Some Highlights and Reflections

from our time at General NYI Convention and Assembly in Indianapolis...

- the intangilbe conversations and run-ins - when you're there you run into people that you haven't seen or thought about for a long time. You also get to hook up with some people who you never see, but might talk to from time to time. We ran into my freshmen year roomate and his wife, Chris and Bridget Riggs. Cool. They have a new baby. Cool. there were lots of others too!

- The emergent conversation - one of our first nights there (they've all blurred together at this point) we got a bunch of folks together (okay it was like 15) and just spent some time talking about emergent kinds of things. It was great. We didn't solve world hunger or anything, but just to be together, know you're not alone and to have the conversations was terrific. I had several comments after too about how good it was to be together in that way. We must do it again wherever and whenever we can!!

- Worshipping from people the world over - how cool to worship with people from all over the world - the same God, his grace and love, that has changed us all! I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Cool too that we worshipped some in Spanish and some in English. That was just great for me personally.

- Stories - it was so great to hear story after story of people and how God had grabbed them with his love in Christ and changed them.

- Increasing openness - not only was it good to be with folks from around the world, but there was this over-riding sense (at least at the youth convention) of the necessity to expand ourselves even more. We passed a resolution to make it a priority to find ways to involve people who can't make it physically to the convention to still be able to be a part of the discussion and voting. It's kind of a "duh" moment, but it is absolutely the right thing to do and we needed to lead the way on it and we did! Yeah!!!

- Family time - it was good to see my parents and my oldest brother, Steve and his family. There's just something about family...

- Taekwondo team - this church from Korea uses their school to reach kids and teens for Christ! It's awesome. They all have this logo with crosses on the back of their uniform and the master has the Church of the Nazarene logo on the back of his. The coolest thing they did was run and jump off someone else and kick a piece of fruit that someone was holding (while standing on someone else's shoulders) and spray it all over the audience. Awesome. It was also cool how they yelled and broke boards and got the crowd into it.

Here is the house that we are in the process of buying! Kind of crazy, owning a home and all. I know most of you probably don't care, but we really do!  

A few things brewing

It's 12:30am and time for a quick update before some much needed sleep...

Friday
5pm - NYI global convention ends
9pm - rocking with friends by the canal
Saturday
8am - heading to KC to look at houses
4pm - arrive KC and look at many houses in short time period
Sunday
9am re-look at house we really like then look at some more houses
3pm put in offer on house we really like and then head for Indy
9pm after some back and forth banter agree to terms on house we really like!
12am arrive back in Indy

tomorrow - meetings until 3 and then head back to Bel Air

we are perhaps a bit too busy

busy little bees

Wow have we been busy! Some quick highlights for Carol and the kids - swimming with my parents, the zoo, the children's museum, riding the train in the exhibit hall. I've been trying to learn as much as I can about events at the same time as connecting with people and doing delegate stuff (translation: sitting in meetings).

I've had a great time this week with Kevin Snow and I'm really realizing how much I'm going to miss my good friend from this district. He's just great to be around, great conversation and a great friend.

But the highlight of my week so far was an emergent conversation last night at The Ram. There were about 15 of us and we just spent some time discussing how emerging and postmodern issues effect us as Wesleyan/Nazarenes and what we can do to change some of how our church is responding. There was great conversation and I think a lot of us were really encouraged by the participation and the thoughts. We are realizing that we really need to do more of this and that we need to spend some time focusing on moving forward together so that we can accomplish some things. I'll spend some time on some of this sometime soon here on my blog.

What a great thing to be together and to worship and pray together with peoples from around the world!

We're here... and we ain't alone

So after waking at 5am and journeying through the day, we made it to Indy, ate dinner with friends from our home district (Mid-Atlantic) and then hooked up with some folks running the behind the scenes stuff at the convention center including Dave Curtiss and my cousin, Shirley Marvin. It's good to be here and it's going to be even better to sleep in about 1 minute. Still really hoping to connect with some people in an "emergent conversation" of some kind. I'll be posting more tomor... sleepy, very sleepy...

Global Forces Unite!

Tomorrow the family is packing up the Eurovan (named "Elizabeth" if you remember), and heading to Indy for the Church of the Nazarene's Global Youth Convention. It should be a great time of seeing old friends, meeting new ones and of course, lots and lots of conversations, fun and laughter. I'm starting to get excited. While there we will also be able to connect again with some family and we're looking forward to that as well.

If any one reading this will be there, shoot me an email and we'll try to get together. I'd really love to get some emergent kinds of conversations going especially with some global folks. I'll be trying hard to do just that.

Officially, I'd also like to wish all fathers out there a happy fathers day! Mine was relaxing, including a nap and an ice cream run to Stone Cold Creamery!

Here are some pics from our latest and greatest youth worker lunch from the Mid-Atlantic district. That's Nate Sawtelle on top whose wife, Andrea, is the youth pastor at the Naz church in Hagerstown (Nate's a school teacher and is done for the year so was able to join us) and that's me and Josh on the bottom. Good people. Good time. Good conversation. I'm definitely going to miss these times and people. It's a wonder with such good looking people around why anyone would ever miss a chance to hang out. Baffling really.

