Mike & Steph

I am a rock
Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Posted byMike Fennema posted 9:05 PM 3 comments  

Goosebumps
Monday, December 26, 2005

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. [A]bout the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."
Hebrews 1:1-3, 8-9 NIV

Goosebumps...this passage gets me everytime. Why? I love kingdom imagery, and to think of Jesus sitting at the right hand of God fills me with awe. I love being in awe of God. If only I could be in a perpetual state of awe.

Posted byMike Fennema posted 10:46 PM 0 comments  

So This is What Floridians Think of Christmas...
Sunday, December 25, 2005

I don't think that I ever thought that I would have the opportunity to play sports outside on Christmas day. That is what always made the first sign of spring so special: being able to be outside. But goodness gracious, how wierd it was today.
To be honest, I didn't think that today was going to be a good day, but I was proved dead wrong. Last night was tough being at the Christmas Eve service. Christmas Eve is usually the night that my family and I celebrate our Christmas. We always go out to dinner as a family including my grandparents. Then we go back to my parent's house, open presents, and have desert. The service last night was beautiful, but not being with my family just made the night tough. However, I am grateful to all the people who invited me over to spend the holiday, those that I was able to make it to, and those I was not. Gammichia's, Sniders, and Jakes: thank you so much! It meant the world to me to be able to spend the holiday with you. Nothing quite makes up for actual family, but you all made it a merry Christmas.
Despite the fact that it is December 25, it doesn't exactly feel like Christmas though. This was my first warm weather Christmas, and I don't know if it is something that I can ever get used to. We don't always have snow in Chicago for Christmas, but the weather will always be chilly. I guess that I just associate that with Christmas: bundling up, having a fire, hot chocolate, pajama pants, sweatshirts, slippers, and wool socks. I don't know how you Florida people do it. I just feel like you're missing out. You may think I'm crazy for preferring the cold weather, but Christmas without the cold (and if you're lucky the snow) just makes me feel like a fish out a water.
Enought of my babbling...Happy Birthday Jesus. Thanks for coming, and we look forward to you comin' again. Revelation 22:20b

Posted byMike Fennema posted 8:45 PM 2 comments  

We are all Edmund.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Posted byMike Fennema posted 10:09 PM 3 comments  

Psalm 136
Sunday, December 18, 2005

Sometimes what is needed is to think back on all the times when you know that God has worked in your life and how faithful he has been. Seeing how he has worked in the past brings comfort for the present and hope for the future. Right now, I can look at my life and based on how God has been in the past, I can take comfort in knowing he's got me right where he wants me. And as I anticipate tomorrow and next week and next month and next year, I can rest in the hope of his constant love.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136.1

Posted byMike Fennema posted 11:27 PM 2 comments  

Free writing
Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Well, its been a good yet tough week so far with its ups and downs, and I have a feeling that the tough is going to overtake the good from here on out...
And with the holiday season of go go go...i'm just tired.
I've got to finish Christmas (and wedding) shopping, but who in their right mind wants to be at the mall right now?
Its 10 o'clock, and I just got home after leaving this morning at 7 am.
The good thing, though, is the fact that I am now a mentor. I paired up with a kid tonight, and that makes me happy.
I'm getting to the point where I need another extended amount of time by myself. Anyone know of any good monasteries around here? I could use a couple of days to recharge these introverted batteries that have been running low lately.
Does anybody have any good ideas on how to not hit your snooze button in the morning?
Senior citizens love a little loving attention, and they apparently love being sung to, no matter how terrible it sounds.
I own the fast track at the Lil' 500. You can't touch this.
I love my bed. I don't just like to sleep (which I do and I'm darn good at it thanks to my father), but I love my bed. And it love me too.
Thank you. I'm here all week.

Posted byMike Fennema posted 10:05 PM 4 comments  

The Boys of Summer(wood)
Sunday, December 11, 2005

Don't worry ladies. There is more than enough of us to go around.

