FloodZone

Favorite Things About Being Daddy...

2011-11-19T22:33:00.001-05:00

Great big hugs and snuggles first thing in the morning
Hearing my sweet girls voice as she begins to have conversations with us
Sweetest words ever: "I love you, daddy!"
Having my daughters fall asleep in my arms on the couch (best sleep ever!)
Looking forward to favorite routines like watching Caillou together right before bedtime.
"Outside play, Daddy"
Watching Nadia reach her hand up for mine as we walk down our mountainous driveway...
continuing to hold her hand as we walk down the street.
Watching my children learn...
Hearing things repeated we have taught (i.e. look right, look left, no cars, go!)
Excited little voice announcing my presence after being gone ("Daddy home!)
Sharing life with their awesome mommy
Watching Nadia take care of Lydia
Excitement about school craft projects
Playing catch with my two-year-old
Jumping on the pillows (pippos)
Dance parties
Tea Parties
Building palaces
Reading to Nadia
Nadia "reading" to me
Talking on the phone to Nana, Grandaddy, Jor Jor, Al, Pat, Poppa, and Seph
Nighttime cuddles
Going on walks and looking for doggies
Nadia rubbing my ear as she goes to sleep
First smiles
Hands grasping my fingers
Lydia staring into my eyes
Enjoying holidays through their eyes
Kitty kisses
Mimicking airplanes
Going to the zoo
Playing hide and seek
Making our noses honk and beep
Reading with all the voices, just like Mama did for me
Helping them enjoy the things I enjoy
Recognizing the responsibility of raising another human being (or two...!)
Watching my wife teach them far better than I can
Being surrounded by three beautiful girls!

And the list goes on...

Moms and Holidays

2011-11-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

There is one common thread among all of my favorite memories of holidays: family. As a young boy I loved going to my grandparents for Thanksgiving and Christmas while joining with 6 aunts and uncles, 6 cousins, and other relatives from my grandfathers side of the family. The boys, of which I was the youngest, would go outside and play some kind of sport whether it be basketball, baseball, football, or golf while the girls, well...I don't know what they did. These events most often took place at my grandparent's house but sometimes would be at our house or another aunt and uncle. At the center of every family get together was a large meal attributed to all the families and generally prepared by the aunts and Mema.

As we got older the cousins got married and their spouses were added to the mix and not too long after that we all started having kiddos of our own. In recent years the "whole" family has only gotten together during the moments of sadness, the passing of our matriarch "Mema", and most recently the death of my own mother. Such is life. We all grow up. We get busy with our lives and time moves on. Not to worry, we do still get together albeit not all at the same time. Just this past weekend I saw my mom's two brothers and their wives, 1 cousin, and 2 of another cousin's children. Of course we "see" each other on Facebook and do our best to keep up with all the happenings.

As I think about all these things and the holiday season coming up I am painfully reminded of a huge hole in my heart and a big difference that will be felt this year. You see, this is a year of firsts. From now to next July each event will labeled as the first _______ since mama died. I always looked forward to pulling up to the house and walking through the front door, finding my mom usually in the kitchen, and giving her a big hug as she pulled herself away from whatever the next meal or project was. I will always remember the way she played with my Nadia. I was looking forward to watching her continue to do so as she would spoil my children as all good grandparents are supposed to do. (I had another grandparent explain to me the other day that it was in the fine print of the grandparent contract!) One of the things that brought me the most grief at her passing was that my children would not know their Gamma. I am pleased to say that at least for now Nadia will still name her in our family picture at my and Becca's wedding.

Mama made the holidays special. Whether it was decorating the tree with her as a kid, or all the special treats she made for the family get togethers, or the way she hid our Christmas presents from herself so well that we may not get them until Easter! There is no way that we will be able to fill that void this holiday season or ever. But, I know this: we will make every effort to keep her memory alive through the telling of stories, the keeping up of traditions, and the attempting to make her recipes (which I know is a challenge as following a written recipe to a "T" will not produce the nuanced meals that she actually made, just ask the key lime pie that brought me to tears because it just wasn't the same).

We all miss you, Mama! Dance, jump, and sing, and say, "hey" to Jesus for me.

A Hope to Dream

2011-05-06T11:47:00.000-04:00

I have recently been made aware of a program created by Ashley Furniture HomeStore called "A Hope to Dream." They would like to donate a twin bed to a child in need. "Not all nominated children will receive a bed, but no children will have the opportunity to receive their own bed unless they are nominated" (Michael Herman, from Ashley in an email requesting nominations).

There are a lot of good programs out there that we can support. A lot of them require a little money as well. This one does not! All you need to do is visit A Hope To Dream and fill out the nomination form. What a great way to share the love of Christ and take care of the little ones in our midst.

Heading Home!

2011-05-01T18:28:00.002-04:00

We are sitting in the airport in Santiago after our first leg of the flight home. We left The Cliffs Preserve this morning around 11:00 and headed to Los Muermos for David and Rebecca to pick up their pick-up and lead us to the airport. We also had to say good-bye to Michelle. She was a great addition to our team this week. As we drove away from the Bed and Breakfast in Los Muermos we passed her walking down the street as she was heading back to her host home. After we got checked in to the LAN flight to Santiago we had one final get together with David and REbecca where they thanked us for our work this week. Dr. Pruett and the team had also written them a thank you note. We certainly appreciate their hospitality this week and all the hard work they put in before we arrived. It is obvious that they are loved and that they have made a tremendous impact while they have been in country. I know they will be missed when they leave, but perhaps not as much as they will miss being in Chile. As one final gift to us Rebecca followed my departure prayer with a beautiful rendition of "May the Road Rise up to Meet You."

It's almost time to board the plane. And this will be the final blog from our trip in Chile. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers! It has been a blast to getting to know the dentists and meeting the people of Chile.

Dental day 4- Andy in Los Piques y la escuela de Los Muermos

2011-04-28T23:47:00.002-04:00

Before we begin let’s go back to last night. Thank you David Hughes for arranging to have a locale Chilean folklore group come and share with us. They came in full costume and danced and sang for us. They even got us up to dance with them.

What a great day! Today I loaded up the bus and headed out with Dr. Michael Pruett and Dr. Ben Lyons alongside our translator Christian and we headed out to Los Piques. We had a short day as we were all needing to be back to Los Muermos by 5:00 for a special presentation with the Mayor of Los Muermos and the director of the clinic alongside all our translators/dental students. We also had to say good-bye to Dr. Trotter this morning. He was flying home early so he needed to leave for the airport by 12:00. His chair had the potential for being one of the busiest so we decided that the Los Piques crew would head back to Los Muermos around lunch. Even so we were still able let Foundation intern Michelle Nance pull two teeth and I got two more as well. So, all told for the week for the assistance in order of numbers of teeth pulled 1^st: Rebecca Hughes, 5 2^nd; Andy Jones, 3 3^rd: Michelle Nance, 2. Pretty cool!

