and then we washed her hair...

We awoke again this morning babies still in womb. The dances of joy continued.

Then Diana mentioned how she felt a little dirty and her hair seemed a little... well, greasy. The nurse brought us this shower cap thing that has "hair washing stuff" (technical name) inside of it. You just pop it in the microwave, put it on, and lather up.

I had a lot of fun washing her hair and shaving her legs while she is confined to a hospital bed. I figure it's the least I can do since she is carrying our children. Her are some pics of the extravagaza.


Pre hair-washing (Panteen model search, please do not contact as we are very busy at the moment ;)



The magical hair-washing shower cap



Washy, wash, wash, wash...



The hair is clean!!!!


All in all it's been a good day. I got to leave for a while today and my mom and Diana's mom came up for a while. They have been great. All of our parents have been so much help as well as friends who have dropped of food and goodies. Please keep up the thoughts and prayers.

Contractions are still here and there. Diana's back is starting to hurt from laying in bed for 4 days. She is doing well but some discomfort really is settling in this evening. Please be in prayer for this.

Seriously, thanks for everything so far. Text messages, emails, comments on here, friends dropping off food... we feel so blessed.

Here is another fun picture for safe measure. Hi John and Elzabeth!!!



I am so happy we have pictures with Diana and this hair net thing... wow. Too much fun.

We'll post a goodnight message a little later.

Daaaaaaaaaa Gores

A Song of Hope

Another day has come and gone. It's 11:41pm. Diana is sleeping well. I am reflecting on these words tonight from a song by Robbie Seay called Song of Hope:

______________________________________

All things bright and beautiful You are
All things wise and wonderful You are
In my darkest night, You brighten up the skies
A song will rise

I will sing a song of hope
Sing along
God of heaven come down
Heaven come down
Just to know that You are near is enough
God of heaven come down, heaven come down


All things new
I can start again
Creator, God
Calling me Your friend
Sing praise, my soul
To the Maker of the skies
A song will rise

I will sing a song of hope
Sing along
God of heaven come down
Heaven come down
Just to know You and be loved is enough
God of heaven come down, heaven come down

_____________________________________

Tonight I feel especially close to something bigger than myself. Most of you know what I believe when it comes to my spirituality so I will call that something God. I feel a nearness that is great and big and thick. I am certain this is not because He is not normally close but because I am looking to Him more in this moment than normal. Whether right or wrong, it is true. There is a part of me that is happy that I am in a moment where I have no where else to turn. I sense our God is near and I sense heaven coming down through my friends, the hope Diana has, and the love of our family.

Thanks to all who are journeying with us through this. I know this is only the beginning of what could be a long journey. Either way we are grateful to be where we are and hopeful of things that are to come.

A song will rise,

-Jason, Diana, listening well to daddy today babies

Another night come and gone

I did a dance of joy this morning. Literally. As well did Diana - though it looked a bit funny in her hospital bed.

We had a good night. Babies are still inside mom. Her Labor pains have actually really slowed down since last night. My complete uneducated hypothesis (i know this is a mis usage of the word ;) is that when she is the most rested things things tend to slow down the most.

Diana is allowed to eat now. My dad brought us IHOP for breakfast. It was amazing. Speaking of my dad... today is his 56th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Pop!!!!

Diana says hi and thanks for all the love, support, and prayers. We know this is relieving much of the would-be tension and stress.

Tomorrow is 27 weeks. That would be a great mark for us to hit!

We'll keep you updated. Please keep up whatever you're doing ;)

peace friends,

-Jason, Diana, and the pushy babies

We made it to 5pm

Ok, we made til 5pm for the extra dose of lung steroids (this is what i am now referring to them as - not the doctor - they are just for the babies lungs.) At that point they gave Diana another exam and she had not progressed in her dilation. They decided to pull her from the magnesium as it is not good for her long term. They also decided to pull her from her contraction monitor and send her to a "less intensive" room. On the surface this is good news.

