We just send this email out…so if your interested:

Hopefully you have a good idea of what we will be doing in Tulsa (the summary: participating in an 10 month program run by CQMissional, during which we will be studying and working for a church to impact their community for God’s glory). The program is set up so that we have a couple days a week to work part time jobs so we can pay our day to day expenses. As part of the program, CQMissional will provide housing for us, so we don’t have to worry about paying rent every month. We posted a bit about housing and jobs on our blog if you want to check out what that is going to look like.

In order for us to be in the program we will pay tuition to CQMissional. The tuition is $5,000 each, for a total of $10,000. We will have an opportunity to work for Challenge Quest, facilitating on their ropes courses which will bring the cost down to $3,800 each (so now we are at $7,600). We are supposed to pay CQMissional half of the tuition on day one of the program which starts at the end of September, and make monthly payments on the rest until the end of the program.

We have been financially blessed during our time at NLR and were able to pay off our car, pay cash for Beth’s graduate school, and we have paid off significant debt from our undergrad degrees (although we still have a good chunk remaining). So, we are in a financial position that makes it so we can take some risks like we are doing. Despite all of this we don’t have $7,600 laying around. Through a partnership with Global Horizon’s Inc, gift to CQMissional are tax-deductible, and we are encouraged to raise support though them to help make it possible to be in this program. Our goal is to raise enough support to pay for the entirety of tuition, and then work enough to pay our own way when it come to general living expenses (like car insurance and laundry soap). This is by far the biggest financial leap of faith we have ever taken…we are truly dependent on God and the generosity of others to make this happen.

If you have any interest in helping us financially we would love to talk to you about it! Because we are very persuasive people we thought we would give you a few good logical reasons that this is a good thing to support:

• We see this as an investment in our skills, knowledge, maturity and faith, and our ability to work effectively for God’s Glory.
• It is also an investment in CQMissional. By being the first to go through this program we can help Chris and Greg form it into something really effective (and help them develop their web site, communication systems, stuff like that). The potential to equip hundreds of leaders over coming years exists.

That is our high pressure sales pitch. So, if you’re interested let us know and we would love to talk to you more about all of this.

We really are excited about what we will be doing! We really do see it as a time to learn, grow, experience a lot of new things, and be prepared to have a greater impact on the world for God’s glory. A big part of what is exciting about this is that we get to learn in an environment where we will continue being able to minister to people in real ways…it wont just be book work, but will be real and hands on as well. We will get into some more specifics of the program in our next email, or feel free to check out http://www.cqmissional.com/certificate/ to get some details now.

We are truly grateful and humbled that you are interested in what we are doing. Don’t worry, we only have a few more emails planned, so we wont fill up you inbox too much more!

Ben and Beth
www.benandbethwest.com

Had to renew my license this morning. Dealings with our local tag agency are never simple or fun. Not for me, or for anyone else around here. For whatever reason you never have the right documentation…and it’s about 20 miles from where we live…in a little mobile home. You can also buy plastic horse figurines, old clothes & catch up on the latest episode of The Price Is Right while you’re there. (It’s an interesting place).

So I went. And all was well until it was time to pay. I needed $25.50 & I only had $1 in cash. And they, of course, will take a credit card for all other motor vehicle transactions EXCEPT renewing your driver’s license.

Of course.

So I drove back down the road & find an ATM. I assumed the first gas station I came to would have an ATM. (But I, of course, was wrong.) They were happy to give me cash though, for a nice fee of $2.

Back to the tag agency I go. And pay…and then I was on my way to Siloam to buy some folders.

And that of course, went smoothly. (ha!)

I needed 100 folders of the same color. Which they didn’t have, so I got 4 different colors-and that part was fine. But their system was messed up & so I waited 20 minutes at the register for them to figure out how to fix it & send me home w/ an invoice. They did give me a bag of Jelly Bellys to make up for it.

So, it’s lunch time & it’s already been a crazy day. But on the bright side, I don’t have to worry about my license again until I’m 33.

I spent a lot of time today researching health insurance, which was not very much fun. It made me start thinking about how comfortable we are at NLR. We have good friends we are comfortable around, a comfortable church, a comfortable and steady income, comfortable insurance. It’s not like we are moving to some crazy far off place (its just Tulsa, a whole hour from where we are now), but there will still be changes, new and uncomfortable things. Which is good…i’m excited about the things we will learn and how we will grow when we are a bit uncomfortable.

For some reason while I was walking in the woods I started thinking about childhood heroes. I have never really thought about who my childhood heroes were, but if I had to pick here are a few:

The Hardy Boys – one of them gets caught by the bad guys in every book, but they always get away, solve the mystery, and justice is served, what’s not to like?

Nancy Drew – See Hardy Boys

Data – he’s a robot on a spaceship and is really strong, smart, and fast. He can even beat up on the Borg. Nuf said.

Dolphus Weary – I read his book I Ain’t Comin Back before going on a trip to Mendenhall Mississippi to work with The Mendenhall Ministries with our youth group. Working in Mendenhall was one of my first introductions to a ministry that served people by meeting a wide range of needs (physical, spiritual, economic, educational, legal…). Dolphous was part of starting TMM.

