Pics

FYI, I put up some new pics on my Flickr site...check them out!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bncampbell

The Great Church Hunt Continues

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about the specific church (I'm not into church bashing), but I'll just kind of talk in vague terms about my continuing quest for a church. So, this past Sunday, I visited a nearby church with someone from work. I didn't have a LOT of expectations for various reasons, but I thought I'd give it a shot. Everything was pretty flashy, and for a lot of it, I felt like I was at a show.

The sermon was actually pretty good...better than I expected, although he was one of those speakers who picks like 20 verses spread throughout the Bible to prove his point...but no real red flags. Then, at the end, just when I'm thinking "see, that wasn' so bad," the infomercial began. For, you see, we had only covered one chapter of his new book, which was for sale in the bookstore just outside in the lobby. Also, please, watch this commercial for the CD that comes with the book...which I'll give you for FREE if you purchase the book today. But wait, that's not all, listen to these testimonies. Grown men left the production booth crying when I was recording my book. A woman came to me and said NO BOOK HAD EVER TOUCHED HER THIS DEEPLY (red flag). Bah. Stupid informercial ruining church for me.

However, I did hit a late service at another church and enjoyed it enough that I plan on trying it again. Wish me luck!

It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday...

What a cheesy title. Oh well.

I just realized the other day that I never really blogged about saying goodbye to Hannibal. It's still kind of surreal that I'm not there anymore. Three years ago when I moved to Hannibal from Nashville, I viewed it as a very short pit stop. Surely, God would get me back on the "real" path soon. Then, I started making friends, laying down roots...and getting scared. Scared because I never thought I'd stay in Hannibal, and I knew that the deeper those friendships became, the harder it would be to leave.

I was right. When I was offered the job at Compassion in March, my excitement was quickly followed by sadness. Over the next few months I spent as much time as I could with my friends in Hannibal. We squeezed in extra games of Nertz. I treasured dinners out with friends. And soon I began to say to myself "this is the last time..." The last time I would spend a lazy Saturday morning lazing around the apartment with my roommate. The last time I would teach children's church. The last press release I would write for work.

The day I left Hannibal was emotional. Lots of tears, lots of sadness, but also lots of faith. Faith that God was taking me to Colorado for a purpose. Faith that God will provide friends and a church. Faith that life in Hannibal will go on without me.

So much to say, so little time

I've got lots of blog ideas bouncing around in my head, so I'm just going to rattle them off as they come to me. Hold on, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Two posts in two days...amazing

My new job is coming with some challenges that I hadn't anticipated. I can deal with insane amounts of work, and rapid turnaround. But I'm discovering that at my last job, I got a little soft. You see, I know writers have to develop a tough skin. When I worked in Nashville, I could totally handle a tough editor. I took it as a challenge. But in Missouri, my boss LOVED everything that I wrote. She just gushed about how wonderful it all was. And I got soft. I forgot what it felt like to get back something I wrote filled with red marks and editor comments (i.e., "this reminds me of cotton candy...sweet but no substance).

Well, I'm going to have to toughen up quickly. My new editor is a GREAT editor. She calls it like she sees it. She'll give me back one assignment and tell me it was really good. Sometimes though, like today, she flippantly comments that something I wrote was terrible. Ouch!

I know that my new editor will make me a better writer. I know that I had gotten lazy in my old job. I know I know I know. But man, I've got to develop some calluses soon!

And today's secret word is...

Overload.

It's been a long time since I posted. A really long time! Between moving to Colorado Springs, settling into the new apartment and starting my new job, things have just been crazy. Then, I started thinking of all of these great things to blog about, and I just got overwhelmed.

So here I am, so many things to say, so little time. I’ll just start typing, and we’ll see where we end up. I’m finding that my job is probably easiest the thing to adjust to here. The word easy is pretty misleading though. The sheer number of projects our department has to work on is pretty crazy, but the jobs are fun, and since I don’t have a life yet, I find myself staying late to finish up projects.

Speaking of not having a life, that has definitely been the hardest part about the move. Weekends and evenings are ENDLESS, but the most draining part is church hunting. Most of the churches here are much larger than I’m used to. Both Sundays I’ve sat in a pew by myself and felt completely invisible. Last Sunday the only time anybody spoke to me was to ask me if I could move to another seat so their family could sit there. Both Sundays I’ve left church an emotional mess.

I keep telling myself this isn’t how it should be. But why not? Churches are filled with people just like me. People who don’t say or do the right things. People who focus a little too much on themselves. Sinful, messed up people. I just need to find the right group where I can serve and be served. Where I can love and be loved. Until then, I’ll keep hunting.