Hello down there....: Whooooo....Summer is almost over...

Wow, so it is now verging on the brink of August and i'd like to say i don't know where the last 2 months went, but i know exactly where they wound up...completely consumed over 7 weeks by 12 teams during The Next Level. We are finished and have had the first part of the week off (which i have spent diligently training for about 5 hours a day and have the rashes, burns, bruises, and sore muscles to show for it) and Wallace, Hooptie, and i meet back at 9 to make some sense of what's next and to close out TNL. Tammy is currently flying back from Las Vegas where she was in a nursing convention for the first part of the week and we may actually get to start seeing each other again.

What i mean by that is i would be with teams from about 7 or 8 in the morning (She doesn't get back until about 9) until between 11 to 2 in the morning (which is after she has left for work). So do the math...6 days a week...we went almost 3 weeks without seeing each other for more than a 2 hour period one day. Needless to say we're looking forward to life getting a little more normal. And CV (CitiVision) and I will be assessing the schedule again...we have better plans to make it work even better next year since it sounds like the 3 of us will continue to do this again as well as hopefully we will get to get all 4 of the interns we budgeted for....who would have thought spending a summer in NYC would be soo hard to sell to late HS and College students...

Well the summer was great and it was a fantastic reminder to me to give my seat up on the subway, not to ignore the homeless, the body of Christ can function in unity, i need to always be open to reproof, it's okay to admit i went the wrong direction trying to find the subway, let God interrupt my schedule, i don't know everything about everything, and to be patient, walk in mercy and grace, and love genuinely.

On top of actually making a little bit of money for our home CV or Wallace, i'm not sure which gifted me and austin with iPhones! woooohooo! i love this thing...all phones should be so fantastic, and it's really helped pass some time between classes at the academy when i have no one to roll with. So that was an unexpected and thrilling gift....it may have made all the late nights worth it...may....

Speaking of the academy, while i've been able to train a bit more this week, Tammy and I decided i should focus some more of my time in training since i have such a unique opportunity to train with the Gracie family here in NY. Which as an aside i was training yesterday and today along side the 2 highest ranking Canadian fighter next to GSP yesterday and today....for those of you that understand that sort of thing...Anyway, i am going to be working out my training schedule with Walter as we look at what the rest of this year and possibilities concerning TNL next summer as well...Tammy is still undecided if she wants me to do it again, as am i, though i believe we can work out a better schedule now that i've done it once...So that obviously affects how much i will be teaching as well...so i'm looking at moving to a new location but before i commit to do that i want to make sure that we have time together...so pray for wisdom in the future for us.

I'm pretty sure NYC agrees with us...randomly i was thinking yesterday while i was eating some lunch under a tree on 34th between 7th and 8th that this city is still amazing to me...i forget to look up sometimes, i've decided that tall buildings are like blinders once you've been around them for awhile...you don't look up much...so i'm trying to do that more. The people are great here...in the words of my friend Eric "i like the way they think." And where else could Tammy and i go to a packed showing of Batman on IMAX at 4:10 AM? Where i ask you?

i'm reminded by a text message from our last intern about the longing to return here tammy and i experienced our first year before we moved...it amazes me how God places such a passion and love for people in our hearts especially as they are tied to a location. (for us New Yorkers) This life change has certainly made me a believer in the Exodus concept and the "hometown prophet" deal...i know i was cynical and bitter about the Church as i saw it and especially about where i worked, mostly i see now due to a simple difference in ministry philosophy, but i can definitely see how God takes people from their homes from their comfort and transplants them, like He did Israel...several times, so His greater will can be accomplished...fantastic!

now for some pics....

Honey Bunny with the newest Peagler infant....yes Chris is a dad...