Team Rasmussen’s trip to Texas was wonderful!

The Willingham/Smith wedding was wonderful.  The chapel was beautiful, the reception was fun, food was great and seeing everyone interact was great.

My family had the privilege of staying with Team Wulz at their lovely home in Plano, Tx.  They were outstanding hosts!

Now on a different note our final day in Texas was May 27th.  Our flight was to leave at 1:25p.  We arrived in plenty of time to catch the flight and return the rental car.  Our flight was over 9hours LATE.  Some of it was due to weather but most of it was due to a cruddy airline.  This became evident when the crew was upset with their employer because we had been sitting around for hours and hours without a crew or a plane but we always had one or the other.

What got to me was the fact that flights that were only 1.5hrs late were leaving ahead of our 9hr late flight!

Anyway.  We are home and excited to be in our own beds.

Thank you to those of you who prayed for us to get home safely.  Because we DID.  And with 1 diaper to spare!

I am sitting here this morning having my triple grande three pump vanilla non-fat latte watching the people rush in and rush out and it made me think of something.

I know I might be taking this a little far but hang with me:

Here is  a little boy hungry, forgotten about and so desperately longing for just a sip of my latte.  And here I am sitting at a cafe table, drinking my $4 drink with my $200 iPod, $1,700 laptop, $300 rental car keys, $30 (RED) t-shirt, $40 American Eagle shorts, $10 GAP boxers, $40 Reef flip-flops, $30 Fossil watch, $10 pound of decaf coffee, $100 Osprey bag and more.

What is our problem?  Now do I feel guilty for having these things?  Maybe a little, but me having them is not the problem.  The problem is what am I doing with my influence and my life?  Am I using everything I have to bring glory to Jesus Christ?  Am I noticing the people who Jesus notices?  

Epic Church is only 10 weeks old and we are getting ready to take on projects which churches who have been around awhile have not attempted.  Epic Church will get her hands dirty serving the people of Tucson and beyond.  Epic will do this because the leadership of Epic believes it is what Jesus did and currently does though his creation.

The credit cards come of out billfolds and purses to pay for a latte then go back into the safe places where they came from.  Billions of dollars are spent on our coffee addictions.  But, where is our focus?

Where is your focus?

Wonderful relaxing day!

It is a national holiday and myself/Team Rasmussen did just that. Holiday-ed!

We hung around the house.  I took Kristin McGee to the airport to return home.  The Wulz’s cooked an awesome dinner.  Steak, Potato’s, Salad, Brownies, Ice Cream and Lemonade.

We went to a City Water Park here in Plano, Tx.  It is called Jack Carter.  It was awesome.  My son loved the zero entry kids section and my daughter LOVED being with her cousins.

This trip as been a wonderful expression of family to me.  I am happy to value my family so much and I think I always make time for them.  I do not dread family vacations but I long for them.  I enjoy being around my family so much.  They are the best.

Things on my mind:

Epic Church.  – How do we move from being self focused to giving away ourselves all the time?  Community, Country, Continents.  Local, Regional, Global.  This might be a sweet group which Epic Church develops a partnership with:  Invisible Children.  This looks like another partnership worth exploring: Every Neighborhood.

Prayer Network – I have chatted with friend about this.  I would really like to see over 100 people praying for Epic Church and it’s leadership by the end of the year.  I vision this as being a major support base for the long term success of Epic Church.  We desire and NEED people and groups praying for us.  We desire to be a part of what God is doing in Tucson and beyond.  We need to create a network of people who are willing to pray for the needs and success of Epic Church on a continual basis.

There  is so much more.  But, I am out of here… TO BED!

I am thankful for each and every service man and woman sering in our Armed Forces and the USCG.

I have the awesome privilege of being the pastor of a few of America’s Finest. They are dedicated to their mission and work as hard as they can to excel in their position. I am grateful for their service and sacrifice. At Epic Church we have a service person serving overseas right now and at the moment I am in constant prayer for the safe return of this person.

I am also thinking of my father, William John Rasmussen. “Bill”. He served the United States of America in the Vietman war and received multiple commendations including a few Purple Hearts which I have one stored in my bedroom. My father was dedicated to his service when he was there. He was a wonderful solider. One who was promoted quickly and earned the respect of the men around him.

