Pics of the Week and Prayer Request

Hey everybody,

We would like you guys to pray for us as we are in the midst of a very big transition in our life and are juggling many pieces. Our life is very full right now as we are moving toward an exciting future in Raleigh, NC. Along with that comes the need for great thoughtfulness, discipline, and intentionality.

Right now, in addition to school and our family, we are juggling about 10 other things for the move:

- my trip to africa (august 1-15) and trying to raise $2000 more dollars to help them buy a piece of property for the orphan care sanctuary
- danielle's involvement with human trafficking ministry
- ministry at Mosaic
- filing paperwork with the IRS to start my non-profit organization
- coordinating the development of the website
- selling our home in Williamsburg and the details that go along with that with our stuff
- looking for homes in Raleigh
- selling and giving away our things here(I just packed up our books this weekend)
- possibly going on staff with an incarnational church planting/ leadershp development ministry (I am meeting with the guy this week)
- dreaming and planning with friends in Raleigh about discipleship within Visio Dei

Our tickets are bought for July 19!!!! So, it is coming soon, and we are doing a little bit of these things every day. We actually feel at peace in the midst of all these things, like God is moving in just at the speed and direction we need to go, but we also need to be lifted up during this time because we have so many moving pieces. We're getting to spend some good times with friends today, and Dave and Betsy were amazing today allowing me and Danielle to go on a date.

We had a great mother's day today and spent time this weekend as a family. The sabbath discipline of family time has helped me develop a rhythm to life since we've been here.

I also played in a 3 on 3 tournament last night and guarded a 6'10, 280 lb. guy that couldn't handle me ! (ha)

Here are some of the sweetest pics you've ever seen----

An Uncomfortable Bank Encounter (by Danielle)

We went to the bank the other day with both girls. Shiloah was strapped to my chest and Hannah rode happily in the single stroller. Corey went ahead in line to deposit a check and I waited in the lobby with the girls, making sure to stand so that Hannah could still see her "CoreyDaddy." Then the bank manager came over.
She is always very nice and smiley when we come in, and the folks there seem to recognize us because of the girls. Usually the manager is behind her desk but today she decided to venture over to us. She proceeded to talk to Hannah, touch her head and her hair, her cheeks, her hands and the stroller. Then she moved on to Shiloah, lifting up her hat, commenting "Oh, you're not so cute, but your sister sure is!" (This is added to the exceeding long list of Stupid Things People Say to You When You Have Kids.) I was understandably annoyed.
Then she went back to cooing at Hannah, touching her still. Hannah started saying "No, girl. No, girl." and shaking her head away from the woman's touch. I stood there and tried to smile, not sticking up for my young daughter who was trying to communicate to this woman that she didn't want to be touched anymore! My dilemma was that I didn't want to upset the woman, make her angry or offend her. Instead I subjected my 22 month old daughter to something she was uncomfortable with. I left there feeling sick to my stomach.
I can't believe I would do that! I am still sick to my stomach about it. Corey and I made a pact that we would not do that ever again. It happened to us once before, and we vowed never again.
Obviously, the feelings of my beautiful little girls are more important than the feelings of this boundary-crossing bank manager. I walked by the bank today, secretly desiring to go back and recreate the situation so that I could make up for my mistake.

What if you were on PBS?

One of my good friends at Fuller stopped by yesterday and told me he might be on PBS next year for a documentary they are doing on "the call." It's a documentary on four different types of seminaries training peple for religious leadership--buddhist, jewish, muslim, and christian. The lady from PBS went to one of Paul's classes, and because Paul was one of the only people talking openly in class- she asked him if he might want to be on the show--- Crazy. Well, this is a little exciting and scary for Paul because she would basically follow him around with a camera for a while and he would represent Christians in leadership training for the nation--

Sometimes, I catch Hannah just looking at me, and then imitating me, and I think about all the people I come in contact with every day that I have an impact on--even if you are like PBS and not many people watch you, someone does (ha)

What would people see if your life became the PBS show? your attitudes? the things you care about? your relationships? your free time?

I think the PBS effect is something we need to evaluate our life by on a regular basis. In a culture where the Christian message is mass-marketed into a product or else marginalized as irrelevant, we need to reclaim the reality that our lives are the message about God to the world. We are often guilty of making an idol of religious leaders, books, conventions, church numbers.

