Sunday, February 28, 2010

Off to Haiti

Aaron Mondok in Cambodia I'm so proud of my son. Aaron was just invited to serve on a project in Haiti spearheaded by Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale and Patmos. Please pray for him as he gets things wrapped up this week at Urban Youth Impact. UYI has provided him a nurturing atmosphere to grow and gain valuable ministry experience to equip him for this next chapter in his ministry life.

All a father wants for his son is to have a better life, a better start, and to go further than he himself did. These are all definitely true for Aaron. The Lord has always opened doors and blessed him with incredible talent and wisdom.

Aaron will be there for three months and will raise his support through Shepherd's Staff. He'll have an account set up by the end off the week. Stay tuned if you are interested in partnering with him.

Aaron Mondok's Facebook account connect with Aaron on Facebook

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Church Planting Lesson 14

Pastor Jeff continues to examine the biblical model of church planting in the book of Acts.


Download

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

File Under: kids say the darndest things

Aaron was relating the story of a conversation he had with one of the second graders he mentors. He said to a boy, "Tell me who one of your heroes is and why."

"Koby Bryant," the boy said without hesitation. "He's the next Michael Jordan."

I wonder how Air Jordan feels about this...

First Number Two

Yesterday was a big day at school indeed. If you've been reading this blog for anytime you know that I've described for you the process of Allie's school potty training for her and class mates. It's quite a production. On either side of a hallway there are bathrooms, one for boys and one for girls. The bathrooms themselves are like narrow hallways with a row of toilets up against one side of the room.

Each morning when the kids arrive, they each take a turn taking a seat on the potty whether they need it or not. Most mornings, Allie doesn't need it. In fact, it took quite awhile for her to get with the program. When the report came the first time she peed on the potty, the Charming and Beautiful Susan and I were ecstatic. She's gone number one several times since. But yesterday we had the pleasure of reliving our excitement over bathroom accomplishments; she pooped on the potty.

I know, these are not the kind of headlines that get above the fold attention, but at our house, this is the kind of feat that gets statues erected. For us, it's like bringing home straight "A's". We run a victory lap. We throw a ticker tape parade. We forget lent and party.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Free Download from Superchick

Free is good. This is a decent song to add to your mix tape. Click here to see the lyrics and to read the story behind the song.

Kings Kids

The charming and beautiful Susan and I did something for the first time this weekend that we haven't done in years. We sat in church together. Since we've had Allie, her severe disabilities and care that accompanies have kept us from attending worship services together. Our service at church has not been non-existent. It occurs individually. We've had to be creative and very understanding of each other. Until very recently going to church has been pretty close to impossible.

It's been about three weeks since we learned that Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale has a ministry that serves kids with disabilities. We met with Pastor Joel Shonnenberg and were given an orientation of the ministry. We've become high maintenance parents now that we have a handicapped child, but Joel with expert pastoral finesse put us at ease.

The real test came three weeks later when we actually brought Allie to church. Between illnesses and prior commitments (and various other reasons for putting off starting a challenging beneficial, new habit), yesterday we finally took the plunge and drove down to Fort Lauderdale to attend worship service.

Pastor Joel, his wife Maria, team of volunteers stayed one step ahead of us as they prepped the classroom and took Allie off our hands. They prepared Allie's environment for maximum ministry and comfort. They reported that Allie cried for a few minutes put they were able to calm her which is a huge accomplishment since once Allie gets wound up, it's incredibly difficult to bring her back down. But obviously Allie trusted them and sensed their love for her.

We went upstairs to collect Allie as the service concluded. She was happy and we were super relieved. This definitely the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Tunes Review: Carlos Whittaker EP

I downloaded Carlos Whittaker's three tracks today and looped them through about five times. I love the sound. It has that big stadium kind of sound that works great in live worship. The production is solid, the band tight. You will not be able to get these songs out of your head. Which is good because they are totally edifying.

