Update

We returned on Sunday night from Impact Summit senior high camp in Indiana where we took our sixth turn at leading worship. You can click on Amy's link on the right sidebar to read more about the trip, but I do want to say how great it was to get to do ministry in that setting again. We felt like we were able to pick up with the staff where we left off last year and it was great to play with Dave, Keaton and Jamin again and Kyle for the first time. Playing with Dave and Keaton was especially sweet since Dave was our first drummer at Hanfield and we share eight years of experience together and Keaton was a guy that I mentored before we left Indiana. I was really proud of the whole band since we didn't rehearse at all before Sunday afternoon and covered a fair number of songs in the course of one week.

While we were at camp, I had the realization that even though I had resolved in my mind to cancel our interview trip to Nebraska, I hadn't actually spoken to anyone yet. Letting someone know that you are going to withdraw your application when you've invested several hours of interview and conversation time is something that I believe should be done in person or at least by phone. No email or voice mail was going to do the job. I had tried calling the Senior Pastor the week before we left for Indiana, but couldn't catch him in the office. But, since I had made up my mind and attempted to call, I sort of forgot that I hadn't actually told anyone there that we weren't coming. Once I realized, I called the Senior Pastor and the head of the search committee to let them know. They were very understanding and I think we all have the realization that if God has other plans, that they will be better than ours.

There's really only one other job that I'm still in the running for outside of Sioux Falls. It's a large church north of Minneapolis that I don't really believe will offer me the job, but I am curious as to how far I might get in the interviewing process. We sent a tape today of some of our worship from camp. It was pretty low tech, but should at least give them an idea of what I'm like. I would be amazed if they actually want to interview me, but time will tell.

We continue to consider possible ministry options in Sioux Falls as well. There is one part time position at a church in town that we should find out more about in the coming weeks. Otherwise, there's not much going on here. I've been dreaming about the possibility of opening an artists' retreat center and bed and breakfast, but know that we couldn't afford to do that right now. Possibly a dream for another season.

Prior to leaving for our trip, I also had a chance to check in with my old team at Citibank. My friend Tory was finishing up his tour of duty before he is off to the far reaches of Illinois where he will endeavor to convert the heathen Illini in the midst of trying to earn a living to support his family. It was good to get a chance to see Patricia, Eric, Tory and the rest of the crew. I've missed them a lot, but haven't had a lot of time to reconnect since I left in April. Tory's shift ended at 4:30 that day, so I stuck around long enough to grab something to drink with him afterward. It was good to get caught up and we've been praying for him as he moves, begins to look for employment and looks for opportunities to plug in in ministry. Picking up and moving like he is might seem crazy to some, but it bears a lot of resemblance to what we did last summer.

I've been back in the shop for two days since we got back and can already tell that things are coming to a halt in the shop. A good deal of the bikes that we were doing work on are gone and there are fewer and fewer bikes to build. It will be interesting to see what we spend our time on in the off season (off for cycling at least). I was warned that things would be less busy and that commission would drop a bit. Thankfully, Amy's new job will cushion the blow a bit and I really have no idea how slow to expect things to get. In the meantime, I may go in tomorrow to build some bikes off the clock to help next month's commission check before all of the bikes are gone.

Things we're praying about: future direction with vocation and ministry, the Indiana house to sell (it's been on the market 16 months), Xander starting school, Amy starting her new job, the ability to move into a three bedroom place, Hanfield, New Hope Family, Mercy Church, Eagle Brook Church, numerous friends and family and God's glory to be revealed to us and through us.