Posted in General Thoughts by James Lux on 5/9/2012
The clock is ticking. It is less than 2 weeks until Training Camp and less than 2 months until launch, at which point I will begin a brand new chapter in my life. For 11 months I will travel across the globe making new friends and experiencing new ways of life while serving and loving those that need to see what Jesus is really all about. With the beginning of something new comes expectations and ideas of what we think will happen and how certain events will play out. Expectations inherently create discussions about what it will take to meet them, the penalties for not meeting them and the rewards for success. We see this all of the time in sports. A new coach, a new player, a new stadium, a new location or simply a new season brings renewed hope and the expectation that our favorite team will be succesful. We see and hear analysts and talk show hosts on sports radio and ESPN discussing what each team needs to do and what parts they need to add or subtract in order to bring a championship to their respective fans and cities. For me, setting out on the World Race is no different. Expectations abound, not just for me personally, but also for my team and my squad. Some of these will be set by those who will train, prepare and lead us on the field and some we will place on ourselves. Regardless of where they come from they will guide everything that we say and do and even how we process the events that will occur around us. Throughout the 11 months on the field I expect there to be ups and downs, fun times and difficult ones, agreements and arguments and plenty of teachable moments but I also expect that there will be opportunities that will reveal true growth, true community, true unity, true forgiveness and true friendship. This is, after all, the purpose of this event, to see Jesus for who he really is and his work in our lives as well as in the people around us at home and abroad. The World Race will allow me to see what can happen when Christians from every walk of life put aside their cultural, denominational and personal differences and work towards the common goal of taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
As I have followed God over the last few years I have realized that each step along the way is simply that, a step, each with its own purpose and expectations. Each step has served as a building block for the next piece that will bring me to my ultimate place of service, the one thing that God has placed me on this earth to do. The World Race is another one of those steps, one that could dramatically alter the course of my life, a spiritual roadsign, so to speak. As I have talked with many of my friends over the last few years many of them seem to think that place will be on the mission field and while I've toyed with the idea since college (that's probably part of the reason that I signed up for this in the first place) for one reason or another I've never been able to fully commit to it. I expect that spending 11 months overseas will change that. I expect that it will confirm one way or the other how and where I am supposed to spend the rest of my life and because of that I will never be the same.
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Posted in Fundraising by James Lux on 5/1/2012
Good morning friends! I am happy to report that my first fundraising goal has been met! Since I last posted a fundraising update I have collected an additional $1765.32, giving me a grand total of $3505.32! I now turn my attention to the next goal of $6500 due 2 weeks before I leave the country. There are a couple of things that I have coming up that I would like for you to keep in mind:
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For my family and friends living in and around Baton Rouge, Raising Canes will be donating 15% of their net sales on Monday evening (4p-8p), May 7 to the cost of my trip. Go to either 1 of the 2 locations next to the LSU campus (3313 Highland Road & 202 West Lee Drive) and mention Adventures In Missions to contribute!
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Starting Sunday, May 6 I will be doing a Reverse Raffle that will run until Saturday, June 2 with the winner being announced and the prize distributed on Monday, June 4. Tickets are $2 for 1 or $6 for 4. Half of the money that is earned will go towards the cost of my trip and the other half will be given away as the prize so the more tickets that you buy the bigger the prize!
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On Friday evening, June 1 I hope to have a large fundrasing event at the Knoxville Expo Center on Clinton Highway. I plan to have a dinner, some dancing and a silent auction as part of this event. You will also be able to purchase raffle tickets. If you have items or services that you would be willing to contribute to the silent auction please let me know via email (jameslux007@hotmail.com) or phone (901-335-6482) by Monday, May 28. There will be a small admission fee, with half of it going towards the cost of my trip and the other half going to cover the cost of the event. Please keep that date open on your calendar and in your prayers as I pull together the details.
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Remember that I have several items for sale online at www.cafepress.com/WRStore007. A percentage of each sale will go towards the cost of my trip.
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For the past couple of weeks I have been selling a lot of unneeded items on eBay and Craigslist, my own virtual yard sale if you will. Please pray that people will buy these items and be willing give me what I am asking for.
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For those who would like to contribute directly but aren't sure how there are several ways:
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You can send me a check made out to Adventures in Missions (it's a 501(c)3 non-profit organization so your gift is tax deductable!), and I can forward it on to the main office in Atlanta.
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I can give you support card for you to send with a check to the main office at your convenience. (Note: It is strongly recommended that you do not send cash in the mail.)
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In the grey bar on the left side of this blog there is a link that says 'Support Me!' that will take you to an online giving form.
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Finally, please continue to keep these deadlines in mind going forward. Remember that these amounts have to be in my account by the day listed, not just pledged, so it is best to send your donation a few weeks before each deadline so that there is plenty of time for them to get processed and applied to my account.
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$6,500 - Due 6/17/2012 (2 weeks prior to leaving for the field)
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$11,000 - Due 10/1/2012 (End of 3 months on the field)
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$15,500 (full amount) - Due 1/1/2013 (End of 6 months on the field)
As always, thank you to those who are praying as well as those who have already given.
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Posted in Life Lessons by James Lux on 4/23/2012
As a child, I loved reading. As a teenager, I hated it. A lot of this disdain came from being forced to read 1-2 books every grading period for middle school and high school English class. Books that were, in my opinion, boring and irrelevant, and made for very long 50 minute periods every day. In spite of this, there were 2 books that I really enjoyed. One of them was George Orwell's 1984. (Maybe it was the whole futuristic sci fi fantasy thing. I'm nerdy like that.) The other was John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. First published in 1678, it is the allegorical story that tells about the journey of a man named Christian from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. Guided by Evangelist, Christian makes many friends, including Faithful and Hopeful, and passes through many trials and tests, including the Slough of Despond, the Valley of the Shadow of Death and the town of Vanity, where he has to escape from prison. Later, his wife Christiana and their children set out to join him and eventually arrive at the Celestial City as well. It is apparent from the beginning that Bunyan is giving his take on what the Christian life looks like, a journey from destruction caused by sin to new life in God's great city. He is sharing a story and, if you really think about it, the life of every Christian is a story. It's the tale of a journey that has a beginning and an end with many temptations and defining moments in between. The writer of Hebrews calls it a race. Paul calls it a fight. Mine begins in 1981 in Jackson, Mississippi where I was born into conservative, middle class, church-going family. Growing up I hated going to church and it wasn't until I got into high school that I began to realize its importance. Starting my freshman year I was involved in Bible Club and many of my friends were Christians but it wasn't until a mission trip with my youth group to Brazil in 1997 that I truly realized what being a Christian was all about. One of the things that we did on that trip was share the Gospel, something that, growing up Southern Baptist, I had heard thousands of times. It was part of every sermon every Sunday but, for me, the implications had never truely sunk in. As I shared the Gospel with people in the city where we were ministering I began to realize that I needed the very thing that I was offering them. Although I was baptized shortly after returning home, it wasn't until several years later that I truely gave my heart to Christ.
All I wanted out of my college experience was to make some friends that I could keep with me for the rest of my life in an environment not too far from home and gain a Christian foundation on which to build my career. I got all of that and more at a place called Union University. I had gone in as a PreMed/Biology major with the goal of one day being a pediatrician but all of those dreams came crashing down after I nearly flunked out, not once, but twice. It felt like my entire world had come crashing down. I felt attacked and oppressed emotionally and spiritually. I had put a lot of pressure on myself and desperately wanted to be successful at that level but all I could think about was how I had let everyone down. I began my sophomore year undecided and with a full load of some easier core classes in order to help my GPA. It was an opportunity to step back and reflect but one October night I had finally had enough. I don't remember the exact words that I used but I basically told God that I couldn't go on trying to do things myself, that I needed him to come and help me. As prayed there in the Chapel after a midweek evening worship service with one of my good friends I literally felt the burden lifted. At the age of 19 I knew that God was there and I knew that he was going to stay.
After over 10 years I can tell you that he has stayed. As I have moved across the state of Tennessee he has been an integral part of every move. He has made sure that every potential problem was taken care of. At each stop he has provided me with an amazing church home as well as brothers and sisters who love me as I am and encourage me and hold me accountable in my walk with Christ. Over the last couple of years he has taught me how much my sin really disappoints him and what it really meant when he sent Jesus to this earth and to the cross. He constantly reminds me that Jesus is alive and freedom is available to those who cry out to him. Because of him I have life eternal and hope everlasting.
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Posted in General Thoughts by James Lux on 4/9/2012
"The reward of the American Dream is safety, security, and success found in more comfort, better stuff, and greater prosperity. But the reward of Christ trumps all these things and beckons us to live for eternal safety, security and satisfaction that far outwiegh everything this world has offer us."
radical: [rad'-i-kuhl], adjective
from the Latin word "radix", meaning "root"
1) markedly different from the usual, customary, or traditional.
2) favoring extreme changes in existing traditional or accepted forms, views, habits, conditions, or institutions.
We see this term used all of the time in politics, economics, and business. Those on the right use it to describe those on the left and vice versa in a neverending shower of mud. We also see it, with a much less demeaning connotation, in the world of technology. Many inventions that have changed and improved the way that we live, such as the personal computer (although sometimes it seems to make things much worse courtesy of viruses, spyware, the blue screen of death, etc), were once thought to be too extreme, expensive or simply impossible to complete. Of all of the ideas that have been put forth in human history, nothing has changed the world quite like democracy, the idea that people could and should govern themselves. In 1776 one nation decided that it would embrace this standard. What began as an experiment that the world thought was doomed to fail has become the greatest superpower in history. The same can be said of the church. Ordained and directed by Jesus himself and composed of a group of scattered and scared nobodies, the church has become the most influencial religious body of all time in spite of a history, both past and present, of persecution. Yet somehow that history has been lost to the modern American Christian. Perhaps it's our constitution's clause assuring the free practice of religion. Perhaps it's our growing desire for isolation and individualism. Platt seems to suggest that it's something else entirely, apathy. Not only apathy towards those around us but also towards the life of Christ, the truth of the Gospel and the consequences thereof. When it comes to these core tenants we either "look God in the face and say, 'no'" or take the even easier route and ignore him completely but either way in doing so we decide that our agenda is more important than his and turn a deaf ear to his commandments while many people locally and all over the world die having never had a chance to hear the Gospel. Over the weekend we commemorated the fact that "when God chose to bring salvation to you and me, he did not send gold or silver, cash or check. He sent himself - the Son." Jesus gave up everything for us as a demonstration of what the Gospel is really all about. If we are truly his followers shouldn't we be willing do the same for him? Shouldn't we be willing to be radical?
I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason so, naturally, I don't find it to be a coincidence that my men's Bible study group concluded 9 of the hardest chapters that many of us had ever commited to read during the Passion Week or that I am writing and posting these words the day after Easter or that we began reading this book 6 months before I am to leave my own American Dream behind and travel across the ocean to people I've never met and live in conditions I've never experienced first hand using money that I'm hoping and praying will come from supporters that I or may not ever meet. You see, the Gospel itself is radical. Christmas is radical. Good Friday is radical. Easter is radical. Their messsage "is not 'God loves me, period' as if we were the object our own faith. The message...is 'God loves me so that I might make him - his ways, his salvation, his glory and his greatness - known among all nations.'" The world is dying to see something totally different than what have given them. They want something authentic, let's give it to them.
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Posted in General Thoughts by James Lux on 3/5/2012
Growing up one of the things that I have always enjoyed was sports, even though I was never very good at any of them. (I'm still not very good, just ask my softball teammates) Whether it was soccer or t-ball, organized in a Saturday morning league or a pickup game at recess, I always competed and tried to do my best. I even tried out for my high school's baseball team my freshman year but couldn't quite make the cut. It was at this point that I decided that my talents would be best served sitting in the stands. As I have grown up and learned more about the strategy and history that go along with the sports that I enjoy and the teams that I cheer for my passion and desire to see my favorite players and coaches be successful has grown too. (If you follow me on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook then this nothing new to you) There have been many times where I've tried to push this part of who I am to the back burner. For example, when I first moved to Knoxville and started going to Calvary I tried to keep my allegiance to LSU hidden. (Whether or not I actually did a good job of this is up for debate) At that time I was also still in school so I found myself doing it on campus too. Basically, I didn't want to be that guy that didn't pull for UT.
One of my biggest fears in going this trip is that I'll come home and things will be back to normal. Sports will again appear to be, or may actually be, more important than Jesus. Many of my friends, especially the ones here in Knoxville, are, when it comes to sports and other areas of life, some of the most passionate people I've ever met but they are also some of the most God-fearing, people-loving and Jesus-serving folks that I've ever met as well. I know this because I've spent time outside of Facebook and Twitter with them. We've worked our way through God's word, answered the difficult questions together and sought advice and guidance from one another. And yet the questions remain. Which really is more important in my life? Am I just concerned about people's perception or is this genuine conviction? I'm afraid that these are questions that I may never get the answer to.
