the year that was: 2009

2009 was a tumultuous year. full of excitement and bitterness. joy and pain. things happened. things didn't. it was cold at times. it rained the whole month of may, i think. the summer was mild but nice and very busy... october turned cold quick and then back to warm... changes came and went. time passed by. this a recap of a few random things.

one of the best things to happen in '09 was the Steelers winning the Super Bowl in February. it was a great game with an awesome finish and their victory completed one of the greatest seasons in history - playing the toughest schedule ever.

the biggest change in our lives appeared on the scene on april 27th. Silas Andrew was born and his birth brought a forgotten joy to our family. as an added bonus, Silas brought the gift that keeps on giving - spit up. for the first 7 months he spit up... a lot... on chairs, beds, floors... you name it. but he still grew... 23lbs as of today (he is 8 months old now). he is a genuinely happy baby and full of life.

the summer was busier than ever - and in some regard was something i was not looking forward too (because it was so busy). but in the midst of that, great things happened. i took the youth group on a trip to Washington DC to the DCLA 2009 event. i think 5,000 people attended that conference. it was a great experience but was bittersweet as it was the first time in my 9 years of marriage that i was away from my wife and kids. while there we went to the Holocaust museum. this reignited a passion to learn and discover more about the Holocaust. since then, Jen and i have Netflix'd many holocaust movies. it still seems almost unbelievable that something like that could ever have happened - a certain stain on the garment of human history... but we should never forget and the stories should be told.

this fall was filled with sickness and the fear that comes with it. jen had strep throat 2x; micah and addie had the swine flu (mild in comparison from the scare tactics told in the media); micah, addie and myself each had a bout with the stomach flu; i've had numerous colds; silas had an ear infect, etc. fun fun!

this year i grew to love coffee more and more... in the spring we got our first coffee maker... now Starbucks coffee is brewed almost daily.

i had chances to express creativity through a new worship service we've started called Kaleidoscope. As a part of Kscope, i began to make more videos under the title 'ceative kerygma' (kerygma is greek, meaning 'proclamation')

i even finished up my course of study as part of the New Church Start Academy and was able to use such knowledge in the development of Kscope.

My fascination with soccer continued. for the second year in a row i coached Micah's soccer team. i really enjoyed it. this year it was a U-8 team. we finished with 4 wins 5 losses and 1 tie. the highlight was when we knocked off the the lone undefeated team late in the season.

i celebrated my 10th anniversary of being a youth pastor. honestly, it has flown by. i feel blessed to have a job that i still love. although there are times when i feel close to burnout, i wouldn't trade it for anything. lately i have a desire to learn about a slowed down, contemplative approach to youth ministry and am excitedly exploring that more. this year, we are embracing community, through love, creativity, sharing stories and responding to God's call.

so there is a brief review of the year that was: 2009. i look forward to a great 2010 with jen and the kids and the ministry, etc.