Risky Business

I have one question for anyone taking the time out of their day to read this blog.  One question that I have been wrestling with myself, and to be honest, feel that most of us probably deal with this as well, and have been for a long time.  And here it is:  Have you ever really been "in need"?

I will give some background as to why this question has surfaced.  Just yesterday, I got the opportunity to go and deliver furniture with my church, Southland Christian Church, to families "in need".  This is the second time that I have gotten to do so, and I can tell you with all the truth in my heart, that each time has been an eye opening and extremely humbling experience.

See I live in a nicer part of town...a more "well-off" part of Danville.  But just a few miles down Main Street on the other side of the town lies an old apartment complex...overgrown grass, beat up and rickety cars, trash being blown through the parking lots, and many, many children.  And to be honest, up until two weeks ago, I never knew that this place even existed.  Sure, I had heard of Long Runs Apartment Complex, but never traveled across to that side...there was never need.  And to my astounding ignorance, there is a great need.

There is a young black woman (sorry if this comment bothers you.  I assure you, this is no derogatory statement) with two children living in Long Runs.  She has recently moved here from Chicago.  Why? To rebuild her family.  She was born in Alabama, but was raised in Chicago.  She had lost contact with her mom, so she decided it was time for her to start building.  Restoring the family that she once had.  With no money in her pocket and no car, she got to Danville, KY.  Once she got here, she had no place to stay or live, so she headed to the nearest gas station.  Used their bathroom to wash up and get cleaned up everyday.  She would use their electricity to charge her phone.  And this is how she lived until stumbling across Long Runs and she was able to get an apartment.

This is one of the girls that we delivered to yesterday.  As I knocked on the door to her apartment, it was opened and it was as if she had just moved out.  No furniture, and I mean none.  Bathroom was filthy, no shower curtain.  No closet doors, no beds, no couch, no tables.  Just an empty house with people living in it.  I remember turning to my co-worker and asking, "Have you ever had to live like this? I can't even comprehend what it must be like to live like this."  Needless to say, Southland was able to provide this young mother with furniture and hope for a better life.  She now has a place to raise her children, and rebuild the relationships that have been lost.

This smile I will never forget.  This is the smile of a little girl in Africa.  Three years ago, I got to visit her village and talk about Jesus with her.  She taught me more then I ever could of taught her.  She taught me what following Jesus really looks like and what being "in need" truly feels like.

See she lives in a village that is under the control of voodoo doctors.  They practice witch craft and other sorts of things, yet in these dark moments, she still strives to find hope and joy.  She lives at constant fear of disease, hunger, no water, no shelter, no clothing, no family and death.  When was the last time I feared for that?

Never.

You ever wonder what it is going to sound like in heaven?  I often times wonder what worship is going to sound like.  The sound of billions of people praising their Father.  Well, I got to ride on a bus with this young girl and all her friends while they sang worship songs in their language and I could not help but open the flood gates as tears poured down my face.  Tears of sadness? No.  Tears of joy? Yes.  I believe this is what it will sound like in heaven.  The sound of beautiful children worshipping their Father, knowing that all of the struggle they have endured...all of the trials they went through, were now being rewarded.

1 Peter 4: 13 says "But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed"

And in verse 19, "Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."

And the reason I share both of these stories is because I think that we (including I) need to realize that there are so many people in this world that have nothing, literally nothing, yet all that comes out of their mouths is joy and praise towards the Father.  The young woman in the apartment complex...the little girl in Africa...words of joy and trust in their Father is all I heard.  An understanding that faith in Christ is going to bring them home and that is all that mattered.  No food, no clothes, no shelter, no water, no hope, in this world...but they have found hope in something much greater.  A power that is much more powerful and glorious then anything we could ever find in this world.

I hear people complaining because their coffee was made with to much espresso, or not enough.  People yelling at others because the car wash that they just ran their car through left a few streaks on the wind shield.  Grocery shoppers complaining that their are not enough fruits and veggies to choose from.  My cellphone doesn't get service.  I don't get enough channels with DirectTV.  I can't drink this water, it is warm.  

The list goes on and on.

May we be a people that realizes that life is so much more then the necessities that we seem to think we need in this world.  May we be a people that recognizes those "in need" and strives to do something about it.  A people who knows that the love of Christ is much more then just a word...it is an action.  Be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Our head pastor, Jon Weece, asked it this way...

"Who do you have in your life who is a risk? Someone who is dangerous to your reputation?"

I would love to be in the Risky Business and I hope all of you would wish the same.

I am going to be a father in 16 weeks to Fenway Eden Doyle, and this will be her mother.

