The Smiling Judge

Following is a bit of feedback from Michael Sullivant on our Stirring Up The Gift! seminar:

The highlight for me was definitely something very clearly from God that happened in our small prayer circle at the end of the day...

After Stephanie and I prayed for Julie (that she said was very meaningful for her), John spoke up very gently. He said, "I saw a picture of a judge with a gavel in his hand, but he had a smile on his face. I'm not sure what that means, except the only time I've ever seen a judge with a smile on his face is when he is arranging for an adoption." Now John and Mary have been very involved in adoption matters for a long time. But, those of us who know Julie, and she herself, were really stunned by this picture. Since John didn't know Julie or what she does, I said, "Julie, you have to tell John what you do." She then revealed to him that she works for the Lighthouse--a ministry from which adoptions for babies born to single mothers are arranged! It was a wonderful prophetic insight that confirmed to Julie that she is right in the middle of the Lord's will for her in this season of her life. It also really encouraged John-- as he now knows in a renewed way that the Lord has given him a gift that he will now stir up afresh and use for the benefit of others. Right John?! Go get 'em.

10 Questions: Bob Edwards

Q: Where were you born?
A: New York City.. been in KC since 1976

Q: Middle name?
A: Fred: after my Mississippi uncle

Q: Your favorite chip?
A: Wise Potato Chips when I am back in NYC

Q: Favorite season?
A: Are you kidding? Spring - winter is finally over!

Q: Coke or Pepsi?
A: Starbucks in the AM, IBC Root Beer after noon

Q: Childhood dream job?
A: Computer Programmer since college

Q: Favorite item of clothing?
A: Long sleeve T-shirts, jeans & sneakers

Q: Favorite Sandwich?
A: Pork Roll & Cheese.. a New York delicacy

Q: Breakfast Food?
A: I make the best omelets in Kansas City

Q: Dream vacation spot:
A: Victoria, British Columbia

A Historical Perspective

A few years ago, on a Sunday morning, Kirk Sackett presented a twelve minute Historical Perspective of our church. I recently re-listened to it and thought that I would recommend it to you.

-Bob Edwards

The Man on the Bus

A few months ago my best friend Pam asked me if I still heard from God and if God was speaking to me. I answered her about the ways God has been speaking to me lately, not too many audibles but I was noticing His voice in different ways. I wondered if she had been struggling with hearing God’s voice and that is why she asked me the question.

Pam told me a story recently that touched my heart again about the secrets of God. Pam was taking a bus ride to Denver to visit her aging mother. She was at the bus station in Wyoming waiting for her bus. She began to look around at the people who would be her fellow travelers. They were looking a little rough around the edges, long hair, unkept, unwashed, missing teeth- things that may cause us to make judgements about people. She didn’t want to spend 10 hours on the bus with these people. She didn’t feel safe. What if they harassed her or just annoyed her. What if her life was in danger.

The most dangerous looking person making the trip was a giant of a man with no front teeth. The worse part was that he seemed to be staring at Pam. She was very nervous at the eye contact he was giving her. She was ready to tell Tom, her husband, that she was not getting on this bus.

She had an idea as only Pam can. In the bus terminal she picked out a sweet looking grandmother type and tried to make friends with her so the two of them could sit together and be safe from the others. She approached her and smiled at her suggesting that they could sit next to each other on the bus. When it was time to load the bus Pam took her seat near the bus driver and put her things on the seat next to her to save it for her new friend. She decided to sit near the bus driver because that would be safe. He would protect her although she didn’t know him any better than the rest of the lot but at least he had a job. The grandmother got on the bus and walked right past Pam’s saved seat never even stopping to look at her. She was now alone with all the strangers on the bus. And who should sit across the aisle from her, yes, the giant with no teeth.

Pam made a barrier with her carry on items. She placed her Jesus book bag between her and the man. She arranged her purse and lunch as walls of defense. She opened a book and lowered her head to read sealing the “Do not disturb, beware of dog” attitude.

She noticed that the big man kept staring at her and smiling at her. What could he possibly want from her? He finally mentioned something about one of the books he noticed in her giant book bag. He said he had read it and it was a good book. She began to relax the flexed muscles of her body. The man said to her the strangest thing, he said he could tell that she was a disciple of Jesus because “you study God’s word.” The man then began talking about Jesus. She listened. He talked. He expounded on the scriptures from the Old Testament to the New Testament on the purpose and plan of God for mankind. Her heart burned within her as he shared knowingly for hours on the road to Denver of God’s word. She said it felt like Jesus on the road to Emmaus explaining the word of God to his disciples. Every once in a while she would ask a question and the man would answer with knowledge and compassion.