Here's a tip: if you buy this music for your kids, you must pretend like you just discovered it but hate it. Oh, I hear you. Your kid's think your cool like the little tike pictured with Whittaker. But someday they will turn on you and tell you that Veggie Tales are for babies and that your music is for old people and why doesn't this guy sound like Usher? I digress. Can you tell I've had a teenager or two in the house?

Rain It Down - This song starts off like an Angels and Airwaves track. At least it sounds like that to me. I like it. I love the words. Simple. He doesn't try too hard. You can tell he knows what works.

Jesus Saves - Opens with that signature Edge guitar sound that's so popular in modern worship. I love the riff even though it's not new. Tracks run in the background reminiscent of Toby Mac. It's cool to hear that running behind the Jesus Saves chorus. Like I said, it gets stuck in your head. But that's the idea.

We Will Worship You - I want to say that this song has a haunting vibe, but that might be a little over-dramatic for you. But I have to tell you, that was my first impression and I'm listing to the track again as I write this and that is what I still think. The "hallelujah" chorus in the song is both reverent and hip. I'm definitely looking forward to the April 27 release of his full album.

where to follow Carlos Whittaker:

blog

facebook

facebook fan page

twitter

iTunes

Church Planting Lesson Thirteen

I made the whole kit and kaboodle available below if you don't have the previous lesson files. Simply right click and select "save link as". That's if you have a PC. If you have a Mac, I don't know what you have to do... Command something or other.

But I do know if you have an iPhone and you click download, your phone's browser will open up a Quicktime page and you can listen there. That's pretty sweet.

download thirteen

download twelve

download eleven

download ten

download nine

download eight

download seven

download six

download five

download four

download three

download two

download one

Thursday, February 18, 2010

iPhone Friendly

photo2Our cell phone plan expired so my wife and I got each other newly remanufactured  iPhones for Christmas. I did not like the way the Shep Staff website looked on the phone's browser; the phone changed the look of our menus by making them wrap into two rows. So I made some modifications to our site to appear more iPhone friendly.photo3

You can listen to our podcast two ways on your iPhone:
1. click on the podcast icon and it opens in Quicktime and allows you to listen (photo left).
2. click on the iTunes icon on our page or blog, you can also listen. The icon opens up in your iTunes app (see right). Both open up very nicely on the iPhone. photoI was pleasantly surprised. Give it a try. Our current podcast series is a college level church planting course taught by our founder Pastor Jeff Jackson at Calvary Chapel Bible College.

The Shepherd’s Staff webpage does not have an app yet (maybe some day), but you can save the page to your iPhone’s home screen with a nifty little icon featuring the Shepherd’s Staff logo (see left). In your iPhone’s browser, click the “+” button then select “add to home screen.”

There you go.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Mondok Newsletter February 2010

More Missionaries, More Missionaries

twitter_pic.jpg

I'm amazed at the growth Shepherd's Staff Mission Facilitators is experiencing. When I came on board in the Fall of 2007, we served between forty to fifty missionaries. When I moved back to Florida at the end of 2008, we had around seventy.

Shepherd's Staff, at that time, created the position of Regional Mission Pastor (RMP). Pastor Pat Kenney and I divided the US at the Rocky Mountains. He oversees missionaries to the west and I to the east.

In 2009, seven missionaries have joined us from South Florida not counting the three currently in the application process. 20 total from my region since the RMP position was created. Nationwide, we're up to 110 total missionaries.

Churches Served

Here's a list of churches served in my territory:

Low Country Community Church, South Carolina
Shades Mountain Baptist Church
, Alabama
Calvary Chapel Kalamazoo Valley
, Michigan
Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale
, Florida
Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg
, Florida
Brentwood Baptist
, Tennessee
Walnut Grove Chapel
, Indiana
Community Church
, Wisconsin
Calvary Chapel Boynton Beach
, Florida
Calvary Chapel Chester Springs
, Pennsylvania
Oak Mountain Presbyterian
, Alabama

Whether or not the new missionary is in my territory I get to interact with each one during intake process. If they are in my area, I wear a human resources hat and conduct interviews and track down references. Intake includes some counseling, advising, and training. Because I also oversee the website, I build an online profile for the incoming missionaries on both our website and Facebook page.

