Keeping a Wheelchair Ramp

We purchased our home here in Charleston a little over a year ago. The absolutely amazing family we purchased it from had a son in a wheelchair and so there's a long wheelchair ramp in our garage. We've thought many times about removing that long ramp but we've never done so and besides, our kids love to ride their bikes and skate down it. And truth be told, it's not taking up that much space in our 2 1/2 car garage. And then it hit me. We need that ramp. We can't get rid of it. Allow me to explain.

We are all on a journey. We are all on a path. A path that, try as we might, doesn't always head in the direction we expected. There are bumps and turns and stoplights and detours that we never saw coming. We can view these changes with disappointment and discouragement or we can view them as a challenge and an opportunity.

I know many of us have had detours in life but how did we respond to them? See, I believe God is orchestrating all of our lives, uniquely and individually. We may not fully understand "the why" but we can have have full faith in "the Who." I couldn't comprehend at the time why I was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. But now I realize I've had opportunities to connect with people from literally around the world. I couldn't comprehend why my mom and brother were killed in a car accident in 1980. But now I understand how to relate to tragic deaths. I couldn't understand the vision God gave me on August 26, 2010 at Starved Rock State Park, but that vision ultimately lead us into full time ministry. And I couldn't understand at the time why my dad had to die of cancer and we bury him Father's Day weekend, 2012. But now I realize that partly through his death, God has given Jenn and I a heart for the fatherless. If you live your life with the "glass is half empty" mentality, thirst is just around the corner. But if you live your life with the "glass is half full" mentality, you can always be refreshed. I'm not saying that tragedy is easy. It's not. It's horrible. I wouldn't wish the shoulder and back injuries I sustained when I was rear-ended on July 30, 2012 on anyone. But through that accident, we ultimately were lead to move to South Africa. Life is full of opportunities through adversities. It all comes down to perspective.

So do we look at detours and course-changes as opportunities? An opportunity for the glory of God to be displayed to all? God is orchestrating all of our lives and we need to look for ways to glorify him through all that happens. Why did you lose a job? Maybe it's because God has something greater for you. Why did you get sick and get hospitalized? Maybe it's to minister to one of the medical staff. Why were you forced to move? Maybe a neighborhood needed a Jesus representative and you were the perfect fit. Why did Grandma move into your spare bedroom? Maybe it's because the elderly community needs Jesus and she's your golden ticket.

Even without tragedies, life presents opportunities to display His glory. We need to have heavenly perspective. We need the spiritual lens of Jesus. To see what He sees. To live life by faith and to enter into opportunities that we don't see, but He does. Why was a ministry (not ours) given a check for $100,000? God has a plan for that money. Why did you get a promotion at work? Possibly to impact more people in a greater way. Why did your son turn 16? Maybe it's a great opportunity for him to minister to others, you just thought your car insurance increased. And why did we buy a house that had a wheelchair ramp? Maybe it's because we'll meet someone new on campus this fall who is wheelchair bound. What an awesome opportunity to have someone new in our home who couldn't go somewhere else otherwise.

It all comes down to proper perspective.

Attitude really does affect altitude. Try it out. The view is pretty phenomenal.

May you be blessed today.

Sleeping through the Storm

"Where is your faith?" Luke 8:25

What a crazy question to ask considering all of the circumstances. Allow me to paint a picture of the scenario.

Jesus and his disciples are out on a lake going from one side to the other in a sail boat. It must've been a long, hard journey across the lake or Jesus had had a long, hard day because as they sailed, he goes to sleep. Now, put yourself in this picture. You're out in a boat, out in the middle of the lake. The disciples are laboring hard to keep the vessel afloat. The waves are picking up. The wind starts to howl. The boat is getting water-logged and you decide to take a nap? "Wow, Jesus, you're welcome for the free lift across the lake but we're about to die!" What they didn't understand was it was all a part of the Master's plan.

You see, Jesus uses the circumstances of their day to teach the disciples a lesson on faith. And it transcends 2000 years all the way to today. We would do well to apply this passage to our own lives.

What do we learn from this simple passage found in Luke 8:22-25?

