Utilities

As mentioned in an earlier post. We’ve been without water for almost a week. The Seed Ministry compound is on the local equivalent of a “county water” system here in Tamale. The pipe runs to the compound where Bob has a filter on the water as it enters, so we can actually drink the water right out of the tap. Bob also has a very large (I’m guessing 500 gallon) tank on a pedestal that stays filled in case the water company stops pumping. That is what happened last Monday. We suddenly stopped getting water and so we were on our reserve tank all week until it ran dry yesterday. Bob called the water company was told the guy who works on our area of the system is out until Monday. So yesterday Bob had a tank of water delivered (see photo) which was pumped into the baptismal pool outside. We are now enjoying bucket baths and bucket flushes for the toilets. Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, ‘If it’s yellow, let it mellow; if it’s brown; flush it down.” That’s where we are right now – all 20+ of us.

As if that weren’t enough, yesterday afternoon the power also went off, and it has been off since then. Bob also has a generator, but it will only run lights and a few fans, so for now we are without water or power for all intents and purposes. Of course I’m blaming the new team that just arrived. I told some of them at breakfast that I’ve been here two months without any problems, and as soon as they arrive, everything goes haywire. Of course, I was just kidding and they knew it.

Their counter to me was that the Devil must know great things are going to happen through the group that is here now, that’s why he’s attacking us. I don’t know about that, but I do know this has been a great reminder of just how good we have it in 21^st century America with our running water, reliable power, and other resources. It makes me thankful. Perhaps we all need a reminder like this from time to time.

For now I see the wind rustling the leaves in the big tree outside my window so I think I’m going to go sit outside a while where it is cooler. It is currently 86 degrees and rising in my room.

Fourth Quarter

Tree just outside my window

Today marks the beginning of the fourth quarter for me here in Ghana. I'm starting the last 20 of my 81 days here. It's a beautiful day, full of promise and the compound is bustling with activity. The North Carolina team has arrived, the Seedlings are here, 8-10 workers are here cutting grass, cleaning rooms, and toting water so we can all get bucket-baths later today.

It is hard to believe I will be home in just three weeks. My time here, despite being sick, has been fantastic. I have learned so much about what God is up to in the world, and so much about what He wants to do through me. The main feeling I had when I woke up this morning was gratitude for our awesome Savior. It seems like just yesterday I was writing about only having 40 days to do; now that time has been whittled in half.

What have I learned? Among other things I've learned that malaria is not fun, that God is much, much bigger than I thought, and His workers are diverse and dedicated, but many more are needed. I've learned some Dagbani, all the greetings and a smattering of words; enough to at least know what is being talked about, although I am certainly nowhere near fluent. I have learned to be more patient. I have learned to be more compassionate. I find myself genuinely loving people in ways I've not felt before (or maybe I once did, but had grown too busy or self-important to feel or express that love). I'm still a pretty serious and intense person, but I find myself smiling more and being more in touch with my physical body, my emotions, and, most importantly, my spiritual health.

The greatest lesson I've learned, aside from how glorious God is, is what Rick Warren opens his "Purpose Driven Life" book with – namely, it's not about me. I realize it may not seem that way because I write a lot about me – but much of what I've written here in Ghana has been processing stuff I've been learning. I've come to realize just how "other-focused" the gospel really is. Once we take our focus off ourselves – off our comfort, and our wants, needs and desires, then paradoxically, we find true freedom and happiness. Jesus taught that only those who lose their lives for him will actually save them (Mt. 16:25); he wasn't kidding.

I'm sure more lessons are ahead in the next three weeks. I'm looking forward to each one. Tomorrow I am preaching at Lameshego Presbyterian Church, a place I've never preached before. Enjoy your Saturday afternoon America. I'll be checking scores later in the day, rooting for the Bulldogs to crush the Gators. Naawuni ni pahi ti alaafee (May God give us good health).

Moved Again

I moved again today at Seed Ministry. I am now staying in my fourth location since I've been here. Actually I am quite enjoying the moving around though. Unlike most people I love change. I suppose it goes back to my days growing up as a military brat when we moved practically every summer. The few years we stayed more than a year in one place I found it necessary to rearrange the furniture in my room. Sad but true.

My new room is in the main mission house where Bob and Bonnie live; yes, I've made it to the top! The Parkers added a new room onto the mission house because their son and his family are moving to Ghana. They arrive on Nov. 16^th, so I'll get to see them briefly before I leave. This also guarantees me at least one more move because I'll move out of this room and back over into the main guest house after a team that is coming tomorrow leaves.

Speaking of the new team, ten of them arrive first thing in the morning. They are a medical mission team from Fayetteville, NC. Assuming my own health holds, I will get to work with them in a few villages on my off days next week. I'm looking forward to that. Also, today Dr. Bob and Linda Stewart left us and Karen Walters, Jesse the God Story guy's wife arrived. Add in those already here and we're back up to twenty people again. It has really been exciting to see all the great work God is doing here – and such diversity in the work as well!

Please pray I keep feeling well, and pray that our water gets turned back on. We've been without since last Monday. Bob is really good about rationing our remaining water using a temporary storage tank, but if we don't get water soon, we'll be completely out. I will try to post a picture of my newest room soon. God bless you, and thanks!