I can not believe that in three short months I am going to be a dad.  Yesterday, I was thinking about father-daughter dances and how I can not wait to take her to those.  Going to be awesome!

Last time I was able to write to you all, Hurley had just gotten snipped.  Poor guy.  The cone is gone, and the hyper, energetic, happy dog we once knew is back!  Here he is in all of his glory!

Also, leaves change here.  It is an amazing, beautiful thing.

"Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself.  Only in heaven will we see how much me owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them."  Mother Teresa. 

Until Next Time,

JTD

Good Times with Scattered Showers

Today is gloomy here in central Kentucky.  Rainy, foggy, a little chilly.  Leaves are changing, its jacket whether already.  My grass seems to grow at an uncontrollable rate due to heavy rainfall.

It is days like these that I can remember the smell of the brisk desert air.  It is days like these that I remember the warm sun shine, radiating down on me as I step out into dryness.  I remember the dusty mountain trails behind my house...the Saguaro cacti waving back at me as I run through my neighborhood.  Waking up to the sun shining through my bedroom window.  The heat that would fill my lungs as I breathed in heavily with a sigh, knowing the 100 degree weather isn't quite over.  This is a picture that I took last Spring, before moving to Kentucky. 

Last night, Mercedes and I had the opportunity to go to dinner with a wonderful couple...Jim and Doodle Johnson. I have never met anyone named Doodle before, until now, and I can say quite honestly, that she is one of the cheeriest, happy, smiley individuals I have ever met.  Anyways,  Jim proceeded to talk about how he had been to the Grand Canyon, and has been to Ireland, and that there are no words that can explain either one.  The Grand Canyon and all its beautiful color, ridges , and magnificence.  And Ireland...there is no green in the world that can be compared to green grass over the ocean.  You just cant explain it...you can't simply tell someone what it looks like, and try to muster up a few words that will never do it justice.

Well, this is how I feel about my home town, Phoenix, AZ.  Yes, I can post pictures like the one above and this one.

And this one.

But it will never do it justice.  And for those of you who have lived in Phoenix, AZ your entire life, you know what I am talking about.  These pictures were taken right down the street from my house, and as I look at these, tears are brought to my eyes.  This is were I grew up, this is the place that I call home.  And although I can try and try and try to explain the beauty in AZ, it will never due it justice.  The smell monsoon....the sight of a dust storm...a sunset that you can never replace.  I use to curse this place as I grew up, wanting to leave the dreaded heat and "boring" landscape.  

What I would do to be sitting atop this mountain here, looking over "the Valley".  Anything.

And you know, it may be some symptoms of home sickness, talking about what I miss, as we all do with places we once belonged, but I believe my point in all this is, take pride in where you are from.  Take pride in the circumstances and situations that sculpted you into the beautiful person that you are.  With every situation comes growth and knowledge and although you may not realize it in the moment, God uses everything to help you grow.  Everything.  It is just a matter of realizing the importance of that situation and taking advantage of the life you have been given.

I live in one of the most beautiful places in the country.  Just to list a few reasons:

• It has all four seasons.  Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring.  And you get to experience all four.
• Leaves change, and wooded areas become canvases of different shades of yellow, orange and red.
• During the summer, you are surrounded with green.  Trees are an abundance here, and blue grass is one of the most beautiful forms of grass I have ever seen.
• Rain comes and goes weekly here.
• Wildlife is a daily occurrence.
• I live in a town that has a "main" street.  And it is the only street in a downtown that consists of no more then 30 shops.
• I know my neighbors, and they know me.
• I have use for a lawn mower, and American flags hang on almost every other house.

But I can tell you right now, with all the beauty that God has allowed me to see over this past four months, there is no beauty in the world that surpasses the beauty of where your roots are grounded.  There is something about knowing that no matter how far you venture, home is still home, and nothing will ever change that. 

Beautiful things don't ask for attention, but it seems Arizona holds a lot of mine.

This post goes out to everyone in AZ.  My friends...my family...those who have made me who I am toady.  Thank you for the guidance, structure, and purpose you gave me to succeed.  I love you all and I am so thankful to have roots that reach back to the west coast.

Roots that gather their waters from a warm monsoon rain...that gather their nutrients from the dusty trails of Thunderbird Mountain...where Saguaros grow free, and coyotes roam to and fro...where the "Red Birds" reign and cold weather is just another dream...a place where grass is a rarity and swimming pools are the only hope...a place where love is in abundance.  Thank you.

In other news,

This little guy.  Turned 16 weeks today.  Does anyone know what that means?  He has a big day ahead, including losing his masculinity.

Sorry little buddy.  IF only he knew what was coming, he wouldn't be smiling so much.

