Redux: restored, brought back, revisited. As we begin this new year of 2011, that is what has happened: the beginning has been revisited. The cycle has begun anew as we count down towards the next year. As always, you can learn from the past to help you in the present and future. As such, this post will consist of the top moments I can remember in my life from the past year, in no particular order (though you may find that some of them are listed chronologically as per my natural tendency), excluding those things which have yet to be finished.
First off, my graduation from Cornerstone: School of Ministry. From fall 2009 to spring 2010 I studied under some wonderful people in the faith in a small building located on my church's beautiful property in Corvallis. I can recall 25 students who either graduated at the end of the school year, or left as God called them elsewhere, not counting the many people who came to classes part time to learn in areas where they felt God's call. The whole school body was amazing and I appreciate every one of them. I learned a lot about myself, God and Christianity as a whole, while being built up through the fellowship of my friends. Through it, God showed me where to go next, and possibly where I might stay for quite awhile: children's ministry. Lots of thanks to Alyssa Blythe, Amy Knight, Jessica Erhardt, Marvin Watts and Tim Vreeland, the members of my house group; Ben Lyon, Jeremy Bible, Jordan Gerding and Tom Cox, the members of my small group; Andrew Garver, Kene Panas, and Bill Vreeland, good friends who helped with various things: You all made a difference in my life, whether you realize it or not. Thank you for not giving up!
The summer of 2010 marked my 6th year of volunteering with Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF), my 5th year as a Christian Youth In Action (CYIA) student, and my 2nd year serving as Summer Missionary with my local CEF chapter. I have learned a lot through working with CEF and it has changed how I viewed ministry starting back when I was 14. Special thanks to Karis Monroe, my Open-Air partner; Elise Andersen, my Team Trainer; Joseph Mansanti, Angela Kirschner and Hope Schmeltzer, my fellow members of Team #6 (The most awesome team ever!); and the many faces of the worship team: All of you guys & girls rock!
In fall 2010 I began working with CEF as a Ministry Intern. Basically, I work part time and help out with any office work, computer work or various other things that need doing. As well, I help teach at two classes: A Released-time class Mondays for the Philomath Middle School, and an After School Good News Club Thursdays at Franklin Elementary in Corvallis. The work is awesome, as it combines my two favorite things to do: work with computers and teach kids. The goal of my Internship is to: 1. train me to be a better teacher & 2. raise the needed money to pay for me to take a course at Children's Ministries Institute (CMI), which is located at CEF HQ in Warrenton, Missouri.
To top everything off, we have the surprise New Years's Eve party thrown for my best friend, Andrew Bullock. After some 3 weeks of talk over what to do, the day arrived and the plan went into motion. Andrew's girlfriend, Jo, would accompany him to the store to pick up the pizza for the party attendees (which he believed was going to be just his family and Jo). While they did that, my brother and I would arrive, deposit the multiple 2-liters of soda on the table and await Andrew's return in his bedroom. This was all done, and Justin and I waited patiently for the cue from Andrew's mother. He returned, dropped off the pizza, and was told that he needed to put his coat away in his bedroom before they could proceed with the eating of said pizzas. He opened the door to his room, turned on the light, saw Justin and I standing there...and exploded. (In a good, overjoyed Andrew sort of way. You really had to be there to get the full reaction.) The night continued, full of pizza, soda, Halo, Inception and pure awesome. I do have to say that so far, that was the best New Year's Eve I have had. If that ends up being the last time I see Andrew before he leaves for CMI in a few weeks, I'm confident that was the most awesome send-off we could have mustered.
So there you have it, the top moments I had during the last year. Now that it is 2011, I look forward to continuing my work with CEF, my time at CMI and maybe, just maybe, finding out what lies behind that stained glass door I mentioned so many posts ago. Happy New Year and Godspeed!
PS. If you're lost of any of this, chances are I mentioned in my previous posts so look there first. If you still can't seem to find the path you were looking for, leave a comment and I'll try and clear up whatever may be causing your lost-ness. (No, lost-ness is not a word...)
