• Archive of "birthday" Category

    A Birthday Song

    March 23, 2010 // No Comments »

    There are precious few people in the world that I regret not getting to spend more time with than Mr. Ryan Spencer.

    For better or for worse, Fuller leaves roommate selection up to incoming students to figure out on their own.  So, randomly, off a list, with basically no information, Ryan called me in the summer of 2004 and asked me if I wanted to be roommates.  The years that followed produced numerous tales of now timeless Fuller legend.

    Few people get me better than Ryan and he never disappoints for new ways to crack me up – often through impromptu songs. This birthday produced yet another one of those amazing Spencer masterpieces.

    Submitted for your enjoyment, the musical stylings of Mr. Ryan Spencer.

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    Posted in birthday, friends

    A Life Narrated by Love

    March 9, 2010 // 3 Comments »

    The life I live is one narrated by Love.


    The other day I was looking for something and when I couldn’t find it where it should have been, I was forced to consult “the box.”

    You know “the box” right?  It’s where you have stashed your odds and ends for years upon years.  You have no real idea what all is in there, but you also know equally well that there is no chance you would ever throw that box away!

    As I worked through the contents of the box, I was moved to tears.  I found collections of letters, notes, cards, and pictures that I had all but forgotten.

    A soccer ball that all my players signed for me when I coached.

    A scrap of paper with simple words of encouragement that a good friend tucked in my bag right before I boarded a plane to embark on one of the hardest journeys of my life.

    Letters from students with words of love and affirmation from my days as a student pastor.

    Today is my 31st birthday – the first that I celebrate with the woman who vowed to love me for the rest of my life.  And if the last 8 months are any kind of gauge, the rest of my life is looking pretty great!

    As I stop to think about how I have been loved for the last 30 years, how I am loved now, and how I may yet be loved in the future by people (and, Lord willing, children) that I don’t even know yet, I am overwhelmed with inexpressible joy and gratitude.

    May I have the courage to love others as I have been loved – to help narrate the lives of others with the sort of Love that has characterized mine.

    Posted in Amy, birthday, love

    29 Changes

    March 12, 2008 // 1 Comment »

    I turned 29 this past Sunday. I had the opportunity to visit my family in California right at the end of February and got to celebrate with them. Then, this past week my brother Alex came in from NYC to see me, or maybe it had something to do with his girlfriend down in Columbus, but either way I got to spend some time with him and my mom. Then, my friends had a little birthday/going-away gathering last Friday night. “Going away?” you ask. Yes.

    29 marks probably the most significant new season of life to date. A newer missional community from down in Memphis contacted a friend and professor from out at Fuller, Ryan Bolger, looking for someone to join their team. Ryan connected us, and to skip over some of the pretty fun, but lengthy details, they invited me to join them as a young adult pastor. Not really thinking that I wanted to re-enter the world of paid church ministry, and certainly having no real ambitions to move to the South, I didn’t really think that much of it initially. But, as we started having conversations and then visits, I was overwhelmed by what it seemed like God was doing amongst this community. Living Hope is the sort of church community that I would move merely to be a part of. That I’ll get to do full-time what I midst want to do anyway – relational discipleship and community formation amongst young adults – is really just a pretty awesome bonus. Though there’s definitely a flood of emotions to wade through in something like this, mainly what I feel is a sense of excitement and anticipation.

    The other big news is that I apparently get to teach an online class with Fuller! I am working right now on writing up the course – The Emerging Church in the 21st Century and it’s scheduled to run this summer. I have had the opportunity to TA a whole slew of courses, but this will be my first crack at being an instructor (that title doesn’t scare me as much as – gulp – professor!). I had the opportunity to take this course with Dr. Eddie Gibbs, and then worked through a lot of the material with Ryan. With so much discussion happening about the emerging church and the group Emergent, it should prove to be a pretty interesting experience.

    I think that’s pretty much all the big stuff. I am still trying to nail down something with my house and making all the moving arrangements, but that stuff will all sort itself out I guess.

    So, thus begins year 29!

    Posted in birthday, christendom, community, decisions, discipleship, Fuller Seminary, living hope, spiritual formation, young adults

    28th B-Day

    March 24, 2007 // No Comments »

    This one is a bit overdue, but hey, better late than never.

    I turned 28 on Friday, March 9.  Last year was great – having a great dinner at Chili’s with some good friends and then a party where people came prepared to have fun and tell stories, and this year was another great one.

    I was totally shocked when everyone at work assembled without my knowing and then managed to fool me into joining them.  They set out a variety of my favorite foods – different kinds of french fries, mint chocolate chip and ice cream, and some huge cupcakes.  Someone came up with the clever idea to serve the french fries as if they were shrimp in a cocktail glass, only with ketchup.

    After work, my roommate picked me up and took me to a spa where Maria had arranged for a full-body massage – ahhhhhh.  Then it was off to Buca Di Beppo’s where I joined a number of other friends for a great meal together.

    Pasadena was hosting an art night where all the local art galleries, museums, and concert halls were offering free showings and performances.  We walked to Old Town and then took a shuttle to a few different locations where we got to sample some the great artistry Pasadena has to offer.

    We topped the evening off by coming back to my apartment and watching The Illusionist, which was a great movie.

    So, in style, we move another year into the late twenties and I am excited to see what sorts of challenges and opportunities this next year holds.

    Posted in birthday, friends, stories