Essentially what it means is there is nothing else we can do now but wait. We have made it through the "steps" we needed if the babies are going to in fact come this early. They have gotten their steroids and their magnesium. Now it is just a waiting game (though not the most fun of all games.) As I have said before, each hour is important and each day is valuable. We would LOVE to make it til the morning.

Diana has been experiencing contractions, while more intense than earlier (she can feel them now), not as frequent. We're hoping we can fall asleep, relax, and morning will come quickly.

We are blessed to have friends as we do. We are hopeful in our creator. I read today in Romans 12:12 - Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. I feel like that is where we are. We are joyful... Diana and I are joking together quite a bit. Our inside jokes are funnier than ever. We have a hope greater than this situation. Though I would not call what we are going through affliction, we are being patient. We are both in prayer and feel surrounded in prayer by our friends, family, and others we don't even know.

I feel like I am experiencing a side of God's church I have never experienced before. It is beautiful.

It's 10:11pm. Diana is sleeping. She looks very pretty. I love her very much. Goodnight.

Still hanging tough

Not a lot of changes. Looks like the baby girl is trying to make an exit as she has pushed the boy aside and is getting closer to the "out door." While she is doing this against our parental advice and despite her efforts to break for it, Diana's contractions have slowed down. This is a current positive.

The next goal is to get to 5pm so we can get the 2nd round of steroids. After that the next step is 5am tomorrow which is 12 hours after the dose. The purpose of that is for optimum absorption of the steroid for the babies. The steroids will mostly benefit the babies lungs which are the primary concern of babies coming this early.

Nobody knows whats next. According to the Docs, some people in our situation keep the babies in for weeks, even months, though rarely... some keep them in an hour from where we were yesterday at lunch time. (we like being the exception ;)

We are blessed to be where we are. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. Your encouragement means more than you know. If as many of you are really praying for us as have said you are then God is pretty busy listening ;) We have great friends. Please keep it up.

We're praying right now to make it through the night. We're going hour by hour and day by day. I know my candor may not be an indicator but the babies really could come any hour and they are in a high risk situation. No medicine can really stop labor so your prayers mean so much to us. I have never felt so "out of control" in a situation.

Meanwhile I will continue to reason with our unborn children as to why it is not the best time to enter "our world." I just can't imagine why they would be so hard-headed given the sweet and laid back nature of their parents. ;)

Life is such a journey...

-Jason

Made it through the night

OK gang,

We made it through the night. OH YEAH-ER!!!! As soon as we got to Wake last night (we started at Rex) around 10:30 they did an exam and said Diana had progressed to 6 centimeters. That of course was not what we wanted to hear. We thought for a few moments labor was coming. We decided to sit for a few and everything seemed to stay the same.

Through the night her contractions have appeared to become less and less frequent. This is good news. We are really hoping to make it at least another 24 hours.

The doctors did say last night that "rarely" does preterm labor get to 6 centimeters and slow down. He also said he has never seen preterm labor go past 6 centimeters and slow down. So, right now we are happy with where things are. We are trusting God knows what He is doing. We feel like right now we are beating the odds and we like it ;)

Per Diana's exam this morning - she has not progressed in her dilating (still at 6cm.) She is resting right now and doing great. The medicine they have her on (Magnesium) is making her really tired and giving her flu-like symptoms. They are gonna keep her on this until 5pm tonight when she gets the next round of steroids.

Thank you for all the prayers. Once we went "public" last night with all the details it really seemed like things have slowed down through the night. This could change literally at any second but for now we would love to "steal" your prayer time. We definitely feel a peace about our situation (though there have been some moments of being a little afraid.)

As far as visitors go, Diana would love to get some encouragement from you but right now it is best (at least for the next 24 hours) if she has as much rest time as possible. Please feel free to write, call, or text and we'll do our best to keep this thing updated. I also know Jeff is gonna try and keep the Visio Dei site updated with details in case something comes up and I cant get to my computer.

We love you,

Jason, Diana, and Babies (we're closer on names ;)

A Surprise

About an hour afer I typed "it's crazy to think our babies will be here in a few months" Diana and I went to the doctor for a check-up and the babies looked great. Size-wise they are bigger than avgerage for their age so that was good news.

