Garissa and the Kennys

This is from the blog FiveKennys, I met them in Kenya, and was actually in Garissa

Praying for Peace in Garissa

Holes mar the side of the Utawala Church

after this Sunday’s attack in Garissa, Kenya

This week we are meeting with Garissa pastors and Christian leaders for a Canadian Baptist Ministries’ gathering in Nairobi. During the three-day gathering, Erica and Laura will be training seven women leaders on the self help group approach to women’s empowerment, and Aaron, Yattani, William and Michel will be following up on the church-based community development training that we began with the churches in August. We are also thrilled to have our colleague Laurena Zondo joining us to help the pastors and church leaders with communication during times of crisis. Laurena is not only a specialist in communication, but she leads an effective peace and reconciliation ministry among youth in Rwanda. This is a critical time for the people of Garissa, it is a community that needs prayer and healing.

Over the past year, the Garissa Churches have faced a high level of insecurity and persecution. Despite increased police presence, the violence has continued to escalate. On this past Sunday morning, the Utawala Interdenominational Church, which meets for prayer and worship within the Garissa Police barracks, was attacked by militants. Among the 14 wounded, was the pastor who died upon his arrival to hospital. Three members, of the congregation of 30, were air-lifted to Nairobi and are in critical condition. Please remember this church, the family of the pastor and the injured. As we pray for peace in Garissa, we hold on to our faith that God is concerned for the well-being of the vulnerable, and that our Hope is the power and grace of God’s Spirit to transform the hearts and minds of his people.

Thank you for praying

Reformation Day 2012

I came across this by John Piper and wanted to share

After Darkness... Light (Video from Geneva)

  John Piper | October 31, 2012

Dear Friends,

Today is Reformation Day. Martin Luther posted his explosive 95 theses October 31, 1517. In the wake of Luther’s life, an army of Reformers soon emerged. Foremost among them was John Calvin. Together they recovered for the church the supreme authority and clarity of the Scriptures. Grace-erasing tradition had buried the glory of the gospel. But now light was breaking out. So the Reformers took up a Latin phrase to describe the wonder: “Post Tenebras Lux”—“After Darkness... Light.”

In honor of Calvin’s ministry and, even more, in celebration of the God who restored the gospel to his church, we are making this video available today. My prayer is that it would stir in your heart a fresh passion for the majesty of the word of God.

In spite of his flaws, the essential meaning of Calvin's life and preaching is that he recovered and embodied a passion for the majesty of God and his word. The labor of exposition through preaching was the supreme work of his life.

I am no John Calvin. But I do stand with him as a fellow preacher of the majesty of God’s word. Preaching has been the central labor of my life. I pray that God will give me a mind and voice that enables me to preach this word as long as I live. What a gift and privilege that would be.

http://youtu.be

Iamsecond.com

It has been over a year now since I was in Quebec to a conference with the French Baptist Union. While I was there I meet a fellow pastor named Jeremy who had just come joined a new ministry group called E3 full time. He also introduced me to there one of their affiliate ministries called Iamsecond.  I have watched a few of the videos and found them very well done, and have encouraged others to watch them. If they are into baseball, then Josh Hamilton has his testimony , If you like to watch NASCAR then Darrell Waltrip is on there, and many more. One thing I always try to remember is that just because we are Christians, we are not perfect, we will make mistakes this side of glory. I encourage you to not only listen to peoples testimonies but to write yours out. When did you meet Jesus? When did He save you? What does He continue to do in your life?  When we testify to what God is doing in our life, He not only becomes more real to us but to those around us.

God Can Use Everyone

I came across this blog and thought that it was very interesting how God uses people for the building of His Kingdom.

Before Pastor John met Jesus, neighbors in his village in India thought he was a “mad man.” His own daughter recalls a time when her father was often mocked for his lack of intelligence and his illiteracy.
When Pastor John met Jesus, the neighbors were convinced he was crazy. “When I started sharing the gospel,” Pastor John says, “people thought I was a fool because living for Jesus is the last thing they think anyone would want to do, since they are Hindu.”

Jesus changed him, and gave him newfound life and a heart for sharing the gospel. God also blessed him with sharpness of mind and a miraculous ability to read. He became a pastor, and has since planted 14 churches in 14 different villages and cities throughout India’s Khammam district, a region known for its poverty, illiteracy, and dense population.

Pastor John is one of many church planters supported by Mars Hill Global. Please pray that his ministry would continue to grow so that more people in India can meet Jesus.




Sutton Turner is the executive pastor of Mars Hill Church

What to Say?

I wanted for a while to start blogging, but not sure about finding the time, or even what kind of blog to begin. So this is what I have decided to do, When I am reading and preparing I always find interesting articles, videos or other blogs and I would like to share them with you.  I am planning on going on a mission trip in January 2013 to Bolivia and will also bring you parts of my journey there as well.

We all know people in our life that are dealing with very difficult situations. It can be most anything from family problems, deaths, sickness or many other things that we face in our lives here on earth. We as Christians want to be able to help them through these situations of life because they mean so much to us. There is a problem though, we are scared to cause more harm than we maybe we intended to do good. This being scared comes from not knowing what to say to people who are going or have gone through situations that we haven’t. The problem with not knowing what to say comes from not knowing what the answers to life struggles are. This fear of not knowing then begins to overpower our willingness to be there for them, and then causes us not to do anything at all as Christians. We often hear people who have gone through situations say; people seem to neglect me because they are not sure how to handle my struggles, or not know what to say. I thought this video was very interesting and thought provoking, and is relevant to this subject. Notice what he is saying and not saying in this clip.