Luke's 5th birthday

Hard for me to believe but on Friday the 29th, Luke Haynes McCullough turns 5. Seems like yesterday, I woke up on a Saturday to find Robin in the kitchen making waffles and saying, "You better get done this morning whatever you need to get done because we are having a baby today." He came 10 days early (I think that's right) and we didn't know if he would be a boy or a girl. We never got to use the girl's name which we landed on first (Amelia Louise).

Robin was a trooper. She called the hospital and they kept telling her to wait and not come in. By the time she did, she was too far along to get drugs and her doctor barely made it. At one time, Luke's heart rate dropped and even as he came out Dr. Talamantes had to do an episiotomy because his head wouldn't come out.

When he did come into the world and we learned we had a boy, I was overwhelmed with love. Like nothing before. He hadn't done nothing for nobody but I loved him so much. It gave me a picture of our loving Father who loves us conditionally. He loved us when we had done nothing for nobody... in fact we had done something but it was sin.

Luke is a special little boy. Sometimes he is in his own world and lives life at his own pace. He has a strong will for sure. But he loves helping his dad whether going to get stuff at Lowe's (which he can read) or helping me try to fix stuff. He likes to wrestle me and is starting to wrestle. It used to be just a glorified dady hug but that's okay too.

He is incredibly observant and notices stuff I never notice. He's quiet in public but a jabber at home especially when he has one of us to himself. He likes books. He likes the outside. (Always has - sometimes the only way we could get him to stop screaming in the middle of the night is to take him outside to look at the moon and stars.)

I never can tell if he is interested in spiritual things yet or not. Sometimes he will surprise me and ask me to read from the bible story book. he seems to like SS and Vacation Bible School but he is too shy to pray and even goes under the table when we say the blessing.

I have already given me a Spiderman Scooter that he wanted. He didn't want to wait and wanted when he was still 4. That strong will thing. Logic of waiting or it being wraped escapes him.

We will celebrate his birthday tommorrow - a day early. Because early Friday, I leave for Korea. I was suppsoed to leave on the 28th but will just miss the first night's session in order to not miss his birthday.

Who Are These Guys?

In Acts 20, Luke mentions several guys who were accompanying Paul. All but one are obscure. Who has heard of Sopator, Aristarchus or Secundus? Who has heard of Gaius, Tychicus & Trophimus? We only have heard of Timothy. But they all came from Paul's ministry each from a different city.

Timothy and Gaius came from cities (Lystra and Derbe) where Paul launched churches on his first missionary journey with Barnabas. Sopator, Aristarchus and Secundus all came from two Macedonian cities (Berea and Thessalonica) where Paul launched churches on the 2nd Journey. Tychicus & Trophimus are from Asia. Asia is the district where Ephesus is the main city. Paul stopped by Ephesus at the end of his 2nd Journey and came back and preached there for while on his Third Journey. The disciples in Ephesus proclaimed the gospel throughout the Roman district of Asia.

What's the point?

Paul developed leaders (made disciples) but its not like he stayed in these cities very long. Very short times in Lystra where he was stoned and Derbe, three weeks in Thessalonica. The longest was Ephesus but even that is short. All of his journeys put together were done in under 10 years.

My friend Shane says it better than me: "I am probably way off my rocker, but it seems to me that you don't get leaders by focusing on leaders, you get leaders by focusing on the mission. Leaders are what bubble to the surface when the vision and mission are compelling enough to engage in risky behavior - thus needing leadership. As soon as we try to organize, program and teach our way toward leadership we are in trouble. Leaders are developed in the crucible of the mission focused adventure."

Paul's leadership seminary class was field work of launching movements through the Eastern part of the Roman Empire and then entrusting these young leaders to lead and develop others in the mission outposts to take the message elsewhere.

Getting Ready for Korea

Robin asked me last night if I was looking forward to going to Korea. Could I really say was enthusiastic about leaving my wife and kids for a week? Here are some things I am looking forward to and some things... maybe not so much.

Looking Forward to...

1. Being a part of this historic event. The first-ever CCC world-wide student conference.

2. Worshipping with 16,000 + students from 127 countries. I love worshipping / praying with the Koreans! Good for my soul.

3. Seeing STINT Team Leaders that I helped train last summer. About 1/2 of all them will be in Korea. It will be a fun reunion of the best training group I have ever been a part of. I love these guys!

