Pictures from the Barbecue Party

Barbara's Gone

We had to take Barbara to the airport yesterday, and I already miss her. I just love that girl!!!


We are doing a show today in Nashville. Pray that it goes well.

Burgers and a Zip Line

Wow! Yesterday was one of the funnest days of my life! Everybody came over yesterday after church. There were 18 of us in all. We ate burgers and chocolate chips cookies (some sides as well) and then, we chatted with Michawn and Joel on skype. That's so fun to be able to talk with someone and even see them in Brazil. We prayed with them. That was so special to me. I could feel the sincerity of the prayer within the room.

After that, we went on our 320 foot zip line!!! It was a surprise to our party friends. That was so fun!!! It was actually a little scary at first. That thing goes fast! Even the bmx riders and motocross racers were a little leery of it at first. Our neighbor, Billy, was out there helping cut down trees and limbs that were in the way. He's always funny. Our friends got a kick out of him.

After that, we watched the movie "Nacho Libre" because Barbara had seen it in Spanish and didn't think it was funny. She thought it was hilarious in English. Many of us took the movie time to take a nap. Then, we pulled out all of the food and ate again. By this time, it was getting dark, so we built a bonfire. We also set off fireworks. What a great day!!!

Party with a Purpose Barbecue

We are home for a short time. Today, we are having a Party with a Purpose. Brock's grilling out. Actually, he already grilled the burgers and chicken yesterday. I made cookies yesterday, so after church, all we have to do is heat everything up! It's going to be an easy and fun day. However, it's raining right now. Hopefully, that will clear up.

We are having a party for Joel and Michawn. They are missionaries in Brazil. Joel flies missionaries into the Amazon so that they can share the gospel with ones who have never heard of Jesus. You can go to the link that says "Michawn's blog" in order to go to her blog and find out more about them.

Pray that lots of people come despite the rain!

Week Two of Superwow

This week was absolutely wonderful! The crowd was great just like last week. Brock brought his air horn and we continued the freeze whenever he blew it. It was so fun! Before we began the service last night, we started a sort of congo line down the aisle and people joined in. In the middle of it, the horn blew. Everybody froze and the music stopped. When the horn blew again, everybody picked up where they left off and the music began again.

My favorite day was the day that Stephanie shared. So much healing went on. It was so absolutely needed. We got to watch the Lord move and heal and counsel in such a big way. There was one girl whom everybody had been praying for since she was 5 years old. Her father had died and her mother abandoned her at that point. Now, she's 16 and after years of professional counseling was still hurting so badly. The Lord allowed her to release on Wednesday and the ultimate Counselor worked in her heart. She was able to forgive her mother. That's just one story out of the several that we heard.

Last night was a wonderful time, too. We had another chocolate tasting with the adults. We raised money for Hands and Feet. This is an orphanage down in Haiti whom Mark Stuart's parents manage. We got Mark (the lead singer of Audio Adrenaline) on speaker phone for everyone to hear. That was cool. What we raised money for was for an orphanage prevention program that they are doing in Haiti. So many mothers want to keep their babies, but they cannot afford food for them. Therefore, Hands and Feet are providing them with $25 worth of food a week. They have 20 of these children that they are feeding. That's $500 a week for all of them. We raised $1,300!!! That's great! Hopefully, we can help keep these babies alive and in their mothers' care.

Stephanie

Yesterday was an awesome time at camp. Brock created a storm onstage and talked about Jesus calming the storm. Then, he began to talk about storms in our lives. He said that Jesus can either calm your storm or hold your hand and walk you through it.

Then, he brought out Steph. They did an interview style type of testimony. Steph told everyone about the storm in her life with her father. So many people can relate to her story. She said that sometimes you cannot help the things that happen to you, but you can effect how you respond to it. You can allow the storms in life to make you bitter or better. After she shared, Brock had a time of ministry. He had the youth leaders stand in the four corners of the room. Then, he told anyone who needed prayer to go to them.

I cannot even describe what happened at this point. It was an amazing time of healing. Many people went to the corners, but just as many stayed in their seats and people around them came to them to pray for them. I saw a high school big guy go to his youth pastor, lay his head on his shoulder, and bawl. I could hear people releasing and forgiving and healing. I stood in the back of the room praying for everyone. I could almost hear the Lord weeping. His heart was broken for His people.

Brock asked if this type of thing happens every time she shares her story. Stephanie said that, unfortunately, it does. There are so many broken homes. There's so many people that are carrying the burden of unforgiveness. We heard so many wonderful stories of restoration and forgiveness. What a wonderful day at camp!

Barbara

Let me tell you about Barbara. Some of you may remember this from last year. She lives in Mexico and first came into contact with us after seeing Brock on the Spanish Discovery Channel. The Miracles of Jesus was playing with Spanish subtitles. She liked the way Brock spoke very clearly and wanted to learn English. After that, she began going to Brock's blog. She would translate his blogs into Spanish. Then, she would comment in English. Ladies and gentlemen, this is how she learned English! Can you believe it??? She's very good, too!

Last August, she came all the way from Mexico to Houston to see our show. We absolutely fell in love with her and invited her to come out on the road with us. So, here she is!

While we were with her in Texas last August, she met some people at the large church we were performing at only to find out that they were coming to her city in Mexico the following week on a mission trip. They were only a couple of blocks from her house. Barbara was able to interpret for them.

Personally, the coolest part of this story is that in April of 2006, the Lord told me that he wanted me to give my Bible to someone. After a year and a half, that someone ended up being Barbara. I wondered why he told me so far in advance. Then, Barbara pointed out that April of 2006 was the time she first encountered us on the Discovery Channel. It was as if the Lord wanted to let me know that there was someone out there whom He wanted me to pray for and minister to. I love Barbara!!!

Fun Memories from the First Week

The chocolate tasting with the adults.




This crazy group who made a sign for Brock.


Eating at Dewey Destins, a restaurant right on the water.


Confusing Barbara and Steph at a restaurant restroom.


Running back to our hotel from the convention center a couple times a week.

