...too small a thing...

Mission Team Inc

The life long dream of helping others to be a part of short-term missions is the work of Mission Team Inc.  Check out my dreams at www.missionteaminc.com

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Bigger in Texas? We had a big time...

A group from Burnt Hickory Baptist Church left for Bridge City TX last Friday at noon with a full tank of diesel on the bus and high spirits we set off to find the Hurricane Ike battered First Baptist Church. We rolled in at midnight and bedded down in the church in a nice clean upper room we soon made look like Ike had returned.  We spent Saturday most of Sunday except for the time for a worship hour, Monday and half a day on Tuesday, hanging sheet rock in the badly damaged First Baptist Church. Six to Eight inches of water poured into the buildings during the storm causing damage of course to the walls and floors of the building and many homes. Check out all the photos in the new album.  We met a bunch on nice folks from Houston, Dallas, Frisco (TX) and of course Bridge City. We were fed like kings and praised for our armature sheet rock hanging work as if we  were  pros.  In all the trip had  15  of us from Burnt Hickory 12 Men and 3 Women. I was personally blessed a great deal by just watching BHBC Young people work some really long hours with little goofing off and no complaining. The team was led by Mickey O'Kelly a veteran of several teams to the Gulf area which has experienced a lot of hurricane damage in the last few years.

Pastor  Bob  Boone  spoke with the team and led  in prayer for the group as they left and seemed to  fight back the tears as he expressed his thanks to the group for the work they had accomplished.  

The folks in this church need prayer and support as the continue to be a witness in the community and try to repair not only their church building but most of them their own homes. The pastor is living in a borrowed motor home and the youth minister is living almost an hour away with family and both need repairs to their home in order to move back home. The sign says it all they have had a tough time by they are still fighting and they will be back. I was truly impressed with the spirit of the people and the willingness to keep looking forward and not behind. I hope to be able to be a part of  another team to help this community and church rebuild their lives.

Here is a good shot of the group taken by pastor Bob Boone on Monday.

The Difficulty With Mission Work and Schedules

I have always heard it said you cannot do everything, so choose carefully what you want to do. This is so true at the holidays. I am known as someone who goes on a lot of mission trips, so it has become the second question after "how are you." that most people ask me "Where are you going on a trip next?"  This is the standard sort of question. And the truth is  I am in fact it seems always planning a trip somewhere. Today, I will leave for Texas for 5 days four nights and it will be a pretty quick trip down to Bay City Texas to work in the First Baptist Church hanging and finishing sheetrock.

I am delighted to be going and will have pictures in a few days. A team is going from Burnt Hickory so I have worked with before. Driving the bus, hanging sheet rock and preaching on Sunday will be my opportunities. The only difficulty is the fact I will miss thanksgiving at my Mother in Law's house on Sunday. This is one of the hazards of Mission work at the holidays. Folks who go on mission teams regularly know that you must sacrifice and there is never a time when you can schedule a Short Term Trip and not an inconvenience for someone.

I have spent several of my birthdays on the mission field.  I also have to admit several of mine and Kathy's anniversaries have been a phone call only as I was on the field. Many others I know have experienced similar circumstances and have a long list of events and things that have happened while they were away. None is more notable than David Meriwether MTI Board member and Friend being away when Drew Meriwether came into the world and David ended up getting his first glimpse of Drew in a little board house on the edge of Rosita Nicaragua in an internet Cafe. (See the photo) It was a neat moment. but I know Grandpa David wanted to be with family..  

Jesus told us to count the cost before a man tries to build a tower. We are also told that we must sacrifice. When I consider all the good times I have missed by being gone on a mission trip when great things are happening at home I know two things. First I have missed a great many things that I would have loved to been a part of, but I can only hear how it went. But second that God has blessed me in the mission efforts and I have hundreds of experiences that make my life so blessed that I cannot ever feel like I have missed anything. I will miss Mom's Thanksgiving dinner and I hate that, But I know that there will be moments in TX over this next few days that will be blessed of God. Thank you Lord for a life so full and blessed I have to choose between good, better, and best and I have found that in YOU Lord is always best.

