Wow, I really needed to read this post from Kem Meyer this morning. I have been pretty discouraged lately for a myriad of reasons. I don’t want to simply use this blog to whine to the 3 1/2 people who might read it, but I have been in a particular whiny mood lately.
However, I have been trying to immerse myself in the Word lately to combat the negative thoughts out of my mind. Several of the tools I use are on the iPhone…pretty cool…and I have it with me pretty much all of the time.
Bible Reading::I am using YouVersion from the LifeChurch.tv guys to read the “Professor Horner’s Bible Reading Plan.”
It is very similar to the 5 Lane Reading Plan I have used in the past.
Hear the Word::Another cool app that I have on my phone to listen to the Word while I am working is Bible.Is from Faith Comes from Hearing. It is really cool. There are several versions of audio Bibles that you can listen to through your phone. I have found that to be a great way to really immerse my life in the Word rather than immerse my life in sports talk radio. (That doesn’t mean I don’t still get my share of talk radio, however.)
Memorize the Word::A fellow pastor friend of mine showed me this app and how it has helped him so much to really live out the Word and it has been a great thing for me as well. I am using Bible Verses to memorize Scripture. There are several different versions out there, but I like this particular app because I can choose which translation and it is also put together like the old Navigators Bible Memory System with different categories, etc. There is also a cool feature that allows you to make the verse all blanks and you can click each blank to reveal the correct word to help you memorize better.
Reading books::I am currently reading The Land Between by Jeff Manion on my Kindle. I saw his talk at Leadership Summit a couple of weeks ago and it really resonated with me while I am waiting in this “Land Between.” It is based on the story of the Israelites and the Exodus. Great stuff!
We also got a “well-timed” letter from some great friends that was a photocopy of a chapter in A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado. One of the key passages in the chapter that really spoke to me was a summary of the Exodus in Deuteronomy 8.
2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
So tell me, how do you deal with discouragement in your life? Feel free to leave a comment.
Please be in prayer for the elections that are occurring today in Sudan. They are the first free elections that they will have had in 24 years. The presidency is at stake with the current president Omar al-Bashir; having allegations of ties to Osama Ben Laden as well as being charged by the International Crimes Court for crimes against humanity . The elections are being monitored by international oversight, including former President Jimmy Carter. There is substantial fear that these elections are not fair, free elections because several of the other opposition party candidates have dropped out of the race.
Would you take a minute and pray for an upset right now? Elections are occuring as you read this.
This election does concern us. We serve a Global God and that makes us a Global People. First and foremost, we are citizens of the international Kingdom of God. We do have skin in the game in Sudan. Right now, without leaving your computer, you can exercise a global influence through prayer. From the light of eternity, we will be shocked to discover that some of our most influential moments were the moments spent in secret prayer, unnoticed by the masses, but duly noted by our Maker.. . .
EnterMission has been fueling a grassroots church planting movement in Sudan for the last two years. Currently,
…we have 125 church planters in training,
…who have personally shared the Good News with more than 34,000 people.
….Out of that number over 7,500 have joined on-going Bible Studies, which will be transitioned into new churches.
…Over 2,950 men and women have been baptized into the faith and
… already 32 churches are up and running!
This is where the hope for Sudan ultimately lies, not in a government, but a Kingdom, a peaceable Kingdom.
As everything else has fallen apart in Sudan, the Church has not only remained, but thrived. In many communities, our church planters are the ones providing food, shelter, clean water, and even, education.
Let us pray today for our brothers and sisters in Sudan. That as the words of this young man in the video says, “that we might have peace.”
Just got this from our missions pastor, Brock Cummins. I was planning on going with the team on this trip, but it just didn’t work out. Please keep these four people in your prayers! Pray also for the missionary doc, the Cambodian people that are receiving medical care there.
Hey All,
I apologize for not getting an update out sooner. All of our flights went smoothly and we arrived Saturday night around 11:45pm local time. All of our bags arrived with us and we had no trouble getting through customs with all the meds.
Sunday morning we did some shopping at a market in Phnom Penh. Sunday afternoon we loaded up the van and the truck and headed to the province of Kompong Chhnaing (I don’t know how to pronounce it either.). The hotel here is nice. The air conditioners work great and we have hot water.
Today, we had a great first day at the village. It is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from our hotel. Dr. Blake Little and Dr. Kit (a missionary Dr. with New Tribes Mission) saw 50+ people. We shared the gospel with those who were seen. Nurse Terry Osborne assessed everyone before they were seen by the Doctors. Nurse Julie Reed and I worked in the pharmacy and we found some time to play with kids.
It is very HOT, but we are all surviving. Terry and I both have colds. Dr. Blake put us on antibiotics. We both have bad coughs and squeaky voices.
Jessica, the missionary we are working with, is great. She is taking wonderful care of us and did a great job of getting all the details taken care of before we arrived.
We are looking forward to another good day tomorrow.
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