Personal | Brett & Nicole

Personal

Mar3

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Lessons Learned – Intro

Posted in: Life, Personal, growth

“And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord you God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.”
- Deuteronomy 8:2

As most of you know by now, we are no longer pursuing full-time, vocational ministry in Salerno, Italy. (If you are unaware of this change, and desire to know more of the process leading up to this decision, click here.) Although this is not what we expected or envisioned, we are more than excited to continue to follow God as He guides.

First of all, we want to thank those of you who have surrounded us, and challenged us to ‘take heart’ that God does not make any mistakes, and that we are exactly where He wants us. Thank you for speaking truth into our hearts that this past year has not been a failure. We have experienced more growth and reliance on God in 2009 and 2010 than in any other year we can remember. We have seen success in the most important realm of our lives. We don’t want to forget what God has done.

More than once in the Bible, God tells his people to remember what he has done for them:

You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (Deut. 8:18)

Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders and they will tell you. (Deut. 32:7)

Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles and the judgments he uttered… (1 Chron. 16:12)

Therefore, I hope to write several posts over the next couple weeks documenting and sharing lessons that we have learned from an endeavor born of faith and trust in God. My main objective for doing this is to solidify in my heart what God has changed, and to let the roots of lessons-learned grow deep. I hope that you are encouraged, and even challenged, as you read.

Stay tuned!
Dec23

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Life Lately

Posted in: Life, Misc., Personal, Photos & Fun, Uncategorized

So we haven’t been the most consistent bloggers. Bear with us! We’ll get better. Here’s what’s been going on with us recently…

A Break from the Nomadic Lifestyle.
Earlier this month, we moved into an apartment in Longwood. This is a huge blessing for us as we prepare for the coming of our baby boy. For the last 10 months, we have been living with family so that we could save money and work full-time at raising our financial support. We are so thankful for our family for being so supportive of us, and for helping us get to Italy as fast as possible. However, with our boy on the way, we felt the need and desire to have a place of our own once again. God has provided a place that more than meets our needs at an incredible price. He is so good to us.

28 weeks.
Nicole is now 28 weeks pregnant. Our boy is strong and healthy, and Nicole is the cutest mama that I have ever seen. Our boy has been kicking and punching like crazy. I like to think that he’s giving me high fives, and giving his legs a workout to prepare himself for soccer in Italy. It’s crazy to believe that we only have 12 more weeks, and then he’s here. We’re pumped!

Modifying the game plan.
When we started this journey to Italy back in January, we decided that I would work full-time at raising our financial team of partners in order to get to Italy as fast as possible. It has proven to be a good plan, giving me the opportunity to meet with potential investors during the day, as well as the freedom to travel outside of Orlando. However, we did not foresee our financial support slowing as much as it has these past few months. Therefore, we have decided to change up the game plan. We are right near 50% of our funding, and Nicole will stop working in late February due to the baby. I’m currently looking for a full-time job that will both provide and protect our family’s finances as well as offer the flexibility to allow me to continue to gather our team of ministry partners. Please pray that God provides a great opportunity!

Band of Brothers
Roughly two weeks ago, I participated in a weekend retreat with a few men from my church. Rob Farnsley hosted the retreat at his home in St. Cloud. The required materials were my Bible, the book ‘Wild at Heart’ by John Eldredge, the ‘Wild at Heart’ Field Manual, and the most elusive material of all…my heart. Wild at Heart played a significant role in my walk with God back in 2003, so I was excited to revisit Eldredge’s book, and go deep once again with a group of Godly men. Although I found myself disagreeing with Eldredge on a number of statements, his ideas once again had a profound impact on my heart, my passions, and my identity as a man made in the image of God. But the weekend was more than just a book study. It was fellowship. It was vulnerability. It was an opportunity to take off our masks, and talk about our fears, our wounds, and our failures. And it didn’t stop there either. It gave courage. It provided a group of men to fight along with in this battle for my heart.

Below are some pictures from the weekend. If anyone is interested in doing something like this with a group of men, contact me or Rob Farnsley (321-663-6947). It is most definitely worth it.

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” - Theodore Roosevelt
Oct12

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It’s a Boy!

Posted in: Creation, Family, Personal, Photos & Fun

Nicole and I have been keeping a secret for some time now. We can’t hold it in any longer…

We’re having a baby! And this morning we found out that we are having a son! So far, he and Nicole are both as healthy as can be. Rejoice with us in our answered prayer and precious gift. See what God has done!

Below are some of the ultrasound photos we have of our baby boy so far. The first four are at 13 weeks. The last five are at 19 weeks. (Click on the photos to see them larger)

We could not be more excited for the arrival of our son!

