Mar 06 2010
Many of you have been asking about the construction progress and been talking a lot about doing another Jackson Video..
Well, we didn’t want to disappoint you… Click HERE for some pictures from the construction and below is a video from Jackson.
Enjoy:
Mar 03 2010
The less we are mesmerized by human voices, the more we are able to hear the Divine Voice. -Richard Foster in Prayer
Sometimes it’s better to just be silent. To listen. To dwell. To hear (To know).
It’s a practice not easily learned for all. It was not an easy lesson for me.
As a young man, I would often argue with my dad and others. Now that he is gone, I wish I would have listened more and offered less. I thought I always had the right answer. “Get a little bit of ‘Schooling’” he’d say, “and you think you know it all!” Man I wish I had those times back.
I feel that way too about many of the men and women I’ve been around. In small groups, Sunday School or many other environments, I would usually be the first to offer something. I would “pose” as though I knew something and rattle off all types of things. I wanted to be known as smart; someone you should listen to. More of an ‘arm chair’ stance rather than coming from a place of experience or even knowledge sometimes. I would even out right lie in order to seem smart.
Like I said, it took many years to learn to be silent. It took a lot of pain and hurt. Many people I hurt and many people who hurt me because of my offerings at an untimely moment.
Over the last several years I have been on the journey to master the discipline of silence. There is still much to learn and it is not easy, but I am having some success (or so I am told). With that silence, God is granting me wisdom (too, a journey) where now I am learning to offer words from a place of experience and knowledge, referring to someone who knows about a certain subject when need be or plainly saying, “I don’t know?”
Wow… how much pressure it takes off a person when they don’t have to have “all the answers.” It’s great to be a part of a community like New Wilderness Adventures where I can be “me.” Being a part of this community has taught me to be “me” everywhere else too. I think Eldredge said in one of his books. “Let the world feel the weight of your glory!”
Being silent has drawn me closer to God too. It’s funny but silence with God is synonymous with “hearing.” It takes unplugging for me to hear most of the time. And hearing, well that is a whole “nother” discipline.
Mother Teresa once said:
We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence…. We need silence to be able to touch souls.
Think about Christ. He lived as a carpenter for 30 or so years before He choose to bring His ministry to the front. For me personally, my time has yet to come. I am in the company of great men at NWA as well as the allies around us. I am excited to offer as God allows me to, but I am equally as excited to listen, learn and to hear!
Lord please continue to teach me the wisdom and discipline to be silent and to hear and to know when to offer from a place of wisdom, knowledge and strength!
“Be still, and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10
“Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” Provers 17:28
A great resource on this subject is: Power of Your Words by Robert Morris
Jan 27 2010
Well,
December was a very busy but blessed month. We enjoyed celebrating the birth of our King and had a great time with family and friends. The NWA Christmas party was a blast!! Jackson was a delight during Christmas. He is 3 now and really was excited. He is so precious to us such an awesome gift! December also found us getting ready for the long awaited addition and remodel of our home. As many of you know, God had us sell our home in Shelby and move to Boiling Springs near Gardner-Webb to be closer to the majority of people we are mentoring. Please be praying for us as we do this addition and for Kryssy and Jackson as things are a little hectic at the house.
Also in December, our computer crashed! Ouch! That has been a mess! January is usually a down month for us. We generally take some of January as a sabbatical but due to the construction it has been busy. Kryssy went to Florida to visit with her family for a week and a half and I stayed back and worked.
The pregnancy is going well. The only slight concern has been Kryssy’s pulse being elevated and her lack of ability to sleep. It was elevated as well with Jackson. Please continue to pray for the pregnancy and once again, that I can get the addition done before the baby gets here!
2010 is going to be awesome for NWA. We will continue our discipling and mentoring but also expand our family ministry with our first family oriented small group! Like our Band of Brother’s and Band of Sister’s ministry this will be a focused time for the whole family to experience God in an intimate setting. We are excited about this. We will also continue our family mission trips (would love for you to participate in that if you like), “Fatherhood Training” and Father Son/Daughter events. There is a lot more going on as well from Adventure Trips to Nicaragua to Boot Camps… for all of the scoop, take a look at the NWA website in the next several months.
As I mentioned in the December letter, last year our donations were several thousand dollars less than the previous years. This has been a hardship financially for our ministry. Please join us in praying for God’s provision here! God always comes through. TO GIVE RIGHT NOW GO HERE
Finally, I will be “officially” ordained in 2010. I have felt God’s anointing and have felt ordained for years but figured it was time to do so in the eyes of the law and before my piers. I have felt very led into this and have prayed through it extensively. I am excited about this ordination and ask for your prays of support in this as we move forward!
Once again, thank you for your love, encouragement and support!
Loving Strong,
Greg, Kryssy and Jackson Sailors
greg@newwildernessadventures.com
Dec 24 2009
Merry Christmas to all!
