camp geneva

June 23, 2008 in family with 0 Comments

Last Thursday, we picked up the boys from their first camp experience ever. We dropped them off the previous Sunday, so we were excited to see how they did. Here are pictures of the guys when we dropped them off.

Keegan @ Camp GenevaCole @ Camp Geneva

Okay, Thursday comes along and Lisa and I are both excited to learn how the guys experienced the week. To our delight, they had a blast. As you can imagine they had a bunch of stories to tell about activities, food (missed momma’s cookin’) and friends they had made. It was great to hear all of that. We especially enjoyed hearing how the guys experienced the theme of Camp Geneva, which was “Believe”. They had covered several incredible stories found in the bible where men and women believed God, and as a result amazing things happened. They had their camp song, which was Steven Curtis Chapman’s Great Expectations, that helped carry the theme through the week. It was fun to hear Keegan say that his group had added a line in the chorus to this song. When it came to singing the chorus, “Believe the unbelievable” they added the line, “As many times as you want.” This is one of those “you had to be there” type of things to fully appreicate it, but it was fun to hear the campers belt this out during the chorus and it demonstrated a pretty good applications to what they had learned that week.

(Lisa adds) My highlight of our reunion aside from the kisses and hugs was a comment Keegan made in the car on the way home. “Mom, I can’t believe it! I’ve been asking you to get me books about war for all these years….Duh! The Bible!” Dennis turned to me and whispered, “Now that’s an answer to prayer.” Love how God just slips in the side door sometimes.

So what did the guys LOOK like after a week away. Here are a couple of shots. They were in good shape although I don’t think they had combed their hair for a while. :)

Keegan with spiked hairCole\'s camp style doo.

ssd applied

June 19, 2008 in dennis with 2 Comments

Father\'s Day

It has been both a pleasure and a challenge to return to work this week after the week in Larry Crabb’s Spiritual School of Direction. It was a pleasure to return to the mission I love, and where I still (even after 25 years) feel God’s pleasure to serve in helping to fulfill the Great Commission. It is my joy to work with such talented, committed and just plain wonderful colleagues. Having them ask me how my week went felt good to be missed, and to have others curious about my experience made it fun to tell what I could. All of that is easy to enjoy.

I was challenged, however, to fully describe my experience. Words don’t come easy to explain what all happen in me as a result of the week. I have said that the week created much needed space in me for God to enter in and be present. I saw more mess in me than I recognized before, but I also saw more beauty in God specifically, how he pursues me and continually invites me to dance with Him, and really the Trinity. It is difficult to describe fully, but it was and is a work in progress.

As I have returned I have already had the opportunity to apply some of what I have learned as I caught up with various team members and heard of their journey’s through last week. It really is a privilege to serve them and to serve with them.

I hope your week has been one where you have moved more toward our Father. The joy in this is that he says that he will move toward us too (James 4:8).

sending letter update

June 17, 2008 in bravehearts with 0 Comments

I just finished laying out an update letter which I will send out this week. You will smile to hear Lisa tell a story from a recent outing with her spiritual formation group called the Bravehearts.

June update letter

the cove, NC – ssd

June 9, 2008 in dennis with 0 Comments

We are now into our third day learning more and more about spiritual direction. It is not just class work, however. We meet with fellow learners each day in what NewWay Ministries calls Triads where we practice some of what we are learning.

Let me say at this point I have never felt so explored or exposed. It really is good to be known. Learning to be curious about each other and listening to one another is very life giving. However, that is not the point, but how we can move toward God (hopefully together) as our greatest treasure is. Direction comes from listening and understanding one another and then pointing one another toward the Lord.

We are still in learning mode so there is more to come. When we are not learning which is a very small part of the day I am trying to squeeze out and walk.

Yesterday I was able to get out of the classroom and I headed back down to the chapel to see if I could get some pictures of the chapel from the outside now that we had some sunny weather. I found it challenging to get a clear shot of the chapel due to all the trees. Boy are there a lot of tree heres (says the Floridian).

I found on my way to the chapel (a good 25 minute walk), all kinds of bible verses preserved on plaques on the trail. It proved to be a contemplative walk with much encouragement from all these verses posted throughout the trail system here at the Cove.

pictures from the the cove

June 8, 2008 in dennis with 0 Comments

We had 90 minutes off this afternoon so after sitting all morning a few of us in the class here at the Larry Crabb Spiritual School of Direction took off for a hike on the grounds here at The Cove. Just as we started thunder clapped above us and the beginning of rain started to fall. We walked quickly into the dense forest and chose a route to the chapel. We figured if it rained hard we could take cover there. Well it was about a 25 minute walk there, which we shortened to about 20 as the rain came harder and harder. By the time we reached the chapel we were soaked.

