A weeks Worth of Words to Use Up

My blogs have been slow in coming lately and that is a good and bad thing. It is good because I have been busy. It's bad because I feel like I want to keep you up dated on things in our life. If you will forgive me I will jump back about a week and fill in the gaps.

As you know there were huge fires in our home town this last week. I'll be honest I spent a lot of time watching CNN. But before the fire's made everything else in my world feel small, we had gone about an hour North of our house and spent the weekend together as a team. It was a time of planning and rest. A time of prayer and play. A time to reflect together and rejoice together. My top 3 moments were, in this order;

1. Noah getting to help butcher the neighbors pig. ( I will post pics when I get them from Scott)
2. Sunday morning communion with our whole team.
3. An afternoon of fun where visited the largest underground cavern in Portugal.

As is usual now the week was filled with school, drama, meetings and the like. House church was at our place this last weekend, so there was the cleaning frenzy that accompanies that. It is a good thing that we will be grafting off into two groups in a few weeks, because our place , which used to be big enough seems to have shrank. We were fill to capacity. God is faithful! Things are popping here and we are praying that it just keeps coming. We have a weekend of 24/7 prayer in November. So be praying that God will speak to our community in fresh and powerful ways.

On a more personal note, I had my very first strait razor shave today. It was sooooo cool. I had heard that you could get one around here somewhere but I wasn't ever able to find one, till today. And let me tell you it was one of the closest shaves I've ever had. What and experience. Sitting in the chair, while this older Portuguese gentlemen slowly pulls that razor sharp piece of steel across your throat. The short rasping noises of the whiskers being striped away. And the sting of the after shave on that close shave. Smooth as a baby's bottom, and that's no joke.

Ok gotta run. Kids need to do homework and P's down stairs with Berta, our 85 year old neighbor, having afternoon tea. Expect great things from God and Attempt great things for God.
Be Blessed

Watching Fires a world apart

Our prayers are with those of you who are in the California area. Many of our friends and family live in areas that are being hit by the wild fires. We have been lifting you and your loved ones up in prayer daily. We have talked with our loved ones and all of them are fine.
It is a helpless feeling to be so far away and watch as your home town is consumed by flames. Sitting and watching CNN is the only thing that we can do. Our home in Escondido seems to have been spared the worst, but you can't help but wonder if shifting winds could change that fact.


May God keep you and shelter you under His wing. May you know His ever loving kindness in the midst of this disaster. May you know that you are not alone and that our God is greater than any all consuming fire.


May God Bless you where ever you are today.

Warning: Graphic Content

I am about to get very real with you. If you are scared or have a weak stomach stop reading now...



Okay I warned you.



There should never be blood in the toilet when you are done, if you get my drift.

First thought, "Oh wonderful and we have a team retreat this weekend." Then there is this little film that plays in your head.



FADE IN



DOCTORS OFFICE



DOCTOR: I'm sorry Mr. Farmer.



ME: What is it Doc?



DOCTOR: We don't know, all I can tell you is you have a week to live.



I always knew this would happen. Sometimes I get pains that I've never had before and I'm pretty sure they are fatal. This time the proof is bright red. I need someone to back me up on all this scary stuff. My wife is a mom, she's seen all sorts of gross stuff.

"Honey would you come at look at this?"

To which she responds (knowing I'm in the bathroom) "Look at what?"

"Just come and look at this and tell me what you think."

Together we decide that it is not good.



I am alone. I will be brave. Everything seems weird. This is bad. I'll ignore it.Maybe I will blog my experience as I live through it. I want to be a strong witness. To show the world the hope and faith I have in Jesus. "To live is Christ. To die is gain."
What's going to happen to Paula and the kids. It's my fault. I didn't take care of my body. P's scared. I can see it in her eye's.I'm not even forty yet. I should have exercised more. I should have eaten better. It's funny how just yesterday I started thinking about health. As Vikki and I cleaned out her garage. We juiced some carrots, apples...ginger...and !?!

I grab the cell phone. Punch in Vikki's number. Rings once. Rings Twice. (British accent) 'Ello?

"Vikki can beet juice make your poop red?"

"Oh yes that's totally normal. Don't worry."

DON"T WORRY!?! I am so happy...I AM NOT GOING TO DIE! YES!
At least not yet.



So Be Blessed and be careful of the beet juice.

Books, Money and Memories

I have a memory from childhood. It is sweet and powerful to me. I remember my dad bringing me home a stack of books that he had read when he was a kid. Books like "Lord of the Flies" and "The Ox Bow Incident". I don't know why it is such a strong memory for me. Maybe it was the fact that he thought of me enough to stop and buy the books just for me. Maybe it was because they were part of him, and by reading them I would know who he was better. What ever the reason I hold it close to my heart.

Today we had no car. It was in the shop getting looked at by the insurance guy. (Side note;the insurance company is going to fix my car. If they don't classify it as a totaled.) So we had to walk home with the kids from school. Here's the kids reaction. """Ahwwwwww man! Why do we have to walk." My reaction was, "You ungrateful little wretches! Be glad you don't have to walk every day. What if you didn't have legs and couldn't walk at all?" Things got better from there.
Noah found a cigarette box to kick all the way down to Cascais. We talked and laughed and then we went and got ice cream. Santinni's to be exact. The best gelado in Portugal, for those of you who don't know what Santinni's is. The weather was warm and we were happy. I wandered over to the little book store at the end of the block, where they carry a limit selection of English books and thumbed through the stack.
Eden has discovered Nancy Drew as of late, and guess what, there was Nancy Drew #72. I yelled down to her and said " Hey Eden come and look at this." She was so excited to see Nancy Drew. ( Do you think God gets that warm fuzzy feeling when He gives us something we like or want?)
There were more English books down stairs. Down we went. Books, books and more book. Books on business. Books on love. Books on witchcraft, new age and Christianity.Kids books, novels, and history's. Old books and new books. It was a scene right out of a movie. I even found a shelf of leather bound books in really bad condition, but they look so cool. I fell in love with them right away.
So we bought our books, and headed home. 8 euros for Gelado, 7 euros for a few book, & memories of today, priceless. Up the street we go, headed for the train. As we came to the round about I looked down and there in the gutter is a ten euro bill. "Eden pick it up." I say. Sure enough that's what it is, ten euros. When is the last time you found ten buck in the street. On to the train. Home to Estoril. Off the train and headed for the casino gardens to sit and do home work for awhile. Noah looks down. There in the dirt and trash at the side of the road is a two euro coin. No were almost even. Books+Gelado+Train=19 euro. Money found on the ground 10 euro+2 euro=12. A 7 euro difference. Then as if a joke at this point. Eden sits down and finds 5 cents. What? You can't help but laugh. Free money three times in one day?
At the casino park we run into one of Edens friends. The kids are able to play together and have a really great time. Memories; family, ice cream, trains, books, laughing, talking and finding money. I couldn't of asked for a better day. And all because we had the car in being inspected after I wrecked it. Being inspected brought unexpected joy. Wish everyday was this good, but I'll take em when I can get them.

Be Blessed and don't forget to dig around under the couch cushion.

All Creation Groans

"We don't want our beautiful ocean dirty, or our earth that God created dirty." This is what Elisha said while we were picking up trash down at Boca de Inferno. (The Mouth of Hell) Such a simple statement, yet so true. From the mouths of babes.

Noah, Elisha and I went to the Park in Cascais yesterday for some hang out and play time. We took a walk over to the rocky cliffs at Boca de Inferno, that over looks the sea. There's this cool place where you an climb down through this old broken down building that sits between the rock. The building has this big wall to keep the sea out. You stand up on top and look down into this pit, where the water is shallow and the shadows deep. The ocean has to fight it's way through a small hole in the wall. It feels sacred and secret.

Every time I go there I think this would be such a cool place for baptisms, but the whole area is trashy. People seem to think because it's hidden it's ok to just drop trash everywhere. Even down in the cool secret spot. I've wanted to get some people together and go clean it up. So that what we did yesterday. We started cleaning up.

It was so wonderful. Two little boys and me. The ocean spraying up over the wall. The sun shining down. We were restoring creation. We were serving our city. We were growing in our walk. We were playing. We were fellowshipping and disciplining each other. It was truly a deep spiritual time for me and fun for the boys. I sure hope they let me do it with them again. And who know, maybe we will do baptisms down there someday. I hope so.

Shalom and be blessed

And there was Evening, and there was Morning

Monday
What happened Monday?
It's like clouds
that were blown
away
over the distant hills
a thought
that eludes
I can't
quite picture it
But I remember I was there.

Then a new morning
the second day
the chaos has form
the light is on my face
as we bow low our hearts
sore and hopeful
before His Majesty
Asking
and waiting
for Divine appointments
Which seemed to involve the side of my car

Arise again
A new day dawns
The third in so many days
All tangled and bent
In the reality of living
Where did it lead me
Where will my peace come from
The steady breathing
In and out
In and out
In and out
Til I remember
I am Fearless
He has made me that way
And I rejoice
I'll say it again Rejoice
In the memory

Day four
A new light
A new dawn
Arise oh sleeper
In the darkness I sit
At His feet
Like Adam
I am dust
They cradle me
Breath into my nostrils
Filling the void
All three of them
The One
I Am
The three in one
They cradle me
They remember me
And I am filled again
With love
Starting new
Like a fire
Fanned back into
An inferno

Now I breath again
Now I see
again
Now I taste
again
Now start
again
Always Listening
Smelling
Tasting
Waiting
For what has always been
In this half light
This dawn
Of this new day

Quick don't think...What would you do?

