Arizona Baptism (Deaf Bible Retreat 2009)

Praise the Lord for three new sisters in Christ: Lakisha Kearney, Viki Beggs and Lisa Ramey! :) What a weekend! What a fellowship! Thank You, Lord! Thank You!

Amanda's baptism

We rejoice in the Lord for our daughter, Amanda, who was baptized yesterday (March 15, 2009) @ the Overland Park Church of Christ. She buried her life into His death in baptism and raised and put on Jesus (Galatians 3:26-27, Romans 6:1-4). We praise God for Amanda and her decision to follow Jesus our Lord!

Moving Weekend!

PAH! We'll be moving into an apartment this weekend after living with our in-laws for over 6 months. Many, many blessings and thanks to my dad and mom in law for their love and "we must say" patience for allowing us to stay in their humble abode until our Virginia home gets sold. Since it was sold last January, we struggled to find a single family home for rent in our kids school area. Then we decided to rent a villa for the summer since all of us (our girls, Michelle and me) will be playing softball.

We're anxious to have a place of our own. Chef Lowenstein is in the house!

Keep on praying for us and the work we do for the Lord!

2012 - Fact or Truth?

Feel free to share your thoughts about 2012.. Always learning! Let's help others understand the 2012 craze! ;)

What Is The Gospel?

I read and learned some comments from people and the meaning of the word, "gospel".. Here they are:

"I believe the word "gospel" means "good news." Maybe the question should be, "What's the good news?"

The Gospel is the truth of our "depravity" which is atoned through the death of Christ. The resurrection of Christ is our hope of eternity. It is through faith, not by our works. We can't attain it, it's a gift!

The gospel is, "The world, once whole, then broken. Jesus came, suffered, died, lives. Yahweh's creation restored. Spirit alive in us, inspite of us. Life!"

Under God's law, sin demands death. Everyone has sinned, so everyone deserves death. But the gospel is the good news that Jesus, who could not sin, died in your place, satisfying God's law.

I believe the Gospel of Christ is the "Good News" that the Kingdom of God is now available to everyone.

The gospel of Christ is 1 Corinthians 15:1,3-4.

It is the story of Christ's life and teachings. Short and simple. The Gospel is pretty simple, too!

God is Holy. Man's sin is offensive to the Holy God. Jesus gave Himself to make man right with God. [You can't start the gospel message with man. It starts with God. It ends with God.] Amen?

The Gospel is: Christ lessens God's wrath on my behalf. The Gospel demands I align with Jesus.

The Gospel is, one word, "LOVE."

The gospel is the greatest news ever.. God would rather give up his Son than give up on us.

The Gospel is Jesus Christ, His Death and His Resurrection.

I have resolved to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified for the atonement of my sin and to be crucified with Him to live in His strength. (Galatians 2:20)

Now, what do you think is the "gospel?"

New OPCC Deaf Website...

Check it out, Blogger gangs!!

www.acswebnetworks.com/overlandpark/deaf

The website is still under construction. This is just so that you know we finally have a website! :)

Blessings!!

A Life Coach

Most people see me as a preacher or evangelist, or minister. But I want people to see me as a follower of Jesus just like them. What I do, I want them to do:

"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." 1 Corinthians 11:1

Most preachers swim in a fishbowl with all eyes on them. Not only the preacher, also the preacher's wife. Not only the preacher's wife, also the preacher's children. Many church members see preachers as a step above the normal person.

To me, the preacher who is viewed as a normal person has an extreme advantage over the one who is viewed as the perfect spiritual leader.

Now, this doesn't apply to preachers alone but to each and every believer:

1. If you are courageous enough to expose your spiritual doubts, people around you may be more relate to you as a "real person."

2. If you carefully reveal a martial struggle (with permission from your spouse), people may be more likely to listen.

3. When you tell about certain failures, many people will feel increased bond with you.

4. If you are hurting and you express your need, your church family can be aware to pray for and minister to you.

Now, I'm not saying that all the points above will hit every heart of a believer in your life. A few people might reject you for your authentic confessions. Yet, the majority will accept, embrace and trust you as a genuine believer constantly wrestling to grow closer to Jesus!

Blackberry takes a shot at Apple! [ad]

Ha!!!!!!!!!!!

Though, I love the Mac computers, thought this ad was HILLARIOUS!!!!! Love that lil blackberry!!!!! Awesome!!!!! :)

I Love His Church - PULSE

It's more than an hour on the weekend.
It's more than a building.
It's more than just gathering together to meet people.
It's more than anything else in the world.

