**Mustard Seed Distributed**

As my brothers and sisters struggle in the face of attacks from satan, including myself, my heart longs for releif, and for encouragement from God. It is heartbreaking to see others being attacked in their effort to follow Jesus, physically, spiritually, and financially. Acts 2 has hit me hard, and pastor and his wife have brought it to me this week. Acts 2:44-45 is particularly helpful in times like this-being part of a church plant: 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. So if we are REALLY going to be a 'community' in 'communitas' on this dangerous mission of following Jesus, then we need to sell it all, and give to those in need. In particular, my brothers brick and briggsy, and my sister eve are all hurting in multiple ways. ...

My heart is heavy today as Satan attacks my communitas brothers and sisters across the nation. Please pray for communitas right now. Praise God for bringing this group together, and ask Him to strengthen our team that is being plagued with discouragement, beating, and break downs in jobs, relationships, and hope. I pray that our group can 'consider it pure joy' to go through the trials and persevere.

If you don't know what a wordle is, then you are a lame duck. Check out the wordle for my blog :

Watching the sun rise from Mariner Park today, God asked me some specific questions that hit me pretty hard in the spirit: Will you trust me? Can you love without me? Will you listen to me? Will you really go there for me? Will you trust in me? Will you serve others first? Very eye opening when God starts asking you specific questions on your way. I enjoyed my conversations with the benzr last night. Even though the sick family will abuse me, I have to tell you that God has blessed me with this position, and I am thankful that I love what I do. I have always been fortunate to enjoy what I do to earn money for our family to live, but this is the bomb. I really believe it is because I did entrust my work world to the hands of God, and he has continued to show me what life can be like (in ALL areas) if I trust Him and His plan for my life. (See above questions from this morning.) So go ahead sick mother, make fun of me. That's why you are a sick mother.

Yesterday, we were once again in the D for our BBQ with the homeless. I had conversations with more people there yesterday than I ever have. Part of the reason is because I am getting to know a lot of people that are coming on a regular basis. Victoria needs to get some treatment for her kidneys, but has no health care, and no way to get to the social service office, etc. John talked with me about his discouragement in trying to find a job when he doesn't even have bus fare to get to a place to fill out an application, let alone an interview or making it to work on time. It was fun, however, to see that love and hope shine in people's eyes knowing that we were there by the grace of God to serve them. I have never gotten as many thank yous before as I did yesterday, either. People are genuinely seeing God at work in the park. I know I did. It is incredible when you set your own agenda (college football saturday, NASCAR race Sunday, or insert your own self-serving activit...

Don't you listen? Hear my voice. Always with you. It is mine to give. Lament to repent. Trust in me. Love others first. Or you will succomb. Love is my way. To reach the poor. Sell your goods. To show the way. It is not a game. To live the life. My way is best. You will see in the end. I am with you-always. I will show you. Come, follow me. It is ours to gain-The World.

There are so many good things to tell you all about, I don't even know where to start. It is a riot to come to school here, the kids are so receptive, and I laugh all the time with them because they crack me up. My boy t (a staff member) and I shake hands everytime we see each other, and he makes me smile while he teaches me new lingo. He is a riot. I had a student come up and give me a hug today for no apparent reason. I got invited to a football game this Saturday from a kid I talked to once, and he was serious about that. I also have a new routine in the morning, although I was spoiled being less than a mile from school for the last four years. So now I get up earlier, and I am probably not getting enough sleep during the week, but I can't wait to get here in the morning. But after the commute, I go to Mariner Park which is the mouth of the Detroit River. Freighters sometimes roll by quietly, and it is pretty loud when they honk at each other. It is a beautiful pla...

I can’t tell you the last time that I spent any time with my cousin UT. It has been five years or so since we have seen each other, but last night we went out to dinner, and went to the place with the buffalo, and hung out with our other cousin jdubs. It was fun to just spend time together, and catch up on each other’s lives. UT is going through some challenging times with his wife he is in the process of divorcing. I give him so much credit for remaining positive, and trying to do the right thing through the process. I pray that God will help him to stay on that path. Isn’t it odd how some of your friends and family –you can spend years away from each other and then just pick up where you left off. That is how we have always been, even growing up in different states. But come summer time we would get together, or at easter break, or whenever, and just pick up and hang out like no time had passed. I have always enjoyed spending time with him, and we both vowed to stay in bette...

So I miss my homeys in R-town. Had breakfast with them this morning, and realized that they have been part of my heart for the last four plus years. I miss them, shout out to cdubs for calling me to breakfast. So I drove out of the parking lot, not the 1/4 mile to RMS, but the 39+ miles to my new school in the D. But as I felt the heartbreak of leaving those friends (but only for the day!!), I felt my heart filled with my new friends here. Benzr, the spaniard, martinique, the breminator, and morse code. I am certain to learn much from them this year, and I already have. I continue to look forward to more learning 'as we go along the way.' I already laugh so much each day. So don't be sad if your heart is breaking because it will be filled.

Thank you for the lame voting produced in the poll to give 'a cool nickname' to the kushmonkey. Be careful what you ask for, or you just might get it. So hats off to the new kushmonkey. Kushmonkey. Go ahead, say it out loud while you are reading this: KUSHMONKEY. It's fun to say. I have a new place for my quiet time-Mariner's Park. I'm not a mariner. Yo no soy marinero........soy capitan..........soy capitan..........bamba bamba. I was going to post a photo, but I'm still in the process of learning the photo options on my new phone.....or you would be able to see a photo from the park looking out at the mouth of the Detroit River, and it is really cool when two freighters pass and honk at each other at the entrance to the river. Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE my new position? OK. Just checking.

It is hard to follow Jesus. No check that, hard is such a small word. It is challenging, difficult, full of adversity, it is. You think you are doing well, then you realize you are not doing well in the other area. So you work on that. You get better at that part, then you blow it in another area. Don't fret, though, because He promises you the Holy Spirit to get you through. I never got that before, but I think I am at least starting to understand that. If you are reading God's word, if you are trying to serve others before yourself, the Holy Spirit will nudge you in all areas of your daily life. But make no mistake, it is just a glimpse of the work against you by Satan. The devil doesn't take days off, he is always scheming, and he is good at it. So pay attention to your thought patterns, because the good ones are from the Holy Spirit, and the bad ones are from Satan. Give him a foothold, and he will move in and set up shop. How do you not let him? Fight. W...

The first week of school is complete in a lot of places, and it was so cool to be working in the D this week. The excitement, the energy, the laughs we had this week were fun. I really thought that this would be cool from the get go, but honestly, I had no idea just how interesting and enlightening this would be. I am also finding out that I am at one of the best schools for the organization-isn't that neat. A couple of stories from the week that will not soon leave my mind or my heart- During middle school lunch I am getting to know a few of the boys in the lunch line, and we are talking about basketball, etc. One shows me how he shoots, and the watch he has on is about 2.5 inches in circumference, and it looks like diamonds all the way around the edge, and for the numbers, and on the arms. But it really looks like diamonds. So I say to him-That's quite a piece of bling bling you got there. And ALL of them start cracking up. I'm like-what? So Antoine tells me ...

If you are not a full time educator for your employment needs, you probably don't truly understand the implications of 'opening day' like we educators do. It is the first batter, it is the first play from scrimmage, it is the opening number, it is the first intro to a song, it is .... get it? It is a huge day for all, and the excitement and energy of starting another school year can be overwhelming if you are doing things right. I have to be honest with you, I have had over a dozen first days of school, and all of them have been incredible. Some bumps on the road for sure, but great days in my memory banks. I have to be honest, though, today was the best ever. I can't explain what it means to be the only white male working in a school of 665 + students, but I can tell you it was the most enjoyable opening day I have ever experienced. I am blessed to be working with the benzr crew, they really are an incredible group of people that are absolutely committed to exc...

So if you read my nugget cousin, you know that the chicas bonitas went to georgia for the weekend to visit their cousins, my bros' kids. Nugget and kt took the girls down for the weekend. They are not home yet, but they do start school (at home this year) tomorrow. Pretty exciting for them, I am sure that they got to go to visit their cousins sans parents. Which leads me to the weekend of fun. After arriving home from the staff retreat (I love the pink pony), superstar and I went to arts/eats/beats in pontiac. If you live in Southeast Michigan and have not attended, all I have to say is: SHAME ON YOU. It is a great time with lots of really cool art to look at, all different types of free music on several stages throughout the city, oh, and by the by, great food all around you that you can check out. I know, kind of like heaven except for no manna. We have gone a few times, but I have to be honest, without the kids at home or with us, it was much more relaxing, and fun to b...