Henriet's Blog

So Close to Realizing the Semper Vita Dream!

3.75 years and counting!

It's been three years and nine months since God laid this vision and concept on my heart. Much has happened - both with Semper Vita and in my personal life. Answering a call from God is an adventure with significant highs and lows. Obstacles litter the path that follows God's call. Suffering is part of the journey.

Often this truth is not told to prospective Christians or even good church-going folks: Faith requires courage and stamina. Following Jesus is hard. Researcher and author George Barna states that the kind of people who radically follow Jesus (he calls them Revolutionaries) recognize that there is a huge price to pay in this lifetime—but they are mindful of the eternal pay-off as well" (Revolution, page 15). I guess I'm a revolutionary...but I'm not alone!

It takes a volunteer team!

To make Semper Vita become a reality has required a volunteer team that lives out their call and faith with the same commitment and stamina. One such volunteer is Tamara Dull. Do you know that she has quit her well-paying job to guide the completion of our software application? That's crazy, right? Well, maybe. She's sure that is what God has called her to do.

We are in the final stages of completing the software application. Tamara's been shepherding the process and working long hours with our developer. She can't wait for this project to be over because she needs to get back to work and receive a paycheck!  She's also created our new marketing site and set up our blogs...this is one of them. The other is On The Front Porch with Semper Vita. She's recruited Bree Baich to co-author the On The Front Porch blog.

When you visit them on the front porch, you'll be able to hear and tell stories: "Stories about people helping people. Stories about churches doing great things in the community. Stories about non-profits and churches banding together to serve the community." Check it out for yourself and join the conversation on the porch!

Besides Tamara, there are many others who have donated hours, time and energy to make Semper Vita happen. More volunteer stories later!

Why?

That begs the question: "Why are people giving so much time and energy to Semper Vita?" Well, it's a call. It's a passion. It's the work of God in our lives! Semper Vita exists not for itself or for us. It exists to:

• help people give back and live their passion
• help organizations accomplish their mission
• help the church be the church
• practically demonstrate the love of Jesus to all people

Join us on the journey!

How about you? Do you have a story? Do you have a question? Are you ready to jump in and make a difference with us? Please leave a comment, tell us your (volunteer) stories or share your adventures. Thanks for journeying with us!

From Henriet to Semper Vita and Back

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 3:1, 1:9

Gone and back

Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes that there is a season for everything. He also said that everything that has been will be again.

Well, this blog demonstrates the wisdom of Solomon. Once upon a time (June 29, 2008), I said "goodbye" from Henriët's Blog and moved my writing to the Semper Vita blog. At that time, I thought it was final. Apparently, I'm not as smart as Solomon was! Why do I say that—besides the obvious? Because I'm moving again...back to the future...back to Henriët's Blog. This new Henriët's Blog is part of the Semper Vita website.

What changes? You'll still read about Semper Vita, missional and incarnational living, leadership, and spiritual insights. You'll also read a bit more about, well...me—since it is "Henriët's Blog." Hopefully, you'll join me on the journey, participate in the discussion and jump into Semper Vita—either as a volunteer, partner or supporter.

I can't wait to go forward together and discover what God has in store on the way ahead! Can I count on you to travel along with me? Will you share your insights, Jesus sightings and wisdom with me and all of us? Thank you in advance for being part of the bigger story!

Now Live at Sempervita.org

Thank you for visiting Henriet's blog. I am currently blogging on the Semper Vita web site: www.sempervita.org. For current posts, please connect with me there. As always, let me know that you visited and post a comment. I'd love to know what you think about Semper Vita!

Is This Goodbye?

This is my final blog post on the Henriet Blog. From now on I'll be blogging on the Semper Vita web site. The URL, www.sempervita.org, will be the same but what you'll find is our new web site and the blog there.

Thank you for reading my blog and keeping up with the story of Semper Vita, being missional, the church and culture, living missionally and the other topics we've discussed.

The goal of this change is to help us, as people and the church, to live out what we believe: living missionally intentionally.

I hope you'll find that the change is wonderful.

You can still access my "old" blog and the posts there at: www.sempervita.org/henriet.

Thanks for coming on this ride. I hope you'll come along to www.sempervita.org and continue the journey with us.

Christian love: real or empty?

They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love; they will know that we are Christians by our love.

This line from a popular Christian song talks about Christians working together and guarding each others' dignity. That's God's original design.

Jesus intended for his followers to love each other. How do we know? It's what he told his disciples, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34,35).

Christians, people who believe in Jesus, should be known by their love for God, for each other, and also for those around them. Jesus, on one occasion when questioned by a teacher of the law about the greatest commandment, said simply to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength." Then he added that the second commandment was like it, "love your neighbor as yourself." He summed it up by saying, "There is no commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:29,30). Love God and love others. It's the Jesus Creed, according to Scot McKnight.

So, what happened? Is this kind of love what comes to mind when people think of Christians? Probably not. Last October,  USA Today reported that young people think of Christians as judgmental and critical - a sentiment shared by many adults. How can this be if we're supposed to be known by our love? What has gone wrong?

Maybe we've lost our focus. Maybe we've forgotten the greatest commandment. Maybe our love is not real.

What would happen if we, as Christians, actually loved each other? Would the world be more interested in connecting with us? Would they be more interested in Jesus?

What do you think?

Henriet and Semper Vita Update

Though my blog has stood still for several weeks, I certainly have not. I just returned from Tennessee where I attended the Wesleyan Holiness Women's Clergy Conference and visited my friend Susan. Though Nashville, Tennessee was unseasonably cold, the time was wonderful. Imagine a conference with 600 women pastors from various holiness denominations including Free Methodist, Salvation Army, Church of the Nazarene, Church of God Anderson, Evangelical Friends, Wesleyan and some others. Pretty amazing.

FULLER EDUCATION:

On Friday, March 21, I finished my Winter Quarter. This was the course on Theology and Pop Culture. To those who took the survey, "THANK YOU!" You helped me get an "A" in my class. You really outdid yourselves. 127 out of 150 took the survey. Most had not seen Eli Stone-though some have added it to their "must watch" list since.

I'm doing an independent study for my Spring Quarter. The goal is to develop a training module for Semper Vita that includes Myers-Briggs and StrengthsFinder.

SEMPER VITA:

God is doing some amazing things. The Board/launch team has been meeting monthly. We've prayed, planned, and acted. Currently, we are working on developing a logo, the software, a web site, and marketing materials. 

In order to write the Semper Vita training module, I have attended and finished the Myers-Briggs (MBTI) and Gallup StrengthsFinder training. I passed the MBTI test in March and am now MBTI qualified. Additionally, I completed the Gallup StrengthsFinder training in April. I need to meet with 10 people for StrengthsFinder coaching and then I'll be certified. If you'd like to be one of the 10, send me an email!

We also opened a bank account and have a Semper Vita mailing address. We would love your support and partnership. If you'd like to help us, please send us your tax-deductible donation. Make checks payable to "Semper Vita." Our address is: 23515 NE Novelty Hill Road, Suite B221 PMB 201, Redmond, WA 98053.

Help! Please Take Our Survey!

Really, if you take this survey you'll really help us! So, can you give us 5 minutes (or less)? Why help and submit yourself to this ordeal? You'd be helping two "desperate" seminary students working on a different kind of final project for their Theology and Pop Culture class. Check it out:

Henriët and Tamara's Final Project Survey

The name describes the purpose but leaves you wanting for more information, doesn't it? What is this project about? Well, in a nutshell, my friend Tamara and I are in the same Theology and Pop Culture class at Fuller. We are doing a joint final project that will help us with Semper Vita, the new non-profit ministry organization we recently formed.

Our final project mixes a little bit of television, specifically "Eli Stone"...with a bit of post-Christianity (huh?)...with a brief theological discussion with Lesslie Newbigin (a missional theologian). The assignment is to take a pop culture medium (we chose TV), relate it to a post-modern phenomenon (we chose post-Christian) in discussion with a theologian (we chose Newbigin). Sounds a bit tough? I thought so too. In fact, I was quite perturbed until Tamara and I sorted out a project we could get excited about and relate to Semper Vita. 

So, will you help? Your input will add an invaluable element of the conversation. So you see, we can't do it without you!

What's the Survey Going to Ask?

This anonymous survey (yep you're totally safe here) has three primary sections, with a handful of questions in each:

• Personal beliefs - about God and spirituality in general

• Television - your likes & dislikes

• "Eli Stone" - a new show on ABC

If you've never seen "Eli Stone," it's on Thursday nights at 10 PM PT. It's a brand new show. It would be great if you could take a little extra time and watch it before responding to the survey. Otherwise, just take the survey. We're interested in (and need) your feedback either way. 

