Thanksgiving... A Time to Give Thanks!

Many of our friends have been posting one thing they’re thankful for each day of November on Facebook. We didn’t follow suit, but thought this may be a great time to share our 30 Days of Thanksgiving. 

(If you've already read this list from our eNews, please scroll to the bottom and read about God's bonus blessings that happened this week!)

We are thankful for…

1.       God’s many blessings on our lives

2.       God’s healing touch on both Steve and Chris over the years

3.       Our parents, who faithfully loved us, cared for us, and supported us in so many ways throughout the years

4.       The many people who prayed for, supported and influenced Steve as a young teen, helping shape his love for music & serving God through music

5.       One Mission Society (formerly called OMS International) – where Chris served her first years as a missionary in their headquarters & then for a few months in Taiwan

6.       Azusa Pacific University – the place where Steve & Chris met and fell in love

7.       20 amazing years together (as of this past August 3^rd) as a couple – and looking forward to many more

8.       Our beautiful children – Morgan, Bailey, Spencer & Easton – who are such fun, smart, talented, and full of love for others and for God

9.       The wonderful friends we’ve made and grown to love while serving in various churches in California and Indiana over the past 20 years

10.   The home we’ve had the privilege of living in for the past 13 years

11.   Close friendships that have grown through the years between our kids and their Indiana cousins

12.   An awesome public school, Wa-Nee, that our kids have enjoyed attending over the years – great teachers and administration, wonderful friendships, and for many faith freedoms – encouragement by Christian teachers, Bible class available in elementary, prayers at school functions, freedom in music selections, ‘See You at the Pole’, and morning prayer times led by students

13.   4-H fun with our kids – gaining friendships, new skills, and enjoying great times at the fair each year

14.   Our work that provides for our needs as we continue to build our support team

15.   Safety each day while our family heads in three different directions for school and work

16.   God’s continued “touch” on our van to keep it running J

17.   Health for our family this summer and fall – and praying it continues through the winter

18.   Our two maltese dogs, spry cat, and tiny turtle that have been sharing our home – adding their own touch of love to our lives

19.   The Spirit’s urgings, closed doors, and direct leading to ReachGlobal and Lyon, France

20.   Our willingness to whatever-wherever-whenever

21.   The Lyon City Team – Mike & Caryn DiGena, Jonah & Amy Haddad – who are working in church plants, leading Bible studies, reaching out to their communities, and serving God faithfully each day

22.   The France Regional Leader, Jim Carlson and his wife, Kathy – for their years of service in Lyon and their guidance and support now as regional leaders to all three teams in France

23.   Our future teammates, Greg & Wende Whitus – thankful for God’s call on their lives

24.   Those at ReachGlobal who have and continue to help us in so many ways through this entire missionary candidate process

25.   Our amazing ministry partners who have faithfully been praying for us and giving toward our future ministry in France

26.   God’s amazing handiwork in the seasons, sunrises and sunsets

27.   God’s faithfulness – amazed and humbled at how He – for so many generations – has continued to shower His children with grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness

28.   Lessons learned each day that are drawing us closer to Jesus

29.   God’s plans and His timing in our lives

30.   YOU – thank you for reading this, praying for us, and loving us each step of the way!!!

 

And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.”

Colossians 3:15b (The Message)

We need to add an extra bit of praise to God for a few more blessings that occurred this week -

• God blessed us on Sunday with meeting a new couple who "knew of us" from a previous church ministry, knew God would call us back into ministry some day, heard about our plans for France, and asked how they could begin giving to this ministry. Wow! God is so good! He is adding to our team with people we just met.
• God blessed us with an opportunity to allow Steve more time in his work week to spend building our ministry partner team! We prayed, asked boldly, and were blessed beyond what we deserve! Again, God is so good!

So, as we head into this Thanksgiving holiday, we have much to be thankful for and are praising God for all He has done for us and continues to do in our midst as we give it all to Him!

Deja View - Our October Newsletter...

NEWS!  NEWS!  Read all about it!

Our latest newsletter has been sent out to everyone on our email list.  We thought we'd share it with you in case you don't receive.

Our days have been filled with lots of activities -- each of ours looks a bit different:

• Steve - computers/customer service, keyboard/piano for churches, C.S. Lewis class, cleaning, cooking for guests, sharing about Lyon
• Chris - computers/assistant work, software training, entertaining guests, cleaning, laundry, C.S. Lewis class, sharing about Lyon
• Morgan - deli attendant, Mary Kay consultant, Experiencing God study, worship leading, sing/play on worship team for college group
• Bailey - high school junior, "Stagedoor" play, Vocal Jazz, 17th birthday, learning to play the ukulele, youth group
• Spencer - high school sophomore, Vocal Jazz, reading the "Redemption" series, longboarding, youth group
• Easton - eigth grader, cross country, basketball, select singers, longboarding, youth group

In our conversations with people, the same question seems to be asked - "Why France? Why Lyon?" This month's newsletter helps to explain.

