Trump-Off

Last week’s camp was in about the most beautiful place it could possibly be! Durango, Colorado is one of those spots on earth, where the entire time you’re there, all you’re thinking is, “God is such a show-off!”

Many of us own SUVs knowing that we will never make use of the 4-wheel drive feature. We also own Crocks knowing we’ll never really need a shoe that can get wet one minute and be dry the next. In Durango, Colorado such things are not fashion statements, but necessities! You can climb, fish, ski, mountain bike, canoe, and that’s just the beginning! Whether it is a river, a mountain, or just a wide-open space, Durango is gorgeous and breathtaking.

All that said… I just spent the entire week in the Durango Hampton Inn checking emails and going back and forth to a gym where I spoke twice a day! It’s sad to be surrounded by God’s beauty and only sit and stare at the same computer screen all day long! The next time I’m in Colorado, I’ve got to get out and explore!

Camp was simply amazing! Charlie Hall led timely and appropriate songs for the messages. What you always get with Charlie Hall is honesty and transparency. He is a veteran who knows how to move an audience God-ward.

The Student Life staffers, who have now gotten into the swing of things after weeks and weeks of practice, didn’t miss one beat. Probably the only thing that did NOT go as planned during the week was my goofy ambition to play the trumpet at every morning session. On the first day, due to a dare, I brought out a trumpet onto the stage and told the kids I was one of the most talented trumpet players they would ever hear! Then I told them not to let their jealousy of my amazing ability hinder them in their worship. Then I attempted to play the first trumpet solo of my life!

The next morning I came out again with the trumpet and this time challenged a student (who could actually play!) to a Trump-Off. During the Trump-Off the next day, the student played his solo. (And frankly did a very good job!) Then it was my turn. The lights were dimmed, the smoke machine was turned on and through the sound system began the trumpet solo “The Flight of the Bumblebee” (by Miles Davies) as I lip-synced on the trumpet!! I then appointed myself the “winner” of the Trump-Off!

From there, tragically, things only got worse. The following day the students challenged me to a Dance-Off! I let it be known that since I was a Southern Baptist it was against my denomination to dance! But I asked students, who were not Southern Baptists, to bring on the goods! We had a Dance-Off between two guys, (who frankly should become Southern Baptists because they should never be allowed to dance again!) But all in all, it was a whole lot of fun!

Thank you, everyone, in Durango for making it such a great adventure! God was honored. Lives were eternally changed. And “The Flight of the Bumblebee” was fictionally trumpeted!

David

Living la vida loco.

Living la vida loco. No, literally. That’s how I feel most of the time. Like I’m living this crazy life and Ricky Martin happened to actually write a song about it. Summertime especially adds to the fun – back-to-back summer camps, Christian music festivals, trips to the pool, birthday parties, VBS, mission trips – and to top it off, the kids are home, yes, 24-hours-a-day. Sometimes I have to take an hour or so hostage in the middle of the madness and try to process and reflect so that I don’t miss the lessons (good and bad) in it all.

Tonight is one of those nights. We have just returned from a weeklong mission trip in Guatemala. David, me (Jennifer – David’s wife), Rudy, Grace, my parents-in-law, brother-(in-law), sister-(in-law), and her two children tagged along with a group from Bellevue Baptist in Memphis to go and do some mission work in Guatemala City (Rudy’s birthplace.) After much planning, lots of phone calls, a couple of anxiety attacks, and a bottle of Pepto Bismol later, we had it all planned out. We would meet David in Atlanta on Sunday, spend the night and fly to Guatemala the next day. David would speak at a nightly crusade at the Baptist Theological Seminary in the city, we would tag along at the school assemblies during the day and then visit a couple of children’s homes. When we flew back to Atlanta, we would get in our cars and drive to Knoxville, TN for a wedding the next day and then drive back that night in order for David to preach three services at our home church (Hunter Street Baptist) the next morning. Whew!!!!

