Getting Her...no, Receiving Her

To your right stands my fiance' and I on a beautiful Summer Saturday in Coronado beach. It was a special day: July 18th, 2009.  July 19th would have been one year from the day that I got Courtney back after the time that I mistakenly let her go, does that make sense???  (Thank God for GRACE!).  

I've known Courtney Copeland since October 5, 2007.  We met at Mindi Hopper's birthday bonfire.  I owe Mindi my life (and my wife! HA!).  To make the long story less long:  there have been intro's, laughs, tears, new family and continual prayer.  As it is, she is the one.

I may be behind, but I am never too late. Therefore, I am going to explain how I asked my girlfriend to be my wife.  Ultimately I am also asking for prayer as we engage each other in this new journey.   

Now go grab your rockin' chair as I tell our story...

How it when down: 

This spring Courtney graduated from her nurse practitioner program and had her national certification exam on July 17th, a perfect decoy.  As I vaguely stated above, I wanted to be engaged within a year of us getting back together (...no reason for the year thing....just want to spend the rest of my life with her is all).  

OK.  Back to the Game plan: a week to prepare Courtney's heart for this proposal.

Under the disguise of our upcoming Africa trip, I had 'prepared' a devotional for Monday through Thursday of that week (July 13th - 16th).  Each morning, I took my goose to a strategic location from our past to pray and discuss the following: 

• Monday July 13th, Cardiff Beach (valentine's date Spot) - we talked about our identity in Christ and our individual values as potential parents.  
  
• Tuesday July 14th, Bird Rock (where I got her back, a little under a year ago) - we talked about our combined strengths as a couple.  
  
• Wednesday July 15th, Flood Offices FSN (where I approached her again a year ago) - we discussed our calling as a couple.  
  
• Thursday July 16th, Torrey Pines (our second date) - Our mutual best friend, Mark Lagace (who happened to be running by), prays over us and our relationship.  
  
• Oh yeah.  Friday night July 17th, a celebratory dinner with my future sister and brother, Carrie and Greg Gunn (yes, the genius passed her boards).
  

If you are tracking with me, we are up to Saturday (the big day baby!!!).  

Unknown to my future bride, I had both of my parents and her parents in town to celebrate this momentous occasion.  The scene of the crime: our first date - Coronado Beach.  I secretly lured Courtney to this sacred location through our girlfriends: Linsey Wildey and Mindi Hopper. Supposedly, I am up surfing north county that morning.  

And there she was.  Courtney stood on the first beach we walked together (under the impression that she was checking out a potential-family-photo-shoot-location for Linsey's fabulous foursome).  I walked up to her donning a new collared shirt with some smutz in my hair.  I told her, "I love you.  Let's go for a walk."  On our walk down the beach, we stopped and prayed several times before I eventually led her to a special spot containing the following items: a blanket, a letter, my Bible, and champagne.

The Letter: There were 3 specific messages I conveyed in this last "goin'-steady" love note: 1) the symbolism behind her nickname: Goose, 2) she is my best friend, and 3) a prayer for our future.  First things first: a goose is a creature who will never forget its mate, no matter if he/she dies.  A goose is a loyalty.  Courtney is my Goose, my best friend, and will be my wife. Reading the prayer at the end of the letter was our initiation: I got down on my knee as we prayed amen.   Looking into those deep, green eyes, it was time to reveal the box in my back pocket.  Pulling out the ring, "Courtney, will you marry me?"  Her reply....(suspense)... "YES!" (followed by a timeless hug).  

She was given 45 minutes to decompress...just her and me. I revealed the significance behind the events of the previous week. Together, we read 1 John 4 (<-- Click here to celebrate with us).  We spent the next few hours having lunch with the surprise guests (our parents and her siblings).  That night Courtney enjoyed our surprise engagement party where we celebrated with many of our loving friends.  

And the rest... as they say... is actually happening right now.  I love her.  

Thank you God for this gift. 

There is a tale of Africa to be told.  Stay tuned...

~Andy Kelly

"Although we can, may and/or will fall in love, love is not a pool you fall into.  Rather, it is a choice.  Make that right choice and go swimming."  (OK.  I made that up, but it works.)

PS - I officially Preached on a SUNDAY!!!

