We spoke at Pleasant Chapel General Baptist Church, Evansville, IN in the morning. Had a great time with people of Pleasant Chapel. It was a fun morning getting to meet some wonderful people and talk about Honduras, Central America and the vision God has given.
In the evening pastor Jim Rudolph of Garvinwood General Baptist Church in Evansville, IN allowed us to share with the congregation. Had another wonderful time talking about Honduras as some had been to Honduras and were still heavily involved with the work there.
Once again, a very encouraging day to be around seasoned believers who still have such a passion to serve and be used by God.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
November 8 -10, 2007
We just spent Thursday night, all day Friday until about 11:00 pm and half a day Saturday in Louisville at the Global Missions Health Conference. It was held at Southeast Christian church which is, how do I describe it,a monster church. How big is it you ask:
The guy at Starbucks referred to it at Six Flags over God
They have signs in their parking lot directing you to I-64 – if they didn’t you could drive around for days in the parking lot and never get out.
The main building (yep they have several buildings) is five stories and the they have not one but two balconies in the main sanctuary with jumbo screens.
It seems to be a very laid back church. The P&W leader shows up for the Friday morning sessions wearing jeans with holes in them, a long sleeve t-shirt, don’t think he got up early enough to comb his hair before he arrived and then proceeds to lead us directly to the presence of God. When we got our box lunches and suppers they could have cared less where we ate. In the foyer, the sanctuary, in the middle of the floor. The church just went out it’s way to make us feel at home. And they did that for all 4,000 or so of us.
It was so nice to be in an environment where, as Cindy said, “we just fit in”. We were not strange, odd, “radicals” causing problems, unrealistic, weird, or different. We were around a bunch of people who thought the same way we do. In fact there were a lot of people there who are way ahead of us in their commitment to God and made us feel like we were way behind the curve. Just the kind of people we want to be around. Those that challenge us and show us the way. Yea!
It was so great to be in the sanctuary with 4,000 people singing about taking the gospel to ends of the earth and knowing everyone there means it when they are singing. Words like these from the Newsboys in “He Reigns”:
It’s the song of the redeemed
Rising from the African plain
It’s the song of the forgiven
Drowning out the Amazon rain
The song of Asian believers
Filled with God’s holy fire
It’s every tribe, every tongue, every nation
A love song born of a grateful choir
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
Let it rise about the four winds
Caught up in the heavenly sound
Let praises echo from the towers of cathedrals
To the faithful gathered underground
Of all the songs sung from the dawn of creation
Some were meant to persist
Of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples
None rings truer than this
And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word
They really mean it when they sing these words. This is what they are giving their lives for. Honestly, when you are in your church a sing about taking the gospel to the ends of the earth no matter the cost to you the reality is only 10%, maybe 20%, actually believe it. But to be among four thousand people who are either living out now or wanting to go somewhere to live it out it just unbelievable. Every time we gathered in the sanctuary to sing Brad had to get out his handkerchief because it brought tears to his eyes being in the presence of these men and women who are giving their lives to take the gospel to those who have never heard. It was like a glimpse of heaven. On My!
Brad went to breakout session that had about thirty people (small number of people for a breakout session) and people during the hour would mention were they were serving or had served. Just a sampling of the saints we were around here is a listing of just those people who mentioned where they were serving (we have not mentioned the name of the countries closed to the gospel but only listed them as “closed countries” for security purposes – they are all in the 10/40 Window): Uganda, Brazil. Closed Country, Closed Country, Closed Country, Haiti, Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Closed Country, China. These are the kind of people we got to spend two days with – people who are on the frontlines doing it – not just talking about it. Ok, we’re a little pumped.
Close to half of those attending were under 30 years old. What an encouragement to see these healthcare professionals, who could be making a very comfortable living in the future, wanting to know how they could give their lives to God for the spread of the gospel to the poor and underprivileged of the world.
There was a breakout session on marriage on the mission field and Cindy couldn’t get in because the room was full. It was full of young people! Brad went to a breakout session on how to penetrate the darkness and reach your patients with the gospel. It was packed – with young people! We hear a lot about the negative side of what is going on with young people. For those who are concerned you should have been with us. We are in good hands for the future. This kids are willing to give up the income, lifestyle, and prestige to serve in some unknown land for their Lord and King.
