Oh Happy Day!!!

Ok, so I am a little late arriving to the party here but I just found out that you can upload videos to your blog. And there was much rejoicing....Anyway, I will be posting my sermon here soon but in the meantime here are my boys doing what they love doing the most. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Moving Trucks and Misletoe

I am leaving and I am leaving soon. Two weeks from this Sunday to be precise. Months of planning, fretting, praying, arguing, resolving, saving, spending, hoping, regretting, listening, discussing, fearing, and anticipating have culminated in what will be a four day trek from my present home in Cumming, GA to my future home in Glendale (a Phoenician Suburb), AZ. Josalyne and I will be piloting a Toyota Sienna with close to 200,000 miles on it and a Budget rent-a-truck with our PT Cruiser in tow. My sister Jessica will be riding shotgun for the Atlanta to Dallas stretch of the journey and then Jos and I are on our own for a thousand plus miles of desert, dust storms, and desolation. Fortunately for all involved my mother has generously offered to escort the boys by plane to Phoenix where she will rendezvous with Josalyne and I when we arrive. The details and logistics of a move of this size read like the grocery list for Brookhaven Obesity Clinic and while daunting and largely consuming the Devil is not in the details he’s in the distance. Emotions covering the spectrum from utter elation from the possibilities and utter dread from the possibilities and everything in-between have rubbed and pressed and hewn a canyon grand in the hearts of all involved. The mind needs answers and answers exist but there is no presentation of logic or arrangement of specifications comprehensive or expansive enough to put the heart at ease or answer the one big question it constantly asks: will we survive this? It is only natural to wonder such a thing at a time like this. Will our relationship suffer under the strain of each others absence? Will we talk as much, laugh as much, cry as much, share as much with 3,000 miles between us? Will friends overcome the strong pull of laziness when communication of the electronic or telephonic sort is necessary and can or should a friendship endure under those conditions? Will grandchildren love and long for grandparents and grandparents for grandchildren and sisters for brothers and brothers for sisters and children for parents and parents for children? Will the expediency of new friendships alter or eliminate the harder bought old ones? Will I change? Will my family change? Will I succeed or am I leading my family down another road that starts in flowered meadows and ends in rotted swamplands? Can I follow through on my commitment to this path and see it through to completion no matter the difficulty? Am I mature enough in my journey with Christ to discern His voice from my own? Am I making enough time for silence so I can listen intently for the whisper of the Holy Spirit and in the noise of leaving would I hear him telling me to stay? These questions nag like an excited child in line to see Santa Claus and demand answers that are not easily or possibly given at this time. I have prayed that God would send an angel to visit me and that this angel would bestow upon me a gift which I would use to infuse the hearts of those around me with peace and joy and confidence but at the time of writing this I have yet to hear the flapping of gigantic wings. I’ll keep you posted on that one. The hard truth here is that I cannot, nor can anyone but God, grant that peace. Harder still is the reality that the more I try to force it on people the less peace anyone actually feels and the more I sense that I am a child with a stick attempting to knock the honey out of the hive despite the stinging evidence that its not working. All of this further crystallizes in my mind the one thing Christ keeps patiently reminding me of every time he has to pick me up and dust me off; that I am free to make my own choices as was His design but choices made without His consultation or guidance will end unhappily. And so in the din of noise that is the crescendo of my life in GA in its last days is it more important than ever that I seek the silence of hot dark tea without sugar or milk and sunrises and 100 million frozen diamonds on icy lawns or car hoods under flannel blankets while arguing in whispers with my wife about whether that was a satellite or shooting star or long drives to work with the Christmas music turned off (they’re probably playing the Christmas Shoes again anyway) or avoiding the malls or keeping my mouth closed when my friends mouths and hearts are open or stealing ten minutes from my schedule to lay on the carpet and be a jungle gym for my one and three year old boys or standing in the corner at work at marveling at the beauty and sweet nature of my wife as she resolves problems or any other moment that I can, but usually do not, choose to invest like currency into my relationship with God and everyone He has placed or allowed to be in the realm of my knowing. In every single one of those moments may I seek the face and listen intently for the voice of the one who strung miles of nerves and vessels under pliable muscle and engineered a mind that longs for knowledge and a heart that aches to love and be loved and was the architect behind a body that aches with age but remains viable, mobile, and without disease. If I succeed at what I am endeavoring to accomplish over the next two years may my prayer ever be to remain keenly aware that he is there loving and prompting and leading and saving me every waking and sleeping second of my life and for that my I burn with a humble gratitude. If I fail then may I pray the prayer penned lavishly upon a simple lacquered piece of wood placed silently in my room by my mother shortly after my father died, “Where with intention I have erred I have but one plea that God is good and goodness still delighteth to forgive”. As you head home to gather with your families and friends around trees, and fires, and presents, and food this Christmas I pray that you will go with God and please pray that I will remember that He will go with me. Have a very Merry Christmas and as the sun rises on a new year may the light of Christ glow brighter within your hearts.

February 19, 2004 - for josalyne

o. what must I do to assuage your multiplying fears?
what mystic serum should I apply to your trembling heart
to reverse the relentless encroachment of the infection of doubt...
to undo its effect upon you and me and us?

shall I lay my body coursing with the hot blood of purest love
upon the cold slab of sacrifice
and place a shining blade in your soft hand
to prove through my giving what I have to affixed to words innumerable?

shall I adhere my dry cracked lips to your red and swollen ones
and allow the moisture within our burning mouths
to conduct the electricity of longing?

what water have you in that vast and tormented ocean of a mind
that would suffice to bring the inferno of my passion for you
to a benign and smoldering heap of wet ashes?

o, what must I do to assuage your multiplying fears?
I implore you to yield to my advances,
to collapse in my embrace,
to lean out, eyes close tightly, over the chasm of not knowing
and feel the thick air for my steadying hand

place your interests and concerns upon my shoulders
and trust...ever trust...that I will willingly bear up underneath

February 19, 2004 - dream

my dreams like wild islands
dotted the watery landscape of my sleep
intermittent as a snow storm
in a Georgia winter

the topography and inhabitants
as differing as men's and women's
understanding of the word 'love'

college professors and classrooms
lovers long forgotten and citties unknown
and my father and house from my childhood

Bitter much?

