And here it is!

The Changing of the Hoodie...

Well, its official. Tomorrow I change my hoodie. Its not that big of a deal, and yet it is. To me, its everything. I know, you dont really care what I wear...afterall, I'm no fashionista, not since I traded in my parachute pants and break-dance Nike's for plain ol' Levi's and RedWings. But it matters. At least in my mind it does. I've been a Lone Oak Purple Flash for the past 8 years. I've got the hoodie to prove it. I wear it so I can be identified...my loyalty, my passion, my civic allegience, my pride. That's been my team. I mean, I've not been a diehard or anything, ie. no cowbell or such, but if there was ever a brawl in the streets I would have to look for purple, cause that's my color and that's how I roll.


But tomorrow things change. Tomorrow I'm not purple anymore. Tomorrow, I'm red and black. I've traded my lightning bolt for a mule. Tomorrow I'm a Fairfield Mule. Again! And I'm excited about that. It's a new hoodie, but it feels comfortably familiar. I still have a lot of "goodbyes" to say here, but I also have a lot of "hello's" in the making too. As I've tried to process the events of this day I keep hearing the words of a song that has brought me a lot of comfort the past few years. It makes me feel really good tonight. I'm reminded that God holds us all really close to His heart regardless of where we're at in this crazy-amazing-awkward journey of abundant life that He gives us.

GOD OF MY DAYS Gateway Worship
You awaken my heart from slumbering
Meet me in mourning, and You speak to my grief
You're the light in my darkness, the delight of my eyes
The hope of the daybreak when the sun's slow to rise
I trust that every moment's in Your hands

You're the God of my days, the King of my nights
Lord of my laughter, sovereign in sorrow
You're the Prince of my praise, the love of my life
You never leave me, You are faithful, God of my days

You unveil my eyes, help me to see
The arms of my Father encircling me
You're a constant companion, I am never alone
Your love is the banner that's leading me home
I trust that every moment's in Your hands

You're the God of my days, the King of my nights
Lord of my laughter, sovereign in sorrow
You're the Prince of my praise, the love of my life
You never leave me, You are faithful, God of my days

My eyes are on You, my hope is in You
My faith is in You
My eyes are on You, my hope is in You
My faith is in You

God of my days, the King of my nights
Lord of my laughter, sovereign in sorrow
You're the Prince of my praise, the love of my life
You never leave me, You are faithful
God of my days
God of my days
God of my days


I pray this song over the purple people and the red and black people who fill my life to overflowing. May you know the fullness of God and the presence of Christ as much as you've helped and will continue to help me know to Him. To God be the Glory! Be Blessed!

The Blizzard of 2012...rant!!!!!!!!

I'm going to break out of my recent pattern and rant for just a minute. If I only correctly used Scripure about half of the time, or showed up to preach every other Sunday...I'm pretty sure I'd be looking for a job. If half the patients sitting in my Dr's Office waiting room died there...I'm pretty sure Hawkeye would wind up giving prostate exams at the State Penn. If Michael Jordan only only made half the shots he took...he would've been sold to the Super Sonics after a marginal career for the Illini. If the Oil Change Guy only put in 3 quarts instead of the mandatory 6....he'd be enjoying his new position as "air pressure in the tires" guy. Are you following me here? If professional people only got it right half of the time, they'd no longer be professionals....they'd be unemployed. Today was the long awaited day it was supposed to snow. We've had Weather Service Winter Weather Advisory's. The Weather Forecasters on the TV have warned us of our impending doom. The mobile warning apps on my so-called smart phone have had me seeking shelter and solace in the arms of Jesus all day. And yet here I sit wondering how I'm going to make a snow man out of the mud and leaves I see in the front yard...contemplating the thigh-friction I'll produce making a sod angel in the yard...wondering just what in the sam heck I'm going to do with 15 loaves of bread and 4 gallons of milk...This is fraudulent! Absurd! Down right wrong. How can they toy with our emotions like that. How can they live with themselves, taunting school teachers and school children alike, with the hopes of a break from the hellish day they will certainly have tomorrow. There's got to be a petition we can sign, or a facebook fanpage or a group or something in farmville we can join, surely there's a "we are the 99%" protest we can be a part of. This lunacy has got to stop! This ends my rant. Thanks for listening.

