Another day in the life...

Another day in the life...

One way I can tell that I’m doing exactly what God wants me to do is that from time to time folks will tell me that what I’m doing is really risky ministry or that I’m very courageous or that they could never do what I’m doing. And yet this kind of ministry feels like it’s a natural fit and really doesn’t feel terribly risky at all. That’s a good sign that I’m following God’s call. I should probably respond to folks that they are also doing (or should be doing) risky, courageous things and I couldn’t imagine doing what they do, either.
Anyway, today has been a great day, a day that has oozed joy and a day where I can see God in so many places. It didn’t start off so hot because I had a meeting at 8:45 at the Moody Bible Institute that had to get postponed, but I trekked from there to the Loop to Flashpoint Academy and got a tour of that school and it was fascinating. Flashpoint is a two-year college that specializes in filmmaking, gaming (the video kind), sound engineering, animation, and probably a few other things, as well. The school is only three years old, but I met the dean of students a few weeks ago and he gave me a tour. Lots of really cool technological toys and it was heartwarming to see that there are some young adults for which this school is exactly what they need. But it was also great to see Charles (the dean) interact with some of these students. As you might imagine, some of the students might be considered misfits in society, but Charles had such a kind and compassionate way of reaching out to them, no matter what they were wearing or how they smelled (a few disdain regular bathing) or the little quirks that might strike most of us as odd. Didn’t matter to him. What a great example of compassion.
I had a 1 pm lunch in Lincoln Park so I hopped back on the L and sat next to a woman who was reading some sort of religious book. I asked her about it and we struck up a conversation and it turns out that it was a book by Marcus Borg and I’m going to lead a study starting in October using a book co-authored by Borg. The conversation led to her inquiring more about the small group and the possibility that she may want to be a part of it. I love “coincidences” like this.
I then made it to lunch with a guy who’s an SAE, which has been an interesting source of contacts for me (some have asked how I’m able to make all these connections). I’m a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (the fraternity) and worked for SAE from 1992-94. It’s what brought me to the Chicago area. I still know a few folks there so I asked if there was any way I could get the names and addresses of SAEs who live in Chicago. A few days later, the Excel document was in my email box (all 1,100 of them!) so I’ve been diligently sending emails to these guys to see if any of them might be interesting in having coffee with me. Not all of those 1,100 have email addresses and not all of them are viable, but those that do go through (I’ve only sent out about 50), I’d say about a third have responded positively. My first meeting with one of those SAEs was today and it couldn’t have gone better. It was a great conversation--he already attends a church, but he asked over and over how he could help me out.
Three great contacts made today and it affirmed what I’ve been feeling lately--I think I may be an extrovert after all. Not necessarily a real outgoing extrovert, but an extrovert nonetheless. I’m having a ball doing this new church thing.

By the way, that’s a recent pic of Trey (my ministry partner) and I in the middle of Lake Street, praying that no cars come down the road. It’s for our new web site which will hopefully be up in a couple weeks.

Friday, September 18, 2009