A few weeks ago Tara and I signed up for the Atlanta half marathon on Nov. 28. It was the only thing that would get me motivated enough to get "off the couch", lace up my running shoes and get out the door. I had to just sign up and do it! I am already feeling some great results of my effort. I have lost a few pounds and I feel a whole lot healthier. Although, it has been rather uncomfortable and has required some discipline, I am already feeling pretty comfortable running 4 miles and that is a great feeling...a great confidence booster. However, I will admit that Tara is doing a lot better than me. She can run farther and her pace is a lot faster than mine but that is ok...I am just enjoying the fact that I am not sitting on the couch and I really enjoy the wind blowing through my hair as I run...that's the good stuff in life. (mom..hope this answers your question on why I haven't gotten a haircut yet).
Anyways,.........
Paul says in Hebrews 12 let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
And so it is in my spiritual life. I am running. I am running the race that is set before us. It was not easy. I had to have a motivator...that is a motivating factor to get me "off the couch".....I had to just sign up and do it. I had to step out in faith and sign up for our mission journey to Kenya. I had received the call from God to go to Kenya. I had received my confirmation. I consulted with my spiritual authority. Everything was lining up, except for ME.
My own fears and frustrations had me immobile...what will I do for a job?, where will we live as we transition?, what about my certifications?......the unanswered questions kept piling up in my mind but I had to do it. So I did. We did. We stepped out into the uncomfortableness of faith and "signed up", we are "all in" for the mission field in Kenya. And the Lord has provided!!!!!!
We have already had a great response from friends and family in support of our journey. We haven't even started our fundraising campaign and already people have shown interest in what we are doing. We see the body of Christ in it's glory. I have an overwhelming since of peace regarding our finances. We have moved into a house in Commerce. I have started teaching The Genesis Process at a women's ministry in Martin, GA called New Beginnings. I will be finishing my state certification in addiction counseling in December. I will be preaching at both services on Sept 15 at CFUMC (thank you David Bowen for sharing the pulpit). Tara and I both are helping with a jail ministry. All of this God has placed in our lives in just a few short weeks with the goal of reaching Kenya.
Spiritually, we feel healthier, we have lost a few pounds. We are laying aside the sin that ensnares us. The sin of doubt. The sin of control. The sin of self-reliance. The sin and weight of not fully relying on God. Yes, we are running...we are running into the arms of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and by increasing our faith He is giving us the endurance to continue.
Blessings,
Joel and Tara
a
Friday, August 30, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Be Prepared!...God, country, self....and a little bit of prayer
I just wanted to give an update on how things are going with Tara and I. Last week was a transition from Waypoint to our home in Commerce. Waypoint was very generous in letting us use the box truck to move our things. It was really nice having Mark, Marcus, Tyler and Matt help us move. We had the truck packed in 2 hours and had it unloaded in 1 hour. Nothing was broken and they seemed to have each box placed in the right room. Tara was nice enough to have labeled each box and what room it goes in before we loaded the truck. Praise God for a wife who loves to organize! Can I get an AMEN!
Even though we have spent most of the week packing and unpacking, we did enjoy some break time by attending an Eagle Scout Award Ceremony for our friend Kyle Mostellar. Kyle was on our mission team to Kenya this past summer. The service was amazing and the Boy Scouts motto is "Be Prepared"...not only for emergency situations but for life in general. The best way to be prepared is to focus on what really matters...God, country and self. These are the basic principles to live by and it was a blessing to see a young man who has a heart for the Lord accomplishing a task to make him a better Christian, a better citizen and a better person.
So I am sticking with that and focusing on being prepared. As Tara and I prepare for Kenya we must put our priorities in order. And to do that we must rely on the Lord. So I am asking you to pray for and with us on this journey. Our main focus is making sure that we, as Americans, are not going over there with the great American solution and trying to fix everything. We don't want to show up as mighty whitey and try to fix all the problems. We are going as missionaries. We are going because the Lord has called us and asked us to go and witness and tell of the great things that He has done in our lives and proclaim the gospel as a life source for everyone. We have spoken with several other other missionaries and some organizations that have missions in Kenya. We have decided that the best thing for us to do in preparation for long term missions in Kenya is to volunteer with an organization already established there. We are in the process of applying with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). YWAM has a base camp in the Athi River Valley just south of Nairobi. They also have several programs that we would benefit from by being exposed to. They have an orphanage, a school, a medical clinic, an agricultural program and they also do community outreach. All of this would give a lot of insight as to how we might be of better service in Kenya. We would like to volunteer at the Athi River Base for 6 months. This would give us time to learn the culture and the language a little better. Our goal is to be in Kenya volunteering by March/April of next year. Please pray for us.
