ccfjoe's Xanga

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 12:07:25 GMT

while it has been a while since i have written... it does not fully reflect on my creative thought processes.

sorry for anyone that was trying to keep tabs with me through this venue... i apologize. lately, i have loved writing in my own hand-written journal. there is something about interacting with pencil (actually an ever-sharp) and an eraser... i can fine tune my thoughts before they are sent to the world. which is not a bad thing i'll have you know. a part of me has been discontent with the internet lately. there is just SO MUCH information out there that i wonder if we just don't tune out. like this will come into your inbox... and i wonder how many will even read it? to those of you who are faithful communicators... thanks... i do read your blogs. (well, most of them)... though sometimes, if it is too long... i skim. i feel like i have to. or else i don't have time to listen to my own kids. does that make sense? thanks for listening to my rant.

angela, thanks for your note. you really rock.

here is to icey roads......how do you spell icey? joe

Monday, September 25, 2006

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 17:13:16 GMT

Moses –

Israelites enslaved for 430 years

While oppression reigned in Egypt

An edict ------ a slaughter

Even of baby boys in their cribs

Faithful mother - basket of reeds…

Heart wrenching farewell by the Nile

Where would you go? Where would you land?

In the lap of a princess – God rescued in style!

Nurse-maid was sent for –

God’s hand again provides

Your very own mom to care for…

The infant needs of her child.

The best of Egypt at your disposal –

Education, resources, pleasures unmeasured,

Which would you choose – Moses of old –

Egypt or… the people you treasured?

Moses –

A beaten fellow Israelite

Your fury fully aroused –

Death of a task master

Your freedom to choose – now denounced

You flee!!!

40 year old runaway –

running away to Midian –

Jethro’s daughters you rescue

And end up marrying one –

40 years you spend

tending sheep until

you encounter God’s invite

His small – STILL – voice.

80 year old Moses –

how did it feel?

Confronting mighty, mighty pharaoh?

Again and again until..

He’d let your people GO!

Plague of blood – gnats and flies –

Plague of darkness –

Death of livestock, frogs and more

Only caused greater hardness –

Of pharaoh’s heart.

Passover night – what was it like?

To be shielded by the blood of a lamb.

While the death angel passed…

Everywhere in Egypt… even thru your camp.

Deliverer of Israel – leader extraordinaire

Out of bondage to freedom –

Would your people care?

These millions you led –

What a burden to bear… for Him!

At the Red Sea

You weren’t even bothered…

Water on one side…

Pharaoh’s army on the other –

But God made a way

A way through the sea

Deliverance for Israel –

And a way to flee

But on pharaoh these walls

Fell to destroy

All of his army – completely

Demolished with joy!! For Israel!

Moses – oh Moses – Great leader of old –

Your ancient faith speaks to us.

Give us your zeal and fear of God

Until He comes to deliver us.

man, i really love this study in the old testament.... joe

a fun day...

Sun, 03 Sep 2006 00:42:06 GMT

we worked this morning.. *got my sermon done ... woohoo *

swam in the afternoon... (playing king of the raft)...

then went to eat mexican food... i'm having fun.... joe

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:39:00 GMT

hey, xanga friends... thought i might post my praye e-mail update...and have you all rejoice... and pray for me too, if you would. love you all.... joe

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS...
        becky franke stopped by the campus house yesterday... and when i told her we were doing a freshman week event at our house ... she said.. "i know, i have my little sheet of the events and have been praying daily for you all."   can't tell you what those words meant to me. to know that she... and all of you were interceding for us here. it really has been a pretty amazing week.
        God has given us pretty amazing weather..(in the 80's)... and even the rain forecasted for yesterday, just disappeared.
        He has given us open doors with lots of freshmen (don't have an exact number .. but with the night activities.. and our regularly scheduled ones... i think we have seen around 200 new faces.
        last night there were 25 new international students that heard about the 'bash at the barn' and came out.
        many of those came back repeatedly all week... and commented on how they can't wait for the small groups to begin.

        our upperclassmen are exhausted... from cooking/praying/cleaning/hosting/calling in the dorms/... please pray for a special blessing upon them for alll they have done this week. wow, there is no way we could have done it without them. wow.