Fun With Superwow Staff in Destin

We had a blast last night with the Superwow staff. After such a big week at camp, we went out and had some fun. Our fun consisted of going to Destin Commons and being crazy! We played follow the leader and duck, duck, goose. We took pictures with strangers. The best was when Brock got an air horn. Any time he blew the air horn, we all froze until he blew the horn again.

Chocolate Tasting on the Fly

So, I told you that the chocolate tasting was a rather spontaneous thing. The adults decided that they wanted to do one today on Tuesday evening. We had our friend, Emily, overnight the chocolate to us in order to make it here in time for the tasting tonight. We had everything that we needed for the tasting except the chocolate. That's the most important part, really. The first thing I did when we got here this evening at about 5:30 was to look for the package of chocolate. I asked everyone in the building for it. Nobody had seen it. I got on the phone with FedEx. I gave them the number that Emily gave me to track it, and it said that it should be a 9 digit number, but I had a 12 digit one. Plus, the computerized voice couldn't understand what I said half of the time. It was 6pm by this time and we were supposed to begin at about 7pm! My frustration was beginning to grow by the minute! Obviously, Satan did not want this tasting to take place.

We got online and finally found out that it had been delivered at 2pm this afternoon. We went all over the place asking if they got it. When we saw who signed for it, we realized that it didn't come to the Convention Center where we are but the Civic Center down the street. The only problem is that the Civic Center closed at 5pm. The wonderful people in the Convention Center here spent 15 minutes on the phone trying to track somebody down who had the key to the place. We HAD to have that chocolate by 7pm or we couldn't do it. Brock began to speak at about 6:55pm and got the missionaries whom we were focusing on tonight on skype. We got the chocolate at 6:57pm! Steph, Barbara, and I broke the chocolate into pieces while Brock led the group in a chat with Joel and Michawn. It was a wonderful time.

Then, we were able to do the tasting in time. We were talking with people after we were done and I realized that it was 5 till 8pm. We were supposed to start onstage at 8pm. We ran from the conference room onto the stage. Everything went great and now we are done with our first, wonderful week of camp!

Big Day

Brock spoke for about 10 minutes in the adult seminar the other day. (After the services, they break out into seminars.) He told them about the chocolate project and Parties With a Purpose. They decided to do one tonight during their seminar! How cool is that?

Therefore, today is a big day. We are doing a couple of new illusions, and that's always more difficult. It takes more practice and time to set up. Then, we need to go to the store to get the supplies for the tasting. We also have to film our part in the end of the week video. We have to get in touch with Michawn because we are raising money for the missions that they work with. Then, we have to do the tasting and perform in the last service tonight.

Wow! Pray for us to do all of that well. We're already a little worn out from the week that we've had.

A Nightmare Come True

Last night was the first night of Superwow camp. We went on at 9pm. I thought that we had so much time, and Stephanie got in at about 6:30. We went to eat when she got in. Then, we went by the store to pick up some stuff for the show. When we got back, we weren't finished setting up our illusions when the speaker was done. They were going to take a 10 minute break.

I freaked out a little. I had much more than 10 minutes' worth of stuff to do. I have a dream often where I don't have our illusions set up, and a large crowd is waiting for us to begin. This was just like that dream!

I frantically began to get everything ready. I never do that. I'm always over prepared. Brock does extremely well on the fly. I don't do so well like that. Brock stepped out onstage and did great! The crowd was awesome and everything went off without a hitch.

A Shower and Travel

We flew back to Texas Saturday afternoon. Then, we rushed me to Kay's baby shower. I made it in time. They moved the shower back to 4:30pm in order for me to make it. I was praying that our flight wouldn't be delayed and me miss it despite the attempts of the hosts. Speaking of hosts, those ladies know how to put on a shower! I told mom that they were professionals at it! It was so special to be able to be a part of it.

Then, I went back to my parents' house and packed up. We went to bed rather early because we had to get up at 5am to drive to Ft Walton Beach, FL yesterday. We got here just in time to pick Barbara up from the airport at 6pm. She was tired too, because she came all the way from Mexico. She is spending the next two weeks with us here in Ft Walton Beach (I'll tell you more about her later).

So, we are here. After a big weekend of travel and such, we are finally here in Ft Walton where we will stay for two weeks. I slept 10 hours last night, so I feel rested.

We have been at this camp, Superwow, for the last several years in a row. It's always so great! This year, we're staying in a condo right on the beach!!! I love the beach! Pray for us this week that lots of ministry goes on.

Show in Lima, OH

Yesterday, we flew from Houston to Fort Wayne, IN. Then, we grabbed a very late lunch and drove an hour and a half to Lima, OH.

The show was going to be outdoors, but due to the bad weather, we had to move it inside a church. Considering the circumstances, the show went really well. Everyone had a good time.

I am studying the book of Romans right now. During Brock's message, it struck me how much it sounded like something Paul would say. I then began to think about Paul and how he took advantage of every opportunity to share Christ. Even though the show was partially rained out and I wished that I could have spent a little more time with my family, there's no other place that I needed to be than right there sharing the gospel with whoever would listen.

Bible Storying

Many missionaries (like my sister) are going to unreached people in other countries and doing Bible storying. That's when you give an oral presentation of the scripture instead of reading it. Most of the people that they are trying to reach are illiterate.

Dad went to some type of training here on how to reach people in the United States. They said that they were using some of the same strategies as the missionaries are using in other countries. One of these is Bible storying. Did you know that 40% of Americans are illiterate? That's crazy! So, dad has begun an awesome ministry right here in Texas. He tells Bible stories every Thursday evening in a portable chapel to anyone who wants to come. (It's a trailer that they take out to this neighborhood.)

We went with him tonight, and Brock did some magic tricks for them. They loved it! They watched with amazement and responded to everything dramatically. It's definitely not a dead crowd! What a very cool ministry!!!

When Roosters Attack

Last night, we were walking in the neighborhood where my parents live and this happened:



The rooster didn't quite get Brock but he came close. Unfortunately, I was turning off the video as soon as he attacked, so I barely caught it.

