PaulPrins.net

This theme is actually several months old and has been around the block a bit by this point. It is called Cotolance (Coo-toe-lance) and was developed for the company blog of Nineteen05, my web development company. This blog serves as a way for me to share what is coming up on a decade of web development, marketing, management, and community development experience with the Church as a whole. The latter three of these topics are sorely excluded from the seminal educations professional ministers receive during their masters programs (I’m also currently enrolled at Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN)

The design heavily borrows from the main Nineteen05.com website (which was completed by Ned Wright last spring) The main differences are in the layout of the content section of the design, and the sidebar. While the nineteen05.com site is fairly monochromatic for the moment, I wanted to bring more color into the blog and did that through the header and the date boxes. The design will likely mimic that of the company site as it goes through renovations in the future.

Check out the theme in action

Like the Inductaloot theme, this one is also private. If you are looking for a blog of your own check out Insights For Church and get blogging today! It is hosting the official nineteen05 blog, and hopes to host hundreds of blogs for those involved in ministry in the near future.

Everything is really quite interesting right now. The balance of life, work, and school is quite different then the spring quarter. Just last week I finally got caught up on all my studies by completing an intensive course that met the first two weeks of September.

That course was Global and Contextual Studies that laid a foundation for cross cultural ministry (so both local and non-local missions). Really insightful and helped to further mold my understanding and missional focus. The biggest part of this class that drug on was the research paper, of which I chose to do a study of the city of Paris in France. How to tailor ministry and understand the context that one would be entering into for the purpose of planting a church. Really interesting, but took many hours of research, reading, note taking, and writing.

Since finishing that paper and the final early last week I was able to catch up on some neglected readings for my current course load (Preaching, Hermeneutics, and spiritual foundations). I really am enjoying the current courses. Spiritual foundations seems a bit slow and lethargic (in there as I write this) but my hope is that more practical content is on the horizon.

The biggest struggle has been how to increase the time I spend with my wife, friends, and family without compromising my work commitments and my level of academia. One of the biggest struggle that I had through our time in Minneapolis has been the lack of social involvement. I’ve had a great friend in Matt who has meet with me over coffee almost every week. It was these times that have helped me realize that I need more social outlets.

Being back in school has helped as has setting more time aside to spend with my wife. Still feeling this dynamic out for the best balance to have currently in my life.

Also the dynamic of ministry has been interesting. Jordan and I have been waiting for the next ministry we would be actively involved in since we graduated in December. We are to the point now were we are really excited/anxious to get back into ministering in some way. We shall see what this brings.

 

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A group of stout students put together this drama to depict what Jesus Christ did on the cross in a more tangible way. While I’m not a huge fan of these dramas this one I felt was very direct and powerful. Hopefully some of that comes through in the video.

Just got back from the wedding of Katy and Sam. It was really a great time with beautiful weather in a gorgeous setting in a garden in rural Wisconsin. It was easily one of the most beautiful settings for a wedding I’ve ever seen. I loved it. Katy looked radiant and Sam was just a mega stud. I took a bunch of shots for fun that I’ll throw up to flickr in a bit (will post a few here to follow). You two know that we’re praying for you and are thrilled to have been present as you became ONE flesh.

May God bring countless others into His kingdom through the both of you in the  years to come.

This past weekend was our spring retreat for our crusade movement here at Stout. It was a fun weekend to spend hanging out with friends and meeting new people. While the content of the talk was fairly familiar to me, the Lord still moved in that time to revel things to me that require my attention.

Nothing in my faith has been as fundamental or important as the time I spend daily praying and weekly fasting. This past weekend the Lord reminded me how much he wants to hear my prayers so that he can give the answer to them that he wants too.

“You do not have, because you do not ask God.” James 4:2
For a long time now I have been rationalizing my prayers to god, trying to explain to Him why he should answer my petition and this truth had been forgotten. That God desires to answer our prayers and I was lacking to confidence to believe that.

Instead believing that it was my persuasiveness that would bring God’s will to earth, not his infinite love and passion for his children.

(Just found this one left over from my last hours in france that never got posted)

It is now 4h45 in the morning, in 30 minutes I’m going to start the coffee, and in 40 minutes I’m gonna wake up John (and dave… he didn’t make it all night like I did, but his flight is also five hours later than mine) so we can start our early morning walk across town to the car. Picking the girls luggage up and heading to the airport! From there we’re going to hang out until the girls arrive and then we’ll check baggage and be en route, and I will be asleep. (more…)

It’s weird being back here at Stout and attempting to discover what it is the Lord brought me back here to accomplish. As of right now I am at a loss for what it is, and I’m trying to figure it out. I know I’m not to be in a position of leadership and it has, for the first time, struck me now freeing that is.

Ever since my early Midwest Skier days I have loved being involved in everything, to the point where I had to know everything that was going on (no nitty details, but you get the point) and now I’m here. Recently retired from and sold Midwest Skier, back from STINT and now in a position where people might remember me a bit, might know the name I carry with me, but don’t know what to expect of me and who I now am. I’ve been a Christian for just over four years now, and the last year was away from the sight of everyone I knew here.

Here I stand slowly embracing the truth that my ‘roll’ in ministry will be minor and all the while praying that Gods roll for me in the kingdom of God would be huge. I know not what it is He has for me other then that He has given me quite a bit of free time to proclaim the gospel. (more…)