Scripture - Psalms 23:4

 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

-- Psalms 23:4

We Built a House

Here's a video of the men's trip to Costa Rica that I went on this past February.  I put this together for our church's 'missions night'.

Every time I travel to Costa Rica, I leave a piece of my heart there.  I leave it with the people that I meet and serve.  I truly believe that one day Heather and I will live in Central America.

Renewed Interest

Now that I have a new job in Greenville, I have a solid hour drive to and from work.  Some people groan when I tell them that, but I definitely think it is a good thing for me.  It's time in the morning to prepare for my day.  I pray on my way there.  I listen to the radio and hear some news.  I have time to make a mental to-do list for that day.  I get to have a giant cup of coffee that really gets my day started off right.  It's quite refreshing actually.

On the drive home I have time to jam to some tunes, listen to an audiobook, or just chill and wind down from a hard days work.  Lately though, I have found a renewed interest.  I have a copy of the Bible on my iPhone.  It's the NIV Dramatized Audio Bible and it's actually really interesting to listen to.  I know some people think "you can't learn from the Bible just by listening to it, you have to read it and study it".  I find this to be only partially true for myself.  I feel like I am partly an auditory learner.  Listening helps me focus on what is being said and I can focus on the context instead of having to focus my mind on actually reading the words.  I've amazed myself in the past couple of weeks.  I decided to start listening to the Bible where it was most logical...in the beginning...Genesis.  I've been listening everyday on my drive home and (at the time of writing this) I am almost through Leviticus.  What?!?!  Technically I've listened to 7 hours of the Bible and I've almost blown through the first three chapters.  By "blown through" I don't mean I've just let it play and not paid attention.  I've listened to every word and it's definitely sparked a few things in my mind.

I'm enthralled with the history and genealogy of the Bible right now.  Not the actually reading of "so and so beget so and so", but bigger questions like...how old is the Earth?  what does the biblical "family tree" look like?  how many people were there when the flood came?  what did the ark really look like?  why did God seemingly repeat himself over and over in Exodus and Leviticus?  if there were 600,000 men when Moses lead them out of Egypt, how many people were really there?  how in the world did Moses tell 600,000 men what God told him?

My mind is full of questions that makes me want to study the Bible more.  Now if that's not what reading the Bible is supposed to do, then I don't know what it's supposed to do.  I'll make sure to post about some of the more interesting questions that come up.

I hope this little blurt inspires you to dig deeper into the Bible and maybe you can help me out with some of my questions.  Let me know in the comments!

Scripture To Live By

 But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do,
   what God is looking for in men and women.
It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
   be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don't take yourself too seriously—
   take God seriously.

- Micah 6:8 (The Message)

Watching

The LORD still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth. 

- PSALM 11:4

What Happens In CR Doesn't Stay In CR

Oh how I miss being in Costa Rica...

I'm not sure why I feel this way, but I do. I have spent less than a month there in a year, but when we arrived there this year I felt like I was home. Last year I felt a little out of place, but as the trip went on, I grew more and more comfortable with my surroundings. This year however, I felt like I had been on a long term vacation in The States. I'm not really sure I can explain the feeling of being there in the mountains surrounded by all of God's beauty. It just feels right being there.

God showed me tons while I was there. He affirmed that I was at the right job and that we, Heather and I, were on the right path with the adoption. I hadn't really been doubting that God wanted us to adopt, it was just that I was harboring feelings of disappointment. Disappointment in God not answering my prayers with the answers I wanted...how selfish of me! I wanted God to provide us a child of our own so we could experience the joy of the months leading up to having a baby. I wanted to enjoy going to the doctor and seeing Heather's face during an ultrasound. I wanted to see Heather's belly grow as the baby grew... I wanted a lot... I wanted what God didn't have in store for myself and for Heather. As I sat on top of the mountain over looking Grano de Oro, I prayed to God for clarity and confirmation. He gave it to me in the form of Vacation Bible School.

Our team had the wonderful opportunity to minister to the children of Grano de Oro for three afternoons. We played games with them, we sang songs with them, we performed skits for them, we taught them about the Bible with stories, puppets, and activities, and we gave them candy and trinkets. While we were with them, it was amazing to see them grow closer to us. At first they were stand off-ish, but after the second day they were happy to see us and wanted to be there with us. Seeing all those kids wanting to be loved reopened my eyes to the fact that there are children in this world/country/state/city that don't have a family and they don't have someone to tell them they did a good job or even give them a hug. I can't wait to complete everything on our To-Do list for the adoption. I know God is helping us through this process and I know He will walk hand in hand with us...through the good and the bad.

God can do miraculous things even when you don't realize you need them. Please be in prayer for Heather and I as we continue down the road of adoption.

Costa Rica 2010

I am so ready to go back to Costa Rica this year. I can't truly express how excited and happy I am to be going back. I am really excited to see how God will use our team to bless the Jones' and the villagers in Grano de Oro. Heather and I have been truly blessed financially this year and I am in awe of that. I was concerned at the beginning of the year about coming up with the money to go, but I knew God wanted us to go and He would provide everything we needed.

Truly amazed. God is good.

Stay tuned for many posts about our experiences in Costa Rica.

Video About Jad Dean

This video was made by NewSpring church in Anderson, SC. It's Jad Dean, a Greenwood native and former kicker for Clemson a few years back, talking about how the kick he missed wide left at the end of a USC vs Clemson game changed his life. It's an amazing video and you can feel how humbling the experience was for Jad and how much God's love has changed his life. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Wide Left Saved My Soul - Jad Dean