Today Training Wheels Come Off !

It's a new day I have my training wheels off, I just finished my training as a hospice chaplain.  Tomorrow will be my first day seeing patients flying solo, and let me tell you this is a little bit nervous for me; but I am working with a really excellent team of people that couldn't be a better fit for me and the chaplain that I will be working for, he's an excellent friend, mentor, fellow theologian, fellow sojourner, passionate about people and their journey through this place called earth.   I am excited to see how God will really use this to better equip me for Torino Italy this next June 2009.  Cristina and I have been preparing for next week, we will be going to team training. Lots of stress this week Elias started Kinder garden this past Monday, that has been really difficult for Cristina so if your reading this and think of it please pray for her she could use it.  She has been making home videos using imovie with our Mac, you know that last year we got this cool little video camera that totally connects to our usb port; man it's so easy she say's to make the videos by dragging them right into the program.  Maybe I will even start a video blog it's been a dream for a long time, because I so suck at writing with my fingers.    I am reading a few books currently, sex god by Rob Bell, surprised by hope N.T. Wright, and the book of Acts translated into Biblical Hebrew, I have been parsing a little each day.  I am not a great scholar but some days I really want to be!  As an artist I am deeply gripped by the way God moved upon Luke to write the way he did; and the influence Paul had on him.  Or maybe the way the journey had upon him and he had on others that were with them.  I really would like to see a better film of Acts; all though the film Peter and Paul is pretty good, Paul is played by Anthony Hopkins, and he's really supurb if you have not seen it it's worth renting.  But with all the technologies available and all these great movies that are either out or coming out; please let some of these biblical narratives come to life really is my prayer.   Recently I was told about this great web site JesusCreed.org it is very worth checking out, some various other blogs and this is why I am blogging right now.  I pray if you read this that you will add praying for me to write and paint too.  many of you know that I was badly burned back in October of last year, and as that anniversary date approaches I am sure nervous about that day and have great anxiety about it. I sure fell that I lost some things in that fire; I don't or rather haven't really painted since that time and have suffered not having creativity like I had before October 17.  Only recently have I played the guitar for fun and sung my old song or praise and worship, I haven't written any poems or songs since then not even for Cristina my beautiful wife.  Nothing incredible or  what I would refer to as life giving that I know recharges me to create, things that I know make me more loving and caring, more life giving to others.  Not to complain to much I have been teaching, mentoring, growing, but not as what I would call and artist.  Maybe this is just a new phase of life that I must resolve to grow into and understand.  I could use prayer in loving my older brother Rob, giving my pain to Jesus and allowing that to be finished; in Jesus' own words only to release myself to love in that forgiveness.  May God bless you all may his words be on your lips when you awake in the morning, may newness refresh you, may you delight your self in him and in others who bare his image.