Q Crashing

About 12 years ago I found myself stepping into Mexico and falling in love with the people there.  A few years in the group I was working with decided to check out a new location.  Roy, who narrates the video, was with us.  We were all broken and immediately in love with the people.  We looked upon shacks made our of pallet wood and knew that there could be more.  That group decided that day that we would do all we could to show God's love to those people and to help their living conditions.  Today there have been over 100 houses built for families, a school, a church, and a safe house.  Groups still go throughout the year to spend time with people who have become like family to them.  It is amazing.  I miss it.  Since moving to Oregon to do mission work here in Eugene, I've not been able to go back.  I think this will change soon as my brother and his wife are moving down there this coming year.  Yep, they met both doing mission work there and now God has called them there to

Yesterday was an amazing day of church. I hesitate using that word "church", because it automatically conveys sitting in some seats and singing or listening to someone teach.  And while this is church, it is only a piece of the church.  In fact,  we are the church.  So let me rephrase. Yesterday was an amazing day to be the church. It started out downtown listening to Mitch Lee teach God's word.  He is an awesome pastor who just moved into the area and is Kingdom minded.  A real breath of fresh air.  Here is Mitch and two of his kids.  Awesome folks. Then I got to teach out of James chapter 1 at The Beautiful Mess followed with Open Mic Night.  It was great hearing all the different talents being shared.  The church is so beautiful and diverse and talented. I left a little early with all intention of heading home, but I couldn't keep myself from going by the basketball under the courts to see if any of the guys we've been building relat

I just want to be honest and say I'm getting frustrated with how we act like we have it all figured out about God.  The more I study and think on God the less I'm certain about.  I create ideas and beliefs and then find them stretched and changed the very next year.  God is such a mystery. There was this guy that lived around 300 years after Jesus named Gregory.  Known as Gregory of Nyssa.  He and his brother were instrumental in putting together the Nicene Creed that is so famous. The Nicene Creed I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mar

So in the last few weeks I've got to wee two amazing miracles of God.  The first is Crater Lake.  I know it's not your traditional idea of a miracle, but the fact that a volcano blew up and left amazing beauty  in its stead is amazing.  It makes me think that sometimes in our life when things seem like they are erupting into chaos that God maybe taking us through a refining process.  And what is left after the explosion can be beautiful. The other miracle is that my friend Derrick and Thania got married.  The miracle is not that Derrick found someone (I know some of you guys were thinking it), but that God brings people together that two years before were living thousands of miles apart.  God writes beautiful stories full of mystery and awe.  Enjoy a couple of pics of the guys preparing for the ceremony. Derrick, I'm proud of you. Added bonus is a pic of my daughter Journey.  This is how she would end everyday looking if it was all up to her.  Reminds

So I'm super excited.  I love when God sends people here to Eugene to join us on our journey.  Sometimes it's for a week and sometimes a year and sometimes longer.  Hence the Emanuels.  Me and Erik began talking years ago about being involved in church planting together and now it's happening.  So here is the back story. Erick was on staff at Lifepoint, a church I was one of the plant pastors at.  We dreamed about church plants (especially in Ireland) for months.  I came out to Eugene to start planning and implementing The Crash idea.  He saved up money, found a job, and came out a year later. Nutshell. With what has been going on with The Crash and the planting of The Beautiful Mess this has been such a blessing.  This is the first family other than us who have made the jump into The Crash.  They bring so much gifting and passion to the table.  I can't wait to see how God is going to use them here in Eugene.  Just this morning me and Erik had an amazing meeting w

So I should start by saying how much I've missed my family this last two weeks.  I cannot wait to see them tomorrow.  Can't wait to hold my wife and girls and laugh together.  It's been tough without them, but I pray that the memories my kids make with family in Alabama will be the stuff of legends and that one day their stories will be laced with the summer experiences. In the mean time I've really tried to seek God out on what is happening and how and when and where and all that good stuff.  I really just wanted to ask God to make things clear to me.  He used some amazing people during my time alone to do that.  Erik Emmanuel came to visit and just talking through all the thoughts in my head and remembering the desire to really step out on a limb for God was so refreshing.  It made me realize the necessity of faith in all of this.  It helped me understand that it's not about the product, but the process.  The watching God do it all.  Then this last weekend Seth

