turning the page

As most of you probably already know, we are moving back to Russellville to serve at FBC with a focus on the college campus. I am writing at 4am after packing the last bag before we leave for the airport tomorrow. Our hearts are full of excitement about what lies ahead and we are confident of our direction. At the same time it is difficult to leave this place that has given to and demanded so much of us over the last 3yrs.

When this journey began we planned all the ways that we would impact things here, but we greatly underestimated what the Father was going to do in us through the experience. Now He is turning the page and a new chapter is beginning to take shape. We don't know all the reasons He brought us here nor do we know what lies around the corner, but we do sense that every page of this epic has purpose and that time will reveal the beauty, power, and faithfulness of our King!

The last few months have been full of activity as we prepared to leave and said our goodbyes. One big event that took place was T's involvement in a half marathon they held in our city.


She trained so hard and ended up beating the goals she had set for herself!


The scene that day was chaotic to say the least. There were huge crowds of people everywhere and I was so proud of the way T appeared to be unshaken by the overwhelming situation.


After some searching we finally found the starting gate.


The rest of us got worn out trying to get to the place where we could see her halfway. We pulled it off and even made it back to the finish in time to seeing her pass this poor guy.


Overall is was a great (and very memorable) day!


Our faithful friends (J and A) helped us so much and were such an encouragement.


One day we took a quick trip to the Taj Mahal. Neither T or the boys had seen it yet and we understood it to be a horrible thing to leave the country without laying eyes on the beautiful structure.


We had a blast and made a pretty big scene with all of our silly picture poses.




Since my last blog entry I have visited the Hindu holy city 2 more times. One time I was able to take J and A! There are so many unique things here and it is fun to watch J as he captures the chaos with his camera.


My second visit was made with my best Hindu friend Ab. This time was so significant as I introduced him to a friend of mine who was able to communicate truth in a way that I never could. My friend challenged Ab to read only one book and seek only One for a month. I believe Ab is at the point of decision these days. Please remember him!


I also spent time with his family and am asking that the whole household believes!


Being in the holy city always makes me more aware of how fleeting life is and how urgent we should be. Death is so much in your face there. The picture above is of the burning ghat during the daytime. So many families watch their loved ones burn here everyday without hope. I can't imagine a darker place on the planet.

This would be a good time to update you on my friend Chuck as well. He recently referred to himself as following 60%. He explained that only a short time ago he was at 0% and the change was shocking even for him. Please remember him as well!


C's baseball season finished well and we had so much fun watching him play. He ended up finding his baseball swing and that playing catcher was the coolest because of all the gear!


T and I both celebrated birthdays and ended up staying at a hotel so that we could use their pool. It was worth it just to watch the boys enjoy this rare opportunity to swim.


We also had a party at our house and B showed us all how to play the guitar.


One day we took a trip to a theme park we have found. It is pretty good and the boys had a blast with some of their closest friends here!


We tried our best to celebrate Halloween, but weren't sure what the neighbors would think about us wasting a perfectly good vegetable.



C really got into the spirit, but most people couldn't figure out why this weird boy was dressed up like a pirate.


One of the hardest goodbyes was to our house helper. She has become a part of our family and we are all struggling to let her go.


We all got to be a part of her water ceremony and it was a joy to celebrate this special moment with her.



She invited many of her friends and we were so proud of her boldness.


We also traveled to visit the boys and girls home (that our Russellville friend is connected with) a good distance South of our city. I can't explain how much we enjoyed the time and what a blessing the kids were to us!









B even jumped in to help the kitchen staff prepare the rice for lunch!






We are all pretty worn out from our travels and packing, but there is a deep joy about the next chapter. We know it will mean being closer to many of you and we can't wait to catch up. This place has forever gripped our hearts and we believe that the Kingdom is coming, the journey has just begun!!

beautiful non-sense

Is reality centered in things we can see, hear, taste, touch, and smell? Or is it perhaps about something much more significant than that? Over the last year we have discovered that common sense and faith don't always play together! The One we follow wants our undivided attention, regardless the storm brewing around us. Sometimes His way makes perfect sense, but other times it may seem as nonsense (beautiful nonsense)!

In this update we have some amazing stories to tell and some BIG news to share! Thanks for joining us in the journey!


Many of you have been asking with us about our friend Chuck and his commitment to read John and focus his worship in September. I have been checking in with him and normally it has been at my initiative that he said things were going well. However, recently he sent me a text message thanking me for the challenge and testifying to the power and peace found in J!! Please continue interceding for him!


