Monday, February 23, 2009
Odds and Ends
So, I was home this weekend. And I learned as I caught up with people, that there are few details of the job I haven't shared with you all.
To fix that oversight is a bulleted list of random things about my current job.
To fix that oversight is a bulleted list of random things about my current job.
- I was living in a house with 5 other guys. The house while it had a living room and kitchen (and three bathrooms) was more a dorm type deal.
- I am now living in a one bed room house with a proper living room/kitchen and only one other person.
- I work 40 hours a week.
- I seldom work on Monday.
- A typical day starts at 8:15am.
- With meal breaks I can be done as late as 9:30pm or even 11:00pm.
- Other days I am done at noon.
- The sun goes down around 5:30pm.
- By 11:30pm I feel like I have been up all night.
- The kids who come to camp are from public schools.
- Except the weeks where they are from Christian schools.
- I know that my K-12 school competed in high school sports with at least one of the Christian schools who are coming up later this year.
- At camp we have nicknames.
- Mine is Gonzo.
- Gonzo, no matter how many times he tried and failed, he never failed to try again.
- I use the name as a case of bravado to remind the campers that camp is all about overcoming fear and trying new things.
- In reality the name is a reflection of God growing and stretching me in this job.
- That and the little dude just makes me laugh.
- Unrelated to the job: but I am entitled to a rabbit trail every now and then: Gonzo is the Muppet with the most complete character arc in the 25 plus years they have been around. (He is also the only main character from the original Muppet Show still voiced by his original Muppeteer).
- Most of my meals are eaten in the cafeteria.
- I can tell you what day of the week it is based on what is being served for dinner.
- Alliance Redwoods cafeteria is the second best cafeteria I have encountered. (Second only the Green Oak Ranch where there kitchen staff are being trained as gourmet chefs.)
- I still can't believe how great the people are that I work with.
- It is a huge blessing to be working with Christians.
- It is a huge blessing to be working in a place where ministry and work are one in the same.
- It rains 90% of the time.
- It is indescribably beautiful up at camp.
- I am so grateful that I know the Creator who crafted the scenery around me.
- I am even more grateful to be known by the Creator.
- I haven't found a home church (yet) though I have found a small group.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Mysterious Ways
So last time we chatted about Grace Community and how much I loved it. And how uber involved I was with the ministries there. The two that were closest to my heart were the midweek Kids' Clubhouse (kinda a mix of VBS, AWANA, and small groups) and the Sunday Night GraceKids! (Children's church for the eveneing service).
Now I was by no means the central part to either ministry, and the vision and passion came from others who I admire and aspire to emulate both in my ministry as well as my private life. However, for the midweek program my responsiblity was the Bible lesson for the week, and for Sunday nights I was responsible for the entire time every other week. So when I left Grace Community, there were some holes that needed to be filled.
No one stepped up, I believe, beacause God had a better idea in mind. The goal of Clubhouse was to capture as much of the energy and creativity of VBS as possible in a weekly meeting. Three of the people responsible for the energy and creativity of VBS were the three who were the other half of Sunday nights. So the obvious (I say obvious, because seeing it happen now it makes absolute perfect sense, but I would never have thought it up) solution, combine the two.
GraceKids! has now become Kids' Clubhouse, and Kids' Clubhouse now has the extra support and energy it needs. It was a real peanut butter in my choclate, choclate in my peanut butter idea.
God is awesome in how he moves and grows His church. The apostle John is exiled (doesn't seem good) we get the book of Revelation. David Bayne goes to mission field and leaves quite a few leadership roles open at Grace Community Church. God brings in the right people to build on and expand the work of God that David had laid the foundation for.
And in a similar fashion, but not in the same magnitude, I am called away from Children's Ministry at Grace, and God provides an awesome solution for not one, but two ministries.
I just want to say, God is awesome!
--Serving along side all of you, just from further away
--Jesse Letourneau
Now I was by no means the central part to either ministry, and the vision and passion came from others who I admire and aspire to emulate both in my ministry as well as my private life. However, for the midweek program my responsiblity was the Bible lesson for the week, and for Sunday nights I was responsible for the entire time every other week. So when I left Grace Community, there were some holes that needed to be filled.
No one stepped up, I believe, beacause God had a better idea in mind. The goal of Clubhouse was to capture as much of the energy and creativity of VBS as possible in a weekly meeting. Three of the people responsible for the energy and creativity of VBS were the three who were the other half of Sunday nights. So the obvious (I say obvious, because seeing it happen now it makes absolute perfect sense, but I would never have thought it up) solution, combine the two.
GraceKids! has now become Kids' Clubhouse, and Kids' Clubhouse now has the extra support and energy it needs. It was a real peanut butter in my choclate, choclate in my peanut butter idea.
God is awesome in how he moves and grows His church. The apostle John is exiled (doesn't seem good) we get the book of Revelation. David Bayne goes to mission field and leaves quite a few leadership roles open at Grace Community Church. God brings in the right people to build on and expand the work of God that David had laid the foundation for.
And in a similar fashion, but not in the same magnitude, I am called away from Children's Ministry at Grace, and God provides an awesome solution for not one, but two ministries.
I just want to say, God is awesome!
--Serving along side all of you, just from further away
--Jesse Letourneau
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
ramblings
Good Morning All (or afternoon, or night, or whenever you are reading this),
I am up to go to my bank to deposit my paychecks that came before my direct deposit got set up. The bank doesn't open for another hour, so you all get to read my rambling thoughts instead.
When I was first offered this job, I wasn't sure it was the right deal for me. Of course that was six years ago. A good friend of mine came to camp six years ago to work as a Naturalist. He has been bugging me to apply for and later when he stepped into the role of Program head flat out offering me a job here. I ignored the offer, knowing that camp wasn't for me.
About six weeks ago my life finally hit bottom. Me and God were still good, but just about everything else was, well crap. I had a BA and post graduate accreditation, in the field I was positive I was called by God to work in, and yet I had no idea how to actually obtain a full time job in said field (the field is education for those of you joining us late). I wasn't able to make ends meet as the current budget crisis in CA has trickled down to severely cut sub jobs (at least in the district I was in). My life consisted mainly of sitting in front of the computer or the television, hoping/praying/wishing I would get a call so that I could work the next day.
The only positive in my life was my attendance and my service at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach. I know that no church is perfect, and I know that Grace is no exception, but it seems we do a lot of things really well, and the people I had contact with were doing the whole ministry thing for the right reasons. I love Grace, I have never been a part of a church where my needs to learn, grow, and minister were so completely met, and all of it was done with an unexplainable but certain presence of our God.
There is no way God would call me away from this church. No way I could survive without its ministries, without its people. Despite any struggles with jobs and money, I was convinced I was suppose to stay in Long Beach.
There was only one problem. I KNEW that God was preparing me to leave Grace of Seal Beach. Not because it wasn't a church full of his presence, not because it wasn't a good fit for me, but because I had begun to rely on God's blessings, and not on God. It is a fine line but it is a clear one, and one I knew in both head and heart I had crossed. That is not say that I was walking away from God or that I wasn't serving/praising/worshiping my Lord. It was that a typical Sunday for me consisted of more excitement over meeting with the people of God after the service than I was about meeting with God during.
I have never been one who easily worships God in spirit. Worshiping God in mind, that's fine, that's easy, that's built into my personality, but it takes effort for me to worship in spirit. Our Lord has instructed us to do both. Grace was a safe place were I was excited to be, but not one where I was growing in my faith like I needed to be, and more to the point it wasn't a place where I was being stretched.
Let me stop here, this isn't about Grace's programs or leadership or any shortcomings they have, this is about God moving ME to a new place. About specific things God wants to do in me. God was working through me at Grace, but I wasn't allowing Him to work in me.
I hate change. Hate it with a passion. The job situation hasn't been ideal for years, but it was always just enough. Just enough to keep me indoors, fed, and living close enough to be involved at Grace, that is all I wanted. That is all I thought I needed. Many of you know I have been trying to get a full time teaching gig for a while. Well honestly, outside of Bellflower and Long Beach, I didn't really want to teach anywhere else. Anywhere else would be too far for me to be so involved with Grace. Anywhere else would involve change. So I never really tried like I should have to find a classroom in any other district.
