We leave for Mexico at 5AM...

Tomorrow is the day! 16 teenagers, 8 adults and 2 little kids will be packing into three 15-passenger vans and heading to Mexico! Please keep us in your prayers.

As a take a moment and reflect on the trip, here are a couple of specific things that come to mind:

• TRAVEL. We will spend four of the fourteen days on the road (May 25-26 & Aug 6-7). We will be driving to Laredo, TX tomorrow, crossing the border early Tuesday morning and arriving at Amealco (near Queretero) in the early evening. We will be driving mostly toll roads in Mexico...which should make things a lot easier and safer.
• WORK. Right now we are not certain of what our project(s) will be. Looks like we will be fixing the foundation on a cabin, digging a ditch for the camp's main water line and building a fence around a playground. These projects require more manpower than money. Pray that we are able to get lots of work done! One issue can be the weather. Apparently we are going during rainy season for this region. That means that rain could really hinder our ability to work.
• RELATIONSHIPS. Of the 16 students going, 12 of them are boys. How crazy is that? May God help those poor 4 girls! Seriously though, I am excited to see how this trip will affect the dynamic of our group. I am passionate about creating a group that values love and acceptance of everyone. We aren't there yet. I want to see this trip bring our group to the place where we truly love each other unconditionally...not asking people to be a certain way in order to be accepted.
• GOD-ENCOUNTERS. I want to find God in Mexico. No, seriously, I personally want to feel His presence while we are there. Frankly, I desperately need that right now. Beyond that, I want our students to catch a glimpse of God too. Now that is what can change our lives and our group.

I love you and I'll miss you all.

the everglow

Clay dropped in the office today...and we downloaded the latest from a group we had both heard about called Mae. (Clay's prepaid iTunes card + Doug's computer = loads of fun.) I'm really digging it. I guess if I had to describe their sound...they sound kinda like Jimmy Eat World. Anyway, surf over to their myspace site to listen to a couple of their tunes...then head over to Best Buy and buy the CD for $9.99.

Behold...the mighty rapids of the Okatoma River!

Okay, so they're not that mighty. But, I must admit, I love canoeing the Okatoma River. It is probably because it is a trip that is full of nostalgia for me. My Dad took me and my brother canoeing all the time when I was a kid. I also canoed the river a couple of times with our youth group as a teenager.

There is just something about getting out of the city and spending a couple of hours in nature. Canoeing a river like the Okatoma gives you lots of time to reflect, relax and enjoy the world that surrounds you. I truely believe that we all need those types of experiences every once in a while to recenter our lives.

This Saturday we will be canoeing the Okatoma. Don't miss it! Here are the details:

• We will meet at church at 6:45am. We will probably return around 7pm.
• The cost is $12 (to pay for the canoe rental).
• You need to bring: a swimsuit (to wear on the river, no bikinis), sunscreen, a bag lunch (that is water-resistant in case it ends up in the river), a change of clothes and $ for dinner on the road.

Please contact me if you are going. I'm supposed to give the Canoe Rental place a final count on Thursday. Thanks!

Hurricane Dennis

So, Tropical Storm Cindy came by to visit a couple of days ago. She wasn't very cordial. She stormed out, knocking all kinds of branches and leaves off of the trees in our front yard...and to top it all off, she cut off our electricity for about 30 hours. The nerve...

Anyway, so it sounds like Hurricane Dennis might come visit now. He must be an indecisive guy, because he can't decide between the streets of the French Quarter or the sandy beaches of Florida. How hard can it be to pick a vacation spot?!

Seriously, though, keep ALL of the Gulf Coast in your prayers. This hurricane appears to be just as strong as Hurricane Ivan of last year. That means that wherever it hits, it will be bad. It looks like our chances are pretty slim...but New Orleans is still a possibility. Crystal is packing our stuff in case we decide to leave town tonight or early tomorrow. Right now I don't want to bother with evacuating...it depends on what happens with this storm once it gets into the Gulf of Mexico.

If you aren't from New Orleans, but are interested in tracking the storm, I would recommend our Local CBS affiliate's website. You can watch the 3-5 minute vids of the latest reports from the meteorologists. I have to admit, I trust our local guys way more than the bigwigs at the Weather Channel. Just think about it for a minute. If you are a meteorologist in New Orleans, haven't you had your fair share of Hurricane-tracking experience?

I am madly in love with classic, cheesy CCM

Oh, how I remember the days of classic CCM (contemporary Christian music). Back in the early ninety's I was a young teenager who had just turned his life over to Christ. Some youth group friends introduced me to the greatness of Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman. Hey, back in the day, they weren't old guys...and they sounded pretty darn good. I will readily admit that a majority of Christian music was lame back then. (Come to think of it...I think a majority of Christian music is lame today too.) These guys were awesome. My first Christian cassette tape was Michael W. Smith's Go West Young Man. A classic. I mean, check out this album art. I just oozes coolness:



Anyway, this strange, nostalgic post is inspired by a CD that is about to come out where some current musicians cover some of Michael W. Smith's old stuff. It will be called: Ultimate Music Makeover: The Songs of Michael W. Smith. Like I said, I think a majority of Christian music is still lame, so I don't think I'll like every song on this album. In fact, I think the title is really lame. BUT, if you surf over to the official website, you can listen to clips of each of the songs. And I think it just plain fun to hear some of these old songs that I grew up on redone. Probably my two favorite MWS songs of all time: Rocketown and Secret Ambition are there...and they sound awesome. (This only furthers my conclusion that they guys of David Crowder Band are a bunch of musical geniuses...bordering on the edge of insanity.) I would buy the CD just for those two songs. Oh, and one other thing, you can hear the full version of four of the songs (including Rocketown) over at their myspace page.

Now, don't get me started on the radical sounds that came out of my tape deck when I first popped in DC Talk...