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GFPF-God Focused Reflection
Time to be God Focused
Take a moment to remember when you were first able to see God with corrected focus through Jesus. (This would be when you became a believer.)
Take some time to read over the following Scriptures about God. Feel free to read some of your favorites as well.
Psalm 27:1 Psalm 3:5-9 Psalm 18:1-3; 28-31 Job 38:4-38 Psalm 71:19 Psalm 89:5-14 Psalm 103 Psalm 111 Psalm 113 Psalm 136 Psalm 145 Isaiah 6:1-4 Hebrews 12:28-29 I John 1:5 I John 4:8-10 Revelation 21
Ask God to show you any sins in your life. Agree with Him that it is sin. Repent/choose to turn from that sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness.
Ephesians 4:22-24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Read Ps. 24: 3-6; 139:1-18; 23-24
Spend a few moments asking the Holy Spirit to help you focus only on God alone.
Psalm 25:4-5 “Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”
Psalm 33:20-22 “We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”
Hebrews 4:14-16 “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Now be quiet for 3-5 minutes. No requests, no plans, no agenda. Just allow God to speak to you as you focus on Him. Write down what He tells you…big or small.
GFPF-People Focused Refelection
Time to be People Focused
Take a few moments to “de-plank”. Is there any sin in your life that will keep you from seeing people the way God does? Ask God to help you die to yourself and look at people like He does. Ask Him to give you a heart that cares for the people around you no matter who they are.
Believers
Read the following passages: Colossians 3:12-14; I Peter 3:8-9, 4:8; I John 3:16-18, 4:7-21. List some believers in your life that are easy to love and ways you chose to focus on them:
List some believers that are harder to love (for whatever reason) and ways you can choose to focus on them with the love so they experience the verses above:
Nonbelievers Read the following passages:
I Corinthians 10:31-11:1; Luke 15; 19:1-10; I Peter 2:11-12; Romans 12:9-21
List some nonbelievers in your life that are easy to love and ways you chose to focus on them:
List some nonbelievers that are harder to love (for whatever reason) and ways you can choose to focus on them with the love so they experience the verses above
Carnal Believers Read the following passages:
I Thessalonians 5:14-15; Romans 12:9-21; Luke 15
List some carnal believers in your life that are easy to love and ways you chose to focus on them:
List some carnal believers that are harder to love (for whatever reason) and ways you can choose to focus on them with the love so they experience the verses above
Perspective Matters
Two mothers were talking about their sons. The first said, “My son is such a saint. He works hard, doesn’t smoke, and he hasn’t so much as looked at a woman in over two years.” The other woman said, “Well, my son is a saint himself. Not only hasn’t he not looked at a woman in over three years, but he hasn’t touched a drop of liquor in all that time.” “My word,” the first mother said. “You must be so proud.” “I am,” the second mother replied. “And when he’s paroled next month, I’m going to throw him a big party.”
How we choose to see things matters. Not sure what God has been doing in your life lately, but remember His perspective allows for Him to know the entire outcome. There is so much going on in the families of The Creek, some “off-the-chart” exciting and some so tragic as to cause your heart physical pain when you hear about it. I encourage you in either circumstance and every one in between, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (The Message).
“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree. Jeremiah 29:11-13 (The Message).
“Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You’re not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It’s the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.” I Peter 5:8-11 (The Message).
“My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!“
Ephesians 3:14-21 (The Message).
In greatest joy or deepest fears, like Paul, my prayer is that God’s Spirit will be at work “deeply and gently within us.”
I Double Dog Dare You…
Our students are headed back to school last week…many of them with renewed passion for Christ. They are going to face opposition, frustration, and even defeat. One student encountered this experience even before school started.
“Today I had a volleyball tournament, and well as me and my friends we’re having a good time… talking, and joking around, somehow we got on the subject of reading the bible. Sadly one of my friends doesnt read the bible, so the rest of us tried to explain it to her so she would be able to understand what we were talking about. All she had to say was ” dang why is the bible so bossy?” wow really makes you think about this generation, doesnt it? As the day went on i sat and watched everybody buying chocolate bars, and i was reading the labels to see the brands. My friend had got a mars brand bar. So i got the nerve to tell them ” you know.. um that chocolate isnt free trade, its slave trade” she took a bite and said ” well i think the forced labor makes its all the much better” it made me want to cry. Another friend replied saying ” ….shutup, your so depressing” im thinking to myself.. no your the depressing ones, how could you not care? your the people i thought i could talk to about this because all i ever hear from ya’ll is ” man i want to go on a mission trip to africa one day” and ” i think you should support invisible children, its the right thing to do” Ya i guess its true that people can be deceiving.”