Q: What is the pulse of His church?

A: The pulse of His church comes from the heart of the people who gather in Jesus' Name and gather there to follow Christ, together.

Q: What happens if there's weak pulse or even no pulse?

A: The answer is really simple. Dying or dead. Similar to the life of a human being. If there's no pulse in a human being, 911 is dialed, CPR is performed, PARAMEDICS arrived, WIRED to the machine, PRONOUNCED dead, OBITUARY printed, and SIX FEET under. Satan loves to slow His church's pulse. Eventually, the pulse will stop. And, each individual "Christian" will know when they are either dying or have died away from the Lord.

Q: What caused the pulse's slow-down or sudden stop?

A: Clot. Clot, as defined in Webster's dictionary, is a mass or lump; coagulated blood. It's Satan's job to bring clot in your relationship with Jesus Christ. Satan works to ensure that each Christian live a compartmentalize life. Pulse begins to drop when he/she have so much going on in their life and church is the least in their life, cause marriage to fail, do not take the time to pray, lack of bible reading, fails to serve the Lord in his/her community, living outside of the obedience of God, and many other reasons. Clots/clotting is extremely dangerous!

Q: How do I avoid clotting and declining pulse?

A: If I answer this question, it may sound easy to do. But it's not. Simply follow the life of Christ. Living the life of Jesus involves discipline, humility, love, obedience, exercising (bible reading, daily time of prayers, fellowship, worship, service, bible studies, life groups, etc.) helps keep the pulse above God's expectation for our life.

Have you checked your spiritual PULSE lately?

Blue Man Group Instrument

Cool! Love the BMG!!

I have a great idea for the future... Stay blogged!! :)

A Movie about God's Love for Us

Breathtaking! :)

Prayers needed...

Good evening, Bloggers..

Please, if you can and when you can, take a moment to pray for us. We are seeking God's guidance in a situation that's so difficult, so fragile. We have prayed and prayed to the Lord about this and we sense God's love and compassion. God is good, always continues to be good, we are still struggling. My wife, my children and I continue to maintain a very positive attitude about all this. Yet, we have been leaving this in the hands of God.

This blog is an unspoken request for your prayers. No need to go into details. The Lord knows!

Thank you very much. Blessings to you all!

Super Bowl Commercials

Greensboro '09 - National Workshop for the Deaf!

Event: 2009 National Workshop for the Deaf
Where: Greensboro, North Carolina
When: June 28th through July 2nd
Website: www.deafworkshop.com
Theme: PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST

Registration: go to https://www.deafworkshop.com/workshop2009/register.php. I was told that after you register, you will need to enter your password (required) in case you need to go back into your account to make some changes. After entering your own password, the next page will appear with a confirmation that you have registered for the workshop.

But that is NOT all.. You are required to print that page and mail it to Friendly Ave Church of Christ. An address will be displayed on the screen. If you have registered but have not entered your password, print the page and mailed it out, you are NOT registered. So be sure you follow the instructions.

Hope to see you all there!

The Real "Dummy" :)

Just being artistic tonight. Move over Chuck Baird! :)

Luther "Dummy" Taylor

Just wanted to blog about this fabulous woman, Sue Gordon. She's the sister of Chuck Baird, deaf artist and actor of "Legends of the Mountain Man". When I came into the Deaf Cultural Center, Sue immediately led me to this uniform. It opened my eyes as I love baseball! But the real amazing thing is, Sue sewed this!!! It was the work of her hands and heart!

These pictures was taken at the Deaf Cultural Center in Olathe, Kansas. It's a neat, neat museum:

455 E. Park Street
Olathe, Kansas 66061

Come and visit DCC!

Romans 8 scripture reading

For the hearing, this would be a good way to involved your teens and adults team-quoting Romans 8! Obviously, lots of practice, Scripture memory, choreography, timing, etc!!!

Being a deaf fellow, I tried to follow as I read Romans 8. Kinda hard to hear. When they reached Romans 8:37-39, it became moving and powerful!!

Awesome!!

Coversational Generation

Based on Craig Groeschel's blog (in part)...

This generation we're living in now craves intimacy in relationships. They want to know and be known. Too many of us are turned off (or intimidated by) the young, tech savvy (I'm one of them), tattooed (not me), and pierced young adults.

There are churches that preach against them because of their "outward appearances". But this generation wants to talk. Conversation matters. Relationship matters. Intimacy matters.

