3 Thoughts from an Empty Tank

I went out to warm up and scrape the ice off my car this morning with only 5 minutes to spare if I wanted to make it to work on time. As soon as I turned the key in the ignition, a dashboard light came on that I didn't want to see

My gas tank was empty.

I usually fill up my tank on my way home for work to avoid this situation. But thanks to a busy schedule, I was in a rush after work yesterday and thought I would have longer before the gas light came on. Fortunately I stopped just to put a gallon in and made it to work on time. It did get me thinking though.

We have a full calendar over the last 4 weeks before we leave. Are we running the risk of expending our energy and running on empty too. We need to ensure that we watch our "gauge" and make time to refuel. But what does that really mean? The following 3 thoughts came to mind.

Different people refuel differently.

Polly and I were at a dinner the other day with a group of friends. I overheard a conversation two friends were having about introverts and extroverts. One was saying that introvert/extrovert isn't about one's talkativeness or quietness but rather is more about how people refuel.

Extroverts:

• Draw energy (refuel) when they are around other people
• Expend energy when they are alone

Introverts:

• Refuel when they are alone
• Expend energy when they are around other people

Polly enjoys spending time with family/friends and I enjoy time alone. But Polly really needs personal, quiet time while I really need to be around other people. I would say that by this definition (thought possibly not by a definition involving more criteria), Polly is more of an introvert while I am more of an extrovert.

It's a balancing act.

We need to find balance. While seeing family and friends is important, especially considering the time of year and the closeness of our departure, it cannot be all we do. We must include times of rest as well. For me it will be a chance to expend built up energy and for Polly it will be a chance to refuel. They are both important.

If it's not scheduled, it doesn't exist.

We are schedulers. While this is a good general practice, the potential problem is that if something's not on the schedule, it doesn't exist. Unfortunately I have been the one controlling the schedule and have been filling every free day we have, leaving no free time. Now I realize that we need to schedule free days in the calendar too. I will be sure to do that!

Have you ever thought about this? Are you more of an introvert or extrovert?

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Experiencing the Calm through the Storm

There's an old saying about the "calm before the storm" but I want to share about the Calm through the storm.

Analogy.

We're in a boat, heading toward our destination, calm and relaxed when suddenly a big wave crashes down on us and we realize that we have taken on a significant amount of water. When we look at the amount of water and the pace at which it's coming, we're overwhelmed. We are unsure if we'll make it.

We are incredibly busy as we prepare for Costa Rica and enjoy time with family and friends. How can we possibly fit everything into our schedule?

We've been praying about this transition for a while, knowing how hectic it would be. Now that it's here, we're reaping the answers to those prayers. And God has been so faithful! When look at the big picture, it can be overwhelming. But God has been our Calm during this time, helping us keep our priorities straight and to stay focused. He is the anchor we hold onto.

Faith of a child.

Genevieve has a toddler book of Bible accounts. She has brought the book to me a lot lately, turning it to the same page each time and asking me to read about "the rain." It is an account of a storm, found in Mark 4:35-41. Here is Mark 4:37-39 (ESV):

37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

And here is Genevieve's paraphrase of her book's version:

Once there was a big storm on a lake. They were very afraid. Jesus was sleeping on the boat. When He woke up, He told the waves to stop splashing and the wind to stop blowing. The sea was calm again.

I asked her why she likes to this account so much. To summarize, she says it's because they were afraid but God made it calm again. You have to understand that she's afraid of storms. This account comforts her. And every time she quotes it she reminds us of an important truth: Jesus is the Calm through the storm. Regardless if He chooses to stop the storm or give us the strength and faith to get through it, we trust Him to be our Calm.

Analogy completed.

We suddenly look over and see Jesus. We realize that He is with us and we feel an incredible calm come over us. We stop focusing on the big picture and start looking at the task before us. We grab buckets and begin to empty the boat, one bucket at a time. The entire time, we feel calm as we remember that Jesus is with us. With each bucket removed, the boat buoys higher in the water. Before long, we realize that the water is all gone. We made it!

While we are caught up in this whirlwind, we are anchored to God. We know that though there might be uneasiness during this transition, we will find calmness in Him!

Thank you God for using a 2 year old child to remind us of this truth!

