home

it's been almost 2 months, and we're finally feeling like things are settling in at our place.

We've used what was given to us (furnishings) for most of the flat, except the living room cause we wanted to make that the single room that would be nice enough for people to come and chill out, catch a flick, play scrablle if my wife has anything to do with it, or just chat.

What do you think?

Finally got some pictures for the walls (all black and white), hung the lighting, coffee table (even that was over $130 from basically wal-mart), a tv and bookshelf.

Anyways, we've had a great week! Kate met a guy in her program who wanted to trade services....photography for her web design. The conversation eventually led to a friend of the photographer owning a video studio outside the city. Apparently it's a large warehouse fit with high-end digital gear and lighting........anyways, I think we're going to meet up with the owner at some point to talk about using his place for trade or perhaps getting him to use his skills at Eikon........who knows....be praying for that, could be a huge connection point.

A 3-1 Burgh Victory

Had my first soccer match today! It was an away game in Dundee, so we left on a bus at 11:40am and got home at 8pm...8.5 hrs! It was a good match, though neither team played especially well. Contrary to my pre-game visions of a hattrick, I didn't score, but enjoyed playing nonetheless. Apparently our team is sponsored by Budweiser, as their logo was sprayed across our jerseys and shorts...

I think the best part, actually, was that we (as a team) stopped by a pub after the game for pints and sandwiches...the thought of beer is never particularly appealing to me, but especially not after a workout! So I stuck with orange soda and chatted with my new friend Cecilia, from Sweden. Apparently she and I are the oldest people on the team; imagine that! The average age is 20! I don't know what I expected, except that from first impressions I thought everyone was at least 22...and so, I've been dubbed "Grandma"...apparently being married automatically adds a decade to my age, so I'm viewed as the oldest on the team...

Our next game is next Wednesday at home...looking forward to it already! Thanks for your support! Will keep you posted!

**Next time I'll take pictures!

Creative Thinking

Here's an email I received through a friend about Zeb Minghistu's church Beza International, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:
"It is widely understood that in Africa, business and corruption go hand in hand. These forces have combined to stifle potential, hinder growth, and perpetuate the cycleof poverty. Beza Business Group is an association of local businessmen and women committed to curbing this trend, and making fair business practice commonplace in the Ethiopian and African economies. They recognize the need for effective, sound business practices in Africa for personal stability, for the betterment of society, and for the benefit of future generations. The vision is to abolish business corruption on the continent permanently.

Beza Business Group members are required to adhere to an ethical charter upon joining. By doing so, they qualify as the best candidates for consumers, investors, and business partnership considerations. Additionally, developed nations have in recent years pledged large amounts of aid to developing world. It is important for these nations to realize that without faithful hands on the ground to oversee the proper allocation of these funds, they will only serve to further empower the corruption that has plagued the continent. The guiding principle of Beza Business Group is to bring change through integrity, accountability, responsibility, and strength in numbers."

This is a powerful example of what the church can be to there communities. They have incredible contacts both on the ground and overseas, with some key people already on board. Zeb Menghistu is fast becoming one of my heroes, for the passion he has for Beza International Church, his creative vision for this Business Group, and his incredible ability to uncover scripture through a lens I've never seen before.

Check out his message he spoke at National Community Church: you have to download the podcast on itunes. Yes, it's free.
If you haven't downloaded a podcast, this is the perfect starting point, cause you have to check out this church (NCC), they're doing crazy cool things.
Just search for National Community Church

book your Edinburgh tour now, limited space

Some Calvary team members came this past thursday, got pics to show later. Today, unexpectedly, Joe Zickifus (college group leader in Aberdeen) brought down the "young" people on the Calvary Team. It was a fun group and enjoyed the day together. We shared the vision of the church, let them see the location and the room, and took them throughout the city the remainder of the day.
We've turned into quite the tour guides this past week. I've discovered a gift for making up bogus historical facts of monuments and buildings. If you say it confidently, they're really amazed:)
For example, William Wallace apparently stayed in the exact building kate and I lived in during his during his fireside chats with Robert the Bruce in the 14th century.
I honestly didn't lie about any of the tourist attractions, but they were so amazed by the beauty of the city. In fact, by the end of the visit, a few expressed interest in coming to help with the Church.
Either way, always value the opportunities for anyone to catch our vision and partner in prayer.

