Quiet

All is quiet this morning. The storm is gone and the sun is out. The only remnants of Katrina is leaves and branches all over our yard. The birthday girl that was over the other night had a tree fall on her house. It didn't really do any damage to the house though. I feel badly for the people of New Orleans and some of those other cities that were destroyed. Brock said that growing up in Louisiana, he always heard about this happenning. They knew that a big storm could potentially whipe out New Orleans. I wonder if they will ever be able to recover completely.

Also, it's guiet here because the guys left. They were gone when I awoke this morning. Yesterday, we spent most of the morning trying to get Luke's teeth fixed. He knocked a few of them out at the skatepark Monday night. However, the guys are gone now. Also, their friends from around here are gone as well. They've made several friends here, so for the past few nights, we've all hung out. I don't know if I can handle the quiet.

Hurricane Party

We had a hurricane party at our house last night. Donnie and Luke from Chaos on Wheels were here. Corey Martinez who is an excellant bmx rider and his new bride were here. Also, one of our friends, Stephanie, was here. Her birthday is Thursday, so we baked her a cake at about midnight last night due to the possibility of lack of power today.

Can you believe that this storm is still so strong this far inland? It is still blowing very hard this morning. Schools are not in session today because of Kristina. I can tell that we lost power at least once in the night because the clocks are blinking, but all is well this morning.

We all hunkered down here last night. We flipped back and forth between a rerun of the X-games and the weather channel. At about 2am, we finally all turned in. It was fun!

"Family"

One of the Chaos on Wheels' teams is staying with us for a couple of nights. This team consists of three guys. Two of the guys are some of my favorite people. One guy was saved at an FX last year and the other one got saved a couple of years ago just before he joined the bmx team. They have both grown so much in the Lord. Brock and Jeremiah (the founder of Chaos on Wheels) have been working with them. Now, they both feel like the Lord wants them to speak at their events and they are reading theology books.

These two don't have much of a family at home. Although they are from Minnesota, they spend alot of time in Nashville because it's an easy place to rest in between shows for a couple of days. Most of the time their shows are in the south and they cannot drive all the way up to Minnesota. Therefore, they stay with us quite a bit, and I love it!

The two guys don't have much of a place to live in Minnesota anyway. Brock and I try to be like family to them. It's really neat because they actually feel like family to me. There is not much trying on my part. We have a really special relationship with them. Last time they stopped in, one of the guys said that it was good to be home.

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

Funny or Interesting

Alot of funny or interesting things happened at these last few Freedom Experiences. One is when these two guys jumped a fence and came in the side door. They were trying to "sneak" into the event. They finally made it in rather late only to find out that FX is free. One of the leaders said, "Just come in the front door tomorrow night."

As we were doing this one illusion where Brock spray paints on a bedsheet, I realized that I got a fitted sheet and not the flat one like we needed. I realized this during the actual trick as I was taking it out of the package. I ran past the crowd and out the back and through the maze to get to our truck. I grabbed a flat sheet and ran back in hoping to make it in time. I did. Brock was still setting up the trick, but I was perspiring from my sprint.

I was getting all of the chains ready for the underwater coffin escape when I felt a drip of water. The coffin was left unattended by the guys that were filling it for the show and it was overflowing! That's the first time that has ever happened. Brock ran up on stage and placed a kink in the hose in order to prevent the water from going all over the stage equipment.

Also, during the actual chaining of the water coffin, a mentally challenged guy ran up onstage. He just stood there quietly. I didn't know why he was there until I saw him dangling a padlock from his fingers. We allow people to bring locks and chains of their own, but we usually collect them before the show. I used his lock, and he stood there with me until Brock escaped!

Fender Bender

We had a small accident yesterday. As Brock was turning right, a lady came up right beside him and Brock smashed in the front driver's side of the car. It wasn't really anyone's fault because Brock turns so wide that while making the turn, she just slipped in beside him. She was elderly and probably did not realize that you cannot get right up beside big trucks when they are turning. I felt really sorry for her.

