going under...

I had the opportunity to baptize a friend at church last night. Just a few others were there with us at the church building. Unfortunately, David was pretty tall, the water level was pretty low, and my waders were pretty loose. So, as David was dying to self, I was filling up my rubber pants with water. The water level was much lower when I left. But I did get to wear a nice, white baptismal outfit for the remainder of the evening.

On a serious note, this is the tenth baptism our little country church has enjoyed since January. We have been richly blessed... but the busy baptistry is in need of a refill, especially since a substantial amount of water remains in the rubber boots at the bottom of the rubber suit I was wearing!!!

A Taste of Lawlessness...

Currently, while raising support and making preparations for mission work, we are living in Gruetli-Laager, a small town in rural Grundy County, a southern outpost of Appalachia. Methamphatimine production is the major industry here, and it is well known that any one that interferes with the drug trade places their own life in danger. The county may have three or four law enforcement officers on duty at any one time, and cannot (or will not) respond to this huge problem.

Here is a news article about a local woman, leading the fight against crime here, who is being run out of town. (Concerning arson, I have received veiled threats from students that if I continued to send people to the principle's office, I might find my house on fire!)

Arson blamed for fire at community activist's home that kills dog

Associated Press

GRUETLI-LAAGER, Tenn. — A fire was set at the home of a community activist who organized a group to re-establish a police force here, investigators said.

The kitchen and a bathroom in Georgie Taylor's house were damaged and her dog killed in the fire Friday that investigators say was intentionally set using gasoline.

Taylor said she thought the arson was retaliation for her effort to get more law-enforcement patrols in the area. She established Citizens Against Crime in Grundy County two months ago.


''I didn't try to get nobody in trouble,'' she said. ''We just wanted to get the police back on patrol so people would feel a little safer.''

Grundy County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Berry Dooley said two people have been questioned about the fire. The Bomb and Arson Section of the state Fire Marshal's Office is also investigating the incident.

Witnesses reported seeing someone wearing a ski mask and camouflage clothing behind Taylor's house before the fire.

Taylor said people have fired shots near her home and harassed her by revving car engines on the road in front of her house.

''This mess started when I went to Juvenile Court against one of my neighbor's children,'' she said.

Dooley said retaliation might have been a motive in the fire.

Dooley said the Sheriff's Department gets frequent complaints from the area about drug activity, speeding and people riding all-terrain vehicles.

''Houses have been broken into, and people have been harassed,'' he said. ''We thought we nipped it in the bud, but evidently it hasn't stopped.''

The city government last month hired three police officers to patrol the city at night. The department had been dissolved in 2002 in a cost-saving move.

Gruetli-Laager firefighters said the blaze was reported at 6:59 a.m. and was brought under control in about 15 minutes.

I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.

--Ezekiel 34:16

This is the theme verse of the Downtown Church of Christ, where we had a very encouraging interview last weekend. This church has a real heart for evangelism and demonstrating love to those in need, and are well ahead of us in the arena of holistic ministry--ministering to the entire person.

We are on the same page theologically and methodologically with the church, as well as their missions policy. Following our presentation, we had a good dialogue with the committee, and were told that our budget looked reasonable. They were encouraged that we already had a large portion of our funding raised, and informed us that we would hear back from them within a month.

(Incidentally, we will be back in Searcy, AR in a month for a missionary training workshop...we hope to meet with the committee again then.)

We are greatly encouraged, hopefully that we can represent this great church on the mission field. We are humbled that they are considering us, but we are thankful to serve a God who gives us more than we can ask for or imagine!!!

The worship of a child

We were blessed to join the Downtown Church in Searcy, Arkansas for worship Sunday morning. The communion meditation was led by a young father, who used parental wisdom to make an allegory for God’s love for us. He imagined being awakened by his crying son, and entering the room, only for his son to refuse to be held. “I don’t deserve to be held…I have been so bad, so hard on you. Wait until I am a better child, then you can pick me up…” We recognize the absurdity of this parable, but the devotional leader helped us to see the ways in which we do not accept God’s love, and we need to learn a childlike faith.


As the trays were passed, the worship team began singing:

I love you Lord, and I lift my voice,
to worship you, oh my soul rejoice
Take joy my king, in what you hear,
Let me be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.

The second verse began:

I love you Lord, and I lift my hands,
to worship you, as my soul demands.

