Encouraging Scripture - I need YOUR help!

I have a friend that attends our woman's bible study who is really struggling with joy, hope and peace.

Today when we were reading Romans, coveting was mentioned in chapter 7 and she asked "Is it wrong to covet anything?". We asked her watch she meant and tears started coming down her face as she pointed at me and said, "I look at her every week and I see peace just gleaming from her and I covet that."

It was heart wrenching. I went over and sat next to this beautiful woman and we prayed for peace, hope and joy. She shared with me that she struggles with regret. Regret for the things she has done and regret for the things she has not done. She also struggles with anger and feels like it is always inside of her. She so longs for peace and to be free from her anger and her regret.

She lives in the Bridge, and said, "I know people call this a homeless shelter, but for me, its home."

None of us know a home like that and we have been blessed beyond measure. We cannot relate to this woman who is struggling to come to peace with where she is and how she has gotten there.

Would you pray for Rachel AND would you help me out by giving me some ideas of encouraging verses for her. I have some in mind, but I want to hear from you guys (whoever is still out there reading this) what verses encourage you when you feel that you have no peace, no joy or when you feel constantly reminded of your past sin. This week I want to make Rachel some cards with scripture and words of encouragement. I think it would be awesome if I could make her cards from people who are praying for her or who want to share scripture with her. Maybe, if you guys want to commit to praying for her, you could find a verse that relates to what Rachel is going through and also include a short note of encouragement.

If there are no takers for the note writing bit, no big deal, but even just giving me some of the verses that lift you up when you find yourself down would be amazing.

Love you guys and sorry its been so long since I've update. Work has been a challenge and blogging has been relegated to the bench for a bit.

Julie

Can you please pray for my friend, Julie?

She came to bible study during the summer when we were studying John. She was so enthusiastic about what we were learning. I remember the Friday after she came to the Sunday woman's bible study, she came up to me and gave me a big hug and wanted to talk about what she learned the week before to see if she could remember everything.

After that couple of times seeing her, I hadn't really seen her at the Friday night life skills classes or our woman's bible studies on Sundays. Before I met Julie, I had already gotten to know her boyfriend, Louis, pretty well. Once I met Julie, I would get tid-bits here and there about how she was doing. Although Louis wasn't very specific, he would tell me that she would run-off with other men and to the other side of the bridge (not the Bridge, the shelter, but the bridge that was near the shelter that lead to a REALLY, REALLY bad neighborhood).

Last Sunday was the first time I have seen Julie in a long time. I didn't get a chance to talk to her because I was helping a couple of woman finish the bible study questions, but she seemed a little off.

Then we get to the Bridge last night and before class I see Louis and we start chatting about nothing too particular. The next thing I know, I see Julie walking up. I was really excited to get a chance to talk to her, but again, when I saw her something was off and I realized that most likely she was high. I asked her how life was and she said really up and down. I asked her what that specifically meant, if she wouldn't mind sharing, and she definitely didn't mind...

She shared that she has a crack problem and that it feels like it calls to her constantly. She wanted to stop because she knew she was going to lose Louis. While she is sharing all of this, I can tell that part of her wants to stop, but part of her doesn't care and wouldn't mind going back that night...which she did.

We prayed right then and there...I asked God to save her from this addiction and asked Him that He would pour out His love on her so that she would not run to the drugs to fill the voids in her life. I prayed in confidence knowing that Jesus is our more than a conqueror.

Later, Wayne (the director of OurCalling, who used to have a serious drug problem when he was younger), talked to her about what it was going to take to quit.

She told him she really wanted to.

But, when it came down to what she needed to do, she kind of smirked and didn't really believe us. It was very apparent that her words and her desires are not in the same place. Her words say she wants to quit, but her actions are contrary. When we prayed earlier that night, she left and got high, and then came back to get candy. That's when I asked her if she was serious about quitting, and that if she was we needed to talk to Wayne. We pleaded with her, trying to convince her that nothing is going to fix her, that SHE has to want it. Wayne said this: It's not a "salon" where you sit there and they "fix" you; YOU have to be the hardest working person in the room. What's sad is I don't think she's ready to make that commitment.

Driving home, I don't know how to pray for this. Not at all. Nights like these at the Bridge I have to SURROUND myself with truth so that I don't let satan lie and tell me that God isn't doing anything at the Bridge and that the truth won't set anyone free there. I listened to 3 songs the whole way home. One was "Awakening" by Chris Tomlin and I prayed this over Julie...that Jesus would awaken her soul to HIM AND HIM ALONE. Like the rising sun pierces the darkness. The second song was "Our God", again by Chris Tomlin...I just needed to hear scriptural truth that OUR GOD IS STRONGER, that NOTHING can conquer Him. I thought and prayed to truly believe that satan could be vanquished, no matter how "far gone" someone was. The last song I listened to was "He Loves Us" by David Crowder Band. I needed to just keep reminding myself of the truth that God loves us more than we could ever imagine. He is jealous for Julie...loves her, including all the mess, more than she could fathom.

Could you guys join me in praying for Julie? Jesus is mighty to save, mightier than the drugs and the lies that satan is feeding to her.

Our Sustainable Food Day

Reed and I watched Food, Inc. yesterday/today and we were kind of in shock at the lack of attention we have paid to the things we buy. FACT: The things we buy directly affect other people. It's not just about health, although also very important, its mainly about what we are doing to the workers "making" our food. The movie is pretty crazy with all it reveals about the practices of the corporations that produce most of the food in our country.

Anyways, all that to say, Reed and I really think its time to stop pretending we don't know what is going on and make sure that our purchases honor God...even if that means spending a little more money.

So here is me documenting our sustainable food day adventures...

We started the adventures off (after we hung out with Rachel this morning) with lunch at Chipotle, a "sustainable" restaurant, ie. a restaurant that uses local produce and meats.

Reed couldn't finish his burrito and was very distraught about it. This has nothing to do with being aware and conscious about our food choices, but I thought it was cute :)

Next we headed downtown to the Dallas Farmers Market. This thing is intense...I think it is one of the biggest in the country (don't quote me on this, but just know its rather large). Before we actually got to the food, we decided we wanted to spruce up our apartment with some fall decor, so we picked out some pumpkins! P.S. I love that downtown is in the background of the farmer's market...something about it just makes me want to giggle.