There happened to be cops at the intersection, so they pulled over. They said that it happens alot at this particular intersection. I watched from inside the truck as Brock conversed with the cops. They were just laughing up a storm! After the lady had already left, one of the officers motioned for me to come over. I though that he wanted me to give a statement about what I saw. Nervously, I walked over to the cop. They started laughing and said that Brock needed some assistance. I looked over and Brock was handcuffed. After finding out he was an illusionist and escape artist, they had put him in their handcuffs. This was the first pair of handcuffs that Brock could not escape out of. He's been able to get out of several police officer's handcuffs before (not because he was being arrested...just because they were goofing around like yesterday). I don't know if the paper clip that he was using was too flimsy or the handcuffs were a new kind. Whatever the case, we all got a good laugh including the officers.

Night Three of FX

We squeezed 3,400 people in that little gym here in Harlan, KY last night. It was amazing! We took down our curtains and performed in the round last night. They almost turned some people away, but Brock said that we will fit them in somehow. People were sitting on the floor and standing everywhere! Several more were saved. Everyone was so grateful that we came to their small town nestled in the mountains. This town has 3,000 people in the city and 25,000 total in the county. That means that we had over 10% of the town there last night. Harlan will always remember the Freedom Experience!

Night Two of FX

It was even more packed last night! They were parking over at the hospital and all of our overflow was taken. Tonight, I don't know what we're going to do! Fifty-six people were saved last night. Pray that tonight more people will give their lives to Christ than the last two nights combined.

Yesterday, we noticed that there were signs saying "ATV Parking" all over town. We also saw four wheelers going down the road and at the gas station. The leader that was with us said that so many people had their driver's license revoked that they drove ATV's all over town. We are in the middle of nowhere Kentucky.

These are the towns we like to come to for FX. We can impact the entire city. The only event that they've ever had was a Mylon LaFever concert in 1982. Therefore, they are very appreciative and coming out by the hundreds each night.

Night One of FX

Last night was awesome! It was standing room only and 46 people gave their lives to Christ. We saw the power of God at the prayer service Sunday night and at the show last night. However, the venue doesn't have air conditioning so it's HOT! Also, the bmx riders, Brock, and I am really exhausted. Pray for strength for everyone.

Each town has a different personality. This town is very passive. At the school assemblies, the students were slow to act. At one school that consisted of 4th through 12th grade, Brock told the volunteers on the stage to pick a prize from the ground. They just stood there, so Brock said anybody in the crowd could get them. About 50 4th graders stormed the stage dog piling on top of the prizes. Then, none of the teachers did anything about it, so I had to go out there and tell them to sit down. It was nuts!

Also, smoking is a big problem here. I walked into one of the bathrooms at the school and could barely see due to the thick smoke. We also saw students smoking outside in between classes. They have several tobacco farms here, so smoking boosts their economy. Isn't that sick?

Adventures in Driving the Big Rig

Luke, Donny, and I had a crazy time driving here. One of our tires were completely flat when we left yesterday morning, so we had to find a gas station with an air pump. Do you know how difficult it is to get our Freightliner into a little gas station? At one spot, they wanted me to back up the truck...I don't back! Needless to say, it took us forty-five minutes to get some air in a tire.

Then, a vent on our truck kept flying up slightly just enough to let all of the cold air conditioning escape leaving us HOT. We taped it down with duck tape. Every few hours, the tape would melt away and the vent would fly up again. So, Luke would have to get up on top of the cab and tape it back down on the side of the road.

One time, we were turning into a Walmart and the car in front of us stalled. We were trapped behind them. After the light turned green and red a few times, Donny and Luke ran out to try and push her car. They pushed her car and then it started going down an hill. The speed of the car picked up and I watched as Luke hung onto the driver's side of the car and Donny ran behind it. Luke ended up climbing in the driver's seat and the girl had to jump over into the passenger's side. It was very laughable!

The Livin It that Brock went to Saturday was the best so far. Around 200 people gave their lives to Jesus! Please pray for our team as we begin another FX.

