Treasure Hunting: My GPS, a geocache, and God

Yesterday, I took the day off to spend it with my wife.  We needed time to be alone and make some decisions together.  So we headed out to spend the day at Tickfaw State Park to go geocaching.  

For you who may be unaware, geocaching is a global GPS and online treasure hunting game.  Basically, you go online to find the coordinates of a cache.  Once you get the location you use a GPS to go to the place and then hunt for the cache which is usually hidden very cleverly.  

In Tickfaw State Park there are at least 4 caches hidden.  So Heather and I decided to spend the day hunting them down.  This was also a great opportunity to spend some much needed time together without children and other distractions.  Recently, our family has been faced with some weighty decisions.  Heather and I needed to talk, pray, and determine the best direction for our family.  As we walked around the park hunting the cache treasures, I was struck with the realization that I was doing the same thing with God.  I was just wondering around hoping I would stumble across God's direction for my life and the life of my family.

Then God spoke.  God doesn't hide Himself and His will from me.  In fact, just the opposite.  God wants me to know what He wants for me.  I don't have to go "geocaching" or "easter egg hunting" in order to find God's will.  I just have to stop and listen.  Not only will He tell me what to do and where to go, He will tell me the costs of following Him.

Just like hunting those caches...some of them would warn you that there was poison ivy or water and to be prepared.  God will warn you ahead of time what the cost of following Him will be. 

At the end of the day, we found 3 of the 4 caches we hunted for and we found the next step for our family in many areas of life.  Not because of the hunt, but because we stopped and listened to God speak.  

Micah is playing t-ball

Micah is playing t-ball again this year.  You can check out his team's blog to see pictures and keep up with what they are doing.  The website is geauxindians.blogspot.com.

Uhm...what did he just say?

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to preach at a church in a nearby town.  I have never been to this church and didn't know anyone there, but I don't think I will ever forget this one guy who we will call Gary.

Gary was not the friendliest guy you would ever meet.  In fact, he was a little bit standoffish.  But as a minister you get used to that by some people.  I guess since they are distant from God they feel the need to be distant from God's man.  Anyway, Gary sat in the back of the church despite obviously being a "church leader."  (I found out later he is the church treasurer.)  The reason he sat in the back was to be close to the phone which was located in the church office just off the sanctuary.  While I was preaching, Gary got up and went into the office and proceeded to make a phone call.  He was talking and laughing on the phone during the sermon.  Finally, someone got up and went and shut the office door so that we couldn't hear his conversation any longer.

Following the service, Gary came to me and said he needed to write me a check for preaching for them.  I said okay and that I would wait.  Get this!  He then asked if he could copy my driver's license in order to spell my name correctly on the check.  I told him I would write my name out for him but there was no way I was giving him my driver's license.  I don't know why he would need it other than for less than noble causes.  

Anyway, Gary was quite the character.  Never in my life have I had the kind of experiences I had yesterday at this little church.

Some Honduras Pictures

This is the city dump in Tegucigalpa.  Over 300 people live there.  There homes are cardboard boxes or whatever they can find in the trash.  Their entire lives are spent looking through garbage for food, clothing and shelter.  Also, there were many kids who lived in this environment with their families.  When I first saw the dump my question was, "God, why did you make these people so poor?"  Since being back home for a couple of months and hearing the news about our economy and how "bad" things are and looking at my life, the question has changed.  "God, why did you make me so rich?"

These two pictures were taken at schools in the Santa Ana area.  There was no restrictions about praying with children or talking about Jesus.  Oh...by the way, there are no school shootings in Honduras.

The lady in the cap is Christina.  She is a pastor's wife.  We were able to share Christ with this family and all three ladies in the picture asked Christ to save them.  Three generations!

This is a picture of kids at a local church.  The first day we arrived in Honduras, we were teaching at this church within an hour and a half of our plane landing.  I was able to spend the afternoon with these children and teach them from the Word.

Being in the Middle

Three weeks ago, I began a Monday night Bible study for young adults, collegiates, and students who want to dig deeper in the Word. The Bible study takes place at 8pm at the local coffee house. We meet upstairs and spend an hour studying Romans. We have had 15-16 attend each week. I really enjoy getting together with this group to study. I believe every person should be in the middle when it comes to learning the Bible. What I mean is that we should all be teaching the Word to those less mature and learning the Word from those more mature. I hope you have placed yourself in this position in your life...in the middle.

2nd Try...this one's for you Momma.

My first attempt at blogging ended rather abruptly when I discovered how hard it was for me to put what I was doing and what I am thinking into writing.  It just seems to be another thing I needed "to do" each day and one that I saw no real reason for.  I wasn't even sure who was reading this stuff and if they were I had to wonder why.  Then Momma told me she reads it everyday and so I feel compelled to try this blogging stuff again.  I will try to write the high points of life without getting too deep.  Also, I don't take many pictures so this will mostly be filled with words.  Hope you enjoy.  If you don't...just know this...me either.