Servanthood

We are blessed with some amazing friends! Today, Darrel and Becky Delphin dedicated their entire Saturday to help us prepare little Trevor's nursery. Becky has this incredibly creative and decorating gift, while Darrel is good at doing whatever she tells him! Ha! Fellas, I found that's the chemistry for a great marriage. When it comes to interior design, it's best not to have an opinion. Simply affirm what she thinks is best and write the check!

Tabitha Ivy is a cool chick because she's from Missouri--my home state. She's been attending HPC for nearly 4 years now and plays a vi
tal role in our Late Nite ministry. She has come by the house several times during the last couple of weeks for the sole purpose of spoiling Rachel. Here she is massaging Rachel's feet. She plans to attend massage therapy school next month.

Thanks you for your ministry to us! Ya'll are the best!!!!

Back in the Fast Lane

I've been off my crutches now for nearly a month, and though I'm still sporting the NASA space boot, I can't tell you how awesome it feels to be back in the action!! The past several weeks have been absolutely amazing--God is on the move, and we're doing our best to keep up with Him!

After 30 Late Niters stepped up to the bowling challenge a
couple of weeks ago (I must confess that girls rule and boys drool), we brought over 100 college students and young adults to Fusion, our very first retreat experience. It was incredible!! The power of the Holy Spirit descended on us in a special way, marking our lives forever. It was cool to see so many new faces and sense the excitement of this fresh wave of God in our generation.

The guys redeemed themselves in the afternoon field competition called "Battle of the Sexes." I think we could turn in some footage to America's Funniest Videos and with the prize money make a major cash donation to our Chapter 2 building fund! A big thank you goes out to all those who provided scholarship money making it possible for many to attend.

Rachel continues to grow--she's the most
beautiful pregnant woman I've ever seen--and little Trevor seems like he is going to be one active boy...wonder where he gets that from? Alexa and Mikaela are pumped and have already planned out the things they want to do with their new brother. My only warning: don't turn him into some little girly-man!

Saturday night, Alexa and I returned home from being away at Fusion retreat. When I walked in the door, Mikaela ran up to me and gave me a big hug saying, "Daddy, is tomorrow Father's Day?" I got excited, thinking she had been working all weekend long on a homemade Father's Day project and was
ready to give it to me. "It sure is!" I told her. She was disappointed. "Oh," she said, "I like Mother's Day better!" Gotta love those kids...I never know what they'll say next!

Campaigning for a good cause!

A friend of mine and a great woman in our church, Kacy Edwards, is a former teacher with a heart for the kids of our community. She quit teaching to start an organization called "Career Compass of Louisiana", which helps high school seniors with their post-secondary endeavors at no charge. Kacy and another former teacher, Julie Scott, go into high schools and sit one-on-one with the kids, offering college and career coaching to them for free! Not only do they inform the students about the more than 30 schools in the area, but they also help them fill out SAT/ACT applications, federal financial aid forms, post-secondary applications, scholarship applications, and anything else they may need to pursue their goals and dreams. They met with and assisted over 500 seniors in EBR parish last year and have plans to expand into Ascension, WBR, Livingston, Iberville and other surrounding areas.

I say all that because Burger King is sponsoring a contest where they will give $50,000 to a winning cause. Out of more than four-thousand organizations, Career Compass has already made the top TEN - but in order to win, they need your help! (Sidenote: they are a two person non-profit up against much larger corporations) You can vote once a day between now and July 13 at www.campaignforyourcause.com. You can also text message COMPASS to 287437(BURGER). If you're on the forgetful side, check out www.careercompassla.org and sign up for daily reminder. Voting will only take a second, but the money Career Compass might win could change the lives of thousands of teenagers in our state. They might even help change the life of someone you love.

Kacy's relationship with HPC gave her the courage to start this whole thing. Her passion is education and she is leading the charge to change lives in Louisiana. Let's step up and put this state on the map for something amazing! I'm voting every day- are you?

Doing Life

Rachel and I have some of the best friends on the planet! I'm constantly amazed at how good God is to us and the wonderful people we get to share life with. Last week we rolled up to Nashville to hang out with Kevin and Traci Mawae--by far the coolest people in the Music City--and made up for the months of sleep deprivation we've accumulated. The kids stayed in the pool literally all day, Rachel feasted on her favorite pregnancy snacks (anything chocolate), and I worked on my pasty, pale white skin issues--there's no hope for me...I'm just plain vanilla!

We came back in town and wasted no time re-entering our NASCAR-like work schedule. (I actually watched 20 minutes of a race in Dover yesterday and felt for the first time I could really get into racing if I let myself. I think the Disney movie "Cars" had something to do with it too!) We caught Alexa pushing a vacuum cleaner at church in one of the classes the other day, proving she does have the ability to work, even though she denies it at home!


I have to give a shout-out to all the members of our Late Nite missions team. Going on little sleep and pushing through the brutal summer heat, we put on a huge garage sale last Saturday to raise support for Italy. I forgot to put on my normal sunblock (SPF 1000), so I had to tie a shirt around my head and look like Little Red Riding Hood all day.
Thank you to everyone who gave their time, energy, and stuff to make missions a reality!