        some of you have prayed specific things for us...and sent e-mails... i think all of them have been answered exactly as you prayed. wow.

        tonight from 8-midnight, we are having a retreat with our leaders... (ministry heads.. and small group leaders alike)... then tomorrow have our first sunday morning service on campus. please pray that God helps us in these first weeks to connect students with others who can help them grow in their faith.
        i have heard that the first 3 weeks of a students' time at college are crucial... those clubs they join...the relationships they form are ones they will probably have for their entire 4 years. we pray that the Lord might be paramount in those decisions...and need you to pray with us that students all across this country (not just at truman state) will connect with God's kids wherever they might be.
        staff: could you pray for our rest from this first week... and for godly wisdom as we discern what to put in our schedules and what to leave out. keevin and stephanie have had several open doors with international students... pray for more...
        derrick and tab are expecting their first child in january... and are adjusting to pregnancy/work/ministry... pray for their protection.
        sarah ( mark's wife) began a teaching job with the putnam county school district an hour from kirksville... pray for their adjustment to life/marriage/teaching/ministry..
        kim is working to adjust from us not being able to hire another female staff... pray that God raises up all that she needs... please...

        family... homeschool is going better. thanks for your prayers. we are transitioning to a new year... please continue to lift up jennie in all she is balancing with homeschool, discipling, being an amazing wife to me...

        funny story: in the obstacle course last night, we had one of the 12 stations be..."Catch a chicken".. (since we were given 25 chickens last spring)... one of the girls from France wanted to get in the pen and catch a chicken... though communication was a little rough... she did it. a new experience for her... pretty funny. imagine a girl from france, not dressed for the farm... chasing a chicken around in a little pen... she laughed, we laughed. all good.
        sorry this is so long... just wanted to update you...and say.. THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS..... in His grip, joe

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 19:07:29 GMT

ever think about the history of your home?

ever dig up something in your yard or garden and wonder... 'who planted this here?' today we had a couple families (that go to school with our kids) over for lunch... because they were raised in our home as kids. what a neat time. they had so many stories... walked around the yard and told how things were different years ago. they brought their mom with them also.... she is a widow, her husband had installed all the hard wood floors that everyone thinks are so beautiful in our home. we were just amazed at how God gave us this place. though we didn't hear the story of how they left this place... we have always felt li ke God had this place prepared for our children to grow up here. i am amazed at all His goodness to us. i think i'll look at the doors differently... or our old drafty porch... or the apple trees that were planted over 20 years ago that we get to climb and pick the fruit from... or the pond we get to swim in because they had it dug.

what do you think people will get to reap because you planted? what will be different 20 years from now because you took the time to put an apple twig in the ground? lots to think about.

i'm on vacation this week... no big plans... just some chores to do here around the house. can't wait.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 15:09:05 GMT

whew... have felt a lot of pressure... wasn't sure why... but then as i journaled today realized that i feel inadequate in having the wisdom for what is ahead... here are some prayer concerns....

        have felt under attack lately. have been pressed to make many decisions this week...
        1. will we homeschool mariah (our 13 almost 14 year old) next year... she was wanting to try out for cheerleading this week..
        2. we are interviewing another female staff person
        3. needed to make some decisions about our cows... to keep or not to keep... to move not to move them?
        4. i'm preaching at a high school week of camp next week and need discernment on direction... CLEAR direction.   4b, i fly out to boston thur. to sat. to brainstorm with a campus ministry planting group led by tim hawkins (an alumni).. need discernment.
        5. have had some extended family strife - not sure what my role is to be in this....
        6. with the staff direction, have wondered about the overall direction of our ministry... does the Lord want to take us somewhere different?... we are trying also to discern teaching direction which is closely tied to this.

in the midst of all this weight... i went ahead and moved our cows yesterday...got up at 4... drove out to get a truck and trailer (borrowed both)... then came back and tricked our cows into going into the barn... (we don't have the right kind of place to load out cattle)... then finally got them loaded(the trailer was smaller than i thought... josiah and i tried to pack 5 cows up front, and one cow in the back with the babies so the babies wouldn't get stepped on - got to protect the babies - but 5 wouldn't fit. so we tried 4 - but they were too big, so we had to find 2 bigger cows, with 2 smaller cows and cram them in the front. i must have pushed on these 1,400 # mama's for 10 minutes trying to get the gate closed on them...my foot hurt, my arms hurt... my heart was racing) . took them to the veterinarian to give the babies their shots and ear tags (so no one can steal them and get away with it) also poured the cows for lice and worms... (great stuff)...GOD THING - one of the vet assistants heard about our wreck... and we compared stories... his leg got broken by a bull 2 years ago... same place... same surgery... and jason and i had the best talk about our wounds... and what we have learned from it all.

then loaded them (the cattle) back on the trailer and took them by a local cattle auction to drop off one of the older calves to sell. BUT, about 5 miles away from the sale barn, i blow out a tire on the trailer... AND, the spare is low on air.. AND, i don't have a jack to raise the trailer... BUT right across from my blow out, there is a drive way, so i pull in. get out... look over the situation... and think... WOW, now what am i going to do... BUT, immediately, this mail man pulls up...(GOD THING) AND i know him... he went to a rival school in h.s, (his former wife was an alumn of ccf - i had prayed for their marriage alot) AND he likes me...AND he offers to call for some help. SO, within an hour, i have roadside help... AND am back on my way to unload a calf at the sale barn.WHILE my friends' tire gets replaced at the roadside help place. the guy unloading my calf is a guy i have been praying for intently (he divorced amy knight's boss)... (ANOTHER GOD THING) and we chat. he had forgotten my name.. that's o.k. SO, i go on out and unload the cows... scoop out the poop... (man, do you know how much fresh green poop 12 head of cattle can dump in 4 hours... it must have been about 200 lbs. of stuff... slimey... THEN, i take the trailer and truck back to their respective owners... (first i had to wash out the trailer.. remember the green slimey stuff) AND must go back to milan and get our calf check....AND the tire that got replaced. the calf sold for little... the tire cost alot ... BUT the guy who replaced my tire was the son of one of my high school teachers... had a great talk...(GOD THING) he knows God... then i got to take the tire back to my friend who had the trailer... whew!

as i drove back into town, i realized that God had worked all things together for my good. it was about 5 o'clock... i had been at this for 13 hours... and i just worshipped Him... i felt His smile... my body was weary... i felt a bit shakey... but knew in my heart that He is good.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Sun, 21 May 2006 18:57:20 GMT

i read recently that if one wanted to hone his writing skills that he needed to warm up writing for 2 hours a day. i laughed at first... then wondered what it would be like to write for that long. would my thoughts get clearer?... would i become more articulate? ... or would i just become a more pompous person who was trapped in my own thinking. perhaps if i used those words meditating on the Lord.. His word... His thoughts that are both intriguing and captivating... would i then be spinning my wheels or be pursuing the greatest mind on the planet. that is what i would love most... to pursue His mind

yesterday, i got up with my bible and journal and spent close to a couple hours reading writing... thinking on Him. it was wonderful. for those of you who have the time this summer, i would encourage you to get away with His Word and your journal and write out all you are thinking... till you come to some clarity. matt heimann has inspired me to write more... so i am. he probably has no clue that he has done it...but he has. i am going to write my thoughts more regularly... and wrestle them out. matt asked the question in his xanga as to whether the world would be different if we acknowledged the Lord in everything we did... this morning in at church... brion p. said something... he said that the word 'worship' is not defined in scripture... it is simply the picture of a person ACKNOWLEDGING God in everything they do. matt h., you would have loved that thought... it would have sent your wheels reeling... i wondered about Jesus words... "if you acknowledge Me before men, then i will acknowledge you before my Father in heaven. but if we don't... He won't." (sorry for the paraphrase)... do you get it. either we are worshipping and acknowledging.... or we aren't. try substituting acknowledge for worship in some of your favorite verses... it will get you to thinking also.

hope you enjoy the journey.... mattie... hope you love the thought. love you all.

we are heading to indiana this tue. to campus ministers retreat.. i am on the planning committee for it... if you all are praying for us... please pray that this retreat is an amazing refreshment for the 100+ campus ministers who will gather there. could you? the thought i keep getting from God on this is that He longs to CONNECT them with Himself... and with each other for greater resources... thanks for praying for me/us.. (jennie and 6 of the kids are going, too). i love you all. joe

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Wed, 17 May 2006 15:17:56 GMT

i might be breaking an old record here... journaling again before 30 days are up. when you consider the handiwork of the Lord... and how our lives seems to move along... i often times wonder if God doesn't think us pretty lame in our response to Him. sitting through a 6th grade graduation last night... the kids sang... played their instruments... they received awards... we greeted other parents courteously.... and ate our cake and drank our punch then went home... all without mentioning the Lord or His work in the lives of these young people. does God ever get jealous or upset that He is not receiving the thanks that He deserves... the words from Romans 1 haunt me... "for although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him...." i wonder how i am to do that in settings like that? do i bust out in song...? do i shout... "Hey, we forgot all that God has done in the lives of these young people!!" maggie sat and watched as andy graduated... being home-schooled, i wondered if she would feel a little left out. many of her friends were decked out in formals... and got awards like andy did... but daily, i think she has a greater awareness of all that God is doing in her life. she wanted to stay up last night to read her bible... (how can a dad say 'no' to that?)... and she said that she was still glad that she was homeschooled after all... being a dad isn't easy... being a disicple of Jesus, the Son of the Living God is not easy either... oh, to give Him more and more glory!

Monday, May 15, 2006

Mon, 15 May 2006 14:25:58 GMT

so much going on in my heart and my head...

school is out... saying goodbye to dozens of close friends/family in the Lord... and trying to not pull away emotionally, but rather to stay engaged with them. i think this is hard for me. sometimes, i feel like the 4th grader who is going to break down crying because a new friend, you just met has to go home now... but it runs much deeper than this...t hese are people who have invested in me... and i have invested in them... and now they are moving to different parts of the world. how do you pray for them now that they are gone? how do you keep interceding when you barely will learn what is going on? Lord, help me to not detach from folk, please?

tonight sarah has the lead in her 4th grade play... tomorrow andy graduates from 6th grade..(maggie was homeschooled and there is no such ceremony in the homeschool)... lots of busyness... i wish that the time would stand still sometimes, so i could just journal for a few days... maybe that is what i need?

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Sun, 16 Apr 2006 12:17:27 GMT

wow... almost a month since my last blog... guess i am going to have to change that.

it is easter... tomorrow is noel's birthday... all JOY. all JOY. with the accident... and me trying to sort out so much... journaling has been difficult for me. when i have had free time, i would rather veg... or not think, but there are stories inside of me that are longing to be told... there are words that need expressing... love that needs to be articulated.

i have been deeply humbled by the love of those who have served us through this whole ordeal... some of you who are reading this are some of those people... you have repaired my lawn mower, tilled my garden, homeschooled our children, even babysat for us that we might have some sense of normalcy.... some sense of peace. thank you... and you knnow who you are.

yesterday we got to plant our entire garden (except for some corn we will plant later)... it was amazing. d rohr had tilled our garden last thursday for about 4 hours... so the soil was ready... all we had to do was drop the seed in the ground... put the plants out and let their roots now attach to new soil. it only took us all an hour working together to get all the seed in the ground. it was nothing, really. was reminded of how Paul thought it was funny that some in corinth were following him... some silas... why? one of them just planted the seed... another just watered the seed in people's hearts... BUT it was God who gave the increase. He is the ONE to be worshipped... crazy! i felt the same way yesterday.. how could i ever take pride in this garden... as if i did anything.

Lord Jesus, this is the morning we all remember You raising from the dead... what was that like to come to life again? what was it like to descend to where the dead already were and proclaim to them the truth that they had longed to see? did your body immediately respond... were any of your joints stiff after that? like You, many friends thought recently that i was dead in the accident... they love they have poured out to me has been AMAZING... i bet your friends wanted to HUG you... wanted to love on you? i would like to worship you like that this morning... hug you like you have never been hugged before. please allow my worship to be pleasing in Your sight. would you hug me, too? in love, joe