Mesi

February 1st, 2010 by admin 1 comment »

It’s Haitian creole for thanks … and yes, it is spelled correctly. I thought it proper to give you some insight into my life today. To most of my friends, you may have felt that my life has been on hold for the past few years after leaving my ministry post. It doesn’t seem like years since we left Deerwood. It seems like minutes … or at best a month or two.  But, it’s true … it has been years since I stood behind a pulpit every week and preached. Our journey certainly has not been idle … and ministry still abounds from us whether we like it or not … why do I say this … because “He who begins a good work in us is faithful to complete it.” We have served in several capacities in local churches … helping where we can, supporting our selves through our tent making endeavor of printing tshirts.

My ‘off the menu’ trek has taken me back to things that I brought before the Lord many, many years ago … one being a MasterLife training conference that Lori and I attended taught by Avery Willis and Henry Blackaby. Wow, was that a weekend. During one of the small group sessions that Avery taught … Lori and I both were struck with a deeper call on our lives to missions. We left the conference … back to our nice church office, nice home, nice family, nice cars … and pretty much dodged the bullet and got by in our hearts by doing some short term work here and there and leading our churches to give more money to missions.

Let me digress here a sec … God is not a tyrant or a big baby … you can serve Him anywhere in a myriad of capacities … and He is not disappointed in you and withholds nothing. The gnawing of obedience is in yourself. God blessed our minsitry and the lives that we had the opportunity to put into was tremendous. But … as my U2 mantra rang in my head and heart … “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”

Now, I don’t know what you feel about the providential hand of God, but I see it every day … guiding … not pushing … but funneling me to the inevitable aspects of obedience. The Haiti earthquakes were devastating and the loss of human life is heart breaking. What good could come from that catastrophic disaster? I could not even begin to tell you what God has shown as to the good that will come from these earthquakes.

In recent months Lori and I have felt that our place within the church has been filled with an abundance of young preachers and tremendous worship leaders … that’s what we have done all of our lives. But man … there are some very talented and gutsy guys out there that God is using.  So we began to feel that God wanted us in deeper … to the base level of peoples needs … pre-church, pre-convert … at the hurting level of humanity. With me … it always starts with a dream. I woke up one morning … sat up in bed and said … “water wells” … “I want to learn to drill water wells.” I pretty much can learn anything I put my mind and heart to … and this seemed like a mandate from God … so, it was not an option for me.

The need for clean water in the world is tremendous. Africa needs a millions new wells. That’s just one spot in the world. Haiti needs water. I have no idea where else God may lead me … but, now I am ready. After losing 75lbs, getting healthy, training for marathons, beating my body into submission … I am getting ready for the next big mission. Come on, Wayne … you are 53 … you need to be thinking about retiring. Nah, retirement is for old people. I’m not old.

Jordan Ogden, pastor at Mercy Place in Dallas (my last ministry post), has agreed to allow me to work under the covering of the Mercy Place. For prayer, physical, emotional support as well as a financial clearing house for raising support. We are on our way.  I am in the process now of, as Blackaby puts it … finding out were God is at work and joining Him . I want to get my feet wet in water well drilling. I am praying about several good ministries to get put into my training and learning a great deal on my own.

So, I write this today to my friends, the body of Christ, for support, encouragement, and networking. If God moves you with any hint of someone that could help me at this point … you know me. I will follow it.

that’s it

(oh don’t worry about the tshirt thing … we will keep printing … I even have a dream of training indigenous artisans how to screen print as a vocation)

1 comment »

Posted in family

One million water wells needed

February 1st, 2010 by admin No comments »

Experts are saying that Africa as a country will need to drill up to a million boreholes to supply them with enough safe and clean drinking water over the next ten years. Estimates for Ethiopia by itself has been said to need 80,000 boreholes for water wells.

This amount of well drilling will supply the country with safe clean drinking water. Just for Ethiopia alone an investment of a billion dollars is said to have to be raised to pay for this over the next decade.

It’s a sad fact that 6000 African’s die each day through drinking dirty unsafe water. The African people have to walk miles and miles to fetch this water in cans or plastic containers, this water if often unclean and not fit for human consumption, but often there are no alternatives.

The average person in this country probably needs to drink about 2 liters per day to maintain life but In Africa the people will need to drink more because of the extreme temperatures.

