this day on the journey

back on the blog

guychmieleski — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:06:00 +0000

i can’t believe that it’s been nearly 6 weeks since i last posted…

we’ve been on quite a journey these past 5 months!

a housing journey that included: a miraculous sale; the near purchase of what would have been our worst nightmare; 10 weeks and a day of living out of the homes of friends and family; and finally, God’s provision of a dream home!
numerous road trips (to FL, MN, OH, FL, OH) over the course of 3 months
times of being together as a family… and too many times of being a part
the start of an unprecedented (for me) 5th year at the same school (Belmont)

i think we’re all still a little weary from the whirlwind of the past several months… but the evidence of God’s provision throughout this time has been second to none. we continue to be grateful for all who have prayed for us, provided a place to stay, a place to store stuff, and been their in friendship and community!

i look forward to finding some time and space to re/engage in some good reflection (and hopefully, conversation) on this blog. i pray that as He continues His work in me, that it might serve as a source of encouragement to any who might find their way here.

God’s grace and peace to you tonight!

9 weeks on the road, still receiving our daily portion

guychmieleski — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:55:00 +0000

9 weeks…

63 days…

1512 hours…

90,720 minutes…

and 5,443,200 seconds…

and we’re still not quite finished…

while we only have 8 days left on our journey from ‘homelessness’ back to home-ownership, we are definitely feeling the weariness of so much time ‘on the road.’

in the midst of our family chaos, we continue to find God…

providing for us…

daily.

at the end of each night, i know my wife is spent from dealing with our three little ones on her own, in someone else’s home, for far too long now… she is done and they are done…

i, too, am weary from the lackluster sleep that comes from staying in a bed that is not my own, worrying about and missing my family, and simply being more than ready to be back in our home together as a family.

and yet, somehow we are all able to eventually fall asleep, and wake-up again the following day, refreshed (enough) to go at it just one more day…

our daily portion… that’s what He’s giving us!

just enough to get by… helping us to keep our eyes fixed on Him… the provider of all that we need!

I’m so thankful tonight for a God who intimately knows the details of my life… and cares enough to make a way for me (us) to go on.

the fruit of four years

guychmieleski — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 01:15:00 +0000

it felt good to leave campus this evening…

it’s the first time i’ve ever done that at the start of a fifth academic year at the same year.

i can honestly say that it was not a feeling that i had experienced before…

i think it has to do with the sense of connectedness, knowing and being known, comfort and confidence that can only come from many years spent in the same place… making a constant and consistent investment.

i’m in uncharted territory… at least for me!

a fifth year on the same campus means i will have the chance to see yet another class graduate that i helped move in as freshmen.

walking alongside an individual – or entire class – over the course of their collegiate career is significant.

four years is a long time to spend with people… influencing and being influenced.

there’s a lot of time and space for God to do a good work.

as a new year begins, i am excited about what God is up to on our campus!

i am excited about the UM team that i get a chance to do ministry and life with everyday!

i am excited about the student leaders that are now back on campus and preparing for a new year of service!

i am excited for the new, and returning, students that will arrive on campus this Saturday!

i am excited for the first day of classes… that will conclude this time next week, and mark the official beginning of a new academic year!

yes, there’s something special about another year in the same place…

i want to invite you to join me in a special prayer effort… it’s called: 40 Days of Prayer for Campus Ministry. it’s ok if you’re not United Methodist… i’m not either… the call to pray extends beyond denominational boarders! this is a significant time of the year for college students… please pray for them, and those of us who attempt to come alongside God to serve and guide these students during some of the most formational years of their life.

thanks in advance for your prayers!

living at the speed of change

guychmieleski — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:57:00 +0000

do you ever have the feeling that change and/or growth just can’t happen fast enough?

i do.

especially when it’s something that i really want…

i was reminded today, however, of just how quickly things can change.

Beloit College annually produces a list – the Mindset List – of touchstones that give its readers insight into what has served to shape the lives of incoming freshmen.

reader be warned…

if you are not in college, and think you’re still quite young and hip, be prepared for a rude wake-up call!

here are just a few of the items that made the list that served me notice – that this year’s incoming class of freshmen were born in 1991…

They have always been able to read books on a computer screen (34)
They have always watched wars, coups, and police arrests unfold on television in real time (36)
There have always been flat screen televisions (44)
They have never been Saved by the Bell (52)
CDs have never been sold in cardboard packaging (64)
Nobody has ever responded to “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” (73)

these things, and so many more from the list, seem so fresh – recent – to me… and yet the students i now serve know the world differently than i do.

check out the Mindset List in its entirety for more shocking revelations on just how fast things change in our world…

and knowing how quickly culture can change, it should not surprise us to know that – even though it seems contrary to how we feel at the time – change in us happens quite rapidly as well!

no, it’s never as quick as we’d like… but it happens… because we have a God who is all about change…

creating and recreating things fresh and new… each and everyday!

in me and in you!

i’m very thankful for that reality this evening…

60 days on the road, God is still at work!

guychmieleski — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 03:13:00 +0000

today marks 60 days on the road for our family.

