Welcome home Coach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nda_OSWeyn8

Chapel service at Teen Challenge Kenya...WOW!  Two years ago our team stayed in what was previously an unoccupied home and bought the beds that we slept on as well as refridgerator and some linens.  I remember laying in one of those beds and praying for the ministry that would one day occupy that building...praying that young man who would one day sleep in that bed.  To see that ministry in action was unbelievable.  Truly one of the greatest worship experiences of my life.  Just unreal.  The girls were overwhelmed.  God just shows up.  I felt like my talk was just God speaking through me...feeling as used as I've ever been.  So great

Ministry in Kibera slum.  Bryan needed to do an assessment at a school for 1-3 grade girls.  We carry VBS supplies as well as food through the slum to the school.  Slum is really bad...I will NEVER get used to the smell of fish being cleaned in the filth of a slum.  Girls say its the worst thing they've ever seen.  I just shake my head because I know whats coming later in the week.  Kids are so sweet and so excited we are there.  Food is VERY well received as its obvious the kids are HUNGRY.  We have a VBS presentation and share the Gospel.  God is faithful and so GOOD.  A great great day.

Medical clinic....We see over 215 patients on the first day...there can't possibly be any way to see any more...rest well that night....good meal...

We see over 415 patients on second day...still don't know how that happened....could have seen 100 more at least...its humbling to think that people will wait that long for something as simple as a weeks worth of vitamins...

The God-moment of the trip for me occurs on Tuesday morning...We get to the church and realize that Catherine, a little girl from the church who served us lunch on Sunday has been murdered....I spend much of the morning comforting my new friend Pastor Simon who has lost what he calls "one of our finest children"  Never imagined God would have me in Nairobi to weep and comfort a brother and fellow pastor...but God moves for "Such a time as this"

Below are pics of sweet Catherine (along with Bryan and Kim's daughter Raelyn)  taken by our team on Sunday (the day before she would go HOME) as well as a pic of me, bryan, and simon

Nairobi Day 2---Waiting to preach....feel compelled to share a Swahili phrase I had written in the front of my Bible two years ago..."Hakuna mungu kama wewe" (There is no one like our God)..Ask Bryan for pronounciation help on the phrase just outside the church....Tell him "Never mind" as I realize congregation is just inside the church singing that phrase over and over....WOW!  Holy Spirit's presence is overwhelming..Message goes extremely well...Woman gives her life to Christ...Pastor tell me I'm a "prophet" as he had told congregation God was going to bring them a word on the passage God had put on my heart...WOW!Thank you Mighty God!

Looks like I'll have to wait till I'm back in MS for numero uno in my fave places countdown....

1) This cold is not fun....Praying that its gone by Thursday!

2) LOTS to do to get ready to get out of town

3) I was disappointed that the Bulldogs lost Saturday...but SO PROUD of the improvement....I really believe Mullen is turning this deal around

4) I'm not worried that Iran is going to take out Israel...I've read the end of the book (Revelation)...Israel is not going anywhere!

5) The Seahawks uni's yesterday were....absolutely HIDEOUS

6) Its tough to run 5k with a bad cold

7) The Amazing Race should be a good season...Survivor is going to be great...can't wait for LOST

8) Tim Tebow represents everything thats right about sports

9) Charles Martin is my new favorite author

10) I love diet Mt. Dew

11) hockey season is almost here

alright....back at it...thanks in advance for health and kenya prayers

Eight years ago, people didn't have to take off their shoes at the airport.

Eight years ago, loved ones could meet passengers at the gate.

Eight years ago, it was hard to buy a flag if it wasn't the Fourth of July.

Eight years ago, airplanes weren't considered weapons.

Eight years ago, unattended baggage was not suspicious.

Eight years ago, water could be carried through the security checkpoint.

Eight years ago, terrorism was something that happened in other countries.

Eight years ago, we could wait in line for the bathroom at the front of the plane.

Eight years ago, I didn't look around at other passengers and wonder who would tackle a would-be hijacker.

Eight years ago, I didn't know Osama Bin Laden's name or how challenging the terrain of Afghanistan/Pakistan might be or what ground zero meant.

Eight years ago, firefighters were not as respected as they should have been.

Eight years ago, the nation was united.

A Healing Faith
Barbie and Bo Scales

Every morning Bo and Barbie Scales are eager to get to work. They greet their overwhelming workload with excitement and anticipation. The paper work and evidence keep piling up, but they’re never defeated -- even when that evidence exposes a rapist.

