So when I started going to Curves a few months ago I had no idea what I was in for. And aside from the obvious things (getting in shape, etc.) I have also discovered some AWESOME* arrangements of some of my FAVORITE* songs!  I mean, who wouldn’t want to work out to techno versions of Mmmmbop, Achy Breaky Heart, & my personal favorite….  the theme song to Forrest Gump.

*there may be some sarcasm in the above comments.

If you are all car savvy just ignore this post.

The other day I used a 3M Headlight Restoration Kit to polish the headlights on my car. It worked amazingly well:

So, if your headlights seem dim and the lenses are all foggy spend the $25 and 30 minutes it takes to restore them. It makes a big difference.

I was thinking this might be a business opportunity. What if you restored peoples headlights while they were at work? The system is completely portable, so you could go to the parking lot. It would only take a few hundred in start up cost, and some savvey marketing. You could probably charge $30, and I think it would take around 20 minutes to do the whole process once you got good at it. You would have to factor in some travel time as well…and of course all the normal business expenses like insurance, replacing worn out gear, etc.

I’m not sure the status of micro finance in the United States, but it seems like the amount of money it takes to impact an individuals ability to generate wealth is much higher here then, say, on the African continent (this is pure speculation). A business like this could be funded through some sort of micro finance or peer to peer set up, and might be a viable option for somebody looking to start a low cost business.

Some things that have been running through my head lately.

Lots of people have been posting lately about being more REAL. Less of the “this is how I want you to see me.” And more of “this is how I really am.” With the pictures we show of ourselves, the things we blog about, everything.  www.thereignofellen.blogspot.com & People of the Second Chance are the things that have inspired me to show this:

This is me running. In pain. And ready to collapse. After 3.1 miles. Not 26.2. After 3.1 and I had trained for this. I feel like I SHOULD like running. Like I SHOULD enjoy it & be good at it. But I don’t. It’s painful & frustrating.

and this:

Now even though I’m smiling, I’m trying to mask my utter frustration. This is me “skiing.” I spent most of my 1 run down the mountain like this. Without the smile. I don’t really like skiing. At all. It’s hard & scary & bring me to say things like “I hate this!” As we were trekking over to the actual ski lift. BEFORE we even got to the ski lift. But I feel like I SHOULD like skiing. But in all honesty, I don’t.

Now, I don’t want to live a truly comfortable life. I want to stretch myself & learn new things. And I’m not completely opposed to learning to ski or learning to run. But if we’re being REAL, then my motivation to do them right now is because for whatever reason I feel like I SHOULD want to do them.

This is Ben & I at the top of Mt. Huron. A 14er we summited last year when we were in Colorado. And I’m not sure that there is a way to convey to you just how much this picture means to me. Because from this picture, you can’t see the serious mental/emotional breakdown I went through on the way up. The tears and seriously negative self-thinking that was going on in my head. And I didn’t make it to the top b/c of anything I actually had in me. But I wanted to do it for me. Not for anyone else. I needed to make it to the top for ME. But I did NOT make it to the top alone.

That’s REAL.

How can you be more REAL today?

I have prints of a few of my pictures that would love to sell to you. So, if your looking for Christmas presents not in the “mass produced bought at the big box” category here are some ideas for you. If you see a picture below you are interested in buying let me know. Ill tell you what size I have printed and we can work out payment. I have a bunch of pictures at www.poolhouseblack.com, most of which I can have prints made of, so if you see something there you like let me know. Here is what I already have prints of:

lights2:

white:

ice3:

eagle:

barn4:

ice2:

glow:

cows:

lake:

flower:

grinder:

color:

It seems that it is time for a blog post…but im not sure what to write about…so how about some random stuff:

a great movie: God Grew Tired of Us You really should see it. It is the true story of a group of The Lost Boys of Sudan who come to America as refuges. I think what was most fascinating about it to me was the conflict between the comfort and safety they found in the united states, and the pain of being taken out of their community.

Here is an interesting article about urban decay and potential renewal: Detroit

This one is for Cass: xkcd

This week I: picked a project, talked to a guy who just got out of prison, was asked if i was Jesus or homeless, bought a christmas tree, painted a lot, ate a lot of cookies, didnt ride my bike, designed a bulletin, worked on the beginnings of a new web site for CQMissional (which could be really cool…watch for it…), watched It’s a Wonderful Life. More on some of those things later.

