random thoughts (past, present, & future)

just a quick random brain dump. never tried writing like this before. no specific article here... just random thoughts leaking out of my brain with no focus or direction:

Crystal's ear - praising God big time for my wife's hearing being back. she basically went deaf in her right ear a few weeks ago, but it's all good now. we've got some tests and charts i'll post that are amazing. all props to God, the awesome Healer. i plan to write a full article later as a celebration & have some kind of "ebeneezer" as a reminder.

Mom's lungs - my Mom and Dad moved to Durham on Saturday to prep for my Mom's double lung transplant. i've been praying for God to heal my Mom since before i can remember knowing what praying even was. I'll be writing more about this, but now she just needs to make it through "prehab", the right 2 lungs, and about $100K.

the beautiful game - it's back almost in full swing. most seasons are starting in the next 2 weeks. i am giddy (whatever that means). have had nothing to watch all summer besides international stuff and friendlies. Newcastle kicks off in 2 weeks against Arsenal. Go Magpies!

Joey Barton - speaking of my boys on Tyneside, the internet has gone crazy with all their talk. the latest storm today and over the weekend was all about our bad boy Joey Barton and his TWEETS. who would have ever dreamed that his Twitter account could get our best player shipped out on a free transfer! i hope Ashley sells the team to someone else fast... or maybe Bud Selig could take them over like he did the LA Dodgers?

an old/new friend - my boy Ben Schettler stayed at my house this weekend. it had been many years since we hung out. i wish i could explain the significance of our rendezvous and the whole context of our past worlds... not in a random thought dump though. Ben's a great guy and i hope we hang out and talk many more times. was good to hear him say he doesn't think i'm a heretic by the time he left.

soccer training - my latest effort to break my body back into shape is training with a local high school soccer team. these kids are in the best shape of their lives and i'm in my worst. something will have to give.

big vision getting bigger (& smaller) - the big crazy vision i have for God's renown in Africa has only continued to get bigger these past months since we returned home from Kenya. but there's also a smaller, initial side to this big vision that i'll unveil some time very soon. hopefully, it will be revolutionary... but only the beginning.

6 years! - Crystal and i celebrate our 6th anniversary on Friday. can't remember what i was doing 6 years ago today? i think my boys were just starting to roll in for the week of wedding festivities. those were "simpler times" but these times are great. i love my wife more than i ever have... and i never thought that was possible. she is amazing.

our baby - & last but not least our baby is at 26 weeks now - kicking & flipping & even hearing what we say to it. Crystal's bump has definitely popped and it's awesome to feel this child 'o mine kick. not long until i get to hold this baby. i am nothing but excited. (Ok, a little freaked still too.)

i'm out to a meeting with an awesome friend and leader to talk dreams and vision & then it's soccer practice in the heat. wow, been a long time since i went to "soccer practice".