What a Great Feeling

To accomplish something that is bigger than what you know you can or would do on your own is a blessing. Wednesday afternoon I had the joy of walking back into a little conference room at Southeasten Baptist Theological Seminary and Dr Frank Catanzaro told me Congratualtions! This meant I passed on my Doctor of Ministry Thesis. The process to get to this point is over 4 years old and has seen many hours in the books and at the keyboard. The amount of class time seems very small but study time is overwhelming. I would not have completed without the encouragement of Kathy and my family and friends. I have been strengthened by God and enabled by Our Lord to be able to complete the work. I am humbled as I know everything I have comes from the Hand of the Lord. I am grateful to all who have helped me in the project. Cobb County Police officers who were a part of the study and interview process. Rod Smith proofread for me as of course Kathy did and others. Mike Stephens who supervised me in the feild and ultimately ever person who helped in some way, to all of you I say thank you.

The final edits which are very few in number and the sending to be bound and placed in the Liabrary at SEBTS will be accomplished by Monday and then we as a family look forward to the graduation on December the 12 on campus in Wake Forest North Carolina. What a Great Feeling.

Of Course my prayer is that the material will useful to police officers who are involved in deadly force events and are in any way troubled by the difficult challenges of the job of law enforcement. I will be rewriting the information into a version which will be usable for officers. Here is a picture of the chapel at SEBTS campus where the Graduation will take place. Thank you Lord for allowing me to accomplish something in your name. 

"What we have here is a failure to Communicate."

The quote from Cool Hand Luke is a well known one. Can you imagine living with your family, but not speaking with them or communicating with them. Getting up in the morning, and going about your task without saying good morning. Leaving for work, without saying goodbye or having a discussion of what your agenda is for the day. Not knowing when you will be home or what plans will there be for later in the day. Not looking ahead for the week or other upcoming events.

Would this be rude? Would this be a sign of other problems? Would it show a lack of love and absence of a true relationship that is dynamic? Yet,so many people do not communicate or even speak to each other and yet they attempt to live with each other. There is a lack of basic communication among so many families. So many of our problems have this problem.

In this fast paced world, the missed communication or real expression of sharing life is too often a note. This is not all bad but it is not the ideal. The common courtesy of spending a few minutes with each other in the morning is replaced by a text message or email. We sadly use the notes only to communicate the essentials and not our true feelings. We only say things like, "I will be late," or "I am going to the store" or what ever needs to be said to insure the function of the family. There is so little or no expansion of ideas, feelings, or expression of what is truly being experienced. Have our lives become so busy that this is all we have? Must we must depend on electrical gadgets to express ourselves. Do not get me wrong I do believe in using email, text, and voice mail as they do make our lives much easier, but the reduction of communication to the bare basics of functionality is sadly what is happening and we are losing the true ability to express ourselves.

What is even sadder is the reality that many treat God this way. We spend so little time with Him. We even communicate electronically as we get our prayer request  out and  read over them  on the internet.

If your wife sends you an email or text or leaves a voice mail would you ignore it? Not if you want life to go on as normal. (What ever that is or means for you.) If your child leaves you a note on the counter to do something would you act like it is not there. Would there be no consideration for your child's request? Brittany often does her laundry at night and leaves me a note to put laundry in the dryer. I would be wrong to ignore this request especially when it takes so little on my part.

Think about what we are doing now as the family of God. We often ignore the note from God. We have the note (His Word the Bible) but we ignore even to read it to find out what he has that is important today that He wants to communicate to us. We fail to talk to Him. We get up in the morning and ignore Him. We have the note from Him so readily available. I have two new testaments I usually carry one of them. I have several computer programs with His Word on both of my computers. I have the internet bibles that I can access from anyone's computer. I even have the ESV on my phone, so I have it with me all the time. I have mulitple versons on my desk and in my study.....but how many times a day do I read? Too few, too often, is my honest answer.

Then for me to speak to God is another matter. I kind of address the main issure as needed to keep the appearance of  godliness in my life. Meal time, church meetings, even at night in our family prayer time I will pray outloud and seem to have a great thing going. But too often, the time needed when I speak to the father and sit and listen to Him speak to me through His word is lacking in my life.  In other words I am fucntioning but not realling communicating for the realtioship to be dynamic.

Reading the Word of God should be one of the highest priorities in every believers life. Putting myself in the place of Brittany or minute I should be leaving a note for the Father by way of prayer. Think about this for a minute. Brittany leaves me a note and goes to bed with confidence that when I read the note there will be little doubt that I will help her out with the request. She does not worry or make more out of it than is necessary but just leaves the communication with me. How much more will our father do. If we communicate with Him will he ignore us? Of course not. What if she leaves notes that are silly or outlandish demanding things that are inappropriate? What if Brittany left me a note asking I give her $ 10,000.00 this morning or asking me to make a bad situation go away and fix it before breakfast. While I might want to do these things, and possibley could do some of them, should I? Would that be good for Brittany? Of course the answer is no. But what if instead of fixing her problem or ansering her oultlansish request, left her a note about opportunities or ideas that if she would practice and put in place in her life would be the answer she needed. But what if she then ignored my note? If she did not read my note what should I do?

