Coxes Quarterly

posted by Brandy on Aug 28

Britt and Isaac started school this week and are both very excited about their classes and classmates. Britt especially loves the fact that some of her classes start with PRAYER!! Very cool. The opening ceremony was awesome. Students proceeded in with some 50 different country flags. They gave a charge to each the high school and jr. high students, staff and parents (both dorm and home), with the theme for the year Isaiah 51:1. They introduced the class of 2020 (the new 1st graders) which was one student, so he got interviewed on stage by the director (superintendent). Very cute. They listed off the 40+ countries represented by the students, where they are from and/or where their parents are ministering. Very cool to see so many countries represented by only 300 students (1st-12th). We sang a hymn, had a sermon and prayed before all the boarding parents had to say good-bye and leave. Very sad. SO glad God has not called me to be a boarding parent. But it was an awesome experience to be able to be free to express our faith in school.

Britt and Isaac auditioned for private music lessons. Isaac guitar, Britt voice. There are not very many slots, so they do auditions to see who they will choose for the lessons. Britt is also trying out for the Volleyball team. Very fun. She is very excited and enthusiastic about it. Isaac will be doing intramural sports every Tues and Thurs, after school, which sounds like lots of fun. And it’s free, so you can’t beat that.

Ted has been busy working at the new GEM building doing manual labor, so obviously he’s not too thrilled, but he’s been a great sport about it, and sounds like he’s doing some good work. They are in desperate need of helpers here to finish off the building, so if you are wanting to take a trip to gorgeous Germany to do some ministry they are looking for teams. Just let us know and we’ll get you in contact right away with the right people.

Faith and I have been hanging out at home trying to work on the workbook her German teacher gave us at the end of the year, so she can somewhat catch up to where the other students are. It is very simple, except that we have to look up almost every word. Which is encouraging because it means once Faith gets a handle on the language she won’t be behind at all with the other students. It’s just a matter of drowning her in a whole new language.

Ted and I begin our second language class on Tues, the 2nd. So we are looking forward to that. Faith will begin the 8th, so she’ll be hanging out with a friend for those 3 days we’re at school. This is the same friend she’ll be going to school with the following week, so that’s great. They won’t be in the same class but they can play during recess time and ride the bus together, hopefully. They get different schedules depending on the class, so I’m not sure how that will work out. But we’ll see.

Anyway, I wanted to send an update, in case you were wondering what we were doing. God is good, and life is coming together. Slowly but surely. Blessings to each of you.

posted by Brandy on Jun 27

Hey All,
Sorry we haven’t been great about updating on a regular basis since we got here. We had no idea how much work it was to move across the ocean. Our stuff all arrived safely. We’ve only had one major casualty regarding our goods and that was one fairly old desk, which originated here in Germany, so I guess it’s only right that it came home to it’s final resting place.

We’ve been traveling around a tiny bit. We will post pictures soon. There are some castle ruins only 20 minutes away that we took the kids to this last weekend. Then the next day our good friends, the Meyers invited us to follow them up to the tallest waterfall in all of Germany, only an hour away to avoid the 90 degree temperatures. (there is no air conditioning in Germany and the humidity is 80%- 90% all the time.)

The kids are all doing great in their German classes and making friends. Isaac’s been playing fussball during recess with a group of boys from all different nationalities. Britt has been hanging out with several girls from her class, chatting of course. And Faith has been sharing her pretzels with half of her class everyday during snack and then jump-roping for a while. They’re all doing great. However they’re all feeling a little jipped about not getting a full summer’s vacation.

We begin our language school on Monday. That is part of the reason we’ve been so busy trying to get the house all together, cuz once language school starts we won’t have time for anything else. We’re going to have our German neighbors over for dinner soon. They speak excellent English and are willing to also help us out with our German. We’ve been sucked into the excitement of the Euro 2008 tournament. Germany has made it all the way to the finals which are on Sunday. We’re so excited and have something in common with almost everyone we meet on the streets.

We’ve attended one German church where we had headphones with English translation for us. We’ve been bouncing back and forth between English church and German church for the last couple of weeks, trying to find the church God has picked out for us.