Need an idea for a Christmas gift?

Well then, have I got the thing for you!

www.sharingseedsofhope.com

Or feel free to email me for a custom order!

things i like about living in the city:

1. walking to things
2. discovering new things
3. interesting buildings

Things i miss about living in the woods

1. wood stove
2. throwing leftovers outside
3. animals
4. trails outside my front door

things i dont like about living in the city

1. it’s never dark
2. it’s never quiet
3. to many people
4. people asking for money
5. locking doors

Im working on an email to send out giving people some more details about CQMissional and our move…you get to see it here first….

We thought we would send out one last email before we move, giving you a few more details about what we will be doing…and some specific things we would love for you to be praying for.

As you know we will be participants in a new program called the Certificate in Missional Leadership. We want to try and give a good idea of what that really is, so here it goes (oh, if the pictures are small on your monitor just click on them, you will get a big version)…

So, that is what we will be doing. For 10 months we will be studying, be mentored, and getting hands on ministry experience.

Next slide…

We are the participants, CWMissional does the academic, coaching, and housing part (as well as facilitating the whole thing) the Ministry site is Garnett Church of Christ which runs the Green Country Events Center:

Garnett Church is doing some really cool ministry by serving their community and reaching out to other organizations. But there is of course a reason for it all:

So, the idea is that by serving people, building connections, and making sustainable impact God will be glorified and people will come to know Jesus Christ. This could happen through building relationships, people coming to and coming to trust the church…there are lots of ways that this could happen. For example:

This is a real story! But see that stuff in the dreamy cloud? It has not happened yet. But someday it could, and it could have a huge impact on the Hmong community in Tulsa.

We will spend the majority of our time working at the church. Part of the point of all of this is to experience lots of things, so we don’t know yet exactly what we will be doing, but there are lots of possibilites:

And of course one of the big questions is why? Why do we want to go do this? And of course we have a nice picture:

Part of this is for us…it is a way for us to be equipped, challenged, and prepared for ministry. A big part of this is for CQMissional. We want to help establish the ministry that they have. We think it can impact a lot of people in the coming years and we want to be a part of that. And a big part of why we are going is that we want to continue impacting people for God’s glory.

So, that’s it! This is what we will be doing!

There are a few more things we want to mention:

We are still in the process of raising money to help pay for all of this. (see this post on our blog for more info). If you would like to help support us financially just give us a call or shoot us an email and we would love to talk to you about that. Or you can download this pdf with some more info in it.

We will be moving to Tulsa on September 26, and the program officially starts on the 28th. If you want to help us move we would love the help!

We still have our cell pone, so that is the number to call if you want to talk to us.

We also have new email addresses im scared of spam, so let us know if you want them. Our NLR addresses will keep working for a while. Same thing with our new mailing address.

Some things to pray for.

We want to be open to what God has for us to learn. As we study, meet people, and serve the community around us we want to have receptive hearts and minds.

We want to embrace new and uncomfortable things as we serve people. Pray that we will not let ourselves get in the way of serving others.

Our friends are generous, and we have already raised about a 1/3 of our tuition, which is amazing!

Pray for New Life Ranch as they transition our positions to new people. The Ranch will be fine without us, but we want the transition to be smooth.

That’s it! We will send out a few emails in the coming year to update people on what we are up to, but mostly we will be posting to our blog www.benandbethwest.com. Thanks for reading our story and being a part of our lives!

This weekend we ate lunch with some of the elders at Garnett Church of Christ where we will be working during our time with CQMissional. Greg Taylor, the pastor said something I thought was very insightful…I don’t remember exactly what he said, but here is the idea:

“When we relate to the poor we cannot use our money to have power over them, but to put power under them”

I think this is a beautiful picture, and there are lots of conversations that could come out of this one statement.

Last night we watched The Garden, which you should watch. The gist of the documentary is that due to politics and money a huge community garden in downtown LA was destroyed to build a warehouse. It’s hard to know the real story, and there were faults on lots of sides, but in the end it is a true example of people with influence holding power over people, when they had an amazing opportunity to put power under people.

Ben shared some of his answers to our application questions, so I thought I’d share a few of mine.

