A small miracle

It's been over a year since my email inbox has been at zero. Well today it has happened. Yes my friends. Down to zero. Neat, clean, organized. The way things should be. I am content and somehow feel a bit cleaner.

Now here is the tricky part... and it may discredit the job of getting some older emails out of my inbox... I did "archive" a good deal of them. So... if you have an unanswered emails to me... please send them again. :)

On a separate update... the 10 yr reunion went great and we had a great time. It was good seeing old friends, smiling faces, and rehashing some fun times. Man - we've got some memories.. wouldn't change them for the world...

peace,

-J

ps - i titled this post "A Small Miracle" - There could be a post of a large miracle later in the week. Stay tuned.

10 years...

Tomorrow is my 10 yr. high school reunion. Tonight I will scan in some pics if i can find some of the old high school days. Well, on second thought.. maybe i will not. I embarrass myself enough without doing it purposefully.

It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since i have been in high school. I am not sure why but I am a bit nervous of the reunion. I am a fairly socially comfortable person (expect for a slight fear of small rooms with lots of people) but I am just a bit iffy about it. Maybe its that there will prolly be some people that I have some fairly "real" memories with. And even though I haven't spoken with some of them but a few times in the last 5 - 10 years - those real memories were in fact real at some point. My guess is they still are. So yeah.. somehow - some of the people in the room tomorrow night I will have spent a lot of time with laughing, learning, wrestling, playing football, and doin other things I will not mention here - and that happened in a time in our life where we were "becoming ourselves". I dont know... to me that just means alot. Honestly - there are going to be some people in that room that I at one point in my life was very close to - and i just wonder how it will be seeing them after 2,3,5, 10 years after...

Other things run through my head like "was too mean to people?" or "i was so insecure" or "what if someone did some crappy stuff cause I was doing some crappy stuff" - so - yeah... Part of me feels like i need to stand up and say something like... "sorry if I was an *SS H0LE... sorry if me being insecure was a burden on anyone... sorry if me not paying attention in class ticked you off.. and sorry if i was apart of doing something that might have damaged you as a person... I was young, insecure, and was just trying my best to find my way.... thank you... you may now carry on."

I will let you know if I do this... Hopefully I will not.

On the real though... I had a lot of fun in high school. Made some great friends. Had some great teachers. Had some amazing coaches. Had some more fun. Won some great football games and wrestling matches... which led to more fun. So - I am looking forward to the reunion... looking forward to seeing some folks in my life from back then when life was a bit simplier... i just bet it could be a bit odd at some point... maybe my announcement could make things even more so... we shall see...

peace and love,

-J

ps - I think this officially makes me not a kid anymore

Today I am a bike commuter.

I like it so far. It was cold this morning. I wonder if I could pull this off full time. I have a really good cup of coffee right now. it is cool outside. i am going ot the fair tonight with family and friends.

sentences. write them.

The Wreck

I have intentionally not posted about the wreck for about a month for a couple reasons.

1) I didn't want it to seem like I was looking for a few charitable "awwwwwws"

2) I didn't want to make very light of the situation b/c it was a bad situation and could have been a lot worse.

Now that some time has passed - here are the details.

Monday night, September 10th I was driving on New Bern Ave. Upon entering the Tarboro Rd intersection I all of a sudden felt like a shotgun went off in my head. Apparently I was creamed by a guy who ran red light while trying to escape from the police. They hit me on the driver side just in front of my door and sent me spinning. They flipped over my car and landed on their side (which is where they were when I got out of my car.)

When I got out of my car their were people with guns already drawn and a lot of screaming. The only problem was these people with guns were in street clothes and there were no police cars or sirens at first. SO - just so you know, if you are plowed by another vehicle and are a bit dizzy and incoherent and people have guns out and are yelling - you are afraid.

I finally noticed one of the guys with a gun had a badge on his belt and I noticed a minivan with a guy in it (which is the vehicle that was following Mr. Bad Guy) - I finally put 2 and 2 together that this was an undercover deal (turns out to be a special undercover squad after a guy wanted for armed robbery.)

