Monday, June 23, 2003 :::
 
SIGNING OFF :::
I am going a way for awhile. I've got a lot of things that I just need to sort out right now. I don't want to be a pundit, I want to be a player... and I am just not sure what that looks like right now. Good-bye for a spell.

::: posted by robb at 11:32 AM
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Friday, June 20, 2003 :::
 
MAN I'VE BEEN AWAY...
I've been blogging so infrequently that blogger changed the entire system unbeknowst to me. Oh well.
Truth be told, I've just been away from the computer for awhile. Reconnecting with God and life. The move here to Va Beach and the administrative stresses that starting a church creates was leaving me a bit cold. I needed some time to digest what is actually happening. Life can be such a whirlwind. I think I'm through it, so if I have any faithful readers left, thanks for bearing with me.
This past Wednesday was my b-day. 34 years have passed me by. I think I lived 20 of them between the ages of 18 and 24. Although birthdays tend to lose their significance as you age, I did pick up a new digital camera out of this year's gig.
Today, I played golf with great friends Rob, Todd, and Todd's dad Sid. Played on the peninsula of Hampton Roads at a course called Deers Run. Aptly named... as we saw at least 30 or so deer during the course of our round. Beautiful course on God's green earth. Oh, a golfer I am not. Checking out creation again was just nice for me. Sid and Todd have stellar games and Rob makes me look real bad too. OK though, I stopped keeping score years ago. It is just a game.
I've been away, but God is good and always near. Blessings to you and yours.

::: posted by robb at 8:48 PM
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Thursday, June 12, 2003 :::
 
SOMETHING WORTH BLOGGING ABOUT :::
It's obvious that I have not been very faithful to my blog lately. Truth is, I was sort of over it. Just kind of tired of being philosophical rather than physical. Don't get me wrong, I love journaling my thoughts, but at some point it started to feel like I was linking and not living. Besides, I haven't really had much too blog about lately, unless scrupulous details about our kitchen remodeling is something that you're into. All that changed this morning however...

EPIC CITY NOW HAS A FACILITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's right. The long, arduous, often painful search is over. Our home starting Sept. 7th and thereafter will be Cooke Elementary on 15th St. and Mediterranean Ave down at the end of the continent. What a blessing! Praise God and thank you all for your prayers.

::: posted by robb at 5:21 PM
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Friday, June 06, 2003 :::
 
TIME KEEPS ON SLIPPIN', SLIPPIN', SLIPPIN'... :::
I have been so busy lately, there has been little time for blogging. But here is a quick run down of the last three days of my life.

Tuesday: Closed on our house! WHAT A BLESSING! We are first time homeowners, so we're still a bit excited. Rounded the day off with a meeting with our mission coordinator and spent much of the rest of the day painting.

Wednesday: Lots of painting and redecorating. Lots of planning for our new summer campaign called ContagiousKindness. Watched "Catch me if you Can." Great film. One thing I take from it is how much we revere people of uniform, whether they are qualified or not. In our opening message series in September I was planning on using an anology of what power means in our society and representations of it. Contrasting that with how God views power and leadership as service. Sweet. Just picked up a film clip.

Thursday: More work on ContagiousKindness and more painting. Watched movie, "X-Men." Now I am dying to see X2.

An explanation of ContagousKindness seems in order. We will be be planning three major events this summer... SudStop Cafe, ShellShocked, and SaturationStations. Here is how I have explained them to our community...

What is SudStop Cafe? Well, on two different Sundays at 2 p.m., one on June 29th and the other on July 27th, we will be setting up shop at the Shell Station on Laskin Road at Regency Hilltop. We will be washing cars as a free service to our community. NO donations will be accepted. We will also serve light snacks and refreshments to be enjoyed by those waiting for their like new and improved vehicle.

What is ShellShocked? What would the 4th of July be without fireworks? Well, while the shells of the spectacular light show are bursting above, we will be dropping a few shells of our own down below... crunchy or soft shell that is. That’s right, during the fireworks display, Epic Storytellers will be loitering the premises giving away free tacos. NO charge and NO donations will be accepted.

And what are SaturationStations? It’s no secret that we are blessed to be living here on the edge of the continent. That is why the oceanfront communities of VA Beach are swarming with local and not-so local folk all summer long. These people are often hot, thirsty, and ripe for an Epic Experience. And that is why we will be there. At various times, we will be found amidst this sea of humanity offering nothing but free H20. That’s right, free. NO charge and NO donations.

Corny I know. But it just might work. Serving is, after all, the prologue in the telling of the EPIC Story.




::: posted by robb at 3:49 PM
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Monday, June 02, 2003 :::
 
Met today and dropped off our official app for a possible facility for our Sept. 7th launch date and beyond. Please keep that in your prayers. Everything is coming together with the facility being the only major need right now. Lots of small things, but most of the major ones are covered.

Met with Stu tonight in regards to the web page. Lots of exciting stuff happening. He's working on a great flash intro and we will have some new interactive qualities to include e-cards and photo posting by our partners. Restructuring the look a tad as well to make it a bit more aged and sleek all at the same time. Great stuff. Stu is a literal God send. His web design partner Heath is to be commended as well. Thank you both.

We finally close on our house tomorrow. I will be so glad to have that behind us. God has really provided in a big way for us and we are thrilled to be back at the beach.

We will be starting our first LifeHouse here at the homestead in the next few weeks. Also have some community servant projects on the near horizon. Be on the lookout and keep your eyes on epiccitychurch.org.



::: posted by robb at 10:53 PM
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Sunday, June 01, 2003 :::
 
We attended a celebration for the 25th birthday of our good friend (and early adapter to the Epic vision) Jenn Schreck today. Her birthday is actually tomorrow. Jenn, we are wishing you the very best.

::: posted by robb at 8:32 PM
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We got everything moved in to our new house yesterday. It is nice to be settling in. We go to closing on Tuesday and I will be glad to have this behind us. I have come to equate getting a mortgage to getting an enema. In both cases you feel drained, cleaned out, and like you've just been through an ordeal. Crude but true.

::: posted by robb at 8:28 PM
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Friday, May 30, 2003 :::
 
We just got back from the Concert at the Point. Tonight was "Better than Ezra." Good show. Opening act was "The Badlees." They hail from Pennsylvania and they were great.
We managed to get our hands on a VIP pass for the show. It's a free food and drink and hangout back stage kind of thing. Fun night. Spent a good portion of it reminiscing with long-time dear friend Rev. He's a great friend for a pastor to have because he knows everyone. The fact that he's a great guy is a real bonus.

::: posted by robb at 10:19 PM
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