Each Friday morning we get to "be a student" again by going through a curriculum that CRU has set up for us called New Staff Development. We read articles, listen to sermon/talks, practice different evangelistic approaches, study the scripture. When we were first told that we are going to be going through this at the beginning of the year I have to be honest with you and say I was not at all excited. I am a slow reader, a slow processor, and never really enjoyed the "studying" part of school. Yet I found pretty quickly that Friday mornings have started to be one of my highlights of my week. It is a time where I am able to grow in my knowledge of how to do ministry and that I get to hear from other who are far more wiser and have been doing ministry for very much longer (the whole 3 months) than I have.
This morning in my time I read an article that I wish I could have read my senior year of college. Before we moved to Arkansas I had been working in retail for the previous 2 years. I constantly had a desire to do more than just go to work each day. There were many times that I tried to think of what I could do to ministry and share the love of Christ with people around me. Even though I had grown up in a missionary home I still was not completely sure how to practically share my faith with people I was around everyday.
As I read this article this morning I thought it is a really great way for people who have the desire to make an impact in their work place for Christ. Whether you have been working at the same place for year or even if you are just out of college this article could be a great jump start for you! I encourage you to read it!
Here is the link (you will have to click the download button to read the full article):
Friday, October 21, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Lake Fayetteville with Hayley
Today we had the day off because all the students are on fall break (yay for working with college students). We decided rather than sitting at home (getting cleaning done) we would get out into the outdoors and enjoy the beautiful weather!
We love getting one on one time with our nieces and nephews because their true personality comes out. We invited little miss Hayley to come with us and she was very excited about her "outing".
There is a beautiful lake that is only 10 minutes away from our apartment. We had fun enjoying nature and soaking up our Hayley.
Thanks Hayley for a fun day with Uncle Michael & Aunt Bethany. We sure do love you. :-)
We love getting one on one time with our nieces and nephews because their true personality comes out. We invited little miss Hayley to come with us and she was very excited about her "outing".
There is a beautiful lake that is only 10 minutes away from our apartment. We had fun enjoying nature and soaking up our Hayley.
Precious blonde hair
We asked her to show us her muscles and this is what she did...
Quality time with Hayley is what Aunt Bethany loves.
Hayley loves her Uncle Michael. They have such a sweet bond that warms my heart. Whenever she sees me she always asks "Where's Uncle Michael?" "Is he coming here too?" "Can Uncle Michael tell me a story?"
Daredevil all the way.
Hayley discovering a new toy on the playground.
Uncle Michael must have said something real funny.
At first she was very scared to climb up the wall but by the third try she climbed the whole thing by herself with no help.
Her reaction to asking if she wanted to have snack time.
Do you see what I see?
Thanks Hayley for a fun day with Uncle Michael & Aunt Bethany. We sure do love you. :-)
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Devils Den Family Afternoon
Yesterday (Saturday) we decided to have a fun family day and head to Devils Den. Jon and Marisa have always talked about Devils Den and how their kids love it, so I was excited to get to experience it for the first time. Jen, Ben, Michael and I all drove together and met up with the Foltz.
We have been here in Arkansas for a little over a month yet it still has not set in that this is now our new home. I have always felt like I needed to spend as much time and enjoy the time I get with my family because each time we get to spend together feels so short. Now that we are living here I still tend to feel like that. Sometimes when I have had a hard day I will call Marisa ask her if I can come over and get time with the kids because they always seem to brighten up my day. Anyways I just went on a tangent...
We have been here in Arkansas for a little over a month yet it still has not set in that this is now our new home. I have always felt like I needed to spend as much time and enjoy the time I get with my family because each time we get to spend together feels so short. Now that we are living here I still tend to feel like that. Sometimes when I have had a hard day I will call Marisa ask her if I can come over and get time with the kids because they always seem to brighten up my day. Anyways I just went on a tangent...
Hayley excitedly ran to her Aunt Jenny as soon as we got there. Love her cute face.
It has been so fun to watch baby Nathan grow just in the month we have been here. He sits up on his own now and he is eating baby food now. Such a big boy!
Hayley loves her Aunt Jenny. Anytime we hang out these girls are two peas in a pod.
Michael loves Nathan. He use to make fun of me how much I talked about Nathan and how he always smells so good. Just the other day on our way home from the Foltz he told me that he really does smell so good.
This is my favorite picture I took all day. Love both of these guys so much.
Can't get enough of her big blue eyes.
