Crossroads Bible Church, Team Holland 2006 Official Blog Site
Dates of our trip: July 12--July 30, 2006.
The team has been assembled and preparing since January, 2006.
Departing Flight Information July 12: British Air Flight #2192, Departing DFW 4:20PM. Arriving London Gatwick 7:20AM. Connecting flight from London Heathrow, British Airways flight #434 to Amsterdam Schipol arriving 1:45PM.
Return Flight Information July 30: British Air Flight #8110, Departing Amsterdam Schipol 7:00AM, arriving London Gatwick 7:10AM. Conntecting flight from London Gatwick, British Airways flight #2193 to Dallas/Fort Worth arriving 2:30PM.
You can also use the links on each of these sights to find out even more information!
In order to prepare for the nature of direct outreach in a postmodern culture, our team read the book "How Should We Live Then" by Colson & Pearcy. It's an excellent read for an introduction to worldviews, their effects and their results.
Some of the most influential books on the subject of postmodernism would be by Francis A. Schaeffer, including "The God Who Is There," "Escape From Reason," & "How Should We Then Live" (which obviously influenced Colson). If you're interested in some basic quotes on postmodernism, you can get them here:
2003: Brent McKinney, Rob Edwards, Deb Stevenson, Jess Semmelbeck, Liz Stevenson, Alicia Garcia, Jude Miniat, Christy Thrasher, Abby Lorenc, Cristina MacGilvra, Matt Eaton, Justin Bascue, Faith Oldenburg, Kayti Edwards, Kim Church.
2006: Brent McKinney, Steve Davis, Debbie Schmidt, Michelle Davis, Thomas Egbert, Schuyler Crabtree, Kayla Russell, Alex Ehrich, Keila Lorenc, Bailey Price, Olivia Schmidt, Maria MacGilvra, Alicia Garcia
First and foremost, this trip is 17 days long and for many team members it's the longest they've been away from home. We'd love to hear from you, so feel free to check back often and comment by clicking on the spaces beneath each entry!
Secondly, pray for the team members and those they'll come in contact with. This ministry is entirely relational...and each day we'll simply be waking up and trying to find someone to share the Gospel with. We'd truly appreciate your thoughts and prayers!
Finally, when this team left, we were short of our financial goals. If you're so inclined to donate, simply go to the church website and click on "contact us," send an e-mail saying you'd like to contribute, and you'll be given the necessary instructions.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
And, On A More Personal Note
One of the questions you can ask a teenager to really get to know them is this: If you were to make up a list of the qualities that you'd want in a future spouse, what would be on the list?
They have all sorts of entries...the things you'd expect. The things you wouldn't think of. It doesn't really matter. We meet someone. We choose to love them. The list--even if we never actually wrote it down, we made a mental one--gets modified, rules get bent, and possibly thrown right out the window. Love is funny that way.
I had a list when I was shopping. It was short, but important:
1. She had to be a Christian.
2. She had to have a fabulous sense of humor (which, by definition would require intelligence because I believe true humor is based in astute observation and truth, which requires intelligence. So I sort of made two-for-one with this choice).
3. She had to be pretty, realizing that Poe was correct when he said that there can be no exquisite beauty without some strangeness to the proportion. He said that in the short story "Ligea" which is one of my favorites.
I, by intent, kept the list short. I liked my options left open.
Then she came into my life. With grace and ease, she filled the bill. Then she added to it.
She encourages my sincere devotion to Christ...and the peculiar behaviors that triggers in me.
She tolerates my peculiar behaviors that have little, if anything to do with Christ. On the best days, they're annoying habits. On the worst, they're the worst the flesh can dish out.
She inspires creativity in me...because her job demands creativity if she wants to keep that photography business she started (her third business, by the way). When she's good at what she does it inspires me to be creative and innovative in what I do.
She lives unconditional love...I merely play in that sandbox.
She kept excelling at the first business she started: Wife.
She continues excellence in the second business she started: Mother. And this isn't terribly easy with two other artists for children.
She doesn't have to work hard at what she does best: Making me happy. She can do it just by walking into a room and smiling or handing me the remote control so I can watch the game.
She's lived happily as a pauper (and early youth ministry years can cause that) and equally as happy in FloMo...but circumstances never caused a change in demeanor. She's done without the latest fashions, or home repairs, or car repairs, or redecoration, or upgrades to furniture. Lesser women would've been long-gone.
She's put up with church members who talked about her husband in fleshly and negative ways, reminding me of such truths that the behavior of others doesn't allow me to stop walking in the Spirit.
She's rolled gracefully along with whatever curve balls get thrown. Even if one of those curve balls was spending yet another anniversary with her husband doing something work-related. I think that's 13 of 18 thus far (give or take a few), and no end in sight.
I guess what I'm saying is that she fulfilled the requirements of my initial list, added to that list with things I didn't even know I wanted, finalized the list and sealed it, and then eliminated the need for any more lists.
I certainly got the better end of this deal...knowing her subject matter well enough to know that if love were about joy and laughing and commitment and serving and faithfulness and the like that I was, in poker parlance, "all in." But if it was about romance, she'd better fold her hand because I'm not sure I get that and my feeble attempts usually go awry anyway.
Words cannot express how terribly happy I am that you said, "I do" 18 years ago today, my dear. The saying is true, I have been loved more than I have loved, and I'm blessed beyond comprehension that you are my wife. The God of the Universe has been gracious to me beyond my wildest dreams and most feeble lists and I am eternally grateful for the blessing of you He gave to me.
From the bottom of my heart,
Thank you, Tracy,
For 18 wonderful years. I can't imagine anyone else filling the requirements of the list, or adding to it, so wonderfully and beautfully.
Brent 1:35 AM