Short Post

Okay...so I've had a couple of long posts lately. Sorry about that.

Here is a short one; a haiku

Fallen sick on a journey,
In dreams I run wildly
Over a withered moor.
                Oku No Hosomichi (1694)

The Will of God

I just finished a great book by Mark Devine about Dietrich Bonhoeffer called Bonhoeffer Speaks Today. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor who was executed by the Nazis in 1945 for his part in a failed plot to assassinate Hitler. He was one of the leaders of the Confessing Church, which dared to defy Nazi attempts to control Christianity in Germany.  Bonhoeffer has often been cast as a liberal but Devine argues that this German pastor and theologian has a few things to teach us Evangelicals.

Of particular interest to me was Devine’s exposition of Bonhoeffer’s position on the will of God and how God guides. Bonhoeffer did not believe in the immediacy of God’s guidance, but believed instead that God has already revealed his will for us and that he guides through his Word. Devine points out that “the daily quest for special, direct, individual guidance has come to dominate the Evangelical world” and that for many of us decisions ranging from who to marry, or whether to change jobs, all the way down to “the dilemma of whether to turn right or left on Elm Street” all stand open for direct input from God. Devine is not saying God never offers direct guidance. In fact, he claims to have received such guidance himself (as have I).  His point is that “waiting on the Lord” can result in a kind of paralysis that leaves us “surrounded by frequent claims of divine guidance and divine leadership by others while we ‘dull brothers and sisters’ are left to ‘pray harder’ and wait on the Lord.’”

The author asks, “What if God does not normally offer new, extra-biblical guidance in cases involving non-moral decision making? What if He is pleased to have us make decisions, obviously not disregarding the character and will of God revealed in Holy Scripture, but also without needing to claim God’s specific and extra-biblical sanction where he has not required it?” I can think of many times in my life where I prayed feverishly and never got “a word from the Lord” about a pending decision. Did that mean God was trying to be evasive or murky, or was playing hide-and-seek with me? As Devine points out, "God never seemed to have any difficulty making his will known in the past.”

Honestly, I think sometimes people saying, “I’ll pray about that” is little more than an excuse. For instance, many times I've heard people say, “I’ll pray about going” when it comes to missions. But hasn’t God already made it crystal clear in Scripture that he expects all of us to join him in his mission to reach the world? What is there to pray about? Or people say, “I want God’s best.” Of course you do; we all do. But does it really matter to God if you work for company “A” or company “B”? Yes, we all want a clear sign from God, we want him to write something across the sky, but honestly, he seldom does that, does he?

What I’m trying to say today, agreeing with Devine and Bonhoeffer, is that it is okay if you can't prove God is calling you here or there. After praying about it, and checking your decision against what God has already revealed about himself in the Bible, sometimes we just need to make a decision. This very thing happened in the Bible you know. Exodus 14:15 says, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on!’” In other words, God basically said, "Stop praying and get going." Maybe that’s what God is saying to me or you today. Maybe God has already told us all we need to know. Maybe it's time to get up off our knees and get moving.

On Moral Choices

C.S. Lewis

My regular readers know I am a huge C.S. Lewis fan. I found an old book by Lewis in the seminary library on Tuesday. It’s fascinating. The book is titled “Christian Behaviour” and was printed in London in December, 1943. There is an inscription in the front of the book obviously written with a fountain pen, where someone wrote their name, C.P. Bonner, and then it says, Delhi, 1 April 45.

As I looked at that my mind wandered; who was this man, most likely a British man and what was he doing in Delhi in 1945? Did he take a steamer to India after picking up a copy of the book at a bookstore in London? I love a good mystery.

But that’s not the topic I want to address in this post. Instead I want to simply quote Lewis from the mysterious man’s book, where Lewis writes, as only he can, about moral choices:

People often think of Christian morality as a kind of bargain in which God says, “If you keep a lot of rules I’ll reward you, and if you don’t I’ll do the other thing.” I don’t think that is the best way of looking at it. I’d much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven: that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power. To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness. Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other (pg. 24-25).

Lewis reminds us here that for most of us it’s not the monumental choices that lead us down one path or the other, but the countless little decisions we make each day. His words form a good corrective to the kind of “all or nothing” thinking I know I’m guilty of. Tomorrow let's all remember the cumulative nature of our choices and press on towards becoming “heavenly” creatures instead of “the other.”

African Guitar

Uriah rips a "G" - Awesome!

One of the members of the South Fork team was a singer/guitar player. Once he got over here he felt the Lord leading him to leave his guitar for Seed Ministry to use. Guitars are fairly rare over here so this was not only a great gesture, but it will be a valuable ministry tool as well.

The other day Bob and Bonnie asked me if I would teach some of the Seedling youth to play a few Christmas songs on the guitar as they are going to put on a Christmas play this year. I agreed, and last week we had the first of our guitar lessons. We are meeting three afternoons a week and I’m basically just trying to teach them the five or six chords they will need to know to play Silent Night, Away in a Manger, etc….