First, we see that the disciples at least at one time had faith. They used to have faith. Jesus asks, "Where is your faith?" Where has your faith gone? They had faith at one time. At least at one time, their faith was strong. Probably because their circumstances were strong and secure. See, it's easy to claim to have faith when things are going our way. When my kids are healthy, it's easy to have faith. Faith is easy when my ministry is fully-funded. When my marriage is strong. But is that real, honest, true faith? If it wavers in the storms of life, than I would suggest that what we have is optimism. Kind of like joy vs. happiness. I'm called to have joy but if my joy wavers in the storms of life, what I really have is happiness. Happiness is an emotion based on external circumstances. If things are going well in life I can claim to have joy but in reality what I am experiencing is happiness. The followers of Jesus continued in joy even though they had been flogged (nearly beaten to death) for the name of Jesus! (Acts 5:40-41) Wait, what? How? What a difference between living a faulty, fake, shallow "happy and optimistic" life as opposed to a life of "joy and faith." What's the difference?  

Perspective.

Jesus goes to sleep in the middle of the storm. Now, sleep is a regular, normal and good thing. I love sleep. But when I'm out in an open sail boat with the waves rocking the helm, that's not a normal time to sleep! I'd be panic-stricken. (I hate sharks.) But Jesus falls asleep. Wait, what? How? Why? He's at rest. Did you hear that? He's at rest. That's what true faith looks like. True faith (true utter abandonment, true submission and true belief and trust in God) is at REST no matter the circumstances. Now, Jesus could've grabbed a pail and helped bail out the water, but instead he chose this opportunity to communicate a life lesson.

Do I have true faith or do I have optimism? The waves and storms of life are sure to come. They will pound you. You will lose a job. You or someone you know will get sick, or even worse. You will have more month left than you do money. You'll kick the dog and blow a gasket towards your spouse. The storms are life are sure to come. Will your faith endure?

We are called to battle the storms of life as Jesus did. At rest and by faith. Faith in God. "Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided and all was calm." Jesus can calm the storm, but only in his timing and according to his will. Calming the storm is a principle, not a promise. The principle part is our faith in him no matter the circumstances. True belief and abandonment to God requires us to have a proper perspective - having a view of the other side of the storm. Either on this side of the grave or the other. Sometimes the storms aren't as fierce as we think they are. If you're in a little row boat out in the storm, you think you're about to be overcome. But if you go up in a little prop plane, you can easily see from one shore to the other and the storm doesn't look nearly as imposing. The difference? Perspective.

If your circumstances have changed and you feel your faith starting to waver, ask God for perspective. Ask Him for rest. It's impossible for us - we are conditioned to fear and panic. But he was able to be "at rest" even in the storms of life. That's a principle for you and I today.

May you be blessed.

"Come on kids, let's go trick-or-treating"

Jenn and I struggle each year whether or not to take the kids out on halloween. What kid doesn't like to dress up and get boatloads of candy? I like dressing up and getting boatloads of candy. The last couple of years have been easy as we've been on another continent or in another state and had things going on. But this year is different. 

In May we purchased a new home here in Charleston, IL. We sold our last house in 2013 and we're so glad we saved the money from that sale to help with our downpayment. God gave us wisdom there. (We thought it was going to be in 20 years after we retired from our missions work in Africa but it wasn't to be.) Most likely if you're in the area, we've invited you over. We have friends and family in our home multiple times each week and we love it. Students from EIU are in our home all the time for hangouts, to talk with us, use our spotty wi-fi and to participate in weekly prayer and planning times for campus ministry and for leadership training. It's a blast. And yes, we've already been "TP'ed" once. The students have christened the home.

We've always looked at our home as "God's property" and we're just the stewards. We've enjoyed opening up our home for game nights, cookouts, movies and lots of cups of coffee.  And we have awesome neighbors. I think. And therein lies the problem.

We chat with 4 or 5 of our immediate neighbors frequently. We're all out in our yards hanging out, cutting the grass, walking the dogs and so on, a lot. But who's on the other side of that neighbor? Who lives 6 doors down? I don't know. I don't even know their names. They wave when they pass but that's about it. We live in a pretty small neighborhood and we're on a circle drive. There's only about 20 houses on the circle drive and we live on the back side so we drive by every house in our neighborhood on the way home (pending on which way we go on the circle drive). We know approximately 1/3 of our neighbors on first name basis but that's it. About a month ago, I had an epiphany. Go trick-or-treating.

