It’s been a bit since I’ve posted anything. Theoretically, I’m starting over on this whole blog thing, but have decided to keep my archives on here just for fun. Let me attempt to catch everyone up.

Here are some bullet points of the whirl-wind of my personal life the past few months.

• October 2009 – Entire Williams family had a bout of the notorious swine flu
• November 2009 – I have an umbilical hernia repair (surgery)
• December 2009 – Marissa has a C-section, and Addison Grace Williams is born (December 26) at 10 lbs 0 oz [def more posts to come on this]
• January 2010 – A casual pain in the gut results in an emergency Appendectomy at North Shore hospital (January 8th)

if you enjoyed that, click here to check out some other film shorts that the creative team at the church has done lately.

if you know my father-in-law randy, make sure you check out the pie auction film. classic!

furthering the invisible…

i should feel older and wiser. okay, i feel a bit older but i have to say that each year i live the less i realize i know…the more i need to learn…the more i rely on others…the more i need the Lord.

i guess growing up isn’t so bad! not that i’m wishing my life away, but maybe i’m actually becoming more like the person i was created to be, with each year that passes.

but, can’t my daughter stay the same age?

furthering the invisible…

kinda like prayer…don’t give up just because you’re not able to spend a really long time, every time you talk to God. sometimes, ongoing tweets will work, just to keep the communication flowing. keep in touch…with God, and with others. don’t be a stranger.

catching up: since last time i blogged…my love for my life has increased. i am “still” blessed to be in the family that i’m in (which, by the way…my father and mother, my sis and brother-in-law, and mother and father-in-law have all moved to long island to assist us in our ministry.) i love my wife, marissa, and daughter, ashlyn more and more each day. this church is incredible (another blessing), and i really appreciate how open they are to stretch for kingdom’s sake. our ministry is developing quite nicely, and the Lord is bringing about the steady progression that i had envisioned he would (more details will come in future posts). 

“…the best is yet to come and won’t that be fine…” [sinatra, of course]

furthering the invisible…

shea stadium (probably the best seats i’ve ever had at a game)

“the house that ruth built” 

i was very appreciative of the opportunity that the gentlemen gave me to visit these two parks. the pennant chase “buzz” was in the air at the mets game. the “buzz” of it being the last series in yankee stadium’s history was in the air at the yanks game. both were great experiences…and i look forward to adding two more parks to my list next year, with the opening of citi field and the new yankee stadium.

furthering the invisible…

our travels were complete with beauty (iowa, pennsylvania), monotony (nebraska and ohio), and nostalgia (we visited where i started grade school in indiana).

[from denver to nyc]

[my first t-ball field - portage, indiana]

overall, it was a great trip! ashlyn was a trooper, too…but boy were we glad we invested in the portable dvd player.

furthering the invisible…

we then followed the cloud around our building and noticed that it was pretty close. after turning the tv on, we saw that we were in the middle of the path, and the tornado was only a couple of miles away. moving 10-15 mph we knew that we still had a few minutes so we took another shot.

we then got wise, and took shelter until it passed. overall, the adventure wasted about 2 hrs of packing time, and we ended up staying up till 2am that night as a result. i’ve kinda always liked severe weather my entire life (i know strange, huh?), but this was a little too close.

furthering the invisible…

according to various websites, the village that we’ll be living in (garden city) is apparently only about 30 minutes from the beach and 30 minutes from “the City“… Sounds a little too good to be true! Apparently, it’s true.

marissa and I have spent the past 4 years (for marissa, most of her life) living along the rocky mountains, but have never really taken advantage of them. our first two years in boulder, we’d drive up to copper and snowboard a few times a season, but other than that…we’ve remained at lower elevations.

what we’re headed to, reminds us of what we loved about los angeles. when marissa and I were first married, we lived about 20 minutes from the city (in pasadena) and about 30 minutes from santa monica (beach).

we really love the energy of large cities and lots of people. new york metro area has around 20 million people within a 90-minute drive. a plethora of people!

i’m also more of a beach bum than i am a mountain man. i’ve lived close to the coast a couple different times in my life, and love it! there is something therapeutic about sitting on the beach, hearing the rhythm of the waves breaking on the shore, while enjoying the sun or moon setting over the water (depending on which coast).

i’m looking forward to our 30/30 opportunity!

furthering the invisible…

Last night, we had our final Sunday night worship gathering for theClayCommunities. Marissa, Ashlyn, and I will be moving in a few weeks to pastor a church in New York.

We have spent the past two years leading this great group of people, and it’s truly been a blessing to see so many people striving after more of Christ. In a nutshell, “theClay” is a missional-incarnational ministry, basically focused on spiritual depth and evangelistic breadth. I spent most of the past 23 months encouraging the church to be externally-focused, while maintaining our number one priority of becoming disciples of Christ.

It was a bit emotional after my final talk…as I sang in the back to the musical worship led by Chris Martin and the band. Yet, I was reminded what’s great about the community of believers…we’ll forever be connected as residents in the Kingdom of God. I am excited for what the Lord has in store for each and every one of you! Remember, while the Lord may not ask you and your family to drop everything you know as secure and move across the country in obedience to His call (as he’s asked of us), you must at least “be willing” to do so. The Lord has called each and every one of us to “unconditional obedience”.

furthering the invisible…

…We’re going to be a part of it… New York, New York!

