adventures in life

Fo Really Really Real...

2010-03-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

So a few years ago a girl. Kristen, came on a mission trip to Eastern Kentucky with us. At the time she was working at an after school thing I beleive, but she was working with elementary and I believe Junior High kids. A counselor/supervision role. Anyways, she was telling a story about one of the girls that was there. She had a lot of braids in her hair if I remember correctly and she loved to talk. They would talk about all kinds of stuff and they became good friends. One of the things this little girl would say is "fo real" all the time. Kristen was telling her a story and the girl didn't really believe her so she said "fo real". and Kristen said yes, the girl said, "fo really real", to which Kristen said yes. Then the girl still not totally buying into it said, "fo really, really, real". It was the third time I guess and the severity of such a question like fo really really, real that helped her trust Kristen. When Kristen had said yes to the really, really, real part the girl believed her.
I have been apart of a group of people trying to read the entire Bible in 90 days called, "That's What We Read". This is day 11 and the last week has been all about the holiness of God, the tabernacle, the sacrifices, and the festivals. All of this to show the holiness of God, and to remind the Israelites (the people God was talking to) of His holiness. I have found myself at several points saying, "Okay God I get it, can we move along to something else now". It hasn't been the most electrifying reading on the action meter. However, I am starting to wonder if the reason why I am so unimpressed by this section of the Bible is because I am like the little girl with Kristen.
Maybe I don't really buy into how truly holy God is. Maybe I have asked Him, "fo real, you are that serious about being holy?" But when He (God) said yes, I followed up at some point in my life with, "Okay God, fo really real, you want me to be that holy... you want me to stay away from sin, to be holy even with this...", and when He (God) said yes maybe I have never followed up with the, "fo really really real." On a talk show yesterday these two sport commentators were just beating up on a guy in the NBA who just married a lady whom he had never even kissed. They were saying how idiotic and stupid that is. That in this culture you have to, "taste the goods, take her for a test drive" (their words not mine) before you marry her. "I mean what if there aren't any fireworks or electricity when you two have sex for the first time after the wedding, then what."
I think God is really, really, serious about holiness. Not really really serious about rules and laws, but holiness. And I know as a kid I didn't see the difference between these two ideas. God really cares about what is best for us. I know that I believe Him more than I did when I was 15, but I think I am learning that I sometimes am okay with being a little "unclean".

Leviticus 11:44 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.
Leviticus 20:26 You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.

Maybe one of the reasons God put all of this info and history about His holiness and how this nation tried to be holy like Him, wasn't just to bore us to tears. Maybe it was so that we would start to see just how holy God is and how serious holiness is to Him and how important it is to us. Maybe I have forgotten or never really, really knew how important it is.

2010-02-15T08:04:00.001-08:00

This is a great article about worship. Check it out.

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Orpah not Oprah...

2010-02-15T07:25:00.000-08:00

I was reading the story of Ruth in the Old Testament. I was once again reminded of God's providence. Naomi, who was the mother-in-law to Ruth, had given up hope. She was in despair after the loss of her husband and both sons. So she tells her daughter in laws to go back home and find a husband. In the end Orpah goes back home but Ruth stays with Naomi, against her wishes really. Through Ruth's faithfulness to Naomi and her pure act of love to her mother-in-law and dead husband God is able to once again show how He has provided for us. So many times we are left in despair when someone dies, or cancer strikes, or a job loss. So many times we find ourselves like Naomi ready to give up. Ruth, who was a foreigner, not an Israelite, not a Jew, was the one to show more faith in this God then Naomi. I don't even think she would have known about the customs of the Israelites especially about the kinsman redeemer. Ruth had no reason to go with Naomi, but loyalty and love. Through this act, even though she may not have really known God yet, she showed that she was willing o place her trust with Naomi's God, the God of Israel. Ruth ends up with a wonderful husband, and Naomi is provided for through a relative Boaz.
That is Ruth's story, but what about Orpah? What happened to her? We will probably never know, but I think we can get a glimpse from our lives. I think we are like Orpah often. When things go bad, and we get the okay to back down or leave, what do we do? Many times we take the get out of jail free card, that we think we just received, and use it. We bail... Only to never find out what would have happened if we remained faithful. I am once again encouraged to trust God to provide. Trust God even when my sight and my friends are telling me otherwise.
The crazy thing is that thanks to Ruth's faithfulness, David, the greatest king of Israel was born. Ruth was the mother of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David. I want to see what God has in store, and I know He will provide even when I mess up, and give up sometimes. However, I want to see what He had in mind all along. I want to trust Him enough to step out on faith like Ruth and rely completely on Him. Even when, especially when trouble and pain come my way.