I lifted my hands, about chest high. Josiah was standing on Charity’s lap, watching everyone around us. I don’t know if he saw me or saw someone else in the church, but he lifted his hands, as high as he could, standing on his tip-toes, gazing toward the ceiling.

Charity and I were both ministered to by this, and fought off tears, while also fighting off the embarrassment of the growing number of people turning their attention to Josiah, heads turning to see little hands stretched above the crowd. Josiah didn’t notice the attention; he just continued to hold his hands upward.

The song concluded:

Take joy, my King, in what you see.
Let me be a sweet, sweet child, on your knee.

Top Things NOT To Do During Culture Shock


We have made some new friends. that are ministering amonst the Yao people in Mozambique, just south of Tanzania. Here are some of their reflections on things NOT to do when entering a new culture:


Speed up when chickens are in the road (it may seem right, but you will feel guilty afterwards)

Get a speeding ticket from an officer who jumps from behind a tree to pull you over—but doesn’t have a speed gun. (He says you just seemed to be going too fast)

Go to South Africa & spend six hours a day in the mall because it is air conditioned, has ice cream, & a huge grocery store.

Pay $10 for a can of Pringles & a jar of peanut butter. (you will be broke in two weeks)

Ask for directions from a Mozambican. The directions are always the same—“It’s just there” (as they wave their hand in one direction).

Complain to the woman who hand washes your laundry that your underwear is now transparent & four sizes larger (you’ll have to prove it!!).

Get kicked out of your home (complete with all your belongings) by the government.
Say any of the following to your wife: “Beans and rice again?”, “When was the last time you showered?”, “Instead of 10, how bout 20 years on the field?”

Henri Nouwen on being mastered by God...



Henri Nouwen, speaking of education for ministry, writes:

To prepare ourselves for service we have to prepare ourselves for an articulate not knowing, a docta ignorantia, a learned ignorance. This is difficult to accept for people whose whole attitude is toward mastering and controlling the world. We all want to be educated so that we can be in control of the situation and make things work according to our own need. But education to ministry is an education not to master God but to be mastered by God.

That said, I have completed my Master’s Degree through ACU. Excellent teachers and mentors have opened me to a world outside of my limited perspective and experience, helping me to appreciate more, and judge less. I am more assured of the beauty, the goodness, and the truth of the gospel, but less able to boil it down to human categories; God no longer fits in my American cultural “box”, or any other culture’s expectations.

So instead of a Master’s of Arts in Religion, it should be a Master’s of Articulate not Knowing (MAK). If only being Mastered by God came as easy!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On another note, this is a big weekend for us, as we meet with the mission committee of the Downtown church in Searcy, Arkansas. It is our prayer that this church decides to support our future ministry in Tanzania. To the reader who stumbles upon this blog: can you make it your prayer, too?

seeing the face of Christ...

today, i saw the face of Christ. Not through Christian art. Not through some mystical experience. But through the tears of a 13 yr. old girl, fearing for her life and for her families well-being after another violent outburst from her uncle.

Her fears were justified, as was the emergency lockdown that resulted when this occurance stretched from the home to the school grounds, where 5 children again saw the effects of their lives spinning out of control.

Most disturbed was this eighth grade girl, unconsolable, and desperately wanting to leave the school building, against the wishes of everyone involved. I felt moved by the Spirit to offer to pray for her, and the Spirit worked in ways far beyond my words, imparting some peace amidst the terror.

And the Spirit also shaped my perspective; through prayer, through sharing my similar story with this girl, through listening to her fears, hurt, and anger, I was able to see Christ in this suffering, hurting child. In the midst of this conversation, a school lunch became communion, the secretary's office became the presence of God, because of the Spirit. And I received comfort, as it overflowed to some degree to this child.

Lord Jesus, why must she return to this horror? Why is the peace you offer so temporary? Why do I go home to safety and comfort, while this family huddles in fear? And what if Jesus only offered prayers, but then retreated to the safety of his father's home?

While there is always a sense of fulfillment received from helping the hurting in Jesus' name, it leads to the most powerful and powerless prayer known to man: "Come, Lord Jesus." May we see him less in the hurting, and more in the restored. Amen

The greatness of Pope John Paul II

Check out this article about the influence of Pope John Paul II:

Passing of a worthy pastor