Bo and Barbie Scales work in a crime lab. They have owned and operated Scales Bio Lab in Brandon for 20 years. They work primarily with DNA testing for criminal work and paternity testing and were at the time of their accreditation only 1 of 12 private labs in the world accredited for forensic DNA testing. Their work is often gruesome in nature and difficult to understand, but through science and dedication they bring closure to families and relief to victims.

However, in July of 2008 they faced a situation that they didn’t know how to solve. Their son, Joey and daughter-in-law, Gretchen lost their daughter at 34 weeks of pregnancy, after the umbilical cord became wrapped around the young infant’s leg and circulation was cut off. Baby Grayson was mourned and the family grieved, but they found comfort in knowing Grayson was with Jesus and knew that there was a purpose. “Early on we began to see the good that came out of her death, watched her own daddy witness and pray at her funeral, and then  heard from people that they were led to a stronger faith or were made to think more about going to church because of her funeral,” shared Barbie. 

For Bo and Barbie, the experience began a re-purposing of their own faith. “I had said when Grayson died that we needed to be in church, we needed to be fed.  I had pretty much decided that I would come to Pinelake. I said to Bo, after we got back from Grayson’s funeral, ‘Do you want to go to church tomorrow?’ And he said, ‘How about Pinelake?’ I feel like that began our healing that came from her death.”

As they found their same seats each Sunday, their faith became something different, it became alive. Friendships began developing with those sitting around them and a church family formed. What the Scales didn’t know at the time was God was preparing them for something that would change their lives. Barbie had cancer.

In December, the cancer was found during a routine check-up Barbie had to complete in order to change insurances. The doctor came into her room and placed his hands on a spot where he instantly felt a lump. He took his hand away and said they needed to operate as soon as possible. Checking the area again, the doctor was unable to locate the original lump. She had been standing in such a way that the lump was noticeable when the doctor first entered, but in a moment the lump retreated. “My oncologist said I shouldn’t have ever found it. I know that God had his hand in all of it,” Barbie shares.

After surgery, several tests, and the assistance of their son Christian who is a radiologist in Alabama, she was given the report; it was stage IV non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, but Barbie and Bo would not be discouraged, they would be “winners” as Bo describes. They had been prepared by God for this fight. “Grayson’s passing had us spiritually getting ready for my illness, it helped us walk the path, and I don’t know how we would’ve made it had we not been in church,” shares Barbie.

With their faith growing and the support of the church, the Scales went to battle. “It was unbelievable the support we received from everyone, even complete strangers said they were praying for me,” exclaims Barbie. Bo shared, “With our line of work we are in contact with so many people: investigators, district attorneys, sheriffs, and deputies. So at one trial, the minute it was over I talked to the defense attorney, investigators, and judges and told them about Barbie. They offered to pray for her and became great prayer warriors.”  Even the law enforcement officers that came to their lab took a moment to pray for Barbie and  put her on the prayer lists in their home churches. One such day a large, intimidating deputy came into the lab and began sharing his faith, so Barbie simply asked him to pray for her, “He grabbed me by the hands and said ‘this is what you do when someone asks you to pray for them’; then he prayed.  It’s really amazing what happens when you ask people to pray for you.”

They kept asking, and the prayers kept coming. Soon the power of prayer began working. Out of obedience and thanks, Barbie decided to get baptized. A week later she received the report from her oncologist and from her son that she was cancer free!  Prayer and praise abounded. “It may sound strange, but in some ways my cancer has been a blessing, Bo and I now pray together every night and our faith and marriage are certainly stronger than ever. I wouldn’t go back and not have the illness----because of where we are now in our faith,” Barbie reflects.

Just over a year since the passing of Grayson, they have welcomed a new grandson, Knox (born to Joey and Gretchen), and Barbie continues to live cancer-free. Back working at the crime lab they examine their own case for Christ, “Bo has always said if God’s purpose in Grayson’s death and my illness was to bring us closer to Him and to each other, He accomplished that.” Bo responds, “Check. Check.” Case closed.

