The Calling To Awake

Mission Restoration is a property that has been winterized since 2016 and is beginning to be reclaimed by the Sumter National Forest in Newberry County, South Carolina. This 1.78-acre property includes a small home constructed in the 1940s, which requires major restoration. My desire is to utilize this serene retreat in nature to create a space where small groups can regain their confidence through creative and ever-evolving opportunities.  However, Mission Restoration is about more than just restoring the home and property; it is also about restoring our spirits. Here, we will work alongside the tranquility of nature while engaging in the physical restoration of the land and home. Each application of our efforts aims to foster a sense of healthy pride and confidence that individuals may have been lacking, helping them take the next step in their lives.  The ultimate goal is to make Mission Restoration a continuously growing initiative. Each visitor carries a lost dream or sup...

Many people have suffered awful spiritual abuses within religion. Affairs, misuse of funds, not taking care of congregants, ministers making advances on new attendees, shaming and casting aside a newly divorced woman, shaming an un-wed pregnant mother, causing the gay man to feel so uncomfortable and unwelcome he'll never look towards his Creator again. Hundreds of scenarios are playing out in our churches today.  Here’s the secret, though… God is waking us up. Men and women who have been abused by the man-made religious system are coming to this understanding. Through social media, I am seeing an awakening of precious souls that have been tested under extraordinary temperatures, who are now embasissors and warriors for those left behind, those left blind, those still lost in hopelessness. This understanding is what brings us healing. Often our healing is even shamed, because those who truly heal through understanding and tell the hard truths are.  If healing is done through t...

Did you know that approximately 5,627,000 Americans are intersex? This would be a biological feature that an individual is born with. That cannot be helped. Sometimes it is not discovered until late in life. Maybe never. But it might account for someone you know being attracted to the same sex. A female might naturally produce testosterone unknowingly. A boy might produce more estrogen, causing him to have more feminine features.  But since the science conflicts with religious law, and an uncomfortable conversation when "chosen" to not take the time to understand, we find a way to shame them for being naturally wired? They are already embarrassed. They are already confused and scared of assumptions and judgments. Christians really need to be on the forefront of that lifelong battle they will face? You're keeping them from peace and joy when you openly judge this community (in His name...) who commanded us to love our brother, sister, neighbors, and even enemies. Oh and we...

I was 19 and in Haiti on a mission trip. I was getting ready to move there for two years with the mission org. Lifeline, which would never happen. I came back completely broken, but not in the ways one would think. The compound we were staying at required that the parents of the children who attended school convert to Christianity. If they were not Christian, the kids could not receive an education in that remote village. One father of two beautiful children happened to be the son of a very well-known warlock. The father converted to Christianity just so that his kids had a chance to better themselves one day. When his warlock father found out about his conversion, he took his two grandchildren and threw them into a large fire. Other natives went in and snatched the kids from the flames and brought them to the compound, where me and two team members were in charge of the children. I know they were in so much pain, but the shock was so intense, perhaps in a trance put on them by their...

I have some news! A Lancaster, Ohio friend has joined me for a short stay!! A designer and maker of many forms. From animation, drafting, modeling, product design, and packaging… Her skill set is very impressive! She is responsible for the majority of my family’s Christmas presents this year. Everyone loved them and the talent and time they knew it took her to create them from scratch. The picture is the one created for my son, Jack. It fits to a T! We have also been working to winterize the house. It is in the teens here right now. We use three space heaters to warm the common area and our rooms. Thankfully, the South doesn't get too much of this for too long :) It was wonderful to see some snow regardless of the temperature. First snow at Mission Restoration,  I have a feeling that there will be more exciting news soon…   Thank you for your encouragement, prayers and support! E.               Blogger: thecallingtoawake.blogspot.com You...

When you're sick of being inside, stuck to a screen    Hello Family and Friends,         Please forgive my lack of updates. As mentioned briefly in my last post, the property is a legal entity known as Mission Restoration. Where typically I would have waited until I had a few more “To do’s” checked off my list, there is an opportunity arising that requires these things to be done when they were.       I have been working with a gentleman since February of 2023. His project is a very extensive job that will require thousands of large tiles to be produced and shipped out of the country. In early 2023 two sample tiles were sent to the lead architect and to the building team. I am honored to know that my employer loved the sample so much that he has one hanging in his personal home. Due to some changes, a new architect was acquired for the job, and now we are starting fresh. New sample tiles will be produced here at the property and shipped overs...

“It is like trying to save a drowning man…” So let’s say this Cloak represents and represents every denomination, every religious leader, every religious act and the expectations and religious laws therein. Imagine with me… A drowning man. The man fully dressed. Boots, jeans, his shirt and this Cloak of Christianity. He knows how to swim. He knows how to tread water, but the waters are too rough and he’s been exhausted from trying to stay afloat. Perhaps in this scenario there is an undertow starting to pull him down by the length and weight of the drenched Cloak. The very thing he was awarded when he gave his life to Christ. The very thing he was given by the church to keep him safe from the elements of the world. That man was taught and believes that this cloak is to keep him safe - and should never be taken off, but if he does not take it off the garments weighing him down, he will surely drown. It will pull him down, take his last breath, and he won’t be able to rise back up. This ...