Here's a suggestion in how we're to build relationships with that generation:

1. Before they listen to you, they want to know if you're listening to them. If you'll get to know them, they will listen to you.

2. If you're quick to judge, don't bother trying to connect.

3. It doesn't matter if you're cool or relevant. It matters if you bring the real you. Fake is the worst thing you can bring.

4. The fifth conversation might be the difference-maker. This generation builds trust slowly. If you don't plan on having a third, fourth, or fifth conversation, you might not want to spend a lot of time on the first.

5. They want to be loved. After getting to know some people, we genuinely care for them and believe in them. Try often telling them, "I'm proud of you... I'm pulling for you... I believe in you... I love you." They seem hungry for acceptance and affirmation and respond well to sincere Christian love."

Your thoughts??

Arizona Deaf Retreat: FEARLESS

Next month, we will be in Arizona for their first annual deaf family retreat. It will be held on March 20th through 22nd. The theme for this retreat is: FEARLESS. Here's what I have tentatively planned out:

FEARLESS

Main Scripture Theme: 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."

Synopsis: Battles are inevitable but victory is not. We often find ourselves fighting enemies that are stronger than we are. So how do you stand fearless when there's so much at stake? Be inspired by accounts from God's word about average people who became champions and overcame insurmountable odds. Do you have what it takes? Experience "FEARLESS" to find out once and for all.

Friday Night Devo: Battling Against Your Champion: David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)

Saturday morning: Facing The Inevitable: Gideon (Judges 7)
Saturday evening: Testing Your Faith With Fire: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 3)

Sunday morning: Chasing Your Lion: Benaiah (2 Samuel 23; 1 Chronicles 11)
Sunday worship: Freaking Out?: Jonathan (1 Samuel 13-14)

Questions about the deaf retreat, contact Brian Baell @ baellb@aol.com.

30 Days To Live

I have thought of this, often! Only God knows when it's time for me to go home to be with Him in Heaven. From now until the countdown begins, I'll remain faithful and true to my Lord. Once the countdown begins, what would I do with the last 30 days of my life before I depart this world to be with the Lord? Me and my whole family, Lord willing, will do the following:

1. Skim through the whole Bible (twice, thrice) in 30 days.
2. Make a trip to Romania and see my fellow brothers and sisters and say, "See you soon."
3. Make a trip to Fairfax (Virginia) where God began His ministry through me there (and other cities that I may have worked in).
4. Make a trip to Colorado (my favorite state) and hike the Rockies and pray on His mountaintop.
5. Preach my last sermon titled, "Well Done, My Good Servant" (Luke 19)
6. Last candlelight dinner with my beautiful wife, Michelle (if she doesn't pass on before me).
7. Pray for the souls in the world; share my testimony with my love ones (friends/families) who have not made a decision to follow the Lord.
8. Film my final thought and farewell.
9. Spend private time with my wife, my daughters, weep/laugh with joy and pray together.
10. Have congregation sing my favorite closing song, "It Is Well With My Soul."

Well, of course, it all depends on the condition of my health. Lord willing, I'm able to do all these things. :)

How about you?

Are You Listening And Watching?

A couple years ago, I blogged about our "worldview" getting a whole new perspective in life. I would like to bring this back into tonight's blog: How Do You See The World?

Guess what? We have over 6 BILLION people living in the world today!

That determines the way you live your life. Are we caught up in our own little reality, cornered into our own small corner? We need, from time to time, to step back and look at who we are, where we are, and what we are doing from a new perspective.

God often calls His people into service. But there's a dilemma! Eyes and ears are closed. The Torah advises,

"Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing." Isaiah 42:18,20

Every Wednesday and Sunday, we have the opportunity to have eyes that see and ears that hears what is happening in our own community and how we can bring and apply biblical principles into the lives of the people we meet at the crossroads.

After each services, you'll be able to go home with a bigger perspective; the Godview!

Are you listening and watching?

God's 401K Plan

God's 401K Plan:
No losses
Soaring gains
Eternal dividends


Who's your eternal "financial" advisor?

Nuts!

Some days are like this, a perfectly normal lifestyle.







Other days, you'll be going NUTS!







Are you good or just plain NUTS!

OCD Twisters Softball 2009

Spring is around the corner!! Whooo! It's almost time to smell fresh spring air, green grass and trees, stormy weather, and the smell of leather from my softball glove! Michelle and I plan to re-join the Olathe Club for the Deaf (OCD) softball team.