I hate Halloween. It's by far my least favorite holiday of the year. I hate getting scared. I hate violence and gore. I don't like the undertones of halloween and to me, the night is so oppressive, it's palpable. I feel it. Every year. But what an opportunity. "Wait, what?"

See, here's the deal: our neighbors are inviting us over for the first time to their homes and it may be the only time all year that this happens. Most of our neighbors I rarely see. The president of EIU lives 5 doors down. I've seen him exactly one time (pulling into his driveway) in 5 months. We've emailed professionally back and forth and I've seen him all over campus but I've not chatted with him as a neighbor. He's never home. 

Jesus calls us to be his witness in our neighborhoods. Acts 5:42 "And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ." Many times we get amp'd up to be his witness on a week long summer missions trip. Or we are his witness one night a month at the local food pantry where we can volunteer. Or when we take food to the hungry around Thanksgiving (by far my favorite holiday of the year) or when we send out Operation Christmas Child boxes. But what about our neighbors? Quite frankly, shouldn't we be as excited to be Jesus to them as we are on a summer missions trip (Acts 1:8)? Did God or didn't God plant us in this neighborhood to be his representative? 

What a great way to meet our neighbors by going trick-or-treating with the kids, introducing ourselves, learning their names and begining a friendship. Now, don't be a chicken and just go trick or treating without introducing yourself. Be intentional. Be Jesus.  

I just hope they leave their light on.

I need to publicly acknowledge that I've been dating other people.

It's not easy for me to go public with this announcement. I guess when you become vulnerable, it can get tricky. There comes a point where we all need to come clean. But how will people respond? What will the longterm affects be? Am I making the wrong choice? I'm sure you've been in a situation like that, but maybe not with an announcement that has this many ramifications.

I've done a lot of contemplation recently. I've talked to a lot of people and I think I'm finally to the point to go public. The Bible tells me what to do. I need to be obedient and step up to the plate and pull up my big boy pants.  I've already had open dialog with Jenn about this. She's in agreement and we'll get through this...together. We'll be stronger in the end. It really is for the better.

I'm publicly acknowledging that I've been dating other people.

Before you judge, please read on. Hear my heart. Maybe you won't make the same choices I have in the past. I let things go in the past, for far too long. I became complacent, apathetic and the burdens of life impacted my decision-making. Weariness can lead to a lot of poor decisions. I didn't spend enough time focusing on "Soul Health" and things sorta slipped away. Not overnight, mind you, but over time. After a while I got sick and tired of being who I was. I looked for other things of importance and I left the most valuable things and chased after a plastic masquerade.

See, things aren't always as they appear. I've not been real open with my struggles. I've hinted. I've beat around the bush. The fact is, it's hard for me to even type these words.

In a moment of desperation, I gave up. I surrendered and I gave in. To do something I've never done before. I started to date other people. And it's been one of the greatest decisions I've ever made.

You see, I believe the Bible teaches that I CAN date people, even though I'm married. And my wife encourages these kind of relationships. You see, I started dating Mady, Sam and Hannah. Yup. My 3 kiddos.

I've never dated my kids before and it's been awesome.

We now have every Monday night set aside for date nights. Hannah gets a Monday. Sam gets the next one. Mady gets the next. Mom gets the fourth Monday but then we still go out for dates other times in the month too. 

Men, let me challenge you: date your kids! They want to spend one-on-one time with their Daddy. They are starved for intimate time with Dad. They love to hear stories and they want to know how your day has gone. I've put together a list for us Dads. Please follow them.

1. Oh my goodness, don't you dare! Don't you dare even bring your cellphone! Are you kidding me? Leave it at home. What if someone dies? You'll find out about it when you get home. Talk with your spouse and find out before you go if there's ANYTHING she needs before you leave. You'll only be gone an hour or two. The world will not stop while you are away. Remember when we were kids? I had a rotary phone - with a cord! No cell phones. No internet. I didn't even have a VCR until I was in the 3rd grade. For crying out loud, don't you dare bring your cell phone. This time is for you and your son or daughter. Don't deprive them (and really disrespect them) by looking at your phone during your date.

2. Do schedule your monthly dates on your phone - with a reminder/alert. I schedule every other important meeting in my life, what could possibly be more important than my Monday night dates with my kids? And I don't reschedule them either. Someone important wants to get together? "Sorry, I'm getting together with my princess on Monday night. How about Tuesday?"

