"For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified..."

--the words of Paul to the Corinthians. This scripture, recalled by one of the elders of the West Erwin church, was the highpoint of our interview with West Erwin. The vast majority of our time was spent in heated dispute over what consititutes the gospel, and whether or not new churches could be trusted with the scriptures.

If anyone has any doubt, we have an extremely high view of scripture. So high that we believe that anyone can make sense out of it, anyone can find in it what pleases and displeases God. So we feel no compulsion to control the churches we hope to work with. They will have the same Holy Spirit that we have, and will be able to navigate the issues that they face with wisdom, and will recover from their mistakes just as we have.

So we must define ourselves as missionaries of the Gospel, not of any particular viewpoint that a sponsor or supporter may have. It was hard to communicate this to a church that seems accustomed to being controlled by certain narrow viewpoints. Perhaps this elders insightful recollection of this scripture is a sign that this church may be on the road to change.

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Otherwise, we formed great relationships with the people who hosted us and others who offered hospitality to us. We were challenged with new insights into the scripture, and enjoyed time spent in prayer with some new friends. God had a purpose for our visit to Tyler, and we have seen some of God's purposes revealed already.

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On a more encouraging note, we have been invited to return to Landmark in Montgomery to meet with the elders of the church, and to further dream and explore the possibilities with the missions vision team. They want this visit to occur as soon as possible. So we praise God for the good news, and pray that the details come together soon. Please join with us in this prayer.