Proud & happy mama with her baby Nathan.
Chubby cheeks. :-)
Collin and Summer were off playing most of the time but when they came back over to us I asked Collin what he was doing and he told me he was "fish hunting".
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
One Year of Marriage
We still cannot believe that already a year has gone of marriage. So much has happened in the last year for us as a couple yet we feel like our wedding just happen. Here are some of our favorites pictures from our day.
We were so blessed to be able to celebrate one year of marriage this past holiday weekend and get away for a night in a town nearby called Eureka Springs. On our hour drive up to the place we went back and forth sharing our favorite memories of our first year of marriage. Let us share some of them with you:
-Our honeymoon in Puetras Aventras, Mexico.
-Trying out new recipes for dinner each night for my hubby.
-Having a House warming party in our first newlywed apartment.
-Seeing my little sister Jenny get married to Ben.
-Christmas in Iowa.
-Our Vision Trip to Arkansas in May.
-Trips to Disneyland with Michael's family.
-Our trip to the Grand Canyon with my parents in June.
-Seeing God provide such an increbible Support Team so we could start our ministry with CRU.
-Our move to Arkansas.
Here are some pictures from our trip...
Love my hubby!
Such a cute little town (our hotel in on the left).
Shopping in a cute little candle store.
Where we ate dinner. Italian Home Cooking. Super delicious.
Happy one year to us!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Michael First Video
I promise once things slow down I will get more into the habit of blogging. But for now I will just have to share links of others people blogs! Our Campus Director did a blog post about Michael first video.
This is going to be the opener at every CRU meeting we have on Tuesday nights. Here is the link to Tim Casteel Blog to watch the video. I think its pretty snazzy!
Also if anyone would like to get updates on what we are doing each week you can go to our Arkansas CRU page.
Now to start a new week!
This is going to be the opener at every CRU meeting we have on Tuesday nights. Here is the link to Tim Casteel Blog to watch the video. I think its pretty snazzy!
Also if anyone would like to get updates on what we are doing each week you can go to our Arkansas CRU page.
Now to start a new week!
Friday, August 12, 2011
We made it here!
The last 2 weeks have been a bit crazy for us!
But we are here in Fayetteville Arkansas! God is so faithful and there are so many little details of our story that I am going to unfold and share about in the next couple of blog posts, but there is too much to just write it all down now.
This week we have been planning for this semester and getting ready for the craziness of the first 6 weeks here at the University of Arkansas. We have learned that the first 6 weeks are a key time in "winning" students whether it be sitting down and sharing with them about how to know God personally, getting them into a bible study on campus, or forming a discipleship relationship with them.
We are so blessed and thankful for everyone that has partnered with us and chosen to invest in our ministry for this next year. We have continued to feel your prayers and your support in the craziness of these last two weeks!
But we are here in Fayetteville Arkansas! God is so faithful and there are so many little details of our story that I am going to unfold and share about in the next couple of blog posts, but there is too much to just write it all down now.
This week we have been planning for this semester and getting ready for the craziness of the first 6 weeks here at the University of Arkansas. We have learned that the first 6 weeks are a key time in "winning" students whether it be sitting down and sharing with them about how to know God personally, getting them into a bible study on campus, or forming a discipleship relationship with them.
We are so blessed and thankful for everyone that has partnered with us and chosen to invest in our ministry for this next year. We have continued to feel your prayers and your support in the craziness of these last two weeks!
Friday, July 29, 2011
The Past Two Years: Michael's Perspective
It's really weird for me to say that I'm a missionary. Honestly growing up I never thought that I would be going into full time ministry. Up until about six months ago everything in my life was pointing me towards a career in Hollywood. I was chasing a dream that I had since I was a Junior in high school. Everything seemed to line up for me:
1. Got onto the television show at school
2. Got into a college that would allow me to major in film while also studying the Bible
3. Got into an awesome study abroad program in Hollywood.
4. Through my internship from the study abroad program I got a job with Marvel.
God seemed to be opening doors for me to pursue my ultimate dream, which was to be an influential director in the world of film. But I had blinders on.
God had also opened up doors for me to be very involved at school. He allowed me to be a barnabas leader, an asb media director, an entertainment writer for the newspaper, a choir member, a stuntman (I don't like referring to myself as a cheer leader lol), and a Resident Assistant. I wasn't looking at the big picture. I thought I was but I wasn't. He opened up doors for me to go to Korea and Thailand. He started a passion in my heart for missions and college students that I didn't quite see yet, my blinders were on.