As indicated earlier, all the survey responses are anonymous. We definitely will respect your privacy. Rest assured, we'll have no clue who responded and how each person responded. We're just interested in the summary results-lots of them!

Time is Ticking!!

The survey will be open until midnight on Friday, March 14th. Our final project is due on Friday, March 21st. We will publish the summarized results on our blogs soon thereafter. So jump in now! Proceed to...

Henriët and Tamara's Final Project Survey

THANK YOU!!

Thanks Timberlake

How good it is when people live together in unity and praise God together.

A Celebration

Yesterday felt that way. The Timberlake staff and board honored me with a celebration during the Sunday services and a reception in the foyer between services. Both during the celebration and at the reception, I had the opportunity to share publicly about Semper Vita-it was the first time that most people at Timberlake heard about it. It was well received.

During the reception, there were lots of hugs, some tears and many well wishes. I've known some of these people for a long time-my family has attended and served at Timberlake since February 1994. We'll continue to attend and will still help out in various ways as God leads.

They Asked, "What Will Semper Vita Do?"

My simple explanation is that we will help people (both those inside and outside churches) to find ways to give back. Specifically, we'll connect people with opportunities to serve outside church ministries in ways that fit their skills, passions and life circumstances. Not everyone wants to help out at church or serve at the local charity. However, almost everyone would like to give back in some way. Most of us don't know where to start, who to call or how to put our gifts and skills to work.

Semper Vita's goal is to connect like-minded people with each other and with easily accessible and appropriate existing service opportunities. To make those connections, we need to establish an alliance of non-profit organizations, churches, businesses and ministries. This alliance will provide access to service opportunities and people who want to serve. Several people shared ideas of organizations that might want to partner with us-which is great! Know of any? Let me know!

Thanks For Everything

Thanks Timberlake for celebrating my time on staff and for sending me out to lead this new venture!

Semper Vita Lives

For almost a year I've had the privilege of writing this Semper Vita blog, known as Henriet's Blog. Last week, I announced the start of a new chapter in my life--the launch of Semper Vita and my opportunity to lead it full-time. (For Tamara Dull's take on this, click here.)

Not doing this alone

I have the privilege of leading a team of incredible people. All of them Christian leaders in business, non-profit and technology jobs. Together we are crafting what Semper Vita is all about.

Semper Vita was officially registered as a non-profit at the end of last year. Our vision is for "everyone to experience Jesus Christ through the love and service of others." We want to exist as a caring community of connected people serving together.

How do we do that?

Last year I wrote several stories that illustrated what service, Semper Vita-style, looks like. One of them was Serving Tent City. Another was On Mission With Tim. These posts told the stories of people finding their own way to serve. Semper Vita will help people to easily connect to opportunities that suit them and make a difference.

New Year, New Beginning, New Life

New Year

I love to celebrate the start of a new year. The idea of starting over. A new date: 1.1.08. A new journal--clean pages waiting to be filled with new adventures. I love the idea of a fresh start--leaving the old behind and starting over. This new year started like the others with a celebration, a count down and champagne--except it had even more new starts.

New Beginning

Besides a new day, a new month and a new year, it was also a new beginning on the job and ministry front. My job as Pastor of Adult Ministries at Timberlake Christian Fellowship in Redmond ended as of December 31. I knew about this change during December and was ready for this new beginning.

It really IS a new beginning. I'm not sitting at home wondering what to do next. I'm already doing it. What is it? This new year starts with the new beginning of an organization called Semper Vita. Semper Vita means "always life." (Yep, it's the name of my blog's web site address.) This isn't a sudden start--I've been preparing for this new beginning since last January (actually October 2006).  However, with the end of my full-time job, I now have the chance to start it in earnest.

During this past year a group of missional leaders, including Tamara Dull and I, started thinking and planning for the launch of Semper Vita. We met several times in the Fall. By the end of December we filed for non-profit status, filed a Form 1023, and received our non-profit tax I.D. We even received some donations from early supporters and believers of this vision for new life.

New Life

Semper Vita will mean a new life for me and all those who resonate with our vision and passion. The goal is to connect like-minded people who love God to serve people who need help. We will not start a new social service organization. Semper Vita will be about aligning with other organizations to connect people to each other and to existing service opportunities. We will be a missional partnership group that connects and trains individuals and organizations to better serve people in their communities with the love of Christ.

I can't wait to see what this year will bring! Want to join us? Write a comment on this post or send me an email by using the link below my picture.

More stories to come...