4. Seeing some of other STINTers and meeting their disciples who have come with them.

5. Seeing students from places where I have ministered in the past. Places like Mongolia and Kazakhstan, Russia, and East Asia. It will be fun to see the fruit of past years.

6. Just seeing other friends I have who live and minister around the world.

7. Rooming with the guys from our Thailand Project that I helped brief a month ago. It will be fun to hear about there month of ministry firsthand.

8. Hearing from great speakers and being a part of this effort to complete the mission. I am expecting God to move and great things to happen as a result.

9. Helping out with the STINT Leaders Trg during the 'free' times of the conference. This will be the 6 year I have helped with this out of the last 7 summers. (I only missed 2002 because Luke was being born.)

10. Helping out with "Launching Movements' part of that training. I have helped with that section almost every time except 2005 when Robin was carrying Jack and Drew and I just led the training without speaking at a session in case I had to leave. And I think one year, someone else did that part. I also do it a little differently. Sometimes I feel like I have been pegged with only teaching this but then again I am passionate about helping them effectively launch movements to the glory of God.

11. Getting a new stamp in my passport as I have never been to Korea.

Things I am not looking forward to...

1. Leaving on Luke's 5th birthday. We are celebrating it a day earlier and I am leaving a day later than most people. Sort of a compromise.

2. A Week away from boys and Robin. Always tough to go especially since Jack and Drew won't understand why I left.

3. Missing Susan and baby Cyrus. Robin's sister and nephew will arrive after I leave and go back to Alabama before I return. I will see my mother-in-law for about a day and half before I leave though.

4. Kim Chee. Actually I like trying other foods and think it will not be as bad as some say.

5. A long Plane Flight.

6. Jet-lagging and yet having no down time because of the STINT Leaders Training.

7. Teaching to people Jet-lagging and conferenced out. I have no idea how they are going to stay attentive and retain anything. We don't have a free day which we have had every summer.

8. Living 45 minutes from conference center and sleeping on a mat. I am going to choose not to complain especially since I am rooming with guys who have had less than stellar living quarters in Thailand as they rebuilt homes for Tsunami victims. I am bringing a sleeping bag and blow-up mattress pad so it shouldn't be too bad. And Jesus didn't have a place to lay his head so I should be grateful no matter what it's like.

The Check is in the Mail

Yesterday we finally received our escrow check from Regions Bank over two months after closing on the sale of our house. And thankfully I will never ever have to deal with that bank again.

If you work for Region's Bank, you may want to not to read on any more because they rank at the bottom of my list in terms of customer service. Maybe you bank with them and don't have the same issues but they are nothing like the bank we use for checking/savings - Wells Fargo.

Almost five years ago we refinanced our town home. Initially the mortgage was through another nondescript bank but that merged with Region's in a corporate take-over. That was the day my angst began and didn't end until yesterday. If I ever had to call them about something I would get some rude, unhelpful person on the end of the line. Surely they imported these people because the bank is located in the South. No one they hire for customer service is nice. I would have rather talked to someone in India.

And everything comes with a fee. Classic! If you call and are on hold (when Have I ever called and not been on hold) you hear this thick Southern accent 'For only $8, Region's mortgage will let you pay on-line.' For only $8? Are you crazy!?! It's free to bill-pay through Wells Fargo were we bank. (In fact that's what I did for almost 5 years.) It's free with Taylor and Bean - our new mortgage company. To fax my pay-off amount when I sold it was going to cost $20. $20 for a fax!?! Where do they think I am... Singapore? Of course it was free to attach it in an email but they don't tell you that. They wouldn't get your $20.

There were other times dealing with them were I was filled with anghst. But the escrow check was the cou de-grau. When we closed we had over $1300 in escrow. After weeks with no check despite knowing that i would talk to a grumpy person, I called customer service. Snippingly I was told it was mailed and just to wait. I tried to update my address as now we had bought our house since the check was mailed but she said there was no need. I waited ...no check.

I called again. I had to ask for a supervisor as the first lady would not help me at all. The supervisor said, "Oh I see the check was returned". (Now why couldn't the first lady determine that?) Now just so you know - all of our mail was being forwarded. Even a tax refund from Region's bank was forwarded. They also had my phone number on file but never called to say the check was returned. UGH.

