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In the computer world the word icon means tiny pictures on our desktops that symbolize different applications on our computers. However, an almost forgotten definition of the word is An important and enduring symbol. To me Ed and Gerty Steward were that, enduring symbols. They were always a part of my life though not necessarily involved in my daily life. I cannot remember a time when Ed and Gerty weren't around. However, that changed recently when they both passed into eternity just nine days apart. They didn't claim perfection. They never pretended to be super pious. They never claimed to be eternal but one of the things that their lives did demonstrate was the iconic attribute of faithfulness. For as long as I can remember they were a part of my church family. Awhile back someone showed me a faded, black and white, photo of a young couples Sunday school class standing in front of the Baptist Church of Oxford. The picture must be dated around 1949 or so. In that group are: Pe...

There we sat, surrounded by smelly tennis shoes, and sweaty teenagers, in awe of what was taking place. Dawn and I were in a missions conference weekend and we had been invited to participate in a Gym Night activity with the teens of the church. I had given a Bible challenge, on increasing ones faith by giving our all to Christ, when something unexpected happened that really increased MY faith! Another missionary couple was there too. His challenge was about allowing the Holy Spirit to fill us with His life giving breath so that we might serve and live for Him. His presentation was dynamic and gripped our attention. It was what happened next that took me by surprise. Pastor Steve divided the missionaries by couples and called for his teens to surround each couple. They were to place their hands on us and pray for us. As the teens were beginning to take their places I selfishly begged the Lord to have at least some teens come to us. Me being the "Old Guy" I didn't want to...

Well, there's a new hitch in the GPS saga. It got bad reviews. One of the comments was the tired cliche, "You get what you pay for", and apparently $79 is not nearly enough to pay to get a good system. The thought came to me, "How much weight should one place on 'customer reviews'? I guess it depends on the product and the customer. In this day and age many of us are growing more and more skeptical about any type of information that comes from an unfamiliar source. Take the search for a digital camera for example. The unwary buyer, who knows virtually nothing about cameras, might be dumbfounded by the plethora of information about the myriad makes and models out there. Add to this quagmire of information the "Pro and Con" reviews and the picture (pun intended) takes on an even stronger Gaussian blur. At times I wonder if the manufacturers simply hire someone to write the anonymous reviews from M.I Lost in Hoboken, NJ and R.U Nuts in Okeechobee, FL. ...

I usually think of this blog as a ministry related extension. That is, I need to talk ministry or else don't talk. I've decided that I am going to change that format a bit and write about other things as well. It is not that my thoughts are necessarily innovative or unique but I believe that they tell a story none the less. I love stories. They tend to relate details about a person that might not be revealed in a canned speech or monthly "prayer letter" format. I love to tell stories too. If you have followed this blog at all you probably have come to that conclusion. I like to write very interesting notes. But, I have come to recognize that "interesting" like art and perfume is people specific. By that I mean that each person is interested in what they are interested in. Some like it this way some like it that, so what is interesting to me might be completely boring or forgettable to you. With this fact in mind I'll continue to write about what interest...

I was thrilled to get coworker Shawn's latest " Monday Update " . He related how that a new church has started in Sorocaba! The picture shows a good group of believers from three of our churches gathering for the dedication service. My excitement came as I realized the location of that new church. It is the Habiteto ministry that the Lord allowed me to be a small part of about two years ago. Back then as Alexandre was just starting his ministry with children in that part of town there wasn't much support for his efforts. He had a good group of workers that helped him every week. My part was that of helper and van driver. Driving was critical because it allowed most of the workers to get to that remote part of town. Another blessing from Shawn's update was that the team has asked a young couple to consider the possibility of candidating at Hope. Pray with us that God will help them to follow His leading. That is Alexandre at the far right of the photo below. Please...

Working on a missions team has its wonderful benefits and God has allowed my family to do just that for a little over eleven years now. Needless to say we have learned a lot. In fact when God helped me to realize that He was calling me to the mission field it was because a visiting missionary, during his slide presentation, mentioned that he was going to work in Brazil as part of a team with his brother. I talked with him after his presentation that morning and now, eleven years later, am still a part of that team with Shawn and Donna Alexander and Ben and Dani Jacobs! Granted, the team has changed over those years but the goal has remained the same. We want to make and mature disciples of Jesus Christ who reflect Him in every aspect of their lives with the goal of becoming disciple makers themselves (cp. 2 Timothy 2.2). One of the many advantages of team work is that we often find ourselves serving in different corners of the world simultaneously. Take today for example. Shawn is head...

Image by M.H.ick9s via Flickr Just these past two months we at FBC Lake Orion have lost some of our faithfuls. Three that come to mind when I think of "faithfulness" are Ed and Gerty Stewart and Fin Kennedy. These three saints had a great impact on my life. Fin was a part of my salvation experience. I told him just days before he went to glory, "I tell people that I was saved because of a 'Finnish handshake". He stared at with a puzzled look. I explained that it was because of his friendly greeting to my brother and his family so many years ago that my family became a part of First Baptist Church. It was about two and a half years later that I asked Jesus to be my Savior. With tears in his eyes he said, "I'm so glad that you shared that with me while I was still alive!" Gerty Stewart impacted my life when she started a youth choir. At the time she was in her 50s but she had a burden to see teens use their voices for the Lord. She lead the choir an...