tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-191262602024-02-29T11:19:03.659+12:00Seeking the KingdomSeeking the Kingdom ~
thoughts and happenings from life's journeyGreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-67297697445478276162018-12-20T13:37:00.003+11:002018-12-20T13:37:33.645+11:00Fall 2018 Review to Christmas!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSUjJovX5_r6osTzAinm8mmoLczqK4El7GuEM32x919KBssrzrLUQSNk1IbTjQyEwvNJZOPeQbHNQagx3F4XfD3j8OvyFdwF6x7dnBStjTv4CJ4sjNJrAe7zONUiIywB8YgJs3w/s1600/IMG_0228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="1217" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSUjJovX5_r6osTzAinm8mmoLczqK4El7GuEM32x919KBssrzrLUQSNk1IbTjQyEwvNJZOPeQbHNQagx3F4XfD3j8OvyFdwF6x7dnBStjTv4CJ4sjNJrAe7zONUiIywB8YgJs3w/s320/IMG_0228.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">VWU
students & Patricia Colthurst going to see the Museum of the
Bible. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">I hope there is a deep sense of
gratitude within you in this season where we’re remembering the humble coming
of Jesus!</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want to say thank you for your
support of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Life in His Name</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have nine students and a few others signed
up to travel with me to Puerto Rico during Spring Break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nicaragua is still unstable, so we’re going
to serve with the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico doing hurricane recovery
work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your support is helping students
to get there and for the work itself! Gracias!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This semester I’ve been more
aware of the amount of hurt and fear that many students carry with them each
day. Broken relationships, betrayal, break-ups, health crises, financial
uncertainty and high-levels of anxiety seem to be everywhere. If God really became
a human being, which I’m betting my life on, all the solutions to these
problems are found in Jesus!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his
life, his teachings, his miracles, his death & resurrection and his Spirit
with us today!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am very thankful for the Marlin
Ministry Lead Team, eight students that work closely with me to help advance
the ministry of Christ on campus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Emily
Testroet ‘19 has been serving as a ‘Boyd Fellow’ within my office, an intern
role. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is heading into student
teaching next semester, so both Justin Robins ’21 & Jason Brugman ’21 will
be stepping into that role!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
partnered with the two of them this semester in leading 3 discipleship groups
on campus this semester!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also started a weekly spiritual
conversation group with the faculty and staff this semester. It gives us an
opportunity to know and support each other on a much deeper level. It is an
encouragement to them to live out their faith on campus, influencing students! We
are using the book: <u>Emotionally Healthy Spirituality</u> by Pieter Scazzero;
I highly recommend it! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A couple of highlights: We had a solid
turnout for the movie ‘Tortured for Christ’, the story of Rev. Richard and
Sabrina Wormbrand and the persecuted church in Romania under the Soviet Union.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Founders of Voice of the Martyrs)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We hosted Chiereme Fortune ’13
and her musical group: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Girls and Guitars</i>,
for a night of worship, spoken word & prayer. They also led worship at SOAR
on Sunday including Chiereme giving the message – powerful!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: blue;">(@becomingthewoman)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</w:wrap></span></v:imagedata></v:shape><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We hosted Pastor Thelma from Nicaragua for a week at the University.
She traveled with our 2016 VWU mission team in Nicaragua. While here, she spoke
to two different Spanish classes, a women’s Bible study, and preached as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">May Christ's Kingdom come in and through us and may we do His will just as the angels are living it out!</span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Greg West</b></i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569721131780976297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-55632741877662152222018-04-25T07:57:00.003+11:002018-04-25T07:58:30.124+11:00Christmas 2017<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Merry Christmas!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I
hope this letter finds you hopeful and grateful as we move through the
Christmas season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love this quote by
W. J. Cameron: <b><i><span style="color: #0070c0;">"There has been only one
Christmas -- the rest are anniversaries."</span></i></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So we are celebrating
another anniversary of the coming of Christ into his world!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Apostle John put it this way, <b><span style="color: #0070c0;">“</span></b></span><span class="text"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #0070c0; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize
him”</span></b></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> (John 1:10 NLT).</span></span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> More than 2,000 years have passed and still today, many do not
recognize him!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our great desire is for
college students and everyone to ‘recognize him’!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we do we’re welcomed into his family and
experience the new life, the abundant and eternal life as a gift!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the joy of Christmas!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">God continues to do great
things in and through the students in Marlin Ministries!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a great privilege to build up young
people in the faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conversations,
the insights from the Scriptures, students stepping up in leadership and
hearing how God is at work among our alumni are all great sources of
encouragement to me personally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
have been numerous times over the semester where I’ve been able to share the
story of Jesus with a student who is unfamiliar with the story and in a couple
cases, the students have never heard!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Wow, to share the greatest story ever told is a phenomenal delight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">If you have been at one
of our Christmas worship gatherings or Life Groups, you may have heard me share
my favorite Christmas Carol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is <i>Hark,
the Herald Angels Sing</i>, written by Charles Wesley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I write this, there are students next door
are singing it, getting ready for our annual caroling of the campus!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I was in college the words to this
marvelous hymn became reality to me, as I understood them for the first time!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgtw41ro_iJThZFkC8jqmvypulBBWctVy1qeSuvH_3Ojmhhnwoxr7xJUrwS3m8UxT0b4YymUhzHjeeSdHeWqMjeINeEWQmmS0XgmCnIad1lvuZnCyeIr8QGhaxpOSIbHDJyudmw/s1600/013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="923" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgtw41ro_iJThZFkC8jqmvypulBBWctVy1qeSuvH_3Ojmhhnwoxr7xJUrwS3m8UxT0b4YymUhzHjeeSdHeWqMjeINeEWQmmS0XgmCnIad1lvuZnCyeIr8QGhaxpOSIbHDJyudmw/s320/013.jpg" width="241" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: whitesmoke; color: #616161; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Mild He lays His Glory by</span><span style="color: #616161; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
<span style="background: whitesmoke;">Born that man no more may die</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #616161; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="background: whitesmoke;">Born to raise the sons of earth</span><br />
<span style="background: whitesmoke;">Born to give them second birth</span><br />
<span style="background: whitesmoke;">Hark! the herald angels sing</span><br />
<span style="background: whitesmoke;">Glory to the new-born King</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I had recently received
Jesus as my Savior and my Lord as a junior at Old Dominion University.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that moment, this song that I had sung
every Christmas without understanding and without the life of Christ in me,
gave me understanding as to what had happened in my life!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The eternal Son of God willingly set aside
the glory of heaven and the glory of the presence of his Father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He came to earth!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And his purpose in coming was to raise us, to
give us a second birth!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This Christmas know that
you are loved with an everlasting love!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the proof is the life of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I want to challenge you and your families to read or reread the
Christmas story in the Gospels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can
cover this in just five chapters: </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Luke 1 & 2; Matthew 1 & 2; John 1.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Consider
well Christ this Christmas, his birth, his teachings, his example, his claims
& promises, his death and his resurrection and finally consider his LOVE
for you and all of us . . . then act!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">A
blessed Christmas to you all,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Greg
West<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569721131780976297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-60899140795425750132017-06-11T13:07:00.002+11:002017-06-11T13:07:37.932+11:00June 2017 <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 4.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> June 2017</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6efiV1VhA93SRVXWO31IeLDk2hPVoWetd7IZ83jGWOqP4Xz7apyrjbWIObmx1efDegyf66OhzsqjCAJl_6bP9H3w3BwxS5oyNSn9XiYb6Qt4VSHY4nvqfbSol1v1bOB8n512Kw/s1600/Life+in+His+Name+blueish+logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="172" data-original-width="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6efiV1VhA93SRVXWO31IeLDk2hPVoWetd7IZ83jGWOqP4Xz7apyrjbWIObmx1efDegyf66OhzsqjCAJl_6bP9H3w3BwxS5oyNSn9XiYb6Qt4VSHY4nvqfbSol1v1bOB8n512Kw/s1600/Life+in+His+Name+blueish+logo.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">We have just wrapped up
another year at Virginia Wesleyan . . . now University!</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">The changes happening at VWU are at a fast
pace!</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">We in Marlin Ministries continue
to lift up Jesus and the Kingdom of GOD to the students, staff and
faculty.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">We are seeing a deepening of
many students as they pursue Christ.</span></span></div>
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text-align:justify;line-height:normal;mso-outline-level:1;background:white'>
<b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
color:#0000CC'>“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be
prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason
for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and
respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak
maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their
slander.”<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><span
style='mso-tab-count:1'> </span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><span style='mso-font-kerning:18.0pt'>1
Peter 3:15-16 <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
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<o:p> </o:p></p>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnXAUf4liep1YmWV_D4P3r_RZO6vQ9pL_QFQGCyInlGvDkNsPHAhls9xO1vCTRkq0_hIpunOHq8ghkA9LprvfOZPWfqwK35kzRcTboSuhzR51Uolf3WAfeokavD2AgJow24li3Q/s1600/85949ebca235c8ec6c5da899840d8de2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="736" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnXAUf4liep1YmWV_D4P3r_RZO6vQ9pL_QFQGCyInlGvDkNsPHAhls9xO1vCTRkq0_hIpunOHq8ghkA9LprvfOZPWfqwK35kzRcTboSuhzR51Uolf3WAfeokavD2AgJow24li3Q/s320/85949ebca235c8ec6c5da899840d8de2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The world seems to be more
divided and more complex all the time.
Sharing the Gospel amidst competing truth claims is a regular thing on
the college campus. It is crucial for us
to be equipped to communicate our faith in word and action as well as being
able to point out the shortcomings and errors in worldviews that reject Christ. I listen to Ravi Zacharias online frequently
and know of no other person who articulates the good news of Jesus while
comparing and contrasting it to other faiths and secular worldviews. I encourage you to pull up some of his videos
on youtube or online.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last
year on the Wesleyan Revival and Scottish Reformation trip I was with a group
of our students in a pub<span style="background: white;"> in
Oxford. As we talked, one of our students,
Nic Snyder, was pondering his future with us.
Numerous times in the conversation he shared that he was reluctantly
heading to Law School, though his real passion was to study the Scriptures. When we pointed out that this could be God
calling him with that deeper desire, he seemed to have his eyes opened! This past year Nic helped me launch a new
“Life Group” reaching out to the fraternity and sorority population on
campus. Nic begins his formal studies of
the Scriptures this Fall at Duke Divinity!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ714Za-NIhOXgBJ5FXQIe4LQo5R3cey9O_7lfswgiEC0sCKO3K3V3Mk4P_E2Wyj4XCtgZ4kEKa8LCks_5SA8rhgerLYKd37v8mwfDmZK6p6IHagDmECFUfBSODw_2waEP8kEs3Q/s1600/IMG_5791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ714Za-NIhOXgBJ5FXQIe4LQo5R3cey9O_7lfswgiEC0sCKO3K3V3Mk4P_E2Wyj4XCtgZ4kEKa8LCks_5SA8rhgerLYKd37v8mwfDmZK6p6IHagDmECFUfBSODw_2waEP8kEs3Q/s320/IMG_5791.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Virginia Wesleyan Students in England -<br />Nic Snyder in the flowered shirt, also left<br />to right: Taylor McIntosh, Britt & Nic Hipple</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Board of LIHN voted to
send two $2,000 gifts to help vital ministries, one overseas and one local.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first is House of Hope in
Nicaragua which has expanded into San Pedro Sula, Honduras. This city is one of the most dangerous cities
on the planet, as gangs and chaos have largely taken over. However, the House of Hope is reaching women
and children with the good news of Jesus and helping them find healing, job
skills, safety and salvation in Christ.
They are working towards the purchase of a 3 story building where House
of Hope already meets.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span
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Students in England – Nic Snyder in the flowered shirt, also left to
right:<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Taylor McIntosh, Britt and
Nic Hipple</span><span style='font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I met April and Mike Havelin,
the founders of HoH a decade ago on a mission trip to Nicaragua. I have taken teams from the USA to work at
and learn from ministry at HoH. I have
heard some beautiful stories of redemption from the ladies and believe strongly
in this ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">If you are interested in
finding out more about the House of Hope, check out: </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.houseofhopenicaragua.com/">www.houseofhopenicaragua.com/</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We also gave NEIGHBORHOOD, a
Christian community development organization a $2,000 donation. Mike Senecal, who is on the Board of LIHN,
and his wife are a part of NEIGHBORHOOD.
Their ministry model aligns with Jesus’ parable of the yeast working
it’s way through the dough. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #0000cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.5pt;">“<span style="background: white;">He told them still another parable:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="woj">‘The kingdom of heaven
is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="woj">of flour until it
worked all through the dough.’” Mt.