It has been fun. For one thing I have enjoyed getting out the guitar to play myself. It’s been a long time for me. But more importantly, it’s been fun to see the guys begin to learn the instrument and to master a few chords. All the guys involved are gifted musically (they are drummers), so they are picking up this new instrument pretty quickly. Of course they don’t have “guitar-picker” calluses yet, so their fingers have been a little sore. But my fingers have been hurting too!

The calluses, or lack thereof, remind me of one of those universal laws of life: “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” This holds true across so many spheres of our lives; our physical fitness, our emotional health, even our spiritual health. It’s so easy to get lazy, or to miss a day or two, which turns into a week or two. You know what I’m talking about don’t you?

Let me challenge you today. What have you neglected lately? Could it be those spiritual muscles? Perhaps your prayer muscles? Or maybe it is your fitness level; fall is a great time to get outside and take a long walk. Or maybe you need to push away from the table a little sooner this week? J Remember, if you don’t use it, you lose it. While you think about it, I’m going to go pick out a song or two on the guitar. Have a great evening!

Sunday Night Recap

Today was a great day. I preached this morning at God’s Wisdom Baptist Church in Sognarigu-Kukuo. Pastor Gabriel and my student James were there. This is harvest season for ground nuts (peanuts) so many were out working in the fields today, but we still had a good crowd with lively singing and dancing, fervent prayer and decent preaching. I decided to drive to the church the way we first went back in July when it was dryer. What I didn’t realize was that the road, which is really just a path, is still underwater in places. It made for an exciting adventure and I was muddy from head to toe and sweating like an animal from having to manhandle my moto by the time I arrived. Lots of fun though; got the old blood pumping, especially in 90 degree heat!

This afternoon I hung out at the guesthouse; I watched two movies with my new friend Don Honeywell from Fayetteville, N.C. Don has an amazing ministry where he goes around the world doing “Face-to-Faith” evangelism training. He arrived here from a country I cannot name because it is closed to the gospel. He’s headed to another country after Ghana which is also fairly closed, so I won’t mention it either. He ends up in the Philippines before arriving back home around Christmas. Suffice it to say Don has been around the world sharing Christ; he’s dedicated to his craft and a true servant of the Lord.

This evening we had a typical Tamale downpour. The rain in Africa is incredible, which I think I’ve mentioned before, but every time it rains I am reminded of just how powerful and fierce nature can be.

This week at school should be a good one; I’m giving an exam in both my classes, one on Tuesday and the other on Thursday. On Friday I begin the last section of teaching I’ll do before returning to the States. It is hard to believe my time is nearing an end over here.   

Student Teachers

I had a really good time in class on Friday. I had prepared a lesson on biblical financial unity, mainly centered on fifteen key thoughts on finances/money/possessions outlined in Scripture. Before class I wrote each of these statements, along with a Scripture reference, on the chalkboard; things like “God owns it all” (Psalm 24:1). After introducing the topic and teaching for about thirty minutes I explained that we were now going to have the students themselves come up to the front of the room one at a time to teach the fifteen concepts to the rest of the class.

It was priceless. They got so into it and so excited! Many of them still struggle with their English, and some of them are a bit shy, but they all did fantastic, especially considering that they had no idea before class they were going to do this, nor did they know which concept they would be teaching until it was time to teach that particular concept. To really get a feel for what it was like you have to understand the seriousness with which West Africans take such opportunities to have an audience. They even used the opportunity to poke a little fun at the “Reverend Doctor,” as they call me. It was great. Not only did they enjoy teaching, they seemed to really respond well to one another’s teaching.

I’ve always heard the best way to learn something is to teach it yourself. That’s definitely been true for me as I’ve busied myself preparing lesson plans so that I would be “thoroughly equipped” (2 Tim. 3:17) to teach. But I also saw this today as the students really wanted to do well as they taught one another, and so they put forth great effort and attention to what they taught, as well as what the others were teaching.  On top of that I got to sit and be fed myself for a change, which I really enjoyed. I’m sure this method is probably something my teacher friends already knew about, but I was thankful for the inspiration to try it today, for I truly do believe it was God’s idea; it worked to well to be one of my ideas. Thanks be to God! 

What Lies Ahead

Four weeks from Friday I will be headed back to Georgia. I realize a month is a long time, and there is still a lot to be done here, but thoughts of home are already creeping into my mind. Isn't it strange how we so seldom fix our thoughts on the only time we really have available to us, the present? It seems we are always pining for yesteryear, or else we're busy making plans about what we're going to do next. Just today I taught my students about the importance of living in "day-tight compartments" where you pour everything you've got into today, and don't waste time or energy on what was, or what may someday be.

Jesus was big on this idea, teaching his disciples not to worry about tomorrow, "for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matt. 6:34). On the other hand, the Bible certainly commends planning for the future. We're not supposed to just sit idly by and wait for something to drop in our lap. How do we navigate between these two extremes? It's tricky, but doable. Personally, I keep sensing that I need to concentrate on my teaching in Africa for now; I need to focus on the only time any of us truly have, the "right now" of life. The time will come for thinking about the future.

Perhaps you are in the same boat as me. With 10% unemployment and with change swirling around us I'm sure there are others reading this who are as unsettled as me about the future. If so, pray with me that God will give us peace of mind, and patience, to wait on God's perfect timing. Then we can say with the Psalmist, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope" (Psalm 130:5).

Leading or Trailing?

My New Testament reading for the Wednesday came from First Timothy (5:1-25). As I read it I ran across a rather troubling word Paul gives Timothy. He writes, "The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden" (vv. 24-25).

I think Paul wrote the passage to encourage Timothy, saying that even if the good deeds Timothy was doing were not all that evident now, eventually they would be recognized as such, so keep up the good work. But the way I read it was negatively (I tend to do that a lot). I saw Paul basically saying that our sins either rush ahead of us to heaven, or else they come trailing in behind us when we get there.

Now I know some of you are thinking, "Wait a minute Steve, my sins are forgiven – they are as far as the east is from the west, yada yada…" But picture this with me for just a moment. You're standing at the gates of heaven and everything is looking good. Peter reviews your paperwork and is about to let you in but then there's a commotion in the back of the line. It's an angel, completely out of breath that rushes up to St. Peter and says, "Hold it; you need to see this before you let that one in," and just like that, it's over. I know, I know; bad theology…but I'm just saying.

The answer, of course, is to stop sinning so we don't have a leading edge of sin racing toward the place of judgment ahead of us, or worse (in my mind), a comet-like trail of sin following behind as you make your way there. David said, "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered" (Psalm 32:1) but Paul added that just because they are forgiven is certainly no license to keep on sinning so let us all "count ourselves dead to sin, but alive in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:11). Then we won't have to worry about our sin racing ahead of us or the possibility of it trailing behind.

Of course you could just take the word from Paul as a positive exhortation as he probably meant it, but then I wouldn't have had anything to write about today! J

I Saw Elvis Today

This article is actually about evangelism. I first titled it "Evangelism" but I decided no one would read it if I kept that title. That led to my thinking up the creative title you see above. I was sneaky for a good reason though: Evangelism is one of the most important subjects there is. Please read on…

What is evangelism? What do people mean by the term? I'm glad you asked. Evangelism is the proclamation of the historical, biblical Christ as Savior and Lord, with a view toward persuading people to come to know him personally and so be reconciled with God. To evangelize is to spread the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead according to the Scriptures, and that as reigning Lord he now offers forgiveness of sins and the liberating gift of the Spirit to all who repent and believe.

At this point you might be thinking, "Steve, do you really believe that stuff?" "Isn't that 'Sunday School' talk?" And the answer is, yes I believe it, absolutely, unequivocally I do. Jesus is utterly unique, and even in today's increasingly pluralistic, syncretistic culture, he remains that way.

"But isn't Jesus just one way of many to God?" No…at the center of Christianity is the doctrine that God became man in Jesus Christ then did for us what we could not do for ourselves. There is no other name, no other person, no other belief system by which people can be saved. You can discuss the gospel's meaning and significance, but you cannot ignore it, or dismiss it, or tamper with it to fit your taste. It's God's gospel, not ours.

What's more, the good news, while "free," is also very costly. It cost God a great deal. Jesus still calls all who would follow him to deny themselves, take up their cross, and identify themselves with his new community, the church. Nothing irks me more than the purveyors of spiritual pabulum who claim all it takes is to "give your heart to Jesus" and "repeat this prayer after me" and then your life will be a cakewalk. No…it takes much more than that. The gospel calls us to unconditional surrender of all that we are and all that we have to God.

No, I didn't really see Elvis today, but I did bow down to the King. How about you?

Community

The word "community" usually refers to a group of people. It may mean where a person lives, or it may be a gathering of people with the same goals. Or, it can mean a very diverse people coming together to work on a shared concern. At any point in time, most of us are involved in several communities at varying levels of involvement and participation.

In the faith community, we gather to worship, pray, fellowship, evangelize and to serve in hopes of hastening the coming kingdom of God. No matter how far apart we may be distance-wise, we are still in community with one another and with God.

Tonight at supper we had a neat couple from Indiana join us who live here in Tamale and serve a little south of here among the Gonja people. A man also arrived today who will be doing "Face to Faith" (evangelism) conferences for three weeks. Add in Jesse (the God's Story translator), a couple of Ghanaian men from the Volta Region, Bob, Bonnie, and an itinerant seminary professor and you have quite an interesting mix of people.

As I sat there tonight (mostly listening I might add), I felt so thankful to be a part of this particular community. I was reminded how God loves to partner with people to accomplish his purposes. I was also in awe of people like the ones I was privileged to share table fellowship with this evening; people who completely dedicate their lives to fulltime missionary service. Talk about dedication! Sure, I've had malaria now – a mild case – but the lady from Indiana just got back from ten months of cancer treatment (while her husband carried on their vital ministry here without her).

I don't know who you'll be dining with tonight, hopefully your family or good friends. But wherever you are and whoever you are with, please say a prayer for people all around the world just like the ones I had supper with this evening. I know when I get back to the States I'll be remembering them; they are definitely heroes to me.

