The Confessing Lunatic

He's home! Jim and his team arrived safely around 2:00 p.m. today. We've had a wonderful afternoon...Jim hasn't stopped talking about all that he saw, heard and did in Egypt. As we were driving home, he got choked up when he was talking about going to the mosk and watching a man and two his sons. He said that the father was showing his sons how to pray and the sons were just soaking every word and action up. We have men in our country who will show their boys how to "be a man," how to play ball, how to get good grades in school and some how to treat a lady BUT there are far too few showing their sons how to pray and be a man of God. This trip has obviously had an impact on Jim and I can't wait to find it all out. Thank you again for all your prayers for Jim and the team's safety. Please continue to pray for Josh and his family. They have a lot of work to do. So apparently do we.

He's coming home!! Jim sent me a text telling me he's in Frankfurt and waiting for his flight home. He gets in around 2:30 tomorrow and I can't sleep I'm so excited. The last couple of days the team has taken some time to be tourists. They went to Cairo, Egypt to visit the pyramids, sphinx, sail across the Nile, and ride a camel! They went shopping in the market in Cairo and he said it was absolutely CRAZY. He did a lot of negotiating with the vendors despite the fact that he really didn't want to. I'm so thankful that God has answered prayers for their safety and my sanity (though at times I felt on the cusp of losing it big time). Thank you for all your prayers! We are so thankful for everyone! One last thing...we are tentatively scheduling a debriefing at the church on Sunday morning, August 24th. We'd love to have you!

Just a quick update - I was able to talk with Jim earlier today. He said "Things are going well. Please tell everyone to keep doing what they're doing." So, keep praying! God is good and I can't wait to share with you all once he gets home all that He has done! Love you!

I missed Jim's calls yesterday because I was in a meeting. I did hear through the kids that he ate some interesting Egyptian food and was enjoying helping Josh set up his website. I received a text early this morning saying he'd been to the "port" and it was amazing and that they'd been to a mosk. I just received a text from Jim today saying it had been a great day. Earlier in the day they went to see the fishermen take their boats out. He said in his text he "pulled in some nets with some fishermen" and saw some catacombs. Though he can't say it, you can fully expect that he is having great conversations about other fishermen from long ago who met THE fisher of men. Continue to pray that he has opportunities to tell the Story.

I talked with Jim today while he was at the home of their sponsor, Josh. It was about 10:15 p.m. there and they were working on setting up a website for Josh. I didn't have much time to talk to Jim because I was late for a meeting at work. But he sent me an email of his experience at the zoo, I thought I would share with you: " Things are going well. We went to the zoo and took pics of people. It was incredible. The people are very friendly. I have had some great talks with taxi drivers. It was sad for the animals. They are so mistreated but the families there were great to shoot." (video that is...) Please continue to pray for their safety and the opportunities God has for them to minister. Pray for me and the kids. My brother and his family are back at home in Canada but my kids had grown accustomed to staying up late with their cousins that they have had a difficult time settling in at night. I am so worn out from work and playing host that my patience is thin. ...

Jim called at 11:15 pm Egypt time...that's 3:15 p.m. Texas time. He was getting ready to turn in for the night. He said it's a completely different culture - there were still plenty of people AND their children out and about despite the lateness of the hour. He said his room that overlooked the Mediterranean didn't have air conditioning so they were moved to a different room. He said the room wouldn't have been so bad but he had to leave the window open and it was noisy outside. Hopefully tonight he'll get caught up on his sleep tonight since he only had four hours the night before. They went to the zoo and to the beach to get some video. He said the zoo was a far cry from what we have here...I'm sure we'll here more later. He did say he's had a great time riding in taxis and getting to talk with the locals. He said he had to be very careful about what he said or put into email or text. Even as he talked to me there was a policeman watching him. Co...

Jim sent me a text when he got to Frankfurt, Germany to tell me they'd made it safely thus far. After their 12 hour layover (and walking around in Frankfurt), he sent a second text to tell me that he was getting on the plane. I got a third text when they landed in Egypt and a phone call when he got to the hotel. It was 4:00 a.m. Sunday Egypt time when he called. He was going to rest in his hotel room until 9 when he had to meet his team. He said his room overlooked the Mediterranean. His room is small and old but it is clean. He said things are very "different" there. I'll try to get more from him next time. He said that some of the mission work is being done at the beach so please pray that God will give the team an opportunity to share and be praying for those at the beach that they would be open to hearing the Word. Love you all!

I confess...I'm in love with my husband! It's not just because he is so handsome (because he is), it's not because he sweeps me off my feet (because he has done that on occasion), but because he is a man of God. This past week was difficult with Jim being gone to Super Summer. This isn't the first time he's been gone and it won't be the last. I generally experience these emotions but it was more difficult this time . I felt as if my left arm had been cut off. It certainly has a lot to do with the fact that we have four children, a business to run, ministry to do and a full-time job to boot. But I think more than anything it is because God is dealing with me in a mighty way. On the way back from Abilene where I took the youth, Jim's dad and I had a good conversation about our church. I know our church has a long history (some good, some bad) in our community but even after all hardships we're still around. I believe there is a reason for this. I believe w...

Today, I spent the day with Jim and our kids at the lake for Jim's birthday. I wanted to share some of the highlights of the day in picture form. Happy birthday, honey. I love you more than words can say. The last nineteen years of my life have been a blast. I can't wait for the next nineteen. Loading the boats...can you see the excitement? Everybody has a job. If you look carefully, Jordan is connecting the battery to the old boat. He'll drive that one off the trailer to the shore. He 's not "legal" until he turns 13 in August. Until then, we limit the time he drives. Jaden standing on the trailer waiting for the boats to be put in the water. He can't wait. Caitlin sitting astride one of the boats. She looks like she knows what she's doing! My job is to pull the trailer off the ramp and park The Beast. Cali took this picture of me while we were waiting for them to finish loading the boats. I took this picture of Cali...isn't she a dol...

Seventeen...it's really hard to believe that Jim and I have been married for seventeen years. It feels like yesterday that we were newly wed and living in seminary housing. Yes, I was a young bride (if you subtract 17 from 37 that's right, you get 20) but I never would have traded my early marriage for anything in the world. This has been a great 17 years! In honor of my seventeenth anniversary, I thought I would post seventeen wonderful things about my marriage to Jim. 1. Jim loves me for who I am not what I look, act or talk like. 2. Jim and I share a deep love for Jesus. 3. We have a passion for youth ministry. 4. I could spend 24 hours a day with Jim and never grow weary of being with him. 5. We share a similar love for movies of all genres, although sometimes I think he merely tolerates my "girl" movies! 6. I love singing with Jim. Our voices compliment each other well. 7. We have made four beautiful children, and I'm not biased ONE BIT! 8. We bo...