I wrote this one sometime the day after my grandfather died.

Don't say a word
We mustn't be heard
If the monster is stirred
There will be hell to pay

Watch this dizzying dance
Done on tiptoes and eggshells

And though I never got the chance
to tell you, you killed me...you did

Am I going to your funeral
Or are you sleeping through mine?

Rats and relics

We are in the process of emptying my mothers attic. The purging is the closing curtain for a summer-long drama one might be inclined to title The Great Rat Holocaust of 2007. My mom and step-father spent the last 6 months or so waging war on the craftiest rodent vermin Dahlonega has ever seen. They bred, and shred, and gnawed on everything from Christmas decorations to air mattress sealant (evidence that rats are capable of suicidal tendencies). Two exterminators (employed simultaneously), months of sleepless nights, countless traps, and 20 plus nick-knack nibbler corpses later the attic appears to be critter free. The aftermath is astonishing and as a kindness I will spare you the stinky details. It seemed obvious that the contents of the entire attic would have to be exhumed and so we are about just that on this unseasonably warm December twelfth. The only thing keeping all of us from careening into insanity is the discovery of forgotten relics from years past. One such discovery is a stack of my old poems. In the interest of public divulgence I thought I would share them with you my limited but faithful audience. I'm only going to post one at a time so here is the first. It is a poem I wrote immediately after my sister called to tell me that my grandfather had passed on. He was a war hero early in life but had spent the greater part of its remainder a drunk. Anyway, I'll save those details for my memoirs. Here is the poem unaltered and unabridged:

No more than an hour ago
I phoned my sister
flat voice monotone she placed the words
"he died at 2" in my ears

those words like morning glories
wrapped themselves around my mind
the aromatic blossoms of relief
and the suffocating vines of regret
constricted and coiled 'round
till the last drop of thought was bled
when focus and sight to me returned
i felt the cold wood floor beneath me
and the musty smell of old things forgotten
which once meant everything

here in the attic of nostalgic recollection
i struggled to my feet and hands
to rummage through the cob webs
and animals who had come here to die

to plunder through softened boxes and yellowed shopping bags
for some solution to this complex equation
insulation warm and irritating
made of me an un-wanting caterpillar
in a coffin-like cocoon

resting like lovers
sleeping head upon my knees
a book of captured images
the dead and living captured in time
together...smiling...happy

and you, your face a blank slab of stone
yet to be etched with the lines of tragedies and triumphs
life would give in quantities difficult to bear

beside your photo lovingly adhered
smudged black print on mildewed paper
"A Hero" reads the text
With consonants and vowels stitched together like an epic tapestry

Through eyes clouded with
years...and tears...and knowing
i can see naught but the knots
the tumult...and fears

O where art thou my brave soldier
who or what in those foreign lands
you described with such veneration
stole your heart from me

o where are thou my wounded hero
the burning regrets I could never even fathom
in my wildest imagining brought to blaze
by drop upon drop of your poison balm

o where art thou my mysterious story teller
those narrow aching knees
which held me near while my mind wondered
through the vivid landscapes
painted by your tongue

o where art thou my grandaddy
my partner
whose enormous wrinkled ear
yearned to hear of my every struggle...
accomplishment...heart breaks and mends...
my wild unbridled drams...
and aspirations...and always as ever,
"One more story please"

the pages turn and stir the dust
which mixes with the water in my scanning eyes

a sparkle of tarnished gold
pulls my attention away and again
i crawl

yet another moment trapped in time
set behind dirty broken glass

my white blond hair nestled in you shallow but strong chest
both of gazing at an open book

I try but cannot recall the story
and truthfully do not care

because at last I've found you...
my brave soldier...
my wounded hero...
my mysterious story teller...
my Grandaddy...
my partner...

our hearts, if only for that moment,
shared a beat and blood,
so I'll attach my memories there

Home

Hello all. Its been over two weeks now since I returned from Cairo, Egypt. I can't comprehend the swiftness of time. My life is like a breath held and before you know it you exhale in the arms of Jesus. I see it in my son Phoenix who turned one the 15th of November and my other son Elisha who will turn three on the 22nd of December. It honestly seems like a few weeks ago we were bringing Elisha home from the hospital on Christmas Eve. The best Christmas present my wife or I have ever received. To then see my other son who was born in the time since then starting to walk and try his tongue out with word-like sounds is just a mind blower. If I was to be honest with you I would have to admit that it saddens me to watch their birthdays pass like road signs on the Autobahn but like most sad things it is that sadness that draws me closer to God.
There was no shortage of things to be sad about in Egypt. Women walking the streets in cloth prisons called Burqua's. Men with the dark circles on their foreheads from constant prayer that belong to only the most devout Muslims. An elderly woman without the use of her legs pushing bottles of water across hot pavement in between the oblivious passers-by. Children in the city where the majority of our mission unfolded playing on and rummaging through the mountains of trash that could be seen throughout the city. And a culture straining to breath under the chest crushing weight of Islam and its oppressive laws. But among the people who could be the most justifiably sad is a kind of shared hope and uncanny brightness that shines in spite of and maybe in order to spite the darkness that surrounds them.
I remember walking from the main church who we were there to serve to another smaller church who we would also be assisting. It was at least two miles down dirt roads that wove between five or six story buildings festooned with laundry, buckets attached to ropes, and decorations from a festival which may or may not have been recent. Every bit of available real estate on the bottom floor of these buildings was occupied by vendors. These shops were filthy and emitted smells that were mostly unidentifiable but they were alive with activity. Looking back upon that walk now it is easier for me to see how, though unbelievably poor, this small city within the bigger city of Cairo has created for itself a functional albeit meager economy. But, at the time of my walk all I saw was poverty unlike any I had been exposed to before. And having seen the areas of intense poverty in Romania, and Russia, and Mexico, and parts of Israel before I thought I was prepared. I was not. Children no more than four years old running shoeless through puddles of animal urine and feces. Women whose bruised faces told of how Muslim men, spurred on by Islamic doctrine, commanded respect. Markets where animals were slaughtered in the same place where their meat was hung unprotected in the fly infested hot air. The sights and the smells and especially the children seemingly unaware hit me like a punch in the gut. I spent the duration of our trek in tears. It was only seeing the smiling faces of the small group of Christians waiting at the end of that depressing walk that dried my eyes and allowed a smile to return to my face. It was those people and all the other Egyptian believers I would meet during my stay that not only kept me going but caused my heart to grow in both tenderness and strength. I remember thinking at some point that first day that if I lived there I would be glad to see time rush by as fast as it does. That the joy of rushing towards Heaven would be the only way to get out of bed each morning. But I was so wrong. While those whose necks have the foot of Islam on them might long for an end those who rest in the arms of Christ do not. They spend each day loving and serving those around them with glad hearts and gratitude for what they do have. A friend of mine asked me yesterday what I brought back from my trip. I told him it wasn't what I brought back but what I left behind that was important. I can't slow down time and I can't do anything to stop stress and turmoil but what I can do is work on facing each day with a glad heart and gratitude for what I do have.