Heather and the kids have been up in Ohio for the past few days… and will remain there for 10 more.

the big event of day 60? a call from my friend at the bank requesting a copy of Heather’s ss card…

why? apparently someone doing some data entry someplace along the process mis-entered Heather’s year of birth… and although we all know that ss cards don’t have birth dates on them… that is the document they are requesting a copy of to verify that Heather is who she says she is…

unreal…

and just where would this vitally important document be??? your clue is the picture above…

and if you just threw up in your mouth a little bit i would no blame you… and you would be in good company.

it was my needle in a haystack!

as i rolled up to our 10x12x26 storage unit i found myself starting to feel increasingly overwhelmed at the task i was faced with…

how far would i have to dig to find the 2 drawer filing cabinet that housed our important documents? (and if you’re wondering why our important documents were there in the first place, be reminded that we were supposed to move our stuff into our new house 20 hours after loading the uhaul… not a storage unit… thus the 60 days on the road…).

i rolled up the door to our storage unit and was faced with the abyss that is our storage unit as pictured above…

waves of frustration, exhaustion and disbelief washed over me…

i took a few deep breaths before praying, “Lord, my time is Your time. we can be here for 30 minutes, or we can be here for 3 hours (easily)… i can think of at least 100 things i’d rather be doing right now… but if this is where you want me, then this is where i’ll be.”

with that i began to dig for me needle.

the guys that helped me unload the uhaul into this storage unit were good… TOO good. they packed that baby tight!

i kept removing things that seemed easiest to move… small, light weight, whatever would come without having to move big furniture or stacks that were twice as tall as me.

wouldn’t you know it… within 10 minutes i had spotted the file cabinet… and after another 5 minutes i had maneuvered enough stuff that i was able to access it and retrieve what i needed!

all-in-all i was probably there just over 40 minutes.

God is SO good!

and aside from being EXTREMELY grateful for Him leading me to my needle so quickly, i found myself being reminded that i probably need to pray that simple (but oh so important) prayer a bit more often…

Lord, my time is YOUR time…

i wonder how different my life might be if i can remember to do so… even just once a day?!?

60 days down… 11 to go!

God is SO good.

Tiger and Jesus

guychmieleski — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 23:07:00 +0000

what a golf tournament!

not sure if you had a chance to catch any of this weekends PGA Championship, but it was quite a site to behold!

as fun as Tiger Woods is to watch, that’s not what had my attention…

and no, it’s not the fact that Y.E. Yang, a relative unknown in the U.S., upset Tiger’s bid for a record tying 5th PGA Championship win and 15th major championship title…

no, what had me riveted to the TV every time i passed by were the massive crowds that followed Tiger all week long.

no less than 10 people deep… all standing shoulder to shoulder… lining every tee box, fairway and green… and in some areas as many as 20 people deep.

standing on tippy-toes… sitting on shoulders… climbing up trees… just to get a glimpse.

every swing of his club drew massive applause, screams, woots, etc.!

it was almost infectious… and hard to not get swept up into the raging current of all that is Tiger Woods!

which got me wondering about Jesus

… the size of crowds He drew…

… the kinds of responses He evoked…

… the effect He had on those He encountered…

many similarities… but so many differences as well!

only One offers The Truth

only One offers eternal life

only One offers unconditional love

only One IS The Way

only One…

only One.

yet i’m not so sure that if Jesus were rumored to have been 40 minutes across town hanging out at a local coffee house that He would have drawn the same kind of attention that Tiger did.

why is that?

why do the seemingly important and/or impressive things of this world draw so much of our attention when THE most important and impressive One too often gets so little of it…

why?

what is it for you? what draws your mind’s attention and heart’s affection away from Jesus?

does it really deserve it?

does He?

hotels and monasteries

guychmieleski — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 01:28:00 +0000

so, i’m staying in hotel one last time…

my gracious hosts for the next couple of weeks had said i was welcome to stay with them… but needed to be out tonight because both of their moms were going to be staying at their house.

i was more than happy to oblige and even happier to get a great deal on priceline for a nicer hotel than i would have picked for myself! =)

this hotel stay is quite different the many of the others i’ve more recently experienced…

primarily because i’m without my family.

three small kids in a hotel room tends to make the space feel more like a cage then anything else…

being on my own this evening, however, my space has felt less like a cage and more like a sanctuary!

a room, a bed, a bathroom, a work space, a complimentary Bible… and lots of silence.

it’s a happy way to spend a Saturday evening… at least for an introvert like me!

while i’d not choose to be away from my family right now… tonight has been a welcomed time of retreat.

now i just need to think of a way to get Heather some space like this… although something tells me she’d settle to simply be in our new home!