God has left us love notes and told us how life should be lived. We ignore his notes and leave (by way of prayers) a list of demads as to what we think we need most. How selfishly we focus on self. Are you reading His communications to  you and then by way of meditations thinking about your situations problems and needs in light of what  He is speaking to you through the Word.

Is it any wonder our world is so full of messy situations and problems that are difficult. Is it any wonder we see so little of the lack of the power of God revealed.

Lets resolve to communicate with God as a family should. Read His notes more . Leave him a note with  reasonable expectaions and then believe Him that it will be taken care of in a timely manner. We should do this knowing He is likely going to give you a responsibility to know his thoughts (His Word) and apply  His teaching to the situation or problem.

I love God and yet I am terrible to not communicate properly. My prayer is this makes you think about your own communication with Him and that you and I can do a better job on communications.

Blogging Blues

It has been several days since I brought forth any great wisdom into the cyberspace. I hope you have not suffered from boredom during the interlude, after all the world has continued since I last wrote. There has been a whole bunch of stuff that has happened. Like for one thing we have in the USA elected a new president. Now we have discovered that Sarah Palin was not the nice lady that we all thought that she was. (If you believe the guys that are getting ready to write books.)

President elect Obama is facing a big task. He has a new government to set up. He is already facing challenges from those who will test his metal and see if he is up to the task. Israel is watching and Russia is already threating. The stock market went into the hole two days in a row.  There is talk of all three US auto makers going bankrupt and who knows how many banks will fail.
Things are in bad shape.     Lets blog something better.............

So.... I got to marry a nice young couple Saturday.  A neat outdoor Fall wedding. Surrounded by Mountains and friends I pronounced Blake Chambers and Dana Lester to be husband and wife. Dana was so cool she had a big White horse drawn carriage that brought her and her dad to the top of the hill where the wedding was happening, while everyone watched. It was neat.

The real reason I have had the blogging blues is that I have put about 60 hours in in 5 days on a rewrite on my Doctor of Ministry Project. I had talked to my professors on Thursday a week ago, and found out I needed to do a bunch. So I did. The last two nights have been spent reading it out loud to Kathy,so we could try to correct every error and misspelling and unclear thought in the document. What a bunch of work. I will be going to SEBTS next Wednesday to stand Oral Defense on the project. If all goes well graduation day is Dec 12.

Dad shot a deer....but they did not find it. (Yeah for those of you who know how bad he has been he is still using a cane some, but he is so much better). I am going to Florida with Bob In a little while to make a delivery to the cape (yeah he is better also.)(and yes we are driving down and back in about 20 Hours)

Kids are all fine .....Kathy is prettier than ever..and ....I guess that sort of That about catches you up for the last week of my life.

With all the bad news there is usually some Good news so...

One more major thing Jesus is still Lord.

How Now?

The reality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ should be the most important and driving force in our lives. The fact that eternity is waiting for all of us should determine our actions daily. We either believe the reality of the teaching of the scripture about heaven and hell or we do not. I do. So how can I best make a difference in this world for the Kingdom of God?

I look around me and I see small churches and even medium size churches that are struggling to get a group together every Sunday. How can they tap into the hundreds of thousands of people in  our  communities who spend Sunday and most of the rest of their time caring less about what any church is doing? Yet most of these same people do care about spiritual issues. Most surveys will tell you that the majority of people do believe in God but they do not attend church because they are too busy,  or  very sadly  church is too  boring.   Our  culture is oozing with entertainment and amusement. Everything tries to catch our attention and ultimately our  wallets.  How can the church compete?

