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What Do We Do With the Weeds?
The Priority of Making Disciples.
Guarding against theological or ecclesiastical witch hunts… Jesus worked to save people and did not waste his time arguing theology with the Pharisees.
Scriptures from Matthew 13:24-30.
Sunday Morning Sermon preached by Dr. Trey Turner on May 27th (Memorial Day), 2007.
England Pictures Are Up!
Hey, there are new pictures of the England Mission trip!
I think I might die…the second half of the England Mission
Wow…this is way overdue. So sorry for the delay in relaying details about the last week in Middlesbrough. Almost everyday of the last week we went from 8am to 10 or 11pm. Each day was filled with great experiences but exhausting as well.
I believe I left off with prayer requests for Monday and Tuesday. Monday was a great yet quite depressing experience. We were in five classes from 9am to 3pm. Their schools are similar to our magnet schools here. King’s Manor is a sports magnet school. We worked with two teachers. They were both very kind to let us help in their Religious Education studies. I believe one of the teachers had a greater understanding of Christian faith than the other. This made the experiences in both classes very different. We talked about making moral choices, sports and religion, where people find God, and of course life in America. This allowed us great opportunity in most cases to use the Romans 6:23 one-verse evangelism diagram to explain how a person can have a personal relationship with God. Many had never even been in a church much less had any exposure to the Truth of Jesus. One said he just knew Jesus was stretched in a rack before being crucified. Some were silly, some really paid attention, and some were flat out hostile. By in large though, they listened. More than 100 students had the seed of the Gospel cast into their lives. We also believe this may have provided more opportunity for Matt, Youth for Christ leader, to build relationships with students and teachers.
Monday afternoon we prayer-walked an area where Middlesbrough Community Church (MCC) is feeling lead to start a new church. It was a beautiful time of prayer and vision. That evening, some of us joined with Taylor to celebrate her birthday at George and Avril’s home. They are so generous. We then split up into three homes for tea (dinner) and home group bible studies. All had genuine times of worship and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. They accepted us like we were their own…just with funny accents. Later that night we all came together with our English friends and celebrated Taylor’s birthday in traditional English fashion at a nearby pub called The Yellow Rose (very appropriate for a Texan girl). They kindly treated us to a round of Cokes and Sprites.
Tuesday we had the privilege of praying before school with the small group teachers who are believers. Their five and our ten crammed into a 10×10 room. They were so appreciative. I believe it definitely was a shot in the arm to them. We then led in two more classes again discussing religion and sports. That afternoon, we all went to Pastor Ken’s home and had lunch. He took time to invest in us and encourage us. When we finished some went with him to the local park and city museum while others got much needed rest. We all then went to Terry and Anne’s for dinner. They are so much fun! Luke was wrestled to the ground by two of their seven kids and Colin and I took them on in football (soccer). It’s amazing how good you can look versus little kids. That evening, we hung out with the college student from their Christian Union at Teeside University, a campus as pagan as any in America…25,000 students and only a handful of faithful Christians. It was encouraging to hear their passion to affect their campus for Jesus.
Wednesday we worked with the Toddlers ministry again. We helped play with the kids and talk with the moms, Christian and non-Christian. That afternoon Marcine, Ryan, and Kasia went to the prison to minister. The rest of the team went to the college dorms and helped clean community kitchens and meet people. I had a great time talking with their Christian Union co-leader about how to help the CU become an impacting ministry on campus. She has great passion and vision. Others had opportunities to invite students to church and a Life Group. That evening we joined the students in their Life Group in Peter and Anya’s home. It was a great time to be with other university students. We sang, prayed, and broke bread together.
Thursday we spent the day in York. What a magnificent city. The York Minster is truly one of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen. Most of us climbed all 275 steps to the top…I thought I was going to die. The city was a joy to walk around. The wall around parts of the original town were amazing. Some of the team even made it to the castle as well. That evening we met our new family and friends at the Banana Leaf for some Chinese food and great fellowship. It was a very special goodbye.
Friday we left at 5am to catch the train to Manchester. Then left Manchester headed home around noon. We landed in Atlanta and made a beeline for the Chili’s Too to get some chips and salsa. After a three hour layover, we headed to Dallas. There we said our team goodbyes and went our different ways. Finally, those going back to Temple arrived around 11:30pm. It was good to be home.
God was truly faithful from beginning to end…from Kaisa’s passport to getting home safely late Friday night after being awake pretty much for 26 hours…from not being in schools on Tuesday to being in schools five of the days we were there…from almost being hit from behind at every corner (because they drive on the opposite side of the road and we were always looking the wrong way) to protection from some possibly rough situations…from Him revealing Himself through worship experiences to seeing Him in how we just fit right in with people we had never met. God, as He always does, proved Himself faithful to us throughout the mission.
