tis voting season…

well, yes i know its been awhile since we’ve blogged. so what better to do than to repost a video that a friend of mine made mocking the widely popular celebrity “Dont Vote” video that is circulating the internet right now. I don’t recommend you to watch the “Dont Vote” vid because there is some foul language…but Andy’s vid is pretty funny (and some of you may consider it pointless…but thats ok)

tornados…

i know Ike is pounding Galveston and the Texas coast…but we’ve got tornados all around us up here in KC. lots of sirens but so far so good!

2 weeks with Emmaus…

mom and Emmaus are good!
hopefully some fresh updates will be rolling out soon!
stay tuned…..

Emmaus Joy Offutt…

Friday Aug 22nd, 2008
before 2:00am was a normal night, no contractions…
2:00am Amanda’s water breaks with no warning
2:05am frantically wonder if we need to rush to hospital
2:07am call Debbie Perry (our doula!)
2:10am realize that it’ll be a few hrs before anything really happens
3:00am we finally get some sleep at home
6:00am Amanda is now feeling some contractions about 4-6 mins apart
10:00am Debbie Perry comes over to our house to jump into the labor
11:00am first vag exam – 95% effaced but only 2cm dialation (quite the contrast!!!)
12:30pm head to hospital b/c it had been 10hrs since water broke
1:30pm we get nicely settled into birthing room and meet our nurses
2:30pm we’re walking the halls and pausing for contractions
3:00pm Amanda starts feeling some active labor contractions
3:30pm using the birthing ball for contraction management
4:00pm baby is really really low and ready but we only got 5cm dialation
4:30pm Amanda heads into the huge whirlpool tub
5:30pm out of the tub and onto the floor for hands-n-knees laboring
6:00pm we got about 6cm and Sheila (midwife) joins us
7:00pm we got 8cm and head back into the tub
7:30pm jump out of the tub (not literally) and onto bed for a vag exam
7:40pm confirmed that we got 10cm and start pushing with each contraction
8:06pm baby Emmaus arrives!

Emmaus Joy Offutt
6 lbs 15oz
19.5 inches
completely all natural birth…no meds

we’d like to thank Emily Adomanis, Kim Baker, Melissa Steinhauer, Sarah Weeks (w/ Hez), Debbie Perry (midwife & doula), Carly Weimer (doula), and Sheila (official midwife), and all the nurses at Research Medical Hospital in Kansas City, MO for praying, attending, and laboring with us and baby Emmaus Joy Offutt!

Amanda at 39 weeks…

we had some fun at sunset a couple days ago. 39 weeks and her and Emmaus are looking great! click the picture to view the whole gallery!

The Call DC 2008….

today somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 are expected to gather on the National Mall in Washington, DC to cry out to God for a massive shift in history and a great awakening in our nation amongst the church and the lost. we are sticking back in Kansas City since we are expecting baby Emmaus in the next few days. we pray that grace falls upon the thousands gathering in DC to humblem themselves, fast, pray, repent, and seek the Lord for a great returning to God in our land! you can watch The Call LIVE all day from 10am-10pm ET via webstreaming video right here…

the below is a statement from www.TheCall.com…

TheCall is a divinely initiated, multi-racial, multi-generational, and cross-denominational gathering to corporate prayer and fasting. We believe that our nation is in desperate need of the mercy of God and a great Spiritual Awakening. TheCall is committed to mobilizing people from all across America to gather together to petition God for His undeserved mercy for our nation in 12-hour solemn assemblies. Just as in the days of Joel, we believe that now is the time to blow the trumpet across our land, to fast, to pray, and return to the Lord with all our hearts.

In the midst of an “entertainment” driven society, TheCall does not seek to entertain, but to encounter God. Unlike other mass gatherings which attract people through the rhythms of loud music, the glamour of flashing lights, or through the appeal of charismatic personalities, TheCall is a gathering centered around the affections of a loving God. There will be no advertised bands and no promoted speakers, as our purpose is not to promote any man or ministry.

TheCall is a FAST not a festival. TheCall is a SOLEMN ASSEMBLY not a conference. Whereas conferences focus primarily on training and discipleship, the 12 hours of TheCall are spent primarily before the Lord in the place of prayer and worship. We believe the hour is late and the times are urgent. Our nation is in desperate need of revival and it will be only through the corporate body of Christ uniting in the place of prayer that we will find any hope in this hour. We believe we can see our nation changed as the Lord pours out His Spirit and brings refreshing to the broken, destitute, and the weary across our land.

