might be to the point. I wish someone had told me that earlier. I'd have hung on then; I swear I would. I never would have driven Natalie to leave me."

"Marriage is a long conversation."
--German philosopher Friedrich Nietzche

"May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."
2 Thessalonians 3:5
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A few questions to ponder...
*As you look forward...2-3 years, what would you like your marriage to look like?
*What are you currently being challenged to persevere through?
*What typically keeps you from persevering?
*If you were to persevere through your "present-tense circumstance", how would that move you toward the marriage that you really want?

Shepherding the Shepherds

I just have to testify today to the amazing ways that God is using our Ministry Board to minister to me and my family. Chris, Jennifer, Melody, and I spend our time pouring into others with the desire to set hearts free. Some days are filled with lots of celebration about a soul set free...other days are quite draining, walking people through their present darkness. We do feel our calling and Encounter's calling is to shepherd people through that process.

To be honest, though, there are times that I feel alone and fatigued...i'm sure mel, jen, and chris would agree. There are weeks that I feel overwhelmed with the needs of people and the needs of our ministry. There are weeks that the financial weight gets real heavy. Ministry fatigue begins to set in. We need others to shepherd and care for us. I am learning to be more vulnerable in this area and to share needs...it is not easy for me. Every shepherd needs a shepherd.

And then our Board steps in...the last 2-3 weeks, I have been humbled by their caring for us...
*personal giving to the ministry...of prayers, time, and finances.
*one couple dropping by to just say "we love you".
*an email to say "how can i pray for you"
*a "handyman" brother's willingness to help fix the alternator in our van
*a call to say "how can i help and what's next for the ministry"
*someone dropping by to just say "we love and support you guys"
*one family's ongoing prayers and support of the work and openness to be invested in what we are doing (even through a wild job transition)
*one guy's way of saying "if you ever need anything, you know you can call me..."
*one Board member's ongoing prayers and love from a distance and maintaining connection with us

This is what it looks like to shepherd the shepherds...

Halloween Pics...Caleb and Brennan