How Quickly We Forget

Macie and I were recently lying in bed and I said, "the room feels empty". She responded by saying it was the first time we've had a room to ourselves in over 10 months. Eliana is now sharing a room with Miriam and so Macie and I go to bed alone for the first time since we left Charlotte, NC. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that time at the end of the day getting ready for bed and chatting for a short time before falling asleep with my bride. We so quickly take for granted all the wonderful things in life because they become routine. Learning to treasure every little blessing brings so much happiness to any life and I wonder how many we over look everyday.

We are back in season with Stockport County now. We won our first two games and lost our third yesterday. Like overlooking blessings, I am so quick to focus on what is not happening in my life as opposed to what is. I am not playing great at the moment, we didn't win yesterday, my baby isn't sleeping well, my spouse isn't doing things the way I think they should be done, my outreach isn't very effective, the church isn't growing and lots of other things. But when I focus on all the things happening that are good my mood changes. After chatting to Macie today I was reminded that even if I can't see with my own eyes the things I want to happen, that doesn't mean that God isn't working on making it happen at this very moment. I firmly believe that there is an unseen world all around us where incredible things take place every moment to give us blessings we overlook way too much. Most of the real impact we have on people we will never know about and so much of what God does we have blind eyes to. A prayer I don't prayer enough is asking God to open my eyes to all he is doing. When I do this I don't focus on a God who lets people starve, or a God who forgets about people who are in horrific pain and suffering. Instead my eyes are opened to all the incredible things I get everyday that I do not deserve.

Here is a picture of an article published today in a national football newspaper. The headline sounds really sketchy (and I did not quote it) but the story was actually really good. I don't think you can read it on line but when I get a copy i'll try and scan it on the blog for you all to see.

So We're Kind of a Big Deal...

As Jo and I were driving the other night to the Mayor's Ball, he in his tuxedo and I in my ballgown, we just began to laugh as we thought back to nearly 7 months ago when we stepped off the airplane into an unknown life with no plans, no job, just a knowledge that God has said to us "go". We have always prayed that God would put us into situations that if He didn't show up and do something big, we would be made to look like fools. This has been one of those times in our lives and God has once again proven Himself faithful.
  Jo has been made captain of Stockport County Football club and signed on for another year. We have a wonderful church where I can play the piano and sing for worship and Jo and I can work with the youth. We have good friends and wonderful family.
   Yet through all of this, there are times when my heart still cries out for home. I miss driving on the right (and correct) side of the road, hearing a good old southern drawl, and going through the drive-through at Chik-fil-A.  I miss my daughter having an American accent, knowing my way around places and my big Toyota 4Runner. But above all, I miss my family. They came to visit last month and it was the highlight of my time here in England. I feel like I can now truly say I know what it means when Jesus says we must be willing to give up our family to follow Him. I am more than willing to do this, but that doesn't take away the pain of separation. Christ is worth any sacrifice and he has proven that to us time and again throughout our marriage.  Yet the pain of the sacrifice serves to remind us that this earth is not our permanent home.  We are created for something so much better than this and one day I will spend eternity with my family.  Jesus has sent us to England to bring others into that eternity with us.  I am willing to give up anything for that, even if it means I never eat at a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant again.
 

Time in England flies by

It's almost been 5 months since our family stepped off the plane to a cold, wet, uncertain England from the wonderful home we knew in America. The only plans we had were to move in with my parents until we were able to take care of ourselves.

I'm now sitting here in our new home getting ready to have breakfast with my wonderful family and thinking it only feels like yesterday since we got here. I just said to Macie this morning I feel like this is the fastest my life has ever gone. Rediscovering a culture I had forgotten and a brand new one for Macie and Miriam to learn, playing football, living with family then moving to a new home, new church and ministry and in the middle of all this a wonderful new baby girl joined us. People say that life goes faster when you have more kids and it definitely feels that way but I never want to be a person that says, "Where did the time go? I should have done more."

I was praying in the car the other day and asking God to use me to do 'big things' by helping people and impacting the culture I live in to know who Christ really is. I was just getting done praying and about to go inside the house to watch the Man City game with my Dad and I felt like God told me to do these 'big things' now. How do I do this while watching football I thought? God reminded me he made us to make every moment a special one. How do we do this?

The other night Miriam shouted me whilst she was in bed that she needed to go potty. I went into her room and helped her get down from her new bunk bed and as her feet touched the floor she took off running as fast as she could to the toilet screaming, "I'm gonna win!!!". Kids have an amazing way of making normal mundane situations into special moments. Miriam has no idea that she made me smile and my heart leap in my chest but I'm sure those of you that have kids can recall a similar memory. I believe our heavenly Father smiles the same way at us when we simply embrace life in every moment with the heart of a child.