Pancakes or Cereal

2010-01-04T07:18:00.000-08:00

Typically on Thursday mornings I like to make breakfast for the family. It's my day off and instead of the regular routine of everybody just making cereal or oatmeal, i like to have a family breakfast together around the table. Pancakes are the usual choice since we typically have the mix and Aidan likes to make them with me. Our special ingredient is to add some of the liquid coffee creamer to the mix to give it a little something extra. I really enjoy the breakfast time together and see it as more than just food. It's a way to serve my family who often serves me and ministry willingly. It's a way for me to be the one making sure we all are sitting around the table talking instead of Cindy always having to be the one to ensure it. It's also something that I take pride in, I am the breakfast guy at our house. I am offended when the kids don't want to eat. I get a little angry inside if they do not want to wait the extra 30 minutes to eat so we can have a hot breakfast with everyone.
The breakfast started out as a way to start our day together with everyone around the table enjoying each other. Thursdays are sacred. It's the one day we have all to ourselves. The heart behind it in the beginning was pure and just. But now sometimes I care more about them liking what I am doing for them over wanting to just spend time together. It ends up being more about me than the family or them. I am doing exactly what Saul did in 1 Samuel 15... God asks him to do something and spells it out very clearly, but Saul chooses to do it his own way... And when God asks him through the prophet Samuel why he did not obey Saul says "Yes the people took some stuff that you asked us not to, but they were going to give it back to you as a sacrifice and offering". Then Samuel says, Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice."
Sometimes we get caught up in doing things our way and saying that it is for God, when really we lost the heart of obedience. It has become more about doing it my way than enjoying obeying the voice of God. I know God told me to have that time as a family on Thursday mornings, but does it really matter if we eat pancakes or cereal?

Lost Focus???

2010-01-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

It's been really hard to set goals lately... I have been struggling with what to write down, honestly I haven't written anything down, but it has been hard to think of anything worthy of writing down if I was going to... I have never found it this difficult before... Lately i have just felt like nothing is working and been throwing pity parties for my self... at least it kind of seems that way... What is it that I need to be doing right now... I am going back and forth between the same thing that i have always been called to do, or some new things for 2010... as i am typing I am realizing how silly this seems... I feel embarrassed to even put this down, thankfully very few will read this... but I think I have lost focus on what I am supposed to be doing... 2009 was rough, and I don't exactly know why... I think I have placed to much on success and trying to gain something... I have lost the joy of just being in the presence of God and enjoying being totally and unashamedly obedient to Him... My worth has been determined by how things are going at church and home, not how things are going with God and myself... I have been focused on programs and teaching others how to lead, when I have let my own discipline and discipleship become dependent on how others are doing... I have lost the joy of listening and being with people... I am feeling uncomfortable around others, like I don't know what to say... i always feel the need to teach, because I have forgotten how to jsut hang out... this is starting to sound like a Twilight post, very dramatic... I am beginning some old things this year... going back to some basics... I know this makes no sense, but this one is really for me not for you.. I'm sorry to put it that way, but I just needed to start posting something again... I need to find what once changed my life in a radical way... to find that love, that total joy in obedience that I once had and that I want so desparately...

Why do we make this so hard?

2009-11-03T06:48:00.000-08:00

I remember a time when there were no stage lights, there was no computer, and there was no stage to set-up. I remember a time when the thing that I really worked hard at was spending time with people. I also recognize that there were no where near as many people there to hang out with as well. This is not a statement about the church or about my feelings toward anything that we (Christians) are doing to share Jesus Christ with people. This is simply a place to put my thoughts and struggles out there, a place to get them off my chest I guess, and to allow others the chance to feel this way and admit to this struggle as well. I never signed up to learn how to use media, lighting, promotion, marketing, graphic design, and visioneering. I just wanted to help people meet Jesus Christ. Now there are times when I forget how to do that. I have become proficient at a lot of things, but I struggle at times with remembering what it was like to not know Christ. What it was like to "get it" to meet Jesus for the first time. I forget how to walk with a person on the road that they are walking, instead of figuring out how to fix them or help them. People have not become more complicated, more lost or hurt... We are still just like Adam and Eve who were created to love God and find it difficult at times, and sometimes we feel like we have a better idea than the one who created us. Sometimes we struggle with the idea of a creator because life seems so bad. Sometimes we just want a friend and there doesn't seem to be a willing partner.
When did ministry get confused with production or did it? The more articles and books I read the more confused I get. Everyone has the answer to our problems. If we just had good fathers that would fix everything, if we served others more that would fix the problem, if we were more tolerant to our brothers and sisters from other faiths that would fix it, if we just went to church more that would fix everything, if we have effective small groups that would fix it... and the list goes on... political reform, social justice, ending consumerism, etc...
Even now I am having a hard time with what to put down now. I don't know... I just have this nagging feeling like it isn't supposed to be this tough. I kind of just want to curl up with my Bible and take a month long break to just hang out with God for a little sabbatical. But that seems like a cop out. I want to find it in the presence of others, in the living of our lives together in one big mess. I am looking to lead or to be a part of a community, church, group, whatever you want to call it that is learning how to do life together. Whatever that means. Figuring out how to be more like Jesus in every aspect of our life. I guess that even means figuring out what to do with lights, soundboards, video projectors, and even iphones...
I know that no one is really going to read this one, so I find it a safe place to put unfinished thoughts down... If you do read this I am sorry for the mess that I have put down, I only hope that you can believe me when I say that I am just trying to figure out what to do with this thing called life that God has given us. I believe

it's in the fire

2009-03-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

its been a few days since i have been home and since i have posted anything... sorry for the delay... i am still new to this bloggin thing, but I am going to try to keep up with it...