The Image of Christ.

This post has been a long time coming. A really long time. Every once in a while God binds my heart to someone else. He creates for me relationships that are so lopsided in my favor that all I can do is simply enjoy them for the gift that they are. To be inspired, encouraged and blessed beyond all measure...that's what's happening to me in this relationship. Its not everyday you get to meet a hero...a real, honest to goodness hero. The tall-building-leaping, speeding-bullet-racing kind of hero. But I've done more than meet, I've become friends with not one of my heroes, but two of them---at the same time. To be able to call 2 heroes of the faith my friends, and to include them in my family and to be included into theirs...what an honor. What an incredible blessing! Boyce & Beth Wallace are missionaries in Colombia, South America. They have been for almost 50 years. They have touched more lives and blessed more more people than there are stars in the sky. What's so neat to me is that after all this time, they are still excited about Jesus. They still get worked up about telling others about Jesus, especially those who've never heard of Him. And though they have technically retired, they still work tirelessly to make the hope and grace and love of Christ known to all. Beth is the perpetual mother who never appears to tire of doting over her "children." She has this compassionate, loving way about her that convinces you instantly..."I LOVE YOU. I'M HERE FOR YOU. I CARE ABOUT YOU." She listens to your ramblings. Laughs at your jokes. And she weeps when she tells you "goodbye." Everytime. She has this way of seeing where the world has caused its bruises, and once she sees them she works at getting them healed. How awesome is that? Her encouragement and inspiration know no limits. I am blessed. Boyce is Boyce! I know you're not supposed to use a word in the definition of that word, but that's all I've got. He escapes description and definition. You'd think at 80+ the wheels of wit and wisdom would've accumulated enough life-grit that they'd spin a little slower than they once did. Not the case. Just the other day when I was with them this quick witted saint put on a show. We had been to a mission church in the Pacific Coast Region of Colombia. To get to the church we had to walk down this little muddy alley. Needless to say, Boyce accumulated a little mud on his fancy boots. The next day his lovely bride commented that he hadn't cleaned the mud off his boots. "Neither have you!" was his response. How hilarious is that? But he's more than just funny, Boyce is so smart and so relevant. Relevant to an era that really isn't his any more. His insight for the church holds more value than all the modern marketing schlopp that currently clogs the shelves of the Christian bookstores in my neck of the woods. This couple gives and gives and gives. Their generosity is outmatched only by their love and affection for Christ and His Kingdom. They spread LIFE wherever they go. They've caused LIFE to grow up in me. You may never have the chance to meet Boyce & Beth, but I pray you find the "Wallace's" that God has put in your life. And when you do find them, absorb everything you can from them. Those who have lived for so long in such close proximity to the King have tons to teach us about royalty! I thank you Father, for my friends. And for their ministry and their faithfulness to You. And for their love that has found its mark in the lives of so many, especially me and my family. Continue to bless them in Christ. Amen.

Kinda cool.

OK, so if you've been checking this blog out for any length of time, you know...I dont have the foggiest idea what I'm doing. I dont update it unless I'm off on some sort of trip, I never change the format...yada yada yada. Well, I got to messing around with all of the user controls and what-nots and I found the coolest thing. There is a "statistics" feature that lets me see how many people are looking at my blog and where they're from. There's a cool little map with little red dots. (They had me with the map, the dots were just over the top!) Anyway, I noticed there are some viewers in the USA. Duh. I figured that much. There were some in Colombia...again, expected. But I was surprised to see Uganda, Germany and Slovokia listed. I have a few friends in Uganda, I dont think I know anybody in Germany, and I dont even have a clue as to where Slovokia is. How crazy is that????? Slovokia??? Really. So for days now, I keep checking to see if you people from far off lands are still checking in...and you are! That is so cool to me. It's like my helium balloon with my address card inside it from the 5th grade has finally landed. I'm global! Mr. Smysor I want my extra credit points!!!! I'm small. I think small. I live small. So to have folks from 5-6 different countries interacting with me through my blog-thing is just too much for me to handle. So I have a favor...all of you from different regions of the world who honor me with your presence...leave me a message, send an email, launch a balloon back...do something. Who are you? Why on earth would you stop here? The suspense of all this is killing me. Please, for my sanity...for my family's quality of life...leave a comment. I'm so intrigued by this. Got to go Google Slovokia. Be Blessed.