Laundry takes 3-4 hours per load here so I’ve been busy doing lots of laundry. Ted’s been changing out light fixtures and getting quite savvy with the electrical wiring. Well, I think dinner is burning…haven’t gotten the hang of Celsius yet. Many blessings to each of you! We are so blessed to be here and can’t wait to see what God has planned for us. Thank you so much for your involvement in our lives and God’s ministry here in Germany.

posted by Brandy on May 13

The stone has passed. I know it seems a little wierd that we’re posting this on the blog for the whole world to read, but God was faithful and Ted is now pain free and able to fly home today! Praise the Lord. Thank you so much for all of you that joined us in prayer. He is the great physician! Alleluia.
Blessings, Brandy

posted by Brandy on Apr 30

I’m sure you know the story in 1 Kings 17 where Elijah tells a poor widow, in the middle of a great famine, to go home and bring him some water and bread. She responds, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” Elijah replies, “Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me…The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth…” And the Lord was faithful!

Well, we are not in need of meal or oil, in fact we had so much we were considering what we were going to need to leave behind, so that Ted could fit it in the extremely great deal God provided for us in the rental car we got for the trip (a brand-new SUV for only $342.00, unlimited miles!). We had four very large piles of all the things we acquired over the last 10 months of living here in Connecticut. God has blessed us richly. As I began trying to figure out what we should leave behind, I began thinking of this story and how God is fully capable of making a jug of oil and jar of meal stay full during a great famine. So I began to pray that the SUV would not fill, and that somehow we would be able to pack all of what God wanted us to keep in this rather small SUV. Well, the packing began around 2 pm yesterday and ended this morning and Ted didn’t even have to empty it and re-pack once! It ALL fit! I don’t know how God did it, except that I know just as the jars would not empty for the widow at Zarephath, our SUV would not fill. It might seem a little silly to some, but I thought it was a miracle all it’s own and I wanted to share.

I don’t have pictures or you might be as amazed as we were, but the picture for the previous story is pretty enough to be enjoyed for quite some time.
Please be in prayer while Ted makes the 36 hour road trip over the next 3 days. Many blessings, Brandy

posted by Ted on Mar 23

Happy Easter!

posted by Ted on Nov 15

Each year, the Pikes Peak Library District in Colorado Springs tries to get the whole community to read the same book. It’s called “All Pikes Peak Reads.” As a promotion, each year, they produce a commercial. For a number of years now, I’ve been helping out with that process. This year, we did Zorro. In fact the shoot fell the same week we were leaving for Connecticut, so I wasn’t able to stay and help finish the commercial, but I did have a blast setting up lights and shooting the nights I was there. The finished commercial is pretty nice, and I thought some of you might enjoy seeing it.

I also just got word that last year’s commercial Alice in Wonderland won a whole slew of NATOAA awards. I can’t find anything about NATOAA online, so I just have to take it on faith that this is a very important and prestigious award.

UPDATE (From our insider at PPLD):

The Blog @ ppld.org
PPLD Wins National Awards for Video Production!October 30, 2007 at 1:45
pm * Filed under General

NATOA Congratulates the 2007 Government Programming Award Winners
Local communities from across the country light up the night with
exceptional programming efforts from a record number of entries from
across the country.

Alexandria, VA - Tuesday, October 9, 2007 - The National Association of
Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) congratulated the
winners of its 22nd Annual Government Programming Awards. The winners
were announced at a Gala event on Friday, October 5 in Portland, OR. The
Awards recognize excellence in broadcast, cable, multimedia and
electronic programming produced by local government agencies. This year,
NATOA received over 1,200 entries representing 180 agencies from 31
states across the country.

Category 24: Library - 24 Entries

First Place “All Pikes Peak Reads - Alice in Wonderland promo” Pikes
Peak Library District, CO
Second Place “ABC’s of Local Government - The Library Board” City of
Saint Paul, MN
Third Place “Check it Out @ the Library” Glendale 11, City of Glendale,
AZ
Honorable Mention “At Your Library: Bridging the Digital Divide” L.A.
Cityview 35 City of Los Angeles, CA
“Welcome to Your Oakland Public Library” City of Oakland, CA
Category 47: Event/Program Promotion: (Operating Budget Under $300,000)
- 15 Entries

First Place “All Pikes Peak Reads - Alice In Wonderland Promo” Pikes
Peak Library District, CO
Second Place “Cottage Grove Boot Hockey Leagues” South Washington County
Telecommunications Commission, MN
Third Place “Ever After” Canton Township, MI
Honorable Mention “The Haunted Trail” South Washington County
Telecommunications Commission, MN
“Philadelphia Race for the Cure” City of Philadelphia, PA
See the award winning video at http://youtube.com/watch?v=60WY595RSEU

https://www.natoa.org/public/articles/2007_Finalists_List.pdf

Category 24 and 47

Your friendly library staff person just wants you to have the facts.
Congrats!!

Love you all lots and lots, Mom

posted by Brandy on Sep 25

“Today is my one hundred and eleventh-nth birthday.”–Bilbo Baggins

Well, I’m not quite as old as Bilbo, but I had another birthday yesterday. It was wonderful. The weather here is beautiful, the trees are turning to their brilliant yellows, oranges and reds, while still some are green. You couldn’t ask for your birthday to be in a more colorful season. My family is all healthy and we are all adjusting well to life in rural Connecticut. Ted took me to Rhode Island to find the closest Chipotle restaurant, then we took the scenic route home. We ended the day with strawberry pancakes and whip cream. Thank you to all the family and friends who sent well wishes my way. I was truly blessed.

posted by Ted on Aug 10

In addition to God’s remarkable provision for us in Connecticut, God has been faithful to send hundreds of dollars in new support just in the last few days. God is moving powerfully to get us to Europe. While our schedule is going to be intense, our future time in Colorado Springs is likely to be very scarce. If you are interested in meeting with us and learning more about our mission and how you can partner with us in prayer or financially, we hope you’ll call us immediately and let us know so we can find a time to meet. Partnership continues to be our most powerful ally and most critical need, so if God is moving in your heart, we don’t want to miss you.

posted by Ted on May 5

Before I get going on spilling out the thoughts that are rattling around in my head tonight, I want to say a special thank you to all the people who have called or dropped a note recently to give us an encouraging word. The last several months have been good, but not at all easy. So we really appreciate you.

I also want to say a special thanks to all the guys who showed up to help us move. I have never seen a move go that smoothly. I never saw anyone standing around, and we got all the moving done in about 3 hours. It was truly amazing. God provided just the right amount of manpower and equipment.

Now I want to ask you, and this is not rhetorical, feel free to post your thoughts in the comments, where is home? We’ve spent the week bouncing back and forth between my parents house (the same one where I spent much of my childhood) and our house in the Springs (we’ve been cleaning, and packing up more boxes). Both of these places have been home. But which is home now? Spending nine days in Europe — a place that feels like home to me — I was reminded that home has absolutely nothing to do with location. I don’t really think home is a “where” question. Home truly is wherever my wife and kids are. That’s actually a very reassuring and freeing realization.

Tomorrow, we’ll be meeting with a realtor about selling our house. That’s a significant event for my children, who basically have grown up in that house. More significant still will be discovering the home God has prepared for us in Germany. What will it be like? We have so many questions and so few answers. For the last four years, to a degree, we have lived in a sort of half-world limbo. This past year and half we have dived into it completely. Where will we be in six months? What will it be like? Lord, when will we go? I won’t claim that it has been easy, because it has been more difficult than I ever could have imagined. However, I will tell you it has been a profound blessing in so many ways. I have had more time to spend with my wife than at any other time in our married life. I have met new people, rekindled old friendships, seen profound change in who I am, watched my kids grow into stronger, finer people…. As this season draws to a close, and we step into the next chapter, it is odd to be saying farewell to a time that has become an experience of home, a home I didn’t even know existed.

posted by Ted on Apr 8

Selling our home is perhaps the most significant step we’ve taken toward the field since I quit my job nearly a year and a half ago. It’s also one of the scariest. I find myself continually facing the what ifs. What if the funding doesn’t come in by July? What if it never comes in? In recent weeks, God has been confronting me a lot with my failure to trust Him, and my need to try to do things my own way. This is another reminder of how quickly I get skittish when it comes time to really trust the Lord.

