Q: Where were you born?
It was probably our hardest year financially we had ever had. I was 35 and 2 years walking with Jesus. Dana was 10 and Jason 5 and it was time to tell them there would be nothing under the tree this year. They really didn’t seem to think it a big deal but Nancy and I were hurting inside at the thought of an empty Christmas. We had taken what money we had and bought the necessary $5.00 gifts for the family gathering.-Randy Catlett
Q: Where were you born? I am weary of "super-preachers" who are striving to create "super-Christians" and "super-churches". I have too often witnessed the personal breakdowns that have come with this agenda through the over 30 years of being in vocational ministry. I believe that simply being a graciously born anew follower of Jesus the Christ is awesome enough for any human soul. At least it is for me. Is it for you?You can catch the the whole post here.. it is a short post and really worth reading!
I have to admit that I do not feel strong spiritually right now. I am forced to trust the Lord in a way that I have had to do on several other occasions. I am again reminded that I can only flow with the Spirit at a heart level ... I can only be at peace when I give up control of this situation.Again in July.. after Ann had got to where she could again walk with a cane.. another relapse came and I penned these thoughts:
Life has its way of intimidating us doesn't it. Nebuchadnezzar can show up in all sorts of ways. Sometimes he shows up overtly demanding that we bow to the things that we know we should not bow to, but sometimes he shows up so subtly intimidating us to bow in thoughts and attitudes. This is where I am challenged today as I watch my wife back in a wheelchair and struggling physically from MS. I find Nebuchadnezzar standing over me today intimidating me ... telling me to bow to a subtle worship of fear, self-pity, hopelessness and despair. I find something rising within me saying, like the guys in Babylon:August and September followed with MS relapses that were progressively worse. In October I wrote this:
O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of Multiple Sclerosis; and He will eventually deliver us. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not bow to feelings of fear, self-pity, hopelessness and despair. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Sometimes following Jesus takes us on a journey that is both hard and heartbreaking. Reading Jesus words to Peter so resonates with me this morning. It reminds me that sometimes our path takes us to places "where you do not wish to go". I am in such a place in this season of my life. I have had to take a month long sabbatical from work and church because of the difficult circumstances of my wife's hospitalization.. been almost 3 weeks now.. still struggling.. trying to walk again.. in physical therapy.Sitting here, at the end of the year, I recall what the Lord spoke to me last month:
If God didn’t cause it then it can be changed.. I don’t have to have a fatalistic view of the future.That is where I am today.. experiencing the new normal.. letting go of my expectations and embracing Hope.. our Blessed Hope.. the Lord Jesus himself.. the invitation is to hope again.. won't you join me in accepting that invitation?
The past is Satan’s playground, the future is the Lord’s.. the invitation is to play in God’s playground.. it is an invitation to hope!
-Bob Edwards
Q: Where were you born? Letiah Fraser
When I first heard from my father-in-law about the Thanksgiving dinners that we were giving away as part of our outreach there was one family in particular that came to mind. I knew that God had presented me with this opportunity to reach out this family in their time of need. They just had their forth child, a little girl, and were struggling to provide for the other three growing pre-teen boys. They receive some state assistance but that isn't always enough. In fact, the state just informed them that their current residence, a two bedroom duplex, isn't sufficient for them; their newborn can't share the parents bedroom once she turns one. As I created a bond with the mother I realized that there was more than prayer that I could do for them. I offered the dinner to them and immediately the mother began to cry. She said that she had been praying that God would provide some food for them and that this was such a blessing. Thank you Metro for making a difference for this family.Natalia Catlett
I have a beautiful nativity scene that I inherited from my mother-in-law. She won it in a 25 cent raffle. The ceramic figurines are all antique white and I have a blue light shining through the back of the stable.-Phyllis Pesch
Q: Where were you born? 
My dad had a Christmas family tradition that drove me, my sisters and brother crazy. He would make us wait to come down on Christmas morning.. we could only come downstairs when we heard the music playing.. sometimes it would be Rudolph.. sometimes it would be a Christmas Carol.. sometimes I think that it would be Hawaiian music.. my dad loved Hawaiian music.. we just couldn't come down until it played. I remember waiting at the top of the stairs thinking that he would never play the music.-Bob Edwards
We were invited to spend Christmas in Hawaii with older friends, who were devout Catholics. Tony and I were not Christians yet. We were young parents with two young children in tow.-Livie Sanchez
-Kelli Dennis
Q: Where were you born?1 Thes 5:16 Be joyful always; 17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.Read more on Michael's blog.
As a spiritual director and teacher, I often have the experience of people asking me about how they can come to discover God's will for their lives. Actually, it is the most commonly asked question that I encounter among God's people. There is much to say about divine guidance. However, I believe the place to begin to get our bearings is not to fret about discerning the details, but to create the kind of atmosphere around our souls, our lives and our inter-personal relationships in which the Holy Spirit is free to express Himself--His "natural habitat" if you will.
