Reflections of Year One

Last year on the 22nd of July my life changed forever. I became a father. I had no idea what that meant a year ago today. I still don't know completely what that means. I do know that Elijah has been such a gift of joy in my life. I love him so much and I am so proud of him! It has been a really tough year getting adjusted to having this huge responsiblity but the Lord has definitely used him to grow me and stretch my trust in Him.

I cannot believe that it has already been a year! It seems just like yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital and today he is crawling faster than a Florida lizzard. I can't wait to grab him out of the crib tomorrow and hug him and kiss him and celebrate his first year with him!

I pray for him everyday that he will come to know and trust the Lord as he grows older! Happy Birthday Elijah! We love you!

Down at Dinky Dock

While we have been here in Winter Park, FL for New Staff Training for Campus Crusade for Christ, I have had the opportunity to meet several people down at the lake that is behind our apartment. The name of the little park/beach by the lake is the Dinky Dock. It is a quaint little dock with a sandy beach under the shade of huge trees. There are lots of benches and places to rest and look out and observe God's beautiful creation. When you go early in the morning you will more than likely catch a glimpse of the playful otters gliding around in the water and poking their head up to look at you while smacking on their breakfast. It is by far our favorite place to go and take a break from all the studying we are doing with our classes her at NST.

It just so happens that Dinky Dock is also a popular place for people to come and enjoy the water and sun. During the afternoons and weekends it is quite a busy place with people loading their watercraft of choice off in to the lake. It is a prime location for meeting new people and engaging in conversation about Jesus.

So far I have met three people at the Dinky Dock, all with very different stories but ultimately all the same problem. They are spiritually dead. They don't know Jesus. In our Intro to theology class today the professor pressed the pause button on the lecture and opened his heart. He said "If we just realized how fearfully and wonderfully made each individual we come in contact with is, then we would have much more of a burning desire to share the gospel of Christ with them." With that in mind, I remember three individuals all who I had the privilege to engage in conversation with about my Savior. Their names are Jana, Maxwell, and Jim. No decisions were made to give their lives to Christ. Not yet. I am praying for them that the Holy Spirit would penetrate their heart with the truth. I am praying that I will have another opportunity to meet with them again. Two of the three I am pretty sure that I will be able to see again. So please pray for these three souls who were all created in God's image that the would come know Jesus and experience true life in Him. And remember:

that everyone that we come in contact with was fearfully and wonderfully made by our Creator.

Psalm 139:13-16

For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

Down at Dinky Dock hopefully to be continued...........

A Tribute to My Father

Today, I understand more than I ever have about what it means to be a father. I still have lots to learn, but after 11 months with my son Elijah, I have learned so much. I have learned about the sacrifice it takes to love him well, the strength it takes to provide for him, and the patience it takes to comfort him when he is cranky, sick or upset. I have also realized that I can't really do any of these things effectively without the resources that the Lord has given to me.

I have also come to realize what great appreciation and respect that I have for my father for all the things he has provided for me and how he has loved me and my brother. He has taught me many things by his example. He has taught me how to be kind and compassionate to others. He has set an example of what it means to be a hard worker and a sacrificial giver. He has the most giving heart of anyone I know.

Not many fathers would be pleased with the path that I have decided to lead my family on. We are embarking on becoming full time staff with Campus Crusade for Christ, to allow the Lord to use our lives and resources to share the life changing Gospel of Christ to those who need to hear. But my mom and dad are behind us all the way and have supported us in every way possible because they know, love and understand Jesus.

Jesus says in John 10:10

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." He knows that and my mom knows that, and my mother and father-in-law know that. We are blessed to have such great support from our parents on this venture.

So I want to thank you dad on behalf of Blake and I, (and Lindsay & Elijah and Jessica & and we think Josiah) for being an awesome dad and granddad! (Sorry there was no card in the mail :) things have been a little unusual for us the past few weeks) Thanks for all you have done for us. I respect you.

Isaiah 41:10

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Vonette Bright and the Vision of CCC

Tonight we had the honor of getting to hear directly from Vonette Bright, the late Bill Bright's wife, about how Campus Crusade for Christ began. She spent two hours telling of how the Lord gave Bill Bright the vision for the movement of Campus Crusade for Christ.

She handed out a letter that Bill had written to the Lord in 1951. If I had a scanner here in Orlando I would have scanned it and attached it to my post, but I will re-type the last paragraph.

Bill Bright wrote,

"To this end, I acknowledge my total dependence upon You knowing that in my own strength and personal efforts, I am incapable of fulfilling this contract. I rely wholly upon Your victorious, all-sufficient resurrected life, which I have received in exchange for my life of defeat, failure, and fruitlessness. I acknowledge with deep gratitude that becoming Your slave does not alter my position with You as described in the following Scriptures that "I am a son of God," "an heir of God," "a joint heir with You," and that "I am presently seated with you in the heavenlies" in a place of authority and power and with You, reaching out in intercession to the multitudes of earth, who walk in darkness, longing for light."

Wow! Did he ever get it! :) This man experienced the life that only Christ can give.

1 Corinthians 2:9

But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

New Beginning

So we finally made it to our New Staff Training with Campus Crusade for Christ! The last few weeks have been trying to say the least. Thank you so much for all of your prayers. We have been so blessed by the outpouring of support from friends and family. The Lord has been so incredibly faithful to us and we are looking forward to what He is going to do in our lives.

We left Knoxville on Saturday around noon to begin our trek to Winter Park Florida for our training. Saturday night we stopped by my brother and sister-in-laws house in Broxton, Georgia. They are expecting their first baby in November. Sunday night we stayed the night in Jacksonville, FL with one of Lindsay's childhood friends Jessica and her husband Steve. They live just a few blocks from the beach. So we were able to take Elijah to the beach for the first time. He didn't exactly enjoy the cold Atlantic water on his feet but he enjoyed the view!

Monday morning we packed up for the last few hours of travel to Winter Park, FL. We got settled into our one bedroom apartment, took an unavoidable trip to Walmart, and went to bed to get some much needed rest.

Tuesday we went through our registration process and received a massive stack of books and notes for our classes that begin in a few days. Welcome back to college! :)

Today we had the privilege to hear Steve Douglass, the president of Campus Crusade for Christ speak. He laid out the vision of the ministry of CCC and really inspired us and encouraged us in the Lord.

Thank you so much for your continued prayers. Please pray for Elijah's adjustment to our crazy training schedule and childcare. Also we are still short on our financial needs for the training so please pray that the Lord would raise that up for us to cover the entire cost of the training. Signing off for now.

Thank You!

Thanks be to God! He is our provider!

"The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord"

Psalm 33:5

As many of you know, Lindsay and I are taking a step of faith and are in the process of transitioning to be full time staff members with Campus Crusade for Christ. We are trusting Him completely for provision for us as we transition. In less than a month we will be heading off to Orlando Florida for five weeks to begin our New Staff Training. We have been in the process of sending out support letters to raise the finances needed to complete this training. This week we have received our first gifts from the Lord through His people and it has been an amazing encouragement from the body of Christ and from the Lord!

I tend to begin to wonder and worry about how things are going to work out days, weeks, and months in advance, but the Lord has softly reminded us to trust HIM in the present. He can be trusted to take care of us today and tomorrow! So I take a deep breath and remember to drink of the Living Water that Jesus gives me.

So we want to say a special thanks to those who have sacrificed so greatly to give us their time to pray for us and their money to partner with us as we prepare to reach college students with the Life Giving Gospel of Christ!

Chronic Dehydration

Water is THE key component to life. It is the lifeblood to animals, plants, and humans. We've all heard the statistics on water: water makes up 70% of the earth's surface and makes up 75-80% of the human body. It is vital to our existence and health. We generally, cognitively get that. We have been educated on our need for water.
My question is why is 75% of the population of America classified as chronically dehydrated? One of the leading causes of fatigue and headaches are directly related to our lack of water intake. Most of us (me included) tend to drink things that are full of caffeine, carbonation and corn syrup. They taste good in the short term but have ill effects on the long term.

In attempt to become more healthy I have decided to remind myself to drink plenty of water each day. Will I live if I continue to substitute water with Coke, Coffee, and my favorite, Sweet Tea? Sure I will. Will I be as healthy? Probably not.

As I began thinking more about our need for water, it occurred to me that, we are a dehydrated people, in more ways than one. Jesus said in John 7:37-38 "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"

As I read this, I realize that the statistics about being chronically, physically dehydrated probably parallel with our spiritual lives. We all have access to a faucet in our homes or bottled spring water in our grocery stores that will give us more than enough water for our physical needs each day. All we have to do is grab a cup and lift the handle to our faucet and drink, yet most of us are chronically dehydrated. I see it in the same way that Jesus, the true living water, as he calls himself, is taking up residence in our hearts as believers with a glass of himself ready to give, yet we look to other things in attempt to satisfy what only He can. I catch myself sometimes saying that I feel "spiritually dry." All the while, Jesus is resting in my heart with a full glass of himself waiting for me to come and drink. I'm too busy complaining about being spiritually dry to stop and realize that I have a full glass of the Living Water sitting within me ready for me to drink.

The great news is that His well will never run dry! We can always go to him and drink! So ask Jesus to pour a glass of himself and drink and be satisfied in Him!

CLC Kickoff Weekend

So the journey begins! Eleven men walking with the Lord together on a two year journey to discover how to become a true man of God. We all have one thing in common we are hungry for a deeper relationship with Jesus. We are all on the shoreline in ankle deep water ready to swim into the sea of the depths of the Father's heart. We are stepping out together with a leap of faith in our creator to a level of freedom that we never thought was imaginable!

We had our kickoff weekend retreat at a fish camp in Lake City, TN. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I was too busy taking pictures. (There were lots of photo ops!) Once I got back to my home office and began to edit the photos, when I realized that the Lord had arranged that we all meet at a fish camp. You might think "well surely you knew that before you went." And my answer would be yes. But the Lord reminded me of his words while choosing his disciples in Matthew 4:18-20

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Jesus has hooked all of us with the lure of his love, mercy and grace and he is now training us to be used by him to cast out our nets and fly rods to reel in more men to know, understand and experience the same. This road will not always be easy. There will be things that get in our way and will discourage us from moving forward. There will be desserts, mountains with bitter cold snow, forests with entangling brush, and valleys with cool streams and green pastures. The Lord will never leave us, nor forsake us. We will be there to pick our struggling brother up and carry him a ways and each of us will be carried a time or two by our brothers. We are all looking forward to following the Lord wherever he may take us. We long to trust Him with all that we are. I am look forward with anticipation to what the Lord is going to do in our lives!




"For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

-Jesus (Matthew 7:14)