Posted byMike Fennema posted 10:54 PM 1 comments  

Clubbin' in Dowtown Orlando
Saturday, December 10, 2005

Number one reason why I love where I work: they throw good parties.
Last night we had our Christmas party downtown at the Citrus club. Good food, nice place, great view. The best part was hanging out with people outside of work. The walls come down, the conversation becomes a little more real, and you git to know people a little better.
The people that I work with are a fun bunch too. Everyone has very different personalities, but I feel that we fit together as a team so well. Having a good team feeds the success of the company, not to mention the solid leadership of Don and Jamie.
We also got to play a nice little game of Yankee Swap, as Michael from the office would say (it was intended from the get go. No one got an oven mitt and then decided to turn it into Yankee Swap). Don, as always, was most generous, and all of us walked away with gift cards to some very nice restaurants (nice work Hayley on picking that #1).
After a lot of hard work, it was nice to be able to kick back and have some fun with the people that I spend a majority of my time with.
Enjoy the pics.

Posted byMike Fennema posted 11:20 AM 0 comments  

All is Groovy
Wednesday, December 7, 2005

Posted byMike Fennema posted 10:39 PM 0 comments  

The Difference One Number Makes
Wednesday, November 30, 2005

There are two types of people in this world: people who love the movie Rudy, and people who are indifferent. I definitely fall into the first category.
There are way too many profound moments in the film to even begin to write about. I just want to spend a minute talking about passion.
Rudy's passion was obvious. He wanted more than anything to play football for the University of Notre Dame. And let's be honest, who wouldn't? I've never played competitive football in my life, and I would love to run out of that tunnel just like Rudy did. Rudy did everything that he possibly could to make his passion come true. He made sacrifices and he worked hard. He did what he had to. He even took his case to a Higher Court (the scene of him kneeling in front of the candles praying), as the priest instructed him to.
Being the product of Calvin College that I am, I can hardly watch a movie now without taking the time to discern what I had watched. Like I have already said, the movie made me (and is still making me) consider what my passions are in life. Unlike Rudy, I don't feel like I even know what I am specifically passionate about. This makes it difficult to engage my passions with all that I have.
I feel that the character that I resonate more with than Rudy is number 44. Although he is only one number away from Rudy (Rudy was 45), the two characters could not be more different. Rudy hits 44 hard during one scene, and 44 goes ballistic screaming at Rudy. He yells that Rudy treats practice like its the Super Bowl. Coach Parseghian gets up in 44's face and lays into him saying that if he had one tenth the heart of Rudy, he would have been an All-American. Ouch.
I feel like I (and many other people might feel the same) live my life one number off. Instead of pursuing my passions like #45 Rudy, I live as #44 with no heart.
If every Christian had one tenth of the heart of Rudy, imagine what this world would be like?

