Longing for true healing...

On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse.

The Gospel of the Kingdom has been ignored?

I recently received an email from a friend regarding the controversy surrounding Brian McClaren. She is a Native American who has embraced the idea it seems of preaching the whole Gospel. Back when the Charismatice movement came into being and was treated with much of the same contempt that the Emergent Church is receiving, they also claimed to have the full Gospel. This seemed to discredit their fore-runners (conservative mainstream) and caused a division that is only now seeming to find a "closing in". It seems possible that the same divisive rendering could take place with the mainstream Church and the more missional/emergent Church. What is interesting is that once the Charismatic revival and the Pentecostal movement of last century moved off to form their own identity, now there has been an indelible impact on maintream Churches from those movements that has almost completely changed the worship style, mode of dress and many other things, not to mention that Churches and individuals that used to be staunch cessationists are no longer so staunch. Of course, for you thought police, the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements of last century wheren't the only contributors of these changes but they were major influencers.

Anyways, the claim was that they had a Full Gospel now. There are even Churches with that name. Well, this new movement, the Missional/Emergent Church has discovered (nothing new, just not included) the push for preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, not just salvation. Being in a developing country, I can tell you honestly that if you don't focus on the Kingdom and only salvation, you will always leave half of your purpose at home. It is so obcvious that the Kingdom principles are so needed here, not just salvation - both.

Is it an even fuller Gospel with more to be considered? - a hermeneutical spiral maybe... Read this email excerpt from my friend and let me know what you think...


"I got to meet Brian McLaren in Nashville and he is just the coolest down-to-earth guy. An example of how cool he is, he was going to get a certain amount of honorarium for being a higher profile speaker, but he declined and just asked for what everyone else was getting. I was wondering what kind of crazy theology he was touting to be catching all the flak that he's been receiving from mainstream church stuff, but after hearing him speak, I have no idea why. He just preaches the gospel of the Kingdom—a holistic gospel where our actions match what we preach.
It's interesting that Rick Joyner is now speaking that the Gospel of the Kingdom has to be preached before the end will come. For the longest time, it was just the Gospel of salvation—which is necessary, but if we want the church to be the Church, it has to be whole. The hierarchy that's been around has to go and the untouchables will be the ones to touch those who are lost and find them. "

Missio Dei

Here is an excerpt from the explanation of a series of conferences that have been started by Richard Twiss, founder and president of Wiconi (Wich-on-ee) International.

"Missio Dei is a Latin term that literally means “Mission of God.” Beyond its literal meaning, however, it is a theological cornerstone in the foundation of Christianity with vast implications for global missions and the role of the church in God’s plan of redemption. Missio Dei is the overarching biblical story that clearly reveals our Heavenly Father’s embrace, affirmation and high regard for diversity – the remarkable diversity of ALL human and non-human creation. Within the mystery of God’s Threeness is His Oneness – the diverse interrelated community between God-the-Father, God-the-Son and God-the-Holy-Spirit.

Missio Dei, as a trinitarian theology of mission, serves the Body of Christ as a mutuality model; here the amazing diversity of people is seen as a primary expression of God’s triune existence. In other words, Missio Dei provides us with a theology of world missions that provides a place of belonging, equality and value for all people as divine expressions of the community of God...

I am absolutely committed to see this biblical concept - Missio Dei – become part of the everyday vocabulary and understanding of believers everywhere. This conference is the first in a series of national gatherings; pastoral and leadership seminars, symposiums and conferences over the next three years."

I am a firm supporter of this kind of movement even though there seems to be some opposition to this kind of thinking. Please check out www.wiconi.com and take a look at what God is doing through this powerful and groundbreaking ministry. God's role for the First Nation's community of North America in establishing his Kingdom on Earth is unfolding is some unusual and special ways and we have the opportunity at this point in history to esteem what God is doing and participate. Please pray for this ministry as they do face opposition and are on a path of renewal that is propelling much of the Church into new arenas of thought and contention that are re-shaping the Church in fresh and dangerous ways.

"If you have any encouragement for being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing our of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus..." -Paul in Philippians.

No one gets left behind...