Make it a point to begin praying for them if you don’t already. We have a great group of students. They exist in a world that most often sees things differently than you or I. They are doing their best to be light in a very dark place…to be different in the midst of indifference. What would it be like if maybe thirty or forty of our adult, seasoned church members agreed to pray daily for our students for the entire upcoming school year? In the old days this might be considered a double dog dare…so I double dog dare you… Choose to make a difference on a global scale because you never know where these students will go and who they will encounter in the coming days. And one day, they may tell stories of the 2008-2009 school year and how it lead God to use them to influence the world.
Destroying a National Treasure
Recently, my family and I had the privilege of spending nine days in Washington, D.C. It was an amazing adventure. I saw so many things that I had only read and studied about in my history classes in school. I experienced history, art, tradition, national pride, family, and a whole lot of walking. As great as it all was, one of those experiences caused me great embarrassment.
After waiting in line for what seemed like forever, my wife, our moms, and our four children finally made it into the National Archives. We wanted to see the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution among many other amazing documents from our history. Of course by we, I mean I pushed pretty hard to go there knowing full well my kids were not interested at all and I would cause my wife and our moms to have to endure their constant reminder of how boring it was and questions of how much longer. We finally get to the front of the line, along the way seeing a golden version of the Magna Cartaway cool. We get into three lines as we prepare to enter the dimly lit area. We are given a few rules, but one most important one. Under no circumstances at all, ever, in any way, shape, or form, are we to use flash photography. This is of course because light will hasten the deterioration of paper. No problem. I had my wifes camera and had turned the flash off, but was now adjusting the camera to try to let more light in so I could get a better picture than a tan fuzzy image that I would have to later explain was the Declaration of IndependenceI promise. So we make our way around the room looking at all kinds of other documents from our history. I take a few pictures of the Declaration of Independenceno lucktan fuzzy. So as we come to the Constitution, I decide to just go back to the default setting. This was not big deal the picture would be darker but at least it would be focused. I zoomed in on the words We the Peopleman what a cool picture this was going to bethen FLASH!!! AAUUGGHHH!!! What in the world happenedI was just trying to get a clearer picture? But in my haste to change the settings, I had forgotten to go back and turn off the flash. Everyone in the room probably had the same thoughtIDIOT! I am thinkingWant to get away? (Southwest Airlines commercials). Immediately (as in can reach out and beat me with his baton kind of immediately) to my left was a security guard. He calmly but firmly asked me if that was my camera. I sheepishly replied, yes. He told me to turn it offwhich I had already done almost immediately anyway like that would make it ok. I stood there in that moment as embarrassed as I have felt in a long time, and that is saying a lot for one who regularly finds ways to look stupid. What was I to do now? I just put the camera in my pocket and walked out trying not to make eye contact with anyone. I could not get out of that room fast enough. I had just hastened the destruction of a National Treasure. Good thing Nicholas Cage wasn’t around. It took me 15-20 minutes to get over how embarrassed and stupid I felt in that moment.
I knew the rules and was even trying to obey. The guard knew I didnt do it on purpose. He knew I had just made a mistake, but man I just felt terrible. In thinking about this experience, I began to examine how I respond when I dont obey God. He has given me clear rules and guidance in how to live the life that Jesus describes in John 10:10 as abundant, overflowing, beyond what I can imagine on my best imagining day. And unlike my unintentional rule breaking in the National Archives, I do it on purpose most often. Most of the time, I respond the same way though. I run away, but not out of embarrassment. Probably it is more just a lack of not wanting to deal with it. I really just want to get on with things when I should be totally embarrassed by the fact that I just selfishly rejected Jesus for my own plans and desires.
I dont know about you, but I need less callousness and more brokenness, humbling, and embarrassment over my sin before God.
But then, as 1 John 1:9 reminds us, I need to move forward in grace and restoration and not wallow in my embarrassment as I did at the museum. Thanks Lord for the freedom You give through Christ.
England Day 8- York
We spent the day in York with the rest of our whole team. It was a beautiful day to be there. We celebrate all the birthdays on the trip, including Talyor Davis. We went all through the minster this time because Fiona hooked us up to go throughout the whole church for free. All in all it was a good day.
