28 Days Later

Four weeks. That's how long Corrie and I went without eating any meat.


I meant to blog more during that time, but with the semester getting started up last week, life got crazier by the day. But now we are on the other side of our Vegetarian Experiment, and I have some thoughts about these last four weeks.



The first 10 days were pretty hard. I caught myself several times beginning to fix myself a sandwich and realizing my choices were peanut butter or...peanut butter. I also craved chicken or burgers a lot during those first 10 days, especially when I could smell them.


Sometime around mid-month I found myself not craving anything anymore, and automatically looking at the vegetarian options in grocery stores and restaurants (which are often times very limited). My habits were changing, and with my tastes. Though I can't say that I tried a lot of new veggies in the last month, I can say that I am willing to order them and eat them a lot more than I was before.


And that is one of the primary reasons I did this: to change my habits. Habits are tricky things. They are a part of who we are, but they can also hold us back from being better than who we are. I am fortunate enough to have a metabolism that can handle grease, meat, and sugar pretty well, but just because I don't gain weight from fatty foods doesn't mean I should not eat healthy. What's really at stake is not so much my current health, but my long-term health. I would love to be as healthy at 40 as I am 30, but I won't be if I don't adjust some habits between now and then.


If you're wondering how we celebrated our four-week meat fast - we got take out from Five Guys Burger and Fries!

Wesley Week

The semester has officially started!

This week is Wesley Week for us, which means we are doing different events all week to welcome the freshmen and returning upperclassmen to campus. We've had our first Tuesday night supper (called SEESAW), our first worship, and a bowling night. We still have a cookout tonight, a game night tomorrow, and a lake day on Saturday. These are long days and late nights for me, but it's fun to finally be among the students. Here's a glimpse at some of what we've been up to:

From Drop Box

Lorin and Gonzalo crack eggs for a breakfast we prepared for new international students.

From Drop Box

Our first worship.

Bowling night.

What I'm Doing, part 2

The Wesley House

In my previous post, I mentioned a few of things I'm doing this summer as I prepare for the new semester. There are other things I'm doing as well, things I do because I'm a new minister in a new city.


I'm trying to connect to the local Methodist churches in the area. I do this by attending their Sunday services, visiting with their pastors, and getting to know the people in the pews. Campus ministry is always in need of people who care about what we do and are willing to give their time and talents to help our ministry succeed. And the only way to meet those people is to go find them in their churches.


I'm also creating excuses to get on campus and meet those individuals I'll be interacting with during the semester. As a campus minister, I'm not officially a part of campus life, but it's always good to know people on campus who can help us in any way with our ministry during the year. (You can read more about my thoughts on that here.)


Of course, I'm also interacting with students as much as possible. Getting their thoughts on the ministry and getting to know them. This is my favorite part by far - it's what it's all about.


There's a lot to being a campus minister. I hope this gives you a glimpse in to what my life is like as a Wesley Foundation director.

What I'm Doing, part 1

Sorry for the lack of posts, but as the family gets settled at home, I'm getting settled at "the new Wesley House", as Isaiah calls it.


Many people are wondering what I'm doing these days. What does it mean to be a campus minister starting a new position in the middle of the summer?


Well, there's quite a bit to do, but it's not all hard laborious work. The past few days I've been completing a budget request for the Georgia United Methodist Commission on Higher Education and Campus Ministry. They are the primary funding source for all UM campus ministries in North and South GA. The budget request is a detailed account of our past, present, and proposed budget as well as an evaluation of our ministry, campus minister, and board of directors. It is many pages long and time consuming, but I appreciate having a body of people who care about campus ministry to report to and support me in my ministry.


I'm also reading, thinking, praying, and writing a lot. This semester I'll be preaching most every week to the students who come to the weekly worship service at our ministry. Preaching is not something I take lightly, and I don't usually preach on a passage unless I've been pondering over it for a few weeks (sometimes a few months). So while the students are away for the summer and the Wesley House is quiet, I spend a lot of time with my Bible and notebook, making notes for the all the sermons-to-be.

Take the Tour

Sorry for the lack of posts since the move. We're slowly finding our new rhythm here, and I hope to share a few more pics and stories soon. In the meantime, take a tour of our house.

Macon House

Here are a few pics of the house we're moving in to in Macon. The board and students are currently painting it for us, and there will be new carpet as well. Here is the house from the street.

Below, room on the front of the house as you walk in the front door.

Room directly behind the above room with kitchen in the distance.

Same room, different view. The door in the distance on the left goes down to the basement level.

Closer look at the kitchen with the utility room directly behind. The kitchen is directly behind the carport.

Bedroom in the upper level (probably Ezra's).

Bedroom again, on the front corner of the house (probably Isaiah's).

Same room, different view.

Master bedroom, back corner of the house.

Master bedroom again with master bath on the left.

And there you have it. Sorry, it was dark in the basement and I don't have pictures of that. But if you come see us, that's where you'll be sleeping!