So i’m alive and well in Seattle. I’ve begun work at Amazon….well, i’ve started showing up, haven’t really begun useful work just yet. Right now i’m sitting in the lobby of one of Amazon’s buildings which is across the street from my apartment complex. That is not an exaggeration at all. I live above a well known asian food market in the middle of the international district, and i work in a mad scientist castle on a hill overlooking the city. I’m up on the 7th floor with no door (except my desk), but i do have a window with a fantastic view of the city.
I’m starting to get involved at Mars Hill Church here in Seattle. They feel a lot like Stone, except they’re coming up on 8 years, and we’re coming up on 3. Today i went out to one of their membership classes. Their class is a ten week affair. Connections on sterroids. The class was on stewardship, and everything the pastor said was solid. I’m going to have to give the nod to Kyle McDaniel in terms of exhortation to Christian living in the realm of finances, though. Systematic Theology is required reading for their elders. There is much wisdom and insight to be gained here, since they have members who have recent memories of the growing pains of going from a church plant to a church, and the church itself is already in the process of planting others. I’m going to be looking into joining a community group soon (most of them are on Tuesdays, so i’ve missed it for this week)
One thing Mars Hill does that i think is awesome is they don’t pass a plate, they’ve just got receptacles for donations and info cards at the exits to the church. I don’t know if that would work at Stone, but the reasons they cited definitely apply to Stone too: with a large proportion of non-Christians and skeptical Christians it’s most important that the church bring those people to relationship with Christ that then naturally encourages giving than to pass the plate.
I’m stoked about this church (if i didn’t get that across already). The membership class had 200-300 people in it (they do it twice a year) which is almost the Stone’s entire membership. They’ve got 4 services, Stone is looking at switching to 2.
My apartment is ridiculously awesome. My job is ridiculously awesome. My temprary church is ridiculously awesome. But still i miss Austin, TX. So to anybody out there lucky enough to be where its warm (todays high was an inadequate 80 degrees), i miss y’all.