What threw us for a loop was when the doctor told us she is possibly in preterm labor. She was dilated about 3 centimeters (that means the body is getting ready to push babies out) and she is only just over 26 weeks which is about 14 weeks early for regular babies and 12 weeks early for twins.

They immediately had us admitted to Rex and Diana was in fact showing contractions every 3-5 minutes. They have since sent us to Wake Med b/c they are better set-up to handle babies this premature.

The goal is to reduce contractions, keep Diana relaxed, and our hope is that we can keep them in as long as possible and the docs are giving medicine to promote that. The next 24-48 hours are critical as they have issued and are issuing Diana a steroid that will help the babies lungs develop. If we can keep them in at a minimum for long enough for that to pass through to them we would be happy (we are happy either way - this would just be more ideal ;) Ideal would be for them to stay in 10 - 12 more weeks but hours and days are important at this early of a stage.

I will post again after we talk to the docs in the morning with more details. Please just keep us in your prayers. If you want to email Diana you can just send it to me and I will pass it along.

I think we need to go and talk baby names ;)

We love you guys and we'll get out more details in a bit.

Peace and Love,

Jason, Diana, Baby, and Baby

Date Firday...

Friday night Diana and I went on a date. I think you can still go on dates when you're married, though it might be called something else but if it is I dont know the word.

We walked form our house to City Market and Diana was craving (go figure ;) cheddar grits. I told her I knew of this low country restaurant back in city market and we should try it. So we did. It was nice to just to sit in an almost empty restaurant and talk. Just talk about life and all that's happened over the last few years not mention whats gonna change in the next few years (really months.)

Then on the way home it started raining. Mind you we are walking. Here is another reason why I love my wife. While she is 6 months pregnant she still finds it fun to walk and play in the rain. So instead of running for cover... we just walked... and well, did what people do when they are playing in the rain.

So - yeah... friday night was a goodnight. Nice and relaxing. It was crazy to think that in 3 months our children will be here. Things will probably be a little different. Wow.

I hope they like playing in the rain.

Baby Furniture

Hello friends, family, and the other 2 of you around the world who check this blog.

Diana and I are as you probably know, pregnant with twins. We are in the process of looking for baby furniture such as crib(s), a changing table, and a dresser (etc.) We don't really know where our nursery will be just yet but we know we will need stuff to put in there. We dont really want to buy new stuff if we can help it. We figure there is enough stuff out there because, you know, there's been other babies before ours and we'd love to save some money. We are checking craigslist, etc to find some stuff. We have seen some good deals but not anything we are willing to jump at yet.

I figured I would throw this out there... if any of you have, say a friend in Raleigh who is looking to get rid of some baby furniture... or say, a cousin in Cary who wants to sell their old changing table... I ask this of you... Please have them give me a call or provide me with their contact info so that I can hit them up. I am willing to pay in cold hard cash.

For now that is all.

Peace,

-Jason, Diana, baby boy, and baby girl

Songs from Sunday Morning

All b/c of Jesus - Steve Fee
Everlasting God - Brenton Brown
Mighty to Save - Hillsong United

Help Me to Find You - Todd Fields

I thought the band did a great job pointing us towards God sunday morning. Thanks guys and wendy. It was also fun to run sound for a morning. I apologize to those of you who felt this was too loud. ;)

Love and Peace,

-Jason

Happy Anniversary to us!!!

5 years!!! I can't believe it's already been 5 years. The ride we've had so far has been anything but traditional but I don't think we would have it any other way. In fact, I told Diana that my only regret after our 1st 5 years together is that a lifetime together just might not be enough... and I really mean it. I will avoid getting too mushy beyond that. ;)

Thanks to all who share in our life with us. Here's to the next 5!!!

A week at Camp Tuk-A-Way

This week I am in Blacksburg VA leading worship at Camp Tuk-A-Way. So far it's been a blast. I got to bring Tanner with me and he's been having the time of his life... 20 acres to run around and 200 middle schoolers to play with him all day.