A Blessed Man

Sorry I've missed a day or two blogging. I'm still recuperating from malaria. I think I held it all in last week so I wouldn't miss teaching any classes, but then when the weekend hit, I basically just collapsed in a heap. I've been reading and resting, trying to regain my strength. I read four books this weekend, which is always nice; it's amazing how much reading you can do when you find yourself flat on your back.

But lying around is not like me; nor is feeling weak and helpless. It's as if God needed to teach me a lesson I've been too hard-headed to learn. Namely, that this whole mission isn't about my strength, stamina or ability. God always chooses those who are inadequate in and of themselves to accomplish his purposes so that the ultimate glory goes to him. When we serve out of our weakness and God's strength, it is obvious to everyone that God did whatever gets done, and not the strength or wisdom of man that accomplished the task. That's what the Apostle Paul was talking about when he penned these words, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults and hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

It is certainly no fun being sick away from home, but if God needed to bring me 6,000 miles and then allow me to contract a tropical disease to get my attention, it will definitely be to my benefit in the end. And so tonight as I retire I cry out with the Psalmist, "O Lord Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you" (Psalm 84:12).

A New Song

"Sing to the Lord a new song...proclaim his salvation day after day…declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples" Psalm 96:1-3.

For over ten years now this passage of Scripture has been dear to my heart. I must admit its meaning to me today is a far cry from what it was back in the late 90's when God first impressed it on my heart as a church-planter, but to this day the hair still stands up on the back of my neck when I read it. I love this Psalm – but what exactly does it mean? What does it mean to the church? And what does it mean to me personally?

As I sit here tonight I again hear the muezzin calling the faithful to come to the mosque to pray. How can I declare God's glory to the Muslims living here on Sognaayili Road? How can I best declare it back home among the self-satisfied non-believers there? How can I help God's glory shine into a world that desperately needs God's light? Let's not fool ourselves into thinking we are doing enough; we're not, there is much more to do.

I would like nothing better than to have an answer to the question of what I'm going to do about this in the next 36 days before I return to the USA. I'd love to know how "declaring his glory among the nations" will play out here in Ghana, and in my home community, and in my own life. One thing I know for certain; this is not the time to sit idly by and twiddle our thumbs. We must ask God to help us see and then grasp the many opportunities that present themselves each day to share the good news.

What about you? What "new song" are you planning to sing? My next opportunity will be tomorrow morning when I teach the Seedlings (youth group) at Seed Ministry. Pray with me that God's "marvelous deeds" will shine.

Final Exam

I worked on the final section of my Christian Ethics class today, which will be taught from Nov. 2 to Nov. 16. I actually just about have it all done. I was also working on the final exam for that class. I'm doing what I always hated when I was a student. I'm making it a "comprehensive exam" which means it covers the whole twelve weeks. Of course, most of the exam will be on just the new material since the last test. And any questions on the old material will be repeats from an earlier test. So if my students study their two previous tests, they'll have a pretty good shot at getting the old material questions correct.

Working on their final exam got me thinking how glad I am that when my final exam comes up on judgment day I don't have to worry. That's actually not the main reason I am a Christian. I believe Christianity is the best way to live one's earthly life, regardless of the great "retirement plan." But it does take the pressure off knowing that no matter how many times I've stumbled (and believe me, I have stumbled many, many times), God will forgive me because of what Jesus did on the cross. That's good news worth celebrating. One of my goals in life is to make sure as many people as possible hear that good news before I die and that's one reason why I'm in Africa.

I hope you have thought through what you believe and placed your trust in Jesus Christ. If not, I'd love to talk with you about it when I get back. I don't have all the answers, but I can share what I've discovered on my journey. Meanwhile, have a great evening and a good night's rest; it's lights out time in Africa!

I Love My Wife

I have the greatest wife; have I mentioned that yet? She's just the best. Let me give you just one example. This morning the big team from Kentucky left. They're a great bunch, but honestly, with all of them here, the ladies that do the laundry for Seed Ministry have had a hard time keeping up with all the clothes, towels, sheets, etc… And so tonight I discovered I am down to my last pair of, shall I say "drawers." [Sidebar, I hope this blog is not getting too risqué to be read by all audiences]

Well, anyhow…I open my suitcase and pull out my last pair and I'm thinking, "Uh-oh, I may be in trouble tomorrow," and then when I unfold them, a small slip of paper falls to the floor. It was a note, all folded up into a tiny little square, and it simply says, "Thinking about you…" How about that? Forty-one days into my trip and feeling a little down; and I get a sweet note from my wife. What's more, it's not the first note I've received. I've found a ton of them. So many I now know why my luggage was overweight by the time I got to the airport; she must've packed 5 pounds of notes! I found them stuffed in the pockets of my pants, hidden in books she knew I'd read, in my toiletries, everywhere! Is that great or what?

These past six weeks I've tried to teach my students about "Christian Family Living" and we've talked a whole bunch about marriage and family life. I'm sure by now my guys are tired of hearing stories about how great my wife (and kids) are. I just keep telling them, there is no greater blessing on earth than the love of a wife. More than once my answer to a question they've asked has been, "Marry the right woman – marry someone like Donna." Take it from me; it makes all the difference in the world.

