pursuing the missio dei

Well it is January 1, 2007 and I have decided to continue blogging. I have set up a new blog using wordpress. you can now find my blog at www.missiodeiblog.com I have commited to blogging more this year but blogging more for myself than for just those who would or might be reading my ramblings.

Please change any blogrolls to my new site. I am excited about missiodeiblog.com

See you there.

Barry

After some consideration I have decided to continue to blog and will launch a new blog site on Monday January 1st. It will be a new chapter in blogging where I will attempt to blog much more often and will be trying wordpress as my new platform. I am currently working on the design. New link to come soon.

Well I have been taking a rest from blogging and am still trying to decide whether I will return. There are times when I feel blogging is a good way to publicly share my thoughts and then there are times when I feel that I really don't care. I am still reading blogs and leaving comments on blogs but time is more and more an issue for me and I am not sure whether blogging is a wise use of my time. I know very few will really look at this post but just a heads up for some of my friends who check this from time to time.

A decision will be made by the 1st of the new year. I will likely quit all together or really make it a personal routine to write more often.

Well it has been a fun 6 days here in Atlanta. I am sitting waiting for my plane at the Atlanta airport and decided to pay the $4.95 for two hours of wi-fi. The IAAPA conference was good and I certainly am leaving with a much better understanding of the amusement industry as well as plenty of new ideas for our humble little parks in Fresno. Beyond that though, I really have to thank Josh & Anna Brown for showing such wonderful southern hospitality. It was really a great time to meet some new friends and I hope we will be able to connect again in the future.

I also had the opportunity to be a special guest on the ellusive 3.0 version of the Nick & Josh Podcast featuring Peter Rollins Check it out.

Overall a good trip but I miss my family. I am looking forward to seeing my beautiful bride and my wonderful children. Being away from them for this long is very tough on me and tough on Erin as she has to handle all things related to the kids. I am grateful to her for letting me take this journey.

I am committed to doing this this weekend and completing the chapter for this book. But here are some ideas on How NOT To Write A chapter in the form of a top 10 list if you will...

10. Write it in bed.
9. Call home to see how things are going.
8. Check your e-mail every 15 minutes
7. Do your research for the chapter while actually writing it.
6. Procrastinate out of laziness and lack of motivation.
5. Two words... my space. (or is that one word? hmm...)
4. Overthink what you are writing.
3. Try to sound smarter than you really are.
2.Get Distracted by doing one of those stupid surveys you swore you would never do. (like Josh)
1. Write a blog post called How NOT to Write A Chapter.

Ok really now, I am going to write this thing...

The Jesus Prayer has really helped in my effort to come back to center today.

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God; Have mercy on me...a Sinner."

The first portion of the prayer has been most helpful as I repeat it over and over, showing me again and again the identity of Jesus.

Well while I am in the Atlanta area for an amusement park & attraction conference it I always really like to take these times away from home to reflect on life a bit and where I am at personally, spiritually etc.

Right now I am sitting in the Red Sky Cafe & Coffeehouse. (Thanks for the tip Josh) They have free wi-fi so it was a better choice than a Starbucks. So far my trip has been pretty much all business with the exception that I have gotten to get to know Josh and Anna Brown some; both are really great people and I would encourage you all to get to know them. I also finally had a real conversation with Nicholas Fiedler over the computer last night. He feels very strongly that I sound like Don Miller, I am not so sure I agree. All of this is to say that today I am spending some time reflecting on where I have been in the last 11 months.

It is very hard to believe that it is already November. I have been in a new job now for almost 10 months and have been out of ministry for 11 months. a lot has happend this year and as difficult as it is to admit, I feel as though I am not as in sync with God as I was in the beginning of the year. Whether this is because of how busy I have been, our consistency in making it to church, I am happy to be in this Cafe to recenter my life again. It is funny how quickly we can lose sight of Jesus in the midst of our lives. One thing is clear. I have a great new respect for all who have a real life and are Christ followers. It is not easy to be in the world 40-50 hours a week working and continually have Christ in the middle of our lives.

Today I was reading some of my journaling from my trip to Minneapolis this past January. I was struck by how much more motivated I was then, and how focussed I seemed. I was ready to start a church plant within a year. Certainly I was over idealistic and in some ways not mature enough to really see just how long that would take. In other ways, I seemd closer to God. I guess what I am saying is that I have grown in areas and in many ways feel more responsible and mature but I also have to recognize that i have lost some of the fire that once propelled me. There must be a balance here somewhere.

One thing I wrote in January still is with me. I wrote: "Lord help me to move quick enough to where I do not miss out on what you have in store for me (us) but not so quick that I hurt others in the process."

A lot easier said than done.