Thank You

We want to thank all of you for your prayers on Jamie's behalf.  He saw the orthopedic surgeon this morning who took a look at Jame's x-rays.

Front view.  You can see the bullet just below his knee.

He said that Jamie does NOT need surgery (Praise God), and that Jamie just needs to take it easy until the swelling goes down.  Jamie does not have any restrictions other than what his pain will allow.

Side view.  You can see the bullet and fragment near it.

We are still able to keep all our travel arrangements, so that is a huge blessing.





God greatly protected Jamie and we thank and praise Him for how He is working all this out.  I suppose that if you're going to get shot Jamie got hit in the perfect place and has the least amount of recovery possible.

Plus, Jamie's pretty excited he can still say he has a bullet lodged in his bone.  Oh, and to answer the most asked question: He will have a card from the doctor saying he has a bullet in his leg for when he sets off the metal detectors at the airport.  I think that's a pretty strong "man card".

As Jamie recovers things are hectic, but we decided we would take a hectic life with a healing daddy then the alternative.  Even our frustrations are blessings considering the possible outcomes.  Please keep praying for Jamie's healing and our sanity.  And please, please keep praying for our friend who shot him.  God is using our friend in wonderful ways for His glory.

Blessed, relieved, thankful, and excited for the future,
Jamie, Mandy and the kids

Spiritual Warfare and Live Ammo

Spiritual warfare is one of those issues that many people choose to ignore rather than engage in.  Unfortunately, even if we don't want to admit it we are always in a spiritual battle.  In Ephesians 6 Paul admonishes us to take up the armor of the Lord and fight the good fight.  He reminds us that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against evil spiritual forces in heavenly places.

As we continue to follow the Lord on this journey of obedience He has called us to we see the battle raging around us, and it seems to continue to strengthen.  We are thankful that our Commander and Chief is the Lord of Lords.  If God is for us, who can come against us?

We have seen over and over God's hand of protection on our family.  Our Sovereign God has allowed only what we can handle as we rest in Him.  He has strengthened our faith and proven His faithfulness over and over.

We experienced one such incident this past weekend.  Let me give you the middle length version...
This weekend we took a load of our stuff to Jamie's uncle and aunt's house where we will be storing our "keep" pile while we are in Zambia.  We were planning on organizing our stuff there and then Sunday morning Jamie was going to meet with the mission committee from their church about possible support.

Saturday morning was nice and slow, so Jamie decided he would go down to the creek in the field behind their house to go fishing.  One year he caught ten bass in twenty minutes in this creek.  Where Jamie was fishing the creek bed dropped down, so when you looked down at the creek all you could see was Jamie's black hat.  He was fly fishing and wearing a black sweater.

The neighbor looked out his back deck and thought he saw a large crow down at the creek.  He grabbed his .22 long rifle and figured he would take a shot at the bird to scare it away.  The neighbor aimed at the "bird" (Jamie's head) but, by the grace of God, due to the distance of the shot the bullet hit the back of his left leg.  The bullet entered his left calf and fractured his tibia and is still lodged there.  When the neighbor realized he didn't shoot a bird, but shot Jamie he was really shaken up.  He is a wonderful friend and brother in Christ.  After a trip to the ER Jamie is on crutches for his fracture and has an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon tomorrow to see if the bullet needs to be surgically removed.

Please pray for Jamie as his body heals.  So far the pain has not been bad for what we would have expected for a gun shot wound.  Please pray for the doctors that they would have the discernment they need to accurately diagnose Jamie's medical needs.  Most of all we ask that you would pray for our friend who shot Jamie.  He has a lot to deal with emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.  He is personally fully engaged in the spiritual battle and Satan is doing whatever he can to stop him.  We figured Satan thought he could kill two birds with one stone.  Thankfully our God is faster than a speeding bullet.  Our mighty Protector.  We praise and thank Him for his protection and love for us.

Thank you so much for your prayers and concern.  We'll keep you updated as we find out more.

As Jamie said, "I know we're engaged in spiritual warfare, but I never expected live ammunition."

If any of you want to see Jamie's "man pictures" of the wound just email him and he would be happy to share.

Religious or Godly

As it turns out an upset stomach, runny nose, a snoring husband, and a daughter who has decided not to sleep creates opportunity for a much needed blog update.  Armed with my Pepto (gotta admit I've always loved the taste) and my Puffs plus (best ever) I want to share with you what God has been teaching me.

My devotions have been in the book of Acts for a while.  I love reading about how Christ started His church and the opposition and obstacles it overcame.  How he turned an enemy into one of His greatest warriors.  And how He extended His grace and mercy to the Gentile world.

One thing that has been standing out over and over as I read about Paul's journeys is as he would go into a city and preach the good news the religious leaders were the one who opposed his message the most.  I understand it was a revolutionary way of thinking, but it was also prophecy fulfilled which Paul pointed out through scripture over and over again.

It really got me thinking about "religious" people versus "godly" people and how that plays out in our lives today.  As we've been on this pre-field journey we've encountered many of the "religious", but I'm blessed to realize we've encountered much more of the "godly".

 (Allow me to attempt to clearly define my use of the terms religious and godly in order to avoid offence.  Religious: someone so steeped in the traditions of the church that they are unable to separate those traditions from scriptural mandates .  Godly: someone who respects and honors the traditions of the church but discerns between tradition and scriptural mandates.  Hopefully as you read on I'll make sense to you.) 

Looking in Acts the "religious" people tended to hold to tradition as if it were scripture believing their tradition was godliness.  They had forgotten who God was and tried to fit Him into their little box, and when God decided to break out they were appalled.  When Paul preached Christ crucified and a life of faith by grace they were angered to the point of wanting to destroy him in order to destroy his message.  And when he took the message to people outside their box they tried to force the new people to fit into it.   When I look at the "religious" today I see people truly trying to please God, but who have lost sight of how big He really is.  They are living in their little boxes, and when other Christians don't fit into their box there is strife and distention. Sometimes they become so isolated in their box that they do little good for the cause of Christ.

But then you see the "godly" people.  Their eyes have been so opened to their sinfulness and God's holiness that they live freely by faith.  They uphold God's word out of passionate love for their Savior, not for tradition's sake.  (Disclaimer:  I'm not slamming tradition.  There is a place and a purpose for it, but it has to be in the right place for the right purpose.)  And when God reveals Himself to them they can't help but share Him with everyone they come in contact with.  They look beyond the surface issues to a deeper need.   And when the opposition comes from within the box they stand strong, endure, and remain faithful to their sometimes unpopular calling that God has placed upon their lives.  Continually Paul was arrested, stoned, threatened, or kicked out by the "religious" leaders of his day.  But he got up, picked up his cross, and it's thrilling to see how God used him.

When we, as Believers, decide to follow Christ we aren't always going to be approved of.  Sometimes it's easy to get discouraged by the rejection.  But we have to look to God's word.  Are we faithful to all God has written in it?  Are we living with a pure heart at the feet of our Savior?  Are we diligently following God every step of this journey He has called us to?  Can we, with a clear conscience, say we have done all possible to live peaceably with all men?  Can we stand before God unashamed?  If we can answer yes to all these questions, when the opposition comes we can stand firm knowing we are right with God, and He will sustain and empower us.

God calls us into a passionate love relationship with Him.  He offers us an abundant life.  His yolk is easy and His burden is light.  He calls us to live godly lives that lift Him up before all men.  Our lives are to be a mirror of His love and saving grace to a dying world.  If we are isolated inside our boxes the world dies around us.  He has called us to be in the world, but not of it.  My prayer is that we will all experience the joy that comes only from living freely in Christ with a heart unashamed before Him.  And as we do His love and grace will pour out of our lives and into the lives of everyone we come in contact with.

I want God to build His kingdom through our family as we strive to live for Him and follow Him step by step on this amazing journey.  I can't wait to experience all He is going to do in and through us as we are instruments for Him to accomplish His purposes.  May we live "godly" lives and may God receive all the glory.