If you want the prequel to my story with Courtney, check out my preaching debut from July 5th.  It is my own testimony (story) intermingled with the Parable of the Prodigal Son: CLICK HERE!!! 

The Voice of God

This voice knows you well.  It is that tone you hear which thinks outside of the box: reaching beyond of ourselves.  Wildly enough, it is this voice that cares the most about you (and others) sharing a concern for all inhabitants of this world.  Our discernment is the ability to distinguish God's voice from our own.  The key ingredient towards exercising discernment is our ability to listen.  

...

It is hard and I am still learning.  I believe this to be the most difficult exercise to refine.  As the young prophet Samuel demonstrates, listening requires reaching the juncture between humility and willingness:  "Speak Lord, you servant is Listening." (1 Sam. 3:9).  Because modesty rarely coincides with pro-activity, listening can be lost with the wind.  

But Man!  What we can receive from listening is the key to godly wisdom:  "Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others" (Proverbs 12:15).  Unlike much knowledge we all strive to keep, wisdom is communal and requires insight from external networks.  The channel to those networks is the ears and heart.

Finally, we are able to maximize our ability to listen to God's voice when we pursue righteousness.  When I seek to Honor God with everything I own: my mind, body, temper, time and words (not claiming perfection here..far from it), His words speak loudly through the intake of my mind and heart.  This desired purity becomes a clear communication with the One who appreciates the beautiful and spotless nature of all Creation.  Indeed, God's passionate voice becomes even more audible as we attune our ears, our entire self, to His frequency.  And the process is reciprocal.   Hearing His voice, knowing His promise and taking His Spirit enables you to realize the life we are meant to live.  To hear others' pain and joy, to see the beauty and destitute, to smell the salt in the ocean air but also taste the salt from our tears. Hearing the voice of God is the first step to be in touch with our heart. 

Please don't mistake God's voice for a figment of our imagination.  I have friends that believe that God's voice is our own psyche trying to reason itself from the minutia of living.  Please consider this: God can work (and does work) through our internal filter as He knows this familiarity compliments the comfort of His words.  This is why Dallas Willard, a philosophy professor at USC, states, “All of the guidance which we are going to receive from God, no matter what the external or internal accompaniments may be, will ultimately take the form of our own thoughts and perceptions.”  By contacting us through our only known medium, God is calls and meets us where we are at.  Our God is convenient.  Consequently, there is no work needed to reach Him.  

Being still gains access to our God.  If you listen, He is speaking to you right now.  All you need to do is nothing (no wonder the lulls between sets is a surfer's paradise).   Amen!   

Listen to this:  I love you all!!!

SUPPORTERS - THANK YOU!!!

I just wanted to state that I am incredibly grateful for the journey I have been on with so many of you. Some of you have helped me financially, and many of you have offered your prayers to help me continue through this phase. I cannot express how much I appreciate each one of you. And much beyond the behind the scenes support, I feel the encouragement and the support from everyone each time we see each other or talk. I am incredibly blessed with friends and family, which has always shined and continues to do so in this journey of support-raising. So thank you for believing in me and believing in what God is doing through me. 

Thank you for Standing by Me! (<-- click this link! It's awesome!!!)

Prayer PRAISE!  Zara!

Marcus and Collete's daughter is in remission.  After a 1/2 of year in Rady's Children Hospital, Zara and family is going home.  Thank you for your prayers in this.  Please continue to pray that the leukemia is completely clear from her and does not return.  God bless that little beauty...

Prayer NEEDED!  Africa Update!

Courtney and I have a journey ahead of us.   A team of six San Diegans will arrive in Malawi, Africa on July 15th.  Together with some Malawian COTN interns, we will be running two camps for local orphans, ages 14 - 19, who are about to be done with their secondary education. The aim of the camps is to help the students launch into their adult lives well. Whether it's helping them determine the next step or assisting them to gain life skills and be able to support themselves, we are praying that God will do a big work in the minds and hearts of these 140 underprivileged Malawian youth.  Additionally, we will be hosting health clinics at many of these orphan's homes.  Please pray for this mission.   

More to Come?

There is also another journey ahead for me and Courtney, but that is for another entry.  

