Eyes to See, Ears to Hear

Archive for March, 2007

The announcement was made official in this morning’s services. Elevation Church is starting up a satellite campus next door in Union County, Porter Ridge High School to be exact. It will be identical to the current services (i.e. live worship band, living breathing person making announcements) with the only exception being the sermon. Those at the satellite campus will view the sermon on at least one large video screen.

We started attending Elevation in late October 2006. There was around 800 there that Sunday. Now, the church had over 1,700 last week and is not only shifting to 3 Sunday services (fire code being one of the reasons) but also starting another campus! I’ve never seen anything like this much less been a part of it. We regularly attend Elevation but do not consider it our ‘home’ church. I’ll talk more about that soon.

That is what I felt like I had this morning when I woke up. I had to pay close attention to what was on my mind, what most of my thoughts were about. What was it? It was partnership development, known in the common world as support raising. Don’t get me wrong, God has been so good to us in getting us to 52.1% of our monthly need at this point. That percentage is what we have pledged to us. We’re actually receiving about 44% of the pledged amount which after taxes, assessment, health insurance and other withholdings, nets our amount to a little more than $500. We’re still in the neighborhood of spending about $1,000 per month out of our savings or using up the one-time gifts we receive to live off of now instead of saving them for getting us to Africa. Running through all of that first thing after waking up caused my anvil-ism. My mind shifted into the I’ve-got-to-do-more gear before I even talked to God about it. Stopping my running mind in order to be quiet so I could hear from God was like trying to use the brakes on my Honda Civic to stop a landing 747.

The support we need is a HUGE thing to us and our ministry. In basic terms, no support, no ministry. So, what did God say to me this morning? Work harder? Bust my rear? Call everyone who hasn’t responded to our partnership invitations? No. We have been working extremely hard over the past 2 1/2 months and I have to make sure we seek to balance our efforts. God has asked us to do a good job in making the opportunity known for people to get involved in His work in Africa. He asked us even more importantly to rely on Him to move hearts in the people we speak to. All that to say this… God told me to pray more. Truthfully, I spend a time ratio of about 50:1 working on support raising to praying for support. There’s a big imbalance. He doesn’t want me to talk to Him more about it because I ‘should’. He just wants to talk to me more because that’s what those who are close do. They share their hearts with each other and get to know each other better. I might have even called myself a sissy because of what happened next. I almost started crying because of how much it touched me that God didn’t want more action or work from me. He wants more time with me.

All day Thursday and most of the day today was bad for bird real estate. There was nearby construction we as birdhouse developers were no aware of. The two RV spaces directly across from us got new concrete pads. Big loud machinery isn’t enticing to nesting bluebirds or even nuthatches. Bird activity was minimal but hang in there. We are committed to serving our bird community.

(In case you haven’t picked up on it, I’m being somewhat comical about our bird-ish neighborhood and situation. Tis fun!!)

A little over a year ago, Dana and I quickly grew fond of birdwatching. Call us old. Call us uncool. Doesn’t matter as long as you call us blessed. Watching God’s extremely detailed creativity in all of the different species of birds we’ve encountered has given us an even better appreciation for His handiwork. There are some marvelous pieces of wildlife He has come up with.

We began with bird feeders. Then bird baths. Then bird houses. Then an in-bird house infrared camera. Oh yeah. Got my gadget-junkie fix on that one, guaranteed! The camera enabled us to watch a Carolina Chickadee couple and an Eastern Bluebird couple raise a set of younguns each. The house with the camera in it was one of the VERY few things we kept and brought with us to the RV.

Nesting season is arriving and the birds are getting frisky if you know what I mean. That translates to a boom in the bird real estate market. I’ve recorded some of the in-house action (don’t worry… the egg-making isn’t done in the house) and edited it for posting. You’ll see from the second day of recording alone that within a very short period of time, the house was toured by a Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, Eastern Bluebird couple, and Brown-headed Nuthatch couple. The latter two species are actually trying to nest in it at the same time.

Enjoy the footage. I have only included actual bird activity in the clips so it is not actual time between each visit. I’ll try to keep you updated with new clips to see who wins the bidding war. I might have to call on my real estate buddy, Rob, to help negotiate the best deal.

