EricNentrup.com

A Worthy Laugh.

Quite possibly the only time I’ve ever laughed out loud during a Phil Collins song. All it takes is a talented gorilla.

Thanx to Torrey, I now have a new favorite comedy act, The Flight of the Conchords. And thanx to Marty, here’s my new favorite performance of theirs:

I mean it. I’m serious. Last weekend, I was bitten by infected mosquitos in my backyard and until today, have had a fever, nausea, headaches, back pain, the works. Fortunately it was a mild case, and my fever seems to have broken as of this morning.

It sounds worse than it is, is my verdict, but man….what a scare.

The only way we’d have known what it was is that on Saturday of last weekend, I found a sick sparrow while mowing. I sat with the little guy for a while (all the while being bitten by the same mosquitos that he had been dining on) trying to figure out what was wrong with him. After a couple hours he was still breathing so we went looking for a place to take him. And the folks at this wildlife rehab center said, “Looks like this sparrow has West Nile.”

Yeah…just what I wanted to hear. Fortunately, I quickly learned that it only lasts for a few days and that tylenol/ibuprofen eliminates most of the symptoms.

Regardless, I’m left with only a sinus infection (no idea about that) that’s getting wiped by antibiotics.

As I get back into the flow, enjoy the following completely unrelated, though entirely hilarious homage to the current though departing-soon-enough commander in chief.

Growing up, baseball was a HUGE part of my life. And consequently, a huge part of my family’s life as well. My final summer of playing ball, I played on 5 total teams (highschool, Indiana Amateur Baseball Association, Babe Ruth, Babe Ruth All Stars, and City League). Something close to 100 games between April and September, well,  for a 15 year old is simply ridiculous.

Only now do I realize the amount of financial sacrifice this was for my folks.

Interestingly enough, that was the last summer I ever played. And the short of it is, I became involved with Campus Life the following year, didn’t make the cut and never looked back.

Until today.

Here in Denver, they have a men’s Adult Baseball Association, consisting of different age and experience leagues, and even a couple of brackets just for wood bat purists.  I’ve been watching a few games at a high school field not to far from our neighborhood.

I was talking with one of the players, and when he learned his team was short a player, invited me to join them. RIGHT THEN. Like, “lace up and get on the field, we play in twenty minutes.”

Thinking about how crazy it would be for me to go play baseball (not softball…BASEBALL) I raced home and grabbed my old baseball bag. Actually it used to be my brothers…I stole it when I came across it at my parents house a few years back.

Anyway…they had a spare uniform, so I thought what the heck. I played rightfield for 9 innings, and went 1 for 4 at the plate. I actually singled in the 7th or 8th inning! Unbelievable. Oh, and we won! I flubbed a flyball by underguessing and having to make a sprint towards the warning track, but overall, man, I did okay!

Kim was at a baby shower so I didn’t even tell her about it until I called her from the dugout somewhere in the 3rd inning.

I had a GREAT time, and learned something about myself. One, it’s impressive that even after I’ve spent just as many years NOT playing baseball as I did before (quit at 15…I’m 31 now!) I still knew how to play. Secondly, and more importantly, I’ve learned something about myself today regarding how my brain processes and makes decisions.

I’ve typically been a hot-cold kind of person. I tend to go whole hog or not at all. And I tend to make decisions seemingly for life. I’ve also had a past tendency to spiritualize and write something off as having had “God’s blessing removed” or at least for me, as it pertains to a certain central thing in my life at any given chapter so far.

Interestingly enough, one of our speakers at KBM has been encouraging me to find a “band of brothers” I can be connected with. And as I’ve begun to start a group to meet every couple weeks to talk, study, and pray together, I’ve also found this group of guys who I know need Jesus, and accepted me even as a VERY rusty ballplayer. Two groups.

They asked me to play again next weekend. My brother is coming out to go elk hunting, which I’m looking forward to, but I would be glad to play again.

I don’t really expect anyone else to get it, but there’s a thread of redemption in this story for me. Much like that sense of mysticism you encounter watching Field of Dreams. And I’m all about encountering God in redemptive meetings however He designs them.

The latest regarding our support account is that we have “made our needs known.” I have no miraculous story to report about how God has honored our faith. At least yet. It may take a few weeks to see if we receive any feedback in the form of increased giving from our donor base.

But frankly, that’s not the point. At least not how I see it. The short of it is this: I feel VERY STRONGLY about being on-board at Kingdom Building Ministries at this VERY POINT IN TIME in order to help the organization open up revenue streams that reduce our dependency on charitable giving. However, I do NOT want to see us decrease our dependence upon God’s provision.

And I believe that as God provides for our needs, sometimes His provision isn’t a financial gift. It’s the wits to love God with your MIND, as Jesus said in Matthew 22:37, putting one’s critical thinking (which is a blessing from God) to work in a way that increases the potential for Him to do something mighty in our midst.

In the Old Testament, I connect with the “men of Issachar,” according to 1 Chronicles 12:32, men “who knew the times.” They were one of the groups that gathered around David at Hebron, “All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. (v.38)

Fully determined. These men took the mission seriously…and it had MESSIANIC implications–the genealogy of Jesus hinged upon David becoming King. Likewise, I, my wife, and my colleagues at KBM take our work seriously. We are helping the church evacuate the pews and get out there where lives need the truth of Jesus. We are helping individuals find God in the midst of life’s noise. And I know that my fellow co-workers are helping EXTEND THE REACH of this potent bunch of preachers so that EVEN MORE people are hearing about the Kingdom of God.

I’m convinced we’re on the right track…and we’re not waiting until we “get it right” to “get to work.” Even this weekend a visiting potential staff member who stayed at our house, led TWO random people towards following Jesus: one on a disc golf course this Saturday, another on the flight home…and this wasn’t even one of our “official” KBM events! Other stories from people who heard one of our speakers find their way back to the home office–teens who’ve quit “cutting,” drug addicts who’ve turned over their “stash,” husbands choosing to STAY in their marriages, and on and on.

As I write this, tomorrow, John Vermilya packs for an event with an estimated 4,000 in attendance. He’s spoken to at LEAST 50,000 people since JANUARY. We talked today about a new message of his that proves God’s existence without even using scripture. He’s literally equipping youth and young adults (let alone his humble country church in northern Michigan) with the mental wherewithal to ENGAGE the world at large with the Gospel. John and I are working to get a DVD produced that will allow EVEN MORE people to hear this message.

Later this week, I continue planning a TOTAL KBM web overhaul for this fall, edit a couple more message CD’s and work with a designer to move Kim’s recent manuscript further towards a print date…By the way–she JUST did a weekend women’s retreat where she spent some INTENSE TIME encouraging and challenging this group of women from her place of brokenness. It was very apparent that a couple of ladies in this group NEEDED to hear someone credible talk about her hope in God. Kim was able to be that messenger.

It’s an honor for me (and Kim as well) to serve in a behind the scenes role that makes gets more of John (and our other speakers) in front of MORE people. And it’s clear to me that God prepared me from one milestone to the next to be where I am today. My experiences, skills, and blessings have a ridiculous amount of relevance to the day-in, day-out at KBM here in Denver.

So, let me clarify. I’m not asking for people to support Eric and Kim. I’m asking for folks to BUY IN to the mission to which we’ve committed ourselves–to INVEST in Kingdom Building Ministries, because GOOD THINGS are happening. God’s blessing is THICK. The Kingdom is waiting. May the King get the glory.

Links are in the post below to our newsletter and pledge card