It's a privilege to serve so many missionaries and do whatever we can to get their stories out there on the Internet. We also make it easy for churches and friends to partner financially. It's an incredible blessing to have such technology at our fingertips to help us interact with those obedient to the call of missions on their lives.

Partnering

There is a stark contrast between raising support as a US based missionary in an administrative support role versus the overseas ministry pioneering role. I think you'd agree that one is much more appealing in an Indiana Jones kind of way. But I hope I can get you to agree with me, also, that both roles are necessary. When my family and I launched into our South Sudan Missions Endeavor several years ago, we raised $10,000 in one weekend at our church. Sudan was something folks could get on board with. Contrast that to pitching for support to folks about my human resources-training-pastoral-website management-consultation-administration role. It's not nearly as adventurous and we've felt it as we've worked to keep our support at a level we can live on in our South Florida economy. Last month our support plunged two thousand dollars. Thankfully, I've been able to pick up some work with a tree service a couple of days a week to supplement. (Believe it or not, I used to work as a tree faller when I lived in Northern California when I was a younger man cutting down giant Redwoods and Douglas fir.) It's a good "tent-making" job, but it takes me out of the office a couple of days a week.

Thanks to all of you who continue to support and have contributed in the past. We thank God for you and covet your prayers. I'm thankful also for Shepherd's Staff for contributing to our income from day one. As our responsibilities have increased, so has the support from them.

Please pray about partnering with Shepherd's Staff and my family as we continue to provide valuable support to missionaries and their churches.

There are three ways to give:

1. Mail a check to:
Shepherd's Staff Mission Facilitators
PO Box 53640
Albuquerque, NM 87153-3640

**Write #0513 in the memo.

2. Electronic Funds Transfer
click here to download form.
Our missionary account number is 0513.

3. Give online:

Type "Mondok 0513" in box.
If you have any questions, email me.

Tech

Our cell phone plan expired so my wife and I got each other a new iPhone for Christmas. I did not like the way our website looked on the phone's browser; it changed the look of our menus by making them wrap into two rows. So I made some modifications to our site to appear more iPhone friendly.

You can listen to our podcast two ways on your iPhone:
1. click on the podcast icon and it opens a nice page that allows you to listen on your phone's iPod application.
2. click on the iTunes icon on our page or blog, you can also listen. Both open up very nicely on the iPhone. I was pleasantly surprised. Give it a try. Our current podcast series is a college level church planting course taught by our founder Pastor Jeff Jackson at Calvary Chapel Bible College.

Here's another interesting stat for those of you who like numbers. Our website was getting about 300 hits a month when I began working here in 2007. Now it gets about 9000 a month with inbound links from our podcast, missionary blogs, web searches, Facebook page, and Twitter account.

Allie Update

Christine Scheller, writer for Christianity Today, wrote an incredible article about our family. Check it out online here.

Monday, February 15, 2010

A Presidents Day Prayer

Tullian Tchividjian posted this on his blog today.

Pause and pray.

Heavenly Father, it’s President’s Day in our nation—a perfect day for praying for our authorities. As this day begins, my own heart stands convicted about how little I pray with gratitude for our past Presidents, and how very little I pray with faith for our sitting President. Forgive me, and by the power of the gospel, change my grace-less attitude.

It’s been easier for me to live as a cynic about government, especially this government, than to live as a servant of God—really believing that you set up and sit down kings, presidents, premiers and governors at your bidding. In many ways, I’m one of the “foolish men” Peter wrote about in this passage—someone whose “ignorant talk” should be silenced by more gospel sanity. Show me what “doing good” looks like as a dual citizen of the United Sates and the Kingdom of God. Show me how to use my freedom wisely and how I’m to show proper respect to everyone, including our President. You’re not calling me to be passive, but neither are you calling me to be a gospel-less pest.

