Wild Goose Chase part 1- Otro dia, Otra Aventura

Ever come cross a book that you KNOW you’ll read multiple times?  Yeah, I hardly ever do.  But my co-workers and I just started reading “Wild Goose Chase” together.  When you flip a book over to read the back, if it’s good, It’ll grab you.  Here’s the back of this book:

Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something…Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.

It’s my second time…and it WON’T be my last.  Chapter 1′s take-away? “You cannot simultaneously live by faith and be bored.”  So here’s the adventure that chasing the Wild Goose brought me to last week.

Thursday

I was supposed to go to one of my High Schools, but it didn’t work out.  Seeing as how I get to drive all over the East Bay, I figured I might as well drive on up to Cal-Berkeley and hang with the coach I was supposed to meet for afternoon coffee.  I’ve had so many names at Cal dropped on me since I got here, so I said, “Ok God…gonna go try and find these people…order my steps?”  The result?  A head coach who is “in” for helping with an FCA clinic, the opportunity to speak to her team, and a knowledge of how to pray for her.  An asst coach who shared some big decisions with me and walked me all over campus and helped me find the other two people I was looking for.  A office visit with a support staffperson who has several multiple friends as me (what? a girl who only moved to cali 3 months ago??) and is armpit deep in ministering to their athletes (plus he has a wife who played college soccer…I’m a fan!).  Crazy.

Friday

Rigo and I went to Santa Clara University intending to find two coaches.  They weren’t available. (sound familiar?)  Well, since spending time with my new friends at Cal the day before, one had told me to go say hi to one of the AD’s…a friend of his.  So Rigo and I roll up to this guy’s office, unannounced and unknown and get the chance to sit down with him, explain FCA, and hopefully encourage him some.  What?!?  While we were waiting to see him, Rigo’s phone rings and we both start laughing.  It’s an SCU athlete we’ve both been trying to connect with for several weeks.  And we hear back from him while sitting in SCU’s AD office?  The only day we BOTH have been on that campus together?  Totally gotta to connect up with this athlete 10 minutes later and try to hook him up with other FCA college athletes, and maybe even get something started on SCU’s campus before this year is out. 

Otro dia, otra aventura- another day, another adventure…a day in the life of chasing the Wild Goose.

Back to School

Ready for the past 2 weeks???

• South Bay Coaches Huddle- yeah, we had around 40 RSVP, but we had to start unloading more chairs to cram 105 people into Westgate Church’s lobby so they could hear from Tom Randall (chaplain on the Sr PGA tour).  I’ve never heard a guy with such joy speak so winsomely.  MANY coaches left inspired and shifted in their mindset.  Incredible.
• Contra Costa Minister’s Conference- Ron and Pat Regan host a monthly luncheon for ministers from all over Contra Costa County.  James Hodgins (Former San Jose State and NFL football player, and current HS coach), our friend Pedro and myself all got to speak for these people.  It’s one of those times you’re amazed that you are a 30 yr old girl who is getting to address this room…because it doesn’t make sense, I mean, who are YOU to be doing this…but then you sit down, knowing you challenged them to come out of the box, hope you did it in a winsome way, and pray they respond to God.  All three of us really felt that way.  But it was an awesome opportunity to share with a community what ridiculousness God is doing through FCA in their local schools.  (And for my Clemson/Newspring friends…I think this helped me understand what Brad or Perry mean when they talk of saying what God put on their hearts boldly)
• Coaches- it was so much fun for me…having a girl literally chase me down after church one sunday saying “I know you…but where from?” Turns out we had worked an FCA camp together in South Carolina…what were we both doing in Cali?  Well she’s finishing college and turns out she’s coaching at a local high school.  How much fun was it to sit down over lunch with her, talk life, coaching, and make a new friend?  I tell you, I LOVE MY JOB!
• Brentwood Coach’s Huddle- honestly, this monthly huddle hasn’t exactly taken off.  But last week was awesome as by the end of our small group’s time together, we had not only encouraged and challenged each other, but had begun to put movement to organizing leadership teams for 3 HighSchools where there is someone who wants to have FCA on their campus!
• High Schools- I inherited about 4-5 high schools in my two counties…since arriving in Cali, that number will seriously double in the next couple of months.  Rigo and I have gotten to do several training sessions with high school leaders for leading FCA on their campus…these students are STUDS!
• San Jose State University- 6am here we come!  Gotta love college athletics and morning practices!  Rigo and I got to meet the women’s water polo team.  He and Clay have gotten to meet several of the men’s teams.  We’re gonna get to meet all the Club sports leaders.  We had a preliminary leadership meeting.  And the first Huddle is the 14th- pray us up!

Just a few highlights to share with you.  No day is the same, that’s for sure.  Personally, just having fun exploring the beauty that is God’s creation in California…being blessed to make new friends to enjoy all that with…AND getting to still hear about all that’s going on back at Auburn and Clemson.  Polished off a couple books I’ll have to share more about later (Wild Goose Chase- Mark Batterson and Sit, Walk, Stand- Watchman Nee).  Here’s to all the adventures this next week will hold!