He introduced me to the love of my life, a woman who grew up in the mission field, and had a passion and understanding of missional living that I didn't quite understand yet. A woman whose family that understands what Jesus was saying when he said "go into the world and make disciples". I saw her love for other cultures and other people but hadn't completely figured out the impact it would have on my life, my blinders were on.
I moved to Hollywood. Started working for Marvel. My first industry job was pretty cool. Got to meet alot of actors and actresses, work with artists who worked on the shows I grew up watching. My boss was the creator of the original Batman and original Ninja Turtles shows, two shows that practically defined my Saturday mornings for almost a decade. I was surrounded by other dreamers. People still chasing the dream of fame and fortune. I started to see that many of them weren't happy. Despite the big pay checks and their apparent dream job they weren't happy. I saw this a little in myself. Why wasn't I happy? I was doing everything I thought I wanted to do, my blinders were still on.
I married Bethany Christian (now Allen) on September 4, 2010. Best day of my life. She was everything I was looking for and God knew that. We moved into our first apartment in West Covina. I started the grueling commute from West Covina to Burbank everyday. An hour and a half there, and an hour and a half back. It started to wear on me. Life started to get heavy. Things at work weren't always fun. My three best friends David Taylor, Jeremy and Kelsey Navarro had moved away, I missed them like crazy, but understood God had plans for them elsewhere, but I was selfish and wanted them here. I started to feel like I was going nowhere. I thought I was becoming one of those people who just simply "checks out". My blinders were on.
They say that God can change your life in one moment. The world has seen this so many times through history, especially in the Bible. Saul on the road to Damascus becomes Paul, one of the greatest men the church has known. An uneducated fisherman, Peter, becomes the rock that the church was started on. Jesus called him and said "Come with me and become fishers of men". I loved that line, so epic. What if he hadn't followed. So many people's lives would have been affected by his choice not to follow. God decided to change my life December 17, 2010.
I went into work that Friday ready for the weekend. Fought my way through LA traffic and sat down at my desk around 9:30am. Around noon I got a call to go to my producers office. I walked down the hall and peeked in, she smiled at me and waved for me to come in and sit down. Then she said it like a seasoned pro, like she had done this hundreds of times before, "I'm sorry but we are going to have to let you go". My world started to crash down around me. Anger, sadness, and confusion flooded over me all at once. I held my composure, thanked her for all the opportunities she had given me and walked out of the office back to my desk. I was mad at everyone, even God there for a moment. My blinders were on.
As I sat at my desk reality sunk in, I was going to be unemployed in a job market that had stunk for 2 years running. I mentally panicked, wondering what I was going to tell Bethany and how I was going to provide for her. Then I knew, all I could do was pray. My prayer went something like this:
"God, you do everything for a reason. You have opened up many doors for me so far. Please, over these next few weeks or months, show me where you want me to go, tell me what you want me to do."
Sometimes I think God laughs at us. This was one of those times. I think God was laughing at me, thinking "Just wait a few more minutes Michael, cause I got everything under control".
And he did....
Not 40 minutes after I lost my job my cell phone rang, and a man from Campus Crusade for Christ offered me a position at the University of Arkansas to start a film ministry. Of all things in the world he wanted me to start a film ministry!
Speechless. That's what I was.
God ripped off my blinders and screamed at me "Look what I've been planning for you!"
My view was so limited, and His view was so UNlimited. I couldn't see the big picture, and I'm sure that even this new job is only the corner of a canvas that God has painted for Bethany and I.
He changed my life in one moment, one phone call. All along I thought I would go into film and do ministry through film and God said
"You've got it backwards"
"You're going to go into ministry and use your gifts, talents, and passion for film to proclaim my name around the world!"
We have plans for our lives, but He has bigger ones. Ones we simply can't see.
I'm proud. I'm proud to have a God that is so much bigger than I could ever imagine. I'm proud to follow a God who has a vision so incredible for each and every one of us. I had my blinders on, but God tore them off and said
"Stop trying to see and understand everything I do, and let me show you what I can do".
I'm proud to be a missionary.
1. Got onto the television show at school
2. Got into a college that would allow me to major in film while also studying the Bible
3. Got into an awesome study abroad program in Hollywood.
4. Through my internship from the study abroad program I got a job with Marvel.
God seemed to be opening doors for me to pursue my ultimate dream, which was to be an influential director in the world of film. But I had blinders on.