So my family is headed back home to Alabama to visit at the end of July.  Here is my list of places I must visit. 10. Jamoka's     In Oregon we have more coffee stops than gas stations.  That being said, if you breathe air, you drink coffee.  This fact alone make Jamoka's a no brainer.  Also, I've had some great conversations and moments in this coffee shop.  Come hang with us there. 9.  Mentone     This is the place where me and Audrey really began.  It is also one of the most beautiful spots in all of Alabama.  It holds it's own with the beauty spots in Oregon.  I've hiked here, swam under falls here, and seen amazing spiritual things happen.  I just want to breathe the air there once before I head back. 8.  Lifepoint     The first church plant I ever helped plant.  It reminds me what God can do with a dream, courage, and faith.  I get to teach here this Sunday which I'm so excited about, but I am even more excited to just worship with folks who dreamed

I hope we can begin to love more than we hate and leave judgement to God while we distribute grace.  We should let truth be truth, but all of it coated with love for those God created whom if they follow Jesus will be brothers and sisters with us.

Dec, I love you so much.  This weekend I hung out with some friends, but the whole time I missed my little girl.  Your personality is so amazing and more and more I feel like my partner in crime is growing up right in front of my eyes.  I know there is going to come a stage where I'm not nearly as cool as you think I am now, but I'll take the time I can get.  These are the things you've done the last few months that have encouraged me and taught me so much. You are telling stories about Jesus.  You've told me how Jesus calmed the storms.  You've told me of baby Jesus who was so very special.  You've told me how people killed Jesus and how he came back to life.  You've told me how Jesus made everything.  You told me how Jesus loves us. And I'm loving the chance to tell you more stories of Jesus.  Just know as you grow up that Jesus will write new stories in your life as well.  He has showed me much of love by just giving you to me and your mom.  You

This last Sunday, The Beautiful Mess gave out free movie tickets for it's service project.  We wanted to offer a way for families to enjoy some time together and hang out.  So we rented out the theater showing the Lorax at the Gateway Mall.  It was a packed crowd and awesome time as we got to love on people who we had sometimes never met. Here is a couple of cool stories. 1.  I got a call the next day from a lady who is living with her kids and boyfriend by the river here in our city of Eugene.  She wanted to know what else we were doing and where we were doing it at.  The conversation ended with her planning on coming and hanging out with us this next Sunday.  Praise God.  I can't wait to get to know her. 2.  A guy who had been staying at the mission was given the opportunity to invite his family to come to the movie with him.  Even though he has no where for his kids to stay with him, his ex and kids and aunt came and watched the movie together.  One of my friend

I got to read this with some friends this morning and one verse absolutely rocked me.  It was verse 7. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.   Chariots and horses were measuring sticks for influence and power of a king.  So I asked myself what are the current tools for this.  Our chariots look more like relationships, money, status, and jobs.  Our hoses look like talents, toys, ministries, and events. The premise is still clear.  If our trust is in any of  that stuff then we are misguided.  It will ultimately fail and it is smoke and mirrors in our life.  We can puff our chest out about what we own or who we know, but God is in control. Today I want to trust in God.  Can I serve at a Homeless Mission housing 400 people.  Only if I trust in God.  Can I help missionaries get set up in different cities.  Only if I trust in God.  Can I raise kids.  Only if I trust in God.  Can I be involved in church plants.  Only if

Some of you might have heard of a guy named Casey Martin.  I am horrible at golf and for the most part stay away from any golf related activities unless I'm getting the opportunity to play with people who take it way too serious.  Then in some sick way I find humor in their battle against the course.  Like this one time I was playing with a guy and he threw his club into water, and another guy hit his club on the ground until it was bent, and this other guys beat the stew out of the driving green after a bad drive.  My natural response was to ask whether or not he was going to fix the divot.  (Thanks for all the good times Wade, Matt, and Felton) The reason golfers might know Casey Martin is for his lawsuit in 98 against the PGA that granted access for him to use a cart during tournaments.  He won.  Casey has a disorder in one of his legs that keeps him from being able to walk long distances without pain.  In fact, he has made no bones about the fact that the medical professi

