Goodbye and Hello

After graduating from Baylor, I made a quick visit home to Deerfield, IL. I got to spend some time with a city that I truly do love and have enjoyed watching my brother and sister call home. A short two weeks later and I headed out west in gool ol' LC 2.0. *Quick note, my Landcruiser (LC) broke down on the way back from Texas and stranded me, Jake Patterson, and Will Meier in a small St. Louis town for five hours.  She got a bit of a facelift while I was home and is running as well as the day she was birthed by the Japanese. Thus her new name, LC 2.0 or just LC for short. 

Throughout the 13 1/2 hour drive I had plenty of time to sing The Head and the Heart, Phil Wickham, and plenty other great tunes at the top of my lungs (thanks spotify premium). I also had time to think about the new adventure that awaits me in Castle Rock, Colorado. About all the kids that God is calling me to pour into, and the different ways He wants to challenge and stretch me. 

my new home

I recently read a newsletter from a friend who provided some much needed encouragement in his letter. He wrote something that has stuck with me for the past week as I have been out here in Castle Rock and working for Plum Creek Community Church. He wrote:

I am not here by accident. 

God sent me. 

To these people. 

At exactly this time.

For me, it's easy to get bogged down and think I am not needed. The reality is that I am really not needed at all. But yet God has appointed me to His people to share His good news of love, grace, and beauty. The truth behind that idea calms my heart, gives me peace, and motivates me to work hard for His Kingdom. I am still a little unsure of all He has for me at Plum Creek and their student ministries, by I rest assured knowing He has me exactly where He desires. 

His beauty surrounds me. View from outside my back door.

Eliot Rausch

I discovered Eliot Rausch through a short film he created called Last Minutes with Oden, which won the Vimeo award for best short film in 2010. It's a short documentary about a man during his last 48 hours with his best friend, a three legged dog named Oden. The story is heart wrenching. If you don't get at least a little choked up while watching it, you probably don't have a soul.

I have since watched a lot of Rausch's short-films, which are often a documentary/narrative type blend that portrays the world in a very realistic sense. While a lot of the images are dark and paint the world as a rough and broken place, he provides a message of hope. In fact, most of his messages are biblical and display the message of Jesus very well. He does it without sugar-coating the story and showing typical Christian images. I appreciate that. I love that he gets a beautiful message across to the secular culture so effectively. He inspires me to not avoid dealing with tough issues, and to not be afraid to realistically show people who struggle just because I want to be accepted by "Church culture." Because, in reality, people hurt and bleed and cry. And our God deals with people with real brokenness and suffering, not sugar-coated, "everything will work out fine if you just believe" type stories. He is with us through all the muck, dirt, and sin. Someone needs to address those issues, and speak Truth to them.

Here is a short one he did inspired by Matthew 5. 

Check out his vimeo page and watch some of his other short films. They are raw and inspirational.