Pics from MEW at UMHB

We had a good time last week hanging out with students at Mary Hardin Baylor and telling them about the work we will be doing in Iraq and what is currently going on with The Preemptive Love Coalition.


This is a canvas I made for the event to showcase some of the latest stuff from our website.

The following are pics of pinwheels our sunday school class help make for the event. PLC has a new Pinwheels program to help advocate for these kids in Iraq and give people some really tangible ways to get involved. Did you know that most of these 3000+ Iraqi children in need of heart surgery aren't even strong enough to blow a pinwheel? So, if you can blow a pinwheel then you can make a pinwheel, sell a pinwheel, get a bunch of people together to make and sell or showcase pinwheels on behalf of these kids who need our help!


Aren't these fun?!



This is us at our booth for the ACT Now event

If you don't have a buy shoes. save lives or preemptive love T-shirt yet, the new V-necks are on the website and they're pretty awesome!

pics from PA

we did some pumpkin carving in honor of there actually being an autumn in the northeast


Elyse & Stephen in front of their new house. Isn't it amazing?!


this was taken at a corn maze we went to. Now, I've never been to one of these before, but this thing was gigantic! If you flew over it you would see a family of potato heads which made up the maze itself. There were 15 checkpoints and it took us about 2 hours to get through it! I think Elyse & I would still be in there if it weren't for Stephen.


This is me at this crazy nursery where Elyse was getting some fall mums to decorate the porch with. Everyone in PA decorates their yards and houses for Halloween - it's like Christmas in different colors...and characters.


The happy family... actually, that is Stephen's parent's dog, Regan. But he is the cutest thing you've ever seen! And yes, he is dressed like a pumpkin. Like I said, they go all out for halloween. I failed to take any pics of the changing leaves, but I did a ton of that 2 years ago when I visted about this time. here are some of those pics from New Jersey actually

Art * Music * Justice

Last night Jeff & I had the opportunity to attend the final night of the Art. Music. Justice tour in The Woodlands. The proceeds from the event benefited the International Justice Mission and the World Hunger Relief. It was an incredible night of worshiping with some of my favorite artists and hearing about what is going on around the world and how to get involved. It was a really renewing time that made me feel really alive! I think in America it is easy to hide or insulate ourselves from the realities of the rest of the world, sometimes even things that are happening in our own backyards. It is really good for me to be confronted with these things - poverty, famine, slavery, sex trafficking of children, orphans, widows, the hopeless, women and children dying of AIDS, or 3000 + Iraqi children waiting for a heart surgery or death. I know it seems like a paradox, but these things make me feel ALIVE. I was telling Jeff last night through tears about how THIS is what we were made for, this is what it means to be human. It is to LOVE, to show COMPASSION, to give ourselves away to the broken. I was so challenged by these songwriters who sung about how 'No amount of green, gold or silver will replace the peace of God." It is so easy for me to hedge myself and begin to believe that it really is about the stock market and my future retirement, or it's about feeling good, or it's about my family, or maybe it's about power and wealth. That's not how God made us! Over and over throughout scripture we are exhorted to:
"Give counsel, grant justice, make your shade like night at the height of noon, shelter the outcasts, do not reveal the fugitive. Let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you, be a shelter to them from the destroyer. When the oppressor is no more and destruction has ceased and he who tramples underfoot has vanished from the land, then a throne will be established in steadfast love." Isaiah 16:3-5 Amen and let it be!
I was challenged with the question of To what end have you groomed your personal walk with God? Because the TRUTH is that we are not powerless, not in the least! Let us not become so numb to the injustice in the world that we decide it is NOT our problem, that we have no power to affect change in the world - friends, that is a lie! To every single follower of Jesus - the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, the sick, the orphaned, the dying - these are your neighbors and we have been called to action:
'For by grace you have been saved though faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we SHOULD walk in them.' Ephesians 2:8-9
Not only do we have the promise of God that these good works exist, but we have the POWER of God to accomplish them! We are not powerless! But we must be obedient, we cannot claim our money as our own, our time as our own, our very lives as our own! Most of you know that Jeff & I are moving to Northern Iraq to work with The Preemptive Love Coalition to fund heart surgeries for 3000 + Iraqi children. We are less than 3 months from our departure and you know what? We are SO grateful for this opportunity! We would not choose anything else right now - not career, not 'home', not comfort, not family, not safety. That's not because we are some strange breed of holy or anything, but it's because of the grace of God in our obedience. We decided to obey God in his command to seek justice and love mercy and to give ourselves away for the least of these - for us that means going to Iraq. And God's grace is sufficient because last night we were filled with hope for the people of Iraq and for the broken around the world. God is healing, restoring, and drawing these people to himself and we get to be a part of that - it is SUCH an honor. It is an honor to go to Iraq and speak peace in the midst of violence, hatred, oppression, it is an honor to follow Jesus there.
All of the evil in the world, it is not a burden, it is not a burden to go with Jesus there and bring light and hope and freedom! Don't believe the lie that you can't do anything, that God can't use you, that the evil cannot be overcome - TAKE HEART Jesus already overcame the world! We have nothing to fear, and we have no excuses. Christian, you have no excuse. I have no excuse. We must respond, how will you respond?

