Doug sent a CD of his pictures that arrived today. I just loaded them to my laptop and wanted to share a few of them with you. Of course, there are more jump shots...and other pictures, too.

Mark in front of oldest non-mortared church building


Adam jumping over a castle on a beach


Doug floating over the Cliffs of Moher


Chad, Mark, and Adam


Doug going Cingular


Yet another jump shot, one of our first in Dublin


Glad to be driving in the left lane; that right lane looks scary...


Our first meal in Dublin


Beautiful Ireland

Trip Story #1

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I'd be posting some stories from my trip, so I thought I'd get started with that. (It really bothers me when someone writes something like that and doesn't follow through with it, which keeps me on task with my statements like that.) Begin your reading with this warning: Guys are stupid.

"So, what've you been doing?"


There I sat outside the British Library around 11:30 on Monday of our trip (it was the full day we spent in London). A little less than three hours before this shot, I'd taken off from our hotel and arrived right after the Library opened at 9:30. Doug and Chad had a 10:00 reservation at the London Eye and Mark was headed to the Churchill War Room Museum; we'd decided to split up for most of the day and meet up for dinner. So, I made my way to the Underground, purchased a day-pass and made my way north to the Library.

Upon arrival, I not only carried anticipation of viewing ancient texts and manuscripts but the suspense of a challenge from the previous evening -- stemming from the purchase of the two tickets to Les Miserables. Chad and I thought it would be fun to attempt to find a date for the show, necessitating the possible purchase of two more tickets for that Monday night if we were both to find dates. Not that going with a good friend of the same gender to see Les Mis is awkward, but being on foreign soil and feeling free-spirited and daring we decided to add another dynamic to our day of sight-seeing. So I walked into the British Library hoping to see some old books, a new, friendly face and the nerve to ask a stranger on a date.

This whole wager for a date to Les Mis was a bit misconceived to begin with: having only a 24-hour window to find a stranger and turn her into a friend is quite bold, if not ridiculous. Several approaches were discussed by the four of us (Mark and Doug laughing, for good reason, at my attempt to believe it could and would be done), but in such a short time period, it basically came down to asking a stranger to join me for an evening at the theater. That doesn't sound too imposing or intimidating initially until considering the guts and somewhat naivete a young woman would need to say yes to such an offer, which practically decimated the likelihood of an affirming response in my mind. But, I thought, you never know. All it takes is asking.

I walked into the Library and began to peruse the Treasure Room, which contained ancient Bibles, maps, collections, and various literary items from throughout human history. Completely fascinating. I browsed through the room for well over an hour, going from a Guttenberg Bible to a King James Bible, Magna Carter to a piece from Handel's Messiah, the first folio of Shakespeare's works to a Syriac Bible. Sometime towards the end of my time in the Treasure Room, a young lady caught my eye...and a few moments later I caught hers. She made her way quite quickly through the room, but she had a journal with her, taking notes of each stop as she went in reverse chronology of the displays. I initially figured she'd studied the map of the room and was hitting the books she wanted to see immediately, then returning to casually browse the rest of the collection afterwards.

I tried delaying my time in there as much as possible, revisiting several books I'd enjoyed looking at, but books that hadn't changed since I'd viewed them in the previous 15 minutes. Each time I tried to move somewhat in her direction or guess at her next destination, she was out of sight. I finally exited to the cafe to grab a snack before leaving for the British Museum. As I walked out, she sat 25 feet away from me at a table with a friend. Surprised to see her again, I walked by briskly and around the corner to get some coffee, too embarrassed to stop and try to say something. As I approached the line, I tried to decide if I really wanted something to drink or if I should just go back, sit down and start talking to her. After a few minutes in a slow-moving line, I jutted out and back around to the table near the exit of the Treasure Room. As I entered her sightline, I glanced over to find a pair of eyes looking my way, eyes that watched me walk by yet again without a word.