After we got back to town I was also able to walk to the school where Dr. Adrienne Wimbrow was assisted by Elizabeth. This completed my circuit and allowed me to visit all of the sites where we had dentists throughout the week. The mobile unit you see is stationed behind the school and Elizabeth sees the students there on a regular basis. This school is also in partnership with The Cliffs Preserve and the conservation foundation. They have installed healthy snack stations in several schools including the one in Los Muermos.

We had a great presentation with the Mayor of Los Muermos, Leo, the director of the consortorio in Los Muermos, and all of our translators. I was able to combine our pictures to show each of them the work that had been done throughout the week. The mayor expressed his words of thanks to us. Leo gave each of the dentists a beautiful piece of wall art made from a local tree here in Chile. Then, David shared a word of thanks to those two gentlemen for allowing us into their community this week. We were able to present to each of them one of the new drawings of our soon to be completed building with the invitation to come and be with us and the inclusion into our family.

After we finished the presentation we loaded up the vans and headed to The Cliffs Preserve. Our stay here is a gift from the foundation to us. And what a treat it is. Many in our group, including myself, are seeing the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Even though the water is cold I will have to go and put my toes in while I am here. We have truly had a wonderful experience. I hope that we have made an impact on the community. Our prayers will be with Pastor Boris and the Iglesia Bautista in Puerta Varas as they continue to expand their reach of ministry into the Los Muermos region.

In like a lion, out like a lamb.

2011-04-27T18:41:00.003-04:00

Today started out on a bad note as it was raining quite a bit as we made our way to breakfast and then on to the clinic. The rain lasted only an hour or so here in Los Muermos proper, but apparently it rained most of the day in some of the other places. We got to see a lot of blue sky today. By the end of the day we could see the tops of two volcanoes. They are a lot taller than I thought given the little bit we were able to see yesterday morning.

I stayed in Los Muermos and worked with Dr. Bill Trotter today. Here in the town of Los Muermos we have a mobile clinic that has two chairs. Dr. Trotter was doing extractions all day. In the other chair Dr. Sharla Bush was doing some fillings and a lot of root canals. Most of the day we had people lined up outside the truck for work to be done. It was great to have people waiting on us rather than the other way around so we were able to maximize our time.

Because of the set up in the mobile unit and the need for two translators Dr. Andrew Currie was helping to translate and write prescriptions for Dr. Trotter and Dr. Bush. He did a great job sharing the translating responsibilities with Diego. That left a place for me to assist Dr. Trotter. I was able to man the suction and get each extraction kit ready for use. It was a great day. I felt like I was really being useful and not just in the way. After lunch I even got to pull a tooth. Then, I really felt like part of the team. It was a great day!

Just before lunch time David Hughes stopped by and he had with him Pastor Boris from Puerta Varas and Jerry Bowling, missionary from Santiago. We were able to talk about the possibilities of partnerships between First Baptist Augusta and the Iglesia Bautista de Puerta Varas. We had a great conversation and I look forward to the possibilities even after the Hughes’ leave in July.

We took a walk through the town after we were finished with dentistry. There were several shops and several restaurants that we saw. One of the little restaurants was called Moe’s! How cool is that? However, it was certainly not the same. It was actually the Moe from The Simpsons. There was also a man on the street selling all kinds of sea creatures (snails, mollusks, and some kind of squishy ink thing) out of a wheel barrow. We have seen all kinds of things here.

Dr. Pruett and Dr. Lyons were once again treated to lunch at their clinic. I will be heading out there tomorrow for some pictures with them. Tomorrow we will be bringing our dental work to a close. We will also have a special presentation with the mayor, the local dentist, the director of the clinic, all of our translators, and all of our team. I will prepare a slideshow to show pictures from all of the clinics and our work here in the area.

2011-04-26T20:15:00.001-04:00

Day 4- Estequilla

2011-04-26T17:51:00.002-04:00

Tuesday April 26, 2011

This morning at breakfast we were treating to a nice surprise by our creator. We had heard that we would be able to see the volcanoes from the bed and breakfast we are staying in. So far we have not been so lucky. But, today as we were sitting down to breakfast I went to the window that more or less overlooks the town and could see the volcanoes below the cloud cover. I made this announcement and several of us ran for our cameras. It was really cool. I hope we will be able to see them in all their glory before the week is over.

Today I went to Estequilla with Dr. Andrew Hamilton and Dr. Misha Ghazarian. Our translator was Carla. She did a really good job. I have a picture of the American dentists outside of the clinic and a picture of all three of them inside the mobile van. Carla is a dental student here in Chile so not only was she able to help us with translating in Spanish but she knows the dental terminology as well. She may be able to do some dental work before the end of the week with one of the attendings assisting her.

Estequilla is only about 5 minutes from the cost of Chile although we wouldn’t have known this if David hadn’t told us. After we finished work today we asked our driver if we could go to the coast and he gladly agreed. It was gorgeous. I have never been to the coast where there was no beach only cliffs and rocks. That is what it is like in most of Chile. And the wind was whipping as well. It was cold. David Hughes says that he has been in the water in the middle of the summer and he had to where a wetsuit. So you can imagine what it would feel like now as we are approaching Winter here in the Southern Hemisphere.

But, in spite of that everything is very green. This is due to the 56” of rain this region gets per year. As a matter of fact today was the first day that I have seen significant blue sky since we have been here. Perhaps this was due to being so close to the coast. As we made the hour-drive back to Los Muermos the cloud cover returned and it looked as if we might be in for a good rain shower tonight. We’ll see.

The week is going well. We are hearing good reports from all sites. One pair of dentists was treated to lunch by one of the patients. She brought them a meal prepared from items on her farm (fresh chicken, zucchini, carrots, etc.). Then, this same team who had just treated the principal of the nearby school took them to see the school and gave them a tour. What a neat point of connection for these dentists!

First day in the clinics of Los Muermos et. al.

2011-04-25T20:27:00.001-04:00

April 25, 2011

Today the dentists spread out around Los Muermos, Los Piques, Estequilla, and Cumbres Altes. For all teams there was a slow start to the day which is to be expected at the beginning of any mission trip. My plan is to go with a different set of dentists each day to be able to share pictures of everyone in the group as well as all the different areas. Today, I accompanied Drs. Brooke Loftis and Beth Rainwater. Our translator for the day was Rebecca Murchison Hughes. All three of these ladies did a fabulous job. The dentists are picking up and using new Spanish phrases as they relate to their patients. Rebecca was wonderful in her role as translator. I was able to assist by keeping a log of all the patients seen including what procedures were done.

We had multiple extractions and multiple cavities to be filled. We had slight problems with some of the equipment, specifically the generators which slowed down progress. I believe most of the kinks have been worked out with all groups and our speed and production will only increase. I await the reports from the other teams.