Becoming the man God wants me to be...
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Friday, December 24, 2010
The end of a Year
I haven't posted here since October 8th. Yes, it is because I have forgotten to update this section of my internet presence. But it is also because life has been busy, as all lives can tend to get sometimes. With that in mind, this post will attempt to bring you up to speed...
As you may know, I plan to attend Children's Ministries Institute next fall. during the last two months, the possibility of me attending in January came up and it was not without it's benefits. I would have been traveling and attending with my best friend, Andrew Bullock. However, it left me with $5,000 to raise by January 10th. With God, it was very much a possibility, but after praying and talking about it with various people in the faith, I came to see that it was not in God's will for me to go in January. Along with that came a reason: someone here in Oregon is going to need my help and they will need me to be here in person. (I am withholding the name for the sake of confidentiality) Based on some simple observations, I can safely say that this will happen between now and April 31st. That is a rather large time frame to expect something to happen, and it's going to take some patience, but it seems that is always something God wants to work on with me.
So if you could pray that God will help me to be patient and help me help the person He wants me to help, it would be much appreciated. As well, if you read this, PLEASE comment on this post so I can know who I am actually reaching with this. Thank you. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Godspeed!
As you may know, I plan to attend Children's Ministries Institute next fall. during the last two months, the possibility of me attending in January came up and it was not without it's benefits. I would have been traveling and attending with my best friend, Andrew Bullock. However, it left me with $5,000 to raise by January 10th. With God, it was very much a possibility, but after praying and talking about it with various people in the faith, I came to see that it was not in God's will for me to go in January. Along with that came a reason: someone here in Oregon is going to need my help and they will need me to be here in person. (I am withholding the name for the sake of confidentiality) Based on some simple observations, I can safely say that this will happen between now and April 31st. That is a rather large time frame to expect something to happen, and it's going to take some patience, but it seems that is always something God wants to work on with me.
So if you could pray that God will help me to be patient and help me help the person He wants me to help, it would be much appreciated. As well, if you read this, PLEASE comment on this post so I can know who I am actually reaching with this. Thank you. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Godspeed!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Sometimes life throws you a different door...
Wow, it's October 8th...almost a whole month since I've posted here. Well, to start I finally got my request to work part time with CEF approved by the committee. I would have started this week, but do to legal issues, I have to work 10 hours a week minimum or I don't count as an employee...and that wasn't possible to do in one day. I'll be teaching at Philomath Middle School on Mondays and Franklin Elementary School on Thursdays. What's really cool is, 6 years ago when I started helping with the Released Time Class here in Monroe, we were in the Moses curriculum...which is where we are again. I'll also be teaching a Sunday school class every other week at my church, Calvary Chapel Corvallis. Of course, I'll be helping with Sunday school every week, but I'm only teaching every other week that way I don't have too much to study. If everything works out well, I'll be able to trade off when I teach where, so that the week I'm teaching at the schools will be the week I don't teach at church, and vice versa.
As life continues to move forward, I keep finding doors that are either open or shut. Most of you have probably heard the old saying, "Where God closes a door, He opens a window." (I think that would work better with another door, as not everyone can make it up to or fit through a window) Of course, there are always easy to see doors, like having to go to school or get a job, ones that are specific. But these doors pretty much remain open all the time. Other doors are closed, and when God knows that you are ready for what is on the other side, He'll open the door. Things like teaching Sunday school classes or moving to another state. Sometimes the door is required, as all the other doors are shut, and sometimes there is a choice.
Each time you go through a door, you come to a new room, complete with it's own set of doors for you to go through, although sometimes the only door in the room is the one you just came through, in which case there will be something else in the room for you to acquire before you return to where you came from. Right now, I can say that I've been through many doors and rooms, some leading to new rooms and some with a skill or piece of knowledge inside that I pick up and save for later (I just noticed, this is starting to sound a lot like a Legend of Zelda Dungeon...) However, recently there has been a door that is in every room I come to. It's not like the other doors, being solid wood through and through. Instead, this door is made out of pieces of stained glass, allowing me to see a blurry and somewhat distorted picture of what is behind it.
