Fastlane

Hello friends and relatives! I hope that you're having a fantastic life and stuff! Thank you for coming to check up on mine.

Things have been happening very fast here in Australia. I'm not even really sure where to begin. Around the house, Matt has taken to calling me Moose because of my northern heritage. Dave calls me "The Epistle", because he is never able to remember which two of the four that my name is. We've been eating very well, and I have discovered the magical concoction of Nutella and Peanut Butter. If you have never been blessed with this combination, I highly suggest it.

On Wednesday at dinner, Anthony started talking about his hometown of Tuscaloosa, Alabama and the F-4 tornado that rolled through it in April. Seeing pictures of a disaster is different than hearing someone explain all of the landmarks and stories in what you're seeing. I was shocked to see and hear of the magnitude of devastation and also thankful to hear that God's protection was still active. If you pray at all, please pray for the city leaders and churches of Tuscaloosa. The rubble has finally been cleared from the streets, but the leadership is at a complete loss for where to go next. How do you rebuild an entire city?

This week has really put aside any fears that I may have had about the real heart and center of Hillsong Church. For awhile back home, I was slightly worried that because their music is so successful, Hillsong might be more about music, lights, and performances than about Jesus, hearts, and people. After three full days of lectures from the Hillsong Music leadership all about Jesus, the heart, and serving people, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am being taught by the right people.

The culture of Hillsong Music has really made an impact on me as well. Although the musicians and pastors are honored and respected, they are still all about being teachers and disciple makers rather than rockstars. They'll sit down and have a conversation with you or pray with you because they're genuinely interested. These are people that go out on tour to thousands of screaming people and come back to worship God in the congregation and build relationships with the people around them because that's what God has called us to do. They even treat their tours purely as ministry opportunities and hopefully you'll see that when they come to Michigan in August.

I have found a grand piano to play in the church and have practiced for hours already. God has also already used the piano playing to get me connected with the people around me as well. I met Sarah, who plays piano at an extension service on the northern beaches in Sydney. She informed me of the Yamaha store in Sydney where I can get the music that I want to learn this year and also of the fact that they need a bass player for the northern beach extension service on Sundays. I'm praying that God uses me wherever he wants me and that I can glorify him wherever (however, playing bass on the beach in Sydney would be awesome).

I haven't heard from Junior recently about how his dad is doing, but I'm still praying for a miracle in that situation. Also pray for me to continue walking in the spirit and focusing my life on God. Thanks for checking up on me, and I pray that your day would be blessed.