Ah, the summertime. Sunshine, no school, baseball.
Who am I kidding? Give me some college football.
Don't even ask me how many days are left until it starts. I stopped counting for fear my head was going to explode. "Why the rush?" You ask. Well,  (It's today Gustavo!!) let me tell you.
I love college football. As a team, I love the Red Sox more(not me!) , but as a sport nothing can beat college football.
I love that you are sure Team A will win in a landslide. Why even bother to watch, right? Wrong. Next thing you know, Team B pulls off a two-overtime upset and you spend the next week saying, "Should've watched that."
I love waking up on Saturday morning (on the West coast), turning on the TV, and watching two teams play their hearts out. In August.
I love the sound of 100,000 fans screaming at the top of their lungs during 3rd-and-2. Even if it's through the TV.
I love hearing "The Buckeye Battle Cry," "Fight On," "Boomer Sooner," "War Eagle," and every other fight song after a team scores a touchdown.
I love seeing Beanie run, Harvin catch, Maualuga tackle, and Crabtree return.
I love fourth down gambles.
I love seeing the kicker nail the game-winning field goal. Twice.
I love that every game matters.
I love the Pac-10. And the Big Ten, the SEC, the Big 12, and all the other conferences.
I love that the BCS is so flawed. It keeps it interesting.
I love College Gameday.
I love having my friends over and cheering on our favourite team. Or whatever other team we decide to cheer for.
I love circus catches, broken tackles, and jukes. But I love interceptions, bone-jarring tackles, and sacks even more.
I love when a referee makes the wrong decision, just to be shown on the JumboTron making the wrong call and then he is mercilessly booed by the home crowd.
I love the Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, the Big Game, the Red River Showdown, and the Iron Bowl. But most especially the Army-Navy game.
I love the Commander in Chief's Trophy, the Victory Bell, the Egg Bowl, the Stanford Axe.
I really love the Spread Offense.
I love seeing 20-year-olds put under great pressure and succeed.
I love the Heisman Trophy and all the history that follows it.
I love seeing massive upsets.
I love when the crowd storms the field after said upsets.
I love BCS busters.
I love that "The games you remember, you play in November."
I love hearing the local broadcasters call a touchdown.
I love the bowl games.
I love New Year's Day.
I love the title game. No matter who plays in it.
I love that every new season brings new possibilities, new upsets, new favorites, new underdogs, and a different experience altogether.
I love college football.

One of the interesting things that has happened through that is that a few of those guests have become good friends.  Barbara Cameron (Kirk and Candace's mom) has been a real blessing in my life.  An amazing woman that I so respect and who on a sidenote makes the best cookies in the world.  Kyle York, who has inspired me so with his quiet strength and who has become someone that I see as being a lifelong friend and accountability partner. And two Wednesdays back we welcomed Candace Cameron Bure a woman whose friendship impacts my life everyday.  My work with Hockey Ministries is something that God used Candace to push me toward, my first trip to Africa was with Candace, and I could go on.  The event was incredible...God showed up in crazy and amazing ways.  All Glory to HIM!

Check out the graffiti page for pics of the event!

#10--Salado, Texas

#9--Winter Park, Colorado

#8--Mill Valley Ranch, Tynong, Victoria, Australia

#7--Mt. Cotopaxi, Quito, Ecuador

#6--Augusta National Golf Course, Augusta, Georgia

And now...it's on to the top five!

#5

Sweetwaters Camp, Ol Pejeta, Kenya

There's no way I can put Sweetwaters in to words...but I'll try...Its located within 24,000 privately owned acres....and there are animals EVERYWHERE...I mean all kinds of animals and they are EVERYWHERE....Elephant, lions, monkeys (including a Jane Goodall chimp sanctuary), water buffalo, hippo, rhino, etc etc....Its unbelievable to drive around and see ALL THAT....The sunsets are amazing....The trees and flowers...WOW....Just a beautiful natural landscape...

And then there's Sweetwaters itself....unbelievable food, resort type stuff everywhere, and the tents....I can't possibly describe what its like to sleep in a tent that is really a luxury hotel room but thats what it is....The weather is very cool but no worries because they come up with a hot water bottle to warm your sheets...SO SO NICE....and then you wake up and you realize there's a trench just outside your tent to keep the animals out and there are GIRAFFES at a salt lick just outside your tent...So amazing....

So there you go with spot #5....Sweetwaters...the beauty of Africa in absolute comfort.

Augusta National Golf Course; Augusta, GA

If you know me at all, you knew this one was coming...I have books and books about the place...artwork...cups...clothing...and yes I've been blessed to have made 3 trips (so far) to the mecca of American golf.  The Scots may have invented the game but I really believe that the National perfected it.  Words fail to describe the beauty of the place...I love talking to someone who's been and listening and watching them attempt to describe the beauty and majesty that is the National, especially during Master's Week (and let's face it thats the only time most of us will ever get through the gates). The prices on everything are unbelievably reasonable (not so much the resale on Ebay though) and you can literally rub elbows with the greats of the game. 

My favorite memories... with my buddy Brad Evans with Bones McKay standing between watching Phil hit one from the woods....laughing hysterically with Brett Rivers at our (not so nice) hotel...staring into space at how beautiful the place is and hearing somebody say to me "Beautiful isn't it" and realize that somebody is Tom Watson....and I could go on and on...

So as we begin the fourth major of '09, I think of the first major every year and the first one in my heart....Augusta National...the place for golf