Posted byMike Fennema posted 10:39 PM 4 comments  

People, Stories, and a New Found Respect
Wednesday, November 23, 2005

I've been learning about a couple of different things over the last couple of days. These days that have been beautiful: no stress except babies crying, naps in the middle of the day, old friends, and the comfort of family.
I went to Grand Rapids yesterday (expect a great pic of me and my good buddy Mark real soon). It was great and also revealing. The worst part of the trip was the time that I spend walking around Calvin (that's where I did my undergrad for those of you unfamiliar with the fine institution). Most of it was exactly how I remember it, and I felt at home, but that warm fuzzy feeling ended pretty quickly. After about 15 minutes of walking around and recalling different memories of the different places, I was indifferent about being there, and I realized it was because I was alone. I didn't recognize anyone there, and no one knew me. I even walked by Coop's office, and he wasn't there. I didn't have anyone to share my memories with, and I realized the age-old truth that it's not the place but the people that is so important. If the walls of all the buildings could talk, they would have so many memories to share. But they can't. I realized that although Calvin will always be a home to me, it was truly mine for a little while, and now I have to move on. The people I shared my time with there, however, will always be mine. The relationships that I built there can continue forever (and should as long as I make the slightest of effort).
The day got exponentially better when I was able to spend time with three friends: Rachel, Mel, and Mark. These are three very different friends and relationships, and three friendships which I cherish in their own unique way. Thank you Rach, Mel, and Mark for taking time out of your schedules just to hang. Rach, it always good to catch up with someone that I have known for so long. Even though the times we talk are few and far between, you will always be a good friend. Mel, thank you for understanding how *very, very* important it was to get back in touch with me. Dinner was great, but the conversation was better. I will follow up with you on bringing you down to Orlando to work at Orangewood. I'm praying that God will show you that is where he wants you! ;) And Mark. What can I say? Our no nonsense, don't even think about beating around the bush conversations are amazing. You challenge me. I see so much of the Lord in you. I would drive a lot farther than two and a half hours just to be able to chat with you over a cup of coffee. Enjoy the book. I know that you will love it.
Speaking of how important people are, I just gained a great deal of respect tonight (despite the goofy picture of him with my nephew Wyatt at the beginning of this post) for someone that I thought I knew pretty well. I have a whole new perspective on the person I call my dad because of the conversation that we had tonight over coffee. You always hear about people who have been in the military always sharing their "war stories." To be honest, I have never heard many of my father's stories. Tonight I had the privilege of hearing a few of them. My father, gripping a cup of coffee and propping his feet on the table, recounted fond memories with that reminiscent, far-off look in his eye that only comes from memorable moments dancing around in one's mind. Little did I know that my father won marksmanship awards or met General Patton (the Third, not "Blood n Guts" himself, but his son) or guarded a compound that might have contained nuclear weapons (don’t tell anyone though…that information is classified). I also got to hear the full story of what it was like to find out hours before he was supposed to be shipped of to 'Nam only to find out at the last minute that the orders had changed (I am so thankful of that!). Needless to say, I have a newfound respect for the man I call my father. Not that I didn't have respect for him before, because I hold my father in very high regard. But I felt like a new door was opened and I got to see a little bit more of who he is. So much of whom people are is shaped by what they have done in the past. I feel closer to him. I feel like I understand him that much more now. It's beautiful, and I love it.

Posted byMike Fennema posted 11:06 PM 1 comments  

Evidence of the Fall
Sunday, November 20, 2005

**How hard relationships are to maintain.
**Trying to figure out members of the opposite sex (either male or female, i'm not just ripping how impossible women are to understand).
**Trying to complete the rest of this blog, but not being able to focus because my roommates are making too much of ruckus with their conversation and me wanting really badly to crawl into bed but I can't because I've got to pack for Chicago.

Peace out everyone. Have a great Thanksgiving, and I'll give a real update when I get back, hopefully much rejuvinated and having much to talk about.

Posted byMike Fennema posted 10:33 PM 3 comments  

This one's for you...
Thursday, November 3, 2005

...mom and dad. I know that you guys love to know what is going on in my life here in FL. Here are a couple of pictures of some friends of mine for you and an idea of what I've been up to recently.
I also know that you guys are avid fans of my blog. However, I have yet to see a comment posted by either of you. Well, here is you opportunity....(other comments welcome too of course!)

Posted byMike Fennema posted 6:19 PM 7 comments  

A Part of Me
Thursday, October 27, 2005

Every time I talk to anyone in my family, I am reminded all over again how much family means to me and how much I miss them. Sure, I may have gotten used to not seeing my family all that often since it has been a long time since we have all lived under the same roof in good ol' South Holland. But that doesn't mean that I like not seeing them.
I can not wait for Thanksgiving. My entire family (everyone in the pictures) will be in South Holland. Even the ones from Germany. I can not begin to descibe how excited I am about the 5 days that I will be back "home." Since we won't see each other for Christmas, we are celebrating the holidays a little early this year. However exciting that sounds, Christmas will be a lot different this year. As of yet, I don't know what it will look like, but it will be just a little bit sad.
Family, I love you all. You all mean the world to me. I miss you and can't wait to see you!
See you in Chicago!