13 days and counting!

2 weeks 2 go

guychmieleski — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 03:48:00 +0000

there’s no place quite like home… is there?

we’ve moved on to our final stops on the Chmieleski ‘home-less’ tour…

Heather and the kids will spend the final 2 weeks of this journey up in Ohio at her parents…

5 acres for the kids to run, a fun creek to throw rocks into, a swimming pool to cool off in, countless lightning bugs to watch at dusk… indeed, a great place to be!

i’ve been welcomed in (again) by a young, newly-wed, couple who are renting a house not too far from campus and who have warmly extended an open-ended invitation for me to stay with them for as long as i need.

while we continue to be overwhelmed by how God is providing for us through the kindness, generosity and hospitality of others… we increasingly recognize that there really is no place like home!

especially when being on the road means that you have to be a part… that part makes things especially challenging…

we’re down to just two weeks…

in fact, two weeks from right now we’ll be camping out in our new home (closing 2 wks from today and planning to move-in over the weekend).

it’s the next time we’ll be back together as a family… and we’ll be in the home we hope to be able to live in for many, many years to come.

i had to stop out by the new house today to meet with the soon-to-be former owners to talk through a couple of unique things about the home…

it was so exciting to envision our family living, playing and growing there!!

while we’re not quite there yet… we are another day closer! and everyday is another day to experience God in our midst as He cares for us and blesses through others.

we are both humbled and grateful… and counting down the days!

that’s unbelievable!

guychmieleski — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:32:00 +0000

do you ever come across things and wonder… now how in the world did that happen?

i did today.

it was on my commute to work.

i was stuck in what seemed to be the typical slow-moving traffic on a two-lane portion of my highway commute.

as i came up to the buffalo pasture (yep, i see buffalo on my commute everyday… now how many people can say that?) i noticed something out of the ordinary…

in the pasture just beyond where the buffalo roamed there was a semi with trailer attached.

it actually looked like it had been driven purposefully into position… although i would have no idea why a semi would be needed out in the middle of a pasture…

as traffic crept closer, i suddenly realized why traffic was moving so slow…

that semi…

had started on the other side of the highway!

it was unbelievable!!

a pair of deep, muddy tracks carved out of the highway median leading from the southbound lanes to the northbound ones…

as we slowly passed them by i looked back to the east… towards the pasture where the semi now sat silent…

and as if cut perfectly by a collection of chain-saws, a semi-sized portion of the forest that had once separated the pasture from the highway was now missing.

one could think of a number of possible scenarios for how this might have happened… but the bigger question for me…

how was it possible that no one was injured?

there were no signs of vehicles that had been taken out by this runaway semi… and in fact, the semi somehow managed to stay upright after going through not one, but two different deep ditches at an awkward angle… before plowing through a section of trees.

God had to have been there! no doubt about it!!

this is the kind of thing that easily could have left multiple families and communities in shock and in mourning for quite some time.

today, however…

it made for a slow commute and a strong conviction to all who passed by that God must have showed up on highway 65 today and somehow made a way.

day 50 on the road

guychmieleski — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:16:00 +0000

in some ways it’s hard to believe that we’ve been traveling around like nomads for the past 50 days…

7 weeks and a day…

that’s a long time…

and i think we’re starting to feel a little weary for the wear.

God continues to be faithful in His provision… and i KNOW that’s what gets us through…

but we are tired.

there have been times more recently when i’ve felt so done with this current journey we’re on that i longed for our old home…

it was a great home… and would feel like a GREAT home right about now…

but there’s no denying that it was time for us to move on…

our family simply needed more space.

it can be hard to keep the ‘big picture’ in mind when present circumstances seem so challenging (which is a whole other issue… because challenging circumstances are so a matter of perspective – i know that my ‘challenges’ are far less then so many in our world – but there are times when that awareness can only fend off the feelings of heaviness for but a few moments).

i find myself suddenly having a bit more grace and compassion for the weary Israelites who were journeying to the Promised Land, yet longing for their former land of enslavement…

read the beginning of exodus 16.

i used to get so baffled by this passage… and frustrated with the Israelites… how could they so quickly forget all that God had done for them… and was doing for them… and the Promised Land that was the prize that awaited them at the end of their journey…

HOW?

they were hungry. and thirsty. and were losing sight of the ‘big picture’ that God had given to them.

i get that! i really do!!

no matter how great the Promised Land is… when things get tough and you grow weary… you can never arrive at your destination soon enough!

present circumstances can be a ‘big picture’ killer!

3 weeks from today we will close on our new home…

while that still feels like a long way off, we’re closer today then we were yesterday. tomorrow we’ll be another day closer still.

i’m thankful today that God can get a hold of us at times of struggle and help us to see the ‘bigger picture’ as He sees it.

that is a blessing!

today, in grace, we journey on.