Against the Wind

This last week has been a tough one for me on many levels. I've described it as suffering from the effects of exposure to Red Kryptonite. My super powers aren't gone, I'm not weakened, just experiencing some things that are unusual to me... like doubt and and borderline despair. I started making a mental list of all that needs to come together to make our move to the UK a reality and suddenly felt like I was sinking under the "reality". 

The good news is, this forced me to put our plans in perspective. In an effort to clear my head and allow me to hear what God was saying I turned off all the distractions and prayed for His reassurance. Needless to say...God came through loud and clear...and through a sermon no less!!!

Allow me to paraphrase Matthew 14:22-27: Jesus had just preached to a large crowd and fed thousands of people. He instructs his disciples to get in the boat, head across the lake, and He will meet up with them on the  other side. They start rowing (keep in mind this is in the day before radar and weather forecasting) and Jesus dispels the crowd and then goes to a quiet place for a time of prayer.

As the day becomes night and the disciples are well on their way, a storm starts buffeting their boat, to the point they fear for their lives. In the midst of their fear and despair Jesus comes walking across the lake and tells them to be not afraid and as soon as He steps onto the boat...the storm is gone.

I've heard this passage time and time again, but today two very amazing points were brought to light:

1) Jesus sent the disciples on their way intending to meet them on the other side. He knew they would make it, He told them He'd be there when they arrived. Yet they forgot this as they were holding on for dear life.

2) Jesus will stop at nothing to save us from the storms. He defied the laws of nature and physics as He made his way across the lake. He used His heavenly authority to quell the winds and rain.

Lord in the midst of my storms I pray that I never forget you have promised to meet me on the other side. And I praise and thank you for loving me enough to say..."Do not be afraid. I am with you".

Wait a minute, there is another valuable lesson in this! The disciples are in the midst of a raging storm, the waves are crashing against their boat, land is not in sight...they are in trouble...but...they are also where Jesus told them to be. Remember? He sent them on their way. So then, this doesn't mean just because we are being obedient it will always be smooth sailing. No one ever said being a Follower of Christ would be easy.

Moonshadow

I like taking strolls around our lake (oft times with a fishing pole), these walks give me some much needed quiet time. A few weeks ago on one such stroll I was running thru my mind all the things that need to come together before we leave for England. In the midst of my listing I asked God for His reassurance that all would be well. At that moment I happened to gaze at the sky, and there on the horizon was the smallest sliver of moon I've ever seen...so slender, so tiny I almost missed it. But as my eyes adjusted to the darkness I soon realised I could see the whole moon, albeit it in shadow, but nonetheless it was there. What a great visual image...the illuminated part was what I could clearly see insofar as finances and logistics and all the whatever else, it was all those things we could already touch and claim as done....the part still in shadow was everything else on my mind that still needs to come together, I sensed God was saying He would reveal it all in due time...in His time, not mine.

We are running on faith, but we are not running alone.

Point of Know Return

We have all been there. We have all stood at that point, where we know the next step, word, or action will influence the rest of our lives. We may not recall our first infant attempts at walking, but it is a sure bet if you close your eyes you can remember such events as; taking a driving test for the first (second, third) time, a first date, a first kiss, graduation, first job interview, marriage proposal, the list goes on and on. We have all taken that leap of faith, and if you are reading this, you have survived the outcome. Congratulations.

Do we always know how things will turn out? Do we always have the facts? Do we always know it will turn out as we have planned? Honestly, no. But if the outcome hoped for outweighs the risk, we take a deep breath, say a quick prayer and walk past the point of k(no)w return. “No return” because there are no do-overs in real life. “Know return” because we are fully aware of the chance we take, yet we go on anyway.

As of this Tuesday past, another such step has been taken . Our house is now listed for sale. We are having a moving sale tomorrow, and sorting through the needed, unwanted, and the “where did this come from”. It already feels as if we longer live here. Your prayers for a timely and smooth transaction are deeply appreciated.

There is another step that needs to be taken. With January 6th only 87 days away we must turn our time and energy to putting together the support base needed to make this adventure a reality. Our yearly expenses will be approximately $50,000 (US). This would include taxes, tithes, housing, transportation, food, clothing, water, electricity, heat, an occasional Dr Pepper, etc. We are about 14% of the way there.

That next step mentioned a moment ago is yours to take. Simple, direct, and to the point, would you consider being a member of our support team? What your involvement would look like is up to you. Frankly, a group of supporters able to give monthly works in our best interest, this would allow us to plan accordingly and live without wondering if we can stay another month. However, it would be foolish to ignore the fact there are some folks out there who have never been involved in something like this before, and might be able to share a special gift for starters.

