My story of anxiety begins in the first grade. We had a creative writing assignment that year. And somewhere in the blur of meeting new friends, recess time, and admiring my rad 80’s trapper-keeper, I remember the assignment quite vividly. We were taking a trip to the Detroit Zoo (which is not actually in Detroit) and our writing assignment was to describe an animal of our choice. I remember it being hot that day, so naturally I convinced my group to spend an extended time in the penguin house. Even at a young age, I weighed the pros and cons of cool temperature over stench and the air conditioning won out. The next day in my classroom I sat with my knees pressed up against the underside of the small desk, eager to write all that I had learned about penguins. I grabbed my oversize #2 pencil and brownish paper with horizontal blue lines, solid and dashed, and began to write. Diligently I concentrated on each letter as I spelled out words describing the penguin’s color and ability to swim in the cold water. About halfway through my writing assignment I realized that I had to get up, go to the corner of the room and crank the pencil sharpener to bring my writing utensil back to the sharp, clean level of excellence it had begun at. I quickly returned to my desk and finished the assignment. Boy, was a proud of my Penguin essay. But the next day, tragedy struck. My paper was returned with a big fat F on the top of the page. Why? Because my first grade teacher had a personal vendetta against me and claimed that the assignment was unacceptable because the first half was a ‘lighter grey’ while the second half was a completely different color. Remember, I had sharpened my pencil.

So needless to say, the rest of the school year produced a stomachache. And a six year old cannot begin to articulate their feelings correctly to Mom and Dad as they seek to understand why their son hates school and worries about class assignments. My anxiety soon led me to the doctor’s office and a hospital visit where they concluded I needed an Upper GI Track X-ray. Let me tell you, the combination of a hospital gown, laying perfectly still on a metal bed, and pumping someone full of barium, does not do anything to help someone with anxiety issues! All they found that day from the X-ray was an image resembling the face of my First grade teacher.

Just kidding. It has been almost 20 years now since that dark time; I can say all of that it behind me. On a serious note, worry and anxiety has been a big part of my life, even from a young age. And since then, I have learned a lot about the difference between a healthy concern for life and harmful anxiety. The best thing I have learned regarding my anxious tendency cannot be contained in a self-help book but in the person of Jesus Christ. He cares for me so much, He would sacrifice His life for mine. So with my life, bought with the precious price of my Savior, how could I possibly spend it stressing out? There are countless stories throughout Scripture of people dealing with stress and anxiety. The Israelites (Numbers), Peter (Matthew 14), Mary and Martha (Luke 10) to name a few.

Perhaps my favorite story with the cure to anxiety is found in 2 Kings 6. Elisha, a prophet of God, had angered an enemy king when he warned the Israelites of the enemy’s potential strike. The enemy king was furious and gave the orders “go find where he is so I can send men and capture him.” Sure enough they found his location and sent horses and chariots and surrounded the city. Verse 15 in chapter 6 continues the story, “When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots has surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more that those who are with them.” And Elisa prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisa.

It’s all about perspective and whose strength you are living in each day. I know there is much in our world to stress us out! But know there is a God who is stronger and desires for you to surrender your life to Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Take each battle as it comes. Cast your cares on the strong shoulders of the one who died for you and replace your worry with Trust in God and a consistent prayer life! -Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The month of April highlights the beginning of spring, the sometimes forgettable administrative professionals day, and the monumental celebration of our earth, Earth Day, on April 22nd! For me, the tradition of Earth Day began over three years ago while I was living in a house that never ceased of laughter, identified as ‘the Curry house.’

Earth Day began as a joke rooted in one of our house movies overflowing with the talent of Pauly Shore, Stephen Baldwin, Kylie Minogue and Tenacious D. Besides the occasional rude humor, the movie’s secondary agenda made its way into our scope of awareness. As the Curry house residence grew up and went their own ways, we still hold the tradition of coming together to celebrate Earth Day, pop it the movie for some laughs, and plant a tree.

Let’s face the facts, it’s trendy to be Green, to drive a hybrid, and to discuss the latest sustainable building while sipping a latte in a recycled cup. But why not jump on the trend? After all, we are commanded to take care of the earth (Genesis 1). We exist as the community of Jesus followers to participate in God’s work in the world, not for our own sake. So let us shrug off the pride of excessive living and act responsibly as an act of worship. Our daily choices can create a lifestyle of stewardship and help shape a greener world. I encourage you to start acting responsibly in the little things: recycle your plastics, place a bin at home and in your workplace for paper, try to avoid Styrofoam, order disposable Bamboo plates for your next cookout. Quit littering out of your car window and if you see some trash blowing around the parking lot the next time your walking through, expend some energy to bend down and pick it up.

