happy easter!!!

This is God's story from the book of Luke 24:1-7, 38-40, 44, & 46-48 (NASB-U)

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. [2] And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, [3] but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. [4] While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; [5] and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? [6] "He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, [7] saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."
Days later, Jesus said to the disciples, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? [39] "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." [40] And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. Now He said to them, "These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." And He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, [47] and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem."

This is the greatest story ever told... are you a part of it? You can be.

what if it was all gone

The picture you just looked at reminds me of this passage. These Children have nothing, but are smiling.
I was reading the other day in the book of Joshua after Israel came into the Promised Land; Joshua began dividing up the land between the 12 tribes the way that Moses had planned. When Joshua got to the Levites, he did not give them an inheritance. It says in 13:33, “But to the tribe of Levi, Moses did not give and inheritance, the Lord, the God of Israel, is their inheritance, as He had promised to them.”
I was blown away by this idea. The people of Israel were waiting to get to this great land so that they could obtain a share of it. But upon arrival the tribe of Levi did not get any land. They watched their brothers and families and friends win the land lottery, as they simply stood and watched. Then I continued to read waiting for a complaint, and not one came.
What they received was greater than a land flowing with milk and honey; they received God Himself. God was their inheritance. The Levites were satisfied with God alone. God was enough for them, and they did not need all the stuff to go along with God.
Imagine that today. What if God was all you had; no house, no TV, no car, no money, no food, no clothes, no computer, cell phone, or anything else you can think of? Would you be content? I forgot my phone the other day and felt naked and lost.
Thank God for what you have. But never take for granted that it is all God’s and He can remove it at any time. Job said, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”
God fulfills our every need if we simply let Him. "God teach me that you are all I need before you are all I have."

great news

So here goes! We went to Louisiana this weekend and had a great time. Drove entirely too far, ate entirely too much, played too many car games to pass the time, and did not get enough sleep. We spent some time in New Orleans, and then drove to Shreveport for Liz’s interview. It went very well, so well that they offered her a job on the spot and they gave her until today to respond.
So, for the next year or so of our lives we will be living in Shreveport, LA. I have never got up in the morning and said to myself, “I need to move to Louisiana.” But I am so excited to be somewhere different for a season of our lives. I feel as though I am in a rut, and in need of a change of perspective. Liz is so excited about the outcome, and I am so excited for her.
Just a side note... I am so proud of how she has handled the events and situations of the past few months of our lives. Liz has been optimistic, upbeat, and has simply trusted that when God is ready, He will reveal His plans to us. Liz has been someone that I can truly say that I am proud to be associated with. She has taught me many things about life and following Christ and I am thankful for her.
In the next few months, we will be taking some short trips to Shreveport to try to find a house or a place to live, a job for me, and to get more acquainted with the city. Hopefully we will be flying rather than spending almost to 12 hours in a car (each way). So pray for us, we need it. Liz and I have never done this before and we need all the help we can get. We will keep you more informed as we know more, but for now, here are a few pictures.

here we come!!!!

This weekend is absolutely crazy!!! Friday night we leave Columbia, drive to New Orleans, stay for a day... drive to Shreveport, LA... stay for a day or so... then drive back on Tuesday. Not to mention that Liz is flying to Philadelphia on Thursday and coming back on Friday afternoon.

Let’s total the miles here;
· From Columbia, SC to Philadelphia, PA and back- 1254 miles
· From Columbia, SC to New Orleans, LA- 677 miles
· From New Orleans to Shreveport, LA- 343 miles
· From Shreveport, LA to Columbia, SC- 811 miles

Coming to the grand total of 3,085 miles and driving more than 28 hours in the car.
You might say we are nuts, you are RIGHT! I am not sure what will come of this other than 4 people getting entirely too close for entirely too long. But strangely enough I can’t wait!’
We are built for this. Not for the extremely long and tedious car ride, but the relationships with other people, the conversations, sharing in this adventure called life. In the simplest sense, “God saw that it was not good for man to be alone.”

I will have some great pictures and some good memories to share with you when we get back, and after I wake up.
See you soon.

flexibility

When you go to another country there are three rules you must observe while there; 1. Be flexible. 2. Be flexible. 3. Be flexible.
Although this is a rule of thumb while being in another country, out of your culture, and not being in control, this same rule can also be applied to our everyday lives. Too often we are rigid, on schedule, routine, and have our own way of doing everything. So much so, that it drives us nuts when things don’t go as planned. When things change, we are completely lost.
I thought I was flexible, but over the past few weeks I have found out that I am not all that good at being flexible. I have been privileged to watch the example of Liz through our process of figuring out what God wants us to do. She has been dealing with the obstacles with grace in such a way that I am simply amazed. Where as an unplanned situation will fluster me or get me down; Liz has the ability to be almost fluid and roll with the punches. She is great at being knocked down, picking herself up, and moving on to the next in line.
Last night she said, “By the way, I have another interview this week, hundreds of miles in the opposite direction from where we are going this weekend. I was floored, she just said “OK.”
I am blown away at how well she handles problems and obstacles. She is too good for me. Thank you God!

Future Plans

After the past couple crazy weeks... we are getting back on our feet. Liz has a few interviews over the next week. Some over the phone and some on site. She just returned from KY on Saturday, and is trying not to make any decisions yet. We are trying not to put all of our eggs in one basket, as the saying goes. We will be traveling to LA this weekend from Friday to Monday or Tuesday, pray fro some safe travel as we will be making a long trek for a short interview.

We know that you cannot come with us, our car is not big enough. But we hope that you will join us on our journey into the Great Unknown. We need you all more than you understand.
I read this morning from Joshua in my devotional time with God, "Not one of the good promises which the Lord made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass."

We believe that will be true in our lives.
talk to you soon.

choosing to believe

In the midst of tough situations, faith is choosing to believe something that you do not necessarily feel. I like what the Bible says about faith; “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
I have never seen a heart beat or a brain at work, but I know that they keep me alive and functioning every day. I cannot see the wind, but I see its effects. I have never seen Mars with my own two eyes but I believe it is there. In the same way I choose to believe that God is good in the midst of trials. I choose to believe that God is not a cynical god out to make me unhappy, but is really seeking and pursuing what is best for Liz and me. I choose to believe that God is still in control, that He is not wringing His hands in heaven when things don’t go as expected.
If I could prove this outside of faith, it would not be faith at all. It would be easy. God tends to strengthen people with pressure, like refining by fire… like iron sharpening iron. I often wish that God would sprinkle patience and perseverance from heaven like a soft rain. Rather, it most often comes in the form of a storm or hurricane. It is sometimes painful, but always good for us.
I love the way that C.S. Lewis put it at the end of The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe when he was speaking of Aslan (God); “He’s not a tame lion, but He’s good.”