Noise is the Drug. Society is the User.

I believe your craft and God's calling are headed for an intersection.  Currently the intersection is vague, nondescript... empty.  That's what you are looking for... the empty space. 

You wont find it in the clutter or the noise.  Noise is the drug.  Our society is the user.   Doped up on chaos we think we can find our place haphazardly, freely, without pain or trial.  Like the addict who needs just one more hit, we go from job to job enticed by the cacophony.  Why do we do that?  Why do we invest our lives in companies, businesses, churches, bosses that only add to the noise? Why wouldn't we find the intersection of calling and craft where we can make a difference?  There are others but there is at least one answer:  Because finding the empty space isn't easy.  It requires dextoxing from the clutter.  Searching. Waiting.   Waiting some more.  If that isn't hard enough, once you find it, then you have to make something of it.  

Yet, there is art that must be made and only you can make it. 

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"Every craftsman searches for what's not there to practice his craft.  A builder looks for the rotten hole where the roof caved in.  The water carrier picks the empty spot.  The carpenter stops at the house with no door.  Workers rush toward some hint of emptiness, which they then start to fill.  Their hope though is for emptiness so don't think you must avoid it.  It contains what you need." 

Persian Mystic, Jelaluddin Rumi as quoted in When God is Silent by Barbara Brown Taylor

Merry Christmas/Happy New Year 2008!

(our family in Colorado this past summer)

A quick update on the Foster family in 2007:

Our youngest, Evan started first grade, lost several teeth this year including his two front ones just last week which makes for a very cute face. He loves math (can’t take credit for that one) and sports (OK, I’ll take some credit for that). He learned lots of things this year not the least of which was the lyrics to the song, “Hallelujah, Your love makes me sing.” He thought it was, “Hallelujah, Yoda makes me sing” (too much Star Wars I guess). He is the greatest kid!

Shay is in 5th grade, plays gtr (you know, switchfoot, finger 11, greeday, etc…) and saxophone (you know, mary had a little lamb, three blind mice, etc…) and makes videos. (Lots of videos. They’re all strangely the same. Lots of screaming, lip syncing, and fighting with light sabers with his brother). Check out his website at www.freewebs.com/shayband Shay is so creative and is a blast to be around.

Quincy. Oh, boy. She’s all grown up on us. I never really cared for jr highers until I had one. Now I love them. She is so much fun. She plays soccer… all the time. And when she’s not playing soccer, she works to pay for her soccer. Besides youth group, which she recently mentioned, was her favorite time of the week, she loves to write. She now has a new blog going at www.cookiesoffortune.blogspot.com that you’ll need to read.

Johnna is working full-time again which hasn’t happened in several years (at least not in the getting paid sense). She works for friends who pay her well and treat her great. That’s a good combination if you can find it. She still sings beautifully and more importantly looks that way too.

The big news for me is the fact that I have resigned from pastoring discover church. My last official day will be Jan 6, 2008 which is exactly six years to the day that I resigned my previous church. (I like to make a move every six years on the first Sunday in January). dc has been a huge blessing in my life. So many great memories and friendships have happened at this church. I will never be able to replace it. But it’s a new season. I know, I know, “what will I be doing?” Well, I’ll be pursuing some music opportunities. I’ll continue blogging because I really enjoy it and many of you have responded well to it. Other than that, I’m kinda not sure what’s going to happen. I’ve got a few job offers out there but it’s going to take a bit more prayer and time to figure it out. And so that’s the real answer to the question, “what will I be doing” … praying.

And there’s God. He still loves me and I feel the same about Him. He’s so creative and amazing. He works full-time, all the time for me and that’s a good combination if you can find that in a God. He loves to help me laugh, learn, work, sing and go through all kinds of seasons of life. At times life appears to go up and down, backwards and forwards, but He never changes. He sticks “closer than a brother”. And even though that seems to read pretty sappy, it’s actually all true!

So, we hope you have had a great 2007 and more importantly that you’ll have a great 2008. Because what’s in the past is done. Gone. Bye, bye. The only thing that counts now is moving forward, trying new things, enjoying the adventure of whatever ’08 brings. Don’t fear. “If God is for you, who can be against you?”