Our pumpkin! Reed was thrilled that he was the one showcasing it :)

They had some seriously BIG pumpkins!

And some seriously cool mini-pumpkins!

Next we ventured to Shed 1, which had the local farmer's produce! You can't really tell from the picture, but the shed is really long and you can drive and park in the middle and the vendors line either side. They all had AMAZING samples...I mean the cantaloupe we tried was just spectacular!

In the end we came home with all these wonderful veggies AND some natural pork chops! As in not the "manufactured" pork you get in a store. You'll have to watch Food Inc. to understand what I mean by "manufactured". We got to see a glimpse of how cows/pigs are raised these days and also how they are slaughtered (they featured the largest pork slaughter house in the WORLD). They didn't show the gory stuff as much as how they are raised and treated. Anyways, we were really pumped to find some local butchers who are raising their animals naturally. And here is our bounty...

I'm definitely pumped. It ended up being pretty darn fun going through the Farmer's Market with Reed. And the people were so nice and helpful. I'm pretty sure I never know what to look for in each vegetable (as far as ripeness), but these people GREW them, so they were able to help explain what to look for in something you want to eat soon and in something you may want to eat in a couple days. Pretty neat.

Also, just as an FYI, after typing the word "pumpkin" so many times, it no longer feels like a real word to me. Maybe I need to go to bed...

Living in a Broken World is Hard

Last Sunday our pastor shared his heart about some struggles he was going through. He wasn’t specific about what was going on, but he talked about the pain and suffering in life, and how sometimes it’s just downright hard to deal with.

Even John the Baptist didn’t know how to deal with pain and suffering perfectly. In fact, it caused him to doubt a little. This was the man who saw the dove ascend upon Jesus and heard a voice from heaven say, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matt 3:17). He admitted that he was not fit to “not fit to remove His sandals”. It would seem that John had a pretty clear picture of who this Jesus was…

YET, as Jesus was continuing in His ministry on earth, John was in prison. Bars surrounded him. At this moment, John shows his humanity as he doubts whether Jesus really is the “Expected One” or should he “look for someone else” (Matt 11:3)? I think John was dealing with the hard reality that Jesus’ Kingdom did not come swiftly and with a bang. It was like a seed. He didn’t understand how Jesus could be the One, yet he himself was still suffering in prison.

Isn’t this the same for us? Sometimes we think that if we seek the Lord with sincere hearts, trust in Him fully and follow His commands, that somehow we might bypass the brokenness of a world without Christ.

The reality is hard. There is still suffering. We still experience the suffering that comes with living in a broken world.

This has recently been really hard for us. That whole seed idea is easier said than done.

When I see a woman proclaim that she has been sober from crack for four days and that she is enthusiastic about going to rehab and getting her life back together. She is finally fed up with living on the streets (and quite frankly afraid to die there) and wants to make a change. In those moments it is so easy to proclaim how GOOD our God is.

Then a week goes by and she’s back, which is the first sign that things have not gone well because she is supposed to be at rehab. She is sick and her body is broken, eaten away by the addictions she can’t fight. It’s heartbreaking. And this isn’t isolated. This is most of the woman we serve.

The woman I have grown to love. The woman that I have celebrated triumphs with. The woman I have embraced and prayed with when they are struggling. It’s officially happened (sometime over the past 7 months since we’ve started helping)…these are my sisters, my friends. I care so much about them. I’m blessed beyond belief to walk beside them in life. But with those immense blessings, I also am walking beside them through ALL of life. Even the times when the fall back and struggle. When they make good decisions and also when they make bad decisions. When they are healthy and when they are hurting.

It is so incredibly hard sometimes to walk alongside someone who is truly suffering and to bear that burden with them. I am watching them endure struggle after struggle…they hate the addictions but they can’t fight them. And I am called to walk with them and encourage and love them. It’s my honor and it’s also has begun to truly pain me.

And then I remember the seed and remember that God’s sovereign plan is not going to be accomplished according to my timing. I want to say some magic words and then it would just click and they would experience the warmth of God’s love. I feel the urge to be like John the Baptist and ask “Hey Jesus is this how you’re really coming to save the homeless? Is this what your Kingdom is supposed to look like?” It’s hard to admit that I have those thoughts, but in the end I know that Jesus said that His Kingdom would come like a mustard seed. A seed. It doesn’t come instantaneously.

I often forget that God has a sovereign plan (I know that should be something I shouldn’t forget, but I’ll be honest, sometimes I do) and that sometimes suffering is part of it. It might take years to break someone of their addictions, but if that is the way God chooses to do it, IT IS GOOD. I believe God can perform a miracle and cure everyone in a day, but if He chooses to take more time with certain people, then I know that His plan is the best plan.

All that to say this: I’m learning that being Jesus’ hands and feet sometimes means walking through a broken world, full of suffering and sickness, with others who are in need of His strength and encouragement (and at some point there will be suffering in my own life that others will walk with me through). Building up His Kingdom may involve some heartache on my part as I watch people that I have truly grown to care deeply about fall. It is hard, but also so good. Good mostly because I know God is ALWAYS good and that He is working. Trusting in that gives me hope.

Our Calling

I wanted to give you guys a little update on OurCalling and some prayer requests:

• Reed and I are now the Resource and Events Coordinators (respectively). Please pray for wisdom and perseverance in our new roles within the organization. It's a lot of responsibility and can feel overwhelming. I would love prayer that our hearts would always rely on Jesus for strength and that our purpose would be to glorify God in EVERYTHING.

• Building - As OurCalling is growing, there is more and more need for space. Currently, they have storage space at our church, Northwest Bible, BUT the church is trying to do some renovations so the space may not be available much longer. Our hope would be that OurCalling could get a building near downtown so that we could be available in the areas where the homeless are. Pray for finances and that God would bless the search for a building.