Robert Ballard – the guy found the Titanic…what more does it take to be a childhood hero then that? I remember watching a documentary about him and how he found and explored the Titanic countless times. I kind of wonder if the tape is still at my house…I would watch it again. If I ever have the chance to go down in Alvin and pilot Jason I would take it in an instant.

edit: I just remembered that I had a book about Ballard finding the Titanic also. it had fold out maps of the wreck and everything. I need to try and find it also.

who were your childhood heroes?

We are starting to work out some details for our move to Tulsa. As part of the program we will be in we are provided housing. It seems like Chris and CQmissional have worked out a great place for us to live. The plan is for us to live in an apartment at 15th and Quaker. There are four apartments in one building that share some common areas (the 2 upstairs apartments share a kitchen for example). We don’t know who we will be sharing those spaces with yet, but we will probably have some say in who they are…so that’s good.

Another part of the program is that we have some days to work other jobs to earn money for living expenses. I got to talk to Blake who owns Joe Mommas Pizza I will be working for him doing a variety of things, including working at his pizza place, doing some web work, some demolition and construction..there are lots of possibilities. If nothing else by the time we are done with all of this I ought to be able to cook a good pizza!

It great to be getting some details worked out…in some ways for me right now the thing that I feel like I know the least about is what our actual time at the church will look like, and what the CQMissional program will look like. All of that is hard for me to picture and see in my mind’s eye.

A few things still to work out you can be praying for:

• We still have to figure out jobs for Beth. There is a good chance she can work at the church, but we don’t have many details on that yet.
• The housing stuff is not totally set. There are still details to work out.
• NLR has to find replacements for us. We want them to take their time and get the right people, but at the same time somebody has to do our jobs when we leave…so we hope they are able to find people quickly.
• Finances. There is significant cost for us to be able to be in this program. We are able to (and are planning to) raise support from friends and family. We know God will provide, but it is still a daunting task.
• I guess the last thing is just for our transition. we have to pack, get rid of stuff, work, and keep living life all at the same time.

Stuff is coming together!

Some things I did to celebrate my birthday:

• Ben & I went to see Wicked (which I’ve already told you about).
• Got up early to  drive from Oklahoma City to Tulsa to see about a possible housing situation for us for this coming year. (It’s pretty exciting!)
• Ate lunch at Joe Momma’s where we met w/ the owner to discuss some possible part-time work while we are in Tulsa this next year.
• Saw Julie & Julia w/ Ben. (really good)
• Bought some new music w/ an itunes gift card I received:

1. Long Black Veil:  Dave Matthews Band (have LOVED this for a long time…’bout time I owned it)
2. Bartender:  Dave Matthews Band
3. 32 Flavors:  Ani DiFranco
4. Babylon:  David Gray (I’ll be losing some sweet shared itunes libraries when we leave…so I had to update some of my collection–I’ll miss listening to David Gray the most…thanks, Eric!)
5. The One I Love:  David Gray
6. And I Can’t Sleep:  Waterdeep
7. Good Good End:  Waterdeep
8. Scenes From an Italian Restaurant:  Billy Joel (have always loved this one too…)
9. Piano Man:  Billy Joel (lots of listening to this one on cassette tape growing up…)
10. City of New Orleans:  Arlo Guthrie
11. Bouncing Around the Room:  Arlo Guthrie & Xaviar (this one is by far the most interesting….an Arlo Guthrie cover of a Phish song…I like it!)
12. American Pie:  Don McLean (a classic from my childhood…lots of listening to this on cassette tape too)
13. Big Yellow Taxi:  Counting Crows
14. Hanginaround:  Counting Crows

It was a good birthday! (Though I’m not super-excited about the 2 numbers associated with the next birthday.)

We just sent this email out…so if you missed it:

First a quick clarification: we will be participants in the program that Chris is starting, not leading it, or on staff with his organization. At the end of the program we have no idea what we will do next.

We thought the next thing to talk about is why we are doing all of this. It’s a good question: Why would we leave New Life Ranch, which is a great community, stable, financially secure, in the woods, we have great friends, good jobs, our work impacts people…it really is a blessed life.

However, despite all the good things about living and working at NLR is time for us to move on to the next thing. Our reasons are varied…but related.

For Ben:
I have had some unsettledness…or perhaps restlessness about being at NLR. I have always been drawn to serving those with less…the poor, the widows, the orphans, but in truth have never really done that. I have a strong desire to see how serving those with less can be combined with my interest in communication, business, marketing and economics. I also do have a (hopefully not selfish) desire to do something new…to live somewhere new. I have lived in Siloam Springs most of my life, and Beth and I have never really known anything but NLR.

For Beth:
I haven’t felt the same restlessness Ben has been feeling and quite frankly, I wasn’t ready to leave this place. Ever. But as we have asked some hard questions I have learned to let go of what is comfortable & safe & am learning to embrace wherever the Lord is leading us next. It has not been easy, but so many things make sense about this move for us. I am also looking forward to figuring out what roles counseling and my desire to serve through administration should have in my everyday life. These are two areas that have always seen so in conflict with each other, but I know they don’t have to be.