Friday night they had a breakout session from 9:00 – 11:00 pm on apologetics and ethical issues in healthcare. Once again packed with over 400 people, mostly younger students and professionals. Scott Strouse and Brad are bragging a little over this one because they outlasted many of the younger attendees who left before it completely ended.
If you can work it out it would be worth your time to try and attend next year. It’s the second weekend in November. You don’t have to have any interest at all in healthcare to make it worth your time. Brad has no interest in healthcare and this was his second year to attend. Both years he did not have enough time to do everything he wanted to do. If you have an interest in healthcare this was Cindy’s third year to attend and is always sorry for it to end.
The guy at Starbucks referred to it at Six Flags over God
They have signs in their parking lot directing you to I-64 – if they didn’t you could drive around for days in the parking lot and never get out.
The main building (yep they have several buildings) is five stories and the they have not one but two balconies in the main sanctuary with jumbo screens.
It seems to be a very laid back church. The P&W leader shows up for the Friday morning sessions wearing jeans with holes in them, a long sleeve t-shirt, don’t think he got up early enough to comb his hair before he arrived and then proceeds to lead us directly to the presence of God. When we got our box lunches and suppers they could have cared less where we ate. In the foyer, the sanctuary, in the middle of the floor. The church just went out it’s way to make us feel at home. And they did that for all 4,000 or so of us.
It was so nice to be in an environment where, as Cindy said, “we just fit in”. We were not strange, odd, “radicals” causing problems, unrealistic, weird, or different. We were around a bunch of people who thought the same way we do. In fact there were a lot of people there who are way ahead of us in their commitment to God and made us feel like we were way behind the curve. Just the kind of people we want to be around. Those that challenge us and show us the way. Yea!
It was so great to be in the sanctuary with 4,000 people singing about taking the gospel to ends of the earth and knowing everyone there means it when they are singing. Words like these from the Newsboys in “He Reigns”:
It’s the song of the redeemed
Rising from the African plain
It’s the song of the forgiven
Drowning out the Amazon rain
The song of Asian believers
Filled with God’s holy fire
It’s every tribe, every tongue, every nation
A love song born of a grateful choir
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
It’s all God’s children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns
Let it rise about the four winds
Caught up in the heavenly sound
Let praises echo from the towers of cathedrals
To the faithful gathered underground
Of all the songs sung from the dawn of creation
Some were meant to persist
Of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples
None rings truer than this
And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word
They really mean it when they sing these words. This is what they are giving their lives for. Honestly, when you are in your church a sing about taking the gospel to the ends of the earth no matter the cost to you the reality is only 10%, maybe 20%, actually believe it. But to be among four thousand people who are either living out now or wanting to go somewhere to live it out it just unbelievable. Every time we gathered in the sanctuary to sing Brad had to get out his handkerchief because it brought tears to his eyes being in the presence of these men and women who are giving their lives to take the gospel to those who have never heard. It was like a glimpse of heaven. On My!
Brad went to breakout session that had about thirty people (small number of people for a breakout session) and people during the hour would mention were they were serving or had served. Just a sampling of the saints we were around here is a listing of just those people who mentioned where they were serving (we have not mentioned the name of the countries closed to the gospel but only listed them as “closed countries” for security purposes – they are all in the 10/40 Window): Uganda, Brazil. Closed Country, Closed Country, Closed Country, Haiti, Ecuador, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Closed Country, China. These are the kind of people we got to spend two days with – people who are on the frontlines doing it – not just talking about it. Ok, we’re a little pumped.
Close to half of those attending were under 30 years old. What an encouragement to see these healthcare professionals, who could be making a very comfortable living in the future, wanting to know how they could give their lives to God for the spread of the gospel to the poor and underprivileged of the world.