How do I make sure I don't look back over a life that flies by and wish I would have done more? Simple, I race my heavenly father to the toilet every time I need to go! We simply need to embrace today, this moment, this mundane task or job that is here now, in the present. Don't be waiting and hoping for that big moment to come along but instead make this moment into it.

Here we are outside our new house.

A new arrival

Hello everyone.

Eliana Deborah Connor arrived on February 6th at 3:45 am weighing 9.7 pounds. Macie delivered her naturally and again had a scare after giving birth with massive blood loss. Watching her in the delivery room was like a repeat of when Miriam was born. I was very sad that a wonderful birth would again be overshadowed by a traumatic experience that followed for Macie. How many times in life do we let a bad experience over shadow such an incredible moment God has given us just seconds before? When I remember this birth I will focus on watching the courage of a mother give birth to an incredible baby girl. How incredible is our God that allows us to experience such wonderful moments in life. We are much happier when we focus on what God gives us then when we remember what the enemy takes from us.

Everything else in England is going smoothly for us. We bought a car on Sunday, an automatic so Macie would be more comfortable on foreign roads. I was blessed to be given a good contract with Stockport County until the end of the season that will give our family more security. We love the church we attend and are enjoying living with my family but are now ready for our own place. Pray that the right house comes along in the perfect location for us.

Looking back on the past two months is a testimony to the faithfulness of Jesus. We came to England with no plans only knowing it was where God wanted us to live. We have a healthy new baby girl, a car, a church family and I am now able to play professional football for my home team I grew up watching as a boy. Thank you for every prayer you have lifted up to heaven for this family, we feel them everyday.

Below is a link from a British website about us. Everything is true except us moving back if I didn't find a team to play for. We would have stayed in England whatever happened. Sometimes you just know God has you in a certain place for such a time as this.

http://mancunianmatters.co.uk/sport

Enjoying the Journey

We have now been in England 2 weeks tomorrow (we landed in Manchester around 10am Tuesday, Nov 29th). We entered the country with 6 suitcases, an almost 3 year old and no plans for the future other than staying at Jo's parent's house until something else presented itself. A few years ago, I (Macie) would have called this adventure crazy and never even attempted something like this. Yet here I am, a testimony to God's gentle hand of guidance that is always pushing us to go farther and deeper with Him. I have always wanted a "risk-free" life.  What woman hasn't? Who doesn't desire a nice house, well-kept children, and a husband with a steady job? No risk, no unwanted "surprises" and complete security. But through this beginning part of our journey, I am constantly reminded that my desire to lead a risk-free life is a way of telling God that I don't trust Him enough to guide us. When I pursue stability, I am proving my unbelief in God's perfect plan for my life. So, we have decided to live life on the edge, with leaps of faith becoming the norm instead of our constant search for a "safe" life. This has challenged us to completely rewire our thinking on what is important in life and has also led us on our biggest and most exciting adventure yet.

Two days after we arrived in the UK, Jo decided to just show up to the local football (soccer) club and see if they would let him train (really he couldn't have had better timing, they were just coming off a 7-0 loss).  At first they told him no, so he sat down to watch. A few minutes into the practice they realized they were a man down and invited Jo to join in.  After practice the manager invited Jo back the next day. And by Monday morning, they had made it clear to Jo that they wanted to sign him to play and would start the process to get his international clearance. His clearance came through on Saturday and today he signed to play with the league and tomorrow he will sign to play with the club.

God is so funny, isn't He? He is so faithful to those who put their whole lives in His hands. The circumstances for Jo to play with the club could not have worked out more perfect.  God had even made it clear to us what day we were supposed to move back to the UK which present Jo with the perfect time to walk into the practice.  Why do we doubt his plan? It can be scary to walk with only a little light to guide your next step, yet when you live life like this, it takes incredible twists and turns you never would have expected.

We are so excited for this next leg of our journey and can't wait to see where else God will lead us.