My greatest lesson learned was something I was told before I went but could only understand once we had experienced it. When you go, you will be ready. Over and over situations arose and team member’s gifts and experiences proved to be exactly what was needed in the moment. We never once had to be anxious about something that was asked of our team because someone was always able to step and be what was needed. This not something new to me, just something I need to be reminded of..and I was…over and over.
Thank you for your gifts, your prayers, and your faithfulness. We are planning to go back for a major evangelistic event next year. Be in prayer even now how you might could be a part of that.
Grace and peace to you.
Podcast Errors
Just a quick note to mention if you use iTunes to receive the podcast, you might be having some problems downloading the latest sermons right now. We are currently working on the problem and appreciate your patience while we find a resolution. The sermons are still available for manual download and can also be played on the site, using the built in flash player. Thanks again for your patience.
The Church as a People Movement
Adam Sijansky
Acts 2:44-47
Isaiah 52:7
1 Peter 4:9
Race for the Cure: Living the Spirit-Filled Life
Dr. Trey Turner
Romans 8:1-4
England Mission-Shopping, prayer meeting, and Sunday worship
The last couple of days have been brilliant (we would say great)! Saturday morning we went shopping in the local outdoor mall for friends, family, and ourselves. Marcine discover an incredible cherry scone. Others have enjoyed finding new ways to enjoy chocolate. Later that day, the heroes event went off very well. There were lots of children and the students did well. It was a very creative idea. We split up for dinner. Marcine and I happen to be at the youth minister’s home, Terry. His wife Anne fixed us fajitas. VERY GOOD fajitas, I might add. They have seven kids who are all great kids. Some of the students came over later and participated in a youth prayer meeting which they said was amazing. The other students stayed at the church and helped lead a Saturday youth event called IG-nite. They did a great job and connect with the youth well. Marcine and I went to Avril and George Gregory’s home for 2nd desserts and a time of fellowship. They are leaders in the church with truly one of the most amazing testimonies of the goodness of God I have ever heard. I hope to share it with you later. I was an encouraging time together.
This morning we went to church. Some helped with the children while the reast stayed in the service. It was an amazing time of worship and praise. That afternoon all but Marcine went to a Middlesbrough Football Club match. That would be soccer to us. It was a blast. We learned a lot…some good…some not so good. That evening some helped with the Teen Challenge time at the church while the rest went to the evening prayer meeting. You were prayed over with passion and fervor. They truly prayed down heaven on our church and especially Trey Turner. If what they prayed for our church should come to pass, and I believe it will…hang on cuz God is going to take Canyon Creek places it has never been. They don’t know you personally, but they love you geniunely.
After the prayer meeting, we sat around and shared about what has impacted us most. After all had been shared, the most important thing to let you know is this team is not the same team that came over here and will not be the same people you knew. We can’t be. God has done too much in us.
That being said. We love and miss you.
Pray for us on Monday 9am-3pm (we are six hours ahead of you so you might pray tonight or wait until you wake up). We will be in a tougher high school with some amazing opportunities to talk about God, morality, faith and sports and I am sure a lot more. We will be there Tuesday morning as well. Monday evening we will be joining the cell groups that meet in the area. And Tuesday afternoon, the pastor has asked us to his house to spend some time investing in us. Then Tuesday evening we will be at Teeside University meeting with some college students.
Grace and peace to you.
Trey Bledsoe
iMom
Dr. Trey Turner
Proverbs 14:1
Passion Ignited in England!
We continue to see God using us to love people where they are in a variety of situations. Thursday morning we were treated to a sweet treat–lemon tops. It is basically soft serve ice cream with a lemon flavored swirl of goodness on top. We also visited Redcar and Saltburn-by-the-sea. I believe the wind was blowing about 35-40 mph. We honestly had trouble standing at times. Saltburn has beautiful seaside cliffs. Truly a majesty of God’s creation. Another great creation is fish and chips. WOW! It was so good.
Later in the morning we left the coast and went back to the school to speak to 7-9 year olds at Archibald primary school. We split into three groups to speak to the three classes. Everyone did a great job answering questions from “do you all have and ride horses?” to “do have limosines?” to a teacher asking if we still have bandits that wear bandanas. It was hilarious and fun. We then played the game “electricity” with them. Maybe we can teach it to you some Sunday night. Then we lead an assembly about the Lord’s Prayer. Six students took turns talking about aspects of the Lord’s Prayer and then we sang two worship songs, explaining that both are ways to worship God.