  

Fenway Update:  

She is doing really great.  she is about the size of a carrot now! It is nuts! I can wait to just squeeze her and love her! Only 4 more months, which seems crazy.  Mercedes is beginning to feel her move a bunch, which is a great sign.

Over the past few days, I have been thinking a lot about being a father and what it entails, especially to a daughter.  I made a list of things I want to be as a dad, some qualities I hope to have:

• How to braid hair and paint nails
• How to throw a wicked tea party
• Piggy Back Ride connoisseur
• Joyful 
• Playful
• Adventurous
• Spontaneous
• Christ centered
• Creator of master sling shot
• Jokester
• Teacher of things that annoy mommy and then perfect execution of those things
• A hero
• Anti-workaholic
• Seeks truth and keeps his word
• Compassionate always showing love
• Lover and constant pursuer of my wife
• Holy Spirit driven
• Teacher of "winning"
• Not afraid to cry
• Treats her how she is suppose to be treated
• A hand worth wanting to hold
• Arms worth falling asleep in
• Can build a killer fort or castle or princess suite or what ever the heck little girls want when it comes to a fortress
• A dragon slayer, or boyfriend slayer....either one, given age
• An open book and a sealed vault
• Understanding

And I know things are going to change and that I have no idea what it means to be a dad, and I assume I will just figure it out along the way.  These are just a few characteristics I hope to practice as a father, raising a daughter in Christ. 

Speaking of beautiful things that don't need attention, this one gets ALL of mine.

This picture was taken within the second week that I had started "talking" to Mercedes...how things have changed.  If you would of told me then that I was going to marry her, move across the country with her and now be having a baby with her, I would of punched you in the face...literally.  

Why? For starters, to tease me with the idea of marrying someone like this would of been rude.  Second, I was not lucky enough to hook someone on my fishing pole with so much beauty...so much love and a heart bigger then my big toes (if you haven't seen my big toes, they are something to see).  But in all seriousness, when this picture was taken, she had just been baptized, and I was merely a friend of hers.  Sure we liked each other, but to think that it would ever go further then a a few months was absurd.

And now I look back on moments like this and realize that they were the beginning of something great.  They were the beginning of a life long friendship, a life long battle, a life long sleep over, and a life long love that can never be replaced.  The beginning of an era.  

I know you will be reading this Mercedes and I know I tell you everyday, but I love you from the deepest most inner part of my heart.  My heart is over whelmed with joy and love for you.  Your my best friend, my other half, an answer to a life long prayer.  I prayed for you every day of my life, and I can tell you right now that I would never of made it to where I am today without you here beside me.  Thank you for loving me like Jesus does...forgiving me like He does.  And most of all thank you, in advance, for being the best mother in the world...the mother of our daughter.  You are going to be a great mom.

"If you were a river in the mountains tall, the rumble of your water would be my call.  If you were the winter, I know I'd be the snow, just as long as you were with me, when the cold winds blow."

(as I wipe my tears off the keyboard)

Last week I read a book called "Forgotten God" which is written by Francis Chan.  He has a very interesting way of getting you hooked into the text, and keeping you there.  And of all the books I have read in the past year (around 45) this is by far, the best one.  And by a long shot.

The premise of the book is to give readers and insight as to how we have abandoned the trinity.  Well maybe not abandoned, but the idea that as Christians we show a lot of emphasis on the Father and the Son but for some reason, leave the Holy Spirit alone...rarely seeking Him or allowing Him to work in our lives.

And one of the best points I think Francis gets across in this book is the idea that so many of us constantly search for the calling God has for our life, when in reality we should be looking for the calling God has for us TODAY.  We live our entire life, searching and searching for the call God has for us.  We know its out there...we know God wants to do something with us, but we can't seem to figure it out.  So we keep searching.  And keep searching.  We make strategic plans on how to figure it out...how to secure or purpose and place.

But has it ever occurred to you that maybe, the Holy Spirit is talking to you right now?  He is searching for you, calling out to you, but we are so focused on the future that we don't hear him.  We are scared of whats coming, and spend so much time trying to figure it out, that we fail to see how God wants to use us right now.  

Your sole purpose...your only purpose is to pursue God today.  Not tomorrow, or in a week...in a month or in a year.  But to pursue Him now...right now.  Like, stop reading this and listen to God.  And I am telling you, there is no better feeling in the world then knowing that you are in step with the Holy Spirit.  That you are walking in His presence every, single day.

Believe me, God is going to use you for great things.  He has created you in His image, a beautiful creation, for His plan.  But you know what, that is for Him to know?  His plans are so much bigger then anything you could ever predict or see coming.  

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118:24

Live in today.  Thrive in it.

Until Next Time,

-JTD-