No BYOB at the BYBC

Yeah, thats a bad title but I thought it was catchy.

WOW. It has been too long friends and family. We will try to be more up-to-date with this thing. :)

A few weeks ago we had a group of teenagers from Lighthouse Indonesian Chruch come to our apartment and do a week long backyard-bible club and it was great! We started the week off by having a free clothing/food give-away that was sponsored by Vision Ministries where we passed out flyers to moms and dads to advertise the childrens' club. From Monday to Friday the LIC came and taught the good news of Christ; His death and resurrection. Several children wanted to know more about Christ in more of a one-on-one setting. They also got us a list of names and apartment numbers to do follow ups!

This has been a answered prayer for Holly and I as we want to see the church support us in what we do here. It is so good to know that we have brothers and sisters to run along-side of us.

Prayer requests:

• Thanks: I (James) am taking my FINAL class and I am done(August 15)! The bad part - its a presentation class where my teacher rings his coffee mug everytime you say "uh..." Sad panda is sad.
• Thanks: Holly will be finishing up her last semester at TWU this fall.
• Confession: Holly is now in Iowa for the week. Yes, this means the house is a mess. j/k...kinda
• Supplication: I am looking for a big-boy job since I am graduating soon. I have some prospects but they may fall thru.
• Supplication: Pray for our neighbors and that the Lord might use us to help them. Holly has started a bible study for some of the ladies that live around us. Pray that God would bless their time.

Update!

Hello All!

Sorry we haven't updated in a while! To give you a little recap of what's been going on:

School is out for the summer...but James starts summer school tomorrow :-( boo.

I went to Alabama and hung out with the Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Team and it was awesome...to learn a little about them rent the movie: Murderball

James is still in the process of looking for a new job, while doing a contract job.

I begin my nanny job tomorrow!...it's awesome when your "boss" tells you to bring a swimsuit into work! :-D I will be doing this Monday-Thursday (30 hrs a week) and hopefully on Fridays be working at the Retirement Home.

I also start an intense Bible Study this week called the Matrix. It is every Tuesday & Thursday morning from 6-7:30am and I will have a small group that meets every Wednesday night. I'm very excited about this!

We are hoping to plan another outreach at our apartment for next week...the pool is open at the apartments so it'll be a pool side cookout!

Please PLEASE Listen to This

www.deathisnotdying.com

a typical morning

On certain days of the week I have work at 6:30am and Holly almost always makes me breakfast (and she packs me lunches! and writes me notes!). She's pretty selfless like that.

But every now and then she doesn't wake up with me and I have to make breakfast myself. This is probably the best video I could find to depict that scenario.

some great jaerbs!!

Yes, jaerbs. For some time now Holly has been unemployed. In an economy like this it is hard to find anyone who is hiring. After much prayer God has provided Holly with, not one, not two...three? no.... FOUR! FOUR JOBS!! God is so good. I tend to find that when you ask for God to come through he usually goes the extra mile (in this case 4!). She now can pick which jobs she wants to do!

She has already accepted a job in an assisted living home and as a nanny for 4 children. She was also offered a job at Denton Bible Church in the children's ministry to assist Cindy Metcalf in the curriculum and other admin stuff. The fourth job is working as a personal/group fitness instructor for a small business. At the moment she is excited about all 4 and is having trouble deciding which ones she wants. This is a good problem. :)

I am still working at Scruggs as a Network Consultant but am looking for a change in careers. I originaly set sail for college in the sea of Computer Engineering because, well, I wanted to be rich. Needless to say, I wasn't a Christian then. In short, Christ flipped my world upside down (or rather, right side up!). My heart changed, ambitions changed, worldviews changed, etc. My desires now are to spread the Gospel in the least reached nations and train Pastors. For the past 4 years I have been struggling with the decision to quit school or stick it out. To be honest, I don't really like computers all that much. I like people. I like to get to know them, to see where they are at, to see how I can meet any need they may have. This gives me Joy that I can serve God in that way. As Trip Lee says, "Service makes me happy." Being around computers all day just isn't cutting it. I need people. I need a change.

I have been applying to several non-profit orgs in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Its hard to get an interview. I have a pretty astute resume for my age; just in the wrong areas. I did however land an interview with 2 companies. Yesterday I took a Impact test for The Nelson Center (a foster home for emotionally disturbed youth) as a Direct Care Employee. The Direct Care staff get the most time with the children and act as a parent in their lives. They make sure the children get up on time, brush their teeth, do their homework, etc. I would love this job so much though I feel it will be emotionally taxing. I should receive a call next week for an additional interview.

Tomorrow I have an interview working a temp job with Communities in Schools. It is an non-profit org with a mission to lower the school drop-out rate by bringing older men and women into schools to meet the needs of students. This includes tutoring, being a friend, etc. This job would only be a 5 week summer job but I hope that it would be a gateway to a long-term position with CiS.

So we have much to pray about and we desire your prayers on our behalf. By switching careers we are taking a pretty big pay cut and we just need to trust that He will provide (Matthew 6:25-34).

Pimpin' Pimpin' Pimpin' Murder Murder Sell Drugs

I found some funny videos made by Reach Records. The are advertising for their Don't Waste Your Life Tour. You can find the website here with other videos. Check them out and ask yourself if any of them apply to you.

Don't Waste Your Life

This is one of our favorite songs at the moment. It is so encouraging and packed with truth. Take a look.

I know a lot of people that scared they gone die
couple of em thinking they'll be livin in the sky
while Im here livin, man I gotta ask why, what am here fo?
I gotta figure out
waste my life? no I gotta make it count
if Christ is real then what am I gone do about
everything in Luke 12:15 down to 21
you really gotta go and check it out
Paul said if Christ aint resurrected, we wasted our lives
well that implies that our life's built around Jesus being alive
everyday I'm living tryna show the world why
Christ is more than everything you'll ever try
better than pretty women and sinning and living to get a minute of any women and men that you admire
it aint no lie
We created for Him
outta the dust he made us for Him
Elects us and he saves us for Him
Jesus comes and he raises for Him
Magnify the Father, why bother with something lesser?
he made us so we could bless Him and to the world we confess him
resurrects him
so I know I got life
matter fact better than I know I got Christ
if you don't see His ways in my days and nights
you can hit my brakes you can stop my lights
man I lost my rights
lost my life
forget the money, cars, and toss that ice
the cost is Christ
and they could never offer me anything on the planet that'll cost that price.

Armed and dangerous
So the devil just can't hang with us
Christian youth them a stand with us
Livin' n driven
given a vision
fulfilling the commission he handed us
London to Los Angeles
Da rap evangelist
My Daddy wouldn't abandon us
"I gotta back pack fulla tracts plus I keep a Johnny Mac"
So are you ready to jam with us?
So lets go, gimme the word an lets go
Persecution lets go
Tribulation lets go
Across the nation lets go
Procrastination just go
Hung on the cross in the cold
Died for the young and the old
Can't say you never know
Heaven knows
How many souls are going to hell or to heaven so we gotta go in and get em

Suffer
Yeah do it for Christ
if you trying to figure what to do with your life,
if you make a lot of money, I hope you doing it right because the money is Gods
you better steward it right
stay focused if you aint got no ride
your life aint wrapped up in what you drive
the clothes you wear, the job you work
the color your skin, naw you Christian first
people start living life for a job
make a lil money start living for a car
get em a house, a wife, kids, and a dog
when they retire they living high on the hog
but guess what - they didn't ever really live at all
"to live is Christ" yeah and that's Paul I recall
to die is gain so for Christ we give it all
he's the treasure you'll never find in the mall
See your money, your singleness, marriage, talent, yo time
they were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine
that's why it's Christ in my rhymes
That's why it's Christ all the time
see my whole world is built around him
He's the life in our lives
I refused to waste my life
He's too true ta chase that ice
here's my gifts and time cause I'm constantly trying to be used to praise the Christ
If he's truly raised to life
then this news should change your life
and by his grace you can put your faith in place that rules your days and nights.