Ninas Family Missional Life

            First, let me say Merry Christmas!!  Please look at this blog post like a roller coaster ride!  No!  I don’t mean it is going to go up and down.  Stick with me till the end.  God started these thought in my mind yesterday, and finished them tonight during my long hot shower.  I took the shower hoping to relieve the sinus congestion I have been experiencing.  Fasten the seat belt in your rollercoaster car, pull back the safety bar and hang on to your seats.  Please stick with me.             We have had a lot of funerals lately!  Let me be honest, I do not like going to funerals.  My family has buried my mother, father and two brothers!   I did not want to attend any of their funerals. My preference was to remember them the way they were the last time I saw them.  Which begs the question, “why do we have funerals and why do we attend funerals?”  Some will say it is a faux pas to ask this question.  I asked this question to one Southern lady and she said, “that is what

     I have this picture in my mind constantly.  Several things stand out in my mind when I see this picture.  First, there are Abbey and Hild sitting on stools with the Bibles opening, waiting for the study to  begin.  There is a person sitting with them facing us.  They are carrying on a conversation about day-to-day life. All three are seated on hand-carved wooden stools. There is a chair that is empty.  That day, the chair was for me.  I had been asked to lead the study on God's covenant with Abraham.      This picture came to mind as I sat in my youth high school class with 3 students.   Sometimes I have none, and sometimes it is just one.  But I have learned to wait and see ... not who shows up, but who God sends.  That day in Kavanga the chief and one older lady came to the Bible study.  The rest of the village was off chasing cattle out of the village garden.  However, we waited over an hour for the chief and the lady to "show up."  I sat in that chair praying

Maribeth and Cricket      If you have been following my blog you know what an exciting and blessed time we had in Zambia at NDO this past summer, and you know we came back excited about going back to NDO.  We discussed the possibility with Blu and Darbi when they were here in LaGrange in August.  Since then Lynne and I have been prayerfully considering if God would have us go on mission in the coming year, and possibly return to Zambia.      So this past Sunday I attended the informational missions meeting at our church to seek information and guidance.  Randy Presley, our missions coordinator, worked his way through the list of mission opportunities methodically.  As he talked about each opportunity, I asked God if he wanted us to go there on a mission trip.  Brazil with the IMB-No!  Guatemala for Spring Break-No!  Zambia for Spring Break or next summer-No!  In my heart the Holy Spirit told me very clearly, "you aren't going anywhere on mission next year."  My h

  " I've got a uvula, you've got a uvula, all God's chil'en got a uvula !"   From "Barney and the Choir"       I am a big fan of podcasts. Since my daily round trip to school is around 60 minutes, a lot of podcasts echo inside my Honda Fit.   Andy Stanley is probably the most frequent podcast I listen to regularly, followed closely by Stuff to Blow Your Mind  and Stuff You Missed History Class .    Today I finished the Andy Stanley series You'll Be Glad You Did and listened to the first sermon of Follow .  Why am I telling you this? Andy's last sermon in the  You'll Be Glad You Did  series  center on his church collecting information from its members and then helping find their place of ministry at North Point Church .  Paul repeatedly talks in his epistles about the church being the Body of Christ, and us being members of that body.  Andy's text was Ephesians 4.       If you have been a Christian for very long you have heard t

"Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another ."   Napoleon Hill (Courtesy of Brainy Quote )      Lynne and I were the recipient of some books (electronic format) on how to learn to speak Chi-Tonga, the language of the Zambians around NDO. Often when people are learning to speak a new language they are cautious in the words they use for fear they may offend someone or make a mistake.  We have learned that it is in venturing to speak the language at every opportunity that we deepen our understanding, sharpen our language skills, and learn to laugh at ourselves.  In the many countries I have visited the recipients of my "mis-speaks" have been forgiving, understanding and helpful.  They seemed to sense that in trying to speak the language my intent was honest, and so any mistakes were honest also and not meant to offend.     You are wondering what language feaux pas  I have

     Ambition!    I have heard this word all of my life.   Most of the time it is used with the words " selfish "  and " blind ."  So you at first it seemed a little unnerving to find it used in Scripture.  The dictionary word for ambition  seems rather benign, with nothing belying the evil connotation often associated with it.   Ambition  is defined as " a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work."   Those last two phrases " determination " and " hard work " don't seem to fit the negative stereotype of ambition .        How did I get on this topic you ask?   Since my miraculous salvation at a small church on Crawford Road in Phenix City, Alabama in 1977, I have heard Christians talk about a life verse .  In my study of Scripture and in listening to sermons I have searched for verses that would guide me in my Christian walk.  I know we are all called by the Great Commission to g

