Stop the Presses!!! Who ordered Snow??

(thanks for the pic, Jon)

Winter Stormwarning

Local Weather > LOCAL WEATHER ALERT for Winterville, NC (28590)

.Issued by The National Weather ServiceNewport, NC 3:40 am EST, Tue., Jan. 20, 2009
... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EST THIS EVENING...
A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EST THIS EVENING.
LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING OFF THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST THIS MORNING WILL INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES NORTHEAST OFF THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST THIS AFTERNOON. RAIN... OR A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WILL DEVELOP EARLY THIS MORNING THEN GRADUALLY CHANGE TO SNOW BY LATE MORNING. THE SNOW WILL END FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 2 TO 5 INCHES... WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.
A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED... THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS.

I might be rethinking heading north after all...no one said anything about SNOW! I wont know what to do, I have only seen snow fall from the sky once in my life and now I'll be living in 2 to 5 inches! Please tell me it's dehydrated instant potatoe flakes, right?! Snow bunnies set my heart at ease!

House Hunters. Attack!

We searched high and low...from safaris in the wilderness to expeditions across the prairies, we found the lost treasure of Lake Titicaca (I love that lake..it makes me giggle) within the firy depths of the Urban Jungle called Ayden, NC...(dundunduuun).

God once again amazed us by getting us a house in North Carolina. We were blessed beyond our imagination the first Sunday. A newlywed couple had 2 houses, they have been trying to sell one since they got married in the spring. The market has been as bad there as it has been in Tampa and they couldn't sell it. So when we came into town, they were excited to show it to us and we were excited to see it.

It is a 1900 farmhouse in downtown Ayden, it has 22oo+ sqft, with all of the retro carpentry of an old home, but it has been completely updated. They are even leaving us their Foosball Table...and washer and dryer. When we talked about our max rent, which wasn't much, they actually beat it by 50 bucks per month! "

We left there optimistic but we still wanted to look around to see about other opportunities, that turned out to be a waste of time, because they were 200 dollars per month cheaper and 1000 square feet larger than the next best deal. I cant tell you how blessed and releaved we are, this is just more confirmation that we are on the right track. (as if we needed more).

The Magic Pliers

We were blessed with an extra large trailer to carry some of our house stuff to Greenville N.C. We are officially moving there to partner with Discovery Church and figured if we were driving all the way up there (12 hr drive) we might as well bring some stuff with us.

So here we are in north Florida driving down I-10, only 3 hrs into our trip when, POP!, Thud, Thud, Thud...we get a flat tire on the trailer. I see rubber pieces flying from the wheel well, so I decide to pull over right away, in the middle of nowhere.

I thought to myself that this is fairly routine, I have fixed a million tires in my day and we should be back on the road in 15 minutes. That was until I discovered the spare tire was secured to the trailer by a homemade bracket with 2 little nuts and washers. At that point I got a little frustrated because I knew that I forgot my tools at home and it would be 2 hours before AAA could help us (thanks grandpa) and at least that much time for Cessie to go to the local parts store to get me a wrench or pliers and to return safely to the middle of nowhere. I didn't want to get a ticket for abandoning the trailer so I decided to unlatch the hitch and send the wifey on a tool-searching adventure while I waited with the trailer.

Just as I had the SUV unhitched, I noticed some men on the other side of the 6 lane interstate trying to cross and coming right towards us. I was a little concerned because they looked homeless and dirty, so I told Cessie to get behind the wheel and take off if they attacked me or tried to get into the car. I was not scared but very leary and guarded.

The first man greeted me with a smile and asked if I needed some help. I told him of my tool-less dilemma and basically tried to send them on their way. Here is where the story gets interesting...After explaining my situation the guy looked puzzled and he kind of smirked. He said "That is a funny coincidence. I was walking along the side of the interstate and stumble upon these PLIERS, they were just on the side of the road. I didn't need them and really didn't want to carry them but something told me they would be useful. So here you go, these must be yours."

WHAT?! God sent a homeless, hitchhiker with black teeth and stinky clothes to give me a pair of pliers to fix my flat tire! Better yet, they helped change the tire and did most of the work to get me back on the road.

I only boast in Christ because God has done this throughout our life. We are so blessed to follow Jesus. He is interested in the seemingly little aspects of our lives. God is big, but He is oh so close.

What happened to fall?

As an anti-global warming guy, I have to laugh at the freezing temps we are experiencing this year. It seems like we skipped fall and have been ushered quickly into winter. I want to hold onto fall as long as I can, so here are some pics to keep you thinking about Autumn.

