Spent–the idea is to be used up. It’s a great image of the Christian in service to God. We are “used up” for His glory. What we have is His. What we are able to do is His. What we long for is His. When we look back, we recognize that true life is being spent for Jesus.

What are you spending your life on? What gets your energy? Your passion? Your attention? Your affection? Is it worth it?

I’m waiting on details: what supplies, for what ages, how many, etc. As soon as I know, I’ll let you know. We can meet this need for our community.

No one can endure infants and toddlers being abused. No one can allow them to be cared for with less than the minimum supplies. So, we’ll rise to the occasion and we’ll help.

Please be watching for information and when the opportunity comes, please step forward and help.  And if anyone wants to “lead” this ministry, please contact me.  Leading in this case means organizing and recruiting and probably a bit more.

Go to our website for more information.

My translator in Brno, Czech Republic

I nearly missed my train tonight. I traveled back from Brno and arrived in Vienna. I was at Wein Meidling with 6 minutes to spare.  I was to board on track 4. But there was a train in the way and it wasn’t going anywhere (I asked). Suddenly I realized my train was moved to track 3 and there was no announcement, at least none I heard.  I made the train with 2 minutes to spare.

I had a marvelous experience teaching Czech students (and on Pole) this past week. We spent 8 1/2 hours a day together studying hermeutics (how to study the Bible). They were great students.  11 for credit and another dozen auditing.  We had a great time together.  We ate lunch at a local restaurant and then had supper together in the basement of the church building where the class was held.

I’ve attached a picture of my “voice.”  His name is Tomas (Tom). He did a great job speaking for me. I about wore him out, actually. Because there were so many English speaking students in the group I would sometimes forget to stop and wait for him.  He’d have to remind me that it needed translated.

Next week I’ll be in Moldova. Another group of students another topic. I’m looking forward to being there and meeting this group.  I’ve had the director of the program in class before (Romania, 1998, I think). Mihai is now Dr. Malancea and president of the seminary where our class is held.

I’ll let you know how it goes…

My eyes are tracing the hoof prints up the side of the hill in the Vienna Woods at Haus Edelweiss. Apparently some small deer and goats have been coming down to drink from the pond. I’m hoping I’ll see them in the morning before I leave for Brno, Czech Republic to teach.

I’ve experienced this feeling before. ‘What am I doing here?’ Never in my wildest imagination would I have seen myself in Eastern/Central Europe teaching. If I remember correctly, this will make my fifteen year to be here. When I go to Moldova next Sunday, it will be my 8th formerly communist country. Eight really isn’t many, but it’s 8 more than I ever dreamed I’d be in.

But I feel that way about a lot of things. I could have never imagined being allowed to preach in a church like Madison Park. Some Sundays I have to pinch myself to remind me it’s not a dream. I could only imagine preaching in small, unhealthy congregations. I could only dream that a few Sundays a year someone who wasn’t a Christian might visit. Now look…we have guests every week.

Being part of media exposure for Haiti reminded me again that you can never fully anticipate where God is going to take you and how you are going to be asked to serve. I not only could not imagine being on TV for any reason (other than a crime, maybe), much less having an opportunity to ask folks for money for a nation of hurting people.

I guess what I’ve been impress with today is simple—God is such an incredible mystery and His ways are so unimaginable. Yet…so delightful. What a joy to simply watch Him do the unexpected.

I’ve decided not to try to imagine what’s next…it’s more fun just watching it unfold.

Chrissy and Shaina are in Cariess, Haiti now. They arrived safely with eight suitcases of supplies and some cash to help cover immediate expenses.

We’ve made contact with Western Union and are seeking ways of getting additional relief funds transferred to Haiti.

Our first shipment to the container was over 4 tons of supplies.  We now have a semi-trailer over half filled to send. These supplies will be part of a second container to be shipped within the next week or so. This container is actually twice as long as the first one.  I also just learned the containers will take approximately one week to get there.

We’ve collected boxes and boxes of food, clothing, shoes and medical supplies. We’re sending dozens of crutches and walkers.  There are pallets of water and many bags and boxes of rice. There’s a set of tires being sent for the truck that is in use there.

This afternoon we loaded several boxes of “kid’s gifts” from the students at Ellington School. They collected stuff and made small boxes of supplies and treats for Haitian children. What a great way to learn generosity and compassion.

A Gator will be put on the truck first thing tomorrow morning and we’re looking at a skidloader. That part of the project is still under way.

$34,715 in cash has been received.  The first $8,000 of the cost of equipment has also been collected.

God is indeed good and the need is clearly great.

Many, many thanks for your help and your prayers.