The man got up and began to give out his “Do you know Jesus?” cards. She marveled at how easy he moved from person to person and everyone accepted a card from him. Before this the strangers on the bus seemed to be in their own little world. Now Pam looked around the bus and each one looked so different to her. They had softened, the severity and pressure was gone. What had happened? What had changed and softened them? She said to me as she relayed this story that she realized that they were people just like her struggling on their journey through life with the equipment they had been given for the task. At the first stop she noticed that people had begun smiling at each other. She felt like this man’s presence had somehow brought light and hope and love to the bus. The rest of the trip people conversed, laughed, shared food with each other. When the bus arrived in Denver everyone was hugging each other and sad to say good-bye. Pam said to me she felt a closeness to God, like she had been with the Lord and had heard him speak to her. She wondered now if the giant was really an Angel of the Lord.

He is always speaking to us isn’t he? He speaks in varied ways to His unique children. Some of us need the audible and He speaks. Some need his touch and He touches. Some of us need to see His kindness in the common areas of life and He displays Himself through a giant with no teeth. We believe because He is real and He transcends our fear, control and confusion to display His beauty. We believe because we experience Him. We believe because our spirits are touched by the Spirit of God. We believe because His truth speaks to our spirit and our hearts confirm the reality and rejoice in His truth. We believe because He is alive.

Copyright by Livie Sanchez 2007

10 Questions: Maricia Beel

Q: Where were you born?
A: Kansas City, KS

Q: Middle name?
A: Louise [real name Mary Louise]

Q: Your favorite chip?
A: Salt and Vinegar chips [all natural]

Q: Favorite season?
A: I love Fall and the early days of Spring

Q: Coke or Pepsi?
A: Raspberry Ice Tea

Q: Childhood dream job?
A: I wanted to be a nun [thought that was the only way I could be close to God] and a teacher to work with kids

Q: Favorite item of clothing?
A: Fancy Cowgirl Boots

Q: Favorite Sandwich?
A: Natural peanut butter on Ezekiel bread

Q: Breakfast Food?
A: Organic yo-baby yogurt with natural oats

Q: Dream vacation spot:
A: In my rocking chair on the deck of my trailer at the rat shack.

The Most Rewarding Lifestyle

Following are a few excerpts from a note from Cathy Carnes, one of the newest members of our church family.

I look back at all the different types of journeys I have lived through, but the last journey I will take, I will take with God. It is yet the longest journey but by far the most rewarding. When I became a Christian, no one told me that there would be a time where I would need to give up the bad stuff, the non spiritual things in my life. No one told me that my heart would change in a way that I would want to surrender my entire life to God. (Thank you for not telling me) Even though I had a willing heart, no one told me how hard some of it would be, (I did not sign up for this part of it.)
...
Being a Christian is the most rewarding lifestyle. I say lifestyle because it is not just something that you do to please someone else, it is not just a “sometime things,” it is not just a “I’ll talk to God when it feels good” or “when things get straight in my life, when things are good again”. It is a lifestyle, an everyday relationship with the Almighty God of the universe. God sent Jesus so that we could have a relationship, eternal relationship with him, not only after we die, but now, here on earth. God wants to hear from us on a daily basis. He wants us to tell him everything, all things, and go to him for our comfort and rest. I don’t pick only certain things to tell Jesus, although I have tried, it just doesn’t work. He will eventually reveal to you all things. NO hiding from Jesus. I am learning to open up, be honest, (which is not easy), and talk to him truthfully. (Which is even harder sometimes) He wants to know everything about me, although he already knows, he wants me to tell him.
...
I am learning to depend on God, giving him what was his from the start and not taking it back.(ok, sometimes I want to take things back, but it is not easy giving someone else total control over your life. But I can admit it now; He is the one who knows best.) God has been very faithful and patient as I learn what “being a child of God” really means. As I study what God’s love for me means, and what that looks like, I am reminded of one the verses that was introduced to me in the very beginning, even before I was God’s child. John 3:16 clearly states how much God loved us.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

That is so awesome that God would give us Jesus Christ, what a gift, anytime of the year, not just at his birth, (but his birth was just the beginning) and did it so willingly that we could be set free from bondage. THANK YOU GOD! No more living just to hear ourselves breathe, no more just surviving wondering what will be after all this junk on earth.
...
I write these things only to glorify God and to let you know that if you don’t know Christ as your Lord and Savior, you, too can have that abundant eternal life.

May The Holy Spirit cover you this day and the days to come and may you bring honor and glory to God as you seek to know him more.

Love to all,

Cathy

The M-ies

2/15 Update: New pictures have been added to this slideshow.