We can play with the math in so many different ways. One hundred people able to give $50.00/month, or fifty people being able to give $100/month…or 5 people giving $1000/month. Or, here’s a crazy idea…. This newsletter goes out to about 250 people…what if everyone forwarded it to everyone on their email list, say they know 125 people, and those 125 know 60...if this email just went out to those people, it would reach 1,875,000 people. If 1% of those people donated $8.00, our three-year goal would be met. Odds are it will be a mix of a variety of scenarios.

Some of you reading this are already actively involved, thank you. Some of you have been following these updates and have not made a decision…if you have questions or need more information, please let us know. Some of you are new to this and are wondering just what is it we are planning on doing. Please visit our website for an overview of the adventure ahead. You can also read past newsletters on our blog then feel free to contact us with any questions. Lest we forget, those of you willing to provide prayer support are equally welcome.

So, what ‘s next??? The crux of the matter is we need to know if you are with us.
Would you reply to this email with a simple answer?
Yes...(Great... we’ll be in touch.)
Maybe…(Understood…what questions do you have?)
No…(Cool…let us know if you want to stay in the loop.)

All our love…Paul and Mary

We are running on faith, but we are not running alone.

Onward

T-minus four months and six days, not that we're counting.

Ever see one of those artist's renderings of a new building? You know the ones, the beautiful representation of something that doesn't exist....quite yet. These images can be a painting or perhaps a scale model of someone's dream. No one lives or works in these buildings, yet. The trees in the picture don't exist, nor do the people so casually strolling past, yet. But someday, somewhere, with the right permits, planning, money and all the other pieces that need to come together, this vision can become a reality.

Can you image the designer walking into the office of a building contractor, handing him the painting of his dream design, and saying...”OK...Build this.”? Even with my limited knowledge of architecture and construction, I realise there is a little more to it than this. Someone needs to provide details about foundations, plumbing, wiring, flooring, windows, stairs, elevators, ceilings, paint, bathrooms, phone lines, concrete, steel....and all that needs to be translated into a number of blueprint drawings explaining where it all goes. And of course, someone has to buy into this dream, someone will want to see it happen.

That is where we find ourselves....we've been drawing the picture, painting in the colours, bringing the dream to life through these updates, letters, and conversations. The blueprints have been drawn, the time line established. Is this dream worthy of someone's investment?

Is this enough to get you involved? We've agreed to volunteer with Next Level International for the next three years. Mary will be helping in the finance office, and more importantly, actively involved as NLI develops its first children's ministry program. Paul will be the short-term missions team coordinator, facilitating the logistics of pairing teams from all over the world with churches in Europe. Interesting, but job descriptions rarely inspiring, are they?

How about this? After decades of socialism, communism, fascism, and Nazism, millions of Europeans have grown up with no knowledge of the importance of a relationship with God. Even with the fall of communism, the void created has been filled with suicide, drug abuse, crime and despair. Estimates are it will take 300,000 churches to help bring Europe back to Christ. In nations, home to some of the most significant moves of God in modern history, the current generation is lost and unaware of His importance. 

The vision...is to reach those lost, one at a time. NLI has set a goal to be actively involved in all 47 nations of Europe by the year 2020. Like the artist's rendering...we see the vision... we see the goal....but we're not there, yet. In the next four months we need to establish a support team, financial partners willing to help make the dream a reality, prayer partners to protect us as we step into the fray. We're going, physically, mentally, spiritually, and you can be part of this through your support. Our steps will be your steps, our triumphs will also be your triumphs...and most importantly, we will all share in the blessings. 

Next steps: Have you heard enough to say...”yes” this is something we want to be part of? Or do you need more information? Do you think we're nuts....or crazy enough for all the right reasons? We're already stepping out in faith....we need to know who is going with us. Would you please take a moment to send an email with your thoughts, comments, questions, prayers? 

Thank you. Paul and Mary

We are running on faith, but we are not running alone.

Breakin' the law

Greetings from Prague....the trip thus far... last Monday we headed from Orlando to the UK (by way of Houston, but that is another story) We arrived in London Tuesday morning and headed north to Bedworth where we began the search for our next home. We spent most of Tuesday being shown around the area, visiting estate agents, and getting a good idea of what's what in living space in the area around NLI.

On Wednesday we spent almost all day at the NLI office getting brought up to speed on the new plans for the ministry, and how that will affect our positions upon our arrival in January, this too is another story, stay tuned.

Thursday we flew to Prague to be in town for a wedding on Friday. The wedding was in a chateau near the German border...I'll post some pix later in the week.

