I can feel the pressure mounting, literally. I went to the doctor today for a check-up to check my blood pressure before the trip. I had to tell him of some stinging, numbing pain in my back and down my arm. This pain has been going on for about a week now. As it turns out, I have degeneration of the disc between the 7th and 8th vertebrae (or between the cervical, and thoracic sections of the back). This means there is less of an opening for my nerves to get through and one is being pinched, causing the irritating pain. It was also discovered that I have arthritis in my cervical (or neck) section as well. Both of these are just signs of getting old. Praise God this happened now and not while we were in Malawi. My doctor has started me on some nerve pain medication, and Lord willing, we will have the dosage figured out before we leave.
The real pressure I feel is from God's word. II Timothy 4:1-2 tells us to be ready always to preach the word. Also implied in verse 3 is that it needs to be sound teaching. But, if one were unclear about the implication there, it is clear in Titus 2:1-2. Even if what Paul tells Titus in verse 1 is just for pastors, what he says in verse 2 I must apply to myself. My body tells me I am an older man. I was also reminded that I am the oldest one of the group. And, according to Malawi statistics, I am older than their average life expectancy. I must be sound in my doctrine and in my faith. We all have a responsibility before God to teach His word to these people without error.
I also want to be sensitive to the Malawians spiritual needs. It will not mean much if what we come prepared to share does not meet the needs of where they are. It is my prayer that each of us will have discernment to see areas where they need to grow in the Lord. May the Lord open our eyes in the brief time there to be able to shift gears if He should show us something they need to hear. If this should occur, we need His grace and mercy to lead us and give us the right message to minister to that need.
We also want our every action, deed and speech to model Christ. And yet we are sinful men saved by grace. Again in Titus 2:7-8, Paul tells us to be a model of good works, to show integrity in our teaching, and have sound talk that can withstand any opponent. We need to demonstrate love toward our brothers and sisters there. That is why we need to be continually looking to Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Without Him, we will fall flat on our faces.
You may be thinking by now I am overwhelmed. I actually am not. It is true that all these things are on my mind. But, they are far from consuming me. In fact, God has given me real peace about this. He has been giving me grace for each day for everything I have needed to get done. Sometimes more, but never less. He has even at times brought extra things that I did not plan, but He has always brought what was needed at the time. He is truly good. It has been exciting to see the Lord bring things in my life to help me to trust Him more. I can't wait to see what He has prepared for us to challenge us to trust Him.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Yes, pressure is mounting for all of us, I'm sure. My pressure is different from last time, this time there are so many things on my plate that I barely have enough time to remember that I am going. Fortunately, the Lord has given me a gift in Ric who comes alongside and gives me a gentle reminder (Only 2 more months, right Ric? Uh, Ric...
Interestingly enough, his last blog entry dealt with physical pressures; earlier this week I was enjoying a Life Savers peppermint candy. Crunch went the mint... oh wait, that was not the candy, but my tooth. Then tonight: Ice Cream. Now, with my allergy to wheat I need to be very cautious but hey!, Ice Cream, that's a nice safe item. No worries there. 15 minutes later I still do not know what I reacted to...
All this to say that nothing can be taken for granted. Some are more obvious: plane schedules, the travels upon the Malawian roads, health while overseas. But this week has brought to us the reminder that the prayer items have already begun, even in the area we might not normally always think of. Pray for Josiah and Brian? Yeah, you bet. Prayer for myself? Oops...
Here is one more for our prayer partners, a clearly defined vision for the pre-trip planning. We have accomplished much by the grace and power of God, but more still remains. When there is a lot happening (and when you are leading the worship team and planning for future weeks, and praying over what the worship team will set as the goals for the week s when you are gone!), it is very easy to have things slip through the cracks. Pray that this will not happen for us. And as you are led, please lift up all the youth who will be serving and leading at the garage sale next Saturday, and that all will go well, to the glory of God by the grace of God for the joy of his people. And thank you for reading and praying with us and for us. Thank you "Coast"!.
Serving together with you for the sake of the Name.
I thought for a little different perspective I would interview my children and gets their thoughts on the upcoming trip:
What are your thoughts about Josiah and I going away to Malawi?
Elijah: Is it fun over there? I want to go there next year. I think it is cool that Josiah gets to go and experience something he has never experienced before. And this is Mr. Deyarmond's and Brian's first time as well. I hope no one gets sick on the plane flights. I hope that the people in Malawi will be able to understand you and if there are people there who are sick that they will get better, and that you will greet them in a godly way. Preach the true gospel.
Hannah: I hope some people will come to Christ. Josiah will finally get to meet Brasswell's son.
Ruth: I am looking forward to helping Josiah and Brian raise funds for their trip. I can't wait to hear what you have to say when you return from Malawi.
Rebekah: I hope you don't get hurt and that you will have a fun time.
Susannah: I will miss you. I pray for Malawi when I lie down at night. I hope Josiah will learn more about Malawi and the people, and that Josiah will get all his schooling done before he has to go.
Yeah,... me too!
I would like to thank the Church body on behalf of Brian and myself for your support.
From our recycling effort we have collected almost 100 dollars :)
Also I would like to say that My work (for those that don't know I work at Islands Fine Burgers and Drinks)is going very good, I have been work anywhere from four to seven days a week and have made over 800 dollars :).
Prayer requests
1. School that I might get ahead before we leave.
2. That we would stay healthy and that the shots would not have any side effects.
As a wife, I think that it is exciting for Charles to get to go back. It is a test of faith for him (he loves to fly..NOT) so my prayers are that the plane flights go well and that he is able to endure the long flights with patience and joy. Also that his health is mantained and that he can find foods that don't cause him to get sick (He is/has Celiac -- gluten intolerance fortunately in Malawi wheat based foods are rare).
As a mom, it is a blessing to see my son excited about going. He applied himself diligently to finding a job. He has handled the immunizations well (no reactions yet anyway). He had some immunizations when he was young but then we decided that we would get immunizations on an as needed basis not on the CDC timeline. Earlier this year, Josiah stepped on a rusty nail that went deep into his foot, so he got his first shot since he was 1. (It was an experience). On Wed, he got the rest of the shots he will need as he goes into areas where diseases are prevelant. We still have to contact the county about Typhoid pills. I am praying that the Lord opens his eyes to see how He works even in desperately poor countries and how blessed he is with the things that we have here. I am also praying that he is given a vision to share with his generation. Mostly, my prayer is that he will "do hard things" with great joy.
While they are gone, I expect life to go on pretty much the same. Last time, I tried to paint the living room (I'm not a painter) but this time, I will stick to the usual routines. We are going camping the night before the team leaves and returning on Sat so we will have a mini-vacation while the guys are gone (they are leaving at 6 am and have to get to the airport 3 hours early so we weren't planning on seeing them off and then our school decided to go camping so it seemed like a good distraction -- we'll see. I am losing my tent setter upper and basic packing guy.)
Please pray that we'd stay focused and that we get ahead in our school work. It is different this time because the children are older and more able to help with the running of the home but also more aware of how long they will be without father and brother. I don't plan on doing any projects (last time it was the painting and cleaning out the garage so we could park Charlie's car in it but not this time).
Last time they were gone, I was the telecommunications center (because I had Skype and the phone info and because my younger ones were older than the others younger ones and my older 3 were older than any of theirs). I am looking into the best ways of communications with them. Josiah will post on his Facebook account whenever he is near an internet connected computer (not as rare as one would think). They also have cell phones over there and computers with Skype (at least in South Africa). I will post updates on my Facebook and blogs and send out e-mails.
Post a Comment