From Fear To Courage: Let's Roll!

It was so hard to fall asleep last night. I couldn't stop thinking about Guatemala. For some reason I could not push the pictures out of my mind. I felt very overwhelmed and insecure about everything. After all that God has provided us and all the hard work that Ashley and I have put into raising our funds for the trip I found myself scared and doubtful.


As stated in prior posts, I am anxious and scared about going. However, last night as I tossed and turned in bed I was more scared than anything. The fact that I will be walking on ground zero of human and sex trafficking puts fear into my soul. It overwhelms my heart. All I know is that when I make eye contact with those kids I will want to bring them home with me... to keep them safe from traffickers and their government.

I also imagined myself witnessing a genocide of street orphans, which is far from being "make-believe". What would I do? How would I react in such a terrible,....as if terrible was a word worth using to describe such a ......horrific tragedy in our world. For a government to think it's okay to sweep their streets clean of overpopulated orphans and to line them up, shoot them in their heads, and bury them in a mass grave....it's appalling. It's heartbreaking how easy it can be to see a perfect example of humanity's sinful nature.

I could get caught up in so many reasons why I shouldn't go but I can't. I won't. I have to go. My heart is calling me to. God is calling me to. I have to go.

In order to help Reveal, I have to see for myself

In order to help Rescue, I have to see where they are.

In order to help Restore, I have to see what has to be done.

I don't know how God will make things happen within the grand scheme of His vision for MAG but I know that He will see us through. As a matter of fact, He will see us all through because He has commanded all the children who call Him "Father" to this very mission--to care for the orphaned and widowed! Guatemala is filled with them. The time to make a change in their situation is now.

Regardless to whether or not you consider yourself a christian, we can all agree that lives are at stake here. We never want to see or hear of women or children being used as slaves or sex slaves--but it is happening. The culture and society in Guatemala City has women and children of the low poverty zones stuck in a viscous cycle where selling themselves for sex is the only means of them getting paid and making a "living". That isn't living--that's bondage. The time to start making drastic changes for this demographic is now. They've lived in bondage and worthlessness for too long.

Will it be hard? Extremely.
Will sex trafficking ever really stop? Probably not.

However, as Christ Followers, we are not commanded to simply sit in our pews on Sunday mornings to sing a few songs and listen to sermons that only concern us and our issues to allow that sad realization become an excuse. We are commanded to change the odds for people in the midst of their bondage through the power of Jesus Christ who laid our death in His grave. It's time to share life with the lifeless and to give hope to the hopeless. If you're ready to roll with us then roll with us. Get connected ASAP! We need you.


Click the link below to learn more about us and how YOU can make a difference.

The Magdalene Project

Good Night My Child

This is a poem that I wanted to write for whoever is facing a separation. The effects that divorce has on a family is tremendous. I hope this serves as a way to deter you or someone you know from going through with divorce--unless it's a chronically abusive situation.

Good Night My Child

Good night my love what a day we’ve had.

To say it's good would be an utter lie.

Nothing warned us that we’d fall apart

I thought you’d stay until the day I died.

But now you’ve said what you’ve needed to and now you want to leave with him and leave behind all that our love supplied.

Good night my child what a day you’ve had.

To say its sweet would be a far-fetched truth.

I know you’re sad but please hear me now

Your mother said she’ll always love you.

No, my dear, the fault is ours it was never yours but what is yours is my beating heart, our love will always be.

Good night my love how did it come to this?

I thought our love was made of more than this.

When will your love and faith come back to me?

Please help me understand how this came to be.

So if you ask of me to please forgive I’ll surely do all you ask to keep you here, our baby girl is still awake and she cries for you.

Goodbye my love what a run we’ve had.

I thought I’d never see your love not mine.

What does he have that I’ve never given you?

My vows were more than just clever lines.

But now you’re gone and all the love I have for you is here pushed into the deepest part of where I hardly go.

Good night my child I’ll hold you as you sleep.

I pray your dreams will shelter your sweet mind.

This night I vow to take good care of you and never leave,

Your heart is good;

Oh please believe that I’m here for you.

Good night my child.