In the United Kingdom we have little appreciation for our water supply. Just think about how much water is wasted everyday in our daily routine, for example we can use 8 liters per flush of our toilet system although new w/c’s are only permitted to flush 6 liters and when code 4 building regs comes into to place this will then be reduced to 4 liters, leaving the tap running whilst brushing our teeth can use up to 10 liters of wasted water if you clean your teeth properly i.e. brushing for up to two minutes.

The Environment Agency has stated that as an individual every person in the United Kingdom uses an average of 140 liters per day wow! When was the last time you went to the tap and started trying to consume this amount, the most I can drink is about two liters of water a day and that is in tea.

What’s left from what the average individual in the UK drinks is 138 liters, this is probably used up with toilet flushing; cleaning teeth, car washing, leaking taps, broken mains, etc.This list could be endless.

Imagine if you could save half of this wasted water per day and ship it to Africa in a container ship, this would amount to around 70 liters per person per day and would go a long way to combat Africa’s water shortage.

Another way to help this problem would be to donate say £1 per person per year, just from the Untitled Kingdom alone this will be a figure of £60 Million per year and go along way with supplying Africa with drilling rigs to drill their boreholes and also supply them with the necessary training to be able to drill a water well successfully.

We are just average people, living in our own little world in an affluent society carrying out our busy daily routines. When we get 5 minutes to ourselves just sit back and look at how fortunate we are, then compare our lives to the less fortunate and the needy. The ones that have no taps to turn on, the ones that walk miles and miles a day to fetch water.

Remember always, water is a gift of nature; it is just harder for some people to get than others.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adrian_Dunne

No comments »

Posted in missons, news worthy, water

A Good Plan Gone Bad

February 1st, 2010 by admin No comments »

Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) — Ten Americans detained and accused of child trafficking in Haiti after they allegedly tried to bus 33 children into the Dominican Republic insist their effort was an attempt to get the children to a shelter.

But Haiti’s prime minister said Sunday that the group was kidnapping the children.

“From what I know until now, this is a kidnapping case,” Jean-Max Bellerive told CNN. “Who is doing it — I don’t know. What are the real objectives or activities — I don’t know. But that is kidnapping and it is more serious because it’s involving children,” he said.

“The children certainly were not fully willing to go, because in some cases, from what I heard, they were asking for their parents, they wanted to return to their parents.”

U.S. embassy officials visited the Americans over the weekend at a jail near the airport in Port-au-Prince, where they are being detained. They are being treated well and are holding on to their faith, the Americans said.

“We came into Haiti to help those that really had no other source of help,” Laura Silsby, a member of the Idaho-based charity, New Life Children’s Refuge, told CNN on Saturday.

“We are trusting the truth will be revealed and we are praying for that.”

The group of five men and five women said they were trying to move the children to the Dominican Republic in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake that devastated parts of Haiti, flattening the capital and killing tens of thousands. But a Haitian judge has charged the 10 with child trafficking, they said.

The U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince said Sunday that the Americans have been detained for “alleged violations of Haitian laws related to immigration.”

“God is our provider and God gives us strength and comfort,” said Carla Thompson, one group member. “We have our Bibles and we are OK.”

(there is more to this story here)

source: cnn.com http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/31/haiti.border.arrests/index.html

No comments »

Posted in news worthy

Tags:

Pilot Points Wins State Championship 2009

December 13th, 2009 by admin No comments »


The news is good for Pilot Point who has waited for a state championship since 1981. Now it’s here. I thought this morning … what a memory they have made … something to look back on for years. Lot’s of stories of how it happened and all the circumstances that surrounded it all. Congratulations to players, coaches and parents for the hard work and support that brought you this wonderful victory.

They won this 2A Division 1 title which came in a victory against Kirbyville on Saturday, December 12, 2009. This all amidst the tragedy and homegoing of Henry Davis, the father of Jarman and Willie Davis, the running back and defensive back for Pilot Point. Henry so wanted this to happen … and it did. It brings it all so close to home to our little town. We did a special shirt for Henry earlier in the season with both of his sons names and numbers on it. You just never know.

As the Morning News reports here,

As the clock ran out, the state title and a 15-0 record was officially theirs, the Bearcat players dashed onto the field, embracing each other in the cool night’s mist.