This evening Ryan, Daniel, Kasia, and Kimberly joined Ryan and Daniel’s hosts for coffee with their neighbors as an outreach event. It went well.
Pray again for us today as we are in the Bishopsgarth school and then for the 4th Wednesday of the crusade with J John tonight.
Thank you for your prayers. They are making a difference.
England Day 7- I “Pledge” this church with allegiance to Christ
What a day! We spent almost all day in an old Anglican church called Stockton Parish. It was a beautiful old, old church with a new vicar. He is very evangelistic and has a desire to help this church grow again. It probably has room for 500+, but only about 25 or so attend. They can’t even meet in their main sanctuary during the winter because the heater went out and it will cost them a small fortune to have it replaced. We spent a lot of time with Nikki, the vicar’s wife. She is great and has such great hope for the church. Dorene, a member for 41 years was also of great help.
We cleaned out lots of cabinets and compartments to help get rid of things that are not any use and are just rotting for two hours before lunch. After lunch we polished as much of the wood work as was possible. We became very attached to our Pledge cans. We also reset all the pews to look nice and swept and mopped the entire floor. It truly looked and smelled beautiful like a church with this rich history should. The team did a great job and worked very hard to serve Christ by doing the lowest of jobs for a place many have forgotten.
Later that night Ryan, Daniel, and I were given a tour of St. John’s Church, built in the 11th century. The vicar’s wife gave us and one of our host home dads an amazing and rich tour of this church that looks like a castle looking out over the area known as Yarm. It was truly enriching to see it all and spend time with such a lovely saint.
England Day 6- Church, church and church
Our team was split up today. Four attended an Anglican church and the rest Tabernacle Baptist, fondly known as “The Tab”. The first group was able to celebrate Pentecost with their church, but spent a majority of their time at church working with a small group of kids/youth. It was an interesting experience for them. The Tab group spent the entire worship service time working with the youth, something new their youth leaders are attempting. One of our girls, Jena Coulson, taught about Esther. A story many of them had never heard. She did a great job! We closed that time with a discussion dealing with had they ever been in a situation that seemed small/insignificant at the time but later God showed them that it was actually something big as a part of His plan. It was a very good discussion. We then filled them full of sugar and sent them on their way.
We split up to go to lunch with different families. Ken and Fiona, my host home, took us to lunch at the Beefeater…need I say more. The restaurant was by the Tees River and directly in front of the restaurant was an Olympic style competitive kayaking course. It was impressive, but even more impressive were those in it…the water had to be freezing. The girls went in pairs to join families for lunch. Jena and Michelle were taken to sight see as well…including an ancient monastery. After lunch, Ken, Jason, and I went to find Jason some new shoes. He blew out the toe kicking the soccer ball on Saturday. Its not easy finding size 13 shoes here.
We rested in the afternoon and then returned to The Tab for evening worship. It reminded me of our church..except I didn’t recognize a lot of the hymns. Kasia was interviewed by the pastor during the service. It was very David Lettermanesque. She did a great job on short notice.
Later that night we joined a group of believers from the Stockton area lead by Jon Burns, the Youth For Christ leader in the North East and Fiona’s boss, for a worship service called Vintage. It took place in an old church meeting hall. It was very sensory and focused on the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, tied to Pentecost. It was a great time of worship and fellowship. The five minutes of silence was much needed to stop and converse with God. When we finished we met Hope and Amy from Arkansas and Louisiana. There were great.
It was a great day of worship!
England Day 5- Parmesans and the BBQ guys
Because of a change of plans, the morning started slow. However, one group was able to meet up with a team from the Texas A&M BSM and help them pass out cookies and do some gardening at a church in the poorer part of town. Some were chewed out, while passing out cookies, by people for trying to make them sick with sugary treats. The other group went back to the Just 10 tent and helped clean up. They also played a little football (England style). It was very entertaining to say the least.
We all met up for lunch and finally had a parmesan (a delicacy only found in northeast England). It was good but the Middlesbrough parmesans are the best.
The team then went to pass out flyers and more cookies and get ready for the BBQ. I went to Nunthorpe to meet up with one of the other teams. This team has Janie and Taylor in it. They have had a good experience and it was great to hear about some of it. They have worked very hard in their school and truly opened closed doors by doing acts of kindness in the school (like helping file papers and clean). There I met their leaders Ste and Emma. Two top notch believers serving Jesus.