Back

Well, I'm back. I made it safely home last night. The jetlag is not fun and my brain has been replaced with hummus but all in all I am feeling well and so glad to be with my wife and boys. I really missed them. I have so many things to say about the trip and I will definitely get to that over the next couple of weeks but for now thank you for your prayers and your support.

Hello From Cairo (well, slightly outside of it)

Hello from Egypt,

I'm in one of the churches that we are here to serve. We set up this computer lab the last time we were here. The internet is not great but it works and for them I'm sure its incredible. I don't want to go into a ton of detail right now because there are locals who can speak english nearby and I would hate to offend them. Suffice it to say I've never seen poverty this bad. Romania was nightmarish but it cannot hold a candle to where I am now. There are little children rooting through mountainous piles of trash looking for food. A small portion of our team including Colin and Jill walked across most of this city (we're about a half hour outside of Cairo) and we saw animals being killed at meat markets, woman in Burquas (where all you can see is their eyes), people lowering buckets from windows with God only knows what inside of them. The streets are covered in animal feces and trash and the children run around in barefeet. It was about a 30 minute walk to the other church where we are serving and I wept the entire way. As you all know I have a tender spot in my heart for children and I just couldn't get my mind around such beautiful children in the midst of such intense poverty. But the greatest beauty was in the hearts of the people we were speaking to. Even in a Christian church Arabic culture dictates that women be seperated from men and they sit and relate to each other as such. Colin gave his sermon and each of us introduced ourselves and gave a brief testimony. I wasn't nervous at all because the people made me feel so welcome. We opened it up for a q & a afterwards and after they asked the cumpulsory,"What is this and that like in America," we spent 15 minutes discussing why its not ok for Christian men to beat their wives. Evidently that aspect of culture here carries over. It was a little akward and they asked why we didn't. All in all people were very loving and very open and very eager to shake our hands. I learned a new phrase which I was able to use alot with the people as I met them. I'll spell it out for you phoenitically: al-rub-ya-barikek and it means God bless you. I miss and love you all and I can't wait to share more stories with you. Pray for me and my fears, which are slightly grounded in reality, as they are ever at the forefront of my mind. This experience has forced me to rely totally on Christ and in that regard its been wonderful. He is a good and loving God and His will is perfect. I feel that now and I am grateful that I have that truth to embrace. So, please continue to keep me bathed in prayer for safety in courage in sharing the light in a very very very dark place. I can get emails so please let me hear from you.

Josh-- joshua_a bond-servant of Jesus Christ"In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, charity. In all things Jesus Christ." -Chrysostom

Egypt Trip Update 7 - October 21 , 2007

We had our last meeting tonight. We leave in four short days. I know I always write really lengthy posts but not this time. I want to leave you with the lyrics to a song that I chose for my fathers funeral. I chose this song because it described my dad's love for his Lord and how he wanted to give himself to him. My prayer is that the words of this song will be the words of my heart as well. To my team, my friends, and my family I love you and I am so grateful for you.

Rushing Wind
by Keith Green

Rushing wind blow through this temple,

Blowing out the dust within,

Come and breathe you breath upon me,

Ive been born again.

Holy spirit, I surrender, take me where you want to go,

Plant me by your living water,

Plant me deep so I can grow.

Jesus, you're the one, who sets my spirit free,

Use me lord, glorify, your holy name through me.

Separate me from this world lord.

Sanctify my life for you.

Daily change me to your image,

Help me bear good fruit.

Every day youre drawing closer.

Trials come to test my faith.

But when all is said and done lord,

You know, it was worth the wait.

Jesus, you're the one, who set my spirit free,

Use me lord, glorify, your holy name through me.

Rushing wind blow through this temple,

Blowing out the dust within,

Come and breathe you breath upon me,

For Ive been born again.

Egypt Trip Update 6 - October 10 , 2007

Hello again. I hope that you are well. Its hard for me to believe that I am leaving one week from tomorrow. Things have been pretty zany for us lately as we are moving out of our house and getting it ready to go on the market, preparing for an even bigger move out to Arizona the end of December, working 3 jobs between us, raising babies, and trying to find time to be a family. I sat down last month to write about how things were not going well for us and we needed your prayers. We still need your prayers but things are really looking up. That's not to say that this isn't a stressful period but all in all we're feeling pretty chipper. Anyway, I wanted to thank all of you who have donated money and prayers for this trip. If you haven't please pray about giving. Its not too late. As a group we are under our target (I am personally only slightly over half way to reaching my goal) and so we still need funds. The church will be applying donations received after the trip towards the expenses for it. So please pray about it. We have so many incredible things planned for the people there.
I received my flight itinerary today and I thought I'd post it here.

United Airlines (operated by Lufthansa) UA 8830

Depart Atlanta 10/25/07 at 4:30 pm

Arrive Frankfurt 10/26/07 at 7:20 am

Lufthansa LH 0582

Depart Frankfurt 10/26/07 at 8:55 am

Arrive Cairo 10/26/07 at 12:55 pm

Lufthansa LH 0585

Depart Cairo 11/03/07 at 5:15 am

Arrive Frankfurt 11/03/07 at 8:45 am

Lufthansa LH 0444

Depart Frankfurt 11/03/07 at 10:25 am

Arrive Atlanta 11/03/07 at 3:50 pm

Please pray for me as I am super involved with this team through preaching and writing and coordinating the children's programs. We get back Sat. afternoon and I have to be back at both jobs on Monday. Fatigue and anti-climax are huge factors as I have experienced from trips in the past. It will be great though and I look forward to telling you about it.
I also wanted to include my sermon which, if you've been reading this blog, you know I've been really nervous about. Its a little simplistic for the sake of translatability and the audience. This is a rough draft and I am still working on tweaking and finessing it but take a look. I would love to hear your criticism's. Thank you again for your prayers, your love, and your support. Talk to you soon.