I am like a pregnant woman

My emotions are like a roller-coaster right now. Up, down, sideways, upside down, fast starts, fast stops, and a bit of whiplash, all describe my emotional state. I obviously don't know what a pregnant woman's emotions are really like, but I think that this is how a pregnant woman's emotions are.

We are excited about what God has called us to do. We are excited to start in Kansas City. We are incredibly sad at the feelings of tearing away from great relationships and friendships. Little things seem to make me go off too. Like when our drama group did the drama they've done about 100 million times (a bit of exagerration perhaps) with Calling Levi live (whose song is the background), I really almost lost it. It wasn't the first time I'd seen it, it wasn't the best I've seen them do it (although they did it well), it was probably the last time anyone will ever see it (as decided by that group), but it was just tough for me to watch for some reason.

I'll try not to be overly emotional in this blog in the coming weeks, but I guess we'd just appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we transition. It's just hard sometimes.

Here we go...

There's this story about Abraham in the Bible where God calls this guy to follow him. "Where?" Abe asks. "Well start moving this way," God says. So he starts taking literal steps of faith.

The Hull family is going to be taking some steps of faith. I recently accepted a position as the program director for the Church of the Nazarene's "Nazarene Youth Conference" (NYC). It's an event that happens every four years for High School age kids from around the US and Canada. The next one's in 07. My job description: "Do NYC". We'll be moving to Kansas City at the end of July to begin anew.

Now a little on the why's and why not's:
1) We are doing this because we feel this is where God is calling us to go. Period. All other arguments, assessments, etc are just that "other" and aren't the real issue. When The Rabbi says "come," you follow.

2) I've already talked to some people about this, but I want to get it out in the open (probably and hopefully only this once). I am not looking to "move up the ladder" to "angle for a better job or position" or trying to some how become the almight "senior pastor" somewhere. I feel called to follow Jesus and that's what I'm trying to do.

3) I also want to say that I am not trying to get out of the position I'm serving in currently. This is not a run away. I feel so blessed (as does my whole family) to call Bel Air the community and Bel Air Nazarene our home. We have wonderful friends here. I have a great relationship with the church officially (as in staff, board, etc) and informally (as in we just like it).

I know a little of this seems defensive, and for that I apologize. I just want people to understand as best they can try or care to try, that we are still people trying to follow Jesus and walk in his way. It's the best way and the crazy, unpredictable, unsafe parts of it are some of the best.

Tomorrow a little on how we're doing... I think.

Tweak of last week

Tomorrow I'll be posting some updates on the Hull family that may be of interest. So stay tuned for that.

On to other things... (caution: gross stuff)

So last weekend we were on the road for many hours traveling to Indy and back (around 600 miles each way). Isaiah has had a bit of a cold and so he has had a lot of drainage. He starts gagging and coughing and sure enough throws up. Gross right. Not even close to the end though.

So then Jahred, who is sitting next to him, sees this is - is grossed out - and he starts yacking.

We pull off quickly, get everybody cleaned up and then about an hour later stop for some dinner at Bob Evans. Jahred gets out of the van, starts heading inside and then starts gagging. I pull him out of the lobby of the restaurant and back outside where he proceeds to vomit for about 5 minutes in the front flower beds of Bob Evans. To make matters even better, people started showing up and walking in - right by us!!! Now, I'm sure someday Jahred will track this down and kill me for sharing it, but that was just awesome.

I felt so bad for him and the people coming in. What do you say as they are walking past trying not to watch this 5 year old, puking in the flowers? "Hey. The food's great here! Don't let this bother you, it's not from the food."

All Elizabeth, all the time

We had a great day yesterday. After seeing Jahred graduate from Kindergarten, we hopped in the Eurovan (whom has been named "Elizabeth" by our children), we drove through the night and arrived at Carol's sister's house - also named Elizabeth - in Kokomo, Indiana. We crashed for a few hours and then headed down to my niece's graduation party - you guessed it, her name is Elizabeth too. Just to add to the Elizabeth fun, Elizabeth our van was in the shop for a new muffler on Friday. So we fixed up Elizabeth to go see Elizabeth and stay with Elizabeth. Glad that's cleared up.

Stay tuned for some exciting info this week in the life of the Hullians!

Waste of Time

I'm a youth pastor. That means that eventually (we all hope) the kids in the youth group will graduate and move on. This also means that I go to a lot of graduations every year.

I'd like to officially begin a movement which stands for "no more introducing all the people on the stage and allowing them to talk". I went to a graduation the other day and over an hour was spent on this nonsense. Let's get over ourselves and try to realize that the graduation is actually for the graduates. And guess what, they do NOT care who is sitting on the stage and what they might have to say. You think you're going to change their life in 2 minutes? Right.

This has moved into the category of eternal voice message prompts... what a waste of time.