We returned to Margaret and Steve Jackson’s home. Margaret was the teacher who helped us get into the school. We had a restful time of fellowship and eating. Their family is beautiful. We then returne to Karina’s house where we have our team meetings where we planned events for the weekend. We actually went to bed before midnight that night.
Today, was equally an amazing day. We helped paint a couple of rooms in the church in the morning. While they were painting, Ryan and I joined Fiona Toop and Jon Burns at a local coffee shop and discussed Hope 2008 (see www.hope08.com). What they have planned for Great Britain sounds absolutely brilliant (an English term for something that you really like). When we all finished, Garrett, Taylor, Erica, and myself went with the pastor, Ken Whiteway, to the prison to give testimony and share God’s love. It was an amazing time and the Gospel was definitely presented more than once. Taylor didn’t get a chance to share but did a great job contributing while there. We may let her go back again. The rest of the group went back and worked with the students from Thursday. They really had more opportunities to talk about Christianity and faith in Jesus today. All were even more excited about how much more they were able to share about Jesus today.
We split the girls and guys up for dinner at two homes. The guys had “toad in the hole”. You will have to wait to hear about that. It was delicious. We split into three groups tonight. Two groups went to different home cell groups and lead with songs, games, and testimony. Marcine, Garrett, and myself went to work the Teen Challenge group in a double decker bus that serves meals to people in need and the Gospel to all. It was an amazing adventure. Marcine’s passion was truly ignited about what they do and how to help in the future. We all were able to talk to a few people and share Texas and Jesus as often as allowed.
I will let you know about the other groups later. We got home about 11:30pm so I missed them.
Pray for us Saturday. The morning will be shopping locally for gifts for family and friends. After lunch we will help lead a youth event with the theme of “Heroes” and sharing testimony and the “sin” skit we did in church a couple of weeks ago. In the evening we will be helping in their youth event called “Ignite” and participating in a prayer time at the youth minister’s home. Also begin praying now for Monday and Tuesday morning. We will be in a rough high school addressing the issues of making moral choices, sports and faith, and how to know God. The opportunities to share the Gospel will be endless. Pray for open hearts and attentive ears.
Grace and peace. We love you.
Trey Bledsoe
We made it to England!
Thanks to all who prayed us through. After many days of trying to get Kasia’s passport so that she could make the flight to England with us, God had different plans. Kasia received her passport about ten minutes after our flight left. So we worked it out for her to fly in the next day. We all had a nice flight to Atlanta and then as we rushed to make it to our connecting flight, we found out it would be two hours late. So we relaxed at the Atlanta airport. Eventually we made it to Manchester. We left Marcine there at a hotel to wait for Kasia to arrive on Wednesday and the rest of traveled three hours by train to reach Middlesbrough.
We were exhausted but excited to be here. We met Terry, Fiona, Craig, Matt, Sharon, Karina, Dave, and a few others. The families and young singles hosting us are great! We love them already. Today, Wednesday (we are six hours ahead and it is almost one in the morning), we helped the church with its ministry to young mothers by fellowshiping with the moms and playing with the kids. All had a good time, but it made me miss my own kids, and of course Christie. We ate a quick lunch, then headed to a school to play with four and five year olds. We answered questions, sang songs, and played games. It was a lot of fun. I taught them what a “high five” is. It is a great story that I will share when we get back.
We went back to Doug and Trina’s home, where Luke and Garrett are staying. We stayed there while we waited for Kasia and Marcine to arrive. It was a great celebration to all be together. Kasia had a wonderful first time flying and did everything perfect in getting here. I am really proud of her because not only was this her first time to fly, but she also handled it very well. Tonight the girls went to a ladies bible study and Erica and Kimberly shared with them. The guys hung out with some of the guys from the Middlesbrough Community Church. We had a lot of fun together.
Through all the difficulties in getting here, I believe that God has proven Himself faithful even when we couldn’t understand why things were going the way they were. I know as a leader I have learned a lot. I know our team feels their faith has been strengthened as well. It is my prayer that Philippians 4:6-7 and 13 will become more real and lived out in my life as a result of all God has proven to me over the last few days.
It is long past my bedtime. Keep praying for us as we share with the 7-9 year old children on Thursday and Friday. We will have the opportunity to talk abou the Lord’s Prayer and what worship means to us. It should be an amazing experience. Also, Thursday morning we will be traveling to Saltburn-by-the-sea to visit and get what is supposed to be the best fish and chips around. mmmmm…I have to say I am very much looking forward to that as well.
Grace and peace. We love you all.
Overflow Over Email
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The Help God Wants to Give
Dr. Trey Turner
Mark 2:1-12
The Lord’s Supper
Dr. Trey Turner
Isa. 53:4-6; Heb. 10:11-12