Michelle will play for the women's team while I will try out for the men's team. Try out? Hey, I'm a 40 year old guy with bad knees. ;) I'm not even on the roster yet until I prove a 40 year old can play ball! :) I'm be playing a "low-profile" position and pushing the young players on toward becoming a championship caliber team!

We regret to inform you that OCD lost a great leader and player last week. Nathan Meyer passed on from this life at the age of 34 (I believe). He's pictured (kneeling above) third from the left. Please pray for his family, especially his girlfriend and two daughters. They're a wonderful family!

Go Twisters!

Arizona Deaf Retreat 2009

My family and I will be on our way to Phoenix, Arizona attending the 2009 Arizona Deaf Retreat north of Phoenix next month (March 20th through 22nd). We're extremely excited to see all the brothers and sisters in Christ there plus a number of others who desires to have a relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior! :)

The church where the deaf worship is at the Camelback Church of Christ:

5225 E. Camelback Road,
Phoenix, AZ 85018

Brian Baell is the current deaf minister at Camelback. He can be reached at this email address: seedplanter@tmail.com and baellb@aol.com if you're interested in knowing more about the deaf family retreat.

I will be posting more information about the Arizona Deaf Retreat on my blog soon. So check back and hope to see you there!

The Good-O-Meter

As always, great videos often have no captions. But just watch this whole video and you'll see the point of the video at the end! Cool! :) That's why I love Jesus! He's my True Advocate! :)

Super Bowl Mania

Let's dance! ;)

You Be The Judge....

You be the judge: "Who is beautiful?"

















(or) scroll down....



























"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 (niv)

THIRTEEN!

Here's my THIRTEEN year old daughter on her birthday! :) She's thrilled to be a teenager! She had a wonderful time on her day! We took her to Red Robin in Overland Park. Then we took the girls to see a movie in Leawood. They got to see a funny flick called, "Paul Blart - Mall Cop" while we got to see a "closed captioned" flick called, "The Unborn". We had a wonderful time together as a family! To this day, Amanda is 13 years and 2 days old! Boo hoo! ;)

Branson Vacation..

We went to Branson, Missouri for our mini-vacation. A very special thanks to the Leang's for their generosity allowing us to stay for 2 nights in one of their timeshare homes. We had a great time!

Enjoy these pictures!!

Our girls by the crystal clear blue Table Rock Lake (Table Rock Lake Dam in bckgnd)













"Oh, this way, maam."













Ok! I'm out of the competition! Can't compete with Tommy!















The ladies at the Titanic Museum. Awesome 60 degree weather in Jan!















Girls having fun in the spa under the starry skies!

Deaf Christmas Eve Service ('08)

We had such a wonderful small group celebrating the birth of Christ @ Overland Park Church of Christ. We sang a few songs, shared the story of Christ's birth and lit the candles as a reminder that we are to shine on the light of Jesus in the world!

Lowenstein Christmas '08

Here's the photo of the Lowenstein family...

DEAF REVIVAL - WICHITA!

Bloggers!!

Pray for our country and for our 44th President of the United States of America, Obama! Remember, it is God that does the leading and working. May God continue to bless our country and the world!

This weekend in Wichita, Kansas!! We're praying for a God-sized weekend! It's time for Spiritual Bowl! It's Jesus vs. the World. We'll be spending alot of time talking about the difference between Jesus and the world and its ways. We pray that this revival will change the way we see through the lenses of our own eyes. Do we see more of Christ Jesus or do we see more of the world? Topics are:

The Game Plan - 1 John 2:15-16
Offense and Defense - Deuteronomy 33:29
Who's Team Are You On? - Romans 8:31
The Real Game Plan - Jeremiah 29:11

Four great lessons to play with! From what I have learned, looks like we'll have a good number of people attending the revival. Are you ready for some FOOTBALL!?

Blessings!

My Girl's THIRTEENTH Birthday!!

Thirteen years ago, today, Amanda was born in Missouri. It was a cold, frigid night and the snow was coming down in a blizzard-like manner! When my wife started to have strong contractions, we knew it was time. I opened the garage door finding the snow was building up against the garage door. I had to quickly shovel out the snow to make way for our small, 4X4 NOT!, car! Then we took off to the hospital.

The road to the hospital wasn't pretty at all! As trucks passes by us, we could barely see out the window. I was a bit concerned about this 20 minute trek turn what feels like a hour to get there! As my wife's contractions hit, she grabs my arm and squeeze! Yikes! For the first time as a dad, I wasn't sure what is expected. It was Amanda ready to come into the world and "LIVE"!

