If there is one thing that can be counted on causing problems, it is the car. Or any vehicle, really. Just when you start to trust it, when you believe you've found the most reliable, that this car is the one you were meant to be with, it will all blow up in your face. Such is the relationship of this girl to her car.
I must say that my current relationship with my Chevy Malibu is not nearly as rocky as my past relationships: It's not as unpredictable as my Ford Ranger's topper that would fly off on the hwy on my way to school, or it's heater that would decide when it wanted to work, which was typically in the summer. This meant I had to drive to church in a snowmobile suit and Sorel boots, scraping the inside of the windshield with an ice scraper. It's much less annoying than my Ford Escort's engine that was so loud I would end up with a headache and ears ringing if I had to go more than forty miles per hour for too long, so I couldn't hear the radio...even if it had worked... And it's less dangerous than the van that I swear took me into the ditch three times before I finally spun on ice and rammed the back end into a tree...I sure showed that van who's boss.
No, my Malibu has been much better. That is, until last week. I should have seen it coming! Looking back, I see all the signs of trouble, but I wanted to believe this one was different! The chugging, the occasional stalls when I would start it up, the delay between shifting gears, it all was trying to tell my something: it's just like every other car.
It was going to take something big to wake me out of my denial. Well, that wake up call finally came. I had just left from having coffee with a friend, and my car chugged again as I started it. I had a foreboding feeling, but it kept running, so I hoped for the best and made a mental note that I should get that checked out "sometime". Shortly after getting on 35W almost into downtown, I realize I'm not accelerating anymore. The end was near. I pulled over to the far side while I still had momentum, and turn it off. I turned it on again, but it wouldn't stay running.
That was the moment I could have chosen to freak out and curse the people who told me the Malibu was more reliable, or I could take a deep breath, accept that cars will always let you down, and call a tow truck. So that's what I did.
A long tow, two days in the shop, and an entire fuel pump system later, my car and I are reunited. It will never be like it was, but there is a renewed level of trust, combined with a little more reality. It will probably let me down again, but heck, I'm not always the nicest to work with either!
As I write this, my mother is nursing her Blazer back from Iowa, in which they need to stop every 20 minutes to add water to the radiator. I told her to leave it on the side of the road. "No way! I just got a new transmission and a new gas tank! I'm not letting this one go!" was her response. It's amazing the destructive situations people will stay in, when they have so much put into it already.
Wait, am I talking about cars or people? Everything in this blog is factual in relation to my experience with vehicles. How are your relationships?
Monday, September 29, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
August Update
Dear Friends,Wow, what a great summer this has been! We have been incredibly busy with a variety of things, and it has been fun watching the Lord’s hand in all of it. Here are some of the highlights:
Praise the Lord!
• Jamie, Andy and I spent a few days at Camp Shamineau’s staff training in June. We prayed with the staff, Jamie taught a seminar on mentoring relationships, I got to build relationships with some amazing young women that are coming to the city in the fall and possibly joining us. Pray they would follow the Lord wherever He leads them.
• BUMP week (Bridging Urban Mission Project) was fantastic! It is a week where rural church kids come into the city and do ministry with local urban churches. Local churches made some amazing reaches into their communities because of the students that led VBS, prayer walked, handed out flyers, and played with kids. Pray that some of these students would catch a vision for the city!
• Antioch Community Church (ACC) is growing! Our first public service is October 19th, but we have small groups and are meeting just for fun already! It is really great to see those relationships developing. Please pray for the endless list of details that need to be taken care of before October 19th, and for more people from the community to join us.
• 25 people from ACC took the S.H.A.P.E. class. This is a class that looks at each person’s Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. Then we take that information and talk about how we as a church body fit together. It was a long day, but a fantastic exercise for many of the people there, and it really shed light on ways we can value and utilize each individual in the church. Pray that it would be a launch pad for people to get a vision of how they can be actively involved in ACC.
• I got to be a speaker! The jr. high youth pastor from Berean Baptist in Burnsville got my name from a mutual friend who recommended me. So, I spoke for the last night of their jr. high VBS-like event they do every summer. They are doing great ministry down there, and it was fun to be a part of it. You can read more about this on my blog, if you’re interested. Please pray for more opportunities like this for me to get into churches.
The Greatest Need?
There is no denying the fact that we all need money. And the current economy is an incessant reminder of how little it seems there is to go around. Unfortunately, that has become the case with my support-raising fund. The generosity of many one-time gifts has been an incredible blessing, but I do not have enough monthly gifts to sustain the hours I have been working for Antioch. I really do no like saying that money is my greatest need right now; the greatest need in ministry is always prayer. However, at this point I cannot continue until I have enough financial support.
One wonderful new development is that we now have Direct Deposit available! This is a giant answer to prayer, as it makes a lot of peoples’ jobs much easier and it’s easier for individuals to give. If you are interested in utilizing that service, information is enclosed with this letter.