Another E-mail from Someone at Camp

I was at Camp WOW this week with Henderson Hills and I just wanted to thank you, because you really opened my eyes. I was saved because of that. I saw change automatically and I was amazed how my life changed. I still have changing to do but knowing how I was before I listened to what you had to say and knowing how I am after I listened, there is a big difference. My life fell apart a couple years ago. My mom got fired from her job, which was the building block of our entire lifes. After that my dad, brother, and sister moved out. we couldn't pay the bills and my real dad didn't pay child support like he was supposed to. Things started getting shut off, electricity and phone and everything else. I was having troubles in school. I just hated it. I didn't like anyone there and no one liked me. Since I had nothing to go to I started cutting myself. I don't know why I did it. I think it was because I was empty and lost. The bills got so far behind that it came to a point we couldn't pay for anything. So our house went into foreclousure and we had to move. We moved into our new house about the time my uncle got out of prison. He came to live with us and living with him isn't very fun. He steals, does drugs, and eats
constantly. We still can't pay for our bills and I don't know how we still have a house but it was really hard. Life was was unbearable for me and I didn't have anyone to go to. But now I have God thanks to you. I just wanted to thank you for that because it's just going to get tougher and if I wanted to die then who knows where I would have ended up. You helped me realize life is worth living. Especially when you live for God.

Some Messages from People Who Were at Camp Last Week

This is why we do what we do:

I was part of the church which you spoke to and you were amazing!!! You have really made a difference in my life and I thank you so much for that. I'd already been saved but I had not heard of most of the things you said at the end of the week. Like I thought it was okay to sin a little but turns out it's not! I am definitely going to take a huge step in my life to be a better christian. If you had not come then I would still be living a really sinful life and not really following God. Thanks a TON for coming to speak. And your illutions were awesome!!!

Dear Brock,
I was a student in the church that you spoke for this week, in fact you even used me on stage this week. I think that you really were needed in all the lives of the students at camp this week. You are an amazing peoson, not only in who you are but in what you do for others. Thank you for coming this week!!!!

Brock,
I was one the students you came to speak to and I am so amazed at what you did! Your illusions and lessons couldn't have been done any better! You really spoke to me this past week, I'm stunned at all the things I didn't know. But, now that I do I will be a better christian and help others to become a christian. I want to be the one who is saving those who are drowning, and I want to listen to God no matter the task. Thank you so much for taking the time to come and speak to us, I hope you opened the eyes to others as you did to me!

Hey Brock!
Wow....what an incredible week. It was great to see you again man! Chris and I both were so pumped to get to hang out with you and for you to bless our students. Thank you for allowing God to speak through you..and for not being afraid to walk off the stage Monday night. Our kids needed that. Chris and I watched the Miracles Documentary as soon as we got home (didn't even take a nap! That shows you how cool it is :). It was awesome. We had a friend over who is shaky in their faith and it opened up the door for us to have many conversations. We are praying for you and your wife.

Church and a Wedding

Today was a big day! I sang at my parents' church. I was so nervous. I haven't sung regularly in 10 years. It's not something that I want to do either. However, on this occasion, the Lord asked me to. So, I did and it went okay. I will say that it will take another act of God (telling me to do it) in order for me to sing again. It was such a beautiful song that I had trouble controlling my emotions, so I tried to simply look up. That was difficult too because they had a picture of Jesus on the cross up on the wall. With the Lord's help, I made it through.

Then, Brock spoke a little and did one beautiful illusion that perfectly illustrates the living water that you can only find in the Lord. Dad also baptized three men and led us in the Lord's supper. It was a great service.

This afternoon, we went to a wedding of one of the girls whom I used to lead in Disciple Nows and such. I remember taking her and some of her friends to help me out with Backyard Bible Clubs here around town. She was about 12 when we did that. Now, she's all grown up. Wow! Time just slips away, but it's a good thing. She was a beautiful bride. I guess that's my word for today...beautiful.

Family Time

We went from Oklahoma down to Ft Worth, TX Friday. In Texas, we met up with Brock's brother, cousin, sister, brother-in-law, and niece. We went to a great mexican restaurant and then back to our hotel to hang out. We had received a gift basket at the camp full of toys. We let our niece, Eva, play with many of the toys. She had a blast and we had a ball watching her. It was so good to see them.

Yesterday, we drove down to Houston to stay with my parents for the week. The cool thing is, my sister is in from South America visiting!!! Her husband is coming to the states to do some training, so Kay decided to take this opportunity to come here as well. After living in South America for a year, she has a list of food request while she's here. It will be interesting to watch her have culture shock here.

We will go to Galveston on Monday and Tuesday for a little getaway. Brock is going to his parents' house for those two days. He won't get to see them all summer, so he's going to take advantage of only being a couple of hours away from them. I would go, but I want to spend as much time with my sister as I can. I don't know when she is going to visit next. Plus, she is pregnant, so it'll be fun to see her at this time.

Back to Civilization

Well I'm back to civilization. We had no cell phone coverage or internet access or anything while we were at camp. It was a little bit of culture shock. (It was great for the students, though...to get away from everything.) I had a little bit of a hard time this week. Even though I ate very healthy (we brought our own food to cook instead of eating camp food), something there irritated my sinuses so much that I got an infection. Also, I got bit or stung by something on my face. (There were lots of bugs. One guy from the band even got stung by a scorpion.) The bite made the right side of my face swell up yesterday. It went down some, but it's still swollen today as well. Also, we didn't have anything in our room but a bed and bathroom. Since I didn't have any cell service, I couldn't set my alarm clock. Therefore, I had to rely on my internal clock to wake up in time for the service every morning. That along with my sinus attacks caused for a rough time sleeping all week.

However, the camp went rather well. It started off rocky. The first night, Brock had only got two sentences into his message when he simply stopped. He told the students that this wasn't going to work. They weren't ready for the Lord to move at all. He led them in prayer and told them to come back the next day ready. I was nervous about this at first. Most camp pastors don't do that. The Holy Spirit calmed me and let me know that Brock was only following His directions. It sounds funny, but that was the best thing that Brock could have done. The next morning, those extremely churched kids came ready to listen even if it was just out of curiosity.

