Kim = Khem = "Happy"

This is my new friend - KHEM! She told me that
Khem = Kim = HAPPY!
She is a believer in Thailand who serves as a tour guide.

Well, it has been a long time since I posted but I have had alot happening. On Christmas Eve, I was reflecting on the year and remembered that the pastor had asked for volunteers to help with a missions conference in Thailand. One question I asked myself was "what is holding me back?" When I tried to come up with the answers I realized that each and every one was temporal. So I called to discuss the needs and within a week, I committed to lead the youth part of the retreat. This is in a land that is 95% Buddist but these 50 families are in China serving.



On our way to Chiang Mai, we stopped for a day in Bangkok. I got to see Kat Ford (recent BU grad) and Kirk and Suzie Persons and family (they are also BU folks serving in Bangkok). It was a fun and quick reunion. Then we took a short long-tail boat ride to tour Bangkok on our way to the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.



We then flew to Chiang Mai where we had until 2:00 pm the next day to see the sights in Chiang Mai...we went to an MaeTang Elephant Camp to see and feed the elephants. We saw them play soccer, play harmonicas, work with logs and paint!



Then we rode them across the pass to the village of the "long-necked people." They are supposedly Christian in their beliefs but at the age of 5 these iron rings are placed on the necks of the girls to make their necks long...the rings never come off but they add one each year. It struck me as bondage but then I thought that their bondage is visible...whereas, ours here in America may not be visible but is just as uncomfortable and our burdens just as heavy. This village broke my heart...but we stood in the middle and prayed out loud for the freedom of these Burma refugees and the power of the Word that is spoken in that town to release them soon.



The retreat was for 50 families serving all over China. They all work for Christar, based in Pennsylvania. We all met in Chiang Mai, Thailand at the Imperial Chiang Mai Sports Resort (i know...suffering for Jesus!). The facilities were great but the people were the ones who won my heart. I had 7 girls and James had 4 guys.

The Girls: Irina J, Margie, Charlotte & Emily C, Becca T, Alicia V & Nicole B

The guys: Michael B, Caleb O, Matthew J, Paul C

We spent 5 days together...talking about ourselves and our faith. We also played water polo and went white water rafting down the Mae Ping River over some class 4 rapids. We had a great time and laughed and screamed for about 10 miles. Sarah Rogers put it best when she said, "I feel like I stepped into the Discovery Channel." It was a surreal experience.

I have left out so many things...but one really neat part is that one of the girls that I had coached and had in Sunday School at Woodway over 10 years ago was on the trip - on our team with her grandmother. This was a sweet reunion for us. We laughed and prayed and worshipped and finally decided that we would get together on a regular basis back in Waco to pray and share and lift up our new friends. Sarah is one young woman who knows the hand of the Lord and experiences Him in creative and unique ways.

God is Good - All the Time!

Pre-Christmas Festivities

Wow...it has been for-stinkin-ever since I have posted....so here is the thumbnail sketch update:

November 28-30 - went to Orlando for an Athletic Business Conference - unfortuantely...by myself. Disney is not worth seeing if you can't see it through the eyes of a child and share the experience with others (see previous blog about whose hands you hold).



December 9th - After a month of working on strategic plans and budgets I accomplished one of my life goals...I completed the White Rock Half Marathon in Dallas Texas with two friends: Jennifer Baker and Rachael Johnson. I dressed for the weather...it was supposed to be 60 degrees...but about 2 miles in in started to drizzle and the temperature did not get over 45 degrees...but the three of us completed the 13+ miles for Will Butts and the Scottish Rite Hospital.



December 14-17 - I flew to San Francisco to meet up with some friends to see the city and see the #10 ranked Lady Bears play the #5 ranked Stanford Cardinal. We had a great time in Union Square, China Town, Ghiradelli Square, and Pier 39...the trolley was a bit frosty but dinner at Cheesecake Factory on the 8th floor of Macy's overlooking Union Square was unforgettable.



December 19th - my stubborn dad took a tumble while clearing out some land and split his eyebrow and gave himself a black eye...the most frustrating part was that he refused to go to the doctor...thanks to our community nurse, Elaine Walker for making a house call! Now we all know where the Scott "tuffskin" genes come from! But he's still cute! :)

The Hand You Hold

The only thing more precious than the air you breathe is the hand you hold.

Over the past 10 years, I have been blessed to have many young men and women to share life experiences with both on campus and off. I have been to weddings, seen babies, prayed for work assignments and relocations, and achieved life goals with some of these friends.


Here is a picture of the most recent of these...the wedding of Bailey McKissack to Andrew Heard. It was a beautiful wedding that honored the Lord through commitment and simplicity. You can see His Beauty in Bailey...

One of the best parts of this wedding was to reconnect with students who have graduated and moved on in life. In this picture, are many former spirit squad members who have traveled all over the US together. Dave and Jennifer Burggraaf were the coed coaches. Amanda Mullings is the current coed captain. Halie Baker is on the coed squad now. Amanda and Halie are two of the 10 students I am taking to Africa in May of 2008 (more to come on that). Erin Richardson was on the coes squad with Bailey and Laura Blalock gets married today to Seth McCall...she was Bruiser!!
Robby Mullens and Matt Witt were both on the squad with Bailey. I was the "bus driver."Life goes on and so do friendships that are built on a strong foundation and nurtured over time.