There was a breakout session on marriage on the mission field and Cindy couldn’t get in because the room was full. It was full of young people! Brad went to a breakout session on how to penetrate the darkness and reach your patients with the gospel. It was packed – with young people! We hear a lot about the negative side of what is going on with young people. For those who are concerned you should have been with us. We are in good hands for the future. This kids are willing to give up the income, lifestyle, and prestige to serve in some unknown land for their Lord and King.
Friday night they had a breakout session from 9:00 – 11:00 pm on apologetics and ethical issues in healthcare. Once again packed with over 400 people, mostly younger students and professionals. Scott Strouse and Brad are bragging a little over this one because they outlasted many of the younger attendees who left before it completely ended.
If you can work it out it would be worth your time to try and attend next year. It’s the second weekend in November. You don’t have to have any interest at all in healthcare to make it worth your time. Brad has no interest in healthcare and this was his second year to attend. Both years he did not have enough time to do everything he wanted to do. If you have an interest in healthcare this was Cindy’s third year to attend and is always sorry for it to end.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Experience
(Cindy) Last night I woke up, my chest was tight, and the Enemy was saying to me “Do you really think you can say good-bye to your granddaughter and leave her. You can’t do that. You know you can’t do that.” Then it was a battle trying to get to sleep. Even after I went back to sleep I had a restless night. It was a struggle
Experience
(Brad) Yesterday I watched a movie titled “The Second Chance” starring Michael W. Smith (yep, the Christian singer). The acting is ok but I really enjoyed the movie. At one point in the movie a man who obviously is a little slow mentally says he was reading his Bible last night and it says we should love our Christian brothers and sisters. He thought he had said something unloving to another man and so he washed the guys feet. As I watch this scene I thought to myself “Why is it so hard to just do what the Bible says and not worry about the consequences? To just read it, do it, and let God handle how it turns out.” In fact, I had to stop my work as I was so convicted. I begin to cry and ask God to forgive me for my failure to do what His Word says.
Ever wondered what the world would be like if every Christian just read the Bible and did what it said all day, every day of the year?
Ever wondered what the world would be like if every Christian just read the Bible and did what it said all day, every day of the year?
November 4, 2007
We spoke at the First General Baptist Church of Fairfield, Illinois today. The pastor is Jim Glisson who went on the March 2007 medical/dental mission trip to Honduras with both of us. Jim has such a BIG heart for missions and is a vocal proponent in his community sharing God’s heart to reach the world with His message of salvation. We also got to see Don and Virginia Witter. They have been heavily involved in mission work for over 20 years. Great day of sharing with the church and then having lunch with the Glissons and his youth pastor and girlfriend (that would be the youth pastor’s girlfriend for all you wise acres out there).
October 29, 2007
Brad met with Terry Schultheis to talk about the basics of international business. No, we are not looking to go down there and become businessmen. But, going in with a better understanding of how international business works has several benefits:
(1) Gives us a better eye of what to look for as business possibilities as go about starting churches. These countries need jobs for the people so they can provide for their families and if we can help provide some of those jobs then that’s what we should do.
(2) One way to get into areas that are otherwise closed to missionaries is through business. A great book about business as missions is God Is At Work by Ken Eldred.
(3) We must always be looking at “what might be”. Governments can change quickly in these countries. Countries that are open to missionaries today may be closed tomorrow. So if we can go in with a two pronged approach of working as missionaries and starting businesses that provide jobs the countries citizens our work is much more stable. The government may kick out “missionaries” but we will still be able to stay in the country with a business that is providing jobs for the citizens.
(4) As we talk with Christian business people in the States and get a better understanding of what they do then when we come across something that might interest them we can give them a call. If it’s something they want to pursue than we have increased the number of missionaries in the country.
(1) Gives us a better eye of what to look for as business possibilities as go about starting churches. These countries need jobs for the people so they can provide for their families and if we can help provide some of those jobs then that’s what we should do.
(2) One way to get into areas that are otherwise closed to missionaries is through business. A great book about business as missions is God Is At Work by Ken Eldred.
(3) We must always be looking at “what might be”. Governments can change quickly in these countries. Countries that are open to missionaries today may be closed tomorrow. So if we can go in with a two pronged approach of working as missionaries and starting businesses that provide jobs the countries citizens our work is much more stable. The government may kick out “missionaries” but we will still be able to stay in the country with a business that is providing jobs for the citizens.