It got better from there. On Wednesday night, we really had a breakthrough. That's no surprise to me because Wednesday nights are often powerful. Wednesday nights churches are having their prayer services that night. They are praying for us. As we all know, prayer is powerful!

Summer

I am so excited that summer is here! I love that time of year when you pull out shorts and sandals. Growing up in Florida, that's what I'm most comfortable in.

I'm so glad the Lord gave us seasons, though. I'm the type who gets bored easily, so I'm always ready when it comes time to go on to the next season.

Fall is my favorite season. It's so beautiful in Tennessee. Also, the temperature seems to be perfect! What is your favorite season?

Exercise

Since we got back from our vacation in January, I've exercised every week! I haven't exercised that regularly since college.

I do some sort of aerobics (usually running) for 30 minutes and then I do some weight training on my upper body and abs. I try to do it three times a week, but sometimes I can only get in two times during the week. When we are on the road, I figure that twice is good enough, because I'm getting a lot more exercise just with our work.

I feel great when I do it, and I sleep better on the nights that I've exercised. However, I don't think that I've lost any weight. That's probably due to all of the chocolate tastings!

Camp in Oklahoma

Pray for us here in camp in Oklahoma. Brock is not only doing illusions, but he's the speaker for the week here at camp. Please pray that lives are changed. Pray that we don't go crazy out in the boondocks here. We brought books and stuff. Also, we brought a lot of snacks (cafeteria food isn't always the best). I don't know if I'll have internet access or not. We started last night and go through Friday.

Hide and Seek

We had one happy fun night with our friends before we left. First, we went to eat at Cozymels. Then, we got some gelato (that's Italian ice cream and I like it better than American ice cream). It was a great night for ice cream.

After that, we went to the park. It was dark by then, so we played hide and seek in the playground. It was so fun! There were so many places to hide. It got really fun when we played sardines. Brock and Emily had the best hiding places. Brock hid in plain sight. He was laying flat on the ground over in a corner. It took us forever to find him! Emily hid up in one of the roofs of the playground equipment. She looked like she was in a spy movie up in the rafters like that. It was awesome!

We were swinging after we were so tired from the hide and seek. I felt like a little kid. One of our friends said that she felt like a little kid whose best friends were going away for the summer. Some of them are going to come visit us, though. Stephanie is going to be with us for the 3 weeks in Florida. I think that the rest of the gang (Lindsey, Emily, and Jacob) might come to Florida for the last week. It will be fun!

Back in the Saddle Again

Today is the big day! We leave today and head to Oklahoma to do our first camp. This summer, we will be going to OK, TX, Fl (for 3 weeks), CO, MN, TN, and GA. Luckily, we are flying to CO and MN. We do come back here for a couple of days at the beginning of July. However, it's so few days and we are doing one camp here and one Party with a Purpose during that time. Therefore, I'll only be able to wash some clothes and get back on the road.

I hope that we have everything that we need. Yesterday, I worked from 7am to 6:30pm just on packing and getting everything ready to go here at the house. Friday, we spent the whole day running errands for this summer. Do you want to know how long it takes to get ready for a big summer? Several days.

Giving Your Time

I told you that I am learning about investing my money in people (giving). One of my Bible studies talked about the joy of giving. There are so many scriptures that say that you will be blessed when you give to others. That's certainly not the reason you give, but it just happens. Since we have been doing Chocolate Tastings and Parties with a Purpose, the Lord is just blessing us. We bought our first piece of furniture and a second car (in the 9 years that we've been married, this is the first time we've had a second car) all in one week!

Yesterday, I learned something else...how to give your time. I am a people person, but when it comes to our work, I'm very task oriented. We had a lot to do yesterday in order to get ready to leave tomorrow. In the midst of all of our errands, Brock (who is ALWAYS a people person) pulls over and helps some ladies change a flat tire. Something amazing happened yesterday. I thought that we were going to have to come back in town today and finish some of our errands because we had so much to do. We got done early! We actually had time to visit with some of our friends at Aux Choux, a dessert place in downtown Franklin. The Lord also blesses you when you give of your time. Time is such a valuable thing here in this country.

Go and read Brock's blog today and find out more about how he ministered to the ladies as he changed the tire, and it only took 6 minutes! www.brockgill.com/blog.

WAY-FM Show

Last night, we did a show for WAY-FM (the local Christian radio station here). It was up in the club room of the Titans stadium. It was fun to go there. I've never been to the stadium much less performed there.

They had some yummy food and then we performed right off the bat. Some of our friends came. Then, Third Day played. It was fun! We saw many people we knew.

After that, we walked from the stadium across the walking bridge in downtown Nashville and went to the Christian tattoo parlor. Many of our friends work there. It was fun to see them "at work." They have a very cool working environment. They all seem to be good friends. They play Christian music, and they don't allow bad language. It's cool!

One of our friends that we met at a camp a few years ago, Amber, is here with us. She came along and helped out some. We bought a new truck to pull our new trailer from Orlando and she happens to live near Orlando. Therefore, she drove it down for us. She flies back today, but we had a great time with her during her short visit.

Anxious and Excited

I'm trying not to be anxious about this summer, but it's difficult not to. We leave Sunday for a month. Then, we come back for just a couple of days and head out again. Therefore, I'm trying to get everything ready before we leave. Once we get there, it's hard to do anything but camp. We are in our own little world at camp. Sometimes, I simply forget that life is going on outside of camp. The main reason that I'm a little anxious is that we don't have Shannon with us this year. That's going to be interesting.

However, I'm so excited! Camps and festivals are so fun. They are different and I enjoy participating in them every year. We get stretched and challenged in a lot of ways because we don't just come in and do one of our shows. We are there for an entire week. Plus, Brock speaks a lot more. I love to hear him speak.

This year, I'm trying to take a few precautions. The good thing about camps is that we stay in one place for a week or longer. The bad thing is that we do so many shows that by the end of camp, we are completely drained spiritually, physically, and emotionally. So, this year, we aren't doing any other projects except shows. Then, when we do have days off (which are precious few) we are going to rest and not work. After all of our camps are finished, we are taking two weeks off. We aren't going on vacation. We are going home. There's lots of stuff that we must catch up on at home after being gone for two months. I hope that this works better this year!