We see this as a chance to do several things:

• Explore our passions and talents and see how they can be used by God in places other than NLR.
• Serve, live with, and learn from new people who are not like us. We live in a nice middle class Christian bubble. We are excited about the diversity of people we will interact with.
• Study and learn about some important ideas, like how the church should interact with and serve the people around it.
• It’s a chance to be a part of forming a new ministry and organization which has potential to impact a lot of people over time.

Those are the big ones. In the end our decision came down to this: Staying at NLR would be safe and comfortable. We would have continued to make an impact and things would be good. Moving to Tulsa and joining this program is unknown, stretching, very uncomfortable, and a big step of faith…but it is also a chance to see what God can do in our lives and the lives of people around us when we just go for something we feel called to, even if it does not really make sense. So that is what we are doing…

Thanks for being interested in our journey!
Ben & Beth
www.benandbethwest.com

I received a pretty amazing gift today…..

My very own ruby slippers! Thanks, Mom & Dad for a truly unique & creative birthday gift!

Elphaba would be so jealous!

Im not a foodie, and this is not a foodie blog…im also not an amazing cook, but i do like to cook and bake. It’s therapeutic. So, in honor of Kyle,  2 bread recipes:

Faccaca foccacia

This is about the simplest bread you can make, but it is still really good.

• 4 – 4.5 cups flour
• .5 cup water (105-115 degrees f)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• course salt

In a bowl combine .5 cup flower, .5 cup warm water and yeast. Beat until smooth, cover and let stand overnight at room temperature

stir in 1 cup warm water, salt, and herbs or spices (herbs or spices are optional. I like the bread plane or with flavor, basal, oregano, chile powder, or rosemary are a few options). Add remaining flour until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Turn onto floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour until a stiff dough if formed that is smooth and elastic, about 10 min. Place in lightly greased bowl and allow to rise in warm place until double (about an hour).

turn onto well floured counter or baking sheet. Leave the bowl over the dough and let it rest 30 min. During the 30 min heat the oven and bread stone to 475.

After 30 min gently form the dough into a circle (don’t deflate it). Poke .5 in holes every couple inches and spread olive oil over the top of the dough (i really probably use way more the 1TBS), and put course salt on top (i just use some sea salt we have).

Transfer to hot stone and bake until golden brown and hollow sounding (about 15 min) remove and cool a little on a wire rack. serve warm.

Honey-Vanilla Challah

From Books and Baking a great blog you should read!

• 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of warm milk (whole is best, low-fat is ok too)
• 2 eggs + 1 for the glaze
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 teaspoon for greasing the bowl and another for the glaze
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon honey

In a large bowl using a whisk combine the yeast, sugar, salt and 1 cup of the flour. Add the warm milk, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, then the honey and vanilla. (Add the olive oil first, then use the same measuring spoon to add the honey – residual oil on the spoon will make the honey slide right out.) Vigorously mix the ingredients until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, switching to a wooden spoon when the dough becomes too thick for the whisk. Continue mixing the dough until it is too stiff to stir.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and springy, about 4 minutes. If the dough is sticky, dust with flour 1 tablespoon at a time – just enough to prevent it from sticking to the surface. The dough is done when it’s smooth and small air bubbles show under the skin. If you press your thumb into it the impression should bounce back. This is a slightly firm dough, which is exactly what you want for easy braiding later on.

Place the dough in a deep container greased with 1 tsp of olive oil. Turn the dough once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with non-stick spray. Gently deflate the dough by pressing your fingers into it, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide into 3 equal portions, and roll each portion out into a smooth, thick strip about 20 inches long, with the ends slightly thinner than the middle. Lay these ropes side-by-side, not quite touching.

Beginning in the middle and working towards you, braid the lower half of the three ropes. To braid, alternately move the outside ropes over the one in the center – left over, right over, left over -until you come to the end. Now go to the other side of your working space and braid the other half, this time moving the outside ropes under the center one. Braid tightly – you don’t want any gaps. When you finish braiding each side crimp the tapered ends together, then tuck them under.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the braided dough on your baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.

Just before the rising time has finished whisk together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, this is going to be the glaze for your bread. Gently brush the dough with a thick layer of it. Place the dough in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bread is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when you thump it on the bottom. Transfer to a baking rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before slicing – or at least wait until it’s warm, not hot – then enjoy!

Ill try to post some more favorite recipes sometime. Do you have any good ones i should try?

I received shout-outs this week to 2 of my all-time favorite movies. Steel Magnolias & The Wizard of Oz.

The first involved a bleeding armadillo groom’s cake. One of the guy counselors on staff is getting married next week & he requested a very special groom’s cake. One of the best I’ve ever seen, actually. (And I can’t even stand armadillos!) He had a mock-up of the cake with him this weekend. It was true to the movie…gray icing, red velvet cake on the inside…very…gross. But appreciated nonetheless.

The second was that we went to see Wicked this week. It was an early birthday gift from Ben….and it was A-ma-zing. Seriously, I can’t think of another musical that I liked better. Wonderful acting, great music, great special effects… And being that The Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies, it was really fun to look at it from a different perspective.

And now I’d like some ruby slippers of my own…