i was reading a few chapters in a book in the Bible, Jeremiah, this morning... Jeremiah was a prophet of God according to the Old Testament, and he was given words by God that the nation of Israel would be taken over and the king Jehoiakim would be taken captive and ultimately die a peaceful death... the word finally got to the king because God asked Jeremiah to put all his word down on a scroll, the scroll was delivered to the king and before he read all of it he cut it up and through it in the fire... burned the whole thing...
i know that there are a lot of things that are produced when introduced to fire, for example somehow sand can be turned into glass with the right heat... glass can be turned into intricate shapes and designs with the right amount of heat... steel and other alloys or metals are strenghtened, purified, and formed when given the right amount of heat... fire was used to destroy clothing that had disease or germs in them thousands of years ago... fire tends to do one of two things when it is introduced to an object... it either destroys it or refines/strengthens it... i know that there are probably cases that go against this maybe, but on the whole... fire tends to show you what you are made of...
back to the story... it makes me wonder what type of person i am when i am introduced to fire... fire being struggles, frustrations, bad days, unfairness, or whatever "bad" things that may come our way... does it strengthen me or does it destroy me... do i burn God's words, or throw away my faith when I hear things I don't like, or do I become stronger and find what God is saying to me...
i do not want to let my friends in Romania down, I want to help them... not just when it is convenient and I am sitting at a table with them... I want to help them now, to find resources, to pray for them, to be there friend even when I am not with them... I want to be the kind of person that is who I say I am... a person that isn't always right but is always honest... someone people can trust... not just in my family or with my friends, but in my work, when i go to Walmart to buy something... when I am on the phone... every moment I want to be the same person... don't you...
this begins a transistion for this blog... God is not just at work in Romania... He is at work everywhere and I would love to share the part that I see and hear about with you... this will be about Michigan, about me, about my family, and about other parts of the world... life with God is such an adventure, a journey that is like no other... every day I come closer to understanding Jesus' words that are found in John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
i have tried life without God and life with Him and there is no way I am going back... i love this adventure and I am going to try to share it with you... and hopefully i can figure out how to put some pictures and videos on this thing...

almost home

2009-03-19T02:37:00.000-07:00

so here is the last post in europe... at least for a while i would imagine... we are about to board onto our flight from vienna to new york... and right now someone sat down beside me with a sandwhic that reeks with onions and something like vinegar... oh well... we are ready to be home, and at the same time already miss lugoj, surdoc, and all our friends... pray for us we have to spend 9 more hours with those red dressed scary people... curran and i both agree howver that austrian air is a great airline... they have been wonderful...

i hope that the things that we have learned here, and the things that we have experienced will not soon leave us... please also pray for Cindy as i think she is driving back to MI today with gage and aidan... this is so cool, our flight has people literally from all over the world... at least for about nine hours we will be experiencing the same thing... anyways... something that immanuel said about romania has really stuck with me... people have become dependant on money... fathers are leavnig home to go to europe to get jobs so they can have more money... and the family is disintegrating... he also said that 3 years ago all the kids were playing during the summerrs and having fun without spending money, now all of his friends and the kids he meets say they are working this summer so they can get an ipod or some other posssession... how dependant are we on money??? how dependant am i; are you??? in the middle of bad financial news i do believe that the church is the only eternal investment we can make and that now more than ever is the time to make sure the church does not stop fulfilling its mission... although we have no money we must work together to meet the needs of our community, so i guess i am asking myself and everyone else... what can we do or what do we need to do to make the mission of the church go on... we will need our time, energy, and resources more than ever... and what a great priviledge and message to the world around us... see you soon....

boys are back in town...

2009-03-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

well as sad as it is we are back in vienna... it is amazing how fast a week can go by... Curran will remember this forerver and i am excited about that... we went into vienna tonight just the two of us... we rode the subway all through the town... we saw a ton of buildings that we had no idea what they were, just that they looked really neat... we saw something that had to be a government building of some kind... it was enormous and stretched out for atleast 4-5 square blocks... we saw a mcdonalds, and it was very fancy... the mcdonalds over here are high class not cheap fast food... funny how that they can change their image over here... we walked into to one and everyone was dressed nicely, imagin mickie d's as a prom night spot!!! we also saw a starbuck's... we stopped by a cafe and pastry shop... we ate a piece of tiramisu a croissant, and we both had a cappuchino... curran put a pound of sugar in his... it was funny... we had a blast, and took pictures and some video... it is a beautiful city, with a lot of history... and we both feel pretty proud about being able to make it around without getting lost...

i am in the airport right now because the internet is free here... i did not get a chanc to write yesteerday... but i got to talk with ovidiu until 2am... i got to hear his dreams and his struggles as a pastor in the villages of romania... he really has such a huge heart and God has planted big dreams in him... its hard having big dreams here, because no one dreams... the leaderrs are still getting over teh communist thinking... no one ever made eye contact with anyone and no one ever said anything critical or even futuristic because they never knew when their words would get to someone who would put them in jail... they were not allowed to think or share ideas... and although they know Christ and love Him with all their heart, there is still a sense of chains holding their minds back from being free to dream with Christ... so when a young pastor like ovidiu has big dreams from God people don't understand and sometimes think he is goig against the tradition of the church... it is something that we still deal with in America, especially in small towns... we really are so much alike, and from what i have heard from friends and missionaries in other countries, the world is so much a like... language seems to be the biggest difference and barrier...