To make your Earth Day celebration more memorable, check out what our local community has to offer:

Troy
On April 22nd the Troy Nature Center is hosting an Evening Program focusing on animals. Come experience a Hawk and Owl expert explaining the rehabilitation process of these rather remarkable animals. $5 per person. 6685 Coolage Highway 7-8:30.

Stony Creek
Help clean this amazing local park! Arrive at the Eastwood Beach to check-in. Please call ahead so they can have a good idea of who is participating, lunch provided. 586.781.4242

Rochester
Upland Hills Ecological Awareness Center and Oakland University are pleased to bring you the third annual Earth Day Expo. The expo will be held on the OU campus at the Oakland Center on Saturday April 19th from 11am-6pm. The expo will a provide a wide variety of fun and informative activities. Join with thousands of others consumers, homeowners, business-owners, families, and students interested in learning about healthy and earth-friendly living. And, help make the connection between healthy products, healthy people, and a healthy planet. www.earthdayexpo.org/

The Village of Rochester Hills teams up with Whole Foods Market at their future home at the Village to celebrate Earth Month. Saturday April 26th from 12 noon to 4p.m. rain or shine, families are invited to the Village to stroll from table to table to collect new eco-friendly tips, sample recipes from an organic chef, and more.
Guests are encouraged to bring at least 10 plastic bags to be recycled in exchange for a FREE reusable Village of Rochester tote! (Limit of one per person, while supplies last). In addition, the first 200 guests will receive a free seedling to take home.
Help reduce waste, and bring your recyclables (paper, plastic, glass and cardboard) to the Waste Management recycling truck. Kids can bring an empty egg carton and plastic bottles to turn “trash into treasures” by creating art from recyclables. With our continued efforts, we can all help make a difference in our community!
The Village of Rochester Hills located at the northwest corner of Walton and Adams Roads in Rochester Hills, is open Monday through Saturday 10:00am until 9:00pm, and Sunday from 12 noon until 6:00pm. Village gift certificates are available at California Closets, or online at the village website www.villageofrochesterhills.com.

Have you ever questioned why your place of worship looks the way it does? For the growing evangelical church in America perhaps the question would be, “Why does my church look like an office building or a department store?”. Should the building we enter to worship as the body of Christ reflect the beauty and awe of our Lord? At what cost should church builders go to create ‘Spirituality’ within a structure?

To delve into this topic, it is appropriate to look into the past and step through the doors of the grandest icon of Christian buildings, St. Peters in Rome, Italy. Gianlorenzo Bernini designed the outside square of St. Peters and he viewed the encircling marble colonnades as the motherly arms of the church. I was there, and ouch, that would be a painful embrace. Marble is everywhere you look. In the columns, stairs, flooring, statues, and fountains- it is intended to create a feeling of purity and sacredness. Two large fountains, appealing not only to sight but also to sound, give a representation of peace and purification. Looking up, as to heaven, you are face to face with the front elevation of St. Peters and encouraged by the stretching ‘arms’ of the marble colonnade to enter. And enter you must!

Structure captures your every sense as you enter through the large doors. The enormous structure of St. Peter’s was built on obvious basic principals: the central hemispherical dome, the square plan with inscribed cross, and a number of minor chapels. The dome is an image of heaven, and the cube is an image of mankind. When the cube and sphere are combined within a building such as St. Peters, there is a representation of the bond between heaven and earth. In human scale, the dome can be seen; but it is a vast space that cannot be reached. The size of the structure signifies a spiritual space. The proportion of the dome, inscribed cross, and human scale gives a spatial representation of a spiritual atmosphere. A notion that man is small, the heavens are huge and unreachable, and the only way to heaven is through the cross. Can you see the symbolism intended? If the forms went without notice, certainly the use of color would grab your attention. The interior is a world of color and dazzling drama made up of choice materials combined to resemble a spiritual atmosphere. The deep reds and blues dance up the columns, bringing your eyes up towards the ceiling. The barrel vault ceiling is gold with decorated pendentives. The ceiling is captivating and the most decorated element of the interior. It reflects the natural light, which pours in through the clerestory windows, and portrays a spiritual expression of a rich and beautiful heaven in contrast to a simple human life.

