Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Chicago Marathon – Fast Approaching

No Comments
Posted 04 Oct 2010 — by nick
Category Creation, Family, Friends, Fun, News, Running

Well folks, we are less than a week away from the Chicago Marathon. Amy and I have been training for nearly 18 weeks specifically for this race coming off the Illinois Marathon 1/2 marathon and Mattoon triathlon this summer.

I’m eager to beat on the streets of this great city after several years off of marathoning. This well run race has always been a favorite of mine.

This will be Amy’s first marathon, I hope you’ll join me in cheering her on and wishing her luck as she tackles this huge goal.

If you’re interested in following our progress in the race you can sign up for runner updates to your mobile device, follow the directions here.

Just Keep Running!

The Land Between

No Comments
Posted 24 Aug 2010 — by nick
Category Family, GCM, Illini Life, Jesus, Ministry, Scripture, Spirituality

As I type today, I’m reminded that it’s just been 2 short weeks since I started my regular trips to the Chicago suburbs. Yet in just two weeks a rhythm has started, there is a flow of my week and time seems to pass quickly now. I miss being in Champaign, especially this week as classes get started at U of I and I-Life gets moving again. There are stories almost daily of new friendships being formed as our students, leaders and staff step into the dorms and initiate with other students.

Life-long friendships, mutual discipleship, Christ-centered relationships – all forming as the faithful pick up the phone or send a text message.

“Hey, this is Nick M. from Illini Life Christian Fellowship. Hoping to see you at the Fall Preview tonight @ Illini Union 8:00PM”

Faithfulness for me this year looks a little different. I’m not on campus meeting new students this fall – the first time in 9 years. For me faithfulness looks like dialing the phone for the 50th time this week, to see if I can connect with another person in an effort to share about my work as a campus missionary.

I miss campus, I miss my wife, I miss my friends and my own bed; but this is good. It’s The Land Between.

Just as Israel had the desert to cross between Egypt and the Promised land, so a missionary has support raising between the initial calling and released to assignment. It’s The Land Between where God chisels away at the rough edges, softens the hardened heart and strengthens His call. The Land Between is where God speaks softly and quietly, reminding of His goodness and provision.

In The Land Between I have the choice to embrace and trust a God who I know is good or run to quick fixes to numb the pain of rejection, boredom of idleness, and loneliness of isolation. If the story of Israel teaches me anything, I’ll take God over the quick fixes, they just leads to wandering for longer.

Facing Fears

1 Comment
Posted 10 Aug 2010 — by nick
Category Family, GCM, Illini Life, Jesus, Ministry, News, Spirituality

Amy and I just celebrated our 1 year anniversary this past weekend. It was a time to look back and be reminded of the sweetness of our marriage and the good gift God has given me in a dear wife. Not to be all gushy and all – well actually yeah that’s what I had intended 😛

That set the stage for me leaving on the first support raising trip without her. Most of the next weeks and months will be this way. I’ll be in the Chicago suburbs raising support while she’s in Champaign working in the schools and seeing each other for a short weekend each week.

I can feel a sense of urgency to finish support raising as quick as possible, it is stronger, almost new. Certainly God provides in His time and I’ll be doing this until He tells me otherwise, but nonetheless my heart speeds and my pace quickens.

“Just drove away from Champaign without my wife, one of the hardest things I’ve had to do so far while raising support. 9:50 AM Aug 9th via Twitter”

The hard thing about leaving has less to do with separating from her – that’s tough for sure – it’s the not knowing for how long. How many weeks will we be following this routine, how many more times will I drive away from our house watching her eyes fight back tears as mine do the same?

As I prayed through all this, it became evident to me the urgency, the questions, the worrying were all rooted in the fear I was feeling. I haven’t had to be alone for the past year, I’ve had a companion. As I pull away for the week, I’m alone again: me, my thoughts and my work. Lucky for me I follow a God who meets us in that place of alone.

We Made It!

No Comments
Posted 26 Jul 2010 — by nick
Category Family, Friends, GCM, Illini Life, Ministry

Thanks for all the prayers and help from all our dear friends and ministry partners. Just a few days ago we rolled into our driveway back in Champaign after being on the road for 1 month. God really provided over this past month, but we’re still hard at work in the support raising process.

The next couple weeks will have us in Champaign meeting with people in the area. We’re really asking God to continue to provide and give us rest as we go into the next season of support raising.

Amy’s job in the local schools starts back up in a few weeks and I’ll begin traveling back and forth between Champaign and the Chicago Suburbs weekly to continue raising support. The details of how that looks week to week are still being figured out, but it will definitely look in some way like us being apart the majority of the time. We’re hoping God provides our needed support quickly!

www.nicknamy.net

No Comments
Posted 23 Mar 2009 — by nick
Category Blogs, Family, Friends, Fun, Technology

Well I sure haven’t posted here in a while! Allow me to offer a bit of an explanation for those of you faithful enough to return to a stale site:

You see, I have this whole wedding thing going on and I’ve been quite busy planning with Amy and in what time I can steal away from work, ministry, wedding planning, running, Amy and so on – I’ve spent building a website.

The majority of the content on the site is about the wedding, to provide an additional place for our guests to go when they can’t find the save-the-date or wedding invitation. More info will be added as I have time.

If you’d like to follow the blog devoted to our wedding click here, or if you’re not RSS savvy here.

