My Isuzu lives better than 640,000,000 people on this Earth.

I often complain about what I don't have; whether I do it out loud or quietly inside my head. Working at a private school, I am surrounded by wealth. I see some people's cars whose price tag is more than my mortgage. I see commercials on TV that advertise 80 inch flat screen TV's, all the while squinting at my tiny set that actually still uses a picture tube and weighs more than most large appliances. It is so easy to be dissatisfied.

Then my pastor gave me a statistic that put things into perspective. 640,000,000 people on this Earth live without adequate shelter. He said, "most of your CARS have better houses than over half of a billion people". And he is right! i have a two car garage. It has doors, windows, and it is even heated and cooled in the summer. It stays dry in the rain, and keeps out bugs and animals (though we do get those creepy cave cricket things, but fortunately, my cat is a good hunter).

He also said that some in the audience might not be able to even park their cars in their garage because they had too much stuff packed into them. How true this is. And how sad.

We are a people of excess. We usually have two of everything (cars, refrigerators, freezers, MULTIPLE tv's, etc) yet 80% OF PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH LIVE ON LESS THAN $10 A DAY!

It's called perspective, people. And I need a good dose of it. I am blessed beyond most humans dreams.

It's 2:00 am... do you know where your Charizard is?

It's 2:00 am.  Apparently, as one creeps towards "middle age" (and the dreaded FOUR-OH) sleep can be a somewhat elusive creature.  So, on those nights where one regrets drinking caffeinated beverages after the hour of 5:00 pm, I find myself here at the computer with a brain full of thoughts.

The pensée du moment (my mother would be proud) is that of my son.  I had one of "those" moments tonight.  My son was talking to me about his favorite passion; Pokemon video games.  All I know about them, is apparently you have to catch them all, or something bad will happen... As I was typing on my computer, I was doing the usual "uh-huh" and "oh really" responses as he was sharing that his recently aquired "Charizard Pokemon eventually will evolve into Charmeleon" (thanks James Logan). Then I stopped.  And I looked at him.  He continued to talk, not noticing a change in my disposition.  I just studied him.  Watching his facial expressions, his body language, how he reminds me of his mother every time I look at him.  And I realized, how BLESSED I am to be a father.  To have a healthy son, who wants to share his passion with me, even if I don't understand a word of what he is saying, because he loves me.  And oh, how I love him as well.  As I look closer, I realize he is not the 3 year old toddler, or  a 6 year old kindergartner anymore, but a 10 year old young man who, for just a few more years, I will be able help mold and shape into the man he will become.  As parents, there is such a small window where we truly get to impact our children, before peers and other outside influences take over.  And I don't want to miss that.


Facebook can wait.  So can watching Mythbusters or even writing a blog.  The superficial things that we as parents so easily get caught up into, which distract us from truly engaging in heart felt conversations with our kids, need to be regulated into the place where they belong.  And while I won't be going out to research which "rare candy will help level up Pichu", I sure am going to treasure the moments and passions that he chooses to share with me.  Because before I know it, the things that he will be chasing won't be harmless video game creatures, but things that can cause much more impact on his life.  And if I want to be able to speak into his life then, I sure need to listen to his life now.

Orang-orang dari Malaysia membaca blog saya!

Well, I sure hope that Google translator works correctly, and I haven't just offended the people from Malaysia...  In English, this hopefully translates to "People from Malaysia are reading my blog!" (or something to that effect)

When I started blogging, one of the jokes in our family was that no one would read the blog.  Being a new source of media for me, I really hadn't done any blogging, or kept track of anyone's blogs either.  Through the help of Dave Parker, I was able to get this started.

Honestly, it began as a modern day "journal" for me to list my thoughts on our new venture into missions.  I figured, even if no one read it, it would allow me to look back through this journey and reflect on where we came from.