i also had a great time today with immanuel who drove us to the airport... he is the son of one of the biggest and best known preachers in all of Romania... he had a great family but rebelled when he was aroudn 12 or 13... started sneaking out and getting involved in gangs and lots of other things... he knew what he was doing was wrong, but he did not stop... his father continued to love him and let him know every chance he had that he was praying for him... and to get to the end of the story quickly he gave his life to Christ when he was 18 and know he is doing amazing things for the church in Romania... he is 23 i think right now... he is also frustrated with the tradition of the churches in romania... he went to bethel college in Indiana for four years... he received a business degree, and came back to romania to help his father, the precept center, and the churches... he is very talented and smart, he has a very sharp mind... he is also working non-stop... I don't think he every has time off... he has a lot of responsibilities, and i fell like he has a lot of pressure on him...

either way young ministers are beginning to have dreams of reaching all of romania, and thousands of teenagers... first time in forever here... immanual and i dreamed about a conference for youth ministers and for students... to encourage and train youth leaders and student leaders... i think this is a possibility... i know that God wants it, and i want to do whatever i can to see it happen... i am excited about sharing it with people back home... to pray and see what God has in store... ovidiu and i dreamed about reaching all of the youth in Susani and the surrounding villages... no one has ever done this, and there are no youth ministries in any of those villages... we talked about how to make it happen, how to create a team of leaders, how to train them, and how to get students involved in leading as well... his mind is like a sponge and i know that he is going to be faithful with the ideas we talked about... please pray for him and his wife adina... and immanuel... these could be two of the people that God uses to change all of romania... i know God does big things with people who make themselves available...

i am also challenged about our ministry at Southpoint... i am reenergized and encouraged to continue with our student leadership and our leadership training... i know that God wants to do big things in our ministry and we need more leaders who are committed to the word of God... to spending time with HIm daily, and learning how to be like Christ and willing to share their lives with students... i am humbled by the recognition that at i am timid at times and maybe even fearful to be bold about the dreams and direction that God has given... i am also burdened to start serving our community more... it has always been my heart and once i began working with both the JH and SH I let it go because of time... i am full of hope because Melissa Bricker has the heart and vision to lead our community service team... I also have some new dreams about how we can reach out into our community... i cannot write them here, but i want you all to dream and ask God what He is doing and where He is serving, and then join Him in his work... we must go out to our neighborhoods, and not always make them come here...

i have so much to write, but i feel like it is too much for a post... thank you everyone who has prayed for romania, for our safety, for the youth meeting, for this trip, and for my family... please continue praying... we have two more flights tomorrow, and i am ready to be home with Cindy now... i miss them a lot... i am also a very proud father... Curran was so great, and everyone was so impressed with him.. it was a joy to be with him and to see him in this setting... he is going to talk you rhead off about this is you ask him about this experience, and it is coming from a kid who really made a difference... he is excited about emailing his friend raul when he gets home...

oh yeah... we also bought a piece of pizza just to see what it is like here... still American pizza rocks... we also bought about 700 pounds of chocolate to bring home... i wanted to try to let a lot of people try some of it... some of it is romanian, but most of it is german because theirs is so stinking good... curran said he has taken over 800 pictures... i think he is actually right!!! lesley foster you would be proud... i guess as i end this post... please know that God has put eternity in your hearts, and He has big dreams and plans for you too... don't let fear or anything else stop you from living out your God-sized dream...

see you all or at least the ones in MI soon... btw the coffee in austria is STRONG!!! i might not get any sleep tonight...

after midnight

2009-03-16T14:08:00.000-07:00

i just thought i would write something after midnight... because i was thinking of that song... "after midnight we gonna let it all hang out" and i don't know if those are the words, but that is what i have always said... so we just finished day one of the training conference in surdoc, (SIR-DOOK) my little romanian pronunciation guide... nice huh... i have no idea if it is right but it looks good... tonight the first session was on stewardship... which is about spending our finances wisely... randy did a great job and there was some godd and interesting discussion... go read Luke 16:9 and what do you think about it??? the discussion led into another question... what if someone who grows tobacco to be sold for making cigarettes gives money to the church, should they accept it...

this started a big debate... it is funny, because these are the things churches in america have been dealing with for a long time... and the churches here are very much against smoking, and it seems like they would say it is a sin to smoke... Did Jesus say, " you who has never sinned, you may write the frist check"?? i know that is somewhat a smart mouth comment, but i think it has some truth... anyways... i think this was a great discussion, but they always seem to go so quickly into drawing lines and setting up barriers... and i am just scared to set up barriers between people and God... what are your thoughts... do you automatically think there are some people who can and some people who cannot give to God??

the church in New York who received a million or more dollars from the guy who won the lottery, is that wrong??? is it worth our time thinking about it???