Why Costa Rica

People often ask us this simple question: "Why Costa Rica?" And we usually reply with this simple answer: "Because God."

It's not about the "where"

Some missionaries feel called to a particular country, region or people group from a young age. As long as I can remember, my brother has felt called to work with the Vietnamese people. He has worked with Vietnamese churches in America for years. He married a Vietnamese woman. I've heard him say, "My mother told me I could grow up to be anything I wanted. I chose Vietnamese." This is my brother's story. But this is not our story.

While Polly and I each felt a God's calling on our hearts to missions, neither of us ever felt the burden to a specific place or people. So when God opened the door to Costa Rica, we had no specific burden there. We prayed about our decision and said yes not because of the burden there, but because we felt like it was what God wanted for us. We would rather be in the center of God's will for our lives than anywhere else.

Not growing up with a burden for Costa Rica doesn't mean we don't have one now. God has put a desire on our hearts for Costa Rica and especially the Ticos (what Costa Ricans call themselves). We now have a burden for Costa Rica, just like we had a burden for young people in and around Dudley. 

It's about the "why"

It's not about where we go or what we do, it's about why we do it. We go to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. And we believe in the fullness of the Gospel. Jesus died on the cross and rose to life again to bring salvation, to heal people spiritually, forgiving them of their sins if they would only put their faith in Him. Jesus also wants to heal people physically, emotionally, relationally, mentally, socially, etc.

The need exists everywhere. We are not simply going to chase the need. We couldn't possibly go everywhere the need exists. But we can go where God is telling us to go and do our part. Costa Rica is our part in this season. Thus, Costa Rica is our heart in this season. We love Costa Rica and we love the Ticos!

The crazy thing is that we already have this love and passion and we haven't even ever been there yet. How much more intense will our passion be once we live alongside the Ticos?! We can't wait. This is a good thing because we are leaving on January 8, 2014, which is less than 10 weeks away! In order to leave on that date, however, we need to raise the remainder of our budget.

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Energized Faith

Polly and I have done our best to stay out of debt. We don't have a mortgage, never carry a balance on our credit card and own our cars. Still, we are far from debt-free.

Laden with debt.

I used to have a bumper sticker on my car that read, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." The truth is that education is not cheap in the U.S. As such, Polly and I have school-loan debt. Before we leave for Costa Rica we need to get that debt down to the allowable limit as we will not be able to live overseas on our modest salary if we're paying too much in debt each month. Our school debt has been the biggest obstacle for our leaving for Costa Rica. So we've been praying for a solution. And we found out yesterday that we may have our answer.

A glimmer of hope.

A couple years ago, the Assemblies of God came up with a program for students graduating from its Bible colleges. Too many students were leaving school with so much debt that they could not go into full-time ministry. In order to change that they came up with a solution, a grant. There are a lot of prerequisites that need to be met by someone in order to qualify for the grant but for each student who does qualify, the grant will pay up to $400/mo toward school loans for 3 years. That's a serious chunk of change.

I had heard about this a while ago, knowing Polly could be eligible, but I forgot about it until a friend brought it up recently. As I was praying about our loans yesterday, I decided to go online and look up the grant.

How often do we pray for something but never take an action step toward the answer? God WILL answer our prayers and do things His way in His time, but that's not an excuse for us to be passive. He will direct us, but we still need to take the steps.

One of the first things I noticed is that the application deadline is fast approaching, with a September 16, 2013 deadline. That's less than 2 weeks away! Through a few short emails it seems that Polly may actually meet the prerequisites. There is no guarantee that she will receive the grant yet, but we're praying and believing for favor. Would you pray with us for a miracle?

The big "What if..."

As we were walking through our neighborhood yesterday and praying, I began thinking about how awesome it would be for this grant to come through. I was already picturing myself writing the testimony into our newsletter about how God once again showed His faithfulness. Then the "other" thought came into my mind. "What if this falls through? What will I write then?"

Immediately I was reminded of God's constant faithfulness and my response to that thought was this:

If this falls through and Polly doesn't get the grant then it will be just one more thing to write about how we tried so many options but how God finally came through another way.

You see, the reality that hit me is that God will meet this need and provide a solution, regardless if it's this one or another. The means isn't what matters, God is!