I hope that you are all very well.

My name is Joshua Sanders and I am so pleased to be able to speak with you.

I am the husband of a beautiful woman named Josalyne.

I am the father of two wonderful sons, Elisha who is 3 years old and Phoenix who is 1 year old.

Tonight I want to talk to you about community and relationship and loving each other.

The Old Testament tells us that God looked at the world during the time of Noah and saw great evil.

Man had fallen away from God and into total wickedness.

So, God found one righteous man named Noah and told him that a great judgment was coming.

And it did. He sent a flood that killed everyone on earth except for Noah and his family.

A few thousand years later God once again saw wickedness and evil in the hearts of men.

But, this time he did not send a great judgement.

He sent his only son Jesus Christ.

In the book of John the writer tells us, “ in the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God,

and the word was God. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

The word dwelt in Hebrew is skenoo which means, “He pitched his tent among us.”

Our God is all powerful. All knowing. And he is able to do whatever He wishes.

He could have sent another flood.

He could have sent another 10 plagues.

He could have snapped his fingers and destroyed humanity.

He could have sent a great king on a horse with a sword to save us.

All of these would have solved the problem of our sin.

But, He didn’t do these things.

He knew we didn’t need a temporary solution or an earthly king.

He created us for relationship and to need each other.

So He sent His son to have those things with us.

We can see this further along in the book of John.

The first thing Jesus does when He begins His ministry is to find people who will come with Him.

I say again, Jesus did not need anyone but He desired to have fellowship with us.

One thing I should say here too is that Jesus did not choose religious leaders or the wealthy or powerful to follow Him.

Instead He chose poor people like Peter and John who were fishermen.

He chose hated people like the tax collector Matthew.

And He chose untrustworthy people like Judas who would eventually betray Him.

After Jesus had chosen his disciples the first thing He did with them was an act of fellowship and love.

Jesus and His mother and the disciples went to a friends wedding.

Some of you might know this story because at this wedding Jesus turns water into wine.

But I want you to look at this story in a different way.

Jesus had not yet begun His ministry.

He was just a carpenter at the time.

Jesus was spending time in fellowship with his family and friends enjoying good food and good drink.

They were probably telling stories and laughing just like you or I would do.

I tell you this because I want you to see that Jesus who was the son of God loved people and desired to have relationships with them.

It is important that you see Jesus in this way.

That you understand that Jesus was not just God but he was also man

and as a man he loved and ministered to everyone around him.

We can see evidence of this by looking at his miracles.

He didn’t perform magic tricks so that people would be impressed and believe in Him.

Instead, He healed the lame and the blind.

He was patient which we see when He explains things over and over again to his disciples.

And sometimes he spoke hard truth’s out of love.

Several times in scripture Jesus tells people that they are wrong or they need to stop doing what they are doing

but he says these things because He cares for the people he is talking to.

The book of Matthew gives us a perfect example of this.

If you have a Bible please turn to Matthew 22: 35

“One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question,

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love you neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

What Jesus is telling us here is that the two most important thing in all of Scripture and life is for us to love Him and love each other.

When we look around at the world we live in we don’t see a lot of love for God or for man.

What we do see is hatred and sometimes so much of it that we end up fighting each other.

Every time you turn on a television or read the news someone somewhere is hurting someone else.

God wants for us to love each other.

To care for each other.

To listen to each other.

To minister to each other.

To protect each other.

To give to each other.

He never said, “Love each other unless you disagree on political or religious issues”

As we see in the verse we just read he only says, “love your neighbor as yourself”.

So, how can we do that when it is sometimes so hard?

There is a true story from World War I that shows us how.

On Christmas eve 1914 French, Scottish, and German troops were engaged in intense combat.

That night during a pause in battle a German soldier began to sing the Christmas song O Holy Night

As he sang in German a French soldier began singing the same song in French.

The Scottish joined in and by the end of the song every soldier had put down his gun and walked out onto the battle field

where hands were shaken, cigarettes, wine, and food were shared and more songs were sung.

As the sun rose on Christmas day the men were supposed to pick up their guns and start fighting again.

But…they could not.

The people who were once enemies had now become friends.

There is great power to transform our hearts when we love each other they way Jesus told us to.

It also goes beyond loving those around us.

When we love we are also loved in return.

The people who love us will take care of us when we are sick.

When we are hurting.

When we lose someone we love.

When we are choosing to do things that will hurt us.

Especially for the community of Christians there is great strength in living our lives together

When we try to live our lives without that community we will suffer.

I can tell you from my own experience this is true.

My father was a pastor and so as a young person I spent a lot of time in church.

It was not a very big church but almost everyone there loved each other and lived life together.

We ate together,

We played together,

We worshipped together,

We learned about God together,

and we helped our brothers and sisters whenever they needed it.

Sadly, there was a very small group of people who didn’t like how things were being done.

They decided they would break apart the church and force my father to leave.

This is I important for you to understand…

It only takes one or two people who don’t love those around them to destroy an entire community

After my father was forced out things were very difficult for my family.

I began to hate the church and Christians.

I didn’t want to be a part of a group of people who could hurt each other so much.

And for several years I stayed as far away as I could.

The longer I was away the more weak I became

I had no other followers of Christ to support me and love me

Eventually it became easier for me to sin than to serve

I began to take drugs and drink and be with different women

And I did all of this so I would not feel empty.

But it all made me feel more empty.

A couple of years ago I met my wife and we had a son.

We decided to give church one more chance and we found Mt. Lake which is where all of us here go.

Every week we would go to church but I never met anyone or let anyone get to know me

I had been hurt by Christians before and I didn’t want to get hurt again

I’m not the first person to be hurt by those who claim to follow Jesus.

Jesus himself was hurt by his disciples.