A Sad Time Dwarfed by a Happy One

1 Comment
Posted 06 Aug 2008 — by nick
Category Apple, Family, Friends, Fun, Technology

This comes as old news to whatever reader base still exists for this blog: but I broke my iPhone about a month ago. Pulled it out of my pocket while at work and dropped it on ceramic tile, shattering the screen.

Here have a look:
Pretty bad huh?

This all happened Thursday afternoon July 10th. My mind was a bit occupied that day. Earlier that week I purchased an expensive piece of jewelery, drove to Michigan and back to talk to a beautiful woman’s parents, Friday I had planned a romantic evening and asking an important question of said beautiful woman.

Unfortunately, Friday July 11th was also the release of the new iPhone 3G. Getting a replacement iPhone has not been an easy task. Repairing the old iPhone conveniently cost the same price as buying a brand new one. Guess which one I did?

I got my 3G iPhone on Monday and I’m just glad to have a working phone again that I can read my email on and make calls and such.

Right now I have an ebay auction going for the old broken iPhone, we’ll see if I can make up some of the cost of a clumsy, nervous mistake.

Oh, and she said YES! Meet my Fiancee. I’m hoping to post the story and some pictures in the coming days.

Podcasts: Faith Swapping

1 Comment
Posted 27 Feb 2008 — by nick
Category Family, Jesus, Ministry, News, Podcasts, Spirituality

NPR Story of the Day is one of the podcasts I keep up with on a regular basis. Embarrassing as it is to admit, often times it is the ONLY news input I get in a day.

Particularly interesting to me was today’s story: “Religion Survey Find Many American’s Swap Faiths.” The segment is short, less than 4 minutes and worth listening to, but if you’d rather read it you can find the transcript here and the results of the survey here.

Since I’m short on time I don’t have the ability to get into much depth on this, but I think it reinforces something we see in college ministry all the time and a trend I’ve seen in my family. Children choosing a different flavor of Christianity from their parents, happened with my Dad and his parents and my brother and I with our parents.

A Silent House

No Comments
Posted 26 Dec 2007 — by nick
Category Blogs, Family, Technology

Each time I visit home it weirds me out how early things shutdown in the suburbs, coffee shops close at 10, streets are eerily quiet at 9, house lights extinguished around 10. This activity isn’t weird to my parents, it’s normal even to age 22 sister who has joined the suburbia middle class working force. On campus, life meanders on until 1am or 2am on nights I don’t have to work the next day, on nights I do, usually until 11:30.

I came across this xkcd comic tonight and it fit this feeling like a glove.


Happy Christmas All!

—————-
Now playing: Clemson Impulse – Insomniac Mix 1
via FoxyTunes

Doggies

No Comments
Posted 26 Nov 2007 — by nick
Category Family, Friends, Fun

Here are some of the friends I got to hang out with when I was home this past Thanksgiving:


Tyson: He’s about 4 years old I think, a Yorkshire Terrier, and my mom’s replacement for all us kids being gone. Tyson lives with my Mom and Stepdad. This guy is who I’m usually talking about when I say “my dog”. Tyson is very loyal and affectionate, you need to either be playing with him or he needs to be laying on/next to you while you pet him. We’re buds.


Wiggles: He’s about 3 years old I think, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and my Dad’s replacement for all us kids being gone. He is incredibly attached to my Dad. He needs to always be by his side, he likes to ride in the truck with my Dad and has been known to knock over drinks (of all sorts) and lap them up. Wiggles likes to give hugs, which actually I find very awkward, but cute.


Rascal: This guy is a new addition to the extended family. He’s still a puppy and getting potty trained. He’s the “child” of my cousin Tara and her fiance. Rascal and I met for the first time at Thanksgiving dinner, he was pretty distracted by all the people and scraps of food, so we didn’t bond as much as one might hope.

Toby: I didn’t get to see Toby this weekend because Chris and Lisa were busy. He’s a Silky Terrier puppy, still under a year I believe.

Leah: No, this is not a stuffed animal, she’s a Bichon Frise/Miniature Poodle hybrid (I didn’t realize dogs could be hybrids, but my sister-in-law says so). Leah and Toby live together so I also missed out on visiting with her this weekend.

I’m sorta getting into this pictures thing. I think I’ll ask for a camera for Christmas, but for now you’ll have to settle for pictures taken from my Treo and ripped off of facebook.

—————-
Now playing: Over the Rhine – Goodbye Charles
via FoxyTunes

Heading ‘Somewhere North’

No Comments
Posted 21 Nov 2007 — by nick
Category Family, music, Volkswagen

I don’t miss the driving
Seems like forever
And I’m always driving in my mind
And wearing out the road that gets me there

And I’m driving till my eyes just can’t see straight
But I suppose that it’s getting late

I may never find the sleep
I’ve lost all feeling in my hands and
Feet may touch the ground but
My mind’s somewhere north of here
~ Caedmon’s Call “Somewhere North”

In about 5 minutes I’ll be making the familiar drive up Interstate 57 to the Chicago Suburbs and then out to my Mom’s place – all in the comfort of my beautiful VW. The drive is familiar, the house familiar, the people familiar – yet I always find it so hard to get out the door and head home. Maybe it’s wanting to avoid the stress and tension of family brokenness, maybe it’s just not wanting to leave what feels like home now, maybe it’s being scared of feeling lonely with people who are supposed to know me well. Maybe I’m just over dramatic. I really do love my family and I’ve missed them a lot, I’m just trying to capture some of the inner tension right now.

Either way, here I go.

Next Entries →