Light plays a large role in St. Peters. The purposefully small stained glass in the apse filters the light and directs the most intense rays to the center of the window. The center reveals a dove, which is the symbol of the Holy Spirit. The light coming in through the stained glass shines upon a bronze sculpture of cherubs and angels. And the light throughout the entire space is beaming through the windows, in a controlled fashion, four hundred and fifty two feet above your eyes as you stand still in awe. If the intention of the light was to create a symbolic world, the goal was achieved. Light is a symbol of hope, prosperity, and life. But who is the recipient of the motionless awe? The human or the divine Architect?

“After Christianity became the official state religion at the end of the forth century, the quantity of church building increased markedly.” Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture. St. Peters was indeed one of these churches and the quality goes without mentioning. Yet the ’spiritual temperature’ and authenticity of the people within the church was frigid and distant. In my visit, I experienced art and architecture at historic levels; however, true worship was nowhere to be found. There must be a balance out there, a physical space abounding in excellence and honor to our Savior and a body of authentic believers gathered within to corporately worship with their whole being. Our evangelical churches of today can be explained as a backlash on the very buildings we call grand and spiritual. It is obvious there was no consideration for material limitation in St. Peters. There were no concerns with monetary issues and if they were low on materials, such as marble, they had the power to steal it from buildings such as the Coliseum and Pantheon, and that they did. At what cost do we enjoy the ’spirituality’ of a building such as St. Peters? Today, in our churches, we have financial limitations. After all, we cannot simply rip expensive materials from others buildings to detail our sanctuaries. Today our focus and finances are geared toward community outreach, training leaders, developing programs, and growing ministries. Yes, we may attempt to create worship spaces welcoming to the typical white and blue-collar worker, fitted with familiar hallways and typical recessed lighting. But can we please incorporate even a slice of the creativity and awe God has fused within the nature of his children? The challenge is to create a balance and I believe our generation is up for the challenge.

Movements stir us. Whether we agree and area ready to wake up early to ‘walk’ for it, or if we disagree and want to boycott, movements bring energy.

What is your place in a movement? Are you on the cutting edge or somewhere at the end right before it goes extinct? I love to observe and study movements; the process is intriguing. A movement seems to begin with an idea, then the idea becomes a conversation, a conversation turns into a conspiracy, and the conspiracy gives birth to a movement. During the first phases of a movement the visionaries and collective followers are filled to the brink with passion. The movement does not stay in the state of newness and thrill, however. Soon enough the movement will catch the eye of a business-type and somehow become a trend and to its own demise, a brand.

Because I have a love of Architecture and Urban Planning, I am going to focus in the design direction and avoid movements such as the ‘beanie baby craze’, although equally as thrilling. It is the Futurist movement in the early 20th century, the Modern movement brought by Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius, the Postmodern movement, the New Urbanism movement, and the Deconstructivism and Digital Design movement which bring an energy rich with thought provoking conversation. Yes, these movements are more architectural in nature but they were successful because they were much deeper than physical buildings.

Le Corbusier and Water Gropius during the Modern movement of the 1920’s and 30’s were thinking and rethinking space as we experience it and new building materials. A architect student who traveled to see the first public exhibition phrased his observation: “I had a glimpse of a world that was being reborn.” (Barry Katz) But like all radical movements, modernism has been victim of its own success and its antistyle became the most successful style of all time.

Moving past the Postmodern and New Urbanism movement bring us to the Deconstructiveism and Digital Design movement we are currently apart of. It’s interesting to read theory of current architects. Some have abandoned the past hope of ‘a simple, more honest’ life of the late 19th century. We are now experiencing a movement that picks apart the very concept of “movement.” Of science without truth, text without authors, and buildings without visible structural logic. These are thoughts also of our peers, an expression of an age that has lost faith in the idea that there is a key out there that will unlock the mysteries of the universe.

What are your thoughts on these current theories and how they impact the movement Jesus Christ began some two thousand years ago? Perhaps you have been bombarded with so much “Christianity”. Perhaps you see Christianity not as a movement but as a trend or brand that does not give purpose. Similar to the tragedy of the modern movement’s antistyle becoming the most successful style of all time, some of today’s “Christianity” has strayed from the original intent. Jesus Christ called individuals to a movement of radical love.
Mark 12.28-31
“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

Similar to the design progression of rejecting structural logic and scientific truths, we live in a time where individuals are rejecting the Truths found in God’s Word. Perhaps because they are looking at us, as followers of the movement, and do not see truth in our lives. I don’t know about you, but I know I need love, radical love, and truth in my life. And it starts with my daily choice to love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. Revolutionary Love.