Some of you may have been sitting back so far. You felt the Lord tugging at you to support us, and have been meaning to. Maybe you’re waiting until we’re ready to leave, maybe you’re waiting to see if we’ll ever really go — yes, it seems like it’s taking forever to us too! Well, this is it. We have no fall back plan. I don’t have a job, shortly we won’t have a house. We’re throwing ourselves entirely on God’s plan. We know that He will deliver. We hope that, if you are a part of that plan, you’ll choose now. The giving doesn’t have to start until we go, but we have to know now, who is standing with us.

posted by Ted on Apr 8

Our experience in Mission Training International’s (MTI) SPLICE program was intense. I’ve written about it some on our blog, but I wanted to share with you a little bit of the kids’ experience, and so I asked each of them to try to summarize their experience:

Brittany: “I am a third culture kid (or TCK) because of my living in three different cultures (the culture I was born into, the one I’m moving to, and the blend of the two, which is it’s own culture). I will never ”fit in” in one culture, but I was elated to discover that Jesus is a TCK too! Because Jesus had to live in Egypt, so He really does understand what my life is like.”

Isaac: “MTI was a very very fun place and the best part was that you got to go to class with your slippers on, and it is a great place to learn to grow into your [new] culture.”

Faith: “I like MTI because we went hiking & there was a very nice man who was my teacher, he was very funny.”

posted by Brandy on Apr 5

As I sat reading over the Easter story in Luke I began to realize a theme: Jesus weeping…for us. You would think someone as stressed out to sweat blood would be weeping for himself.

As we go through all of our transition to get to the field I find myself weeping a lot…for my self. After all I’m giving up my home, my security, my country, Mexican food, being able to understand the clerk behind the counter, my cat, my friends, my family, the list goes on. I have yet to shed tears for those in Europe who have no hope, no future, no happiness, but have the promise of eternal damnation if they don’t accept Christ as the only means to the Father.
But that is exactly what Christ was crying about in Luke 19:41 and again when he told the women not to cry for Him but for themselves and their children in Luke 23:28.

Oh! If only I could be more like Christ.. less focused on me and more on the lost; less focused on the present and more on eternity.

While we were at MTI we came to know many beautiful witnesses for Christ. One of them who has already make it to the field. He kept stating his fear of how much he’s going to get in the way of God’s plan. I can so relate.

Sometimes I wonder why God chose me to be the reflection of His love to a people who are hurting so much. I am so…Brandy, and not nearly Christ-like enough. But I suppose that’s why He chooses who He chooses because nothing good can come from the Brandy’s or the Ted’s, but Christ shining through us can paint a glorious picture on the canvas of eternity.

I ask you to pray for me this Easter season and for always that I will grow to be more Christ-like and He will shine His light through me to bless my family, my friends and those He brings in my path to minister to.

posted by Ted on Mar 27

As I write this, we’re at 67%. That isn’t quite 70, but it is very close, and with me spending a good chunk of April in Europe, we thought it was probably time to start packing up. Official move out day will be April 21st, so if you want to help carry boxes, or you have a truck, we’d love to see you!

Also, if you or anyone you know is interested in an 1800 sq ft. 4 bed 2 bath rancher in NE Colorado Springs, we know of one you might want to look at.

posted by Ted on Mar 21

If I had to summarize the program, I would describe it as a stripping away, pulling down all of my walls and filters and then forcing me to look at what remained. The program began by asking our class where our values would be challenged and which of our values were Biblical Absolutes and which were simply North American. The answers in many cases surprised me. It would have been easy to blow much of this off, thinking of the Western European culture, but that doesn’t mean nothing is different, only that the differences are more subtle, the currents more dangerous.

We had to face our fears, accept the losses we will sustain, years with friends and family we will never have, relationships our children will never know. We had to be brutally honest time and time again about who we are, what motivates us, and how fallen we are. Time and time again, I watched myself choose to try to do things my way, and time and time again, I faced the futility of that choice, and my need to lean on God.

I saw parts of myself, patterns of behavior, I haven’t seen in many years and did not honestly remember where there. Some I hope to hang on to, others I’m eager to let go.