--Jim Bailey
Q: Where were you born?-Yvonne Stiles
-Sam Storms
I am so thankful to God for my husband, Marvin, who has cared so lovingly and faithfully for me in my physical hardships. -Eileen EllsworthPlease leave a comment and tell us about one thing that you are thankful for.. and have a Blessed Thanksgiving!
I am thankful for my family, our health and the new edition of our son-in-law that the Lord has given us this year. -Tammy McDonald
I am thankful for my new home in Greenwood, MO and that I did not have to move 2 times this year. -Debra Branstetter
I am thankful that our children Alicia and Paul have strong Christian lives and excellent college schooling even though we have had significant financial challenges as they grew up at home. -Clark Pickett
I am most thankful for friends who are home to me.. no matter where I am living. -Letiah Fraser
I am thankful for God’s hand of protection in the life of my son Matthew as he has served our country in the Army this year in Iraq. –Bob Edwards
I give thanks for my wife Nancy, and that our God is a God of restoration. -Steven Hoelscher
I am thankful for the wonderful 2 daughters-in-law, Rebekah and Caitlin, and the great son-in-law, James, that God has provided for the joy and blessing of my oldest 3 children, Luke, Lisa and Sam...we are a happy and growing family. -Michael Sullivant
I'm thankful for the way the Lord provided for my mother this year after my father's death. -Myron Thomas
I am thankful for the very real ways in which God leads and guides us today. His direction has been key to my life this year and He has never failed to give perspective and direction each time I needed it! -Jim Bailey
Ann Marie Glotzbach, 50, of Overland Park, Kansas passed away at home on Nov 16, 2007 from a progressive neuromuscular degenerative disease. Memorial services will be held at 11:00am on Mon. Nov 19th at Colonial Presbyterian, 9500 Wornall Rd, KC MO. Visitation will be held from 4:00p to 6:00p on Sun. Nov 18th at Colonial Presbyterian.-Bob Edwards
-Bob Edwards
The greatest challenge we face in building deep, meaningful relationships and community with others is our own independence. We love to live life on our own terms. However, God has put us into a world where lasting happiness and fulfillment can only be realized in context to interdependence. Consider Romans 12:5 -“Since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.”
The Bible often refers to our spiritual life as a walk when it says:
Just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him. (Colossians 2:6-7)
It’s not good to walk alone. Thankfully, we don’t have to. We have the ability to reject independence and embrace interdependence. God had interdependence in mind when He put no less than 30 “one another” scriptures in the New Testament. He knew we needed help on our spiritual journey.
As we allow God to position us within community, we have others to walk with us so we don’t live in loneliness. We have others to work with us so we don’t live in fatigue, as well as others to watch our back so we don’t live in defeat. Finally, we have others to weep with us so we don’t live in despair.
You should be like one big family, full of sympathy toward each other. (1 Peter 3:8)
Not if but when those ‘category five’ storms of life come into our lives, we need people who will stand with us. With each step we take on our spiritual journey towards experiencing authentic community, God calls us to deepen relationships within our church family and reach out to the community around our church family.
“You are standing together side by side with one strong purpose--to tell the
Good News.” (Philippians 1:27)
Sure, God could do this on His own; but He’s decided to do it in partnership with us. He says:
“You have been My partners in spreading the Good News about Christ.” (Philippians 1:5)
You may be wondering, “What can I do to participate in Homecoming?” Not to sound cliché, but in the spirit of our theme, “Imagine the possibilities!” Step away from the crowd and, in this fall season, invest some time in a small group or ministry. People can get lost, hidden, and abandoned in crowds. What God loves to do with crowds is pull out 3, 5, 7, or 10 people and create small groups and safe havens where fragile, broken people like us can be known by name, love and be loved, celebrate and be celebrated; and serve and be served.
Homecoming is a season to invest in the people we love. We can do this by praying together, serving their needs and sharing the good news of what Christ has done for us.
“You are… God's instruments to do His work and speak out for Him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference He made for you” (1 Peter 2:9)
Consider inviting a friend, co-worker or neighbor to an appealing spiritual event, like your life group or a dinner in your home. The woman at the well did this after she had a powerful encounter with Jesus. The bible describes her reaction this way:
Then leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (John 4:28-30)
And they came out of the town and made their way toward Him. If you read the whole story you will find that the disciples were in the midst of their everyday routine and missed out on this great spiritual event.
Don’t be so busy this fall that you miss out on what God has for you. Explore your home in Christ and your home within the Metro community. Take part in our interactive ministry fair, a one-stop-shop to help you get connected and discover more of your home in Christ. God created Metro for you and with you in mind. We invite you to Homecoming to find out how and where you fit in!