Random Sentances:
The weather here has been perfect. Practically zero humidity. I love the mountains. I miss my wife. Tanner is a rock star with children. I AM HAVING 2 KIDS IN 4 MONTHS. The speaker has been good for me. I dont pray as much as I used to. I love worshipping God outside in the mountains. It's been a great week. The band I am playing with is great. We've had a lot of fun.
Random Sentances Over

The band I am playing with is comprised of Mark and Mike McKee (guitar and drums) along with Jon McClain playing bass. We've probably had too much fun. These guys are great musicians and I really enjoy working with them.

Tomorrow after the night session Tanner and I are headed to Hendersonville to meet Diana, Brandon, and Julie (my wife, brother, and sister in law) for a weekend in Hendo. I will get some pics up from camp sometime this weekend.

Have a great 4th of July!

Peace and love,

-Jason

We found out what we're having!!!

Everytime I have started to post since we found out we were pregnant I have wanted to write about us being parents. Then I could never come up with the "right" words to say. It's also been hard because we didn't really know if we were having boys... or girls... I have also tried hard not to think about it that much before we knew because when I get excited about something it's hard to stop thinking about it...

well it's possible I still don't have the right words but... excitement will not allow me to wait any longer.

I am more excited than I have ever been about anything. I am thankful to our God that He would allow us this blessing. I am thankful for how well my wife is handling everything. She is a trooper and I couldn't be more proud of her.

On the other hand at times (though only for brief seconds - probably because I am not smart enough to worry a lot) I am more afraid than I have ever been.

I know the next few months and years could bring more laughter and tears than any we have ever seen. I am so thankful to experience them.

Thanks for all of you who will share in this with us...







oh yeah....












and one other piece of important news...





















We're having a boy... and a girl...


WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doctors say everything looks perfect so far!



We love you. Please keep us in your prayers....

-Jason and Diana

Songs From Sunday

Here is the setlist from this past Sunday

Spring of Life - Kristian Stanfill

At the Cross - Daniel Renstrom - please check out Daniel's stuff

Amazed - Jared Anderson (Desperation Band)

How Great is Our God - Chris Tomlin

Doxology - Thomas Ken

It is an honor worshipping with our church each week. I pray it moves us to realizing who God is, how he loves us, and compells us to become who we were created to be.

peace and love,

-Jason

The Plague of Beetles

Last night Treeline was playing at a church out in Knightdale and towards the end of the night we started noticing all these beetles everywhere. I guess they were more like June-Bugs... like Japanese beetles I think. Seriously.. they were flying around... you could see them in the lights, on the ground... really strange.

Later I was talking to their youth pastor and i referenced the bugs and he said... "yeah, someone left a side door open next to the stage. There is some kinda light out there that attracts all these bugs and they just came in."

I thought - man, someone should be responsible keeping that door shut.

Later still that evening Chapps (drums) and Stanton (sound) referenced propping a door open with an amp stand. Awesome.

"We're Treeline... we'll leave your doors propped open for the beetles to come in"

Sweet.

We're playing there again Saturday night and Sunday night. This time we'll keep the door closed.

-Jason

Am I on the wrong toilet?

So... this morning I was listening to the radio. I don't know the station or I would give them credit - my creative credibility apologies. Anyways, the DJ was reading a letter that someone sent in and it went something like this:

"We have a very independent 3 yr old and it has really been getting difficult for us to deal with. Then.. this happened. 2 weeks ago we were at an unnamed home improvement store looking at new washer and dryers. We all of a sudden noticed our 3 yr old missing. We looked up and down the next 2 ailes and then found our 3 yr old sitting on a model toilet with her pants at her ankles. When we found her she smiled and said, "mommy, where is the toilet paper?

As you can imagine we very embarrassed."

So - I am not sure why the guy was reading the letter, perhaps something like "send us your embarrassing moments" time or something.

BUT - I, for some reason, immediately thought to myself... I wonder how many times in life I'm sitting on the wrong toilet (figuratively ;). I mean to this girl, she thought she was in the right place. It looks like a potty... opens like a potty... sits like a potty... it's obviously a potty. The truth is though - her limited understanding lead her to "the wrong toilet."

