What a Graduate Does

Some of you have asked... "what does a sem graduate do with all his time?" It's a really good question. But, I'm not ready to tell you yet...I'm still soaking up the fact that I am in fact a graduate. Can you believe it (no comment from some of you)?

For those of you who haven't heard...

We are headed to Houston! We are retuning to Christ the King Lutheran Church, which is the same church as our vicarage assignment. While we are not looking to being far from family, we are excited to finally be in a place where we can settle down and make a home for longer than two years. Thank you all for your prayers through the last four years...they have been felt.

More to come...

A Great Responsibility

We were aksed by dear friends to be Godparents for their daughter. Our answer was a quick yes, but we know that the responsibility is great...to see her faith life mature and to remind her of God's work in baptism. A great responsibilty and a great joy. Here is a picture of us and Grace.

The Great Forrest Park Balloon Glow

Well, we know that many of you have been asking, "are they dead?" The answer, of course, is no...just busy.

In August, we left Houston and returned to St. Louis. Brian is in his final year at the Seminary. Can you imagine...Brian as Pastor?! Erin has returned to work for the National Youth Gathering and is looking forward to a return trip to Orlando (though...it's to work). Other than that, we are trying to spend as muh time as possible with family and friends. It's so good for our hearts! To our family and friends in Texas and K-Town...we miss you all terribly.

One of the things we missed while in Texas was the Energizer Bunny. I know that it sounds like a strange thing to miss...but it's true. Every year in St. Louis, the Great American Balloon Race draws hundreds of thousands of people to Forrest Park (about 1/4 of a mile from our home). The race itself is a race of speed and accuracy. Balloons and their pilots take off and race after the Energizer Bunny Balloon (which is by the way the tallest hot-air balloon in the world). The pilots of the Bunny that keeps on goin' land a place a large cirlce upon the ground. The pilots of the other balloons are to be the first to the cirlce and drop a colored flour pack within said circle. Again, speed and accuracy.

Well, the night before the big race is the Balloon Glow. All of the pilots set up their balloons in Forrest Park and at the sound of a fog horn, they all light up their flames and the glow from the balloons light up the darkness. It really is a lot of fun...plus it's free (since Brian is a grad student and soon to be Pastor, free is great!). Anyway, enjoy the picture.

Strangers in a Hostile Land

Before leaving St. Louis and arriving here in Houston...we knew we were headed for trouble. We love the game of baseball and our beloved team, the St. Louis Cardinals. But Houston boasts the Astro's, an unofficial yet official rivalry.

Well, we were priviledged enough to see two games this past weekend, (both of which went extra innings). Have you ever had that experience when walking into a situation when you suddenly realize that you don't belong. It's like that ever too common dream...you know, when you end up at school...you look down...and your naked. Yeah, it's like that. We felt out of place from the moment we arrived. We cheered...of course, only loud enough so as not to be pummeled after the game. We jumped for joy when Astro players were fanned by the ever impressive Chris Carpenter and rookie Anthony Reyes. All we can say is, "Albert in the top of the 10th baby!!!!" In the end, the Cardinals came out on top and we went home with a smile and a satisfaction that has yet to be quelled.

We took some pictures so you could experience it too! Enjoy

VBS

This past week was CTK's VBS. For those of you who are new to the conventional church VBS stands for Vactaion Bible School. It's an opportunity to reach out into the community to teach children about the God story.

Christ the King was priviledged to host 300 children between kindergarten and 5th grade. They would arrive on campus around 12.0opm and leave at 3.00pm. Between the hours of 12.00 and 3.00 children had time to learn different activities like drama, art, sign language, taekwondo, x-training, serving elderly men and women...or even hip hop; they were also taught of God's unfailing love for them. A great opportunity.

To be honest, VBS is contained chaos!! It 300 reasons why Brian doesn't do children's ministry. So, this post is to those who thrive on children and who are committed to teaching them.

For Those of Us who Grew Up in the 80's

I just found this and couldn't resist putting it up. So, click on nintendo and once there click on nintendo choir and enjoy!!!

Colorful Colorado

And so here we are...at the bottom of the Royal Gorge. For those of you who have never been there, it's in Canon City, Colorado (made famous, of course, for the Gorge and the State Pen). We are very near the Arkansas River as it cuts its way through the Gorge. This was our last stop before leaving the ever beautiful Colorado.

It was our pleasure (at least in hindsight) to take 84 high school students and 14 adults to Adventure Experiences Base Camp, near Almont Colorado. Base camp is very near 10,000 feet and we spent the week rock climbing, working through the teams challenge course, and of course hiking up to Jenkins Bowl (roughly 13,103 feet). For those of you who have never been up to the mountians near this altitude...well, its amazingly beautiful...but, um...rustic (which is a nice word for livin' in the woods). Students were able to experince outhouses (double deckers at that), one shower for the week (due to the high cost of heating water), packing food in and trash out, and how deep to dig a hole if you need to "go" while out in the woods. If all that doesn't humble you out, we don't know what does.

The theme for the weekend: "The Mountian". The more you read the bible the more you come to understand that God often reveals himself on the mountain. It was our hope and our prayer that students would encounter God while on the mountain. While most of the students enjoyed the rock climbing, challenge course and hiking, many students commented on the Prayer Trek. We sent the students, and the adults, out for a solo experience on the mountain. They were given a CD with songs and leadings for prayers and were asked to go and come back when the CD was over. It took most students two hours to come back...how amazing is that...two hours of prayer, uninterrupted prayer: 100 people on the mountain spending time with the creator of the universe...you and God...if you haven't tried that in a while...you should!

Below are a number of pictures that show pieces of our trip. To see more click and go to the student ministries site at CTK. Enjoy!!

Gone Texas, Part II

Even before leaving the state of Missouri, Brian insisted that before returning for the final year of seminary he would find a cowboy hat that fit him (and his "style") well.

Needless to say, the year has flown by with very little comment about the hat...not even a peep from the man himself. It seems the hat will remain in Texas forever.

Brian was priviledged to travel to Katy, Texas for a confrence of church planters. For those of you new to this gig, church planters are crazies who birth churches from nothing (believe us when we say that they are flat out crazy). While at this confrence, Brian and the rest of the crazies went skeet shooting (sounds more like play time than a conference). The group was split into teams and let loose for the day to see which team would shoot the best. The winners were to receive a wonderful prize, while the losers would be handed something they didn't really want.

Believe it or not, Brian's team won the shooting competition and were rewarded with what you see above. It seems that we'll be returning to St. Louis with a hat after all!!