By the way, my students do know Donna's name now since I've talked about her so much. They ask me about her every day at class. Of course out of politeness and respect they would never call her by name, instead they ask, "How is mama?" The first few times they asked me that I thought they meant my real mother and I was confused why they were asking her, but I finally figured it out. Ha ha…

So here's to you dear; I love you more than life itself! You're the best!

Reflection on My Reflection

I just reread my Monday Night Reflection (below) and realized that I used the word "I" in it a ton. This whole egotism thing is going to be tough to deal with, especially when most of what I blog about involves...that person. After all, I've already used "I" several times in three sentences.

Okay - so, resolved... the person writing this blog is going to work on reducing the use of the personal pronoun henceforth. Perhaps this attempt will help that person be more aware that life does not revolve around him. Hey...there's an idea; this person could always write in third person like royalty or something. "This person said..." Ha ha - no....better to just refocus and pray the prayer of one of my spiritual heroes, Augustine:

Let me do everything for the sake of You.

Let me humble myself and exalt You.

Let me think of nothing except You.

Let me die to myself and live in You.

Let me accept whatever happens as from You.       

Let me banish self and follow You, and ever desire to follow You. 

Amen.

Monday Night Reflection

Since I have absolutely nothing creative to say tonight (still groggy from all the meds) I will simply do another "ramble" in hopes I'm just about over-the-hump with the malaria.

I did not preach anywhere this weekend, I had not planned to and it is a good thing since I probably would not have been able. I basically relaxed, worked on lesson plans, and read. One good thing about the sickness is it has enabled me to get way ahead on my lesson plans. The big team from Kentucky starts their long journey home tomorrow morning. They will spend the night in Kumasi, then another night in Accra before flying out early on Thursday. They've done some great work here. I hate I missed most of it by being under the weather.

 I missed home a lot today, probably because of all the folks scurrying around getting ready to leave and because I've been spending more time on the Internet catching up on "the world" while I've been sick. A verse from my reading today was particularly convicting for me. Paul writes, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:15-18). Always…continually….all circumstances…: Seems like he really wants to make a point. It's certainly a good verse to keep in my heart as I start my work week tomorrow.

 I'm praying for you folks back home; please remember me in yours. Be blessed.

Forty Days

Today is the halfway mark of my teaching mission to Ghana. I've been here forty days today, and I have forty days to go. In some ways it seems like I just got here. In others, it seems like a lifetime ago I was back at home enjoying the comfort and convenience of living in America.

Since Old Testament days the period of forty days has been that amount of time necessary to prepare for something significant or purge oneself of something negative. Moses was on the mountain with God for forty days (twice). Noah's faith was tested with forty days and nights of rain while he was in the ark. And over in the New Testament, Jesus was tested and fasted in the desert for forty days after his baptism.

Why forty? Most commentators say that the number merely represents a "significant period of time." Rick Warren and others claim it takes forty days, or about six weeks, to make a certain practice into a habit.

My first forty days of relative isolation have been a time of deep soul-searching for me. I've thought and prayed a lot about my relationship with God. I've also pondered the future and what it holds (as some of you who read this know). Above all I have determined that more than ever I want to know and love God more and to help make him known and loved by others. Sometimes my faith, and my love for God, seems so weak and shallow. I feel as though I can see him, but I can't find my way to his side. There is a distance between us; a chasm. In the next forty days I hope God will help me draw closer to him. That would be the greatest gift of this time apart.

But that is not all this time has been about. God has also revealed many things that need my attention these next forty days: my egotism (my inflated idea of my own importance), my lust for new adventures, my perfectionism, my heroism, and my God-denying self-reliance. These and other ways in which I refute by my actions that which I claim to believe has shown me that I am still very much a carnal man instead of the spiritual man I aspire to be.

Yes, I do have malaria in my bloodstream right now, but I'm taking medicine that will take care of that. There are much worse things coursing through my mind and heart. Only God can deal with those as I trust and obey him more fully. Please join me in praying that that is what will happen these next forty days.

Anopheles Anxiety

I woke up this morning feeling terrible again so Bob and Bonnie suggested I get some blood work done to make sure everything is okay. I went right after school and had my tests done in a remarkably modern and friendly clinic here in Tamale.

The bad news is I have malaria. The good news is, I now know why I haven't been getting any better using Cipro! I've already started on malaria medicine so I should be feeling fine before long. I don't teach again until Tuesday, and I'm sure I'll be better by then.

I realize the word malaria conjures up images of soldiers, explorers and missionaries dying in the jungle somewhere, but nowadays, if treated properly, malaria is not so bad. Unfortunately it is still a huge killer in the tropical world, especially among the very young and very old. I'm grateful for my smart hosts who sent me to the clinic, for the speedy diagnosis, and for the relatively inexpensive medicine to treat it.

And so, dear friends of this blog; do not worry. Everything will be fine. This is just one more of life's interesting learning experiences to go along with a host of others I seem to be experiencing lately. Besides, like I told Bonnie at lunch today; now that I have malaria I actually feel more like a "real" missionary. Thanks for your continued prayers. I'll keep you updated.

