I have been living in Reno for a whole month. This is very hard to believe as some days I wake up still expecting to walk outside and see Irvine. My body is still adjusting to the altitude I think, as my stomach has not been too happy with me lately. So other than a few minor complaints I'm beginning to adapt.
First, I have to say that I am LOVING Living Stones church. I am a real fan of their worship band, Zimmerman. http://www.zimmermanband.com (Yes Jared, your buddy Aaron's band.) Seriously, you all need to check them out! The closest I could come to their sound is if Kings of Leon and The Fray merged to sing about Jesus. Though neither really do Donald justice in regards to his voice. Check 'em out on facebook as well; my favorite is "After the Fade" and "Battles & Waters", but B&W hasn't been released yet. He just played it recently at a gathering.
The worship though is only part of it; the teaching by Pastors Harvey and Danny are encouraging and thought provoking. Living Stones revolves around expository teaching; or teaching directly from the Word. These guys have a real gift for making scripture applicable to our lives and they know how to speak to their audience. The biggest shock to me is the size of the community; Mariners boasted around 12,000 members and Living Stones has 1200. Just 10% the size of Mariners; of course this church is only just beginning. On December 6th, they're going to break away from Grace Church in Reno to plant themselves as their own. This is a really exciting time and I get to be a part of it. Thanks in part to Jared Kirkwood for getting me connected with the leadership team there I get to step in and assist with the production of the worship gatherings. It's a whole other animal, starting from the ground up but that's also what makes it so exciting!
The community at Living Stones has been very welcoming. Most of the people I've met have lived up here their whole lives, so it's definitely interesting to hear the differences in our cultures. Some things that we don't really think about in the OC are really focused on up here. For example, I was invited to join some peeps from LS at a local Sports Bar & Grill after a service and one of them came up to me and asked "Do Christians in Southern California drink?" This question surprised me, but apparently some churches in NorCal are strictly against drinking ANY alcohol. Obviously, things in moderation are ok but apparently the church he grew up in here was against it, so he wanted to ask me what it was like back home. I had to smile a little at the difference; it never occurred to me that drinking might be a faux pas. (Just to clarify, Living Stones is not one of those churches.)
I'm really enjoying my small group and through them I'm getting to know other people at the church. I even attended a Halloween party! The more people I meet the more comfortable I feel. Now that I'm starting a new job I know that this is indeed a new beginning and I'm starting to see the path that God wants me on.
It's already become clear to me that God is using me as a motivation for my family. My brother now attends church with me and we have weekly family meetings. My mom and I are striving to be healthier and I am so happy to say that she hasn't had a cigarette since I've been here. I'm even beginning to wean them off of sodas, which is all my parents have had to drink for most of my life. The light is starting to shine through and it's getting a little easier to trust in Him. Thank you God for the blessing I have at seeing your hand moving in my life.
The weather is getting colder and snow is threatening to start falling around Thanksgiving. My brother is heading up to Truckee this weekend and the resort is hoping to open before Thanksgiving weekend. So I get to move into a bedroom!! YAY! Happy Birthday to me!!
I miss you all back home! Don't be a stranger and give me a call sometime. I hope to visit early next year. Love you!!
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