In other words, if there was a God we would live in Utopia. We did. It was called Eden.  And we blew it. Mankind couldn’t quite be satisfied with his/her lot in life and so they chose to “be like god.”  That act of self-elevation (which we’ve come to call “the Fall”), brought brokenness into our world.  Mankind was not only separated from God, men and women were separated from each other, and, we were separated from creation.

Every time there is a tragedy (flood, hurricane, earthquake, etc) we have the opportunity to demonstrate whether or not we are going to react to the tragedy with anger, skepticism, bitterness or some other response or if we will respond to the situation with a desire to bring healing and reconciliation.

Mankind’s penchant seems to be foster alienation. Our invitation is to bring healing and reconciliation. Read the news and it appears we tend toward bullying and teasing, separation and divorce, abuse and rape and murder. However, when you look closely you’ll see that some seek to bring healing.

Christian’s are certainly not immune to the suffering. The question is, do they lead the way in the reconciliation. We’ve done better in the spiritual realm than in other arenas. We’re pretty good at helping people reconnect with God. In the social realm we’re a little less successful. Certainly we try to bring marriages together, prevent abuse, bring healing to broken people and families.  We’re probably least successful in the realm of creation, though some do recycle and conserve.

My invitation to you is to watch the Haiti situation. See what the media celebrates. Most likely it will be celebrity response. But look beneath the story and see what also happens.  Thousands of people, many poor themselves, will give, not from their abundance, but from their lack. Missionaries will do a great job making sure supplies get to the needy. They won’t ask for nor receive publicity. But, in the midst of meeting the current physical and social needs, they’ll introduce spiritual healing and reconciliation.

We see it already–right here. We’re not receiving huge gifts from celebrity donors.  We’re getting lots and lots of small bags of food from widows and others. We’re getting calls from parents about their children contributing. In some small way, what we will see is a strong attempt at reconciliation to counteract the alienation.

Since then I’ve learned of several friends who were already in Haiti when this happened. Some were right in the heart of the damage. So far as I’ve been able to discover, they are all okay. For that I’m grateful.  And they are providing much needed ministry. I’m grateful for that as well.

How quickly…and unexpectedly…life can change. I can’t help but think that there are things I need to say to loved ones. There are folks out there that I really hope will come to know Christ and I don’t know if they have years of opportunity ahead of them or only minutes. I’ve even reflected on how grateful I am that my life is in the hands of God and my confidence in Him remains in tact.

Please, join me in praying for people in Haiti. And, giving thanks for the protection of many. And, for those who need to know Jesus–both here and there. And, for yourself, that you will get all those things said that need said…in time.

I don’t know exactly what God is up to, but I’m convinced there are some exciting things on the horizon. We are seeing God work in the lives of people–producing life change–and we’re going to see even more. Every week there are new people who visit our services. We pray every Sunday morning that we are good hosts and that people see Jesus in us. But even at that, it’s only an extremely small percentage of Quincy and the surrounding area. However, when we see ourselves as Jesus among men, we impact a far greater percentage of the people. We are everywhere and therefor, Jesus is everywhere.

As we spend the next several weeks talking about “being the church” please make yourself available. Ask what God can do with you to make a difference in people’s lives.

We’ve been talking about the drought in Kenya and our own Ashleigh Leenerts’ ministry of trying to feed 1600+ families. Africa Hope (Ashleigh’s ministry) recently received a grant from International Disaster Emergency Services for $85,000 to provide food. Ashleigh let us know that an additional $9,000 was needed to distribute the food. So, we planned on doing what we could through our re-thinking Christmas efforts and the Christmas Eve offering.

Then, Sunday, after 2nd service, a family approached me and offered to cover the entire expense. I confess, I was blown away by their generosity. Not because of them, simply because I often don’t expect God to act so clearly and so immediately.

I was challenged in my own trust of God. I was challenged concerning my own generosity. I am humbled by God’s grace and kindness. I am blessed to see God so clearly at work.

Wow!!! What a privilege to be able to see what God is doing right in that moment.

A couple of paragraphs later she says, “It he Bible is indeed the Word of the Living God, revealed and made intelligible to us through the power of the Holy Spirit, then our lack of curiosity bespeaks the failure to be alert to the presence of God in our midst and so refresh ourselves and our tired arguments by returning again and again to the new word that waits to be heard today.”

She then quotes Isaiah 65:1, “I would have been inquired of by those who did not even ask; I would have been found by those who did not even seek me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a people who did not call upon my name.”

It’s an intriguing way to begin a book and a clear reminder to me that I need to slow down and ponder Scripture as I read. I’m afraid that in my life she’s right—I read what I perceive I already understand and don’t listen carefully for the voice of God.

I’m not (yet) recommending the book to you—it’s way too early for that—just reflecting on the first few pages.