Update on our journey!!

Good morning from McDonalds (free wifi).

Wow oh wow is the time passing by.  We are currently staring October right in the face, in which this Sunday I will turn 36...oh man!

This past Sunday we were blessed to share with Lifestone Church in Weatherford.  Thanks to the much love of Ben and his community at Lifestone.  You truly made our family feel the love of Christ while we were with you.

Last night, we shared our journey with Mckinney Bible's Mission Team.  Big thanks to Chris for having us in.  You guys encouraged far more than you will ever realize.

One final note, it appears that a follow up to Ava's adoption story is going to hit the local news again.  Please pray that God uses this in allowing others to find their own unique Haiti journey.

Concerning fundraising, we are about 60% funded.  

I leave you with an awesome verse in Hebrews...

Two miles are better than one mile...

Jesus, what in the world were you thinking when you said this...

“If someone forces you to go with you one mile go with them two miles.”  

Matthew 5-7 is not a good idea or a sermon for Jews only, it is for us, as followers of Jesus.  So with that said, in the last few days I have been challenged over and over again with these words of Jesus in Matthew 5:41.

A tangible example...

The other night there was a great idea stirring in our house to make chocolate chip cookies stuffed with oreos.  As the cook and our daughter headed to Wal Mart to grab all the ingredients for the cookies, I was at home finishing up the dishes from dinner.  

As I was washed each dish, I became more and more agitated about the idea of the cookies being made, after all the kitchen was clean.  But the longer I stewed, the more conviction came my way from the verse above.  Again and again all that was reverberating in my soul, was “2 miles are better than 1...walk 2 miles!”  

After trying to justify myself to my Jesus, which never works, I surrendered to the 2 mile theory and expressed to Jesus that I would be glad to do the dishes after the cookies were made.

Funny thing though...When the cooks came back from Wal Mart they decided to wait to make the cookies at a later date.  

The moral of the story is this...

So often we are willing to travel our 1 mile, doing the religious minimum, and then gloating over the great job we did.  For me it was doing the dishes from dinner that night.  

But, many times we are unwilling to go the 2 miles, where God gets the greater glory.  On that particular night, the 2 miles would of been me washing the dishes from dinner and then happily washing the “cookie dishes.”  

Quick questions...

1. What areas do you tend to travel the minimal 1 mile?
2. What would it look like for you to begin traveling 2 miles in this particular area of your life?

I close with a quick verse that I love...

“Your attitude should be the same of that as Christ Jesus: who being in nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.”  Philippians 2:5-6

A thought or two...

Just a quick update on our journey...

This weekend was a blur but God was so good in allowing us to slow down on the farm.  On Friday we were at my old high school in Dublin.  We were able to share five different times to students and staff.

On Saturday, Christi and Ava went to an early meeting with a WMU group in Stephenville, Texas which allowed Terah and I to share later that day.

Just saying, TERAH slammed it.  With great confidence in her journey with Christ, she shared the two reasons she anticipates moving to Haiti...1) the joy of the Haitian people 2)  Their sacrificial giving

On Sunday I preached at Carbon Community Church in Carbon Texas.  It was so refreshing to reconnect with our family at Carbon for a few hours.
On Sunday night, Trinity Bible had a praise and prayer time for us.  I can only say, WOW, what a time.

Thank you all for the way you are supporting us in our journey to Haiti!!!!

One final note, thank you to Ashylyn for taking the time for Terah last night.  We truly are so very thankful!  We love you!

An update of our journey...

Wow the time does fly by so quickly!  

In the last two weeks we have traveled over 4000 miles from Northern Colorado to Indianaopolis.  I have to admit it was a long journey but oh what a unique and awesome time we had with old and new friends/family

In Colorado..

From a BBQ with friends, to a late night chat in a three-story tree house, Colorado always brings an unique experience.  We were able to share at two churches and reconnect with some dear, dear friends,  It is always hard to leave Greely, Colorado!  

In Indianapolis...

We met the instate NWHCM team.  Driving in late on Monday, we took a persaonlity test that once again reveals the uniquenss of how are knitted together (Psalm 139). 

On Tuesday morning Sam gave us a tour of the NWHCM facility, and how sweet it is.  From there we took a bible test and had Q&A with Sam about our journey to Haiti with NWHCM.

On Wednesday we packed our 3+ crates with all of our stuff and Christi reconnected with Julie, a lady she met on her first trip to Haiti in 2004.  

We arrived home just in time this morning to wake the kids up for school!  Oh how great it is to be home, but the more we travel this journey we are coming to understand home is not about the house, but about the community of people united through Christ!  

A few things coming down the road...

September 16th at Dublin High School in Dublin, Texas...

Tomorrow I will be at the DHS, my alma marter, sharing our journey to Haiti.  

On Sunday, September 18th at Carbon Community Church in Carbon Texas sharing our journey with dear friends that were very integral in our lives.  Looking forward to seeing some old and new faces at Carbon.

Continue to pray the three B’s over our lives...

• Brokenness in our journey as followers of Christ  (Psalms 51:17)
• Boldness in proclaiming the power of the gospel within our call.  (2 Timothy 1:7)
• Balance in our relationship with first our Jesus, then as husband and wife, and then with the kids!  

The Inaccuracy of Hebrews 11

For many years growing up I have heard countless Pastors and teachers, including myself, make reference to Hebrews 11 as the "Hall of Faith Chapter", bringing the meaning that the men and women mentioned in Hebrews 11 are extraordinary faith-journeyers that made the TOP FOLLOWERS of JESUS.

This inaccuracy does nothing but stunt the growth of followers of Christ.

When we think of people that are in the Hall of Fame or have received a Purple Heart we begin to place these individuals in a category of unreachable.  These men and women are great to look at but truly a goal in which is surmountable.

The danger of doing this to the men and women mentioned on Hebrews 11 has the possibility of stunting our growth as followers, encouraging us to live a lukewarm life.  Why?  You see if we hold the ones who are mentioned in Hebrews as standouts we set a minimal bar for us to reach.  Meaning that God is okay with where we are and although it is cool that Noah, Abraham, Rahab, etc did these wonderful things; we do not have to.

I tell the reader of this blog, THIS IS NOT TRUE!

These men and women of Hebrews 11 were a pure example of what it looks like to live by faith.  It was never intended to place these individuals on some pedestal. Doing that would make them idols and we know how God feels about idolatry.

So how do I do it?
Since, God is the giver of faith, faith is not something we have to work at to get.  Your faith grows in the small choices to obey and surrender each day that will lead you to begin to do things in which you thought you could never do....all for HIS glory!

In HIS Peace!