well, the Deal or No Deal experience was something. long story short, we went, we sat, we waited, and left. we didn't get on the show that day, so they are going to fly us back out. i guess another trip to california won't be that bad! i get to eat @ In-N-Out again. Burgers, Fries, and Fun...plus really cool shirts!
my first big boy event. that's right, i'm doing an event for adults at two rivers. it's going to be a blast for all of our singles. my good friends brent gambrell and aaron loy are leading it, and i'm looking forward to it. it's going to be friday and saturday and it's going to be a time for people to relax and enjoy friendships and worship God.
we've changed the look of our chapel recently, so it's going to be an event in the round. that means that you'll be closer to the action than ever. you'll be right there with aaron as he leads the music and sitting right in front of brent as he teaches. i can't imagine having anyone elsse be a part of this event...brent and aaron are solid guys that have marinated in a relationship with Christ for years, and their hearts will come out during this time.
i'm looking forward to it!
this week i have the opportunity to be a part of a cultural phenomenon. one of my greatest friends in the world (that's a whole story in itself), Paul Teller, is going to be a contestant on the game show, "deal or no deal" this week, and i've been picked to be one of his supporters. that's right, i'm going to be on tv. (check him out at www.clearviewstudents.com) the show is scheduled to air in November, so don't get too crazy just yet. we're flying out wednesday, tape the show on thursday, and home on friday.
i'm praying that God will be glorified in all of this. who knows, Paul might make history and walk away with a million bucks, or he could walk away with 20. the coolest thing ever is that he gets to do it, and he gets to take his faith with him. no, he won't be preaching, evangelizing, or wearing a turn or burn t-shirt (which either relieves or infuriates you), but he WILL be taking his personal relationship with Christ with him on this journey. no one can take that away.
go Paul!! pick the right case...or better yet, just be YOU and kknow that it's all going to be fun! ever been to California on someone else's dime?? neither have i...
the answer, as churchy as you might find it to be, is Christ. the question however is what i'm searching for. i have begun to realize that the only thing truly worth investigating is Christ. to find out what He wants for me is the most important. to find out what His plans are...that's where i am now. i have many questions in my life right now, but regardless of the question the answer seems to always come back to me learning ot empty myself out and make Christ bigger in my life. (Micah 6:8; Proverbs 18:12 come to mind)
missy got a call yesterday from the neurosurgeon's office. they need to reschedule Lane's pump surgery. thursday wasn't going to work for the, they had something come up...which i'm sure is often true in the world of opening up people's brains and spinal chords. when she called me though, she wasn't cheerful, rather, she was troubled. she was troubled because we have both been praying since last week that God would show us clearly what we need to do in regards to Lane's surgery. we were both relieved that his surgery was rescheduled last week because we were both uneasy about proceeding. then when the call came in yesterday...the relief was there again. why? were we supposed to be relieved? were we supposed to proceed or were we supposed to see this as God's hand?
we chose to halt. we're waiting now. waiting on God to either say GO or NO. we don't have either, so the best thing to do is spend some time with Him...see it all really does come back to Christ!!
Blessings...
the wife and i have felt God leading us to give up something that's important to us, so we can focus on Him...that's a fast. it's time in our lives to seek God's wisdom. with all kinds of things happening (Lane having surgery thursday, Mom STILL in the hospital, and even more junk) we thought why stress, why not just go before God and get some advice?
i realize that some will think we're nuts...and we are, but not because of this. some will think we're super spiritual...we're not...trust me, and some will watch and see what happens. everyday you have a choice.
what are you going to do with all of your 86,400 seconds today?
i talked to my mom today. she's been in the hospital since monday, when she had to be taken by ambulance to Baptist Hospital in Knoxville. she has pneumonia...or at least that's the "best guess" the doctors honestly have right now. she can't breathe well. she's got a fever, chills, and she can't get out of bed without that general "i think i'm going to pass out" feeling.
i know we all have pain. sometimes pain is physical...like mom's. sometimes pain is emotional...because we don't have an answer to why we hurt. sometimes pain is impossible to describe...like when you have to hang up the phone when you're in another country and your kids are at home.
regardless of how we might describe it, pain is real. today you might be the one bright spot for someone else's pain. you might be the one suffering. regardless, where are you going to go when you have pain? are you going to resolve yourself to pain or are you going to do something? the choice is yours. if you're experiencing pain today, my prayer is that you will find Comfort...and not in a bottle, pills, or an injection. not in the eyes of another person. not in a self-help book, but rather, in a Creator that loves you.
listen to a song by a guy named John Waller...the blessing. realize that your words are huge and can turn someone else's day from night to day. realize that if you're hurting, it's ok to need someone else.
blessings,
--mike ><>
since when did technology get so amazing? i don't have a clue how to edit a video or even copy a dvd, but today i posted my first video on youtube! it's the myLIFEspeaks promo video, and i'm really proud of it. i can't believe that i can now send people over the web to view something. WOW. what will happen next? i don't know if i really want to know the answer to that question...
why don't i use capital letters? i get that a lot. the big reason is that i have spent so much of my life making sure that the focus is on the capital "i" that i forget where i fit into the overall picture. true. i struggle with that. so now, it's easier to let the "i" be small, and God to be capital and put others in their place, while i continue to find mine...!
today we were scheduled to go to vandy children's hospital so Lane could have his baclafan pump implanted. it didn't happen though. we got there @ 7am and things were trucking along beautifully. we were right on schedule...waiting in the lobby for 45 minutes...when a nurse came and told us that someone (else) was coming to inform us that Lane's surgery would be cancelled for today. i think she gave it away though. when our doctor came by (dr. matt pearson) a little while later, he was visibly distraught. i realize that we're not normal parents. we have a special needs child, and we're ok with that. we realize that things come up and even we (insert sarcastic gasp here) have to put our lives on hold for others. we don't want to be trouble. we just want what's best for our family. today, what was best for our family was someone else's emergency. i don't understand it completely, but i DO know that God is still in control, and that He knows why it all happened. thanks for your prayers, your concerns, and your thoughts. i'll keep youupdated on what's coming up.
today, i'm reminded that blogging is difficult. i've spent the summer doing great things, vacation with the family, speaking @ camps, travelling to haiti, and trying to work. where does a blog fit into all of that? for some, it's easy...blogging is life, and for others like me, it's easy to just simply get too worked up to write. so if you're reading this, or checking back, then you'll be happy to know that even though the blog appeared abandoned, it's not! i'm back, and i'm hitting the keys...for one reason...because it builds up inside of me and i have to get it out. tomorrow is a big day! we're heading to vanderbilt children's hospital @ 7 am (so no blog tomorrow) for lane to have surgery. it's going to be a long day, but God already knows it. so if you get this, pray for us and especially for him. if you read this after the fact, lift up a prayer then, because the coolest thing is that God is called...I AM. that means what you pray right now he hears yesterday, in 1893, and earlier....because He's there right now as well! Let that sit in your tea cup and steep for a while...
blessings...
--mike
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