I brought back a couple of their team to help with our BBQ event. It was crazy when we got there. There were about 150 people milling around eating, dancing to the music, and enjoying their favorite “non-carbonated” beverages. Some were face painting children. The church had some senior adults doing a lot of the serving and cooking. Their BBQ guys reminded me of ours. I guess every church has these wonderful guys. It truly turned out to be a very productive evening for the ministry in those housing projects. The people were asking about when it would happen again. Our team did a great job!
We finished the evening at Fiona’s playing cards and laughing. Tomorrow we split to go to two churches. Tabernacle Baptist (The Tab) and St. Mary’s (an Anglican church). The group at St. Mary’s will be in for a treat because it is Pentecost and unlike us, they celebrate that event in a big way.
Pray that we will be a source of encouragement to those we worship with on Sunday…actually later this morning.
England Day 4- Lord’s Stone and 15 seconds of fame
We left this morning to go to Lord’s Stone. It is a special place where you can see the entire Tees Valley. It was a breath taking view. We drove up as far as we could and then hiked up a stone path to the top. We came down a different way, traversing bike trails, running as fast as we could without falling. A few of us found a small pond with a bench to sit on and watch the mallards and look out over the valley. Easily one of the most serene places I have ever been. It was hard to leave and meet up with the rest of the group. We ate at the cafe on the mountain and then headed back into town. We split into two groups. One group did interviews and fun with the hosts of their new Christian radio station. It was hilarious!! They definitely received their fifteen seconds of fame. One of the girls even made up a language that she called Zuhili. The other group went back to Ken and Fiona Toop’s home (where I am staying) and helping bag cookies to hand out to people in the lower income housing where we will be having a BBQ on Saturday night. We met back together later and spent the evening at Fiona’s because our original plans had been canceled that day. We played a fun game together and called it a night after painting Ryan Arnold’s toe nails silver and orange while he slept. He was so tired he did not even wake up and even when he did he was too tired to care.
England Day 3- A Great Day in the School
What a great day in Stokesly school. The Youth For Christ leaders and Religious Education teachers were wonderful to work with. They really do a lot for students and try to find creative ways to include faith in their discussion. We met with students in the morning and talked about America, why we were there, and how faith affects their life daily. Many don’t go to church…some ever. They were curious about meeting “practicing” Christians. We walked into Stokesly town for lunch and ate sandwiches from Fatso’s. I had a chicken tikka sandwich…kinda like chicken salad with Indian spices. We sat by a beautiful creek and enjoyed the amazing weather. We went back to the school for more discussion and then took a walking road trip with a class back into town to see an old but active church. The students were challenged to figure out what the stained glass depictions from Jesus’ life represented. They were given opportunity to explore and some took leaflets about the ministries of the church. We even learned some things about church tradition that we had never heard. It was a beautiful campus, including the tombstones from as far back as the 1700’s all around the building.
Thursday night we walked into a close part of Stockon and saw a very old bridge used in the early days of trains. We found out that the first ever train traveled from Stockon to Darlington. We looked in some shops around town, walked along the river, and then had a debriefing time on the back porch of a pub called The Blue Bell…seemed appropriate…too bad no ice cream though…just sodas and coffee.
It was a great day!
England Day 2- Just 10 and you gotta be kiddin me…
Day 2 has been a great but long day. All the groups were in schools today. Our group spoke in two classes to about 40 students. We talked about America, Texas, and about believing in God and making moral choices. Most students do not believe there is a God and think of church as boring and unnecessary. There were a few who had good questions and seemed to be genuinely seeking. Pray for a young girl named Lauren. She seemed to be sincere in here questions about faith and God. Janie and Taylor’s group went with their school for their special Wednesday activities…like horseback riding, shooting pellet guns (Olympic style), sailing, tennis, etc. When we heard that, we thought they were kidding…but no…Janie is definitely saddle sore.
My group then helped set up for the Just 10 event tonight. It was just good ol’ fashioned grunt work. We had a great time working with some very servant hearted men and women. After a wonderful dinner at our host home, we returned to the tent for Just 10. Just 10 is ten weeks of going through the 10 Commandments one at at time in reverse order. Tonight in week three, we looked at stealing. Gram Seed told his amazing testimony and then, Evangelist J John, who reminded us of Mr. Beane because of his mannerism and looks, did a great job communicating the Gospel. There were probably about 3 or 4 thousand people there. Many made decisions including one deaf young lady who one of our new friends had been signing for earlier in the evening.
For those that came last year, I saw Steve Jackson (the painting guy) and Sharon. They pass along a “Cheerio”. We hope to connect up with some of the others from Middlesborough soon.
We will be in a school all day tomorrow. Please continue to pray for our teams as they connect with students and open doors for future groups to follow.
England Day 1- Here minus some luggage and the big blue
We made it safely here and hopefully Kasia and Taylor’s luggage will too. Yep…it got left in Newark when we left. It should be here Wednesday afternoon. They are doing fine and are well taken care of. Thank you for your prayers.
The day was tiring but good. Nobody was able to get great sleep on the plane so all were tired. We had a great bus driver…Joe. He was fun and took very good care of us. He even made a side trip to allow our group to see some beautiful scenery.
My group, with Kasia and Kimberly, had fun prayer walking around the GINORMOUS blue tent (seats 6000) and then walking around a beautiful park with cool bird and butterfly exhibits. I and another guy on our team were able to talk with some junior high boys about coming to the Just 10 even on Wednesday night. This will be the giant youth evangelism event. It goes through each of the Ten Commandments one at a time for ten weeks.
As you pray tonight and Wednesday, pray for the groups that will be in the schools and for the Just 10 event. Also pray for us to be rested so that nothing hinders us from serving however we are needed.
And with that in mind…it is midnight and I am going to sleep.
Goodnight.
April 27th; Bledsoe Anniversary
This is the week we will celebrate Trey Bledsoe’s 10 year anniversary. We will do so with a big lunch at the church after the 11:00 Water’s Edge worship service. I am glad we can come to this time and celebrate as a church consistent loving leadership to waves of incoming and outgoing young people in their formative years. Lea Ann and I are thrilled that our children (beginning this year) will have the solid ministry Trey has built over these years.
Not only has Trey influenced students, but he has also set a foundation for those who will continue ministry in the churches they serve scattered all over. Pick up one of the colorful sheets and write down your perceptions and recollections– not just to bless Trey, but it will also bless the church and give us more reason to thank God for these 10 years.
My Comfortable Room
I sit here in my comfortable room
I wonder if youre okay
As you show the Way
Sewing, digging wells, teaching, living life far away
You choose the road less traveled
To bring Light to the dark
One day at time, one heart at a time
Peoples lives are changed
Priorities rearranged
Because by faith, hope, and love
You have made yourself available to plans
Bigger than any guidance counselor could offer
As I think of you and pray
My comfortable room becomes less
My heart more restless
My mind races to possibilities
I gotta do something
All around me is hopelessness
I dont have to go very far
Dressed fine and in a nice car
Or in rags, scruffy, in old shoes
Are those who need someone
One day at time, One heart at a time
To care enough to offer faith, hope, and love
As I think of them and pray
My comfortable room becomes less
My heart more restless
My mind races to possibilities
I gotta be something to do something
Jesus help me be more like You
So that I can see people like You
And do that for which Im made
Giving away faith, hope, and love
To a world tired of hearing about another
Loaded cup of red Kool-Aid
I think of You and pray
Comfort has lost its appeal
My heart is pounding
My minds about to blow
No more sitting around
Here I go…
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.
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
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.
Building Sandcastles
I was reading my Bible again (yes I have read it quite a bit since my last posting). I had another one of those “wow…I never noticed that before” Bible reading moments in John 20:19-30. In v. 20, Jesus shows Himself to the disciples and then they believe. Growing up in church, Thomas was always introduced as the doubter…one who lacked faith because he had “to see it to believe it.” And the other 10 disciples were the ones who had solid faith because they were where they were supposed to be in that locked room (interesting how such great men of faith hid in locked rooms in fear). I know that Thomas was willing to go die with Jesus in Jerusalem (John 11:16). So that tells me that he had faith in Jesus as well. So with those thoughts, I come to wonder:
1) were the disciples hiding in that room because they didn’t believe Mary Magdalene’s testimony (John 20:18) anymore than Thomas believed theirs (John 20:25)?
2) the point where they believed comes after Jesus shows His scars to them, not when others who had seen Jesus tell them He is alive (Mary, other women, and two disciples on the road to Emmaus). so why aren’t they considered just as much doubters as Thomas?
3) what was the week like between the first time the disciples saw Jesus and the next time they saw Him with Thomas? did they hound Thomas to believe? did the just let him be…give him space? did Thomas wrestle with it or just let it go? did he make fun of them…did they make fun of him? did they go around talking smugly like he wasn’t there, when he actually was, saying things like, “he’ll come around just give him time” or “just wait when He sees Jesus, then he will believe.”? or did they show their brother grace and offer encouragement?
4)did they have to talk Thomas into being in that room a week later? or were they just hanging out together like they used to? the doors are not noted to be locked any more…did encountering the living Jesus give them a new boldness?
5)oh yeah, and why in the world was Thomas not with the guys when Jesus revealed Himself the week before? my brain wanders in all kinds of directions with what excuses/reasons he might have had. maybe it was just God working it to give us a guy we can relate with.
Doubting is part of a growing faith. I get scared by those that never have any doubts at all. It tells me they don’t wrestle with what they believe. I would even go so far as to question whether their faith is truly their own. It is much easier to trust other’s opinions and ideas than to wrestle with our own and seek Truth found in God’s Word. A friend of mine says “faith is choosing to live as though God’s Word is true regardless of circumstances, emotions, and cultural trends.” This tells me two things. One, I choose to live this way…no one can do it for me. Two, there are voices all around and inside telling me that my faith in God’s Word and choosing to live by it is a big waste of time.
I am grateful that I live among a community of believers that makes room for doubts and doubters, those that get it and those that will in time, frustrations and failures. Be sure to have patience with those that “need to see to believe.” In time, they might also say of Jesus “My Lord, my God.”
The eleven disciples had to see Jesus in the flesh to believe that He had truly resurrected and they went on to flip the world upside down. You and I will see Jesus physically some day, but until then, not unlike Thomas during that in between week, we wrestle with our faith and doubts and choose to live by faith, building on the rock that is Jesus, because all else is building sandcastles. And, I don’t know about you, but I am tired of watching sandcastle lives get knocked down. What are you building your life on?
I don’t know what you are wrestling with today, but I would encourage you to seek Truth that can only be found in Jesus.
Sometimes Breathing is Hard…
I should be singing songs about being jolly (fa la la la la la la la la and stuff), how fun it must be to ride in a open sleigh with one horse pulling me and friends around (no personal experience to base this on…unless hayrides count), reindeer being mean to poor Rudolph and then all flying together to save Christmas with formerly exiled Rudolph in the lead (gotta love claymation cartoons), a snowman that comes to life with a magical hat, and so on. And I should be all into Joy to the World and Come all Ye Faithful. But honestly, I am just not there yet. We put the tree up right after Thanksgiving like always. I have watched all the Christmas “kid movies” with my kids and had a great time doing it. I have been to a few Christmas musicals and Christmas parties. All of the traditional up-to-Christmas Day things we do. And each of these, in the moment, were exactly what they were supposed to be and I am grateful.
But, I sit here five days before Christmas listening to the Jars of Clay song Work, instead of Christmas songs. I keep listening to the lines that say, “I have no fear of drowning, it’s the breathing that’s taking all this work…do you know what I mean when I say, ‘I don’t want to be alone’?” I find myself resonating with these words. In the last two weeks, I had a friend have to lose most of a leg, watched students and their extended family worry if their mom/wife/daughter/sister/friend was going to have to go through a liver transplant or just “surgery”, watched a decorated POW bury his wife/life of 57 years yesterday (she was my friend and truly loved my family…I will dance the penguin dance with my kids in memory of you, Elsie), watched my pastor and friend grieve with a very heavy heart over each of these as he walked through the pain with them (far more than me) and then have to bury his own cousin today, and then throw in a mix of my own personal, “daily life” frustrations. Stir them all together and my heart struggles to give a “Merry Christmas!” with much joy and integrity. I know many others (most others, if I think globally) have it so much worse than I do, but that is not enough right now to make me “buck up, camper.”
Instead of being drawn to the cheery Christmas songs (which are great when your heart is into them), I find myself drawn to the last lines of Away in a Manger.
