DO YOU CONTINUE TO GO WITH JESUS?

September 19 -- DO YOU CONTINUE TO GO WITH JESUS?

"Ye are they which have continued with Me in My temptations Luke 22:28).

It is true that Jesus Christ is with us in our temptations but are we going with Him in His temptations? Many of us cease to go with Jesus from the moment we have an experience of what He can do. Watch when God shifts your circumstances, and see whether you are going with Jesus, or siding with the world, the flesh and the devil. We wear His badge, but are we going with Him? "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him."

The temptations of Jesus continued throughout His earthly life, and they will continue throughout the life of the Son of God in us. Are we going with Jesus in the life we are living now?

We have the idea that we ought to shield ourselves from some of the things God brings round us. Never! God engineers circumstances and whatever they may be like we have to see that we face them while abiding continually with Him in His temptations. They are His temptations, not temptations to us, but temptations to the life of the Son of God in us. The honour of Jesus Christ is at stake in your bodily life. Are you remaining loyal to the Son of God in the things which beset His life in you?

Do you continue to go with Jesus? The way lies through Gethsemane, through the city gate, outside the camp; the way lies alone, and the way lies until there is no trace of a footstep left, only the voice, "Follow Me."

—My Utmost For His Highest

Mornings with the Proverbs.

Chapter 18

Words Kill, Words Give Life

1 Loners who care only for themselves spit on the common good.
2 Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse; all they do is run off at the mouth.
3 When wickedness arrives, shame's not far behind; contempt for life is contemptible.
4 Many words rush along like rivers in flood, but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.
5 It's not right to go easy on the guilty, or come down hard on the innocent.
6 The words of a fool start fights; do him a favor and gag him.
7 Fools are undone by their big mouths; their souls are crushed by their words.
8 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you really want junk like that in your belly?
9 Slack habits and sloppy work are as bad as vandalism.
10 God's name is a place of protection— good people can run there and be safe.
11 The rich think their wealth protects them; they imagine themselves safe behind it.
12 Pride first, then the crash, but humility is precursor to honor.
13 Answering before listening is both stupid and rude.
14 A healthy spirit conquers adversity, but what can you do when the spirit is crushed?
15 Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights.
16 A gift gets attention; it buys the attention of eminent people.
17 The first speech in a court case is always convincing— until the cross-examination starts!
18 You may have to draw straws when faced with a tough decision.
19 Do a favor and win a friend forever; nothing can untie that bond.
20 Words satisfy the mind as much as fruit does the stomach; good talk is as gratifying as a good harvest.
21 Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose.
22 Find a good spouse, you find a good life— and even more: the favor of God!
23 The poor speak in soft supplications; the rich bark out answers.
24 Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.

Prov 18:1-24 (MSG)

Time....How is passes by so fast...

I have been thinking on what to write for some time. Telling myself daily "Just sit down and write stupid". Sitting in front of the laptop answering emails, preparing pp and working on my schedule, it is just hard to write. Well here it goes...
We have been home now since 15th of July. So many people have asked, "well have you readjusted to being back in the states?". Each day passing that question has become more and more difficult to answer. I guess the best way to answer would be that I hope I never adjust. If I do, it would be that I have forgotten where I have been the past four years. I don't believe that God had us sell everything we had to readjust. I don't think he carried us to Costa Rica to learn a language and culture to readjust. I'm positive that God didn't send us to share the good news of the Gospel with a people group (Uruguayans) that is one of the least evangelized in SA to readjust.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

2 Cor 5:17 (NKJV)

I do believe this means daily...

Not to offend any of my friends or family. But I really don't want to readjust.

Second week home....