There is no question it was an amazing time of growth, but also very very difficult. We forged deep relationships with missionaries most of whom are not even headed to the same continent we are. We said tearful goodbyes to friendships we never imagined could become so deep in three weeks, and I find myself powerfully motivated to seek the kind of transparency we attained in that environment without all the walls and filters that carry us through life.

It has been hard this week, trying to reintigrate into my former life. It’s hard to explain, but suddenly when all your walls and filters are stripped away, all the things you hide behind to protect yourself are gone, people who you love, who are dear to you suddenly seem dangerous, and what was home feels foreign and alien.

As the final week of our pre-field training finished, we had a powerful time of worship, and for the first time in my life, I understood the final verse of Genesis 2. I used to think that was some odd reference to their clothes, maybe a comment on the innocence of Adam and Eve. But I now believe that their nakedness was not just physical, but spiritual. For a few moments, as the SPLICE program came to an end, I was naked before God, and though I was ashamed of all that that revealed about me, my brokenness and falleness, somehow in that moment, I was more free than I think I have ever been. My hearts desire, my earnest prayer, is that I can find someway not to rebuild all those walls and filters, to lean on God to protect my heart, and to stand before Him naked, gradually stripping away the dark humanness of Ted and replacing it with the love of Jesus Christ.

This is Josiah Chapman. He doesn’t have filters or walls yet. I want to learn to experience life the way he does. Photo courtesy of the brilliant Trace DiCocco

posted by Ted on Feb 26

I’m not changing the information on our ministry yet, because I’m not 100% sure what it should say. CreativeWorks has seen some drastic changes, and while our location won’t be changing, it certainly looks like the details of our ministry are evolving. What I know right now, is that the ministry we’ll be working with is no longer called CreativeWorks, in fact, it’s so new, it’s simply going by GEM Media, which can be thought of like a screenplay called “working title.” I’ll be heading back to Germany in April to work on a video project with GEM Media, shooting a TEFL training seminar. I hope that by then end of the trip I’ll have a better sense of what the new ministry will look like. For the moment, I can quote to you the vision of Jim Meyer, who is running the department:

The ultimate goal is to create media tools that will help in presenting Jesus as relevant and living to Europeans who are searching for meaning in their lives. In the pursuit of that we will undoubtedly be working alongside of Europeans to help them produce effective media relevant for their culture.

posted by Ted on Feb 26

Today we began SPLICE, Mission Training International’s program aimed at “strengthening [our] skills for cross-cultural life and ministry.” So far, we’ve just met the facilitators and eaten dinner. But for the next three weeks, we’ll be here, getting equipped for the move to Europe.

We’ve spoken to a few people who wonder why Europe would be a difficult adjustment. Why would we need training? To a certain extent, we feel the same way. After all, Brandy and I have spent a lot of time in Europe. However, the truth is, Europe with a military base acting as an umbilical chord back to the States is fairly different from living on the economy with no easy way to get American goods and services. From the 35 hour work week, to the windows that open from the top, everything is just a little bit different. The Europeans don’t have the FDA regulating the production of cheese, and thanks to it, they have thousands of amazing cheeses, but they don’t have cheddar or nacho cheese. While life without tacos may not be the most difficult adjustment in the world, it all adds up. That’s why this program is important. It’s designed to help us integrate more effectively with the culture in Europe. We’ll be specifically tackling issues like maintaining your relationship with God and spiritual growth in a situation where you may have no opportunity to worship. Now, we’ll be plugged into a church, but it may be a few years before our linguistic skills are sufficient for that experience to be at all meaningful. This is important for us, but it is crucial for our children.

I know some of you are praying for us, and we appreciate that a great deal. We’re very excited to be here in part, because it will help to equip us, but even more so because it is another step closer to the ministry to which we’ve been called. Some days, it seems we’ve been talking and planning to go forever, and yet we’re still here. The fund-raising continues, with phone calls, and speaking engagements, and meetings, but we’re still here. Now, though, we’re crossing the threshold. No longer are we just building our support team, we’re making preparations to go. This course is the first step. The next will be upon our return home, when we begin packing our house, and making arrangements to move and put it on the market. These are big moments, and we’re excited to have you along with us.

