Running the Race

I received an email this week from the trip coordinator with Living Water.  She sent me a list of open dates, which is exciting.  As the trip becomes more real, my feelings are different than I expected.  I anticipated anxiety and doubt.  Instead I'm filled with excitement, anticipation, and eagerness.  Even some degree of impatience.

These past few months have been an exercise in continually turning every aspect of my life over to Jesus.  All in all life has been better than I could have ever hoped for.  There have been challenges, and those are getting easier to let go of, to let Christ work.  I have found that this can be harder during the good times than in the bad, although letting go is almost never my first reaction in any situation.  It is only through this continual act of letting go that life seems to make sense.  As much as I want to control my life and as much as I want to take credit for the good things that come my way, I know that without my savior, none of this would come to pass.  Life wouldn't have the meaning it has now and nothing would be as sweet.

As the trip has grown closer and things start falling in to place, others are catching some of the excitement as well.  I have a lot of friends that would love to come with me.  Making a difference in the world in the name of Christ is something many of my friends are drawn to, and I consider myself blessed to be surround by people like this.  One of my brothers in Christ has committed to come with me, he is seeking financial help for the trip right now.  I'm so thrilled that I will have a companion on the trip to share in the experience.  I'm sure in a far away land it will be wonderful to have a familiar face nearby.

It looks like we'll be going sometime in February or March.  We haven't gotten together to finalize a date yet, but I hope to do that this week.  Then the countdown begins.

As always, if you'd like to help out there are two immediate ways:

1. Pray for us.  Pray that all obstacles are removed from our path.  Pray that our hearts stay focused on God and that every aspect of this trip be centered around Christ.  I truly treasure your prayers and I would be honored to be a part of them.
2. Financial support.  This is a mission trip and it isn't free.  Christy and I have made financial commitments that we will not break.  We're on a financial plan that has us paying down debt.  When I started the journey toward this trip, we agreed that all money that we put toward the trip would come from sources outside our budget.  We've had a garage sale, I've asked for cash to put toward the trip for every special occasion (birthday, father's day, even our anniversary).  Between the generosity of my friends and family and through our own diligence, I'm pretty close to my financial goals.  My friend still has a long way to go, and any donations would be appreciated for him.  As our "stretch" goal, if a lot of money suddenly comes in, I'd love to take Christy along as well.

That's the update for now.  School starts soon and I'm starting a new job too, so if my ramblings today are a bit chaotic I apologize.  I'm continuing to run the race, even when it's uphill and hot.  Thanks for coming along!

David's Sing and Strum

David's 1st annual Spectacular Sing and Strum Birthday Bash 

Who : 
fans of handmade music

What : 
Bring an instrument and/or bring your voice.  We'll sit around and share songs.  The idea is similar to an old "hootenanny" where everyone would sit in a circle and play songs together.  I did this once with about 30 other guitar players and it was a blast.  

When :
1PM, Sunday June 27th

Where :
My House (call or email for the address and directions)

How : 
It would be helpful to bring a few copies of some of your favorite songs.  Simple sheets with the lyrics and chords would be great.  Although there aren't any genre restrictions, since we'll be entirely acoustic death metal and grunge would probably seem out of place.  The three genres I play the most are country, worship/praise, and folk.  The best songs for this setting are songs that would work around a campfire.

FAQ:

But I don't have any musical ability...
If you have an interest in music, come enjoy the handmade musical goodness.  If you have an instrument, bring it and maybe you can pick up a thing or two.

But I'm way better musically than most people.
Steal the show!

But I don't know any songs that anyone else would know.

Come and learn something, teach something.

But I don't know any songs at all.

Come learn some!  It'll be fun

Can I bring my...

YES:  Drum, harmonica, ukulele, talented friend, non-musical spouse 

NO:  Bagpipes, dogs (we have a little dog and yours would eat ours)

But wait, it's your birthday, shouldn't I bring a gift?
The music is the gift.  However, if you really feel like you need to give something feel free to either: a.) bring cans of food that will be donated to Sand Springs Community Services or b.) bring cash to donate to my mission trip that I'm planning to go on.

But my question was...

Send me a message and I'll add it to the list!

Living Water

I'm finally going public with my big announcement. I've have decided to go on a mission trip with "Living Water". At this point I'm certain that I will be helping to drill a water well in a community in Central or South America. Exactly where and when I'm not sure at this point.  Part of this trip will also being doing Christian outreach to this area.

Since finding Christ about 3 years ago my spiritual journey has been a crazy ride. I've moved from wondering who Christ is, to attempting to remove any obstacles between He and I, to intently listening to Him and determining His will for my life. Yes, I believe that Christ died to free me from my sins and that he rose from the grave, walked the earth again, and ascended into heaven. He changed my life.

The thing that really draws me to this particular mission is that I would actually be the hands and feet of Christ, so to speak. This is so much more than just driving somewhere and handing out religious tracts. This is making a community-changing difference that will span generations. It is not just "planting seeds" but watering the seeds as well.

The past year I have focused on going deeper. I could fill the internet with all thing amazing, life-changing things I have experienced. I have been quiet about it because I am not doing this to appear righteous to the world. The Word has been my guide, I have been spending a lot of time in it both by myself and with others. While I don't claim to be the strongest prayer warrior around, my prayer life has been active and intentional, constantly asking for Him to reveal the next step He intends for me to take.

It has become quite clear that the next step is this trip. The decision has been made, now there is action that must take place. Now, I'm in "fundraising" mode. There is no way I can come up with the $2,000 to take this trip on my own. So, I'm reaching out to my community, family, friends, and church. No amount is to big or small to give, and all will be used for this trip, which is ultimately for His Kingdom.

My goal is to keep updating this blog with news about the trip. It's important that I write out what I'm going through, how I see Christ working, and what my fundraising levels are.

Isaiah 6:8 says: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

I heard that same voice, and I will go. If there is any way you can help me get there, please help.