3. Oh my word, don't be lame. Don't go to McDonald's every week. Don't go to a movie. You know what we live by? YOLO! We snuck onto the football field on campus and rode our bikes. We looked for snakes out at the State Park. We practiced "hula-hooping" in Walgreens and then returned them to the shelf. We ate Snickers bars without telling the siblings. We ate popcorn for dinner. We went to the park and I talked in a high pitched girl voice the whole time. One of these days, we'll go out and get a hotel room - because we can. One day, we'll go the airport with no bags and buy an airline ticket to somewhere on the spot (have to save up for that one). I'd love to go TP the neighbors or buy flowers for someone at the nursing home. YOLO people. You know know why? They grow up. And they grow up fast.

4. Ask them questions. Start "training them up." I recently asked Mady on an outing if she knew how to share the gospel? She got about half of it right and I helped fill in the gaps. At dinner each night we ask what the best part of each of their days was. And then we ask what their least favorite part of the day was. We pray with each of them individually before they go to bed each night. But our date nights are/will be special. Don't sit quietly. Ask them about the books they've read. About their friends. What are they scared of? How YOU can be a better Dad.  Ask questions and listen...and take notes.

5. Enjoy the time with your kids. How many times have we heard (or maybe have said) "They grow up so fast!" Well, it's true. I have an 8 year old and twin 6 year olds. I have about 10 years with Mady left and 12 years with the twins. That's about 500 dates with Mady if my math is right. Maybe your son or daughter is 16 or 17 and they'll be off to college in just a few short years (gulp). Now is the time to start. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.

I've started dating other people...and I like it. I've gone public with this announcement not so much for you...but for me. To keep me accountable. So, the next time you see me, ask to get together on a Monday night and see what my response is. It had better be, "I'm spending time with a prince or a princess."

A Whisper Before An Answer

We've been having a great time here in Louisiana learning the culture, meeting new people and diving head-first into ministry. We've had the privilege of meeting so many students from around the world. UL has nearly 700 international students from 90 nations. Inviting them to join us for worship on Sunday mornings has been easy. Getting them all there has proven to be much more difficult.

When we moved here, the Lord spoke to me about selling my beloved Jeep Wrangler.

She was a beauty with 33" swamp tires and a 5 speed manual transmission. With the doors off and the top down, freedom was mine! However it was too small to carry students and our family couldn't even all fit in it (legally). I sold it within a few weeks of moving here and I found a great deal on a Volvo XC90. It only had room for 5, but it had a ton of storage space in the hatchback. We now had a vehicle that was dependable, built like a tank and with the versatility of carrying people and equipment, it was a great find. And then classes started...

Within a week or two, we met many international students who had no home church, had just moved to Lafayette and needed a ride on Sundays. For a few Sundays, Jenn would load up the kids in the Volvo and I would take our 7-passenger Yukon XL to pick up the students and then I would meet her at church. But, lo and behold, the international students started inviting other international students and, "Houston, we have a problem." We ran out of room.

About 3 weeks ago on my way back to campus after worship (24 miles round trip) I saw a blue Suburban parked on the side of the road. Although it had a few miles on it, the body was excellent and so was the interior. There were a few things that needed to be fixed, but for an '04, it was in good overall shape. And then it hit me. This wasn't like most Suburbans. This was perfect for us...it had 3 bench seats. Seating capacity = 9. Rarely do you find Yukon XL's or Suburbans with a bench seat in the second row (they all have captain's chairs like our XL) and never do you find a bench seat in the front. We would have room for 16 people between our two vehicles if I purchased this one. I called the guy up the next day (he was a believer and we had awesome fellowship) and he gave me a great deal on it (and he owned a local bakery and he blessed us with cupcakes and a cake for Jenn's birthday!) With a HUGE step of faith we bought it, sensing this was the vehicle for us. I drove it home and got it fixed up and within a week, it was my new primary vehicle.

The only problem was I still had the Volvo. I put the Volvo online and my pastor talked to some of his friends who sell Volvos and although my pastor received a lowball offer on it (about half of the selling price), I received no inquiries for an entire week. Nothing. Nada. Crickets. I started to sweat a little. Jesus probably literally laughed out loud at this point.