Last week we had the incredible opportunity to host our friend AB from Allahabad (the first city we lived in). He rode the train over and spent two full days with us. He had shown so much interest in our story before, but always seemed held back by something. We were able to have many discussions during his recent visit and he is asking tons of questions! There is a possibility I may get to see him again next week. Please ask that this would happen!



We have experienced some craziness over the last month related to our home. The apartment we live in is on the second floor and the land lord decided to put a women's clothing store beneath us. Well, somehow this required removing the support beams that hold up our floor? T actually heard the house drop and huge cracks are on almost every wall. Needless to say, we are moving soon!! G provided the perfect temporary housing situation for us just in time!!



T is not in this picture, but we will have one like it in a few weeks! She is signed up to run in the Delhi half marathon and is training like crazy to get ready. I tried to keep up for a while, but got tired of eating her dust!


C has a new coach on his baseball team. Joe Joe Potato has stepped into the much needed 3rd assistant role on the coaching staff. We desperately needed his expertise and good looks to pull of a winning season!


Game days are so much fun! The embassy has an incredible playground that actually gets more attention than the baseball field.


We have some big news that is probably going to catch you completely off guard, but I don't know a better way to say it than just to say it! We are planning to return stateside at the end of the year and to pursue opportunities in ministry full time to college students.

Here is the back story to this dramatic change in plans.

T and I got married on May 24th 1997. At that point we both loved J, but didn't really have any vision for what He wanted from us. That fall semester (we were still in college) I began a discipleship relationship with a man named Tim (many of you know this part of the story). I quickly began to feel G's passion for the students around me and started reaching out to them. We felt G's pleasure with our efforts and some truly amazing things took place. After graduating we made plans to begin full time collegiate ministry, but before the new school year began I traveled (without T) to India.

The experience shook me to the core and I returned to T a different man. I hadn't spoken much of India before and now I was telling her to pack her bags because we where moving there. She instead told me to pack my bags because she wasn't going anywhere! This began a journey that we have been on since that day. Our time in India has really served to clarify things and for the first time in our married life we have peace about our direction as individuals, as a couple, and as a family.

At the heart of the matter there has been a misunderstanding on my part related to how G calls and sends His children. From day one I approached the possibility of going in a very common sense manner. India is the most spiritually needy place on the planet and yet the workers there are ridiculously low. In my mind it made perfect sense that anyone who really loved J would go there!! I know this wasn't good theology, but at the time it somehow made perfect sense. I see now that this misconception has been driving my ministry and relationships from the beginning.

Three years ago T agreed to come to India with me. She believed that it must be God's desire for our family because it wouldn't let go of me. We sold all of our belongings and crossed the ocean believing we were following the G we both love. We still believe that He wanted us to come here, but now we see that it was as much about correcting and restoring us as anything else. We wholeheartedly believe that bringing us here was the only way G was ever going to loosen my grip on India and free me from the burden I was carrying.

For the most part we have enjoyed our time here. I can honestly say that my love for this place and it's people is as intense as ever, but during our time we have made some massive discoveries! First of all, T has been amazing and has done really well even though it is obvious to us both that M life is not her calling. Secondly, in my most intimate moments with J I only hear Him confirming our original and driving passion, to make disciples on the college campus. He has confirmed from every direction that this is what He has equipped and ordained us to do. For the first time I have experienced peace about what it is that He wants and it has taken bringing us to this place to break my stubborn heart.

The things that have happened here (recorded on this blog) have been amazing. There is no doubt that He is at work! We have and will shed many tears over the things we will leave behind, but we can't deny what the last 10 years point to and what our journey to India has confirmed. We were made to labor among college students! Even our most fruitful activity here has been connected to the discipleship of American college grads that are working all over the country.

As for the timing, many of you are aware that our company is in transition. It is more than just a few adjustments here and there, it is a total transformation. The job we originally came for doesn't even exist anymore. As things get set in the new order, people are committing to new roles and responsibilities. As we evaluate the situation, we feel strongly that transitioning now is better than committing to things we don't feel led to do.

So, our future is a bit uncertain. However, for the first time in our married life we feel complete unity and confidence about what it is G wants us to do. It's not a new direction, it's actually the original direction. We have taken quite a journey to arrive back at the starting line, but believe that the experiences of the past decade have equipped us for the work we have been called to. You guys have amazed us in your support along the way and we ask that you would join us as much now as ever!