I'd kept thinking about the journal and piece of paper she'd been carrying around with her in the room. As I saw a few more people with a similar looking sheet, I concluded that it was some type of tour group, fearing it to be a high school tour group. For the next 30 minutes, I wrote a bit, I walked around a little more, looked at a Benjamin Franklin exhibit near the table she was at, and continued to not approach her. I returned again to the cafe, bought an apple and a bottle of water, walked by the table one last time, which was now more crowded with fellow people of questionable age, and didn't see her in her seat. Somewhat relieved that I didn't have to watch her watch me walk by one more time, I headed for the exit of the Library. And as I glanced down at the Franklin exhibit I'd just been at, there she was in front of it. But I kept walking, out the door and towards the Underground.

I made it across the street and walked to another corner, needing to go straight to get back to the subway. Instead, I made a left and went back to the plaza outside the Library, with hopes that I would throw caution to the wind and speak to this girl. All along, I'd been trying to guess at her age. Unfortunately, for all I knew, her age range was 18-26, which is quite a stretch, but a common category. A few of my good friends in San Antonio, who are in their mid-20s, occasionally still get carded for movies or asked if they're in college or (rarely, but annoyingly) high school. I don't think they look that young, but some do. And here I sat in another country, trying to gauge the age of a stranger, fearing a simple conversation and possible interest turning out to be someone who could very well be in my youth group if she were visiting San Antonio. So I sat in the plaza and wrote a short journal entry which began with, "Further tales of indecisiveness and idiocy..."

As I completed the brief recap of my previous Library experience, Chad and Doug quietly walked up, taking a couple pictures of me writing down my futile attempt to win the second ticket. I turned after the above shot was taken and began laughing at my circumstance, which I shared with them when they immediately asked, "So, what've you been doing?"

After giving them the recap of the Treasure Room and my failure to speak to someone, I went back in to point them to where they needed to go, resolved to use their presence as motivation to introduce myself. But wouldn't you know it, as we walked through the doors, a group of 20 people stood listening to some type of tour guide/teacher/professor giving them instructions on their next stop after the Library. Opportunity missed. I pointed Chad and Doug towards the Treasure Room and made my way to the subway.

Maybe it's stories like this that help explain the ever-present question of why I'm still single. Maybe I was wise in refraining from that pursuit. Maybe I should've said something, anything, out of politeness and for the sake of conversation, regardless of possible attraction. Maybe I just revealed a whole lot more of my thought/action process than anyone cared to know. Whatever the case, I didn't have anymore intriguing situations the rest of the day at the Museum or National Gallery; neither did Chad. But we pretty much knew that would happen. And we had a good time at the show.

Actually, it was quite a good time. It ended up that a cute Brasilian girl sat next to me. And I did talk to her...

Long day

Phew...interesting day, quite a day. Just a bit ago I returned home from our Summer Kick-Off Bash, which went very well. We had such a great turnout and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun together. Yet in the midst of the fun, there was a bit of a shadow that hung over all of us.

This morning, during the last 15 minutes of Bible class (we dismissed classes so everyone could go to the auditorium), I made the announcement that I will be resigning at the end of August. Here are the words that I read:


Last Sunday, I spoke about Joseph and my intrigue with his life during the past couple of months. Mostly, that intrigue has been from his ability to take the circumstances and experiences of his life and share those in a manner with his family and friends that speaks to the glory of God and of God's faithfulness. The reason I find that so intriguing is because of my desire to do the same with my life, specifically, sharing with you the story I see developing in my heart, my circumstances, and my future.

Effective August 31, 2006, I will no longer serve as youth minister here at Northside (this was the toughest sentence for me to speak). Over the past year, I've spent much time in prayer and thought about what direction God has been leading me and I've done a lot of wrestling with him about what will become of me. Much like Jacob wrestling with God, I've been wrestling with him about my heart, my mind, my thoughts, and my circumstances. And what is now left is a decision to move on from this current position to a place yet to be determined.

I realize that my heart is leading elsewhere, and as such, not capable of fully immersing in my current position as youth minister. For me to continue (without full confidence of this being the place I should be) would not be fair or healthy to our congregation, our teens, or to me.

The question that is sure to arise from many of you will be, "What are you going to do?" Please know that this is a question I too am asking and have yet to find an answer. I do not know where I will be going or what I will be doing. Much like Abraham, I sense a calling to leave my current security and safety and travel to a place I do not yet know. While it may seem a bit weird to leave such a sure thing, a place where I'm loved and honored for an unknown destination or experience, more than anything (like Abraham) I want to be faithful to the call of God in my life, wherever that may lead.

Please understand that this has not been easy for me. I think you know how much my heart loves you and this body of believers. I have been cared for and loved by you and I can't express how much I want to thank you for that. This has been a place of great growth, of learning, of dreaming, and of further finding out just how great our God is. I thank you for the generosity you have lavished on me, for your kind words, and for your patience with a young man continuing his journey of faith. Thank you for sharing your journeys with me and allowing me to walk alongside you and your families.

This is not yet goodbye, but I guess it is the beginning of it. But I want to leave you with a thought or challenge -- you didn't think I could stand up here and not do so, did you? What I hope you take away from this decision, when we each step back and look at what is happening around us, I hope you will step away with a desire to boldly step into the unknown with confidence, to live your life in faith that your steps are watched and guided, that your faith will be more real than the uncertainties that may exist. That, in a small way, is what I am attempting to do and I pray our God will give each of us the faith to walk along the path he leads, whether it's visible or not.

From the bottom of my heart, I love you and I thank you.


There were several tears, from me and from others, many questions, several surprised teens and parents, and an abundance of kind words shared with me. For me, it's a relief to have this burden lifted and have this made known to everyone. I think sharing it now, on the eve of our summer, will allow us to really enjoy our time together and to somewhat ease the goodbyes; we'll have a few months for that to happen, instead of something more abrupt. But sadness still exists and I'm ok with that; I'd be disappointed if it wasn't there, on my part or others.

Again, I'm not sure what I'm going to be doing. I'm excited about the plethora of options before me, too many to list or mention just yet. And like Abraham, though the journey is a mystery and the destinations unknown, I'll walk in faith, believing in the unseen.

I've been having a bit of trouble with my internet connection at the house the past couple of days, as well as logging on to Blogger. Since it worked tonight as I'm about to go to bed, it is well worth the short time to post that LOST is one of the most entertaining and fun shows I've ever watched. Such intrigue, mystery, answers that pose more questions, and a curiosity if there's a wizard behind the curtain. Great escapism. Ah, what fun, what fun...

Anna and Craig have been visiting the past few days. It's been good having them in town; I was glad Anna could be here for our Senior Banquet. The impact she's had on the teens continues to be seen and felt; the quality of relationships she's established and develops is outstanding and a blessing to so many people. It was an incredible experience the past two summers to minister with her at Northside; to be able to do that with family was extremely special, not only for us but for the teens and families too.

Being a single guy in ministry, I think Anna's presence allowed a different and deeper insight into me as a person for my teens to see and relate to. Since I don't have family in town, I believe having Anna here allowed that side of me to be seen, which I think allowed me to relate a little more and a little closer with my teens. They got hear stories about me when I was growing up, stories from a perspective other than mine. They got to watch how I treat my sister and how we interact. They got to meet her and find out what a great person she is. And even though she's not coming back this summer, her presence will linger, whether recognized or not. There are teens in the youth group that feel they are a part of Christ and his people because of her love for him and the time she spent at Northside.

Mark at the Rock of Cashel


Doug and I crashed out in the car at Cashel


First Picture Point for us along the Ring of Kerry


Chad and I atop an old barn


Atlantic coast along the Ring of Kerry


That's me over the Lakes of Kilarney


Chad jumping out over the Cliffs of Moher


Mark doing his cliff-dive


Our final picture in Ireland

Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite:

The four of us (me, Chad, Mark, Doug) at a beach on Dingle Peninsula


The Iffey River in Dublin


A pasture with rock wall somewhere along the Ring of Kerry


Chad in flight


Mark leaping out of the frame

How weird it is to be back in my room. It's hard to believe that earlier today I woke up in London; as I type, it is 5:15 am in that time zone. Luckily, I was able to take some naps on the flight over the Atlantic and don't feel too exhausted...but I know it will come. Suffice to say that it was an incredibly fun trip and I can't wait to have the energy to post some pictures and share some stories (as opposed to the mere transfer of info while I was blogging over there). Plenty of jump shots, landscapes, mountains, and rolling hills await...one more dawn, one more day, one day more.

We made it to the Cliffs of Moher yesterday, which was quite a breathtaking site. It took most of the day to travel there, but it was worth it. We stayed in Shannon and flew out this morning. Chad is feeling much better; his appetite has returned. We enjoyed a great dinner at the Texas Embassy, which was once the home of the Texas Embassy in London when Texas was its own country (some might argue it still is). It was so nice to have queso again, though it wasn't of the Alamo Cafe or even TC variety, but chips and queso was refreshing. I had a chimichanga and guacamole. We walked around quite a bit before finding a place to stay, so we decided to give ourselves the treat of Tex-Mex.

London is quite a city. Looking through books and maps to figure out what to do is overwhelming. I think we're going to be splitting up some tomorrow to allow us to see the sights we're interested in. I'm headed to the British Library, the British Museum, and the National Gallery, capping it off with a performance of Les Miserables. I never to see Les Mis on Broadway (it's no longer showing) and since it started in London, this was the "next" best thing. Hopefully, I'll have a good story for you after tomorrow's long day regarding my whereabouts; for now, only that tease.

Mom, if you read this in the next ten minutes, Happy Mother's Day. (Hopefully I'll be talking to you before you read this though.) You're an incredible woman, mother, and friend. As eloquent as I sometimes might be, I couldn't do justice with my words to the nature of your godliness, love, example, and spirit. Thank you for being a light for me; thank you for being one of my greatest sources of encouragement and security. You're the best...I love you.

Another down, one more to go

As we traveled around the Ring of Kerry yesterday, I got to see what I'd always pictured in my mind as Ireland: rolling green hills, mountains in the background, cliffs along the coast, and fog. We saw a couple of castles, several old barns and churches, stopped in some very quaint towns, and got more pictures than we're going to know what to do with. Chad and Doug are having a contest for most pictures taken, which will resume with most pictures sold once back in the States. It was a great day of sightseeing and fun as we made our way along the coast. Mark continues to excel in driving and keeping us safe. Doug and I were able to completely enjoy the day after getting over our sickness.

This morning, Chad woke up with a bit of that sickness, though. He's not feeling too well right now, which has Mark worried that he is inevitably next. But since he's our only driver, we're really hoping he's not going to get it. He's already taking precautions by eating and drinking the same stuff Chad does: if Chad eats a banana, Mark's going to eat one; if Chad has Sprite, so will Mark. We'll see how this works.

We're going to go to the Dingle Penisula in a bit and decide from there what to do, depending on how Chad's doing. We may get a room if he's not doing well, or try to make it to Limerick if he's up for it.

The weather was pretty diverse yesterday, going from bright sunlight to thick fog as the elevation changed. We saw clear water on the coast as well as grayish ocean at times. When we were at one of the beaches, with the fog moving in and ice-cold wind blowing, we happened upon a chocolate shop that brought much joy. The free samples were great; I've got a bit to bring back...I just hope it doesn't melt or get eaten in the meantime.

It's tough to believe that I'll be headed back to the States in still a few days. We fly from Shannon to London on Sunday and depart for San Antonio Tuesday, arriving late that evening. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers for us. Top of the morrnin' to you...

Feeling much better this morning. All of us were able to sleep well last night, about eight hours worth. We've enjoyed an easy morning, just now finishing up breakfast. The sun is out, the sickness seemingly gone, and we're headed for the Ring of Kerry.

Marky Mark can drive on the wrong side of the road, legally. We took off from Dublin this morning and arrived in Killarney around 7:30 pm, Irish time. Unfortunately, Doug and I have been a bit sick (I think it was what we ate at dinner); Doug woke up several times last night and I had a tough time this morning and throughout the day. I was too weak to tour the Rock of Cashel, but Chad was kind enough to take the video camera and capture the sights for me. I stayed in the car and rested; I was able to eat a few bananas during the day and a slice of pizza tonight. I think I'm over it; Doug is feeling better as well.

We got to see a lot of the countryside today as we drove south and west. Tomorrow is reserved for the Ring of Kerry, a 110-mile route with several towns and great sights to stop by and photograph. And the weather today -- wow. We enjoyed the sun all day; it rained for about 15 minutes of our 8 hours of driving.

Disappointing to find out that the Spurs got beat...I guess they're just waiting for me to get back to win the series.