Each year our leadership team goes all-out to recognize and honor the members of our church who serve the Lord by volunteering in various ways. We call this night "The M-ies"

This years' awards night started off with an Elderly.. errr.. I mean.. Elder Rap.. just wish I could give you the vocals J

Kids Praying with Kids in Nepal

This just in from H&MT in Nepal:

One of our highlights of Christmas was taking our eight kids to go visit a children's hostel run by friends of ours. The kids at this hostel are from high up in the mountains, and they all come from very poor families. Some of them have only one parent, and one of them is actually an orphan now. They live here, get well fed, go to an excellent school, and learn to love Jes.s! There are 18 of them. Our kids saved up their money, put it all together, and bought Christmas presents for each of the kids at the hostel. We taught them some of our favorite worsh.p or Christmas songs, and they did their Christmas drama for us, complete with a Tibetan song. We played together, ate together, and even pr.yed together (see picture) It was an awesome day.

Spirit of the Marathon

If anyone is interested, there’s going to be a movie called “Spirit of the Marathon” on Thursday, Feb 21 at 7:30 p.m. I’m not sure that it would encourage any of you to go out and run a marathon after seeing it, but I think it would be a great movie to watch – even if you’re not a runner! Here is the movie trailer:



I ran my first (and probably ONLY) marathon a couple years ago, and in going through the process of training for the race & then actually running the race, I found there were many spiritual parallels. A few things that really hit home for me:

• What it takes to train for an endurance-race vs. a quick sprint (and let’s be real…the “Christian Walk” is NO quick sprint!)
• Persevering…even when it’s painful
• To just keep going even though everything in you wants to quit
• When you’ve “hit your wall” or think you can’t possibly keep going, it’s the crowd around you, cheering you on, that encourages you to not lose heart and to just keep going.
• The importance of taking in water & being nourished throughout the entire race
• To fight through emotional, mental and physical barriers because there’s a goal, a prize, finish line, something you must keep your eyes fixed on.

Feeling the emotions of these things helps to draw a much stronger parallel, rather than to just hear someone “talk about” running a race. Even if you don’t run a marathon, I think the movie would speak to your emotions. It would be a great encouragement in this race we are running, called “the Christian Walk.” It would remind us once again to persevere, to keep our eyes on the prize, to be encouraged by the great cloud of witnesses that surround us, to be nourished by the water of the Word, and to run this race with everything we got! Hope to see you there!

Brigitte Lousberg

PS: Click here for more information and here for tickets.

Much Love from Perth

Much love from Perth in Western Australia on this very welcome rainy day. We have had so little rain for a long time so to have heavy showers is a gift. I felt a bit like we felt in India when after 9 months of dry weather the heavens would open accompanied by the loudest thunder and the darkest clouds and the heaviest deluge of rain - just like waterfalls descending from heaven!! In India, the people would run into the streets fully clothed and dance in the rain. The children would run out with only their knickers on and run and leap and play.

I'm here with my family and preparing for two mission trips one to Taiwan and India that starts in early March until 26 March. The second one begins on the 2nd April to South Africa and ends on the 25th April. I will go on each journey with a different friend and both are delightful ladies with great heart for the Lord and for people. I'm hopeful that you will remember to pray for us and we journey. Isabel, Robyn and in South Africa, Merilyn. I spend time in fellowship and prayer with Merilyn this morning. Very sweet time.

With much love and looking forward to catching up with at least some of you on my return to KC a little later in the year.

With much love and in His loving grip and shining grace,

Isabel Paterson

All Church Baptism

Last October our church baptized over 40 folks.. young and old alike were baptized by friends and family members. These pictures are representative of that joyous Sunday morning.

LIGHT House Thank You

Many thanks to all of you who contributed to the Lighthouse Baby Item Drive. Your giving is a blessing to us and an encouragement to our girls as they chose life for their babies. We appreciate your generosity. Thanks again for your support of our ministry.

Julie Fankhauser and the Lighthouse Staff.

10 Questions: Steve Childress

Q: Where were you born?
A: I was born in Richlands, Virginia...way back in the hills.

Q: What is your middle name?
A: My middle name is Mack. Hated it as a kid...Love it now.

Q: What is your favorite chip flavor?
A: My favorite chip flavor is Sour Cream & Onion.

Q: Favorite season?
A: Fall is my favorite season. I love the first cool crisp days on the heels of a hot summer.

Q: Coke or Pepsi?
A: I lived in Atlanta for six years, so I have to say Coke. ?In the south we call it a Co-Cola.

Q: Your childhood dream job?
A: I have wanted to work in television since the fourth grade, when my class visited a TV station.

Q: Favorite item of clothing?
A: I love wearing sweaters, especially on cool fall days.

Q: Favorite Sandwich?
A: My favorite sandwich is turkey and provolone on really good bread.

Q: Breakfast Food?
A: My favorite breakfast food is biscuits and gravy with a big glass of milk.

Q: Dream vacation spot?
A: My dream vacation spot would be a secluded cabin in the woods with walking trails, beautiful sunsets and satellite TV.