Pictures from Last Weekend

The Drive-In








The Triathlon









Pancake Pantry


Hanging out at Jacob and Lucas' house

They are all playing Wii except my triathlete. He was tired!

Action Packed Weekend

What a great weekend! First, Kristin, a.k.a. Crackhead (we only call her that because she's so crazy), came to stay with us on Saturday. Brock grilled and a couple of other friends came over as we ate on the back porch. Then, we met some more friends at a drive-in movie. We made a big bed in the back of our truck with loads of blankets and pillows and such. It might have been too good because Brock and Kristin whom were on either side of me both fell asleep.

Sunday, we went to church. It was a great service! After eating lunch in a restaurant where we could sit outside on the patio, we went to buy a couch. I was so excited! This is the first piece of furniture that we've ever bought except our dining room table which was such a good deal that we had to buy it. The rest of our furniture we either made or was given to us. We found one at such a good price! That only took about 10 minutes to find it and order it and everything. (Brock and I are very decisive.)

Then, we went a friend's house to swim in her pool. It was a beautiful day! When we got too hot, we went over to another friend's house and freshened up a little. Then, we went to eat at Macaroni Grill. Brock needed to eat a lot of carbs.

We got up bright and early yesterday morning in order to go and see Brock do a triathlon. He did it! I'm so proud of him for that. Then, we went to Pancake Pantry (a famous place in Nashville) to eat. Brock was hungry! After that, we went to another friend's house and watched a movie and played wii. Kristin left from there to go back to Atlanta. After an early dinner there, we went back home. I slept 10 1/2 hours last night. What did you do this weekend?

Investments

My mom always told me that it doesn't matter where you live. You can live on the beach or in the mountains or wherever, but it's not about the place. It's all about the people around you.

This year, I've learned how to invest in others with my money. Brock's always been very giving, but it doesn't come naturally to me. I'm not stingy, I just didn't know how to give to others. I just tithed my 10% to the church every month. That's great, but Brock has taught me that giving over and beyond is when you are truly giving. It's that sacrificial giving that really blesses everyone.

I've learned something thinking about Lucas, Frank, Delaine and Travis, and Nikki. We make money investments for our future which is great. It's responsible to make investments so that in 30 years, your investments will pay off. However, one thing that I'm learning is the investment we need to make in people. It may take years to see the results if ever, but it's worth it! You intentionally make money investments. Well, I want to intentionally invest in people. The value of stocks will go up and down. Banks can fail, but an investment in a person is priceless.

Nikki

I wanted to share the letter that I got the other day with you. It's from Nikki who was in the youth group at a church that we were a part of when we lived in Conroe, TX several years ago:

I'm not sure how much you remember me because it's been almost 9 years since I used to hang out with ya'll when you lived in Conroe, but I found these letters I never mailed, and I just thought I should send them to you. I wrote these letters after our ski trip that we went on to Winter Park with the West Conroe Baptist Church youth group.

Anyway, I'm 24 years old now---I've been married for almost 2 years, and I live in College Station, TX. I'm still following the Lord, and I just wanted to thank you both for being my friend in high school and for setting an example of leadership and godly living. Some of my best memories in high school were spent hanging out with ya'll.

Well, enjoy these two rather belated letters. I hope that you're doing awesome.


She then added the two letters that she wrote to each of us in '99. They are funny. In mine she talks about a guy that she likes and is praying about whether she should date him or not. It's amazing that after 9 years, she found those letters and thought of us. What an encouragement to us!

Delaine and Baby

At the "baby shower" which was our Party with a Purpose for May, it was so funny when I saw our friend, Lucas (the bmx rider whom I blogged about the other day) and his friend who is a tattoo artist (both single guys) going through the registry trying to choose a good baby gift. The tattoo artist asked what a snugli was and I told him that I'd been advised from one of my friends who is a mother that it is really good. Then, Lucas said, "I bought them the gate. Think about it! What if the baby starts to crawl down the stairs into the basement...Think about it!" Who knew that the same guy who back flips his bike several feet in the air would be so concerned about safety?

While Brock was out in L.A., he stopped by Travis and Delaine's house (the ones that we had the baby shower for). Brock took a few clothes and stuff given to us by one of our friends whose baby has outgrown the clothes. Delaine was blown away by the generosity of everyone. She showed him notes from people who said that they heard about the need on this blog and decided to give. She pointed to something and said that she didn't know whom that was from but she thought that it was a cool gift...it was the gate from Lucas! Thank you so much to everyone who contributed!!!

Frank

This is a very special family to me and a very special guy. The guy's name is Frank. We first met Frank at Freedom Experience several years ago. He's also a bmx rider. At one of the FX's where he rode, Frank gave his life to the Lord. At another FX, Frank's son (the older kid in the picture...he's grown up so much since then) got saved. Then, we did a Freedom Experience in Memphis, TN. Frank met a wonderful lady named Rachel while we were there. They eventually got married, and Frank moved from Iowa to Tennessee.

They always come to our shows when we are in the Memphis area. Last week was no exception. The only exception is that they brought their two week old baby with them. What a wonderful family and testimony. FX is changing lives in more ways than we can imagine. That baby boy, that life, would not be here if Frank hadn't performed at that FX in Memphis. God has a plan for everyone's life and He had big plans for Frank when Frank became a part of Freedom Experience!

Lucas

Lucas is a real person, unlike Betty whom I talked about yesterday. We met Lucas several years ago when he was riding on the bmx team at Freedom Experience. At that time, he was a new Christian and still rather angry. He's a different person today. He's the most gentle person with a big heart. Plus, he strives to please the Lord.

He now lives in Nashville. (He lived with us for a little while.) He manages his own bmx team now. Last week, he performed at several school assemblies with just his team and did great! If you can do a school assembly, you can do any show. School assemblies are tough. I'm so proud of Lucas!!!

