Scott's Disaster Relief Plan

Mission E4 needs to raise $100,000 by February 1st for the people of Haiti. Scott Long is the founder of Mission E4, which serves in Haiti and had a short term mission team on the ground during the earthquake.

I've known Scott all of my life. He used to play Risk with my dad at our kitchen table until the sun came up. As a 10 year old kid, I would wake up and wonder how they could have stayed up all night long playing a board game. Fast forward to today and you can find me playing Settler of Catan until the wee hours of the morning with my friends, many of whom have been colleagues in ministry. 20 years later... I get it. I remember riding along in Scott's little Isuzu pick up truck... He was the cool 20 year old guy that bothered to spend time with the corny 10 year old kid.

I sat down at Starbucks with Scott last year. I wanted to know how he was doing personally. I wanted to get to know more about his growing organization, Mission E4. What I found, is a man and his family, who have given up on the American dream and turned their focus to God's calling here in the city of Worcester and around the world. Scott's organizational talents and leadership skills could be used to produce financial profits, but he realized that his call was different. He now leads an organization that serves here in Worcester and around the world in Albania, Kosova, Mozambique and Haiti.

Haiti is now in a struggle of survival and Mission E4 is in a unique position to get help directly to people who need it most. Mission E4 and Scott's family operate on a 'shoe string' budget. There are so many places to donate in the relief effort, most of them totally legit. However, if you've hesitated because you don't know enough about the organization, I urge you to consider donating to Scott's organization, Mission E4. Click Here to donate and to read more about their Disaster Relief Plan.

Read more here:

http://www.missione4.com/

Kaeley from Mission E4 talking about Haiti

Click Here for the full article from NECN.

E4 Team is Returning from Haiti

Holden Chapel received word that the Mission E4 Team is on their way home:

Saturday - Good News! I received word today that the E4 team is boarding a missionary plane in Haiti and flying back to Florida today. They will be bused to Miami and will catch a flight back to Massachusetts tomorrow morning! Thank you for all your prayers and concerns. Keep praying for the many, many others who are missing, injured and dying in Haiti. Lord, have mercy.

Saturday PM - E4 team has returned to Miami!

Mission E4 Update from Haiti

Click here to read an update from Scott Long: Haiti Team Updates

Mission Teams in Haiti

I am so overwhelmed after seeing the images of devastation from the earthquake in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas in Haiti. I'm truly at a loss for words but I did want to pass on some information about local organizations already on the ground to aid in preexisting conditions in this poor country.

One organization based out of central Massachusetts is called "Mission E4" and led by a long time friend Scott Long. He and 36 others from this area are in Haiti and were there during the earthquake. They are all safe at this time. Please pray for the continued safety, provisions of food and shelter, and that God would use them to aid Haitians in need. I'll be sure to pass along any updates as I receive them via Twitter and here on the blog.

Another organization many in the area are also very familiar with is New Mission founded by The DeTellis family. Tim DeTellis has been able to assess some of the damage done there. Everyone is safe, however they have damage to numerous facilities including a now structurally compromised medical clinic. Follow their updates at their website and Twitter page.

Also, please continue to monitor the SoulFest Facebook page for more information on "Mission of Hope Haiti" with which the SoulFest is partnering for fund raising and relief efforts. Also follow along for update on several members of the SoulFest family including Roger that have trips planned to Haiti.

Rock & Roll - TBR

The Black Raspberries recently played this Led Zeppelin tune at the Gas Light Cafe in Dudley, MA. I had the pleasure of using an Sony HD camera to shoot this video (thanks Kelly!). As you can see, the guys have been really working hard on their live performances and this has been one of their favorite songs to cover. Their new original material has been recorded and mastered and the CD will be out sometime this year! In the mean time, enjoy this version of Rock & Roll!

Festivus - Dec. 23rd

With credit to Wikipedia here is the story of Festivus:

The Beginning -
Frank Costanza: Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.
Cosmo Kramer: What happened to the doll?
Frank Costanza: It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!

The Festivus Pole -

Cosmo Kramer: Is there a tree?
Frank Costanza: No, instead, there's a pole. It requires no decoration. I find tinsel distracting.
Frank Costanza: It's made from aluminum. Very high strength-to-weight ratio.
Mr. Kruger: I find your belief system fascinating.