I feel like I could have applied for a teaching gig outside of my comfort zone (ie Long Beach), and that may very well have been in God's plan for me. If I had listened to His prompting, if I had been braver and more ready for change, I may be exactly what I always thought I would be. But even then, I think, that would have been more about what I want, and just as easily a situation where I relied on the goodness of God, to exclusion of relying solely on God.
So instead, my world stopped. Money was finally a big enough issue, and I knew I had to take action, I had to change. But how? That I honestly didn't know.
One day I was putting around on facebook. Ben Maki popped up. He offered me a job. I considered it. Everyone else was excited about the opportunity. I prayed about it, slept on it, and one week later I was on a plane headed for Northern California. Not in a million years did I think I would be living at camp. Sure going to camp is awesome. Even as a leader at camp, your responsibilities are getting kids to and from meals, to and from activities, and then to sleep at night. Granted the last one can be a little tricky, but still not like what I do now.
I have to set up and tear down zip lines, I have make sure I know the trails even in the dark, I have be responsible and knowledgeable about how a camp works and all its moving parts. I have to remember which way the cabins are that are called "Birdland" are so if I have cabin check out duty I am in the right place. I have to tie knots correctly. None of this is my strong suit. None of this is stuff that comes easily.
ALL of these things are forcing me to rely on God for strength (often times literal physical strength-working those zip lines is harder than it seems). All of these things are forcing me to rely on others for help and information. Neither of those options are things that particularly thrill me.
I like to be independent, I like to use my gifts, I like to use my strengths. I would rather not even mention my weaknesses. Let alone stretch and grow and turn them into strengths so that I can do the job God has called me to.
But that is where I am. I am in a place where I must fully rely on God and others. Which is exactly where God wants us all. I am grateful that God isn't done with me yet, I am gratefully that I get to stretch, I am grateful that God doesn't leave the course of my life up to me and my ideals of happiness. None the less please keep praying for me.
I talked alot about Grace Community in this blog. Soon I will write another about some cool stuff that has happened that God is doing there.
Right now I need to get going to get to the bank in time.
--Jesse Letourneau
Serving Him alongside all of you, just from a little further away
I am up to go to my bank to deposit my paychecks that came before my direct deposit got set up. The bank doesn't open for another hour, so you all get to read my rambling thoughts instead.
When I was first offered this job, I wasn't sure it was the right deal for me. Of course that was six years ago. A good friend of mine came to camp six years ago to work as a Naturalist. He has been bugging me to apply for and later when he stepped into the role of Program head flat out offering me a job here. I ignored the offer, knowing that camp wasn't for me.
About six weeks ago my life finally hit bottom. Me and God were still good, but just about everything else was, well crap. I had a BA and post graduate accreditation, in the field I was positive I was called by God to work in, and yet I had no idea how to actually obtain a full time job in said field (the field is education for those of you joining us late). I wasn't able to make ends meet as the current budget crisis in CA has trickled down to severely cut sub jobs (at least in the district I was in). My life consisted mainly of sitting in front of the computer or the television, hoping/praying/wishing I would get a call so that I could work the next day.
The only positive in my life was my attendance and my service at Grace Community Church of Seal Beach. I know that no church is perfect, and I know that Grace is no exception, but it seems we do a lot of things really well, and the people I had contact with were doing the whole ministry thing for the right reasons. I love Grace, I have never been a part of a church where my needs to learn, grow, and minister were so completely met, and all of it was done with an unexplainable but certain presence of our God.
There is no way God would call me away from this church. No way I could survive without its ministries, without its people. Despite any struggles with jobs and money, I was convinced I was suppose to stay in Long Beach.
There was only one problem. I KNEW that God was preparing me to leave Grace of Seal Beach. Not because it wasn't a church full of his presence, not because it wasn't a good fit for me, but because I had begun to rely on God's blessings, and not on God. It is a fine line but it is a clear one, and one I knew in both head and heart I had crossed. That is not say that I was walking away from God or that I wasn't serving/praising/worshiping my Lord. It was that a typical Sunday for me consisted of more excitement over meeting with the people of God after the service than I was about meeting with God during.