Other Prayer request:
Even though we have spent most of the week packing and unpacking, we did enjoy some break time by attending an Eagle Scout Award Ceremony for our friend Kyle Mostellar. Kyle was on our mission team to Kenya this past summer. The service was amazing and the Boy Scouts motto is "Be Prepared"...not only for emergency situations but for life in general. The best way to be prepared is to focus on what really matters...God, country and self. These are the basic principles to live by and it was a blessing to see a young man who has a heart for the Lord accomplishing a task to make him a better Christian, a better citizen and a better person.
So I am sticking with that and focusing on being prepared. As Tara and I prepare for Kenya we must put our priorities in order. And to do that we must rely on the Lord. So I am asking you to pray for and with us on this journey. Our main focus is making sure that we, as Americans, are not going over there with the great American solution and trying to fix everything. We don't want to show up as mighty whitey and try to fix all the problems. We are going as missionaries. We are going because the Lord has called us and asked us to go and witness and tell of the great things that He has done in our lives and proclaim the gospel as a life source for everyone. We have spoken with several other other missionaries and some organizations that have missions in Kenya. We have decided that the best thing for us to do in preparation for long term missions in Kenya is to volunteer with an organization already established there. We are in the process of applying with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). YWAM has a base camp in the Athi River Valley just south of Nairobi. They also have several programs that we would benefit from by being exposed to. They have an orphanage, a school, a medical clinic, an agricultural program and they also do community outreach. All of this would give a lot of insight as to how we might be of better service in Kenya. We would like to volunteer at the Athi River Base for 6 months. This would give us time to learn the culture and the language a little better. Our goal is to be in Kenya volunteering by March/April of next year. Please pray for us.
Other Prayer request:
 |
| Pastor Julius as he continues his prison ministry in Kenya |
 |
| All the Kids (200) at the MACCO school in Nairobi |
 |
| The kids (80) at Glory Shiners Junior Academy in Nakuru |
I want to close with scripture that was in the back of the program for the Boy Scouts Eagle Award Ceremony:
"for the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised."--2 Cor 5:14-15
wow! I love the beginning of that verse......."for the love of Christ controls us....."
"for the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised."--2 Cor 5:14-15
wow! I love the beginning of that verse......."for the love of Christ controls us....."
Blessings,
Joel and Tara
Sunday, August 11, 2013
new season is beginning
Well, it has been a very very long time since this blog was updated (approximately 408 days but who is counting, right?) So with all sincerity I do apologize.
The last year has been really truly amazing. Tara and I have seen the Lord work in so many lives here at Waypoint. Not just in the men and their families but also with staff and the community.
It is with sweet sadness that we will be leaving Waypoint in a few days. I say sweet because we know God has called us into the foreign mission field. We are working our way to Kenya. But it is sad because we are leaving friends and a community that is strong in the Lord. We felt called here to Waypoint to "give back" and intern under Dave Garton. That season is ending and a new season is beginning. We are on a "safari", a journey.
This all started when I first met Tara. The night we met our conversation was about mission work and the mission field. We both had an interest in Honduras. During our marriage we have traveled to Honduras on short term mission trips several times. We do a lot of construction projects and have established relationships with some of the locals so it is a joy to go there every year. However, this year when we got back I mentioned to Tara that I wanted to add another mission trip to our schedule. I wanted to do something more challenging. I wanted to go on a trip that focused on evangelizing and praying rather than construction and building. I told Tara I wanted to go deeper in the Lord. Evangelizing and publicly praying for others is really out of my comfort zone so I asked the Lord to send another trip our way, to show us where He wanted us to go and how He wanted to use us. Within a few days I got a call from Michael Vincent, founder of Outstretched Hands Ministries, he was putting together a team to go to Kenya, Africa to help with a school feeding program, evangelize, pray and visit some prisons. I'm sure Michael was a little stunned when I started laughing on the phone but he did not know what I had just asked the Lord for. Talk about timing....hallelujah!!!!