Real quick note...

I have gotten a few emails asking how second trials went yesterday (for soccer) so, though there's lots more I need to post about (i.e. part of the Calvary team coming to Edinburgh today, classes...) I just wanted to make a quick note that I made the first team! :)

I'm really happy about it, feel that it is a really high caliber team and a great bunch of girls. Looking forward to our first practice on Monday and first game next Wednesday!

Anyway, that's my little announcement; thanks for your support and encouragement! :)

going nowhere

This is my really tired face this morning.

This was the second day of 6 am wake-ups to discover they were in vain. I woke up this morning to shoot up to Aberdeen (2 hours north) and be with the Calvary Missions Team who is doing construction at a church up there. I had the train time all set up assuming it would cost about $40 (internet pricing) to get there roundtrip for the day. Because the train was packed, they were going to charge me $140 roundtrip, which to sum up is absurd. Needless to say, I couldn't spend that kind of money for being there only a few hours.

This past monday morning, I woke up at the same time to go to the airport and say hello to the team as they were going from plane to bus up to Aberdeen. I waited at a bus stop for 20 minutes w/ nobody awake in the city except myself and Charles, a passed out drunk who must have thought for the past several hours that the bus stop was his apartment (nobody up at 6am in th city, which made me realize that this capital is likened to a large town). I took a half hour bus to meet tony and another half hour to get to the airport to discover that their plane was 2 hours delayed and Tony had a meeting to get to. Missed saying hello. On the bright side, you do get a lot more accomplished in a day when you're up for 22 hours.

A typical person w/ a 9-5 gets up around this time, or thereabouts, but they usually don't go to bed at 4am. (except maybe my friend Gio Reyes, who's favorite line is "you're only 23 once"). I got caught up each night with being amazed by technology:

I did video "ichat" with Andrew Decort, currently a University of Chicago graduate major. I remember doing video chat several years back, but my how a few years has improved it. It's literally crystal clear reception both in audio and visual. There's nothing more amazing than talking to someone in front of your wireless laptop on your couch several thousand miles away!

This has been around for a while, but one of those technologies that will remain a novelty for a while.

It's 6:30am, good night for a few hours.

values

been spending time thinking about Eikon's core values.

A lot of debate has taken place over our values that, in a sense broadly defines the nature of Eikon.

You'll discover an excess of knowledge sharing because we want you to input into this church. We weren't lying when we told you that you were going to be extensions of Eikon.

Here's some ideas we've been tossing around:
Commission: this is why the church exists. Every Christ-follower is commissioned by God.
Creativity: This is how we present the story of Christ and the Gospel in our gatherings. Relevance to culture is not an option! The church is incarnational, not esoteric.
Character: the church is transforming, not conforming. Every follower of Jesus grows in Christ-like character.
Community: Love is the greatest apologetic. The Church is relational, not program-driven. Every follower of Christ is called and connected uniquely to serve.

We're in the beginning stages of inputing our values, so the ideas are raw.

Thoughts anyone?

Any feedback would be much appreciated! First reactions to color, font, phrase...let's hear it!

Skype!

I just downloaded Skype and enjoyed a brief but FREE conversation with our friend Juan Martinez back in Chicago. Skype is a FREE voice over the internet service that allows people, not matter where they are, to talk through their computers. I've tried these services in the past and found the sound quality to be very poor with lots of static and crackling, but this was amazingly clear! Can you imagine how much money is saved in international phone bills for small businesses, or homes for that matter??

Anyway, you have to register and set up a username before we can Skype you or vice versa...if you do sign up though, make sure to let us know your username so we can catch each other online sometime!

For more info or to register, visit: http://www.skype.com

On to second trials!

Had football tryouts yesterday! There were about 30 girls trying out, skill levels ranged from never played before to very good. Not sure how many will make it in the end, but 14 of us were asked to come back for second trials, which are next Wednesday afternoon. Apparently I was wrong about there being four teams...there's only one team ("the first team"), the rest are intramurals. The first team practices on Mondays and plays matches on Wednesday evenings, which would be perfect for me since I have classes Tuesday and Thursday!