• PEOPLE - Please pray for the homeless and for our perceptions of the "reasons" why they are the way they are. Pray for salvation for those lost and struggling with addictions. Pray that they would be drawn to God through their suffering and place their trust in Christ alone. I also pray for compassion from the church in Dallas (and all over) and that we would rise up and walk alongside this community in fellowship and that the gospel would be shared BECAUSE Jesus came to save every one of us. Also, I pray that we, as the church, would rise up and be Jesus' hands and feet. This morning in church our pastor mentioned the heartbreak and tragedy in life and asked, "Does it matter to Jesus...does He care?" Right before Jesus fed the 5000 in Matthew 14, the disciples tell Jesus that the people need to eat, to send them away. Jesus' response in verse 16: "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." YOU go help them. That is you and me...the church. Jesus cares about the needs of His people. He also cares that WE care about the needs of His people. I pray that the sleeping giant, that is the church, would awake and share all things so that the GLORY of God may be made known throughout this city, this state, this country, this WORLD.
  

Oh This Week

It's been a crazy week for me.

Monday was even busy and I didn't have to work. That was mostly my fault cause the house was a WRECK. I really haven't let the house get so messy in a while, but with being out of town the weekend before and then just the busyness of life, I guess it got away from me. I spent most of Monday cleaning and then when I wasn't cleaning we went to go see Avatar together :) I love hanging out with Reed, he's so funny. In movies we can have conversations with each other just by looking at each other and reading facial expressions. There were times in the movie where I would look over and we would just giggle at each other for whatever reasons.

Tuesday was just a blur. Because we had Monday as a holiday, there was a lot of things that I needed to do to "catch up". One thing was get instructions for our India team together. I didn't know that I would have to do this until around 4 in the afternoon. ALSO, I was having my woman's bible study from last Spring over for dinner because our missionary partner from Brazil was in town. Northwest assigns each woman's small group a missionary (that is affiliated or sponsored by the church) to correspond and pray with. I was so excited to have woman over, so when it got to 6 and I wasn't done with my work, I left to go home figuring that after the ladies left, I'd work.

I got home and cooked as soon as I got there. As soon as the soup and fixings were done, I literally heard a knock on the door. We visited and it was so great to hear Mary-Ann's stories. Her and her husband have been living in Brazil for 47 years! Her husband, Dave, went to Dallas Theological Seminary and as soon as they were done, they headed for Brazil. They have some kids who live state-side, some who live in Brazil (and have married Brazilians!) and do ministry with them. They run a seminary for native Brazilians that is focused on discipleship throughout the whole process. Mary-Ann is really involved with mentoring and encouraging the future pastor's wives.

After they left around 9:15, I immediately turned on my computer and started working. Until 12:15. If you know me, this is insane. I normally don't do this, cause it can wait until the next morning...BUT in this instance it really couldn't, cause I was giving instructions to our India team. If I waited until the morning, they wouldn't get it until evening (their time, they are 10.5 hours ahead of us) and we would lose a whole day of work. Anyways, this is practically an all nighter for me. Surprisingly, I was in good spirits, which is only evidence that God is good and a peace-giver.

Wednesday was a little less hectic, but again, as soon as I left work I headed straight to the apartment where I picked up Reed (like literally, he was waiting for me in the parking lot). Oh and as I was heading to the apartment, there were definitely tornado sirens going off. Because we couldn't see any, we figured we'd be safe going to church.

Today is another full day of work and then leaving immediately from here to go to the Director of OurCalling's house for an Outreach meeting. Oh did I tell you that Reed and I are like in charge of that? Crazy, I know, but God has been guiding and leading us towards serving more and more in His ministry to the poor in Dallas. We've been learning a lot, as well as being refined in huge ways. Tonight is our first Outreach meeting :) I'm a bit excited :)

We'll skip Friday to Saturday....

Saturday I volunteered to do a Heart Walk (if you want to donate, go to this link). My dad died of a heart attack and my grandma had heart disease. So heart stuff runs in my family. Plus my mom used to work in the cardiac rehab, which means she is very into the heart health stuff. As soon as the Heart Walk is over (at around 10 or so), I'm going to go meet a youth group downtown to help with a distribution of resources to the homeless. As soon as that's over, we're heading to the lake to hang out with Garrett, Reed's brother, and all of his other groomsmen. Garrett wanted all the guys to get to know each other before the wedding, so we'll be heading up there.

Sunday is usually a busy day because we have church and then we have bible study in the evenings, OH and this is the prep day for Monday at work, which usually involves some laundry and cleaning and grocery-listing :)

WHEWWWW...it just is crazy writing all of this stuff down.

So because I've thoroughly overbooked myself, Reed and I decided to take Friday night off from the Bridge. We just have to have us time, ALONE, without work or school in the way...

All of this made me realize that I need to make sure that I have a day off, where I focus on Reed, on being a good wife, and a day where I can have time with the Lord that doesn't involve running around. So I've decided that Saturdays are my day of rest. No volunteering. Which is really hard for me and I keep catching my brain saying "well unless there is something I really want to do". But I really want to stay disciplined in this and to be purposeful in this day to 1) rest in the Lord, 2) spend quality time with my husband and 3) serve Reed by keeping the house up and taking care of our home.

It's definitely been a learning week, but honestly, it's been a fun week too and I haven't felt upset. I don't think it was a wise week on my part, BUT I've been encouraged every day by Jesus Christ who is walking with me and teaching me.

I have a spectacular husband

Today my husband is stepping out of his comfort zone and choosing to serve others in obedience to God.

You see, Wayne, the director of OurCalling, is out today and asked Reed what he thought about filling in to do the Wednesday Search and Rescue. Search and Rescue is an event that OurCalling does every week that involves Wayne and several other men and woman (some of which are homeless and wanting to help out) going out all day under bridges, behind liquor stores and through brush to find homeless people. This one of the first opportunities Reed has had to step up in a big way with the Search and Rescue and lead a group of men who are searching for homeless people to share the good news of the God who saves. Although passing out water and Made Ready to Eat (MREs) meals is part of what they do, the bigger and much more important piece is seeking to introduce many lost people to the loving King Jesus...the one who saves.

I'm so proud of Reed for stepping up this week when there was a need. Although he may not have felt super comfortable and like he knew what he was going to do, Reed did know one thing...That God will be with him and that He is the orchestrator of all things. And that at the end of the day, all our efforts are in vain without the Lord's help. Because of this truth, Reed just trusted and obeyed. It is so amazing to see the Lord using him in ways that neither of us would have ever imagined a year ago. Trekking through the woods (where people selling drugs are close by) looking for homeless men and woman to share the gospel with? Yeah, definitely wouldn't have thought that. Just shows that God has some crazy cool things He wants us to be a part of in His Kingdom business.

