Final Post

Well, here it is.  My Final post from Boston.

Today we are cleaning, and we have a banquet tonight, and Brad will drive me, and a couple of others to the airport tomorrow early in the morning.  He's going to be here at 3:45 am!  That's 2:45 CST for those of you keeping score at home.

I just want to thank God for this summer.  It has been such an incredible experience.  I have learned from great people of faith, and I have had the opportunity to share my faith on campuses, and through media.  I have also grown a lot through my daily devotional, and through some reading of Christian authors.  I made some great friends along the way as well.

I also want to thank all of you who have been reading.  This is the last post I'll be making here, but I do plan to post some of my thoughts in another blog I've created ftaf.blogspot.com starting in the fall.

I want to thank all of those who supported me financially and spiritually.  Without you all (well without you all, I believe God would have gotten me to where I needed to be, but I sure would have worried a lot more than I did, and I probably would have doubted whether or not God even wanted me here).  So thank you so much, because there is no way I could have done this on my own.

I can't wait to see all of you when I get back.  So until...
Well,
God Bless

The Post That Almost Wasn't

I'm writing this post three days late, not because I've been so busy, but because I really haven't wanted to write this.  Last Friday I made some realizations about myself, and I wasn't very happy about them.  A lot has happened since then, so first I'll give you all some of the highlights.

Saturday I had seafood.  It was excellent.  (at $20 a plate it had better be) Seriously, though, it was really good.  I had scallops (on recommendation of our waiter) and they were fantastic.

Sunday was our last prayer and praise time. We all picked our favorite songs, and we spoke about some of the things God has done in our lives, or taught us, in the time we've had this summer.  I chose "Amazing Grace," and spoke of how I've really spent more time in the Word, and in just taking time out of my day/week to talk with God, and how I want to continue that when I get back home.

Monday was good and bad.  At work I went through interviews looking for quotes to use in the final video I am working on this summer, and I spent about six hours doing that.  Then my computer was unplugged accidentally and it turns out I hadn't saved once all day.  So when I go tomorrow morning I will be starting in the exact same spot I started this morning.

That said this evening was a great success.  We had all of the girls over, and cooked for them.  Peter made a salad, I made chili and cake, and Aaron played piano and got flowers for all of the girls.  After the meal we all watched "The Princess Bride," and then the girls left for their own places.  Everyone seemed to have a really good time.  (and the chili was a success!)

Now that you've been all filled in on my activities I'll tell you about Friday.

We went out to the Boston Commons Friday to share, and the group I was with found quite the area.  It is apparently were pot is sold.  We shared with some kids.  Of the four we talked to first two had children, and three had been in jail.  One of the staff people had some good talks with them, and was able to make some points and really relate to them, and all the while there was this feeling building up inside of me.

Next we talked to a man who was a traveling poet in the Druidic tradition.  He also seemed to have pot (and women) on the mind.  By the time I was done talking to him the first kids we talked to were ten feet away from us smoking pot, and it was about all I could take.  I was so sick of everything going on around me that I had to talk a walk to any other part of the park.

After walking for a little while and thinking about how awful all of those people were it occurred to me that I am a sinner the same as them.  I tried to get rid of this thought by justifying that I was a sinner same as them, but I was still better because I realized my sin, and repented of it.

But the problem was still there.  It was me feeling more righteous than them.  I had taken on the role of a modern day pharisee.  We were there looking for exactly the people we found.  The people who most needed to hear about God's love and grace.  Then when we found them I couldn't even stand to be around them.  After praying for about 30 minutes I finally made my way back.

I didn't talk to any of them after that, we left about 10 minutes after I got back, and I don't really have any great resolution to this story other than I realized what I was doing, and how I was judging.  I would ask that you all pray that God would give me the humbleness to not judge others (don't get me wrong, this is not me saying that anyone can do anything, and there is no absolute right or wrong, all I'm saying is that I am in no position to judge anyone, when I am a sinner just like them.)  So, until next time,
God Bless.

Penultimate Wednesday

Today was the second to last Wednesday of the project, and as I think I've stated before, I really like Wednesdays here.

We went to campus this afternoon, and I had two good conversations. The first was with an agnostic who was searching for something, he just didn't know what. Unfortunately we didn't have a lot of time with him, so we just left him with some materials and resources. Hopefully he'll look into it, and the Spirit will move in him in ways that only It can.

The other guy we spoke to was raised in the church, and he still believes in God, and goes to church when he's back home. However, he had a works based view of salvation. He knew he would get into heaven because he is a good person. He's sinned before (only human right?) but on the whole he is a pretty good guy, and does good things, and cares about others.

I am continually amazed at how often people have this view. I understand when someone is selfish, and does only things that they want to do. This self-centered view seems appealing, and it sucks you in. By the time you realize that nothing on Earth can please you enough it is too late, and you are trapped in your own self serving nature.

On the flip side I understand how great it can be to do good things. When you do stuff for others you have a good feeling, and this may lead you to doing more good things, but ultimately the reason for this great sensation is that we are spreading God's love.

What I don't get is when people do good things to get to heaven. I think the Bible is pretty clear about how we are saved, and it's not of our own works.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

I just don't see how this is not more central in so many churches. I don't blame the church he goes to, but I do think it's wrong that this isn't stressed in every church.

Regardless, we did have a good conversation with him, and in the end we were able to share much of the Gospel with him, and discuss how Christ needs to be at the center of your life.

After all of that I came back, and had my laundry/reflection night. I finished reading "The Shack." Another good book that I won't recommend quite as highly as C.S. Lewis, or Timothy Keller, but a good book none the less. So, until next time,

God Bless.

Familiarity

When you get used to doing something it starts to go faster. This has been very evident in the past few days for me.