13:33</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">NEIGHBORHOOD is community
development organization for families committed to making South Norfolk a
thriving place to live, work, and play. The majority of families in this
community are caught in a cycle of economic distress, institutional neglect and
relational brokenness. The mission is to cultivate a vibrant community by
connecting families with the skills, services, and neighbors they need to make
a living and a life; unleashing families as “makers” of a thriving
neighborhood. NEIGHBORHOOD has the goal
of providing a 2 year program for 7 families at time that addresses the
following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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- </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Goal:
Provide clean, safe, affordable housing for families to begin building wealth
and planting meaningful roots in South Norfolk.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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- </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Goal:
Provide ground level assistance to overcome barriers to employment and housing
and credit.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
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- </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Goal:
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sustained income and opportunities for career growth.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: 117.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -.25in;">
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- </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Goal: Provide capital through
non-predatory, simple loans for families to buy homes or start businesses.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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Norfolk to flourish as full humans, created in the image of God.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
color:#0000CC;mso-bidi-font-style:italic'>Life in His Name, Inc.<span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>P.O. Box
66353<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>Virginia Beach, VA 23466-6353<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<span style='font-family:
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<o:p> </o:p></p>
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</v:roundrect><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> Life in His Name, Inc.: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Partnering with the church
to equip God’s people to share their faith and make disciples of Jesus
especially through small group ministry; And connecting the church in the
States with the church in Latin America.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<p class=MsoCaption style='text-align:justify'>
<span style='font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:9.0pt'>Emily Testroet received the Servant Leader Award at
VWC for her Christ-like service to others.<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
</span>This included a check from LIHN for $200!</span><span
style='font-size:16.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I did not travel
to Nicaragua this year as I felt a leading from God and yes, from my wife to
take a year off. I later realized that I
had gone 6 years in a row with Virginia Wesleyan and so the 7<sup>th</sup>
became a year of rest! I have been in
touch with other friends in Nicaragua and they are already making plans for
next year.</span><span style="background: black; border: 1pt none black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 0pt; line-height: 107%; padding: 0in;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRocfecGHmlfd5EzIGFvMmkmobrfSUk8ueNh2VrigIbrl-CSCCDYR8UsB9AD5F0DLP11e1mDcPsKBvPJSC8iTTpJcW8_xB3L0fm4Rsq-Z728z5aA4BqgqMImiyP3wHgWcyTzTJIQ/s1600/Emily+T.+2017+MM+Servant+Leader+Award.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1550" data-original-width="1600" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRocfecGHmlfd5EzIGFvMmkmobrfSUk8ueNh2VrigIbrl-CSCCDYR8UsB9AD5F0DLP11e1mDcPsKBvPJSC8iTTpJcW8_xB3L0fm4Rsq-Z728z5aA4BqgqMImiyP3wHgWcyTzTJIQ/s320/Emily+T.+2017+MM+Servant+Leader+Award.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emily Testroet received the Servant Leader Award at<br />VWC for her Christ-like service to others. This included<br />a check from LIHN for $200!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Bob Boyd Sr.,
gave Marlin Ministries a financial gift so that I could hire an intern. Emily Testroet is a rising junior from
Richmond, VA who has a great love for Christ and an eagerness to lead others
into saving faith! It is a blessing to
have her help as we organize for awakening and a faithful following of Jesus!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have I
continue to teach and preach at local churches on “The Method of Jesus”
focusing on evangelism and discipleship through small groups. I’ll be preaching a number of times over the
summer at Virginia Beach Christian Church as they are in between pastors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thank you for your
continued support and prayers for me and this ministry. Our Lord tells us to store up treasures in
heaven by giving to ministry and we do not take that lightly!</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i><br /></i></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 107%;"><i><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Greg West</span></i></span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569721131780976297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-69799819342221643532016-07-23T07:23:00.001+11:002016-07-23T07:30:18.936+11:00Summer 2016<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7NfSJ-j44P9_aXp4Uc90Zwoz84xALbjoeLOU7goL3x5qjswDycaIHoecVFHBTv72m0p51PLQbS-gbURr9T5kQ2Ut3qwqVG0KFNaL2vAokdonGpPrVjSO_7sJJEOXih9KJqkoJIg/s1600/Life+in+His+Name+blueish+logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7NfSJ-j44P9_aXp4Uc90Zwoz84xALbjoeLOU7goL3x5qjswDycaIHoecVFHBTv72m0p51PLQbS-gbURr9T5kQ2Ut3qwqVG0KFNaL2vAokdonGpPrVjSO_7sJJEOXih9KJqkoJIg/s200/Life+in+His+Name+blueish+logo.JPG" width="200" /></a><span class="woj"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“My
food,”</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><span class="text"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">said
Jesus,</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"></span></span></i></span><span class="woj"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“is
to do the will</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><span class="woj"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">of
him who sent me and to finish his work.</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"></span><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="text-align: start;"> </span></i><span class="woj"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span id="en-NIV-26192" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;">Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until
harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.</span></span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"></span><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="text-align: start;"> </span></i></span><span class="woj"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><b><i><sup style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span id="en-NIV-26193" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;"> </span></span></sup></i></b></span><span class="woj"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Even
now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><span class="woj"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">a
crop for eternal life,</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><span class="woj"><i><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">so
that the sower and the reaper may be glad together</span></i></span><span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.</span></span> </span><span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Jesus from John 4:34-36</span></span><i><span style="color: #2e75b6; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #2E75B6; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: lumm=75000; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: accent1; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">To participate in the sowing and the reaping of a harvest for eternal
life is incredible! Incredibly
challenging, demanding, rewarding and good.
I am grateful that God has put me in such a place where I can share
Christ with those who do not yet know His love, power and purposes for their
lives as well as equipping disciples so they too can be in this ministry!</span><br />
<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wPOGuHH2CXYcS2CkJfc64uq9Tnq7SM4yUeQHIdwU0mX12bFYJ0rHdl8DwK3S-6fvqvNnIv8AWhNr-FVFSo-gobAamehNfsRx6C0SUfjjs3FaNL0cOElVtbWHP0K9zs-5hyphenhyphenUgCQ/s1600/IMG_5157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_wPOGuHH2CXYcS2CkJfc64uq9Tnq7SM4yUeQHIdwU0mX12bFYJ0rHdl8DwK3S-6fvqvNnIv8AWhNr-FVFSo-gobAamehNfsRx6C0SUfjjs3FaNL0cOElVtbWHP0K9zs-5hyphenhyphenUgCQ/s400/IMG_5157.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the hike . . . marvelous, but exhausting!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK846lDvHK2Ywj_AwOwL7BcCJjEe5bbCLiQ7LXzhzS-s7Qj4HpaZO2O9WUHKpKpUDyOzr1HTTXY9yZgKYdDlXMET2PKNertyD0_mu8chhOWVqo7ChcXweJKd-vHAfEQxf6PNFIKQ/s1600/IMG_5237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK846lDvHK2Ywj_AwOwL7BcCJjEe5bbCLiQ7LXzhzS-s7Qj4HpaZO2O9WUHKpKpUDyOzr1HTTXY9yZgKYdDlXMET2PKNertyD0_mu8chhOWVqo7ChcXweJKd-vHAfEQxf6PNFIKQ/s320/IMG_5237.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Precious children, made in God's image</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">In March, I took 11 students from Virginia Wesleyan College (VWC) and a staff
person to Nicaragua. This was my sixth
trip with VWC! As always the cross
cultural service has a transforming effect!
Our dear Nicaraguan friends Gioconda and Wilfredo took us to the
Jinotega District to San Jose de Bocay in the interior. We partnered with a number of churches in
building a sidewalk at a main ‘feeding center’.
This is a place where food is served to children in need as well as a
location for other feeding centers to come and pick up their supplies for
distribution. I preached at three churches
during evening services, the students shared testimonies and we sang a couple
songs in Spanish together. One afternoon
while we were working on the long sidewalk with concrete and large stones, the
Pastor asked if I would like to preach on the radio. This central ministry had a new radio tower
and had been broadcasting only for 1 month.
I agreed and the Pastor said, “Ok, five minutes.” I questioned, “You want me to preach for five
minutes?” He replied, “No, you will
preach for forty minutes. You start
preaching in five minutes!” So with some
quick prayer, laughter and confidence in our great LORD and Savior, I ventured
in! I do love the spontaneity and the
unpolished ways in which the church in Latin America operates. </span></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">It was the first time out of the United States for many of the students
and the small group times of Bible study, worship, prayer and sharing were deep
and moving. One of the students recommitted
their life to Christ shortly after returning and is eager to be a part of a new
ministry to athletes at VWC that I’m working on! Your financial gifts to ‘Life in His Name’
help to make this trip successful, thank you!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">It was a tremendous year for ‘Marlin Ministries’, as God turned dozens
of hearts around on our campus! ‘Marlin
Ministries’ is the banner name over all of the individual ministries at
VWC. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUM8Ryt-skG8vE_vjrWbEvOrDbW_IbVTMTbvF6C5ODXrMj5AT3pdtvwDpY9SuqE16-8Wx3vr7h42YrGUZnmzfm3ITVpuGXt1npL1ljMQmV7mpNEhnTKpWgyliOtYZN-LyXw4kQQ/s1600/IMG_4976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUM8Ryt-skG8vE_vjrWbEvOrDbW_IbVTMTbvF6C5ODXrMj5AT3pdtvwDpY9SuqE16-8Wx3vr7h42YrGUZnmzfm3ITVpuGXt1npL1ljMQmV7mpNEhnTKpWgyliOtYZN-LyXw4kQQ/s320/IMG_4976.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Student Leaders at our Home in Virginia Beach</td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
Here are some happenings from this
year:<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Ø<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Our overall participation was at an all-time high with
twenty different ‘Marlin Ministry’ gatherings each week! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Ø<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">The students started a second weekly worship time on
Monday nights that grew into times of profound ministry in prayer, evangelism
and deliverance!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Ø<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">We had a dozen students recommit their lives to Christ
or receive Christ as Lord and Savior! We
celebrated this one evening knowing that the angels in heaven were rejoicing
with us! These conversions are deep and
the students are actively growing in faith!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "wingdings"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Ø<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Two student interns served with me as a part of a new
course entitled, “Servant Leadership” co-taught by Dr. Craig Wansink and me. Both of these students, Luke Wentling and
Ryan Fitzgibbon sense God’s call to serve in the future as Pastors in the United
Methodist Church.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUaEhqStXpCZYgH5hm1ZBJUOlTfjc3EQAnGlYVGISTZwNBQm8PGAfE0oWm-EYsWvm1y49bSCCB62wi-lsCX8HuMFp5ZcVhn50MZCLjJVYimhyphenhyphenqu4-2vDxTpxcPp-8erq05gXTcA/s1600/Worship+Team+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUaEhqStXpCZYgH5hm1ZBJUOlTfjc3EQAnGlYVGISTZwNBQm8PGAfE0oWm-EYsWvm1y49bSCCB62wi-lsCX8HuMFp5ZcVhn50MZCLjJVYimhyphenhyphenqu4-2vDxTpxcPp-8erq05gXTcA/s320/Worship+Team+2016.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">George Scott, top right & worship team</td></tr>
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<i
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mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor:accent1;mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha:
100.0%;mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms:lumm=50000'>Our worship team
led by George Scott, top right<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
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<i style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'><o:p> </o:p></i></p>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">We have many students who have a real passion for
Christ and his Gospel. Our Sunday
afternoon worship has a vibrancy and joy present that are having a great
effect. It is certainly the Presence of
the Holy Spirit among us! For years I
had dreamed of having student testimonies at each worship service. This year it happened! The students were glad to share how God was
at work and the redemption that they were experiencing! One of my favorite testimony quotes from a
freshman is this: “I’ve been playing this Christianity game my whole life, but
now for the first time I’m on fire for the Lord!” This is from a student who experienced God’s
deliverance from some dark things going on in his life a few days before! We heard from a number of students who are
finding healing from past abuse and emotional trauma. Our God heals and it is often through a
community of disciples who love with Jesus’ love that it happens. We are very excited about how God will work
among us this fall. We’ll have about 400
freshmen joining us at VWC. Please pray
for them and pray for us that we would be ready for the harvest and found faith
in reaching out with love and truth. It
is powerful to see God using ‘Marlin Ministries’ to form us all as more
faithful disciples of Jesus. Please know
my profound gratitude for your generosity and support! You can track <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/marlinministries/">Marlin Ministries on Facebook</a>. Just ask to join.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipW57eXRiq-tHwjg4rBNaddDv6ZzPJ4EI1oa_0iZBqIZ1Mj2U_d4DKfc8rfwvsZ1HR28NjOSPkP5fMkGf0rjTaX_aUm-LkcPFEDpIRSrcD4c2n4Z9WivKVGwW8zkfo9Dkx4zHQOg/s1600/IMG_5939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipW57eXRiq-tHwjg4rBNaddDv6ZzPJ4EI1oa_0iZBqIZ1Mj2U_d4DKfc8rfwvsZ1HR28NjOSPkP5fMkGf0rjTaX_aUm-LkcPFEDpIRSrcD4c2n4Z9WivKVGwW8zkfo9Dkx4zHQOg/s200/IMG_5939.JPG" width="160" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">We are
working towards having a part-time ministry intern working with me this
fall. This would be a graduate of VWC,
who has a passion for campus ministry. I’m
currently working with two May graduates, Forrest Teague and Gabe Higgins, who
are exploring licensing and ordination in the United Methodist Church. They are both currently serving in part-time
ministry settings nearby. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBrH4A_ye3oHfEPIXnajDYxdVVoaVkbgDSmTzLRVpS7hThc9dNFhiBe9ENX3o8LtKfXavUGpJcKpqT3p3ozEEPwgI7JwRHO8kd9VTQ07_8ZgAA36saep4g7VmOiPCnRA0_Hs1Ow/s1600/IMG_5686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBrH4A_ye3oHfEPIXnajDYxdVVoaVkbgDSmTzLRVpS7hThc9dNFhiBe9ENX3o8LtKfXavUGpJcKpqT3p3ozEEPwgI7JwRHO8kd9VTQ07_8ZgAA36saep4g7VmOiPCnRA0_Hs1Ow/s320/IMG_5686.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom and Dad at Oxford University, Magdalen College</td></tr>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">In May I traveled to England and Scotland on a ‘Wesleyan Revival and
Scottish Reformation’ trip with VWC. We had 17 students, Dr. Terry Lindvall, Dr.
Craig Wansink (both Religious Studies Professors at VWC) and other guests,
including my parents! It was a
tremendous time of fellowship, learning and spiritual growth! We helped the students to understand the
theology, methods and power of the early Methodist movement, before it became a
church. The Wesley brothers, George
Whitfield and other leaders were determined to take up their cross and follow
Christ “spreading Scriptural holiness across the land.” It started as a renewal movement on a college
campus (Oxford U.) requiring weekly small group accountability, “How is it with
your soul?” Their field preaching with bold
appeals to turn from sin to Christ and life combined with the small group
shepherding and discipleship with active service to the poor, prisoners, needy
and sick created a mighty movement.</span> I say . . . “Do it again, LORD! And use me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In front of Wesley's Chapel, London England</td></tr>
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<div>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:normal'>
<b
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'><span style='mso-bidi-font-style:italic'>Life
in His Name <span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>P.O.
Box 66353<span style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>Virginia Beach, VA 23466-6353<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:normal'>
<span style='font-family:
"Sylfaen",serif;mso-bidi-font-style:italic'><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class=Pullquote>
<o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
<![if !mso]></td>
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<![endif]></v:textbox>
<w:wrap type="tight" anchorx="margin" anchory="margin"/>
</v:roundrect><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="color: blue;">May the
Risen Christ make Himself known more and more in each of your lives </span><span style="color: blue;">so that you
become like Him, a servant of all, the light of the world and a seeker of the
lost!</span></div>
<div class="MsoIntenseQuote" style="border: none; margin: 0.25in 0in; padding: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Greg West</span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="woj"><span style="background: white; color: #2e75b6; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">
</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569721131780976297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-6402983194499343182016-03-08T15:08:00.003+11:002016-03-08T15:11:59.057+11:00My Calling and Conversion<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It was 1990 and I was seeking
God. I knew there had to be more to life
than the empty pursuit of drinking as many beers as I could in a night. There had been a change in my Mom – not
priority shifts, but a deep inner peace shining through. I believed it was God. Deep down, I wanted to follow Jesus, not 90% but all the
way. So at an Inner Varsity gathering at
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Old</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Dominion</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>,
the speaker told us if we wanted to follow Christ we had to share our faith and
the reality of Jesus with others. Too
much for me. See, my self-esteem was so
tied up in what my <st1:personname w:st="on">friends</st1:personname> thought
of me that evangelism was terrifying. I
left early, tears in my eyes, convicted.
I called out from deep within, “God I want to follow, but I can’t do that,
but if you can change me, please do.” I
think God likes that kind of prayer. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A week later a friend asked me
about my faith, so we talked for hours that evening about Jesus and the
Scriptures. I was amazed that God
answered my prayer – I was able to share and I even enjoyed it! I went to my room knelt and thanked God from
my heart. Then it was as if somebody
entered into the room, yet the door was closed.
I felt wrapped in the Presence of Love.
Awe, delight, wonder and love. I
don’t know if my eyes were open or closed, but I saw myself speaking at my home
church in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Vienna</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Virginia</st1:state></st1:place> and a message came to me about:
‘The supreme importance of seeking God.’