This morning, we both woke up early to get ready for our days and the first thing Reed did after his shower was go to the computer to look at the maps where they were going so he would get it right and be prepared. We also prayed right before Reed left that Jesus would be the prize that these men chased after today. That in every interaction they had, that Jesus Christ and the glory of the gospel would be magnified.

I just keep thinking how grateful I am to have a husband who so willingly gives up his time to let God use him to serve those who need it. The compassion in Reed's heart is amazing. I thank God every day for how He is working in Reed, thanking Him for the good work He started with his salvation and the work He continues to do in him. We're just so thankful for what God is teaching us through serving those in need.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
Jude 1:24-25

Oh how He loves us

We were talking about the sin and distractions of life and how they separate us from God. When Wayne asked the ladies and gentlemen at the Bridge what they needed to let go so that they could be closer to God, we watched the video below. It's just a really neat picture of God's redemption story for us and how He rescued us.

I couldn't figure out how to get a video in the blog, so the YouTube link is here. I would watch this at least twice...I don't think I really understood what they were trying to convey until I watched it twice. Seriously. Watch it twice.

Hello, My Name is Jessica

And I have not touched a cup of coffee or drank a diet Dr. Pepper in 11 days.

I actually have had no caffeine whatsoever (except last Friday night when I felt sick and headachy and I took an Excedrin) for those 11 days.

Oh and guess what, I feel fine. Actually I feel much better than I did when I was drinking caffeine, because I don't have the lows in the afternoons.

I still get tired (I guess that comes with the chronic mono), but it's just a normal tired that I think comes after working a 9 hour day. And to just add onto that, I've been exercising at least 2 days a week for the past 3 weeks.

This all may sound supremely ordinary, BUT for me, this is huge.

Every since I got mono a second time I have depended on caffeine to help me function. I truly didn't know how else to do it. Without caffeine, I would crumple midway through the day and need to take a two or three hour nap. After the third time I got mono, it was even worse and I started to exercise WAY less because this third instance was instigated by trying to train for a half marathon. I would try and slow down with my exercise and just do a little, but it always seemed to drain me so much. Even two years after the third case of mono, I still struggled with exercising. Just one day of exercising would take 3 days of recovering and by the time the 3 day mark hit, I just didn't feel like exercising because I wanted my 3 days back to be productive, not laying around feeling sick.

Enter Chlorophyll.

I read someones blog recently talking about Chlorophyll and how it is supposed to have all of these wonderful health benefits. I had been yearning for a while to feel healthy and energetic without the aid of caffeine or medicines. There is something invigorating and inspiring about being exactly how God created you and feeling healthy. With this feeling, I've decided to drop several regular medications that I've been taking as well as dropping sodas (because of all of the weird chemicals that are in them). I hadn't quite dropped coffee at this point, but when I read about chlorophyll, I decided, what the heck, I'll give this stuff a try and see if it works.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I feel like a normal person again! And there is no caffeine. No steroids (for anyone who knows, I've been put on steroids for my mono before).

It's just God's good nature doing its thing in me.

It feels so good.

Now, I am always leery about health stuff cause I just can't get over something that doesn't taste good and chlorophyll is the green stuff in plants...so I was definitely a bit worried about the taste.

I tried it last Tuesday morning with some juice and I honestly couldn't taste the chlorophyll at all. I just tasted the juice. Now, every morning, I take one tablespoon of chlorophyll with my juice and go on with my day!

Although this isn't the cure all, it has definitely helped me. And as with all things, there are some people who say that this doesn't work, etc. But I figure eating something natural from a plant is better than eating chemicals we made to make things taste better. Just wanted to put that disclaimer in there :)

There are still some days that I do feel tired, but I'm not masking it with caffeine and I can address what is going on (for instance, the allergens in town were going crazy last week and I was a little groggy). BUT there are many more days where I can function throughout the whole day and go home after work and still be productive instead of semi-comatose in the living room. Oh and just to let you know...Yes, it's REALLY green and it's not going to look pretty, but honestly, if you put it with juice it doesn't take away from the taste at all.

If you want to try it, I'm sure any health food store might have it. I bought mine from Sprouts, but I've also found the same brand I bought from Sprouts on this website for about the same price.

Also, if you'd like to read more about chlorophyll, here is a website that I found through the blog I read.

Last Friday Night at the Bridge

Every Friday night, Reed and I, unless we are sick or out of town, head downtown to one of Dallas' homeless shelters, the Bridge. We've come to love and cherish the time that we spend at the Bridge. When I talk to people about this, sometimes it makes them feel uncomfortable or like they could never be around homeless people, but it's really not too hard. Homeless people are people too. They all have different stories and reasons for why they are homeless, but in the end, they are broken humans, just like the rest of us. I'll admit, I was super uncomfortable when we first decided that this was something we were going to be obedient in because Jesus calls us to love and serve the poor. I kept thinking that I would have nothing to relate, nothing to say to encourage, nothing to share.

God showed me just how wrong I was. He's also shown me how His plan for His people in Dallas is far bigger than me. If Reed and I didn't go to the Bridge, God would still be doing amazing things to bring the broken back to Himself for His glory...we are just blessed to be a part of that.

On Friday nights we help teach a life skills class. Usually this is over a certain life topic that Wayne, the Director of OurCalling, picks. The really neat thing is that we teach biblically based life skills classes. There is nothing subtle about how we tie the class into what God says in the bible about that particular subject. Just being able to talk about God's Word is evidence of His sovereignty every week because the Bridge is a city run shelter and we're not technically supposed to have anything religiously affiliated. Yet ever week, we go inside the shelter and teach a class painted with the gospel. God truly is good.

This past Friday was one of those nights that God just took the reigns and captivated everyone. Wayne chose to talk about our purpose this week. What is our purpose on this earth. What will our purpose be this year? What about this summer? What about this week? What about today? We talked about seeking God's purpose for our lives because God loves each and everyone in the room and has a specific purpose for them. I remember as Wayne was emphasizing that point over and over (that God loves us exactly how He created us and that He created us for a purpose), that my eyes went around the room to all the people sitting around me.

I saw one man who had earlier confessed to me that he had taken 11 of his psych meds to give him a nice high. His hands were shaking and he was proud of the high he was feeling. God may not love his choices and actions, BUT GOD LOVES THIS MAN.