Case 1:

Yesterday Aaron and I went to one of the other houses and installed two A/C units. We were at the house for a little over an hour. For the first unit we had no idea what to do. We took out the instructions, and figured out how to assemble and mount the unit with the few supplies we had. (Dead power drill, no duct tape, and a window with a ledge very inconvenient for placing a unit in flat) We found a screwdriver, packaging tape, and figured out a way to make it stay in place, but all of this took us a while. First unit time: 45 minutes.

Then for the second unit we knew what we had to do, and we already had all of the supplies nearby. Second unit time: 15 minutes.

It makes sense, we knew exactly what we had to do, so the task went faster the second time.

Case 2:

Today I put finishing touches on another video, it still has to be approved, and small changes may be in store, but this video didn't even take 1/2 as long as our first. To top it off, this video was done on my own. Not to boast, because the other two have been working on a much more complex video, that my particular skills don't apply as much for. So in the week or so since our first video was finished we have finished (pretty much) two more videos that are of a better quality than the first.

This isn't quite the same principal as before, because we are doing a different task each time, but we are familiar with some of the process, and definitely with techniques to be used. First video time: 42 days, Second and third videos combined: about 10 days.

Case 3:

This project.

The first week here was long. I was excited to be on project, but I was also a little nervous to be away from home for the entire summer. It seemed like 9 weeks was going to take forever. I felt like God had called me to this project, and I just had to serve my time, and then I would get to go home, and everything would go back to normal.

Now we have officially seven more work days, three trips to campus, and only a few more whole group activities. I won't just go home and be back to normal, because there will be a new normal. I have grown so much over this project.

I won't say I'm a different person, because my beliefs are still the same (but stronger) my flaws are still the same (but more apparent to me) and my personality is still the same (maybe slightly more awesome) but seriously I have grown so much in my walk with Christ this summer. So, until next time,

God Bless.

Whoa!

So, there are officially two weeks left on project. It has gone so fast. I miss home, but I will also really miss Boston, and more importantly all of the people on project.

You may say "Well, why worry about it? You still have two weeks left."

And in fact, I do, I only mention it, because I was talking with Brad about it today. We helped him move some stuff today. They have a storage unit they've been renting, and he asked if we would be willing to help move some of it to the new house. It was mostly just boxes. No furniture or anything like that is being moved yet.

Aaron and I went with Brad, while a bunch of the girls stayed at the house, and did work around there. They cleaned the whole place, and took off some of the wallpaper, and even one of the carpets. All of the girls were gone yesterday. They had girls weekend (similar to the guys camping trip) and so they left the office early Friday.

It was pretty lonely around the office. Instead of there being 14 students and 3-4 staff people at the office, it was just the three guys. It was a lot quieter. (not a knock on the girls, it was like an eerie quiet)

Anyways, we made it through just fine, and they're all back now. So, until next time,

God Bless.

The Conversation

I want to first say that my comments a few days ago about feeling unnecessary in the office were a bit whinny, so I apologize for you all having to listen to that. Sure enough, the very next day I was assigned a new video, and have plenty of work to do.

Now with the apology out of the way I had to tell you all about my experience on campus yesterday. It was raining, and the gal I was with and I walked around for an hour without speaking to anyone, then we met Sam.

I'll let you know right from the start that Sam did not come away from our conversation accepting Christ. In fact he was pretty much opposed to everything that either of us said. He is convinced that the Bible is European propaganda, that God (rather "The Creator" as he said) is a woman, and that women used to be able to reproduce without males. I don't say any of this to poke fun at him, I just want you all to know that we were coming at this conversation from vastly different viewpoints.

We spoke for 2 1/2 hours, and finally both Becka (the other person on project that I was with) and I had to go. But in that time we were able to hit on a lot of points. As I mentioned he didn't come to accept Christ, but there were multiple times when one of us was able to make a point to him that pointed out that his logic was flawed.

One of the hardest things is that when you're speaking with someone who is set against believing anything the Bible says you can't use it to make a point. It is our ultimate source of truth, and people can just dismiss it like that. Then you have to try and use logic outside of the Bible, or some scientific finding. Mind you those things are both out there. It's just that we already have the Word of God. I believe if someone is even willing to go into the Bible with an open mind that it could be true (this is different than just having blind faith, and saying that someone told them to believe the Bible, so they did); if they go in with that mindset they would find so many incredible truths, and realize that every answer is already given to us.

Regardless, there are plenty of people out there who don't have that mindset, and that's okay. God gave them freewill, and if they need science and logic then He will show them that as well. It's amazing how well people are provided for.

So to make this long post longer, I wanted to say that I thank God for the opportunity to have that conversation. Six months ago, I would have just ended the conversation once I knew his beliefs, and nothing I would say would change them. I also thank God that I was with Becka. She is a bit more aggressive than I am with other people, and she kept the conversation going. I was then able to think, and present a logical case for what I believed, and make many valid points regarding what I believed and what Sam believed.

In the end it was one of the better talks I've had here in Boston, and I pray that the Lord would put more people in Sam's life that would speak the truth to him, and show him the information he needs to see. (He's very smart and driven, and I believe he will continue to search for Truth on his own) I just hope he finds real truth along the way. So, until next time,

God Bless

One Down, Three to Go

Today we finally finished our first video. You can check it out at

http://vimeo.com/13329662

Check it out. I think it turned out pretty good.

Today was also a little frustrating from a work sense. The video team as a whole has a lot of skills, but right now we are doing the graphical side of things, which is most definitely not my forte. I can still offer input, but it is the other two members of the team who are really putting this next video together, and I felt a little useless. Don't get me wrong, this isn't like emotional breakdown mode, I was just getting antsy by the end of the day. Tomorrow we go out on campus, and that will be a good change of pace for me.

Tonight for our Bible study we ended up just hanging out. We went to Brad's new house. (They officially closed the deal on their old apartment, and will start moving things over soon) Then we went to the grocery store for some food (always nice to have a ride there, so we don't have to walk back with our groceries through the rain) It was a good time, and I continue to enjoy my time with all of the men here on project.