Finally, Morgan Smith is a graduate student that I have known for five years. We have spent alot of time together talking about the mysteries of God. We went to Bailey's wedding together and today we are going to Laura's up in Southlake, Texas. These pictures remind me of that song (that I think I have quoted before): Life is Precious Life is Sweet...I have been blessed to hold the hand of God through these..."friends".

"No longer do I call you students...I have called you friends."

H-Trophys

Ok, so as amazing as this picture is in the sports world...three Heisman Trophys in one room at the University of Nebraska...it can't hold a candle to the miracle of life brought about by our great and good creator God who breathed the whole world into existence and who chooses to use us to accomplish His purpose.

Here is Walker Paul - the newest edition to the Williams family, that is staying at the Ponderosa. He was born just over two weeks ago and I have thought several times about how his very presence seems to put things into proper perspective. I will call him a "human trophy" for alliteration sake but he is one little guy who can stop your heart with one of those little baby gurgles.

I have been a morning person for as long as I can remember so it was only natural for me to volunteer for "the morning shift" with Walker. EJ feeds him about 4:30 or 5:00 and then gives him to me as she tries to catch some sleep before I go to work. He just nuzzles in and finds me to be a good human pillow.

As he begins to realize he hasn't eaten in the last 2-3 hours he begins to make himself known. One morning as I was walking him around and talking to him, assuring him that his needs would not go unmet and that his mother would be right with him and that he was loved...I began to giggle at how upset he was when he didn't get fed at that very moment that he realized he was in need. Then it donned on me that God must giggle too...as we scream about not having our own needs met and about the timing and such...when He has "more than enough" blessing for us and will most assuredly meet our needs - because He knows them better than we do ourselves. I guess about the time I thought I might be feeding on spiritual meat...I realized that I am still a baby in many senses...dependent on the Lord God Almighty for every need - even the ones I don't know I have - and I just need to calm down and let God work in His abundantly wise and methodical ways to meet me where I am and help me grow into who He wants me to be.

The Miracle of Life

Helloooooooooooo Blog Nation.

Wow! It has been forever since I felt like I had anything worthy of blogging. But Saturday night, I was at the lackluster Baylor game when I got a call from Forrest saying that Elizabeth's water had been broken and she was admitted into Labor and Delivery with an epidural waiting.



F & EJ have been living at the cabin since June and her due date is October 20th. She got up Saturday and said that she thought she was having contractions....fast forward.....I leave the BU game and head to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center just in time to visit with EJ for about an hour before they decided "it is time to start pushing." That was at 7:35 pm. By 8:23 pm Walker had arrived and I was headed back to see the new family.


Walker Paul Williams
8 pounds and 11 ounces
20.5 inches long




It has been six years since I have visited the hospital to see the Miracle of Life. It was Heather having Mia, Erica having Caden, and Gretchen having Bailey. Little people with little features and little systems...all in place ad functioning...wow, what struck me is that our great big God is also
the Creator and Sustainer of life and He says
"before you were in your mother's womb...I KNEW YOU"
that is ... the Miracle of Life...

I passed Elizabeth's test on diaper changing, holding, burping, cleaning, and rocking so I guess I may be helpful when they bring him home from the hospital today. It will probably be later this evening...between 7 and 8:00 pm (just in time to see his first Cowboys game on MNF). The adventure begins....thank you God and thank you Forrest and Eliazbeth for letting be experienced the Miracle of Life through the Family of God!

Suite Prayer

I am away...here in Nebraska for a "Big 12 & Friends" regional conference. As I sit through seminars and dinners I am reminded, and saddened, that I am not "at home." I live in Texas which is in the Bible Belt. The Bible Belt is an informal term for an area of the United States of America in which socially conservative Christian Evangelical Protestantism is a dominant part of the culture.

Although I am surrounded by good people doing good work on campuses across the region, and even nation. They do not live for the same thing I do. I hope this does not come across as judgemental, but rather an observation. I need to be reminded that life is not always as it seems.

However, I am staying at the Embassy Suites. I was pleasantly surprised to find a copy of the Bible (not the Koran or Book of Mormon or nothing) in the bedside table and this prayer sitting on my pillow the first night:

In ancient times there was a prayer for "The Strangers Within our Gates"

Because this hotel is a human institution to serve people, and not solely a money-making organization, we hope that God will grant you peace and rest while you are under our roof.

May this suite and hotel be your "second" home. May those you love be near you in thoughts and dreams. Even though we may not get to know you, we hope that you will be comfortable and happy as if you were in your own house.
May the business that brought you our way prosper. May every call you make and every message you receive add to your joy. When you leave, may your journey be safe.

We are all travelers. From "birth till death" we travel between the eternities. May these days be pleasant for you, profitable for society, helpful for those you meet, and a joy to those who know and love you best.

How refreshing it is to know that there are some who will go against the flow and say what they mean and have what they say mean something.

FLYING HIGHER

I just wanted to give you a quick look at my staff. This is a picture of most of my staff - professional, graduate students, and undergraduate students. The week before school started, they came over to my house and we had a picnic and took a staff photo...which we will make into a poster entitled

CAMPUS RECREATION FLYING HIGHER in 2007