Another man was sitting next to me, shaking his leg uncontrollably (could be a health issue, could be drugs, I'm not sure), and he smelled like he had been walking in the Texas heat (it has been over 100 most days in Dallas) for 2 weeks straight without washing himself or his clothes. This man who's story I do not know, GOD LOVES EVERY PART OF HIM.

One of the woman in the room is a lady that God has intertwined in my heart. By all means, she is nasty, rude, racist, manipulative and throws a fit if you don't give her money. But my heart has always ached to see the impossible come true with her because GOD LOVES AND CREATED HER TO BE EXACTLY THE WAY SHE IS. I know she wasn't created to carry the certain evils in her heart and that God does not love the, but there are moments when I see her sweet spirit come out and I praise Jesus for the hope of His salvation.

As we all sat there thinking of our purpose as God's children, whom He loves EXACTLY the way we are, poor or not, the whole room was silent. This may not seem that amazing, but on Friday nights we also hand out coffee and Gatorade during the class. We know that many people come solely for the coffee which usually brings LOT of side conversation. Some nights it is more of a distraction than others, but without fail there is usually some side conversation going.

Not this Friday. Every single person in the room was captivated by the message that Wayne was sharing. To know that God had a specific purpose for them captivated them. Each person in the room, including myself, was challenged to choose the purpose God has in store for us, instead of our own purposes.

I'm not sure how everyone else was affected by the message, but I was so convicted. We talked about how we were to find our purpose in Christ and that it may look different for each person as far as individual actions go but our purpose would be found when we continually run the race set before us, seeking diligently after our prize, Christ Jesus.

I cannot tell you how much that does not reflect my life. Ever since I began working last September, I have chased after nothing but my selfish desires. Work is so hectic that I feel sorry for myself and therefore I feel like I deserve my own free time all the time.

I know, not a good year.

I think the word that might define this last year for me is "purposeless". I just was kind of existing. Trying to get by with the crazy life of a public accountant and wife. Jesus wasn't my reason. He was always there and there were moments when I connected with Him, but He wasn't EVERYTHING.

I don't want to have my purpose this week to be to just get through the work week and then serve at the Bridge during the weekends. I want every second of my life to have a purpose in Jesus. To be pointed towards Christ. I don't want to waste my days just getting by and choosing my own selfish ambitions.

This past Friday night, while I was supposed to be serving coffee, I stayed seated with the homeless and I started praying for the woman I feel so intertwined with, for the man who admitted he was using his medication for the high and for the man who was kind of stinky next to me. In all earnestness, I prayed that they would be impacted with God's Word about their purpose and that they would gaze upon Jesus and know that He alone is sufficient. I prayed for a revolution at the Bridge, that the hatred and cut throat nature that is accepted there would dissolve and that Christ's love and peace would inundate this place. That Jesus would be magnified in this shelter. I prayed that the impossible can be done in the lives of the addicted, faithless, and lonely. I prayed that the homeless would rise up with more faith and resiliency in Christ than this city ever imagined.

The Holy Spirit is moving in the Bridge and although we may not see the fruits of God's work there just yet, I believe He is the Redeemer of all...not just the clean people at my church, but the dirty, smelly, broken people in the shelters, under the bridges and in the woods. He loves them just the way they are. And He has a plan and a purpose for each one of them.

I have so much to tell you...

I have around 3 blog entries that are drafts (not for real drafts, but drafts in my head). I really want to share what God has been doing in my life over this past week. The problem is that I will think about what I want to share during my drive to and from work.

If I'm going home, we cook dinner, get stuff ready and then I take time in the Word and prayer getting to know Jesus better (this is not normal for me, sadly, I've let myself get consumed with the business of life...I'll share more when I publish my drafts). By that time, it's almost 10PM and all I want to do is read Prince Caspian and figure out how the Old Narnians are going to ever defeat Miraz!

If I'm going to work, well I can't really write a well thought out entry (I can only write little ones like this one) because, well, I have to work.

All of this to say, I have things to write and I'm hoping I can write at least one post tonight.

For now, I will leave you with this verse that has been on my heart:

Colossians 1:13-22
13For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
18He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
19For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
20and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made (peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
21And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,
22yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--

“What I believe about God is the most important thing about me.” - A.W. Tozer

Our pastor shared a quote with us this weekend and this, along with the verse above, has opened my eyes to the realization that what I believe about Jesus truly is the most important thing in my life and will shape my future actions...

Marlene

I was perusing on facebook this morning (as I'm waiting for a meeting with a client) and I saw an article posted from OurCalling saying that my friend Marlene has moved into Cliff Manor!! I think a couple of posts ago I had asked you to pray for the situation and God has provided!



Go here to read the article on the Dallas Morning News website.

This is such a blessing for these men and woman, BUT it's only the beginning of their journey. There is so much more prayer and guidance that these guys are going to need. It's hard for them to just go pick up and function. They are still going to need support in budgeting their money, in how to spend their time wisely (and stay out of trouble), in finding a church and especially in their walk with God (just like we all need community and shouldn't be left on our own without support). Not to mention the fact that their community, their "family" is at the Bridge. They are going to be separated from the people they feel comfortable around and they may feel lonely at their new place if they can't travel back to the Bridge. I know this is a HUGE step forward, BUT I am hoping to continue our fellowship and ministry to these ladies so that they don't feel forgotten because they now have an apartment. I still love Marlene just as much as I did before and I want my actions and pursuit of her to reflect that. She is my sister in Christ and I'm excited that she is beginning this new journey :)

Thanks for all the prayers!

The Children's Museum

The only pictures my sister and I could gather from our vacation in Boerne were those from our adventure to the Children's Museum the morning before Reed and I left to come back to Dallas. Enjoy...

Grace and I enjoying a little shopping in the "HEB" center. They had all of these fake fruits and empty HEB brand boxed items. It was so cute cause Grace strictly stuck to fruits and vegetables because she wanted to be healthy :)

The boys were having so much fun playing with the balls in the play area at the museum. Oliver was so funny cause he'd just stand there waiting for this giant bucket to tip over and let all of the balls out. When it did, he would just stand there staring as balls were hiting his little head. It was probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen. (From left to right is Reed, Ethan, Ben and Oliver)

We had to drag the kids (and adults) away from this play station...