Epic wasn’t all that smooth so I have heard.  I am deeply saddened about that.  You always wish for things to go really smooth when you are gone.  But, I heard rave reports about the preaching of DJ Jenkins and the music of Purified the Band.  DJ brought the Word of God to the people of Epic Church in a powerful way using the story of a religious man named, Nicodemus.

Meanwhile in Plano, TX, Team Rasmussen went to Christ United Methodist Church of Plano, Tx.  We went to the contemporary service lead by Rev. Abe Smith called, Full Court.  It was held in the churches basketball arena.  It was a good message about sacrifice and service.  The message was around this idea that Jesus talked about where there is no greater honor than to lay your life down for your friends.  It was a powerful message to me.

Then it was a low key afternoon and an evening of family games.  Texas vs. Arizona.  Don’t worry Arizona won!

The wedding was awesome!

It is fun to see families interact.

The bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome and everyone got a long.

The happy couple rode off at 10:30pm in a horse drawn carriage.

The wedding is a perfect reminder for what Christ calls us to.  A Holy union with Jesus.

-Jake

Friday was a full day for sure.

As I am getting a little older. By the way, this coming Wednesday is an important day.  And for all two of you who read this (my mom and wife) I wear a large in shirt and an 11 in the shoe.

As I am getting older I am really valuing family.  Not only Team Rasmussen but all of my family.  You see we are staying at my wife’s aunt and uncle’s home here in Plano, Tx.  They are wonderful host and examples to myself how a host should be.  I mean come on, they made me FRESH BAKED cookies at midnight last night.

We started the day getting Team Rasmussen ready and drove to the local middle school to watch our cousins receive awards for their outstanding commitment to serving others and making their school a better place for others.  It was an honor to be there, a true honor.

Then it was off for wedding duties.  We took an hour drive to the Ft. Worth area to the chapel which was very nice to rehearse for the wedding.  The wedding party is so young and excited to be apart of Daniel and Summer’s “big day”.

After that we went over to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for a look see.  We toured the campus.  Looked at the President’s Mansion.  It was really nice from the outside.  We even drove around the private drive.  My wife dared me to knock on the door to talk to Mr. Patterson.  But, I didn’t have any money to give him so I took the harsh name calling and stayed in the car.

We checked out the place there my in-laws lived while their time there in school.  Which, by the way, was the good time to attend school there.  Because under the current leadership the school as suffered in many, many areas.  It is no longer the leading seminary to attend.  Rather, in my opinion,  it is the one to avoid.

Then to the rehearsal dinner.  Which was awesome food.

And then the hour drive back to Plano for time with the Wulz family.  Which was my daughters FAVORITE part.  She LOVES playing with her cousins.

I am up EARLY!

No real reason I just can’t sleep I guess.  I woke up at 4:45 this morning, tossed and turned until 5:15 then got up.  I tried to take a shower.

I say, “tried” because have you ever taken a shower with only spitz of water coming out.  My wife came in to scold me for being up so early and waking up our baby.  I told her that the shower was not working, she smiled and showed me a NEW shower head that was still in it’s packaging.  You know that evil laugh like, “I hope you are suffering in that shower that isn’t working because, YOU WOKE ME UP, and you are going to pay for it!”  I just looked at her plainly and said, “What good does that nice new shower head do me out there?”  She left…

I have mixed emotions being here in Texas.  I want to fully enjoy myself here but I am sad that I will miss a Sunday with the people of Epic Church.  I know an outstanding biblical communicator will be in the pullpit of Epic Church.  His name is DJ Jenkins and is the director of Cru at the University of Arizona.  The band filling in our our house band is Purified.

I know things will go just fine, it is just hard to be away from an infant.  My thoughts and prayers are with Epic Church.

We all arrived in Texas safe.

My youngest didn’t fly the last segment well at all.  He was yelling and screaming the entire flight until the SECOND we landed!  Then he went sound to sleep.

We are excited to be here in Texas to celebrate the wedding of two individuals.  Summer & Daniel.  They wed on Saturday.

Team Rasmussen has the wonderful privilege of staying with family in Plano, Tx.

My children are really enjoying being with cousins!

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