Our pastor completed his “requirement” to preach at least one “Christmas is too commercialized” sermon earlier this month. He almost lost me near the middle of the sermon when he made some outlandish charges suggesting that we could ask our family to not buy us any presents in order for us to remember that Christmas was originally about the birth of Christ, not the getting and giving of presents. While I will admit that I will not being doing this exactly, he did have a good point, mainly - what are we getting excited over?
Near the end of the service he suggested a Christmas morning without a focus on gifts (or any gifts at all). We would wake up, read the Christmas story together as a family and then pray together. Perhaps sing a Christmas hymn or song, and then spend time as a family enjoying our day and the relationships we have. I like this model, because it has always been a temptation for me to focus on the things that we get and give instead of on Christ. Christ is the focus, and the reason. It’s His birthday, not ours! Oh, I forgot to mention, our pastor also recommended a birthday cake for Jesus!
Monday, December 14, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
You Gotta Walk!
There’s a video on YouTube of a dog walking on a treadmill who doesn’t understand that he has to keep moving in order to keep from falling off. He keeps trying to sit down and his owner tells him repeatedly to “walk!”, but again and again he nearly falls off because he wants to enjoy the experience while sitting down. When I watched that video it reminded me of us as believers and the effort it takes to continue in our walk with the Lord. We can’t sit down and just take a break for a bit, we must keep pushing on.
More and more recently it has been emphasized to Dan and I that living for Jesus requires a significant amount of effort in our everyday lives. Learning to walk with the Lord in every step of every day is not something that we can ever take lightly. Just like that dog we have to constantly push and pray and work in order to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”. (2 Cor 10:5)
More and more recently it has been emphasized to Dan and I that living for Jesus requires a significant amount of effort in our everyday lives. Learning to walk with the Lord in every step of every day is not something that we can ever take lightly. Just like that dog we have to constantly push and pray and work in order to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”. (2 Cor 10:5)
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Physics and Schematics
I love schematics (the plans engineers use for building); they are captivating. The detail and planning that goes into them I find intriguing. Not to mention, if you are reading this in your head, stop for a second and say "schematics" out loud. Do it. "Schematics." Wasn’t that fun?!
I love schematics because a schematic removes all the unnecessary clutter and lets you get down to the nitty-gritty of the plan. It shows you what you need, and only what you need, to successfully construct and complete the core of what you are creating.
In 5th grade, one of my favorite books had a fascinating chapter that described in detail different secret passage ways and what they were used for. It talked about exciting things like trap doors and booby traps. It was great. It was clear to me that whoever built that castle had planned ahead in case they needed to use those secrets in a sticky situation. Not to mention they probably drew up some schematics too!
I love schematics because a schematic removes all the unnecessary clutter and lets you get down to the nitty-gritty of the plan. It shows you what you need, and only what you need, to successfully construct and complete the core of what you are creating.
In 5th grade, one of my favorite books had a fascinating chapter that described in detail different secret passage ways and what they were used for. It talked about exciting things like trap doors and booby traps. It was great. It was clear to me that whoever built that castle had planned ahead in case they needed to use those secrets in a sticky situation. Not to mention they probably drew up some schematics too!
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Fueled by Prayer
Carolyn and I just received our offer letter from Wycliffe! We will be accepted as member of Wycliffe on November 1st. Thank you God. Hallelujah! This is an answer to prayer, and Carolyn and I are so excited! Thank you for your support in prayer!
I wanted to write a post on prayer, but here is my problem: prayer is a huge word. Because of the nature of my job I find myself interacting with many who, whether they believe in God or not, pray. I encounter many ideas and opinions on what prayer is, and its usefulness. The fact that we have a wonderful God who answers prayers in such a way is mind-boggling. The ruler of the universe cares enough about each and every one of us so intimately to not only listen, not only answer, but answer in a way that puts his kingdom, glory, and then our well-being as a priority. Carolyn and I have been sitting and recollecting on some of the prayers that we have prayed and how they have been answered.
I wanted to write a post on prayer, but here is my problem: prayer is a huge word. Because of the nature of my job I find myself interacting with many who, whether they believe in God or not, pray. I encounter many ideas and opinions on what prayer is, and its usefulness. The fact that we have a wonderful God who answers prayers in such a way is mind-boggling. The ruler of the universe cares enough about each and every one of us so intimately to not only listen, not only answer, but answer in a way that puts his kingdom, glory, and then our well-being as a priority. Carolyn and I have been sitting and recollecting on some of the prayers that we have prayed and how they have been answered.
Monday, September 21, 2015
An unexpected Journey
Growing up I had the opportunity to go on a few short term missions trips with my mother and the youth group. These took me to places such as the Ukraine when I was 11, and New Orleans after hurricane Katrina in high school. During these trips I was able to serve in varying capacities, and I learned much, but the idea of spending more than a week or two in another part of the world was completely foreign to me.
