Went to church this morning....in Valdosta!

Joshua spent the weekend with the Danners in Valdosta. This morning Susan and I loaded up the remaining kids and headed down for the day. It was a chance to visit our friends at a supporting church and give an update during the worship service. I stood up and spoke for a few minutes and then sat down next to Joshua. He leaned over and whispered, "Is that all you are going to do?" "Yes," I said, "did you want to hear more?" To my surprise he said that he did. Who knew? After church we were treated to grilled hamburgers and some great potato salad. The boys all swam after lunch while the adults looked on and enjoyed each other's company. The time flew and before we knew it, it was time to say good-bye. We all piled in the van and headed home. We were all tired by the time we got home, but what a great day.

Christ plays here!

I've been reading Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson. I've not gotten very far, but already it is one of those books that has influenced my thinking. I notice it in quiet private moments when I am thinking about nothing in particular. I notice it when I look out the window and watch the cows across the street passing on their morning commute from one end of the pasture to the other. The great truth that has captivated me is that Christ matters in all of creation. A week ago, on a Sunday afternoon, Eli opened the door and announced, "My dog is dead." He said it with such calmness that my first instinct was to think he was joking, but I stuck my head out the door and when I looked to the right, there she was lying still on the edge of the road. Hoping that she had not suffered, I walked over to her. She was silent, but her labored breathing told me that this had not been quick and that she was still struggling. As I moved closer, her right eye caught mine. "Oh, Iggy!" I whispered. I gently petted her on the back, careful not to cause any more pain. She lifted her head and for a moment I thought, "she is going to be okay." But just as quickly she lowered it, unable to move her legs. I knew it wouldn't be long. I grabbed a blanket and wrapped her in it, then picked her up and carried her to a shady part of the backyard. Soon after, she died and Susan helped me bury her. Everyone was very sad. Joshua took it harder than anyone else. This marks the first time we have had a family pet die. If it is true that Christ plays in ten thousand places, I began asking God and myself, "How does Christ play in the loss of a family pet?" I found that it was an opportunity to remind Joshua of the beatitudes which we had recently memorized as a family. It was a chance to see God answer a promise from scripture in a very tangible way. "You remember the 2nd beatitude, Joshua?" "Yes." I quoted it, "Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted." Then we remembered how Aunt Anne Marie and his cousin Abby were there when he heard. We remembered that MeMama was there, too and treated us all to a trip to Dairy Queen. Susan and I continued to tell him that grieving is appropriate at a time like this. We read from Ecclesiastes 3 about there being a time for every matter under the sun. We focused in on verse 4, "a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." We sat at the kitchen table and told funny Iggy stories and we laughed. It is true, Christ plays here, where there is sadness and death, laughter and dancing! Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.

81%? Oops

Correction to the post below: Some of you have seen this and have expressed to us the same excitement we felt when we got the news. Unfortunately, the adjustment was made in error. We are solidly back at at 75%. With one-time gifts that will be added at the end, we are anticipating an additional 6% bump. So for practical purposes we are around 81% - just not technically. Sorry for the misinformation.
I decided to keep the original post up so as to limit the confusion of these conflicting reports. Here it is:
My lovely wife just informed me that MTW has reworked our SQW. Usually this means a cost increase, but not this time. We went from somewhere around 75% a few days ago to 81% today. I know we still have many miles to travel, but with this news it just feels like we are getting closer.

These pics will make you smile

Over the past three weeks it has been my habit to get up early on Wednesday morning and drive to Claxton (approximately 20 minutes away) to take part in a men’s accountability/ Bible study group. After meeting for an hour, we all go our separate ways. For me that has meant driving back to Glennville and setting up a makeshift office in the local McDonald’s. I buy a cup of coffee and then do a variety of things including a devotional, preparing a talk, responding to email, checking the news, and writing blog entries. Now if you are very astute, you might have picked up on the fact that I haven’t posted a blog entry in the past three weeks. That’s true. I haven’t posted any. I have written one each week, but because I am a slow learner, I made the same mistake twice. One reason I go to McDonald’s on Wednesday mornings is because our internet access at home is very slow and remarkably undependable. I get better access in town using our Verizon wireless card. Still, access comes and goes. The first week, I attempted to write a quick entry before leaving. I pulled up the blog, fired off a few sentences and hit “post,” only to find that I had been disconnected and lost almost all of the entry. The second time it happened, I wrote a very lengthy entry, trying to get in everything that I had previously left out. When I finished, I was discouraged to find that again only a few sentences had been saved. As proof that an old dog can learn new tricks, this entry was typed in Word and posted upon completion.
I have so much to say, but Susan has encouraged me not to go long. I will leave you with a few prayer requests and praises:
Pray for Katherine Long. She is a college student looking to serve on the mission field short-term (2 years). She is currently visiting multiple ministry teams in Europe, including the one in Bulgaria. Her heart is for ministries to families. Susan and I spoke with her recently about the possibility of joining us as we reach out to families in need. We are hopeful that God may be calling her to join us. Pray for her safety as she travels and that God would make clear to her the direction she should go (whether it is with us or with another team).
Pray for Travis Cobb, that his support would come in quickly. He is preparing to spend 8 weeks in Bulgaria this summer with the Well ministry (a guided/mentored internship). Pray also that God would use this time for great spiritual growth in Travis’ life and in the lives of those he touches.
We are somewhere around 75% of our monthly support needed to head to the field. We are making lots of contacts and finding opportunities to share our vision with people all around. Pray that these contacts would yield support and that God would move us quickly to the field.
Praise God that He has continued to answer prayers for our desire not simply to live in Glennville, but to find community with the people around us. Thank him for the friendships that have developed.