I scribbled down the thoughts as they came. I knew that the wisdom which I wrote down was
beyond me. I was an infant in the things
of God. I lost track of time, but
remember crawling into bed exhausted yet filled with joy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I shared the experience with my
pastor, Al Honaker. He smiled while
telling me that a group from Virginia Wesleyan, including my brother, were
going to lead worship at Epiphany UMC, but they didn’t have a speaker. Al said, “That’s where you fit in.” I preached over that Christmas and the same peace
that I had seen in my Mom was now in me.
Jesus seeking me, hearing my cry, filling me with his love and sending
me to tell others; I’ve never been the same.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqlwlam0ANmpcvTV2jgQjKLsHz5KWJNk-HqcLvIl9teDQ7uHcn4ktbrMutRS1RnZk6jz-_cmNuhiqAetbnv2xJvL5co7Vw0NtZMk2HtOhF9aw6nb9Dc9VX8r4vOFcjzH24i06uw/s1600/Greg+and+Eileen+Dating1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqlwlam0ANmpcvTV2jgQjKLsHz5KWJNk-HqcLvIl9teDQ7uHcn4ktbrMutRS1RnZk6jz-_cmNuhiqAetbnv2xJvL5co7Vw0NtZMk2HtOhF9aw6nb9Dc9VX8r4vOFcjzH24i06uw/s320/Greg+and+Eileen+Dating1.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Greg & Eileen dating around 1990<br />
<br />
<b>A Short Biography</b><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Greg was given grace to believe in
and receive Jesus the Christ while he was a student at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Old</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Dominion</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place> in 1990. After graduation from ODU in 1992, he
completed a <st1:placename w:st="on">Discipleship</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Training School</st1:placetype> in <st1:city w:st="on">Richmond</st1:city>,
<st1:state w:st="on">VA</st1:state> and the <st1:place w:st="on">Dominican Republic</st1:place> with Youth with
a Mission (YWAM) an international missions organization. Greg & Eileen
married shortly afterwards and thought God was calling them to be
missionaries. During a summer away from Asbury
Theological Seminary (ATS) they served as missionaries in the Yucatan
Peninsula, Mexico. However, God guided
in a different way and after graduation from ATS, Greg served as pastor <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Stokesland</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Church</st1:placetype></st1:place> on the Danville District for
three years. After that Greg was
appointed to start a new church in <st1:place w:st="on">Suffolk</st1:place>. He served <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Grace</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Harbor</st1:placename></st1:place>
for eight years, finishing last June.
During the eleven years of pastoral ministry Greg & Eileen hosted
small groups in their homes, believing that Jesus’ model of small group
ministry was the most effective way to make disciples. In the Fall of 2010, Greg became an Evangelist
within the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. The role is becoming that of
‘Missionary-Evangelist’ as he works frequently with the Church in Latin
America. In June of 2010, he was appointed
as Chaplain to Virginia Wesleyan College, where he served two years in a part
time role, but went full time in July of 2012. God is doing wonderful things among the college students at VWC! We are seeing the beginnings of an awakening! Greg and Eileen have been married for 22 years. They are blessed with three children Josiah
16, Evie 13 and Luke 13. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569721131780976297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-64199068014238716402015-03-23T17:14:00.006+11:302015-03-23T17:15:42.195+11:30<div align="center" class="Masthead" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Harlow Solid Italic';"><b><i style="font-size: xx-large;">“There and Back Again” </i><span style="font-size: large;">August 2014</span></b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<h2 align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">To England: London, Bristol and
Oxford</span><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHKLc-F1WnsXXf-Zq8-i5oajmMAsAUr8GdkN-SzjEuQSB0W3kUwWM2XM84II-ZNgu-Tx6kuIFlL1WxZTSycx7jYYVQoqKprPfErfRS1axVQMZ3HggQzGSu_GOXew4PNyjg0nfnA/s1600/Gabe+and+Greg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfHKLc-F1WnsXXf-Zq8-i5oajmMAsAUr8GdkN-SzjEuQSB0W3kUwWM2XM84II-ZNgu-Tx6kuIFlL1WxZTSycx7jYYVQoqKprPfErfRS1axVQMZ3HggQzGSu_GOXew4PNyjg0nfnA/s1600/Gabe+and+Greg.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Dr. Terry
Lindvall invited me to England with the Virginia Wesleyan travel course on C.S.
Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. How could I
say “No”? In addition, he requested that
I research a future travel course on the Methodist Revival while on the
trip! At the time he and I were
co-teaching the Spring course on </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Methodism at the College. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%;">My
wife, Eileen questioned: “Why do you get to go to England when I’m the <i>Downton Abbey</i> fan?” Little did she know I already had plans. It was our 20<sup>th </sup></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;">anniversary and so I bought her a ticket after the grandparents agreed to
care for our children!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;">Eileen and I had
6 days in London and Oxford together, then she flew out on the day the students
arrived.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;">Eileen and I visited John
Wesley’s home and Chapel in London as well as having high tea at Kensington
Palace!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 112%;">I
drove to Bristol to see ‘the New Room’ when Eileen flew out. This was the headquarters for John and
Charles Wesley for their Christ centered renewal </span><span style="line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;">movement.</span><span style="line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;">I spent the day with David
Worthington, the Director, touring the site and talking about how God used this
movement in the 1700s to bring tens of thousands to saving faith in Christ!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<span lang="EN" style="line-height: 112%;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;">You can check out the New Room online at: </span><u style="line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #000099; line-height: 112%;">www.newroombristol.org.uk</span></u> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="line-height: 112%;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 112%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is no mere history lesson: an understanding of how God worked, how the
people responded and the Biblical principles applied can help us in awakening
the church today and leading the lost to new life in Jesus!</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Nicaragua ~ Trip #
4 with the College<o:p></o:p></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had another tremendous mission trip to
Nicaragua this Spring, with a vibrant team of 14.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1alXwhKREHHJTJccUxL8eZRbLAuwiaRhCSCLFlGMOtTf0AyJ6gkGsFXEPqRncgvJPXv2_Pl31lrQlksX18Fde9ZCNSc9zHOgKI40UgHOzqh-sGHYLI_ZarZ65YbZMexx0MaluQ/s1600/HoH+painting+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1alXwhKREHHJTJccUxL8eZRbLAuwiaRhCSCLFlGMOtTf0AyJ6gkGsFXEPqRncgvJPXv2_Pl31lrQlksX18Fde9ZCNSc9zHOgKI40UgHOzqh-sGHYLI_ZarZ65YbZMexx0MaluQ/s1600/HoH+painting+2014.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></span></a><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 112%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Again our time at the House of Hope was a great blessing. It is painful to hear the stories of the
women and children’s lives who have been damaged by prostitution, abuse and
neglect. However, it is always a story
of redemption at the House of Hope. “The
light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5),
is still true today!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 112%;">On the left are Samantha, Mindy, Taylor and Gabriella working hard. Gabriella is the daughter of Gioconda and
Wilfredo, dear friends <o:p></o:p></span><span style="line-height: 112%;">of our who always serve with us while we
visit their country.</span><span style="line-height: 112%;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="line-height: 112%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We spent 2 days serving with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) outside of Managua. They taught us about sacrificial living –
laying down our lives for the Gospel.
The YWAM base is in the moutains in the town of Diriamba. They have a vision to launch another base on
the east coast of Nicaragua where centuries ago the Moravian missionaries from
Europe came to share Christ with the those who had been enslaved by the
Spanish. The goal is to help the church
recover the passion for the Great Commission that the Moravian Church had in
the 18<sup>th</sup> century. LORD, let
it be! </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Thank you! What
your giving makes possible . . .<o:p></o:p></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhaVZ-zaWR2DvE-D8PDwK6iApRRrMaCgk1ZQrS80Ok-KEMLo8gaMsDWXLt98kD3R0jy5WvR_ENC_p9qwh53ZNbBW9aN7N6JVu2oRsHGhc-YuXFbe7NOcaDh0sTLl183f5EA1uofA/s1600/Wayne+and+others.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhaVZ-zaWR2DvE-D8PDwK6iApRRrMaCgk1ZQrS80Ok-KEMLo8gaMsDWXLt98kD3R0jy5WvR_ENC_p9qwh53ZNbBW9aN7N6JVu2oRsHGhc-YuXFbe7NOcaDh0sTLl183f5EA1uofA/s1600/Wayne+and+others.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 112%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wayne
Credle Jr. on the far left received a
scholarship last this year for his 2<sup>nd</sup> year at Duke Divinity
School. The Board of Life in His Name
decided to support students who have a heart for evangelism and building the
Kingdom of God. Also in the picture are
two other Virginia Wesleyan College graduates, Brandon Nichols who is also at
Duke Divinity and Devon Blair who is pursuing Chaplaincy in the military.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 112%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The
LIHN Board is meeting at the beginning of September and will consider a second
scholarship candidate who is a part of Rev. Brian Sixby’s congregation, First
Fox Hill in Hampton, VA. The student is
currently attending Asbury Theological Seminary and has a desire to serve as an
Evangelist.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LcrsxlYuGqV-nCbsFw8lBKnxe-7NesK1GsclY-Tsur2LO2PIdGZmDd0TEBjRcm2vnQfRsFa6zXR81TTG-jXUsdXyCyKwn6cgZcz6SfZchua-A7b3SGJ2UmDbohBNVoTGFw-BeA/s1600/Lillian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9LcrsxlYuGqV-nCbsFw8lBKnxe-7NesK1GsclY-Tsur2LO2PIdGZmDd0TEBjRcm2vnQfRsFa6zXR81TTG-jXUsdXyCyKwn6cgZcz6SfZchua-A7b3SGJ2UmDbohBNVoTGFw-BeA/s1600/Lillian.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 112%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In
2013 our YWAM partners introduced us to Lillian and her family who were living
in a shack that barely gave them shelter.
Life in His Name and the team from Virginia Wesleyan made it possible
for Lillian and her family to have a new home.
The picture above is from this year in front of the new home. Actually 2 homes were built because of the
partnership between LIHN, VWC and YWAM.
The cost of each home is a mere $3,000.
They are simple, but sturdy, dry and a vast improvement from what they
were living in! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 112%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lillian
cried when she saw us this year. She
shared the story of the new home being built with so much gratitude. She and her family are involved in ministry in
Diriamba with YWAM. Tears of joy. Thank you!</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHot4ONJ6YtX4VOoTU2GU0mkFGldooTj7WyKgJUWiGYP_sp-SLtVM8wBsEmjTYQ6MO6z6MB5aihy0QF23v3yw_LWreTbisQkuMmnxfPaYvTwgexvGbm-W65Z2sldTBJclIGJO9g/s1600/Dejha+and+Terry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHot4ONJ6YtX4VOoTU2GU0mkFGldooTj7WyKgJUWiGYP_sp-SLtVM8wBsEmjTYQ6MO6z6MB5aihy0QF23v3yw_LWreTbisQkuMmnxfPaYvTwgexvGbm-W65Z2sldTBJclIGJO9g/s1600/Dejha+and+Terry.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><span style="line-height: 112%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dr.
Terry Lindvall and Dejha Crudup on the path where C. S. Lewis came to faith in Jesus. Dejha was the recipient of the Marlin
Ministries Servant Leader Award this year.