The night before Jesus was hung on a cross he went into the garden of Gethsemane to pray

He asked His disciples to stay awake and pray with him.

He wasn’t asking for much.

But the disciples could not even do this small thing.

They fell asleep and missed an opportunity to talk with Jesus and comfort Him

I think if they had known that this would be their last night with Jesus they would have stayed awake.

Its easy for us to say, “I know that my friend needs someone to talk to but I am so busy

I will talk to them later when I have more time.”

The problem is that we are not promised tomorrow.

In 1998 I went on up into the mountains to spend the weekend with my family

On our way back we stopped at a gas station for a break.

I stood in the store with my father while my mom and sister used the water closet.

I didn’t know what to say to my father.

I knew that he was disappointed in me because I was using drugs and sleeping with different women

I wanted to say I was sorry

I wanted to tell him that I was hurting and that was why I was trying to live my life without Jesus

I wanted to tell him that I was proud of him for not giving up on his calling after losing his church

I wanted to tell him that I needed him in my life and I really missed him

But…I said nothing.

When we got back into our cars to go in separate directions I went over to my father’s car

He rolled down his window and I told him that I loved him

He smiled at me and told me he loved me too

24 hours later my father died

I will never have another chance to say those things to my father

We never know when a chance to love someone will be our last chance

I don’t say this to scare you

I just want you to understand that we have to make the most of every opportunity that God gives us to love each other

I eventually met Colin who preached last night

God used Colin to teach me about loving other people and letting them love me

I am only able to talk to you about community because God loved me enough

To place me in a community of Christians who cared about me and supported me

I know I have said a lot tonight and I appreciate your patience

Egypt Trip Itinerary

Finally, I have my itinerary for Egypt. Getting this really crystallized the whole thing for me and made it feel like its really happening. I hope that those of you keeping up with my journey will pray through it each day. Thanks.

Thursday, October 25

• Departure from Atlanta to Cairo

Friday, October 26

• Arrival at Cairo Airport
  
• Arrival at Hotel
• Dinner with pastors from both churches
• Sailing boat on the Nile
• Go to bed!!!

Saturday, October 27
-Familiarize ourselves with Egyptian culture and history

• Visit Dump Church (a church built in Garbage City)
• Visit the Citadel
• Visit the Hanging Church
• The Pyramids Plateau
• Pharaonic Village

Sunday, October 28

• 10 am attending the morning service
• Some of the team will share testimonies
• Lunch with some of the church members
• Visit members of the church who are going through a difficult time
• 7 pm attend evening service
• Late dinner, back to hotel, go to bed

Monday, October 29

• 9 am visit church as a group
• Team starts painting the Hall on second floor
• Computer lessons for church members
• Some will stay at nursery with children
• 7 pm evening service (this is my first night preaching)
  
• Late dinner, back to hotel, go to bed

Tuesday, October 30

• 10 am - 2 pm Women's Conference
• Continue painting
• Teaching Computers
• Spend time with Kids
• Community outreach
• 7 pm evening services (my second night preaching)
• Late dinner, back to hotel, go to bed

Wednesday, October 31

• 9 am - 11 am visiting Egyptian museum
• Teaching computers
• Spend time with kids
• Work in nursery
• 7 pm evening services
• Late dinner, back to hotel, go to bed

Thursday, November 1

• 10 shopping at Khan el-Khalili Bazaar
• 1 pm travel to Helowan Boys Orphanage where we will spend the rest of the day with the kids playing games and loving on them
• Late dinner, back to hotel, go to bed

Friday, November 2

• 10 am - 1 pm attend Sunday School at both churches
• 1 pm - 4 pm conduct youth (male and female) conference
• Complete painting
• Back to hotel, pack bags, and get some rest

Saturday, November 3

• Check out leaving the hotel around 1 am, drive to Cairo airport, depart around 4 am for USA
  

Note:

• The above itinerary is very flexible and subject to changes
• We will divide ourselves according to the gifts needs and where the Lord wants us
• Please do not make any shopping before consulting leadership. Everyone will take advantage of you so please do not talk to vendors

So there you have it. Please pray for me especially on the nights when I am preaching. I am so nervous but I am making myself available. Thank you for keeping up with my trip and investing in me.

Egypt Trip Update 5- September 7, 2007

Hello again. Its been a while since I last posted. How easy it is to get swept up in the rushing current of life's rapid waters. Things are really starting to ramp up for the trip. Because of the need for outside resources in Cairo we are now partnering with a second church. This means, for me personally, that I will be preaching two nights; once at each church. I have also taken a spot on the creative team for the children's ministry. Every night while the church services are going on downstairs we will be up on the roof entertaining local children with Bible stories and activities. I'll give you one example of what we will be doing. On one of the four nights we will be teaching them about Noah. One of the people on our team will be playing Noah and he will tell the story. As the story is told the kids will interact by a) "building" the ark with construction paper taped to a wall b) painting animal faces on plates and "boarding" the ark two-by-two c) getting under a blue sheet and "making waves" and so on and so forth. We hope the children will have a great time and learn about the Bible in the meantime. We've been warned that they are unaccustomed to structure and that they will be wild but we're kinda wild ourselves so we should be pretty evenly matched.
I need to once again ask for those that are still on the fence about making a donation to please pray about giving. We are going too stretch every single cent as far as it will go. We are planning to do face painting and play games and make clothing and medical donations to a local orphanage. We are conducting computer classes for locals so that they can be more marketable. We are giving walkers and canes and other medical items to elderly and invalid in the community. We will be conducting an outreach to are teens where they will learn about Christ. We will be holding one of the first Christian women's conferences ever held in that city. The list goes on and on and we are so glad to be able to provide our time and these services to the people of Egypt but it takes money. So much goes so far there and even though the $2700 total that I need to raise seems substantial we could ask for $27,000 and it still wouldn't meet every need there. So, I am asking you to pray about making an investment in the lives of the few believers in Cairo. If you choose to make a tax deductible donation please make your checks payable to Mountain Lake Church. In order to receive your tax deduction please leave the memo line blank on your check. I have raised almost half thanks to all of you who so generously gave but I have to raise the rest by mid October and that's only a month away. Thank you for keeping up with my trip and thank you for supporting me through prayer and funds. I will keep you informed as things develop further. Take care.