Let me put forth an idea that is not unique, not original and not even profound but one you have heard before. The answer to growing a church is to involve people in Short Term Missions. It is Biblical Read Matthew 10 and Luke 10. It is doable look around and you will find people who are doing it. It is life changing. (Here is the deal...Some do not want change.) Churches or more specifically church people who are missing the call to be involved in short term  missions projects are  missing an opportunity that is unprecedented in the history of the  world. Thinking that you cannot do it is the correct thinking. Let me repeat that statement you did read it correctly. THINKING YOU CANNOT DO IT IS THE CORRECT THINKING!   You cannot ... BUT God can. Short Term Missions cannot happen apart from a call from  God and a response of His people to say what Isaiah said In Ch 6 of his book "Here am I send Me"

The problem is not are there resources or  time  or places to go with Short Term missions the problem is people who are not listening to the voice of God To GO>>>>>Or to Get Involved.

When people get involved they seem to get consumed with the aspect of Short Term Missions. Can you think of something better? Think now clearly for a minute. Short Term Missions is about reaching people for Christ. Making disciples is the highest priority. What will stand up against this thought 100 years from now? What are you consumed with today? What are you trying to accomplish in the next 6 months? My prayer is that one person will read this and realize that their priorty is out of whack and they will sign up to be on a short term missions today.

Being at Peace with Ourselves

This is a thought that I have pondered lately. I have been too often troubled by little things going on and not looking at the big picture. My 401k becoming a 101k and the fact that credit is getting harder to get and I may need a loan to get my next tank of gas does not help. I have had to consider a big change in my ministry over the last couple of months but the Lord has shown me decisively that for now I should continue to do what I have been doing over the last few months and I am fine with that idea. Paul wrote about this subject:
        If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.1 Tim 6:8 (NASB)

     Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Phil 4:11-13 (NASB)

Too often we are concerned with things we cannot change and forget to celebrate the little things of everyday living that God blesses us with each day. Work that is fulfilling, relaxation that is refreshing, food that is tasty, friends and family that are warm and loving, and assurnce of salvation are all worth celebration. I am so blessed I should never be troubled by things I cannot change or influnce significantly. However I should be likewise so aware of my calling in Christ and my gifts from the Holy Sprint that I make full use of every opportunity to do something significant in the Kingdom's work. The plan is to be focused on what God has for me today. This finding of this place is where there is a sense of Joy and peace that can only be experianced by those who know Jesus and walk with Him on a daily basis.

Brian Does Some Neat Things

  Impact 360 is Brian's ministry with 20 or so young people down in Pine Mountain GA. This great program teaches young first year college students about life. They took them to SIFAT on a retreat this past week and there they went out to village constructed especially to give them the experiance of what it is like to visit  2/3 of the world. Only 1/3 of the world lives in homes and comfort like the USA. Check out this neat video to experience a little of what these young people learned at this dramatic and impacting camp.

Video

A Good Weekend Will Help to Start a Great Week

The weekend was a good one for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because I got to spend some time with folks I love. Friday night Bradley and Leslie came over to celebrate his birthday. Bradley turns 28. I have so much to be thankful for when I think about  my children. Happy 28 Bradley!  Tthe cake looks like he is 82 but he is looking at the candles . 

On Saturday I got to kind of catch up with my father in law, who is facing surgery this week, as we rode to Birmingham to see Brett and Ashley. We went to deliver their new sofa to them. It was short and sweet, but I was so glad to see them doing well. Their apartment was so nice. Brett met us in the parking lot with a big bear hug for me and Bob. They were delighted with the sofa and I am so proud of them as they work and study to prepare for God's plan for their lives.The worst part of the weekend was I did not get to see Brian, and Brittany did not feel good all weekend. But I know Brian is doing good, and Brittany was feeling better late Sunday.

Another great thing this weekend was the Bulldogs and the Falcons both won - what an ending on the Falcons game.....

The week started on Sunday in a great way. I  was privileged  to preach twice yesterday at Sharon Baptist, and to teach at Olive Springs the MTI course Basics in Missions.  I love to teach and preach God's Word. Kathy went with me and shot a picture of me teaching.

As I look ahead to this week, I will be attending the SOE conference in Atlanta this week, and believe it will be a great time of renewal and fellowship with a group of people who love and execute Short Term Missions. I will be making major decisions about the ministry this week so I covet your prayers. What a Great God we have!

A Great Article On Short Term Missions

Despite Benefits,
Few Americans Have Experienced Short-Term Mission Trips

The article is commentary on a survey of over 1000 people at random who are evangelical Christians.
The results are amazing as the use of short term missions program is life changing, yet few actually experience going. This is worth taking a few minutes to read

Click here to access the Barna Group  web site:

http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=31 

The photo is Scotty Davis and David Meriwether on the bank of the Waspuk River near Musawas Nicaragua.