We need to claim the reality of the ordinary person and community being the revolutionary message of Christ to the world. What if churches were known for Christ's character being so evident among the people serving and bringing hope to others rather than the name of the pastor or sign in front of the building? One of the central differences between the movement of Jesus and other religions is that Jesus is alive in the lives of ordinary people to reflect His character in the world.

"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts and read by everbyody. You show that you are a letter from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant---not of the leter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life...Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless of course you fail the test?" II Cor 3:2-3; II Cor 13:5

Paul's words are written to whole communities--- it is easy to hide or deceive ourselves as individuals, we need each other to grow and change, dream, imagine, and live a different reality--

Netflicks

We've been watching a lot of movies on Africa, so Danielle followed the theme. She rented the "battle of algiers" which is a 1965 black and white foreign film. It lasted 5 minutes in the DVD player. Can't win em all.

Don't give up on the Justice Convo, but I had to share these

Why Social Justice?

In my continued quest for more faithful social justice, I am doing a team project this quarter on equipping ordinary people for social justice action. We have a great opportunity to pull together a wide range of resources and make some great action steps because we have nine passionate people in our group. This is one of the main questions I wanted to work through in seminary, so I'm excited to get into this project

My responsibility is the theology behind it: why do we care about social justice? what is the connection between God's heart and social justice? what is the connection between God's people and social justice? what are theological ideas that hold the church back from social justice activism?

Basically, I've checked out every book on the subject from the Fuller Library so I've gotten some great resources, but....

Give me some good thoughts, and I may quote you in the project----

Best Pics of the Week

It's an Injustice if you Don't See this

On a lighter note. A friend of mine, Benji Kimball, out here in LA decided to do hip-hop dance. Here is his performance. If you have 5 minutes, watch till the end. The Grandma thinks he is awesome. Hilarious Benji!

Moving from education to action against human Trafficking

This weekend was a big education and awareness weekend in Raleigh and Pasadena about the issue of human trafficking. We are excited to be a part of a community (Visio Dei) that is wrestling with how we can join with God in rescuing people out of these situations. Visio Dei sponsored a benefit concert, invited Kimberly Smith (who works to rescue women and children from human trafficking) to come and preach at their church gathering, and slept out at the capital building with others on Saturday night to raise awareness. My school, Fuller, held the ASHA forum to educate and equip the church to deal with this issue. We had speakers from all over the world, and we were able to gather a good deal of resources.

To find watch videos to find out more info:
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/ProjectVideo.aspx



I just read an article today in TIME on the Jamestown Colony at the beginning of our country. I used to drive by the Jamestown exhibit everyday on the way to Jamestown high school when I was on staff with Young Life in Williamsburg, and it was a reminder at the ways we justify the dehumanization and oppression of others. When I studied American History in college, I was always shocked that the majority of the christian church justified slavery and supported it as a positive part of building a healthy society. I got to see the continued cycles of the founding system in our country that allowed "liberty" and slavery to exist side by side continue to play out in the life of our community.

In addition to the many injustices in our culture, slavery still exists in many places in the world. Human trafficking is 32 billion dollar industry. Since coming to California, this is an issue Danielle has become passionate about, and we have been working to educate ourselves on the issue to see what ordinary people can do about the problem. Just as the church justified slavery in early America, there were always a minority that voiced out and worked for the abolition of slaves. Christians were always leading the way to free people from slavery.


Danielle has found this book helpful to learn about the issue and has been discussing it with a group of women:

In our culture, the church often lives by the accepted values of consumerism, comfort, security, and convience so much that we fail to connect to God's imagination to bring healing and rescue to those who despeartely need it. Jesus did not live, die, and rise from the dead to justify our self-absorbed existence but to call us out of ourselves into a life that is lived fully for the rescue and redemption of others. He wants to inspire an alternative imagination in us to restore the world to God's intentions.

This is an issue we need to think about, pray about, wrestle with, and support.

What did my friends in Raleigh learn this weekend?

Goodbye Dirty Trucker!

This is what I refer to as the David Paxton look. Scary! It also reminds me of Wesley from The Princess Bride. Corey often says to me, As you wish.
And this is the Sweaty look. Corey just returned from a run and Hannah said, "Daddy's wet!"

I figured out Corey's password and now I can get on his blog whenever I want, in all the spare time I have during my baby-filled existence. --Danielle