Post #130 A year like no other

So I started this year hoping to make one post for every day of the year. It went pretty well for a few months, but I quickly realized that it was not going to be as easy as I initially thought. About 3-4 months in, I started doing generic picture postings and postings of links I found. Eventually, I got completely sidetracked and more or less gave up on the goal of 365. In fact, I haven't posted anything since my trip to G-Rap for a conference presented by Rob Bell and Mars Hill Bible Church.

So, what has Mike been doing all this time?

Well, let me tell you. First, I was asked to join the staff of our church as the "Groups Development Director." It is a fancy way of saying that I am now the small groups guy. My first task was to create, organize, and lead a church wide adult small groups program called thePLUNGE. It basically breaks down like this: the Sunday morning message starts the conversation; for a 6-week series, the small groups meet to dive deeper into the message presented on Sunday using discussion guides that I wrote. The goal was to create conversational interaction and to grow as a community through dialogue.

From the feedback I received and the encouragement of the pastors and staff, I would say that it was a huge success. We had 13 groups with about 100 participants. I am hoping for 20 groups when we launch it again in February!

The second, and most life-changing thing to occupy my time has been the decision Michelle and I made to adopt. We met with an agency earlier in the year and after doing the home-study and the training hours we submitted a profile book to the agency. The profile book is basically a scrapbook that tells your story. It is used by birthmothers to decide which potential adoptive parents they would like to meet.

After submitting the profile book, we were told that a birthmother would like to meet with us! On October 4, we met our birthmother. We all knew there was a good connection right from the start. At the end of the meeting, it was clear that she was going to choose us as the adoptive parents of her child.

We continued to meet with her nearly every week since then and have developed an incredible relationship with her. We began taking her to doctor appointments and were able to see the ultrasound and hear the baby's heartbeat!

Yesterday, we took her to one of her weekly doctor appointments and found out that she is 2 centimeters dilated! The original due date was January 11. But we are hoping she will deliver sometime in the next week and a half!

So, although I did intend to do a posting for every day of the year, it didn't happen. Instead, I was able to pursue ministry as a staff member of a great church, and we began an incredible journey of adoption. 2010 will definitely be like no other year for Michelle and I. Thank you for your encouragement, thoughts, and prayers this year. Please continue to do so!

Have a great Christmas and a wonderful new year!