I got to thinking how many times in my life does my own knowledge, expertise, or pride put me on the wrong toilet (outside of that 1 year in college ;) I mean, we walk into things all the time because we think we know best or have it all figured out. It just made me contemplate the importance of yielding my "independence and self-reliability" to our Father.

My heart tells me he closer than a couple of aisles away and desires nothing more than to offer wisdom as soon as we are willing to ask and accept.

Ever feel like you're on the wrong toilet?

Proud of our community

Last August Corey and I went to Kenya for a couple of weeks to experience some things that a friend of ours, Joseph Wamutitu, had going on there in hopes that we could find some ways to partner with him from here in the West. Joseph has started a children's home (Africa Hope Center) for children who have lost both of their parents to HIV/AIDS, started and oversees a number of churches, as well as a school just outside of Nairobi.

Well this weekend we brought Joseph into town and had him spend some time with us to further this process of working together. A team has been working for months now to plan for his time here to make sure it was valuable both for our community and for Joseph. Now that the weekend is past I have to say I am so proud of the work that went into it. Joseph was able to spend time with some key people from within and outside our community, we had a fund raiser kickball tourney, he got to teach on Sunday morning at our church, and we had this huge pot luck lunch on Sunday afternoon for folks to talk with him individually if they wanted. I know we will not know for a while if positive movement comes out of this time we spent together but I am so proud of how hard men and women worked to make it worth while now.

It is an honor to serve within our church. I dont use a lot of religious language in my day to day talking but I know God was glorified through this weekend. I know bodies were working because they are compelled by the love that Christ has for them and for the world. I know it's not a good idea to be proud or to boast but I will boast in how God seems to be working our community to serve those around us. I am proud. I pray this is only the beginning of a long and beneficial relationship with Joseph and The Africa Hope Center.

Peace and Love,

-Jason

ps - check out his website. He does have child sponsoring available through the site if you are interested. If you have questions you can email him from there.

You should see this movie

I know it's not brand new or anything but Diana and I just got around to watching it. The Movie is titled "Once" and it is amazing. I will post the trailer at the bottom.

I can't do the plot justice here because it is so well done and there is a lot going on regarding hope, friendship, and music but I will give a brief overview of the main story. The movie is about a street musician/singer/songwriter who meets a woman who is a classical piano player. They enjoy each other's company and end up writing music together and I will not give away the rest. If I say too much it could take some of the "good" out of watching the movie.

The music in this movie is brilliant. The first time they begin playing a song together I lost it. I started crying like a baby. The melody.. the harmony... the lyrics... soooo moving. The movie really is moving. Great plot, adorable characters, super funny, and full of hope. My only suggestion is to watch it with the sub titles. It is filmed in Ireland I believe and it is hard to understand through the Irish dialect. Once you turn them on you don't notice anymore so it's not that difficult.

I also know the band's name responsible for the music is The Frames - and this guy Glen Hansard is way talented. They happen to be playing in Raleigh on March 15. I tried to get tickets but it looks like it maybe sold out already. If anyone has any word on tickets - let me know.

Enjoy the trailer and song below. The song is "Falling Slowly" and it's the one I referenced above. Lyrics - "Take this sinking boat... and point it home... we've still got time..." SO GOOD.

Enjoy!


Trailer




Falling Slowly


Love and Peace,

-Jason

Songs from this past Sunday

Songs from March 2

Here is Our King - David Crowder

Unchanging - Chris Tomlin
Highest and Greatest - Tim Hughes
Oh The Glory of it All - David Crowder
Follow After You - Jason Gore


The idea and direction of the morning was to approach our time of worship as reflection and then response. We take time to reflect on who God is, what He has done, what he is doing, and what He is going to do... and then our response is to worship. Our hope is that our worship doesn't end in singing but in a response of following after Jesus and living out God's Kingdom with our lives.