That's all I have for now...Hope everyone is having a great day!

June and July

I realize it has been quite a while since I’ve written about what’s going on in our lives so I’m going to give a little bit of an update. I apologize in advance if this post is really lengthy, but if you’re curious, this is what we’ve been up to…

June
In June we celebrated our 1 year anniversary! I probably already wrote about this, but it was a wonderful time for us to celebrate 1 year of being husband and wife. It was a restful and relaxing weekend. We celebrated mostly on Saturday, because we had bible study with the men and woman down at the Bridge on Sunday and we didn’t necessarily do anything super spectacular, but we did sit with each other and cherish the past year. We looked at pictures from our wedding and went to Hobby Lobby to put our wedding picture book together. We also just got to hang out and enjoy each other’s company. It was perfect J I can’t really explain how amazing of a husband I have. He’s the best husband God could have ever created for me. I can’t imagine anyone else who could be as patient, loving and sensitive as Reed. It all just shows that God orchestrates beautiful things J One of my favorite things about our first year of marriage is finding a church and a place to serve (OurCalling) with Reed. It’s amazing to see how the Lord is shaping Reed through his involvement in OurCalling. By serving together, I feel as if our hearts have become more and more entwined. In serving others, God has also drawn us closer to each other. It’s amazing how much more united you feel when you have a God-given passion inside of you. And it is so amazing to share that with your spouse J

The first week of June was also the week that I started a new client at work. It has been a challenge but overall pretty good. I’ll be out at this client for another 3 weeks and then I get to start on a different one J I’m semi-nervous about this new client. It will be a lot of responsibility and a good opportunity to step up and be a leader. But I would be lying if that didn’t also bring me a bit of nervousness. I’ll be doing things that I have never done before and I want to be really good at them from the get-go. All of this reminds me of my need to feel good about myself through the work and accomplishments I have. This past Sunday at church, the guest speaker talked about the “badges” we wear to make ourselves feel as though we matter in life. We then talked about how to REALLY matter in life, because the world does not have the answer. Paul explained that he would boast in his weaknesses because he knew that we are NOTHING without Jesus and that in our weaknesses God’s power is perfected. The same is true of me. I am absolutely nothing apart from God. No matter how much money I make. No matter how well I do at work. No matter how many friends I have. We’re nothing without the power of Christ. I think in my heart I still cling to my badges. That I’m intelligent. That I’m a hard worker. That I’m “spiritual”. I think work and life has humbled me…but for the better, so that I may not exalt myself, but exalt Him who creates and gives life to all things. Also, it has helped me let go of the worldly things that I seek daily…it’s a slow process and my life is still littered with this sin, but God is patient to refine me. Because in the end there is nothing that I have that has not been given to me from above. It’s humbling, it’s hard, but it’s good because it keeps my attention focused on the one who deserves all honor and glory.

July
I guess that was kind of a mixture of June and July, but one thing we did in July that was super fun was spend the week with my family in Boerne! It was a whirlwind and went by way too fast, but it was soooo good to see family that we haven’t seen in a while. We started the week with my brother and his wife and three kids came through Dallas to stay the night before heading down to Boerne. We had a ton of fun and left the next morning to make the 5 hours trek to Boerne (with kids I think it ended up being 7 haha)! During our time in Boerne we had a fourth of July party, we went shopping with my grandma Josie, we swam with kids (a ton!) and we just played around a lot. It was all around wonderful to be with family. I’m hoping to post pictures soon so that you can get a little bit of visual too!

Since we’ve been home, Reed and I have been trying to get back into the swing of things and back into our routine. We missed a couple of Friday night Life Skills classes at the Bridge so it was really great to go back and see all of our friends. It’s amazing how much these people have touched our hearts J Okay, so enough blabbering about myself, I want to leave you guys with some updates on a few of the ladies/men that we know at the Bridge. Please feel free to pray for these men and woman…they are some amazing people and we love them dearly:

Kathryn and Marlene – These two ladies have been waiting for housing for a while and when their expected move in date of July 7th got moved back, Kathryn began to lose hope and give up even caring about getting an apartment. The biggest issue has been the people who already live in this area…they are afraid that the people moving in will bring drugs and violence to the area. I cannot vouch for all of the men/woman moving into these apartments, but I know that Kathryn and Marlene are as sweet as can be and do NOT fit into the drug/violent stereotype that these people have labeled them with. Pray for patience for them and for trust that God’s will is good. Also, specifically pray for Marlene…she was mugged on Thursday night and her body is sore and her eyes were completely black all around on Sunday when I saw her last (she’s been wearing sunglasses to hide the bruises). From what I understand, the people who mugged her stole 11 cents and her cell phone. Marlene is our fire cracker and its hard seeing her down and out. I love her enthusiasm and joy at our bible studies. Also, please pray for Kathryn and her two sons. Both have been in jail recently. One was released and the other just got moved to a state prison. She has really been down about it lately (along with feeling overwhelmed with the apartment drama and feeling like she has no stuff to fill an apartment with) so just pray that she would find joy in the Lord. Kathryn really enjoys and asks such good questions at bible study. I pray that the rest of the woman at our study have the hunger to understand and discuss God’s Word like she does. She is such a beautiful woman inside and out.

Anderson – This is one of our really good friends who recently got housing! We were actually able to help him move into his apartment (and give him an extra vacuum cleaner and tv that we had around the house) about a month ago. The sad thing about apartment moves is that we don’t usually get to see the men or woman as much anymore, so it is always encouraging and exciting when they give us a call. Recently, Anderson called Reed about some apartment “starter kits” that OurCalling recently had donated to them. It’s basically just the cleaning products and other “basics” that you would need for an apartment. We’re hoping that soon we can go visit him and deliver his kit. Also, he promised us some “soul” food…soooo I’m a little excited about that too ;)

There are many more people to update you about, but for now, I’ll leave you with these 3!

Have a wonderful day and I promise to blog more frequently for anyone who wants to hear more about what’s going on with us.

William Booth

Sorry I've been MIA for a while...in all honestly, I haven't really wanted to write lately. BUT, I did want to share this sermon from William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. It was played at a church in Boerne while we were on vacation.

