Ever have roadblocks in your life?

I sure do. My struggle right now is support raising. My roadblocks are both mental (discouragement) and physical (the “no” word). Being missionary I have to raise my own support (funding) to stay in the missions field. My field is rural Washington State (8% churched) and I reach out to unchurched youth in our town of Arlington. Recently I’ve been promoted to director of our outpost and I’m now in charge of raising more funding.

Support raising has always been a faith thing for me. I do what I can, pray and watch God do the rest. And I can’t complain, I’ve seen God provide in so many ways for my family.

It’s just lately, I have a hard time remembering that. I’ve been out beating the pavement and been getting good responses from people I’m requesting for support, but they’re mainly “Yes, I want to support you, just not now.” People want to be apart of supporting our organization and believe in what we are doing. It’s just a matter of economics and people struggling right now. I had someone tell me last week, “I feel like the enemy is hitting [financially] people to prevent them from blessing the Kingdom through giving.”

My first response is “Oh great!”

Then I take a breath and look at my situation. What are the roadblocks telling me? I know I’m called to be here. I know this is where my family is supposed to be. My heart is so vested in this mission field. So what then? Right now for me, it’s relying on the Lord for provision. It’s praying and waiting. I just have such a hard time with that - the waiting part.

I have to remember that when I’m alone the roadblocks look much bigger. I lack the perspective to see past where I’m at. Especially when I’m walking down this road and I stumble upon this huge boulder impeding my path. All I can see is this boulder. I get frustrated when I realize that there’s nothing more I can do to move it. And as long at it’s there, I can’t continue forward. When I stare at it long enough I lose all perspective and hope. Then once I’ve run the gambit of frustration I realize that this burden isn’t mine and I need to hand it over to the Lord.

The General Lee, the famous Dodge Charger from Dukes of Hazard, is up for sale on ebay by none other than Bo Duke, John Schneinder. But it’ll cost you, so far it’s up to $2.7 million! My, my, somebody has more money than they know what do do with.

See it on ebay here.

Or for a more worthy investment for all of you 61 ebay bidders of the General Lee - you should try me, Stuart Delony, missionary.

I’m not kidding.

 Its been going on for a while. Every Thursday the Mormon missionaries canvas downtown Arlington. They’ll talk to anyone they pass but routinely see me and keep walking. I have never had a conversation with them. I must smell of Kingdom or something, but they avoid me like the plague. The weird thing is, I’d love to engage them, but for some reason they won’t. This has been a perpetual state of amusement to me. I know it’s Thursday walk down the street and watch them talk to everyone but me.

Okay so that’s point 1. They avoid me because they know something.

Point 2. Tuesdays and Thursdays we have an after school hang out (the Mud Hut) for kids in town. They come to play pool, xbox and drink coffee and Italian sodas. Every session we either have a devotional or read some bible story to the kids (they are sooo bible illiterate it’s shocking). Last Thursday we had one of the missionaries come and hang out undercover (he was dressed in street clothes, not the typical white shirt and black pants). How did I know this? Well, we were going through the Easter story with the kids and this guy started saying we had to believe in Jesus and Joseph Smith. Not to be confrontational we basically ignored him and kept going.

Which leads me to point 3 of why the Mormon’s are trying to kill me. I ride a motorcycle and was leaving the Mud Hut that day (the coffee house/ hang out we host after school for the kids). As I was leaving, I thought I smelled gas, but didn’t think anything of it because on a bike you smell everything when you ride. A few miles down the road, I felt something running down my leg, like I was sweating. I looked down and there was a small hole in my gas tank. Gas was pouring down my leg.

I was a few miles from home, so I covered the hole with my finger and rode home with one hand. After I parked at home, Miriam (my wife) commented that the hole looked weird. I was a small hole the size of a flat head screwdriver.  Evidently someone had tapped a hole with a screwdriver in my gas tank. I’m not kidding.

Coincidence? Mormons avoid Stuart. Mormons argue with Stuart. Mormons sabotage Stuart? Hmmmm.

WWJSD? What Would Joseph Smith Do?

I should be scared, but I don’t want to soil my holy underwear, so I’ll be brave.

[I'm on the far right]

Our local paper featured us in an article about our ministry and the recent banquet. I was pretty jazzed about how well it came off. The paper really did a nice job.

Check it out here:

Arlington Times Article

Now, I know usually when Madonna hears the word Missionary she thinks of her hourly night job… but in a recent article in Australia it seems Madge has gotten into a tangle with some real missionaries who were trying to adopt a baby. As it happens, Madonna now wants the baby.

So why the sudden interest in adopting babies? I don’t know where she finds the time with all of her daily crucifixions and gyrations on stage. She must be a multitasker. If we could only be more like Madonna… then we’d need to take Penicillin on a regular basis.

See the story here.

[Courtesy of Hammo]

And if any of you are confused at this article, read it again with a thick voice of sarcasm.  

Two reports that blew my mind:

- Google bought website You Tube 1.65 billion dollars!

-Trekkies (stop it, that’s not the joke) forked over 7 million dollars to buy models of the star ship Enterprise (stop laughing) used on the show(s). One reportedly sold for $584,000 because it included the smell of fresh geek.

Where are these deep pockets coming from? Why aren’t they spending it on something worthy (like me, Stuart Delony, missionary for example.) It never ceases to amaze me what we find to spend our money on.

But, I’m guilty as well. I’m not rolling in it, but I always find ways to buy useless crap. Thinking back upon my spending. I’d have to say my top ten are:

10. A rubber butt (for the comic value, but rarely used)

9. Richard Marx’s greatest hits (it seems like an oxymoron)

8. A full dress suit (never worn it and don’t think that I ever will - even though I’m Baptist)

7. A dog (it’s a long story, but I owned a dog for like 12 hours when I was in Junior High. I paid for it and when my folks discovered it, the dog made it’s way to a good home - not ours)

6. 1994 Nissan Pathfinder (engine would randomly die - lemon!)

5. Movie ticket to Titanic (3 hours of my life I want back)

4. Love offerings to Jim and Tammy Baker PTL (not actually mine, but this is one from a family member close to me who complains weekly about it)

3. Folgers Coffee (Once you know what good coffee is, you never go back!)

2. Extended Warranty (It’s just throwing money away!)

1. Four words: “As Seen on TV.” (I’m compelled to buy it, and then after I use it, I’m compelled to throw it away. I have a weakness for infomercials and anything sold by Chuck Norris)

So how about you? What’s the most useless thing you bought (besides your copy of the Purpose Driven Life) and wasted your money on?