So I updated my address and she tells me the check was in the mail. Weeks we by. No check.


I called again. I finally get them to agree to cancel the 2nd check and send it via fed ex. She says she will call me next day with tracking number. Next day (day before yesterday) same lady calls with tracking number. I have her repeat it - twice reading back the number. She said it was sent the day before and would arrive that day.

No check! I went on-line to fedex.com and the tracking number didn't work. Yesterday I called again. This time a guy is my customer service rep and he tracks it and its in Colorado. I asked him to give me the tracking number. The lady the day before had two numbers wrong... not one, but two!!! And twice!!! Also both this guy and the tracking shows it left Regions Bank right before she called me. Not only did she have the tracking wrong, she either lied about when it went out or was so incompetent that she didn't know. Where do they find these people?

So yesterday the check arrived. In the envelope is the original check. One the check, the address of our old property was not our complete address. That's why it wasn't forwarded! They have it on file! They owned it! But they typed the address wrong!

They wrote the check wrong. They never called me to say it was returned. Were they hoping I would never call? They keep telling me to wait. I had to keep calling them. I wished they had gioven me two months interest but yeah. right. I am surpised they didn't charge me for the fed ex letter. How in the world does this bank stay in business? I am glad I will never have to call them again.

Two Upcoming Talks

I have two key upcoming talks that are in my head night and day.

Coffee and Evangelism - Sunday I am leading a class on evangelism during the times of both services. It's a little different than any other training I have done but similar to what to method I have been using for last few years. (Used is relative I guess in that my personal evangelism is not what i wished it would be.)

This Spring, we have challenged folks in our church to do good deeds and then invite that friend to coffee to talk about the good news. We are giving Starbucks cards to anyone who will do them. I volunteered to lead the training. It's nothing complex. Just.. their story, your story and His Story. I will give some tips on listening to them tell their story and being sensitive to the Spirit in how the gospel intersects. Then using your story and reading His story (specifically John 3) relating the good news. I think if we can read, listen, and be sensitive to the Spirit, we can do this.

Pioneering Movements - On the 29th, I fly to Korea for CM 2007. During the free times, I am helping lead the training of our STINT Leaders for this next school year. There are over 40 young leaders who will be leading teams all over the world. I am helping specifically with the objective of "Planting and Growing Movements" and for my part will focus on the planting side. I have this talk on July 2nd at 2 pm Korean time.

I am trying to figure how to use 50 minutes in the mid-afternoon while they are jet-lagging in a way that will be profound. I am toying with doing my own little "Walk thru the Bible"of Paul's missionary journeys. I thought about acting it out but seems a little cheesy. Maybe I will just have them move around 'Asia Minor' and 'Greece' with me. Maybe I will pack some baklava to pass out.

We will look at how Paul finished the work in less than 10 years. Then they need to agree on principles for movement planting that they can apply in the following year.

Paul's Methods

Paul makes some incredible claims in Romans 15

He says that from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum that he fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. But we know from Acts that he skipped over some of these towns. Then he has the audacity to say that there was no more work for him there and that he was headed to Spain via Rome. How did he fully proclaim the gospel everywhere? And how could the work be done?

He did so by planting churches. But not just any church where folks gathered on Sunday to look at the back of the head in front of them and watch a show with lights, bells, whistles, choirs in full robes and slick preaching for itchy ears. He launched churches in key cities in districts that would be movements. They were planted to reproduce! That as these new believers received the gospel, they would proclaim it throughout those regions. That He lit gospel fires that would spread.

Paul says that it had always been his ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation. He has a foundation layer, a planter. He planted, Apollos (and others) watered by God caused the growth. He laid a foundation of Christ and other's built on it. He coaches from a distance through his letters and sending his disciples. But once he 'births' them he lets them fly.

In this passage to the Romans he tells them of his plans to visit them. But not to become Pope of Rome. Not to start a Mega-Church. No. He was on the move. He would visit them on the way to Spain, encourage them and have them support his ministry after I have enjoyed your company for a while. He did go to Rome and stay - but only because he was chained.

What has happened to us? Why are we not on the move like Paul? Why are people afraid of launching something even small and letting it take off? Why don't we think "let's light a fire and get out of the way"? Why don't we entrust the task of proclaiming the gospel to others - even those new in their faith? Maybe we think it will fail forgetting its God who causes the growth. Maybe we subtly want to steal some of the glory. Or maybe we just are trapped into 'that's the way we always have done it'.