“Once we came out 35-18,” senior wide receiver Tyler McNairy said, “we knew we had it.”

This was the plan for McNairy and the seniors since they were in seventh grade. They knew they had talent, and McNairy said that after last year’s state semifinal loss they had a businesslike desire.

All that showed throughout the playoffs. Before Saturday, Pilot Point had defeated three previously undefeated opponents, one of them by a last-second field goal in the regional championship.

“It’s been one of those storybook seasons,” coach Blake Feldt said.

Yep, storybook season. Lifetime memories.

No comments »

Posted in pilot point

Tags:

Retailers Using Twitter to show you how

December 4th, 2009 by admin No comments »


The New York Times says this is America’s first Twitter Christmas. Retailers are using the social media to guide customers parking to special sales to instant tech support. What a world we live in.

After buying a new navigation system at 6 a.m. on the most frenzied shopping day of the year, Laura S. Kern of Los Angeles could not figure out why it was not giving her traffic updates. She sent a message to Best Buy’s Twitter account and within five minutes not one, but two Best Buy employees responded with fix-it advice.

In Bloomington, Minn., Mall of America used its Twitter page to tell consumers two of its parking areas were at capacity and that their best bet was to park near Ikea.

“It’s one of the greatest emerging communication channels out there,” said Greg Ahearn, senior vice president of marketing and e-commerce for Toys “R” Us. “This is a way people can stay connected with the brand in a way they’ve never been able to before.”

As shoppers jammed the aisles on Friday at a Best Buy store in Arlington Heights, Ill., an employee, Jerry DeFrancisco, went up to a computer kiosk and used his Twitter account to tell customers about Best Buy’s home theater deals. Then he resumed his in-store duties, helping a customer decipher a sales circular.

Of course, sometimes retailers simply use their Twitter posts to capture the spirit of the season. At 3:30 Thursday morning, an employee posted seven words on the Macy’s Twitter page, about a marching band that was practicing hours before the chain’s Thanksgiving day parade.

It said: “Is he really running with a tuba?”

Source: The New York Times

No comments »

Posted in twitter

Tags:

Boomers are not through parenting

December 4th, 2009 by admin No comments »


This report hits home with me. Growing up in a multigenerational situation (my grandparents raised me), I know the challenges that face today’s youth dealing with grandparents as their main caregivers. There are some positives, but sometimes there are very weighty issues that grandparents just do not deal with.

This surprising tread shows that the nuclear family is losing ground to multigenerational living. More people are choosing to move themselves and their children in with Mom and Dad, often to cut costs. This article found at advergirl.com is based on a survey reported here. Advergirl writes:

These households are fundamentally different than those of the care-giving Oreo Generation. In 62% of these multigenerational cases it’s the adult children who are moving back with their parents, who are the grandparents. Three-fifths of these grandparents are providing some sort of financial assistance to their fully-grown children.

Three larger trends are making this an increasingly popular choice:

* Grandparents are doing better than most financially. That’s because 55% of grandparents do not carry a mortgage, and grandparents control more than half of the country’s wealth. So while grandparents have certainly taken a hit in this economy along with everyone else, they are, in many cases, more solvent than their young married children with young children.

* Grandparents are investing in their grandchildren. According to our recent national study, The Grandparent Economy, grandparents are spending about $32 billion on their grandchildren’s education, $11 billion on clothes for the kids, $6 billion on toys, and nearly $700 million on diapers.

* Decision-making is increasingly multi-generational. Whether it’s what first car to buy, where to go to college, or who to choose for insurance, grandparent’s are increasingly part of the decision making, both with their children and their grandchildren.

This trend not only provides more financial stability for the children and grandchildren, it appears to have rewards for the grandparents as well. Many grandparents say not only that they love having their family back under their roof; they also love being needed again. They say it brings purpose to their days, and meaning to their lives. The physical demand of keeping up with the kids makes them feel younger; outdoor play burns off both calories and tension; and helping with homework provides mental stimulation.