Anyway, the girls were all really nice and it was fun to have some tough competition...the goal keeper for the first team is apparently on the Scotland National team! We'll see how Wednesday goes...it would be really nice to be part of a team again; such a great way to get to know people.

Classes start next Tuesday and the missions team from Calvary is coming to Edinburgh for day trips Thursday and Saturday--a big week for us! We're excited! Pray with us for safe travels for the team!

go-cards

This is our friend Frasier.

We're creating some "go-cards" for Eikon; I guess go-cards can best be described as postcards used for branding/marketing purposes. The idea is to have a picture of Frasier, as you see him here, on a go-card with the phrase (or something similar), "COME AS YOU ARE CHURCH"...though that's the title of a book by John Burke, so if anyone has any better suggestions...or funny suggestions...let's hear em!

Groceries and Football

I tried a new method today! I packed my ipod and a book and took a 45 min bus ride outside the city to a big grocery store called Tesco. I brought with me one of those huge blue bags from IKEA and put all my groceries in that for the bus ride home. This Tesco was a full size store (unlike the condensed versions in the city) so it had more variety and better sales.

It may have taken 3 hours from start to finish, but next time (if I don't get on the wrong bus--twice), I think I can get it down to 2 or so...and lucky Dave doesn't have to go with me! :)

I have my first program meeting for Uni tomorrow, and soccer tryouts are on Friday...! I don't know if I'll play or not, just thought it might be a good way to meet people and get some mid-week exercise. Apparently athletics are not nearly as big a priority for Universities here compared to the States. At BSU we practiced everyday for 2 hours, lifted weights 3 days a week and traveled every weekend. Here, the "First" team (the best team) practices once a week (Wednesday nights) and plays a game on Saturday...which isn't to say that I will by any means make the First team, but that would be the most commitment I would have to give...anyway, we'll see how it goes Friday...I'm already nervous.

EikonEdinburgh.com

Just put up our new intro page for Eikon's website...feedback would be much appreciated!

http://www.eikonedinburgh.com

The links aren't up now, will be working soon...

Uni

had our first taste of University today at "International Day." As most of you know, one of the key ingredients to this entire vision has been to connect with students at University.
It was exciting to walk into the old library where great minds such as John Locke, David Hume and Charles Darwin studied. The school has such a rich history, starting in 1583, and now home to over 25,000 students, 5000 of which are international students representing over 180 nations! What a mission field!!!
Including myself, the college years are the time for a person to finally make some personal decisions for themselves, particularly in their spiritual journey. At such a vulnerable time of having questions more than answers, as all parents that read this blog would know more than anyone, there's a deep responsibility for christian leaders to create the most of opportunities to both discuss and test their faith. This is one of Kate and myself's greatest passions.

Anyways, it was a wonderful day of meeting students from all over the world: the random people I met were from Denmark, Greece, Germany, US, Holland, and Korea, and that was meeting just a few people. There are over 200 socieites, or clubs that connect through common interests, ranging from environmental concerns, photography, religion, etc.

We want to be strategic in our networking and partnerships with people we connect with.

Pray throughout this week for us as we begin these vital ministry connections.

no trash pick-up for a week

Here in Scotland, policy is implemented quite differently. It's just, well, more blunt.

For example, tv ads that talk about drinking and driving kills paints the picture boldly by showing a little girl crossing the street and getting run over by a drunk driver. Or the signs on highways that say, "alcohol kills", or "x amount of people have died on this highway due to drunk drivers". Cigarettes say "smoking kills", or "you can die from this". It's bold, and in some cases extreme.
So, I found their response to littering to be fairly consistent with their advertising of other vices.
Apparently there is a problem with littering. So, the local council has decided a unique approach to "curing" people of this bad habit. For a week, starting tomorrow, the council will not clean the streets. Instead, it will let the trash pile up in public places as a way of shocking people into using the trash bins.
I wonder if they had a team of monkeys working around the clock to come up with that rediculous idea.
An op-ed piece responded appropriately: "counsilers in the city should refuse to attend committee meetings for a year to show their citizens how much worse life would be if the council did not exist. Of course, the council might need to advertise that it was not meeting, in case the voters did not notice the difference." What a response.
In all seriousness, do they really think that's going to "shock" all the litter criminals?

