the windy city world series winner

so i went to Chicago w/ the guys...not just any guys, but w/ Super Dave, Ross, Goody, Derek, Peter, and Ryan....and well....we went to cheer the vball team on in the regional tourny...

...now i went thinking Game 5 (or should we call it game 4..cause thats what their tickets said...)....i thought it was gonna be rained out...cause it was raining non-stop here Friday morning...anyways...

Chicago...i was reminded of how beautiful the city is...so we venture into ESPN Zone to watch Game 5...it was amazing...so many people...i've never been into ESPN Zone before...pretty sure it's amazing...everywhere you looked, a TV and the game was on it!

after a bit we walked to the hotel where the vball team was staying and were gonna watch the rest of the game on the lobby tv...but the lobby didn't have a tv...so we watched it in the pub/grill that was in the hotel...

...it happened in the 8th inning...3 guys walk in...they were dressed up as KISS...face paint to the black leather...it was hilarious...but not nearly as hilarious as two of the girls on the team thinking it was really KISS...

...so all in all, the Cards won the World Series...

...no matter how many people cry about how it was given to them...well, the Tigers shouldn't have made so many errors...enough said...yeah, when you make errors...the other team can capitalize on them and score...

...ya know, if the Cubs weren't in Chicago and the Cards were there instead, it would almost be enough of a reason to move there...such a beautiful city!...

Cards won the WORLD SERIES and i got to visit the Windy City...
...WHAT IT IS...oh, WHAT IT IS...

I went to Game 3 of the World Series

So i get the phone call monday afternoon that a buddy of mine was picking up his girlfriend from St. Louis airport on Tuesday night...he asks if i have anything going on that evening...i reply, nope, just gonna watch game 3...he then says 'lets go to it'

jordan and i ride the metro link to the stadium at around 3:30 we get there and are looking for someone that would be looking for guys like us needing tickets...no luck...so we walk around the stadium and up to the roof of the parking garage that is directly behind center field...we declare a section of the roof ours and are a tad concered with the numerous "no loitering" signs...there were already about 5 people standing around on the roof...1 guy was already grilling out...we knew we'd be fine...so we go down to where there were many food tents and live music taking place...we venture into a few hotels in the area to see if we could get a better view of the field...no luck...we take care of a few brawts and sodas and make our way back up to the roof of the parking garage...this was at about 5:30 and still only about 5 people up there with us.

neither of us prepared for the elements of breezy 40 degree weather...i bought a sock hat...it's red...i like it...

our view was directly down right center-field, past 2nd base, beyond the pitcher's mound and looking straight at home plate...we could see hits, pitching, and scoring...what more could you ask for while watching the World Series for FREE!...by the time the National Anthem was sung, about 20 people were in the area with us now....many with coolers full of beverages, which may or maynot of ryhmed with teer...just as the final lines of the National Anthem were sung....i thought the crowd seemed really loud, and then we saw it, the 2 jets that flew over the stadium were about 700 feet above us and you could feel the heat from their afterburners...it was so loud it shook everything in me as well as the garage felt like it was about to collapse...

by the end of the 3rd inning, about 75-100 people were on the roof in the area around the elevators and stairs...(which is where we were) many started climbing onto the top of the covering of the elevators...surely someone was gonna fall to their death...but it never happened...

...it was so cold, at one point the guy who grilled out brough his grill over next to us and we got some heat from it...

after 7 full innings...we left...mainly cause our feet were numb, and it was getting to be that time that we needed to leave in order to make it back to the airport in time...and there were plenty of drunk people on that roof that someone was gonna die climbing off of the upper part that covered the elevators...there were about 50 people on this small slab of concrete...

but nontheless...i still got the atmosphere of the ball game...second hand smoke...the smell of alcohol surounding me...the smell of hot dogs...even the cheers that our community of Cardinals fans on the top of the parking garage started...

I believe that if it comes down to Game 5 being the series clincher...i'll be there on that roof again...with my new Cardinals sock hat...and this time i'll bring a pair of binoculars...anyone care to join me?

1642 miles later....

it was a road trip that will go down in the books...3 interns, a rental car, and 7 churches to visit in 4 days...

for starters, i was driving the first part of the trip...and on our way out of st. louis, we saw the arch and there went the arch, except, we were still in missouri...yeah, i missed the exit to leave st. louis...

once we stopped in Mt. Vernon for lunch, Joe started to drive, now we are to be heading south east, towards Atlanta...i then noticed the Welcome to Indiana sign...again, we went about an hour out of our way, it was a more scenic route anyways...

basically, we went to Atlanta, GA...visited North Point Community Church on Sunday morning, where I got to hear Andy Stanly preach...then traveled up to Lexington, KY...to visit Southland Christian Church...beautiful horse country (KY, not the church)...then we made our way to Lousiville, KY, to visit Southeast Christian Church, where I got to see my fiance...then up to New Albany to visit NorthSide Christian Church...I got to see Andy Clark (same sock-hat...same blinding smile) Then we traveled up to Indy, where we visited East 91st, Kingsway, and Indian Creek Christian Church...

Each night consisted of getting to watch the Cardinals make their way through the NLCS...(which now i'm trying to decide how much is too much to spend on a World Series ticket)

I learned many things on this trip, about ministry and about myself. I got to see more and hear more and learn more about ministry than I ever could in a class. I realized how small of a world it is when you step out there into ministry. There are people I ran into that I'm connected to in more ways than one...

I found this trip to be a very good pivoting point in my ministry. I have received some amazing wisdom and knowledge from those that have been in ministry for quite awhile. It was amazing and I'm now looking at what I can do to better prefect the ministry that I am currently involved in.

...so now i sit here...1642 miles later...ready to see how far God will take me next...or if he'll even take me very far at all...no matter where he takes me, i'm ready to continue to do what He's been teaching me and getting me ready for...

a burning passion

I am sitting here at my desk.

Everyone has left for the day.

Yet, I'm still sitting here.

I begin to ponder about why I do the things that I do.

I recently made a trip back to LCC. I was there for many reasons. One of which was to represent the week-of-e trip I am co-leading.

I'm done with school. I have no reason to go on another trip nor do I have to go back to LCC for any reason other than to graduate. Yet I was there. I'm co-leading a trip to Florida to work for Habitat for Humanity.

This will be my 4th year going to Florida.

Sounds like a vacation and not a missions trip. I've been critisized many times about how it is a trip to Florida and how much work can you do when you go to Florida...or how 2 years ago I was critisized for allowing such drama to take place after an individual began to feel uncomfortable in an area we visited in Tampa....or how everyone comes back with a nice tan and nothing to show for the work that was done...

I sit here and laugh. There are so many memories that come from Florida.

What was once an independent trip 4 years ago...in a mini-van of 5 people...has turned into a trip where there are two amazing leaders leading a group where nearly 30 people have become interested in serving on this trip...

I could simply say "not this year"..."not another 17 hour trip in a 15 passenger van"...but no...I've had a passion that has lit on fire...this fire has been set on fire by God...there have been powder kegs sitting around and have exploded this passion and desire to help others....

I love Habitat and what it does. I love the people I've traveled with in the past. I love Super Dave for standing here next to me and leading this trip. Praise God for this burning passion that is inside of me! I'm so excited, i can already feel the warm 95 degree heat beating down on me while I put up siding or roof another house! Oh, soon I will be there...oh soon...this fire will not die off...