I haven't been able to post any pictures, so I guess I'll be doing that when I return. We've also met several other travelers, a couple from Texas even. I tried talking with a couple of people in our common room last night, but they didn't speak English; I think they spoke French. Since the only phrases I remember from my ten hours of college French are "Je t'aime," "Je ne se pa," and "Parlez-vous francais, englais, etc," none of which would've been appropriate I think. Anyway, the hostels have been fun and clean, so we're still feeling good about it.

It's about to be midnight, so I'm going to sign off. G'night.

Almost another day completed in Dublin. We've spent most of today on foot, touring different sites and museums. We started by going to Trinity College this morning and checking out the Book of Kells, which was very impressive. Even more impressive to me was the Long Room, a room a few hundred feet in length filled with some of the oldest books kept at Trinity. To think that so many books have been written and preserved through the years...it made me wonder about John's statement at the end of one of his books, wondering if the world could even hold all that could be written about Jesus. Being in a room that holds so many books...wow...to think that as crazy a statement as that is, it could be true...wow.

From there we went to a couple of museums, the National History Museum and the National Gallery. I brisked through the National History Museum; I didn't want to spend the time looking at the artifacts, as fascinating as they may be. So I headed over the National Gallery, which holds a lot of Irish artwork, as well as other pieces from around the world. I found myself enthralled with most of the rooms. Chad and I started in the Shaw Room, which I understood as the "show room"; it was their largest room, displaying mostly portraits...huge portraits. I also enjoyed the pieces from the 19th century, mostly the landscapes. The other part that was very intriguing was the Modern Collection; its display gallery was almost as sharp as the pieces.

The guys were waiting on me at the exit when I finished (only 15 minutes, though) and we headed to lunch. After walking around 20 minutes, we found a great sandwich shop that Rick Steves recommended. (We believe that if Rick recommends, it's good for us.) Following lunch we walked through Stephen's Green, a nice park in the midst of business, though not as large as Central Park or Boston Commons -- nice enough though. Chad's become quite the photographer on this trip. This park provided plenty of flowers and waters for him to continue to use up his memory card. As we walk from one place to another, Chad or Doug usually gets a bit behind because of pictures they're taking. Doug's got to snap a shot of every colored door he sees -- he's got a side business of photography, so it's kind of "work." After the park, we toured St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was the third cathedral for me, besides Christ Church and Augustinians, which is not a touristy church, which may be why I found it the prettiest inside. That and I got to sit inside for almost half an hour while it poured rain outside.

We finished our escapade-on-foot by going to the Kilmanhiam Jail. Our hike to the Guiness Brewery (quite a well-done tour and museum, fitting for a place that practically serves as a nation's identity) for a tour yesterday was a bit of a distance for us from our hostel, and the jail was further than that. We understood it to be much closer than it turned out to be; some maps don't follow a legend or vastly understate proximity. We walked and walked and walked, not really sure if we were on the right path. We knew the last tour was a little before 5:00 and we glided in at 4:50, only to be rushed through the first part to join that last group for a video. It was well worth the rush. Great tour. Great bus ride on the way back, too.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the driving tour. We head south for the Cork-area, hoping to make it to Kilarney to spend the night. But we're easy. It's an adventure.

Safe arrival

I'm now in Dublin, Ireland, sitting in our common room at the hostel in the Temple Bar district of the city. From what I've gathered, this is the new cultural center of Dublin, quickly establishing its reputation for film, art, photography, etc. among Europeans. We've not yet ventured out, but I think it's a pretty good location. Chad and Doug missed their flight from Rome yesterday (Sunday), so they are arriving in a couple of hours. Mark and I are about to head and scout out the territory.

It's currently 11:20 am, which I believe is six hours ahead of Central Standard Time. I slept for maybe three or four hours on our seven hour flight, but feel rested and good to go. It took a little longer than expected to the hostel from the airport, mostly thanks to our confusion about which bus to get on from the airport. We bought a Dublin Pass, which gets you into over 30 attractions around the city and gets you a free bus trip from the airport to the City Centre (not a typo). For the most part, I think we got suckered into a tourist thing. The bus we took was a public one, instead of the charter bus we were supposed to board. When we showed our bus driver our Pass, he said, "I've never seen that before," and let us on without paying. It definitely made more stops than the other probably did, but we got to see quite a bit of the city we would've missed. And from where we got dropped off, it was only a three block walk to the hostel -- which by the way is extremely nice. It's not luxurious by any means, but it is safe and the four of us will be the only ones in our room (which has beds for six), so we don't have to worry about others and theft, although I will keep an eye on Chad...

