Kickin' It 4 Captives: 50 hours. 40 players. 1 epic game of kickball.

7 weeks from now, on April 9-11, Mercy Project supporters are taking on a challenge of World Record proportions. We'll be setting the Guiness World Record for the longest running game of kickball. Woohoo! Starting at noon on that Friday and lasting until 2 PM on Sunday, a team of 40 players will take the field to raise money for the Mercy Project. Each player is responsible for bringing at least $200 to the game, all going towards our friends on Lake Volta. We have teammates coming in from all over Texas and even a few from out of state to play. It's gonna be... well, amazing. Planning is in full swing; I sent the shirts to the printer today, $15 if you'd like to order one. (Click on the above image for a close-up.) So pumped! Please be in prayer as the plans evolve further over the next 2 months. Let me know if you'd like to be apart of the epic-ness is any way. Yes, epic-ness is a word.

There's just something about snowfall – in Dallas, nonetheless! – that makes me feel like a little kid on Christmas morning. Never heard an exact count, but we got close to a foot dumped on us last Thursday. All I know is, I came straight home from work, threw my snow boots on and headed out with Rachel. We joined about 50-60 other people in snowman-making out on the athletic fields across the street. So fun; it was like a holiday greeting card scene.




(please disregard the crazy hair... had to take one for the team and put my toboggan on our faceless snowman!)



Of course now, the snow is mostly melted away. The snowman field looks like a battleground of melted parts and pieces. Trees are everywhere and have wreeked some serious havok on carports and fences in our neighborhood. But... it sure was fun!

It's been an interesting week. One of those in which things keep coming up that you really didn't expect. Not always a bad thing, but feeling a slight sense of 'derailment' lately. Funny thing is, I'm not sure where the train was headed in the first place, so I guess it doesn't really matter! Now ceasing bad analogies...

Enjoyed out discussion time on Wednesday night this week. We've been digging into the lives of Ron Hall and Denver Moore even more in What Difference Do It Make?, and it's been a blessing. Here are some thoughts from Denver that I've been wanting to share:

"What people needs is people. And needy people don't need no perfect people neither. When Jesus sent His disciples out, He sent Peter right along, knowin Peter had a bad temper and a potty mouth and was gon' deny Him three times. He sent John and James even though they was full a' pride and fightin over the best seat at the table. He even sent Judas, knowin Judas was gon' betray Him. Even though Jesus knowed all a' their sin and weakness, He sent 'em anyway... If you is waitin to clean up your own life before you get out and help somebody else, you may as well take off your shoes and crawl back in the bed 'cause it ain't never gon' happen. Jesus don't need no help from no perfect saints. If He did, He wouldn't a' gone up yonder and left us down here in charge."

"I ain't got no way to read the mind a' God, but I 'xpect part a' His business is makin it Christmas for somebody ever day. If all the Christians – I mean all of 'em – got outta the pews on Sundays and into the streets, we'd shut the city down. We'd shut down hunger. We'd shut down loneliness. We'd shut down the notion that there is any such of a thing as a person that don't deserve a kind word and a second chance."

Stay tuned for posts on record snow... and a World Record attempt coming up in April!

Some musings from this week. Some are 'old news', others are recent insights. I continue to learn...

1. Coffee houses. This afternoon I had the pleasure of discovering a new coffee hangout with an old friend. Crooked Tree Coffeehouse is nestled in the middle of an Uptown neighborhood. In fact, it's actually a small little house that's been renovated into a 30-occupancy coffee shop, complete with live music on Friday nights. Very cool. Because most of my local buddies aren't big coffee drinkers, I forget how much I enjoy these little havens. And so, I've decided to make it a priority to explore all the coffee nooks and crannies that Dallas has to offer. I mean, how have I lived here for 3 years and only know about the Starbucks across the street that I refuse to frequent? No more, I say!

2. Plan events/get-togethers/small escapes that you can look forward to. An essential. For me this may include a road race, catching up with a friend, a park outing, a trip to the library, etc. Just something to look forward to each week. Whether it be needed quiet time or a social excursion, time away is always blessed and renewing.

3. Shopping for jeans is brutal. Absolutely brutal. Dear Maker O' Jeans: Let me now declare, I will never give in to the "skinny jeans". If I wanted to look like a stork, I'd at least find a more comfortable way to do so than wearing tight denim. All I'm sayin' is, bring back the bootcut... without the rhinestones. If I wanted to have decorated jeans decked out in gems and silver studs, I'd ask the girl that lives below us to share a pair. She's 10. While we're at it, can we work on a universal sizing system? I don't have time to try on a range of 4 different sizes in each style to find a pair in your store that may or may not fit, just to repeat the experience at the next store. That is all.

4. Good friends cannot be beat. Obvious, right? But I have to say, I love those little moments after a good conversation when you just can't help but be grateful for people to share life with. I continue to be reminded of the goodness of God and his wisdom in blessing us with each other. Kudoos to the man upstairs.

5. On working out... Granted some time off since Houston has been warranted. But only running 4-5 times in 3 weeks is a bit extreme for me. And granted life has been a bit hectic lately, but I've decided that I'm much more sane/happy/relaxed when I get my daily workout in. Here's to getting it together and getting up on time.

6. Speak up... with discretion of course. I was told this week "don't be quiet, speak up"! (To which I thought, is that what you really want? Cause you may get more than you bargained for!) But there's merit there too. Often we are silent cause it's easier or more comfortable, but then there are those moments in which we wish we had said what we were feeling at the time or voiced our opinion louder. Pick and choose, but more often than not, don't be afraid to be honest and use the voice box.

7. It's good to get LOST at times. If you don't know that LOST kicked off its final season this week, shameful. Immerge from the hole/cave you've been living in. I have to say, it was pretty fantastic. 3 hours Tuesday night made for a long day, but it was worth it. Here's to raising more questions than are possibly answerable. Hmmm.... sounds a lot like life. But, who knows, maybe we will find out what happened to Claire. And maybe Juliet will come back from the dead... again.

8. Cooking/baking makes life a lil bit better. It all began last weekend with homemade elk lasagna and cheesy potato soup. I'm on a cooking spree, and I kinda like it. Muffins this morning, salad concoction with black beans and corn tonight, and I've been on the hunt for new recipes to try. And I may or may not have made brownies tonight...

9 & 10. Sometimes you have to endure the 'not so pleasant' in order to reach the 'oh so pleasant'. There is a point when you just gotta suck it up and endure, but there's also a point in which you hit a dead end and need to move on. Fine line and a balance that I am currently working on.

BUT, Life is way too short to not do what you love. I have been keenly reminded of this truth in the last few days and have spent a lot of time thinking about it. With no conclusion of course, but at least it's a start. I had this moment earlier in the week in which I thought 'this is working, this is finally falling into place', just to be blindsided the following morning. (Way to keep a person on their toes... you got me good!) However, in the midst of the minor turmoil, I found myself again pondering the fact that I need to be doing/working towards the things that I love, those passions and dreams that always slip back under the rug in the day to day hum of life. And so, what is it that I've temporarily lost sight of and need to be doing with my life right now? Hmmm...