It's crazy, we started that first video about the second day on project, and it took us 41 days. Now we only have 18 days left to finish the last three, but I the whole team is so much more comfortable in our roles, that I am very confident we will get all of them done, and they will be at a great quality. Thank God for that; for the abilities we have, and how well our team gets along, and for the great support all of the full-time staff on project has been. That's all I really know for tonight. So, until next time,

God Bless.

Back in Action (and Boston)

Well, it's been a while. In the time since my last post I've seen four states, a World Cup final, a replay of the Big XII Championship game, four movies, Times Square, and the Statue of Liberty.

I was in New York City last week, and it was a good time. Normally I would use great here, but this trip was just good. New York had a bit of a heat wave (don't get me wrong, 95 with high humidity is commonplace in Nebraska, but we didn't have AC in the house we stayed at, and I'm just a bit of a wimp when it comes to heat.

However, the heat wasn't enough to take away from the trip entirely. I saw some wonderful sites (the aforementioned Times Square, and Statue of Liberty via a ferry ride), I had some good food (Foley's [sports bar for the ages], Grimaldi's Pizza [even was filmed by the travel channel for that one]), had some great personal time (Central Park for a couple of hours reading, writing, and just chatting with God), and had lots of reading time (finished Reason for God, as well as The Great Divorce, and The Screwtape Letters [both by C. S. Lewis, all highly recommended]).

With all of that said it was a very good trip.

Now we're back in Boston, and it's good to be back. I had some computer issues, so I wasn't able to write a post until now, but that is all fixed, and I'm back in action.

Also of note is two things work related. Today we finished the final rendering for our first video project, so it should be converted to a movie file, and hopefully up on YouTube later this week. We also filmed today. It took an entire day, and we had to set up a bunch of lights, a makeshift greenscreen, and install some AC units (another story for another day) but in the end we got some good video, and I think this intro video that we're working on is going to be one of our best projects for the summer.

I think I've rambled for long enough tonight, and I have to get some sleep (it's 12:20 here). So, until next time,

God Bless.

Day off

I don't mean to rub it in, but having today off is pretty fantastic. It has been a very busy weekend, and this week is going to be even more so. We go to New York early tomorrow, and it will be super busy all week.

Last night was awesome! The whole day was enjoyable, we just hung out by the river from 2-8:30 then the concert started Toby Keith was there, Craig Ferguson was the host, and the Boston Pops played. It was all great, but the Pops' rendition of 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky was absolutely phenomenal. Then the fireworks came, and were also wonderful.

I have been working on the picture updating. You can see a large selection of photos at

http://michaelfahrenbruch.myphotoalbum.com

Let me know if that works.

On a sadder note I received a message from Hastings College's President Dr. Phil Dudley, and we learned that Dana College would be closing down. This may be old news to some and shocking to others, but for me at least it really hit home. Dana is a small private school in Nebraska (kind of similiar to the one that I go to) and all of the students their found out that they wouldn't be able to return to school six weeks before classes start. I can't imagine how that would be if I would've found out that Hastings just closed.

Would I be able to go to College next year? Would I still graduate next year? What about all of my friends at Hastings? Where would they go? Would my credits transfer? If I don't go to school what will I do with the debt I have, and no degree to show for it?

Their minds have to be racing, and I ask that you all remember those students in your prayers. It would just be so difficult of a time.

I don't know a whole lot more. Now I have to get stuff together to take to New York, and who knows when I'll be able to post again. So, until next time,
God Bless.

Michael's Adventure to Wonderland

Happy 4th of July. Would've titled that, but I had to tell you all about my trip to Wonderland.

"Attention: Blue Line to Wonderland now arriving."

I heard that while waiting to go to the Aquarium yesterday. The Aquarium by the way was excellent. It had some great exhibits of jellyfish, many amazon species, and of course...Penguins! After spending a little time there we went to an Imax movie called Sea Rex, and that was cool. Then a group of people went to a movie last night. It was a pretty full day.

Now I haven't written in a while, and it seems that the less I write it means there's been more stuff going on that I have to write about. Friday we went to the Red Sox game. It was also awesome. It took a little while, but the Sox won me over in the 8th inning. First I sang "Sweet Caroline" with an ecstatic crowd, then the Sox broke a tie on a little blooper, and eventually Jon Papelbon came in to close out the game, and seal the win. It was a very fun night.

Today we are going into the city to get ready for the show tonight. I'm looking very forward to it. Then tomorrow is a day off, and Tuesday we leave for New York City. Next week is going to be crazy busy, and I may not get another post until Saturday. Sorry, you'll just all have to find some other awesome stuff to read. So, until next time,
God Bless.

Wonderfully Average

Today was exactly that. It was wonderfully average. I don't have any deep insight that is new, and nothing that hasn't already happened once on this project happened today, but all kinds of things happened that would have made for a major story any day before project.

It started out with our prayer and praise team meeting at the Harbor. (Great scene: sitting at the edge of the harbor with the water a 30 foot fall away, gorgeous day, sunny, but a cool breeze coming over the water) We talked about what we were going to do for this Sunday, then realized that this Sunday is the 4th, so we are already ahead for next week's meeting.

Later on I was able to talk about Christ to a complete stranger (no she didn't accept Christ then and there, she happened to be a member of the group Agape that I mentioned Monday night, so she had done that long ago). Then this evening I had my reflection time (Not as great of a scene: sitting in the basement on a lawn chair in my shorts doing laundry) I continue to get a lot out of the Reason for God book, and to top it off I had meaningful conversations with both of my roommates today.

So nothing out of the ordinary happened, and it was one of the most wonderfully average days I can remember. So, until next time,
God Bless.

Discipleship

One of the cool things that is done on project is discipleship. One of the leaders takes out each of the people on project, and basically they talk to each other, and the leader shares about "how to share." My discipler is Nate Miller, and we meet every Tuesday afternoon to talk. I enjoy our time, and this week I made a revelation, and I would appreciate all of your prayers on the matter.