With a lot of prayer and faith Tara and I traveled to Kenya. What a joy to see so many smiling faces in Kenya. Yes there is a lot of poverty, there is a lot of addiction, a lot of disease, a lot of darkness but there is joy and peace and love. We were moved and touched in a special way and know God wants us to "go" and "do" and to step out in faith.
As I was praying about our decision to go "all in" and commit to being a long term missionary in Kenya, the Lord showed me a verse. The prophet Joel writes in chapter 3 verse 9 and 10 -Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, "I am strong!"- These verses spoke to me (rhema). It is time to beat the plowshares into swords and time for the weak to say "I am strong!" The Lord was showing me that I was comfortable at Waypoint. Waypoint had become my "plowshare" and it was time to take what I know and use it as a "sword". I needed to step out of my comfort zone and step into battle, I needed to step out in faith. I was once weak in my addiction but now I am strong in the Lord!! Let me repeat that...I was once weak in my addiction, I was defeated, I was lost, I was confused, I was deceived ...but God...but God had other plans and now I am strong! Through Christ I can say "I am strong!". Verse 14 says Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. We had spent most of our time traveling through the rift valley north of Nairobi and I heard the Lord telling me he wanted our presence in Kenya, in the "valley of decision".
We aren't sure how this is all going to play out, there are a lot of needs in Kenya.....orphanages, feeding programs, schools, medical clinics, addiction counseling, prison ministry, church building, etc......and we aren't sure how we are going to fit in but we do know the Lord has called us there. He wants our Christian presence in Kenya and we are obedient and going. We have already spoken to several ministries to partner with and are excited to see what develops.
God is good and as a friend of mine once said "Jesus...is a journey."
Blessings,
Joel and Tara
This all started when I first met Tara. The night we met our conversation was about mission work and the mission field. We both had an interest in Honduras. During our marriage we have traveled to Honduras on short term mission trips several times. We do a lot of construction projects and have established relationships with some of the locals so it is a joy to go there every year. However, this year when we got back I mentioned to Tara that I wanted to add another mission trip to our schedule. I wanted to do something more challenging. I wanted to go on a trip that focused on evangelizing and praying rather than construction and building. I told Tara I wanted to go deeper in the Lord. Evangelizing and publicly praying for others is really out of my comfort zone so I asked the Lord to send another trip our way, to show us where He wanted us to go and how He wanted to use us. Within a few days I got a call from Michael Vincent, founder of Outstretched Hands Ministries, he was putting together a team to go to Kenya, Africa to help with a school feeding program, evangelize, pray and visit some prisons. I'm sure Michael was a little stunned when I started laughing on the phone but he did not know what I had just asked the Lord for. Talk about timing....hallelujah!!!!
With a lot of prayer and faith Tara and I traveled to Kenya. What a joy to see so many smiling faces in Kenya. Yes there is a lot of poverty, there is a lot of addiction, a lot of disease, a lot of darkness but there is joy and peace and love. We were moved and touched in a special way and know God wants us to "go" and "do" and to step out in faith.
As I was praying about our decision to go "all in" and commit to being a long term missionary in Kenya, the Lord showed me a verse. The prophet Joel writes in chapter 3 verse 9 and 10 -Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, "I am strong!"- These verses spoke to me (rhema). It is time to beat the plowshares into swords and time for the weak to say "I am strong!" The Lord was showing me that I was comfortable at Waypoint. Waypoint had become my "plowshare" and it was time to take what I know and use it as a "sword". I needed to step out of my comfort zone and step into battle, I needed to step out in faith. I was once weak in my addiction but now I am strong in the Lord!! Let me repeat that...I was once weak in my addiction, I was defeated, I was lost, I was confused, I was deceived ...but God...but God had other plans and now I am strong! Through Christ I can say "I am strong!". Verse 14 says Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. We had spent most of our time traveling through the rift valley north of Nairobi and I heard the Lord telling me he wanted our presence in Kenya, in the "valley of decision".
We aren't sure how this is all going to play out, there are a lot of needs in Kenya.....orphanages, feeding programs, schools, medical clinics, addiction counseling, prison ministry, church building, etc......and we aren't sure how we are going to fit in but we do know the Lord has called us there. He wants our Christian presence in Kenya and we are obedient and going. We have already spoken to several ministries to partner with and are excited to see what develops.
God is good and as a friend of mine once said "Jesus...is a journey."
Blessings,
Joel and Tara
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)