We officially crossed the halfway point in January for our launch team's commitment to be here (3 year commitment). I'm hoping and praying that most of them decide to stay longer to continue to help out. Overall, these are encouraging times in the new life of h2o church at Kent State. Some solid foundations have been laid with the University for a long-term presence here. Many of the systems are in place to support a larger number of students coming around. God has drawn our core team closer than ever before. We are truly on mission with our best friends. Last semester we focused on publicly launching h2o - created an advertising campaign as new students arrived on campus, built the production and programming system for a public service on Sunday nights, established a small group structure in the dorms (beginning with 6 small groups), and attempted to build our numbers a bit to eliminate the awkwardness for new visitors and to create ministry opportunities for folks to serve in. God blessed those efforts tremendously and this semester we are refining those systems as well as focusing on leadership development. We just finished a teaching series on leadership lessons from the life of David. We brought 12 students to a leadership retreat in Columbus, we multiplied a small group - creating opportunities for new students to lead, and we will be graduating a total of 26 people from "The Well" - our 7 week intensive leadership class. It's fun to see God lay the foundation of this young church block by block.

This week has been especially exciting as we are hosting our first mission team from Bowling Green (on their spring break). They are out meeting students on campus and inviting young people to h2o. They served as at our worship gathering last night, and they will be giving out free hot chocolate and cookies this afternoon on campus. But most importantly, they are ministering to us through relational connection. It's nice to have old friends staying in our house and serving alongside us again. It brings a new wave of encouragement and the desire to press on in our efforts. It's fun to show them what God is doing here first-hand.

And so we press on here at Kent State; excited about what God is doing and hopeful for the future. 

Carter Michael..."My boy",

Perhaps the very first question you learned how to answer (and the question I still ask you at least a dozen times each day) is “Are you my boy?” My heart still melts when you quickly and emphatically answer “yea.” You should know that there is so much behind that question. If you truly are my boy (which you are and you always will be), then I want you to understand what that label fully entails.

First and foremost, I love my boy. I’m not referring to the kind of love that is thrown around in our culture and has lost its power, nor am referring even to the sincerest love that we share with our best friends – the friends that I trust with every detail of my life. No, the love I have for you is different. This is a love that can only be experienced between a father and his son. No matter what happens in your life (or mine) we are deeply connected. When you were born, this love began in my heart for the very first time. You are a part of me that can never be ripped away by anything you do. I suppose this love is the closest I can possibly come to the unconditional love that God has for His children.

Secondly, I have so much fun with my boy. You are learning and growing every day. I treasure how rough you like to play already. When I swing you around by your arms and throw you on the couch, you say “more” before you even land. You are fascinated by everything that uses electricity and makes a noise – from the vacuum cleaner to power tools. I love how you dance and stomp and cuddle (even if it’s only momentary). It’s exciting and amusing to watch you learn new words everyday – like when you started asking for “gas” in your little car but forgot to pronounce the “g”, or when the “s” in “please” comes almost 2 seconds after the “plea”. I enjoy how much you love being outside – dreaming about future backpacking trips and outdoor adventures together. It’s fun to push you on the swing at the park while you demand that I use the other swing so you can watch me jump off when I get high enough. I truly look forward to our Tuesday and Friday mornings alone together.

Lastly, I am also deeply proud of my boy. At 2 years old you make many good decisions already. I see glimpses of the young man you will become. You are incredibly smart, and I love to watch you figure out new situations and challenges in the complexity of a 2 year old mind. Perhaps most of all, I am proud of the way you’ve dealt with immense adversity in such a short amount of time on earth. When you were suddenly diagnosed with two major autoimmune conditions your mother and I were knocked off of our feet, yet you remained yourself – not allowing the symptoms of the disease or the constant poking and prodding of strange medical staff to kill your spirit.  In fact, I remember you even comforting your mom and me, in your own way, as you saw us crying on the hospital bed. I am proud of the way you’ve allowed the daily “nuisances” of your medical condition to become normal. You willingly take up to 8 medicines daily; you sit patiently while nurses change the dressing on your arm every week in a sterile environment – sometimes taking up to 30 minutes of holding completely still as new nurses learned the procedure; you “re-acclimated” to being around people after we were forced to practically isolate you for a year; and you endure (with expected tears) the bi-weekly needles that test your blood to make sure you are ok. You are a brave little boy, and you’ve responded much better to these adversities at 2 than I have at 32.