God's Story

 Something really cool is happening right next door to the Dr. Steve Suite. Over there they are recording a soundtrack for the "God Story" movie in a language called Nkonya from the Volta Region of Ghana.

As mentioned in a previous blog, a man named Jesse Walters does this ministry. Jesse locates people who speak different languages in Ghana, who also speak English. He usually finds them through the different Bible translation organizations operating here in Ghana. Jesse then sends these individuals an English script of the movie which they write out a translation of in their own language. Once a year or so Jesse comes to Ghana and sets up shop at Seed Ministry. Then, two-by-two, the translators come and work with Jesse for a week (it takes that long to do the recording). The next week, two more people who speak a different language will come.

Jesse will be here ten weeks this time and hopes to get ten different language tracks laid down. He will then return to the States to clean up the recordings. Eventually CD's and DVD's will be made featuring the movie in the new African language. Missionaries can then take these DVD's to remote villages and show them using a generator and a projector. Thus, "God's Story" gets out. The new languages are also put on Mega Voice players (see earlier post) to be taken out to the villages so people can at least hear the story, even if they can't see the movie.

Immanuel (L) and Jesse (R) recording

This is a fascinating ministry, and a very fruitful one. I was amazed at how organized everything is and how well it all works, especially given the primitive recording conditions, untrained narrators, etc… When I asked Jesse how he does it, he told me without hesitation that he has a slogan he puts on every DVD and CD he produces, a slogan he believes in strongly: "By God's grace, for God's glory." Jesse said this project is bigger than one man or one movie, or even the countless linguists who have sacrificed weeks doing the translation, then given up a full week's pay at their job to come here, and then endured great hardships just to get here to actually make the recordings. Joseph, the man pictured above making the Nkonya recording traveled 23 hours by bus to get here. Imagine that.

I never cease to be amazed at the lengths some people will go to get the word out. And those that do go to such great lengths always seem to be the ones who appear least able to be able to afford to do so. God bless you Jesse Walters, and all the others involved with this project that is getting the Good News out to unreached people groups.

Oh, My Achin’ Stomach!

I woke up in the middle of the night Monday night with a certain "urgency" that let me know I was in for a totally miserable day ahead. Montezuma's Revenge (at least that's what they call it in Mexico) has returned with a vengeance. I am weak as water and have not had anything to eat all day besides a banana and some tea. I even had to leave my classes an hour early, though thankfully I was able to rush through the material with both groups before I had to leave.

In my misery I laid in bed all day reading a book by John Piper called "Filling up the Afflictions of Christ." The book is about some men who paid the ultimate price for the gospel. As I lay there with my tummy ache feeling totally sorry for myself I read the heroic stories of John Tyndale who was burned at the stake for publishing the Bible in English, John G. Paton who took the gospel to cannibals in the South Pacific, and Adoniram Judson, who was imprisoned, criticized by his family and church, and lost two wives and countless children to disease as he ministered among the people of Burma (Myanmar).

These men took to heart Jesus' words in John 12: "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it will bear little fruit. And unless a man despises his life in this world, he will lose it for eternity." No threat to their lives, disease, deprivation, loss of loved ones, or anything else could keep them from what God called them to do in spreading the gospel.

Feeling despondent myself today because of my sickness, I was convicted by something Adorinam Judson said about persevering:

Beware of the greater reaction which will take place after you have acquired the language, and become fatigued and worn out with preaching the gospel to a disobedient and gainsaying people. You will sometimes long for a quiet retreat, where you can find respite from the tug of toiling at native work – the incessant, intolerable friction of the missionary grindstone. And Satan will sympathize with you in this matter; and he will present some chapel of ease, in which to officiate in your native tongue, some government situation, some professorship or editorship, some literary or scientific pursuit…anything,
in a word, that will help you, without too much surrender of character, to slip out of real missionary work. Such a temptation will form the crisis of your disease. If your spiritual constitution can sustain it, you recover; if not, you die.

As John Piper says, "God knows there are times to flee and times to stand." My hope is that when that time comes in my life I will know exactly what to do. At the very least I pray that when the crisis comes I will be guided more by the ways of God and the witness of these men, and less by the worldly ways of comfort and security.

Study Day

Today (Monday) was a study day for me. I really got a lot done too. I am now almost ready to publish the next section of my notes for my students which would take them all the way up through their next exams which will be given on Oct. 26 and 28^th. That is a really good feeling. It seems as though I've been under the gun the entire time I've been here just trying to stay ahead of my students in my preparation. Now I'll be able to simply go back the night before and review what I'm going to teach on any given day rather than burning the midnight oil just to get my lesson plan done (wow, sorry for all the clichés).

The weather was spectacular here today, clear and hot, but not too hot. This afternoon the big team from South Fork Baptist Church in Kentucky arrived. They all seem nice very well-prepared to hit the ground ministering tomorrow. Several of them have been here before so they already know the ropes (cliché). Our day ended with one of the fiercest rainstorms we've had yet (at least while I've been here). It rained cats and dogs (yep). As I write this the showers are diminishing leaving a nice cool evening, perfect for sleeping.