Please be in prayer about how you can be a financial partner in this ministry. If you know of anyone you think would be interested in what I am doing, let me know or pass this letter on to them! I am still confident this is what the Lord has called me to, and I trust He will provide.
What an adventure, to live a life of trust,
Coley Bloomquist
P.S. My cell phone number has changed. Email me or check facebook if you don't have it!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Surreal
Hello Again!
Yes, I've been AWOL. A lot has happened, but I'm not going to spend lots of time updating about the past two months; I'm just going to start up again. I know that's going to drive all three of my readers crazy :)
Last night I had a chance to speak to about 300 junior highers at Berean Baptist in Burnsville for their last night of a VBS-like week for kids going in to 7th, 8th, and 9th grade. I have not been the sole speaker to any group larger than 30 in at least two years! I was nervous for that reason, and I really didn't know how I was going to do. I think it went alright.
Of my own accord I do not have any connection with Berean. But I got connected with them because their Jr High youth pastor Jesse called my friend Georgia looking for guest speakers. She put me on a list of top recommendations for jr. high and high school! That in itself blew me away! I really don't feel like I have enough experience to be put in that category, but I digress.
I asked them if I could get a copy of the recording so I could go back and listen to myself and feel stupid. Don't tell me not to, everyone does. If you've ever heard your own voice you know what I'm talking about. We sound differently in our heads than we do to others, and it takes some getting used to. Add to that all the talk ticks* we have in our speech patterns, and listening to yourself for 30 minutes becomes a very humbling experience. I just listened to it, and realistically I don't think it's that bad, but it still makes me wonder why in the world anyone lets me talk. ever.
I had 20-25 minutes in the schedule. When he asked if that would be okay, I kind of knew he meant of I felt like I would be able to fill it. Yes sir, not a problem. Bloomquists are not known for their terse speaking engagements, so I knew I would by nature write something for 45 minutes. So I desperately wanted to prove to myself and Jesse that I could stick to the time frame. I knew there was a clock I could see from the stage, so I was going to rely on that. I must be done by 8:30. I hadn't looked at the clock right when I got up there, but I didn't think that mattered. 8:30 was my time. I looked up part-way through; it read 9:12. What?!?! There is no way I have already been speaking for over an hour!! Then I remembered overhearing someone say the clock was wrong. Perfect time to remember such a thing. Since I didn't know when I had started, I had no idea how much time I had used, aside from my internal clock, which is only so reliable. Or not so reliable. I decided I just had to keep going, albeit quickly, and hope for the best. I finished and looked at my phone in the back: 30 minutes on the button! Thank you hereditary speaking methods!
I love speaking to youth because it forces me to stay limber. Adults can get so caught up in the theoretical (especially college students), but if you're not applicable to life in the moment of a jr. higher, you're never going to reach them. I hope I get to do it more in the future, it was fun. Maybe next time I won't say "guys" and "like" so much. Then again, who am I kidding?
Coley
*"talk ticks" are those things in our speech that our ears ignore until there are so many of them it becomes the only thing we hear, i.e. like, um, so, uh, ya know, but, yeah. or my favorite, "but um like yeah, right?" Thank you Mr. Schaefer of SMHS.
Yes, I've been AWOL. A lot has happened, but I'm not going to spend lots of time updating about the past two months; I'm just going to start up again. I know that's going to drive all three of my readers crazy :)
Last night I had a chance to speak to about 300 junior highers at Berean Baptist in Burnsville for their last night of a VBS-like week for kids going in to 7th, 8th, and 9th grade. I have not been the sole speaker to any group larger than 30 in at least two years! I was nervous for that reason, and I really didn't know how I was going to do. I think it went alright.
Of my own accord I do not have any connection with Berean. But I got connected with them because their Jr High youth pastor Jesse called my friend Georgia looking for guest speakers. She put me on a list of top recommendations for jr. high and high school! That in itself blew me away! I really don't feel like I have enough experience to be put in that category, but I digress.
I asked them if I could get a copy of the recording so I could go back and listen to myself and feel stupid. Don't tell me not to, everyone does. If you've ever heard your own voice you know what I'm talking about. We sound differently in our heads than we do to others, and it takes some getting used to. Add to that all the talk ticks* we have in our speech patterns, and listening to yourself for 30 minutes becomes a very humbling experience. I just listened to it, and realistically I don't think it's that bad, but it still makes me wonder why in the world anyone lets me talk. ever.