Egypt Trip Update 4 - July 25, 2007

October is rapidly approaching and let me tell you the tension is rising. The biggest source of said tension is the raising of the funds for the trip. It is such a wonderful and terrifying excercise in trusting God. Josalyne and I sent out our letters to almost 100 people a little over a month ago and have had some wonderful responses. People have been so loving in their words and generous with their money and we really cannot adequately express our gratitude. Thing is, we still have a very long way to go. Josalyne has to raise $3,000 and I have to raise $2700 and we're not even half way there. Not as big a deal for me because I don't leave until October but a huge deal for Josalyne because she leaves in 5 weeks. We will be sending out a second batch of letters in the next few days asking for prayers and support. If you are reading this because you received such a letter for us we ask that you please pray very seriously about making a contribution no matter what size. We are both going to be a part of such wonderful ministries in Egypt and Africa and so many people will meet Jesus for the first time through our taking the time to love and minister to them.
In other Egypt news, I am still on course for teaching one night and giving my testimony another. Please pray for me as I prepare my sermon on the topic of community. There is much to say but there are just as many obstacles like the cultural differences for one. If I talk about the pratfalls of community and say that we must make "time" for our friends and family and invest "time" into our relationships with them I've already lost them because their concept of "time" is so drastically different from ours. They don't struggle with the same community issues that we do because they do make the "time" for each other and they don't rush around like we do so there is more "time" to utilize. But I can emphasize the importance of "time" spent in the community of believers and how investing that time in the care of the church will enrich their lives. I think I'll be fine and hopefully they will be blessed and encouraged by my words but my biggest fear is that I will get in the way of the message by being too nervous or insecure. So, please pray. Thank you for reading this blog and staying current on my trip and my life. I will keep you posted.

Cracks in the Ceiling

Josalyne had to work tonight. She usually has off one or two nights a week and Sundays but she always works Friday and Saturday nights late. In the restaurant industry not working those nights is career suicide and so she does. For most people thos two nights represent the end of a long and arduous work week and its when they are able to do special things together as a family. Not for us.
This used to really depress me and the result would be my moping around the house all weekend with Elisha (who is 2 1/2) pulling his hair out from boredom. Fortunately at some point I decided to stop the pouting and start making a concerted effort to do something special with my balding son and his indifferent baby brother. I reclaimed those nights and began to look forward to them again.
For a while we would go swimming or go the theater and motchamoobie (as Elisha says) but recently we've begun to commit ourselves to more masculine ventures. Camping and hiking and rock hopping in rivers are just a few or our favorite activities and all with Elisha keeping up marvelously and Phoenix bouncing along happily in his backpack child carrier. Mosquito bites, copious sweating, and scrapes and scratches that were once considered unwelcome nuisance are now regarded as integral components to "Man Night".
On tonights agenda was the calf obliterating ascent of the 600 (as in stairs) steps between the base and the apex of Amicalola Falls near Dahlonega, GA. I secured Phoenix in his Kelty back-papoos and Elisha and I set out on our journey. On the right side of the falls there is a concrete trail that winds upwards for 200 yards or so which eventually ends where the stair case begins. These are in no way "steps" in the traditional sense. As you stand at the first step looking up at architecture that appears to have been inspired by any of Tim Burtons films and you read the sign that says, "175 Steps - Difficulty=Strenuous" you can't help but do a brief inventory of your capabilities. Mine aren't that impressive but Elisha was already running up them at full throttle and I certainly wasn't going to be outdone.



175 steps and 175 liters or sweat later we made it to the Bridge which stradels the falls and provides you with the best view. I have lived in this area most of my life and have sadly taken them for granted because they really are beautiful. The bridge itself was the cause of much alarm for Elisha because you can see through the metal slats straight down to the scariest bit of the falls below. He informed me in no uncertain terms that there would be no relishing of the scenery and that moving on really way the best plan. And so we proceeded to the next stage of our ascent...another stair case but this time there were 425 steps awaiting.
I wish I had taken a picture looking up at this last staircse. It looked like a tangled mess of stairs and wood and more stairs and more wood. I felt like Frodo for a moment. I really didn't think we going to make it to the top. Elisha began to grow quite impatient with me as I was stopping every 20 steps or so to prevent having a massive heart attack and falling with Phoenix into the falls. I guess I looked as taxed as I felt because a passerby stopped and after looking me up and down said in a very concerned voice, "buddy, you need to be careful". I was careful and eventually we did make it to those last georgeous steps at the top.







After we ate the grilled chicken on Artesian Bread with mayo, dijon mustard, fresh basil, fresh sliced tomato, topped with ground sea salt and ground black pepper (which is currently my favorite way not to starve) we took our shoes and socks off and stepped into the river which seems far too small to feed such a powerful waterfall. I sat on a rock and held Phoenix where his feet were barely in the water so he could do his River Dance bit (kicking wildly on the surface of the water) while Elisha threw rocks at the fence that keeps you from going over the edge. I tried to explain to Elisha that this was where Mommy and Daddy were married but its a little tricky when he probably doesn't even see us as two individuals but rather as one unit. On second thought maybe he already does get it. We took a couple of photos for Mommy and others and began our descent.
There was a cool breeze blowing against our sweaty bodies and slate gray storm clouds positioning themselves on the horizon. Moisture seeped out of moss covered stones and oak leaves flickered as they alternated light and dark bottom-top-bottom-top. It was so wonderful and soothing. A welcome reprieve in an otherwise not so soothing life that I live. I was with my boys and I really was so happy just being with them. It made me think of Heaven and how amazing it will be to sit with my wife and children and family and friends for eternity enjoying some majestic geography with no other agenda but just being together without work or school or any other of our myriad obligations looming like Pooh's rain cloud over our heads. I'm so thankful that every once in a while God provides us with these glimpses through the cracks in the ceiling of this world. The more I seek Him the more I find Him in everyday places but when I need to be renewed and replenished and loved by my Father I see Him most clearly and most inspiringly in nature where His artistry can be seen without human obstruction. I love that I can share these things with my boys.