Father I’m ashamed and humbled to realize that when Peter wrote this letter, Nero, the megalomaniac, was the sitting “president” in Rome. It’s obvious that Peter lived with more faith in the King of Kings than fear of the madman of madmen. Help me to do the same, Father, help me to do the same…

There’s only one everlasting Kingdom… there’s only one King worthy of my unqualified submission and obedience, and that is you, Lord Jesus. You are the “rock-becoming-a-mountain-of-redemption,” which one day will fill the whole earth (Daniel 2). You are the one upon whose shoulders the Father has placed the government of the whole world (Isaiah 9), and of the increase of your government and peace there will be NO end. You are the “ruler of the kings of the earth.” I honor you as my King… I worship you as my Savior… I love you as my Bridegroom.

 

via: Scotty Smith Blog

Church Planting Lesson Twelve

Pastor Jeff continues working through the book of Acts in this lesson. This is part two of the lesson begun in Church Planting Lesson Eleven. Tune in.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

The faith of Denzel

image I found this interesting interview with Denzel Washington conducted by Christianity Today.

Faith is everywhere in Washington's new post-apocalyptic film, The Book of Eli, which opens Friday and is being marketed with "B-ELI-EVE" and "D-ELI-VER US" billboards. In the movie, Washington plays a mysterious machete-wielding traveler named Eli, directed by God to protect the earth's last remaining copy of the Bible—that's right, the Bible—and to take it "out West" for safekeeping while villains seek to take it by force and use it as a "weapon" of control.

Washington's character in the film is intensely violent—severing the limbs of bad guys at every turn—but begins to soften when he meets an innocent girl (Mila Kunis) who reminds him that we can get so caught up in protecting God's Word that we sometimes forget to live by it.

For Washington, "living by it" is chiefly characterized by love and sacrifice. The ultimate message of Eli, he says, is "Do more for others than you would do for yourself." It's a message Washington was surrounded by as a boy.

"We prayed about everything, everyday," Washington told members of the religious media last week in Los Angeles. "And we always ended with 'Amen. God is love.' I thought 'God is love' was one word. It took me a long time to learn what that meant. I don't care what book you read or what you believe—if you don't have love, if you don't love your fellow man, then you don't have anything."

read more here

Morning fun

IMG_1593 This is how we do mornings at our house. We bounce on a fitness orb. Feed Allie solid or liquid foods along with some medications, and hide one of her socks.

IMG_1595 Here’s Allie, beautiful as she is, rejecting some of her liquid nourishment.

IMG_1596 Like every other female, Allie loves to have her back scratched.

IMG_1597 They are having way too much fun this early in the morning. Note the darkness outside over the Charming and Beautiful Susan’s shoulder.

IMG_1599 Still having way too much fun. Can you do that?

IMG_1604

Not quite in the groove

I ran three miles this morning. It's a windy 50 degrees this morning here in West Palm Beach. Perfect running weather. It was my first run since the marathon I ran a month ago in Orlando on the coldest day in history.

It felt good to be out. It clears my head. It causes me to fall in love with creation and it's Creator.

I thought of a couple of things I read in Revelation recently like the marriage supper of the Lamb and the fact that there will be no more tears in heaven along with the absence of other bad stuff. One thing I'd like to get on the menu of the Lamb's Marriage Supper is this dish I had this week at Miller's Ale House in Boca. And it isn't beer although it's hard to imagine a good place without it. I'm talking about the new seafood macaroni and cheese entree. Whoever came up with that should be elevated to sainthood. And besides tears, if I can go an eon or two without stubbing my toe. That would be awesome.

These are the kinds of thoughts I get when my head clears.