If you are NOT receiving the newsletter or our praise & prayer requests and would like to, please feel free to sign up in the box located at the top right section of our blog site.

Cleaning is hard work...

On a Monday morning a few weeks back we received word that we would be having an open house the following Sunday afternoon.  Our first thought was, “No way!  That’s completely impossible.  Have you seen our house lately???”  But after a few hours of pondering, fretting, doubting, and even freaking out, we came to the conclusion that we should forge ahead and make it work.

The contractor had been working on our bathrooms for over a month, yet there was still a bit more to be completed, so we received confirmation that he would make it work from his end to have everything ready in time for the open house.  My parents volunteered countless hours (days) to help sort, throw away, clean up and make beautiful the outside and inside of our home.  Steve and I took a day off of work and plowed through as much as possible, followed up with a number of other evenings and all day Saturday finishing up (almost) everything we could imagine.

Sunday afternoon came… the house was (close to) immaculate… interested families walked through…

Monday came.  Little bits of dust began to accumulate again on the top of furniture, more dirty dishes appeared in the kitchen sink, clothes were worn, and beds were slept in...

Funny how life keeps moving forward!  Just like house cleaning, our lives can get messy, unkempt, tussled, dirty and maybe even out of control.  Cleaning is a daily, minute-by-minute act to choose to follow God’s way and not our own.  It seems much easier to become content in our temporary cleanliness, and before we know it we need a thorough cleaning once again.

God takes us through times of testing and refinement to make us more like Christ.  These times are difficult, but we need to hold on and keep our focus on Him.

The testing will refine, cleanse, and purify those who keep their heads on straight and stay true, for there is still more to come.

Daniel 11:34

Cleaning is hard work.  As I was researching verses with “clean” in them, I found that almost all of the verses talk about God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit as the one who does the actual cleaning!  Recognizing WHO the true cleaning agent is in our lives is refreshing and helps us keep the right perspective…

Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 1:27

As we walk through this season in our lives of building up our team of ministry partners, we can feel overwhelmed.  We were told during our orientation that this time is all about the process that God wants to take us through to effectively prepare us for overseas ministry.  We thanked them and thought we understood what they were saying.  Then a few seasoned missionaries as well as newly on-the-field missionaries also told us that this season is about what God will do in our lives and hearts, NOT about raising our support.  Again, we thanked them.  Here’s a quote from one email:

You have a long and difficult road ahead of you, but it's an amazing and rewarding journey, too. You will be privileged to see God and the Body of Christ move in real ways that most people don't get to see first-hand.

We are now eight months down this road and are just beginning to understand and agree with those who have gone before us and shared.  We are learning that God is purifying our hearts, scrubbing us, stretching us, burning away the chaff, and preparing us for what lies ahead of us.  We are not to be in a hurry.  We are to wait, soak, allow Him to scrub us and fix our broken bones… and then dance and sing His praises!

Just leave, but leave clean. Purify yourselves in the process of worship, carrying the holy vessels of God.  But you don't have to be in a hurry.  You're not running from anybody!  God is leading you out of here, and the God of Israel is also your rear guard.

Isaiah 52:11b-12

Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing. Don't look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails! Give me a job teaching rebels your ways so the lost can find their way home. Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God, and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways. Unbutton my lips, dear God; I'll let loose with your praise.

Psalm 51:6-8

So… we continue the “scrubbing” and will praise Him each step of the way!

*All scripture references are from The Message.

Mythology or Reality?

"Impossible," uttered the university student petulantly. He had just been challenged with the idea that Jesus rose from the dead. But for him, this was a mere mythology to be dismissed like any other.

The latest news from Lyon is an update from a recent event that was held in the city.  As one of the missionaries writes, "The goal of this event was to introduce people to the New Testament as a historically reliable account of the life of Jesus."  Over 50 people attended, some of which still don't have a personal relationship with Jesus.  A guest speaker gave a presentation followed by a time of Q&A.  Great conversations were held afterwards with those in attendance.

Pray for future events like this one.  The next one, scheduled in early December, will focus on science and the existence of God.  A professor from Paris with a PhD in Philosophy of Science will present a case for the existence of God at this event.  Please begin praying now for those who will be in attendance, that God will soften their hearts and open their minds to Him!