Another day while at Manna House, I ran into Jay. Jay was heading to Uganda as a representative of "Invisible Children". Many of you have heard of this movement. I heard about it a year ago while looking at a friend's website and contacted them. I bought the DVD, t-shirts and tried to encourage them with what they were doing. Meeting Jay was a wonderful privilege. He explained that they now have a vision for Cambodia, where there are also many child soldiers. Jay explained that many young people who don't know Jesus are getting involved as well as organizations. This is so missional in its approach because the purpose is redeeming what has been lost, justice and mercy - Micah 6:8. This may well be the theme verse for the emerging generation as many are embracing the missional vision of the Church or what one visionary is doing with a resurrected term, Missio Dei. Jay shared how many who don't know Jesus are helping to carry the load and in the process rubbing shoulders with justice and mercy loving Jesus followers who are living out their faith in a much fuller way through this initiative. That's amazing but even more than that is what they are actually doing together for the Kingdom - check out the website! www.invisiblechildren.com Please be in prayer for this amazing Kingdom work and for those who will encounter the much fuller vision of the Gospel and be challenged to encounter Justice and Mercy Himself, the discplaced child-God who had to run for his life from those who would seek to take it from Him only for Him to give it to them in the end. Pray for Jay and Emmy!

Meet Ray Lynch!

One evening before I left London to come to Central Asia, I was able to have dinner with friends at the Manna House in London, where guests can come and stay and pay a reduced fee. Check it out if you are ever through London. mannahouse@spj.om.org. While there that evening, I met Ray Lynch, the man in the burgundy sweater. Sporting his New Balance runners and a well worn smile, he shared with us his adventures as he has moved all over the world. He shared that at one point he decided to take the Great Commission to heart and go to all nations of the world to preach the Gospel and that he did. Ray has preached the Gospel in every country of the world, even when new countries were created in the midst of his travels. Now at his age you'd think he be slowing down, but it didn't seem that way. He shared that the most difficult country to access was North Korea but God arranged for him to get in regardless. It seems that when we decide to do something and persevere for the LORD, He seems to fill what we have chosen as long as it fits into his desire to save the world and have the name of Jesus lifted high. As the evening closed out, Ray asked if we could all sing a song together and he led us off into a chorus of a hymn I wish I could remember, but I don't. I do know that the memory of meeting Ray Lynch will never leave my heart, and will always remind me of the calling we each have that was given 2000 years ago. I will also continue buying New Balance shoes. If Nike's can make you jump like Mike then New Balance will make you preach like Ray.

Removing the Curse

Greetings from to you all from Central Asia. I have been here since the first week of November and am really enjoying the people and learning the culture and language. It has taken a long time for me to post a new blog because the connection speed is quite slow in our location. Since arriving I've been able to serve the NGO I'm working with by starting a conversational English class and am also helping out with another program doing athletic activities. I have also started learning the local language and have been able to share a lot about our LORD with my language tutor as she is not a follower of Jesus and seems to have a strong loyalty to her own faith. The people here are definitely hospitable and very community minded but are struggling to make it as they have one of the lowest GDP's in the world and are recovering from the disasterous effects of war. Please pray with me for this nation and for the Church here. She is struggling to find her identity in a post-Soviet Central Asian world. The evidence of the Fall stains many parts of this part of the world but God is doing something special and new.

As the last of the leaves fall to the ground, remember what we are waiting for...

"Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse." -John the Apostle

Tears came to my eyes and my hope was renewed as I read this last statement and then I read on...

"Behold , I am coming soon!" -Jesus

After the promise of Heaven we are told to pray like this, "...Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven..."

Check out this link, "The audacity of hope"

http://elnellis.blogspot.com/2006/10/audacity-of-hope.html

Didn't know that!

After spending two weeks in France at an intensive course on leadership developed by Wycliffe, OM and some other agencies, I met up with a good friend, Benjamin, in Paris. He brought me to this square and turned me around to see...

Notre Dame, I had no idea. It was a massive building and then I remembered the gargoyles.

I had always mused as to the reason that Notre Dame had gargoyles shooting out from the exterior walls.