(4) As we talk with Christian business people in the States and get a better understanding of what they do then when we come across something that might interest them we can give them a call. If it’s something they want to pursue than we have increased the number of missionaries in the country.
October 26, 2007
(Sorry this is out of order - had a little problem with the edit function)
Instead of Brad going to prison Friday night Cindy came up the with great idea of the two of us going on a date. As we begin talking about going a date we realized we had not been a date where we just focused on being with each since we made the decision in April to go to Honduras. Since April, whenever we spent time together we talked either about our photography business or going to Honduras. So, Friday night we started our date about 4:30 pm by going to The Vineyard, getting a coffee, and reading books for a couple of hours. Then we went to Newburgh and ate, for the first time, at the Newburgh Café. What a great place to eat. Great food. Great atmosphere. A nice change from the chain restaurants. We spent the evening just talking about whatever – yes Honduras did come up. It was nice just to spend a night with the one you’re crazy about and not have an agenda except to be with the other one.
The next day Brad was reading a missions magazine article about the top ten reasons missionaries leave the mission field. It was a survey the writer had done with several veteran missionaries. One of the reasons was a failure to spend time on the marriage relationship. Could this be God speaking? Once again, we are seeing that part of this support team building process is getting us ready for what we will experience in Honduras.
Instead of Brad going to prison Friday night Cindy came up the with great idea of the two of us going on a date. As we begin talking about going a date we realized we had not been a date where we just focused on being with each since we made the decision in April to go to Honduras. Since April, whenever we spent time together we talked either about our photography business or going to Honduras. So, Friday night we started our date about 4:30 pm by going to The Vineyard, getting a coffee, and reading books for a couple of hours. Then we went to Newburgh and ate, for the first time, at the Newburgh Café. What a great place to eat. Great food. Great atmosphere. A nice change from the chain restaurants. We spent the evening just talking about whatever – yes Honduras did come up. It was nice just to spend a night with the one you’re crazy about and not have an agenda except to be with the other one.
The next day Brad was reading a missions magazine article about the top ten reasons missionaries leave the mission field. It was a survey the writer had done with several veteran missionaries. One of the reasons was a failure to spend time on the marriage relationship. Could this be God speaking? Once again, we are seeing that part of this support team building process is getting us ready for what we will experience in Honduras.
October 28, 2007
We spoke at the Sebree General Baptist Church in Sebree, Kentucky with pastor John McCurry. We had such a great time with a lively group of people who have a real heart for missions. Not hard to see why the church has such a passion for missions when to talk to their pastor for a short period of time.
After church Bobby and Judy Littrel were nice enough to us to lunch. We went to a little restaurant in Hanson, Kentucky. There specialty is fish – specifically catfish. Brad growing up in Kentucky was definitely excited about the possibility of eating catfish. It didn’t disappoint. The fish was great!
After church Bobby and Judy Littrel were nice enough to us to lunch. We went to a little restaurant in Hanson, Kentucky. There specialty is fish – specifically catfish. Brad growing up in Kentucky was definitely excited about the possibility of eating catfish. It didn’t disappoint. The fish was great!
Thought
Thought
(Brad) I meet with a group of guys on Wednesday mornings to study the Bible, prayer for each other, challenge each other, and support/encourage each other. I shared with them how getting an actual date to leave surprisingly increased the stress in my life. How I had made a list of everything that needed to be done. How all the things on this list had to be done before we could go to Honduras. One of the guys in the group, Jeff Jackson, made the point that we all have lists that we think we must complete before we can serve God. How true isn’t it. Certainly changed my view of “the list.”
(Brad) I meet with a group of guys on Wednesday mornings to study the Bible, prayer for each other, challenge each other, and support/encourage each other. I shared with them how getting an actual date to leave surprisingly increased the stress in my life. How I had made a list of everything that needed to be done. How all the things on this list had to be done before we could go to Honduras. One of the guys in the group, Jeff Jackson, made the point that we all have lists that we think we must complete before we can serve God. How true isn’t it. Certainly changed my view of “the list.”
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