Current Times

Radiation leak found outside Japan nuclear reactor....  This is the headline I found on my computer this morning.  Do you ever find yourself detached from the situation because it's not in your area?  This was a conversation my husband and I had.  Until 911 hit us we didn't seem to pay much attention to the wars going on around us.  Why is that?  Is it because we are so consumed with ourselves that we really don't notice unless it directly affects us?  I am so thankful that we don't live where there are wars breaking out all the time but I did not get to pick where I was born.  Same goes for everyone else out there, they didn't get to pick where they would be born and into what family and so my heart goes out to all who are weary and heavy burdened.  May we have a heart that would pray for Japan and all who are suffering.  May we not take for granted the clean water we are drinking today and the abundance of food we have access to.

Taking time for your marriage

We just got back from an amazing marriage retreat in Beautiful Spearfish S.D.  What an awesome time to reconnect with your spouse and enjoy time together.  I have to say that if you have never done anything like this before you should really take the time to do it.  Life can get busy and we seem to get in these ruts with each other and life.  God wants us to enjoy each other and I think it's easy to get swept up in the business and forget what it was like to Really Enjoy each other and what you like about each other.  Here are just a few shot of our weekend get away.

What Aroma are you?

Close your eyes and pretend with me for a minute that you are walking downtown, when all of a sudden your nose catches this wonderful smell.  You begin looking all over for where it could be coming from and the more you walk the closer it gets until you finally approach a coffee stand outside a coffee shop.  They are giving away free samples of the most wonderful coffee you have ever smelled, or tasted!  Now pretend you are walking down the street and your nose catches a whiff of something rank.  You look around you and hope its not someone close to you, so you keep on walking a little faster to get past the smell, but it won't leave.  You find out later that there was a sewer problem in your town and everyone was affected by the gastly smell.  Ok, now open your eyes and pretend with me for a minute that the Lord came back today and was sitting right next to you.  What kind of an aroma would you be emitting?  Would you be a welcoming smell like that of the coffee or a putrefying  smell of sewer.  In 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 Paul tells the believers: "Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.  For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life."  He goes on to say "And who is equal to such a task?  Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.  On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God."  The thought for today is, What kind of Aroma do you give off before the Lord?  As believers do we live like men sent from God?  Would God want to sit in the same room with us or be the first one out the door?  I know as believers we are fully accepted before the Lord but how are we living our life?  Our prayers can be like incense to the Lord.  Listen to what David prays in Psalm 141:1-2  "O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me.  Hear my voice when I call to you.  May my prayer be set before you like incense."  I pray that today we would look at little closer into our lives and let Christ shine before all people!

Birthday Girl!

Happy Birthday Brooke!  What a blessing you have been to us these 12 years!  I pray and thank God everyday for you and your sister.  I pray this year for God to grow you more into the girl he wants you to be: With wisdom, strength, peace and joy, may you look to Him always in everything and for everything.
We Love You!

Making Sense vs. God Factor

Hey Friends,
It has been a while since my last update to the blog.   Things have been well different.  We moved back home after about 4 years of being involved in education and training daily.  After being around hundreds of people who are all on the same mindset and playing field, all pursing a carrier in missions in remote tribal areas and who are all for the most part seeking and trusting God for all of their needs,  Well crazy as it sounds that was comfortable and if you will, Home for us.  You could say we are outside the New Tribes bubble and it is different.  I think there was some sort of blind desire that everyone would welcome and embrace what we have committed our lives to.  More than that, I think we thought that Christians in general would understand what the Lord was doing in our lives.  The reality is, that is not the way it is.  The question is now is that OK?  Please don't take this the wrong way for I am not trying to be critical of any one who is not a New Triber or involved in missions.  This is not about what everyone else does or does not do or understand.  This is how God is showing me to trust Him.  Often I find myself depending on what people do or think about me.  You know, am I living my life in a manner that will meet the expectations someone may have of a missionary? Maybe comparing myself to all those I serve with and seeing all their strengths and looking at myself and finding that I don't measure up.  As I look forward to what the Lord has been preparing me and my family for I wonder how God is going to pull it all together.  More so who is God going to use to impact my life.  Funny I always pray and ask for opportunities to impact the lives of those around me for Him.  More than not God is using people around me to change my walk with Him.  Getting back to the title of this little rabbit trail.  Making sense: how often do we try to figure out and make sense out of the circumstances that we are in.  For example:  I told one of my closest friends that it was awesome to see God raise our financial support 6% this last month.  Now logic would look at this and say ok Travis you have 10 months left before you leave for the field and if you only increase 6% per month for the next 10 months that is only 60%.  That means we would only be at 72% and would be underfunded and not able to leave for the field.  That makes sense right... but when is the last time that God worked things out in our lives that way.  Here is my reasoning behind my thinking.  God factor: true if we saw our support raise lets say 10% each month right on schedule we would be at 100% when its time to go.  God factor: or what if the Lord provides what we need each month as we work through our time before we depart and when it comes time for financial increase you see it.  Meaning this, I think God will impact more people when they see Christians living out their faith and trusting Him for what they need when they need it, instead of working with logic and living out what God has told us to do only when it makes sense.  I was reminded this week as I read through Daniel that there is a spiritual battle going on that we do not visually see.  The Lord sent a messanger to Daniel but was delayed some time due to the fact he was at war with the spirit of Persia. Gabriel was sent to help him out so that the messenger could reach Daniel.  Often I pray and look for the answer in a short while but the reality is, there is a spiritual battle going on.  What the Lord has asked of us and you as well is not what the enemy wants to see happen.  Satan is doing everything he can to prevent Christians from following and trusting the Lord.  How often do we help him out by trying to make sense of everything and therefore missing out on the God factor.  Truly missing out on the blessing God has in store for us because we allow the battle to end long before it ever begins.  I encourage you all this week to take a break from what logic says and trust the Lord with something.  Be on the look out for the God Factor you don't want to miss it.