We will pray.

We are praying for favor in this solution unless that door closes. And we will pray with confidence, believing and expecting great things. A friend and I were talking last night about God's faithfulness. I was sharing an awesome miracle I had read about from a missionary friend yesterday concerning his daughter. In short,

The missionary's daughter needed surgery to remove a tumor from her spine and the missionary wanted to have it done in the U.S. instead of Japan.

• He "just happened" to mention it to his regional director
• Who "just happened" to mention it to the executive director
• Who "just happened" to have a son who is an orthopedic spine surgeon at a pediatric hospital in San Diego.

Dr. Mundis performed the surgery this past Monday and all went well.

When I heard that, I was amazed! Not surprised...amazed. As my friend said last night, "Miracles don't surprise us, they energize us." I completely agree. I am energized to believe for awesome things regarding our school loans.

Baby Love

Well, it's officially public information: we are expecting our second child. Many people, possibly you, have offered warm messages of congratulations, celebrating this news with us. Since a number of people have already asked us a number of questions, I decided to address some of the bigger ones here.

What is the due date?

Dates can change (Genevieve was 10 days late) so we'll avoid specifics and just say the beginning of March.

Was this baby a surprise?

Yes and no. While we were not planning this child, we weren't shocked either. We're happy because we wanted about 3 years between children. Genevieve will be a month or so past 3.

Where will the baby be born?

Our target departure date  for Costa Rica is January so the baby will be born in Costa Rica.

Will the baby be a U.S. citizen or a Costa Rican citizen?

Both. Costa Rica will recognize the baby as a citizen because he will be born there. Meanwhile, the United States will recognize the baby as a citizen because Polly and I are both citizens. We will have to file paperwork for both, but it's apparently pretty easy. While I'm sure there could be some cons to dual citizenship (two countries that could charge taxes), there are also pros:

• He can travel to countries not friendly with the U.S. on his Costa Rican passport.
• He can live in either place without worrying about visas or such.
• Costa Rica's education is cheaper.

Will we find out the gender? Will we announce it?

Yes and yes. We should find out in about two months (we don't have the date yet, but I'm guessing October). It will benefit us to know because it will be easier to bring gender-specific stuff to Costa Rica than buy it there. You will know shortly after we do.

Do we have a gender preference?

The cop-out answer would be to say that it doesn't matter and we'll be happy either way. While that's not untrue, we still have a preference. Genevieve wants a girl. While it would be easier to have a girl from a practical standpoint, Polly and I want a boy. Hey, there's a reason I chose to use the generic "he' instead of "she" when talking about the baby.

Will this impact our work in Costa Rica?

Having a baby always impacts anything you do. With that said, it will not impact our target date or our objectives. It may mean that Polly has to work harder with language school but there are always sacrifices made when having a baby, and let's be honest, it's not typically the baby making them.

We are very excited for what's in store and we are thrilled that there will be another member of our little family to enjoy it with. After hearing his heartbeat the other day, it's starting to feel more real. And of course, considering the fact that we will most likely be gone for 3 years, there is a real possibility that we come back to the U.S. as a family of five rather than four.

One of Those Days

Have you ever had one of those days? As ambiguous as that phrase is, I bet you know what I mean and I'm sure you've had more than one of them. Well, today is one of those days for me.

So many causes.

So many things can cause one of those days, ranging from minor to serious. Some of my past examples include:

• Being stuck in traffic
• Running late for work
• Receiving bad news
• Receiving an unexpected bill
• Losing money
• Having car troubles
• Waking up with a cold
• Waking up "on the wrong side of the bed"
• Getting into an argument

A changed perspective.

I want to share something that changed my outlook a couple of years ago regarding "one of those days." I cannot recall the cause way back then but I remember that I was having one of those days. At one point I finally just said, 

This has just been a bad day.

I immediately felt convicted. God creates every day. And everything that God creates is good. There are no bad days! It would be disingenuous to suggest that some aren't more challenging than others, but they're not bad. This creates a philosophical shift in our thinking because no matter what discouragement may come along, there are encouraging things too.

Psalm 3 says (in the ESV):

A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.

1 O LORD, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God. Selah

3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the LORD,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.