Egypt Trip Update 3 - July 11, 2007

There's no team meetings this month but there is still plenty going on so I thought I'd bring you up to speed. The biggest item is the opportunity I will have to preach. The audience could conceivably contain over 100 people to whom I will be speaking for around 30 minutes. I gave my testimony when I was in Romania but that was 12 years ago and it only lasted five minutes. So, I'm a little nervous but my team leader Colin (who is also my good friend and the person to whom I hold myself accountable) has given me a lot of information and a lot of grace and so I am beggining to feel more confident.

The topic I will be teaching on is community. In particular how we as Christians are supposed to behave as a community and also why we so desperately need community to be healthy and whole. God does this a lot but its not by chance that I just happen to be preaching on the night when community is the subject. This has been a focal point for me this year as I have tried to emerge out of the suburban cocoon into real Christian service by engaging those outside of my arena of exposure and living Christ for them. I have also abandoned my hermit digs in the mountains and come down into the village by which I mean I have really made an effort this year to lean more on my brothers and sisters and in turn be leaned on more by them. Anyway, I'm really excited to be speaking on this topic and I would really appreciate your prayers that I won't foul it up by being nervous or too self concious. One plus is that I will be communicating through a translator so I will have to take it slow and it will make the time go by a lot faster. The one downside to that is while he's translating you have all that time to think about whatever boneheaded thing you might have just said. See what I mean? I need prayer.

Our next meeting is August 18th and I have to bring $800 of my $2700 total so if you have received one of my letters or emails and you are contemplating giving I pray that you will consider doing just that. Your money will cover travel and lodging expenses and in addition we will be purchasing wheel chairs and canes and walkers to distribute to the eldery and sick members of the church in Cairo. I'm stepping out in faith by committing to take this journey and I pray that you will do the same by enabling me to go. I can't thank those of you who are reading this enough for investing your time and resources in me. As always, I will keep you posted. I am also going to try and get back into a more frequent posting routine on this and other topics so check back often. Take care and thanks.

Egypt Trip Update 2 - June 27

We had another great meeting last night with the Egypt team. Mostly we were helping to hold each other accountable with writing our support letters and applying for passports (that's a whole other story in itself) but we did cover some more particulars which I will share with you now. For starters we went into greater detail about what we would be doing with our church partner there in Cairo. We will be holding nightly prayer and worship meetings for the church and community from 7-9 pm and that's Sunday through Thursday. Friday in Egypt is like our Saturday here and thus Saturday is like Sunday and so on. So, Friday we will be organizing an event for the youth in the area. I'm not exactly sure what that looks like yet but it will most likely be music and soccer and loving on them and listening to them. One of the really cool things we, well the women in particular, will be doing is offering women's groups everyday. As you have probably seen on TV or read about somewhere women in the Middle East are mostly marginalized and not always treated with the most respect. This gives the women on our team a unique opportunity to invest time and encouragement and education into their lives.

We will also be spending time at an orphanage, a hospital, and with sick or elderly members of the church there. I am particularly excited about this aspect of our service because the love of Christ shines most brightly in the darkness of those places. All cultural differences aside people who inhabit those locations just want to be touched and loved and reassured regardless of skin color or nationality. I visited an orphanage when I was on a mission trip in Romania and I'll never forget it. That was 17 years ago and the images of the dirty children pouring out of every opening in their tattered and shabby accommodations with huge smiles on their faces. Its such a small sacrifice of time and comfort for us and yet it brings such lasting joy to them. Its impossible in those moments not to gain a new appreciation for people like Mother Theresa of Calcutta who lived in those places and gave everything to serve those people.

As I was leaving last night I was pulled aside by the leader of our team Colin. I mentioned in my last update that I would be preaching one night or more while in Cairo so Colin wanted to give me some more specifics about that. I will be speaking with a translator for 30 + minutes on the topic of God's leading. I'm so nervous I can't even tell you. It helps a little that I will have the translator there with me polishing up the things I am saying as he relays them to the audience but ultimately I am responsible for the content and the delivery. This is truly an act of faith for me as public speaking is not my forte. My father, who was a pastor, even struggled with it to the point of getting diahrea sometimes when he'd have to speak. So, pray for me as I prepare my sermon (that's weird but awesome to say) that God will give me the right words, the right tone, and the right heart. God is always increasing my skill set and more often than not I find myself utilizing my new tools so I am anxious to see what He does with this one.

In closing, if you are visiting my blog because you received my support letter or email thank you. Thank you for investing your precious time and your precious prayers. If you are considering giving I would urge you to do so. You are not just enabling me to go and do this marvelous and much needed work but you will be equipping the small but bold church in Cairo to be a beacon of hope in a place where the people are oppressed religiously. Our liason in Egypt, who is a high ranking government official whose name we are not able to disclose, has said to us that for every one Christian Egyptian you minister to 50 to 100 muslims are ministered to as well. I am praying for the gospel to spread across the middle east like the wildfire Paul described in the book of Acts and I pray that you will give whatever you can to ensure that I can be a part of that. Thanks again and please check back often.

P.S. My next meeting will be August 18 and I am supposed to bring $800 of my $2700. I wrote in my letter that the deadline for funds is Sept. 30 and if I have all the money by then that would be ideal but as I said if you can't get it to me by then send it anyway because whatever I am not able to raise I will have to pay back to the church after I return. Also remember that I am not just asking for your financial support. I want you to be a partner with me in this incredible mission. I will keep you posted on this blog as things develop further and I look forward to posting pictures and stories from the trip when I get back. So, please be prayerful and please be obedient to whatever you are feeling and know that I will squeeze every penny and prayer for the service of others.