The weather is in the 50s and overcast. And by overcast, I mean I didn't see the ground until we were about 500 feet from landing. It looks as if there's not a cloud in the sky because all that can be seen is a grayish-white covering above. We read that it's supposed to be sunny tomorrow, but I'm guessing "sunny" will be mild -- similar to saying it's going to be cool in San Antonio in May, which means in the high 80s. But I didn't have any expectations of California-like weather; it is Ireland.

My weekend in Nashville was a lot of fun. I stayed with the Portells, a family that used to be at Northside in San Antonio. Don was one of our shepherds, but they're living much closer to their daughters (and grandchildren) now, so it was a no-brainer for them. Anna's graduation ceremony was't too bad as far as time goes. I got a few pictures of her, barely making it down the steps in time for me to snap a shot of her receiving her diploma. For me, it was tough to believe that it'd been four years since I'd done the same thing. I did get to see several of my fellow graduates who also had siblings walking the stage Saturday, which was very fun. I also got to worship at Otter Creek yesterday morning, which was the first time I'd been there since they moved into their new building. Again, got to see several friends I'd not seen in quite a while. And, of course, it was good to see Mom, Dad, Anna, Bethany, and Grandma, as well as a few cousins too.

It's now raining, which isn't too surprising. The way the drops are hitting the windows, though, almost makes me want to go take a quick nap. But I'll wait until this evening to sleep.

As the summer activities quickly approach, I'm doing something very rational and helpful towards that purpose: I'm leaving town. For about a week and a half. Brilliant, huh?

I dropped my roommate Chad and his friend Doug off at the airport today. They are probably landing in Rome as I type. They're going to be in Italy until Sunday, when they'll fly from Rome to Dublin because my friend Mark and I will be arriving Monday morning in Dublin and the four of us are going to drive around Ireland for a week. The only sure things we have planned are arriving in Dublin, staying there a couple of nights, getting to Shannon somehow (taking the long way along the coast) so we can fly from Shannon to London, play in London for a day or two and fly back to San Antonio May 16.

It was pretty cool to be able to tell Chad and Doug as I left, "See you Monday in Dublin." How weird is that?

I'm also sneaking away before this Euro trip to Nashville for Anna's graduation. I'll be there for the weekend, which will be nice to get to see Mom and Dad, Grandma, and Anna and Bethany. I'll get to see Anna's fiance Craig for the first time since he's become her fiance, as well as get to see her ring. Luke won't be getting back to the area until later in May, but I got to see him a few weeks ago which was so pleasant and serendipitous.

Bethany will be leaving two days after I do for Northern Ireland on a mission trip with some other college girls from Lipscomb. I'd hoped to meet up with her, but the guys and I had to take No. Ireland out of our plans. She's staying another week or so after the mission trip to do some touring around Europe -- Dublin, London, Paris, and Venice. Poor thing.

I'm really looking forward to being away and in another culture. I find it refreshing and invigorating, which I hope will go a long way this summer. Sharing it with a couple of my best friends in San Antonio will make it even better. Thank you in advance for your prayers. I'm hoping to write a bit while I'm over there; not sure if I'll be able to put any pictures up, but I will if I can. If not, I'm sure I will when I return.

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I received a new McLaren book in the mail last week. It's been a while since I've read anything of his and it's so good to get back to his words and thoughts. The book is The Secret Message of Jesus. I'm not sure how to explain it, especially if you've not read any of his previous books; you can pick this up and read it without having read anything else by him, but this really takes his other thoughts and ideas and go beyond where he's been writing. It's going deeper and richer. He's discussing the kingdom with fresh insight. When I read Wild at Heart, I wanted to go climb a mountain and kill a bear with my bare hands; as I read this book, I feel the same desire to be immersed in the presence of the kingdom of God which is here at hand. Yet another pair of lenses.

I'm constantly reminded how blind I really am.