Peace,

-Jason

A Public Service Announcement

If you take your dog to the public dog park, please do not allow your dog to hump other dogs. If your dog does hump other dogs, please make them stop. If they continue to hump and growl at other dogs when other dogs try and get away, please take your dog somewhere else. Further more, please do not get mad at my dog for growling at your dog when your dog is humping my dog and suggest your dog is just playing. Humping when both parties are not compliant is not called fun, it has another name. Please do not change the subject when I ask you nicely to not let your dog hump my dog (esp. if it's to say - "you should't bring your child to the dog park" - when the city of Raleigh says you can bring children to the dog park. Besides, this has nothing to do with you letting your dog hump my dog.)

For now that is all.

-Jason

ps - This did not happen to me today. I promise.

pss - Today is oppisite day

psss - The "kid" she was referring to is Jeff's son Matthew. Matthew likes to go to the dog park with Tanner and I.





*This message has been brought to you by The Partnership for "A Place Where People Use Common Etiquette"

Songs from Sunday

I was reminded this weekend (twice) that I have been failing to live up to my commitment of posting songs from Sunday morning here. Since I am studying Mathew 5 and specifically what it means for your "yes to be yes" I feel convicted. ;)

Here you go:

Awesome is the Lord Most High - Chris Tomlin

Salvation is Here - Hilsong United

Spring Of Life - Kristian Stanfill

Til I See You - Hilsong United

Teaching

True Love - Phil Wickham

Happy Day - Tim Hughes

Hope you're having a great week!

-Jason

Songs from Sunday

I was reminded this weekend (twice) that I have been failing to live up to my commitment of posting songs from Sunday morning here. Since I am studying Mathew 5 and specifically what it means for your "yes to be yes" I feel convicted. ;)

Here you go:

Awesome is the Lord Most High - Chris Tomlin

Salvation is Here - Hilsong United

Spring Of Life - Kristian Stanfill

Til I See You - Hilsong United

Teaching

True Love - Phil Wickham

Happy Day - Tim Hughes

Hope you're having a great week!

-Jason

Just click the link

This very funny. I recieved this link by a good friend; Mr. Scott Wenger.

Craigslist Ad

I feel like me and this guy could be friends.

-J



(*I am not agreeing that everything written on his post is right or good ;)

I have recieved many emails

I have received many emails regarding Jeff's comments in his message yesterday about people thinking he spends his time "sitting in coffee shops all day..."

It is a touchy subject for me and so I have released a statement to show my feelings on the issue. You may watch it below.



Thank you for your support,

-Jason


after thoughts
*This is obviously a joke. I have received only one email and it was comical. I merely wanted to show this video and saw this as a comical way to do so.

**On a side note - I respect Terrel Owens and Tony Romo for their hard work as NFL Players and the pressure they face from the media regarding their personal lives.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy 2008!!!!

I usually get excited each year about this time. I usually get some things organized and make some promises to myself that a lot of times stick and I believe also benefit my life and I hope those around me.

That got me thinking about how we celebrate New Years each year with such excitement. (Other than an excuse to throw a big party) I believe there is usually great anticipation when it comes to the New Year because we all have a sense of things needing to be renewed. We all feel the need for and are looking for change. I was thinking about that this morning and how it’s great that we have, in the gospel, the promise of all things being renewed. It was exciting for me to think on that this morning and I hope you can rest in that wherever you are and with whatever may be going on in your life… we have the promise of new life starting right now in the Way of Jesus. Praise God!!! I hope that sense of the gospel can flow out of my life and into the lives of others around me that are constantly looking for "new life".

May 2008 be a year of hope, peace, and love being renewed in the life of you, your family, and friends.

-Jason

Songs from this past Sunday

Hallelujah, God is Near - Robbie Seay
Everlasting God - Brenton Brown
Better is One Day - Matt Redman
In Christ Alone - Stuart Townsend - arrangement

From the Inside Our - Hillsong United
All We Need - Charlie Hall


This week my buddy Corey taught. He did a great job focusing us on the new possibilities that are present with Jesus being born and a new Kingdom being present. What I loved most was Corey's authenticity and rawness (the rawness may have had something to do with it being the first time he ever taught in this type of setting ; - I hope hope he never loses it)

have a great week.

Happy New Year!

-Jason

Some of you might not see the irony in this, but...