I had headaches pretty bad for the first week and was a bit "fuzzy" but now most of that is gone.

My car was deemed totaled and now I am trying to find a new car (new old car most likely) and that is pretty frustrating.

The thoughts that went through my head when it happened were in order:

1) what the heck just happened

2) i think i got hit

3) I hope i live to see Diana again

4) i think that was an air bag

5) when am i going to stop spinning - this is not good

6) i hope there is not a semi-truck coming who can't dodge me

7) whoa - i am ok i think

8) how in the world am i ok - (thank you God)

9) why are people yelling with guns

10) I am a little scared


Here are some pics from where they towed my car:


refer to thought number 4


my front end was bent over about 2 - 3 feet... frame and all



Yes it is leaning over... that front tire isn't really connected to anything


refer to thought number 2


This is the coolest part. We actually found the video footage from the traffic light there at the intersection and saw the whole thing happen. Feel free to check it out. I am a little embarresed of how I handled myself.



On a serious note - It could have been a lot worse. I have probably never felt so protected in my entire life. I am thankful to still be around and enjoying life with all my family and friends.

Peace and love,

-J

A Good Story

We went to Hendersonville this weekend for Amy's wedding (Amy is Diana's sister.) On the way home we were extremely tired from all the festivities of the weekend. I decided to drive because I knew Diana was exhausted.

It wasn't long before she fell asleep.
But then I started to get a bit tired. I thought... man... I wish I could just pull ever. Then Tanner was like... "do you think I can drive?"

I said, "no way man. you're a dog. you're a puppy. You're not even 14 weeks old. you can't drive."

but then i got to thinkin... I am really tired... and German Shepherds are really smart, right... So I asked him, "Are you sure you are feeling up to it?"

He said, "Look at this face... please, please...."

So i said ok.... I gave him a chance and much to my surprise... he did great!

I soon feel asleep for a nice nap. I am not sure how much time passed.

Later however, I was scared to wake up and find that he was not paying to much attention to road in front of him. There was a poodle in the car beside us and he was swerving over to get her attention. Of course I took the wheel immediately.

So then I did what any responsible dog owner would do... I put him back in the back seat for the rest of the way home. He was a bit sad.. but I think he understood.

At least I got a good nap in.

This has been The Adventures of Tanner. For now that is all. See you next time.

-Jason

i know everyone doesn't get excited about this...

but...

football season officially starts tomorrow night. only one more evening of going to sleep waiting for this great and wonderful occasion. the sounds of pads hitting, the art of 11 people opposing another 11 with strategy upon strategy guiding them... Blessed are the days of the NFL season. truly a gift... ah yes... Thursday evening, come to me quickly...

gonna be hard to work today or tomorrow,

-J

*i was going to apologize for the over dramatization - but it probably wouldn't be sincere ;)

Worship and Justice

We, at our church, just entered into a new series in our weekend worship gatherings entitled:

Justice: movement beyond emotion


This week Jeff did an incredible job walking through the scriptures and pointing us towards God's heart for Justice. I believe this is so important because if we don't pay close attention to this (God's heart) then we could end up involving ourselves in things because of guilt, because of emotions, or even because it is a trendy thing to do (not the gospel or what's best for our lives). In the end we are created by God and in His image. If we are truly becoming more like Him then our heart should be aligning with His and these things should end up as our concern.

Jeff's teaching Sunday went to a few other places and you can find the podcast here soon - but his message is not my entire thought right now.

My thought is regarding "worship music" in this setting. Part of my calling to serve Visio Dei is creating an environment for our community to reflect on, celebrate, and worship God while we are together. Within this series I have noticed it is going to be incredibly hard to choose songs that speak to where we are going.

2 reasons:

1) there simply aren't alot of songs that speak to this in the "christian worship" setting. Most songs seem to say - God we love you and/or thank you for what you have done for me. This seems to make the gospel fairly one dimensional. There is not a huge cry to see justice, not a big plea for God's Kingdom to come, or even a "God help us to care about the things you care about". I am not blaming anyone, only making an observation and asking a question... "I wonder what God thinks about that?"