ultimately the Bible says and I completely believe that everything is God's... this laptop is God's, the money i have is God's and so on... and if it really is God's than He has the right to show me or even command me to spend it in whatever way He wants... if you believe that it is your money, than you will not think this way... you will think that i want to give God my money because i want to... because i love Him... what about when you don't want to... what if that day comes... if I beleive that God owns everything, than my decisions about the littel things matter a lot... i do want to be faithful with what God has given me, I also want to be content with what God has given me... I have everything I could ever need... i hope that you can be content with what God has given you... even to the point where we can say thank you God for what you have given me, when you may have nothing...

i talked to Cindy a little while ago, and she said that quite a few people might be reading this... if so i really encourage you to comment, i would love to hear what you are thinking... i will see if there is a way to commment without bbeing a member of this blog thingy...until tomorrow or i guess later today thanks for listening or reading...

unexpected surprises

2009-03-16T06:07:00.001-07:00

yesterday morning we went to a little villae curtea... we went to their sunday morning church service... there were about 16 people in the building when we got there,,, they were already singing... we met a man imanuil, and he welcomed us and my interpreter and friend Immanuel walked with me to the front of the church building... in these churches the preacher usually sits on the stage facing the room... they do this at the church i was at in NC as well... very awkward... anyways... there was about 15-20 minutes of singing some prayers, and reading of poems, and then evan who was with us gave a short message, then curran got up front and said a prayer for everyone, and then i preached... i probably preached for at least 30 minutes, but they are used to an hour message... so all of you who complain about mine or brett's messages being too long can stop or be thankful... after the message which was over aroun 11am... the church began to sing and read poems and pray for another hour, until noon... it was very special, very different...

i can say that i really enjoy he authenticity of some of the churches... it doesn't have to be professional or well planned... we can just pray, sing, and read God's word... there is truth in that... i imagine many of the apostles in the new testament had many services that looke just like this... i know that i am not comfortable with it, however i recognize that its because i am used to something else... the truth is sometimes i wish we could worship and spend time together like this... all the games, and lights, and stuff does seem to be silly sometimes... why must we have these things to produce environments where peole feel close to God... it is a shame we have to, or maybe its a shame we feel like we have to... neither one is right or wrong, and I suppose that if you were to bring what we do to one of these villages they would freak out and may not think it is from God... just like if we went bare naked (i mean in the way we do our services, come on people get you minds out of the gutter)... people here in america might not like it and think it was church tradition not from God...

why is it so tough to bring people to christ sometimes... the church or the world or a combination of both i suppose has really screwed it up... it should not be this hard to get people connected with God... maybe we connect people with programs and stuff more than God... maybe we do not always do the best job of making the transition from worshipping a program to worshipping God.. I want to do better at that... i know that students and teens can love God and love His word, the bible... maybe i am the one who spends time in the wrong areas... this is something that i hope all the students that are reading this think about...

if we did not have the bright lights and fun games, would you worship God??? would you love Him any less... really think about that... why don't we read our Bibles... why don't we spedn time with God daily... why is that so difficult... i mean there are 24 hours in everyday... why is 5-15 minutes so hard to come by for God, when we spend so muc time with so many other things... maybe we have become to comfortable... these are just things that i am wrestling with... i would love to hear your thoughts... this is not a question or debate over technology... it is what is real worship... what makes real worship... where am i, and where are you... do you really worship God... do I really worship God... anyways

last night we went to a baptism service!!! it was at least 2 and 1/2 hours long... Curran was struggling to make it through the whole thing... there was at at least an hour of special music and singing on and off, and an hour of people giving messages on and off... the actual baptism part took about 20 minutes and then the pastors of the churches prayed for each person after they were baptized, redressedn and came bakc out to the auditorium... then there was a huge meal for everyone... soup, meat, somales (cabbage rolls), bread, drinks, and dessert...

what a really neat thing to celebrate the moment... there were five people being baptized... three teens and 2 adults... i don't know what or how, but i know that i love this idea... to celebrate baptisms... to share together in this moment... to make a commitment to each other to help this new christian... to let these new brothers and sisters know that we are family and to keep each other accountable... i just know that i want to be more faithful to those who are wanting to give their life to Christ and those who have just been baptized.. to make sure we connect with them, and help them walk this new life... i am excited that we have a group of people who will be leading this effort...

there was a high school group of students from another church that sang a few songs that night, and afterwards i went to talk with them... we joked around and had a lot of fun... they taught me some romanian and i taught them some english and a new handshake (jon langley)... it was just like being at shift... i have several email addresses that i can't wait to share with some of you kids at southpoint... we have friends in romania that we can keep up with and ancourage and learn from and be encouraged by them... there was a lady who came to me and asked me to pray for her brother who lives in Wixom, MI... it is truly a small world (my mom says this all the time)... so i am bringing his name back to MI so our pit crew can be praying for him...

