Going Back!

We are so excited to realize that we'll be going back to Venezuela in a little over a month!  We've not returned to that beautiful country that was our home from 1991 to 2002.  We've been priviledged to have the opportunity to renew acquaintances and encourage the church that we planted in 1995 in the city of Maracay.  We'll be leaving October 12 and returning to Canton on October 22nd.  We have the opportunity not only to revisit some of the beauty of the area but also to preach and teach and sing (Avril) in the church.

I am a bit overwhelmed with the challenge of preaching and teaching in Spanish.  It has been sooooo many years since I've done that.  Pray for the enabling of God's Spirit to be able to effectively communicate the Word of God to the church and to their invited friends.  Pray for Avril as she has opportunity to sing; pray for a freedom in her spirit to not only enable people to worship but also to come to faith in Christ through her songs.

We have a full schedule.  October 15 give a devotional to the young people.  October 16 lead a seminar for the small group leaders.  October 17 to 19th preach to the church and their invited guests in a mini evangelistic campaign.  October 20 lead a seminar for the church leaders.

Very excited!  Also very humbled!  We need the grace of God to overshadow us so that we can accomplish God's purposes for our visit to Maracay.

More postings to follow.  We'll let you know about the Country and the City and the Church.  We'll walk you through our daily journey once we arrive.

Sooo excited!!

Gideon - From Good to Not So Great

Gideon was a man of mediocrity. He battled fear, discouragement, and disbelief. Yet God slowly but surely moved Gideon from good to great. When Gideon finally believed God’s promises and acted upon them, the Lord used him to conquer the Midianites and save Israel.

If the story ended there Gideon would forever be remembered as a man of greatness. Unfortunately, not all stories have happy endings.  Gideon did something that led not only his family, but his nation into disfavor with God.  In one simple act Gideon went from good to not so great.  His legacy is forever tarnished.

No man wants to go from good to not so great.  No man wakes up one morning and decides that today would be a good day to ruin his legacy.

Casting Crowns sings a poignient song, "It's A Slow Fade".  The chorus describes the slow fade,

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away

It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray

Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid

When you give yourself away

People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands Is shorter than you're thinking

Be careful if you think you stand You just might be sinking

Come and join us on this Saturday morning at 7:00 am at the "Band of Brothers" as we learn from Gideon's experience about how to detect and avoid the "slow fade."

"The fear of the Lord - that is wisdom,

and to shun evil is understanding."

Job 28:28

Marriage Built to Last

Beginning Sunday, September 12th @ 9:30 am we begin a 6 week journey together of learning to Live Intentionally and Love Biblically! Our journey is going to take us through 6 critical themes for developing Marriages that are strong and built upon a firm foundation. Beginning Sept. 12th and concluding on Oct. 24th we'll be diving into:

Sept. 12th - Adjusting to Expectations: We all bring certain expectations into a marriage, rightly or wrongly. What do we do with those expectations when they are unfulfilled? Unmet expectations or unrealistic expectations are marriage killers! But there is hope and an answer for the question of "expectations."

Sept. 19th - Learning to Communicate Clearly: Dr. Norman Wright wrote a book years ago with the title, "Communication - the Key to your Marriage." What is your communication style? Are you sure that what you're trying to communicate was clearly understood? How important is communication to you? These are some of the questions we'll examine. We can ALL become better communicators - and we need to if we want to build marriages that last!

Sept. 26th - Breaking Down Walls: Unintentionally or intentionally, we begin to construct walls in our marriage. Walls protect, they shut out, they block off, they isolate! Walls break down what should be good, solid marriages. In this session we'll identify some of the walls and learn how to deal with them. We need to deal with them if we want to have open and honest communication and build a marriage that lasts.

Oct. 10th - Resolving Conflict: "A little conflict is healthy, right?" Perhaps! You can't help but have conflict when you bring two individuals together in an intimate relationship such as marriage. But how do you handle the conflict, that's the key to building a lasting marriage. We'll learn together how to D.I.F.U.S.E conflict in our marriages.

Oct. 17th - Restoring Sex and Intimacy: Have you heard this before, "Sex begins in the kitchen"? What is that all about? Sex has more to do with a loving, intimate relationship than the actual act of sex. Sex is a gift from God to married couples but it is enhanced, not through pornography, but through healthy, loving communication. Sitting down at the kitchen table to talk is the key to a healthy and fun sex life. Restoring sex to it's rightful place and growing in intimacy as a couple are two keys to building a marriage that lasts.

Oct. 24th - Striving for a Christ-Centered Marriage: A marriage that lasts through all the storms that come against it is one that has Christ at the center. Christ is the stablizing factor. Christ is the organizing factor. Christ is the model. If we can learn to build our marriages around how Christ loved and cared for the Church, we'll be building strong and lasting marriages that serve as models to our children and our grand children.

Legends - Joseph

This week our attention turns to another Legend of the faith, Joseph. We're going to get a glimpse into what it looks like for us to trust God's loving sovereignty. That describes Joseph for us. Joseph was just trying to be a dutiful son and remain faithful to God when he was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. A key phrase that describes Joseph's journey is found several times in Genesis, "The Lord was with Joseph."

• The Lord was with Joseph in Potiphar's household.
  
• The Lord was with Joseph in Prison.
  
• The Lord was with Joseph in Pharaoh's court.

Joseph understood that and so did those he encountered.

Band of Brothers, we'll be diving into this on Saturday morning. Make sure you're there at 7:00 for some coffee and thoughtful study and discussion about God's loving sovereignty. See you then!

Legends - Abraham

We're off to a good start with the Band of Brothers. Last Saturday we looked into the life of Abraham. The key word we looked at in relation to Abraham was SECURITY! What God asked Abraham to do would have rocked most of our worlds, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." (Gen. 12:9) In effect God was asking Abraham, "Abraham are you willing to give up what you have to gain something even better?" The problem for Abraham was he didn't have any idea what that better would look like or where it would be or when he would receive it. If he wanted what God was offering he'd have to forsake his sense of security?

Around whom or what do you tend to build your sense of security? What happens to your world when everything you've depended upon for security is removed from you? Abraham is a lesson of NOT building our security around the "comfortable known" but rather around God.

So let me ask 5 questions based on Abraham's journey:

1. Do I trust God with my future? Is his will part of my decision making? (Gen. 12:1-7)


2. Do I trust God with my interests even when I seem to be receiving an unfair settlement? (Gen. 13:8-13)


3. How have I demonstrated my continued trust in God during those times when I have been required to wait? (Gen. 15:7-11)


4. In what occasions of my life have I acted simply in obedience to God, and not because I understood the significance of what I was doing? (Gen. 17:9-27)


5. In what ways has my life demonstrated that I will not allow anything to come before God? (Gen. 22:1-12)

You've got to love Abraham! His response is seemingly immediate and childlike, "So Abrahm left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abrahm was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran." Don't you love that! Seventy-Five years old and instead of settling into the nursing home he embarks on a journey that would cause most twenty-five year olds to think twice. You can do that when your security is not built on the "comfortable known" but rather built on the one who leads you into the "uncomfortable unknown" - God.

First shot at blogging! I want this blog to be useful and helpful as well as informative. More to come...