I had 20-25 minutes in the schedule. When he asked if that would be okay, I kind of knew he meant of I felt like I would be able to fill it. Yes sir, not a problem. Bloomquists are not known for their terse speaking engagements, so I knew I would by nature write something for 45 minutes. So I desperately wanted to prove to myself and Jesse that I could stick to the time frame. I knew there was a clock I could see from the stage, so I was going to rely on that. I must be done by 8:30. I hadn't looked at the clock right when I got up there, but I didn't think that mattered. 8:30 was my time. I looked up part-way through; it read 9:12. What?!?! There is no way I have already been speaking for over an hour!! Then I remembered overhearing someone say the clock was wrong. Perfect time to remember such a thing. Since I didn't know when I had started, I had no idea how much time I had used, aside from my internal clock, which is only so reliable. Or not so reliable. I decided I just had to keep going, albeit quickly, and hope for the best. I finished and looked at my phone in the back: 30 minutes on the button! Thank you hereditary speaking methods!
I love speaking to youth because it forces me to stay limber. Adults can get so caught up in the theoretical (especially college students), but if you're not applicable to life in the moment of a jr. higher, you're never going to reach them. I hope I get to do it more in the future, it was fun. Maybe next time I won't say "guys" and "like" so much. Then again, who am I kidding?
Coley
*"talk ticks" are those things in our speech that our ears ignore until there are so many of them it becomes the only thing we hear, i.e. like, um, so, uh, ya know, but, yeah. or my favorite, "but um like yeah, right?" Thank you Mr. Schaefer of SMHS.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Open your Eyes
Last week at Hope Community Church Pastor Steve spoke about sin. Now, he's currently on a 10- turned 12-week sermon series on sin, so that is not a terribly helpful statement, but you can go on their website and listen to the message if you really want to know the details.
As illustrations, he talked about three guys in the Bible who encountered God: Moses, Isaiah, and Peter, and he talked about how drastically different their lives were after that encounter. His examples were the stories of the burning bush and Moses (which really should be called the non-burning bush, don't you think?), and Isaiah's vision of the throne room of God. Those two make sense; these measly men get their worlds rocked when God defies the laws of nature, time, and space to reveal himself showing how different God is from Man and then calls them to do His will nonetheless.
What got me thinking was not a point he made, albeit they were good, but rather the tangent to which his points sent my brain. This third example was the day Peter and his buddies had struck out fishing, but when Jesus joined them and Peter did what he said they caught so much it almost made two boats sink. For Peter, that encounter with Christ was just as world-rocking as Isaiah's vision of six-winged flaming angels. (Alright, the flaming thing is a guess, but they're called seraphim for crying out loud! They at least had to be really, really bright.) Peter's response to Jesus is very similar to Isaiah's and Moses'. But why? Couldn't it have just been another guy God decided to do a miracle through to show His power? Why did Peter respond so drastically, dropping everything to follow Jesus at that very moment?
Peter's response was so drastic because he was not simply in the presence of another prophet, but God Incarnate. I don't know what in Jesus' being made that fact clear, but it was clearer than anything Peter had ever seen before. He knew he was in the presence of God. Why else would Peter have left everything in that moment?
As I mulled this over in the pew, a question raised in my mind. Do I read the New Testament as though Jesus is just as jaw-dropping as the glory of God in the Old Testament? Do I ponder what it must have been like to see God–fully God–in flesh? Moreover, do I live as though Jesus has just as much power, majesty, and might as God the Father? In my everyday speech and theological conversations I am aware to avoid sounding like Modalism, but when the rubber meets the road, do I live with true belief that Jesus is God and as such has sovereignty over all the situations that bring me fear and doubt?
If I don't, I am not living a life of trust. Worse, I am acting like God is a liar and not who He says He is and not able to do what He says He can do. The truth is that Jesus was, is, and always will be fully God. It could be that I am missing the glory He wants to show of himself to me because I refuse to see him as he is. Does that sound cyclical? Perhaps. Open your eyes and see Jesus for who He is and maybe our jaws will drop too.
As illustrations, he talked about three guys in the Bible who encountered God: Moses, Isaiah, and Peter, and he talked about how drastically different their lives were after that encounter. His examples were the stories of the burning bush and Moses (which really should be called the non-burning bush, don't you think?), and Isaiah's vision of the throne room of God. Those two make sense; these measly men get their worlds rocked when God defies the laws of nature, time, and space to reveal himself showing how different God is from Man and then calls them to do His will nonetheless.
What got me thinking was not a point he made, albeit they were good, but rather the tangent to which his points sent my brain. This third example was the day Peter and his buddies had struck out fishing, but when Jesus joined them and Peter did what he said they caught so much it almost made two boats sink. For Peter, that encounter with Christ was just as world-rocking as Isaiah's vision of six-winged flaming angels. (Alright, the flaming thing is a guess, but they're called seraphim for crying out loud! They at least had to be really, really bright.) Peter's response to Jesus is very similar to Isaiah's and Moses'. But why? Couldn't it have just been another guy God decided to do a miracle through to show His power? Why did Peter respond so drastically, dropping everything to follow Jesus at that very moment?