God is awesome, and we are getting tready to teach over 20-30 ministers in the next 3 days... teach them about leadership, about stewardship, I am teaching about family and youth ministry... i am already enjoying the conversations with many of them, God is just so cool... we truly our one mind and one body... Christ holds us all together just like He told us in Colossians...

well that is all the time i have now, btw cindy if you read this i will call later tonight... immanuel gave us a number that allows us to call home free but i have to wait until 6pm... it will probably be around 5-6pm your time... i will call your cell phone... which is... psych... i'm not giving you all that number... southpoint we miss you... shift we miss you, but are excited to see you and share everything with you, and maybe ways we can partner with Romania... family we miss you, and i really hat that WFU lost... but we are going all the way this year... friends from Louisville if any are reading this... i am sorry but wake forest will probably play Louisville in the ncaa tourney, and we are going to win... please still be friends with us...

everyone that could care less about basketball, i am sorry for wasting your time with that last part... ttfn

youth day

2009-03-15T03:53:00.001-07:00

okay so i am very sorry that i did not type more last night... i did not feel well... and i went to sleep on a couch while curran was talking on the phone... then i woke up around 10pm and the others came back and talked with them for a while and then went to bed... my sinuses are just being annoying... however God says he can give us wings like eagles and tongues of fire... I know He can give me oxygen through my nostrils when i need it to preach...
yesterday was amazing... there were about 30 students from three different villages that came to the youth service... i know that may not sound like a lot, but it is... they do not usually get that amount of kids from the three villages... the main goal was to equip and encourage the students that were in the churches... the guys that i was talking about in my last post... were with us... they played music and the magic tricks... they were great... we challenged them to change Romania... to be a generation that takes the spirit that God has given them and to throw away fear... to live life like God intended it to be lived... I don't know it that last sentence was grammatically correct but hopefully you get my drift...
to not let the separation of villages get in the way... to not let being born in a small village get in the way... to not let language or how rich or poor you are to get in the way...

curran met another friend Raul... he helped me translate with some of the kids... Raul is 12... we met Christian who is 11, evicu who was 14... gabbi 11... and many others... curran was able to talk with Raul since he knew some english... i played soccer with about 6 of the boys... we actually got in trouble(some things never change)... we were playing soccer using a gate as one of the goals... after playing for a while the grandmother who lived there opend the smaller gate and started to yell at us... i was literally scared... i was think back home when my next door neighbor came out of her house with a gun... I ran and left the guys hanging... I know how noble of me... they wanted to keep playing and there was no way i was going back... the lady apologized lady, but I was still scared when i saw here and apologized to her... hey youth ministry is the same everywhere... we always get in trouble either too loud, too crazy... to messy, or something...

there were several of the students we were able to connect with and several that Ovidiu and his wife Adina mentor... or disciple... they are trying to strengthen these kids so they can in turn strengthen others... sounds familiar??? if there are any students reading this... please know that this is our goal... we want to strengthen students through our small groups so that you can teach and help others... so that you can be mentors to others... our lives are meant to be a gift to others, not to be spent all on ourselves...

it is beautiful here today... still around 38 i am guessing, but blue skies... we are about to eat lunch, and then off to recita for a baptism service!!! i am excited... i have never been to a baptism service in Romania... have so much i would love to share with you about conversations with friends here, but there is not enough time right now... i hope i can right them later... i am praying for Shift tonight... it is 1pm here which means it is 7am there...

i am praying that students will go out of there way today to invite their friends and others they meet at southpoint and in their negighborhoods... i am praying that they will wait expectantly and welcome them wholeheartedly... i pray that the leaders come ready to love on kids, and to have conversations with them, not just hi how are you... i am praying that students will be challenged to love like Jesus, and to meet God tonight...

thanks again for everyone who made this possible and for those of you who are leading are ministry at southpoint...

youth day

2009-03-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

what a day... we started out with breakfast... scrambled eggs, peppers, cereal, bread, jam, bananas, etc... we also ate a granola bar, because we are not getting a lot of bran or i think its b-12... and those things help keep you regular which i do believe you know what i am talking about... TMI... yes i know... but anyways i digress... after breakfast most of us went to visit one of the orphanages in lugoj... lugoj has i think 7 orphanges... they used to have twice that many... once the revolution was over and communism was expelled, there were hundreds and hundreds of orphanges and a few documentaries were made by americans and some others about the horrible conditions in those orphanages (at least some of them)... then there was international pressure to make changes to their system... so in the last 10 years the number of orphanges and orphans have been cut in half... which is wonderful, but there are still so many orphans... today we met three children all brothers and sisters... probably ages 2, 3, and 4... who just came in a little over a month ago... they were living in the most horrific living conditions... under the streets with realy no guardians... they were terrified of water because they had never been washed before... had no idea what people were trying to do to them... that makes me think of my sister and one of the children that came to her while in the foster care system... i know it may happen in Romania more often (i don't know), but it happens all over... even in america... which is just sad...
this orphanage was very nice... over 100 kids live there... four years ago they had over 300 kids... which is a good thing... they have created a system much like foster care here in romania.. however there are still thousands of children that need homes... we spent about half an hour or more with the little ones.. probably 2-12... they loved getting their pictures take... Curran took a ton of pictures of them... they really liked to see their faces on the back of the digital cameras... they were very friendly... over half of them had snot running out of their noses, because being sick with a mild cold is almost considered "just life" here... they don't have enough doctors, medicine, or money to get help so they jsut make due.... the kids wanting to climb up on us and to be held... they were just like any other kids you would see in america or anywhere else...
we spent a few moments with the teens... mostly girls... then we all went to the gym... a group of americans played worship music "every move i make" and "into marvelous light" with a ton of moitions... they had a magician... then one of them spoke about Christ... then some more music and i spoke at the end about God and the Bible... the kids really enjoyed the whole thing... we gave out candy at the end and of course they loved it...
then an entire other story starts... so I will leave for now and come back in a little or else this post will be a mile long...
btw... michigan friends... you can never complain about the roads in our state ever again... you have no idea what bad roads are until you have come to this country... people literally are all over the road to avoid potholes, and dogs, and all kinds of other dangers in the roads... plus people here are crazy...
evan said romania has more auto fatalities than any other European nation... someon else said that over 30,000 people have died in auto accidents in the last 3 years!!! people drive insanely over here... i think there are rules, but noone chooses to really go by them... i have seen very few police cars...
their are dogs everywhere... not pets, dogs... they tell you not to touch any of them and to stay away from them, because they are probably vampires... not really just full of disease and will bite... there are 3 dogs at the center where we are staying that are kind of like pets... curran and evan feed them each morning with snacks... and they just wag their little tails and get so excited when they see them...

David and Robin Spainhour if you are reading... david thank you for making the roads as nice as they are in NC... makes you appreciate it that is for sure...everyone who made it possible for us to be here thanks again... this is such an amazing adventure...
also all you southpointers out there, and whoever else was praying specifically for the youth event today... please stand by... i will write later about this... my battery is about dead... and i hope to have some video... but i will write about this later tonight... i promise...

ttfn... that's tigger in winnie the pooh for ta ta for now... also everyone who has been reading these posts... thank for taking time to think and pray about romania... know that God can use each one of us to make a difference in the world... you don't have to come here to do it.. there are people right in your neighborhood that need Christ...

bags, kids, Claudio, and more bags...

2009-03-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

okay... so today we went to Lugoj which is like the nearest big city... I think i heard around 50,000 people, so not too big... but big for around here... anyways we went to Lugoj to buy groceries to gie out at the villages... we stopped at a brand new christian school that openened up this year... they have goals to have 1-8 grades... right now they have preschool and 1st grade... we got to visit each class... the kindergarteners sang the months of the year song in english... the 4 & 5 year olds sang twinkle twinkle little star in english... it is pretty amazing that most kids around here know at least two languages... I learned how to say "what is your name" how old are you", "you are beautiful" (will explain... don't worry), and my dog's name is charlie...
anyways, we toured the school and exchanged money there... seriously some guy shows up with like a billion lei (romanian currency) and just starts flipping through them while we give him our dollars... I gave him $100 and he gave me 320, 000 lei!!! the rate is about 3,300 lei per one us dollar... the school said that it costs the equivalent of $80 per month for a child to go to that school... which is amazingly cheap... for us... not here... most people don't make enough to be able to send them...

i thought about maybe raising $80 at Shift to see if we could help kids to go to school in a christian environment... a safe environment... just a thought.. there are a lot of thoughts... i won't put them all down here, because i know you or whoever would be bored to tears... this guy had a ton of cash or lei however you won't to look at it... i didn't want to ask any questions... so i was just happy to exchange money... i bet this guy had some serious contacts in the romanian mafia if there is such a thing... just kidding... maybe
after the school... we went to what was basically a romanian sam's club... we bought about $600 worth of food which was about 19 million lei!!! but that bought 100 bags worth of groceries and supplies for 100 fmailies in a bunch of villages and pastor's families... curran and i also bought som romanian pasta which is awesome and som chocolate to bring hom and share with everyone...
then we packed 100 bags with cornmeal, rice, sugar, oil, pastas, soap, clothes detergent, bleach, and dish detergent... we have pictures of the 100 bags looks cool, sorry we can't get them on here right now...
after dinner curran and i went to Fardea a small village to preach at their prayer service... it was mostly older people... the men and women sat on different sides of the room... they have a small pretty church building... their was a young man and his wife Claudio and I can't think of her name... he translated for me during the message... really awkward to preach with a translator... after the service got to speak with Claudion and some things that he and his wife are dealing with... we prayed for him and then they dropped us off... right now everyone is wanting to get online to email their famiy and friends... and my laptop is the only thing working...
i will write more later... i am still amazed at how alike we alle are... people in the world... we are so much more alike than we are different... it is easier to see when you are however many miles away and in a place where everyone speaks a different language...

God please continue to remind me and Curran and everyone how big you really are... you created us all in the image of you... even those who persecute the church and people who love you... they were created in your image... help me us to have a faith that is bold and a love that is not dependant on who the other person is... let us see others as our brothers and sisters...

romanian morning

2009-03-13T00:14:00.000-07:00

so last night we tried to get online, but there was no service.... we went to bad around 9:45pm romanian time which is 3:45pm michigan time... we just ate breakfast which was great... eggs, red peppers, bread, banana, and tea... curran tried some of the sausage and liked it...

last night we were dead... we both tried to write in our journals but we kept dozing off while writing... Curran did not sleep that well, but he got more sleep than most of us yesterday...

we are getting ready to go to Lugoj to buy groceries and supplies to give out at the villages tonight and tomorrow... 500 us dollars are equivalent to about 16 million lei!!! i will get the exact rate sometime today...

while we were at the airport in vienna last night, we took the train to go into the city... the train is called the CAT... and it was pretty cool, it was a double-decker... we saw some really cool buildings and the river that runs through the city... we only stayed for about 30 minutes because we had to make sure to get back and catch our last flight...

curran wants me to make sure you know that our last flight from vienna to romania was on a plane that had propellers on the side... kicking it old school... we both agree although they scare you with the red, the service on austrian air is great...

we called Cindy (my wife) last night but got her voicemail, so if you are reading this we miss you and love you... we are safe and excited.... Curran says austrian air is the best...

welll we have to go get groceries now... will write more soon... oh yeah its snowing here in Romania and about 30 degrees... real pretty, but coming from michigan ready to be done with snow... oh well... tonight we will be in three different churches and i will be preaching at one of them... please keep larry, randy, and myself in your prayers... along with the others...

chao (that's bye in romanian)...

Vienna baby...

2009-03-12T00:59:00.001-07:00

we are in Vienna, Austria right now... it's weird to think that we are in Europe... don't know why it just is... I will have nightmares for the next week of women dressed in red saying cafe... cafe... more tea... more tea... it was non-stop with the cafe... and the tea... curran and i both agree that the service was great... we watched the quantum solace bond movie... and curran watched the high school musical 12 or 4 or 3 or whichever one is the latest like ten times... we kept looking out to see the ocean but it was too dark and we were in the middle aisle... so looking out was difficult... we are trying to get pictures on this thing... but we are having technical difficulties with the laptop, getting photos off of the sd card... hopefully we will be able to fix it... the flight was about 9 hours... we slept for about 2 hours... so we are a little tired.. but excited to be here...
in the duty free store here in the airport they sell a ton of cigarettes and the boxes have things like "Smoking Kills", "Smokers Die Young" in huge lettters on the front of the boxes... the bathrooms here are called "WC" wash closet) so you can't look for restroom signs you look for "WC" Larry and Randy are pretty tired and are laying down on the chairs to try to sleep... Curran and I walked around the airport which is not very big.. looked at some gift stuff, but it was way too expensive... inside definitely looks different, but the sky looks just like the sky back home... I can't wait to see my friends from Romania... Jerry gave us each 10 euros to spend on coffee or whatever... I think we are going to get something later... we have about 4 hours till our next flight leaves... this will be our last one and it is only 1 hour...
something I couldn't stop thinking about on the plane... is the fact that God really sees through language, architecture, clothing, food, etc... he just sees people... I don't think I will ever be able to really do that because of the language barrier, but I sure hope I try to... there were some people talking about their struggles with divorce and family stuff... just like any other conversation that could take place anywhere in the world... It is just flat out sweet to see how big the world is, and how big God is... oh yeah... all three airports in the US charged me o get online if I wanted to... Vienna is completely free... so VIVA VIENNA... until later... I will leave you with the immortal words of Bond, "He was a dead end."

Da Capital

2009-03-11T14:49:00.001-07:00

we are officially in washington dc... two flights both under an hour of flight time... we are about to get on the big one... we leave for vienna austria in about an hour... we just saw some flight attendants from austrian air, which is the airline we are about to fly with... they wear all red!!! socks, hoses, skirts, pants, shoes, hats, shirts the whole thing one big red popsicle... they are very intimidating... actually frightening... i can't imagine feeling friendly or comfortable with them even if they have a huge smile on their face... i keep seeing satan... I know that is horrible but i imagine little horns on their heads... no offense meant to the flight attendants or austrian air...
well we are about to go get the last american snacks or food for a while... the plane has a dinner, but i guarantee it will be gross... we just met up with the rest of the team there are nine of us total... there were ten but one person got the flu two days ago... how sad...
well hopefully i will be able to type more in a few hours... the flight is 9 and one half hours... see you soon...

Excitement and forgetfulness

2009-03-11T05:23:00.000-07:00

So its almost 8:30am and we leave for the airport in an hour... I still have to take a shower, pack a few things that we were charging overnight, put the bags in the van, eat breakfast, and i don't know what else... I am super excited but I am also struggling with the notion that i have forgotten something important... it seems like no matter how much you plan or prepare for something the day of I still feel like i have forgotten something really important....

Curran and I leave at noon for Cincy... then to Washington... then to Vienna, Austria where btw their entire airport is like in this freaky red color... the attendants are in all red (pants, jackets) its just weird and a little scary at first... anyways then to Timisoaria, Romania...

jst a little tidbit... i hear it is warmer in Romania right now then here in Michigan!!! hope they are right... well gotta go do all of that stuff that i was talking about... see you in a few hours maybe...

What's up

2009-03-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

So hopefully this is going to be the first of many entries into what will become a story about a person and ministry trying to be real and honest, and trying to help people to meet God.