Here's a link to the football club. http://www.stockportcounty.com/page/Home

Thank you Jay and Cindy

Yesterday Miriam and I (Jo) were hanging up fliers on the mailboxes around our apartment complex for an event we are doing next week. As I got out of the car to hang up a sign, I heard a cat meowing. I don't care for cats so I just thought it was under a car or something and I drove off. As I got to the next mailbox, I felt God's Holy Spirit tell me "Go back and look for that cat". You might think this was just my conscience but my conscience doesn't care for cats, so I believe it was Jesus telling me. Anyway, I went back to looked for the cat. I heard it coming from a drain/sewer so I looked down it. I could hear it crying out but couldn't see it so I walked across the street and saw it down at the bottom of the opposite sewer. It was about six feet down and Miriam got a little scared. A passer by helped me take off the grid and as I went down to grab the tiny kitten Miriam started to cry because I had to go quite far down. I picked it up and drove home with it shaking.

I have no idea about cats so I washed it in the sink and Macie got a towel for us to wrap it in. It was shaking and in it's little small voice crying out for help. Macie called our friendly neighbors Jay and Cindy to come over and help, they had taken in a stray cat before so they were sure to help us out. They were round in minutes with cat food, a bed, litter box and medicine. They didn't even speak to me, walking straight up to 'Nala' (that is the cats new name). Cindy held it close to her face and started loving on it. Jay checked to see if it was sick, had fleas etc and both of them surrounded it with love.

It is now 9:25 pm the next day and as Macie and I sit in our living room worshipping and praying to our God there is a little, beautiful kitten running about and playing. Nala was a pathetic, wet, little kitten that had tried so hard to crawl out of a sewer her paws were all scratched off. But because two of our neighbors showed love to her she is now an adorable (temporary) pet for my two princesses Macie and Miriam.

Jay and Cindy saw the gold in something I didn't. Because of their expression of love I now see why people love kittens.

My prayer is that I would see everything with eyes like Jesus, or Jay and Cindy. He sees the gold in us when nobdy else does. I sometimes work in a neighborhood in Charlotte where 'crack heads' and prostitutes walk down the streets; I wonder what gold is in them? When someone is rude, arrogant or selfish I will try to look past that and try to find the gold. Our heavenly Father made us all to shine. But because of this sinful world and the effects it has on us people sometimes look like pathetic, lost, beat-up kittens. Love draws out the gold in all of God's creation.

As I finished writing this Nala came and sat on my lap. We are looking for some people to love her and give her a home because we are moving to England shortly.

Thank you Jay and Cindy

Preparation

We leave our home in Charlotte in a little over three weeks on the 15th November and will spend 2 weeks in Atlanta with Macie's family before we fly out to England. We are selling things, giving stuff away and letting go of anything we don't need or want to take with us. It is amazing how much stuff we have that we do not use or do not need.

Two weeks ago I (Jo) spent alot of time trying to arrange/set things up for when we arrive in England. Getting try outs with teams, having a back up job, getting in touch with ministries I found on line etc. I had moments of complete discouragement and fear of failure. I was simply trying to be a good husband and be as prepared as possible. I felt God tell me "Do nothing, depend completely on me". This is very hard for a man who loves to bring home money for his beautiful wife and daughter.

When I spend time with God in his word and praying I am filled with so much peace about a pretty illogical move I am taking my family on. Charlotte is such a great and happy place for us. We have wonderful friends and great ministries we love being apart of. I am able to play professional soccer and Macie gets to sing with the 'Charlotte oratorio' which is her passion. We love it here and God really does use us to impact peoples lives, he has shown me the fruit. We have absaloutely nothing we can see waiting for us in England. We are moving in with my parents when we get there and that's all we know.

How do I know it is the Lord calling us? Abraham was literally called (audible voice I think) by God to leave his country, Elijah had encounters with God, Moses saw him face to face, Paul had a vision on the road to Damascus and John had his revelation in the final book of the Bible. How do you know God is calling you to do something?

1. The Lord's call never contradicts his word!
2. The Lord's call will always take faith.
3. The Lord's call will not always seem rational and may sometimes be scary.
4. The Lord's call is always for the advancement of HIS kingdom.
5. Whenever you truly get on your knees in prayer and ask God about the situation you will have peace.

I am confident of this call the Lord has given our family. People might simply think 'Jo is going back home to live in England'. I have not lived in England for 7 years, I have only visited since I became a Christian so the 'new me' has never lived there and I really honestly do not consider it home. My eternal home is in Heaven but on this earth I consider home where Macie and Miriam are, that is not in England yet.

If you feel God 'calling' you to do something, whether it's as simple as giving a friend an encouraging word, going back to church after a long time avoiding it, or something as big as moving your family to a new country with no promise of a job. Step out and do it! We are only given the chance to show God our faith in him while we live on this earth. When we get to heaven there will be no more need for faith because we will be in his presence all the time. Prove your faith and love to God while you still can.