Shades of White (You Are Beautiful)

So. I was sitting on our couch the other night next to Ashley while she is watching "Say Yes to the Dress." I don't know how I got in that situation. At one moment I was just sitting there managing a few things on facebook minding my own business and then BOOM.... I was seeing women twirling in front of mirrors admiring the different types of white that exists on Earth. I always thought that white came in one color but apparently that is not true. What do I know about shopping for a wedding dress? Nothing. I just know that I loved Ashley's. It was perfect.

Besides shopping and getting ready for one's wedding, what possesses women to want to be beautiful? And why does that fascination drive so many women bananas? Please don't get me wrong, I'm not implying that this is a bad thing or that I am making fun of it. I'm just assessing a widely known phenomenon. Women want to be viewed as beautiful one way or the other. I don't know why women choose to do so many weird things to maintain their beauty but I do know one thing, us men better stop and recognize when our spouse or girlfriend goes the extra mile. If we were to ever stop telling them that they are beautiful then God help us. We will surely die a slow and painful death. Well, maybe not. However, it will cause our relationships to miss out on two very important ingredients. Love and Respect.

For your sweetheart to know that you notice how beautiful they are, they will respect you more. Lord knows that we make plenty of mistakes on a daily basis but to take a break from our stupidity and to wise up with the recognition of their breathtaking looks will save us from crashing and burning. Now I'm not saying you use this to simply get your way because women CAN and WILL smell BS from a mile away. You will only get yourself in the doghouse if you use this as a weapon instead of a tool. What I am saying is that you should take the time to stop and sincerely admire your lady.

She will respect you all the more for your reassuring words. Validation and love is what they need from you. Give them those things and they will supply you with what you need--respect. Before you know it you guys will be connected to one another in such a way that you will be surprised at how much stronger your relationship is.

Do I tell my wife that she is beautiful?
-Not nearly as much as she deserves.

What am I going to do once I post this?
-Um, I think I might go get a smoothie. jk

Thoughts on The Human Experience

If you haven't seen this documentary yet then you should. It is very powerful. As you get closer to the end you will be moved. If not, then you must be a tough guy who doesn't tap into your emotions too much. And that's okay, but please feel free to let your guard down. It's all good.

It's Complicated

There is one thing that I absolutely despise: exercise.

Whoever thought of this idea needs to be beaten with a baseball bat! I mean, seriously, what possesses someone to say something like, "Hey, I wonder what will happen when I lay face down and push myself towards the sky repeatedly?" or "You know, I think I'm going to spice things up a bit and lay flat on my back so that I can sit up and lay back down multiple times!" Really? They apparently had a lot of time to themselves to figure all this out. They definitely weren't using their backs out in the fields harvesting any crop or doing the type of labor that leaves a person completely exhausted. They had to be someone of great wealth in order to afford all that time experimenting. Wow. I'm really curious about who discovered exercise. I'm gonna Google it!

History of Exercise according to Wikipedia

The benefits of exercise have been known since antiquity.  

Antiquity - any period before the Middle Ages (476-1453), but still within the period of human history or prehistory, the classical civilizations of the Mediterranean, especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome:

Marcus Cicero, around 65 BC, stated: "It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor.^"

However, the link between physical health and exercise (or lack of it) was only discovered in 1949 and reported in 1953 by a team led by Jerry Morris. Dr. Morris noted that men of similar social class and occupation (bus conductors versus bus drivers) had markedly different rates of heart attacks, depending on the level of exercise they got: bus drivers had a sedentary occupation and a higher incidence of heart disease, while bus conductors were forced to move continually and had a lower incidence of heart disease. This link had not previously been noted and was later confirmed by other researchers."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_exercise#History

Well, it doesn't tell us who invited it or discovered it but we do know who associated it with physical health, Dr. Jerry Morris. Well, thanks a lot Jerry!

Nah, I don't hate exercise that much but I do have a "love hate" relationship with it. I don't enjoy the feeling I get when I think about it prior to the workout but I do appreciate it when I'm done. Endorphins are released in my brain and I have so much energy to get me through the remainder of the day. As a matter of fact, the song that I am listening to right now comes to mind after a workout, Good Life by OneRepublic. The sun shines a little brighter and the songs sung by the birds are all the more delightful.

Why do I feel this way? Is it the endorphins? Is it the song Good Life?

Nope, it's because I know that I don't have to exercise again for that day!!

Love-hate relationship, I tell you, love-hate relationship! Our relationship is complicated.