On a practical note, I learned something new about my iPhone. Well, really, I knew it but hadn't experienced it yet. When listening to the iPod feature on the iPhone, when you shake it, the music shuffles. I had forgotten about this feature because I never used it. So I thought something was malfunctioning with this thing I like to think of As the World's Greatest Invention Ever because as I ran (I'm not that smooth), three seconds of a song would play then another one would start and play for about three seconds and so on. But then I remembered I had read about the shake and shuffle feature and figured out I could turn it off in the settings. No charge for that tip.

- Posted using BlogPress

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Book Review: Crave; Wanting So Much More of God

crave Author: Chris Tomlinson
Eugene, Harvest House, 2010
Number of pages: 210

"Taste and see that the Lord is good," writes the Psalmist. Chris Tomlinson gives this verse twenty-first century context in his first book, Crave; Wanting So Much More of God.

Uncomfortable with comfortable. Rather than craving comfort, the author wants to crave more of God; to press in deeper. But with this desire comes trepidation. "It is a terrifying thing to desire submission to a mysteriously unpredictable God who delights in leading people in ways that upend the world."

In the chapter called Comfort, Tomlinson writes about the compelling yet dread-laden sense that he needed to get busy talking to people about God. But twin fears of looking like a weirdo and rejection filled him with anxiety. Since misery loves company, he recruited a handful of friends to join him in an evangelism foray at a fashionable, high traffic outdoor shopping area. They arranged some folding chairs in a circle and hung a placard inviting people to "Ask anything about God." They felt like they were heading straight down the road to becoming weirdos, but found that people were genuinely interested in talking about God. It was a top shelf topic for more people than they realized. They engaged in awesome conversations that mined well beneath surface level conversation. And the small band of evangelists found it incredibly satisfying and comforting to talk about and point people to God. Tomlinson sensed the pleasure of the Lord.

This kind of comfort is sadly unavailable to those who refuse to leave the zones of comfort they've staked out. Comfort flows from God only when we obey. This is what we're built to crave. Obedience puts us on a path of discovery.

I enjoy Tomlinson's honesty about himself. Quite frankly, he was honest about me and probably honest about you.

I also enjoyed his approach to his topics. He tells stories. He's a character in his story but God is the star. And God is the teacher always helping the author (and reader) to find rewards in obedience. Actually the tasks seem kind of small as you read about them. But if you put yourself in the author's shoes - his story telling makes it really easy for you to project yourself into the narrative - you see that the obedience isn't that easy. And the rewards far outweigh the obedience. That's the lesson learned about obedience in Tomlinson's book; it seems hard because we crave the opposite of God's will. The rewards can only be sampled on the other side of obedience.

Tomlinson wrote this book for regular Christians; regular people who are probably not on the wrong track, but they are living the Christian life going through the motions; stuck in a regular routine. Maybe they are on the wrong track. Well, then, what is it you crave? What do you want to crave? If the answer is "more of God," pick up this book and get back on track. If your answer is "more of the things that fill my life with comfort," then you, too, should pick up this book. There's a wonderful adjustment that needs to be made.

Harvest House Publishers provided me with two copies of this book; one for me to read and review, and one to give away. My copy is all dog-eared and marked up. But I have a nice new copy for anyone in the Broward or Palm Beach county areas willing to buy me a cup of coffee at a nearby Starbucks. Be the first to leave me a comment, and we can set up a meet where we'll slurp coffee and you get a book.

Check out Chris Tomlinson's website. Or follow him on Twitter. Or become a fan of his Facebook page.