During project there is such a great atmosphere. The people I am around all day, every day have such a fire and passion for the Lord that it is easy to feed off them, and have the strongest desire to do God's will that I have ever had.

I described myself as a chameleon of sorts. I am great at getting along with whomever I am around. (don't get me wrong, this is a good ability, because I am able to get along with about anyone) It does cause trouble in the sense that sometimes I am not myself around people. I will act like the person that I think people want me to act like, and not actually be myself. This isn't a self-confidence issue, as many of you know I have loads of confidence (too prideful if anything), but I do like to please the people I am around, so in the past if an opportunity to share the Gospel came up, I would let it pass if I thought there was even a chance the other person would feel uncomfortable.

Now with all of that said I get back to my point. Please pray that at the end of this summer, when I am back on campus, I would still have the fire that I have this summer. I don't intend to be pushy, and turn my campus off of Christ, but I certainly want to have the courage to be able to share with people when an opportunity presents itself.

That was my big revelation. In other news, our other Bible study leader, Brad, brought over his clippers, and I was able to get a haircut tonight, so I should be able to make it until the end of the summer without my hair getting uncomfortably long. So, until next time,
God Bless.

Devo with Michael

Today I led the office devotional. It went well. Most of it is something I've already shared on this blog. I told about the weekend when I needed "me time." I just needed to be alone for a little while, and I felt bad for not wanting to be with the group. Then I read 1 Kings 19:11-13 where The Lord passes by Elijah. Not in a wind, not in an earthquake, and not in a fire, but in a whisper.

Anyways, I already mentioned how important that was for me to read at that time, but for the "devo" I expanded on that and told how we all need to remember how the Lord can work in seemingly "small" ways. It's easy to get discouraged when we don't convert every single person we talk to, or when someone who is genuinely interested in hearing more, but a friend comes along and invites them to go eat, and they leave without getting any of your information, but the fact is that God can work through small things as well as large.

It could be that something we say makes the person think, and then down the road another person is talking with them. Then the first person thinks more, and eventually they are at that point in their life where they realize what God has done for them, and how much He loves them, and they do accept Christ as their personal savior.

Case in point could be tonight. We went on an outreach project designed as a scavenger hunt. We had questions from different topics (life, love, education, science, and money) and each topic had multiple questions that got progressively more spiritual. We had a competition (which was one by Rachel Havrilla, and yours truly) to see who could get the most people to answer questions (more points for the more spiritual questions.)

It was really fun, but it felt like we couldn't really get into a great spiritual conversation, because we were rushing to ask the next person, and I began to think "how is this really reaching out?" but maybe the guy we talked to who said that Science would eventually disprove God will start to look into that. He'll try and be the one who finally does it. He'll learn all he can about God, and how to prove that He doesn't exist, but after spending that much time on it he'll realize that the effort he made came to prove God more than disprove Him. (Crazier things have happened)
Either way, I am working on letting it go, and letting God take it from here.

Also of note is that tonight on campus we met a group of people called Agape Christian Fellowship. They are tied with Campus Crusade, and two of the people actually just had come back from a summer project. (small world, huh?) So, until next time,
God Bless.

Ouch

So you know how you do something stupid, like don't take a air matress/sleeping bag/pillow camping and you wake up the next day after sleeping on the ground using a bookbag as a pillow, and you know you're going to regret it, but the next day you feel fine, then after you get a good night's sleep you wake up and it hits you like a ton of bricks?

Well I sure do. I was so sore this morning. I'm not asking for sympathy, it was my own fault. Perhaps, by telling the world (or at least my 6 readers) someone could learn from my mistake.

Outside of the pain today was a good day. At church this morning I was very excited. Their special music was a gal singing some song I'd never heard of, but she was accompanied by a guy playing the tenor sax. It was great! Not to mention he was really good.

Tonight was prayer and praise again, and I continue to love that time. I've always loved singing praises with others, but after doing this a few times I realize how great sharing, and heartfelt prayer can also be. It is such a great way to be close with God, and be a community of believers at the same time.

Tomorrow I lead the devotional, so I have to cut this short, and figure out what I would like to do it on (rather what God would like to say through me). So, until next time,
God Bless.

What a Night!

I shouldn't give that good of a teaser, because we were told "What happens around the campfire, stays around the campfire."

That said it was a great time. We were able to share stories with each other, and play catch, and build a campfire, and have some alone time, and do a devotional this morning. All-in-all it was great.

I also finally busted out the camera full force. (it helps that Aaron went crazy as soon as he got a nice camera in his hands) I got about 500 pictures from the camping trip. Flickr won't let me add that many at a time, so you'll have to wait for the full album, but I should be adding highlights in the next couple of days.

The only sad note from the weekend came this afternoon as Team USA lost in the round of 16 at the World Cup to Ghana 2-1. I was sad the Americans lost, but I am definitely rooting for Ghana now. They are the only team left from Africa.

So this weekend summed up. Go Ghana, yeah camping, and thank you God for bringing me to Boston. So, until next time,
God Bless.

Reflection Night Postponed

I had my reflection night postponed to tonight, because of the crazy week we've had. Tuesday we went and met one of the people on project at the airport, so Bible study was pushed back to Wednesday night. That means that reflection night, had to be moved to tonight. I really like reflection night. (not that there's been a whole lot on this project that I haven't liked)

I am starting another book for my reflection time. I am now reading a copy of Tim Keller's "The Reason for God." I just read the first couple of chapters tonight, and I believe I am really going to enjoy it.

I also am very excited for tomorrow's camping trip. We leave from the office in the afternoon, and won't be back until later on Saturday. I have really enjoyed the time I've been able to spend with the guys, and I think this trip will be a great experience for all of us.