God had also opened up doors for me to be very involved at school. He allowed me to be a barnabas leader, an asb media director, an entertainment writer for the newspaper, a choir member, a stuntman (I don't like referring to myself as a cheer leader lol), and a Resident Assistant. I wasn't looking at the big picture. I thought I was but I wasn't. He opened up doors for me to go to Korea and Thailand. He started a passion in my heart for missions and college students that I didn't quite see yet, my blinders were on.
He introduced me to the love of my life, a woman who grew up in the mission field, and had a passion and understanding of missional living that I didn't quite understand yet. A woman whose family that understands what Jesus was saying when he said "go into the world and make disciples". I saw her love for other cultures and other people but hadn't completely figured out the impact it would have on my life, my blinders were on.
I moved to Hollywood. Started working for Marvel. My first industry job was pretty cool. Got to meet alot of actors and actresses, work with artists who worked on the shows I grew up watching. My boss was the creator of the original Batman and original Ninja Turtles shows, two shows that practically defined my Saturday mornings for almost a decade. I was surrounded by other dreamers. People still chasing the dream of fame and fortune. I started to see that many of them weren't happy. Despite the big pay checks and their apparent dream job they weren't happy. I saw this a little in myself. Why wasn't I happy? I was doing everything I thought I wanted to do, my blinders were still on.
I married Bethany Christian (now Allen) on September 4, 2010. Best day of my life. She was everything I was looking for and God knew that. We moved into our first apartment in West Covina. I started the grueling commute from West Covina to Burbank everyday. An hour and a half there, and an hour and a half back. It started to wear on me. Life started to get heavy. Things at work weren't always fun. My three best friends David Taylor, Jeremy and Kelsey Navarro had moved away, I missed them like crazy, but understood God had plans for them elsewhere, but I was selfish and wanted them here. I started to feel like I was going nowhere. I thought I was becoming one of those people who just simply "checks out". My blinders were on.
They say that God can change your life in one moment. The world has seen this so many times through history, especially in the Bible. Saul on the road to Damascus becomes Paul, one of the greatest men the church has known. An uneducated fisherman, Peter, becomes the rock that the church was started on. Jesus called him and said "Come with me and become fishers of men". I loved that line, so epic. What if he hadn't followed. So many people's lives would have been affected by his choice not to follow. God decided to change my life December 17, 2010.
I went into work that Friday ready for the weekend. Fought my way through LA traffic and sat down at my desk around 9:30am. Around noon I got a call to go to my producers office. I walked down the hall and peeked in, she smiled at me and waved for me to come in and sit down. Then she said it like a seasoned pro, like she had done this hundreds of times before, "I'm sorry but we are going to have to let you go". My world started to crash down around me. Anger, sadness, and confusion flooded over me all at once. I held my composure, thanked her for all the opportunities she had given me and walked out of the office back to my desk. I was mad at everyone, even God there for a moment. My blinders were on.
As I sat at my desk reality sunk in, I was going to be unemployed in a job market that had stunk for 2 years running. I mentally panicked, wondering what I was going to tell Bethany and how I was going to provide for her. Then I knew, all I could do was pray. My prayer went something like this:
"God, you do everything for a reason. You have opened up many doors for me so far. Please, over these next few weeks or months, show me where you want me to go, tell me what you want me to do."
Sometimes I think God laughs at us. This was one of those times. I think God was laughing at me, thinking "Just wait a few more minutes Michael, cause I got everything under control".
And he did....
Not 40 minutes after I lost my job my cell phone rang, and a man from Campus Crusade for Christ offered me a position at the University of Arkansas to start a film ministry. Of all things in the world he wanted me to start a film ministry!
Speechless. That's what I was.
God ripped off my blinders and screamed at me "Look what I've been planning for you!"
My view was so limited, and His view was so UNlimited. I couldn't see the big picture, and I'm sure that even this new job is only the corner of a canvas that God has painted for Bethany and I.
He changed my life in one moment, one phone call. All along I thought I would go into film and do ministry through film and God said
"You've got it backwards"
"You're going to go into ministry and use your gifts, talents, and passion for film to proclaim my name around the world!"
We have plans for our lives, but He has bigger ones. Ones we simply can't see.
I'm proud. I'm proud to have a God that is so much bigger than I could ever imagine. I'm proud to follow a God who has a vision so incredible for each and every one of us. I had my blinders on, but God tore them off and said
"Stop trying to see and understand everything I do, and let me show you what I can do".
I'm proud to be a missionary.
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