Posted byMike Fennema posted 9:38 PM 2 comments  

The day I never dreamed would come...
Wednesday, October 26, 2005

...is here. My boys from the South Side actually pulled it off. It has been a long time waiting in the city of Chicago for a baseball team to do anything significant. 88 years for the Sox and even longer for the Cubs. I can not tell you how happy I am that my town--my team--has some bragging rights. The Sox didn't "just" pull it off; they only lost one game all throughout the playoffs. They swept the former chumps...I mean champs...won 4 straight against the Angels--all of them complete games by the fab four--and dominated the National League in their first trip to the World Series since the Go-Go Sox.
I am so proud of my Sox and of my city. We haven't had anything significant happen in the world of sports since Jordan retired in '98 (his second retirement). Now, people in my "Sweet Home Chicago" can dance in the streets, celebrating the end to so many years of mediocrity and frustration.
I can't sleep. I don't want to sleep. I don't want to wake up and find out that this was just a dream. For now, I will just watch the postgame show and take in as much as I can from the oh-so-magical night.
Anybody want to foot the bill for a plane ticket to the Windy City?
(Dad and Mom: thanks for calling me during the games and sharing this with me! I love you guys!)

Posted byMike Fennema posted 11:27 PM 0 comments  

When a fish is not enough...
Monday, October 17, 2005

...then my real buddy Mark comes to the rescue. I am completely unashamed to tell the world that I love you. You listen, you understand. You know me even though we are so different. Thank you.
Relationships are a funny thing. I can't imagine where we would be without relationships, but of all the relationships that you have in your lifetime, how many of them actually last a lifetime. We are always making new friends and moving on from old ones. Very few people in one's life are there for a lifetime.
Hopefully your famiy is there through it all. Also your spouse. But what friends are there for more than a season of your life?
Mark, you are one of those friends that will be. Tim, you have already proved that you are another. Thank you.

Posted byMike Fennema posted 9:19 PM 0 comments  

Buddy
Sunday, October 9, 2005

I don't think that I have ever owned a fish before. My family never was really much of a "pet family." We had a hampster once, but Honey didn't last very long. Oh well.
Yesterday was a tough day and I felt like I needed a friend. Not one to go out to coffee with or play around with, just one who would listen. So Buddy is now doomed to live with me. Hopefully I can keep him around for a while.
Buddy is a beta, but I really didn't want a beta. I wanted a really cool looking golfish who was white and orange with blue spots. He looked really neat. But when the person at PetSmart told me that it would grow to about 10 inches, I opted for the beta (just don't tell Buddy that he wasn't my first choice). Oh well.
So now I always have a captive audience if I need one. I'm just nervous that this creature's whole existence is dependent on me. Lets hope he lives for a while.

Posted byMike Fennema posted 10:40 AM 3 comments  

Recent Ponderings
Saturday, September 24, 2005

So I haven't read a Henri Nouwen book in a while, and when he was mentioned last week Sunday during Jeff's sermon, I felt it was about time to pick him up again. I've had this book, Reaching Out: the Three Movements of the spiritual Life, since the summer after my junior year at Calvin, but I never got past the first couple of pages. Now I know why. God was saving it for such a time as this in my life when I am more prepared for the words that I am reading.
Right now I am just struggling my way through it since it is really challenging my thinking and how I view relationships with other people. Here are just a couple of passages from the book that I just don't know what to do with right now and need some further thought.

There is much mental suffering in our world. But some of it is suffering for the wrong reason because it is born out of the false expectation that we are called to take each other's loneliness away. When our loneliness drives us away from ourselves into the arms of our companions in life, we are, in fact, driving ourselves into excruciating relationships, tiring friendships and suffocating embraces.

...Real openness to each other [in relationships] also means a real closedness, because only he who can hold a secret can safely share his knowledge. When we do not protect with great care our own inner mystery, we will never be able to form community...An intimate relationship between people not only asks for mutual openness but also for mutual respectful protection of each other's uniqueness.

Do not now seek answers which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

And finally...
The mystery of love is that it protects and respects the aloneness of the other and creates the free space where he can convert his loneliness into a solitude that can be shared. In this solitude we can strengthen each other by mutual respect, by careful consideration of each other's individuality, by an obedient distance from each other's privacy and by a reverent understanding of the sacredness of the human hear. In this solitude we encourage each other to enter into the silence of our innermost being and discover there the voice that calls us beyond the limits of human togetherness to a new communion. In this solitude we can slowly become aware of a presence of him who embraces friends and lovers and offers us the freedom to love each other, because he loved us first.