Video: in the studio w/ Luke Wood…

this week im in the studio with luke wood working on his second full length album set to be released this fall! enjoy a tour of the studio…

ministry trip: Albuquerque, NM…

well…we headed out today from one hot place (KC) to another (New Mexico). we’ve had a string of 90+ degree days this week with high humidity BUT I hear that Albuquerque is one of those “dry-heat” type places!

we’ll be visiting good friends Ben & Kristin Shaffer who spent about 1 year in KC and moved back to Albuquerque, NM to serve the local church and facilitate a city-wide prayer and worship ministry believing God for redemption and revival in New Mexico. I’ve had the privilege of planning and leading this ministry trip and I’m thrilled to be bringing along Luke Wood, Caleb & Rachel (keys/vox), and our former drummer Zach Wood (Luke’s brother) to minister as a team down in Albuquerque.

pray for us as we will be ministering Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Shaffers church. I’ll be speaking at the main session on Saturday evening to potentially 200+ people about encountering Jesus through prayer and intercession! what an exciting time we’re anticipating as we yet again get to be a touch point to local churches across the nation and encourage them to continue to press on pursuing Jesus as our beloved Bridegroom, King, and Judge!

funny…im on the new onething CD cover…

yup…that’s me and my brown SG from the onething conference back in December 2007. we (Luke Wood’s team) have 1 track on the CD called “Set Your Seal.” Other favorite worship leaders that have tracks include Misty Edwards, Matt Gilman, Cory Asbury, and Eddie James. great CD…purchase it here

oh my gosh…we haven’t posted in 2 weeks!

…but i assure you all is going well. we’ve been busy preparing for Emmaus to arrive. Last week we took a day trip to St. Louis as one last get away before Emmaus joins our family. we had a great time searching out Forrest Park, the Zoo, Science Center, and the Landing down on the Mississippi river! I just got back from a wedding photo job in Houston, TX and had a great time with the newly married Chris and Cristina Batz!

in the midst of travel, ministry, and preparing for Emmaus…I’ve been reminded how important steadiness and wholeheartedness in God is. At times I’ve felt weak, empty, and strained as I’ve slipped away from a heart that’s alive and abounding in love, exhilaration, and joy in Jesus. im realizing freshly again that its one thing to go through the activities of study and prayer and its a totally other thing as God breathes life on our times of study, prayer, fasting, and devotion and our hearts move because of Him. So moving forward my recent prayer is that I’d be one that doesn’t just “get by” but one that “overcomes” the mundane of life…that we’d always be looking for the excitement of knowing and loving Jesus with an expectation that God who is all-consuming fire desires to set our hearts ablaze with love for Him, each other, and the lost in the earth.

did you notice our new picture…

we took it in Santa Barbara, CA on our recent trip —————–>
check it out to the right ————————————————–>
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ministry trip: Orange County, CA…

Tomorrow (thursday) we’re headed to Orange County California to spend Thursday-Saturday ministering with friends Sarah Garfinkle and Davis Hill in the Brea, Fullerton, Newport Beach, and Anaheim areas just Southeast of LA. We’ll be focusing on several small (10-15 people) but strategic prayer meetings at various locations throughout the above mentioned cities. We’re very excited to have this invitation from Sarah and Davis and we’re looking forward to meeting up with the rest of their community and seeking the Lord together for radical change in the Southern California and Los Angeles areas!!!

Saturday morning Amanda and I will have a platform to share about who we are, why we’re helping lead the Prayer Movement, and what we’re a part of here in Kansas City. We’ll then spend time ministering to and fellowshipping with many who are attending this Saturday morning prayer and worship gathering.

As it turns out, Sarah and Davis have arranged to bless us with a short vacation after we finish our ministry activities Thursday-Saturday. So, Saturday evening we’ll be slipping away until Tuesday for some R&R down in Newport Beach, CA!!!! The timing on this couldn’t be better — Amanda and I celebrate our 4 year wedding anniversary Wednesday May 22nd!

here’s baby Maybe.

Yesterday we had our sonogram to see what the gender of our baby is.  To our surprise we still don’t really know.  Baby Maybe, as our friend Kaitlyn so apptly named it, was so comfortably curled up in the fetal position the sonographer could not get a good shot.  She said she thinks it’s a girl, but “don’t go painting the room pink or anything.”  She did not seem convinced and nor were we.  So we’ll keep waiting and maybe in a month or so will get another sonogram to verify.  On the otherhand, it was super fun seeing the frame of this little child the Lord is creating.  I can’t believe I have a human growing in me.  That’s crazy!  Anyway, to see more pictures of baby Maybe check out our baby blog.  Otherwise we’ll keep you posted as we find out more details.  -Amanda

ministry trip: Alma, Arkansas…

hey there, we’ll be going about 3 hours south with Corey Russell and team back down to Alma, Arkansas to minister at a gathering of local churches for the weekend (Fri-Sun). Please pray for us that the Lord would give us the words to speak and hearts that are in alignment with what the Holy Spirit is saying and doing in Arkansas!

dad’s in town…

my dad’s in town visiting for just a short weekend…Friday-Sunday…but we’ve been showing him around and eating well!  here we are just after exiting the famous Jack’s Stack BBQ downtown on the Plaza. mmm’mmm’good!

(Canon SD750 Point’n'Shoot Digital Elph)