HANDS HEADLINES

These days have been another clear example that we need a partnership team – caring, praying friends like you – just so we can continue on in ministry and in life.  Not long ago I was talking with Campus Crusade Vice President Roger Bruehl, who has been on staff for over 35 years.  Roger told me something I’ll never forget:

“If someone offered me a 6 digit salary to continue doing exactly what I am doing in ministry right now in lieu of having to maintain my own financial and prayer support team, it would be a no brainer:  I would choose my partnership team over any salary or incentives – sheerly because of the cherished relationships and prayer support.”

Your relationships with us are cherished. We NEED you in times like these and in ordinary days as well.  Would you take 5 minutes and pray for a few of the requests we have listed below?  We’re so grateful for you.

In some ways, the last 12 months have been tough for our family.  In other ways, we’ve experienced the goodness of God in a new level that we would have not even seen otherwise.  So we can in no way claim that God is anything but full time good, loving, awesome, and in control.

Just to recap the last 12 months:
October 2008:  Shannon’s mom passed away.
December 2008:  Shannon’s grandmother – her dad’s mother – died.
Early 2009:  It became obvious my dad’s dementia was worsening and he had some small strokes.
August 2009:  We began a new year and another adventure in home school – teaching 3 at home this year.  No major hardship here, it just takes a boatload of coordination and daily energy to do it.  Do I hear an “amen” from any home school moms out there?
August 2009:  My dad’s health slid further downhill and I began traveling back and forth to Georgia, helping my mom.
Sept 27th, 2009:  My dad passed away.
October 2009:  Continued to help my mom, and then traveled to Virginia to visit Shannon’s dad.

Considering that it is a 24 hour round trip driving to Virginia (Shannon’s family) and a 10 hour round trip to Georgia (my family), in the last 12 months we’ve spent a cumulative 10 1/2 DAYS – approx 13,000 miles – of pure driving time. This doesn’t include this summer’s ministry training event in Colorado – we flew.  So, yes we’ve done every possible road trip game possible in the van – sometimes we feel like we’re driving in our sleep.  It’s possible we could drive one of the round trips in our sleep.  I’ll bet our van could.

So, how are we doing?  Emotionally tired! Shannon and I are still in the grieving process – there are lots of emotions, memories and conversations to process.

But, bottom line, we have seen the goodness of God. We feel His comfort and love. Our parents are with the Lord, we feel so much peace knowing that we will see them again.

Here are some prayer requests for our family:

• Pray for the Lord to walk us through the grieving process
• Pray that we will know how to appropriately spend time talking and processing memories
• Ask Him to continue to lift us with His love, giving us emotional strength
• Lift up my mother as she is at home in Georgia now; she’d been married to my dad 50 years
• Pray for me as I continue to help my mom tie up several loose ends, make decisions, etc.
• Lift up our kids – Avery, Addison, and Toby – as they go through home school every day, that they would learn experientially to trust God with their attitude and decisions
• Pray that we won’t feel overwhelmed by the many things we’ve fallen behind in
• Ask God to continue to bless our relationships with our teammates
• Pray for our marriage to be strengthened and flourish as we receive God’s grace
• Pray for the holidays for us

Thank you!  God bless you.