I don't understand policy decisions sometimes, I guess that's why I'm doing my graduate work in it:)

a beautiful sight

As you can see, we have our "media department" up and running on full cylinders. I just got a macbook, kate's 17'' powerbook, and my 20'' imac is no longer corrupted and running as smooth as a baby's behind, oh yeah.
We were so excited to set everything up in our closet of an office. As you can see in the background, we had no storage space, so I put what little tooltime taylor skills I had and set up curtains to create private storage in the office. It's actually turned out quite nice.

Just so everyone knows, that's 3 mac's sitting right there, and we couldn't be more proud. They are our children, 2 girls and a boy. The girls are named Mandy "smooth operating" McAdams, Regina, and Leo (kate love's leo from the West Wing, don't ask about my girls, they're pretty sensitive about their names).

Anyhow, on a serious note, these computers will be incredibly important for us. Because we're coming in with such great equipment, our costs are minimized to software purchases and a video camera. Kate has already been working on the website, and we're all coming up with cool video concepts.

Here's the other exciting thing for you nerds out there: It's only been until recently that consumers can affordably purchase high-end camera equipment, I'm talking 24 fps HD capability that really enhances the quality of a video (most are shot in 32 fps, which is the speed the human eye captures light. Slowing down the fps gives a smoother, more flowing render that allows for a movie-quality look). We're looking at getting one at the advice of National Communities video department, as well as the NXT youth group at Calvary. The camera runs for roughly $1600, so you if you know any church that would like to take on a project and purchase this for our Church, the team would be so blessed. I'm in the process of connecting with my contacts at some churches throughout the states, so be praying for open hearts for this Church that so many of you have had already.

relevance defined

I hear the word "relevance" floating around these days. A lot of books that talk about the core values of the postmodern church spend a bulk of their energy on the concept.
They say that churches have lost their relevance to the non-believer. We're no longer connecting with the unchurched. So, I see churches immediately try to act cool, throw the candle-lighting and acoustic music in the background, and get a website up and use artsy videos. But is that really being relevant?

What does that really mean? I hear it all the time, and obviously have an idea of what it means. The dictionary says "having a bearing on or connection with the matter at hand."

I was reading "Love is the Killer App," a very good read by Tim Sanders which I look forward to talking more about. But, I came across his definition of relevant and I really liked it:

"Determined to a large degree by the frequency something important appears in your life. Milk and bread are relevant to someone's life, farraris and orangutans are not."

The important word that jumped out to me was "frequency", something I didn't find in any other definition, but it seems, particularly in the fast-paced cultural context we live in today, to be an important add-on.

Relevance, to me, is in constant change. Today's "candle-lit, video-enhanced, cool music" may be tomorrow's disconnection. The New Testament serves as (among other things) an inspired and eternally relevant case study of how the early church itself adapted and evolved with constant change and new challenges. They had a constant pulse on the most up-to-date cultural climate, and a single change in cultural change would cause the church to react instantly. Not only that, but it was even proactive, anticipating change ahead.

The problem today is church's are talking about being relevant, but by the time they think they're doing the latest thing, the unchurched says, "yeah, that's been around a while, and actually, we've already moved on to something else." In other words, we may be able to understand relevance, but we certainly can't keep pace with it. A lot of churches were designed to fit within the modern concept, a very structured, top-down pastoral approach that has (and sometimes does) had it's time of success. Unfortunately, our culture has decided to change on us, (these days, due to technology and the information age, change is going at record velocity) and many are either adjusting right away, very slowly reacting, or just plain refusing.

I could go on forever on this subject, but simply put:
In place of a fixed structure that is to fit all, Eikon should be about advocating a flexible, adaptable, evolving structure that is developed to meet the current needs. The key word is adaptability to change, and that will, in turn, increase the frequency of importance to the needs of the unchurched as well as the body of the Christ. There will be no sacred cows here at Eikon and we want to be held accountable to that.

That, in my opinion, is what being "relevant" is about in the 21st century church.

your thoughts

Grocery stores are places of learning

This post holds no real relevance to what we're doing, just a little story about what I've learned so far about grocery shopping here...

First, we have to approach the store with the mindset that whatever we buy, we have to carry back with us about a half mile, uphill walk and 3 flights of stairs. Second, nothing is named the same and so when asking for help, it's almost a given that you'll get a strange look followed by, "Um, I don't think we stock that...".

