...after a very emotional "good-bye" to our very best friends; gene, lisa, serenity, stacey & matt, we made the journey to our apartment in prescott valley! damon was very quiet and sad the first day, staring out the window for long periods of time. he talked on the phone to stacey and was much happier after that. all three children are loving that there are more bugs here-you step outside our door and without a doubt you will catch a ladybug! clay is making friends already and made a brilliant observation by saying, "dad sure is not so grouchy when he is not working!" this is andy at the Harkins Theater attempting to get Star Wars III tickets:
andy, "are you having a midnight showing of Star Wars?"
employee, "yes, but it is only for the employees."
andy, "are you hiring?"
the rest of the family, laughed uncontrollably!
as for me, i am filled with a new sense of adventure, enjoying the cool weather and mountains, and deeply missing my friends in las vegas. i really don't know that it is possible for me to express in words the bond that we shared with our "house church" family, but it is special. i have learned more about Jesus in the last few years spent hanging out with these people than ever in my life. i have gained a pure passion for Him and for others. it is weird looking back, the non-religious people that spent time with our "house church" saw the bond we shared as refreshing and bizarre-they would say things like, "my friends would never do
that for me". the religious people who observed us, for the most part thought we were doing it all wrong. of this i am sure, Jesus was and is exciting, alive, passionate and for me He will never again be equivalent or limited to a building, a circle, a certain day of the week, or a Bible study.
"mr. cab driver"...recently we have spent a considerable amount of time with the people we love because we are just a few days away from moving to a new city, where we know no one. after an evening full of fun with friends my 6 year old broke down crying, not wanting to leave those whom he loves like family and have loved him deeply for the first 5 years of his life. this life we have made here is all he has known. when i asked him what he was feeling, at first he said he couldn't talk about it or he would just cry more and then he proclaimed his desire to "cancel the house" (in prescott) and stay in las vegas. before saying good night to him, we comforted him, reassured him, told him stories, related to his sadness about leaving friends, said prayers with him--but all our efforts where in vain as he calmly said, "tomorrow i am finding a way to make money, no matter what, for my cab ride back to this city (las vegas)!" we have set up a paypal account in his name if you'd like to make a donation. all joking aside...please pray for clay--for peace, he is scared of the unknown; for new friends; for his parents, that we know how to ease his pain-tonight was heartbreaking!
"Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller
...reading and writing are two of my favorite things in this world and yet there are only a few stories that have been life changing for me. i have not yet finished this book, but these are the stories that i can not stop thinking about..."I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve.
But I was outside the Baghdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a man
playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never
opened his eyes. After that I liked jazz music. Sometimes you have to watch
somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as
if they are showing you the way. I used to not like God because God
didn't resolve." -Author's Note from "Blue Like Jazz"
Don, the author, writes a story of a folksinger he heard perform one night. the folksong was the story of a Navy SEAL who goes in to rescue some hostages that have been held in a dark, filthy room for months. the hostages would not follow the SEALS because they were terrified and did not believe that they were Americans. not knowing what else to do, one SEAL did this..."He put down his weapon, took off his helmet, and curled up tightly next to the other hostages...He softened the look on his face and put his arms around them. None of the prison guards would have done this." he continued by telling them that he was there to rescue them and one by one, they all followed him out safely. Don, in words i can not summarize, then states why he decided to follow Jesus..."I liked the idea of Jesus becoming man, so that we would
be able to trust Him, and I like that He healed people and loved them and
cared deeply about how people were feeling." - Blue Like Jazz
even as a child i remember hearing the Bible stories and knowing that Jesus became flesh. i understood this as important because in the flesh He was able to relate to us and to fulfill God's plan for Him in death. for me, the folksong brought deeper insight into Jesus becoming man. take away all the Bible history and even the crucifixion, this is simply father-like trust that He desires from me--wow! have you ever noticed the difference in your relationship with your child when you get down on their level? even in discipline, trust is built when you come face to face with him or her instead of yelling out from the other room.
this is a must read!