I then added the "pageview" gadget to the blog, and was really encouraged to see that people were actually reading it (or my parents were hitting the "refresh" button 400+ times!).  I also saw the "stats" link on my homepage, and wondered what that meant.  So, I clicked it.  And I was astounded.  Not only were people from America reading the blog, but Columbia, the UK, Germany, India, Croatia, Spain, Canada, and Brazil!  Now, I understand that these people might not read the entire blog, or do much more than browse through it, but on the other hand, they very well may actually read it.  And I was so encouraged.  Because as I sit in front of my fire (actually, it is an electric heater that kind of looks like a fireplace...) here in Knoxville TN, the words are going out around the world.  Rather frightening, in a manner of thinking.  But also powerful.

When I read in Revelations about the whole world hearing about the words of Christ before he would come back, I often wondered how that would come into being.  And I believe that the modern media is really helping that come to fruition.  And I hope to be one of the vessels that he uses to do it.

So, to all of the readers out there, I say this:
Terima kasih!
Gracias!
Obrigado!
Vielen Dank!
Hvala vam što ste!
शुक्रिया!
Thank you!  

"I don't want to know what you had for lunch!"

Apparently, my parents aren't too hot about Facebook.  They jokingly quip that they frankly don't care about what people eat, or where they are headed, and they really don't understand what "poking" means.  And I get that.  But they are soon realizing that they can keep up a whole lot better with their grandchildren by looking at their statuses, then by waiting to hear news in person or by phone (do people even use a phone to make calls anymore, anyway?). 

But I submit that while Facebook definitely has the potential for "evil", it also has the ability for good!   Besides keeping up with current friends, I so enjoy watching what life is bringing to so many of my former friends and or students and players.  While you need to be careful what you post, it can be used as an almost instantaneous prayer chain.  School closings are posted on Facebook even before the news has broadcast on the TV!  Have an event?  Instead of sending out "snail mail" invitations, invite everyone and get almost immediate RSVP's.

So, why do I talk about Facebook on a mission blog?  God has shown that He can use modern social media to benefit His kingdom if He chooses.    We have been so blessed by messages and encouragement we have received through this electronic media.  People we haven't talked to in over 20 years, sending us support, prayer and kind words.  I get to talk to friends that we met halfway around the world, and know that they struggle with the same things we do, but as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are there for each other!  I get to keep in touch with the 30+ members of the Brazil tour 2010 and see that they are as crazy now as they were last summer!

And yes, I even get to know what most of you had for lunch.  And I'm ok with that!

"Not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these."

Just the other day, I opened an old prayer journal  book and found it.  I come across it every so often.  A dried up bouquet of flowers and weeds.  And that is when I lift her and my former team, up in prayer.                

Linda Carlson…  A name that is stored in my heart from 1995.  I met 9 year old Linda during my tour with MAI as a soccer player in Sweden.  I still remember walking up to the camp we (Charlotte Eagles Women’s Mission Soccer Team) were going to run for the day, and seeing the young strawberry blonde‘s grin!  She was full of life.  Throughout the day, I got to know Linda.  She taught me some Swedish, I taught her some soccer.  She shared her stories, I shared Jesus.  During a short walk thru the park area where we were doing soccer camp, the girls in my group listened to us try to attempt Swedish as the girls giggled at our accents.  They showed us a flower, then gulped it up—showing us a few of the wild flowers they ate there and sharing the bitter petals with us.  During that little walk, Linda gave me a little bouquet of wild flowers and weeds.  Her beautiful gleaming smile boasted as she said, “I picked these for you!”  I cherished the sweet gift, and later that evening, tucked that little bouquet away in my trip journal with some napkin and tagging her name and date on them.   

A dried up, fragile bouquet.  They no longer are alive, but are brown and brittle.  But when I come across these once beautiful flowers, the memories are as alive as that bouquet was.  And I pray for Linda;  that God would watch over her, to guide her in whatever she is going through in life.  That she would be reminded of God’s love for her.  She is probably 25 today.  I have never gotten to hear or see from her, but I know, that God let me part of her life for a little while so I could be part of her life forever in Him.  Isn’t that just like  Jesus?   To be sure His sheep are cared for and covered in prayer.   