So here it is Saturday night, we just got back in from a long stroll around Prague's 'Old Town", lunch at McDonalds, a baroque concert and we learned what happens when you get on the Metro with the wrong type of ticket....long story short...we are $100.00 smarter that we were earlier today.

We have another day to see the sights tomorrow, and then home on Monday. .we look forward to coming home............What a long strange trip it has been.

On the road to find out

There is an old story about two friends (Bill and Bob) who went fishing one day, on a very large lake. As the morning turned to afternoon, and then on to evening, they drifted further and further toward the middle of the lake. A bit of a breeze and drop in the air temperature stirred Bill from his daydreaming. A look at the western horizon showed a massive storm bearing down on them. Bill quickly alerted Bob and asked..."Do we paddle or pray?" Bob calmly surveyed the sky, the distance to the shore, and the sky again before replying..."Both."

So we find ourselves in a similar position. Being ready by January 6th is our "storm",and the paddling includes raising support, selling the house, and most immediately, heading to the UK in
the next week or so to find a place to call home, plus countless other details.

You'd think if God wanted us to do this He would make it much easier.
>> Rather than have to contact hundreds of people in search of supporters, why not just let us win the lottery?
>> Why should we have to market the house? Shouldn't someone just show up and offer twice the market value for it?
>>Get visas? What for? We're on a mission from God!
>>Shouldn't someone just donate a car and free gas...who needs $10/gal petrol anyway?

It seems like we have to go through quite a lot of growing, stretching and being faithful to take on a job with no pay.....doh....maybe that is the point. God wants to prepare us for what lies ahead, and He knows we cannot do this on our own.

This is where the prayer part comes in....because this whole process is beyond our means, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially. We cannot do this alone. Would you be in prayer for us as we look for a place to live? Would you be in prayer as we seek to find a buyer for our house? And here is the dangerous one....would you be in prayer as we seek to build our support network? (What's so dangerous about this one you ask....the support network just might include you.)

Thank you.

We are running on faith, but we are not running alone.

Amazing Journey (Part Three)

Now for the rest of the story... here's where someone really hit the big "On" switch.

July 2001, Bilina Czech Republic. Our church has put together a short-term mission team to assist a pastor in this small town (pop. 20,000) near the Czech/German border.

This trip is significant on a number of levels. Twas on this trip we worked with Next Level International for the first time. This was also the first time I had the opportunity to preach. Yet there was something else that moved me deep within my soul.

Ever see someone completely out of their element, so far from their comfort zone they may never find their way back...yet still mold themselves into the situation as if it was something they did every day? With a child-like enthusiasm they take on new tasks, regardless of the discomfort or potential for embarrassment. One team member in particular exemplified this type of joyful servanthood.

In the course of a ten day stay she cleaned floors, hugged children, ate strange food, taught Bible lessons to gypsy kids and perhaps the crowning moment of the whole trip was evidenced when she donned a home-made clown costume and talked of salvation to a group a children, using the salvation bracelet as her guide.

Every new day and every new challenge was met with a smile. Never a complaint, never a grumble... (ok after a week of no fresh veggies she did mention a craving for salad...but even that was done with grace). Unphased by inconvenience and unashamed to share her faith, you'd swear she had done this a million times before. But this was only her second mission trip.

Day after day I quietly marveled at her resolve and enthusiasm. (Try teaching a Bible lesson to 120+ kids who don't speak your language). And in the midst of all this a seed was planted in my mind....what if this woman was able to do this every day? You know how some folks just seem to "fit" in a career or vocation. She certainly had me convinced....which is a good thing...because I was watching my wife.

Even as I am writing this, Mary is making a new clown costume for our upcoming trip to Nicaragua, and the salvation bracelets are ready to be packed. With a little help from a translator, and God, she will again dive into the challenge. She'll laugh and cry, she'll pray and sing....and not care who is watching. She'll burn every ounce of energy she has in an all out effort to teach and reach this new flock of lost lambs.

Married couples often wonder why they got together, stayed together, and haven't actually carried out their fantasy of getting rid of the other....we've been blessed with the knowledge that we are a team...we go forward into our Big Adventure, hand in hand, one being brave enough to convince the scared one that all will be OK....taking turns carrying, and being carried...sharing smiles with tears, peace with fears...why did I agree with God to take this step?? Because He gave me my True Companion to share the trip.

For those of you keeping track...as of today we are t-minus 6 months and 4 days. We ask that you'd please continue to pray for us as we sell the house and furnishings, meet with potential partners, and figure out what to pack and what to leave behind. Thank you.

 

We are running on faith, but we are not running alone.