     Back on Blogger!!   At least I know the folks in Zambia can read it, even if it isn't fancy!!!  We have finished our second full week of school.  To say that I have been busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest would be an understatement.  However, the joy of being back where God wants me this side of this Atlantic is unspeakable.  Please notice the underline in that last sentence.  I know in my heart that God has work for me in Zambia!!  And a big part of my heart is there with the children and my friends Hilda, Abbey, Liz, Kulenga and Mulanga . . .my brothers and sisters.         Our church is having a Global Impact conference on missions this weekend.  The keynote speaker is Al Jackson from Lakeview Baptist in Auburn, Alabama.  Last night at the supper he preached on missions and asked us at the end to pray for how God would use us.  Lynne and I are both open to WHATEVER or WHEREVER God wants us to serve.  As I prayed God clearly told me that He needs me a

A morass up close!!      I have often read the word "morass" in books, magazine articles and poetry.  I knew what it was but wondered if I would ever use it in a sentence myself.  I can honestly say that life after Zambia is a morass.  It seems that daily I sink farther and farther into the morass of every day life in America.  Trips to Wal-Mart, television, social situations are all part of the morass.    When I think I am making progress in focusing on prayer, studying Scripture, and focusing on God, the suction created by the morass draws at my thoughts threatening to suck me under .      In Zambia I blogged EVERY day.  Alone with God and my thoughts in the hut, thoughts were clear and flowed freely.  Back in the U.S., Wal-Mart, school, church obligations, appointments, parent conferences storm into my mind like Ghengis Kahn.  My body relaxes but my mind is filled with marshmallow creme.        Since my return to LaGrange I have taken on a computer class, tutoring som

      It is hard to believe we have been home from Zambia for almost two weeks.  I have had a busy time since returning.  Doing what?  Well, at the end of the school year I backed up all of my planning and curriculum documents on a portable hard drive.  I had a total of 80 GB of material that I use in teaching classes for grades 6-8.  I placed it in a very secure location so it would not get moved when the custodians cleaned my room, or when the IT folks installed the new computers.  You guessed it, I can't remember where that secure location is?       The last ten days have been spent re-creating my curriculum.  It works out great for me, because it gives me the opportunity to clean up, re-organize and re-create.   I have hard copies of the handouts and I can scan them and copy them.  I had my 8th grade curriculum on a CD, so it was easy to recover.  This opportunity made me stop and think about what I want to teach during the coming year.      We are finally moving into the digit

This is my favorite tree in Georgia.  You can see it if you drive down Robertson Road (between Hamilton Road and Lower Big Springs Road.   I have taken more sunrise photographs from this spot that I have "really" lost count.   About four years ago, Mr. Vaughn tore  down the metal hay shed that blocked this view from the road.  I have had White-tailed does stop and watch me take photographs, and very often have the local Meadowlark to serenade me while I enjoy the sunrise.  As always, the passage from Ecclesiastes comes to my that was made into my favorite hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness."    Sunrise reminds me that God's mercies are new and fresh every morning.  Had a great conversation with God this morning while He used my favorite tree as the centerpiece of his masterpiece.      It was registration day at Long Cane Middle School today.   You might say it is the longest day of the school year in some respects.  I enjoy getting to meet parents and

          Back in the saddle again!!!     Still processing our time in Mapanza!     Met with my discipleship group for the first time in two months yesterday.  We are studying through a book co-written by David Platt and Francis Chan called  Multiply Movement .  It is a 24 week group study.  I highly recommend it if you want to be challenged to grow as a disciple of Christ.  Jeff was sharing a story about being distracted like Peter was when he was walking on water toward Jesus, and something that occurred during our say abroad came into focus.       We had the privilege of participating in a safari in Botswana with the Rosemont team when they were in Zambia.  Our transport was a truck with 6 rows of seats mounted on the back.   No walls, allowed an almost unobstructed view of any wildlife we encountered. It was no time that we were seeing Sable Antelope, elephants, African Fish Eagles, Giraffes, African Hornbills and other assorted wildlife.  We saw elephants up close early on, but al

John Way as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit.  [cocks his gun] "Mr. Rat... I have a writ here says you're to stop eating Chen Lee's cornmeal forthwith. Now it's a rat writ, writ for a rat, and this is lawful service of the same. See? Doesn't pay any attention to me."      " It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday!  Everybody's workin' for the weekend!"    Yep, still singing that Rebecca Black song.    We have been home from Zambia for one week.  It seems like forever!!!  I really miss those cool mornings sipping coffee on the front porch, and the cool evenings on the tank tower watching God paint another sunset " with a brushes of comet's hair. "    Yes, Darbi, I did fall in love with Zambia and its people!!       I actually slept to 7:30 a.m. this morning.  Waited till 9 a.m.  to start the chainsaw and cut up the huge pecan limb that I had dragged out of the front yard.  While I was still sweaty, I jumped in the truck