Happy 2nd birthday, Carter Michael Slack. Each day of your life is truly a gift from God to your mom and me and to all those who come in contact with you. I am so glad that you are my boy and I cherish every day that we spend together.

Love,
Daddy

Since everyone (including my mom, apparently) wants me to update my
blog, I'll take the opportunity to respond to a tag from my good friend
Eric in Amsterdam. Sorry it's a few days late, Eric, but at least I'm updating.  Here are the rules of the tag:

1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag 

So...here goes.

1.
My grandfather was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked.  In fact, he
was arguably the recipient of the first Japanese fire on U.S. soil as a
plane flew above his barracks when he and a buddy were walking to
church.  The Japanese plane fired at my grandfather, bombed a water
tower, then circled back around and helped bomb the harbored ships.

2. 
I love the smell of my son's hair.  This may seem really strange, but
it's true.  As almost a subconscious act, every time I pick him up I
smell his hair. I'm not sure if it's the shampoo we use on him
(doubtful, since I enjoy the smell even if he hasn't had a bath in a
while) or just the fact that he's MY son. I'm sure the day will come
when he will push me away in embarassment, but I'll enjoy it for now.

3. One of my favorite movies growing up was "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure". Enough said.

4.
I have some obsessive personality traits. If I'm doing something at
night (working late, playing video games, reading, etc.) I cannot get
it out of my mind and will often have trouble falling asleep - or my
sleep will be uneasy all night. I seemed to have passed at least a form
of this trait on to Carter.  He becomes absolutely obsessed with
something he likes (usually the vacuum or wii controllers) and will cry
for up to 30 minutes when it's time to put these objects away.

5. 
Some of my summer jobs growing up included: Sales clerk at a Hallmark
store, cart boy at a golf course, trash man/mower at the parks
department, errand boy for an electrician, ground man for a tree
trimming service, and lifeguard at a Myrtle Beach water park.

6. 
I love mountain biking but never-ever go. Northwest Ohio was completely
flat, so I would have to drive at least 90 minutes to enjoy any trails
worthwhile. Now that I'm in a more "hilly" part of the state I haven't
figured out how to work it into my routine.

And here are the six people I tag:

Mark Brewer -
A good friend, but he's always getting on my case for not updating my
blog. Mark and I are on a church plant together, and he asks me the
tough questions I need to be asked in life.

Matt McClure  -
my brother-in-law, close friend, and fellow church planter. Though he's
wasting his life away in the classroom, I'd like to hear his random
facts.  

Bryan Wiles
- a guy I used to be friends with in Bowling Green. Maybe we'll be friends again someday. His last post was from
December of 2006, so maybe this will spark a blog renewal.

Jeff White - another fellow church planter and quite possibly the funniest man I know.   

Well...those are the only 4 I can think of. Maybe one of you guys can include some extra people to tag.

Link: http://h2okent.com

The church is officially up and running as students return to classes this week. We've been excited to meet close to 30 new students and to begin the long, slow process of forming a campus church.  Though the design and content are still being fully developed, our initial website is h2okent.com

Here is a description from the homepage of the site:

h2o is a community of people exploring the message and grace of Jesus
Christ and working toward renewal and change in our world. We invite
you to join our community no matter where you are in your spiritual
journey and regardless of what conclusions you may or may not have
about God, Jesus, and Christianity.  h2o meets near the Kent State
University campus

We're not in Northwest Ohio anymore.  In fact, we are 148 miles from Northwest Ohio - officially placing us in NortEAST Ohio.  I know it doesn't sound all that drastic, and perhaps I'm slightly joking, but the difference really is noticeable.  This morning I made my first trip to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and was pleasantly surprised by the nature, scenery, hills, and hiking trails only about 25 minutes from my new house. I love to be in nature while I spend time praying.  My love for the outdoors began in college when my friends, David & Jason, took me to Seneca Rocks in West Virginia and it continued after college as I spent 5 days of solitude contained in an 11 day backpacking trip in the Rocky Mountain National Park through GCM's Wilderness LT program.  Nature is one place where I am truly refreshed, and I'm so glad to be in NorthEAST Ohio which seems to offer a wide variety of options compared to the flat farmland of the NorthWEST.