Headin' for the Hills

Well tonight I leave for the mountains of North Carolina. We have been planning this trip since this summer. Everything is coming together, gas is cheaper and I got some cool gear that will make packing much lighter than last year. We will be hiking over 30 miles in 3 days carring about 25-30lbs on our backs. The total elevation gain as we go from peak to peak is over 5000 feet.
This is the perfect time of year because of all the autumn leaves and the cool weather. We will have a little rain Friday but overall it will be in the 20s in the evenings at the higher levels and low 60s during the day...so refreshing!
The only problem is that I am sick; I got hit by the bug last night and have less than 24hours before we hit the trail...I got a sore throat and the chills..so pray for my health to come back. Sickness won't stop me but it will make it a lot easier to be well.
The exciting part is that this weekend, I will be able to use the program material I developed. The guys agreed to be my guinea pigs and I am grateful for their feed back...so here we go, on another adventure!

I know I know...

It has been a while...to say I have been in a funk is an understatement. So much so that I boycotted 2 months of blogging. Ok, that is not true...but it is interesting how people deal with adversity.

Some people just get busier and stay distracted by the 'stuff' of their lives. Workaholics and the like...

Well, that is not me. I am a pouter, and so is Cessie, so we just "take our toys and go home," suck our thumbs and sit in the corner. It is weird because I would have argued with anyone that my spiritual gifting was FAITH. But in the last year or so it has not been.

I don't like a pity party and I hate making excuses...they are so cliche'. So I just stay quiet and withdraw. I can fake it pretty good on the surface and I am talented enough in church life to still be effective, but I am not happy or fulfilled in where we are or see a lot of hope in the near future. Though it is hopeful, it take lots of energy to live in that hope at this point.

Forgive my ranting but this is kind of therapeutic. I am fine and God is still in control. I know all the promises God has for me and He still speaks. It's one of those seasons where things don't "feel" right. Relationships are strained, finances are limited, and the Ministry is just there. No movement on any front and sometimes it just all hits you at once. Ya know what I mean?

Keep praying for us, and don't take this post for more than it is. Just 'words for the wind" (the book of Job).

First Day of School

Well I am getting old...of course I dont know it yet, but the fact that my first born son has started kindergarten must mean I am entering into the realm of the elderly. Teehee :).

All joking aside, this day was about Nathan. He has an awesome Christian teacher in the public school (Summerfield Elementary). Her name is Mrs Rutherford and her husband is lead pastor at The View Church ( a church plant in Riverview). He was super excited to start school and in typical Rice fashion he was the loud, social one in the class, asking the other kids their names as they sat sheepishly in their seats.

Nathan is ahead in letters, numbers, and time. We thought that if Mommy was going to be in school, so should Nathan. So here he goes, growing up right before our eyes!

What a Gift!

God is so good! I got to do a baptism at camp this year. This was such a God thing and it was totally dropped right on my lap.

I got to meet a new friend in the process. His name is Forest and he was a former staffer here at Camp Baldwin. As most of out lives go, especially after high school, Forest was not satisfied with the choices he made in the last few years and months and really felt that their were some unanswered questions about his relationship with God.

Forest was excited to have me at camp and about Wednesday he pulled me aside to share his story with me and to get my perspective. I share with him God's love and God's desire to be his Father and for Forest to be adopted as God's Son. We made the connection with Jesus that that was who Jesus was (Son) because that is what God wants of us, sons and daughters.

So Wednesday night after some thought and prayer Forest sought out the "way" to nail down this relationship, and he believed and confessed his desired relationship with God through Christ. I baptised him Thursday night August 14th at the Lake Hanel waterfront of the Camp Baldwin Boy Scout Reservation.

What an honor it was to share this time with Forest and to be used by God in a powerful way. Thanks Forest for seeking out answers, being a 20 something and wrestling with your faith is not an easy thing to do. Please pray for Forest as he returns to Oregon State University this fall and that he would find a good church and jump head first into God's Word.

We also took advantage of the LARGE group of friends that Forest had supporting him and had the Lord's Supper (communion) directly following the Baptism. 20+ staffers joined us for the Lords Supper and I got again to share the Gospel as we walked through the elements and took it together. What a victorious night!

Extreme....yeah right!

Yeah, I just jumped off the side of a cliff. What a rush!

This was tame compared to the stuff that the climing guy Josh has done. One step at a time I guess. i am really digging this rappeling stuff. And If I can find a mountain in florida I am totally going to climb it! HA HA

I am back

Yes I am back...back online (blogging) and back at Camp Baldwin. I spent the last week here and missed the opportunities to update my blog. But I am here, alone.

No kids, no wife. Please pray for me! I got 2 more weeks and a total of 21 days away from my family. This is a great time to focus (me and Jesus time) but it is lonely too.

I had lots of participants this week in my program. But only 1 actually completed all the requirements. I made some great headway with some of the Staffers and I hung out with some old friends from last years camp that visited this year.