Be near me, Lord Jesus,
I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever
And love me I pray
Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care
And take us to heaven
To live with Thee there
Our youth group sang this to my friend who died last week. It has stuck with me since. As I struggle to “breathe”, these are the words I find my heart singing. At times I have found myself envying my friend Elsie, face to face with Jesus. She has reached where I long to be. She has gone “further up and further in” (must read all the Chronicles of Narnia to understand) and I find myself wanting to run with her. But…these feelings pass because I know I am here exactly where I am supposed to be. I have been given a wife to love, cherish, hope, and grow old with. Children to love and lead into godliness. Extended family to love and encourage and care for. Students to love, minister to and with, and watch go far beyond me (too many to list). Church family to love and journey with. Friends to be there for and call upon. Places near and far to take the Gospel to. And most importantly, a God, Savior, King, Lord, Father, and Friend who through the birth of His Son became Immanuel, God with us, and now calls me to walk with Him on a journey he has already mapped out for us. These are the thoughts that make it easier to “breathe”.
Statistically, I know my life has more advantages and blessings than most of the world. But, I get lost and overwhelmed in the immensity of statistics. On the other hand, relationships, with all their joy…and pain, give my breath meaning…life. My relationship with Jesus and how it overflows into all my other relationships give purpose to my breathing. And in the end, I am not alone…I am alive.
In Philippians 1:20-26, I think Paul writes some of what I feel.
“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.”
If I could give you but one gift, like Paul, it is that your joy in Christ Jesus would overflow on account of me.
Merry Christmas…really…I mean it with all honesty and integrity. Joy to your World because Jesus came…All Ye Faithful…Come and worship…breathe…live.
My turn to blog or try the loaf…
It was brought to my attention that for some reason there is great need for my thoughts on a myriad of subjects on our site. Actually, I was told that if I didn’t write soon I would be in big trouble mister (yes, they do talk to me like this and make me sit at the kids table at Thanksgiving)…hence, I begin…the comic relief amidst the depth of Jason and Trey.
Do you ever read the Bible and come across words that make you do a double take because they just don’t seem to fit?
John 6:16-21
“16When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. 20But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.”
I read this and the word “immediately” just does not seem to fit. I mean take it out and they let Jesus in the boat and then they get where they are going. This would be fine and dandy and require no pondering. But, it says “immediately”. I want to know why. I mean did they just pop out of the water like a hover craft and fly on over? Did Jesus do a Dash from The Incredibles and kick his feet real fast? Were they in a dense fog and then just happen to come out of it and whammo they were there? I really am curious without an answer.
On a more serious note, I also wonder if in the midst of my storms (God-induced, Others-induced, or Self-induced…often the latter) if I am even able to see Jesus walking into them or am I even more self-absorbed than usual? Then, should I actually recognize him in my storm, would I let him in the boat, be afraid, or just keep trying to fix it myself? Does it take him speaking “I AM” into my storms before I finally stop trying so hard (the answer is most often yes)? And finally, once I have allowed him to be Lord over my storm, as he is and should be, what do I expect? Do I expect to immediately have my storm ended and to have arrived at my destination without having endured or even noticed the journey? I don’t know that Jesus typically works in our lives this way. I don’t really remember him doing this another time. Typically, it seems the journey is necessary for the intended growth. But often, I sure do wish I could arrive immediately out of the storm and move on to “easier” stuff.
I thank God for the storms. It was this particular storm that Peter walked on water and showed us all that it is possible to set our gaze so intently on Jesus that we can do what he did and more. Then in the next moment, focus on the storms around us and sink into the chaos, as we so often do. And then, cry out to Jesus and know that he answers…no warm fuzzies, no sparkling lights, no alleluia chorus, just a heavenly hand meeting us where we are, bringing us to where we are meant to be.
Just one more thought on this passage. As I looked at the same events in Matthew and Mark, they also used the word immediately, but in different ways. Jesus put them in the boat and sent them to the other side “immediately”. He spoke to them “immediately” in their terror. He reached his hand to catch Peter “immediately”. I wonder if Jesus’ “immediacy” in our storms comes when he knows we need it most; not so much when we wish it would come, so we can get through it quicker or even avoid it all together.
I hope that something in all this connects to you. I hope you will ask questions as you read God’s Word and seek Truth. I know I have friends that are in these storms and need to keep their focus on Jesus lest the chaos overwhelm them. Pray for the Gentry family as they are losing a treasured part of their family and ours. Pray for my friend Tim as he tries to bring his family back together against all odds.
If there are storms we can pray for you about, let us know. It would be our privilege.
And should you come by the office, make sure to try the loaf…mmmmmm