The Ultimate Caregiver

Brock flew to Nebraska for a show yesterday while a couple of the bmx guys and I began driving to Kentucky for our next Freedom Experience. We stopped off in Nashville just for the night. After we ate dinner, I walked across the parking lot to the bookstore in order to get a new book. On the way, I called Brock. He told me that one of our friends called and said that his wife who had been pregnant with their first baby for 8 weeks had a miscarriage this weekend. The most difficult part about the situation is that he is a musician and was gone for the weekend. Also, they are from Colorado and have no family here. My heart broke for her because she is one of my dear friends.

I called her as soon as I got off of the phone with Brock before I was even in the bookstore. As I was leaving her the most heartfelt voicemail that I could possibly come up with, she called me. She said, "I know where you are. You are in the Borders Bookstore parking lot. I know because I'm in the parking lot and saw you walk by on your phone." I told her that I was calling her! I ran to her and through my arms around her. She cried. I cried. She said that she was just thinking that she didn't know what to do. She didn't want to be alone, but she didn't know who to call. She was just driving around. We talked, cried, and laughed the whole night. I ended up staying at her house last night. Her husband is coming in this morning so he'll be with her today.

I thought about how sweet the Lord was for ordaining our meeting. Her husband was so worried about her. He wanted to be there to take care of her, but the Lord is the ultimate Caregiver. He's the only One that knows exactly what you need even if you don't. Brock was probably concerned about me driving the truck with two young guys who had only a few hours experience driving our truck. However, the Lord is taking care of me...He always does!

FX III

This was a great Freedom Experience! There were about 300 people who made decisions for Christ! Here are some of their stories:

One included a father who came to pick up his son from the event. His son was back with the counselors talking with them about Jesus. The father ended up becoming a follower of Jesus right there and hadn't even attended the event! A tough guy that was practically dragged to the event by his friend ended up breaking down to one of our leaders and surrendered to Christ. Some youth who were dropping the f-bomb quite often throughout the show ended up back in the counseling room becoming a Christian.

A counselor led a young girl to Christ the second night. On the last night, the girl came back and brought her boyfriend and family. She went back to the counseling room and sat by the counselor again and watched as she led more people to Christ, one of which was her boyfriend! There was a lady in the audience who had lost her three daughters in an accident 10 years before. The girls were playing in a hole that caved in killing all three. The mother had never grieved over it. She had held it in for 10 years! Last night when Brock came out of the water coffin, she felt as if her chains were coming off. She began to cry and upened up with one of our counselors. She said that she felt free for the first time in 10 years last night!

FX II

The second day of FX, I always get a little discouraged. I guess because it's not the first day with a fresh start kind of feel, and it doesn't have all of the excitement of the last night. Yesterday was no exception. We did three school assemblies which took the whole day. Then, we went to the venue and set up for last night's show.

I wasn't the only one that felt this way. One of the bmx riders, Luke, was very uneasy right before we began the program last night. He said that he felt as if he was being attacked by the enemy in his mind. If you are not really focused while flipping your bicycle in the air, you could mess up badly or get injured. You must be on your game every single time. A few of us layed our hands on him and prayed for him right before showtime. One of the guys prayed that he would ride better than ever. I started agreeing with that prayer. I thought that if Luke rode extremely well, it would encourage him and let him know Who ultimately has the power if we only ask. Our prayers were answered. Luke said excitedly that he pulled tricks that he thought he couldn't pull during the show! We all thanked the Lord for answering our prayers.

Overall the show went extremely smooth. Many more were saved last night as well!

FX I

The first night was fabulous!!! Brock prayed that the room would be full on the first night. We've never had that happen before. Last night was a first! It was standing room only. Plus, there were hundreds of people who came to know the Lord. For a first night of FX, it was great. For the first night of FX with a whole new crew, it was excellent!!!