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” – Psalm 127:3

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!” Psalm 139:13-17
Oct8

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A Man Who Fears the Lord

Posted in: Family, Personal

“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.” – Psalm 128:1-2

My brother, Scott, flies out to Scottsdale, AZ tomorrow to begin his new job with Brown & Brown. I couldn’t be more proud of him.

Scott is a man who loves and fears the Lord. His faith is solid. God used my brother to bring me to a knowledge of Him. As a blessing, God is allowing him to “eat the fruit of the labor of his hands.”

As a man of unique wisdom (for his age), I have always benefitted from the counsel of my brother. As a man of deep character, I have always had a close example of what it looks like to honor God with my actions. As a man of integrity, I have always been encouraged by him to hold onto my principles, and not be swayed by the world’s whispers. As a selfless man, I have had a visual example of what it looks like for a husband to lay his life down for his wife (bear with me Nicole). He has blessed my life in more ways than I can count.

Congratulations, Scott. You deserve it (even though you’ll say you don’t) and I’m really proud of you.

Enjoy Phoenix!
Sep10

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"Don't Pray for Me, Don't Waste your Time"

Posted in: Abortion, Evangelism, Personal, Politics

Today over lunch, I had a conversation with a man on the topic of healthcare reform (he asked me what I thought of the President’s speech last night), and naturally the conversation moved into deeper matters as we explained why we believe what we do on the issue.

The man is an atheist. He does not believe in God. He believes he will rot when he dies, and that’s about it. He believes that government should help fund abortions. He believes that unless a child is developed enough to be born ‘viable’ (capable of surviving successfully), that child is not a human being. He believes that people should not ‘force’ their religious beliefs about abortion onto others by creating legislature that prohibits abortion. I attempted to gain understanding as to why this man believed what he did, what his background was. He was offended that I was standing for what I know to be true. He was even more offended when I attempted to explain who Jesus was, and why he came to die.

It was a very interesting conversation.

What really broke my heart for this man was as he was leaving, he said, “Don’t pray for me. Please don’t waste your time.”

How unloving would I have to be toward this man to not let him know of the love that has been poured out for him on the Cross of Christ? How unloving would I have to be to not pray for him after he left?

Penn Jillette, the comedian, illusionist, and ardent atheist, even gets this:

If you believe that there is a Heaven and a Hell, and you believe that people could be going to Hell…and you think it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward…uh, how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible, and not tell them that? If I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe it, there is a certain point when I tackle you. And this is more important than that.

You can watch that here.

So after the man left, I prayed for him. I will pray for him tonight. And I hope that God would reveal the truth of the gospel to this man, and in His mercy, save him.
Sep3

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730 Days of God's Blessing

Posted in: Misc., Personal, Photos & Fun

Yesterday, Nicole and I celebrated two years of marriage. We went to Bonefish (one of Nicole’s favorite places) and enjoyed bread and oil, Bang Bang Shrimp, Potatoes Au Gratin, and Crab-Stuffed Swordfish. (Dinners like last night definitely bring a fresh reality to Psalm 34:8! “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”)

As we talked and reflected upon this past year, we also dreamed about our future. We had a great time.

We just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been involved in our life and marriage. We realize our marriage would not be what it is without the great examples that we are surrounded with. Thank you for praying for us and this blessed union!
Aug17

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Jesse

Posted in: Family, Personal

August 17th.

Today we were supposed to give birth to a baby boy or baby girl. We had imagined that we would hold our baby in our arms for the first time today. We anticipated who he or she would look like. But today was very different than we had imagined back in January. Today, we do not hold our baby in our arms, but rather Jesus does. Yes, we miss our baby. We would have loved to have shared laughs, tears, joys, and sorrows with Jesse. But we know that God works all things together for our good. And so we “praise God from whom all blessings flow.” Today, it is well with our soul. Today, we trust in the Lord, and lean not on our own understanding. He gives, and he takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. God gave us a gift, and he took our gift from us for our good. O how sweet the grace that was poured out on the cross for our baby Jesse. And how great it must be for our Jesse to see in full what we only see in part. We have eyes of faith, Jesse has eyes of sight.

O the privilege you have, Jesse, of rising before us; of seeing Jesus face to face. But we miss you everyday. We can’t wait to meet you in Heaven, and greet you with a holy kiss. Love, Dad and Mom.
Aug7

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The Glory of God on Display

Posted in: Creation, Personal, Photos & Fun, Worship

After our National Staff Conference, Nicole and I traveled just south of Denver to stay with some of our extended family for a couple days. There is a good possibility we wouldn’t have had the chance to see them again before we left for Italy, so we were glad to stay a few extra days.