"I am glad you are enjoying yourself. The salvation business is a friend of happiness. Making heaven on earth is our business. Serve the Lord with gladness is one of our favorite mottos. So I am pleased that you are pleased! But amidst all your joys don't forget the sons and daughters of misery. Do you ever visit them? Come away and let us make a call or two. Here is a home, six in family, they eat and drink and sleep and sick and die in the same chamber. Here is a drunkard hovel, void of furniture, wife a skeleton, children in rags; father now sleeping, the victims of his neglect. Here are the unemployed, wandering about, seeking work and finding none. Yonder are the wretched criminals cradled in crime passing in and out of the prisons all the time. There are the Daughter of shame deceived and wronged and ruined. Traveling down the dark and blind to an early grave. There are the children, fighting in the gutter, going hungry to school. Growing up to fill their parents places. Brought it all on themselves, you say? Perhaps so. But that does not excuse our assisting them.

You don't demand a certificate of virtue before you drag some drowning creature out of the water. Nor the assurance in a man of faded grace before you deliver him from the burning building. But what shall we do? Content ourselves by singing a hymn? Offering a prayer? Or giving a little good advice? NO! Ten thousand times no!

We will forgive them. Feed them! Reclaim them. Employ them! Perhaps we shall fail with many. Quite likely. But our business is to help them all the same. And that in the most practical, economical and Christlike manner...But you must help with the means. And there is nothing like the present. Who in this company will lend a hand by taking up the gauntlet?"

Listening to him preach this sermon is so moving...These words ring so true in my heart and encouraged and challenged me to love those the world sees as unworthy.

P.S. If any friends are here and have been trying to call me, my phone is dead...again. I got a replacement from Sprint that worked for about 2 days before it too was dead. Apparently, they sent me a faulty replacement haha. Anyways, sorry if I haven't replied. I'm not sure how to check my voicemail from a phone other than mine.

Summer Time

I don't care what people say about "almost summer". It's summer when it starts consistently hitting 90+ degrees every day.

With that, I have a couple of prayer requests:

- I haven't been feeling very well lately and, as is typical for any illness I have, it takes a long time for me to get over. I'm getting better about not getting defeated, but I know that I could be better about letting go of how my body feels. Currently, the lymph nodes in my throat are swollen and they often ache throughout the day (making me really tired)...so pray for healing and patience...and that I would stop feeling sorry for myself.

- I've been asked to lead a woman's bible study at church. Pray for this decision and mostly pray that I would get the will power to dedicate some serious prayer to it...I need to stop being lazy and heed the advice in the quote below:
"But the things that we feel most deeply we ought to learn to be silent about, at least until we have talked them over thoroughly with God." - Elisabeth Elliot

- I also need prayer that I would let go of the need to feel "okay" and under control with my relationship with God. I want to embrace His grace and truely have it be enough...and to still know that I am loved, even when I wrap myself up in myself...Also just pray that I would choose to give myself fully to the Lord, not because it makes me feel under control, but because He loved me first.

- One of the ladies at the OurCalling bible study relapsed into drugs and prostitution and is back on the streets. I know that God is bigger than this. I know He can heal her. I know He loves her so much. I'm clinging to that truth despite the situation. She's one of the faithful ones that comes every Sunday and is engaged in our study...Please pray for her and that God's will would be done in her life.

Love you all.

A Wonderful Weekend at Home

Reed and I went to Boerne this weekend so that we could attend my cousin, Starre’s, baby shower!

We started off the weekend with the long drive and actually made pretty decent time, getting into my parents house around 7:30. We came in and within 30 minutes we started helping my mom and sister make pasta salad and quinoa salad for the shower. We ended up chopping, mixing and boiling until 12:30 when everything finally started to get finished. All of us immediately went to bed afterwards so that we could be ready for the shower the next day.

The next day we went to Starre’s shower…she is expecting her baby in October and our whole family is so excited to have another baby in the family :) Here are some pictures from the shower…

Starre opening some of her gifts

My sister, my grandma and me. Grandma Lu wasn't doing too well earlier (4AM) that morning so it was a blessing that she made it to the shower and was feeling okay.

My sister-in-law, Elizabeth, me and my sister, Kristen (we were missing Kassie and Rachel).

When we got home, this was the first thing I saw…(this made my heart flutter at what a wonderful daddy Reed’s going to be someday :))

And here are some other random things from the weekend…

Me and sweet Addison!

Then we went to this AMAZING, like best pizza I've ever had, place called Rochello's

All in all, we had a really really fun and relaxing weekend. We love our family and cherish the time we get to spend with them. Next big family shindig will be when Ben and Kassie (and Grace, Jonah and Oliver) come down in July!

Oh Frasier

This was our kitty the other night...

Sad thing is I was petting him right before he meandered over to the toilet and all I could do sitting in my bedroom was sit there silently in shock because if I shooed him or scared him he'd relapse and not want to come out anymore.

Needless to say, we leave the toilet covers down now.

Lovin' It

I’m sorry I haven’t updated in a while…lately I’ve been coming home from work and avoiding the computer at all costs. It’s kind of subconscious cause I don’t even think about it. I guess I’ve just really been enjoying my evenings at home with Reed :)

Lots of things have been going on in the Milliken house (apartment). Lately God has truly been stirring our hearts for the homeless. Serving with OurCalling has become more than something that we do to serve God, getting to know and pray with our homeless friends through this ministry has become knitted into the fabric of who we are. I don’t know if we could ever be separated from it now. For the first time in my life, I really feel like I’m answering Jesus’ call to go to the places that I was afraid to go to. To be an instrument of His provision in the lives of those who are truly needy. I think I’ve gotten really good at fellowship with people who are really REALLY similar to me…but I haven’t really ever ventured to truly love someone who was different.

God is so good to send us signs of His will and for me, I have His word to encourage me and spur me on to really love someone who is an entirely different situation that I am…

God taught this to Peter in Acts 10:13-28. Peter had a vision of God telling him to kill and eat, yet Peter was trained all his life to know that only certain things were clean to eat…BUT God was good to tell him that “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” This was a foreshadowing of what would happen next as Cornelius, an Italian centurion, called upon Peter. I think once he met Cornelius, it all clicked that although these people, just as the food, were not “clean” people to consort with based on his prior notions that he has not right to call any man unholy or unclean.

28And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.