- Andy Kelly

"A complete life is the life of a child. When I am fully conscious of my awarenewss of Christ, there is something wrong. It is the sick person who really knows what health is. A child of God is not aware of the will of God because he is the will of God. When we have deviated even slightly from the will of God, we begin to ask, "Lord, what is your will?" A child of God never prays to be made aware of the fact that God answers prayer, because he is so restfully certain that God always answers prayer." ~Oswald Chambers

Prayer Needed

This is my bro Marcus and his little girl, Zara Brazel. She is diagnosed with leukemia. Please take some time to lift her up in prayer. She is a brilliant, beautiful life that makes you smile.

Please keep praying for God's steadfast healing. Pray for the continual miracle of science as well as the doctors, nurses, assistants and all those that are administering to her.

I have no idea how tough this is on Marcus and Collette (Zara's mom). Please pray for their renewed strength, guided wisdom and healing hearts.

Please pray if you don't even know what to pray for. Thank you for your hearts in this.

Andy

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray." James 5:13

The Gym, Vitamins and Truth

Tonight's blog is a late night check-in.  How are you all doing?  Is anybody reading???  If not, then I can journal away baby!  

Dude, it is late.  I can't sleep at all.  Ah well.  

By the way,  I came across this article written by Chuck Colson.  It's sweet.

___________________________________________________

FAITH

The choice we make as to the universe’s origin is the most important choice in life, everything else stems from it, it’s where truth begins. Few people have thought through the choices. But, most are influenced by their cultural prejudices as I found out a few weeks back at a charity dinner. 

At a dinner I sat down next to a man who said, “Just so you know I’m an atheist.” 

I said, “I’m happy to sit next to you because I’ve never met an atheist.” 

He said, “what do you mean?” 

I said, “An atheist is someone who has claimed that the existence of God can be disproved, so please, tell me, how have you disproved God.” 

He said, “Well, I’m an agnostic.” 

“When did you give up studying God? An agnostic is someone who thinks that God can never really be known, and you can only be an agnostic if you’ve tried to know him and exhausted the search. So though you appear to be a very educated person, you’ve made an unsupportable statement.” 

A few weeks later I was reading the editorial page of the state’s largest newspaper, and it was written by my the man I had conversed with at dinner—he was the publisher. He wrote about our dinner conversation and said, “Religion is indeed an important element of all or our lives and something we need to pursue. My own previous point of view proved to be unsupportable.” 

________________________________________________________

This article illustrates the logical (and non-combative) nature of Christianity.  Furthermore, it presents the reality that atheism and agnosticism are both forms of religions.  After the research I have done, I don't have the faith it requires to be an atheist or agnostic.  There is too much truth in Jesus Christ.   

Vitamins

Today, I didn't take my vitamins.  Courtney has got me taking Juice Plus (this is one of the infinite perks of doing life with her).  Aaaahhhh..... Where was I?  Juice Plus!  Man, I now know that this stuff works because without it... I feel like poo.  Them magic pills give me the energy to accept God's work!  Free Radicals can't get ME down!  (I don't even know what a free 'radical' is, but the stuff keeps me moving and grooving!)

Holler at my girl and try them out:  Beautiful Juice Plus Rep.  

Please Note:  If you bother her or email something weird, I will break your ankles.  

The Gym

I have been doing Cross-Fit Flood under Steve Tankersley (he supports my internship in so many ways).  Thank you, bro!  These crazy workouts are making me 20 years old again.  It's time to be able to dunk a basketball.  

If anyone ever wants to check out the Cross Fit, the gym is open on the third Saturday of the month @ 8 AM.  Check it out!  

Conclusion

There you have it.  A healthy diet of fruit & veggie supplements, navy seal regiments and Jesus Christ as God's descent.  Life is good.  This is living (2 Cor. 5:17).

Eyes to the SKY!

Andy Kelly

The proper motto is not "Be good, sweet maid, and let who can be clever," but "Be good sweet maid, and don't forget that this involves being as clever as you can." God is no fonder of intellectual slackers than any other slackers. ~    C.S. Lewis

a note of concern (and hopefully courage)

Please pardon the conversational hiatus from blogging.  As you will find, I can make it a 'to-do' instead of a privilege.  Honestly, I am overwhelmed.  With school, support, ministry, Africa, friends and loving a beautiful girl, I easily compartmentalize these blessings in my life as a lofty chore.  And the biggest bummer: my relationship with God suffers.  Busyness can even make my eternal best friend seem like business.    

Meanwhile, I hear a villainous voice:  "Andy, you are attempting God's work! Keep moving!  Don't stop.  Are you good enough?  I guess not."  That is not me.  And that is not God. 

That is years of  being told that I can be something more, better or different.  This voice conflicts the 'now' beauty that God sees in me.  AND it fogs my own vision.  I become temporarily unable to see the beauty that God has placed around me (and in me).    

Thankfully, there is another voice.  It's Sweeter.  "Friend, can we go for a walk?  I want to spend some real time together.  I love your heart and I want to hear it."  Sometime Christ states,  "Son, you are doing an awesome job."   I love that voice.  Jesus even says that when I think I am doing a cruddy job.   God's freedom is an invitation that we all can experience. 

Freedom.  I had a great conversation about that tonight with my great friends, Brian Borton (dude is a stud).   

Galatians 5:1, 13 - It is for freedom that Christ set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened by a yoke of slavery...You (we) were called to be free.  But do not use our freedom to indulge my sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.  

1 Peter 2:16 - Live as a free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 

Freedom is opposed to the evil of not serving each other.  Indeed, slavery is strictly serving ourselves.  Yet, this ethos is linked to everything around us. "Get this self-help book!  Get yourself a bigger car.  Climb the corporate ladder.  Get skinny! You deserve a Golden Goddess or Prince Charming!!!"  This is the world we live in.  

Conversely, when you hear God's gift to serve each other without compulsion (2 Cor. 9:7), there is a something in our of souls that whispers so softly:  "truth"

We are also allowed to scream:  TRUTH!!!

And then there is the golden rule: a two-part position with one overarching statement: Love your God with all your heart, soul and strength AND love your neighbor as ourself.  According to Jesus, you cannot have one without the other.  They are 2 faces to the same coin.   Galatians and 1 Peter prove this by using servants of God and servants of your neighbor interchangeably.   

So how does this help my predicament (my busyness)? I need to reach out to God with the heart of service. Hearing Jesus' voice, it is no problem to continue the dialogue:  "God.  Is this activity glorifying you?  How can this work serve you?  May I use my study or work as a form of worship?  God I want this to be a response to the blessings you have given me.  God allow these efforts to serve others.  Use me to serve you!  And... please give me rest in you. I love you with all that I got. Thank you for loving me with more. Amen."   Just talking with God gives me rest.  

Family, please keep praying for my unbelief.  It feels like taking concrete out of my heart.  It hurts. Pray for my strength.  

I love you all.

Andy

We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems. ~ Howard Hendricks

My Old Man!

Check out the video of my Dad coaching high school basketball in Clearwater, Florida.  He gives his hearts to his troops.  In turn, they give their hearts to the battle.  

I am proud of my Dad and his ministry.  

As he once told me: 

We are only visiting this planet.  Therefore, keep walking with the Lord and roll with the mission. 

I love you all.

-Andy 

Hebrews 11:1

Faith is confidence that we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.  

~Faith is trust in, reliance on, or confidence in a person I have reason to believe is worthy of trust. The HEART cannot embrace what the mind thinks is nonsense.  David Clark

Rest for a New Start

Today is Sabbath, a resting day for me.  Can you believe that God told us to rest?  It IS rad!  He knows that I need it.  He knows that you need it.  

Look it up - Exodus 20:8-11.  We must remember to rest.  This command is not some fundamental decree that we follow just because God says so.  There is a simple truth in it: Valuing life. 

Clarity comes from being still.  Example:  Surfing.

True, surfers love the ocean for its awesome rides.  But they also enjoy the lulls between each set.  To be in still glass with your comrades surrounding you...It gives a sense of patience that can only be God.  When you are out there, you know that there is something bigger than you. 

My brothers and sisters: Let us all reflect on the trials of the last wave and celebrate our life, God's gift.  From this rest, we are prepared for the next wave God gives us.  

Life is Good. 

Andy 

"To pass from estrangement from God to be a child of God is the basic fact of conversion.  That altered relationship with God gives you an altered relationship with yourself, with others, with nature, with the universe."  ~E. Stanley Jones