It was a year ago that I got into a U-haul truck with all of my possessions (including my car hitched on the back) and waved goodbye to Michigan, my home for 25 years of my life. I remember the fear, excitement, joy, sorrow, and mass range of emotions I felt. I wasn’t quite sure what life in Oregon would be like. I remember arriving at our new town-home on the hottest recorded Oregon day in three decades only to find out that our new home didn’t have air conditioning. In a panic I began frantically carrying up boxes only to collapse in pool of sweat from the heat. I remember laying on the floor staring at the ceiling praying to God for help. Was this the right decision? What was I doing? Was this the beginning of horrible things to come? All sorts of chaotic theories and ridiculous anxieties began overtaking my mind. It was right then that my good friend Andrew who had driven the 4 day drive with me told me to suck it up and get in the car. We drove to the store and bought an air conditioning unit. And I have to say… I was worried over nothing. Not that it doesn’t get hot in Oregon but I quickly learned that Oregon weather is different than Michigan. That air conditioner would spend a good 10 months of the year in our basement. Why did I freak out? Why did I let something so small bug me? It was because I didn’t realize God’s faithfulness. I didn’t know this was the beginning of a year of personal growth and revival that has made me love my new home and praise God daily. Here are a couple of things I have learned in the past year. 1. Oregon is Absolutely Beautiful Waterfalls, the coastline, evergreen trees, rivers, mountains, flowers, hiking trails, and so much more. On so many drives just to and from places Selena and I have both said things like “wow, this is amazing” and “I can’t believe we live here.” Oregon is green all year round. Many of the parks and playgrounds we take Elliot to are more beautifully landscaped than a postcard. When I asked neighbors and friends in the area what the weather was like many told me to get ready for the terrible winters. I learned that a terrible winter (which our first winter here was the worst recorded in 30 years) is when it snows 2-3 times only 3-6 inches in TOTAL and is about 30-35 degrees outside. I laughed driving home from work in the snow as traffic moved a max of 15 mph! A terrible winter in Oregon is a dream for someone who grew up in a place where we measure how many FEET of snow we get a season. And yes it rains. But no thunder, lightning, tornados, or substantial flooding. I hope I won’t be eating these words in the future but I have to say the weather here is perfect for me. 2. I have a Michigan accent and attitude I will start by saying that I say things weird on accident sometimes anyways. So in no way should my inability to speak properly be a representation of all who live in Michigan but I have learned that I say things very “midwesty.” Examples: College= I say “cAHllege.” In Oregon it is “CALL-idge” Dollar= I say “dAHler In Oregon it is “Dole-er” The Michigan “Ope” When bumping into someone or feeling awkward I have found that I say “ope.” This has been hilarious to many people. The Michigan Mumble One thing that is mind blowing is how many phrases and things I say way too fast. There is some sort of laziness embedded in my Michigan DNA. For example- saying “apartment” becomes “aparhment.” Many “t’s” and defining letters are missing from most of my words. The Michigan Attitude People in Oregon are just overall kind and welcoming. And because of that I have learned that I am very closed off and cold sometimes. When we moved in a handful of our neighbors asked if we needed help moving things and my first reaction was “they are looting us to rob us.” I guess I could just be judgmental but I have had more conversations with strangers in stores and parks than I ever did in my life. 3. My Church Is Super Legit!! From day one, working at Calvary has been a dream come true. The environment is so encouraging and professional. Everyone on staff is so passionate and hardworking. It gets me really excited to go to work everyday. From the beginning I assumed that the “honeymoon” phase would have worn off but I feel the same today that I did year ago. The best word to describe it is “joy.” It is a joy every morning to wake up and love what I am doing. It is a joy to have coworkers who believe in the mission of our church and are pushing each other toward higher callings. It is a joy to have a church that has truly become family to us in such a short time. When we arrived here a year ago it was terrifying to put ourselves out there and trust people. But Calvary has made it easy to trust again. I am so excited about all that God has done in growing our church over the past year and I can’t wait to see the HUGE things God has in store for the future. 4. My Wife is a superhero!! Over the past year I have seen Selena grow in so many amazing ways. I have seen her pursue her passion for writing as she had countless essays and write-ups published. I have seen her overcome fears and triumph over anxiety. I got to see her strength when giving birth to our baby boy Jude. The joy in her eyes when she held him. I got to see her smile some of the biggest smiles ever as she talked about her different playdates, mom dates, and blog posts. Moving away from everything we knew in Michigan was not easy. But her support and faith in me has motivated me daily. We will be celebrating 5 years of marriage on June 1st. I have to say things keep getting better! When people ask me how life in Oregon is going, many times I respond that “God has led us to the promised land.” I praise God daily for his faithfulness in this season of life. I have broke down in tears on multiple occasions because of all the amazing people God has placed in our life. I look back and remember that sweating anxious man lying on the floor a year ago and all I can say is “cool it, buddy!” It’s simply amazing sometimes how what we are afraid of most in the world can be what is best for us. West is best! Praying for many years ahead like the last one : )
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After being in ministry for about 5 years, I began to wonder why the team I was building wasn’t working the best. I was confused why my volunteers were not as excited as I was. I felt like I was doing everything and they were just hanging out with their back against the wall. I decided to meet with a handful of leaders and really ask them what was going on. I quickly began to realize how beat down and burnt out my leaders were. Many of them loved volunteering and working with the teens in my group but they felt like week after week they were just being dragged through the mud.
Years later now, I have learned my lesson. Here are five things we need to do in order to lead volunteers well in any area of ministry. 1. LEADERS NEED TO COMMUNICATE AND SET CLEAR EXPECTATIONSLeading a ministry can be chaotic. And many times you are just happy to see volunteers showing up so you can begin to order them around to fix, clean and set up whatever it is you didn’t get done. However, volunteers have chaotic lives to. They have just come from a stressful day at work or home and as much as they want to help, they also want to know what is going on. This is why I not only make it a point to have a “detailed” schedule for every ministry event, but I talk over that schedule with leaders before the event. ..... Continue on Youth Specialities Blog Dear 2016, I would like to start off by asking if you are sure that you are only 365 days. From my perspective, 2016, I feel that you received 3 years of my life within your few days. What a year! I don’t know what you were thinking when you came into existence, but it must have been something like “lets make this interesting…” I want to let you know a tradition in our family that you will probably find amusing. Back in 2012 when Selena and I got married we decided on New Year’s Eve of every year we are going to sit down together as we watch the ball drop and write down on a single sheet of paper every memory we can remember from that year. Our goal is to write out the highlights both good and bad in hopes that in future years we could look back on fun times we have had as a family, the many inside jokes that we share, and overall the things that have changed. I told you that you would find this amusing because now that I have explained you probably know what I am about to say. 2016 you were ABSOLUTELY CRAZY. I mean, come on. If you can’t remember then I will remind you what happened in just a couple of brief points. January 2016- |
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“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
- Matthew 6: 25-27
DIS*SO*NANCE
-LACK OF HARMONY AMONG MUSICAL NOTES
-A TENSION AND CLASH RESULTING FROM THE COMBINATION OF TWO DISHARMONIES
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My name is Andrew May.
C.S. Lewis once said that our ideas and beliefs are simply "drops in the sea" of God's truth. I pray that the writings here give you a glimpse into my thoughts but that they would capture small droplets of God's truth.
May 2017
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