Egypt Trip Udate 1 - June 15 2007

This past Monday night the team of people who will be going to Egypt from our church met for the first time. There is about 16-18 of us who are committed and there are a couple of openings if anyone else wants to join. I was informed that being too specific about the trip details had the potential to jeopardize the people we were going to minister to so for now I'll have to be kind of vague. I can tell you that the main purpose of our trip is to assist a local church, with whom we have created a partnership, with a variety of things like computer labs and painting and other items.
Another aspect of the trip will be nightly ministry meetings where we will share music and the message of Christ with believers and non-believers from the Cairo community. For some insane reason the leader of our expedition has asked me to preach one night. I agreed but hesitantly. I have such a passion for communication but because of an underdeveloped sense of self worth it has been relegated to writing and blogging. However, because I am working diligently on becoming a full time writer and I know that public speaking comes with the gig I have been praying that God would present opportunities to hone this unpolished skill. Standing on a stage for forty five minutes sharing my heart and, hopefully, God's heart in front of almost 200 Egyptians is what I take to be the first response to that prayer.
We have been told by our liason in Cairo that the gospel is being received like never before in Egypt specifically and the Middle East specifically. What a powerful tool we can utilize in the diffusing of religious and ethnic hatred, particularly in that area of the world which has historically been a hothouse for such animosity towards the gospel and us. I remember in 1999 when I was in Jericho, which is about an hour outside Jerusalem, a conversation I had with a man of Muslim faith. He was the owner of the market in which our tour group was shopping. We were sitting in front of the market sharing a water pipe (they use tobacco soaked in molasses) and he began to tell me of his intense hatred of America and Americans. He said that we had robbed his people of their land and their legacy and any war against us and the Jews was holy and justified. And yet as he was talking to me, a pasty white suburbanite from Atlanta Georgia, he was always kind and softspoken and always maintained eye contact in which I never detected any disdain directed towards me. He even offered me some free fruit and told me jokes. It was surreal. The most amazing thing element of that discourse was the absence of all tensions. We had a wonderful time just chewing the fat for a half hour. I knew where he stood and he knew where I stood but it never affected how we related to each other. I feel confident that this will be the type of thing I will run into in Cairo and I am really looking forward to it.
The part of all of this that is most difficult is the asking for funds. No one likes doing it and I certainly wouldn't be but I believe that there is a great work going on in the Middle East and I desperately want to be involved in it. The cost of the trip is $2700 dollars and the total is due by October 6th. If God leads you to give I would be so grateful to Him for the leading and you for your obedience. We have five or six more meetings and we will be given more details each one. I will try and keep you as informed as I am. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for investing in my writing and my life. Sincerest thanks.

josh

what's UPS with that...dang it...who slipped me an anti-funny pill?!?!

A friend of mine sent this to me today. If you can't laugh at this you probably need to get yourself to the emergency room...

“After every flight UPS pilots fill out a form, called a "gripe
sheet," which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight. Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.
By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never, ever, had an
accident.”

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.

P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to: straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget
pounding on something with a hammer.S: Took hammer away from midget

If you like piña colada's and watching Children of Men...

Sorry for that but they can't all be zingers. So, I've been doing a lot of drinking from the well over at stevebrownetc where he talks about the scandalous freedom of God's grace and I think its starting to take. Exhibit A - Getting wonky with the wife (by that I mean buzzed...you perverts) midweek. I know that buzzing it up on a Wednesday night when work awaits in the morning would normally qualify me for the next AA meeting but in this case I think we can let it slide. My wife works nights at Outback and I work days schlepping parts for copy repair technicians so our paths seldom cross. When they do we also have two boys Elisha 2 1/2 and Phoenix 6 months to factor in to the equation. Needless to say it doesn't allow much time for frivolity.

So, last night Josalyne and I decided to eschew the standard operating procedures and manufacture an impromptu date night. She took off for the liquor store, I threw some Bubba Burgers on the skillet, we put the kids to bed at 8, and we curled up in bed with our Piña Colada's to watch Children of Men. It was marvelous.

This all goes back to grace because up until a few months ago a night like last night would not have happened. I grew up in an environment that was not legalistic to the point of Burkas and Beanies but it certainly wasn't Cheese and Wine Night with the Pastor either. I was not allowed to listen to any "secular" music which pretty much mean what I did listen to was either Stryper (I actually had to fight for that one) or Petra. I wasn't allowed to watch films that contained anything that would reveal how pagans lived or communicated or that were rated R. And so on and so forth. I'm certainly not trying to demonize my parents because they were just trying to protect me but it did have an impact that I still feel today. Looking back on their lives, my father passed at 50 due in large part to stress, I see how burnt out they were trying to tow the line. I've blisters on my own fingers from attempting the same.
Steve Brown describes in his Scandalous Freedom how some of us view God as a child abuser. He pushes us and tests us and punishes us when we fail and is never happy with our best. Throughout all of that there is a unifying thread that is woven; God is pissed and we're the reason. I've lived that for as long as I can remember and its been like a snake shedding its skin trying to get free. I can taste the new air of grace and I want to fill my lungs with it but those old habits are hard to shake and they press in on every side and constrict my chest. At times it literally feels as though I'm suffocating. Here is a good example; I struggle with an anxiety disorder that I presently don't take medication for. If I believe that Jesus really loves me and He is all powerful and He is capable of great miracles then I just need to stay un-medicated and pray harder right? Well, of course not but up until recently I didn't think so. That is the type of thinking that I am emerging from.
But God is not pissed at me and He actually likes and loves me. I can handle that and I can see more clearly in the light of that truth. Its not going to be easy or instantaneous making the transition in my thinking or how I live my life but I sense Him walking beside me now and encouraging me so I believe that I can do it. Pray with me and for me and rejoice that I was able to drink Piña Coladas and snog my wife in the middle of the week without feeling any guilt. If there is hope for this recovering legalist there's hope for everyone.

shhhhhhhhhhh....

Psst. Don't spread it around but here is my email address (shoot me an email and I'll reply with my home address) in case you would like to send me any money for the trip, free tickets to a broadway show, or a mail balm (Tiger Balm is my preference). Thanks.

sonofsanders@gmail.com

So you wanna go back to Egypt?

For those few Keith Green fans that remain the above reference will be appreciated. For everyone else, what I am referring to is a trip that I hope to take to Egypt in the fall. It is of the missional variety and will involve setting up computers, painting and light construction on a church, and spending time investing in orphans and the community in general. Our liason will be a native Egyptian who is a follower of Jesus and a passionate one at that. We will be leaving Oct. 25 and returning on the 3rd of November. The cost is $2700 dollars and that will cover air fare, meals, and other travel expenses. The remainder will go towards computers for the church's community center. Please check back often as I will be posting more information and photos. God is at work in the Middle East and though we in America have become very polarized in our views of it our Father created its people in His image and desires that they should know Him. Beyond that, what better way to create peace between us than to worship the same God and look forward to the same eternity together? Thanks in advance for your prayers and your support.