You have just finished a full morning of prayer with friends. As you round the corner heading home, up the hill you see a white car in the middle of the road. The next thing you notice is this older woman half in half out of the car. She is leaning into the car trying to grab something, or pull something...what is she doing? Hold the phone that car is rolling backwards, down the hill. The woman is still trying to do what ever she's doing, but the driver side door hits her, slamming her to the ground, rolling her head over heels. Did the car run her over? What is going on? But wait that car is coming backwards fast with no one driving it. It's moving in your direction!

What do you do? Did you have a chance to look around and see if there were any little Portuguese kids or old ladies walking up the side of the street? Are there any cars behind you? What should you do? Get out of the way and let the car race on down the street out of control, or use your older Peugeot 505 (the little gray tank), to take the hit and stop the white car?

Now I don't know about you but I have these moments when I'm driving along and I wonder "What would I do right now if my brakes went out?" I always figured I'd drag the side of my car along that _______, (you fill in the blank), til it was stopped. So as I watched that little white car zooming down the hill at me, that's the process my brain went thorough. I wonder if I can stop that out of control car by pinching it between my car and the curb.
Here came the car. My brain is saying, "Do it! No don't do it! Should I do it? Yes do it! No! Shut up and STOP THAT CAR!!!" So, I side swiped the little white car with my beloved Peugeot. You know that breaking glass, crunching metal sound? Enough said. The car was stopped. The day was saved. The woman came wobbling down the hill. The neighbors came out to look and I was the...Hero? No I was wondering why I just sacrificed my car for this lady. It really messed our cars up, hers more than mine. Her door was crushed between our cars, opened all the way up, the wrong way. And her back tire was on a funny slant.
The one blessing was that even though my right headlight was smashed, my right front fender scraped up, the two right doors crushed in and the rear right fender scraped up, and a pretty good impact in general was given to the car. Everything still worked. Electric windows went up and down, doors opened and closed and even the headlight still worked. So great. The car looks bad, but it fits in with everyone elses. And I did get a chance to pray for this lady. That's was nice.
So there. That's what I would do with out thinking. Great! I'd mess up my car and get to talk to the police. (Who were really nice.) My insurance guy just looked at me like, "Are you nuts!?!" Yes I probably am. Sorry Bordens, but really glad she is such a good strong car! (Why are cars and ships she's?)
Next week...A pack of wild dogs is running down the street chasing a small child. What do you do? ...Lets hope not. OK don't cross the double yellow line and call us when you get home. Blessings

Top Ten Things I Loved This Week

#10 Our house church Grace packed to the gills. (We'll need to multiply into two house churches soon.)

#9 Playing guitar with Christian in the attic while we waited for Jasmin to come up and pray with us. (I am learning slowly and my fingers are soooo sore.)

#8 Performing Miss Mayas Place for Thursday morning chapel at the kids school. (I wrote it, we rehearsed it, and performed it in one week. Never again!)

#7 Sunday afternoon lunch at the Hursts new house. We had some great cheese that they brought with them from Italy. (And their new house is awesome.)

#6 Screaming and yelling for each other as 20 of us took surf lessons together at surf camp. (They said they could hear us at the other end of the beach.)

#5 Playing tip Frisbee in the grass area by the cafe at Christian Surfers Portugal's 3 day surf camp. (I'd explain the game but it would take to long. Let's just say it was sooo fun.)

#4 Surfing with Jason Gregg and Chris Gonzalez after our surf lesson. (Three amateurs having a blast in the sun and surf.)

#3 Watching Zac lead Christian Surfers Portugal's surf camp and be right in his element. (I was really proud of my team mate. He put a lot of work into Surf Camp. Along with Marty, Carrie, and Hillary.)

#2 Dancing last night at the little cafe at surf camp with 7 or 8 new Portuguese friends whom I'd met at Surf Camp. (I figured that I'd might as well stay up and dance because we were camping right by the cafe and the music was SUPER LOUD. I went to bed around 1:30. The music finally stopped around 3:00. Sure I was tired from surfing all day, but it was still fun dancing.)

And my #1 on my Top Ten Count down for the week...( If you haven't guessed yet.)

#1 Christians Surfers Portugal's 3 day Surf Camp. It was amazing. Americans and Portuguese, young and old. Professional competition surfers and first time surfers. Followers of Christ and those who those who hadn't heard before. We had an great time and I believe that people heard clearly who Jesus is and what Christian Surfers Portugal is about.

Okay enjoy your week and paddle hard. That's how you catch the waves. Be Blessed