Other than that there's not a whole lot to report. I guess I could bore you to tears (uh huh) with minutiae such as the fact that the shower curtain fell in the Dr. Steve Suite bathroom today; and the ballast in my overhead light is faulty which causes my light to blink all the time, but that's probably more than you wanted to know. Oh… and I have had a terrible time getting on the Internet today, so I'm hopeful I'll be able to publish this thrilling post now that it is written. But given the situation many of those living within just a few feet of where I am sitting writing this, I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

If you are looking for a Scripture to meditate on later, here's one the Lord led me to this evening: "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14 NIV). Peace to you.

B Dakpemyili

I went out today to preach at one of my student's churches, a village called B Dakpemyili. I'm not sure exactly how far the village is from Seed Ministry but I allowed myself an hour to get there on my motorbike. Of course, what I didn't count on was the tremendous storm that blew up while I was driving there that forced me to take cover under a shed with a bunch of goats and two other people for about an hour. I finally ventured out once the rain tapered off but even with my poncho on and my pants legs rolled up, I was soaked by the time I got to the village.

The rain didn't damper the enthusiasm of the worshippers though! We actually didn't meet in the church building at B Dakpemyili as originally planned. Once I got there, a young man met me to say we were going to meet at the next village up the road (Kudula) in a school building. So I invited the young man, a youth named Daniel who is affiliated with Seed Ministry, to drive me on the moto on up to the next village. I'm not comfortable driving other people on the bike yet, so I let him drive me. The photo above is of Daniel and me this morning.

The service itself was a little different. The church is Presbyterian so it was a little more formal; we recited the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles Creed during the service (which, thankfully they did in Dagbani so they couldn't hear me mess up both in English). Daniel translated for me and did a great job. Afterwards they asked me to take questions about the message, which I did. I was surprised to discover that I actually understood a few words of their questions spoken in Dagbani. I answered by sprinkling a little Dagbani myself which drew generous laughter and seemed to seal the bond between the preacher and the congregation. To top off a great Lord's Day these wonderful people gave me several yams as a gift for coming to preach. As the rain began falling again we strapped the yams to the back of my moto using part of an old bicycle inner tube and off I drove as the people stood on the porch of the school waving good-bye.

Contrails

This afternoon I was walking outside and I looked up at the sky and something hit me. No, I don't mean something literally hit me, I mean I realized something: I have never seen a contrail in Tamale. You know what contrails are, right? They are those frozen lines of jet exhaust that zigzag across the sky. Back home, it's almost impossible to look up and not see a contrail. Of course, back home I live within an hour of the world's busiest airport; but still, it seems you'd see at least see an occasional contrail over here. But you don't.

This experience was just one more reminder to me of how culture-bound we all are. Stated another way, whatever the weather is like in your neck of the woods is what you think it's like everywhere. But it's not.

We tend to think everybody thinks just like we do, and has the same shared experiences. But they don't.

Experts can talk about our "shrinking world" all they want, but believe me, it's still an awful big place with more diversity than you can imagine. The absence of contrails is also a reminder to me that I am currently "way out there…" But I already knew that.

Tonight there are two African pastors in the room that adjoins the Dr. Jackson Suite. They seem like nice men. I just met them at supper tonight. Jesse Walters, the "God Story producer guy" arrived this morning and is in my former room. He will be working with two different pastors a week for several weeks to record the God story soundtrack in more languages.

Tomorrow I am preaching at a village called B Dakpemyili. I'll be preaching about Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10); how the story of his salvation can help us understand our own salvation. I'm looking forward to meeting another group of Ghanaian believers. I'll give an update on the service tomorrow; same bat time, same bat station. Meanwhile, enjoy your worship service tomorrow; I know you will.

The Dr. Steve Suite

I am in my new room at Seed Ministry. Tonight (Friday) is my first night and so far it is working out fine. I even learned today that the room comes with a private bath which, by the way, doubled the size of my accommodations! Seriously, it is going to work out great, although I have enjoyed ribbing Rev. Bob about putting me in "the hole." Bob got back at me though, with his labeling of the key to my "suite" (see photo). I love it! As soon as I have everything set up in my new quarters I will send some photos. I feel very cozy and "monkish."

We woke up to intense thunder and heavy rain early this morning, but by the time for me to head to school the rain had stopped. The day went well there. My students were not surprised at the less than spectacular results on their first exam. I am allowing six of them to do an open book retake on the test, with their final grade being a composite from their original grade and the open book grade.

Tomorrow morning (Sat.) I am working with the seedlings, the local Bible Club here at Sognaayili. Bonnie flies back in from Accra in the morning with Jesse, the man who does the God Story recordings in different languages. On Sunday I'm preaching at a village whose name I cannot pronounce, or even spell out – it's one of my student's churches, and it will take me about an hour to get there on my moto. Should be quite a journey, my longest so far on the bike. Bob and the big team of 18 arrive on Monday from Accra.

I just watched "That Darn Cat," the original Disney movie from 1965. I love the old Disney movies, and have always enjoyed Dean Jones and Hayley Mills, the two stars of the film. I hope your weekend is a great one; I understand the weather back home has been spectacular. Peace to you.