Benjamin helped me discover the reason. It is because they are fleeing from the inside of the Church in which they don't belong. Huh! Such simplicity!

Wisdom of the Navajo

Sally was driving home from a business trip in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the woman if she would like a ride. With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car. Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a white bag on the seat next to Sally.

"What's in the bag?" asked the old woman.

Sally looked down at the bag and, smiling, said, "It's a box of chocolates. I got it for my husband."

The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said: "Good trade."

Sabina's Story!

"As a young girl in Bangladesh, Sabina dreamt of helping her family overcome their poverty...One day an Indian woman visited their home. "She told me, 'If you come with me, I'll give you a better job. So come with me, but don't tell anyone.' The idea of having work was tempting to Sabina. 'One day, I told my parents that I'm just going out with this auntie and I'll be back very soon. I was thinking, If I can get a job, I can save money and even marry someone really good in India.'

But when they crossed the border, Sabina's 'auntie' left her with another woman, who locked Sabina in a room by herself. For the next seven days, 12 year old Sabina was beaten and raped repeatedly by as many as 10-15 men a day. When the week was up and her will was broken, Sabina was forced to work in a brothel. 'During the day I did all the housework. At night I was forced to give company to the men who came.'

Sabina endured years of abuse and torture before she finally escaped.

Every year, thousands of girls are tricked, trafficked and trapped into sex slavery. Last year, their plight became the focal point for CMS's Setting Captives Free campaign. CMS missionaries work with the Church of Bangladesh to raise awareness of sex trafficking and offer women opportunities to start businesses, so they aren't vulnerable to those who would sell them to the highest bidder." Inspire Magazine, Iss. 8, pg. 12-13

www.cms-uk.org - ...the privilege of being aware...

Is slavery over?

"Some 200 years ago there were four million slaves. By 2007, there will be over 20 million. Now is the time says CMS (www.cms-uk.org), for British Christians to fight slavery with as much fervour as they did two centuries ago. March 25, 2007 will mark 200 years since William Wilberforce and others gained a major victory in their campaign to end the transatlantic slave trade...slavery is far from over...brothels have replaced cotton fields. Galley slaves have been traded for child soldiers. And many people spend their entire lives in bonded service...most of today's slaves are women and children..." -Inspire Magazine Issue 8 pg. 12. (www.inspiremagazine.org.uk)

The last day George and I were together in England, he took me to a forest preserve in Keston. This is a very important spot in the history of the United Kingdom. It was on this spot 220 years ago that William Wilberforce spoke to the Prime Minister of England to bring an end to slavery. Much has taken place since that day and we owe so much to Mr. Wilberforce and to the great nation of the U.K.

As we stood there George and I reflected on our year together and then had a special time of prayer. It was special spot to end our year together because for me, hopelessness is the one thing that I hate the most. When I asked myself, "what do I love and what do I hate?", I found that I love hope and hate hopelessness. Setting people free from slavery, any form of it - immaturity, actual slavery, compromise, religious hierarchy, extreme poverty, sickness, forced prostitution, pride, injustice, corruption, etc... is at the heart of the Gospel. William Wallace, in the film "Braveheart", knew this reality and knew that freedom was a right that didn't have to be compromised because somebody else compromised (corrupt leaders) at my expense to just pad their own pockets with comfort. I face this struggle in my own life. If I am not growing and facing the sin in my walk and abiding in Christ, then those who will be influenced by me one day - wife, family, people in ministry, etc... will have to deal with the compromises I make. If I do not lead them into the same freedom I can receive from the hand of God, I will be in danger of leading them (by default) into short-sighted compromises with sin and an un-willingness to grow and mature through honesty. This is what I learned from George, to constantly remain vigilant in facing down your sin and pride no matter where you are at in life and who you are responsible for because, in the long run, it will benefit those you are called to love, lead and influence.