Growing up one of the things that I have always enjoyed was sports, even though I was never very good at any of them. (I'm still not very good, just ask my softball teammates) Whether it was soccer or t-ball, organized in a Saturday morning league or a pickup game at recess, I always competed and tried to do my best. I even tried out for my high school's baseball team my freshman year but couldn't quite make the cut. It was at this point that I decided that my talents would be best served sitting in the stands. As I have grown up and learned more about the strategy and history that go along with the sports that I enjoy and the teams that I cheer for my passion and desire to see my favorite players and coaches be successful has grown too. (If you follow me on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook then this nothing new to you) There have been many times where I've tried to push this part of who I am to the back burner. For example, when I first moved to Knoxville and started going to Calvary I tried to keep my allegiance to LSU hidden. (Whether or not I actually did a good job of this is up for debate) At that time I was also still in school so I found myself doing it on campus too. Basically, I didn't want to be that guy that didn't pull for UT.
One of my biggest fears in going this trip is that I'll come home and things will be back to normal. Sports will again appear to be, or may actually be, more important than Jesus. Many of my friends, especially the ones here in Knoxville, are, when it comes to sports and other areas of life, some of the most passionate people I've ever met but they are also some of the most God-fearing, people-loving and Jesus-serving folks that I've ever met as well. I know this because I've spent time outside of Facebook and Twitter with them. We've worked our way through God's word, answered the difficult questions together and sought advice and guidance from one another. And yet the questions remain. Which really is more important in my life? Am I just concerned about people's perception or is this genuine conviction? I'm afraid that these are questions that I may never get the answer to.
Growing up one of the things that I have always enjoyed was sports, even though I was never very good at any of them. (I'm still not very good, just ask the people that I play softball with) Whether it was soccer or t-ball, organized in a Saturday morning league or a pickup game at recess, I always competed and tried to do my best. I even tried out for my high school's baseball adn basketball teams my freshman year but couldn't quite make either cut. It was at this point that I decided that my talents would be best served sitting in the stands, something that, as much as my competitive nature wanted me to be out on the field, I was ok with. As I have grown up and learned more about the strategy and history that go along with the sports that I enjoy and the teams that I cheer for my passion and desire to see my favorite players and coaches be successful has grown too. Unfortuantely this sometimes leads to me being overly critical when the teams that I pull for fail to meet expectations when the reality is that those expectations were probably too high to begin with. (If you follow me on Twitter or are my friend on Facebook then this nothing new to you) I know that in the end it's just game but it's almost as if there is a part of me that wants it to be more, to mean more. In an effort to show people that I'm not one dimensional there have been many times, usually involving coming to a new place or meeting a new group of people or starting a new activity, where I've tried to push this part of who I am to the back burner. I want people to know that there's more to me than just Braves baseball and LSU football but I don't want them to see me as an overbearing intolerant fundementalist who is against all forms of fun. I just want be an ordinary guy flying under the radar doing what needs to be done and enjoys the pleasures that this brief breath of life has to offer (can you tell I'm a fan of John Piper?). Most importantly I want to be a guy that loves the Lord Jesus with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength.
One of my biggest fears in going this trip is that I'll come home and things will be back to normal. Sports will again appear to be, or may actually be, more important than Jesus. Many of my friends, especially the ones here in Knoxville, are, when it comes to sports and other areas of life, some of the most passionate people I've ever met but they are also some of the most God-fearing, people-loving and Jesus-serving folks that I've ever met as well. I know this because I've spent time with them outside of Facebook and Twitter. We've worked our way through God's word, answered difficult questions together and sought advice and guidance from one another. And yet the questions remain. Which really is more important in my life? Am I just concerned about people's perception or is this genuine conviction? I'm afraid that these are questions that I may never get the answer to and that I may never be able to balance a love for my earthly home with a love for my ultimate destination, my heavenly home.
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Posted in Fundraising by James Lux on 2/26/2012
Here's a brief update on my fundraising in the last month or so. I have collected an additional $150, bringing my grand total of $1940! This is puts me little over half way to my first deadline of $3,500 by May 5! Here are a couple of other things that I would like for you to be aware of:
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My online store front is officially open! There are several t-shirts already available and I will be adding a wider variety of items in the coming days! I will earn a percentage of every purchase as commision that I will put towards the cost of my trip.
