Julie Phillips cf fundraiser

This is the most recent video I've done. It really enjoyed it though it was just like a taste on the tip of my tongue of what I'd really like to do. Praise God that He keeps giving me little opportunities to work on small projects, reminding me of how much I enjoy it. It was a real privilege to hang out with Julie, who sincerely loves God and has hope, believing that He has lovingly planned out her life.
I think my wife's voice sounds pretty good in this video too!

Monterey Bay Aquarium Church

What I say on this video doesn't sound quite right. I really meant to highlight that God is at work providing for our needs.
There is a lot more to the aquarium, but I edited to a song, and these are the clips that matched the mood of the song. I really like this song from one of my favorite movies, "Life Is Beautiful."
Thank God for FBC Monterey. They are really a blessing to us.

We like trees!

Heidi and I just shaved our mailing list a little. So now we're saving trees and about $14 in postage for each mailing we do. We love sending people real mail, and we love getting real mail. But if you've moved fully into the digital age or if you loath paper cuts let us know, and we'll just send you our newsletters via e-mail. heidibelle@gmail.com

Recession Rewards

These are five points that make this recession God-glorifying. They were taken from a recent John Piper sermon. Some of your Ojai/Goleta folks may have heard them as I shared them on our most recent visit.

1. He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing.
2. He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.
3. He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.
4. He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory.
5. He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.

Princess in Training

Check out Harley's blog ➜

Back With Our Boys

We had a great trip down to Ojai, CA. Heidi and I took Harley and Zechariah, and Drew and Joe stayed with Jeff's parents.
You wouldn't even believe how good Zechariah and Harley were! On average we were in three different homes each day, and they just played happily and quietly while we talked and talked until we were blue in the face.
Our trip was like a visit to the amusement park for me. There were constant ups and downs, but my heart was in all of those experiences. I have such a deep and abiding love for the church. So it just sucks my energy out, the good and the bad. I pour myself into it. It is utterly fulfilling and wonderfully draining.
Check out Drew's Blog. I just put a video there. I'm also going to post on my blog tonight. I heard something a pastor said about missions, and it got my wheels turning in a good way so I think it will help me communicate what I've been wrestling with. Check back on March 11 for my new post.

Caleb's 1st Birthday

This is a little out dated. Caleb was born on December 31st 2007. He's walking and starting to talk and taking the world by storm now. We will definitely miss spending a lot of time with family when we're overseas. Luckily, my parents and all of our siblings love to travel! We expect to have a lot of visitors in Mali! Maybe France too.