We need fathers

My heart is failing me. I have just finished reading postings on the internet for and against the Emerging Church in the western world. I myself find myself keenly identifying with the emerging ideals. It is a clear identification, something that helps me to navigate through a world that doesn't accept me because of my beliefs, the way I spend my money and Sunday mornings. To some of us that is quite a reach. There is too much banter and cutting words being passed to the emerging thoughts and ideals. Both sides are saying good things but they sound just like I did when I was a teenager and my father and I were not understanding each other. I love my father, always have, always will, but we don't always understand each other. That never takes precedent over his overwhelming love and protection for me. I know he would die for me, stand up for me even when I'm wrong and take my side against any enemy of strength, reputation or popularity. I utterly trust him with every ounce of my being and revere him. I need him. He is my umbrella, my home and with him I am safer than with any other in my life right now. I am known and still accepted. I need him. I can go home anytime and will be received no matter my condition.

There have been times when he has hurt me, because he has the ability to more than most. When my hair didn't match up to his preference, my music wasn't really music, my clothing was ridiculous, the things that my small world found great significance in because I didn't know the foundations that really define life as you grow older. I didn't know that fads were passing, I didn't know that what was important at the end of the day for him; bills, mortgages, sickness, cold weather, fear of failure, etc... were hemming him into a world that I wouldn't know or understand until later. I am beginning to understand and I feel like I am at a transition point between being a small world teenager to someday having a family and seeing life through its realistic aging eyes, eyes that understand consequences in a much deeper sense.

I feel the same about these arguments between traditional and emerging generations. They need fathers who love and accept and shepherd this emerging generation of young and misunderstood evangelicals through the maze of what is real and what isn't and in the process is open to learning something new. We don't need you to sit in your easychair that you're still paying for behind your daily dose of reality and peer past it to tell us how ridiculous our new hair color is or how you could've ripped that hole in our jeans for us instead of us paying somebody else to do it. We need fathers, real spiritual fathers, to lead us, to guide us, to listen to us muse, even if we are wrong. The danger is that if you don't, you, being the bigger man, lose the precedent that God has given to you by default to lead, encourage, mentor, teach and affect for eternity somebody that will outlive you. We need fathers who will love us, give us affirmation, be gentle with us in these difficult early years. It isn't anymore easier for a teenager to be a teenager than it is for an adult to be an adult. You should be happy we're even coming to Church, why scold us for how we do it. There is no bad guy in this; just ask a father who's son has left the Church and how he wishes he could take back some things he said. We need fathers. If you can't listen, if you can't live above the milieu of our self-discovery and you can't be patient, and you can't learn, then I feel like asking you to just please leave us alone, but that's not the answer either. What is? Well why not putting down the paper, getting out of your easy chair, coming to our room and knocking on the door and asking to come in. Please don't say anything about the mess, sit down and just start asking us what we think. We're family.

Philippians 2:1-5 "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ: ..."

ps - these thoughts are general and do not reflect a personal summation of my father and I's relationship. I love him deeply and we are good friends and he has been a good father my whole life.

Here are some links,

http://www.9marks.org/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID314526CHID598014CIID2249672,00.html

http://tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com/tallskinnykiwi/2005/04/an_open_blog_po.html

www.theooze.com

http://www.9marks.com/

Somalia!

Please pray for this most difficult of nations as it is the most lawless nation in the world right now. Many are dying, 99.95% Muslim. Christian martyrdom central. Check out the link http://www.gmi.org/ow/country/soma/overvw01.html
for more details on just how bad things are and in light of that what God is doing to bring His light, love, justice and mercy there. God has promised to build His Church.