Sunday, March 4th – Female Eastern Bluebird checking out the box

Monday, March 5th – Tufted Titmouse (BIG dark eyes), Carolina Chickadee (white & black striped head), Male (darker) and Female Eastern Bluebirds, and Male and Female (they look the same) Brown-headed Nuthatches

Tuesday, March 6th – Brown-headed Nuthatches, Male and Female Eastern Bluebirds

Wednesday, March 7th – Eastern Bluebird and Brown-headed Nuthatch

I just went online to find a little picture of a person crossing their eyes and came across something real cool. About a decade or so ago, there were these posters being sold where you stand a few feet away from them, cross your eyes a little, relax and let them focus on what resulted in a hidden picture. Well, the creative minds of 1999 applied it to real life pictures and nobody told me! Here’s what I found on www.starosta.com/3dshowcase/ihelp.html:

How to Free-View the Stereo Pairs

Each stereo view consists of two images, one for each eye. Free viewing is the technique that will allow you to direct each of these images separately and simultaneously into each eye. Once that happens, you are said to have “fused” the pair of images into a stereo view.

At the bottom of this page a stereo pair of images is loading with which you can practice. All the stereo pairs shown on this site are in the “cross-eyed” format (my apologies to all the “wall-eyed” people). That means that the first (leftmost) image is for your right eye and the right image is for your left eye. Looking at the pair in a natural, relaxed manner, what you see will be similar to this:

Now cross your eyes, so that the pair of images will double to four, and be somewhat out of focus: Next, slowly uncross your eyes, and observe with your mind what is happening to the images. At some point, the two pairs of images you are seeing will begin to overlap: I am indicating with color the region to which you must direct your attention – that area of overlap is where you will fuse the left and right images of the pair. Fusion (yet still without focus) will look like so: At this stage, your eyes are crossed just the right amount, but your eyes are telling your brain that they are pointing at something about four inches in front of your face – so that’s where your eyes are focused. You must dissociate the focus from the pointing, without changing the pointing of your eyes! Simply continue to keep your eyes crossed, keep the blurry images fused, and relax. Examine the blurry details in the fused center image. In a few moments, your brain will direct your eyes to focus on these details without uncrossing. The result is magical, as the image pops into spatial focus: Please note that free-viewing stereo pairs can be somewhat stressful. If you feel discomfort in the eyes, you should discontinue, and return to the task later. As you use the technique more frequently, your eye musculature will become accustomed, and eye discomfort will be reduced.If you have trouble, one helpful trick is to use your index finger as a guide for your eyes: hold it up about halfway between your eyes and the screen, and focus your eyes on the fingertip. This helps you to cross your eyes. Notice the nearly merged pair of images in the background, as you move your finger closer or farther from the screen. Once you have the images merged (your finger will probably be 2/3 of the way to your nose), the trick is to allow the focus in your eyes to relax, WITHOUT releasing the physical pointing of your eyes at the fingertip.If you continue to have trouble with cross-eyed viewing, get ahold of some red/blue 3-d glasses for viewing the anaglyphs.

This is your practice stereo pair:

By-the-way, I was looking for a picture of someone crossing their eyes because Dana and I are currently reading Psalms and Revelation right before we go to bed. (makes for some awesome dreams!) By the time we recount our day, pray and I begin reading to her, she told me a few minutes ago that her eyes start to cross. Go figure what you come across when you’re trying to tattle tale on your wife. Here’s a link to some real life pictures that go 3-D.

Okay, here’s the deal. If you haven’t been keeping up with our housing situation, you’ve missed out on quite a story. But, even if you have kept up with it, there are still some details you don’t know.

1. Five months ago, I made reservations for our RV spot through March 27, 2007 all-the-while knowing we’d be stateside until at least July.
2. Our plan has been to live in the RV until our time to leave for Africa.
3. The idea of possibly moving into a house or apartment until we leave just recently entered my mind when we were discussing our current support level with some partners.
4. This past Thursday, we got this e-mail through the JAARS Classifieds:
   1. Mill Grove United Methodist Church parsonage for Rent: About 45 minutes
      from JAARS.
      7307 Mill Grove Rd Indian Trail, NC 28079 Description of house: All Brick,
      four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, dinning room, living room, den, kitchen w/
      breakfast area, and one car garage. Rent: $500 per month which includes
      utilities. School district: Elementary School: Hemby Bridge Middle School:
      Porter Ridge High School: Porter Ridge Contact: Pastor Earl Bradshaw
      Office: 704-882-3770 Cell: 704-301-1135 Available: Immediately. JAARS
      MISSIONARIES ONLYPicture of the house on the housing bulletin board.
5. We went to look at the parsonage the next day and decided to take it as our 30′ x 8′ RV is really taking a toll on us and even more my back.
6. We have been waiting for the pastor to contact us to inform us as to when we could move in.
7. Yesterday I e-mailed the missions pastor of our home church to update him on our current support level. In the same message, I inquired (mere curiosity) about the church’s missions house, occupancy policy and availibility. Here is e-mail exchange:
   1. —–Original Message—–
      From: Jonathan McCall []
      Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 12:44 PM
      To: Airton Pupo
      Subject: Re: Update

      Airton,
      Dana and I have decided to come back on furlough every 2 years instead of every 4 years. That increased our expenses so our updated monthly need is $2,597. Last week, we reached 50.2%!
      What is the policy for missionaries on furlough being able to stay in the missions house?