We prayed that the Lord would help us to sell the vehicle and for a week, there was silence. And then God whispered to me. This past Saturday I was invited to our men's breakfast at church. A missionary from India spoke a powerful message on trusting God. He shared a message on being faithful, even in our finances. He was so faithful with his God-given finances that he wouldn't even allow himself to rent a pull cart for $5 at the airport to pull all of his luggage even though he was exhausted from all of his traveling. This really stuck out to me. Jenn and I are faithful with our finances and we live on a cash-based system, have no debt, tithe and follow a strict budget but $5 here and $5 there doesn't necessarily concern us. But when the missionary shared this, it really convicted me that even $5 matters to God.

On my way home from the breakfast, I was talking to God about my car situation. I shared with God that nothing had happened for a week and out of obedience we had purchased that Suburban for the ministry. I quietly and simply prayed "Lord, would you help me to sell my car?" I had a peace about it and recommitted myself to God for every $5 in our budget. That afternoon, 8 people contacted me to buy the Volvo. It was paid for and picked up yesterday.

God sometimes allows us to go through a period of waiting because he wants to get our attention. I was reminded that my life is in God's hands. He's the provider of all things and I need to be faithful even with the "$5 things in life." Sometimes the whisper of God comes before the answer of God. What is God trying to speak to you about? What has he called you to do? Where are you not FULLY submitting to God? What are you holding on to? Even $5 matters to him. Surrender yourself and your situation fully to him and just see what he does in your life.

A whisper before an answer.

May you be blessed.

Looking back.. and wondering forward

Today, I turned 29... again. And it feels great!  My family threw me a surprise party yesterday afternoon at the pool after church (the pros of living in the south in September - you can still swim!).  Mady had a checklist going and Dad helped her with the logistics.  It was so much fun.  I celebrated with my fam, new friends and the best cupcakes in the universe.  (I won't mention the incredibly amazing donuts I had for breakfast!).

This morning I woke up to a sign on the my door that said "don't come out, mom."  The living room was decorated with pink balloons and pink zebra streamers, homemade signs, and some precious gifts.  My little party planner (mady) did an incredible job.  The kids and I spent the morning at the zoo and I'm looking forward to a peaceful night at home with my four favorite-ist people in the universe... did I mention I am looking forward to not having to make dinner.  Oh yea!

giraffes just aren't as exciting when you've lived next door to them!

thankful to be a momma to these three crazies

This afternoon I started to reflect... reflect on the years gone by and the years that are to come.  I thought back to my birthday 3 years ago, 2011... Mark and I had just come home from Ghana where our love for orphans and for the continent of Africa was taken to a new level.  We arrived home and learned the terrible news that my grandma had terminal cancer and that Mark's father had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer (that happened within a week of each other).  Our dear friends from Ghana visited over my birthday.  My precious grandmother, who was so very dear to my heart, passed away just a couple of days after my birthday.  A hard year.  A difficult journey.

** i know I have photos somewhere of my birthday this year but I can't seem to locate them**


September 22, 2012... Mark threw a surprise party for me.  As we were getting ready to go out to dinner ( i had no idea there was a surprise party afterwards), we received the call from our adoption agency that they were shutting down the adoption program to Ghana and that we were not going to be able to adopt *our* little boy.  We had been praying for him and expectantly waiting for our son to join our family... Yet, now we were receiving this news.  My heart was crushed.  The tears would not stop flowing.  Mark was trying to console me knowing that he had this big party planned and he wanted me to try to enjoy myself.  We both were heartbroken.  Yet, we received a call that forever changed our lives... "Mark and Jenn, you may not be able to be an adoptive parent of one here in the US but maybe God is calling you to be adoptive parents to thousands in South Africa."  Yes, yes He is... Thus started our journey to South Africa...

too bad it's a little blurry


And...