Being Positive

Even though I woke up yesterday with bad sinus problems and Brock somehow got a catch in his back, I decided that I was going to be positive. The hotel has no elevator service because lightening struck it a few days ago. Also, I missed the continental breakfast because it closed so quickly, and the light over our bathroom sink doesn't come on. So, in spite of having to walk up and down the stairs outside, being really hungry, and getting ready in the dark, I'm going to be positive. I need to be positive because at Freedom Experience, things always go wrong.

At FX, the enemy attacks in multiples. For example, lots of the team has health problems. Several band members are sick and the riders get hurt. Epuipment breaks before the show---amps blow and a bike breaks in two. Several people have car accidents on the same day, etc. This time, one of the bmx team's van's transmission went out. The production crew's transmission went out, and our manager's transmission is going out. However, I've just put it in my mind that no matter what happens, I'm going to remain positive!

Driving to FL

Today, we drive to Pensacola, FL to begin a Freedom Experience. One team of Chaos on Wheels is here in Nashville. Part of the team was going to ride with us while the second team drove down and met up with us in Pensacola. They called last night. The second team is stranded somewhere in Missouri with a blown out transmission. That's not good. So, we will be using this team for FX.

I'm a little nervous about this FX simply because alot of the usual people will not be there. David Mackle who sorta runs the FX will not be at this one. Inhabited will not be there. We'll have a different band whom we've never worked with before. Now, Jeremiah from Chaos on Wheels will not be there. He's been to everyone since the beginning! Pray that everything still goes very smoothly and lots of lives are changed forever.

A Childhood Song

Lately, this song that I learned when I was a child keeps coming back to me. The lyrics are:


Did you ever talk to God above
Tell Him that you need a friend to love
Pray in Jesus name believing that God answers prayer?

You can whisper in a crowd to Him
You can cry when you're alone to Him
You don't have to talk out loud to Him
He knows your thoughts.

On a lofty mountain peak, He's there
In a meadow by a stream, He's there
Anywhere on earth you go, He's been there from the start.



That really seems to sum up the meaning of prayer doesn't it? Sometimes, we need to have faith like a child.

Sleep

4am
Sleep is such a wierd thing. You have to have it. Friday night, both of us had little sleep and we had worked out very hard. Therefore, we were exhausted yesterday. So, we took a nap yesterday afternoon. I was asleep for almost two hours and Brock slept for probably an hour and a half. So, here we are in the middle of the night wide awake! I don't know what to do. We don't want to miss church. However, it is 4am and Brock hasn't slept at all. I don't think that I'll be able to get him up in time for Sunday school. If I did wake him up early, he'd want to take a nap this afternoon. I slept for a couple of hours tonight, but then I woke up wide-eyed.

7:45am
I woke up on the futon in the office where I last left Brock working here at the desk online. He's now in bed. So, I think that I could wake him up in time for church and he'll just be slightly tired...but we cannot nap today! I don't want to start a vicious cycle!

Road Manager

We had almost hired a guy that was going to be our new road manager. We've been praying all week that if the Lord didn't want him to work for us, that he would decline. Everything seemed great on his end last weekend when he came with us to the Texas show. He was selling his business this week and then he would go on the road with us. However, even after the papers were drawn up and the buyer only needed to sign the dotted line, it didn't go through. Therefore, the Lord revealed His plan for this young man and for us.

Now, we are still left without a road manager. We really need one for the fall and spring. In fact, this conference tour that we are attending is counting on us having another person to help out. Please pray that we find the right person to be our road manager.

Alone Time

Brock is in North Carolina performing at a Livin It. I don't really enjoy going to the Livin It shows...too much testosterone. However, it's fun for Brock. He gets to hang out with the guys and ride his skateboard, bycycle, and sometimes dirtbike. In the process, I get some alone time which I treasure since I rarely get it.

I've got my cd changer loaded with Toby Mac, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Inhabited (if you don't have that cd yet, you must get it! It's great especially the song "One More Night.") My plan today is to bake cookies, finish cleaning, go to the gym and work out and lay by the pool, and go to my friends' house for a party. (That's why I must bake cookies...for the party) Then, sometime tonight, my family will be coming in. It'll be fun!