As I reflect on the day I know that dentistry is certainly not a field in which I am called. Dr. Loftis was in the middle of doing an extraction and Rebecca and I were struggling even to watch. Her nurturing side was coming out as she was feeling bad for the patient. Afterward we were mentioning our thoughts and she said something which I feel all dentists must feel at some level. “I have to think about the fact that once I do the procedure the patient will feel much better and will not be in pain.”

The plan for tomorrow is that the attendings, Dr. Bill Trotter, Dr. Andrew Hamilton, Dr. Mike Pruett, and Dr. Brooke Loftis will return to the same places they served today and the residents will rotate to serve with a different one. That way we will be able to maintain some sense of consistency in the clinics while allowing the residents multiple opportunities. The transportation situation in the morning will determine where I go.

Preparations in Los Muermos

2011-04-24T21:49:00.001-04:00

April 24, 2011

Rebecca and David met us at the hotel this morning at 10:00. I rode with Rebecca on to the church and David walked over with the team a little later. I finished my devotion last night around 2:00AM. I emailed Rebecca and Dave so they could print it out for me. I met Pastor Boris briefly before the service but not to gain any detail about the service. He confirmed through Rebecca that I would help administer the Lord’s Supper. I was never sure when I was going to be called on to share my devotion but I was ready. One of the lay people helped to lead the beginning of the service while Pastor Boris was leading the singing from the keyboard. Rebecca was singing in the band during the morning service. Eventually, I was called on to come forward. At first, I wasn’t sure if they were calling on me to recognize me or to come speak. Eventually, the translator came through and said that I would be sharing a little bit from the word. Then, I knew I was on.

I had read over the message briefly from my seat because I wasn’t sure what it may have been since I finished so late. I think it turned out pretty good. I wish I was more able to preach extemporaneously, but that is very difficult to do through an interpreter. The service lasted from 10:30 until 1:00. It didn’t seem like it was that long. There was great variety within the service. At one point the children came up and did a piece. I got some video of that. Pastor Boris used a lot of different scripture in his message. Fortunately for us they had a PowerPoint going so we could read the references and find the English translation. They have been studying through Philippians. Today, we heard chapter 2 verses 5-11, the attitude of Christ.

At the end of the service the men’s group came up to sing. Rebecca wasn’t sure how good they were going to be, but actually I thought it was very good. Pastor Boris was a part of that group as well. He has a really good voice. We got a picture with him out in front of the church. He will be coming to Los Muermos on Wednesday to meet with Jerry Bowling, Pastor Ivan, and myself to talk about future partnership and how we will move forward from this point.

For lunch we went to another great restaurant. I can see why PV would be a great vacation spot. Most of us had fish at the recommendation of the Hughes’. I had Congrio which is eel. It was a great whitefish that did not taste fishy at all. We are now travelling to Puerto Montt. This afternoon we will meet with Leo and make preparations for the team. Decisions will be made as to who is going to be staying at the clinic and who will be travelling to the villages. Each group is going to have a translator with them who is also a dental student. We hope this will be a great experience for these students. It will also be good for our team as they will know some of the dental terminology as well.

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Upon arrival to Puerto Montt we took a tour of the clinic and one of the mobile dental units. Pictures were good, but it is much better to see the places in person. The dentists were able to ask questions of the local dentist (Alex) and the manager of the local clinic (Leo). After taking a look at each of the chairs here in Los Muermos we were able to unpack our supply bags and repack the supplies into the teams that will be spread out. There will be three chairs here in Los Muermos and three elsewhere in the surrounding villages. We are eager to get started with our work tomorrow.

April 23- Day to relax and get out bearings

2011-04-23T23:34:00.002-04:00

Today we were shown around the lake town of Puerta Varas by our in country trip planners David and Rebecca Hughes. Tomorrow we will attend Easter service at the local Baptist church here in PV. Andy Jones, Minister of Mission and Faith Development at FBC Augusta will assist Pastor Boris in the administration of the Lord's Supper. We have been told that this service will last from 10:30 to 1:00. This was explained as a mini-fast during the day to enhance the religious experience. The Pastor and church have a pretty good idea for how the service will flow, but there is enough flexibility to allow for improvisation and the movement of the Holy Spirit. I have also been asked to share a brief, 10 min. or so devotion as a part of the service. I will be meeting Pastor Boris in the morning to find out more about what he wants me to do and when.

Sunday afternoon we will leave for Los Muermos where we will check equipment and prepare for the work of the week. The dentists have very much appreciated the graciousness of our hosts and hotel here in PV but, we are all anxious to be in Los Muermos to begin the work of seeing patients and using the gifts and skills that God has given us. Details and pictures of preparation will come tomorrow.

Dental team arrives in Chile!

2011-04-22T21:45:00.002-04:00

April 21-22, 2011

We got away from Augusta on time with not too much incident. Bill Trotter arrived at the airport without his passport and had to return to Evans and back in about half an hour. He made it back and they held the plane. We still got away without delay. Upon arriving in Atlanta we met up with Drs. Pruett and Hamilton. We had supper (or so I thought) at Chick-Fil-A. The six of us that were together then went to the Sky Club lounge to wait for our flight. For the 9 hour flight from Atlanta to Santiago, Chile I was in the Business class. What a way to fly! The flight attendants totally take care of you and the seats are fantastic. See the leg room in the picture! We were given menus for supper and treated to a three course dinner and dessert! Now, I have seen how the other half lives!

We arrived in Santiago and waited in line to pay our reciprocity fee, then waited in line to go through immigration to collect our passport stamps, then went to baggage claim to get our bags before going through customs. I was the lucky one that got stopped on the way through. The dental equipment wasn’t the problem. It was all the glasses that had been packed in my bag. After using my very limited Spanish with three even more limited English speakers I and my bags were released. The rest of the team had gone on up to the third floor. Once I figured that out I headed up as well. Jerry Bowling was standing with them and introductions had already been made. I quickly removed the proclaimers and the C PAP machine to give to him before re-checking my bag on the LAN Chile flight. At first, there was question as to the weight of my bag, which I am still unsure if it was overweight after removing the above items. Once she realized I had only gotten to Chile this morning by plane it was no problem to send the bags through as a continuation. I, however, still had to wait at the desk although I wasn’t sure why. It turns out she was not able to tell me the gate we would be going to 4 or so hours later because it was too early. That was all. No issues beyond that.

After rechecking our bags we all headed over to Dunkin’ Donuts for a snack which allowed Jerry and I some time to chat about future partnerships in Chile. I was able to snap pictures with him and the C PAP machine and the Proclaimer. Jerry is planning to come to Los Muermos on Tuesday or Wednesday to talk with David and Boris about what the future holds once the Hughes leave in July.

Now, we are waiting to board the LAN flight in about half an hour to make our way down to Puerto Montt and PV. I think we all would really like a shower and a nap. Hopefully, I will find some time to work on a devotional message for Sunday. The butterfly idea, resurrection, and new creation seems to be a great theme.