      Tanzania Bound,
      Jonathan
      www.jonathananddana.com

      From: Airton Pupo <>
      Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2007 14:10:17 -0500
      To: Jonathan McCall <>
      Conversation: Update
      Subject: RE: Update

      Actually you guys can stay at the missions house if its available. If you know already when you are going to need the house we need the information as soon as possible in order to reserve the house for you. Thanks!

      —–Original Message—–
      From: Jonathan McCall []
      Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 3:59 PM
      To: Airton Pupo
      Subject: Re: Update

      Is there any open time for it between now and the end of July?

      Tanzania Bound,
      Jonathan
      www.jonathananddana.com

      —–Original Message—–
      From: Airton Pupo
      Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 4:02 PM
      To: ‘Jonathan McCall’
      Cc: Dawn Morton
      Subject: RE: Update

      I will let you know tomorrow. I have to check with Dawn and she is not here this afternoon. Thanks!

8. So, this morning I checked my e-mail and found this message:
   1. Hey Jonathan, It is actually open now but the bathroom is being totally redone! It is scheduled to be finished by March 23rd. but should definitely be finished by the end of March. And we had some missionaries coming on May 1, but yesterday they called and will not be coming until Dec. 1st. So, it is available until Dec. 1st.!
      Then it is reserved until May 2009. So if you know any possible furlough dates, please let me know and I will reserve them now. Let me know when you you would like to move in. Thanks, Dawn
9. The church’s missions house is provided for FREE to our missionaries and even though it still doesn’t seem like it is real, we are two of our church’s missionaries! Just in case your eyes passed over the ALL CAPS part in that last sentence, let me bold and italicize it for you…. the house is provided for FREE!

There you have it. God showing Himself off again. I spent most of the day holding back joyous tears because of who and how great is our God. I even recorded a video tour of the house with our little Kodak point-and-shoot.

You can watch the house tour here.

150 mg		300 mg
Tablets shown are larger than actual size.

I take Wellbutrin XL 300 mg daily. On my last refill, the insurance company and/or pharmacy decided that Budeprion XL (Wellbutrin’s “generic equivalent”) was to be substituted without me or my doctor’s consent or notification. But, because of the slight price difference I decided to give it a try.

Within 2 days, I began experiencing some bad things. They weren’t side effects per se, but were symptoms of depression I had long since not had. Racy. Unable to focus. Burdened. The only explanation for those feelings was the change in my medication. It had to stop.

Because insurance regulates the frequency of refills, I had to buy a bottle of Wellbutrin XL at full retail cost. Can you say ree-dic-you-luss?!! Then again, it was worth every single penny and more. The very day I went back on Wellbutrin I could feel things getting right again in my head.

My time and mind are precious to me and that’s why I wanted to write this post. Budeprion may be ‘the exact chemical replica of Wellbutrin’ but there is obviously enough difference in it to set me back considerably in a short amount of time. The retail price difference between the two is around $30 more for the Wellbutrin. It is about 25% more expensive than the generic but don’t sacrifice your mind for the few bucks. I tried and it hurt.

Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s are our days to volunteer at the offices of Elevation Church. Dana uses her oh-so-excellent accounting skills and I usually work on some form of audio project. Once we were finished with our tasks there and were about to leave, Dana (Ms. NON-spontaneous) asked me if I’d like to go next door to get a haircut. If you’ve seen me lately then you know why I’ve been wanting to go get one for weeks now. So, we headed right next door to the church offices to Family Hairloom to see if they take walk-ins.

We were welcomed with a warm, “Yes!” and immediately ushered to separate chairs. Dana had Mia layer her hair while Tom had the chore of breaking out the weed-eater for mine. My hair is curly so after Tom finished, he aptly diagnosed my hair to be in Scissor Shock. This is a term I have never heard before but totally made sense once he explained that curly hair loses some of its curl for a few days after a cut. The evidence was obvious as I gazed into my now-flat head.

So, if you hear of anyone using this term, you know the origin… Tom at Family Hairloom in Lake Park (Indian Trail), NC coined it while weed-whacking the bush on my head.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the best parts —> We told them all about who we are and what we are doing in life. Mia’s brother is an Associate Pastor at a church in the mountains and has a heart for missions… potential partners! Then they saw us out the door without charging us for either of our cuts! God’s gifts for us are coming in all shapes and sizes as we make this trek to Tanzania.

My heart is swelling with love and gratitude for HIM!

(No, my hair does not look like the above picture now.)