My Mind: Fully Loaded. (Good Night)

I can't go to sleep right now! I have so much rolling around in my mind. There is so much I want to do for others that I can not contain myself. The fact that more and more people that I am growing to know are getting closer to finding out who Jesus is, what He was all about, and why He died makes me so excited. As the Pentecostals would say, "I'm gettin' fired up". So, trying to go to sleep right now is proving to be a hard task. So, in efforts to release some of this excitement from my system I'm going to just blurt out some of my thoughts-- because I really need to go to sleep here.

There is so much exciting developments underway within the Families Ministry @ Genesis Church that it makes me want to just boast for all the wisdom that God has bestowed upon many leaders in today's church planting movement. Normally, I'm not the boasting type but in this case I can't help but boast in God's infinite faithfulness and wisdom. There is so much that can be learned and taught in today's modern church. (Modern may be a poor term to use but it's right before midnight for me right now, just bare with me)

The fact that there are growing numbers of churches working hard to make it easier for more and more people to gain access to the gospel of Christ makes me want to do nothing else but join in their efforts. I love people. And I love to see people loved and pointed in the right direction (towards a genuine relationship with God). The fact that Christ called you and me to simply love and NOT to change people (because that's not our job) makes me happy. Why? Because I'm capable of that. It's in my WIRING!! I can't change anyone, if I tried then I would make one "Hell"-of-a-mess. If that was all I tried to do with everyone then no one would want to be my friend except for the perfect Christians in my life (I call them my "Imaginary Friends Who Don't Exist". I always try to compare myself to them. As psychologists always say, "You are your own worst critic") After all, Love is easy....especially when there are no strings attached. (Strings can be found within the track record of most Christians...me included)

As a closing statement, before I get too random in my thoughts, I am just thrilled to be in a position to grow. To grow in my personal life and to grow in my vocational life. I have grown to love learning. I have grown to love reading and writing. As a matter of fact, I am growing extremely tired just by thinking about it. My eyelids are growing havey and I don't tink I'm gonna finish this senten

Let Your Love Shine.

Tears will be cried as the children are numbered.

Pain will befall as little lives are all murdered.

But let this song ring to the left behind mothers,

That love is still here somewhere in your bride.

Oh, let your love shine. Oh, let your love shine.

When no one else cares that your truth is made known.

Lord, give us the strength to go where others won’t.

Cause this life that we live was bought from your right hand.

Lord, help us take back what was stolen from you.

Oh, let your love shine. Oh, let your love shine.

When will your bride pay the price that it takes to follow?

Lord, help your church chew what it is we can’t swallow,

For there is work to be done that can’t wait for tomorrow.

Oh, let your love shine. Oh, let your love shine.

The explanation.

I am a part of a Nonprofit Organization called The Magdalene Project [MAG] that is working to fight human trafficking worldwide. But right now we are focusing all our energies toward one location, Guatemala. As a matter of fact we will be going this July to deliver supplies and One Hope Bibles to a halfway house where women and children live. It will be mine and my wife's first trip to Guatemala and we will be exposed for the first time to the horrible conditions that sex trafficking has made in the high poverty zones. We don't know what to expect but by what we've been told it will be a sobering experience.

As the poem mentions, genocide is used as a means of keeping the homeless population low enough so that the government can proudly say that homelessness isn't an issue. This process does not exclude women or children. They are actually the prime victims of genocide.

http://www.facebook.com/MAGProject2011

I've heard that the culture in Guatemala is so jacked up that even the "Christians" who live there don't even notice the problem with human and sex trafficking. They don't understand that the Christ that they worship on Sundays is the same Christ that taught about love and taking care of the widows and orphans.

I don't know where you are in your faith, or that you even believe in God, but know that there is a responsibility that falls on the church. The responsibility of presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people no matter who or where they are and that love is the number one message that needs to be portrayed in that presentation. When Jesus gave the disciples a new commandment during the last supper He told them to love one another. He explained that this is how everyone would recognize that they are His disciples. So, if we want the world to know who Christ is we have to start loving one another. And right now Guatemala needs to know who Christ really is. They need love and hope. And the only one who can mend what's been broken for them is Christ's love through us. Yes, the church has dropped the ball in this area a lot but now is not the time to sit around and point fingers, it's time to act. So act.

If you're interested in getting involved with The Magdalene Project please feel free to visit the above facebook page.

More posts to come about [MAG]