Perhaps the best way that I can explain, is by saying that in my mind there were two types of people. There were those of us, (including me) who supported missionaries financially and with prayer support, and occasionally we would go and help them build something or put on a camp. Then there were "those people" who are full time missionaries; in my mind they were a super special type of people that were set apart from everyone else. The idea of me becoming one of "those people" never even crossed my mind.
Perhaps the best way that I can explain, is by saying that in my mind there were two types of people. There were those of us, (including me) who supported missionaries financially and with prayer support, and occasionally we would go and help them build something or put on a camp. Then there were "those people" who are full time missionaries; in my mind they were a super special type of people that were set apart from everyone else. The idea of me becoming one of "those people" never even crossed my mind.
Friday, September 18, 2015
From The Beginning
My (Carolyn speaking!) parents and churches were intentional in talking about missionaries all throughout my childhood. We frequently prayed for missionaries together as a family, we read books and stories about them, and we supported them financially. My parents stressed the importance of this work to my sister and I, but it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I understood what a missionary really is.
When I was in middle school and high school, I had opportunities through my church to attend numerous mission trips both locally and abroad. The regions I traveled to included Russia, Kenya, Canada, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh. On these trips, my heart was touched by those who were rejected by society, but found community through the church and the love of Christ Jesus. I learned many things on those short-term mission trips, but the greatest theme that I learned through all of them was the great depth of love the Father has for His precious children. When I was young, I committed to live my life wherever the Lord directed me, serving whomever he would have me serve.
When I was in middle school and high school, I had opportunities through my church to attend numerous mission trips both locally and abroad. The regions I traveled to included Russia, Kenya, Canada, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh. On these trips, my heart was touched by those who were rejected by society, but found community through the church and the love of Christ Jesus. I learned many things on those short-term mission trips, but the greatest theme that I learned through all of them was the great depth of love the Father has for His precious children. When I was young, I committed to live my life wherever the Lord directed me, serving whomever he would have me serve.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Why Bible Translation?
Carolyn and I have been asked several times why we want to work in Bible translations. In this post we will attempt to answer that question in brief.
For starters, here are the facts that we have:
Almost 7,000 languages are known to be in use today worldwide.
More than 500 languages have a completed Bible translation.
More than 1,300 languages have access to some portion of the Bible.
And more than 2,300 languages have active translation projects happening right now.
BUT,
Nearly 2,000 languages still need projects to begin.
Resulting in nearly 200 million people needing Bible translation to begin in their language.
We believe that the Bible is God’s Word to us, and we believe that everyone should be able to have it in their own native language. Millions of people in thousands of languages have no access to the Bible in a language they can clearly understand.
For starters, here are the facts that we have:
Almost 7,000 languages are known to be in use today worldwide.
More than 500 languages have a completed Bible translation.
More than 1,300 languages have access to some portion of the Bible.
And more than 2,300 languages have active translation projects happening right now.
BUT,
Nearly 2,000 languages still need projects to begin.
Resulting in nearly 200 million people needing Bible translation to begin in their language.
We believe that the Bible is God’s Word to us, and we believe that everyone should be able to have it in their own native language. Millions of people in thousands of languages have no access to the Bible in a language they can clearly understand.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Kick-off
Dan and I (Carolyn) have decided it would be best to start our first post by informing you all of how we got to the point that we’re currently at in our new adventure. In following posts, we'll share more specifics in regards to the ways the Lord has been leading, but we’ll take it one step at a time.
About a year ago, in the fall, Dan and I began to pray that the Lord would guide us to wherever it is that He desires for us to be. At that time, His direction was for us to wait and that we were where he wanted us to be; he would show us the next step when it came time for us to move on.
During the winter we felt guided that I should begin looking at graduate school. I majored in Linguistics in college so I looked for Linguistics masters programs and was directed to SIL-UND. After looking into the program we quickly decided that the nature of the program and the nature of our lives did not fit together so we dismissed SIL-UND and continued to look for other options. However, the Lord had other plans and revealed to Dan that He wanted us to pursue SIL-UND. We had the assurance that He would continue to show us the path ahead once we arrived at the University of North Dakota.
About a year ago, in the fall, Dan and I began to pray that the Lord would guide us to wherever it is that He desires for us to be. At that time, His direction was for us to wait and that we were where he wanted us to be; he would show us the next step when it came time for us to move on.
During the winter we felt guided that I should begin looking at graduate school. I majored in Linguistics in college so I looked for Linguistics masters programs and was directed to SIL-UND. After looking into the program we quickly decided that the nature of the program and the nature of our lives did not fit together so we dismissed SIL-UND and continued to look for other options. However, the Lord had other plans and revealed to Dan that He wanted us to pursue SIL-UND. We had the assurance that He would continue to show us the path ahead once we arrived at the University of North Dakota.
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