Another note on me being frustrated by our critique from earlier this week: Totally worth it. I didn't want to have to redo the stuff we had worked on, but today we actually got to work on fixing the things that were mentioned, and the video is looking much better because of it. I've always been reluctant to edit things, but it seems the stuff that I do go over multiple times turn out to be the best work. Any of you can ask my mom. She could tell you about me writing my speech for high-school graduation. I wrote a speech, and thought it was just fine after one attempt. Mom thought differently. It was "fine" yes, but I could do much better. I rewrote the thing two more times, and the final product was far better than the original.

I have experiences like that, and yet still I don't like when somebody gives me constructive criticism. Please pray that God would help me with that, and that I would not take offense when people are only trying to get the best out of me (and my team in this case.) So, until next time,
God Bless.

I'm Still Here

I thought it was important I let you all know I'm okay.

Two days without a post, and Mom started to get a little worried. I'm actually doing just great. We are a little busy, but it's the good kind. Today we went onto campus, and talked again. I am starting to get more comfortable starting up conversations with stranger about God, but without his help there is no way I would be able to do it.

Yesterday we (the video team) had a meeting with our "client" (also a member of the staff for Campus Crusade) and we found out we would have to change a lot of stuff for our video to work. I took it bad at first. I saw it as the work we did wasn't good enough, but that wasn't the case at all. Our work was mostly good, but it didn't fit what was needed. Now we are back on track, and the video is going to be much better because of it.

To make up for that disappointing news yesterday, I also received awesome news. This weekend all of the guys (my two housemates, Aaron and Peter, and the two project leaders, Brad and Nate) are going camping this weekend. We leave Friday afternoon, so I won't be posting anything Friday (Mom consider yourself warned).

Also you may notice the new gadget on my blog linking to my flickr account. You can check out some of my photos from the trip if you head over there. So, until next time,
God Bless.

Father's Day

Most of you will be reading this tomorrow morning, so it's a little late, but Happy Father's Day to all those father's out there.

Not a lot happened today. Went to church (good sermon on doing the will of the Lord), we had prayer and praise tonight (again always fun to sing praises to the Lord), and our prayer was on complacency.

This is something that I have to watch out for in particular. I love routine, and comfort. So on this project once I figure out the routine I will just go into auto-pilot, and I don't want that to happen. I want to have a heart fully focused on God, and what He wants me to do, and why He has me here.

That said I'll get back to the Father's tribute. Thank you father's for everything you do. In my own life my Father is the model. He's not perfect, but he is good.

If I have half of his work ethic when I go to work full time, my employer will be lucky.
If I can be as reliable as he is, people will trust my word, and know that I'll do what I say.
If I become the family man he is, my family will all still want me to come around when I'm 50,
and hopefully my wife and children will love me like his do.
If I am after God's heart like he is, than it is I who will reap the rewards for having a relationship with the Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.

Happy Father's Day.

So, until next time,
God Bless.

Two in a Day!

Okay, so this won't happen a lot, but I had to post another one tonight, just so you all can see how God is working in my life.

Tonight the passage I read from in the Bible was 1 Kings 19. In that chapter one thing that happens is that Elijah goes to the mountain where the Lord will pass by. There's a great wind (perhaps even stronger than what Axtell faced today), an earthquake, and a fire, but the Lord is not in any of those great and powerful things. He is in a gentle whisper.

I was feeling guilty for not going over and watching a movie with some of the other people on project tonight, and it's so incredible that I would be reading this passage tonight. In today's society people who are loud and exciting, and friendly and social, are who are most admired. People aren't always like that though. Sometimes they (me tonight) need to be alone, and just have a quiet night.

One thing is not better than the other. Being social is great, and being reflective is also great. God gave us personalities that have both of those kinds of traits, and I think that is truly wonderful. I'm just amazed when He does things like this that are so relevant to everyday life, and I'm in awe once again. So, until next time,

God Bless.

Me Time

So do you ever have that time when you are around people constantly, and you just really need a break. You may love the people you are around, but you just really need to be alone for a little bit. That's what tonight is for me. It's "Me Time."

This sounds really selfish, and perhaps it is, but I need it none-the-less. Two nights ago we watched the Celtics play 3 great quarters, and lose the NBA championship. However, I'm not really a huge Celtics fan, it's just that the atmosphere here made them the exciting team. So I'm over that. Then last night was wonderful. Five of us went to see Toy Story 3. I will tell you all that I wasn't excited for it. I loved Toy Story, and Toy Story 2 was okay, but the previews didn't have me convinced.

I was wrong. Toy Story 3 is awesome! It is at least as good as Wall-E (which is high praise in my book).

Now this isn't a movie review, and plenty of you reading this don't care if I liked Toy Story 3 or not, but I tell you so you know that I was with people all yesterday also.

Then today we went to the Boston Commons. It is the oldest public park in America, and we had a great time there. We played Frisbee, and threw around a football, and sang "Lean on Me" with acoustic guitar in the background. It was great. Now that I am back home, I am just needing a little time to myself. Tonight I will relax, read, maybe put in a movie or something, but it will definitely be relaxing.

To any of you (Mom) who may be concerned. Please don't worry. The more I hang around everyone on project the more I love and appreciate all of the different personalities God has brought together for his work. That said I am an introvert, and every once in a while I need to be alone for a little bit. This is that night, and I thank God that I am able to do that every now and then. So, until next time,

God Bless.

Reflection Night

Wednesdays are going to be good days. The prayer and worship team meets in the morning, then we go to campus in the afternoon, and the evening is reflection night. Let's break that down.

Prayer and worship team is awesome! We meet and discuss what will be the focus of our prayer time (Sunday nights at 5) and we figure out which songs we are going to sing.