Mountain Sheep

On a trip with my parents 4-5 years ago, I woke up in the back seat to the fact that we were preparing to stop. You know that feeling when you are riding in a vehicle and the droning hum of the road, the constant rhythm of the engine sing you to sleep. Then it all stops and suddenly you wake up. This is what I experienced as I sat in the back seat laying down, looking out through the window at the bare mountain in front of me. In my dreariness I began to scan the crest of the hill in front of me for any sign of a mountain sheep, known to wander throughout the region we were in. I thought to myself, if I focus hard enough and strain my eyes, moving them slowly across the horizon, I might catch a glimpse of one or two of these magnificent animals. You see as a child we used to pull off the road on the way to our town lake next to a massive cliff face. We’d wait there for a good while to just catch a glimpse of any mountain goat moving around along the face of the precipice. I was certain that if I focused hard enough I might just see something this time. I usually didn’t work that hard to see them, but this time would be different. As I continued to peer, striving to see what I planned to see, I suddenly hear the loud honk of cars streaming past the gas station where we’d stopped. I could hear some of them slowing down immediately and sounding their horns as if to say “Get out of my way”. I shot up from my seat and scrambled out of the vehicle to see for myself what had caused such a fuss. There standing right in front of me waltzing down the road were three massive mountain sheep. They just moved as they liked down the pavement while cars maneuvered around them, honked and sped off. Some stopped to look and admire, others impatiently careened around them. They were there for only a moment and then disappeared off the edge of the road never to be seen again. I was dumbfounded! God spoke into my heart, “What you work so hard to see and accomplish off in the distance, I have placed right behind you, up close and without your striving efforts to do so.” I have been sensing lately that God is showing me and others opportunities that he wants us to take advantage of. My first response is then to prepare myself so that I can go and do this thing and be completely ready for it. I am seeing that, though that may be the right way in some circumstances, many times God isn’t interested in us getting ready but would rather us just step into the action, the obedience, the calling without getting our “ducks in a row”. Sometimes it seems, our steps of faith don’t need as much preparation as we think they do, they just need obedience, a willingness to step out, go for it and be prepared to not always be prepared.

Lyon, France

From October 6th- 23rd I will be in Lyon, France attending a Leadership Matters Course that OM runs for missional leadership. I have had a burden for France ever since one of my professors spoke about it as one of the darkest regions of the world spiritually. In the city of Lyon, France itself there are 1.26 million people and 150,000 of them are Muslim. There is a large Catholic influence from the past and the city has been historically dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

-Protestants make up about 1.75 % of the population
-About 25% of the population place thier faith in astrology and mediums
-Over 15% of the population spend approximately 45 billion euros per yer on occult consultations

It is obviously a very dark region of the world. Please pray with me that as we spend time getting taught that we would not forgo any opportunity to share our faith in the midst of this difficult and dark city.

Turin

On October 5th and 6th I will be in Turin, Italy on a one day outreach with some OM friends and two others from a Church in London. Our reason for being in Turin is simple, we want to hand out 1000 pieces of evangelistic literature and wait for divine appointments to share the Gospel with whomever will stop and share some time with us. We will be joined by some Italian friends who will help with the translation. Apparently Turin is the Occultic capital of Europe. Here are some stats,

-98% of Italians claim Roman Catholicism as their faith/religion (though far fewer attend mass), but perhaps the true religion of Italy is the Occult.

-Italy is steeped in the Occult and Satanism. There are over 100,000 full-time consulting magicians (Occult) in Italy. That is three times the number of Catholic priests and 600 times the number of trained pastors in this nation.

-Evangelicals make up less than 1% of the population; there is only one trained pastor for every 350,000 people. The Italian church is weak and divided.

Please pray with us for fruit and spiritual protection and for those that will join us to be empassioned to continue sharing the message of Jesus wherever they are. Recently, I just heard of the Faroe Islands (between Norway and Iceland) where there is only 48,000 people and over 20% of the population is Christian. A bit of a haven compared to Turin. Thank you for standing with us. There will be five of us going for it. I will be sharing the results later on, so be sure to revisit soon. Keep on keeping on!

Singapore and Malaysia

Before the summer began, George and I made out way to Singapore and Malaysia for our last trip together. As we had many times before, Drena, myself and George had breakfast with one another at the airport before our departure. This would be the last breakfast of its kind, so I captured the moment. Upon arriving to Singapore, we were settled in and began a mission conference at a dynamic Church in the city. I soon found out that Singapore is a very different place than I'd ever been to. You are not allowed to chew gum there at all. It is illegal. There are actually people who smuggle in chewing gum and sell it on the black market - I think that is what you call it. Anyways, Amazing country. Their military is trained by the Israeli military because of thier similar circumstances. I also found out that the "Boogie Man" term came from this region of the world. If you email me, I'll tell you why.