2) It's also difficult cause there are places in the Bible where God seems to say, "enough with your songs... i am tired of your incense... Seek Justice..." almost like... "quit singing and go and do something... i have heard that you love me... has it really changed your life? has it really moved you to move? has it really healed you? Quiet already... do something."

So, yeah... as a "worship leader" - this is gonna be tough. I don't want to lead people into singing songs that God is tired of hearing. I also dont want to sing songs where people can just tell God they love Him for (only) what he has done for them. That doesn't seem to be God's only desire for our life. This is causing me to refocus a bit and really think through what we sing.

As a band/team/musicians we are committing ourselves to writing at least one new song for our church out of each series we enter into this year. I pray these songs would be honoring to God, his church, and put words on our lips that help move our soul.

Sometimes - I wish it were easier... but at the same time I am thankful we are being challenged to moving where God is leading us.

Thanks for listening to (reading) the ramblings...

peace,

-J

ps - if anyone is looking for any songs that do move in this direction let me know as I am stumbling on a few.

Home indeed...

So I have been home for a week now. Honestly, I have been trying to ease back into things here so that I would not forget my time away in Africa. I have experienced other places in the world before and come back to the craziness here and the past seems like something that maybe you just dreamed about. I hope this has helped in the "processing side" of the trip overall.

Diana and I did go to the beach Monday and Tuesday for a little catching up time. We took Tanner (our puppy), some pasta and sauce that my dad made, and our bathing suits (we took other things too... those things were just some of the most enjoyable things there.) Great time!



The trip to Africa was incredible... I met some amzing people and saw things I will never forget. I am certain they are many opportunities for us to partner with somethings that are going on over there and I am certain there are somethings we can learn from them as well. I look forward to what the future holds.

For now... it is good to be home.

peace,

-J

Home indeed...

So I have been home for a week now. Honestly, I have been trying to ease back into things here so that I would not forget my time away in Africa. I have experienced other places in the world before and come back to the craziness here and the past seems like something that maybe you just dreamed about. I hope this has helped in the "processing side" of the trip overall.

Diana and I did go to the beach Monday and Tuesday for a little catching up time. We took Tanner (our puppy), some pasta and sauce that my dad made, and our bathing suits (we took other things too... those things were just some of the most enjoyable things there.) Great time!





The trip to Africa was incredible... I met some amzing people and saw things I will never forget. I am certain they are many opportunities for us to partner with somethings that are going on over there and I am certain there are somethings we can learn from them as well. I look forward to what the future holds.

For now... it is good to be home.

peace,

-J

All is well...

things have been a whirlwind. we are gonna have to catch up on more updates when we get more time. just wanted to let the friends and fam know all is well.

-J (and Corey)

A little plane...

I only have a few minutes as one of the people who work at this airport let me on the Pilot's Network (it's not that dial-up thing.)

We are about to fly into a "jungle/desert" region in Northern Kenya called Liasamis (sp). We are flying on a small 9 seater plane (via a group called MAF.) We will prolly be there by the time most of you wake up. Would love some prayers for a safe flight and a productive trip. Corey and I just realized neither one of us got a yellow fever shot and they said here that would have been a good idea... whoops.

We are taking medical supplies into this area and meeting up with other people from Joseph's church who left Monday to go there. They have been setting up the clinic and we are bringing in the supplies. A doctor and a nurse are also coming with us as they couldn't come earlier in the week either. Joseph's church supports a missionary who lives there full time so the people there are of course expecting us. I have no idea what to expect.

The trip has been great so far. We are learning a great deal. I believe we have had a bit to offer to the community, church leaders, and children's home here thus far.

ok.. gotta run... thanks for the love, prayers, and support.

I miss my beautiful wife.

-J

We are in Kenya...

Sorry for the delay on posting. We have not slowed down much since we got here and the only computers I have found with internets are on this strange thing called "dial-up". I am not sure what that means but everything takes alot longer.