Purchase this book

Missions trip to Antarctica 'totally fruitless'

At first I’m like “WHAT?” And then I saw it was Lark News…

ALBANY, New York — Taking literally the Bible's injunction to spread the gospel to the uttermost parts of the world, a group of adults from Albany, New York, went on a short-terms missions trip to Antarctica but were disappointed by what they didn't find: people.
   "It was a total waste," said John Alder, who held garage sales and sold his RV so he and his wife could go. "We got off the boat and all we could see was a white, icy wasteland. Even the scientific outpost was unmanned."
   The team of 14 huddled for eight days and waited for the boat to return, reading aloud from the Bible and occasionally sending search parties to look for possible converts. They survived on penguin meat and stayed warm by crawling inside the still-warm corpse of a large seal.
   The group made it home chilled but safe, and had to give the church their disappointing report.
   "Next time we'll at least construct a building in case poor children move to that continent some day and need shelter," said the team's leader. "Of course, that means we'd have to find wood."

http://larknews.com/april_2003/secondary.php?header=header&page=missions_antarctica

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Voodoo priest’s son leads other Haitians to Christ

 Greg Kappas also sent this story around in an email last week. Unfortunately, negative stories about Haiti and missionaries have been most popular in major media. If you have been praying for Haiti and for God to move there, this story highlights how the Lord has been at work answering your prayers.

imageBy Tristan Taylor
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (BP)—On a hot afternoon in a crowded, makeshift camp in Port-au-Prince, Jean Junior Cineas sits under a tarp suspended by a broomstick. He shares his faith with five Haitians left homeless after a Jan. 12 earthquake rocked their island nation. Soon, all five pray to receive Christ as their Savior.
The irony: Cineas is the son of a voodoo priest.

“It gives me joy to [share Christ],” says Cineas as he moves through the rows of tents. “I love to do that. It is my life.”
Cineas, 26, who prefers to go by Junior, has had plenty of opportunities to share his faith since disaster struck. He says voodoo’s influence has diminished and many Haitians are now calling on God.

“There are a lot of people who came to Jesus from voodoo ...,” Junior says. “I heard that during the earthquake, my father called on Jesus. He said ‘Oh Jesus. I know what You can do.’ But I wasn’t there. I do not know if it’s true.”
Some Haitians were awed by the power displayed in the earthquake — a power greater than anything they see in voodoo, Junior says. Others are grateful to have survived and want to give their lives to the God who saved them. It is rare for Junior to meet someone who does not want to be prayed for or to hear about his faith.

And much like the apostle Paul, Junior helps disciple those he leads to Christ. He plans to buy five Creole-language Bibles and return to the tent city to teach his five new friends to study God’s Word.

The transformation of Junior and many of his countrymen has not come easily, though.

Junior grew up in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, in a family immersed in voodoo religion. Voodoo, a mixture of Catholicism and African Traditional Religion, is deep-rooted in Haitian culture. Like most voodoo priests, Junior’s father has multiple wives and so many children Junior doesn’t know them all. He was alienated from his family early on when his father’s wives rejected him and made him live in a peristyle (voodoo temple) in the yard.

Junior grew up not knowing his mother — she died when he was young — but he knew what his future held. He was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a voodoo priest.

“I didn’t know [all that my father knew about] voodoo — but what I knew, I loved,” Junior says.

Much of his childhood revolved around voodoo and learning about its mysticism. But he also learned about the darker, dangerous parts — the belief in the ability to kill people by sending evil spirits.

“If you believe in it, you can understand it,” Junior says. “I used to understand it, but now I know Jesus. I know [evil spirits] cannot hurt me now, because I have Jesus.”

Junior’s future changed at age 16 when an International Mission Board missionary visited his father’s house. The Southern Baptist missionary told Bible stories, and Junior heard the Gospel for the first time. His father did not accept the stories and continued to practice voodoo, but he gave Junior permission to become a Christian.

“I love God so much,” Junior says with a smile. “How can I explain?”

He began ministering with the missionary, helping tell Bible stories to fellow Haitians. Before long, Junior’s father changed his mind — he no longer wanted his son to be a Christian. Junior’s new faith began causing conflict in his father’s house.

“It was very difficult for me,” he says. “I prayed for God to take me away from that family.”

When his missionary friend returned to the United States, Junior met IMB missionaries Mark and Peggy Rutledge in Port-au-Prince — and found a new family. He was able to escape tensions and voodoo activity at home by staying with the Rutledges on weekends. When Junior finished high school, their house became his new home.

