Okay, so a lot has happened since you last had the pleasure of reading my blog :). Fall is here and that means crazy storms and really I guess that means that random trees will fall on my house.
It was a funny and amazing and God filled afternoon/evening when the tornado blew through and left my house with some minor damage. I was putting things away in my boys room when I heard a loud bang and ran outside to discover a tree resting on my garage. I immediately got up on the roof and while the winds and rain beat against my flowing red beard I sawed off as much tree as I possibly could... then Diane and Mark got home with the kids and Mark got on roof with me to help... we sawed and threw off as much tree as we could and then after the storm thought about how we, possibly could have waited, until then to get the tree off the roof. Nah that would have made way too much sense. So... Mark almost flew off the roof while holding a humongous branch... his guardian angel needed some extra work :)... most of this story is on Facebook if you are interested. The short of it is that my friends surrounded me with loving acts of selfless service and by the time the day was over the tree had been completely removed from my house and as I type this now I am happy to report that all damage (which was amazingly minor) has been repaired and I feel incredibly blessed to have the friends and family that I have, and to have a God who protects and is faithful in the storm... literally in the storm :).
Last time I wrote it was a Friday and later that evening we enjoyed a nice party to celebrate Diane's birthday. It was fantastic! It was an Asian theme, and to get into the spirit I wore some chopsticks in my beard. This long beard is a lot of fun!
The next weekend we had a great fun event slash service project with the MK group called Bigger or Better. We got in groups and enjoyed going around the neighborhood asking if people would trade us something for a paperclip and then a rubber band and so on. We ended up with a portable color printer with ink! Wow! Then we helped set back up some classrooms for G.I.A.L. and enjoyed some pizza and drinks as payment :). It was a great afternoon! There were so many kids there that the work flew by!
That Monday my wife and Nadia got to go to a concert in Waco! I'm so happy they could enjoy that evening together, Diane loves to go to concerts and thankfully we live in a great place to be able to do that! It was a girls night out for sure as Bella joined them :).
Apparently last week was career day at my kids school! Yay, I now know what God is doing in my kids hearts and I'm very excited. Asher wants to be a fireman and Creed wants to be a spy! Good to know how to be preparing them :).
Randomly last week I found out that the Amazing Race was having open tryouts in Irving... I found out because one of my good friends Pete Isenberg and I have been talking about applying for quite some time now and he found out and let me have a whole day to decide if I was in. I didn't let him know til the morning of, but really I had decided I was in right away! I just needed to figure out some small details, like what to do with my kids. Well, it was a great experience and even had some really cool witnessing opportunities for Pete! He got to pray with some people and it was cool seeing him in action! Our video went well and we are now waiting to hear when (or I guess if) they want us on the show :).
We have been so busy and it has been nice to feel like God is using us... community is a wonderful thing! But, it can be tiring to be out a lot! This last Saturday was filled to brimming and it was nice to get a nap in between events. We had small group, then took our kids to Toys R Us to get a free Lego Star Wars toy and then by the time we got home I was ready, well... the picture says it all...
After that short nap other stuff happened, but I can't remember what it was now, at any rate I feel blessed to be able to have a life full of wonderful opportunities... and occasional naps :). Thanks Diane for taking this picture ;).
Sunday came and after church while we were watching the most amazing Cowboys game that I can remember we were also watching one of my cousins twin babies. We had the joy of watching her from 3-8 pm and it was so wonderful. She got along very well with Bella and they even coordinated their wardrobe.
So football amazingness, and then indoor soccer amazingness. I'm really enjoying being able to play and we have had two games and have won both! We play well as a team and more importantly we all show up... I mean have fun! Our goalie is great and really I can't complain about any position! Game 1 was 5-1 and Game 2 was 5-2! Both games were against teams that played a man down. I think that it's a great testament to our captain that we not only have a full team but also have two subs! Good job Michael!!! Below are some pictures my son Asher took of the game... perhaps a fireman who also is a sports photographer?
My heart is full and I'm excited for another great week! Last night we had MK and a great guest speaker (Greg Pruett) shared about hearing Gods voice. It was so good and I'm encouraged today to spend some time seeking to hear that voice that holds life within its words. That voice led me to where I am today and I'm so thankful that you are a part of what that whole adventure has been and will be!
Finally, God has been teaching me, by showing me, that he is faithful and trustworthy and filled with love! I'm learning that walking with God doesn't mean that tragedy won't be a part of life, but that tragedy will never be something that we have to go through alone. He told us there would be trouble but he is faithful to walk with us through that trouble and help us get through it. Suffering produces endurance which produces character which produces hope which does not disappoint us! God is there in the storm, while your madly cutting the tree off your garage, and helping to keep your brother in law from flying off the roof... the adventure is part of life the joy is having God there to make it awesome!
Blessings to you all!
Caleb
p.s. I have a wonderful mission trip to Cameroon coming up which will cost $1800. Thanks for your prayers and financial support! It is wonderful to have peace buying the tickets knowing that God will use you to get me there and back again :).
If you want to support what I do a little or a lot, on a one time basis (for a mission trip to Cameroon perhaps :) or on a recurring basis, click on the tab "Supporting the Work" at the top of the page. Diane is my beautiful wife and the mother of my precious children Creed 7, Asher 5, Liam 2, Echo already in heaven and Bella, getting bigger all the time.
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