Betty

Betty is our secretary. We take her everywhere with us. If you call Brock's cell phone, Betty will take a message for you. When we are on the road, Betty gives us directions. Betty is what we call the electonic voice on our cell phones and our GPS. It's so funny when you call Brock's cell phone because his message says something like this: "Betty, show them what to do." Then, immediately, her electronic voice comes on and says to "Leave a message after the beep" or whatever.

Also, we just got a GPS. I don't know how we lived without it before. She tells us how to get everywhere we want to go no matter what state we're in or what old country back road that we're on. I feel like we have an extra person with us when we're driving and have the GPS on, because she will come on often and say stuff like, "Turn onto HWY 150 in 200 feet." Anytime you get off the path like to get gas or something, she'll say, "Recalculating." If you don't correct yourself quick enough, she'll say (I promise she sounds more impatient when she says this), "There's a better route!" She's funny that Betty!

Party, Party, Party

We've been doing nothing but going to parties since I got here. Mom had a small group party with a mexican fiesta theme at their house Friday night. Saturday, we went to a graduation celebration at Buca Di Pepo. Yesterday, they had Homecoming at the church, so they had a big meal after church. Then, we went to a birthday party. Today, we are going out to celebrate Mother's Day and dad's birthday. I'm going to gain 10 pounds while I'm here!

Yesterday was fun seeing a small community come together. They had a silent auction for the GA's. They were auctioning off gift baskets that you could use for Father's Day or as a graduation present. Well, dad kept bidding on this one that had some homeade blackberry jam in it. Then, I decided to get it for him for Father's Day and be able to contribute in the process. I tried to keep it a secret from him, but I'm not as slick as Brock. I had the last bid when he came over to see what it had risen to. I simply covered my name with my hand. He was debating on bidding $1 higher than me (even though he didn't know it was me). Then, he pushed my hand out of the way to see who had bid that last bid. Oh well! I still got it for him!

Dad is going out to the poor area of this little town every Thursday night and telling them Bible stories since they cannot read (it's called Bible storying which missionaries use in foreign countries a lot). Some of the people from this group have been coming to church and were there yesterday. They were so funny! They asked me all kinds of questions about Nashville and country music singers. They thought that I was a singer because of my hair I think. One lady told me that she liked to sing but she couldn't sing those "Lakewood songs." She could only sing along with the hymns. Lakewood is a big church in Houston, and I guess that she called any chorus that wasn't a hymn a "Lakewood song." She also said that Red Blanchette, the judge here in town, should be president of the U.S.A. They were a hoot! I kept thinking how much Brock would enjoy hanging out with them!

Books, Books, and More Books

Well, I'm a reader. I'm a slow reader, so it takes me longer than the average person to read a book. However, I spend many hours on a truck or in a plane, so I have a lot of time to read. I figured out that I read about 40 books a year on average. That really adds up when you're buying so many books! I tried the library thing, but it's not convenient at all for me due to location and my lifestyle. I thought about maybe joining a book club, but I don't even know if they do that anymore.

Last night, I found the answer! AMAZON.com. They have all of the books that I want for really cheap. I don't care if they are used. I found some books for 1 penny. Of course, I had to pay $4 for shipping and handling, but $4 isn't bad for a book, especially when it comes right to my doorstep. Anyway, I cut my yearly spending on books in half by using amazon.com.

I go through different phases with authors and genres of books that I like to read. I got some Lori Wick, Karen Kingsbury, Dee Henderson, and Francine Rivers (I had to get one of her old ones because I've read everything that she's written within the last 10 years). For my Bible study time, I got some John MacArthur New Testement study books, some Women of Faith study guides, and a Mark E. Moore book. Recently, while I was studying "Acts," I read Francine Rivers' book "The Scribe." It really brought the scriptures to life. That was a great combination! What authors do you enjoy?

Travel Day

I began yesterday in Memphis and I ended up in Houston. We drove the three hour drive home yesterday morning. Then, we packed everything up and drove to the airport. Brock went to L.A. for a few days to work on some business stuff. He's also going to ride dirt bikes with some friends out there. I went to TX to hang out with my family.

Since I got back from vacation in January, I've taken on some of Shannon's job of road managing, Parties with a Purpose, Chocolate Tastings, and we've done a brand new show. Plus, we have some business changes that we are making. I feel like it's been mostly work for me for the last few months. I need this break. As I've said before, all work and no play doesn't sit well with me. This is perfect!

Miracles Show in Memphis

The show last night went really well. We had some people filming it to make a promo dvd about it, so that complicated things. Sometimes, things that make the show better such as little to no lights in the audience, makes the filming worse. It's difficult to do both a good live show and a good taping. I think that we pulled it off last night, though.

We still had some challenges. We were in the gym at the church instead of the auditorium. That was tricky since this show is better in a theater of some sort. Also, our hand held mic that the emcee was using broke right as we started and the first illusion Brock was about to do broke. We had to improvise. I thought that this show was going to be rough with such a bad start. However, the rest of the show went very smoothly.

It ended up being great! I love going to Bellevue in Memphis!

Dirt Bike Riding

A few days ago, we went dirt bike riding together at some trails near our house. Brock went up some very big hills. It was fun!









Pray for us tonight. We have another Miracles show in Memphis.

Not Your Typical Baby Shower

Last night was wonderful. It was a smaller group, but we still had 17 in attendance. We made our own pizzas and I made a couple of fruit pizzas for dessert. At the beginning of the night, we went on ichat with Travis and Delaine. They are the ones whom we were giving the shower for. It was so special to be able to talk with them. They were almost tearful at some times because they were so appreciative of what we are doing for them. They were really encouraged that strangers on the other side of the country would provide for them. Travis kept saying that this was "all God." I liked being a part of something that is all God.

After we prayed for Travis and his family, we continued making pizzas and people got online to order gifts for the baby. I had four computers set up to order. After that, we all watched movies since Travis is in Hollywood. I had four different movies set up in four different rooms of our house. It was fun!

