awesome quote from Nouwen...
"Therefore I would like to voice loudly and clearly what might seem unpopular and maybe even disturbing: the Christian way of life does not take away our loneliness; it protects and cherishes it as a precious gift. Sometimes it seems as if we do everything possible to avoid the painful confrontation with our basic human loneliness, and allow ourselves to be trapped by false gods promising immediate satisfaction and quick relief. But perhaps the painful awareness of loneliness is an invitation to transcend our limitations and look beyond the boundaries of our existence." taken from The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen
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Enjoyed Thanksgiving in TN with Melody's family. will hopefully put up some pics soon from that trip. played a round of golf, ate lots of good food, went bowling, played football with boys, and just relaxed. a great time with family. more memories for us.
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Did anyone happen to see Alabama put a royal "spanking" on Auburn?
How bout a little ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Melody had us put up our Christmas decor prior to leaving for TN. Was great to come home to a Christmas tree. great idea, Mel!!
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i have some good friends in NC who started up a ministry called www.ChooseAneed.org. Was looking at their website today. Check it out...cool ministry.
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I was also checking out a friend's church in Clermont, FL today. this is the church we helped develop while living there....they are only about 3-4 years old. check them out at www.thecrossingchurch.org. awesome pastor and fellowship of people.
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Just thankful today to have a warm home. bitter cold outside...calling for snow flurries. on days like this, i always think about those who are without warmth. maybe someone on the street who was kicked out of their house or forced out. maybe someone who ran out of choices. or maybe a person who made wrong choices and landed on the streets. no matter what brought them there, i am mindful today that i can experience physical warmth. and that i should try to bring that kind of warmth to others. may we never forget...
Monday, December 1, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Life at the Ranch
God has been up to amazing things with Encounter. This is truly a movement that is much bigger than us. God is putting together dreams and visions that are going to transform hearts and families for years to come. We are partnering with a dear brother of ours, Allen Russell, to help develop a place (a Ranch) to minister. You can check out The Ranch and Allen's dream at http://www.rockingrranch.net/ and click on "The Ranch". One of the primary projects we have been working on is an old farmhouse. Mark Hinson, a dear friend, is helping to make this project happen along with several men from our community in Birmingham . We are doing a lot of rennovating to this place so that it can be used for retreat, getaways, etc. I can honestly say that this piece of land is just beautiful (around 24oo+ acres). And this farmhouse/cabin is going to be a great place for setting hearts free.
Last week, 3 friends from North Carolina...John, Mike, and Jesse came down on a mission trip. Their primary project was to help work on the farmhouse. But they ended up doing a lot more than just painting, hammering, etc. These men shared their stories and brought a lot of strength to our community here. I am so thankful that they came to serve. But I am more thankful for the relationships that were built and the dreams that are being realized. Here are a few pics from their time here...
basic view of the farmhouse
John (aka Vanna) shows off the exterior work
the deck we are reworking
when clearing out the house, we found our Ranch mascot...Chuckie. kind of freaky, huh?
Last week, 3 friends from North Carolina...John, Mike, and Jesse came down on a mission trip. Their primary project was to help work on the farmhouse. But they ended up doing a lot more than just painting, hammering, etc. These men shared their stories and brought a lot of strength to our community here. I am so thankful that they came to serve. But I am more thankful for the relationships that were built and the dreams that are being realized. Here are a few pics from their time here...
basic view of the farmhouse
John (aka Vanna) shows off the exterior work
the deck we are reworking
when clearing out the house, we found our Ranch mascot...Chuckie. kind of freaky, huh?
few more pics from Ranch
Jesse is a master carpenter...we think!
exterior work
Mark and Gary...studs for Jesus!
John...careful with the nail gun, pal!!
exterior work
Mark and Gary...studs for Jesus!
John...careful with the nail gun, pal!!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Random
have you ever wondered why random is such a random word? or am i just being random about this. isn't this one of those words...that when you say it over and over...random, random, random...it starts sounding weird. enough of this.
here are some random updates from a random kind of guy...
+Africa Auction was a great success. a beautiful evening with lots of folks from the different Encounter communities. we were able to raise a lot of money...every dollar will be sent over to Lesotho to help feed children and care for families. many thanks to those who came out and supported Encounter Humanity.
=Melody's weekend retreat with the women was beautifully intense. the women came ready to share and fight for freedom. i'm sure many stories of healing and freedom will come from this time together. many were praying for these women and the weekend was heavily opposed from the enemy. but from everything Mel shared...the beauty far outweighed the battle.
#Caleb's flag football team is 0-3...but who gives a rip. we are the Miami Dolphins. we had a double header on saturday against the Saints and the 49ers. the Saints really bombed us...but i think those kids were on steroids or performance-enhancements. but we were close with the 49ers. Caleb had the play of the day...on the 4 yard line, he's QB, goes back and passes to Logan (receiver) for a touchdown!!! Go DOLPHINS.