-Jeff Dwiggins
To My Dear Metro Family,I love you all dearly,
Maria Little
There is an old adage that says,"you can't teach an old dog new tricks." I probably believed this to be true most of my life, that is until I reached fifty years of age. You see most of my life I considered FIFTY to be "old" and far past the learning curves of life. When I turned fifty i had to, of course, reconsider my belief in this. We have a dog named Phoebe, my wife named her, and when she was a puppy we taught her three tricks, SIT, ROLL OVER and SPEAK. Today she is about 7 1/2 years old and can still do the 3 tricks. About a year ago I decided she should learn to shake hands (paws). For nearly 6 months I tried everything to get her to do this but to no avail. She would simply sit there and look at me like I was some kind of idiot and refused to learn the new trick.-Randy Catlett
June 2007 saw another team from Metro partner with Little Lambs based in Ukraine. The team of six found themselves in a city orphanage on the eastern side of the country where they would spend the entire month. The unpronounceable town of Dniprodzejinsk was an eight hour bus ride from the capital city of Kiev. They were going to give the kids much more than a summer camp experience. In a country where the number of orphans continues to rise, those involved in this ministry seek to reach as many of them as possible with the love of Jesus. These precious children may have never known the love of another person. Many are starved for affection and visibility. The American team gets to partner with a Ukrainian team along with an interpreter to share their lives and above all that of Jesus. Birthday parties are planned, olympic games are organized and a carnival is set in place. These are events some kids never experience. Jesus is shared in these happy moments, through the telling of Bible stories, eating the same meals as the children, and tucking them into bed with prayers and songs. Jesus is their great hope, and He can bring joy and healing in the midst of rough circumstances. -Jessica Siems
Check out our Ukraine scrapbook here.
Pam (pictured right at her doctoral graduation), a fellow Metro-ite, writes some of the best stuff on her blog. Today Pam writes about The Gift of Administration. Here is how her post begins:I like it when people write what I already believe and wish the rest of the world believed as well.I recommend reading the whole post here.
I came across this article in Leadership, written by a pastor who found a lot of success and then found a lot of burn-out. He said lots of interesting things throughout the article and I would recommend it to you, but found this quote hit one of the things I have pondered long and hard over:
“Now I still don’t believe that just by being slick enough with your methodoloy that it obligates the Spirit to act. But while organization doesn’t make a church grow, lack of it can kill an authentic work of the Spirit. And that had been our experience.”
-Bob Edwards
The Lord has been so Faithful.Nikkie Riley
Rubbing elbows with some of the earth’s most precious people is always a privilege. And such is the case when I recently visited Abijan, Ivory Coast. Maria Little is one of Metro’s missionaries, a nurse by profession, and has started a medical clinic in Abijan. Through this clinic God has touched the lives of many people through healing with medicine, miracles, and sharing the Gospel. Maria spent 3 months living right in the middle of the slums where the Lord opened many doors for her to share the love of Christ. I met many Pastors and leaders there who though are the poorest of the poor radiate the love of Christ everywhere they go. They are indeed precious and it was indeed my privilege to hang out with and learn from them. Maria will be coming home for a 6 to 12 month stay to raise more support and tend to some personal matters. While she’s here please take time to get to know her. Blessings – Randy Catlett
See Randy's pictures here.
Our team met with several different groups within the Walk in the Light Ministry, one of which was a very lively group of ladies who meet once a week to knit. During one of our meetings with the knitting group, a teenage girl named Thandeka pulled me aside. She was very interested in learning more about AIDS because, as she explained to me, she is living with someone who is HIV-positive. I began to give Thandeka advice about how to care for this person, a girl named Mbali, and said that if Mbali was still sexually active, she should cease. At that point, Thandeka interrupted me: "I don't think you understand. Mbali is only 8 years old." Thandeka went on to explain that when Mbali was 4, she was gang raped by a group of men, at least one of whom was HIV-positive. The police have supposedly found the man responsible but have done nothing to bring him to justice.
-Allison Hennessey
Check out the South Africa Scrapbook
John Gilman
Sally J. Williamson
Jen Parker
Randy Catlett
We decided to celebrate the Jewish holiday Purim by doing the 3 things Esther & the Jews did – feast, give gifts & give to the poor. On Purim we invited people over for a good meal & wrote cards to encourage each other. After praying several times we felt the Lord wanted us to give traditional Chinese sausages to some of the elderly poor who recycle for "pennies". At first it was hard for us to even know how to give them sausages, because they weren't sure how to "pay us back" since that's culturally expected. So they didn't want to accept our gifts. Upon receiving them they could hardly believe we'd give them a dozen little sausages. They were grinning from ear to ear. It was such a joy. I love the poor. I need the poor. It was by far a highlight so far here!-Lynn (one of our Metro Missionaries working in Taiwan)
-Jason Ellsworth
-Jessica Siems
“The Sovereign Lord is my strength;”What do you mean? The Sovereign Lord is my strength? I am asking about healing. I felt He said read it again. The Sovereign Lord is my strength…again, the Sovereign Lord is my strength…again, the SOVEREIGN Lord is my strength…again, the SOVEREIGN Lord is my strength… Sovereign, Sovereign, Sovereign. Oh, I get it!
-Tammy McDonald
-Michael Sullivant