Peter's response was so drastic because he was not simply in the presence of another prophet, but God Incarnate. I don't know what in Jesus' being made that fact clear, but it was clearer than anything Peter had ever seen before. He knew he was in the presence of God. Why else would Peter have left everything in that moment?
As I mulled this over in the pew, a question raised in my mind. Do I read the New Testament as though Jesus is just as jaw-dropping as the glory of God in the Old Testament? Do I ponder what it must have been like to see God–fully God–in flesh? Moreover, do I live as though Jesus has just as much power, majesty, and might as God the Father? In my everyday speech and theological conversations I am aware to avoid sounding like Modalism, but when the rubber meets the road, do I live with true belief that Jesus is God and as such has sovereignty over all the situations that bring me fear and doubt?
If I don't, I am not living a life of trust. Worse, I am acting like God is a liar and not who He says He is and not able to do what He says He can do. The truth is that Jesus was, is, and always will be fully God. It could be that I am missing the glory He wants to show of himself to me because I refuse to see him as he is. Does that sound cyclical? Perhaps. Open your eyes and see Jesus for who He is and maybe our jaws will drop too.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Weekend Away
I'm still working on the teach/preach thing, but I realized I forgot to post pics from my grandparents cabin a few weekends ago.
My friends Carrie and Jen came up with me to get away and rest for a few days. Here are the highlights:
We made Monster Cookies,
Played Dominoes, of course,
Looked at the stars from the dock (I don't know what's wrong with me),
Carrie and I took the canoe out to watch the sun rise,
and we went for a freezing cold boat ride.
All in all, it was a much needed getaway for some R&R. Although I hope the next time I go up, it will be warmer than 60 degrees!
My friends Carrie and Jen came up with me to get away and rest for a few days. Here are the highlights:
We made Monster Cookies,
Played Dominoes, of course,
Looked at the stars from the dock (I don't know what's wrong with me),
Carrie and I took the canoe out to watch the sun rise,
and we went for a freezing cold boat ride.
All in all, it was a much needed getaway for some R&R. Although I hope the next time I go up, it will be warmer than 60 degrees!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
What's the Difference?
"When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities." Matthew 11:1
Teacher. Speaker. Preacher. Lecturer. Trainer. Educator. Mentor. What do you see in this list: synonyms, distinct offices, or just confused overspeak? English has so many words for these type of people and, based on how they are used in culture, the differences between them can be miniscule.
When you hear the word preacher, is this what you see?
Or this?
When you hear teacher, do you see this?
Throughout the last few months, a question has ebbed and flowed in my mind: what is the difference between teaching and preaching? My gut tells me there is one, but I have never seen a sufficient definition for them. I'm not implying they aren't out there, but they have yet to cross my path. (I thought about putting dictionary definitions here, but they were too worthless to waste space on.)
Throughout the New Testament we see the words "teach" and "preach" used together and separately, by many different writers. In the near future I intend on doing a word study of "teach" and "preach" in the OT and NT, but for now I want to set the stage. This is the beginning of a thought.
Here is what I think I know:
What do you think? What is the difference between Teaching and Preaching? Ever heard a good definition of either? Have your own opinion? I want to hear it!
When you hear the word preacher, is this what you see?
Or this?
When you hear teacher, do you see this?
Throughout the last few months, a question has ebbed and flowed in my mind: what is the difference between teaching and preaching? My gut tells me there is one, but I have never seen a sufficient definition for them. I'm not implying they aren't out there, but they have yet to cross my path. (I thought about putting dictionary definitions here, but they were too worthless to waste space on.)
Throughout the New Testament we see the words "teach" and "preach" used together and separately, by many different writers. In the near future I intend on doing a word study of "teach" and "preach" in the OT and NT, but for now I want to set the stage. This is the beginning of a thought.
Here is what I think I know:
- American English (the only language for which I can speak with any shred of authority) often uses "preach" as a subset to a more general "teach." I suspect this is inaccurate.
- They are very similar, but have key differences.
- It is more than the size of the audience.
- It is more than the style of delivery.
- It is more than the content of the message.
What do you think? What is the difference between Teaching and Preaching? Ever heard a good definition of either? Have your own opinion? I want to hear it!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Just Playing
Last night we had Core Team Training, like every Wednesday, at O'Rourke's. I was there much too early, but I was in the area with nothing to do and it didn't make sense to go all the way home beforehand. So I showed up and chatted with Andy and Sara, and worked on my computer a little bit. Ava (3 year old) was enamored with my computer. I opened Photo Booth and she about died. I think we took pictures of her for twenty minutes! If we got a really funny one, she would belly laugh so hard, and scream. It was super funny. Eventually Paisley (8 year old) showed up, and thought it was great too. Of course Lil' Bubba had to some see what was up, but I don't think he quite appreciated it. Well, I can't tell you all of this without showing some of them to you!
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