However, the trip was worth it. We got some good exercise and the chapel was beautiful to see. Here are a couple of shots from the inside of the chapel.

spiritual school of direction [ssd]

June 7, 2008 in dennis with 0 Comments

SSD Banner [http://www.newwayministries.org/ssd.php]

It is my privilege this week to be in Asheville, North Carolina participating in Larry Crabb’s Spiritual School of Direction at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove. The physical environment is beautiful. So is the spiritual climate. There are 30 “students” here gearing up to take up the challenge of absorbing a great amount of content. We also will be putting what we can in action as a part of groups Larry is calling triads where three of us verbally process our journey through the material. My group has four in it, and I guess it is an exception.

We just did our introduction to the week tonight and it should prove to be quite a week. My hope is that I will walk away closer to God, and with new experiences and knowledge that will effect my marriage, my family, my friends and my team.

In addition to that I hope I can make some great images as well (photos that is). I will keep you posted. :)

lisa sings!

June 5, 2008 in bravehearts, lisa with 1 Comment

Bravehearts Karaoke

Last night the Bravehearts stretched out of their comfort zones in ways not known to them before. We were celebrating Robin’s birthday so she got to choose the activities for the evening. Normally we will go to dinner, which we did, but it was our after-dinner activity which set this evening apart from all the rest.
I drove into the strip mall on Curry Ford Road, parked my car and was shocked to hear a man’s voice over a loudspeaker projecting through the parking lot. Within seconds, I realized my fate…anything I sang would be heard not only by those inside the karaoke cafe, but passersby as well. Everything in me wanted to drive away. I would have if it weren’t for the day of Robin’s birth.
Jamie and I walked toward Studio Cafe, the six other Bravehearts inside beckoning us inward. The second shock of the night was that the male voice I heard booming outside, was coming from a woman. A very large woman who also resembled a man. It was classic. Our karaoke cohorts for the night were a handful of men, some harley types, some pierced cowboy rockers, a guy who sang Journey like an American idol, some tattoo laden and women, a very large man in his 30’s who couldn’t carry a note, and a smiling Latin woman in her 60’s who danced out on the sidewalk most of the night.
As we scurried to put in our song choices, I felt like I was in a low-budget film. After the DJ person opened up the night singing with pride, the very large 30-something guy took the stage. He was as sincere as could be as he sang through that country song, not one note remotely on tune. We couldn’t even recognize the song. But he didn’t care. He was shameless and it warmed my heart. He didn’t care what anyone thought about his singing. I admired his freedom. I thought that Jesus wants us that free of others opinions.
Act 2…a 30 something woman, trendy with Corona in hand, took the stage. She sang a Fleetwood Mac song and sounded exactly like a rock star. We listened in awe, sang along with the chorus, and I began to realize that many of these people could carry a tune and had talent. In fact, I was experiencing a sub-culture I’d not known before and everyone but us seemed to be a regular. They were taking the night seriously.
Act 3…a muscular, tatted, beer-drinking 30-something took the stage. He, too, created beauty with his instrument.
Act 4…ME! Yikes, the first Braveheart (BH) to take the stage. Stacy, another BH joined me for moral support.  I told the crowd this offering was in honor of Robin and I was a first-timer. The crowd cheered. Stacy and I belted out Love Shack and worked the crowd. I was having fun with my BH’s and my new friends at Studio Cafe.
More BH’s took the stage and sang their hearts out. More regulars did the same. One of the show-stopping highlights of the night happened when the large country singin’ man who couldn’t carry a tune took the stage for his second song of the night.
He announced to the crowd he was dedicating his next song to Robin, the birthday girl. We all smiled. I think Robin was a little embarrassed. Then the tune to a Garth Brooks song began to play and Robin’s face turned to shock. She exclaimed, “This is my favorite song! This is the song I played for the BH’s that is God’s song to me!” She accused us of setting her up; she asked if any of us told the guy to sing it to her. We were all innocent.
As our sincere cowboy belted out Garth Brooks to Robin (we honestly wouldn’t have known had they not announced it beforehand), we were stunned by God’s pursuit of her. Talk about a God who will go to the ends of the earth to pursue one woman’s heart. Okay, we weren’t really at the end of the earth, but for the BH’s, Studio Cafe felt like it that night. And our Papa could not have been more specific in expressing His passionate heart for Robin.
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