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In Summary. (what I handed in to John)

Looking back over the past 8 weeks I’m really grateful that I had an opportunity to do this. It was refreshing and energizing in both small and significant ways. The first few weeks I completed small projects around the house that have needed attention for quite some time. It’s nice to enter the house now and not have to think about getting those things done “when I have some time”. I made sure to make time for reading and relaxing as well that first month. I finished the book Blue Like Jazz. Nice read overall. I also got into Tim Keller’s The Reason for God, Bob Goff’s Love Does and a book called The Rest of God which focuses on sabbatical and sabbath. I also got to spend a good amount of time with my kids. Whether it was watching soccer games, cheering them on, playing in the yard any evening of the week or making pancakes on Sunday mornings I mostly enjoyed it. I mean they always find a way to fight about something which distracts from the amazing memorable moment at hand (sar
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Hanging out with Rainn

Took Rainn over to the soccer fields and just hung out with him for a while. He needs one on one time more than I think he lets on. He sort of gets squished in the middle of everything so it's nice to just see him. He really loves soccer and he's getting really good. In the future I really want to carve out time for him. He's a pretty great guy.
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Reading and Coffee

Got to bike over to Glas and take some time to read. Started in on this book called "Love Does" by Bob Goff. I think he's good friends with Donald Miller or at least good author friends. I got far enough into the book I think I know where he's going. Looks promising. 
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Coffee with Carlie

Carlie just graduated last year from Shawano High and was in the music program. Jazz band, and choir. Also she was on the worship leader team in her youth group in town. So next year she'll be an R.A. at her college, will be on the worship team at her church, and entering the music Ed program.  So she's interested in worship leading as a job alongside of her teaching career. I also have a couple other teens interested in leading worship more and more. I have some decent experience from which to teach but I'm not yet sure how to articulate or teach some of the concepts. There's a lot of intangibles to leading worship. Sensing the room, the Spirit, how the team is responding to the set; these are things that I can say, but how do I point it out? I guess I need to figure it out because I think these kids are here now, and I want to be there for them in a way that they are better equipped as they move forward in their walk and worship. I feel like if I'm to stay in
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Disc Golf with Jeff

New dude to the area named Jeff. He's a good guy. Met him playing ultimate a couple months back. He's a thin dude with some cool tats. 40 years young. :) He's pretty articulate and fun to talk to. The other day we went disc golfing together right here in town. It was good time for sure. We got right into it. Started talking about our story in faith. He's much different than I and he had no problem pushing back on a couple of things that I said regarding my thoughts on hell. I was impressed! He was also pretty against imagining that Obama had any redeeming qualities as a president. So yeah, if there was any non-bubble conversation I needed to have, I got my wish LOL. This is one of the guys that I invited to the poker get together so I think I made a good choice. Even after we finished our discussion and round of disc-golf he wanted to meet for breakfast the next day after morning basketball. I couldn't because I had a coffee scheduled with someone. I look for
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Poker Night

So I really thought about what gives me energy and what takes energy. What takes energy from me is being in the Pastor Jared role. Not that that's really my title at all any more but it used to be and just the fact that I work at the church puts me in that role in the eyes of many of the people that attend Hope. I feel like there's a real distance that happens socially when people relate to me in that way. It's all about "great song, or great set, or how about those old songs." Which is fine. I mean I know that it's part of the territory but if given an option of being in an environment where I am in that role or just known as myself, Jared, guy who is just trying to be a good husband, dad, responsible citizen and thinking critically about my faith, beliefs and politics, I will always choose the latter. So in response to this I'm thinking of putting together a group of guys who would be ok with sitting across the card table from me, having some snacks,
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Pacem In Terris

Last week I went to Pacem in Terris. Such a cool experience. The cabins are outfitted perfectly for simple living that leaves you pining a little bit for modern conveniences but also supplies you with enough to feel like you can sustain yourself on very little. Which, in reality, you can. I journaled extensively throughout my stay there.( July 9th in the afternoon through mid-morning on the 12th). It was muggy and buggy the entire stay save the first night, it cooled down quite a bit which was nice. By the third night it was so hot at night that I attempted to sleep out on the screen covered porch. That went OK until about 2 in the morning and then a thunderstorm raged through. That was great, I like the thunder and the lightning but there was no cooling effect from it unfortunately. They supplied me with a straw hat on which to drape a full-body bug net. I tried to go outside without it. Nope. The rest of the time I wore it almost every time I ventured outside. I saw lots of wild
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