Life in His Name gives $100 each year to a student whose life models the
life of our LORD.</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 112%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A
walking tour of Oxford with the students and Terry. Tolkien and the others that befriended Lewis
and gently led him to Christ is a great model of evangelism for us all.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<b style="line-height: 112%; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’ve Moved! </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;">The
West family has moved to the King’s Forrest neighborhood of Virginia Beach this
summer.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;">I’ve wanted Eileen and the
children to be involved in the ministry to College Students at VWC.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;">This enables us to have a much closer
reach.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;">The
new students arrive next week!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;">We
welcome your prayers as we make disciples of Jesus this fall.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 112%; text-align: justify;"> </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 112%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgt7OipsIXIrEIl6m25DKNAopHSNaPiIZS_j8XxVkxvlyFsNtXVbhooX7tplk-sqrd-8HsNcKQRzyoHQoCy40QP9ZTmcmaUd4iouEhHYtn24VUljOMjrLI56qjAuRDWP9Bg0wLA/s1600/Oxford+students.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLgt7OipsIXIrEIl6m25DKNAopHSNaPiIZS_j8XxVkxvlyFsNtXVbhooX7tplk-sqrd-8HsNcKQRzyoHQoCy40QP9ZTmcmaUd4iouEhHYtn24VUljOMjrLI56qjAuRDWP9Bg0wLA/s1600/Oxford+students.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="text"><b><span style="color: blue;">“Whoever does not love does not know
God, because God is love.</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b></span><span class="text"><b><span style="color: blue;">This is how God showed his
love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live
through him. </span></b></span><span class="text"><b><sup><span style="color: blue;"> </span></sup></b></span><span class="text"><b><span style="color: blue;">This is love: not that we
loved God, but that he loved us</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: blue;"> </span></b></span><span class="text"><b><span style="color: blue;">and sent his Son as an
atoning sacrifice for our sins.”</span></b></span><span class="text"><b> </b></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 7.5pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="passage-display-bcv"><b>1 John 4:8-10</b></span></span><b><span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow', sans-serif; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569721131780976297noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-30506482790168852792013-12-24T06:43:00.002+11:302013-12-24T06:43:51.643+11:30Scholarship and Partnership in the Gospel ~ December 2013<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="en-US" style="line-height: 113%;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b> “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the LORD.” Luke 2:11 </b></span></span></h2>
<div>
<span lang="en-US" style="line-height: 113%;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b>May the LORD show Himself powerfully in your lives this Christmas season and into the New Year. </b></span></span></div>
<div>
<span lang="en-US" style="line-height: 113%;"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b>In the love of our Savior and LORD,</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<span lang="en-US" style="line-height: 113%;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><b><i> Greg West</i></b></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Our longing is for the Kingdom of GOD to come here on earth as it is in heaven!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">O that the values of heaven would be embraced by people on our planet.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">This is GOD’s plan, this is what we work towards and pray for, just as Jesus taught us.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">With this in mind the Board of LIHN recently voted to provide a $3,000 scholarship for someone who embodies this vision.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Wayne Credle Jr. is a second year student at Duke Divinity School.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Before Duke, he was a student at Virginia Wesleyan</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">College (VWC).</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Wayne started a ministry in 2009 called Under Construction for Christ (UCC)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">that expanded to VWC in 2010.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBDNGcrRMW03zNIY7JX3_YQwRaUPI2wh5y2e1H-d8pj2oyO6FcoeLE2N31TZcw0Y6OR_0uCyxKpx2TN7ZrLQnH23J4O6p5WNhifQgAL2QrQ6vs0G8NI3m2_XEd1Fsi56kEOA-nQ/s1600/Wayne+Credle+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBDNGcrRMW03zNIY7JX3_YQwRaUPI2wh5y2e1H-d8pj2oyO6FcoeLE2N31TZcw0Y6OR_0uCyxKpx2TN7ZrLQnH23J4O6p5WNhifQgAL2QrQ6vs0G8NI3m2_XEd1Fsi56kEOA-nQ/s200/Wayne+Credle+2012.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wayne in the Marlin<br />Ministries Lounge at VWC</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-US">When Wayne was a Senior, we talked about handing off this ministry to other student leaders. Not only did Wayne successfully do that, he also continues to shepherd the leaders from Durham. When he is back in Hampton Roads, he meets with them to listen, encourage and disciple them. It is a beautiful model of Biblical discipleship happening on the VWC campus! </span>Wayne’s call to ministry was revealed to him in 2004 at his mother’s funeral and through the grieving process, Wayne joined his father in raising his four nephews and niece in that same year. <span lang="en-US">His short term goal is to become a federal prison chaplain and his long term goals are to become a local pastor and to create a fellowship that serves to mentor and encourage other pastors and ministry leaders. Wayne was a part of the 2011 Mission trip to Nicaragua with me and this past summer </span><span lang="en-US">he served as an interim pastor for 5 Methodist Churches in the Bahamas! Somebody has to do it! Thanks Wayne!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPw-YlAKTZGXRGcq3yg5KwKlYMJr42KMITQPh9ZRfudhATZi7jjleobLXSHQyPvB020Q_oNz4VuLITs5vH0lQjNVr_IW_wBCByxiLVPX2OwPYjAKypfzrm3s0AjptCApHyeX-Lzw/s1600/Wayne+and+UCC+2012-brighterpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPw-YlAKTZGXRGcq3yg5KwKlYMJr42KMITQPh9ZRfudhATZi7jjleobLXSHQyPvB020Q_oNz4VuLITs5vH0lQjNVr_IW_wBCByxiLVPX2OwPYjAKypfzrm3s0AjptCApHyeX-Lzw/s400/Wayne+and+UCC+2012-brighterpic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Agency FB'; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wayne, 2nd from the left, and the Under Construction for Christ ministry at VWC</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; text-align: center;">“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”</span><span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="font-family: Verdana; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Philippians 1:4-6</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: #003366;"><b>Pete Kovalcik’s Departure from the Board </b> </span><span lang="en-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pete loves both to play all types of<br />guitars and to build them!</td></tr>
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<span lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pete has been with us from the very beginning, helping us get established as a 501-c3. Pete served as the President of LIHN for 3 years. We are super thankful for his leadership and service. He is leading two YMCA branches and simply has too full a plate! Laura Houck, who has been serving as the Vice President is now in the role of President. Laura teaches at a new Seminary in Hampton Roads. Brian Sixby is the Pastor of First Fox Hill UMC in Hampton and serves as our secretary. Mike Senecal serves as our Treasurer; he is on staff at Redeemer Church in Chesapeake as the Pastoral Administrator. In Pete’s letter to the Board he shared the following:</span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US" style="background-color: #9fc5e8;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">“It has been a pleasure and a </span></span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">blessing to work with each of you as we provided guidance and support to Greg and LIHN from the very beginning. I’m going to miss our meetings as they were always a wonderful time for sharing, reflection and prayer.” </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">We will also miss Pete’s presence and leadership, but know that GOD has different</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">seasons of ministry for each of us.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><b>New Home Built in Nicaragua ~ thank you for your support!</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-US">We received word from Youth with a Mission in Diriamba, Nicaragua that the new house has been built for Lillian and her family! Migdalia, the YWAM base director shared that after everything was moved into her home, it started to rain. This brought tears of joy and gratitude to Lillian as she said, “None of my belonging will get wet in our new house.” One more house is being built with funds from those who support </span><span lang="en-US" style="font-style: italic;">Life in His Name</span><span lang="en-US">. Thank you! Just $3,000 for a new home. Pictures to come as we will visit this Spring!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 113%; text-align: center;"> <b> Greg Co-Teaching Course on Methodism with Dr. Terry Lindvall</b></span><span style="color: #073763; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 113%; text-align: center;"><b> </b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 113%;">“It’s way more exciting than it sounds!” This is my opening line in trying to convince students to sign up for the class and then I share: “Methodism is the only denomination that started on a College Campus as a renewal movement requiring weekly small group participation!” <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">I came across this from the Methodist<br />archives. The Methodist Colleges were<br />seen as the 'chief source' of raising up<br />new proclaimers of Jesus & the Kingdom!</span></td></tr>
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<span lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the class, we will certainly focus on the marvelous understanding of God’s grace revealed in Jesus and poured out upon us by the Holy Spirit. Grace that pursues us before we’re even aware of the good news of Jesus. We will look at the goal of this movement: Holiness of Heart and Life. We will look at Wesley’s genius in organizing the movement so that the masses were awakened in the field preaching, experienced the new birth in the class meetings and became disciples as they lived out the teachings of Jesus together! This is no mere academic exercise. We will be seeking ways to reapply today the principles that made this movement so vital and widespread. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We will also spend some time looking at some very interesting passages from John Wesley’s journals about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, miraculous healings and instances of deliverance from evil spirits. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The class will not be boring!</span><span style="font-family: Agency FB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US" style="color: #003366;">L.I.F.E. Groups at VWC—</span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #003366; font-style: italic;">Living in Faith Everyday</span></span><span lang="en-US" style="color: #003366; font-family: "Agency FB"; language: en-US; mso-ansi-language: en-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="en-US"> <o:p></o:p></span><span style="text-align: justify;">I lead 4 LIFE Groups each semester as I believe this small group method is so effective in leading people to Christ and making faithful disciples.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">In one of the groups a side conversation started with some two Biology majors.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">They were interested in understanding the convergence of science and the Bible especially on the topics of creation and evolution.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">Pastor Bill Powell passed me a DVD: “Unlocking the Mystery of Life: The Scientific Case for Intelligent Design.”</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">It is a marvelous video that the average person can understand.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: justify;">It’s conclusion is in the title and I will simply say this is a phenomenal resource.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="text-align: justify;">I took 3 pages of notes while watching and learning about bacterial flagellum and irreducible complexity.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The scientists in the video say science points to a Great Designer of all things.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">One of the Biology students shared with the LIFE Group about another student mocking the world view of</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Creation, she engaged the student in dialogue and stumped him with reasoned arguments for Intelligent Design!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I thank GOD for my own learning and growth and the equipping that is happening on campus.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">A fantastic online resource that I use with students is: ww.veritas.org—whose purpose is “to engage students and faculty in discussions about life’s hardest questions and the modern relevance of Jesus Christ.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;"><b>The Redistribution of Wealth? A Different View . . . </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px;">This topic has been in the news a lot lately. I thought it was both relevant and stunning to consider how John Wesley used and distributed money.</span></span></div>
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While at Oxford, an incident changed his perspective on money. He had just finished paying for some pictures for his room when one of the chambermaids came to his door. It was a cold winter day, and he noticed that she had nothing to protect her except a thin linen gown. He reached into his pocket to give her some money to buy a coat but found he had too little left. Immediately the thought struck him that the Lord was not pleased with the way he had spent his money. He asked himself, Will thy Master say, “Well done, good and faithful steward”? Thou hast adorned thy walls with the money which might have screened this poor creature from the cold! O justice! O mercy!--Are not these pictures the blood of this poor maid?</div>
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Perhaps as a result of this incident, in 1731 Wesley began to limit his expenses so that he would have more money to give to the poor. He records that one year his income was 30 pounds and his living expenses 28 pounds, so he had 2 pounds to give away. The next year his income doubled, but he still managed to live on 28 pounds, so he had 32 pounds to give to the poor. In the third year, his income jumped to 90 pounds.</div>
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Instead of letting his expenses rise with his income, he kept them to 28 pounds and gave away 62 pounds. In the fourth year, he received 120 pounds. As before, his expenses were 28 pounds, so his giving rose to 92 pounds.</div>
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Wesley felt that the Christian should not merely tithe but give away all extra income once the family and creditors were taken care of. He believed that with increasing income, what should rise is not the Christian’s standard of living but the standard of giving.</div>
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This practice, begun at Oxford, continued throughout his life. Even when his income rose into the thousands of pounds sterling, he lived simply, and he quickly gave away his surplus money.</div>
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One year his income was a little over 1400 pounds. He lived on 30 pounds and gave away nearly 1400 pounds. Because he had no family to care for, he had no need for savings. He was afraid of laying up treasures on earth, so the money went out in charity as quickly as it came in. He reports that he never had 100 pounds at any one time. ~ from Dr. Charles White's article entitled "What Wesley Practiced and Preached About Money"</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569721131780976297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-19802424523061592962013-10-23T04:11:00.003+11:302013-10-23T04:11:31.003+11:30Access!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">I was listening to Where We Belong by Hillsong this morning and talking the LORD. The thought came to me that in our culture we love musicians, bands & singers and certainly idolize them at times. Have you ever been to a concert where you wanted so badly to go backstage and meet the band? However, you don't have a pass - no access. Then it flashed through my mind, access! We've been given access! "The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom" Mark 15:38. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Yes, the Scriptures record that the curtain to the holy of holies was torn . . . top to bottom. This was the place that only the high priest entered once a year with blood from the sacrifice (see Hebrews 9). Now though, it is opened up because Jesus offered himself as the sacrifice . . . the Lamb of GOD who takes away the sin of the world! We have access to the Father to the Son and to the Holy Spirit - how much greater is that than any earthly band, singer? Enter in!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569721131780976297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-42597893464866020232013-08-02T04:20:00.001+11:302013-08-02T04:50:15.878+11:30Kingdom Partnerships and New Homes Coming!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex on our 'build a wall' project for <br />
House of Hope with Samantha and Erica</td></tr>
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The Leadership Team (Board) of Life in His Name is thrilled that our movement towards partnerships with the Church in places of need is happening in a good way! We've been exploring ways that we could make an impact with the resources we had available. So at our February Board Meeting, Alex Fanjul, a dear friend joined us. Alex and his wife Judy served as missionaries with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Latin America. The end result is that Alex traveled to Nicaragua with me on the Virginia Wesleyan Spring Break Mission Trip and two homes are being built in the mountains of Nicaragua through a new partnership with YWAM! <br />
Alex and Judy live in Suffolk, VA and run a couple of their own businesses. They are passionate about lifting people in need and seeing them experience the love of God in Christ! They know the crushing poverty in Latin America having lived there as well as adopting their daughter, Joselyn from Nicaragua. When Eileen, our children and I spent a month in Nicaragua in 2011, the Fanjul family lived across the street from us. </div>
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<b style="background-color: #6fa8dc;">Partnership with YWAM Nicaragua - New Homes Coming</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnZ6_n7KrTi2x9M27HFZ3UyCA4Ihwj2HcFTjKy3ALbYSjhaNOtau95X7fT5mu7uedIpG5rPPPnOPR8dfuIAqhRxxaD_KXDKbJTW5DqdSilHkgKez5ksc8VxZpjNx1FXhH-jb_1g/s1600/Lillians+house+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnZ6_n7KrTi2x9M27HFZ3UyCA4Ihwj2HcFTjKy3ALbYSjhaNOtau95X7fT5mu7uedIpG5rPPPnOPR8dfuIAqhRxxaD_KXDKbJTW5DqdSilHkgKez5ksc8VxZpjNx1FXhH-jb_1g/s320/Lillians+house+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the Team with Lillian in front of her current house.<br />
Lillian is holding her grandson, her daughter is on her right</td></tr>
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In addition to Alex Fanjul being on the Spring trip, Robin Jones came to serve as well. Robin and Jeff Jones are friends that go back to the beginning of the Grace Harbor congregation in 2002. Robin has traveled to numerous places to serve Christ and the people. We were blessed to have her with us. This was the largest team I have taken anywhere. We had fourteen students as well as Alex, Robin and me. Seven of the students had traveled to Nicaragua with me in the past including Devon Killian who was on her third trip with me. <br />
A new stop for us this year was the mountain city of Diriamba, an hour drive south of Managua. Alex and his wife Judy served at the Diriamba YWAM base years ago. So it was a homecoming of sorts for Alex as he knew many of the missionaries serving there. Marta walked our Team to a nearby neighborhood where YWAM is serving. It was beautiful as she knew all of the people and children by name. Their smiles and hugs showed us of the loving connection their ministry has with the people. Marta was announcing the children's ministry for the afternoon.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSSN4tBZwtFIBiJPg3D5YYJJEvZkINdeTuzHQhqYRo-L8PtE5sCWb6_Y3GV_kN6Yf05Wwnb0-XTFhAAKpqP6VHKkOHYbNuqetyRcEMAdueOGwYvvB3XWBqiVdL6VHFTEm29DHqSQ/s1600/Nica+Team+2013+-+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSSN4tBZwtFIBiJPg3D5YYJJEvZkINdeTuzHQhqYRo-L8PtE5sCWb6_Y3GV_kN6Yf05Wwnb0-XTFhAAKpqP6VHKkOHYbNuqetyRcEMAdueOGwYvvB3XWBqiVdL6VHFTEm29DHqSQ/s320/Nica+Team+2013+-+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our team with Migdalia (the YWAM base director in red), <br />
Marta and her daughter [JUCUM is YWAM in Spanish]</td></tr>
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We were invited into a home that was put together with corrugated
sheet metal and wood. It was about the
same size as the dorm rooms of the students.