For instance, I've learned that cookies are "digestive biscuits", chips are "crisps" and french fries are "chips", baking soda is "bicarbonate of soda", and canker sores are "mouth ulcers". Also, though you'll be hard-pressed to find a block of parmesan cheese, there is an entire half aisle devoted to various cheddar cheeses. I was surprised as well to find that eggs are kept on regular shelves, not in refrigerated units.

Perhaps most importantly, I've learned that expiration dates are very literal here. In fact, this morning I found that our milk was spoiled yet it still had 4 days left on the sell by/use by dates! Those "use by" dates are not so much suggestions here as they are promises, "This will be spoiled on Sept. X if not before."

Like I said, this post has no real relevance to anything...just a note on grocery shopping... :)

Wired

WE HAVE INTERNET!!

We got the long awaited package in the mail and set it all up yesterday! You may notice a bit of a spike in our email communication and blog posts, just indulge us for a bit...we've felt very deprived this last month... :)

This also means that we will be moving forward quite quickly on getting Eikon's website up! In case you'd like to follow the progress and give your two cents (kindly, of course) click here. The logo that's up there right now is just one option, comments would be much appreciated!

I know now why...

We have a 7 day countdown until registration for our courses! I've just learned how to check my program syllabus online, which is exciting since, until this point, I've really not known much about the specific courses comprising my eventual degree.

The MSc Design and Digital Media basically has 6 courses and a Final Project over the course of a year. Course titles include: Dynamic Web Design, Interactive Design Media, Introduction to Design Media, Media and Culture, The Digital Marketplace...the program seems to have a wide scope, ranging from theory and design concepts to actual implementation and integration in a rapidly changing industry.

Moment of truth: Until my second year of college, graphic/web design was no where near my radar screen. Even then, as a sophomore at FGCU having somehow landed a job as production manager for the student newspaper, design was not a talent of mine nor an ambition...but it's all coming together now.

See, since high school I had made up my mind that I wanted to be a writer, a journalist to be exact. I wanted to travel the world and document culture. After accepting Christ my junior year, the Lord expanded my desires and gave me a vision: To build an international, documentary-style magazine that would better connect God's work abroad with the homefront. It seemed to me that there was a real need in the way of equipping missionaries with the communication tools they needed to relay news of their ministry to the international audience of supporters they had spent months and years developing.

Throughout my college experience, however, doors were gently closed on my journalistic ambition...for instance, my freshman year I couldn't get a job at the Ball State Daily News since I had no prior experience, and at FGCU, well, they didn't have a journalism major, only communications (which included broadcast, TV, film, etc.). Within a semester, I was promoted from production manager to managing editor of the student paper, where I enjoyed delegating stories, interacting with section editors, and training designers. At the same time, I took a job working for Vocal Minds, Inc., which is a relatively small internet advertising, marketing company. For them I wrote articles, developed an industry magazine, and began dabbling in web design.

Since then, I've been (as most web designers do) taking on freelance jobs that demand more than I know, therefore forcing me to teach myself and learn on the job...which has in turn, expanded my vision for that international, documentary-style magazine I mentioned earlier.

A couple weeks ago, before we got our flat, we spent a couple days with Mike and Andrea Sanders (they're AG missionaries planting a church in Glasgow). I was asking Andrea about their media: how they're getting a website, buying sound equipment (learning how to use it), sending home newsletters, working out video needs...the list goes on. She said something like, "It's just amazing how much missionaries have to all of a sudden be a jack of all trades!" I honestly think God used her to hit me upside the back of the head.

Right there, God gave me goosebumps and a new, improved vision: Not a magazine dummy, a full-fledged international media organization focused on equipping missionaries and churches abroad with equipment and know-how. An organization that takes in interns, trains them in multimedia (web design/development, video production and editing, photography, sound, print design...) then SENDS THEM OUT to developing churches in need of a massive media blessing. The interns will go with a crate packed with essential media department equipment and stay for a set period of time to train the church's media team so they can operate it all on their own after the intern's assignment ended.

THAT is the vision God has given me; THAT is where this degree is taking me; and THAT is why I couldn't get a job or a major in journalism...the need is bigger than that.