Slide Show Posted

For those of you who are interested, Freddy Carter got his slide show put together and Bob got it posted on the website over at www.newhopecpchurch.org Take a few minutes and go check it out. If you have any questions about how you can support the advancement of God's Kingdom in Colombia's Pacific Coast ministry, just let me know, I'll be glad to point you to the right folks. Thanks Freddy & Bob for all of your work. Be Blessed!

Mission Accomplished!

The first picture is of Mery, the administrator of Campamento El Coro. She has just been given the keys to each of the 4 apartment rooms that we constructed. She was overjoyed at the completion of our work because it will enable the camp to expand its opportunities for ministry. That, and I told her that one of the keys was actually the key to my heart. She is such a sweet, devoted servant of Christ. She receives no pay for her duties, she simply does it because of her love for Christ. All the bookwork, all the scheduling, all the oversight, all the EVERYTHING!!!! She does it as a labor of love. What an inspiration. (personal note: she is also the best cook in all of South America!) The second picture is looking down the hallway of completed apartments. The dust still fills the air...this photo is fresh! We almost ran out of time, but in the last 10 hours everything came together just like it was supposed to. We didn't finish the floors and we didn't get to finish all the painting, but anyone can come in and do that. There is a womens retreat scheduled very soon for the facility, so I expect it will be completed sometime this week. If I get any photos, I will be sure to put them up. Thanks again for all your prayers and support. With the increased price of airfare, we had to ask for extra help. A huge heartfelt THANK YOU goes out to the following churches: New Hope CP Bethel CP Highland CP Fairfield CP These churches went above and beyond the call of duty to kick in some extra support to purchase materials and supplies so that we could do the best job possible. Other individuals sent in some money as well. God knows who! Thank You on behalf of all the children, youth and young adults who will be blessed by your gift. Be Blessed Jeff

Thank you!

Just wanted you to know......we did it! We completed our project with enough time left to pack, worship and play Uno with Wilsons family at some point later on tonight. We will board the bus at 4 am and head to the airport for a full day of travel. We have a crappy all day layover in Miami. I will spend it sleeping on the floor like a hobo! And yes, i am kind of proud of that. Our team has worked very hard, played hard and loved one another immensley. I hope we will continue this lifestyle when we return home. These are the sorts of people God will use to move His kingdom forward. Got tons to do, i will work next week on posting pics for those of you who wish to see them. Maybe next time you'll come with!
Be blessed!

Help us!

I really should be working, but....
I felt i could better serve the team if i involved all of you. We leave for the airport in 20 hours...we still have 3 days worth of work to complete our project. Nerves are a little thin and everybody is wearing down. Time is short and so are our patience...you get the picture. Please pray that we accomplish what we set out to do in a way that glorifies our Lord.

Yesterday we had to go to Cali for more supplies so we also included a bit of personal shopping as well. So thankful Stephi cleared her schedule to babysit us at the mall. We saw lots of interesting and beautiful things along the way. We also entrusted Alan to Jairo Lopez for the remainder of his time here.

One of the things that haunts me is the knowledge i gained over the weekend. 1000$ will buy the materials to build a mission church along the river where there are many unreached people. How much money do i waste in the course of a month? A year? How much could i do with what the Lord has blessed my family with...that which will matter in eternity....but i waste and squander it on myself. Temporary happiness. Momentary fun. Leisure. Recreation. Keeping up with the Jones's. If ive learned anything about Jesus its this: selflessness and sacrifice ought to be words that describe me as a follower of Christ, yet sadly it seldom does. I wrap myself up in me, my family, my comfort...all the while people die without Christ and basic human necessities. Whats wrong with this? Whats wrong with me? Whats wrong with the church? I pray dear Lord that i might have eyes that see as broadly as yours, i pray for a heart that is as compassionate and loving as yours. I pray for a backbone and resolve that makes me more like You. I pray for a church thats downwardly mobile and outwardly focused, that we might be the "lady you want to date" so that we dont disappoint you, the Bridegroom.
Be blessed.
Jeff