Friends, I have decided to direct you to the blog I now post at. I am now the pastor of Immanuel Southern Baptist Church in Wagoner, OK.
Thanks to all of you who have sent notes of encouragement. I am pleased to know that you have enjoyed reading Nomad 4 God. I pray God's richest blessings for you.
NOTE: LINK FIXED 2/13/08
From the 10/40 Window to Mayberry; the journey isn't over yet.
We arrived in the US on furlough back in March. By mid April, God had made it undeniably clear that He wanted us to remain in the US and pastor a church.
Two things: 1) I ALWAYS thought I would retire from the IMB and be an "emeritus missionary", and 2) I have NEVER been a pastor before.
In combination, these two things sent me into a "crisis of belief" (a la Experiencing God). Why would God have us spend so many years overseas only to return "home" and pastor a church? I could not (and can not) answer this. However, I know this to be true: this is what God wants me to do.
Amazingly, my wife felt the Lord speaking to her in the same way (except for her being a pastor).
I have never had such a hard time with something that the Lord has directed me to do. You see, I LOVE(D) being a missionary. There was nothing else I wanted to do and nothing else I wanted to be. God began to whisper to me that I needed to make sure that I loved HIM more than I loved being a missionary. Ouch. That one was close to the heart.
However, EVERY step of the way in this process, God has confirmed His direction and our obedience. To be very honest, I threw out many "fleeces" (a la Gideon) and have determined that HE REALLY, REALLY WANTS ME TO DO THIS. I am utterly amazed. A little confused about "why", but mine is not to questions my Father's desire.
I will admit that my letter of resignation was the hardest letter I have ever written, except, perhaps, for the letter to my colleagues letting them know that we would be resigning. I thought about posting a copy of the letter here, but, quite frankly, it is just too personal of a thing to have up on the internet.
I have honestly loved my work with the IMB over the past many years. I love my colleagues and my service to them. I respect the leadership of the Board and my region. I have no "beef" with the Board, my colleagues, my team, or anything else about it. I am simply following the guidance of my Heavenly Father.
In a way, I feel as though I am betraying the cause of Mission. However, I know I am doing the will of my Father. In a way, I feel that I am being a source of discouragement to those who are excited about and involved in Mission. However, I know I am doing the will of my Father.
My new church is a small church in NE Oklahoma. It has been a church that has been hurt and is tired. I do not know why the Lord wants me to be its shepherd. It is in a small town that reminds me of Mayberry (a la Andy Griffith). I will start August 1.
My last day as a missionary with the International Mission Board is July 31. My last day as a missionary is when I see my Saviour's face. It will be my goal to lead my church to be "on mission, with God".
I have enjoyed being "Nomad For God", but there is no reason to keep up the secret identity. To that end, I am not sure it is worth keeping up this blog. I am unconvinced that I can share with you who I am and not jeopardize the security of those with whom I have worked. Any suggestions?
So, without further ado, this will probably be my last post as Nomad on Nomad. I will maintain my blog account and my nomad4god@gmail.com email account.
Thank you to all who have prayed for me and my family. Thank you to all those who support Mission through prayer and giving. Thank you to all who continue to serve our Lord through obedience to the Great Commission.
Won't you please begin to consider what you will give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering this year? The goal is $165,000,000.
May God bless you all.
That's right. I found this little webiste over on Confessions of a Recovering Pharisee. I find it very interesting that "Missionary" warrants an "R" rating. Strange.
This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:
missionary (13x)
death (2x)
Find out what your blog is rated here.
"People who don't believe in missions have not read the New Testament. Right from the beginning Jesus said the field is the world. The early church took Him at His word and went East, West, North and South." - J. Howard Edington
"I believe that in each generation God has called' enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth…. It is not God who does not call. It is man who will not respond!" - Isobel Kuhn, missionary to China and Thailand
I mean no disrespect to anyone who cares about the PPL survey thing. However, I don't hold much stock in surveys and/or statistics. For instance, give me 30 minutes and I can prove the existence of Santa Claus, given the right demographics.
Please remember: just because a certain number of people believe in something (or don't believe in something) doesn't make it true. (There is a HUGE number of people out in Utah who believe with all their hearts that they will be a god when they die.)
I think that what this all really means is that we must be tolerant of each other on things that really don't make that much difference. Please don't let it be a stumbling block for folks to come to Jesus. Argue, but argue with love. And, if need be, agree to disagree.
That's my two cents.
Today, my family visited a nearby Baptist church. It is one of only two Sundays where we haven't been traveling or speaking somewhere. My wife attended there on the other Sunday, when I was so sick that I didn't go to church.
They knwe my wife when we walked in from the other time she visited. Today, they were glad to see us (and meet me and the rest of the family). So glad, that they asked me to teach their kids' Sunday School class. The they pastor also asked me to preach! My goodness! They didn't know I would be attending; I was a visitor; I was the preacher!
What an interesting day.
"People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives ... and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted." - Nate Saint, missionary martyr
"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?" - David Livingstone
Please take a moment and pray for Art Rogers who posts over at 12 Witnesses after you read today's post.
Well, I preached yesterday at my grandmother's church. To give you some background, this is the church that dismantled the indigent clothes closet because they "didn't want that riff-raff coming in and out" of their church. Since then, they also made it clear to me that they weren't going to give me an honorarium because I was still on full salary with the IMB and didn't need the money. They are correct; I don't need their money. (at this point, I don't want it, either)
So, for the past 6 weeks or so, I have been praying about what to preach on. I specifically didn't want my emotions to get away with me and prevent God getting the glory for yesterday. So, I ended up preaching on James 2:1-13. I called the sermon "Prescription for an Ailing Church". I was gracious, but I didn't hold back. I told them that they were a sick church and they needed fixing and anyone who didn't see that their church was in trouble was part of the problem. My whole family attended, since it was Mother's Day. I saw many, many mouths gape open wide at much that I had to say. Again, I was gracious, told them I needed to hear it as much as they did, and the reason that I was saying what I was saying was because I loved them and wanted them to be the very best they could be.
Last night, I showed slides about our missionary life. I challenged them and encouraged them to reach our of their comfort zone and reach the people around them. I did a mini-sermon on Acts 1:8 before I showed the slides (PowerPoint) Afterwards there was an ice cream social. I mentioned at the beginning of the slide show that several people had been offended by what I said, due to the number of folks, (n0ticably deacons) who weren't there that night who normally were. I went on to explain that since most of what I had to say was scripture, that they were offended by the Word of God and were under conviction by the Holy Spirit.
Many people who attended last night told me how much they appreciated what I had to say. They said they felt like their toes got stepped on, but that was OK as they hadn't been stepped on in a very long time.
Pray for this little church. Pray that God would get a hold of them and really shake them up. For HIS glory!
"The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity, but its sending capacity." - Mike Stachura
GIC, or Global Impact Conference, is the mission's emphasis strategy created by Johnny Hunt, Pastor of First Baptist Church, Woodstock, GA. In a nutshell, it follows the Acts 1:8 strategy of reaching your hometown, then your state, then your country, then the world. It encourages a church to combine their missions offerings into a year long endeavor, not just IMB at Christmas, NAMB at Easter, etc. Generally, it serves to increase the offerings, not dilute them. The actual event is a missions fair, with lots of local, state, NAMB, and international missionaries and ministries invited to attend and to "schmooze" with the local congregation.
The missionary assumes the role of spiritual celebrity, much to the uneasiness of the missionary. Certainly of all the things we do missions for, we don't do it for our own glory. It is a constant job to keep the focus on God and HIS work, not on our OWN pitiful little corner of HIS work. I have, however, decided to keep attending them when asked, because I have seen God change people through these conferences. Basically, I see God at work there and I choose to join Him.
I received the following letter from a man at the last GIC I attended. It had the subject line: I'm mad at you for stirring the waters of my life If you read it the same way I do, it looks like he should be mad at God, not me! (lol)
I must share with you what an impact you have on me this week-end. I visited with you at breakfast on Saturday, and again on Sunday, individually with (your wife). Your courage and conviction are contagious. The waters in my life are quite peaceful, and I am happy. You, however, stirred those waters, and I am entering a grappling contest. I want the peace that I know and cherish. I do not want to pulled down by the current the crashes over the waterfall. I told (your wife), that I was mad at you because you have stirred the waters of my life.
I must confess that I have really enjoy participating in GIC's. They are unique opportunities to address crowds of people who are already interested in missions. They are opportunities for missionaries, especially those of us in Security 3 areas, to "feel" like missionaries. We get to wear special name tags that identify us as missionaries, we get to tell our stories to folks who want to hear, and we get to be loved on and let us "refill" our cup. We get to stay with members of the church and get to know them and their families.
If you ever have an opportunity to attend a GIC, or even better, house a missionary during a GIC, GO FOR IT!
"If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn't it be inconceivable to hide it from the rest of mankind? How much more inconceivable to keep silent the cure from the eternal wages of death." - Dave Davidson
My grandmother, who is 91 years old, had some sort of stroke behind her eyes about two years ago and has completely lost her sight. Despite that, and a few other health problems, she has maintained her sense of humor and her sense of purpose. For the past several years, she has operated her church's "Clothes Closet" for the poor. It has allowed her to be active and gives her a place of ministry, since she can no longer see to teach Sunday School. It has given her an outlet for her to love God by loving others. I am very proud of my grandmother.
A couple of weeks ago, a deacon of her church came and told her that they were 'shutting down the clothes closet'. My grandmother asked why (of course) and she was told this: "We don't want all that riff-raff coming in and out of our church each week!" My grandmother was outraged! But the deacon was bull headed and wouldn't give in. (he has been the ram-rod around there for a long time and wasn't going to back down).
My grandmother was crushed. Her ministry outlet was gone. Her last "purpose" was gone (according to her). She has endured bullies before and usually came out on top. But this time, it was different. She said she just didn't have the strength to fight for it. I think she is depressed about the fact that she "gave in". She told my sister that now, all she has is simply to wait for the Lord to take her home." She said "I can't see to teach, I can't see to drive people to the doctor; I'm no longer strong enough to go out on visitation; I am simply useless". (I wasn't there at the time; my sister told me about it later)
It broke my heart to hear her talk like that. Please pray for her to be encouraged (and for sight). We call her "Meme".
I am going to be preaching in that church on Mother's Day. I really need your prayers to control what I say from the pulpit and not use it for my own (very heated) opinions. Pray that I would glorify the Father in what I say. Anybody got any ideas about what to say?
I was at the mall Wednesday getting something before I make a trip to a GIC (Global Impact Conference). I was trying to get some information from the lady at the information booth. While there, an older man walked up and she moved away from me and told the man that she missed him at church last Sunday night and asked him if he was going to be there that night. He made some excuses then she went on to say how important it was for him to go to church and that they really miss him when he doesn't come. She told him that he was important to her and the church and wanted to make sure that he knew that.
I was impressed.
That was one of the very few times I have happened to be privy to a conversation like that, with me being completely on the outside. After the man walked off, I asked her a few things, first of all where she went to church. She told me it was one of the local SBC churches! PTL! She went on to tell me that the man wasn't a member of her church, but only a sporadic visitor. She said she didn't even know if he had ever accepted Christ, but was trying to make sure he had every opportunity.
Bless her heart! That just made my whole day.
"Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell." - C.T. Studd
Life in America is just too cool! You can read the road signs (much to the chagrin of your sister) and they keep bringing you more pop at any restaurant without having to pay extra!
The only problem is (well, one among several) that I don't have good connectivity at our furlough house. I only have dial up. Actually, I don't even have that. The phone line to our house is down, so I have to go next door just to do email. In some ways, that isn't anything to complain about; at least my wife is happy that I'm not "surfin" all day and night.
In any case, my posts will be sporadic until we can get the internet up and runnin' in the sticks.
Here are some observations about being back in the US (in no particular order):
"Our God of Grace often gives us a second chance, but there is no second chance to harvest a ripe crop." - Kurt von Schleicher
For the past several years, I have subscribed to "Hot Spots", a global summary of security issues, country by country. It is a great way to keep a finger on the pulse of things happening in the world. Their main web site is: http://www.asigroup.com
You can subscribe to their daily email summary at: http://www.asigroup.com/hotform.htm
I highly recommend it. Let me know if you like it.
"Any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great Commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist." - Oswald J. Smith
When James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back, saying, "You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages." To that, Calvert replied, "We died before we came here."
Someone alerted me to the fact that Crabtree & Evelyn of London has a new product line for men called "Nomad". Too bad I didn't think of that first!
At David Rogers' (whom I greatly respect) suggestion, I have reposted my story about "Dawn".
I am greatly saddened by the events of today, but it brings home again, the sense of urgency we have as believers. And the importance of our task.
Folks, there is a battle for souls. Satan will do anything to steal them away. The Lamb of God has paid the greatest price for those souls and HE ALONE deserves their worship.
Join in the work. Either by your presence, your prayers, or your presents. Pray for laborers for the Harvest for the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
That is the only word to describe it, unless it is disappointed.
Yesterday, I had a post about leading a young woman to the Lord in my target country, which is a restricted country.
Today, I pulled that post down after receiving the following email from that same woman:
Dear (Nomad),
Thanks for all of your kindness. I realized that one person can not have two believes, so I am not a Christian. I apologize for my mistake.
Good day ahead!
Best Regards
(young woman)
I am so sad for her. I don't have any other information. I emailed her back and told her that Jesus was still waiting for her and would be until the day she dies.
Please pray for her. For security sake, let's call her Dawn.
Why can't I live my life like there is no tomorrow? Specifically, why don't I treat every pre-believer I meet like today is their last day on earth? It would sure work out better that way.
Without going into too much detail (because of security stuff), I have been traveling into a nearby restricted country to do language study. I happen to live in a less restricted area to do my particular work assignment. Since we are getting ready for furlough, I decided that I needed to return to my teachers one last time and "draw the net". (we are 'fishers of men' right?) I had casted the net for several months, but had not really drawn it up, thinking I had more time. But, since I won't be back with them for a very long time, I decided that it was time.
So, with prayer and preparation, I set out this morning to have the talk with my teacher and a few others. I tried to draw the net around my teacher, but she slipped through. However, she got a really, really good view on the inside of the net, so I don't think she would slip through again, if offered the chance. I spoke with the "school" language director. She got gloriously caught in the net. I spoke with the "school" receptionist. She slipped through and didn't seem to be very happy about being close to the net. I also went to talk with a shopkeeper and her husband. the husband walked away mid-sentence and she seemed interested about getting into the net "someday".
So, back to the one in the net. It was way cool. She has always seemed "standoff-ish", but today was her appointment with the King of Kings. I had a bi-lingual tract with me, as I am not anywhere close to being able to share in that particular language. After we went through it, she said she needed to think about it some more and might consider it later. I told her that today was the day of salvation and she needed to not hesitate any longer. She said she wasn't going to without reading it again. I told her to take it to her office and go read it. She did. She came back about 15 minutes later and said that she was ready to pray that prayer. She did. After a little explaining, praying, and rejoicing, I was telling her a few things about spiritual growth and told her that she needed to tell others. I gave her the assignment to tell 5 other people this week and asked her "who?" Immediately, she said her husband and her father. I then suggested the other two folks who had slipped through the net in the "school". She was up for the task, then I saw the work of the Holy Spirit as she said without being prompted, "Yes, it is my responsibility to tell others about Jesus, isn't it?" YAHOOOOOOOOO! Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! Then, I felt compelled to do something I have never done before after leading someone to the Lord; I felt I needed to say a blessing over her, Old Testament style. I really felt the power of the Lord with me and said things that I've never thought of saying before. I honestly can't adequately describe my feelings about being a part of this.
Now then, when all this is said and rejoiced about, comes my original question. Why can't I treat every day as a pre-believer's last day on earth? Why do I think there will be plenty of time tomorrow? How many people must perish without knowing the Truth? Why can't the same sense of urgency that God has in getting people reconciled to Him be uttermost in my daily life? How many more must die in darkness before we, as the church, take His mission seriously?
May God have mercy on us all.
It used to be called furlough, but it is now called "Stateside Assignment". It was supposed to be a time when a missionary could have R&R and rejuvenation, but now, it is often just an American venue to continue your work. Many folks do not have any kind of a real furlough, but instead are expected to continue on with their duties, thanks to the miracle that is email.
Stateside Assignment, or STAS, is a mixed bag and a mixed blessing. There are so many good things about STAS: seeing your family; allowing the kids to bond with the grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc; seeing old friends; eating familiar foods; going to familiar stores and restaurants; showing your kids where you grew up; sharing your story at churches and other gatherings; telling folks about how God is at work. But there is a second side of the coin with this; your family and friends purposefully or inadvertently put a guilt trip on you about the kids growing up without grandparents or other close family; enjoying those familiar foods and restaurants too much and then having to deal with the Board about your BMI; enjoying Wal-Mart too much then having to get rid of stuff before returning to the field; having to deal with people or churches who really don't care about life in Lalaland; family members who ask you about life "over there" then not paying attention to your answer.
I remember when I was a journeyman and returned home and a family member asked me, "How was it over there?" as he reached for the remote control and never even heard my answer.
I'm not faulting folks in America for not paying attention to your answer or for not comprehending what it's like to be a missionary, but many folks in America haven't even been out of their home state, if not their home county, and simply don't understand what you're talking about. I certainly don't mean that missionaries are better than, smarter than, or wiser than the next guy, but our range of experience is so broad, that sometimes the same conversations you had when you were 20 years old seem to be mundane.
I don't like hearing people gripe about our government or health care or education. While the American systems aren't perfect, it only takes living OUTSIDE America for a few months to discover that we ain't got it too bad in the good ole US of A.
Furlough is a wonderful, blessed, crazy time. You are often put on a pedestal where you don't belong and often attributed super-spiritual, super-human qualities, which you do not possess. Feelings of amazement happen every day when you realize that you don't get the jokes being told, don't know who the TV and movie stars are that are being talked about, and the new model cars look like they are from a sci-fi movie. You are overwhelmed by the variety and choices available. I remember on our first furlough, my wife sent me to the store the very first morning for some cereal and milk. I was gone an hour and a half and only came back with the milk. I stood in the cereal aisle for an hour trying to decide what to buy, then decided I'd just buy "Raisin Bran", but then couldn't decided which variety of the old "standby" to purchase. I think we ended up going out for donuts that morning!
I also remember the first time home from overseas and my sister took us to Wal-Mart. After about 20 minutes she said, "you know, we can go on in the store; these are just the clearance items at the door!" When we then went to El Chico's for supper after Wally World, we nearly shouted for joy (and scared the waitress) when she brought us all ice water!
You forget how to do stuff, living overseas. I remember trying to fill up the car for the first time back when everyone had changed to credit card gas pumps. Finally, the clerk at the 7 Eleven came out and showed me how to do it, or I might have still been there, trying to figure it out. When my wife went to Wal-Mart, she simply handed the clerk her credit card. The woman handed it back and told my wife that she needed to do it herself. My wife had no idea how to do it, so I think she just paid cash!
It's the little things like that which make you realize that while you may speak a half a dozen languages, you can't even pay for Little Debbie's and Tide at Wal-Mart without help from the clerk. Seriously though, it is a demonstration of how little changes can add up. Not just at Wal-Mart, but in people, too. Family expects you to be the same person as when you left. There is NO WAY anyone can remain the same after living overseas, whether as a missionary or in the military or business. You change. Of course, so do the people "back home". They may not change as much, but they do change.
All this is more of a dialogue for me to mentally prepare myself for STAS. We will return in March to the US (to the Greatest State in the Union) for a nice, long, well-deserved, long over-due furlough.
Some people have to wait until they die to go to hell ; missionaries have to go to language school.
I am absolutely dumbfounded by all the bickering going on in the SBC. I personally think it should be mandatory for everyone who serves in any kind of public capacity to spend at least 6 months overseas before taking their office/position. This includes seminary presidents, professors, trustees, etc. This way, they would have a 'real world' perspective before calling people idiots or making silly rulings or policies. I think this would clear out the snot and let the SBC breathe a little easier.
I can't help but to be discouraged to be overseas and know that my supporters are at odds with one another over things that mostly likely don't have an eternal significance. The very people who are supposed to be praying, giving, and participating, are instead spending all of their time arguing. Looks like Satan has pulled one over on us and is making us think this "stuff" is more important than seeing a lost world reconciled to God. May God have mercy on us!
"The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed." - Hudson Taylor
This is completely off the subject of missions, but I thought I might mention it for the benefit of other missionaries living around the world. I was able to watch the superbowl today LIVE through the TVU player. We actually even had a little party with food and stuff, and had a great time hollering and yelling like the Americans we are. Times where you can be "American" are few and far in between, but the Superbowl is one of them.
We had a DSL connection and only had a few instances where it was "jerky". We hooked it up to our LCD projector and watched it on a screen somewhere around the 52" limit. Since we didn't have a measuring tape, we can't be sure.
I wanted to mention that my wife feels that she has finally 'turned a corner' in regards to her post-surgery recovery. She is getting around better and is feeling good in that respect.
Thanks to all who have prayed for her, even if you didn't know who she is.
"The greater the extent that you go to fulfill the Great Commission in your life, the greater extent you will see God at work in your life." - Thom Wolf
"Don't make me think; just entertain me!" - John Q. Public
This kind of attitude is much too prevalent in the world today.
It keeps people out of the Word and into TV. It keeps boys out of RA's and into soccer practice. It makes little girls throw up after they eat. It makes men turn to porn instead of paying attention to their wives. It makes women read romance novels instead of romancing their husbands.
The lack of correct thinking leads to things like militias, fanatic fundamentalist terrorists, welfare, bankruptcy, and frivolous lawsuits. You end up with movements/trends like PETA, Greenpeace, rap, and modern art. It lets actors run for public office. It lets wives of politicians enter the political arena and even run for president (!?!). It allows people to incorporate things like the Mormon church, the church of Scientology, Jehovah Witnesses, and Christian Scientists into mainstream Christianity. It makes people/organizations act on feelings or sentiment rather than counting the costs.
Then when someone who thinks challenges the thing in question, they are labeled as not being politically correct or insensitive, or stupid. Some of us who aren't eloquent and only vomit our thoughts instead of making them pretty (or logical) are dismissed as "only a blogger" or if we don't have a string of letters behind our name aren't considered legitimate because our thoughts swirl instead of flow.
What is the point of this post? I'm not real sure. I think I just needed to express my frustration of things that bug me: Hillary, Mormonism, terrorists, tort reform, and modern art.
Some of you who are better thinkers than I, go ahead and fill in the gaps in the comment section, if this resonates with you, too.
I would like to make a new weekly feature called "Missions Quote of the Week" spotlighting quotes from previous missionaries or contemporary quotes regarding missions.
I'd like to kick this off with my all time favorite quote from Jim Elliott:
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose."
Will you take a moment right now and pray for me? Sometime on Wednesday (my time) I will take a language exam. It is just a first level test, but is important nonetheless. I don't know if it will be morning or afternoon, but by the time you have Wednesday night prayer meeting at church, my test will already be over with, so go ahead and pray right now. Being that the board has now paid for, well let's just say "more than 3" language schools for me, I am interested in doing my best. But I must say, I am getting to old to have to learn very many more languages. They all start to mix in together. (Oh for the gift of tongues!)
Thank you in advance for your prayers. I'll update tomorrow with the results of my test.
In honor of a new year, Nomad 4 God now has a new, improved look and layout.
I hope you enjoy!
Happy New Year!