Good Search

I wanted to tell you about an easy way for you and anyone else to raise money for The Preemptive Love Coalition, just by doing what you normally do everyday!

- Go to www.goodsearch.com
- Type in “Preemptive Love Coalition” in the box that asks “Who do you goodsearch for?”
- Click Verify

GoodSearch is a search engine powered by Yahoo! that donates money to the charity that you choose for every internet search that you do through them.

So if you make at least one search a day, and tell everyone you know about goodsearch, PLC will be well on its way towards funding a heart surgery for a child in Iraq, just through a few clicks of a button!

So please forward on the link to others who would join our cause, and start “good search”ing!

Sufficiently Whelmed

I'm not totally overwhelmed, but I'm not simply whelmed, so I guess I'm sufficiently whelmed right now. I brief overview of the last 2 weeks:

- My dad got his knee replaced last Monday. The surgery went well and he is back home and recovering - we're going to see him this weekend.

- I went to Pennsylvania Thursday - Monday to visit my sister and her new husband, it was a really great trip and I'm so glad I got to spend some good time with them.

- While I was in PA I got a text message about one of my friends from middle school and high school who died in a motorcycle accident. The funeral is today.

- Monday morning Jeff's uncle was scheduled for a hip replacement and his grandfather accidentally fell and broke his hip so his mom had to fly up to Dallas to be there for Big since George was also in the hospital.

- I went straight from the airport Monday to the hospital with Jeff to see Big. he had surgery yesterday morning and everything seemed to go well, he is in recovery now but still at the hospital.

- This week is Missions Emphasis Week at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor, so Jeff took a couple days off work to be there and I have been going there in the morning, coming back for work in the afternoon, and going back to UMHB at night, then coming back to Waco and starting all over again.

- One of my dearest, best friends lost her baby yesterday. She found out she was pregnant a few weeks ago and then this weekend went to the ER with extreme pain and yesterday found out that she had an ectopic pregnancy and had surgery to remove the baby. It went well and she is back home recovering, but I'm still really sad for her and her family.

So, it's been a pretty intense few days and I've been really sad about all of these things. God has been really good and faithful to remind me of his goodness and absolute trustworthiness in the midst of everything. If anything, all of these things have helped me really fall deep into the Father and be embraced by His peace and love. He knows how to hold and heal broken hearts better than anyone else.

So, anyway, that's what is going on with us lately. I will post some pictures from PA soon. Thanks for your prayers!

To my loving wife for all to know-

I have told you before that you are my favorite. Your response is usually favorite what? To which I reply my favorite everything. I would rather sit and do nothing or go on some crazy, long, fun something or other with you than anyone else. I know I often times get sidetracked or caught up in what I am doing or need to be doing and most likely forgot to show you all the love you deserve. For that I apologize. Today I want you to know how happy you make me. You do make me very happy even though I know my responses are often limited but inside I really am excited, happy and care a whole lot. With all the support stuff we having been doing there is absolutely no way as much would have been done if it wasn't for all your help. The other night as we were about to go to sleep you shared with me a page out of your journal about how you respected me. It really meant the world to me for you to share that with me. Thank you!! You are the love of my life and always will be. Know that you make me so incredibly happy and that I consider myself to be the luckiest man alive! I love you!!!

America is my lullaby

I sing it every day, it seems with each passing moment I drift a little deeper into this slumber of mine.
I don't remember hearing the song, and have no idea when I began singing along... but here I find myself, deep in a slumber I can't seem to shake.
I have moments of awareness, moments where I feel alive and remember what it was like to not be so tired and lifeless, but the longer I let myself sleep the more those seem like dreams.
Maybe it is the workplace or my routine that has me constricted, maybe it is my TV that tells me what to think and what I need, maybe it is how easy and entertaining everything is, maybe it is how life never seems to slow down and I just keep waiting for a break that will never come.
But, bigger than all of these things is the fact that I don't need anything - I almost never feel actual need. I may feel desire or lust, but I don't feel real need here in America. I have everything I need X 12.
It scares me a little bit - or a lot - how easy it is to let myself drift off and it can take weeks before I realize that I haven't felt really ALIVE. I feel most alive when I am connected to the source of life - obviously. But honestly, it is difficult for me to tap into that regularly when I'm here where everything feels so comfortable and I don't need God to do anything for me, to be anyone to me, to tell me who I am.
I don't think it has to be like this, I don't have to sleepwalk through all of my days here - but it is really easy for me to do just that. I know the tune so well that it gets in my head and then if I let it the tune will get in my heart and before I know it I've just slumbered my way through another year without engaging the world around me or engaging Jesus Himself. I'm sure there will be many difficult days in Iraq where I long to be 'home', but I know that I won't be asleep, I will be watchful and alert and alive! I imagine that Iraq has a lullaby all it's own and eventually, it's tune will start to sound familiar, but I'm learning now how to choose to tune it out and sing my own song - one of life and hope and Truth. I want to be like that right now, right here, I'm just confessing that it is really hard for me to do that in America where I can auto pilot my way though life without even remembering I pressed the button.
Does anyone else hear this song or it is just my own struggle to really LIVE everyday and follow Jesus instead of just dreaming about him?

My Twins -The Results

Well, I must say - you guys did pretty good! Missy, Jeff's seen all these pictures too many times to get the wrong answer. I remember in high school before we were dating doing the 'which one am I' test with him where we would go around to EVERY picture in the house and he would have to guess which one I was. If my memory serves me correctly he was only right about 45% of the time - but he's gotten much better now! Fortunately there's never been any mix-ups on his part - although, there was that one time in college when Elyse's then boyfriend tried to kiss me because he thought I was her...awkward. Without further ado (what's ado anyway?)

Kasey: you got them all right!!!! way to go! YOU are the champion!

Jennifer: you scored a 90, you got Pic # 2 wrong, I am on the left

Chelsea: you also got pic # 2 wrong - Santa must have thrown you off.

Missy: You were wrong on pic # 1 - with the baby pictures, when in doubt - I'm the smaller one. My dad and I were talking about this post yesterday and he's like 'I always assume you are the one with the smaller head.' Elyse stole my food tube in utero so she was fatter than me and yes 1 inch taller than me (good observation Tera).

Elaine: Good job! You got pic # 2 wrong and Pic # 9 wrong, It's me, Elyse, and my mom.

All in all, great job friends! You guys are clearly not the ones that go up to my sister or my mom and talk to her like she's me. Last weekend at the garage sale someone thought my mom and Jeff were married....awkward? Yes.

I'm going to PA to visit my sister and her husband this weekend! I'm pretty excited! I haven't seen their new house, and the leaves will actually be changing, I can't wait!

no more nyquil

So, I decided that it must be the Nyquil that makes me crazy after all. Last night we were laying in bed about to go to sleep and I guess Jeff could tell I was kind of restless so he asked me, 'What are you thinking?', my response was something like:
"About safety patrol flags, peanuts, glaciers, doorknobs, hockey, petals, shopping centers, rabbits, pendants, quilting, we need more stamps, who won the debate? ice cream, cleaning out the refrigerator, Kurdish, fire escapes, landslides, what are we going to eat for dinner tomorrow?, where's my phone?, kayaks, girl scouts, meadows, my steering wheel...."
It went on like that for about 4 minutes, during which I think Jeff went to sleep and I decided not to take Nyquil anymore. Yikes!

garage sale update

I'll give ya'll a few days to do the picture guessing, but I wanted to update you on the garage sale. It went really well - thanks for your prayers! I went down to Corpus Thursday to start going through the attic, storage unit, my mom's garage, and our stuff at Jeff's parents house. At first I thought I had just inhaled too much dust and my allergies were going crazy, but by Friday evening I conceded that I was in fact sick - really sick. I made it through the morning shift of the garage sale and then had to go lay on the couch and try not to move. We met our goal of how much money we wanted to make and got rid of all of our junk!

If you can't read the sign it says 'Welcome Mate! I'm Joey, you can take me home for just $2"... But nobody did, he's at Goodwill now.


Turns out the Christmas tree really did sell the clothes it was wearing - kind of like seeing stuff on mannequins...only not so much.



I was pretty disappointed at the timing of the illness, but then I got to thinking last night - and maybe it was the nyquil (I'm still kind of under the influence) but I was thinking about all those things that make me think 'Why would God create that?!' Things like infectious mosquitoes, raccoons, cockroaches, disease causing bacteria, bats, ants that don't bite but eat your food, armadillos, ants that do bite and it feels like fire - things like this. And I realized that all of these things (or maybe just most of them) cause me to have to depend on God and usually produce in me an attitude of humility or a general acknowledgment that I need help. It's good for me to look back on this weekend and KNOW that there is no way I would have been able to have a successful garage sale without God's grace. I'm feeling much better today, and hopefully Jeff & I will not acquire enough stuff for another garage sale for at least 10 years!

My twins

I don't know what the deal is but lately everyone (particularly people who aren't around me very much or who are really close to me) keeps telling me that I look just like my sister, or that I look a lot like her today. I mean I know we're twins and all and look alike but not THAT alike...right? I mean I always thought that as we got older we looked less alike. Also, I am apparently looking increasingly like my mother - to the point where people approach her and talk to her thinking she is me. It's kind of weird to have so many people that look like me. So here's the challenge - look at the pictures below and guess who is me, who is Elyse (my sister) and I'll even throw some mom pictures in there.

First, this is me and my sister. I'm on the left and she's on the right


Now, you're on your own... I have a few pics of us growing up so you can help me decide if we are in fact looking MORE alike as we get older or less alike.
Picture 1

This one's pretty hard - I'm only 92% sure I know which one I am

Picture 2

We did a lot of the matching outfit in alternating colors thing

Picture 3

Okay now for the getting older pictures...

Picture 4


Picture 5

Notice my mom in this picture as a reference for future pictures

Now, for the current pictures. I'll throw in some of my mom too, so you have to guess which one is me, which one is my sister, AND which one is my mom....good luck!

Picture 6


Picture 7


Picture 8


Picture 9



Picture 10


Now it's your turn! Just tell me what side I'm on, and in the ones with my sis and Mom tell me who's who by saying what side everyone is on. Mom & Jeff you don't get to guess

*****update*******

I'm taking Kasey's suggestion and adding individual pics of me, Elyse and my mom so now see if you can tell who's who...

Picture 11


Picture 12


Picture 13

Garage Sale!

We decided Monday to have our huge garage sale this Saturday in Corpus Christi. We moved all our stuff down there in July and it has been sitting in storage since then. I'm glad we're getting this out of the way but I'm pretty nervous about it already. I had a big garage sale right after college and if I remember correctly it went something like this...
LOTS of organizing stuff all over the house, price stickers everywhere, staying up super late setting stuff up in the garage, not sleeping at all that night because I kept thinking about all the little things that I needed to get done, finally just getting up at 5 am and going to Krispy Kreme to get donuts for whoever showed up, and then we started to set up about 6 even though it wasn't supposed to open until 7. People started showing up right about 6 and we tried to get them to wait until we were done setting up but they didn't speak English and I don't speak Spanish. It was out of control, people fighting over bicycles and shoes and counting money in Spanish that I couldn't remember. Finally, it was over around 2 pm and we took everything we couldn't sell to goodwill in trash sacks. I spent the next 2 days trying to recover from that experience. 2 years later I'm not sure I'm fully recovered. There is this sense of dread already filling my insides.... So, if you think about it in the next few days, please, please, PUHLEAZE pray for this garage sale on Saturday that I will not loose my mind or sell my mom's furniture that wasn't for sale or Jeff's clothes he still wants - things like this. If you're in Corpus this weekend - stop by! 2517 Quebec, but don't come before 7 am!