I have never been one who easily worships God in spirit. Worshiping God in mind, that's fine, that's easy, that's built into my personality, but it takes effort for me to worship in spirit. Our Lord has instructed us to do both. Grace was a safe place were I was excited to be, but not one where I was growing in my faith like I needed to be, and more to the point it wasn't a place where I was being stretched.
Let me stop here, this isn't about Grace's programs or leadership or any shortcomings they have, this is about God moving ME to a new place. About specific things God wants to do in me. God was working through me at Grace, but I wasn't allowing Him to work in me.
I hate change. Hate it with a passion. The job situation hasn't been ideal for years, but it was always just enough. Just enough to keep me indoors, fed, and living close enough to be involved at Grace, that is all I wanted. That is all I thought I needed. Many of you know I have been trying to get a full time teaching gig for a while. Well honestly, outside of Bellflower and Long Beach, I didn't really want to teach anywhere else. Anywhere else would be too far for me to be so involved with Grace. Anywhere else would involve change. So I never really tried like I should have to find a classroom in any other district.
I feel like I could have applied for a teaching gig outside of my comfort zone (ie Long Beach), and that may very well have been in God's plan for me. If I had listened to His prompting, if I had been braver and more ready for change, I may be exactly what I always thought I would be. But even then, I think, that would have been more about what I want, and just as easily a situation where I relied on the goodness of God, to exclusion of relying solely on God.
So instead, my world stopped. Money was finally a big enough issue, and I knew I had to take action, I had to change. But how? That I honestly didn't know.
One day I was putting around on facebook. Ben Maki popped up. He offered me a job. I considered it. Everyone else was excited about the opportunity. I prayed about it, slept on it, and one week later I was on a plane headed for Northern California. Not in a million years did I think I would be living at camp. Sure going to camp is awesome. Even as a leader at camp, your responsibilities are getting kids to and from meals, to and from activities, and then to sleep at night. Granted the last one can be a little tricky, but still not like what I do now.
I have to set up and tear down zip lines, I have make sure I know the trails even in the dark, I have be responsible and knowledgeable about how a camp works and all its moving parts. I have to remember which way the cabins are that are called "Birdland" are so if I have cabin check out duty I am in the right place. I have to tie knots correctly. None of this is my strong suit. None of this is stuff that comes easily.
ALL of these things are forcing me to rely on God for strength (often times literal physical strength-working those zip lines is harder than it seems). All of these things are forcing me to rely on others for help and information. Neither of those options are things that particularly thrill me.
I like to be independent, I like to use my gifts, I like to use my strengths. I would rather not even mention my weaknesses. Let alone stretch and grow and turn them into strengths so that I can do the job God has called me to.
But that is where I am. I am in a place where I must fully rely on God and others. Which is exactly where God wants us all. I am grateful that God isn't done with me yet, I am gratefully that I get to stretch, I am grateful that God doesn't leave the course of my life up to me and my ideals of happiness. None the less please keep praying for me.
I talked alot about Grace Community in this blog. Soon I will write another about some cool stuff that has happened that God is doing there.
Right now I need to get going to get to the bank in time.
--Jesse Letourneau
Serving Him alongside all of you, just from a little further away
Monday, February 16, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
My Idol
For Camp we have to fill out bios to go up on the website.
One of the questions is who is someone you admire?
My answer was the Apostle Peter, because no matter how many times he failed, he never failed to try. And the Great Gonzo, for the same reason.
You can never exhaust God's love, you can never drain His grace, and you can't wander beyond His mercy. No matter what it is, there is a reason to get up, dust off, and move on.
Be strong and encouraged my brothers and sisters.
--Jesse Letourneau
Serving Him along side you, just from a little farther away.
One of the questions is who is someone you admire?
My answer was the Apostle Peter, because no matter how many times he failed, he never failed to try. And the Great Gonzo, for the same reason.
You can never exhaust God's love, you can never drain His grace, and you can't wander beyond His mercy. No matter what it is, there is a reason to get up, dust off, and move on.
Be strong and encouraged my brothers and sisters.
--Jesse Letourneau
Serving Him along side you, just from a little farther away.
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