two thousand nine thus far..

(pictured: Alisha, me, & Anna playing in the snow of Colorado!)

So far, I have not been disappointed by the year 2009. There has been much to do, many people to see, and several places to go. (This is why there has not been much blog updating from me...)

 Just a few days after the new year, I, along with my fellow MYM youth ministers, headed to Colorado Springs, Colorado for the National Conference for Youth Ministers (NCYM). It was an incredible week filled with challenging speakers (Tony Campolo,  Mike Yankoski, Patrick Mead, & Chris Seidman, to name a few...), much needed time with old friends, encouraging interactions with new friends, and even a day of skiing... well, an hour or so of skiing, some time in a ski lodge, and fun times playing in the snow (see above picture & my facebook album). I left NCYM feeling refreshed, renewed, and ready with a new perspective for the upcoming year.

Once we returned from NCYM, I had a week in the office to get a checklist full of things completed before heading out the next weekend for Panama City, Florida. That's right, from the snowy slopes of Colorado to the sandy shores of PCB for another dose of heavenly goodness. Gulf Coast Getaway (GCG).

(pictured: BC, her awesome Harding suitemates, me & my roomie after the long trip home)

I honestly cannot adequately describe what this weekend meant to me... there is just too much that touched me too deeply for any words to do justice. Here is my attempt to express some of what I experienced.

 The Spirit. Surrender. Worship. New spiritual community. Restored community. Reconciliation. Ezekiel 37. Paul Evans. Making disciples. Randy Harris. Encouragement. Prayer. Peace. Longing. Cold sand. Story sharing. Evidence of God's grace. Evidence of God's goodness. Evidence of God's power. Submission. Offering. Praise. Hosanna. Awakening.

And like I said, that doesn't even really describe it... As for now, there are still events to plan, places to go, people to interact with, and exciting moments to come. HE is at work. I see HIM moving around me... in me. As I continue to surrender, I know that greater things are still to come.