I have always been enamored with creativity. And just like a Renaissance man from the 1500’s, I want to dabble in all forms of it. This is who I am- how I was made. But thinking beyond a simple interest and hobby- I believe creativity is in the depths of everyone. Weather you are in a lab testing DNA, preparing a lesson for your 3rd grade class, engineering new technology for the next hybrid, designing cell-phone towers or scrimmaging with your Monday night soccer league you must use creativity to succeed. Call it ‘trouble shooting’ or ‘problem solving’ –face it; you seek to be creative! And as Mike Buchanan states in The Holy Wild, “the human desire to create, simply mirrors the God whose image we are made, by whose breath we are filled.”

The Renaissance man is the ultimate creative occupation. Michelangelo, for example, was a painter, sculptor, architect, poet and engineer. I have been fortunate enough to have seen some of his creations, such as: the Pietà, the David, his fresco paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and The Last Judgment fresco on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, as well as the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. From all that I have seen, I give testimony to his enormous amount of creativity. And to think he accomplished all he did without modern technology; his life radiated creativity.

It is the ‘movements’ of creativity and multifaceted individuals, which seem to grab my attention. The De Stijl, literally translated as “the style” was an art movement founded in 1917 by the gems of the 1900’s creators: the sculptor Vantongerloo, architect JJP Oud, designer Rietveld and the painter Mondrian. These men realized their human desire to create should span past their media of art and into a language, culture and geography. Perhaps they were searching for wholeness and identity found only in the creator of creativity. The main principles of the De Stijl movement continued on to greatly influence the Bauhaus movement in Germany in the 1920’s. And beyond being a great font for your text, Bauhaus was bustling with creativity.

I could go on for days about individuals such as Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Finnish architects best known for Cranbrook and the St. Louis Arch, Frank Gehry, best known for the titanium-covered Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, and Rem Koolhaas, Dutch architect known for his Urban Design. These individuals submerged themselves in creativity. Some were sculptors and furniture designers, which influenced their buildings. Or a scriptwriter and journalist, which influenced the integration of society and theory with culture and Urban development. The creativity in their life did not stay compartmentalized. It collided with the dynamic aspects of who they were to form a physical representation.

Will I allow the compartments of my life, the walls I have built to create categories of different friends, coworkers, family, and my neatly separated hobbies to be blown away so I can truly live. I understand God is the author of creativity and desire for my life to be a ‘beautiful collision’.

I am sitting on the 38th floor of my hotel on Michigan Avenue, Magnificent Mile, out looking the beautiful city and mulling over all that happened yesterday. Yes- I popped the Question to my beautiful girlfriend! It all started in Chicago, so I thought it appropriate to continue the Chicago milestones.

Three years ago in May, I drove out here where Adrienne attends Moody Bible Institute to spend a few days with my cousin Ryan who attended Illinois Institute of Technology. That’s what I told her, but we all know I was there to spend time with her. So at the end of my three-day visit, I asked her to consider dating me. Soon after, she came home to Rochester for the summer and we began our dating relationship.

We can take Zero credit for our relationship. God brought us together through ministry. Back before we dated, I was very involved with the Middle School ministry at Woodside and soon after, she became a leader as well. As time went by, I would ask her to help out with other random projects I was working on throughout the church: Missions Conferences, Christmas sets, etc. Ministry is such a great way to see someone’s heart. At the time I was pursuing my Architecture degree and I knew ministry was a passion but I never knew God would redirect my path into full time, vocational ministry. So, Adrienne has been with me throughout the past three interesting years where we watched and experienced God change us, preparing us for a life together serving Him!

Sentimental Details of ‘the day’:
On Thursday, March 8th, I flew to Chicago in the morning. Adrienne had no idea that I was on my way; it was a complete surprise. I arrived in the afternoon because I had details to work out before 5pm when all the fun began.

Have you seen the movie Elizabethtown? Well, in this rather contemplative movie, Kirsten Dunsts’ character sends Orlando Blooms’ character on a road trip by himself to ‘get into the deep beautiful melancholy of all that has happened.’ This trip was complete with maps, music, and emotion. This movie happens to be a favorite of Adrienne’s, so I set up a similar setting.