And you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at His birth. Luke 1:14
We pray you have an amazing and blessed Christmas time; celebrating the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, allowing Jesus to bring you and your family “joy and gladness” in this Christmas season!
Merry Christmas and love today and in the New Year!
Greg, Kryssy and Jackson
Dec 08 2009
About a month ago, I bought some Old Spice Aftershave. I needed to feel the burn! It had been a very long time since I have had any. Years and years in fact. When I bought it, Kryssy was not too terribly keen on the idea. She said I’d smell like her dad (no offense Wayne, I think you smell good, ahem!) But I bought it.
This morning after shaving, I put some on and “bam!” Yes, the good old burn. Made me feel a bit more like a man. Isn’t that funny? But, this post is not about the masculine journey as much as love.
A memory came back to me. I was instantly transporter back to my father’s arms when I was a child. Remembering the way he hugged me. It was an awesome, emotional and humbling experience. I had forgotten the way it felt. How safe and how good! I just dwelt there for a few minutes. Then Jackson burst through the door and saw me weepy. He said, “Are you ok Dada?” I got to scoop him up and hug him close! Jack patted me on the back and said, “It’s ok Dada!”
Thanks dad! I miss you and love you more than ever! I praise God for engerneering that experience!
Nov 02 2009
So, as you know, Kryssy and I recently moved. The other day a very curious thing happend. We opened a box that had been sealed in 1999ish. In that box we found various things, mostly some of Kryssy’s stuff from College but the most interesting thing was a locked safety deposit type box that had a thick Master Lock on it.
We had a good time trying to think what might be in there. From love notes, to fortune of course. Well, it took a few days to find time to get into it and it really was not that important to us. I have some bolt cutters in my truck (because who knows when you might need them right??) anyhow, I finally got the bolt cutters last night and below is what we found. Take a look at the pictures:
So, no big treasure but it sure was a lot of fun to dream. As you can see, it was mostly Kryssy’s stuff. From late high school to college. Check books, all types of recepts, gift certificates not used, pictures, a Polish recipe from an old boy friend etc..
This box though reminded me of a deep seated truth in me that I have gotten away from thinking about on a daily basis. That being:
Psalms 40:1: “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.”
The bottom line being Patience/Waiting on God.. We didn’t rush to open this box with some false hope. We waited until we had time and had a lot of fun with it. We didn’t find some cool treasure, but God used this to remind us of truth.
One more scripture from Isaiah 40:31: “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
This all speaks to hope and trust that the Lord will come through. We could go a lot more on all of this, but for now lets stop and focus on waiting on the Lord. Get some time, get quiet before the Lord and listen. What does He have you waiting on?
Oct 18 2009
I was watching 18 Kids and Counting one day and saw the mom making homemade laundry detergent. I saw her make a 5 gallon bucket worth and said it lasted them 2 months. Of course, that is for 20 people. She said it cost them $3 to make it. I did some figuring and figured that a 5 gallon bucket would last the 3 of us like 10 months.
I have not made the 5 gallon bucket. Here is the recipe for it. Go Here. It just seemed like too much work and I found a dry version that I liked too. The dry version cost around $3-$8 (depending on the type of soap.. ie, smelly or organic soaps cost more although I would not recommend them) and makes about 90-100 loads for us. The other thing is that it is environmentally friendly.
Here is the recipe:
Equal Parts: Borax, Washing Soda, Baking Soda (I make 4 cups of each)
Grated Washing Soap (Fels-Naptha, Ivory soap, Sunlight bar soap, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile, Octagon by Colgate and Zote)
In one tupperware container, mix together the Borax, Washing Soda and Baking Soda. Take the washing soap and grate it up in another container. When using it: use 1/8 of the mixture and 1/8 of graded soap. I ran the water a little before putting the clothes in and put the mixture in and swish it around then put the clothes in. It works really great. Better than anything I’ve ever bought.
After finding that the laundry mixture worked well, I started talking to other folks about it as well as looking for other home cleaners and remedies.
Shower Cleaner: spray rubbing alcohol on shower and sprinkle baking soda over the surface. Use a stiff rubbing brush but you don’t have to rub hard… It works so good. It’s amazing.
Vinegar seems to do everything. Here are some uses.
I have used it for several things but one thing it works really well for and is much cheaper is a substitue for Jet Dry in your dishwasher. It works great. Just fill up your jet dry container in the dishwasher. You glasses will be spot free.
I always love to find ways to save money for our family, have a low impact on our environment and have a better product. These were some ways and I am sure there are plenty more. Maybe you have something to add.. I would love to know and when I get up the courage to try the liquid laundry detergent, I will let you know how it went.
Oct 06 2009
Below is a message recorded by Pastor/Missionary and NWA Friend, Manolo Lozada from Nicaragua. He was recently in Shelby visiting for a week raising support for his mission in Nicaragua. He is always such a blessing and an encouragement. Take a look at his video:
