Jim Preisig

October 27th, 2010 - Jacksonville, NC

What incredible day! It wasn’t what we did, it was whom we shared it with: our son and his lovely girlfriend, Chelsey.

 

We toured Camp Lejeune (which is huge), browsed the PX and bought a few US Marine mementos, drove to Wilmington to see the historic homes, wander the waterfront and to dine at the famous brewery. Afterwards we drove back to Jacksonville, napped, then spent the entire evening playing Spades with our son. It was absolutely perfect, exhausting, emotional.

 

At the end of an evening of cards (won by the old couple, much to the chagrin of the young couple), we didn’t say goodbye to our boy, as he was coming by our hotel to see us before duty on Thursday morning.

 

The day was perfect because it was spent with our boy, whom we love more than life. It was exhausting because every moment shared was infused with so much passion and intensity. And it was emotional because sending your son off to war should never be anything short of excruciating.

 

We thanked God for an incredible, blessed day – and fell into bed drained.   

 

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010: A Crazy Thought?

Here’s a crazy thought, and totally unoriginal. I was chatting with Dr. Bob Ennis, a great member of the church who, along with his wife and son, joined me on the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. He’s a funny guy, with an incredibly wry wit.

 

Bob calls me up on the phone and says, “Hey Rev, you know that trip we took? I think it is getting even better now that we are back home! While we were there it was almost overwhelming; but now that we’re home, it is absolutely incredible!”

 

 

What’s crazy, is that I think he is right. The more I think about the trip, the times we shared, the people we shared it with – it was an absolutely amazing experience! Going through the pictures, I’m blown away by all that we were privileged to see. Perhaps we were tired or a tad numb, but it almost seems even more incredible and exciting now that we are back. Does that sound totally daft?

 

We intend to have a reunion of the folks who traveled together, but I’m wondering if there might be interest in sharing some of our photos some evening at church? Is that completely old school, or appealing to you? I’m not thinking of endless hours and a stack of slide carousels, but what about 75 minutes some evening to share the stories and the sights?

 

 

Monday, October 25th, 2010 - Worship Debrief

As part of our investment into making worship excellent, every Monday morning we devote at least an hour to a worship post mortem (on the services held over the weekend) followed by a birthing plan for the services yet to happen. It is always fascinating. I thought you might be curious, so I decided to share a behind the scenes summary of our conversation this morning. Here are the conclusions and comments:

 

5:30 PM Saturday, Contemporary: The great good news regarding this service is that it has ceased to be the “alternative” service that people attend when they have scheduling conflicts on Sunday morning. This service has come into its own as a service of choice for a significant number of folks. We have hit critical mass and the service “feels” great. It is awesome to see each week the wonderful folks who make this service their expression of worship. Some come for the family tables, others for the easy, relaxed atmosphere, others because of working on Sundays. Whatever the reasons, people have made this great worship.

 

What was so cool this week was that one of our trio of singers became suddenly ill (that sounds terrible, but I’m not suggesting it was cool that she became ill, but rather how the others responded) so the other two singers, Angie and Patty, did it on the fly as a duet rather than trio. Imagine the professionalism that required! And the best part was that they were so in the zone that they were actually smiling at each other and obviously having fun. The rest of the service worked as was excellent.

 

8:15 AM Sunday, Traditional: This service simply had a sweet, sweet spirit. Some folks who had been absent for a time were back, and the welcome was so sincere and passionate. New folks were visiting, and the hospitality was palpable. Although the 8:15 time frame may be less than appealing to some, this service has a wonderful character. Compliments and kudos were shared for the team.

 

9:15 AM Sunday, Contemporary: Our numbers were off a bit at this service last Sunday. The phenomenal late game MU played may have been a factor, or the home Chief’s game, you just never know. But it felt less than fully engaged. Musicians did an amazing job; hospitality was excellent.

 

10:40 AM Sunday, Contemporary: Lori Webster was back in worship after weeks of absence. Lori is our worship director, and so much of our contemporary worship is because of her genius for making God’s vision a reality and for inspiring her team to aspire to absolute excellence. She is in the process of beating cancer, so the entire worship team has been concerned and praying passionately.

 

Lori slipped in late and dashed out a little early to protect her immune system, but everyone on the worship team saw her and a sense of joy coursed through the team. What’s funny is that it made them a tad nervous, as they wanted to really show their stuff and let Lori know that they continue to press for excellence before God in all aspects of worship, and that we are all so eager for her to return. I pray for Lori and her family daily; please join me.

 

11 AM Sunday, Traditional: The orchestra played and did a phenomenal job. We had some technical difficulties, but the team is working and making corrections so that nothing detracts from worship. We had the joy of celebrating the baptism of Fadzai Kamudzandu, daughter of our teaching pastor, Dr. Israel Kamudzandu. Now that was awesome! With everything else, the sermon had to be cut on the fly, but after 4 previous deliveries, that was hopefully done in such a way to preserve the crucial elements so that those present never knew of the abbreviation of the sermon.

 

The Sermon: Each and every week the team reflects on the sermon. The feedback is essential and feeds the passion to communicate the Gospel effectively. The consensus this week was that the rental car vs. the borrowed car analogy worked beautifully and will be retained and reflected in how people live. I felt good about the sermon, but majorly bummed that after talking about being wise stewards of God’s creation we as a church were still using Styrofoam cups. That changed this morning. Sorry. No excuses.

 

The focus then shifted to the service next weekend. To find out about that, you need come to church! It will be an awesome service. Remember the movie, The Book of Eli? What happened to the Bible at the end? Do You remember? Think about it, as it will be relevant to what we talk about in worship next weekend.  

 

October 18th, 2010 – Coming Home!

The day began at 4:30 AM Rome time, which wasn’t even bedtime back in Lee’s Summit. After enduring an hour-long bus ride, long lines everywhere and strict security, we departed Rome for an 8 hour 30 minute flight back to Newark, New Jersey. I happened to be seated next to a Roman Catholic Priest who had been on a pilgrimage in Italy. Fascinating conversation. Most of us napped fitfully. Since we were crossing time zones, it was a long day. It actually afforded me time to think.

Three thoughts:
• The great blessing of the trip was the relationships forged and strengthened among the travelers. To be frank, after two weeks some people get sick and tired of each other. That didn’t happen. If anything, we developed a deeper sense of appreciation and respect for one another. That was awesome. One person on the trip commented that they had traveled more than 3,000 miles to build a great friendship with people from home.


• It was a joy to observe Bill and Adam Singleton share the adventure. Bill is now retired after serving with honor and distinction as an officer in Air Force, then working as an engineer with a KC firm. His son, Adam, is a chip off the old block. Adam is now an officer in the Air Force, serving in the space command in Colorado. He secured special permission to join the pilgrimage since we were going to Turkey and Egypt. Adam is truly an officer and a gentleman, and seeing the two of them cherish the moments was an absolute joy.


• I also thought how fortunate we were to have Barb Prestage, the travel agent who arranged all the details of the trip, along on this adventure. She did a superb job of tending to every aspect of the trip and handled every challenge with consummate skill. Thank you, Barb! You made it a joy and I could not have done it without you!


We landed in Newark, went through passport control, claimed our luggage, passed through customs, re-checked our luggage, rode the tram and finally arrived at the gate for our flight to Kansas City. The flight was relatively short and smooth, which was fortunate as the plane was small and cramped.

It was after we arrived that things became interesting. My wife, MaryAnn, was flying out to Connecticut to take care of her niece and nephews so her sister and brother in law could fly to Italy. She was scheduled to leave an hour before I arrived, so we would have been passing each other in the sky. As it turned out, her flight was delayed repeatedly and then cancelled. So I dashed from my terminal to Thrifty to reclaim the car she had dropped off hours earlier, then drove to her terminal and picked her up so that we could share a great evening together chatting about everything and nothing – it was wonderful!

The only downside was that she needed to be back at the airport shortly after 5 AM for her flight. Fortunately, my internal clock was so out of whack that I was awake from 2 AM (9 AM Rome time) on.

It was an incredible journey shared with amazing people! But it is a great joy to be home!

October 17th, 2010: Naples, Sorrento and Pompeii

What a stunning country. The day began with a trip to a small farm where they grow olives, lemons, limes, and also make fresh mozzarella and olive oil. After the tour we were served their homegrown tomatoes and olives, as well as their homemade mozzarella, salami, accompanied by the wine they make on site. It was all absolutely delicious!
 
From the farm we went to Sorrento, which must be one of the most beautiful places in the world. The shops, cathedrals, and restaurants: a delight. It is also an ideal place to people watch. Several of us stopped at a café on the pedestrian path for incredible pizza – far superior to what we were served in Rome.
 
After a leisurely stroll through the central district of Sorrento, we were off to Pompeii. At the guide’s direction we wasted time at a cameo factory, but then were able to explore the ancient Roman city that was destroyed in 79 AD with the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. It was fascinating to stroll the streets, enter into the homes, stand in the amphitheatre, gaze into the bakery and see the remains of the wood fired oven. The guide pointed out one of the shops that had to be the original fast food outlet. The shop had a counter with built in with inset terra cotta bowls designed to keep the food warm to sell. People would stroll up, make their purchase and then carry away their lunch, rather like McDonalds without the fries.
 
What I found most disturbing was the plaster casting of people who had died due to the poison gas. At the time of the eruption, archeologists estimate that 25 thousand people inhabited Pompeii. They have determined that perhaps only 2,000 died in the tragedy, perhaps because they returned to the city to retrieve possessions and were overcome by the gas, then buried by the ash. We saw the casting of a man sitting, wiping his eyes, unable to run; a young woman sprawled on her side, who appears to have been pregnant; and a dog that was left chained and unable to flee, writhing on his back.
 
I found myself wondering what was of such great worth that these people risked returning to the deadly city. Is it possible that they went back to seek a lost loved one?
 
Our time in Pompeii was far too short, encompassing perhaps a quarter of all the ruins. That left me with many questions and an eagerness to return. Of course, I felt that way about all of Italy and Sicily!
 
Throughout the trip I have found neat things to bring home for people I love. It will put me over the weight limit, but I couldn’t resist. In the past when traveling, I have looked for something distinctive for myself to serve as a special reminder of the adventure. This trip, nothing seemed quite right. On the bus ride back to the ship all of my traveling companions presented me with a copy of the New Testament in which they had all written an inscription – and finally, I had the perfect memento from this journey!
 
Tonight is our final dinner on board ship, and I am certain it will be splendid, as was true of every meal we have shared. This evening I must pack as the luggage needs to be outside our room by 11 PM. Tomorrow we leave at 6 AM for a long day’s travel. So, this is my final post from abroad. I hope it has given you a glimpse, perhaps a virtual sense, of the incredible journey we have shared! What made the journey such a joy and blessing was the people who shared it together. Truly, you don’t need to go to the Holy Land to encounter the Living Lord.