We can't explain G's ways, but just know that we know His direction. We follow His leading in this with confidence of His faithfulness and security in His character. I can now testify that following J isn't about what makes sense, following J goes way beyond our senses!

the invitation

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. Revelation 22:17

These days for our family have been about the challenge of faith. Do we believe? It is easy to say we do, but our actions and anxious hearts tell a different story at times. If we stop long enough to consider and believe in the goodness of our God, LIFE colors our experience with deep joy and lasting peace. However, when we stop believing our world turns gray and the beautiful becomes mundane. Today the invitation is given, will we believe?

In the last update I introduced you to Chuck. This young man is seeking truth! He recently visited our apartment (and brought a friend) to view "The Passion". We had been discussing the story for weeks, but seeing it with his own eyes made the message all the more real.

That day we gave him a copy of the Word and challenged him to read, beginning in John. A few days ago (in a follow up meeting) Chuck was excited about the progress he had made and bought questions from his reading. He is amazed by it all, but still isn't ready to accept that this way is THE way.

As we left the meeting that day I gave Chuck an invitation. What if he were to take the rest of September (23 days) and focus all of his attention on JC? He confessed that everyday he spends time in worship of something. I challenged him to read from John and worship only JC for the remaining days of this month. I told him that if JC is one among many then nothing would change, but if He is the ONLY then it would be undeniable.

I gave this invitation without thinking! On the way home I second guessed the whole thing, wondering if I had stepped my bounds. What if nothing happens? What will the ramifications be? What if?

Then I realized that it wasn't me who gave the invite. This "taste and see" method isn't my normal mode of operation and came from my mouth involuntarily. I hadn't put His reputation on the line, HE had! At that moment my heart filled with faith and I believed He would be faithful to finish what He had started!

So now I give you an invitation. Would you join me in asking that Chuck would seek and find that He is all we have found and confess Him to be? If you just took a few minutes each day for the rest of September to make this request, what might He do?

In hundreds of relationships over our time here, this is where the conversation stops. We haven't seen anyone cross this barrier. All will agree that He is good and that He is even special, but to say that He is the ONLY is a place our friends are just unwilling to go. We have come to realize that this wall won't come down with a persuasive talk or nifty illustration. All my best plans and preparations are useless against it. There is only one who has the power to do it and it sure ain't me or you! Please join us in asking that HE would do what only HE can!


While we await this 2nd birth we recently got to celebrate A's 1st! She had a big day with the girls and we all ate at this Mexican restaurant in town. The waiters didn't know that every good Mexican place makes the birthday girl wear a sombrero. We took the liberty to do in ourselves!


Independence day is a big deal here. Everyone flies a kite that looks like the Indian flag. Above is the picture from our balcony. The most amazing thing is how they are able to fly them around all the chaotic power lines and with no wind!


We also recently experienced Ganesh Chaturthi. This is a ten day festival to celebrate the birth of the elephant headed deity named Ganesha. This year we encountered it face to face because we now have a temple just outside our door. This place of worship is actually on the street corner and normally out of the way, but for this festival they made a tent and extended the temple into the street. This was required to make room for the massive statue and all the people who ended up coming to give worship.

The tent blocked the way to our house and everyday we had to negotiate the narrow space left for traffic. C was really bothered by the whole thing. He came up with a plan to stack copies of the WORD around the statue so high that you couldn't even see it. He was sure this would turn every ones attention toward JC!


This temple is led by a family of priest (or pundits) who have been in charge of the activities for many years. I got to meet and share with the youngest brother (above) and left wondering what he really thinks about the man made statue behind him.


Baseball season at the US embassy began last weekend. This year C gets to hit from a pitcher. Daddy is coaching and got the call to pitch. I actually ended up having to ask another coach to close because I couldn't throw the poor kids a strike to save my life!


C played really well and had a great time making new friends! Our team has kids from every corner of the planet and half the time you can't understand anyone because of all our different accents. We just smile and wave with a little arrogance in our step, after all we are at the US embassy playing OUR sport.


B spends most of the time asking that his dad would be humbled!


Mom tries her best to carry all the gear and watch all three of us at once. It is hard work!


After the game we took the boys and a couple of their buddies to McDonalds. It's way different here (we walked through a crowd of people begging outside the door, we shared seats with large groups of people on both sides of us, and OF COURSE there is no beef in any of the hamburgers) but a happy meal is a happy meal any where in the world.


At times it feels like all our pieces are spread across the floor and we don't even know where to start, but then we look in faith and see the amazing things happening just below the surface!

It looks like there could be more changes ahead for us. As time passes, His desired direction clarifies. We are excited about it and were recently reminded that the one we follow never promised to be predictable, but we rest on the fact that He is good. His invitation isn't to an organization, it's to an adventure! The journey requires faith, but His promises are sure. I can't wait to see what's around the next turn, can you?