Campus will be a very big part of this project. We go out twice a week and share the Gospel with students on local campuses. I'm at Northeastern. I'll admit this is the hardest part of the project for me, and also the most rewarding. Where I am immensely comfortable singing in front of the people on project, I am not very comfortable sharing the Gospel with people I don't know. It is uncomfortable, because it's something that until this project I hadn't really done before. It's also something that I want to be able to do, because it is very important. We have already learned many different ways of striking up conversations with people (ask me about it sometime, and I'll be happy to share). I'm sure there are still plenty of other things they will teach us. (not to mention it just gets more comfortable with experience)

Then there's reflection time. This is another thing that I am good at. I get my laundry, head down to the basement, and take some books with me. I read my Bible passage for the night, (I'm doing the One Year Bible) and then I read a chapter or two from the book they gave us to read throughout the project, Counterfeit Gods, by Tim Keller. It is an excellent book about the things, or desires that we put ahead of God, and make them like gods of their own. Examples could be things that are typically thought of as "bad" or "selfish" like money, and power, but they can also be things that are "good" like love, or even family. It's just that no matter how good something is, if you put it in the place of God, and try to get happiness, purpose, or self-worth from anything that isn't God, you are bound to be let down. It's a very good book.

Tomorrow there may not be a post. We are having the girls over for dinner, dessert, and basketball. Since this is the last game, I should get more regular at posting. Also thanks to all those who leave comments. I don't reply to every one, but I do read them, and appreciate any input, support, or just comments. So, until next time,

God Bless.

Day of Productivity

Today was very productive. It turns out that on Mondays, the leaders of the project don't come in to the office. Instead they have a day where they all work on their own things (Bible Studies, discipleship, etc.). So we had no meetings today, and it was incredibly productive. Don't get me wrong. I'm not bashing meetings. They are very important, and we used a lot of them last week to figure out what needed to be done, and what direction we should go in.

So today I worked on the video. In the previous week I had set up things, and spent entire days looking for the right music, or transporting files. Today was the first day I laid down a single video track, and we almost have the entire structure of the video done. It will only take about an hour tomorrow, and it will be good to go. Then a couple of the more time intensive parts (animating, and rendering) and we will have a promotional video.

Then when we got to the house this evening, I mowed the lawn, while another guy made pasta, and the other did the dishes tonight. It was a good night, and a lot was done.

On a sadder note, please all pray for the members of this project. I won't go into details, because this isn't the place, but some of the people on project are having very difficult times (family, relationships, faith), and if you would all pray for everyone here on this project, I know there are many people who would appreciate it.

Hate to leave you all on that sad thought, so I'll say "Go Celtics" as they try and win the NBA championship tomorrow. So until next time,

God Bless.

Reflections on Tiananmen Square

In 1989 there was a lot of big stuff that happened. "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin became the first a capella song to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list, the sega genesis was released, the Cold War came to an end, student protests in China at Tiananmen Square lead to a massacre and famous man stopping a line of tanks, and a certain someone was born, that you would all come to know and love as Michael Bradley Fahrenbruch.

I mention all of this, not because I thought you needed to know all of the big things that happened the year I was born, but because I learned a bit about one of the other events that happened in 1989 today.

In church, a woman from China named Chai Ling gave her testimony today. You can look her up online, for all the details, but she was a student leader of the Tiananmen Square protests (twice nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize). She spoke about how she had worked for so long to get political freedom from the Communist Government, and then she actually escaped. She fled to France, and eventually the states. Then when she finally had attained the freedom she had so long desired, it wasn't what was missing in her life.

In December of last year she came to accept Christ after some friends and mentors showed her that God was the one she really needed. She was baptized this April, and gave her testimony today.

It was a really good service, the sermon was on fearing the Lord (in a nutshell you should fear the Lord like you fear parents. It's not like you want to run and hide, it's like you have to much respect to disobey, or dissapoint [not that we don't all fall short anyways]).

Then later today we had prayer and worship. That was wonderful as I'm sure it will always be. (You really can't beat 18 people singing praises with piano and acoustic guitar in a small room)

Then to top off the night the Celtics won! If they win on Tuesday I will actually be in the City of a professional Championship team. Cool huh?

Least to say that today was an interesting day. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me next. So, until next time,

God Bless.

Sleeping In

Wow. So In the 12 days I have been here this was the first day that I slept past 7am. I woke up at 11 and it was wonderful.

Saturdays are free days, so we don't have anything specific to do. Today about nine of us went to see The A-Team. It was good. I certainly enjoyed it. After that we came back, and cleaned a little. (We're supposed to clean every Saturday) I am in charge of the bathrooms and vacuuming. It didn't take long, so no complaints.

Not a whole lot to say about today. One thing that I will note is that my times are off. If you check the times that I post these it will be an hour early. The clock on my computer is still on Central time, and I can't change it, so this post will say something like 11:05, but actually it is just past midnight here, so I need to get some sleep. (early church tomorrow) So until next time,

God Bless.

Thank God for Creative Commons

I mean that most sincerely. I have been searching for a song for 4 days. Here's my assignment. Find a song to go on the background of the video we are putting together (the video team is me, and two other people on project.) I have no money to use for it, and we have a specific feel we want the video to have, so the song must embody that.

Last year the people who put the video together got a song from one of the bands that performed at Winter Conference (they are good friends with one of the people who works with Campus Crusade). I don't have that luxury, so I've been looking for good free music for a long time.

I went to a site called newgrounds.com/audio they have music that people put up for anyone to listen to and use (for non-commercial work, and they must be given credit) this is known as Creative Commons, and whoever instituted it is a wonderful person.

Now we have a great song to put to our video, so next week it will start coming together.

Today we also went to campus (it will be every Wed. and Fri.). It wasn't quite like Wed., nobody accepted Christ right on the spot, but I am not discouraged like the first time I went onto campus. Then nothing happened because I was unwilling to talk to people, this time people just weren't around, didn't want to talk, or I was able to talk, and they just weren't at the point of accepting Christ. I am able to look at it a lot differently now. It's not the work that I put into it. I could fumble over the Gospel and sound like a stammering fool, or I could speak wonderfully and elegant, but in the end it is God's word and the Holy Spirit that moves people, not anything I do or say.