God bless! I’ll try to provide more information as we go.

posted by Ted on Nov 9

I was stunned, as I’m sure many of you were, at the recent news about Ted Haggard, the now former pastor of New Life Church. In many ways, I think my own reactions reveal just how fallen and broken I am in my own life. I want to share with you the process that I have been through in really examining myself in this, and I hope that it may be of some value to you.

To begin with, I should share that I have always had some reservations about New Life Church. That is not to say there is anything wrong with the church, I often have reservations about churches that don’t fit my image of what worship should look like, etc. Yet even recognizing my own inadequacy to judge bodies of believers, particularly those most different in appearance from what I am used to and comfortable with, my first thought when I heard about the controversy was something to the effect of “I knew there was something strange about that place.” To my credit, I instantly knew how wrong and completely unfair that thought was. But I had it. As I began to read the initial information available to me, I thought this must be some sort of political stunt. I questioned the timing, to quote the political cliche of our day. It didn’t take long for Rev. Haggard to admit that some portion of the allegations were true, and then I began to desperately hunt for more information. Which part was true? I mean, buying drugs is a whole different type of sin then hiring a homosexual prostitute, right?

That was my first reminder of just how off track my reasoning is. In God’s economy there’s no difference between sins. Each and every sin, from allowing ourselves to shout at a coworker, to taking a deduction we’re not entitled to on our taxes, to hiring a prostitute, is really the same sin. It’s all rebellion against God, and it’s all rooted in idolatry. Whether we’re worshiping sex like the ancient followers of Baal and Ashtoreh, worshiping money, or worshiping our own egos, we’re putting ourselves before God. I have often felt that the more deeply I commit my life to Jesus and the ministry He is calling me to, the more significant a target I am to satan. It’s as though he has a most wanted list, like the FBI, and each step we take closer to the plan God has for our lives, the higher we climb on that list. Putting things into that context, it’s hard to fathom the level of temptation Ted Haggard must have been struggling with, given the potential impact he was capable of having for Jesus Christ. I feel confident it was beyond any temptation I have ever faced.

Despite my desire to judge Ted Haggard, my desire to look at my own sins and tell myself how trivial they are compared to his, I have to accept two important things. 1) My sins are no different than his. And (2) I am not called to judge him or anyone else. In fact, to do so is giving in to temptation - the very thing I would convict him of! Now, as a caveat, I do believe that New Life church is called to discipline him. The church in Acts clearly had authority to discipline it’s members, and a need to do so for reasons of accountability. However, I must remember I am not called to do that, nor is any individual. That is the perogative of Ted’s church — and I should note they already had a competent process in place to do just that.

Getting back to my narrative, as I sought further information I came across something interesting. The Gazette now allows readers to comment on the articles. I dove into the comments and felt as though I had been slapped. I grew angry and indignant at what I read there. But was my anger righteous? We’ll tackle that in a moment. First I want to share with you some of what I read. Be aware, I think some of these comments will stun you.

“This is the BIGGEST evangelical in the country. The leader of 30 million people, and he is a liar, sodomizer and drug user…..Does this show anything to people of faith? Your messiah on Earth was a lying scumbag, like all the rest of the leaders… Happy, Happy Day!!”

“Haggard is a hypocrite and a liar. Let’s see the right wingers spin this one. It’s a happy day. I would only be happier about this if Haggard had been caught having sex with Dobson.”

“What a hoot! The funniest part about it is the christian idiots who spent yesterday shouting that it couldn’t be true and that it was a liberal plot. You people are SO easily taken in. Do you realize that, once again, you are being laughed at across the country? The 5% of you with any brains should see Moliere’s “Tartuffe” for a guide on how the more things change the more they stay the same.”

“HAHA! Delicious Schadenfreude! Despicable religious hypocrites will inevitably consume themselves! Now if only there was a “god” to damn Haggard to hell. Never mind - he’s already living in a very real one of his own creation. This is a wonderful morning. May all the fundamentalist Christian bigots in America meet such a poetic, well-deserved fate: that would be my “heaven”.”

“In the words of the great musical that every card-carrying homo like me knows by he