Chris Collinsworth and Gumbel are announcing the Patriots/Giants game. One of the just mentioned that since this was such a big game, Tom Brady brought his video camera to the game.

Pretty funy...

-Jason

I know it's not funny if you have to explain your own joke - but - For those of you who don't keep up with sports as much as others...

I thought to myself... the last time someone in the Patriots organization had a camera at a football game they got in a lot of trouble...

Songs...

So recently I have gotten a few requests for the names of songs we are playing on Sunday mornings in our times of worship. I will attempt to keep this updated on the Monday or Tuesday after if you're interested.

Last week had these songs in our time of worship:

All Because of Jesus - Steve Fee
Famous One - Chris Tomlin
Joy to The World - Isaac Watts, The Psalms of David

Message/Teaching

Jesus Paid it All - Alex Nifong/Kristian Stanfill
Glorious One - Steve Fee

If you're looking and have trouble tracking any of these down then let me know and I can point you in the right direction.

Peace and Love,

-Jason

A good weekend

So most of this isn't world changing but.. it was a great weekend nonetheless.

1) Friday Diana and I went to a surprise Birthday party for one of her co-workers. That was alot of fun meeting some new people that are outside of the "everyday" group of people I see all the time (no offense Jeff ;) - afterwards we went to target and walmart and did some christmas shopping. We also got to buy some gift cards for some people our church is gonna share some love with over Christmas. Pretty sweet!

2) Saturday morning we held our journey group (discipleship group) info session at Visio Dei and had a great turn out. I am excited to see how God uses this to help our church become more like Jesus. I am honored to follow God with this church and the people who make it what it is.

3) We built a shelf/table in our new shed. I cut wood, drilled, hammered, leveled, measured... you know... man stuff (with diana's help ;)

4) We went and saw Beowulf at the IMAX with Brandon and Julie. Always fun watching Beowulf ripping off Grendel's arm.

5) We had an amazing worship gathering Sunday morning. Jeff's message was great and the time of worship seem very connected, exciting, and authentic.

5a) Outside of Easter last year and a time when we showed a video with Bono speaking on the crisis/s in Africa... it was our largest sunday worship gathering as a church since we started a little over a year ago. - If you know me at all then you know I am not a complete "numbers guy" when it comes to measuring ministry effectiveness (infact it bumms me out thinking of ministry in those terms)... but I will say for where we are in our life cycle as a young infant church... this is awesome! There is something captivating about the gospel at it's core and so it should draw people towards itself and it's exciting to feel apart of what God is doing.

6) I got to play football with a bunch of friends Sunday afternoon. The team I was on lost one game and won the second. I did get to play QB for the second game and had many unlce rico moments during my 5 TD no interception performance ;)

7) This week marked the end of the regular season for fantasy football. I play in two leagues and due to some random shift in the planets I won both of my divisions and will move forward to the playoffs.

So as you can see... many exciting times... lots of fun... a great weekend. I hope your was as wonderful.

love and peace,

-Jason

The Big Surprise... (and a miracle)

*warning - post is a tad bit longer than normal... i do make no apologies as it is rather life changing :)

Well... it's been coming for a while. Some of you may already know about this but if not... I mentioned about a month ago I had some surprises coming over the next few weeks. I, however, have been a bit lazy in the blog world over the last few weeks so alas, here we go.

The Story:
About a month ago my mom sat myself and my brother (Brandon) down and proceeded to tell us a story. She told us with a calm yet nervous tone that when she was 16 she in fact became pregnant and had a baby boy. She then told us that due to family circumstances she was forced to give the baby over for adoption. Due to the times then and family circumstances my mother lived out her pregnancy at a "camp for unwed mothers" and due to this - no one knew other than my mom, her mom and dad (my grandma and grandpa), and my grandma's sister (my great aunt). My own mom's sister didn't even know she was ever pregnate (she was told she was going to stay with her aunt for a while). SO CRAZY RIGHT!!!!

Then she proceeded to tell us that a couple weeks ago she received note in the mail saying "I have wanted to know who my mother was for 36 yrs and I believe I have found you." He had a lot of paper work and stuff to show he was in fact her son (and our brother.) It continued to say that he had no desire to break-up her family or cause trouble to her if this was a bad idea. He did say that if it wouldn't cause any problems then he would love to meet her and any other family he may not know about.

So, she then told us that she had been in communication with him for a couple weeks and in fact met him the day before. She began to smile as she told us a little about him, his wife, and his three beautiful children.

This was (surprise) an emotional moment for my mom, me, and my brother. Brandon and I were both in tears but it wasn't sadness or anger. It was almost a sense of surreal and "wow, we have a brother... what does this mean..." and "now it makes sense why my mom loves us so hard and always has" and "mom seems as though she is free from something that she has carried around for years"

Here is where things get crazy... He (who will now be referred to as Rob - my new, older brother) and his family lives in Apex. They used to live in Cary less than a mile from where my mom and Rick live and where Brandon and I spent our high school and college years calling home.

They also attend Hope Community Church which is the church that my family and I served with for 9 years before we set-out to start Visio Dei in downtown Raleigh. Rob was not going there while I was on staff as they just started going there about 4-5 months ago but it's still crazy.

The story gets even crazier as we have some mutual friends and his adopted family is friends with some of our family... all the while we never knew.

So... I have now met Rob, his wife Kelly, and their 3 beautiful children. He seems to be an awesome guy. I am partial to think this makes him a great guy but i feel as though I can see similarities in him of both myself and Brandon in the way he carries himself and in his appearance. He has Brandon's nose and my hairline and he looks a lot like our grandpa (I really wish he could have met him Papa Gene.)

I would go on to talk more about him but I usually try and keep these posts as short as I can and this one is already relatively long. Long story short... he seems to be driven, hard working, cares about his family, and takes pride in what he does.

Here are some pics from our meeting of their family (which is really our family;):


The entire fam

Momma and her boys (mom, Brandon, me, and Rob)

Rickey and his new grand babies...

Mr. Rob Council (my new, older brother)

Rob playing photo time with his son matthew (Mathew is awesome.. wide open all the time. It's possible he is related to me ;)

Just a picture I took of my mom that night... my mom is pretty

I love this picture. In case you don't know it is my beautiful wife and sister-in-law (Brandon's wife Julie)



So the story is crazy. It honestly feels like we fell into a movie that should be coming out at Christmas time. My mom feels as though she is more free than she has felt in her entire life. I asked her if she thought about this much while we were growing up as a family. She told me "only everyday for 36 years." I am not sure how all this works from here. I am thankful God has allowed me to meet a guy who feels like he belongs in our family. I am thankful my mother can sleep at night knowing her child is alive, safe, and healthy. I am certain there is an element of deep reconciliation and redemption in all of this that I will probably not find words for. Whether or not I can explain it.. I certainly feel it and am thankful i get to experience it.

this is all for now...

Shalom,

-Jason

My buddy Chris...

is over in Africa right now. Feel free to follow along on his blog here. Chris is a great friend, pastor, blogger, father, and husband (he is not the last to for me at all - just a good example.)He has been gone since last Thursday and is kinda all over the place while he is over there. Please keep Chris and his family in your prayers and thoughts over the couple weeks. I am thankful for his willingness to be a part of a change that needs to happen in our world.

peace,

-Jason

Medium sized miracle

OK - as promised... the next item of big news. In the last 16 days I have now only had 3.5 cups of coffee. If you really want details - its been 2 cups of coffee and 1.5 lattes. I went the first 7 days with none at all and then have enjoyed a few over the last week.

I put a halt on things for a few reasons.

1) I was drinking as much as 3-5 cups a day. I fealt very dehydrated even though I drink a lot of water. Honestly - i felt as though i had very self-discipline in this area at all.

2) I sing a bit and i felt the constant singing while being constantly dehydrated was really taking a toll on my throat and voice (this feels better over the last couple weeks)

3) It just cost money to buy coffee and i was buying it a bit "carelessly"

So - that is the medium sized miracle. I assure yout here is a much larger "miracle" coming later in the week.

Stay tuned

-J

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