Posted byMike Fennema posted 5:15 AM 0 comments  

Longing for more...
Sunday, September 18, 2005

After today I just feel like the title of my blog. During church today, four things came to mind that I wanted to start doing ranging from going beyond just sunday morning sunday school with a couple of the boys in my class to talking to Carl Smith about Restore Orlando to other things as well. Then my mind starts racing about figuring out schedules and fitting things in and about how everything would work out. I get tired just thinking about it all. How does one actually do everything that they want to do (or think they should be doing).
Right now, I already feel too tired. I'm always draggin' myself out of bed in the morning. Its never to attack the day looking forward to what God has in store. It's always thinking how soon I can get my butt back under the covers. (Don't worry, I'm not depressed, I think I just like sleeping a little too much...blame it on my father, the world's best sleeper).
I think I have the problem of not wanting to miss anything. I want to be so many things and do so many things because I don't want to miss out on something that I should be doing. When I think about it, I know that God won't actually allow me to "miss out" on something he actually wants me to be doing. But still, there just seems so much out there. It seems that so much is required of Christians, and sometimes i feel that I need to have my hand in it all. I need to help the Katrina people, the AIDS orphans in Africa, the starving people in China, the homeless people in Chicago, the billions of people everywhere who don't believe in the gospel. Simply overwhelming.
So what I am trying to get the Lord to pound into this thick skull of mine is that he has gifted me in some areas and I best be using those gifts for his kingdom. I can't do everything, but I can do something. Just don't squander the gifts I have been given. I need to be used where I am, realizing there are other Christians in other places who are called to be used as well and are using there gifts in the same way I need to be using mine. Where I am not serving, someone else is serving, or at least has the opportunity to serve.
Now the question begs to be asked, where can I best be used by God? My answer right now is, start where you are.

Posted byMike Fennema posted 11:30 PM 3 comments  

My Woods
Tuesday, September 6, 2005

"Whose woods these are I think I know
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To see his woods fill up with snow...

The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"
--Robert Frost "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

While at Barnes tonight, I slipped by the poetry section and was caught by Robert Frost. Maybe it was because I watched "Dead Poets Society" not to long ago, or maybe it was the longing for beauty...I don't know, and I'm not one to over-analyze.
Tonight, studying is my miles, and Frost is my snowy wood. Here I sit, taking a short moment to enjoy the beauty amidst the tasks that lay before me. So much to do and so little time to do it makes these rare moments of seeing beauty so special.
And such is my relationship with the Lord...
Doing too often takes the place of being, and performing replaces living. My rare snowy woods are crowded out by my endless miles that seemingly need to be traveled. The tasks will get done. The miles will be traveled. But to what expense? Missing the snowy wood? Hardly seems worth it...

Posted byMike Fennema posted 10:28 PM 0 comments  

Everything's Holy Now
Wednesday, August 24, 2005

"When holy water was rare at best, it barely wet my fingertips. But now I have to hold my breath because I swimming in a see of it...Everything is holy now."

These are words taken from a great song performed by the great David Wilcox, but written by the great Peter Mayer. Ever since I heard this song for the first time, it has really gotten me to think a lot about how I view the world.
Tonight in my small group, we talked a bit about mystery and miracles and our cultures views on this subjact after reading about the birth of Christ in Matthew. I feel that our culture doesn't leave room for mystery and we certainly don't have categories for miracles. We've become so darn smart and figured so many things out that it is hard to think that something might be unexplainable. If something can't be explained, it must be because we just haven't figured it out yet and the day will come when we do have it figured out.
Christianity itself is full of mystery and miracles, but I feel like we have lost touch with that aspect because it becomes so familiar to us. Living in mystery and believing in miracles takes a lot of faith. And according to another singer/songwriter (Andrew Peterson), "faith is a burden...its a weight to bear." Being ok with not being able to explain everything is not easy. I feel that not having God figured out (or thinking that I have him figured out) is incredibly healthy for a Christian. Otherwise, God becomes stale. He's always the same. But if you dwell in the mystery of who God is and what he does, every day is a new adventure with God. Then, like Wilcox says in his song, the struggle isn't finding a miracle, it's finding where there isn't one.

Posted byMike Fennema posted 1:00 AM 0 comments  

Posted byMike Fennema posted 10:51 AM 0 comments