kennethbaucum

This should be fun.  Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming article or article series on being passionate titled, "Be an Authority on Passion."  I'll look forward to reading your comments!

"To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time." -- Leonard Bernstein

I am beginning to think that God has a mission -- and I'm the subject.  I don't know if he wants to work on me or through me, or maybe both, but I'm preparing for it.  I'm going through and revising my 'campaign' for the outreach trip to reflect updated prices and timelines for the trip.  I beleive God is putting together the puzzle pieces to allow me to go to Papua New Guinea in late July or early August to work with Stan and Tresa Rowe.  They are planning a revival during that time and have many needs that I could be instrumental in helping them with.  Videos, computers, website and more.  Sounds like a job for me.

Pray for wisdom and understanding.  Wanted:  Surprises from God.

I'm on a mission.  The new LifesPassion.org website is up and I'm looking for a little help.  Ideas, money and prayers...  Read about the new venture here: http://tr.im/outreachmission.  I'm looking to take the trip as soon as finances are available, but have a penciled-in date of Spring or Summer 2010.

I'm working on a new project. { and you may have some input that could help }

I'd like to get your input on an outreach project of mine I'd like to participate in. I'm considering an overseas outreach trip for one or two weeks to do some kind of constructive work to help others. Teaching computers, English, music, working to build a library or help a Christian missionary have all crossed my mind as possibilities...go ahead and use the comment section below this blog entry and send me your input, or email me directly at outreach@kennethbaucum.org.    Naturally, I'm looking for funding to help me go on a trip such as this as well, so if you know of any treasure maps or money trees I can find and use, let me know.

Of course, if you'd like to go on a trip like this with me, shoot me an email and we'll talk...

"Find a need and fill it.  Find a hurt and heal it."

I needed some guidance today.  Naturally, I found someone able to provide it.  You say, "What?  Did you ask God first?"  Well, yes, of course I did.  Sometimes, however, you need to hear the answer audibly.  Sometimes, the answer God would give can be delivered through someone else.  That's how the Bible was written, right?  Inspired words -- written by men, coming from God.

I've been working through the Surprise Me experiment and trying to get a better grasp on what I should be doing with my life and I think the definition of surprise is too vague.  Let me clarify it.  A surprise to a kid is like a gift or a trick played on halloween, something unexpected.  A surprise to a teen may be hearing from a friend they grew up with, maybe played the halloween tricks on, something unexpected.  (Be nice to the nerds, they may be your boss someday!)  A surprise to adults suddenly seems too unusal.  Adults don't play with toys and by this time they have usually either become reaquiainted with their childhood frineds or the friends have become long lost in time and space.  But it's still at it's root something unexpected.  What surprises you?  I am learning now that a surprise from God is not something that you didn't know, or something you couldn't have figured out on your own, but something that came at a different time than you expected, or with a different importance.  It's about expectations.

We expect God to be loving, kind and gentle.  Also, He is just and wise.  He knows everything and knows everywhere.  He can see your heart.  He can see your intentions.  We expect these things.  What I haven't expected was how he would blend His traits and knowledge to reveal things to me about the simplicity of everyday life. Look at the little things.  Then glance at the big picture.  If you look at it from the right perspective and with the right expectations, you see that they are very similar.  It makes it easier to deal with problems when you try to imagine why God chose for you to experience them.  Keeping in mind, of course, that we can cause enough trouble on our own without His help.  Then, when He does bring something our way -- a surprise -- for better or for worse, it's not something too great for us to handle.  He will always make a way to escape.  Sometimes I ignore the exit sign for His escape: like driving at night with the headlights off.  Turn them on and look for the sign.  You only have to stay on the highway long enough to learn from God or give others time to learn from God, then take the next exit.  If you want to stay on and go the extra mile, there's more to be learned.  It would be good for you and I to consult God's GPS so that we can get a better idea of how to get to His destination.  Sometimes, it's not a bad Idea to stop and ask for directions.

Surprise.

The mailman was kind enuogh to deliver a couple of books I've been wanting to read.  "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller and "Blue Collar God / White Collar God" by Terry Esau.  I'm ready to dive in.  I'll let you know how it goes.