I surprised her at work and presented her with a book and music to start the journey, and then she was relieved early from her job to follow the map. When she saw me, I think the exact words were, “I’m so confused”. After all, what I doing there- I live in Troy. I kissed her and told her I would see her later. The next two hours were filled with visits to memorable spots, pictures, short stories, all building up to the end where we met in front of Mies Van der Rohe’s Lake Shore Drive apartments on Lake Michigan (this spot holds significance). Also, one of my favorite Architects! It was here where I asked her the big question: ‘where do you want to eat dinner’ –just kidding. You all know what I asked. (She said yes)

All of the events are still sinking in…
We are thrilled for the future and beautiful Adventure together with our Savior-

If I were drowning in water… what would I yell out? Would I yell out? Or would I just sink?

Interesting thought to ask myself. Would I care what others around me would think if they heard me crying out? Would I begin a long, drawn-out conversation to the lifeguard on duty that takes all-too long to get to the point?
No!
Then why am I timid sometimes to cry out to God when I’m drowning? In Scripture, Psalm 69.1, David cries out, “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.”

This past weekend, I was over on the West side of Michigan with 300 some people for a student ministry Winter Retreat. Ken Rudolph challenged our students using David’s words- to cry out “God Save Me”. In Psalms, David uses this phrase 126 times! This amazing leader and man of God obviously realized the importance of crying out to his creator.

It is a humbling act- but I need to shout out to God much more often than I do.

“Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the Hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God!” Jim Elliot

And that is what I’m trying to do. Here I am in Kalamazoo hanging out with my friend Dan so the morning commute to Grand Rapids won’t sting quite as much as the drive from Troy. Tomorrow is my second of five Saturday seminars in the Ministry Leadership program through Cornerstone University. Last spring, I left architecture school because it was not God’s Will. Don’t get me wrong; I loved my classes, classmates, professors, and projects. But as the designs went by and different projects were chosen for the gallery, the ‘climb’ was all wrong. I was not following the Will of God.

I’m now ‘living life to the hilt’ because I decided to obey.

I am thrilled to be the Woodside Student Ministry Intern since May 28th! I am also the Administrator for all technical aspects of rooms 231 and 232.

A bit about myself: I am an art and architecture person, a reader, a runner, uncle of two, brother of two sisters, son of faithful parents, music person, outdoor lover, water sports person, coffee drinker, and traveler… especially Chicago, where a special someone resides.

I am excited to share random thoughts, interesting articles, and pose compelling questions on a weekly basis.

Let me tell you a bit about my ‘booties’. My 100% Finish Grandmother or ‘Mumu’ (grandmother in Finish) made them for me before she passed away. You may laugh… but these lace-up booties are significant because I loved my grandmother, her stories, my heritage and the Finish Culture. She made these slippers in the style of my grandfather’s boxing shoes- he was the heavyweight-boxing champion of the Upper Peninsula in the 1940s. His name was Bruno- hence my middle name. That’s right- they’re Masculine Booties. And she made them blue and white, the Finish Colors!

There have been a select few who have seen these Finish heirlooms. Partially because if I wore them everyday they would fall apart sooner than I would like, but mostly because I wouldn’t throw pearls before pigs… they would not appreciate them, same with the delicate footwear.

Check out Matthew chapter 7 this week- the words of Christ are powerful.

Have you ever fallen asleep in church?

I remember countless times as a young tike, leaning over on my Dad or Mom and falling asleep on the pew. Well, tonight proved that I have not grown out of that stage of dozing off into the beautiful land of rest. Granted, I was not in a pew and my mother and father were nowhere to be found, I was caught sleeping. And by caught, I mean, right when I came back into the land of church attentiveness the pastor looked right at me and smirked… yep, I was caught. It’s also bad when your pastor is your boss as well- ouch. We live under the umbrella of grace, right?

Falling asleep in church as an adult is altogether different than my childhood memories. For some unknown reason, when one reaches adulthood, sleeping in church, class, or the workplace brings with it a shameful billboard: ‘the head-jerk into consciousness.’ This phrase, as you all know, refers to the huge sign to everyone in the room that ‘I Was Sleeping.’

Well Cliff, before I passed on to study my eyelids, I was really enjoying the challenge you presented in redefining the term ‘Christian.’ I will certainly tune in to the podcast this week to pick up what I missed.

Emotionally, physically, and academically this week has been trying. Car problems, emotional ‘highs’, speaking responsibilities, major reading for school… I know you all can relate, because we all have weeks like this from time to time.

If you are ever near me in a service and you see me ready to go to the land of slumber, you have my permission to nudge me.