Enough is Enough

I've had it!!!

Yeah, I've had it with the constant negative soundbites from the media and politicians,




















I've had it with the adds on TV and the - cue radio voice - "In these tough economic times" - we need.....so and so. I've had with the pessimism and the frowns from just about everyone I encounter these days. Especially this guy -



I've had it with the defeatism that we are getting from so many sources, in particular our government. Isn't it about time we got off the side lines,

and as Christians stepped into the game and showed people what it is like to have faith.



We "Christians" like to talk a good game about how God is good, what a wonderful Lord he is and we get to do all that piety speak that makes me want to puke sometimes. But when push comes to shove and we are challenged just a bit by tough or difficult circumstances we bail. Boy do we bail hard to, we stop giving, we stop spouting our church speak and the next thing you know we put our heads down and lament that we can't do this or that.





It is to big a project "IN THESE TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES" or that goal is insurmountable. But what God wants us to do is step up and act like He is the God we profess to look to in "these tough economic times" give me a break, no really I want a break from it all.

Step up and act on that faith we profess to hold so dear!



God wants us to step up to the challenge, step up to real faith and let Him know that we do challenge him, HEY GOD what WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO. Ephesians 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Hear that? "immeasurably more". There is nothing we can come up with that God would look to and say "I CAN'T HANDLE IT" and if we look to Him, neither should we.

Are you kidding me, we have no challenges for God that He can't just chuckle at and wonder why we are so small minded. Whatever excuses for why we can't, God has the response of "Because I can".

I am tired of us Christians as a people thinking so small, thinking like our God is limited by economy or such small human events.

In the next few months I get the privilege of planning for various mission trips throughout the rest of the year. I've already been hearing the pessimism in people that they don't know if we afford it, others saying, I hope we have enough people that can go. I have heard that a number of other trips and other groups have had to cancel trips due to the lack of participants willing to step out financially. I don't think God is really that small that a few dollars are limiting to him.

So enough is enough - step up or step out of the way so others can move forward.

Lets not limit God this year instead lets take the approach of the Psalmist in Psalms 81:10 - He is telling the people of Israel that not only has he freed them from Egypt (slavery in whatever form that takes) he has given them blessings, all they have to do is open their mouth to receive those blessings.

OK GOD!!! MY MOUTH IS WIDE OPEN AND I AM WAITING TO BE FILLED!!!

It is what it is

Dumb Me

so i have a question, purely rhetorical all right?

If i do stupid stuff on my own - without listening to God - but then I start listening to God and doing what God wants me to do and really seek His guidance....

DOES THAT SOMEHOW MAKE ME SMART? or am I still just as DUMB?

Come on - I'm not smart - can believing and following what God wants for me make me smarter?

One Argument
One could say that following Gods will "is smart" so the correlation would be that in turn makes me smart - but really - we all know dumb people that do dumb things no mater what.

Lets say....
I believe in God, study Gods word and try to live life according to His will - not mine

AM I STILL DUMB? or

since I allow (nice way to put it, like doesn't already have control) Gods will for my life doesn't that make me just a little smarter?

probably not, but really who knows, I'm still dumb - right?

this really is bugging me - I'm one of the dumb ones of course so it baffles me

but,

It is what it is

New Year New Begginings New Possibilities

Well,

We've all heard the descriptors, the new year lays before us like fresh fallen snow, no one has walked all over it, it hasn't turned gray yet, its still pristine. Well I guess that's how I'm choosing to look at the new year - Fresh & clean, no one has trudged through it yet and made it look like crap.

At the close of last year I looked back (isn't that what we are supposed to do?) and I see all the amazing things that happened. All the new experiences that God opened up for me. It would be easy to let this past year fade into the memory and just let it go and to just look forward. But I want to gain knowledge and learn something from those past events and somehow fit them into the future. So far I don't have that much on the horizon for 2009, which probably means that it will be even more exciting than 2008, God has a way of surprising us like that.

I'm planing on going to Kenya, the sooner the better, we're trying to get the clean water project for Busia completed this year. We would certainly like to have the project completed before June if possible - a $15,000 to $20,000 project. After that we have our scheduled December 2009 trip - I have had a lot of interest from individuals for this trip, maybe a little more than I was expecting.

I'm also trying to arrange for a trip to Paraguay. I really want Tiffany to get to know the people, the hospital and the entity we have been trying to help.

Paraguay Baptist Medical Center Foundation - meeting synopsis
January 9th and 10th we had a meeting of the Paraguay Baptist Medical Center Foundation in Nashville, it was the 10th year anniversary of the Foundation so it was kind of a big deal. In preparation for the meeting I had my usual frustration in getting info from Paraguay but it all worked out in the end - Mirtha (the Paraguayan Foundation executive director) came through with some great information regarding the plans of both the Foundation and the CMB and we were able to put together a somewhat decent presentation for the Board. El Centro Medico Bautista (CMB) in Asuncion has some amazing plans and goals for not just this year but for the next few years and if we as a Foundation in the US can contribute even a just a bit more than in the past we can have a huge impact on a community. We are in the planning stages for implementation of a capital campaign and we have before us a great opportunity and a special chance to serve God. I look forward to seeing what
God can Accomplish.

2008 Heart Transplant Patient with Doctor at CMB

I could really bore the heck out of people with figures and numbers and stuff like that but lets just put it this way.

$750,000

WE'VE BEEN CHALLENGED AND GOD LOVES CHALLENGES
***********
TRANSPLANT PROGRAM EXPANSION
NEW PEDIATRICS AND OBSTETRICS WARD
EXPANSION OF EMERGENCY WARD
INCREASED SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
IMPROVED KITCHEN FACILITIES
UNIVERSIDAD CENTRO MEDICO BAUTISTA

Chaplain Praying with patient at a Mobile clinic during the trip this past June


So - Whats in store?
Kenya (twice if not more if possible)
Paraguay (at least once)
Mexico? (if the guys at church that lead the team will let me go)
? (Vietnam is on my radar)
? (where ever HE leads - probably somewhere not even on my radar)
Spain (always in the plans)

My son says I have a "wanderlust" for travel, he's pretty smart so maybe he's right. I can't wait to get on the road - in the air - again? something like that.

but as usual,

It is what it is -