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As always, for those who would like to give but aren't sure how there are several ways:
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You can send me a check made out to Adventures in Missions (it's a 501(c)3 non-profit organization so your gift is tax deductable!), and I can forward it on to the main office.
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I can give you support card for you to send with a check to the main office at your convenience. (Note: It is strongly recemmended that you do not send cash in the mail.)
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In the grey bar on the left side of this blog there is a link that says 'Support Me!' that will take you to an online giving form.
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There a few prayer requests that I would like you to keep in mind going forward.
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Pray for donors. I have begun to feel somewhat discouraged recently because I feel like the donations and support hasn't come at the rate that I was hoping that it would. I could really use some peace and assurance that the amount that I need will be provided.
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Pray for my attitude. I feel like this discouragement has begun zap my motivation. With there being just a few months left before I plan to leave I need to get as much raised as I can while I'm still in the States.
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Pray for health. Part of preparing for this trip is getting shots and the last thing that I need is to have an adverse reaction to one of them. Plus, I'm not really a big fan of needles.
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Finally, please continue to keep these deadlines in mind going forward. Remember that these amounts have to be in my account by the day listed, not just pledged, so it is best to send your donation a few weeks before each dealine so that there is plenty of time for them to get processed and applied to my account.
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$3,500 - Due 5/5/2012 (2 weeks before Training Camp)
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$6,500 - Due 6/17/2012 (2 weeks prior to leaving for the field)
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$11,000 - Due 10/1/2012 (End of 3 months on the field)
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$15,500 (full amount) - Due 1/1/2013 (End of 6 months on the field)
As always, thank you to those who are praying as well as those who have already given.
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Posted in General Thoughts by James Lux on 2/19/2012
My teammates and I were challenged to write 100 facts about ourselves so, without further ado, here goes nothing. I:
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Wanted to be a doctor growing up.
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FIrst left the country in 1997 on a mission trip to Brazil.
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Didn't fly on an airplane until the previously mentioned mission trip.
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Have since been on a plane many times including trips to 6 more countries.
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Have been to 25 of the 50 American states, plus the District of Columbia and 1 Canadian province.
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Have been to 18 of 30 current MLB stadiums plus 1 that no longer exists.
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Have been to 5 of the 9 Minor League baseball stadums in the state of Tennessee.
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Have been to 5 of the 12 current SEC football stadiums.
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Have been to 3 of the 12 current SEC baseball stadiums.
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Was at the last College World Series game that was played Rosenblatt Stadium.
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Had never been to an NHL game until last year.
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Had never been to an NFL game until 2 years ago.
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Have kissed the Blarney Stone.
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Have never lived in Baton Rouge a day in my life, even though I claim it as my home.
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Have lived in Tennessee for 29 of my 30 years.
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Actually do enjoy sunsets and long walks on the beach.
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Keep my food separate when I eat.
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Count my ice cubes when I put them in cups.
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Really like the color blue.
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Got saved at the age of 19.
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Have seen every episode of 'Friends' and '24'.
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Have read all of the 'Chronicles of Narnia'. (My favorite is 'Voyage of the Dawn Treader')
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Have seen all 6 'Star Wars' movies. (My favorite is 'The Empire Strikes Back')
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Will take a Mac over a PC any day.
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Am Batman.
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Know how to play 4 musical instruments. (Disclaimer: This doesn't mean that I can still do it.)
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Was in band for 8 years.
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Was a third generation Boy Scout and am a second generation Eagle Scout.
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Finished all of the requirements to be an Eagle Scout just a month or so before my 18th birthday.
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Took 3 attempts at summer camp to earn Astronomy merit badge.
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Never planned to work in special education full time.
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Never planned to work in ministry full time.
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Was in charge of all of the technological stuff as part of a traveling weekend ministry team in college.
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Didn't get a cell phone until I got a car.
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Didn't get a car until I was a senior in high school.
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Have had 3 cars since then, including my current one, which is completely paid for.
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Tried out for my high school's baseball team my freshman year but didn't make it.
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Also tried out for the basketball team, but didn't make it either.
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Coached basketball for 2 years.
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Hated going to church as a kid.
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Hate missing church as an adult.
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Have never broken a bone.
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Take medicine for hypothyrodism.
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Am descended from a Hugonaut preacher.