Moms and Anniversaries

Speaking of anniversaries, we acknowledged a different anniversary the other day. Tuesday was the second anniversary of my friend, Lindsey's mother's death. She died of cancer two years ago. The night before she died, she called Lindsey to come to the hospital and entertain her, because she was bored. When Lindsey got there, someone happened to be shooting off fireworks outside her window. She had a perfect view of the fireworks and thus had her entertainment. Therefore, on Tuesday, we lit some fireworks in Lindsey's mom's honor. We made a "toast" with our firecrackers to Lindsey's mom's life and the life she created with Lindsey. It was special.

To all of you mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day. You are all very special especially to your children!

34

Contest

Yesterday was wonderful. We took it easy in the morning. "Walk the Line" was on TV and we watched it as we were leisurely getting ready. Then, we headed over to our new favorite lunch place which happens to be only 5 minutes from our house. We had some fabulous seafood there. Then, we went shopping a little around there at some of the new shops that are popping up near us.

After that, we went and watched "Iron Man." It was better than we thought that it was going to be. I always enjoy super hero movies because they are fairly clean and fun, and the good guy always wins.

Then, we grabbed some sushi and went to Aux Chou. It's a dessert place that we love in downtown Franklin. They don't have fondue there like the Cocoa Tree did. However, last night Brock made special arrangements with the chef and she provided us with some great fondue! It was so good!!! It was so sweet of Brock to set that up for me.

Okay, here's the contest: When we came home, we went through all of the photo albums that we've collected over the last 9 years. We've traveled all over the world and I enjoy taking pictures to archive everything. If you can figure this out, we will give you one of our new dvd's when it comes out next month. How many photo albums do we have?

9 Years

Today is our 9 year anniversary. We've been so busy that we haven't really made any plans for today except that we are taking the day off. It's the first day we've had off in probably a month! We worked really hard to be able to take off now. In fact, up until 10pm last night, Brock was working to finish up stuff so that we have the day off.

Since we've been so busy, we are simply going to play it by ear today. We may not want to go anywhere and just stay in all day. We may want to go and play. I don't care what we do just as long as we are together and not working.

I think that it's sorta cool not to have any plans. That way, we don't have any expectations either. When you have high expectations for a certain day, that's when you are most likely going to be disappointed. Certain anniversaries are better than others...it just depends on the time in your lives. All of you that are married out there. What do you do for your anniversary?

Baby Shower Online

Imagine that you and your family consisting of two little girls and a beautiful wife are living a great life in Alabama surrounded by friends and family. The Lord asks you and your family to uproot and move to L.A. to be an evangelist to Hollywood. Would you do it? What a culture shock! That's what a friend of ours did a few years ago. Travis is influencing the influencers with the gospel in Hollywood.

We felt as if the Lord was telling us to do a party with a purpose for him, so Brock gave him a call. We found out that his wife is going to have another baby...Surprise! They have two beautiful daughters and thought they were done. Well, the Lord had other plans for them, and now they are having a boy. Brock said that we could give them a baby shower as our party with a purpose. Travis told him that this was totally God because they don't have a strong community around them like they did in Alabama...at least not one that gives baby showers.

So, this Sunday evening, on Mother's Day I might add, we are going to have a baby shower for Travis and Delaine at our house. We are going to purchase items from Target and have them shipped to them. If you want to be a part of this, simply go to target.com and click on the baby registry. The mother's name is: Delaine and the father's name is: Travis Crim. The baby will be born in California in July. Make sure that you send it to their address that's already in the registry.

The Miracles Show

Last night, we performed the show of our life. The Miracles show went so well last night. The crowd was wonderful. Our staff (meaning Brad and Kyle) were excellent. Brock did a great job. This time, the show really clicked. I got to see some friends that I grew up with in Daytona. Several people were saved...what a great night!

I say that this is the show of our lives because I feel like the Lord called Brock to do the Miracles of Jesus TV show. Then, I feel as if He called us to do this show. Who else in the world could do an illusion show about the Miracles of Jesus and discuss some of the things that they found while filming the TV show? Brock's the only one. That's why this show is extra special.

A few times throughout the show, I got emotional. Just thinking about Jesus and His crucifixion and resurrection is enough to move me to tears. Add our show and such an amazing crowd (1,000 in attendance) and I was overcome by emotion. I felt as if this show is our offering to the Lord.

Brokedown

We were only a few hours into our trip when smoke began to pour out of our truck yesterday (pickup truck pulling a trailer). We pulled off at the next exit which had absolutely nothing in sight...no buildings or people...just an abandoned car and some woods. We immediately began to call AAA. However, we had such bad phone service. Brock began to walk away to see if he could get service. He could, but then, halfway through his appeal for help, the call would drop.

It did not look good. Brock could get a text out, so he twittered everyone telling them to pray for us broke down on the side of the road. Then, something happened. A AAA tow truck drove up. Now, there hadn't been one car that drove up since we pulled over. Then, the one vehicle that comes happens to be from AAA. Coincidence??? I don't think so. The man was going to pull someone out of the ditch close by. He dispatched AAA telling them our location and such.

About an hour later, someone came to tow us. We could see that we had busted the radiator hose which is an easy fix. No auto repair guys were opened on Saturday near the small town where we broke down. Therefore, the guy towed us to an AutoZone. They didn't have the right hose, but the nice man found a flex hose that he made work. Two hours and $47 after we broke down, we were back on the road. That's not bad considering what it could have been and has been in the past. Pray for our show tonight.

Trying to Make it to Tuesday

We drive to Maryland this weekend to perform our second Miracles show. That means that we load our rented trailer today. Then, we drive the twelve hour drive tomorrow, set up, do the show, and tear down Sunday, and drive home Monday. Honestly, I'm not ready to do all of that yet. I'm still trying to recoup from FX and filming the dvd. Plus, before that...well, it's been a crazy month.

I'm at that point where I feel like I'm in a daze sometimes. Other times, I feel sick but nothing feels bad. I just feel weak. The main thing is that I don't really want to be around people. Whenever EVERYONE around me is getting on my nerves, I know that it's me.

I'm still doing all the right things, I just don't quite have the right attitude at this moment. I'm not motivated. However, if I can just make it to Tuesday...then, we have some time off. Please pray that I make it until Tuesday.

