New Blog

Jodie and I have decided to start a blog together over at Word press. The name of our new blog is A Beautiful Collision. Click here to check it out.

A Mother's Rite of Passage

Hi there, it's Jodie. Sorry to those of you who come here to hear from Jeff, but I thought I'd give this blogging thing a try.

This past Friday was Liesl's 1st birthday. We had a little lunch party for her and she had her little cupcake and all. I did the party with the intention of celebrating her life with friends and to mark the milestone in a sort of official way. However, after it was over I realized that the party was probably more for ME as her mother. These past couple of days have been very meaningful for me (translation: I'm over-analyzing my life). Seeing my baby turn 1 marks the end of the "baby phase" and the beginning of a new phase in my role as a "mother." Sort of a rite of passage for me....

Here is a photo of Liesl on her birthday, enjoying her cake and the moment. She's such an awesome little person. A true pleasure.

Halloween a week early

In Hanover, Halloween is always celebrated the Tuesday before Halloween, even if Halloween is on a Tuesday. So, here is a couple of pictures from trick or treating last week.

Off to Camp

I am off to Victory Jam summer camp this week. We are taking five kids which is a big group for us. I do hope God uses this in the lives of our students. Pray for me as I am stuck in a room with a bunch of middle school boys for the week. By the end of the week, the room smells a bit rank. In all honesty, I look forward to the opportunity of investing into these kids lives. Several of these kids carry some deeps wounds from living in a fallen world. I hope Jesus will awaken their hearts to see Him.

Reform and Resurge Conference

I am currently listening to the Reform and Resurge conference that Mars Hill Church sponsored back in May. You can download several of the messages for free. I especially like Darrin Patrick's message "The Life and Death of the Missional Leader." It is a very challenging message to listen to. Especially for those of us who think ministry is about accomplishment, self-fulfillment (ie your own glory). Check it out and let me know what you think.

Hello

Okay, I am back from the dead. It has been almost two months since I have blogged. I struggle with this blog thing because I feel I have nothing to say. I was graciously reminded that a blogpost doesn't have to be profound. Also, I am not that profound. So, I am going to try to be normal and tell you what is going on in the McMullen household. Part of my blog hiatus has been due to my crazy life. The pastor of our church has been on Sabbatical since May 1st and I have been taking a big chunk of the responsibilities he has. I feel like I am starting to get a hang of the workload. I am really appreciative for the opportunity to serve the church in this way. I am getting a taste of what it means to be a senior pastor and the responsibilty that is involved with that. It also has made me aware of some of my strengths and weakness I haven't noticed before. The summer is in full swing and I am busy trying to get into people's lives and steer this thing we call the church. It is very interesting. I would appreciate your prayers.

Community

Recently, I have been put in charge of overseeing and developing the small group ministry at church. At Hanover Valley, we believe small groups are the "backbone" of the church. I have been spending a lot of time thinking about what constitutes biblical community, what that looks like and why that matters for the spreading of God's kingdom. One book that has been a welcomed companion on this journey has been The Pursuit of God in the Company of Friends by Richard Lamb. Though I am only a quarter of the way through the book, what I most appreciate Lamb's assessment of biblical community has come from his experience of being in community. Lamb calls himself a "recovering nerd." He explains how in college he naturally felt awkward about impromptu social situations. In his chapter, on the "Hospitality of God" he points out five elements of a hospitable community:
1. Physical space - a place that is welcoming like a living room or dining room or kitchen to relax and enjoy relationships with one another.
2. Time - Time set aside to encourage relationships
3. Social space - thinking about what would help people be at ease in a social setting.
4. Emotional space - asking appropriate questions in group settings that spark further discussion.
5. Spiritual space - spending time to pray and reflect on people's needs and concerns. So, they might enter into deeper, more authentic relationships with others.

I appreciate Lamb's reflections on hospitality. I feel the major way evangelism and discipleship happens is through befriending and spending significant amounts of time sharing our lives with each other. Not only with people we like or who are in our social or economic class, but those who are different from us. Those whom society deems as outcasts or the forgot of our culture. What would it mean if we purposely pursued those relationships in the name of Jesus?