“Peggy and Mark are my family,” he says. “I owe them everything in my life. Without knowing me, they took me into their home. I love them so much.”

Living with the Rutledges and their two daughters, Junior experienced a loving home with both a mother and a father for the first time.

“Peggy showed me what is mother,” Junior says in broken English. “Before, I didn’t know mother. I didn’t call anyone mother. Now I know what a mother is like.”

“Junior became like our son and a big brother to our girls,” says Peggy, referring to daughters Shannon, 14, and Abi, 11. “As he lived with us, we tried to disciple him and show him what a Christian family is all about. We saw so much potential in him. We grew to love him as part of our family.”

Junior also learned about living in a home that worships a loving God.
“He was part of our family Bible studies and often he sat in when we did Bible study with the girls [during their homeschooling],” Peggy says. “He began devouring God’s Word. He loved it. And like all of us, he went through rough patches in life, where God was teaching him things that might be difficult. But we kept encouraging him to always go back to God’s Word as the plumb line to measure by.”

As he grew in his faith, Junior discovered what it is to be part of God’s family, too.

“When I have Jesus, I am surrounded by family. For this, I love God,” he says.

But Junior still cares about his Haitian family and wants them to experience Jesus’ love the way he does. Still, tensions persist.
“I love my father. I really, really love my father. I want him to know Christ,” Junior says. “It is really, really difficult. I try to be wise and share Jesus with him, but after a while, he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

Others in Junior’s family have been more receptive. He led a half sister to Christ last summer and is currently witnessing to another half sister.

And Junior’s relationship with his Heavenly Father is flourishing. He has a passion for evangelism and is a first-year theology student at Emmaus Biblical Seminary in Cap-Haitien, Haiti.

“He has such an exuberance for God,” says Peggy. “He feels called to be an evangelist, and he’s so gifted at it. He knows just what to say to people [when sharing his faith]. God really speaks through him.”

“There are many people who have not heard about Jesus,” Junior says. “Many people are lost. This makes me sad. I want to do what Jesus said. I want to evangelize. He gave us the Great Commission.”

Tristan Taylor is a writer for the IMB in the Americas.

http://www.imb.org/main/news/details.asp?StoryID=8355&LanguageID=1709&cid=imbel#

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

Burnt soldier continues service




The easiest place in the world to become bitter or cop a bad attitude is in the military. Ask anyone who has served. Patriotism wears off tends to wear off quickly in the "hurry up an wait" environment. Boredom, cynism, and loneliness sets in serving far from home. That's why the following story is so remarkable.

"On a cold December morning in 2005, Del Toro, a brawny sergeant trained to call in airstrikes, was tracking the Taliban near Kabul when his Humvee hit an explosive.

Del Toro had burns over 80 percent of his body. As he waited for a helicopter, his buddies kept reminding him to stay awake, for his wife and young son.

After three months in a medically induced coma, Del Toro regained consciousness at Brooke Army Medical Center and was given only a 20 percent chance of living. Doctors said he might not walk again and might be on a ventilator for life."

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.mysanantonio.com/military/83840892.html?ua=i&c=y

- Posted using BlogPress

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Weekly Meanderings - Jesus Creed

Scot McKnight, prolific author and blogger, linked to the article Christine Scheller wrote about our family from his blog. Click “Must-read” on Jesus Creed.

Weekly Meanderings - Jesus Creed

Her.meneutics

Chris%202009.JPGChristine Scheller interviewed us a couple of month’s ago for one of Christianity Today’s online publications Her.meneutics.

It was a tough interview for us because we had to re-hash and re-visit emotions we forgot we had. Reading the article doesn’t help, but Christine is a phenomenal writer and tells the story well.

The name of the article is Saving the Life of a Shaken Baby. Christine interviewed the Charming and Beautiful Susan, me, Aaron, and Charity.

Her.meneutics