7 Arise, O LORD!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.

8 Salvation belongs to the LORD;
your blessing be on your people! Selah

David was having "one of those days." But I love how David responds. He acknowledges that the Lord is the lifter of his head. And as verse 5 points out, even the fact that we wake up is cause to thank God.

What caused today's "one of those days"?

I just had a bit of discouragement with raising our budget. After an amazing 25 day period, we haven't seen any movement in our budget over the past 4 days.

It's hard work to raise a budget. It's tough to not be in control of our own future. Yet, we'd have it no other way. God has never let us down. His ways are always better than our ways. I trust Him to be in control more than I trust myself.

Thankfully I have an encouraging wife who reminds me to hold on to faith. I do believe that we're leaving in August. I know that doesn't add up using our logic, but I'm reminded of Proverbs 3:5, 6 which says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

I will trust in the LORD. Like David, I know where my help comes from. I know who lifts my head when it hangs low. So today, rather than simply pray to see the hand of God (provision) I will pray to see the face of God (intimacy).

I wrote this blog because I knew that I would read the Bible and be encouraged. When I write, I can read my own advice. Maybe you're having "one of those days." I pray you'll be encouraged and put your trust in God.

3 Lessons from the Potty

While I learn from books, teachings/sermons and conversations, many lessons come from real life events, moments when you experience an event and then realize it has application to a greater truth. One such lesson came for me yesterday.

Potty talk.

We had been talking about potty training for a while but had never really committed to the challenge. On Thursday, Polly finally decided that it was time to commit. After Genevieve's nap, we began the concerted effort to potty train Genevieve. This meant putting her in underwear instead of diapers. For the remainder of Thursday, Genevieve didn't tell us when she needed to use the potty and experienced accident after accident. The whole day Friday brought more of the same. The potty remained unused

Neither Polly nor I were instilled with confidence that Genevieve was going to use the potty any time soon. While we knew that it wouldn't likely happen overnight, we were hoping for progress. It was feeling a little hopeless. Then Saturday came.

Genevieve told us each time she needed to potty when she was wearing her underwear and used the potty each time. What a difference a day made! I know there will be more accidents to come and that we still have a ways to go in this journey, but Saturday brought hope!

The truth is that we knew she would eventually use the potty all by herself. But it took her actually doing it to bring hope. Up to that point, we were simply acting in faith. Here are 3 lessons this taught me:

You need to take that step of faith.

The positive results of Saturday would not have happened unless we finally took a leap of faith and put Genevieve in her underwear. Most things we are wanting and waiting for will not happen until we first step out and take action.

Today's results don't dictate tomorrow's results.

Although things seemed hopeless on Friday, we knew that it was only a day and a half and that the positive results would come. She was going to use the potty eventually. It would have been unreasonable for us to quit based on Friday's results. Tony Palow, pastor at Assembly of God in North Providence, RI had a great quote in his sermon today. He said, "We often give up instead of press in." That's true in many areas. When we're ready to give up, that's the time to press in.

Momentum is important.

There is a lot be said about the power of momentum. Positive results start multiplying quickly. It's exponential in growth. Some call this the snowball effect. What starts as a little snowball gets big rather quickly with a little momentum. And the bigger it gets, the more momentum there is. It's a great cycle.

The application.

We began raising our budget for Costa Rica last April. Over the first 9 months, we raised 17%. It would have been easy to be discouraged. But we knew the results of the first 9 months didn't dictate what would happen in the months to follow. Sure enough, 2013 kicked off with our best month yet. In fact, from January through April, we raised an additional 25%. The snowball was rolling.

Recently, with an eye toward leaving for Costa Rica in August of this year, we kicked off the 100 Days Campaign. We knew that we would need the 100 day period starting May 8 to far surpass our fundraising to that point. With over half our budget to raise, we recognized the need for a big miracle. We took the step of faith and pressed in. Things have started off strongly. After 18 days, we had already raised an additional 11% in new commitments. If we keep up that pace, we will be leaving on our target date.

So, we need to keep pressing in and keep that momentum going. Would you consider helping to keep that snowball rolling? A monthly commitment of any amount will do exactly that. You can set that up at http://s1.ag.org/brown or by clicking the "Partnering with Us" link above.