We learned that Lillian, her two daughters and granddaughter all live
there. Behind the house was a large dirt
hill. Marta shared that during the rainy
season water flows down the hill and through their house. Yes, <i>through</i>
their house. We learned that YWAM has helped to build numerous houses in the same neighborhood out of cinder block. We saw some of these homes as they stood out as sturdier and more secure than the others. Marta told us that for $3,000 Lillian's family could have a new house and the rain water could be diverted. The Team took that as a challenge and skipping meals in the airport and raising funds when we returned. It was incredibly moving as students brought their paychecks to me, desiring that their money go towards Lillian's house. We reached the $3,000 goal early this summer! The Board of LIHN matched this gift so that 2 houses can be built! So thank you to all who give financially to LIHN! We will continue to seek the LORD for guidance as to where we should use the resources that we have been given.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #6fa8dc; font-size: small;"><b>Partnership with House of Hope Nicaragua</b> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iMXRE_3DHw1XFAU9l852DsMEv_neU2Ta_x5lb8ZrgO23uVhwqckcD-ksdDi87mNnTU3c5rhj77EX78b0-yX26gwCix-iRgCg2CZydOmkjXLXj_GuM5fxq7zldbCcLBa-SAjFWA/s1600/Nica+Beach+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0iMXRE_3DHw1XFAU9l852DsMEv_neU2Ta_x5lb8ZrgO23uVhwqckcD-ksdDi87mNnTU3c5rhj77EX78b0-yX26gwCix-iRgCg2CZydOmkjXLXj_GuM5fxq7zldbCcLBa-SAjFWA/s320/Nica+Beach+pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the women and children from House of Hope</td></tr>
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<div style="font-size: 13px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The Team traveled again to serve at the </span><span style="font-size: small;">House of Hope </span><span style="font-size: small;">with April Havelin. The House of Hope is a ministry to women and children coming out of prostitution. They minister to the women and children in beautiful ways sharing Christ and helping the women to know His transforming love and providing a business opportunity through making jewelry, greeting cards and other items so that they have another form of income. You can find out more about House of Hope at their website:</span><br />
<a href="http://www.houseofhopenicaragua.com/">http://www.houseofhopenicaragua.com/</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This is always a difficult yet rewarding part of the trip. During our lunch break we again heard a number of testimonies of the women and their children. It's shocking to hear even when you know it is coming. For the students there hearing for the first time, it really shakes them. We spend time in the mornings and evenings processing and praying together.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttLyg75rx1LOzdgm9J7bDwnlr_6caAFaxOl1UMwpaGNRinTP-vlv6hrw2vJ0KpZx-F5i6KucPs5RkxjAWgb6XneTrif1jK5zu30btQi6DMeATt9lx07TiR0i06lDCzZ1LuUEgMw/s1600/Nica+Work+2013.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttLyg75rx1LOzdgm9J7bDwnlr_6caAFaxOl1UMwpaGNRinTP-vlv6hrw2vJ0KpZx-F5i6KucPs5RkxjAWgb6XneTrif1jK5zu30btQi6DMeATt9lx07TiR0i06lDCzZ1LuUEgMw/s200/Nica+Work+2013.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unloading concrete walls for a new <br />
building at the House of Hope</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">It was Holy Week while we were there and so in addition to the manual labor that was needed, we were asked to take the women and children from the House of Hope to the beach for a fun day. Wow, this was a great privilege for us, so we provided the transportation and food for the outing. We decided that one way we could serve the women would be to provide child care during the day so they could relax and enjoy themselves. It's no problem to lift a smiling child over a few waves . . . however, when it's the 500th wave it's another thing! What was amazing is that the LORD gave our Team joy and strength so that the children and mothers were served the whole day. I was amazed at the kindness and the servant-like hearts of our Team! It was a moving time and the hearts of our team were touched deeply by our day of fun together. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BtfVIw1DKnBoZ03v8UAaMm-SOfkU1aOkkS6YYGwZpkaOrQuoWunS_7QG1ONbK-63KQRvcNFO1erM6NybjTJXvTx8uuE0PulbFT8Is2lIucSXZiEgsoepV0MmdFkTbFRYJsUYSg/s1600/Nica+Work+2013+-+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BtfVIw1DKnBoZ03v8UAaMm-SOfkU1aOkkS6YYGwZpkaOrQuoWunS_7QG1ONbK-63KQRvcNFO1erM6NybjTJXvTx8uuE0PulbFT8Is2lIucSXZiEgsoepV0MmdFkTbFRYJsUYSg/s200/Nica+Work+2013+-+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hydration - Jonathan Smith needed a drink!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeNTxFrG4NzOUldVWYn1cHDmAukeLbjDzRTtAuHJLbEGKyTF_74zPIpzhkMSFKWRYIIJq_f55Zgov2ObmazllpUpBqd140g0kIax_xL5ZdK_l-ZzHi7Xbb65v0uJ7fb0aw5NLmQ/s1600/Gaby+and+Mindy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeNTxFrG4NzOUldVWYn1cHDmAukeLbjDzRTtAuHJLbEGKyTF_74zPIpzhkMSFKWRYIIJq_f55Zgov2ObmazllpUpBqd140g0kIax_xL5ZdK_l-ZzHi7Xbb65v0uJ7fb0aw5NLmQ/s320/Gaby+and+Mindy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mindy, a VWC student and Gaby<br />
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<span style="background-color: #6fa8dc; font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<b style="background-color: #6fa8dc; font-size: medium;">Partnership with Hosanna Church, Gaby & Gioconda</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;">We thank God for our friendship with Gioconda and her daughter Gaby. Gaby traveled for the whole week with the Team for the second year in a row. She is a great blessing to the team helping us with translation and interpreting the culture. I met Gioconda on my first trip to Nicaragua with Jason Gilliken more than 6 years ago. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><b>Again, thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement. May His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven!</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><i>Greg West</i></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: small;">More pics follow and if you would like to see more you can take a look at the VWC Nica Missions Facebook page at: </span><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/vwcnicaragua">https://www.facebook.com/vwcnicaragua</a></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVNAtjNYKnhC_bkdafNA22N5Y27BpaQtpc22StrzkR12J9r2mZIbJISGSSos7sCyAuMiXMirA3xaqLRVccr6XDqybVRGNDxanrvpX4xuw3bzo4YNylDARZ2a2fOR2wYGTtD2bAg/s1600/Nica+Wheelchair+giveaway+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVNAtjNYKnhC_bkdafNA22N5Y27BpaQtpc22StrzkR12J9r2mZIbJISGSSos7sCyAuMiXMirA3xaqLRVccr6XDqybVRGNDxanrvpX4xuw3bzo4YNylDARZ2a2fOR2wYGTtD2bAg/s200/Nica+Wheelchair+giveaway+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheelchairs being loaded for the trip to Masachapa</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWSfuKsSes41D44-w8zZegxn7nUWiV4g3jveS-SiG2DcW8V6FjMClf1fFF9XC9Hvx7pJMLn8SV2PybMGhaWvxfyMrwRK36W3gC6QwUyZ_3umRhq7Rv6ka7UwjeMXi5u_H7XtZxQ/s1600/Robin+in+Nica.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWSfuKsSes41D44-w8zZegxn7nUWiV4g3jveS-SiG2DcW8V6FjMClf1fFF9XC9Hvx7pJMLn8SV2PybMGhaWvxfyMrwRK36W3gC6QwUyZ_3umRhq7Rv6ka7UwjeMXi5u_H7XtZxQ/s320/Robin+in+Nica.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin Jones eating a traditional<br />
Nicaraguan dish called Nacatamales </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEpyaIaBqNK1yZAIOPoxFLkTend9JVGDno9jd8-S15EF5RmKDXE0C04nYomIku2NGfTEi6rQOy2YKqA_0-bq8IDA030edHabClKkSjiUunwK1keK5oyLlqjt9Rm5QeLo_U0dUIg/s1600/Nica+Wheelchair+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYEpyaIaBqNK1yZAIOPoxFLkTend9JVGDno9jd8-S15EF5RmKDXE0C04nYomIku2NGfTEi6rQOy2YKqA_0-bq8IDA030edHabClKkSjiUunwK1keK5oyLlqjt9Rm5QeLo_U0dUIg/s320/Nica+Wheelchair+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This man was unable to walk, his son standing behind him <br />
carried him to our location so that he may receive a wheelchiar</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569721131780976297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-50516735453695806882013-03-12T13:44:00.000+11:302013-03-12T13:44:16.595+11:30Life in His Name, Happenings . . .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJN4iynswsFzUe7l_q4bANquDm3CvDvsi7NrnfrXfjPWj3l065U9mmVoz0IBIsWvu0QYb1514uB67Vhxzl0ocUCYD9pQAD1mC-HtJK_21pAW5kLNvRfykiwGazQiImZAFqJ90Rg/s1600/Life+in+His+Name+blueish+logo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJN4iynswsFzUe7l_q4bANquDm3CvDvsi7NrnfrXfjPWj3l065U9mmVoz0IBIsWvu0QYb1514uB67Vhxzl0ocUCYD9pQAD1mC-HtJK_21pAW5kLNvRfykiwGazQiImZAFqJ90Rg/s200/Life+in+His+Name+blueish+logo.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This has been a year of transition for our family.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Eileen
homeschooled our children Josiah, Evie and Luke for 5 years with some amazing help from her
Mom and Patti Bozman!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It was a wonderful
season!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Last</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Fall the children went to
public school; for Evie and Luke it was their first time in public school - 5</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
& 4</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> grades at Northern Shores Elementary.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">They are both doing very well.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Josiah attended kindergarten and 1</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
grade at the same elementary school and is now at John Yeats Middle School as a
7</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> grader, also doing good!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Eileen jumped right back into teaching 4 year-olds at Kinderprep as well
as catering some events at the local Hilton Garden Inn.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It has been a good transition for us
all.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There is certainly the challenge of
what the children are exposed to in school.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">It’s not easy for any parent to navigate, but we’re keeping open lines
of communication and trying to disciple our children as followers of Jesus.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Q5a0bB6vbGrLqbx5U39E9Mahq5WLaxdvCaf2avyfTCu3fGDq5pjuYQchSE_IJoJRqJqlI6FvcTsSBu1c8Jg5ttMdPooUKpa9rbprGUq1WHEhFYBja5lU4DF44bTTeV8QDaPPKg/s1600/IMG_0200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Q5a0bB6vbGrLqbx5U39E9Mahq5WLaxdvCaf2avyfTCu3fGDq5pjuYQchSE_IJoJRqJqlI6FvcTsSBu1c8Jg5ttMdPooUKpa9rbprGUq1WHEhFYBja5lU4DF44bTTeV8QDaPPKg/s200/IMG_0200.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">Summer
fun on a fishing trip on the James River.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DnAFB-IOXSel4PSNEos6-B7PJlXjMCzItsneuVtfxPMN9bZ-AnFyvyKaZFlcKfpeu1e1rnBaIR2LjXvdvzD6cUxoN4H-0xF5pb4DQTfHO73tTrc5LgKVFRvSySmFJ-l0Pe2sSA/s1600/IMG_0442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DnAFB-IOXSel4PSNEos6-B7PJlXjMCzItsneuVtfxPMN9bZ-AnFyvyKaZFlcKfpeu1e1rnBaIR2LjXvdvzD6cUxoN4H-0xF5pb4DQTfHO73tTrc5LgKVFRvSySmFJ-l0Pe2sSA/s200/IMG_0442.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Devon, Chiereme & Korinda
were </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">with me at a District Youth Event<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Being
full time at Virginia Wesleyan College is a good thing! There are open doors all over to share Christ
with the students. Our emphasis on Jesus’
method of small group ministry in order to know and understand His teachings
and to embrace His life, His death and resurrection are central. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We have more than a dozen different offerings
during the week for students to connect with and our worship gathering: <i>SOAR</i> on Sundays. I continue to serve as an Evangelist and take
students with me. They are often sharing
testimonies, words of encouragement, singing or sharing ‘spoken word.’
There is good time for mentoring and discipleship on these trips. Marlin Ministries, the name of our campus
ministry at VWC, has a vision to evangelize and disciple students who in turn
reach out off campus as well. College
students have a lot of energy and passion – when they embrace Jesus and His
good news it is powerful! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74uYoi64A8aU2El3R5uTpXBnYISGB-sFSGp5Eir7eoWuKKgOodAVyEZNhebi0ZbZNN_Bnd4AmZ7oZgY0_tO536AV671vT-a71ra7QsObwKg3Ku-BRvjuOI-1q8vtEjkgA_UYceg/s1600/Myles2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74uYoi64A8aU2El3R5uTpXBnYISGB-sFSGp5Eir7eoWuKKgOodAVyEZNhebi0ZbZNN_Bnd4AmZ7oZgY0_tO536AV671vT-a71ra7QsObwKg3Ku-BRvjuOI-1q8vtEjkgA_UYceg/s200/Myles2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Myles loving life at Camp Hope
Haven!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgps_vUYjbGjE6ry7v5xoTvA3BAD9zQn31JR469xaCw8lHYWrAf6_C1sP9p-YpSPye_viq79TlgBy85xWZh02Gp5xjfuIoJhak9XQGcJ3qyJOmRaFVj22Pl3Q4Xt4nVRPx3mLTsEg/s1600/Summer+2012+102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgps_vUYjbGjE6ry7v5xoTvA3BAD9zQn31JR469xaCw8lHYWrAf6_C1sP9p-YpSPye_viq79TlgBy85xWZh02Gp5xjfuIoJhak9XQGcJ3qyJOmRaFVj22Pl3Q4Xt4nVRPx3mLTsEg/s200/Summer+2012+102.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.5pt;">We
can go out without hiring a babysitter!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A
great example is Myles Shipp, who served as an intern with me at the
College. He grew up in the church, but
didn’t know the love of God in and through Jesus. It was awesome to see him grow in his
understanding and then receive Christ as Savior and Lord. Myles served at Camp Hope Haven in Virginia
Beach this past summer. It is a
Christian camp for children who cannot afford camp – a tremendous
ministry! Now Myles is beginning his
second semester at Denver Seminary! God
is amazing and specializes in changing people’s destinies! We actually had 7 VWC students go on to
seminary last Fall! </span></div>
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<span class="text"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span class="text"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">“Be joyful always;</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></b></span><span class="text"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">pray continually;</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></b></span><span class="text"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">give thanks in all circumstances,</span></b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span></b></span><span class="text"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">for this is God’s will for you in
Christ Jesus.</span></b></span><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <span class="text">Do not put out the Spirit’s fire;</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="text">do not treat
prophecies</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="text">with contempt. Test everything.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="text">Hold on to the good.</span></span></b><span class="text"><b><sup><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span></sup></b></span><span class="text"><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Avoid every kind of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We
are gearing up for another trip to Nicaragua over Spring Break, March
25 - April 1. We have 14 students going, 7 are returning from the previous trip. In addition, I'm thrilled that I have two wonderful friends and partners in the Gospel going: Robin Jones, a registered nurse, who has served in mission in Afghanistan, Africa, Jamaica and in country. Alex Fanjul will be with us as well. Alex and his wife Judith served for 8 years with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Nicaragua and other parts of Latin America. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This will be the 3</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> VWC trip.</span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2NReqQUu2XSH4gltlPEwobGnMrow58k2XmgRppUq4n7M435mEDvjosFWn3rSJ6z5CV10wcceOMeDM5CSd9_-k9P41UCCKQmhG_RU1CVjrcE5DoroJ4kADOyLSAnxzyR62IO-6Q/s1600/Jonathan+wheelbarrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2NReqQUu2XSH4gltlPEwobGnMrow58k2XmgRppUq4n7M435mEDvjosFWn3rSJ6z5CV10wcceOMeDM5CSd9_-k9P41UCCKQmhG_RU1CVjrcE5DoroJ4kADOyLSAnxzyR62IO-6Q/s200/Jonathan+wheelbarrow.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Jonathan
Burke with precious cargo!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-QxB4DCWFOwbCdMLxzHhhgk88jiHLeNlevGYR3gTTRWa15RlR7eLg4t92NO4y82rSDOo6bblt6NJFHA3hSHx18jMrxodCeFGVyF6NbAmN-OLz8mk0ydca-ogmPBF1sncBAfjiw/s1600/VWC+ladies+with+Masachapa+women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-QxB4DCWFOwbCdMLxzHhhgk88jiHLeNlevGYR3gTTRWa15RlR7eLg4t92NO4y82rSDOo6bblt6NJFHA3hSHx18jMrxodCeFGVyF6NbAmN-OLz8mk0ydca-ogmPBF1sncBAfjiw/s200/VWC+ladies+with+Masachapa+women.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"> The VWC ladies with the women of Masachapa<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We
will spend 3 days at the House of Hope, a ministry to women and children coming
out of prostitution and human trafficking. More info about this amazing ministry can be found at their website below: </span><a href="http://www.houseofhopenicaragua.com/"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">www.houseofhopenicaragua.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQ3QMsm13i7-vHnUtIixORKvjefYjFL3y5qdrih9K1UAsL0_ksJNnsfLi1WxAN2fRFdyVzEqlfHG6NSNFAu0QOnbyoEX48SZseiheBR1A5NLjkk4JWcqtgkZuHcL4_XbsQRC66A/s1600/Pinata.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQ3QMsm13i7-vHnUtIixORKvjefYjFL3y5qdrih9K1UAsL0_ksJNnsfLi1WxAN2fRFdyVzEqlfHG6NSNFAu0QOnbyoEX48SZseiheBR1A5NLjkk4JWcqtgkZuHcL4_XbsQRC66A/s200/Pinata.jpg" width="183" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";">Piñata time in Tipitapa<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">We do a lot of manual labor at the House of Hope – our goal is to be
servants, helping wherever needed. April
Havelin, the founder of House of Hope spoke at VWC this Fall to a packed room
of students. We welcome your prayers as
we go! The Elizabeth River District of
the United Methodist Church has some set aside some money to help us, which is
wonderful! I do have some students who
want to go, but will need some financial help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Finally,
I want to share about an amazing family on their way to the Democratic Republic
of Congo as missionaries with <i>Mission
Aviation Fellowship</i>. Timo and Laura
met while attending Averett College in Danville, VA. Laura was the pianist and choir director of
Stokesland United Methodist Church, which was the first church I served out of
seminary. Timo came to worship at
Laura’s invitation and got connected with our Men’s Discipleship Group. Jesus worked through us all to make Himself
known to Timo. Timo was diligent in
seeking the LORD in the Scriptures and other Christian books. He often came to the Men’s Group with a copy
of notes and an outline for each of us,
from the latest book he had read! Timo
is from Finland. He is saddened that
only a small fraction of the Finnish people know Christ. He says that people go to church for
baptisms, confirmation, weddings and funerals, but it isn’t a living
faith. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8MtVpj8Ye1GYZIpt1cKeelsllSi_LBUZEzzFHuufxCz55SH7CZUXWjF7STlr8nj8qSLNJUSHkwSSUCBU4gNMEIv0NuPT0voUOm9JmeEff08o-_2JCqWXce2ELC2Na1WpTKnq7w/s1600/Harkonen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8MtVpj8Ye1GYZIpt1cKeelsllSi_LBUZEzzFHuufxCz55SH7CZUXWjF7STlr8nj8qSLNJUSHkwSSUCBU4gNMEIv0NuPT0voUOm9JmeEff08o-_2JCqWXce2ELC2Na1WpTKnq7w/s200/Harkonen2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Timo, Laura and Janey & Richard</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq094gDpE9cfMs4Ck4LPuiY_mVnM6N68APcyHS5QcoQi9_p64LbXwsmD7HlHEpG0T6yCZFYj4_1c1sGBofs8S0boXfmlWGvG0CxtEZ8ZwEbmtMm61uxYfe3BCCwA9GSPa2Yj8Sgg/s1600/MAF+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq094gDpE9cfMs4Ck4LPuiY_mVnM6N68APcyHS5QcoQi9_p64LbXwsmD7HlHEpG0T6yCZFYj4_1c1sGBofs8S0boXfmlWGvG0CxtEZ8ZwEbmtMm61uxYfe3BCCwA9GSPa2Yj8Sgg/s200/MAF+logo.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Laura,
unlike Timo, grew up in a Christian home and on a mission trip to Zimbabwe as a
teenager, she felt a call to be a missionary pilot. Now that dream is coming true as they fly out
in faith. Timo graduated from Asbury Theological Seminary (where I
went) and they served Unicoi UMC in Tennessee – Timo as the Youth Pastor and
Laura choir director. They adopted
Janey, 13 and Richard, 11 from Brazil.