Sources: The new influencers: Grandparents weigh in and Multigenerational Households on Rise

No comments »

Posted in boomers

Tags:

Amplify Design’s Names of God Banners

December 1st, 2009 by admin No comments »


NOG-page-headerHave you seen those banners that have the names of God on them like … Jehovah Shalom, The Lord our Peace or Jehovah Nissi, The Lord our Banner?  I remember the first time I sat in church and saw some of those hand made banners … honestly I had never even studied “the names of God” until I was acquainted with the banners … and I was a bible student! It really made me dig and study all of the names of God … for myself. It was a lasting study and helpful in my personal prayer life. Well, the folks at Amplify Designs have the whole set of “the names of God” in a great package. Not only that … but they have a bunch of other cool banners pre made for your church or ministry signage needs.

They have a special running right now … mix and match any 5 banners and get the 6th banner FREE. That’s a cool deal. I know these folks at Amplify and they are the real deal. Not only to they produce great work, being in the sign business for 3 generations … but they have a heart for missions. A quick trip to their website would yield a glimpse of their heart for Africa. I don’t know very many business owners who would take off a month for a short term mission trip. I took off a week and thought the business would collapse.

Amplify Designs has a ton of other series and seasonal banners … for Easter, Mother’s Day, Christmas … you name it. If you have waited until the last minute … don’t sweat it. These banner files are pre made and ready to print. The Amplify folks will bust it to get them to you.

To help you with your display needs they have a lot of product like stands, rizors, roll up, sandwich signs, and pop up displays. Some might say, Wayne … don’t you guys do banners. Yep, we do … but these folks have some very quick picks for pre made banners and it’s all they do. You need to check them out.

Tell them you saw this post at waynegooden.com

No comments »

Posted in work

Tags:

How many men vs. women use social network sites

November 30th, 2009 by admin No comments »


socialnetworkgraphArticle from Derek Baird via Barking Robot on Males vs. females on social networking sites. He reports:

To determine the ratio between male and female users on these sites we used site demographics data for the United States gathered from Google’s Ad Planner service.

Before we move on to the chart, here are a few quick observations based on the results we got.

* 84% (16 out of 19) of the sites have more female than male users.
* The social news sites Digg, Reddit and Slashdot have significantly more male users than female. The standout here is Slashdot which takes male geekdom to new heights with 82% male users. :)
* If we hadn’t included the three social news sites, all of the sites would have had more females than males.
* Twitter and Facebook have almost the same male-female ratio; Twitter with 59% female users and Facebook with 57%.
* The most female-dominated site? Bebo (66% female users), closely followed by MySpace and Classmates.com (64%).
* The average ratio of all 19 sites was 47% male, 53% female.

And here’s a chart with the male/female ratio for all the sites, for your viewing pleasure:

from this source at royal.pingdom.com

No comments »

Posted in technology

Tags:

Insecure Infants grow up to be Insecure adolescents

November 30th, 2009 by admin No comments »


Interesting article brought to us by Jim Liebel at Youth Culture Watch.

Researchers from the Université de Montréal, Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and McGill University have discovered that insecure adolescents experience more intense pain in the form of frequent headaches, abdominal pain and joint pain. These teens are also more likely to be depressed than peers with secure attachments.

and this is an interesting statement:

“Although previous studies in adults found that an individual’s security level was influenced by painful experiences, it was not clear why relationship security should be related to pain,” says Dr. Tremblay. “We found that adolescents with insecure relationships tend to be more ‘alarmist’ about their pain symptoms; they have a tendency to amplify the degree of threat or severity of their pain. This amplification leads to more intense pain and more severe depressive symptoms.”

From this article: @ ScienceDaily

No comments »

Posted in parenting, youth ministry

Tags:

61 year old kicks for Austin College

November 28th, 2009 by admin No comments »


Well, he did it. 61 year old Tom Thompson got into the last game of the season for Austin College and kicked an extra point. Way to go Tom! Never let your dream die. Tom was a back up kicker in High School and even though old enough to be a grand father … went to practice, did the drills, got the respect of team mates and his coaches. The game for Austin College was a blow out … but they did let him in and let him kick. Sure he made it! I know that is what you were wondering. Despite a messy snap … he made it happen. Tom did it for the thrill and a book he is writing on aging and fitness. Just so you know … there are lots of old guys out here that don’t want our age to slow us down and think about playing another game of football. It could happen.

No comments »

Posted in boomers

Tags: