Well, May was a very special month for me!  On May 31st I turned one year old...in Jesus that is! That is the day I gave my heart to Jesus! Mommy and Daddy said it is my second birthday, so we had a celebration with a cake and everything. I even got to choose what we had for dinner! I chose lasagna! Yummy! It was a very special day, and I am so thankful that Jesus died for me.

Hello everyone! You are looking at 2nd grader now! Busy, busy, busy...I have to catch up with big Sis!  She's pretty cool about it though. Besides, she tries to teach me stuff all the time, so I think that may be her way of telling me that she is still the Big Sis no matter what grade I am in! Well, that's my big news!  Just pray for me that I can handle this 2nd grade stuff!

At the end of this month, Ramadan will begin throughout the Islamic world. For approximately 30 days, Muslims will fast during daylight hours in order to fulfill one of the 5 Pillars of Islam. They will also have no sexual relations and avoid anything seen as morally compromising (movies, unclean speech, etc.). During this time they also help the poor. It is an interesting time to live in the Middle East. Restaurants are closed during the day and if you are caught eating in public in daylight you can be fined. However, many Christians in the Middle East also fast during this time for Muslims. Many opportunities can come during Ramadan to meet new families and establish relationships with our neighbors. Pray the doors open wide.

 

Yesterday, I got to celebrate my first Father's Day in the Middle East with my children. It was a wonderful day of mostly relaxing with the family. At the same time, it was also a time to think of my dad back in the US. I have mentioned on numerous occasions that the hardest part of what we do is being away from family. My dad is probably one of the most influential people in my life. Without doubt he is one of the most Christ-like men I know & has taught me so much about being a Christian in both word & deed. I pray that I can be as good of a dad as he is to me. Happy Father's Day & may God help us all to be the dad's God wants us to be.

 

 

Since moving our family to the Middle East last year, a primary emphasis of our ministry has been to mobilize the immigrant/diaspora congregations here to fulfill the purpose that God established them in the heart of the Middle East. Although there are many ideas of how to bring this about, I am more & more convinced that it must first & foremost begin with a strong emphasis on the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's primary purpose during this age is to empower His church to bear witness to the life & work of Christ. No matter what I teach, say, or do it will be useless without the Holy Spirit. Thus, we are determined to emphasize the Holy Spirit in everything we do. Also we have begun a special teaching about the person of the Holy Spirit in our church & seminary. We trust for Him to do what we could never do... equip, empower & move His church to fulfill the Great & Only Commission.