In all reality, on a trip where things could have gone horribly wrong on many levels, God chose to allow us the trip of a lifetime. Things could not have gone more smoothly. Our hosts (Bellevue Baptist) couldn’t have been more gracious, the missionaries we worked with couldn’t have been more servant-hearted, and the Guatemalan people couldn’t have received us more warmly. We truly saw God’s hand at work from the moment we got in the car to drive to Atlanta until we returned home. We saw Him change the lives of unbelievers and just lavish encouragement on believers, both Guatemalan and American. We, with our own eyes, witnessed how amazingly BIG God is… how He really does weave all things together just so we can look at what He has done and marvel at His providence. We were all (needfully) reacquainted with the grinding poverty that grips most of the world that we live in, and we were (thankfully) given several opportunities on this trip to respond to it.

I, particularly, was humbled and reminded of how gracious God is to have given us Rudy and of how many more “Rudy’s” there are who need a mama and daddy and a warm bed. (I’m now gonna get on my soapbox about adoption – the world needs Christians to love and adopt these children. It seems to me Jesus said something about that in James… I’ll save the rest for another blog.) We got to meet an 8 month old, 10 lb. orphan child with Down’s Syndrome who needs surgery to correct multiple holes in her heart. How blessed we were that God allowed David’s brother Benjamin to pick Angela up and she immediately open her mouth to kiss him. That was one of the sweetest moments! We were all overwhelmed at the maturity and attitude of service we saw in all the American teenagers we were with. I thanked God over and over again for allowing our children to go on this trip and make concrete all this “missions talk” they hear. And to top it all off, Grace and her cousin Simene gave their hearts and lives to Christ on this trip. How amazing that in the country in which my son received life, my daughter received life, too… I don’t even know where to begin to unravel my thoughts about that right now!
I could tell you many specific stories, but I’m not sure at this point if they would be one sentence or two pages. I’m still processing… maybe I’ll be a “guest blogger” about it another time.

Thanks for listening to my rambling!
In Grace,
Jennifer

PS – Money is trying to be raised for Angela’s open heart surgery. If you would like to donate to this, please e-mail me at Jennifer@davidnasser.com and I will let you know how to do it. About $10,000 is needed, and $5,000 has been collected so far.

Bravo God

This week I spent a rain-drenched week in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, speaking at what they told me was the largest World Changers ever. The event was called World Changers XL. Students from all over the country came together to paint, roof, do lawn work and other chores for the needy in the area. The idea is to spread the Gospel by being a help in the community.

The weather presented challenges all week for the students. It’s hard to roof a house when it’s raining like cats and dogs, day after day... Never the less, the students prevailed. When it rained they went inside and painted, and when it stopped raining, they hit the roof tops and worked super hard... At night, we gathered together and had worship services. I had the privilege of speaking and encouraging these young missionaries. Jamie Smith lead our worship, and did an amazing job (as she always does).

On a fun note, I have to tell you about the gift I received from the students on the last night. All week long I jabbed little jokes about rednecks and mullets. On Saturday night, the students presented me with a sand dollar that had a confederate flag airbrushed on it. It also said with bold letters "Iranian Redneck." So funny!! It will definitely end up on my office wall.

Thanks to John Bailey and the rest of the World Changers staff for a great week. Bravo God.

Alive Festival

I just spent a great day in Canal Fulton, Ohio at the Alive Festival. As one of my favorite places to do ministry, Alive has proven time after time again to be a historic place where God moves in so many lives.

Festivals are almost like family reunions for many of us. Speakers, bands and festival directors look forward to special moments when we each have a chance to get together and catch up on everyday life. Don’t get me wrong! It’s not that I don’t desire to see a Casting Crowns or Barlow Girls show! Just more than that I look forward to seeing them backstage to catch up on the family and how they’re doing.

Thank you so much for the great feedback already. Both the seminar in the afternoon and main stage talk that night were new messages and it’s been so encouraging to see how God has used them in the lives of others.

My friends, the Graenings, do such an amazing job directing this event! The Alive Festival is more about ministry than about entertainment!