Can I still be a "Lifer"?

2011-01-24T22:02:00.004-05:00

So, I good friend of mine remarked the other day upon hearing of my new position, "I thought he was a lifer" referring to a career in Student Ministry. I always thought I would be. If you had asked me two years ago if I could see myself doing something other than Student Ministry I would have given you a resounding and heartfelt "NO!" I understood my calling as one to love students and help them develop a love relationship with our Lord. And I still do. My call has simply expanded. When the opportunity for this new position came up, however, I knew that the Lord was in it. Some difficult discussions were needed and a time of waiting was inadvertently established. Throughout those trials (and they were) my wife and I wrestled with this new calling. I realized that God had been preparing me for this moment all along. What a joy these last few months have been as I dove right in to the new responsibilities. Thank you to FBC for challenging me with these new responsibilities. I pray that you will grow with me as we expand this two-fold ministry before us. We will strengthen what is already in place and we will also embark upon new endeavors. I offer this one word of advice, "Hang on, it's gonna be a wild ride!"

What a difference a year makes!

2011-01-24T21:54:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it has actually been a whole year since my last post. I guess one of my New Year's Resolutions ought to be to blog more consistently. Maybe I will. As some of you know I have transitioned in the last few months out of Student Ministry and into another passion of mine, Missions. My title is actually Minister of Missions and Faith Development. I like the charge I was given by my pastor to help our church recognize these two aspects not as a dichotomy, but as two sides of that same coin. As we develop our faith this leads to a desire to serve others at home and abroad (Missions) which in turn helps us to develop and deepen our faith. You can't have one without the other. Thanks to James for a great discussion on the relationship between faith and works. Pray with me as I charge ahead into this new calling of God.

2010-01-26T20:38:00.003-05:00

Coming on Feb. 4th at 6:30 FBC Augusta, GA will be hosting a Benefit event for Compassion International's disaster relief fund. 100% of all monies received from the event will be donated to Compassion. Ventriloquist Taylor Mason will delight the audience with his unique blend of comedy, music, puppets, and more. We will also hear from Donnie and Cindy Rogers, former missionaries to Haiti who were there when the earthquake hit. Fraendy Clervaud of WJBF News Channel 6 will interview the Rogers live. If you are able you will not want to miss this event. Doors open at 6:00 and the event begins at 6:30. Tickets are $5 and are available at the church office and at the door. A love offering will be taken.

Circle of Life

2009-10-14T10:23:00.007-04:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about the Circle of Life. Becca and I are eagerly anticipating the arrival of our little girl, Nadia Janelle Madison Jones. It has been a long process as many adoptions are to get to this point. We are so thankful for loving birthparents and a supportive church that will allow both of us to be home with our baby girl for the important early bonding. There is so much joy surrounding the birth of this baby. Becca and I move freely from unbridled excitement and giddiness to outright fear that we will be incapable parents. We ask ourselves almost daily, "What is she going to look like? Will she have curly hair or straight? Blonde hair or dark? What color will her eyes be? Will she like to cuddle? What will her personality be like? Will she like balls or dolls...or both? Will she like to be held? Can we do this? Are we really ready to be parents?" We find ourselves on pins and needles and jumping every time the phone rings or we hear "You've got mail!" Our bags are packed and we are ready to go. The car is loaded and the house is clean. All we need now is to get THE phone call.
But, in the midst of all the excitement of preparing for a new life we also experience the grief of loss. Earlier this week Becca's "Gran" passed away. Recently, we had the privilege of celebrating her 92nd birthday at the Cracker Barrell! In Gran's last days she had a beautiful blanket made for Nadia. We got to see her one last time on Sunday and in a very sweet moment she took Becca's hands and voiced a wonderful prayer for Nadia's arrival and that she would grow strong and have a great and bountiful life. Every time someone new would walk in to her room she would ask, "Is Nadia here yet?" Not that she would get to see her but, it was as if Gran was waiting for her arrival. Gran had lived a wonderful long life. She was tired and ready to see Jesus and Pappy. Right to the very end Gran was calling the shots. Her daughters and other family members were around this week, but she waited until she was alone to breathe her last. To the very end she was protecting her girls. Gran you are a special woman and you will be missed by all.
At Deacon's meeting this week Beth Mobley, who has recently lost her mother said, "Death is just as much a part of life as birth." How true that is. We will cherish the early moments that we have with our precious Nadia just as we cherish the last moments we had with Gran. My prayer for you and for us is that we will also cherish all the moments in between.

March Mission Madness

2009-04-20T11:31:00.006-04:00

I apologize for the delay in getting these pictures posted. You can also go to http://www.marchmissionmadness.org/ to find a whole lot more! As you can see we enjoyed a tour around Athens as well as work and fellowship.

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-03-24T22:16:00.002-04:00

How does Jamal answer the final question correctly?...

I don't want to give anything away in regards to this movie. I will say that this movie fits well with what we have been talking about all year. Slumdog is rated "R." I would say the rating is for slight language, violence, and suggestive themes. Becca, Greg, Zihna, and I went to see this movie together. All of us agree that it is very well done. It is definitely not a "feel-good" movie. You don't walk out with a warm fuzzy feeling. During the movie you are lead into the slums of Mumbai by two brothers and an unlikely female companion. The story follows their life from a very young age through the pitfalls of slum life. At times it is difficult to watch what these children have to live through. The movie is based on the book "Q&A" by Vikas Swarup.

The question remains, what do we do now? I wonder what the producers of the movie will do about the situations they filmed. Will proceeds from the movie go to lift some of these children and families out of poverty, slavery, and the sex trade? As we can only control our own actions perhaps a better question would be what are we going to do now as a result of our study this year and having seen this movie? This Fall our church will enter a stewardship campaign focused on Justice and Faith and how the two are intertwined. It has been asked why are we focusing so much on social justice issues (presumably at the expense of the "Jesus stuff"). My simple answer to that question is social justice is the Jesus stuff! The longer answer would fill more pages than I care to here, but it would involve the many scriptures from the Prophets, Psalms, the Gospels, and the Book of James that point us in the direction of taking care of those that God cares about, the brokenhearted, the orphans, and the widows, etc.

Join us this Wednesday night as we begin the process of sponsoring children through Compassion International. Flood Begins at 6:00 with a snack supper and 6:30 for the worship experience. Pressing on! Andy

Kudos to FBC Decatur

2009-02-28T22:51:00.003-05:00

In the most recent copy of Baptist Today (March 2009) there is an article written about FBC Decatur, GA. As you may or may not know in August 2007 the church called a new pastor. The church called the pastor they genuinely believed to be God's choice for them. After prayerful consideration the search committee led the church to a choice that was even surprising to the committee, the candidate happened to be a woman. From what I have heard the committee even hid the names and pictures so as not to be biased in any way throughout the process. They did not go in search of a woman, but were obviously open to calling her as pastor. Ask any member of Decatur First and I'm sure they will tell you what a wonderful addition she is to the staff, the church, and the community. In November 2008 the GBC passed a motion not to accept mission funds from churches with female pastors and to prohibit those churches from having representation in the convention. This was clearly in response to FBC Decatur's calling of Julie Pennington-Russell, although they will never say that. On Jan. 7 of this year Executive Director Robert White, the GBC Church-Ministers Relations director Danny Watters, and the editor of the Christian Index visited Pennington-Russell with the news that some individuals within the convention were requesting a "withdrawal of fellowship" from FBC Decatur. The paragraphs that follow are the pastor's recounting of that meeting and some of her response to her congregation.

She told church members that the GBC representatives explained that a formal "withdrawal of fellowship" would mean that the church could not recieve materials or services from the GBC such as training in VBS, Sunday School, or Evangelism.
"Not Sure I'd heard correctly, I pressed a little. Do you mean that if I called you up one day and said--'The Spirit is doing something amazing at First Baptist Decatur! Waves of men, women, and teenagers are responding to God and are being baptized and we could use some additional help in giving them a good foundation. Could you send a team over to meet with our folks?'--Are you telling me that the GBC wouldn't want to help us with that?"
White said he would be willing to help "personally" in such a situation, but not as an official representative of the GBC.

Then from her article she encourages her congregation against "missing the point."

'[Denominationalism] is largely missing the point. The denominational leaders in my office that day love people and care deeply about the gospel--I'm certain about that. But the sad reality is, most denominational organizations are stuck in bureaucratic systems that have forgotten why they exist in the first place.' She said the congregation must be on guard against "missing the point" as well. 'May God save us from the deadly notion that this church exists to provide goods and services for eligible "members." We exist to follow Jesus into gospel adventures of all kinds in collaboration with all God's people, whatever their denominational preferences or doctrinal stances.'

Just as Pennington-Russell encourages her congregation let me encourage ours not to "miss the point." As Christians and as FBC Augusta we should plan ministries with all integrity for the benefit of our community and especially those that are not within our fellowship. It is by focusing outward that our community will know that we are people of faith that will accept them where they are, as they are, but like our Lord Jesus Christ will love them to much to leave them there. Gone are the days of the Country Club, "serve me" mentality. Let us continue to be a church on mission and with a mission to "Love the Lord our God and share his love with our community and world."
Thanks to John Pierce and his article in Baptist Today (March 2009, p. 12)

Newspaper in one hand...

2009-02-20T14:26:00.005-05:00

I have not always been an avid reader. There have been times is my life that the last thing I wanted to do was pick up a book and read. On the flipside there have also been times when I wouldn’t be seen without a book in my hand. I have written a couple of times about listening to books on CD in the car or Becca reading to me as we drove over the Christmas holidays. Recently, Becca purchased subscriptions for me to both Time and Sports Illustrated. I am enjoying both of them very much. Of course, I will enjoy SI much more when College Football rolls around.
There is a saying that goes around ministerial circles that is attributed to Karl Barth (pronounced Bart), “preachers should approach the world with the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other.” What does that mean to you? This year we have been looking at the problems around the globe (newspaper) and determining what to do in light of them by looking at what the Bible says. My current “newspaper” is Time magazine. What’s yours? How are you staying connected with the world? In light of the scriptures what are you doing to make an impact on this world?

Souper Bowl of Caring

2009-01-30T14:31:00.003-05:00

"Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat." --Brad Smith

With that simple prayer a movement was started right in our own backyard. Twenty years ago at Spring Valley Presbyterian Church the youth group caught a vision. Since then over $50 million has been donated to soup kitchens, food banks, and other charities all across the country. Many churches also participate in a one day service blitz on the Saturday of the big game. Maybe next year we will get in on that action as well. This Sunday we will have students posted at the doors as you leave the Sanctuary or gym with soup pots. Please give generously as 100% of the donations collected will go to the Master's Table Soup kitchen here in Augusta. The beauty of the Souper Bowl is that none of the donations leave the local area. Your money goes to help your community. No matter which team you are pulling for we can all be on the same team Sunday morning! Don't forget the Super Bowl Party at 5:00!

Quick History Lesson

2009-01-23T09:20:00.003-05:00

One of the things I love about the Old Testament and the Jewish traditions and festivals is the rich history that is told and retold. Many of the stories in the early part of the Old Testament are much older than the writings themselves. The stories were passed down orally for generations before they were ever written down. The people were commanded to share the stories with their children when they rise, when they lie down, at meal times, during special festivals and feasts, and at other sacred times of the year. Even the festivals had special meaning and marked significant events in the life of Israel. For Example, Passover is a festival to remind the people how God passed over the Israelites as he smote (great word, huh?) the first-born of the Egyptians. As Christians we also recognize Jesus as the Passover lamb. For just as God "passed over" the homes of the Israelites God also "passed over" us as Jesus sacrificed his very life on the cross for us. And the festival that we have looked at recently, the Feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of Booths, was meant to be a marker and a reminder that Yahweh provides. While the people were wandering in the wilderness they were provided with all that they needed. Got sent manna and quail, "their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet become swollen." (Neh. 9:21) The people constructed booths and lived in them for the duration of the eight day festival as a reminder that God had provided even when it seemed they had nothing to call their own. There are markers and reminders too numerous to name here. There are also spots in scripture that that tell us a lot about the history of Israel in just a small space. Nehemiah chapter 9 is one such place. Here we read a prayer that is intended as a reminder for the people of what God has done and why they are to fear (read "respect") and worship God. For us this also serves as a brief lesson of the history of Israel. Praise God for these reminders. I for one am glad they show up in random places. Aren't those the reminders that we really need anyway; those that come when we least expect them? Don't forget your Bibles on Wednesday!

Disciple Now 09

2009-01-20T16:14:00.003-05:00

Dnow registration forms are due tomorrow night. Bring them to Flood or bring them by the office. Please bring registration form, medical release form, and your cash or check made out to FBC Augusta, memo: Dnow. The dates are Feb 6-8.

Snow in Augusta!

2009-01-20T15:33:00.004-05:00

After taking these pictures I wish I had gone out with my camera sooner! Earlier today it was snowing much harder than what is pictured here. Obviously, nothing stuck to the ground where we are but it was certainly pretty to look at. Right outside my office window is the preschool playground. It was quite a joy this morning to see the children playing in the falling snow. I bet some of them had never seen snow before. Although it was cold they were all having a wonderful time. Do you remember your first snowfall? Do you remember your favorite snowfall? I don't remember my first snowfall, but I do remember my favorite. I was in elementary school. To the best of my knowledge it may have been the only time we had for real snow in Athens while I lived there. We had sleet several times but rarely actual snow. This time we had a good three or four inches. My sister and I went down the street and joined in a neighborhood snowball fight with people who were merely acquaintences. There is something about the snow that can knock down barriers. We had the best time getting soaking wet and cold. After the fight we rolled a snowman up in our yard. I only wish I had raked the yard before the snow fell! We had a pretty trashy looking snowman with all the leaves and pine straw. Leave a comment with your favorite snow story and let's relive childhood together!

That's one long sermon!

2009-01-16T10:01:00.005-05:00

How many times have you found yourself on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night for that matter looking at your watch and praying just this once that the minute hand would move a little, okay a lot faster? Don't be ashamed; we've all done it. In preparation for next Wednesday's message I was reading through Nehemiah 5-8. In these chapters we read about the completion of the wall and the gathering of the people back to Jerusalem after the exile. As a part of this gathering Nehemiah had Ezra bring the Book of the Law to be read to the people. He did this so the people who had been scattered about for generations would be reminded of their heritage and the laws that they are to follow. Chapter 8 of Nehemiah tells us that Ezra read from the Book of the Law from daybreak until noon. And what is more? The people were standing the whole time out of reverence for the Law! Not only did they listen to the Law being read for 5 or 6 hours while they were standing, but they were convicted. We continue reading in Nehemiah that Nehemiah, Ezra, and Levites who were teaching the people from the Law and interpreting what it meant had to chide the people not to weep and mourn. They reminded them that this was a great day in the Lord, "Be Still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve."

Then, the next day they came back and did it all over again. But, this time they read about the festival of booths. The people went and gathered branches with which to make their booths. They proclaimed among the hillsides that they were celebrating a festival in Jerusalem. During the festival the people of Jerusalem lived in their booths as a reminder of the 40 years that Israel spent in the desert with Moses. They festival lasted for eight days. For every one of those days the people gathered to hear from the Book of the Law. This is an example of a people being rejuvinated for the Lord. Since the time of Joshua son of Nun (Moses successor) the festival had not been celebrated like this. The people are glad to be back in the homeland and able to celebrate the festival the way it was intended. That's one long sermon that turned into one great revival!

I pray that as these uncertain economic times have befallen us we may turn back to the Book just like the people of Jerusalem did. May we read the word with fresh eyes. This is our time to realize some of the things that we have neglected. Let us not circle the wagons and take care of our own. Rather let us be reminded that we are to be the Light in this dark world. May we recognize those who are hurting around us. As Allen Walworth reminded us, now is the time for the church to "be about my Father's business." It is during these times that we, God's people, should be reminded of God's provision for us, be reminded that all we have is not our own, and be reminded that we should hold loosely those things we have always being ready to let it go as God sees fit. May this word challenge your heart as we seek together to Do Hard Things...

Do Hard Things...

2009-01-08T22:37:00.004-05:00

So, another trip to Nashville provides ample opportunity to read in the car. No, I don't read while I drive. I usually let my wife read to me while I drive. That has become our practice over the last few months. And this trip was no different. On the way to Nashville we read a great little book written by a friend of ours, Randy Winton, called "My Daddy's Shoes." It is an inspirational book about being present and available to your children. It also emphasizes the importance of being a model of godly living for your children. I can only imagine that one of my hard things will be living up to the image of father that my children will want me to be. But, that is a topic for another time... After spending the week at a Children's Pastors' Conference we came home today and I gave Becca a break. While she rested most of the way home I listened to an audio book that I had purchased earlier in the week. This book was written by two 19- year old twin brothers. It is called Do Hard Things. Alex and Brett Harris are crying out against the low expectations that the world has for teenagers today. The basic premise is that for too long adolescents and kidults have done just enough to skate by because that is all they were expected to do. The challenge is for teens to become rebelutionaries, that is to be ones who rebel against the rebellion that is so often associated with the years 13-19 (perhaps now up to the mid- to late 20s). The brothers list example after example of opportunities that they and many others have had to show the adults around them that they are tired of living in a low expectation world. I was encouraged to know that there are many teenagers in our country and around the world that not only want to make a difference, but expect to do so. I have said this before and would like to take this opportunity to say it again here, "people will rise to the expectations that you have for them." That is why I have made the challenge that I have this year. I expect the students at First Baptist Church Augusta, GA to do something great! We have looked at many problems that our world is facing including but not limited to modern-day slavery, poverty, starvation, forced prostitution, and child mortality. In case the challenge is not clear or perhaps the problems listed this way still seem insurmountable let me echo the Harris' and say: "Do hard things!" At Flood this week we will begin studying about a young man who did just that. His name is Nehemiah and you can find his story in the good book. Let me encourage you to familiarize yourself with Nehemiah chapters 1-4 for this Wednesday. Press on!

A Word About: Responsibility

2008-09-03T09:32:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite lines out of any movie is in the first Spiderman. Uncle Ben is having a conversation with Peter Parker about his responsibilities and how it appears Peter has been ignoring some of those responsibilities. The line is, “with great power comes great responsibility.” Of course, Uncle Ben really has no idea how right on target his words are. You see unbeknownst to him Peter is beginning to reap the benefits of having been bitten by a mutant spider. Every time I hear these words I am reminded of Jesus words in his teachings found in Luke chapter 12, verse 48. "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." Some of you may be wondering why we are focusing so much in the Fall on the issues of injustice in our world. I believe we have been blessed with so much for a reason, and it’s not because God likes us more! We have been blessed so that we can bless. We have been entrusted with much so that we can in turn do some good with what we have been given. In the quote from Uncle Ben you can replace the word power with wealth or blessing or knowledge. With great blessing comes great responsibility. We have been greatly blessed. Now, it is our turn!

A Word About: Opportunity (Part 2)

2008-08-22T10:08:00.001-04:00

Last week I mentioned that there are other opportunities that come around more often. Of course, I am speaking of opportunities that we have to serve others. This fall we are learning about the plight of many people in our world. The challenge is then to figure out what we can do about it. So far we have talked about those in our world who are oppressed. I am not going to give you the answers! I hope that as a group we can figure out something that we can do. We have also talked about worldwide poverty. One organization that is working to eliminate poverty is Bread For The World. You can find out more about them at www.bread.org. Thank you, Peyton Bell, for coming to share with us about your work with the homeless in Memphis. I hope you will keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities to serve here at home. One such opportunity will be First Saturday Missions. This will begin on Sept. 6 with the continuation of a project at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center. The world needs you! Let’s start a Flood.

Parents, don't forget the parent's meeting this Sunday during the Bible Study hour!

A Word About: Opportunity (Part 1)

2008-08-22T09:40:00.001-04:00

Sorry, for the late post. This was from last week.

Opportunity is one of those things “they” say doesn’t come around that often. They may be right…in regard to some things. One of the opportunities you have is to be involved in the life and ministries of our church. It will soon be time to make nominations for committee positions for the coming year. Following discussions with our church moderator SMAC has suggested that it would be good if we had some students on several of our standing church committees. Each of these positions will be a one year assignment. The open committees are: Music, Mission Development Council, Stewardship, Greeters, Activities, and Creation Care. I will be happy to give you more details on any of these committees. Most of these committees will meet once a month or once every other month. If you are interested in serving on any of these committees please see me so that I can pass your name along to the Committee on Committees. While this opportunity only comes around once a year, there are other opportunities that show much more frequently. More on that next week…

Buchenwold and last day

2008-08-03T17:35:00.000-04:00

Here we are waiting for the movie to begin that will give us the visual history of the Buchenwald Concentration camp. I have plenty more pictures of the different areas. This is just a selection.Here is the Memorial to the Roma people and the Sintos. Each of the pillars around the edge represent one of the concentration camps where this people group was held and murdered. People have come and put smaller rocks on top of the pillars, presumably representing family members they have lost. Below are close ups of some of the pillars with dedicatory rocks placed on them.After the concentration camp we loaded back on the bus and headed the two hours back to downtown Leipzig where our students sang right outside St. Niklous Church. We even had a guest percussionist join us for some of our songs!

Patrick, Michelle, Katie, Cal, and Becca made some friends in their family groups. They found each other on the square and were given gifts by their new German friends.
Not really sure what was going on here, but Jan certainly had these guys attention! This may be my first picture of Sean. I just wanted to make sure that I got one of him on the blog. Also pictured, Ed Pollock's nose and Will Crews' (I think) hat.
And last but not least I finally got a clear picture of Samantha's "Stained'glass toes!" This was a very appropriate pain job for this trip given the churches that we visited. We have truly had a great trip! On behalf of the students I want to thank the Church for allowing us this opportunity. Our eyes were opened as we were able to meet and worship with people form all over the world. Our students' world has gotten bigger. I believe God has gotten bigger for our students. No longer is this the land across the sea. Europe, Germany, and the Czech Republic are now places that we have been. Pieces of the Holocaust are something that we have experienced first hand. Hopefully, our students and this generation will not forget that horible tragedy so that it will not happen again! On two occassions during worship we were asked to speak out loud the Lord's Prayer in our own language. So, there we are in the midst of 6,000+ people from 89 countries speaking more than 100 languages simultaneously all the while recognizing that God (Gott) understands each and every one of us perfectly. Even as a thirty year old that is pretty mind-blowing. We serve a great big God! I look forward to this year as we seek after the heart of God to figure out what we can do to "seek justice" in our world today. The theme for the conference has been Dive Deeper. We have been asked to dive deeper in our relationship with God. We have been asked to dive deeper in the way we approach our world and those around us. I have placed the bar high for our students this year. I am asking them to come up with a way that we can tackle the big problems of our world. Look out world! Here we come!

The Travel Begins!

2008-08-02T17:51:00.000-04:00

The conference will end tomorrow just before lunch. We will ride the tram back to the train station (Hauptbonhauf) and have lunch. Then, we will walk back to the hotel and load the bus. We will be heading by bus the five hours to Munich. After our last night in Munich we will head to the airport to begin our journey home. By the time we make our nine hour flight home and drive the 2 and a half hours from Charlotte I'm sure we will be pretty wiped out! I plan to blog tomorrow night and add some pictures from today as well. I'm about to run out of internet time here. Thank you for your prayers. We had a good time of sharing tonight beside a beautiful fountain in downtown Leipzig. I hope that our students will take their experiences and what we have learned and do something great with them. I am very excited about this upcoming year and our students will decide to do! Unbeknownst to me this conference goes right in line with my plans for the fall. It will be a great jumping of point. I will be sharing yesterday's (today for me) comments on the bus ride tomorrow. Have a great Sunday!
Andy

Friday-- Wittenburg and leading worship.

2008-08-01T17:33:00.000-04:00

We had a lot of activity today. We started out the day in Lutherstadt Wittenburg. We toured the castle church and Luther's church, walked by Melanchton's home, and toured Luther's home. The pictures are the organ in Luther's church, Ian and Michael in the castle church, and my tour group in front of the memorial door where Luther nailed the 95 Theses. The original door was destroyed by fire in the 1800s. :(

The next section of pictures is from the practice for the worship service tonight. I took the opportunity to get some close ups on the main stage. Michael, Alice, and Keith were on a side stage using the instrument inputs the praise band used. Notice in the picture taken from behind the group how big the room is.

Immediately following supper we met with the Ghandi School students and exchanged gifts with them. Our students purchased t-shirts for them and they had hats to exchange with us. It was a special moment. There are two pics showing the mixing of the groups. I captured Savannah in conversation trying to figure out how to say "thank you." I also got Glenn and Clista in conversation with our adults Robert and Mike.

The final group of pics are from the worship service. Some are pictures of the big screen. Again, notice the size of the screen relative to our students. It is a huge room. There are approx. 6,000 participants here from 89 countries. Lucky for us the official language of the conference is English.

Tomorrow we travel to Buchenwold (concentration camp) and then head back into Leipzig for "Leipzig Live" where our students will be singing at 4:00 PM (10:00 AM for you). I have passed on your message and your students are appreciative. Thanks for using this as a means to talk to them. We love you and we will be home soon!

The Conference has begun

2008-07-31T18:19:00.000-04:00

We are having a great time at the conference. The students really enjoyed their family groups today. We will be heading to Wittenburg in the morning. Be praying for your students today. They will be singing for the main worship service on Friday (approx. 1:30 pm your time). Hopefully, we will get some practice time on the bus on our way to and/or from Wittenburg. Wittenburg, you remember is where Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door of the church that ultimately sparked the beginning of the Reformation.

Here you will find some pictures of the conference venue and the students singing at the first Fringe concert on Wednesday night. Thank you to those of you that have left comments on the board. I have passed those on to the respective students.

This shot is after they have sung while watching the other groups.

Here are some of the groups shots of our students practicing for the Fringe concert.

This is the actual performance.

A full group shot back at the practice session.

I wanted you to see the large venue where they are singing. The area where we are standing was full of people when our group sang Wednesday night and they did a GREAT job!

This was taken at the beginning of the first worship service. This group came down the ailsle with candles lit at a portion of the programming representing those who lost their lives in the Holocaust. This was a very moving presentation. There were not many dry eyes in the place after it was done. I know mine weren't.

More pictures will come tomorrow. Sorry, I am tired! Thanks for your prayers!

Prague (Praha) Czech Republic

2008-07-29T18:16:00.000-04:00

These pictures are out of order as far as when they happened, but I started thinking that while you may want to see pictures of the buildings and where we have been after we get back, what you want to see now are pictures of your children. Sean and I are both blogging so be sure to check out plunge47.org for more pictures. Some may have captions and some not. Don't forget to leave comments and I will be sure the messages get passed on to your student(s).

This was after the climb down from the "Disney castle." It couldn't have been that bad we're all still smiles!
Walking along the streets of Prague we thought we spotted Greg, but alas, we were fooled!
While the Crews' do make an adorable picture my favorite part of this picture upon further inspection is how tired Ian looks in the background.

