I Hate Waiting

Last night we had a great time in the YA Community. We had a great time of worship and a good word was shared that applied to all of us, at least at some point we will all face the topic. Torrie Bagley shared from a new curriculum called, “InTransit – What Do You Do With Your Wait?”. We will look at this subject once a month over the next several months. In November it will be on the 18th.

Lesson Notes from Wednesday, October 28:

We wait and we wait … for what’s next, for the right person to come along, for the perfect job, and for the right time to buy our first home. We wait when we don’t know what to do next, and people come and go from our lives during the process. And most of the time, we don’t like the wait.

A comment was made that in the waiting our focus should not be on the wait rather it should be on God. We took some time to briefly examine the lives of Joseph, David and Jesus. These are men who had to wait many years to see God’s promises come to pass. As we discovered last night their lives hold great insight for us as we discover there is great purpose in the waiting. God uses the times we wait to sharpen our sense of awareness and to teach us a better understanding of His timing and faithfulness.

Take away points from the night:

1. Choose to look to the future with hope.

2. Discover and develop stuff you like to do.

a. During the wait do something – for others specifically.

3. Enjoy your freedom.

a. Don’t look at the wait as a weight – do something with the time you have that is positive.

4. Realize that everything passes.

5. Choose to make your wait about God instead of about the wait.

I hope that all that were here last night and those that are reading this will be challenged to look to God during the times you are in the middle of your wait.

See you next Wednesday - JD

Progress!

Well I would have to say that we have made forward movement on the YA Community room. It has been awhile since any information was shared about our progress, so let the "update" begin.

To start out let me first state that we continue to stay within budget. Whew! This would not be possible without volunteers. So a big thank you goes to those who have given of their time and talent to get us to where we are now.

CRASH! The major demolition has been completed. Brick walls have fallen, old wood paneling is now sprucing up the landfill east of Des Moines, and the beautiful green carpet has been released from its decades long hold on the concrete floor.



As far as new construction - we have installed the new cabinets which will make up the Cafe' area. The wall that will support the cafe' counter was built as well. To add some appeal and class Mike K built a frame for the cafe' wall. To quote many people who have walked in to see, "Great Job!". I echo this sentiment as well.



All in all we are making progress. Next steps include updating some electrical items (additional outlets and new lighting). Once this part is completed we will put up the new drywall, tape and mud, and then the process of painting.



Again let me express my gratitude to all you that have volunteered your time and talent to make this new space for the young adults a reality. It is great to see so many of our young adults giving of themselves back to the Lord. I know that we are all looking forward to the project coming to a close and the Grand Opening event.

Till next time!

#1 The "Young Adult" Big Dig

The Big Dig is the unofficial name of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, a megaproject that rerouted the Central Artery (Interstate 93), the chief highway through the heart of Boston into a 3.5 mile tunnel under the city. The Big Dig has the unfortuante privledge of being the "most expensive" highway project in U.S. history.

The project began with an estimated budget of $2.8 billion. When it was all said and done it would seem that the budget was simply ignored. A July 17, 2008 article in The Boston Globe stated, "In all, the project will cost an additional $7 billion in interest, bringing the total to a staggering $22 billion, according to a Globe review of hundreds of pages of state documents. It will not be paid off until 2038."

With this in mind we are going to begin a remodel of the Young Adult Community room. Although our project is not beginning with a projected budget of $2.8 billion or 10,000 + employees, we are starting with one similarity - vision.

The vision for the Big Dig developed out of a need to relieve congestion on Boston's primary roadway. It was a legitimate need. Boston's roads were laid out long before the invention of the automobile. Something had to be done or Boston would come to a screaching hault - at least the traffic would.

What is the connection of the Big Dig and the Young Adult Community?

The answer comes down to the very obvious need. Although the Young Adult Community Room was not designed before the advent of the automobile it is most definitly in need of an upgrade (that's an understatment).

We have the design. We have the contacts for materials. We have our $2.8 billion (minus a whole lot of zeros). What are we still lacking? We still need more volunteers. This where you come in. Take a minute this Wednesday and sign up to give some time to make our big dig a reality.

And for the record this will not be deemed the most expensive remodel in Berean history.