Airing of Grievances -
Frank Costanza: And at the Festivus dinner, you gather your family around, and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year!
Frank Costanza: I got a lot of problems with you people! And now, you're gonna hear about it. You, Kruger. My son tells me your company STINKS!
George Costanza: Oh, God.

Feats of Strength -

Jerry Seinfeld: And wasn't there a Feats of Strength that always ended up with you crying?
George Costanza: I can't take it anymore! I'm going to work! Are you happy now?!
Frank Costanza: I've brought one of the cassette tapes.
Frank Costanza (on a tape recorder): Read that poem.
George Costanza (on a tape recorder): I can't read it, I need my glasses.
Frank Costanza (on a tape recorder): You don't need glasses! You're just weak, weak!
Estelle Costanza (on a tape recorder): Leave him alone!
Frank Costanza (on a tape recorder): All right, George. It's time for the Festivus Feats of Strength!
George Costanza: No! No! Turn it off! No feats of strength! I hate Festivus!
Frank Costanza: We had some good times.

Festivus Miracles -

Miracle #1;

Sleazy Guy: "Hello again, Miss Benes."
Elaine Benes: "What are you doing here?"
Sleazy Guy: "Damndest thing. Me and Charlie were calling to ask you out, and, uh, we got this bagel place."
Cosmo Kramer: "I told them I was just about to see you. It's a Festivus Miracle!"

Miracle #2;

Gwen: "Jerry!"
Jerry Seinfeld: "Gwen! How did you know I was here?"
Gwen: "Kramer told me!"
Cosmo Kramer: "Another Festivus Miracle!"
Jerry Seinfeld: (gives Kramer a murderous glare)

Youth miniStarZ

Thanks to @revkevgcc for posting this.. This one goes out to my friends, Oakley, Steve, Barry, Ben, and a bunch of other Youth miniStarZ out there.

Coincidence on My Way to New Jersey

Coincidence was all around me on Friday, December 11th, 2009. I woke up totally excited about how the day was going to unfold. My enthusiasm was due to the fact that I was about to hit the road and drive to my brother's house in New Jersey. Chris turned 30 that day... and I figure that was only going to happen once. Surprising him at his front door seemed like the right thing to do. As a father of 2 young boys, I don't get to do leave for a night very often, but in this case, Erin really encouraged me to make the trip.

I also felt like there was something more significant than the trip. There was something about this nearly spontaneous decision to take on the open road that was inspiring me. It might have been the left over joy I felt from the hugs I got from Erin and the boys before I left or that I sense life change in the near future. But mostly, I was excited to see the next scene of my life story take place... a chance to see a band that my brother and I haven't seen together since 1997. Switchfoot was playing at the TLA in Philadelphia and we had tickets... only Chris didn't know that I had one as well.

Switchfoot always inspires me. Their music is the poetry of hope that I need to hear when I feel like my heart is in a rut. Just list the titles of their songs and I start to feel inspired: "Meant to Live", "This is Your Life", "Dare You To Move", "Awakening" and so many more. On the drive down to see my brother, I promised myself that I would sing the words of these songs until my voice was sore. It felt like the thing the 1997 version of myself would do.

I was excited about one other thing on this trip. I haven't been doing much reading over the past several months and this trip was going to include 10 hours of drive time. So, I signed up for Audible, the audio book service that allows you to download a book and listen to it on an MP3 player or phone. I decided to listen to: "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller. The poignant question posed at the beginning of the book is this: "Why would you want a Volvo or anything of perceived value if you wouldn't be interested in watching a movie about a guy who wants a Volvo?" To put it another way, the elements that make up a story for a great movie are the same elements that make up a great life.

I was seriously challenged by this premise. I mean, I've always known that real value in life is generated by the relationships we cultivate and not the things we accumulate. But I never thought of putting life in the context of a good story. I love a flawed character, vibrant scenes, the challenge of the antagonist and so many of the other components of a great story. I just never thought of those elements of story being important to my life.

And in that moment, somewhere on I-84 in Connecticut, I realized the coincidences all around me. The book, the band, the trip, and my relationship with my brother. I was about to play out a major scene in the story of my life... the kind of musical montage that sums up my relationship with my brother. Just picture us walking on South St. in downtown Philadelphia, eating a Cheese Steak and having a drink all while the sounds of Switchfoot played in our heads... "This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be?"

Ode To Joy