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Also have some Scottish blood.
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Am the oldest child in my immediate family and second oldest in my extended family.
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Was born late.
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Have been running late ever since. (No joke, I'm really bad at being on time but I'm working on it.)
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Shared a room with my brother as a kid.
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Am Chandler, could I be wearing anymore clothes?
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Love ska and punk rock.
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Can't stand secular rap or hip hop, except for Eminem.
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Have my LMSW.
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Want to have my LCSW.
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Want to build, own and operate a community center in the inner city.
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Remember exactly where I was on 9/11.
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Watched the second plane hit the Twin Towers on TV.
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Watched both of Twin Towers fall to the ground on TV.
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Am right-handed but left-footed.
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Love the Old Testament.
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Hate winter but love the snow.
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Love summer but hate the heat.
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Am better at Wii bowling than real bowling.
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Am better at NCAA Football '11 than real football.
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Had a great grandfather live to be over 100 years old.
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Am a registered Republican even though I consider myself more of an Independent.
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Am pro-life.
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Might be the most conservative social worker ever.
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Love fantasy baseball.
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Love real baseball.
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Am not good at either one of them, I'm scared of the ball.
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Prefer college sports to the professional game.
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Have had my wisdom teeth removed.
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Once sent my brother to the emergency room by pushing him into our swingset.
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Am federal agent Jack Bauer and this is the longest day of my life.
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Have more baseball caps than I know what to do with.
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Wear contacts.
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Wear glasses when I want to be lazy.
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Am in the same fraternity as my uncle. Ruh! Rah! Rega!
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Try to live by Philipians 3:10, it's my life verse.
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Can name all 50 states and their capitals.
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Won my school's Geography Bee in 5th grade.
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Never participated in a Spelling Bee though.
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Went to a high school had over 2,000 students and it was considered one of the largest in the city.
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Went to university that also had over 2,000 students but it was considered small.
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Graduated from both with about 400 people at each place.
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Managed to cram 6 years of higher education in to 8.
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Didn't make an 'F' until my freshman year of college. It's the only one I ever made.
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Almost flunked out in the process.
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Miss the Ebersold Ghetto.
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Miss Friday chapels.
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With my roommate's help, took all of our neighbors' stuff out of thier living room and set it up outside.
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Like cats and dogs equally.
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Once lived in a house with lime green carpet.
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Have the best God ever.
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Have the best family ever.
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Have the best friends ever.
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Am Bond, James Bond. (No seriously, Bond is my middle name)
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Am amazed at what God has done in my life and can't wait to take this next step on the World Race!
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Found it really difficult to come up with 100 things about myself.
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Posted in Life Lessons by James Lux on 1/29/2012
I'm just gonna go ahead and say it, winter is my least favorite season, mainly because of the cold and everything else that is associated with it. Living in East Tennessee one of the things that is always a part of the winter season is icy roads. Several weeks ago I was a victim of these frigid conditions. Don't worry, I wasn't injured and I didn't wreck my car, it was quite the opposite. I was coming back to my house from visiting some friends in Nashville when I ran into some heavy traffic. After sitting there for several minutes I was informed that the section of the interstate that I was on had been closed and workers were attempting to clear the eastound lanes, coincidentally the side that I was on, of ice. As I sat there I noticed that there were cars going by on the other side and I came to the conclusion that the other side must have already been cleared. I wound up sitting there for about 45 minutes and the longer I sat there the more annoyed I got. I had had a nice couple of days with my friends but I was ready to get back to Knoxville and this road work was holding me up.
Many times life feels like this. I remember encountering a situation very similar to this after graduating from college. I was still single, living at my youth minister's house with him and another friend, working 2 minimum wage jobs and struggling to find a position in my field of study while many of my friends were already married and had gotten jobs using thier degrees well before graduation. I was stalled by the ice while those around me were on the other side of the highway moving along with little or no difficulty. Frustration soon set in as I wondered what the hold up was. I constantly begged God to change my situation but he didn't. Little did I know the journey that he was about to take me on. I soon landed a job at Youth Villages. It was during this year working with some of society's most troubled kids that I determined it was time for me to go back to school. Eventually I landed in Knoxville where I have learned to come out of my shell a little more (I knew exactly 3 people when I first moved here), be real with those around me, listen to and trust them while at the same time refining my own unapologetically Christian worldview. I've even had to develop a little tolerance, especially when it comes to a certain color. ;)
Every now and then I'll take a ride down memory lane and look back at what is, by far, the most defining time in my life up to this point. Even though I felt forgotten and alone and couldn't see any progress, God was still there, working to move the ice and salt the road, helping me to understand more about who I was and where I was going. This life isn't simply about trying to get home. It's about constant surrender, reverant faith and daily growth. That's really all that Jesus wants.
