Just lean into HIM

'Just lean into Him'. These are words that I heard spoken tonight. I went with some friends to Brisbane City Church tonight to hear Reggie Dabbs, an American, speak. He is an amazing man of God, and has a powerful ministry.. more on that in a moment. But it was not Reggie that spoke those words. What I did not know is that not only did we get to hear Reggie speak, but Darlene Zschech was actually there leading worship. (She is the one from Hillsong.. you know, "Shout to the Lord"). How amazing it was, she is so passionate about God and in her worship to Him. She was sharing the story behind one of the verses in a song that we were singing, and encouraged us, that in those times that we 'walk through the valley of the shadow of death' that God is there and He is safe.. Just lean into Him, and you will feel Him. Those words got to me.. really got to me. God never said that living life for Him was going to be easy, but that we WILL face trials, but in those times, if we trust in Him, we will grow stronger. I will hold on to the vision of Darlene leaning in.. I must lean into God.
So, Reggie Dabbs... he is from Florida, but I had never heard of him until coming to Australia. He has a wonderful ministry to young people, in the State highs schools. This week alone he will be speaking to over 120,000 youth around the state of Queensland. So what makes Reggie so special? He would say he is not, in fact he shares that he was conceived because his mom had sex with a man for $20. Yes, she was a prostitute. He was raised in foster care by a great family and found the Lord. It is God that has taken him and used him.. simply because he opened himself up to be used. Please pray for Reggie as he speaks to all of those youth this week... just last night 250 teens gave their lives to the Lord at a service he spoke at. If you would like to read more of his story, check it out at reggiedabbsonline.com/story.php
Anyhow, it was another wonderful night and I hope that I will always remember to 'Lean into God'. I hope you do too.

Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics

So tonight I got to watch the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics. It was not only exciting to see the spectacular show, but Sue and I sat and watched with LuLu, who is from China. For those that don't know, LuLu lives here with the Pennells as well. It was so amazing to have her sit there and not only translate for us, but she explained so many things that were not spoken of by the Australian commentators. China is so rich in history, it was very special to sit and learn from her as we watched.

I am not sure when they will air in the States, but I encourage you all to watch them.... they are still on now, with the athletes coming in... but it is late so we are taping them. I will finish watching that part in the morning.

This is my second 'summer' Olympics here in Australia (although it is winter here now). It is interesting to watch from another country.. of course I see mostly the Aussie's, but when I hear the National Anthem of the USA, I smile... sometimes I feel as though I should be standing...

I will say, when it comes to men's field hockey, I will be cheering for Australia, as we know one of the players. Should you happen to watch, look for Matt Wells and cheer him on. He was the Foreman of the crew that remodeled our kitchen last year.

Anyhow, here is getting into the Olympic Spirit, but remembering to pray for the many Christians in China that are still persecuted today.

Nick Vujicic

So, I was just watching a story about Nick on 60 Minutes. Nick is a 25 year old Aussie that was born without arms or legs. He has made a career of going, around the world now, and speaking to people and sharing his story. He is an amazing Christian man and is very inspiring. Hearing him speak reminds me that with God nothing is impossible. Nick certainly proves that in what he does, and how he lives his life.











Three years ago, we had the blessing of having Nick at Redcliffe State high. He came and spoke to year 9 & 10 students. To see the impact that he had on the students that I work with on a regular basis was incredible. I am truly inspired by his story, but more than that, encouraged to keep trusting in God for all of my needs.

I love, too, that he has now been to my home church in So Cal, Knott Ave., two times....

I encourage you to check out his website.. http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/ and be encouraged by his story too.

OK, OK, I'll tell you...

So, I've had several people ask me how I got Des to be in this picture three times. No, for those of you who don't know Des, he is not a triplet. It was just a bit of fun that we had with the camera... I have a new camera that has a feature for taking panoramic pics... you actually take 3 separate pics and then the camera stitches them together. I just had Des stand in each one. :) It was just something that we did, not much thought put into it before hand, so the fact that it turned out so good made it even funnier for us. Thanks for playing the game.

Richard and Jen

Some of you may have heard me tell that on my way back to Australia from LA this last time (March) I met a girl, Jen, on the plane. She was moving to Brisbane to be with her man. Jen and I hit it off and have kept in touch since then. She and Richard were married yesterday and I had the privilege of not only being at the wedding, but I was asked to say the prayer of blessing for them. It was very exciting for me. You never know who you may meet when you just talk to the people around you. I never would have imagined that when I got on the plane that night, that I was about to meet someone that would become a good friend.

The wedding was a small event, held at their house, with a BBQ afterward. Again, I was blessed to be witness to their commitment to each other.

MIB 2008

The team from Knott Ave. has now returned after two amazing weeks here in Australia. What a blessing it is for me to have a team come each year and be a part of the things that I am lucky to do full time, and to meet the people that are my Aussie family. The past two weeks have seen the team spending two days with our kids and youth from Ann St. , being a part of our Community BBQ, as well as spending some time in Eidsvold and Cherbourg. There is so much to tell about both of those places and the history that they hold... but I am not sure I would even know where to begin. Most of it is just so sad. All I can say is that my heart breaks over the stories that we hear about what has happen to the Aborigonal people in the past. While we were in Cherbourg we got to meet a lady, Annie, that had been sent to Cherbourg and then taken away from there and sent to Palm Island. There was a documentary made about her story, we got to be there and see it for its first ever public showing, and afterward I met and talked with her. That was certainly a highlight for me. Also, our time in Eidsvold, just being there and reconnecting with the young people. It was only 4 weeks since the last time I was there, so we were able to pick up right where we left off. Near the end of their time here, we spent the day at NAIDOC (National Aborigonal Islander Day Of Celebration). This is a huge festival that takes place each year, just to celebrate the Aborigonal and Islander peoeple. I had someone tell me, "It is good that after hearing all of the depressing stories of the history of the Aboriginal people, to end with a happy time, a time of celbration." How true that is!

All of these things were great and I am so blessed to have these opportunities, but for me personally the greatest highlight of the time with MIB was the fact that it allowed me time to build up stronger relationships with some of our young people from Ann St. It is hard to put into words the impact that the MIB team has had on me, as a result of their willingness to open up to the young peoeple that I hold so dearly to my heart. I know that they have returned and will have some great memories of their time here, but I get to stay and continue on with those relationships. It is my prayer and desire that I can carry on with the momentum that MIB have created.

I know that this is really just a small snapshot of what we did with the the team, but it is just to hard to put it all into words. Just know that I have been blessed with getting to know and to work alongside an amazing team. But most of all, that although I have been here, it has changed me and challnged me to grow even deeper in realtionship with these young ones. Please pray for me as I still continue to process all that I feel God is doing in my heart as a result of the time MIB spent here.

Good times in Eidsvold!!

this is just going to be a short one, but hopefully fun.....this past weekend I went to Eidsvold. We had a great time hanging with the kids and having fun. While we were there, I took this photo... I just want to know of any one notices anything about the pic.... have a close look. :) if you click on the picture you should be able to view it bigger... and those that were there, you can't play this game.