They share that their family is from 3 different continents and going to
a 4<sup>th</sup>! Eileen and I gladly
support them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">They
are close to 90% in their support needs for Africa. If you, your church or someone you know has a
heart for Africa and would like to help them, you can find out more about them
at: </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.maf.org/harkonen">www.maf.org/harkonen</a></span><b><span style="color: #0070c0; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">On
behalf of the Board of Life in His Name, Pete Kovalcik, Laura Houck, Brian
Sixby and Michael Senecal, I thank you for your gifts, prayers and love. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Rage Italic"; font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;">Greg West ~</span></b><span style="font-size: 20.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"> </span><a href="mailto:gregwest120@gmail.com">gregwest120@gmail.com</a> <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569721131780976297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-77801711893022762382012-10-31T08:39:00.000+11:302012-10-31T08:39:12.733+11:30Preaching, Teaching and Talking to Statues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjtr_Ri9kLENoPTLkqVWm_-ZiQxCgX-ynr3kziZMl5zoTdTsfpcuXjbNPxBKmbAgeXzB4m3ent_veI0PjZwhyphenhypheneb9nGEhXrqWK_4kWrFLm3ApXGyEIru8numKfTAsCcEjzInRegw/s1600/Chiereme,+John+Wesley+and+Greg+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyjtr_Ri9kLENoPTLkqVWm_-ZiQxCgX-ynr3kziZMl5zoTdTsfpcuXjbNPxBKmbAgeXzB4m3ent_veI0PjZwhyphenhypheneb9nGEhXrqWK_4kWrFLm3ApXGyEIru8numKfTAsCcEjzInRegw/s320/Chiereme,+John+Wesley+and+Greg+2012.JPG" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chiereme, John Wesley and I at VWC</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found myself talking to John Wesley the other day. I was moving pretty quickly and was praising God for His faithfulness as I passed by his statue on campus at Virginia Wesleyan College (VWC). Looking up, but not slowing down I said, "You'd be proud of me John, preaching 5 times in less than 24 hours at 3 different places." Of course I then laughed at myself for having spoken. You may not know that Wesley is estimated to have traveled more than 250,000 miles and to have preached 42,000 sermons! To put this into perspective, if you preached 3 times every day for 38 years, you would be close to 42,000 sermons!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On September 15th, I preached at an outdoor event called: "Living Water Jubilee" at Silverbrook UMC in Lorton, VA. The choir from Ghanian UMC sang that evening, some in their native language and some in English - powerful! The Scripture was this amazing passage from John's Gospel. </span></div>
<div class="heading passage-class-0" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
<h3 style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: blue;">John 7:37-39</span></h3>
<h3 style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: blue; font-weight: normal;"><span class="text John-7-37" id="en-NIV1984-26355" style="font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the last and greatest day of the Feast,<sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV1984-26355A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup> Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, <span class="woj">“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.<sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV1984-26355B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span class="text John-7-38" id="en-NIV1984-26356" style="font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Whoever believes<span style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV1984-26356C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></sup></span> in me, as the Scripture has said,<span style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV1984-26356D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)"></sup></span> streams of living water<span style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV1984-26356E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)"></sup></span> will flow from within him.”<span style="font-size: 12px;"> </span></span><span class="text John-7-39" id="en-NIV1984-26357" style="font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By this he meant the Spirit,<span style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV1984-26357G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)"></sup></span> whom those who believed in him were later to receive.<span style="font-size: 0.65em;"><sup class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV1984-26357H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)"></sup></span> Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I drove to Richmond that evening staying with Brian & </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Teresa Gagliardi, members of Shady Grove UMC. I met them at Pender UMC's Missions Conference where I spoke this Spring. They are close friends with Dave & Laura Shuping who help lead the Missions Committee at Pender. For years, Pender has been bold about missions, raising up missionaries from the congregation and raising $350,000 this year alone for missions! This is outside of their regular giving <i>(apportionments)</i>. So the Gagliardi's were longing to start a missions movement at their church as well. I was thrilled to be a part of preaching 3 services at Shady Grove on "<b>Our God is a Missionary God</b>." What awesome humility . . . the Son of God leaving the glory he shared with the Father from all time, to enter into Jewish culture in the first century as a baby born to poor parents! Yes, the Scriptures declare that the Infinite One became a Jew, entering the world as we all did, through a womb. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I returned that afternoon to (VWC) to lead worship and preach at SOAR, our 4pm worship gathering - thus preaching 5 times in a day. We are so thankful that the students have really jumped into Campus Ministry this year. Our worship attendance has more than doubled from last year - we have around 50 now! There is some great student leadership in our worship, with singers, testimonies, musicians, dancers and more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Evangelist & Chaplain</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When my supervisor at the College said, "Continue to be an Evangelist, just take students with you," I believed I could go full time at VWC. I saw clearly that this was a win-win and was faithful to the equipping role of an Evangelist in the Scriptures (Ephesians 4:11-13). I took Chiereme Fortune (pictured above) and Devon Killian with me to speak at the York River District Youth Gathering. Jonathan Diggs, the youth Pastor at Newtown UMC, recently became the District Youth Coordinator as well. It was so cool to follow Chiereme and Devon after they shared with the High School students about following Christ at College. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjLSPtRGMKl9yjFAYhJDKo8Yovg-_rWMUk5DBnvFRNOwXUTVAdIddHOy8FzGJrYwuRt5xGRlnME5g7J-MOfP18_p7lsqW8mH3cCfljYWaejsQlEzRNI1hrLuHHDiraY_FRUvSdA/s1600/SOAR+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjLSPtRGMKl9yjFAYhJDKo8Yovg-_rWMUk5DBnvFRNOwXUTVAdIddHOy8FzGJrYwuRt5xGRlnME5g7J-MOfP18_p7lsqW8mH3cCfljYWaejsQlEzRNI1hrLuHHDiraY_FRUvSdA/s320/SOAR+003.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SOAR Worship - Sundays at 4pm at VWC</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The opportunities for offering Christ are abundant at VWC! I'm leading four LIFE Groups (Living In Faith Everyday), where we share our journeys and dig into the Scriptures with an eye and heart towards applying the truths, promises and commands to our lives. There are a number of student led ministries where I serve as a "Coach" to them. These are powerful and necessary if we are going to impact the campus which has 1,200+ students.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>A Special Guest at VWC</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9fNBFiK2uIxIMEXek-0e0tJPOCanM0KPvfVzkrj5Oop8vUE3hWkNuGbBz26lrW2ylqwFhuBMCnRH7BsJdUg5WV3UDojm-I_91xtTSNNgQJhb7wMBXTOMmBmIRG9w-zs0xvaNww/s1600/April+and+Girl+-+HoH+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9fNBFiK2uIxIMEXek-0e0tJPOCanM0KPvfVzkrj5Oop8vUE3hWkNuGbBz26lrW2ylqwFhuBMCnRH7BsJdUg5WV3UDojm-I_91xtTSNNgQJhb7wMBXTOMmBmIRG9w-zs0xvaNww/s320/April+and+Girl+-+HoH+2012.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had around 55 students come out for the presentation!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">April Havlin, our friend and the founder of the House of Hope in Nicaragua visited VWC in September! The College is focusing on the tragic issue of human trafficking this Fall, it was perfect timing. April comes at this issue with a deep faith in Christ, which was a powerful witness to the students. She had jewelry for sale which was made by the women coming out of prostitution and human trafficking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will be leading a team from VWC to Nicaragua during Spring Break next year. We will be working with April and the House of Hope for 3 days.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preaching on the Eastern Shore</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPI_3emO2FaZ4_Aj8tmhUzy_MwbkLlD7TbuUQFBuqckYfLyJjzTb42OIce4LZ_9LQNpIwTSsLZ7Ul7eE-xqyp1vEX0TxEW5QEyrDuptMfNsQBV8_CY8MVUAVXpKwD9MUHGNpXckA/s1600/Painter+Garrison's+UMC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPI_3emO2FaZ4_Aj8tmhUzy_MwbkLlD7TbuUQFBuqckYfLyJjzTb42OIce4LZ_9LQNpIwTSsLZ7Ul7eE-xqyp1vEX0TxEW5QEyrDuptMfNsQBV8_CY8MVUAVXpKwD9MUHGNpXckA/s320/Painter+Garrison's+UMC.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painter Garrison's UMC - Eastern Shore, VA</td></tr>
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<span style="color: blue;">Psalm 85:6-7</span></h3>
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Will you not revive us again; that your people may rejoice in You? Show us your unfailing love, LORD, and grant us your salvation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Painter Garrison's UMC on the Eastern Shore of Virginia dates to 1787! It was a privilege to preach at their Fall Revival at Pastor Becky McGee's invitation. I was welcomed and well fed by a generous congregation.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">From the beginning of the Bible to the end God desires to dwell with His people, that He would be their GOD and they would be His people. So revival, is part of GOD's plan - that we would be awake, alive to GOD's Presence, power and purposes in and among us! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><b>New Hispanic Church in north Suffolk!</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">While I was the Pastor of Grace Harbor we had a gathering of Hispanics called Puerto de Gracia (you got it, Grace Harbor). I felt that there would be more traction with an indigenous Pastor. Well Pastor David Jimenez is the new Pastor of a gathering of Hispanics that meet at Ebenezer UMC in north Suffolk at 5:30pm on Saturday evenings. Jason and Delia Gillikin are often leading in worship. It's been a joy to see some of our old amigos getting connected with this fellowship! I'm helping when I can, but the schedule has been challenging. If you know some Latinos in the area that do not have a church family, let me know and we'll try to connect them!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I'm way overdue in sending out an update. My apologies. Thank you all for your support of this ministry. The Board of Life in His Name, Inc. and I continue to meet on a regular basis to map out ministry and new ways we can serve. </span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">"Grace</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">peace</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"> to you from God our Father </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">and</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"> the Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 1:2).</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><i>Greg West</i></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569721131780976297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-75762617261204314612012-09-28T06:44:00.002+11:302012-09-28T06:45:45.791+11:30Robert Kennedy Jr. quote<span style="background-color: #f0f0f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Corporate capitalists do
not want free markets, they want dependable profits, and their surest route is
to crush competition by controlling government. The rise of fascism across
Europe in the 1930s offers many informative lessons on how corporate power can
undermine a democracy. In Spain, Germany and Italy, industrialists allied
themselves with right-wing leaders who used the provocation of terrorist
attacks, continual wars, and invocations of patriotism and homeland security to
tame the press, muzzle criticism by opponents and turn government over to
corporate control. Those governments tapped industrial executives to run
ministries and poured government money into corporate coffers with lucrative
contracts to prosecute wars and build infrastructure. They encouraged friendly
corporations to swallow media outlets, and they enriched the wealthiest
classes, privatized the commons and pared down constitutional rights, creating
short-term prosperity through pollution-based profits and constant wars. </span><span style="background-color: #f0f0f0; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Robert Kennedy Jr.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02569721131780976297noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-62417525346311304302012-04-10T14:26:00.002+11:302012-04-10T14:28:28.985+11:30Spring Update<div class="heading passage-class-0" style="background-color: white; color: #5c1101; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-top: 10px; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;">I hope and pray we are all more aware than ever of the depth of God's love seen in the Cross and the power of the resurrection! </div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;">It is possible though, to move through this season spiritually asleep. Sometimes it is a fight to stay awake to the reality of God with us. It is the challenge of being a disciple when we have so little discipline. Our culture keeps contesting Christ being first in all things and how quickly we yield. Busyness, prayerlessness, distractions, 'the deceitfulness of wealth and the cares of this world' will all pull us away from the One thing needed.</div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="color: blue;">"And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." </span></b><span style="color: blue;"> <span style="color: black;">Colossians 1:18</span></span></div></blockquote><div style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;">I am concerned for the Church, for my family and for myself. There is a great gulf between what the New Testament calls for and the lives we are living. I don't say this to condemn anyone, but rather to call all of us (myself included) back to the one true standard - Christ. </div><div style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />
I am also deeply concerned for those without Christ. There is a strong push in our culture towards pluralism - the idea that all belief claims are equal. I challenge people who hold this by asking, <span style="color: blue;">"Who else has risen from the dead?" </span>And, I try to help people see the reality of Jesus and what he has done in a different light ... </div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">"If someone has 'Risen from the Dead' on their resume and they are offering their services for free, you should probably hire them! Don't you think?"</span></div></blockquote><div style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;">I have had numerous privileges of sharing Christ in the last couple months and look forward to the ongoing dialogue as people draw near to and trust in Christ for salvation. </div><div style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px;">I was grateful for the opportunity to teach at two United Methodist District Training Days - Elizabeth River and York River Districts. I've been corresponding with some of the people who took my class on "The Method of Jesus and the Method of the Methodists." We need to take notice that our Lord did not start a mega-church while he walked among us, but rather a mini-church! This is not a slam on mega-churches, just an endorsement of Jesus' strategy in making disciples! We need small groups where we can share the deeper joys and struggles.</div></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><u><b>Connecting Small Groups and Missions to Nicaragua</b></u></div><div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Thanks to some of the guys at the Wednesday morning Churchland Group, there was a great connection made between the small group ministry and the missions trips to Nicaragua. Les and Dube took up a collection and bought a guitar to send down with the team. We used it during our group worship, prayer and sharing times. Then on our last day we had the joy of giving it away! Pastor Omar and his church in Tipitapa will get to enjoy the guitar. I'm confident many will learn to play on this guitar!</div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkK8HqPbAmq-lZWk-GHcpDv-ASi9RlVFzC5tK-wC3rb3N_NyGCEFPr1xtJq_AfHlOYaiZTf-2p49keNAsHpUwICxp1lIim-TZBNVjymCa9acKXE5RCThMLE57maT9qWHK0QcAD/s1600/DSC03078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkK8HqPbAmq-lZWk-GHcpDv-ASi9RlVFzC5tK-wC3rb3N_NyGCEFPr1xtJq_AfHlOYaiZTf-2p49keNAsHpUwICxp1lIim-TZBNVjymCa9acKXE5RCThMLE57maT9qWHK0QcAD/s320/DSC03078.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastor Omar with the guitar from the Churchland Wednesday Morning Group</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ywn2qTO_PIB_aLWIslJAmPa0kKxfqbD0oRDfyLjyKWue3p2RN9nWthxm59C0XTsiNC7xmhj-q4Ws7ssJE-Oe-1W8tSD_qjYUhP5fYnv1_BqZOq_fPbup5L3eS1rxILVw3mO6/s1600/Les+and+Dube+with+Guitar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ywn2qTO_PIB_aLWIslJAmPa0kKxfqbD0oRDfyLjyKWue3p2RN9nWthxm59C0XTsiNC7xmhj-q4Ws7ssJE-Oe-1W8tSD_qjYUhP5fYnv1_BqZOq_fPbup5L3eS1rxILVw3mO6/s320/Les+and+Dube+with+Guitar.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dube & Les jamming outdoors!</td></tr>