Next we were off to Malaysia to greet the Doulos as she docked into Port Klang. What a privilege to share this experience with George for both of OM's active ships. We ministered together on the ship for a couple of days as George spoke and had a wild book bananza. Then it was our last parting period on a trip together. For me it was the end of a year long mentoring relationship but the start of a lifelong mentoring journey. I will always carry in me the mark that George made on my life and heart and it will grow I'm sure as our year together begins to be unpacked for me. The time on the Doulos was priceless except that I didn't get a chance to work because out of all the weeks that I could have showed up, they were just starting their sabbath week (one week of rest and vacation) and it only ended the day I left to fly back to London. I guess God knew that I needed it. We visited a wasterpark and went into the city and rested a lot while I joined the Americans on board to celebrate the 4th of July. That was special as we barbecued and threw the old pig skin (football) around.

I'm talking to you.

I tried speaking with the wildlife whilst visiting Australia, but they weren't too impressed with this Canadian/American. This lady with her little baby kangaroo behind her avoided me and apparently she can be pretty dangerous. At the same time that I was there, Steve Irwin, our beloved Crocodile hunter died or was killed by the wildlife there in Autralia. Maybe I should have taken the hint but apparently it wasn't enough. Thankfully I was spared from being mauled by the hopping terror. Very cute babies!

Best Man!

What does it mean to be a best man? Does anyone out there know the history of "the best man" or anything about the bridal party, the maid of honor, throwing the bouqet, etc...? Where did we get our wedding customs from and why do we do them? I know it was a huge privilege for me to sign as Dan's witness for the legal documents. I guess being a best man means different things to different folks. For me it means a lot since I have been looking forward to being Dan's best man for years now. Dan and I have know each other for four years now. We first met on Dryer 3 at Moody Bible Insitute in August 2002 - almost exactly 4 years ago. I walked into his room as he was organizing his stuff and discovered that he was an aviation major, destined for the dangerous jungles somewhere, but I also found a man whose heart was beating only for Jesus. I knew immediately from our first conversation that God had brought Dan into my life to be my best friend. That may not be completely true but it feels like it now. All I know is that from early on, we connected and have been going strong ever since. He is a great man with a passion for God that I rarely get to spend time with. In our fist month of knowing each other he had already chosen a "little brother" from the projects next to Moody along with me, in fact the boy, "Heavy", that he'd been led to was the cousin of my little brother, "Toof". The next two years were spent chasing down these two yung-uns as we ministered to and loved them through wrestling, eating out, doing Bible studies, taking them to camps, disciplining them and sharing our lives with their families. Our favorite place to get breakfast was "The Original Pancake House" on the Gold Coast in Chicago and our favorite professor who will always have an indelible imprint on our souls, the honest profound, Dr. Rim - all heart! Our favorite past time was to wake up Dan's roommates late in the evening as we always met up after our long days in school to catch up on the what God was teaching us, what our latest escapade was with "the boyz" (Toof and Heavy) or the ever present girl problems. Usually there was some laughs and a "rassle" or two and then we'd lay our day before God and thank him for His love, for the gift of blessing and loving us first and once in awhile, we'd weep before our Savior together for our family, our struggle, our brokenness... I have found that in my visit here with Dan, I have assumed so much in my relationship with him, but they are good assumptions, assumptions that are rooted in a trust that has grown over a long period of time. I like having a best friend, I never had one before I met Dan. When I am around him I feel like we could take on the world and nothing will hold us back - free to worship, pray at any turn and at any moment - there much more to be discovered - the journey continues...

August 27th, 2006

This was the day that my best friend, Daniel Pennington married Catrina Van Dam. Now they are Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Pennington. I have many good friends, some just like blood but the difference I would have to say is that Dan was given to me by God - very specifically - to be my best friend. I know that with out a doubt. I had the distinct privilege of taking part in his wedding as his best man which put me in charge of the bachelor party, being the MC at the reception, holding the ring and driving them to their honeymoon spot. What a privilege. It is a day that I have been waiting for for ages and will remember for many more. Please pray for this couple as they launch out into life together. They trust God. They are wholly committed to serving Him for the rest of their lives together.