Knowing that it makes the days were people aren't as willing to talk a lot easier. It's almost midnight here, so until next time,

God Bless.

Early Bird

So I didn't write this post last night, because I went over to another house and met up with the other kids on project to watch the Celtics-Lakers game. We got back to our apartment at 1 in the morning. It was really fun though, one of the girls on project is from Boston, and she made watching the game so much better.

The reason I am writing it this early is because today was one of those days where we hit every stop perfect and got to the office 30 minutes early. We got to the bus stop, and not 1 but 2 buses were pulling up to the street. Then we got to the subway, and heard our train pulling in, so we ran to the platform, and got on their immediately.

Yesterday was what is becoming a typical day. (Not typical as in boring, typical as in I'm starting to get used to what is going on). I worked on transporting video from a dvd to the computer so we can put it together for a promotional video. I do a lot of walking around the office to see what other people are working on and how things are going for them. I still love the office work. It's just been great.

Then we went shopping for groceries after work, and we walked back to our house (a 30 minute walk in the rain wearing dress clothes carrying three bags of groceries each). Don't get me wrong, I love the rain, but I don't particularly like wet food. That said it was still a great day.

Today we go to campus in the afternoon, and tonight we are all getting together to play games and watch a movie. I may not update this until Saturday evening, so I just wanted to let you all know. So until next time,

God Bless.

The Visit, the Call, and the Goodbye

Wow! Yesterday was so full of stuff, but work starts soon, so I'll try to sum it up without messing up anything.

First we went to campus yesterday. It was much better than last time. God gave me the courage to start up conversations with others, and I had some excellent talks. Altogether my pair (Nate Miller and me) talked to six people, and were able to share part of the gospel with four of them. We may have planted the seed for some people, and we may have watered it for others, and one girl actually dedicated her life to Christ. (Her name is Jackie and I ask that you all would pray for her, and all of the others who were spoken to yesterday).

I also had a great devotional time last night and I will have to elaborate in tonight's post.

Last thing of note is that the Laymen's left for New York this morning. It's bittersweet. I'm glad to be moving into my own room, and having free reign of the house, but they will be missed. They are a very cool family, they're very gracious, and they cooked for us on ocassion.

I'm sorry I didn't get this post up sooner, and so now I have to wrap it up too fast.

Last note, you all should be able to leave comments now without having a Google account, so please comment away. So until next time,

God Bless.

Forgiveness

Today was another full day at work. Currently I am looking for a song to put in the background of our video for the Boston Winter Conference. Finding a song isn't so hard, but finding one that we can get free license to is proving to be quite a bit more difficult. Other than struggling with that not a whole lot going on at the office.

Tonight was the first in depth night of our Bible study. The two leaders (Brad and Nate) came over to the Layman house tonight, and we began our study. It is a book called "Flesh" by Rick James. I think it is going to be very interesting. The first section is on Forgiveness.

The story it uses is when Jesus had been raised, and he asked Peter (who had denied him three times the day of his crucifixion) if Peter loved him. He asked him three times to symbolize how Peter had denied three times. Peter answers that he does indeed love Jesus, and Jesus says to "Feed my sheep" and "Follow me."

That's it. Peter is forgiven. There's no berating, and no dwelling on it later, it's just forgiveness. So I would ask all of you to pray for me. I have sinned much in the past, so pray that I may let those things go and not dwell on them.

God has forgiven me of those sins, so there is absolutely no reason for me to hold on to any of them. That's all I have for this time. So until next time,

God Bless.

Time Flies

It's official, I love working with media.

Today was the first full day of work at the office. We received assignments in the morning. I am on the video team, and we will be making a promotional video, and an intro video for Boston's Winter Conference (a campus crusade conference that each region holds every winter).

Today went so fast. This morning we just brainstormed ideas for a logo, and a few ideas for a video sequence. Again I am amazed by the people around me. The things that they can do artistically, and the speed they can do them in is astonishing. It is truly a gift from God. I hope I can absorb a great deal from them, and maybe be able to hold my own.

Don't worry though, this isn't me feeling down on myself, I am contributing, this is only me saying that the other people hear are very talented. Tomorrow is another work day, and we will have Bible Study in the evening.

It's a short post today, plenty of stuff was done, but it was not as varied as the weekend was. So until next time,

God Bless.

and on the 7th Day...

Ah Sunday, a day of rest. I was sure ready for it. I still woke up fairly early 7am, but that was by choice. I went to the 8:30 service at the Park Street Church. There is an 11 o'clock service, but this way I had a lot of free time, and I really enjoyed it. I spent the afternoon reading, resting, and playing piano. It was fantastic.

This evening the whole group met up for dinner, and prayer and worship. I am on the prayer and worship committee, so we led the group in singing, and a time of prayer, and more singing. That was also a great time. We sang for about an hour-and-a-half. It was also just a great time of bonding for the group. We were in a very cozy room (barely fit all of us) in the Millers' house.

Tomorrow is the first day of full office work. The Graphics and Media interns have a conference call in the morning, and I believe we'll receive our first projects to work on. I'm looking forward to it, and tomorrow evening there is nothing, so I think I'll do my first load of laundry (oh yeah, the Laymens [our gracious hosts] have a washer and dryer, so no laundromat for me!!!). It should be a great day. So until next time,

God Bless.

The U.S.S. Constitution (Yes two S's)

Today for my first Saturday in Boston, I got to wake up at 7:30 (hoorah for sleeping in). We left on a Ferry at 10. Planning for travel in the city is so strange. I have to give myself 45 minutes to get from our house to the office. From the ferry we toured the U.S.S. Constitution, the world's oldest, floating, commissioned, naval vessel.