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On Spring Break Trip, we had 9 VWC students and Professor Allison </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Marganski who teaches Sociology and Criminology as well as 1 Old Dominion student.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We spent three days working with House of Hope, a ministry to women and children seeking freedom from prostitution and human trafficking. We dug ditches, filled holes and painted - hard work which was rewarding knowing it helped such a needed ministry. We listened to testimonies from women who have found freedom in Christ and met girls who had been rescued from brothels. It's difficult to see and hear, but necessary. I watched the group process and wrestle with the brokenness of the world while we talked about the One who redeems and makes all things new.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3j5OjxqmLckDfG_5_-E_fMkaiE3_swuKAdC4zARuvOwMFsBLNLK2_Nl1kttomwmgAq8IuLa1N1zheMo_IKCnsam4L5ypMAPdDmlhtFkGwH0ssrEB0pSqmldRJExN7qNPusfS/s1600/House+of+Hope+Slide+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3j5OjxqmLckDfG_5_-E_fMkaiE3_swuKAdC4zARuvOwMFsBLNLK2_Nl1kttomwmgAq8IuLa1N1zheMo_IKCnsam4L5ypMAPdDmlhtFkGwH0ssrEB0pSqmldRJExN7qNPusfS/s320/House+of+Hope+Slide+Photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The VWC Team at House of Hope - Managua, Nicaragua</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We have a facebook page from the Mission Trip up with pics, comments and videos if you'd like to see more:</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/vwcnicaragua"> http://www.facebook.com/vwcnicaragua</a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You may be surprised to know that we have seven VWC graduates heading to seminary this Fall! It's exciting to see a hunger within the next generation for the LORD and to be equipped for the work of the ministry.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Preaching & Teaching</span></b></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Among many other recent speaking engagements, I preached revivals at <a href="http://woodstockunitedmethodist.org/" target="_blank">Woodstock UMC</a>, in Woodstock, VA and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Emmanuel-United-Methodist-Church/305876409180?viewas=0&sk=taggednotes" target="_blank">Emmanuel UMC</a> just outside of Winchester, VA. The pastors, David Rash and Jim Smith are both great friends, for whom I have deep respect. Their love for their congregations is evident. Both churches are in the Shenandoah Valley. I was amazed at the beauty of the mountains and all of creation. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I will be in northern Virginia from the 20th through the 22nd at <a href="http://www.penderumc.org/" target="_blank">Pender UMC</a> in Fairfax preaching at their Missions Conference. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b>Crucifixion & Resurrection</b></u></span></div><h3 style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Sam Brengle was a gifted communicator who served with the Salvation Army. While in Boston a drunk man hit him with a brick, putting him in the hospital for 18 months. While laid up, he wrote the book, <u>Helps to Holiness</u>. The book was very popular and many throughout the years of Brengle's ministry would thank him for the book. When they did, Brengle would say, "If it wasn't for the brick, there wouldn't have been a book." And so it is with the resurrection . . . if it hadn't been for the crucifixion, there wouldn't be a resurrection. They are forever linked and our faith in the crucified and risen One brings us near . . . </h3><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div class="heading passage-class-0"><h3></h3></div><div class="result-text-style-normal text-html " style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvplNOw-1adcz5oSMkX3xviA_soWX5bdxcXPhEoFkp3A9AlYAwoA-aHvPIuzVyxOA5uHtJQBdwpCI9rmY4KlpDqscqAkFCyiAWAAJkg0I_sO-hr7Mf3st3VhiJeAh9zSVB2W5q/s1600/SamuelBrengle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvplNOw-1adcz5oSMkX3xviA_soWX5bdxcXPhEoFkp3A9AlYAwoA-aHvPIuzVyxOA5uHtJQBdwpCI9rmY4KlpDqscqAkFCyiAWAAJkg0I_sO-hr7Mf3st3VhiJeAh9zSVB2W5q/s1600/SamuelBrengle.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam Brengle</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b><span class="text Rom-4-25" id="en-NLT-28009">"He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.</span>" </b><span style="color: black;"> Romans 4:25 (NLT)</span></div></blockquote><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">We can experience the reality of who Jesus is and what he has done today! Oswald Chambers wrote: <a href="http://utmost.org/classic/his-resurrection-destiny-classic/" target="_blank">"The Holy Spirit is the Deity in proceeding power Who applies the Atonement to our experience."</a> </h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Let's draw near and help others to grow into this holiness (Christ-likeness) that is available to all!</h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">Thank you for your support, prayers and encouragement. I am so blessed to be a part of the body of Christ. There are many who have spoken a word, shared some thoughts, or simply prayed and I have been the grateful recipient. </h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> </h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">The Board of Life in His Name meets on a regular basis to guide the ministry. Pete Kovalcik, Laura Houck, Pastor Brian Sixby and Mike Senecal are a great help. </h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">With great appreciation,</h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i><b><br />
</b></i></h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><i><b>Greg West</b></i></h3><h3 style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-67196909908882898832012-04-10T06:08:00.000+11:302012-04-10T06:08:14.977+11:30Circuit Riding 2011<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">There is nothing like doing your taxes to put the year into perspective!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew I had a full schedule with my role as Evangelist and Chaplain, but seeing the list gave me a new view on the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted to preach more than once a Sunday and ended up preaching well over 100 times. Oh, and I have no idea how to line up the columns - I gave up after numerous attempts!</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Greg West’s Schedule 2011<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mileage<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">January 3-23 - Nicaragua Mission Trip with Family<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(to Rosslyn, VA for flights) <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>390 miles / 3,828 flight miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">January 26 - Evangelical Fellowship, Discovery UMC, Richmond, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>210 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">January 30 - </span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Newtown UMC, Williamsburg, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>88 miles<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">February 4-6 – Portsmouth District Youth Retreat, Blackstone, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">225 miles<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">February 11 - Virginia Senate Opening Prayer <span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>185 miles<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">January 14 - Volunteers in Mission Training, Thalia UMC, Virginia Beach, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>45 miles<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">January 21 - Elizabeth River District Training, Centenary UMC, Portsmouth, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>11 miles<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">February 4 - York River District Training, Chestnut Mem. UMC, Newport News, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>22 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">February 17 - Evangelical Fellowship Gathering, Discovery UMC, Richmond, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>210 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">February 16 – Norfolk District Pastor’s Meeting, Aldersgate UMC, Norfolk, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>35 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">February 20 – Chesapeake Avenue UMC, Chesapeake, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>30 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 5 – Christ Church UMC Seminar, Norfolk, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>36 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 6 – Charity UMC, Virginia Beach, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>84 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 12 – 20 - Nicaragua Mission Trip with VWC<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(to Dulles Airport) <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>410 miles / 3,828 flight miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 23 – Memorial UMC Series, Virginia Beach, VA<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(from VWC to home)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>24 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 26 – Westminster Presbyterian Church, Youth Gathering, Suffolk, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>44 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 27 – James River Community Church, Suffolk, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>20 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 30 – Memorial UMC Series, Virginia Beach, VA<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(from VWC to home)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>24 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">April 1 – Board of Ordained Ministry, Glen Allen, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>200 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">April 3 – Portsmouth District Youth, Main Street UMC, Suffolk, VA <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>48 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">April 6 – Memorial UMC Series, Virginia Beach, VA<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(from VWC to home)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>24 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">April 7 – Peninsula District Pastor’s Meeting Presentation<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>25 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">April 9 – Evangelical Fellowship, Scriptural Authority, Discovery UMC, Richmond, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>210 miles<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">April 13 – Memorial UMC Series, Virginia Beach, VA<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(from VWC to home)<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>24 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">April 18 – Christopher Newport University with Fear 2 Freedom, Newport News, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>35 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">April 20 – Norfolk District Pastor’s Meeting, McKendree UMC, Norfolk, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>42 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">April 30 – Virginia Beach UMC Men’s Retreat at VWC<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>40 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May 5-6 – Mt. View Revival, Ruckersville, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>360 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May 11 – Portsmouth District Pastor’s, Monumental UMC, Portsmouth, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>20 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May 22 – Preach at Licensing School at VWC<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>40 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May 24 – Lynnhaven UMC, United Methodist Women, Virginia Beach, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">52 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May 29 – Christ Church UMC, Norfolk, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>36 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">June 5 - Charity UMC, Virginia Beach, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>84 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">June 8-11 - Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Assn., Ocean Grove, NJ<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>720 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">June 15-19 – Virginia Annual Conference UMC, Roanoke, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>535 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">June 21 – July 1 - Nicaragua Mission Trip with Newtown UMC <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>88 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">July 24 – Newtown UMC, Nicaragua Team Sharing, Williamsburg, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>88 miles </span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">/ 3,828 flight miles</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">July 25-27, 29 - New Creation UMC, Youth Week, Chesapeake, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>44 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">July 31, Newtown UMC, Williamsburg, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>88 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">August 14 - Lynnhaven UMC, Virginia Beach, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>52 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">August 14 – Elizabeth River District Welcome Dinner at VWC<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>40 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">August 21 - Village Church, Suffolk, VA <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>13 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">August 21, 22 - Verona UMC, Verona, VA <span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>420 miles<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">August 30 - Western Branch Rotary Club, Chesapeake, VA <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>10 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">September 4 - St. Matthew’s UMC, Richmond, VA <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>212 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">September 12-14 - Grace UMC Revival, Fredericksburg, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>340 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">September 19-21 - Dahlgren UMC Revival, Dahlgren, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>290 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">September 25 – St. James UMC, Gladstone, VA<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>250 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">September 26 – Harrisonburg District Luncheon Presentation <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>23 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">September 27 - Emmanuel UMC, Stephenson, VA </span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">(Harrisonburg to Stephenson to VWC)</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>310 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">October 2-4 - Fairview UMC Revival, Danville, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>430 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">October 18 – Hickory UMC Men’s Group, Virginia Beach, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>60 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">October 23-24 – Society for Wesleyan Studies Richmond, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>200 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">November 6 - New Life UMC, Midlothian, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>110 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">November 6-7 - Evangelical Fellowship Retreat, Blackstone, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>170 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">November 12-13 - Smith’s Chapel UMC, Great Falls, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>215 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">November 13 - Harrisonburg District Conference, Harrisonburg, VA<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>350 miles<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">December 4 - Ebenezer UMC, Suffolk, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>19 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">December 11 - Ebenezer UMC, Suffolk, VA<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>19 miles</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Jail Ministry Thursdays – Portsmouth Jail 22 miles round trip 15x<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>330 miles<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Jail Ministry Thursdays - Western Tidewater, Suffolk, VA 45 miles round trip 15x<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>675 miles</span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: blue;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial Narrow","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Totals:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Preached 82 times plus times for 25 times for SOAR at Virginia Wesleyan and 9,434 traveled miles on the road and 11,484 flight miles on the 3 trips to Nicaragua! </span></b></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-51036554901610525682011-12-30T06:05:00.000+11:302011-12-30T06:05:21.409+11:30<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Brothers & Sisters in Christ,</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The songs of Christmas offer a beautiful opportunity for us to enter into God's Presence with praise and worship! A favorite of mine is: "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" by Charles Wesley. It was at Christmas time in 1990 when I understood the words for the first time, I was 22 years old. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: #336699; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Mild He lays His glory by</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: #336699; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Born that man no more may die</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: #336699; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Born to raise the sons of earth</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: #336699; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"></span><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Born to give them second birth<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"></span><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: #336699; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Hark! The herald angels sing</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: #336699; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 7;"></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>"Glory to the newborn King!"