Things have been going great with The Beautiful Mess.  God is putting something together that we could only have dreamed of.  It is amazing to watch people from all walks of life coming together and serving and sharing the gospel.  So here is the summer schedule.  June 10: 5pm Gathering 7pm Basketball tournament June 17: 5pm Gathering 7pm Free movie tickets at the Gateway Mall June 24: 5pm Gathering 6pm Potluck Dinner in the basement July 1: 5pm Gathering 7pm Open Mic Night July 8: 5pm Gathering 7pm Basketball tournament July15: 5pm Gathering 7pm Bike Rally.  Give away 100 kid's bikes. July 22: 5pm Gathering 7pm Potluck Dinner in the basement. July 29: 5pm Gathering August 5: 5pm Gathering 7pm Open Mic Night August 12: 5pm Gathering 7pm Basketball tournament August 19: 5pm Gathering 7pm Worlds Largest Water balloon fight August 26: 5pm Gathering 7pm Potluck Dinner in the basement Wow. Full summer and it's going to be so much fun watching God do what He does. Cr

I know many of you are reading that heading and asking yourself, "Did I read that correctly?' Absolutely.  Wade is one of the people who has and continues to make amazing impact on my life.  He has spoken the greatest truths I've ever needed to here and he's seen through all my bull crap when no one else could.  He has also loved me regardless of all my mistakes. Still don't get it? Let me explain.   My brother and I were raised in church and both new Jesus from an early age, but my brother in high school and college was a marginal Christian.  Until he went to Mexico on a mission trip, and there, God wrecked him, in the most amazing of ways.  Since that time he has been one of the most amazing missionaries I have ever met.  He even married a missionary and together their life is fully about missions.  And even though my sister in law, Kerrie, gushes over my brother way too much, for the most part she is right about how amazing he is. This last

I've made it through month 1.  Here are some pics with me with the same clothes. The damage.  Shoes held up. Blue Jeans are a little more frayed on the end, but otherwise fine. Basketball shorts are near indestructible. My green button up shirt has a bleach stain on the bottom left.  I can rock a bleach stain.  Even at a city wide prayer breakfast.  My blue t-shirt has held up like a champ, even through my constant abuse. My green t-shirt  now has a convenient ventilation system right in my left arm pit. But the brown pants have taken the brunt of the damage.  Right side pocket has hole in it.  The right seam are coming unraveled at the pocket.  And a left belt loop and auto tightener have both snapped. The lessons. Clothes can easily become about impressing people more than anything else.  It is amazing how much unfair labor happens to produce clothing that we buy.  A pair of pants that cost $100 dollars is 3 weeks pay for the median of our world population. 

Yet You by: Quinton Williams The walls keep falling down. Structures shake. People fall to the ground. You weigh the pain by the pound. Yet you dance. The sky is full of smoke. Hunger grows. Truth makes the masses choke. They burnt the books the poets wrote. Yet you dance. Riots crash like waves. Insults fly. Rocks fall down like rain. The Captain's Carnival is marching insane. Yet you dance. The whole world grows cold. Life fades. We all look for a hand to hold. Death comes leaving stories untold. Yet you...

Wow this was so much fun.  Let me explain.  This last Sunday night the Beautiful Mess decided that our church gathering should look like a basketball tournament for the night.  In my Easter post I talked about spending some time with guys down under the bridge playing basketball.  Since that time I have been wanting to serve those guys and build some relationship.  So we met them where they are at.  We went to the bridge and put on a basketball tournament. The totals for the night were staggering.  We gave out over 300 hotdogs, 6 cases of water, a bunch of cupcakes, and one ziplock bag of dog food.  There was over 200 people who came and watched, participated, served, or ate.  The tournament went off without a hitch and no fights broke out. These are the totals, but not the wins.  The win is that we connected with these folks.  We were giving each other high fives.  We were telling jokes to each other.  Guys were getting facebook names from one another and passing along phone nu

Something I've said for most my life is that God has an amazing sense of humor.  There have been these crazy incidents in life that make me think, "God, you were watching that weren't you.  And I be you were laughing your butt off."  For instance, once time I had a paycheck fly out the window and so I turned around and walked to where I thought it might be.  I spent the next 2 hours walking long stretches of highway in hopes of finding the check.  After my happy hunting I returned to my car to find the check lying right by my front tire.  "You got me good there God." Now I know God didn't really tune into the Quinton comedy hour, but it felt like it.  Here is the latest episode in my life.  Yep.  We got a new baby on the way.  So here is the humor.  Not planned.  It took us a year to get pregnant with December and we were trying every pregnancy trick in the book.  And now, unexpectedly God throws us the big curve ball.  Hilarious. I should say I&