That is what God accomplishes on mission trips.   He lets you see, touch, and love His people all over the world.  He changes their lives.  He changes yours.   Today.  And forever.   I am grateful to be able to travel with MAI all over again.  But this time, as a leader and mentor.   Would you pray for those we will be meeting this year?  That hearts would be open to His message and that we would be open to be the vessel for Him to use.  That through soccer, or matches, or camps, or walks in the woods, that Christ's love would be spread. 

What to do if a gun is pulled on you in Bogota...

What to do if a gun is pulled on you in Bogota…

Ok, so I haven’t actually had a gun pulled on me, or in fact, ever been to Bogota.  But my friends Stephen and Sara Otis have done both (well, Sara has just been to Bogota, Stephen is the only one to get accosted).  The young couple are in a ministry working with kids in Columbia.  Recently, Stephen actually had a gun pulled on him, and amazingly, got out of the situation using his rapier wit and a good dose of ignorance.

Check out his story: www.bridgethelove.com

As a family that, for the most part, is state side, in a nice warm house, and in a mostly safe city (though Walgreens was robbed by a man with a pencil yesterday) I often feel like we are “pretend missionaries”.  I’m not trudging through the bush, or evading poisonous snakes, or even pretending to be Spanish illiterate and getting away with not being shot, like Stephen!

But I have 106 reminders of my mission field every day.  While I am planning the Brazil trip, and working on raising support, I enter into a classroom each day, and see 106 eager faces.  While I don’t whack my way through a rain forest, or fight guerrilla warfare, I “fight” on a battlefield that is ripe with divorce, split homes, and self esteem issues.  I’ll bet all of you (the tens of twenties that read the blog) can remember the impact a teacher had on your life.  Fortunately, the role of being an International Youth Tour director mainly takes place after school hours and in the summer.  So this allows me to stay in the classroom.

So, while it isn’t as glamorous or adventurous as what Stephen or Sara are going through, it still is an important mission field.  And with only 3 days until Christmas break, sometimes it can feel like a jungle!!!

Why I do what I do...

Lives changed.  Including my own. 


All too often, I have doubts.  Doubts of "am I doing the right thing" or "if I am doing the right thing, and I doing it the right way".  The biggest?  "Is what I am doing even making a difference?"

In these first days of starting into missions, I am full of these types of questions.  Yet, God has been so good to me in these moments of doubt.  While I don't deserve it, he shows me his grace and mercy, especially in times when I need it the most.

Two stories bring this to heart.  This summer, after I had retired from coaching at CAK to venture into sports ministry, I was feeling a lot of these doubts.  I was listening to a CD that talked about "encouragement".  It talked about people calling individuals who made a spiritual influence in their lives and thanking them for it.  I sat and thought "I wonder if any of my players will one day do this".  I had just pulled into my garage, and my phone rang.  It was one of my players.  Calling from AFRICA, in the middle of the jungle, in the middle of the night, to thank me for what I had done for him!  Not TWO MINUTES after I had mentioned my request!  I was floored.

Fast forward to this week.  We have had a lot of set backs this past month.  Things we thought were going to come through, didn't, and some of the people we thought were going to help us weren't going to be able.  And again, I thought "did I hear God right?"  "Is what I am doing making a difference?"  And that morning, I received the following message from a former player:


"Just thought I should let you know this. I was thinking about life a couple of days ago and how I make my decisions and how I deal with situations and what my thought process is. I was thinking about how my parents have shaped me and made me who i am and knew this was true but not the entire answer. Then it dawned on me. Soccer. I base so many of me decisions and choices on what I learned being on the soccer team.
I always remembered you saying how you were trying to teach and raise more than just soccer players but young men. Well it never really dawned on me until right now what that meant I never fully realized what you were trying to do until now.
So long story short: well done. You have truly done something in my life well beyond where soccer ends. I will take what you taught me on the soccer field into life. So I owe you a thanks.
You are the best"

Again, this letter came out of the blue.  Yet, God prompted this young man at the very right moment, to write these words of encouragement to me when I needed it most.  God has been great in sending me His own messages through people in my life.  I thank the Lord for this, and for those people.

So... why do I do what I do?  Because I know that God changes lives.  I have seen it, I have lived it.  Thank you Lord for these messages of encouragement.  I could not do this without You.