I’m serving some beautiful men and woman who have messy situations (some much more messy than others) but at the end of the day, when Jesus’ washed Peter’s feet (John 13)…those feet were really messy too.

Stuff

I am not the biggest fan of "stuff". I don't know why, but I'm not very sentimental. So I LOVE getting rid of it.

I must admit though, that I'm really lazy too. So a lot of times, I put off getting rid of the "stuff" I don't want to use anymore, not cause I want it or it's hard to give up, I just don't have to time to give it away.

I was reading this blog post by Heather Hendrick (read here) and it made me really count the cost of my laziness...her family was able to support a child in Africa for OVER A YEAR. All by getting rid of the stuff they NO LONGER USED. Not the stuff they still use, or want, like the stuff lower than that that they don't like.

Anyways, it made me realize that I need to follow those God-given ambitions to let go of the stuff!

One of the big things Reed and I have decided to give away is our china....

I know...crazy....BUT we really don't need to be china people. We can live with normal plates on special occassions and hopefully we can make it up to our guests in other ways so they know they are still special to us. We just figure we could give food to a kid who's hungry. The decision basically went like this through our heads...

Pretty dishes (REALLY pretty by the way) vs. Feed a human being

It really was no competition.

p.s. it was also kind of freeing and semi-addictive.

p.s.s. it was also really hard to make that decision about expensive things that people we love gave us as a gift. But I guess following God's path is going to be expensive and costly. We love our family and are SO grateful...like SOOO grateful they gave us those. We are blown away that we had nice china that we didn't have to buy ourselves! But in the end...it's just stuff...that will one day return to dust. Souls...they are here forever. So we're hoping to invest our money in those guys.

NOW, onto the challenge...Anyone have any idea where we could sell this never-been-used china (that is still in the box) and get what it's worth? We would like to maximize the amount we can give since it is worth a lot (at least I'm pretty sure). We would love ideas :)

Are We Retreating or Engaging?

Our pastor posted this short little summary of what we heard on the second Sunday of our World Passion Week. It was very convicting to me as I realized how little I'm really involved in God's Kingdom building business (that He is running 24 hours a day, every day).

I thought I would post the link to his little summary for you guys to read...Neil Tomba's Blog

Please Pray

Friday night at the Bridge one of my friends Vanessa had a seizure and fell on the concrete sidewalk, splitting her head open.

She struggles with these seizures and this is a pretty normal occurrance for her. She also can't afford the medication and so she keeps getting hurt and taken to the hospital, only for them to bring her back and have it happen again in a week.

Everything inside of me keeps thinking, "THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN". It just shouldn't. She should not have no help with medication. Now, I want to also tell you that she has asked me for help paying for the medication, but when we offerred to pick it up from CVS, she just ripped up the prescription in anger because she didn't want to go to CVS. Vanessa also struggles with anger issues.

And as much as it's easy to judge her for acting with so much anger and we can also speculate as to why it upset her that we wouldn't give her cash and wanted to just get her the prescription, I still can't help but think, who GIVES a flip if she's got issues. I have issues. You have issues. And if it weren't for the grace of God...HIS grace ONLY...we might just be in her shoes too.

Vanessa knows she needs medication and has been asking for help. And all the bridge (the city run organization, not Our Calling, the organization I work with that helps at the bridge) can do is hold her bleeding head as she lays on the pavement seizing.

This morning I just cried for Vanessa in church.

I cried for her heart. For her salvation and her walk with the Lord.

I cried for her health. The pain and fear she was feeling on Friday night.

I cried because we rely on this city to heal her. I cried because politicians have decided that they should step in to help, because people are dying and no one else is helping.

I cried because the city and the politicians will NEVER solve this problem.

I cried because I finally realized that GOD is the only one who can fix this. And that maybe he's been wanting to use his church for a long time, but we're so busy in our own lives that we're missing the opportunity to ENGAGE in His Kingdom's work.

I cried because the resources to get her meds were in the same room that I was in at church this morning. I cried because not too many people know the hurts that go on just on the other side of downtown from where many people work every day.

I also cried in complete humility and awe of God's strength. I raised my hands in worship this morning laying all this down at God's feet admitting that "YOU are stronger". And I still am crying. I still am upset and overwhelmed with the pain in the world. I'm convicted as to the amount of time I engage in the FIGHT, that is currently going on, the war for souls. The one that God is constantly engaged in. He loves us and is fighting to bring more people to Himself. And satan is fighting too. This huge war we talk about so delicately at church is real. It's happening. So why aren't we mobilized? Why are we not engaged? Why are we not living our lives passionately for God's victory? Why have I not ebeen engaged in this war.

I've been so wrapped up in myself. In my work. In my home. In our lives.

Both Reed and I are realizing that we're in a war zone...and that we can pretend that God is all about comfort (seriously deluding ourselves from reality) or join the fight...kick it up a notch and choose to engage wholeheartedly with the Lord in His fight for the people of this world.

You are stronger!
You are stronger!
Sin is broken
You have saved me
It is written
Christ is risen
Jesus You are Lord of all

No beginning and no end
You're my hope and my defence
You came to seek and save the lost
You paid it all upon the cross

Hello Frasier

Meet Frasier...our new kitty!

He is 2 years old and loves to be pet! He just can't get enough. The picture above is us bonding with him at the shelter. Reed was the initial one to fall in love with Frasier when he realized the cat just LOVED to be rubbed and loved-on. He even let us pet his belly!

Well we adopted Frasier last Saturday and it has definitely been an adjustment. Not for us. For this poor kitty.

This is a picture of his current favorite spot in our apartment. Yes, that is a toilet.


From what I can tell, it's just going to take him a while to adjust to our home. I mean, he was in that shelter for a year and cats do not like change. Plus, he had a traumatic experience when we tried to get him in the adoption box at the shelter. He went wild and was in survival mode. Each day he gets better, but yesterday he accidentally pulled the shower curtain down and relapsed a couple days.

Poor kitty. He was truly traumatized...

BUT he still does love all the petting and loving and we're thinking that maybe give it another week and he'll leave the bathrooms :) hopefully :) Even if it takes a while, we still love this kitty, even to the point where we put our heads much closer to the toilet then we would EVER do for much longer periods of time than I would have EVER wanted before. He's just so cute when he purrs that we forget we're grossly close to the potty.