Archive for Africa
Lent
Our team recently returned from Africa and have been sharing their stories about delivering fresh water wells to Kenya. With the Lent season upon us, and with this subject obviously close to my heart, I hope you might join me for 40 Days of Water.
Living Water Mission
I mentioned last Christmas that our small church raised over ten thousand dollars to go to Africa to dig a well. In February it will become a reality, and I couldn’t be more proud!
Despite this bitter Michigan winter, the team has been diligently honing the skills necessary to hand drill wells. But this trip will be more than just us drilling wells, it will be more of us training local people to drill their own wells in the future using rig fabrication with common, low cost materials widely available around the world.
“We want to foster indigenous well drilling movements, rather than just drill wells for people.”
They have asked for the following prayers…
• Success in finding water and bringing this technology to the people who will be blessed by it
• Success in communicating the gospel of Jesus, the Living Water, to those who desperately need it
• For our host to be blessed in all they do
• Protection from local tribal conflicts and in all our travels
• Strength, stamina and good health as we labor at an elevation of 6,800 feet!
• Adjustment to an African work schedule
• Finding an in country organizer and co-ordinator to continue the work after we leave
• For the ability to spiritually minister in a way that is relelvant to our hearers
• For our understanding and accepatance of the local work ethic and customs
• For us all to grow closer to God and to one another in this mission
• To bring Glory to God!
You can follow their story here.
Compassion Bloggers
You might you remember me covering a few bloggers who went to Uganda recently to blog for Compassion International. Well that was just the beginning of Compassion’s initiative to equip bloggers to spread the word about Compassion’s ministry to children in the developing world. Just recently they launched CompassionBloggers.com.
CompassionBloggers.com, the on-line headquarters for this groundbreaking initiative, has launched! Here, bloggers can apply to go on the next Compassion Bloggers trip where they’ll see the work of Compassion for themselves up close. Bloggers can also grab banners, widgets and other tools for spreading the word about Compassion on their own corner of the web. And anyone can come here to see the latest pictures, videos and posts from Compassion’s roster of bloggers
I know Shaun, along with others, have been working hard to get this up and running. Dive on in and see what they’re doing, and what you can do to help.
» Sign up to go on a blogging trip here.
» Sign up for their monthly blogging “assignment” here.
Shaun Groves @ NewSong
If you’re in the neighborhood (Tecumseh, Michigan), why don’t you stop by and see Christian recording artist Shaun Groves as he leads worship at NewSong Community Church on June 8, 2008 @ 10:30am.
“Shaun Groves defies typical expectations and simple labels. He is an insightful songwriter, one who displays such incredible lyrical prowess that his musical peers nominated him for Songwriter of the Year solely on the strength of his 2001 debut.”
Here is a video of Shaun performing his hit Welcome Home.
Here is a video of Shaun talking about the Good News.
You can find out more about Shaun by browsing his blog — www.shlog.com
Or read posts from him and other bloggers that went to Uganda recently with Compassion International — www.compassionbloggers.com
The 50 Hour Challenge
50 nets in the next 50 hours.
By 7pm CST on Friday.
Getrdone.
**UPDATE**
Let’s make it 150!
(via Flowerdust.net)
A Conflicted Calling
Sunday we had a couple speak at church that are doing mission work in Africa. Besides being totally inspiring, they brought up a really good point that I had only thought about in passing, but never in any depth.
The wife told us about her willingness to follow her husbands calling to go to Africa. She even thought that maybe it was hers as well. Then when the violence broke out in Kenya recently (right where they are living), she went many sleepless nights struggling with God for putting her and her family in that situation.
During one of her sleepless nights she read through James, and realized that this was actually her calling as well. Since then she has been willing to do whatever, and follow God wherever, this called for.
So my question is this, what do you do when you and your spouse have conflicted callings? What if God is calling you to go to Africa (or any of a million other callings), but your spouse isn’t getting that word?
Pick My Book
I need your help picking out my next book. I just finished Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover, and I’ll be wrapping up the other two books I’m currently reading very soon. So assuming I get more than 2 votes, I’m going to take your advice on the next book I read.
Here’s the list I’m looking to choose from.
» Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. – Martin Luther King Jr.
» A Long Way Gone – Ishmael Beah
» Quiet Strength – Tony Dungy
» Purple Cow – Seth Godin
» The Innocent Man – John Grisham
» Left to Tell – Immaculé Ilibagiza
» Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis
Vote away, and feel free to suggest something else as well.
Compassion Updates
Ragamuffin Video Update #5
Ragamuffin Video Update #6
Ragamuffin Video Update #7
Movie Reviews
Snakes on a Plane – Oh my. Sometimes I just need to heed the warning signs in front of me. I have a really hard time believing Samuel L. Jackson agreed to this movie. Man that was bad.
Music & Lyrics – A complete 180 from the last movie. I wanted to watch this one again right after I got done watching it. Actually I did watch the first 5 minutes over again just to see that music video.
The Brave One – A decent movie. Not Silence of the Lambs great, but not Snakes on a Plane by any means. One of Jodi Fosters best in recent years.
We Own the Night – Pretty good story-telling here. I thought I had it all figured out about 8 different times only to find out I was wrong. Joaquin Phoenix is slowly becoming one of my favorite actors.
Hotel Rwanda – Timely, to say the least. Honestly I had been avoiding this one for a few months because these movies wrench my guts, but this one wasn’t as in your face with the violence. For starters Don Cheadle has to be one of the top 5 actors out there today. Secondly, this story is a great testament to the human spirit. Third, this crap is still happening right now in Africa.
Love Your Enemies
[Click images above for larger versions]
In a recent comment I said that the topic of abortion does not define me. That we need to think in much broader terms, and that all lives should be sacred—in or out of the womb.
These newly designed posters by The Plow get to the heart of my sentiments. Jesus didn’t say love those that love you. Quite the contrary, he said, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).
He didn’t say it’s OK to use waterboarding as an interrogation technique if it will save American lives. He didn’t say to ignore the cries of help coming from Africa because we have problems like steroids in baseball here in the USA.
No. Jesus believed that every life was a life worth saving.
He never discriminated.