So far, the door has yet to be opened. However, as time passes, I can see more and more of what is behind it. It's almost like God is using the door to push me onward, preparing for what is behind the door, so that when He opens it, I will be ready to embrace the challenge that lies ahead.
Hopefully I didn't lose any of you back there it that maze of metaphoric doors. If you don't understand what I mean, or are wondering exactly what I'm talking about, all will be revealed with time. I'm still not entirely sure what lies behind the stained glass door, but if it happens to be what it seems, trust that you will be told soon.
Catch ya later!
As life continues to move forward, I keep finding doors that are either open or shut. Most of you have probably heard the old saying, "Where God closes a door, He opens a window." (I think that would work better with another door, as not everyone can make it up to or fit through a window) Of course, there are always easy to see doors, like having to go to school or get a job, ones that are specific. But these doors pretty much remain open all the time. Other doors are closed, and when God knows that you are ready for what is on the other side, He'll open the door. Things like teaching Sunday school classes or moving to another state. Sometimes the door is required, as all the other doors are shut, and sometimes there is a choice.
Each time you go through a door, you come to a new room, complete with it's own set of doors for you to go through, although sometimes the only door in the room is the one you just came through, in which case there will be something else in the room for you to acquire before you return to where you came from. Right now, I can say that I've been through many doors and rooms, some leading to new rooms and some with a skill or piece of knowledge inside that I pick up and save for later (I just noticed, this is starting to sound a lot like a Legend of Zelda Dungeon...) However, recently there has been a door that is in every room I come to. It's not like the other doors, being solid wood through and through. Instead, this door is made out of pieces of stained glass, allowing me to see a blurry and somewhat distorted picture of what is behind it.
So far, the door has yet to be opened. However, as time passes, I can see more and more of what is behind it. It's almost like God is using the door to push me onward, preparing for what is behind the door, so that when He opens it, I will be ready to embrace the challenge that lies ahead.
Hopefully I didn't lose any of you back there it that maze of metaphoric doors. If you don't understand what I mean, or are wondering exactly what I'm talking about, all will be revealed with time. I'm still not entirely sure what lies behind the stained glass door, but if it happens to be what it seems, trust that you will be told soon.
Catch ya later!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Friday: Launch Imminent
It's Friday and that means the week is almost over, YAY! Tomorrow holds an adventure for myself and a small group of guys who are participating in Calvary Chapel Corvallis' "Guard Your Heart" event. We are going out to the coast for some hiking and fellowship while talking about how we can guard our hearts from the attacks of the enemy. I went last year and it was an awesome time with some of the other guys in my church. We hiked out around the Sisters mountain range and didn't end up making it back into Corvallis until about 10 pm. This was the last event I went to before Cornerstone: School of Ministry started and I think it had some impact on my time there. One of my friends from the school and the administrator, Andrew Garver & Adam Poole respectively, have asked me to come back this year for reasons I don't yet know. I do know that whatever it is they want me there for will be helpful both to me and the people I may be talking to.
As I said last post, CEF was deciding on whether or not I was going to work with them this year. As far as I know, only some of the committee members were at the meeting due to it's re-scheduled time, but those who were there were in favor of me staying on. However, it falls to the rest of the members to decide for themselves whether I should stay or not.
Life continues to move forward, and talking with others in my life, especially those closest to me, continues to show that CMI is the next major step towards my future. After that...well, I have an idea, and it continues to be brightened more and more by God's light, but it's time has not yet come. When that time does arrive, I doubt it will come about how I expect it.
As I said last post, CEF was deciding on whether or not I was going to work with them this year. As far as I know, only some of the committee members were at the meeting due to it's re-scheduled time, but those who were there were in favor of me staying on. However, it falls to the rest of the members to decide for themselves whether I should stay or not.