Thirteen years ago, today! What a sweat! What a pain! What an experience! What a gift from God! We thank God, everyday, for Amanda! And may God bless her on this day and provide for her for the rest of her beating heart.

Happy Birthday, girl! ;) We love you!

Wanted Ads: Joyful Deaf Souls

I am really sorry! Deep in my heart, I am!

If I have offended you years back, I'm sorry.
If I have caused you harm, I'm sorry.
If I have pushed you away from the Lord, I'm sorry.
If I have ignored you during the fellowship time, I'm sorry.
If I didn't send you an email reply, I'm sorry.

If someone in the Lord's church pulled you down, I'm sorry.
If someone in the Lord's church force you to do something, I'm sorry.
If someone in the Lord's church turned you off, I'm sorry.

If you love to be with the church family but unable to do so because of your past experiences in the deaf church, I'm sorry.

Surely, I can tell you a whole lot more. I can try and encourage you to forgive and be at peace. I can try and teach you that the experience you've experienced was God's way of trying to build you up, rather than tear you down. Otherwise, you have allow Satan either a "short" or "permanent" victory! Seriously!

I may be blunt here but I believe the deaf churches all over the world need a spiritual make-over, including the Lord's church in Overland Park where I serve. What can we do to avoid placing a "stumbling block" in front of every deaf soul that have not yet come to Jesus today!? What kind of an example ought we be?

Critical or Commending?
Prideful or Praise-worthy?
Loud or Loving
Cautious or Contagious?

If you're a deaf leader or leader for the deaf, or a servant, or a ministry leader, or a lay person, or a follower, take special note of this Scripture:

"Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Colossians 4:5-6

I (and the Lord) just hate to see critical deaf churches cause us all to lose any opportunities to lead deaf souls to Jesus. Remember, it only take "one" bad example to destroy all the "great things" they could cherish in their hearts.

Nevertheless, those who have not "committed" their lives to Jesus, or have "left a deaf church" because of a serious conflict, please understand that no one is perfect and deaf leaders and followers makes mistakes. Here's a verse for you:

"If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed." 1 Timothy 4:6

And, yes! God has an Ad out:

WANTED: JOYFUL DEAF SOULS (to grow, to love, to teach, to inspire in His church)!

All I Want For Christmas is...

For the world to know what Jesus did for them!

Mind of God?

How is your mind today?

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2 (niv)

"..the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God." Romans 8:7-8 (niv)

"Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." Matthew 16:23 (niv)

"Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." Romans 7:25 (niv)

Blessings!!

2008 Latest Edition - Did You Know 3.0 - From Meeting in Rome this Year

This is mind-blowing information! Take your time in reviewing each argument. Now, I just can't imagine what our world be like by the time our grandchildren are born. A bit scary, huh? :)

"Going Out Of Business"

Bloggers...

Just a quick blog posting my "after-thoughts" this morning as I drove on I-435 into Kansas. Since our economy is on the decline, I have noticed more and more businesses going out of biz! Circuit City, KB Toys, and many more! It doesn't matter if the business is small or large. Nations and kingdoms (in the world) fall. There's always a rise and decline of a leader. Worldly success don't last. Worldly wealth is pointless.

"For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it." 1 Timothy 6:7 (niv)

But God never goes out of business! So what is profitable for each of you? Is it money? Is it fame? Is it a position? Is it success?

"This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone." Titus 3:8 (niv)

One question is, how strong is your faith in God? If it is ongoing strong, you're making great investments, not that you work to earn your salvation (Eph. 2:8-9) but your faith (walking with God; obedience) depends on God's grace and love!

I'll be back.

Good evening, Bloggers!!

I got a few emails wondering why the Nike Formula Blog has been quiet. It's been since November the last time I posted a blog.

Don't worry.. I'm just taking a break from Blogging.. It's been a tough transition from Virginia to Kansas, a roller-coaster ride!! At this time, it is still tough, especially when Christmas is just 15 days away!

Keep on praying for us. Check back as often as you can. I will blog (or) create a new blog site. I really don't know yet.

Blessings to you all! Have a wonderful holidays and Happy New Year!!

A Soap Manufacturer

Thanks to Paul Dymoke...







A soap manufacturer who was a non-churchgoer walked down the street with a minister.

'The Gospel you preach hasn't done much good,' he said. 'The world is still filled with wickedness.'

They passed a little girl making mud pies, and very much involved in her work. 'Soap hasn't done much good, would you say?' asked the minister, pointing to the child.

'It's useful only when applied,' said the manufacturer.

'Precisely,' said the minister.