Quick run down:
Over the weekend Joseph (our contact here - who is actually a local area Bishop, church, planter, pastor, and founder Africa Hope Center -orphanage here) had set-up leadership training for local area church leaders and pastors. We had the priviledge of leading two of the sessions and it was amazing. It is crazy but really the challenges facing the church right now really seem to be world-wide; "How do we mobilze church communities to serve their communities to bring glory to God?"

Today Corey and I had the honor of leading their worship service here this morning... Incredible! Corey spoke of Gods story and our place in it pointing Gods work in the world... even when things aren't easy. He mentioned later it was his first sermon ever... wow. He did incredible. And worshiping with these people here is nothing less than beautiful... knowing what they have and what God must mean to them... experiencing that was great.

After that we had lunch and went to the orphange. It is nothing short of a miracle what these people are doing here. We speak of true and undefiled religion and today I was surrounded by it. These children are more beautiful than you could imagine and the workers here giving their lives are my new heroes.

Most go now before next pop-up emerges (these internets here are crazy!!!)

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I did miss worshipping with my home church this morning. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Grace, love, hope, and peace to you,

-Jason (and Corey)

Made it to London...

Our flight out of DC was delayed until midnight but we made it to London no prob. We did however loose 2 hours in London so we opted not to try and see anything outside of the airport (we made this decision due to both Corey and my inability to not get lost.) I feel this was a wise decision.

My throat isn't feeling better. I did however find some $6 cough drops because mine are of course in my checked luggage.

Here is a pic from our first stop in London (actually the second - as the first was a quiet gate to take a 2 hour nappy.)

I think I was dancing...

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. Diana, I miss you already. Next time you're coming with me.

next stop - Nairobi, Kenya.

Peace,

-J

We are in DC...

About to fly to London... my throat is a bit sore. I hope it's just because I talked to Corey aalot on the way up. I believe this is gonna be an amazing trip. Please pray though that I am not getting sick.

Okay... updates when we can.

peace and love,

-J

A new fence for the front yard...

Thanks to the help of Chris Sexton, Danny K, Ricky Rick, and Jon Halfway I was able to get this sweet fence up before I leave to go to Africa. My wife and Emily Alden also get props for driving to Lowes with a trailer to pick up extra pieces...

I was worried about it looking like "stay away from my stuff" but i think it looks rather pleasant. With Jeff's kids and the new puppy it should prove itself very useful.

The only glitch was when I kinda, ahhmmmm, cut the cable, phone, and Internet line with a chainsaw (while removing a stump out of the line of the fence.) But Jon Gould had one of his employees come over today and hook it back up. Jon Gould has magical powers!!!! I even got the line buried back (if I can only remember next time I am using a chainsaw where I buried it...)

Thanks fellas for the help. Couldn't have done it without you. I finished it up today around 11:15am. No way I could have done it by myself.

Here's some pics of the final project.

view #1
look at that straightness...

from straight on... (yes that is my finger in the top left)

the doggy area...

the view from the front porch...

other direction...

Mr. Gould even assisted my in getting the bannister back up on the porch...

Okay.. that's all for now. It is now time to pack for Africa.

peace,

-J

Well the house is pretty much finished being painted... here are some some pics. I am very pleased with how it came out. As they were finishing up the job i was thinking... "I wonder if the people who built this house over 80 years ago would by happy with what we've done to it. Even with as much work as we've done to it we have tried to keep it true to original form... Anyways, just something cool about living in something that has been shared by many a person.

Here is some shots...
Front of house...

Front porch...

Right side of house... (kinda)
Right side of house... up close...


Left side of house
Left side of house from the back...

back of house... straight shot...

Back of house... side view

Hope the Ramseys like it when they get back in town... :)

peace,

-J

Tanner Update

He is now 9 weeks and 2 days old. He is growing. His ears are standing higher. He is a stud. He also has a white spot on his fur on his right side (left side of picture) that he recieved while walking into the freshly painted cement on the side of our house ;)

Diana and I like him alot. You can tell he misses chasing the kids around the back yard.

peace,

-Jason

A lot happens in a day

Still have to do windows and trim but here is what things look like so far...

front of house...

close-up of front porch...

right side of house...

close-up of right side of house...


left side of house
back of house...

more later,

-J