Blogging The Butterflies Away

Joel played in his first dad coached flag football game today. It was a lot of fun to try and get seven 7-year olds to run an offense. It really is like herding cats...if cats had an attention span of 8 seconds :)

As I watched it occurred to me that life is a lot like coaching. My job was to be encouraging, make sure they have fun, and try to put them in the position to exercise their athletic gifts and be successful in this game called football and life.

This Monday we officially start Young Life College at my alma matter - Western Washington University! This journey to this particular point and time started two years ago when we moved to Michigan to be on YL staff in Ann Arbor (Go Blue). Staci and I had realized that we really wanted to share life with our college aged friends in Michigan. We also watched YL College start at the U of Michigan under Kenny Nollan as it grew from 45 students that first night to over 200 now.

Fast forward to November of 2009 when we interviewed in Bellingham to be on staff where both Staci and I started leading YL in 1990. We took the position and after months of praying, watching, and listening to God's Spirit we knew that it was time to start YLC at WWU. I can feel the butterflies and nerves starting to settle in as the doubts and anxiety start to whisper to me. We wont be the biggest or have the most interns or student leaders but there are three things that we will strive to be great at in ministry:

1. We will be great at creating and sustaining community.
2. We will be great at doing being present in the lives of college friends
3. We will be great at discipleship.

Greatness comes from God working through us not us working.

And so it begins....

Loran








Blogging for myself...ohoh...blogging for myself!

Location:Henry St,Bellingham,United States

Western Washington U. ~ Coffee Review

Back to School ~ Its been a quick summer of doing a lot of different things but almost nothing is more important than sitting down to a great cup of coffee and a quiet time. I love my 12oz - Extra Hot - Vanilla Latte. I really don't drink drip coffee but I'm starting to experiment with cold brewed and/or French Press coffee as my tastes expand as well as my expectations. So, as an admitted Coffee Connoisseur, I am going to review some coffee places in and around Bellingham (and the Puget Sound) that might be of interest to you if you enjoy a good cup of joe every now and then.

Did you know that Bellingham ranks #4 nationally in number of coffee shops per 10,000 people (per capita) in the United States? True story - Here is the Link that tells you how Bellingham fares in the battle of coffee shops in the U.S. Anchorage comes in as #1 per capita in the U.S. Really, Anchorage?

Anyway ~ with the luxury of Bellingham being in the Top 4 I have decided to visit and review the best coffee joints in the city. Today I will let you know of a little shop in the downtown area called, "The Black Drop." The BD is an employee owned cooperative that embodies the spirit of Bellingham while keeping the integrity of what makes a great coffee shop. The Barista/Owners (Johnathan, Steph, and Katy) are the three owners that you see brewing your coffee, making latte art, grinding your beans, making change, and engaging in conversation. You won't find any grumpy baristas in this place like you might find in the Seattle area. The espresso blend that they brew has a darker complexity with a sweet finish that really is done with excellence and pulled with integrity. (No 7 second shots here). The coffee they sell is roasted from Maniac Roasting (former owners of The Black Drop) and is some of the best locally roasted beans around. Here are my ratings (1 - 5 with 5 being the best and 1 the worst) for The Black Drop:

Location - 5 (Downtown is the place to be...)
Parking - 2 (Don't blame the BD its not their fault)
Ambience - 4 (Friendly, and totally eclectic, Bellinghamy, and perfect)
Espresso - 4 (I ordered a Dopio for here ~ sweet and smooth)
Latte's - 4.5 (The latte art is amazing and it tastes great. I haven't tasted a five)
Comfort - 3 (There isn't room for more couches or soft chairs ~ but I wish there was...)
Consisent Bar Work - 4 (every so often someone is pulling shots that doesn't have the experience)
Study-Ability - 3.5 (stay away between 7:30 - 9:30 as it gets pretty busy)
WiFi - 3 (its not fast and its not consistent ~ but their working on it)

Overall its a great place to enjoy amazing coffee, made well, pulled right, stretched perfectly, and served with some style. Its a favorite spot of mine in the downtown area...besides the fact that its not coroporate in the slightest (and that's a good thing.)

Labor Day Blues

It's Labor Day - that's not a surprise. The fact that it's raining in Washington is also not surprising. It's the last day before our children go back to school (Emma & Joel that is) and we are inside getting ready for the onslaught of the Fall, School and the end of Summer.

Joel is walking on the ceiling which Emma pouts because of the weather and school starting. I'm ready for school to start but I am a bit nervous as YL College is 24 days away - there is a lot of work to do.

Meghann was crabby for the last two days and this morning we found out why as she exploded in a poop storm during her nap. It wasn't pretty but she is a lot more joyful.

Happy start of the year!




Squirrel!

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Location:Bellingham

One More Day

This weekend has been a lot of managing kid stuff. From going to soccer games to the Farmers Market, Mt. Vernon, and calling kids on Joel's Flag Football team for practice on Wednesdays. I feel like Staci and I haven't made any alone time yet....what to do?

I'm taking Emma to her semi-final soccer game today - this is the same team where we overheard an 11 year old girl talk about the pain in her foot because of Planter Faciatis but doesn't feel she can take three months rest because her Grapa won't let her...tough to keep my lips sealed.

Joel learned to make Mac-n-Cheese today - it was quite delicious.


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Location:Home