We have been back in the states now for 7 days. It pretty much has been a whirl wind. We landed on Tuesday afternoon. Stopped by an mexican restaurant. (didn't taste like i had remembered) Made it back to my sister-in-laws place for a little rest and visit family. Wednesday we recouped a little but we went to my younger brothers place for supper. Thursday we rested some but made a run into town to look and shop a little. ( I couldn't stay in Wal-mart long. I think my mind was having a problem processing all the English being spoke. Normally I can block out sounds when I'm walking and talking with whom ever I'm with. But I guess my ears weren't accustomed to hearing it so it wanted to focus on it. It gave me a pretty bad head ache. That was a little weird.) Friday and Saturday Teresa was out with my brother's wife and her sister. Sunday we went to church and early Monday morning we off on a plane to the International Learning Center. That is where we are at now. We are going thru some new training and a type of debriefing. We will finish up here on Sunday and 5 am on Monday we are on our way back to the airport and return to Athens.
The kids are enjoying their time. The ILC had many treats and debriefing for them as well. Making new friends and even reengaging some old ones. As well as meeting friends in 3d instead of 2d chat. They are doing a lot more but I'm not sure what. They keep them pretty busy which is a task working with TCK's. (third culture kids) If you want to know more about those type of kids send me note or email and I will go into more detail. It is quiet interesting to see TCKs interact.
Thanks again for all your prayers. In upcoming post I will be sharing what we are planning for our next term on the field.

International World Changers Uruguay 2008

I have been wanting to post about one of the most exciting things we have done here in Uruguay. June 14-21 we were involved in ministering with the International World Changers. Paul Sheaffer has posted with the details so jump over and give a look see. Paul and Pam Sheaffer did an awesome job working with the staff of IWC and orchestrating all the events. Also all the stats of what was done is stated on the IWC Uruguay Blog.

Looking Back....

Wow how four years has flown by.
First...Thank you for all your prayers, emails, and care packages. Family, Church Family and friends have been so gracious with all that you have done for us over the last 4 years.
Second...I apologize for not doing better communicating what has been going on the ministry. I wanted to share more but always fell back into the loop of sharing what was going on in our family.
Costa Rica was fun enjoyable and a blessing. Costa Rica was hard difficult and well ryhms with carcel. Maybe it wasn't that bad, maybe so...there was times I wasn't sure which way was up. But it is all in the process of preparing for the field. Language is tough. It will always be tough, and I have accepted that. I have embraced it and now I'm enjoying it. Ministry is tough, I have accepted it, embraced it and now I'm enjoying it. My marriage is tough, It will always be tough, I have accepted it,embraced it and have been enjoying it for almost 21 years. Do you see the pattern. It's part of the process. That is the way God has designed it. I love it.
We are on to our next chapter in our lives. Monday we will be heading home for our first stateside assignment. We are all excited about seeing family and friends. Recharging our batteries. Getting some spiritual rest. Worshiping with our church family. It will be emotional to say the least but we are ready.
I'm a little nervous about going home.
My dad died about 2 years ago. We were blessed with being able to go home and be with family. But there is a lot of mourning process that we haven't went through. Like passing by the places we always saw him out doing stuff. Seeing him when we walk into the house. Drinking coffee with him in the morning. Or talking about work, laying brick or what is his next project. Dad and I had a neat connection in that he taught me how to lay brick. Something I will always cherish. He was a talented brick layer. It was done right or it wasn't done.
Also during our time while in Costa Rica my stepfather died. He was instrumental in our lives that he was one of the first to encourage us to follow our God calling to the ministry and missions.
It has been a while, I'm praying that I can hold it together for my children's sake.
I have been thinking on how I could recap these past 4 years. I can't think of anything more than to say it has been like my walk with the Lord. It has been one fun, exciting, emotional filled roller coaster ride. There is always excitement, nervousness waiting in line. It builds as you climb the first hill. You peak over the top, then you get a adrenaline rush down the other side wondering when it will stop. What can I say God is good.

Getting close to closing out this stage of my blog....

As you have seen, my blog is titled First Term on the Field. As some of you might know and for those that don't. We will be finishing up our first term officially on July 14th. That is also the date in which we fly home for our "First Stateside Assignment". It is most commonly known as furlough. But as we are finding out, there won't be much down time. I haven't decided on how I will close out this blog or if I will just change out the name. This blog and our first term has been a learning experience. My intentions were to share those experiences here on this blog but I failed to really share the ups and downs of ministry. So I turned to photos and sharing family experiences. As you have noticed I have a hard time keeping my topics in order and tend to jump around. Well that has been my experience our first term as well. I tried something here and there and never really seen any results. We kept plugging but time and time again it seemed like nothing worked. What I have learned more than ever is that God is in control. It will happen in his time and not on mine. This race is long and hard. I will continue eating (the word) and drinking (the blessings) to finish the race well. God has plans for us all and we have to see and enjoy the blessings he has in store for us as we run the race.