A Movement of God.

“One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and I will tell of Your greatness” 

(Psalm 145:4-6).

Over a week ago I attended a "vision night" to learn how God has been at work in the lives of thousands of youth in Eastern Europe through Josiah Venture (JV).  In the summer of ‘96, a team from my church joined with another team of Czech Christians from Havirov, Czech Republic.  We partnered together to serve for a week as we led an English camp for Czech youth who ranged in age from high school to early twenties.  Throughout the week we taught English to students with varied degrees of aptitude in speaking and writing the language.  Not only did they come to learn English, but were keenly curious to interact with Americans and learn more about our culture.

Each evening we met to worship the Lord and hear a message that focused on an aspect of the gospel:  Who is man?  What is sin?  Why am I created?  Who is God?  What prevents man from knowing God?  Why was it necessary for Jesus to die?  Where will I go when I die?

After the session was over, we discussed the message and what the students were learning.  For many this was the first time they had heard the gospel message.  Up until the Velvet Revolution in 1989, Czech was ruled by Communist ideology that included that God does not exist.

As the week went on, relationships with these new Czech friends blossomed.  Opportunities to share and show the love of Christ with them through athletic games, hiking mountains, and going for night walks to marvel at God’s creation under the stars.  Many of the youth began to see their sin and their need for the Savior, Jesus Christ.  For some, their time at camp changed their lives for eternity.  For others it was the start of knowing more about their need for a Savior.

Since the summer of ’96, when I think there only 4-7 camps occurred, now over 12,000 young people have been impacted with the gospel in 11 European countries.  God, for His glory and the furtherance of His kingdom, is working in great ways through JV!

I am especially encouraged and excited by JV’s focus to work with nationals through the local church to equip and strengthen them for the ministry of the gospel.  I stay in touch with some of the dear Czech Christians that I met and served with in summer of '96.

JV now plans to double the kingdom fruit in the next three years. Thus, the 2x3 campaign logo at the beginning of this post.  I am excited and supportive of what God will do in the next three years as He works through evangelistic events, disciplemaking, leadership training and healthy reproducing churches for His glory!

Brothers that I met a few weeks ago like Lukasz serving with his wife in Poland, Tarmo in Estonia, and the rest of the JV Team along with us that prayerfully and financially support them have a great opportunity to invest in and see a movement of God in the next three years like never before as the next generation of youth in Eastern Europe are reached for His glory!  “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4)

Number Our Days.

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” 

(Psalm 90:12)

This week marks five months since a prosthesis went into my right ankle on June 17 (see x-rays under “New Wheels” post), eight weeks since the first surgery on my left ankle, and six weeks until the final surgery on my left ankle on December 30. Physical therapy, twice a week, on my right foot and ankle continue with steady progress being made.

Number Your Days.
All of these surgeries, follow-up visits, and physical therapy appointments bring Psalm 90:12 to mind. I first came across this verse and was challenged by its implications during a spiritual life class when I attended Moody Bible Institute. During a class, Dr. Thrasher challenged us to take our age and multiply it by 365 days. Then take 70 years and multiply it by 365 (“The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength”, Psalm 90:10). Subtract the number of days lived by the number of days left, Lord willing, He gives you to live. So for example, if you are 25 years old you have 16,425 days to live; 35 years gives you 12,775 days; 45 years, 9,125 days left; and 55 years, 5,525 days to go. This little exercise puts the brevity of life into perspective pretty quick. Bottom line: it is short!

These shots are from my a six week post-op check-up on my left ankle. The ankle gets x-rayed three-dimensionally via CT Scan and one dimensionally via regular x-rays. “Construction Orange” is the cast color choice.

Since the first surgery in March, God’s faithfulness has been on display in many ways from strength in recovery, financial provision for all surgeries, post-op care, and physical therapy to parents that have allowed me to stay with them as I recover. Praise Him!

“He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful!” (1 Corinthians 1:8-9) 

Encourage One Another.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, 

so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” 

Hebrews 3:13

Everyone needs encouragement. A few weeks ago I was in Starbucks working on a study on the attributes of God.  A gal sitting next to my table saw I was reading the Bible and asked what I was doing?  I told her I was studying the word and recovering from ankle surgery.  I her asked, “What she was doing?”  She said she was writing devotionals for a 30 second radio spot to be aired later in the week.

This gal I was talking to is Virginia Hill, a Christian singer, who serves the Lord signing at women’s conferences, crisis pregnancy events, and concerts.  Her first CD, “LOL” (text/instant message lingo for “Laugh Out Loud”) recently debuted in 2007 and another CD is coming in November.

I never heard of Virginia Hill until I met her.   I asked Virginia if she could send me her CD.  She said she would.  I gave her one of my postcards that includes this blog address and wrote her a short note of encouragement.

A Special Package.  Later that week I received two copies of Virginia’s CD.  What I was not expecting was a note of encouragement along with this devotional she wrote: Perseverance.

“I recently met a man named Jeff at a coffee house where I was working on writing this devotional.  When I entered I noticed he had limited mobility and it took him a long time to get to his seat.

I was curious when I noticed he was studying the Bible and I leaned over and asked what he was studying.  He smiled and began to tell me about his struggles with bone on bone arthritis and how he wants to share the message of hope he has found in the strength of the Lord. He’s even developed his own ministry to encourage and strengthen others.  As he spoke my eyes looked at his left leg propped up on a chair and the crutches lying on the floor. He said when he was twenty-three he had surgeries replacing his hips and recently had a cast removed from his right ankle replacement surgery and now was recovering from his left ankle replacement. He even smiled as he said that there were more surgeries scheduled. His honesty and sweet spirit amazed me.

I was challenged by his example and thought of how many times I let small irritations distract me from being who I am called to be in Christ. Jeff has committed his life to serve and encourage others who are faced with difficult questions and choices.  We may not have to withstand the struggles with living with a disability but we all have things in our lives that we need to overcome. Each of us are handcrafted to fulfill His purpose.  By allowing the Lord to be our strength we press on beyond the circumstances and trials of our lives.”

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”  James 1:2-3

I praise the Lord and am humbled that He could use me to encourage Virginia and that she encouraged me too.  

2 Corinthians 4:7-10 come to mind, "But we have his treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."