10 Commandments for Drivers

Seems the Vatican has released a 10 Commandments for drivers. I wonder how I score...

1. You shall not kill. Haven't killed anyone unless you count squirrels or we go the Sermon on the Mount route. I have often had anger in my heart. DOH!

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm. Again depends on which definition of murder we are going with. I have had some communion but sometimes it includes words like 'you idiot, learn to drive!' Guess I am guilty again. Doh!

3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events. Oh man better not let my Farmer's Insurance Agent see this! You know he is Catholic so he would love this list.

4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents. I have never come upon an accident except one where emergency personal were already there or the one time I was the victim. Long story... brakes gave out on the 1950's truck I was driving for my job as a chimney sweep in college. Covered with soot as the van landed on its side in a ditch, the paramedics thought I was a burn victim.

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin. What statement of power and domination does a 93 Camry with 150,000 miles have? I have a cassette player and my windows need to be rolled up manually.

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so. I have told Luke more than once that he is in too young of a condition to drive.

7. Support the families of accident victims. I like this one sort of visiting widows and orphans in their distress which is pure and undefiled religion.

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness. Can't say I have ever done this.

9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party. Hmmm. I guess I shouldn't complain about older slow drivers or distracted soccer moms with screaming kids.

10. Feel responsible toward others. Man, I need a confession. I think I will take the bus the rest of the week as penance.

Last thought: I wonder if Charleston Heston as Moses would have comdemned Charleston Heston as Ben Hur for his careless chariot driving?

Catching-up

• I haven't blogged in over a week so let me catch you up...

Friday 8th - we noticed we had a water leak downstairs. Hard to explain but a previous owner put in the sprinkler system and its crazy. They used PVC pipes (not even good ones) and ran a drain under a cabinet. This is where the leak was.

Saturday 9th - I was supposed to participate in ShareFest where our church joined several churches in helping do work around local schools like painting and improving the grounds. Our church was doing Boulder High which you might know from recent news. But because of the plumping issue, Robin took my place in the am and I had my own personal ShareFest.


Not to self... leave plumbing issues alone. I thought I would try to repair the leak and save use some money. And doing so I saw that there was also a drip at the shut-off value before that leak so I thought cuff off all the water at the cut-off value in our hot water heater closet and cut the PVC pipe before the value... Big Mistake. The way they rigged this contraption, the water was not cut-off. I needed to cut it off outside the house.

What was a leak because a gush. All I could do was wait until Robin came home because I only had time to empty bucket after bucket. Hours later when she came home and put twins down for a nap, Robin took over bucket brigade as I ran back to Lowe's to get more pipe. Oh I forgot to say, I got the wrong size. In fact, took me several trips to find the right size as the pipe they put in was not a regulation size. The closest was 1 inch but it wasn't a perfect fit.

Long story short, I never clued in to turning off the water at the street so I tried to do this job with water running and basically it was a half-way job. it still leaked as I couldn't tighten the pipes enough with water running through.

We got a plumber to come out on Tuesday. Was hoping against hope that it would be covered by out warranty but not a chance because it was not up to code. It took him a while to figure this out too so it made me feel a little better. We got the leak plugged but the pressure caused a leak outside. So tomorrow we are getting him to return to and replace the whole PVC system with regulation copper piping. Going to cost us. But I think I will sleep better at night.


Johnstown Flood - All the while this was happening, I ironically was reading Johnstown Flood by David McCullough. I keep thinking my house was going to be like this town and that i needed to pay the piper (or plumber) before something worse happening.

This past weekend's projects - While my confidence in my home-improvement skills were at a all-time low, I did do a few things like removed the sliding shower door from the upstairs bathroom, replaced a cracked toilet seat, 'fixed' a door in the downstairs bathroom, replaced the hoses on the washing machine, and organized the downstairs bedroom. Taking the shower door off means Robin or I can see all the kids when they take a bath. Robin sat the boys up to watch me dismantle it with applause and play-by-play.


T-Ball - This morning Luke had his first T-Ball practice. He ran the bases, practiced throwing, and getting in the ready position. He is one of only two southpaws, though the way he threw maybe he really is right-handed. He said he had fun but I think he most will recall the beetle he found while the coach had them all sit down in a circle.