Partial group shot after Neuschwanstein Castle visit.
Gardner and his ridiculous hat with Amy overlooking Cheske Krimalov.
Part of the group making our from somewhere to somewhere (Sorry, that's the best I can do).

Amy and Emma at the Castle in Prague. These guys are the Czech equivalent of the British Royal Gaurd. They solemnly do their duty and well, it is no laughing matter.
Walking through Prague.

Several of us stayed in the "Attic" in Cheske Boduvice
And of course it is always fun to take a picture of someone else taking a picture!

Any special requests? I will do my best to fit them in.

A good trip so far!

2008-07-28T16:20:00.000-04:00

Our students have done a great job so far! We spent the first couple of nights in the quaint little German town of Oberammergau nestled in the German Alps. Our hotel was right across the street from the St. Peter and Paul Church so it made for an easy commute on Sunday morning. I forgot how beautiful the cathedrals and Catholic churches are over here! Even though we couldn't understand the language it was quite a worshipful experience just looking around the room at the art and symbolism! We have all noticed how picturesque everything is over here. The rolling hills, the enormous mountains, the blue sky, and of course the castles! Tonight we will staying in Cjesky Krimalov and heading to Prague tomorrow. Just about the time when we were beginning to pick up some German we are all at a total loss now! They sang in the city square this afternoon and then we enjoyed dinner on the square. Leave comments here and i will pass them on to the students or other adults. We love you! Continue praying for us!

Photos from the start

2008-07-28T15:41:00.000-04:00

Here we are getting ready to go on our journey! Thanks to all you parents who came out to say good-bye and have prayer with us!

Things got a little crazy on the bus ride to Charlotte. We made it in PLENTY of time...

Thanks to an hour and a half delay getting on the plane!

Here we are after seeting off on our loooooong

flight via Lufthansa FL 429:

But we did Finally make it to our destination: Munich airport!

And then we loaded another bus for a tour of the city of Munchen. (Spelling changes because we are in Germany now!)

At this point we are nearing the 24 hour with little to no sleep point. Dragging faces and droopy eyes are becoming the norm.

This is the beautiful St. Peter and Paul Church in which they sang in Oberammergau on Sunday morning. They did fantastic!

This is Neuschwanstein Castle on the afternoon of day two. This is the castle Walt Disney modelled Cinderella's castle after at his theme parks.

And here we are in our third country, Czech Republic (after having driven through Austria).

This one's for you, Carol!

CAMP DAYS!!! (Part 2)

2008-06-25T00:22:00.000-04:00

Several pictures of Monday recreation! Great week so far!!!

CAMP DAYS!!! (Part 1)

2008-06-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

These shots are all from Funsing on Monday morning. We always have a great time with these. There will be lots more to come on Sunday!

Something to Think About...

2008-06-19T18:12:00.001-04:00

Why were Adam and Eve banished from the Garden of Eden?
Do you think you know?
There were two trees in the Garden. They ate from one of them. But, I wonder what would have happened if they at eaten from the other one...

Check out Genesis 3:22-23!

Concert of Prayer

2008-06-19T17:47:00.000-04:00

I hope you enjoy these pictures from the concert of prayer! We had another good year as we corporately joined together to lift up our camp experiences. I was pleased to have many parents join us this year as well. It is my hope that in these last few days of preparation before camp you will continue to lift up our experience. Also, check back frequently next week as I hope to have daily updates and pictures from Youth Camp 2008!

It has been an interesting collision of two worlds for me this week. You may or may not know that we are hosting World Changers at our church this week. They are doing a phenomenal ministry in our city this week as they work to restore homes around Dyess Park. I have had the privilege of getting to know the "Hard Hats" this week. Our church's WMU, read Rena Mobley, has fixed lunch for this crew everyday and I have delivered drinks to them on their job site.

World Changers was the first place that I ever encountered a Concert of Prayer. The worship service in the middle of their week (Tuesday night) is always a Concert of Prayer. It is neat to be able to have our own while we have World Changers on our campus. One of the staffers remarked to me this afternoon that he had not ever seen it done as preparation for camp. He liked it. For those of you that participated, I hope you liked it, too!

A Word About: Preparation

2008-06-13T16:22:00.000-04:00

Some of you may not know this, but Youth Camp doesn’t just happen. There is a lot of preparation that goes into making this week very special for you. Bands and locations are booked months in advance. Many adults prepare themselves for the lessons and jobs they will be responsible for at camp. Meetings are conducted to get all of the details worked out. Perhaps the most important aspect of the planning process is what will take place this Wednesday night. Your parents will meet to get logistical questions answered and final payments paid while you lay the groundwork for your experience at Youth Camp ’08. This Wednesday night at 6:00 we will have supper and at 6:30 will have our annual Concert of Prayer. This is a great night for you to join with other campers as we corporately and individually lift up each other and our time together at camp. We will have several stations in the Loft where you can lift up different aspects of camp. Make every effort to be here this Wednesday night at 6:00.

Poolside Bible Study... and beyond!

2008-06-13T15:57:00.001-04:00

Thanks to the Howard's for having us out to swim!

What a great looking group this is!

After the pool, the party continued...

And then something about cell phones and popcorn?

VBS fun!

2008-06-11T09:03:00.000-04:00

Here are some shots of just some of the fun we have been having at VBS this year. Tuesday night was bowling! Look for more shots of a great week at church and around.

A great crowd shot, Aaron and Matthew being crazy and Clark with one of his "famous faces!"
Peter and Nate deep in concentration as they will their ball to get a strike!

Emma opts for a little hip action.

Marsha had her own style, too... and it seemed to work!

Jacob is preparing for action!

We had some friendly...

and not so friendly competition... energy drink anyone?

A Word About: Timing

2008-06-09T11:46:00.000-04:00

As many of us get ready for camp I hope to inspire all of us with a story that was sent to me this week. I’m sure you have heard about the destruction in China and Myanmar (formerly Burma) is the last month. There is an organization called Caring for China that has been on location for 25 years. I can’t say that nothing has been accomplished over that time period, but it certainly does not compare to the amount of good work that is being done now as a response to these natural disasters. I will include a link here to the letter from the president of Caring for China found on his blogsite. Pay special attention to the last paragraph: http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog/g/eb8d9715-9f29-4665-aa74-84bb6ebf137d
Sometimes we are involved in certain activities for a long time before we relly feel that we are making a difference. The challenge is to continue doing what you know is reight regardless of the outcome. “Caring for China has been in China for over 25 years, and I don’t think it is an overstatement to say that all our efforts up until now were simply preparation for such a time as this.”

Here I am!

2008-06-06T15:36:00.000-04:00

Some people take a little more prodding than others. I guess I must be one of those! After many conversations and a growing desire to have a place to blog here I am. Now, we'll see how good I am at this. Who knows what might show up on here. Check back often for updates.