DVD Shoot and Anxiety Dreams

The dvd shoot went better than I expected. The weather was perfect. Several people came out to do it. It was really fun! The best part was that I didn't have to be in it at all. Also, someone from our office, Jacob, was heading it up. Therefore, I was just there to assist in any way. The responsibility of it didn't sit on my shoulders. That was great because live show is my thing...filming is not.

The day started out badly for me because I had two anxiety dreams. The first one consisted of me doing a chocolate tasting really quickly. I had to do it in like 5 minutes. I woke up in the early hours of the morning feeling like I had run all night. Then, I went back to sleep and had a very typical dream for me: we were doing a show. For some reason, I couldn't get our props or music or anything together. Every time I'd try to use logic to problem solve, but everything in the dream wasn't logical. It's like I was thinking realistically in an unrealistic world but didn't know it. Also, the audience was just sitting there for 30 minutes doing nothing but waiting on us to get our act together. In real life, I hate dead time...30 seconds won't do much less 30 minutes! I finally woke up frustrated, tired, and humiliated.

This made me tired and a little cranky at the beginning of the day. I need to figure out how to not have these dreams anymore. When we are working hard, I can have them a few times a month. It really throws me off especially on days when I need to have good rest. Any suggestions?

Home/Hotel

Last week, we stayed in our hotel for almost a week. Our hotel becomes like home for us especially if we stay for a long time. This hotel had a hot tub and great indoor pool. One day, we had a pool party for Jordan, one of the bmx guys. It was his birthday. That was fun!

We worked out in the gym almost everyday. One day, a few of us realized that they had changed the flooring and added mirrors to the gym. We were admiring the changes when Steph said, "I feel like this is our home or something." We were all like, "They put in new mirrors and a new floor!"

Home sweet home...kinda. I'm home now, and I can tell you that there is a difference. Pray for us today. We are filming our dvd in Alabama. Pray that everything goes smoothly.

Videos from Freedom Experience in Kansas

Coming to the End of Yourself

Two things happened yesterday during the last service. Brock was speaking at the church that brought us in for the Freedom Experience. It was the last of 11 shows since Wednesday. It had been an amazing week yet an exhausting week, too. At the closing of the last service, Brock said, "I guess I'm done!" Everyone in the church began clapping. Then, they rose to their feet...a standing ovation! This moved me to tears.

Also, while Brock was having everyone pray toward the end of the service, I began climbing the stairs up to the sound booth for the last time. We'd done four services there over the weekend, so I'd climbed the staircase many times before. As I was walking up, I felt the Lord tell me to pray for the people sitting on either side of the aisle as I passed by them. The strangest thing happened! I barely had enough strength to physically make it up the stairs, but I felt the power of God literally radiating off my body to the people as I passed by. This was a new experience for me!

Later, I shared with Brock what had happened. I couldn't believe that I could be that drained, yet the Holy Spirit could still use me at that point. Brock made a very profound statement about it. He said, "When you live in the extreme, that's when you live in the supernatural. When you come to the end of yourself, that's where God is."

Freedom Experience in Wichita

Our prayers were answered! It was a miracle that the weather was nicer yesterday and the gym wasn't hot. This isn't the first time that the weather was altered during an FX. In Florida one time, a hurricane passed through, but it stopped when it got to Palm Coast where we were doing the show. Then, it picked back up again. Even the weather men were scratching their heads about that one!

The show went great! Over 500 people gave their lives to Christ over the last two nights in Wichita. What great success! The Lord really showed up in a big way. Thanks for your prayers.

Keep praying for us this weekend. Brock has to speak in two services here in Kansas tonight and two services in the morning. We are completely worn out, so this is going to be tough.

FX in Wichita, KS

After doing two days of school assemblies, we had our first night of Freedom Experience last night in Wichita, KS. The school assemblies have been going well from what I can tell. We have four different teams out doing them. CZ, the rapper, and Tim Byrne, the freestyle skater, are on one team. Stephanie Smith, the new GoTee artist, is on another team. Casting Pearls, the Christian rock band, is on another, and Brock as well as Lindsey, who eats fire, is on another team. One of the bmx riders goes with each team to do a little flat land riding at the schools. It surely worked, because the place was packed out last night. In fact, 150 people couldn't get in the doors. I have no idea what to do tonight about the numbers!

It went well last night considering. The gym that we are performing in has no air conditioning. It was so hot!!! That's not very good conditions for anyone. By the time Brock began to speak, people were beginning to get rowdy. However, there were still hundreds that gave their lives to Christ last night!

Pray that the heat doesn't cause people to leave before they hear the message tonight. Also, pray that the crowd isn't so rough and many come to know the Lord.

My Favorite Part of Our San Francisco Trip

My favorite part about our San Francisco trip was when we caught a cab over to this ice cream place called Bi-Rite Creamery. We were told from one of the workers at a chocolate shop that this was the best ice cream in the world. She told us that we needed to order a Sam's Sundae.

We did this on Friday afternoon at about 4pm. It was a beautiful day, so we weren't surprised to see a line out the door for ice cream. We ordered the Sam's Sundae just because we were told it was the thing to get. I wouldn't have ordered it otherwise. The ingredients were chocolate ice cream, olive oil, sea salt, and whip cream. Sounds gross, right? Wrong!!! It was the best ice cream I've ever eaten. Maybe it was the type of ice cream and olive oil. I don't know, but it was amazing! I don't even like ice cream, and I dug into this stuff!

We sat on a bench outside of the ice cream place with other ice cream eaters. As we ate our ice cream, we soaked up the refreshing sun and watched the locals do life. There was a field across the street where children were playing soccer. Someone dropped their ice cream on the sidewalk, and we watched dogs run to it to lick it up as their owners tried to continue walking them. Then, we saw a tow truck towing off a car parked on the road beside us. Then, we saw another one and another one. We noticed a very small sign hidden behind a bush that said that this was a towing zone between 4 and 6pm. Brock would tell everyone who parked beside us that they were about to get towed. They would thank him and move their car. We saved about 5 or 6 people from being towed! Good times!