Well got to go to dentist soon... Will seem like cake next to plumbing issues!

Oh yeah, our garage door quit working yesterday am - that thing has to be covered by the warrenty - I hope!

Finishing Well - J and J

J and J (the couple embracing on the front row in the group pic from last summer) are leading in East Asia. I really don't know how they are doing since I haven't heard from them.

They are the last pair of leaders to highlight so I don't have anyone else in the hopper. We will just have to assume they are alive and well. I could make up something like it turns out they were not really STINT leaders but plants sent by the East Asian government to see what we were up to. J and J to their right and left in the picture sniffed them out and exposed their evil plot. Or like Demas, they loved this world, have deserted us and gone to Thessalonica. No, I am sure that they just have added to me to their Junk e-Mail list or something.

Actually right before Paul wrote about the deserter Demas, he wrote this to Timothy...

I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. II Tim 4:6-8

Paul was writing of course about a departure from this world and not just the end of a STINT. Though I guess since we are aliens and strangers in this world and our citizenship as a believer is in heaven and not US, Canada or Barbados and this life is a vapor, then life is a STINT and Paul was writing about the end of his STINT.

Your STINT year in the country where you are (no matter if this your one shot, year two for you, or you are reupping for another year or longer as ICS) is merely a mile marker on the course set out before you. It's a marathon not a sprint. This is just one round in a long fisticuffs battle.

Paul writes that he fought the good fight and finished the race. Earlier in I Cor 9, Paul says that we 'compete' for an eternal crown. He says that therefore he does not run like someone running amok nor does he fight like someone just flailing their arms. He has a purpose. He makes his blows count. Then he writes this, "I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

Paul took the battle seriously. He took every thought captive to the obedience of Christ... every thought. He knew the battle was not against flesh and blood. He put on the full armor of God every day. He didn't drop his guard because he knew the enemy was ready snuff him out. He didn't think, "Hey I wrote most of the NT. I'm all that and a bag of chips. I can coast."

This phrase about 'having preached or ministered to others and then myself being disqualified' is sobering to me. Actually it scares me spitless. I am not immune to this. You aren't. None of us are.

I recall Howard Hendricks speaking on this verse to staff 10 years ago. He said when you look at scripture very few men and women finished well. (Unfortuantely, I don't recall the exact number he gave but it wasn't a lot.) The pathway to the end of the race is strewn with fallen leaders.

Dr. Hendricks said that his students one year asked him to bring in people who had walked with God for a long time so they could probe them for their secret. So he got a bunch of of older faithful men and women to address his class. One guy they had to wheel in. What they said was not anything profound. It was the basics: daily they made sure Christ was in control acknowledging their desperate dependence on Him, daily they spent time in the word memorizing and mediating on scripture and they put made sure they were in a community of other believers where they were not isolated. (I called my dad who has been in ministry over 50 years asked him to give his secret and it was pretty much the same thing.)

While its not profound, I guess it is profound. It's profound that we think there is something greater we need: some great knowledge, some degree to hang on the wall, some great success. When its about Him and our desperate need for Him.

Something subtly creeps in to rob of of that reality that we need Him and need to be in communion with Him and others. We get lazy. We think we can rest on our laurels. We forget we are in the battle. We get weary. We let the enemy gain a foothold. We don't persevere. We don't trust and obey. We try to go it alone. We think its about us.

I want to finish well. I don't want to check-out. I don't want my life to be a warning for others. I want to rededicate myself to the basics... to basically acknowledging how weak and vulnerable I am and how I desperately need Him. I do. I desperately need Him. I don't want to be disqualified. I want to finish well.

May we all finish well.

Mom's Birthday

Today is my Mom's birthday (card is in the mail, mom).

I appreciate my mother so much. She was one of my best encouragers growing up. She taught me to read and I guess a gained from her (and my dad) a love for books.

She would always play board games with my sisters and I. She patiently listened to me jabber.

She comforted me when I needed comforting and spurred me own when I need that.

She was always there for a good hug. She laughed at my jokes and antics. She believed in me.

She's a great mom and grandmommy! I love you. Happy Birthday!