It was fascinating, and even worth the loss of sleeping in. Our tour guide was a very dramatic member of the navy. He told us about the ship, and its battles. I would highly recommend it to anyone in Boston.

After that was lunch in Little Italy (also very good), and the prayer and worship team met to discuss our plans for prayer, and practice our songs for tomorrow night.

Another early morning ahead (church at 8:30 at Park Street). I'm excited, I've heard good things about this church. So until next time,

wait! First I give you all these words of advice. When going on an extended trip if you buy new shoes for said trip, make sure that these shoes don't rub against your heels, and cause you to bleed all over your socks, and make a 20 minute walk home through the streets barefoot.

Ok, so until next time,

God Bless.

Pomp and Circumstance

So sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. I got back at 9:30 from Bible study, and instead of updating my post I watched the NBA finals until I went to sleep. (I'm fully aware that I made the wrong choice).

That said, Bible study is going to be excellent. There are five guys altogether. (Me, the other two males on the project, and two of the male leaders). We just ate and talked last night, but I know that we are going to have some great talks.

Today was an exciting day with its ups and downs. It was the first time we'd gone to campus to share. We all went to UMASS in Boston. Problem was, today is UMASS's graduation. Most everyone who was there was preparing for graduation, or had just finished.

I was paired up with Nate Miller (one of the leaders of the Bible study). We did manage to talk to a few people. The first was a girl who had just started going to church more regularly, but was definitely still searching for something. I talked with her some, and Nate threw in some useful follow up questions. We left her with a tract called Knowing God Personally, and hopefully it will be a seed for God to use.

The next group we talked to was three people. They were likely Chinese, and claimed to be atheists. We

(basically Nate) talked with them for a little while, but didn't really get to tell them much about Christ.

I admit that coming back I was feeling a little down, because most of what happened was due to Nate, and I just didn't feel that I had laid myself on the line for God, so I was disappointed in myself, and thought the day was a bit of a loss.

That was until I got back. I was assured on multiple accounts. Some other people on the project had trouble connecting with others, and were too shy, but there were others who came back that had great talks, and nobody accepted Christ into their lives today on our account, but some connections were made, and definitely seeds were planted.

It was a great relief, and a good way to end the week. Tonight we are all meeting at the Cheesecake Factory, and having dessert, so I thought I had better write this early. Thank you all for reading, I have been assured by my family that there are indeed many of you. So...Until next time,

God Bless.

The First

Today was a day of firsts for me.

It was my first full day at the office here in Boston. Today was pretty difficult. We had devotions, took a tour of Boston, and talked about our strengths. So basically today was great.

First time (in a long time) I woke up before 6am CST. My day started at 6:30 am EST/5:30 CST. Not that it is that impressive of a feat, but considering I'd been waking up at 11 at home I was proud of myself.

First time (hopefully of many) getting out of wearing business casual. Today was just casual, and Wednesdays and Fridays will be casual in the future. (Those are days we go straight to campus from work)

That said we didn't go to campus today.

First barbecue in Boston. Not that monumental considering the amount of barbecue I've eaten before, but I had to mention it, because my fantastic host family (the Laymans) grilled for the three guys living here, and it was fantastic.

First souvenir

(disclaimer: Mom, skip this next paragraph, it will only make you worry, and nobody wants that. scroll down the page, and scroll up until you see another disclaimer asking you to continue reading.)

I bought a Boston Red Sox hat today, not because I'm a huge fan, or because I needed to buy something, but because I lost my hat last night at the restaurant we ate in, and I was a mess without a hat to wear.

(disclaimer: Mom you may continue reading now. Thank you for your cooperation)

First night out on the town. After our excellent meal, the guys (Aaron and Peter) and I wanted to see some of Boston. We have unlimited bus and subway passes, and we know how to get to the house we're staying, so we went and walked around. We saw a lot of cool stuff and stopped at the harbor. We walked around for a few hours, and talked (Faith, video games, school, design, and family). It was a wonderful evening and I continue to thank God for this incredible opportunity. So until next time,

God Bless.

Tale of Two Cities

It was the best of times, it was...

well it was just pretty good times.

Today I flew to Boston. The two cities I made stops were Minneapolis and Boston.

The stay at Minneapolis was pretty short, it consisted of me walking from one gate to another one, and then immediately boarding the flight to Boston. It was pretty uneventful. A young child across the isle from me cried when her ears popped (I understood, my ears hurt until I popped them on my own).

I did remember how much I love flying, I've only done it once before, and it was fantastic. Takeoff and landing are wonderful sensations.

I arrived in Boston and met (almost) all of the people who will be working on the project with me. I believe it is going to be a wonderful project, and with so many great people the Lord will have plenty of opportunity to work through all of us.

Please continue praying that the Kingdom will be glorified by this project.

It's almost time for me to go to bed now, long day, get up early tomorrow. You all know the drill. Until next time,

God Bless.

Time to Go!

I'm writing this post from a hotel in Lincoln. Tomorrow at 8 am I will board my flight for Boston (technically I won't fly directly to Boston, I have one stop first.) To everyone who supported me I cannot possibly thank you enough.

It was so humbling to receive the support I did, and I thank God once again for so many wonderful people in my life. Now I know I'm repeating myself so I'll let it go, but know that that sentiment remains for every post I make from hear on out.

I believe tomorrow will be a long day, but I am too excited to let that get me down. I have to make a quick Wal-mart run to get last minute supplies, so I will bid you all farewell. Until next time,

God Bless.

What's Going On

This summer I will be spending two months in Boston for a summer project with Campus Crusade for Christ and it was suggested that I do a blog while I'm there. I'll do what I can over the next few weeks to get this blog looking good, and then I will start writing more often once I'm there.

Thank you so much to everyone who helped make this possible. Without your prayers support (and money) this wouldn't have been possible. I'm so grateful God has placed so many wonderful people in my life.

Check back for updates as the trip approaches. I leave June 1st and will be returning July 31st.

God Bless