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Posted in Fundraising by James Lux on 1/18/2012
Hey friends, I just wanted to briefly update you on my fundraising status. Since I last posted I have collected an additional $742.50 in one time donations as well a $100 monthly donation with a 6-month committment (a total of $600). With these contributions I'm happy to let you know that I've passed $1000, what I considered to be the first big benckmark, and I am halfway to meeting my first deadline with a grand total of $1790.50! Here are a couple of other things that I would like for you to be aware of:
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If you live in the Knoxville area be sure to keep next weekend (January 27-29) on your calendars clear! Salsarita's has confirmed that weekend is available for my fundraiser. They will me give 15% of the reciepts over the course of the weekend. I'll be distributing flyers during the next week to make people in the area aware of the event. (I'm going to need some help with this so I would be greatful to anybody that can help, especially over this weekend since I will be working) If you happen to get a flyer be sure to take it with you when you go during that weekend or if you don't get one and want to go I can get one for you so that your purchase counts toward my fundraiser. Look for more of these types of events to happen in the coming months!
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For those who would like to give but aren't sure how there are several ways:
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You can send me a check made out to Adventures in Missions (it's a 501(c)3 non-profit organization so your gift is tax deductable!), and I can forward it on to the main office.
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I can give you support card for you to send with a check to the main office at your convenience. (Note: It is strongly recemmended that you do not send cash in the mail.)
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In the grey bar on the left side of this blog there is a link that says 'Support Me!' that will take you to an online giving form.
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Finally, please continue to keep these deadlines in mind going forward. Remember that these amounts have to be in my account by the day listed, not just pledged, so it is best to send your donation a few weeks before each dealine so that there is plenty of time for them to get processed and applied to my account.
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$3,500 - Due 5/5/2012 (2 weeks before Training Camp)
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$6,500 - Due 6/17/2012 (2 weeks prior to leaving for the field)
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$11,000 - Due 10/1/2012 (End of 3 months on the field)
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$15,500 (full amount) - Due 1/1/2013 (End of 6 months on the field)
As always, thank you to those who are praying as well as those who have already given.
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Posted in Life Lessons by James Lux on 1/8/2012
8 days down, 358 to go. I often find myself doing this, getting caught up in the countdown mentality. It's almost as if the events of the present aren't satisfying enough and we choose to live in the future or worse, the past, rather than in the the here and now. I have typically never been a big new year's resolution person because I feel like that's what I'm doing. (If you are a new year's resolution person than please continue to do so, I promise I'm not passing judgement because, ironically, I'm doing something similar with the start of this year) I have found myself looking at the the calendar and thinking, "If I can just get to December 31/January 1 everything will be OK and I can stop/start doing X and/or Y and my life will be all better." We even look to the end of history when God will set everything right and beg him to do it now. Don't get me wrong, I look forward to that day too so I'm not discrediting its importance but to let it divert us from what God has called us to in the present day and age? I don't think that's what he intended. The author of Hebrews writes, "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first." [3:12-14, NIV84, emphasis added] Making your mind up to be different shouldn't be put off to a future time, it is a constant, daily decision to be different, to surrender, to follow our Creator otherwise sin sets in and creates bad habits that lead to ineffectiveness and can potentially destroy meaningful relationships. (I've had it happen to me, believe me, it's not fun.) Ironically the threat of falling never goes away but niether does God. He is "an ever-present help in trouble" and "the same yesterday and today and forever" but yet we forget that and act as if he isn't paying attention or just doesn't care when the reality is quite the opposite.
As we move further into the coming year there will be alot of excitement and heartbreak. The sun will rise and set roughly every 10-14 hours. (unless you're at one of the poles) It will be rainy, sunny and cloudy, hot and cold, windy and calm. There will be opportunities for new experiences, new acheivements to celebrate even new sadness and trials to endure. God will speak loudly and he will stay eerily quiet but through it all we worship the same Jesus who desires that people hear his message and come to him with the same urgency as when he first appeared 2000 years ago.
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