Winds and the Invisible Jacob

The last couple of nights/days we have had major winds in Colorado. Actually Wednesday night the wind was something else. It was my night to put Luke to bed. We sit in our rocker/glider in our bedroom and I read to him (I have to read the same book every time, we just pick 2-3 stories) and pray with him. The we usually rock for a few minutes but that night I pulled up a chair for him to stand in and we looked out the window into our backyard and watched and listened to the wind. Pretty amazing watching the trees sway to ... had to be 60 mile-per-hour winds or more.



Luke has been talking a lot about Jacob lately. (Not this Jacob but he is invisible.) Luke says he is not imaginary but real.. but he is all in his head. Jacob 'appears' in conversation like this. "But Jacob has (whatever Luke doesn't have but wants)..." "But Jacob does (whatever Luke wants to do but can't)..."

Sometimes its comical. Sometimes a little annoying too I suppose. I keep trying to remind myself that Luke has a vivid imagination and that if he ever wrote all this down he would make a good book. It's amazing the adventures Jacob has been on, trust me!

New Picasa Album

May and first week of June 07

Click the pic of Jack and Drew and you can see more pics of "The Park" and even some short video clips (#37 and #38 I think) where you can hear me shoveling rocks as the boys look at bugs.

The Park

Our neighbors next door gave us the playground set they inherited when they bought their house last summer. (I am having problemos uploading photos today on blogger so i may only get this one up.)

I titled this "The Park" because that's what Jack and Drew call it. It's a pretty sweet set. Has a fort, climbing wall (in reality plastic steps that look like rocks which are better for small boys anyway), a slide, three swings, and hand rings. We had a little "baby" swing that looks like a rocket that an old neighbor gave to us. Somehow it made the move with us and now we are glad it did. Jack and Drew would rather use the big boys swings but cuz'n Cyrus is visiting later this month so it will be for him.

Before we moved this monstrosity, I spent two evenings shoveling rocks that one of previous owners had 'stored' by the fence. I still don't have a wheelbarrow. (I could have used one like a dozen times already). So the red wagon served as one as I loaded rocks and wheeled them and dumped them under the deck. In the process, Luke found some major worms. And Jack loved the rolly polly bugs he found.

On Saturday, my neighbor Noah, his nephew and I (all the people I asked to help were busy) took the thing apart and carried it across Noah's backyard. We first carried the swing half which wasn't so bad. The fort was a beast. Glad Noah's nephew was a beefcake. Where the fence becomes wire, Noah took out the staples to the wooden posts and we took the playground across. We stripped one 'carriage bolt' taking it apart so I went to Ace, Home Depot and Lowe's looking for a duplicate. Crazy nobody had the right size but Lowe's was closest with one a 1/2 inch longer.

It's still on a little slope and I have wooden posts to drive in the ground to level it off but its sturdy and not sure that job is worth the effort yet. Certainly will need help to hold it up etc. if and when we do that.

All and all the boys love it. Drew's a dare devil as he likes to throw himself back when he swings. They ask all day for Daddy to come push because I push them a little higher than mom likes.

Oh and turns out I really didn't need to shovel all those rocks because we put it at a different place. Actually where we set the fort determine where we put it. No way we were going to rearrange that.

Planting Movements for His Glory - Stephanie and Zac

Stephanie Gillette (2nd row left) and Zac Wyse (back row right) are leading the team in Liverpool. Soon they and several of their team will be out the door helping with projects in other nations. On the 15th, KC (in yellow jacket) will leave for a location in the Middle East. Zac, Steph, and Gen (front right) will leave for St. Petersburg, Russia. In St. Pete, they will be there with a team of students and staff from all over the UK to share the gospel with students on campus as well at a sports camp. From St. Pete, they will go with Russian students to CM 2007.

Zac and Steph recently learned there will not be a STINT team next year due to a lack of laborers. But God is in control! A group of key students will carry on the work coached by UK Agape staff. Also 4 of the 6 on their team will remain in UK. Gen and Seong (back row left) has been offered jobs at their respective churches in Liverpool heading up university student work, KC will be remain in Liverpool too to get her graduate degree in History and Zac will be a student worker for UCCF in Manchester.

I found myself re-reading Isaiah 61 recently. You might recall we looked at this almost 11 months ago at STINT Leaders Trg. It’s sort of the standard passage for me when I think of what we are trusting God to do. Things like where folks from Great Lakes go to Liverpool to launch movements and then go with Liverpoolians to stage their own ‘British invasion’ in St. Pete to launch movements among Russian students who hopefully will one day go to other country and so on. It is where we plant and others will come behind to water (either as a team on the ground or from a distance) but God causes the growth!