September 22, 2013 -- I celebrated my birthday in Mokopane, South Africa at the Spur restaurant with some of the greatest friends that I've ever met.  Mark surprised me again and we had so much fun.  I ate mopane worms and boiled peanuts.... and some quesadillas :)  Memories made that will last a lifetime.  That was probably one of my favorite birthdays.  The journey to get there was hard.  A lot had happened to get to that point but being in Africa is forever etched in my heart.  Many of you know that we had to leave unexpectedly.  What many of you don't know is that it has really affected me.  I've struggled a lot over this past summer... (more of that to come in a later post).  I've dealt with a range of emotions that I can't even begin to explain.  My heart is still in South Africa.  Our dear friends.  The church.  The children.  The baby shelter.  My heart is still there.  God is working and He has perfect plans but I'll be honest when I say the journey from Africa to America has not been easy.

there's a tradition at SPUR in SA for birthdays - it's that the waiters / waitresses offer to feed you the first spoonful of your birthday ice cream after they wipe it all over your face first!

proudly displaying my bag of mopane worms... i'll spare you the picture taken when i actually took a bite

some of the group...

the other part -- because it's way to hard to get all of those people to look at the camera at once!


Now, September 22, 2014 we are yet again in a different place.  I'm celebrating in Lafayette, Louisiana where people love crawfish and cajun music.  It's humid beyond all get out and the weather is bi-polar. We have met some great friends (some of whom are from South Africa) and we are attending a fabulous church with a pastor who deeply cares about people and loves the Lord deeply.  We are currently waiting for word on an adoption that we started while we were in South Africa. We were told NO by the only two agencies that could help us here in the States... but yet God opened a tiny window.  Now we are waiting to see if the next step can be made and we can bring home our son whom we love dearly.  Whether he is here with us or whether he stays in South Africa, he will always be on my heart and the heart of my children who pray for him often.  We love you, Daniel and we hope to see you soon.

Memories.  Some are hard.  Some of fabulous.  I'll cherish them all.  I will choose to find peace where I'm at, even if that "place" changes many times a year.  I will choose to serve Him and follow Him in whatever direction He leads.  I will cherish these memories.  I hold them deep in my heart because each one is incredibly special. Each one is a part of MY story... MY journey.  Each memory has shaped me into what I am today.

My journey doesn't end here on September 22, 2014, thankfully... I'm looking forward to many years ahead and the memories that are created.  I'll continually praise Him.  I'll continue to see His calling on my life ... here, south africa, africa, wherever... (africa?) :)  I know we won't be in Africa again long term but I don't believe my time there is up.  Over time I know He will show me His plan.  We don't get to the mountain top without going through the valley... we don't heal without a wound... we don't grow without trials....

Thank you Lord for my journey... thank you for molding my story.  May it be for your glory!

Thank you for another year.... I wonder where I will be celebrating from next year???????

I dug myself a hole and it will save countless lives

My favorite sense is sight. I've lost hearing in my left ear and I'm ok with that. I've lost my voice before and I was perfectly fine. I don't have a good olfactory sense already. Going without the sense of touch would also be horrible (ask a leper) but my most prized sense is my sight. If I lost my eyes it would be devastating. I value my vision. Now, let me ask you a question.

What do you see in this photo? What's the first thing that comes to mind? 

"Mark's helping to dig a hole."

And if you said that you would be correct. Some would say it's a trench. Technically speaking it's a drainage trench. Some wonder why a campus missionary is digging in the dirt. Some would say it's a waste of time. My response is "I'm saving lives."

Vision. I've seen the end and you haven't. Allow me to paint the picture.

We're not just moving dirt. We're not just digging a trench. We're not just excavating. We're building something. You see, someone (our director, Eric) had a vision. He had a vision long ago and he made a plan. He is now executing his plan. It's getting built, and they will come, oh they will come. We're building a mini-soccer arena next to the Chi Alpha ministry site here in Lafayette, and it's going to save lives.

The absolute best way that I could evangelize today was by digging a trench. I didn't share a message or open the Bible.  I didn't speak a single word to a non-believer and I didn't host a crusade or pass out a tract, but the Lord still used me in a huge way to further his kingdom. All I did was dig in the dirt. Our vision is to build a mini-soccer arena so that they will come. To play a game. To meet new people. To be introduced to Jesus maybe for the first time. For college students to come hear a message - the eternal message. To save their lives. There are days when I preach a message. Today, I dug in the dirt.

Vision. Without a vision and implementation of this project, countless students wouldn't be reached. It may not be done for a few weeks but the gospel preparation has already begun. Don't let a seemingly meaningless task disrupt the gospel message. You may not see the beginning from the end, but the Lord does. Trust him, be led of him and walk obediently. Some days you preach a message, some days you dig a hole and some days you play soccer, but they can all be for the glory of God.

Simple talk. Simple walk.

May you be blessed.