Tevis Austin

One of these days...

I can't believe the month of June is over.  One of these days I will post some pictures from our trip to Florida and Louisiana.  After getting back, I left again to go back to Orlando for our denominations General Assembly.  I was invited to teach a few workshops in the areas of family ministry and developing leaders, and to help with a workshop on the emerging culture in relation to The Church of the Nazarene. 

While I was away, I actually made a commitment to myself to take time to focus on some reading.  I spent time reading Lincoln on Leadership and The Shack.  These are two excellent books. 

 

Someone gave me The Shack to read several months ago, but I just kept putting it off.  I actually wish I would have read it sooner.  The author takes a very creative approach when it comes to looking at God and the Trinity as well as difficult life issues.  It was very refreshing.  I would recommend the book.  I may use it to give to individuals who may be doubting God as they struggle to make sense of life.

  

1199

Here are a few pictures from the David Cook concert.  I'm still trying to remember the last concert I attended.  It seems like a very long time.  I was pretty amazed when I first heard that David Cook was coming to Newark.  The Midland only seats 1200.  When the tickets went on sale, they sold out in 28 minutes.

 

I tried to get tickets online, but I ended up getting them over the phone. 

 

We were disappointed in the opening act, but David Cook was good.  There is something about being in a very nice small venue with 1199 others.  The concert felt so much more intimate. 

The demographics of those attending the concert was rather interesting as almost all ages were represented.  He ended the concert by inviting several kids to join him on stage.  I'm sure the kids will never forget that.  He gave them all a guitar pick, and the kids kept giving him hugs.  We were wondering if they would let him exit the stage.    

Where do I begin?

The past couple of weeks have been so busy that it really is hard for me to know where to begin.  The challenge with this time of year always seems to be balancing wrapping up the school year activities including family activities, school activities, and church activities, with all the planning that goes in to preparing for summer.

We had an Open Mic at The Firehouse that involved music, poetry, and art. 

 

We had a middle school event that started out with food and games at The Firehouse.  Here the guys are lined up execution style preparing to be shot by the girls. 

 

Thank goodness their aim was bad, and it only involved marshmallows.

 

We ended up glow bowling until midnight. 

 

The next day we had a fishing derby for families.  There was even a special class for preschoolers and elementary age kids to teach them how to fish.

 

I so would like to have a tag line for this picture with the portapody in the background.  If you think of one, let me know.   

 

The kids were able to get some experience in a canoe with their life jackets.

 

Then there was the fishing tournament.  I am sure Brendon almost won the award for the smallest fish.  I think he is trying to find the fish in this picture.

 

His sister was sure proud to catch one bigger than him.

 

We recently had a work day at The Firehouse.  It started with some work on the landscape around the Firehouse.    Before...

After...

And we ended up helping some of the neighbors that live near The Firehouse. 

One lady was so grateful because her husband was out of town.  At another house, the kids came out to help. 

I worked with our student community team to have a family lunch for middle school families and a lunch for high school families.  The lunch was designed to help families connect, to learn about our summer activities, and to learn how we can partner together.  Of course, some teens were more excited about being there than others.

 

Our theme for the lunch was a summer picnic, and the food seemed to brighten everyone's spirit.

 

Just last week we were able to have an event that some of us have been dreaming about for months.  It was called "The Studio."  It was designed to bring creative artist together to begin thinking about how we can use the arts to impact our community.  The arts represented included the visual arts, creative movement and dance, drama and set design, music, and creative writing and poetry.  We had a guest speaker come to share her story, to encourage those with artistic abilities, and to inspire them to use their God-given abilities to make a difference.  After she shared, we broke into groups and started talking about what the next steps might be after this event.

The Fire Ball

Here are some pictures from "The Fire Ball."  It was our recent effort at getting more volunteers involved with teenagers.  I have tried things like this at other places I have served, and it hasn't seemed to work.  I have so many times found that the best way to get people to volunteer is by personal invitation.  I still believe that.  However, the response for this lunch actually exceeded my expectations. 

 

We had 48 attend the luncheon with 15 of these being new people.  Four others expressed interest but were not able to attend.

The purpose of the luncheon was to simply share stories and information that might inspire others to get involved.  We had volunteers who are currently involved sit at each table to share stories and answer questions with those expressing interest.  

We intentionally asked students to serve and to share how student community and especially small groups have impacted their lives. 

There was information given that explained the different areas to get involved with and the expected time commitment.   Of course there was food and games.

 

 

And what would The Fire Ball at The Firehouse be without fireballs?  We even threw in some matches as a gift to each person to hopefully create a spark in them to want to make a difference in the lives of teens.  

 

Close Up and in the Shade

We went to the OSU Scarlet and Gray game on Saturday.  There were over 95,000 in attendance, a national attendance record for a spring game.  We got great seats too.

 

We actually stayed to the end of the game.  I have to admit that it wasn't because the game was exactly exciting.  It was because we were able to get close up to the field for a while, and we were able to have seats in the shade.

Yes, the pictures below actually show you where our seats were.

 

Here are three Buckeye fans.  I think one of them would have preferred to have been up close and watching the cheerleaders, and it wasn't either one of the boys (just to clarify). 

The kids even got in free.  Here Brendon and Charlie are giving their play by play and analysis of the game.

 

 

The kids also loved it because OSU won. 

Baseball and a Superstar

Brendon and I were able to get away on Saturday for some baseball in Columbus. OSU played MSU. We even stayed for the entire game.  I think having seats close to the field really helps with the attention span. 

We got up a few times to move around with the goal of getting a foul ball.  No luck. 

  

On our way to visit family for Easter, Megan made a call to her grandparents.  I dialed and gave her the cell phone.  That was a mistake.

 

When I turned around to see how things were going, I started thinking about how much trouble I am in when the teen years hit.