So I really didn't want to be that guy who started a blog, posted a couple times and then disappeared. Oops. I'm that guy. I could start into my excuses about how busy the last few months have been, but alas, everyone knows that story, so instead I'll save that and just try this again.
Honestly, I think I need to just spit out a basic "journal entry" of sorts to get myself back into the mindset of posting. The past few months have been very busy, at times a bit too much so, but they have been marked by much of God's grace. It began with the Resurgence Conference in Seattle, hosted by Mars Hill Church. This was a fabulous time of teaching aimed at a lot of young pastors and leaders from around the world. All in all, it was an encouraging time with great messages from folks such as Mark Driscoll, C.J. Mahaney, John Piper and Matt Chandler, all focused on what it looks like for the church to remain faithful to the gospel while contextualizing the message to our particular cities and their unique cultures. All of the sermons are available on video or audio here. Better still, I finally had a chance to hang in the marvelous city of Seattle with my brother and his girlfriend, which was a great time as well.
From there it was back to Columbia for the flurry of excitement surrounding the True/False Film Festival, my favorite weekend of the year as far as living in Columbia goes. This is a primo documentary film festival - it just gets better every year. Why the name True/False, you ask? Well, it's quite the fitting title, in fact. The whole premise of the fest is sort of designed to dismantle the conception that just because a film is of the documentary variety, that must mean it is objective truth. The folks spearheading this fest rather operate under the assumption that the film-makers' perceptions and world views color how the films are made (as would of course be true of any art form). Add to this fact that we find ourselves in a time where documentary as a medium is exploding with new ideas and creativity, and you end up with a weekend full of powerful films and great discussions. This is the kind of thing that makes for a flourishing city, so I'm thrilled to be in a place where this happens every year. We were able to catch several well-crafted documentary films, none of which are widely released yet. But if you see them around, I would highly recommend the films American Teen, Very Young Girls, Forbidden Lies, Man on Wire, and the Greening of Southie. I wish I could comment on them each here, but this post would get rather long. Perhaps later.
The following three weeks were the busiest, as leading music in church always comes to a head for Good Friday and Easter. Good Friday is always one of my favorite worship services to plan, as we put the focus heavily on music and the reading of Scripture - all with the aim of powerfully portraying the weight and significance of the crucifixion. Taking communion with my community here on that night is always one of the more affecting moments of worship of each year. And of course, to follow that with the joyous celebration of Easter as we remembered again the resurrection of Christ, overall makes for the high point of the year for celebration. Our hope is all summed up right there, in Jesus' death and resurrection, and our joining into that reality by faith. It's always great times, and as usual, I was completely exhausted afterwards!
Next up was California for vacation, which came at that perfect time, for when Missouri doesn't know whether it wants Spring or Winter, California is much more certain. Sunshine and warmth were much easier to find in Los Angeles and San Diego, even if it's still cold at night down there. In any case, it was a fun time visiting several friends and catching the wedding of one of my oldest friends, Ryan, in San Diego. It had been a while since we'd been able to spend that much time together, so I was grateful for the opportunity to renew our friendship a bit, get to know his new wife better, and catch up with his family. Plus, weddings are always a great reminder of the vows Ann and I have made, and they seem to have a way of spurring us toward greater unity and renewed focus on building each other up. It was quite refreshing. All in all, we were quite blessed on our trip to California - we didn't need to rent a car or stay in a hotel, all due to the generosity and hospitality of our friends. Praise the Lord, indeed.
So here we are, back in Columbia. We celebrated Ann's birthday last night, and thanks again to the generosity of family for our birthdays, we were able to go to the best restaurant in town, C C's City Broiler, for the first time. I don't even know how to describe the experience my taste buds had there last night. I wish I could somehow let them speak for themselves, as I'm sure they could articulate the ecstasy better than I. Fresh Blackened Salmon with fruit salsa with a Cabernet? Yes, my friends, I think I will leave you pondering the greatness of that short time of bliss. It may be another 5 years before we can go to that restaurant again, but it will be worth the wait.
And with that, we're caught up. Please feel free to chastise me if I do not resume a more regular flow of posting.