@Brennan has returned to sucking his thumb after a 2-3 month hiatus from it. our dentist, james sanderson, had encouraged him to stop the madness...so he stopped...for a few months. then, it returned with a vengeance. one thing about B...he'll stop when he wants to.
*the roses in our yard look gorgeous. wow, hard to believe they could be blooming so beautifully in October.
^i am loving the fall weather right now...love the cool snap that is happening.
>my 97 ford truck just hit 212,000 miles and still runs like an ol' vintage. this truck is my office on wheels. melody hates the smell...i always say "what smell?"
?How do you fix a chimp? monkey wrench. it was on caleb's popsicle stick tonight.
&My brother, Brett, came up on saturday and spent the day with us. he now lives in dothan. i love this guy...huge heart and amazing servant. short visit, but great time.
!Still working on the psalms book. no acceptance letters from publishers, so we are pursuing the self-publishing route. working on cover design, etc. Hope to have some initial copies ready by the holidays to help support the ministry.
&%#$(*&I'm running out of symbols on my keyboard and running out of random things. so, i'll end this random blog about random things.
here are some random updates from a random kind of guy...
+Africa Auction was a great success. a beautiful evening with lots of folks from the different Encounter communities. we were able to raise a lot of money...every dollar will be sent over to Lesotho to help feed children and care for families. many thanks to those who came out and supported Encounter Humanity.
=Melody's weekend retreat with the women was beautifully intense. the women came ready to share and fight for freedom. i'm sure many stories of healing and freedom will come from this time together. many were praying for these women and the weekend was heavily opposed from the enemy. but from everything Mel shared...the beauty far outweighed the battle.
#Caleb's flag football team is 0-3...but who gives a rip. we are the Miami Dolphins. we had a double header on saturday against the Saints and the 49ers. the Saints really bombed us...but i think those kids were on steroids or performance-enhancements. but we were close with the 49ers. Caleb had the play of the day...on the 4 yard line, he's QB, goes back and passes to Logan (receiver) for a touchdown!!! Go DOLPHINS.
@Brennan has returned to sucking his thumb after a 2-3 month hiatus from it. our dentist, james sanderson, had encouraged him to stop the madness...so he stopped...for a few months. then, it returned with a vengeance. one thing about B...he'll stop when he wants to.
*the roses in our yard look gorgeous. wow, hard to believe they could be blooming so beautifully in October.
^i am loving the fall weather right now...love the cool snap that is happening.
>my 97 ford truck just hit 212,000 miles and still runs like an ol' vintage. this truck is my office on wheels. melody hates the smell...i always say "what smell?"
?How do you fix a chimp? monkey wrench. it was on caleb's popsicle stick tonight.
&My brother, Brett, came up on saturday and spent the day with us. he now lives in dothan. i love this guy...huge heart and amazing servant. short visit, but great time.
!Still working on the psalms book. no acceptance letters from publishers, so we are pursuing the self-publishing route. working on cover design, etc. Hope to have some initial copies ready by the holidays to help support the ministry.
&%#$(*&I'm running out of symbols on my keyboard and running out of random things. so, i'll end this random blog about random things.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
busy month...
wow, october is shaping up to be quite a busy month.
2 things coming up this week...
Africa Auction is tomorrow night in downtown birmingham. going to be a great night for all areas of Encounter coming together. And a special spotlight on Encounter Humanity. We are expecting 80+ people to come and have over 100 items to auction. All proceeds go to feed families and orphans in Lesotho. for more info on auction and Lesotho, check out www.encounterhumanity.com.
Women's retreat this weekend. This weekend, Melody is taking some women on a retreat. They leave out on friday and return on sunday. These women have been walking through Captivating...a study focused on a woman's journey and healing. this weekend will be an intentional time of fighting for hearts and freedom. wow, can't wait to see what God does.
On another note...please pray with us about finances for the ministry. Encounter has had a few tough months and we are hurting financially. Bills are unpaid, resources are tight and we are feeling it. At the same time, there are more exciting things happening and coming up than ever. So, pray with us for God's provision and His people's faithfulness. thanks so much...
2 things coming up this week...
Africa Auction is tomorrow night in downtown birmingham. going to be a great night for all areas of Encounter coming together. And a special spotlight on Encounter Humanity. We are expecting 80+ people to come and have over 100 items to auction. All proceeds go to feed families and orphans in Lesotho. for more info on auction and Lesotho, check out www.encounterhumanity.com.
Women's retreat this weekend. This weekend, Melody is taking some women on a retreat. They leave out on friday and return on sunday. These women have been walking through Captivating...a study focused on a woman's journey and healing. this weekend will be an intentional time of fighting for hearts and freedom. wow, can't wait to see what God does.
On another note...please pray with us about finances for the ministry. Encounter has had a few tough months and we are hurting financially. Bills are unpaid, resources are tight and we are feeling it. At the same time, there are more exciting things happening and coming up than ever. So, pray with us for God's provision and His people's faithfulness. thanks so much...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
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