New Neck Store

So, Jack (3 1/2) is suddenly able to just listen to stories...his mind is able to make up for the lack of pictures and creatively generate its own.

Now...he finds great delight in telling stories...(when it rains, it pours at this cognitive stage)...I wish you could see him telling a story. There are hand gestures galore...lots of neck swaying and today it went something like this...

"They took a skateboard and I fell and it cut my neck off...so then I went to the store and it said, "New neck store" (he's pointing to each imaginary word in the air). I got a new neck and went back and got my skateboard"

Later, there was a need for a new nose in another adventure and luckily, there was a "new nose store" right next to the "new neck store".

Adrianne and I just smile at each other and she whispers to me, "he's so cute, isn't he?"

They are not always so loving to each other, but when they are, there's nothing better.

Please not now, God.

Wednesday's are good days but they are long. I usually leave the house at 5:30 to get ready for the Breakfast Club Bible study on Romans and don't get home in the evening until almost 9. I do get to come home for about an hour for dinner which passes all too quickly.

So at 8:51 I jumped in my van to head home when I felt like God was saying to go back and talk to a student that was waiting for a ride. I initially said no by my action of continuing to drive away and thinking I would just make it home before the kids went to sleep. "Please, God, not now", I was thinking. As God continued to impress upon me that I was not obeying I turned around and went back.

I parked the van and got out to talk to Joey. After partially deflecting a few of my initial questions he began to share that he had been misarable because he knew he wanted to live for the Lord but his best friends were urging him to do things that left him feeling guilty and unfulfilled.

After about twenty minutes I felt like God was saying, "Leave him alone with me to think."

Please pray for Joey as he decides if he is going to let Jesus be Lord of his life.

Theology by Megan

I'm sitting here and Megan crawls up next to me with a checkbook in her hand.

She tells me she's reading about Jesus and cracks it open like a well-read book.

I asked her if Jesus loves her and she said, "yes"

I asked her if she loved Jesus and she said, "no"

I asked her who she prayed to and she said, "Mom"

We, obviously, have a lot of work ahead of us.

Pray.

Thanks for Praying

For those of you that have been praying, Thank you very much. On Tuesday the Chaplain that I report to and I went over to home of the Adam's family and they allowed me to borrow one of her earlier journals that had in the first few pages the following thoughts or subject titles with more written below.

Help family to know God.

life is short and something will change your life

Only you can accept Jesus

Heaven

It allowed things to come together for me in what I felt like God wanted me to share. Today a couple of our students will be sharing their thoughts on Arisa as well at the service.

Thanks again. -Buddy

I covet

I covet your prayers this week as I prepare for five different teaching times. This week especially I am feeling the weight of being a youth pastor and of not being entirely sure what and how to share at Arisa's memorial service on Thursday.

Wednesday Morning: Romans Bible Study
Wednesday Evening: 2 Timothy Bible Study
Wednesday Evening: Student Leader Training on Making Disciples
Thursday: Arisa's memorial service. Our band is leading the songs and I am sharing the message and I am still not quite sure what I am going to share.
Saturday: Teaching on "Dating" at Impact in preparation for Pledge to Purity in Feb.

Please pray for me this week as you think about us.

Blessings,

Buddy

we're still alive

Hi everyone...thought I would write a quick update since we've been slacking lately.

We are into full swing here for the New Year. I'm glad that it's time to go back to a routine and as much fun as it was to get the tree and put it up...it's always just as fun to take it back down. I don't know...my sister might not agree...

I begin teaching my 4 week Psychology class tomorrow at Okinawa Christian School. I am thrilled and also have the opportunity to facilitate a Bible Study on Tuesday nights, so I am certainly getting my fill of teaching...I love it.

We finally got our Christmas letters out...they turned into New Years letters and they might actually be Martin Luther King Day letters by the time you get to read them....