Anticipation

I'm looking forward with much excitement to what lays ahead. I will be traveling with a team from Southbrook Church on a missions trip to Bonaire, a small island off the coast of Venezuela.

This trip is exciting for me for several reasons. One of the biggest is that I used to live there. My parents moved there when I was 12, and we moved back to the U.S. when I was 18. It's been 25 years and I cannot wait to see what my former home looks like. 

Another exciting thing about this trip - Nancy is going with us. Of course, having Nancy along on any missions trip is amazing, but being able to show her where I grew up will be pretty cool. 

Our team of 8 will be helping TWR, a Christian radio station that broadcasts Biblical teaching into South America and throughout the Caribbean. We will be working on several renovation projects. There is sure to be a lot of sweat and hard work involved. We are also looking forward to growing as a team and in our personal relationships with Jesus Christ. 

We would appreciate your prayers. There will be, as with any missions trip, many unknowns and many opportunities to be flexible. 

Lord willing I will be updating you with our progress as time and wifi permit. 

Thanks again for your prayer support. 

Thunder Road Wheelchair 5k

About a month ago I was joking around with Garren. I am running the Thunder Road Marathon on November 16 in Charlotte. I was teasing him about doing it with me. Then I mentioned in passing "You know, there is a 5k the same day."

A couple of days later, Garren came to me and said, "So Dad, am I going to do that 5k?"

I started looking for a racing wheelchair, and found the costs starting at $2000. There's no way we can spend that kind of money for something we want to just try out.

So I sent an email to his physical therapists, who connected me with an adaptive sports program in Charlotte. They were so helpful, and have loaned us a racing wheelchair! Garren has been getting out and training on the roads in our neighborhood. He is determined to do this, and we are so excited for him.

If you want to come out and support Garren, here are the details:

• The wheelchair 5k starts at 8:10am
• The start is at S. Tryon and E. 1st St.
• The finish line is at MLK Jr. Blvd and N. Davidson St.
• Here is a map of the course. 

God has continued to do a work in Garren. It is amazing to see such progress. We cannot wait for November 16!

Are You Passionate?

Psalm 22
"My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief."

This is the psalm that Jesus quoted while on the cross.
It begins with anguish, and ends with rejoicing. It depicts the loneliness and hurt and pain that Jesus was facing. He was abandoned, left alone to die for the sins of the world. But the end reflects the future hope that we have through the work of Jesus: eternal worshiping and rejoicing throughout the whole earth.

This psalm doesn't simply reveal what Jesus was thinking or even feeling. It reveals His passion. 

"His passion was to do the will of His Father, no matter how much it hurt, for the greater glory that would come."

What about you? What is your passion? We hear that word a lot these days. It's one of those buzzwords that seems to lose meaning the more we use it. 

The dictionary defines passion as a "strong and barely controllable emotion." Do you have a "strong and barely controllable emotion" to do the will of your Father? No matter how much it hurts? For the greater glory that will come?

"I will praise you in the great assembly…
All who seek the Lord will praise Him.
Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.
The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to Him.
All the families of the nations will bow down before Him."

Lord, thank you for being with me, even when it hurts. Thank you for allowing me to suffer for your glory. Help me to faithfully rejoice in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death. Help me to keep my eyes focused on you in the midst of the storm.