As you recall, the context of Isaiah 61 is a message to those held in captivity in Babylon. But we know also it is really more than that because Jesus said His ministry fulfilled this passage. And since we are sent out likewise I believe it should be a model of how we are to do ministry.

The first few verses paint a picture of the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom: the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord anoints the Messiah so that the poor have the Good News preached to them to them, the hearts that are broken are bound, the captives hear of their freedom, the prisoners hear of their release from darkness, and the mournful are comforted. It is the proclamation of year of the Lord’s favor (to those who being saved) and the day of vengeance (to those perishing). The poetic picture of transformation is as one who grieves being crowned with beauty instead of ashes, being anointed with an oil of gladness instead of mourning and being robed with a garment of praise instead of a cloak of despair.

“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Those who were poor, those who were brokenhearted, those who were held captive and imprisoned, those who mourned and grieve, those who heard this message and were transformed --- they will be these oaks. They will be a planted movement for the display of God’s glory!

They rebuild the ancient ruins of their nation. They restore the places long devastated. They renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. It is these students you have been proclaiming this message too, that you have been helping ground in the transforming message of the Christ and understand the transforming power of His Spirit who will be the ones to carry this same message to transform the UK, Russia, Croatia, East Asia, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Barbados and on and on.

Isaiah writes that "their descendents will be known among the nations and their offspring among all peoples". Can we dream that students from every location where you now serve will one day take this message to other nations? Can we dare to believe that not just Argentina, Chile, Turkey, Kazakhstan Italy, Germany, and on and on will be transformed but that students from all these nations will rise up, the Spirit of the Sovereign Lord upon them with passports and bible in hand, and cross borders just as you have done to plant movements where students now reside in darkness and God’s glory is not known?

Whether we have seen plants sprout all over or it seems like this year we have been merely moving dirt around, may the Lord fulfill His Promise everywhere… for the display of His glory!

For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations.

Weekend Jobs

I made myself a list of job/projects that were needed around our house and grouped them: outside, laundry room / downstairs bathroom, upstairs bathroom, electrical jobs, & organizing. I set a goal to do one group before I leave for a week for a conference in Korea on June 29th. Robin added a new category of deck power-washing and staining to this list.



There are other jobs we will need to do like painting but not as pressing. I felt like these were ones that make our home livable and some are rather urgent.



So two weekends ago, I dove first into Electrical Jobs.

Some of the jobs seemed a little urgent like an exposed outlet in the attic. It took all Saturday if you include running to Home Depot. The pics are only 1/10th of all the jobs I had that day.

Last weekend was Outside. This time I went to Lowe's which I prefer over Home Depot because their customer service is far superior. Outside involved reattaching a loose board near my roof, cleaning gutters, fixing the fence along our backyard, trimming the length of a wooden door that goes to our backyard. (It was dragging on the patio so I had to unscrew 1/2 of the boards and use a power saw to trim off a 1/4 inch or so and then re-screw them.) I also needed to weed-whack my yard and try to keep the wild grass from the open space from venturing into my yard and killing our grass. I actually took Memorial Day to finish all this up as it took another trip to Lowe's.


This weekend was going to be the Power-wash and Stain the Deck. It also involves our neighbors giving us a cool playground set with swings, slide, fort and climbing wall. But I can't seem to find help to move it so I may delay the receiving of the gift. But then again the kids are expecting it. I started last night shoveling these rocks that the previous owner stored alongside the side fence where we are looking to put the playground set. I got about 1/2 of it done last night. Our deck is huge so I don't know if I can get this done in a day but the stain is coming off on our kids so is a little urgent if we want to use the deck.


I also have a new job. Turns out the plumbing is backed up. I called Jack the Installer and looks like he can come out on Tuesday and figure this thing out. Basically the pipe where the laundry drain goes is backed up to the top and food is coming out. Either we didn't check the kids pockets for PB & J sandwiches or we got problems. Maybe all it will take is a good snake job.

All-in-all, I actually have enjoyed working on these each Saturday. I am usually worn out but its a good feeling of accomplishment to scratch them off. Dreading the fixing the tile in the upstairs bathroom. Robin says it can wait as only the kids are bathing in that tub. But I need to do it sometime.