Solitude

This is a devotional I wrote for a recent leadership meeting. I thought some of you might enjoy reading it.

Get in groups of three. Introduce yourselves to one another. Read the following scripture verse out loud.

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." [Luke 10:38-42]

As a group, try to summarize the basic message of this scripture passage.

In his book, Making All Things New, Henri Nouwen suggests that occupation (being too busy with what we do) and preoccupation (busyness in our minds) are two of the biggest obstacles to God’s Spirit moving in us. For some of us, all we can remember about the past few weeks or months is that we were really busy, everything felt urgent, and we could hardly get it all done. Sometimes we are even so busy doing the work of God that we inhibit the work God wants to do in us.

Nouwen writes, “Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. Solitude begins with a time and place for God, and him alone. If we really believe not only that God exists but also that he is actively present in our lives – healing, teaching, and guiding – we need to set aside a time and space to give him our undivided attention.”

1. What is your definition or understanding of solitude?
2. Why is it so important for us to spend time alone with God? How is that time related to our role as leaders?
3. How much time do you spend alone in silence? [Be specific in your answer]
4. What are one or two things you could cut out of your life to create time for solitude with God?

Spend about 3 minutes in silent prayer. Try to focus yourself on Christ – when other things come into your mind, refocus on Christ. Then prayer together for the following things:
- That Jesus will be empowering and energizing you as a leader
- That you will have healthy balance in your life
- That we will make time to be with God

*Please commit to spending time alone with God this week. Try practicing the discipline of solitude.

Who would have known?

When I was a photo assistant, I flooded the internet with my info to get work. Now that I'm no longer doing that I am now in the annoying process of getting rid of all of my photo assistant profiles. Well in the amidst of doing this cumbersome project, I've come across two really interesting websites.












There's another Jake and Tomi floating out there.
http://www.jakeandtomi.com/

Who would have know?





http://www.newyorksocialdiary.com/node/4665
On our wedding day, while heading to Central Park for photos we came across a guy who wanted to take a photo of us. In our moment of happiness we oblige and as we continued on our way, Jacob mentioned our names and our target registry. That's how this guy was able to post our full names. Random, huh?

So does anyone have any crazy google stories?

Jacob and Tomi in DUMBO

Tomi and I went to Brooklyn for a photo shoot her friend asked her to help with (as the model) and then we went to this little park between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges.

Independence Day

Today Nigeria celebrates 49 years of independent ruling from the British. 

Is it Fall already???

Good-bye summer; hello fall.

I know that it is not yet officially fall, but there air is cool and crisp, I’m back in school, and the fun is over! Just kidding, the fun will never be over.

Tomi and I had an amazing summer. We were able to come back to Buffalo in June for Emerson’s baptism (I am the godfather) and spend some quality suburban time at the park with Nate and Angie, Bob and Liz, and Dave Boyce. We went to Boston to visit Johnny Passanese and his girlfriend Juliet, which included a tour of Harvard and some pretty killer crepes. We took our first big vacation together to Spain for 10 days – who knew that so few people would speak English in Barcelona and Madrid? We saw all the historical sites, many of the museums, and of course took siestas and ate dinner at 10:00 or 11:00 pm. We also spent a lot of time together in Harlem, including a bike ride across the George Washington Bridge (check our flickr site for pics) and a trip to the giant public pool.

My trip to Uganda was unbelievable. I lead of team of fourteen on a ten-day trip to work with the students of the LEAD Uganda Program. It is hard for me to put into words just how significant the trip was to all of us who went. It is like we have a whole new family on the other side of the world. The love that was shared between the students and staff and all the people from Forefront Church was truly a remarkable and beautiful thing. I can’t wait to go back - although next time I am really hoping that Tomi can come.

Tomi started her new job last week, and so far it is going very well. It is definitely more in line with her long term career goals as well as here creative gifts and passions. Her new position, as a junior photo rep, allows her to work closely with photographers and agencies. It is a small and well-respected firm. I know she is going to do great!

I have finished all my required courses at Drew Theological, but I still need more credit hours. The great part about this scenario is that I can now take whatever I want. I am currently serving as a Teaching Assistant for two classes taught by Dr. Leonard Sweet, who is an acclaimed author and speaker. I am hoping that this semester will help me to determine if teaching is something I might want to do in the future.

So life is good here in the big apple. Tomi and I would love to hear from all of you. And if you are really feeling like going the extra mile… we LOVE to receive mail (19 East 128th Street #23, New York, NY, 10035).

Much love, Jacob & Tomi.

Cousins Galore!

(top: jacob with his cousin rachel. bottom: john (jacob's cousin, tomi and jacob)

The beginning part of summer was super busy with Jacob and I going away for many of the weekends. Two of our weekend trips were to Boston to visit John and Juliette and the second was to Grand Island to see the rest of the family. Check out pics here: www.flickr.com/photos/jacobandtomi

Another Day in the Office

Okay, everyone seriously needs to pick up the summer issue of Weddings magazine. Other than the amazing DIY section, you get to see me in the actual pages. Check out this link to sneak a peak here and here. Let me know what you think of the crazy high heels I'm wearing!