Narrow Way

I love this picture!!! Let's take a moment and read God's Word:


"Go in through the narrow gate.
The gate to destruction is wide,
and the road that leads there is easy to follow.
A lot of people go through that gate.
But the gate to life is very narrow.
The road that leads there is so hard to follow
that only a few people find it." Matthew 7:13-14

*****
Now.. Take a look at the picture above.. After reading the Scripture above, what do you see.

*****

I'm going to throw something to you.. Here's a thought. Did you know that:

Early Christians were not actually called "CHRISTIANS", but "FOLLOWERS OF THE WAY?"

In other word, accepting Jesus is not a decision, but A JOURNEY.

Again... Look at the picture... What do you see?

We must rediscover our faith as a "way" of life, not simply a system of belief. It's hard to deny that many Christians have lost "the way" of faith in God, simply giving intellectual thoughts to a system of beliefs that they hope will give them to Heaven when they die.

The early Christians were called, "Followers of the Way." Could the same be said of us?

How are you "following" Him?

Heavy Heart....

I've been having an awesomely heavy heart in the last week.. I just got off the phone with a dear deaf Romanian brother in Christ of mine. His name is Gandy Mihai. He lives in Pitesti, Romania along with a couple other Romanian Deaf Christians.. I surely miss being with them. Gandy asked me when I will be back in Romania to teach them the Word of God in Romanian Sign Language. I had hoped to go sometimes very soon to encourage the Romanian Deaf brothers and sisters in Christ. I love their country, too! It is so beautiful! It's almost like Kansas and Colorado where they have the plains full of wheat and mountains full of springs. And their dracula castles, wow!!!!

The next time I go, I want to bring my wife along. In the near future, I'll be bringing along my daughters, first Amanda, then Angela then Alyson. That's the goal!

If you haven't done so, go and experience life in the Third World Countries. It'll change your life, forever... It changed mine and that's why I'm elsewhere serving the Lord!

Oh, You Talkin' To Me???

Yes.. I'm talkin' to you.. :)

I was asked by someone, "When you preach, how do you really know what to say??"

Good question, huh??

I sometimes suggest this, "Before you say anything, stop and think. Think before you speak." I love the book of James. James (through God) as if he is alive, speaks to us today. He talks about life, example, temptation, grace, forgiveness, faith and many more. To stop and think is much more wiser than to be quick to answer. James said, "My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry,.." James 1:19 (niv)

I know a few of whom I walk beside as we walk on our way to Heaven who is such a great and awesome example. They do so well with their faith with God.

So, what is my advice?

I like this advice:

"Stop and T.H.I.N.K.." Ask yourself:

Is this TRUE?

Is this HELPFUL?

Is this IMPORTANT?

Is this NECESSARY?

Is this KIND?

True? Helpful? Important? Necessary? Kind? There's nothing else that is better to answer this question. We are to THINK before we preach, THINK before we say anything, or THINK before we make decisions that may appear to be rash.

I need this advice, maybe we should stop and THINK before we express in signs (ASL) or open our mouths at all. ;)

Proverbs 15:28: "Good people think before they answer, but the wicked speak evil without ever thinking."

Mess...

"Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?" Ecclessiastes 7:13 (niv)

We must have an eye to God and to His hand in everything that befalls us. Ecclessiastes reminds us about life on earth and life before God. We ask God to silence our complaints concerning any events. Let u consider the hand of God in them and not open our mouths and hands against that which is His doing. Whatever befalls us is a product of His eternal counsel and guidance.

In the picture, you'll notice many wirings, cords, plugs, cables, etc. This is exactly how we're feeling right now. We know God has His reason for us being in this state. Despite of all this messy wirings, we're still faithful to the Lord. Despite the disorganization, we cannot mend it overnight but we'll make the best of it as time goes.

Pray for us as we continue to pray for you all!

Blessings!

Walking with the Family of God

We welcomed and prayed for two new additions to the family of God @ Overland Park Church of Christ. Aletha (Joann) Hampton and Charlotte (Peachie) Strunk stood before the deaf congregants announcing their commitment to serve our Lord Jesus Christ!

Both, Joann and Charlotte were baptized in the past. They have been searching highs and lows looking for a deaf church family to continue doing the Lord's will. We're extremely thrilled that they're committed with us! May the Lord bless them, keep them, protect them and inspire them into new heights for the glory of God!









Charlotte Shrunk










Aletha Hampton

Deaf

Amen!!! Love this ASL song about Jesus riding motorcycle!!!! :)