Life continues to move forward, and talking with others in my life, especially those closest to me, continues to show that CMI is the next major step towards my future. After that...well, I have an idea, and it continues to be brightened more and more by God's light, but it's time has not yet come. When that time does arrive, I doubt it will come about how I expect it.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Waiting produces results
Tonight there is a committee meeting for the Benton County of CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) board. At this meeting, they will decide whether or not I will continue to work with them for the school year. Of course, I continue to pray that they will say that I can stay on, but it's a little nerve racking having to wait as they decide if I can or not.
Either way, I still need to find a part-time (or full-time if CEF decides no) job to fund my very minimal living expenses and fill in more of my CMI fund. For those of you who don't know, CMI stands for Children's Ministry Institute. It is a 12 week college course designed to help it's students learn more about ministering to kids. It is a required course if someone (like myself) is interested in entering a director position with CEF. Right now I have $750 towards CMI, but I need a total of $6000 to cover virtually everything I can think of that I'll need over those 12 weeks, including the tuition and board.
Of course, when I get to CMI this blog will probably be much more active, but for now, you have to wait just like I do. Rest assured, waiting does produce results, especially when one is waiting on God.
Either way, I still need to find a part-time (or full-time if CEF decides no) job to fund my very minimal living expenses and fill in more of my CMI fund. For those of you who don't know, CMI stands for Children's Ministry Institute. It is a 12 week college course designed to help it's students learn more about ministering to kids. It is a required course if someone (like myself) is interested in entering a director position with CEF. Right now I have $750 towards CMI, but I need a total of $6000 to cover virtually everything I can think of that I'll need over those 12 weeks, including the tuition and board.
Of course, when I get to CMI this blog will probably be much more active, but for now, you have to wait just like I do. Rest assured, waiting does produce results, especially when one is waiting on God.
Friday, August 20, 2010
The journey begins with a single step...
Yes, as you read this you are witnessing the creation of my new blog. I've long wanted to make one but could not find the time or will to do so. But that has changed . In fact, that is the whole idea behind this blog...
You may ask, "Why 'Landscape for a Hero'?" and I don't blame you. Frankly, the name is rather abstract, but it pierces straight to the heart of it's purpose. This blog serves as a window into the landscape I currently live in. My life, friends, choices, education, ministry: they all pour into this landscape and make it's various edges and curves, as you would see in any landscape. However, the one who tends this landscape is not me, but rather God. As He works in and through my life and it's landscape, He is working to build a suitable place for a hero: me. Now I don't have any powers or abilities that make me a "Superhero" but I do have a heart that is willing to let God work through it, though at times it is resistant, and He is what makes me a hero. Simply by being me and letting God do the rest, I could easily save a life. In fact, I probably already have, I just don't know it yet.
And there you have it, the world around me becomes the landscape I must work in as I try to save the lives of others, like a hero would do. As you continue to follow this blog, you will see the landscape around me change, and the work-in-progress hero you know as Jason Talbert grow and learn from his experiences.
Until next time, Godspeed.
You may ask, "Why 'Landscape for a Hero'?" and I don't blame you. Frankly, the name is rather abstract, but it pierces straight to the heart of it's purpose. This blog serves as a window into the landscape I currently live in. My life, friends, choices, education, ministry: they all pour into this landscape and make it's various edges and curves, as you would see in any landscape. However, the one who tends this landscape is not me, but rather God. As He works in and through my life and it's landscape, He is working to build a suitable place for a hero: me. Now I don't have any powers or abilities that make me a "Superhero" but I do have a heart that is willing to let God work through it, though at times it is resistant, and He is what makes me a hero. Simply by being me and letting God do the rest, I could easily save a life. In fact, I probably already have, I just don't know it yet.
And there you have it, the world around me becomes the landscape I must work in as I try to save the lives of others, like a hero would do. As you continue to follow this blog, you will see the landscape around me change, and the work-in-progress hero you know as Jason Talbert grow and learn from his experiences.
Until next time, Godspeed.
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