We are just a few weeks away from relocating to Long Island, NY where I will serve as Senior Pastor of Valley Stream Church of the Nazarene. See my wife’s blog about our transition.

I am really pumped to see how we will be used by the Lord to reach the people of Long Island. The church we’ll be serving at, is really “one of a kind.” It is probably the most loving and friendly church we’ve ever visited, and now we’re able to bring spiritual leadership to the community. We interviewed over two different weekends in July, and really connected to the people there.

Now, it’s crunch time! It’s time to pack everything we own, and get ready to move 1800 miles away. In addition to family, we will definitely miss those we’ve had an opportunity to serve here in Denver. Emotional days are ahead of us. Please, keep us in your prayers.

Furthering the Invisible…

we bought a wii fit this week…after a few weeks of calling multiple stores multiple times a week to discover when the next shipment would come in (they’re hard to get in denver). It’s something we’ve had our eyes on since we bought our “nintendo wii” back in January, and we’re pumped we have one now.

one of the first things the program does, as you’re setting up a profile, is it gives you a preliminary health status (discovered from your age, weight, balance, etc). i am starting out with an “overweight” designation, which is no big surprise to me…i have lacked the discipline to work out regularly for probably the past 6 years. following 20 years of continuous exercise and participation in sports i can really tell how unhealthy I have become.

i am weaker, get tired easier, am less motivated to eat the right way, and therefore am less active than I used to be. i have always had a pretty high energy level, multi-tasked, and have needed little sleep most of my life. presently, although I’ve aged a bit, I have a greater need for rest and down-time. i still work and play really hard, but i am worn out when the day is over.

i now have an accountability/workout partner (the wii fit trainer), and am motivated to exercise more in order to get my body mass index (wii keeps track for you) down, my weight down a bit, and strength-train.

some essentials when exercising physically are a healthy diet, strength training, cardio training, accountability (usually an accountability/workout partner), and last but not least… rest. most nutritionists/physical trainers will tell you that it is vital when you’re in any form of diet or workout program that you are getting 7-8 hours of rest a day. if any of these factors are missing, many times the effectiveness diminishes and the results are hindered. discipline is required.

i have been thinking quite a bit this summer about the spiritual disciplines that are vital for life as a disciple (of Christ). spiritual exercise is very similar to physical exercise. our (spiritual) workout routine consists of a healthy diet (of the word), strength training (discovering and growing in our gifts/strengths), cardio training (constant stengthening of our heart), steady interaction with a workout partner (consistent prayer/journaling with the Lord), and last but not least – rest (taking a 24hr sabbath every week).

physically, i find that when i struggle in any singular discipline (ie. eating right), it affects other disciplines and my workout program falls apart.

which physical discipline/exercise is the most difficult for you to consistently do?

which spiritual discipline/exercise is the easiest for you to neglect and how does it affect the other disciplines?

Furthering the Invisible…

i respect erwin mcmanus a lot. not just because he’s a personal friend/mentor, but also because he has a prophetic side to him that the church needs to hear…that i need to hear. i am almost finished with his most recent book, wide awake (i’ve had a ton of time on my hands this week, in bed…so i’ve gotten a lot of studying done.) anyhow, here is a quote from the chapter on creativity that i’d like for us to reflect on.

“A God inspired dream isn’t just an opportunity; it is a calling. Your dreams are not simply a source of inspiration but the stewardship of your life.” (p.161)

feel free to leave a comment, stating whether you agree/disagree and why…

furthering the invisible…

i have a tendency to get fixated on things from time to time, which probably feeds into my functional OCD (never been diagnosed by the way).

alan hirsch has effectively summarized and synthesized the scientific concept of “chaos theory”… how it’s significant, and what it means for the church. he mentioned it briefly in the forgotten ways, (which is a must-read; click here to read the first two chapters), and elaborated on it further last week when i had the opportunity to talk with him. i am so convinced of it’s significance (especially in the organization and functionality of the church) that i am going to focus (errr “fixate”) on it in my doctoral dissertation.

without breaking it down for everyone just yet, (to avoid leading you), i am curious if anyone out there knows much about it, and is aware of any great resources that focus on chaos, adaptive leadership, emergence, etc. i am clearly fixated on it right now, and the only way to get my “fix” is to study the living daylights out of it. please let me know, and i’ll somehow return the favor (possibly with some literary recommendations of my own).

furthering the invisible…

i am not a fan of being sick. i’m not sure who is, but i do remember when i was a kid i didn’t mind it, especially if it meant missing school for a day or more. now, i’m just annoyed because there’s so much to do, but so little time to do it. at least i can read and write while i’m home. i know, i know….i should be resting, but i’m in the middle of a good book right now, and i haven’t been able to put it down.

i think God uses illness or any somatic symptom really, to get my attention. it forces me to slow down…and depending on the sickness, stop me altogether. i need to find some good ways to release stress and tension. i’ve tried quite a few different things, but here i am…with stress manifesting itself in physical symptoms once again. my wife has been an angel today though…i admittedly am pretty whiny when i’m under the weather.

anyone have any ideas to release and/or manage stress? who knows…maybe it will work for me.

furthering the invisible…