He is risen indeed! Alleluia! There is nothing else that matters as much as this. No deeper reality. No greater hope. No more present comfort. He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Orientation
Maybe you’ve heard presentations from people at your congregation before. Talking about going off to distant lands and inviting you to partner with them. You might have marveled that anyone could consider such a a strange venture. But you probably also marveled that these people could get up and give a presentation in front of… Continue reading Orientation
Vocation
Vocation’s a big word with a lot of nuances depending on the context you find it in. Some people equate it with a career, but it traditionally draws in the idea that you have some gifts or abilities in the area being discussed. It’s more than making a buck, it’s doing something you were designed… Continue reading Vocation
Making New Friends
We know, of course, that we aren’t doing this alone. We can’t. This will only work with partners. Friends. People behind us and alongside us and ahead of us. These friends and partners will be of value in so many different ways, just as different parts of a body should. Having hosted close to 70… Continue reading Making New Friends
Orientation Bound!
My wife and I get up at a truly awful hour tomorrow morning to begin a somewhat circuitous journey towards our first mandatory orientation as I start up as a Theological Educator bound overseas. We’ll make a pit stop in Iowa to visit some fantastic supporters, then jump back on a plane to St. Louis… Continue reading Orientation Bound!
Work in Progress
Yeah, so. I have a background in technology, but not in the artistic part of it. I’ve been blogging for nearly 15 years but take a somewhat perverse pride in having one of the ugliest blogs on the Internet – at least in terms of aesthetics. I had hoped this one would be different, but… Continue reading Work in Progress
Starting Week Two
This week there are fewer videoconferences to handle. There are some paperwork loose ends to be chased down and tied off. And then on Friday we head out to headquarters in St. Louis for mandatory new employee orientation. It’s been a long time since I’ve been part of a bureaucracy. A long time since I’ve… Continue reading Starting Week Two
What Do You Mean We Have Partners?!?!
How is that even possible? Just a few days officially on the job, and already support is being raised, partnerships created. If you doubt miracles, I can assure you they are real! I started getting notifications from a fund-raising group associated with our denomination that people were already partnering with us, sending in money to… Continue reading What Do You Mean We Have Partners?!?!
Going Live
As of today I’m no longer the employee of my congregation, but rather a Theological Educator for my denominational polity. And yes, that means a cut in pay! As I transition into my new role and prepare for overseas deployment, I continue serving my congregation, though. There’s no way I could simply up and leave… Continue reading Going Live
Beginnings
Today I let my congregation know I would be leaving them. Those are hard words to say to people. Not as hard, actually, as telling them a few weeks ago that we had been asked to consider leaving them. That one caught them all by surprise. And so this follow-up message was, for many of… Continue reading Beginnings
The Nelson Family Indonesia 