In one or two sentences, what is your favorite  movie and why?
Steel Magnolias. I love those southern ladies (& their accents!) The way they fully invest themselves into each others lives is intriguing. They draw me in & we are all friends….we laugh together & cry together. Great writing….true-to-life emotions…and Dolly Parton….what could be better?

Complete this sentence: “I think others would describe me as…”
A friend. Someone who listens & loves. Someone who has a solid faith–grounded & rooted in His love, no matter what the circumstance. And I’d hope they’d describe me as a vessel of the Lord’s love.

In one or two sentences, what is your favorite  book and why?
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. I read it often. Corrie’s faith & forgiveness-and that of her sister’s is truly awe-inspiring. To find hope in the circumstances they were given blows my mind every time I read it.

If YES, how long have you been involved?  Is it serious?  How do you think the CML will affect this relationship?
Well, we’ve been married for 6 years (almost-on Sept. 27 it will be 6 years). So we’re pretty serious. I think that CML is going to stretch us in ways that we can’t even conceive. I want us to both find the things that the Lord has created us to do & I want to see how they can really fit together best to be used (together) for God’s glory. We will not be the same after this….and that is exciting. Not that we are in a bad place now (relationally)…but we are excited for what this year will mean in the life of our relationship.

1. What does a relationship to Christ mean to you?  What does it mean to join God’s kingdom?  How do you do that?
A relationship with Christ is what I have. I entered into this relationship “officially” when I was 19, but I had been talking to Him for years before that. And I think He was speaking to me since day 1.

Sometimes I feel like we’re tight…I know what He wants of me, I see & feel Him moving. And other times, not so much. But I know that He is the constant one in this relationship. It is I who pulls away. Joining God’s kingdom means that you choose Him. You choose the life He has for you, not your own. It means acknowledging who you really are (a sinner) and recognizing and accepting who He is (the Saviour) & letting that wash over you.

2. Describe one significant (human) relationship you have (or had in the past) and how it has affected your life.
Gotta go with Ben on this one. There are others who have deeply affected me, but this one has changed me the most. He is a great man. Not a perfect man, but a great one. He cares deeply for others, specifically the ones no one else seems to spend much effort on loving. He is disciplined, creative, a great baker, and my closest confidant. He is an inspiring servant-thinking of others more than himself.

Our relationship is dynamic & we are learning to love each other. Not sure that you really figure that one out & just coast from then on. Something I read before we were married said basically that it was ridiculous to think that 2 fallen people could even just live together in a house & not drive each other nuts; much less when you throw a marriage into the mix. And I believed that when I read it, but have truly experienced that as our marriage has grown. We are very different people, Ben & I. And that is what is so great-we balance each other out. He encourages me to be more active, to be less selfish, to think more deeply, and to care more about a lot of things (politics, economics, design). There is a safety I feel with him that frees me to ask ridiculous questions about anything (faith, scripture, history) and he won’t think less of me for asking.

This relationship, more than any other, is teaching me how to really love.

4. Why do you want to participate in the Certificate Program? What do you hope to gain from the experience?
Because I want to be stretched. I want to become more comfortable with the way I was created & I want to discover how I can best use my skills & passions for God’s glory. I want to be exposed to things and people I am not comfortable with, because I want to learn to love better. I want to be less judgmental & more loving. I want to figure out ways I can use what I learned in my counseling program & my passion for administration & systems to glorify the Lord. I want to figure out how to make those seemingly dichotomous things fit together beautifully.

5. What most excites you about living in the city and building relationships with people in new and different contexts such as an urban area? What about this most worries you?
I am excited about living in a pedestrian friendly area of the city. I want to walk to a Farmer’s Market & get some things to make dinner with that night. I want to walk & bike to places instead of driving there. I’ve never lived in a city bigger than about 10,000 people. I’m looking forward to being exposed to a lot of different kinds of people & getting to know their stories-where they’ve been, what they’ve learned. I’m concerned about being uncomfortable. I’m concerned about the unknowns about what we’ll be doing every day & who we will hang out with & what we’ll do. I’m concerned about getting lost/flustered trying to find my way around a big city with lots of traffic. And parallel parking.

But I’m also really excited about how I will be a different person at the end of all this.