Light in Zambia

Last Sunday a man named Johannes came to speak at our church. Here's his testimony..........

He was born in Ethiopia and his mother died when he was just baby. He was adopted by a deaf lady who raised him in a small village. Two American missionaries came to Ethiopia when he was six years old and they started a church in his village. It was in that same year, that he and his mother accepted Christ. They continued to live in Ethiopia for a few years, but because of the constant persecution, they moved to Zambia. When he got older, the Lord gave him the opportunity to come to the states to go to Bible college. He desired to go back to Zambia and bring the Gospel to his people. Since graduating from Bible college, he has started 20 deaf churches in Zambia and people are being reached with the Gospel everyday. Johannes told the church that because two missionaries were willing to go to a small village in Ethiopia, a six year old little boy was able to hear the Truth and find the greatest love in all the world.

Next time you see pictures of people or visit another country, think about how God could use them to change their world for Him. But first, someone has to go and tell them.

One of those days....

Have you ever had one of those days that just seems to get worse by the minute? Well, today was one of those days for me. It started out fine, until I got up.......work was horrible. All of our machines were down which means that we weren't even close to making production. Then throughout the day, I ended up getting hurt alot. For those of you who know me, you know that I'm accident prone, so this shouldn't come as a surprise. Then I saw the clock strike 4 and it was a beautiful sight! As I was heading toward my locker, I realized that I couldn't find my key. I had put it in my shoe and it was no where to be found. I don't know how a key can just get lost inside my shoe, but it happened. So my dad had to come and take these big bolt cutters and cut the lock off of our locker. As you can tell, it wasn't a very good day, but I did learn something through it.........always put your key in your pocket and not in your shoe.

Body of Death

Romans 7:24-25...."O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

During the time of ancient Persia, the punishment for murder wasn't stoning, hanging, or even crucifixion.....it was far worse. The man who committed the crime was forced to have the dead body bound to his back for 4 days. If anyone was to help him or unbound the dead body, he was to have the body tied to his back. So his friends were no longer his friends and his family was no longer his family. He was alone and no one would take this body of death. During this 4 day time period, the body be begins to rot and maggots start to eat away at the body. Because the body is tied to his back, the maggots begin to eat the man alive, and he dies a slow, painful death. When Paul refers to this body of death, he isn't referring to a literal body. He is talking about his past. His guilt eats away at him and the pain is unbearable. But there is hope......."I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Paul knew that only God could take away this body of death and he praised God for that! We all have done things in the past that we regret...actions, words, choices.....and the list goes on. But God sent His Son to die for us and He so willingly takes our bodies of death and remembers them no more. This is all a part of God's will. So, if you're still dealing with past sin and guilt, remember that only God can deliver you from that and He wants to. His blood covers your sin...past, present and future.

Back in S.C.

Well, today we made the long drive back to South Carolina. We were making good time until I almost had a wreck. I know that it was only by God's grace that we didn't get hit. I was a little shaky after that but all I could do was thank God for His protection. The Lord taught me many things this week while I was helping out at camp. Dave did a series on change and I felt like every message was what I needed to hear. As I was reading through Psalms one morning, I came across a verse that seemed to describe exactly how I felt. David was telling the Lord that he was poor and needy and he needed more of God. This week the Lord showed me many things in my life that I need to change and I realized how poor and needy I really am. I'm so thankful that in these times of weakness God is always there to give strength and comfort. I'm always amazed at the thought of knowing that God desires to know me and have a relationship with me inspite of who I am and how many times I fail Him.

Lord, thank You for Your forgiveness and mercy. Thank You that Your grace covers who I am and thank You for having a relationship with me. May I fall in love with You more everyday. Make me Your servant.

Going Home!!!

Tomorrow morning at 8:30 I will be on the road heading toward Athens, TN. I'm so excited about going back home for the week. My sister and I have been counting down the days now for about three weeks.......I know it sounds a little pathetic, but the term "homesick" has taken on a whole new meaning for us. I can't wait to spend time with friends and family. Pray for us as we travel tomorrow.....for those of you who know my sister, you know how easily distracted she gets and her "road rage" tends to get a little scary. Anyway, I'll see you all soon!

Made for Worship

Tonight, during the service, my pastor was talking about the responsibilities of the church. He said that one of those responsibilities was to send out missionaries to reach the world for Christ. As he was speaking, I thought about the verses in Psalms that talk about all the people of the earth standing in awe of God and worshipping Him. God created each person with the desire to worship. It's instilled inside every human being to search for something more. There are millions around the world who search for that thing to fill the void they have in their hearts. Because they don't know the truth they worship people, statues, the earth....and so on. They have that desire to worship, but they just don't know what to worship. As believers we have the truth and the hope of knowing that we have a relationship with God. So, what are we going to do about the majority of the world that's searching for the truth? Our joy comes from knowing God more and more each day. How many more people are going to die without the hope and satisfaction of God's love?