For one of the days, we traveled up to Breckenridge to go hiking. Below is some pictures from our hike.

During the hike, I kept asking myself, “why does this bring me so much joy?”

What is it about vast landscapes and high peaks and grand waterfalls that makes my heart glad? Why do I seek out strenuous, grueling hikes in order to reach the top of a peak? Why does my heart smile when I’m on top of that mountain, feeling the reality of how very small I am?

Because in those instances, God’s glory is on display, and God’s glory is most satisfying.

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. – Romans 1:20

God eternal power and divine nature are put on display when you look out over a valley at sunset. For some, there is an temptation to look out over creation and praise the creation itself. Scripture even affirms this: “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!” Although God’s creation is beautiful, it’s beauty is meant to point us to God. It’s a reflection of his beauty. Thankfully, because God has opened my eyes to see the truth, I cannot take in such views without seeing and feeling the power of our infinite God. And not only has God imagined and created these mountains pictured above, but He causes them to sing, and the rivers and trees to clap their hands in worship (Isaiah 55:12, Psalm 98:8). Wow! We serve a God that would make the rocks cry out if we were silent in our worship (Luke 19:40). He is constantly upholding this universe that He has created by the “word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). Think about it…everything you see remains in existence because God tells it to.

This is not an autonomous world that God created, and then left alone to run on its own. He is always providentially interacting with his creation. Each morning, ‘he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good.’ (Matthew 5:45) To quote John Piper, “He brings the sun to rise. Can you imagine why the sun rose this morning on this city – this wicked city? This world is so full of us-type sinners, and He makes paradise rise in the sky…What kind of patience are we dealing with here?”

Our God is intentional in causing the sun to rise each morning. He wants us to worship him.
Jul30

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CSU 2009

Posted in: Ministry, Personal, Photos & Fun, Worship

The 2009 National Staff Conference ended tonight. Whew.

While our time here had a more relaxed feel than everyday life, we find ourselves mentally exhausted. I feel as if I have been drinking through a firehose the past 8 days. We had the privilege to hear three gut-wrenching, heart-checking, face-melting talks from Dr. Tim Keller. We received challenges from our president Steve Douglass, and from U.S. Campus Staff Director, Steve Sellers. We were blown away by two seminars featuring sensitive material taught by Josh McDowell. We received teaching throughout the conference in various other seminars. We met with leaders of Agape Europe, and had the chance to hear what God is doing throughout Europe. We laughed with Tim Hawkins. We worshipped God with Tenth Avenue North and Lecrae. And finally, we experienced great fellowship with the thousands of other Campus Crusade staff throughout the world.

We feel as if we could spend the next month digesting and decompressing everything we learned. But our time here has been what we had hoped. We feel encouraged and re-energized to return home to Orlando to continue to involve people in God’s work in Italy. I know that we both connected with the Lord in a real way, as He once again displayed Himself as our loving Father who is working all things together for our good.

Below is a short video and some pictures documenting our time at CSU. Enjoy!
Mar11

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Operation Recognization

Posted in: God Stuff, Personal

When I’m stressed or worried about something, I always find that a good run can be therapeutic.

So due to my newly implemented ‘Operation Recognization’ [my campaign to get in shape and be able to recognize myself in the mirror again], I took a long jog tonight. On my run, I found myself entering a nature trail not far from our current home. It was an enjoyable run alongside a creek which reminded all-too-well of the enchanted forest (those who went to UCF with me now have a great picture of this nature trail). There comes a point in the nature trail where it opens up into a small grassy field surrounded by oak trees and thick brush. And because I am still in the beginning stages of ‘Operation Recognization,’ my whole being decided this was a perfect place to take a break.

After a few sit-ups and push-ups, I took a minute just to sit and rest. I hadn’t realized how long it had been since I separated myself from everything to spend time just sitting and reflecting on my heart. How refreshing! In times like these, there is peace and calmness that God brings to my anxious heart that draws me in and causes me to praise His name.

On my way back to the house, I couldn’t help but think of all the people who are dealing with tidal waves of anxiety, stress, worry, depression, and fear. How does anyone survive these devastating swells without knowing the One who calms the storm? There is a sweet and lasting peace that is only found in God.

Today reminded me of a quote by John Piper that I want to leave you with:

“I plead with you, don’t try to be strong in your own strength; it will not be there when you need it. Only one strength will be there—the strength that God gives according to the gospel. Don’t put it off.”