Sunny South Dakota

I’m typing this poolside in sunny Rapid City, SD.  Luckily, the pool is indoors.  It’s a bit chilly outside, and the wind is blowing something fierce.  In spite of the outside weather, its warm and humid under this patio umbrella so this is a great location to get some work done.  The splashing water from the fake waterfall and the hum of the hot tub jets make this a peaceful atmosphere–even if I’m staying bone dry. (I wouldn’t want to destroy this laptop) 

Jim and I have a luncheon scheduled in Rapid City in a few hours.  Our hope is that we can add the Rapid City marketplace to our growing list of Groundwire radio markets.  Our desire is to meet with local business and church leaders to discuss different avenues for funding the spots on secular radio stations and then plugging the kids who respond via the chat line into local churches.  Partnership on this level takes time and resources.  I love this line of work, and I’m praying that we will have the peices in place to begin airing spots by the time we drive away tomorrow morning.  Please join me in prayer that this will happen.

God is good.  He has provided me with work that I enjoy immensly, and He had planted the seeds of the passions that would drive this work years ago–passion for cooperation among the Body of Christ, passion for youthwork, passion for encouraging and strengthening existing leadership, passion for counseling, passion for worship and passion for missions.  He is good.  I was reading in Ephesians today, ”I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, 18 your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, 19 oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!  Eph 1:17-19 (MSG)”  I see that at work as I’m sitting here getting work done in this restful enviornment, enjoying doing the things He has created me to do.  I’m grateful… 

Groundwire added two more cities!

Groundwire began airing in Charleston, SC (95SX) and Colorado Springs, CO (KILO 94.3) this week!  Those two radio stations add another 150,000 listeners a week! 

An increase of listeners will mean an increase in chats–so please pray for more coaches to handle the increased traffic on Groundwire’s site!

Breckenridge, CO last weekend

Amy and I drove up to Breckenridge to spend some time together this last weekend.  It was our first attempt at a vision retreat, so we talked about different aspects of our life and did some planning for the future.  It was incredibly refreshing to be able to relax, enjoy the scenery, and savor the time away from the demands of the day.  Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Sunrise in Breckenridge….

The pass above Placer Valley….

Placer Valley….

The pass above Placer Valley….

Mountain forest in Placer Valley….

This is a house in Breckenridge that creatively uses materials that look like they have been reclaimed from historic mining structures.  I loved this concept–it makes for a home that honors the area’s history and blends into the mountainscape….  Gorgeous!

Since Breckenridge hosted the Bite of Breckenridge as a part of the Spring Massive during our stay, Amy and I tried out a few of the local restaurants.  Bubba Gump’s has always been a favorite of mine in the area, and we also ate at Salt Creek (their ribs are amazing) and Crepes a la Carte on Main Street.  Their crepes are amazing.  I’ll be back there next time I visit the area!   

 

  

Pictures from the South Dakota and Wyoming road trip…

Dogie Theater in Wyoming….  I love small towns….

 oh, the irony…  there’s nothing modern about this sign…

 Crazy Horse… South Dakota

South Dakota country roadscape…

Favorite Places Pt1

I spent most of yesterday in meetings, but I headed to the World Prayer Center (http://www.theworldprayercenter.org/) for a little bit of downtime between events.  This is one of my favorite places to rest and connect with God–it’s a contemplative place filled with quiet worship music and it sports incredible views of the snow-capped Rocky Mountain’s Front Range.  Pikes Peak was visible yesterday, with a halo of snow blowing off the top of the peak.  It was gorgeous. 

I was greeted by a song I hadn’t in years…  A young woman was playing “Whom Have I But You” by David Ruis.  I used to play that song all the time during college, probably because I learned it helping lead worship down at the Indianapolis Vineyard.  That song is a haunting, intimate reworking of Peter’s statement to Jesus–or at least that what I’ve always equated it to.  I used to love that song–but I’d forgotten about it entirely until I heard again yesterday.  A personal greeting like that from God, and you know you are in the right place.  I was able to spend some time just looking out at the mountains and worshipping freely.  It was cleansing…