</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Tears of joy came as I understood in some small way how Jesus humbly set aside the splendor of the heavens and the Presence of the Father to enter into our world! The joy set before Him was the purchase of our lives . . . I had just experienced the second birth while at Old Dominion University; and the awe that GOD would value and rescue me with His own life, was overwhelming. </span><b><span style="color: #336699; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I had sung many Christmas hymns at Epiphany United Methodist Church before that one, but this one was different. I was a new creation in Christ and I no longer was singing for singing's sake, but rather singing to the One who came with such humility . . . to be one of us, to teach of the Kingdom, to love, to heal, to forgive sins, to wash feet, to bless children, to deliver from evil, to set the captives free, to be crucified, to rise, defeating death and to send the Holy Spirit!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEf9o5ATi1PIbap8PpdOYB9J-Kv7p4l783_G2rfz3THB7MqXnhBl3_HI16xJavHqd_VAeCxd5oRsgFVrAWSfiYx9ttcxZTgt6PFEPkJcMWtK70KgFcuv7xKKvplMtZkEng3lV/s1600/baby+Jesus+and+Simeon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEf9o5ATi1PIbap8PpdOYB9J-Kv7p4l783_G2rfz3THB7MqXnhBl3_HI16xJavHqd_VAeCxd5oRsgFVrAWSfiYx9ttcxZTgt6PFEPkJcMWtK70KgFcuv7xKKvplMtZkEng3lV/s200/baby+Jesus+and+Simeon.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+9:2&version=NIV1984" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Isaiah 9:2</span></a></span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><b><span style="color: #009900; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.</span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+12:46&version=NIV1984" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">John 12:46</span></a></span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><b><span style="background: white; color: #009900; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.</span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; line-height: normal;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John+1:7&version=NIV1984" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">1 John 1:7</span></a></span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><b><span style="color: #009900; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.</span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Merry Christmas and</span><span style="background: white; color: #336699; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="background: white; color: red; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">a Blessed New Year!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><b><i><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Greg West<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-88316563305625734322011-11-24T14:31:00.021+11:302011-11-24T14:42:45.067+11:30GOOD NEWS & THANKSGIVING!<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">Very recently we received a letter from the IRS that began with the words: "We are pleased to inform you . . ." That's the kind of letter you want to receive from the IRS! Life in His Name, Inc. has obtained 501(c)(3) status! We are now a government recognized non-profit and tax exempt organization! This is a big step for the ministry and Board of Life in His Name. A big thank you to the Board for their support, they are: Pete Kovalcik, Laura Houck and Pastor Brian Sixby. There have been so many who have given encouragement, prayed and given financial support! Thank you all . . . I do believe good things are ahead! </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>Checks should now be made out to: </b></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmZk7-n6iWx9UhqXVGT0rsOTalh3pLsx8orAoaaRM-BnmOv2IIkFL57qSB9AzpNShV0t1NUx8y1ZelFSOCEL4BGoIdGwsfmhBp7TyikClN2lE0M5AKrcB0JGvsJfXp0P_mVUS/s1600/6453_141820706141_712831141_3805062_5279127_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpmZk7-n6iWx9UhqXVGT0rsOTalh3pLsx8orAoaaRM-BnmOv2IIkFL57qSB9AzpNShV0t1NUx8y1ZelFSOCEL4BGoIdGwsfmhBp7TyikClN2lE0M5AKrcB0JGvsJfXp0P_mVUS/s320/6453_141820706141_712831141_3805062_5279127_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: blue;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gioconda Estrada - our amiga from Nicaragua</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>"Life in His Name" or "LIHN" </b></div><div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>And mailed to:</b></div><div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>Life in His Name </b><br />
<b></b></div><div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>PO Box 6092</b><br />
<b></b></div><div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>Portsmouth, VA 23703-6092 </b><br />
<b></b></div><div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">A big thanks to Tammy Waters the District Finance Secretary and Mary Stroh, the District Treasurer for the Elizabeth River District UMC who have been receiving and tracking the finances up to this point!</span></div><b></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><u>Hispanic Ministry</u> ~ Eileen and I just hosted some Latino friends at our home,since we had a special guest from Nicaragua visiting. Jason Gillikin and I met Gioconda <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(Yah - koon - dah) </span>four years ago on our first trip to Nicaragua. She gave us a great welcome as the director of Missions for Hosanna Church. The evening at our home was a good time of fellowship and some deep conversation about the reality of the Gospel. We arranged for Gioconda to meet with some people who have a heart for Nicaragua. There are some promising initial plans for projects in Managua, which would go a long way towards alleviating the suffering of many there. I will be back in Nicaragua with a team over spring break. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><u>Jail Ministry</u> ~ GOD continues to open hearts in the Western Tidewater Regional Jail. Joselito and two other Latinos observed that before they were in jail they never read the Bible, but now they are reading all the time. They acknowledged that GOD was using this difficult time in their lives for good. As I was sharing with the guys about prayer and praising GOD one evening and I asked them if they knew any songs of praise they could sing. Surprisingly, they did not. So I found myself writing the words to a couple 'alabanzas' (praise songs) and then teaching them the songs. It is a noisy atmosphere with about 20 men in each cell and the TV constantly blaring. However, we went through a couple songs and talked about how good it is to simply praise GOD for who He is and for what He has done!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrFbqNsZaSGi8E8uCiZDUsqyZ4jyQCmmrTHgs_dKMbxgPYRlqjhkRkc3RfBBIly1gY7sVatJC15YAGZCNOpM9wp0vpbvSDwDxGi5l8sJ2KazbYFFHNwJasK3nc1QlT7Uz9U0J/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVrFbqNsZaSGi8E8uCiZDUsqyZ4jyQCmmrTHgs_dKMbxgPYRlqjhkRkc3RfBBIly1gY7sVatJC15YAGZCNOpM9wp0vpbvSDwDxGi5l8sJ2KazbYFFHNwJasK3nc1QlT7Uz9U0J/s320/photo+3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue;">Life Group at VWC ~ the intersection of life and Scripture!</span></td></tr>
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</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><u>Virginia Wesleyan College </u>~ Keith Moore, the Dean of Students snapped some photos recently in my office during a LIFE Group. LIFE stands for Living In Faith Everyday. The emphasis on the experiential reality of the Gospel is helping people to draw near to Christ and to go deeper in faith! </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACV30Fk5v8x3O7v3sTdoQmZirgXbYdvyMZ-4y_cxKQEYxdsmXaGMAkyfD3nH1Q4hyphenhyphenQM897gVW1yvdk9k7dEzNhAAb142zDMbqpFUgPJd5Tss31gTXJkFgREY519RFzU3GF58W/s1600/photo+2+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjACV30Fk5v8x3O7v3sTdoQmZirgXbYdvyMZ-4y_cxKQEYxdsmXaGMAkyfD3nH1Q4hyphenhyphenQM897gVW1yvdk9k7dEzNhAAb142zDMbqpFUgPJd5Tss31gTXJkFgREY519RFzU3GF58W/s320/photo+2+copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: blue;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the VWC Students involved in Campus Ministries!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><u>Experiencing GOD</u> ~ I keep pressing this point wherever I am sharing, because there is a knowledge that goes beyond understanding. It is a heart knowledge, revealed by GOD; that we are dearly loved by Christ and then the witness of God's Spirit speaking that our sins are forgiven! So many are trying to live for GOD simply with head knowledge and they are missing out! Paul expected the early Christians to be experiencing GOD in a powerful way. You see his appeal here for unity is based on an expected shared experience.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: purple; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit,</b><b> if any tenderness and compassion,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>then</b> <b>make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose"</b></span></i><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> (Philippians 2:1-2).</span></i></b></span></div><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-family: 'Charis SIL',charis,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></i></b> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Thanksgiving flows from deep within as I think of the privilege we have to share Jesus with others. Thank you for your prayers and support of this ministry! </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I am traveling frequently to preach at different churches. Rev. Dave Zuchelli and his congregation, Smith Chapel in Great Falls welcomed me recently on a Sunday morning. They have big hearts at Smith Chapel! I drove that afternoon to preach at the Harrisonburg District Conference UMC at the invitation of Rev. Tommy Herndon, the District Superintendent. Small Group ministry & Wesley's Class Meeting have been an emphasis this year on that District! It was a surprise to see Bill and Carole Cunius at the Conference. Bill was my Sunday School teacher and Youth Group leader when I was in High School. He had his hands full with that group!</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">I've included some information below that I found online years ago about an amazing missionary leader to China, named Hudson Taylor. Taylor experiencing the reality of Jesus is a part of the story. There are so many amazing yet mostly unknown stories of the men and women of GOD who have gone on before us. We would do well to recover their stories and learn from them.<br />
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</div><div class="result-text-style-normal " style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><h3></h3><h3 style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:3-6). </span></span></span></h3><h3 style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></h3><h3 style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"> With thanksgiving,</span></h3><h3 style="color: #990000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></h3><h3 style="color: #990000; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Greg</span></i></span></h3><h3 style="color: #990000; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span></i></span></h3><h3 style="color: #990000; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-weight: normal;">*<i>If you would like to be removed from this E-Mail list simply reply with 'remove' in the subject line.</i></span></span></h3><h3 style="color: #990000; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-weight: normal;"><i> </i></span></span></h3><h3 style="color: #990000; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-weight: normal;"><i> </i></span></span></h3></div><div class="result-text-style-normal " style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvIGxmOV-L6MzrtZzRRnVE4_1kJp9X6ga7TKRSmx4OBDYYP_Hc7KXgw0uTY6GsiANWU6-2_h1LN29ZRZ0QQ1k6neh_o1_nIDYcOBUPa3rKhlgl2NY2OZSLE-G99CmGmiw1S73/s1600/Hudson+Taylor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvIGxmOV-L6MzrtZzRRnVE4_1kJp9X6ga7TKRSmx4OBDYYP_Hc7KXgw0uTY6GsiANWU6-2_h1LN29ZRZ0QQ1k6neh_o1_nIDYcOBUPa3rKhlgl2NY2OZSLE-G99CmGmiw1S73/s1600/Hudson+Taylor.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hudson Taylor - Missionary to China</td></tr>
</tbody></table><h3> </h3><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him." Hudson Taylor </span></div><div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">Taylor</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";"> was born in Yorkshire, England in 1832 and went on to his reward from Hunan, China in 1905. "Taylor was a pioneer missionary who spent the last half of the nineteenth century serving in China. More than a century before Richard Nixon reopened Communist China to the Western world, this young British missionary traveled to China. He left for China at age 20 with no university degree and sent by no government. He arrived unexpected and unannounced. But, by the time he died, 50 years later, he had founded the China Inland Mission which consisted of 205 mission stations with over 800 missionaries, and 125,000 Chinese Christian converts."</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 15pt; text-align: center;"><b style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biorptaylor.html" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Hudson Taylor</span></a></span></b><b><span style="color: #336600; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 150%;">The beginning of it all was a quiet hour among his father’s books, when young Hudson Taylor sought something to interest him. His mother was away from home and the boy was missing her. The house seemed empty, so he took the story he found to a favorite corner in the old warehouse, thinking he would read it as long as it did not get prosy.</span></span></div><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="width: 140px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; color: orange; padding: 0in; width: 1.25in;" width="120"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 3.75pt; margin-left: 3.75pt; margin-right: 3.75pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Many miles away, the mother was specially burdened that Saturday afternoon about her only son. Leaving her friends she went alone to plead with God for his salvation.</span></span></div></td> <td style="padding: 0in; width: 15pt;" width="20"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 150%;">Many miles away, the mother was specially burdened that Saturday afternoon about her only son. Leaving her friends she went alone to plead with God for his salvation. Hour after hour passed while that mother was still upon her knees, until her heart was flooded with a joyful assurance that her prayers were heard and answered.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 150%;">The boy was reading, meanwhile, the booklet he had picked up, and as the story merged into something more serious he was arrested by the words: “The finished work of Christ.” Who can explain the mystery of the Holy Spirit’s working? Truth long familiar, though neglected, came back to mind and heart.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 150%;">“Why does the writer use those words?” he questioned. “Why does he not say, ’the atoning or propitiatory work of Christ'?”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 150%;">Immediately, <i>It is finished </i>shone out as in letters of light. Finished? What was finished?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 150%;">“A full and perfect atonement for sin,” his heart replied. “The debt was paid by the great Substitute. 'Christ died for our sins,' and 'not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.'” </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 150%;">Then came the thought with startling clearness, “If the whole work is finished, the whole debt paid, what is there left for me to do?”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 150%;">The one, the only answer took possession of his soul: “There was nothing in the world for me to do save to fall upon my knees and accepting this Savior and His salvation to praise Him for evermore.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; line-height: 150%;">Old doubts and fears were gone. The reality of the wonderful experience we call conversion filled him with peace and joy. New life came with that simple acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ, for to “as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” And great was the change that new life brought..</span></span></div></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-55179608095988344132011-10-05T08:30:00.007+11:302011-10-05T08:36:02.992+11:30Revivals with a Twist . . . "How is it with your soul?'<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is the fourth week I've been on the road - not four weeks in a row, but 3 days each week for 4 weeks! I's wonderful and challenging - I miss my wife and children as I travel and at the same time I see GOD at work and sense I'm doing what GOD has called me to do. I am writing from Danville, VA today on the last day of a 3 day revival. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The twist is that after the worship and preaching we've often broken into small groups to share along the lines of the intersection of the Scriptures and our lives. People have grown closer to one another and to the LORD as they've listened to, and prayed for one another. This is often a missing ingredient in our Bible Studies, Sunday Schools and Small Groups. Do you have a safe place to share your struggles as well as your hopes, joys and dreams? Do you have a place where people will with love call you to actually live the teachings of Christ? And where you call others to the same? </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">GOD has blessed the revivals in some great ways. I've seen people start believing what GOD thinks of them rather than the negative self image they have been carrying for years. These are Christians who know they are saved by grace; by that I mean, they've already been rescued from their selfishness and given the gift of new life in Jesus. However, they have a inner-voice that tells them things like: "You weren't worth saving", "You need to prove you were worth saving", and "You're a constant disappointment to GOD". This isn't GOD speaking at all - it's either their own minds still working on an earthly point system or it's the voice of the enemy, robbing them of their true identity in Christ. It keeps them defeated and depressed. Yes, this is a pervasive and heartbreaking form of identity theft!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I've been opening the revivals with this verse . . . </div><div style="color: red; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="heading passage-class-0" style="margin-top: 10px;"><h3 style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;">Psalm 85:6-7 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(NIV1984)</span></h3></div><div class="result-text-style-normal" style="font-family: 'Charis SIL',charis,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
<sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV1984-15278" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: text-top;">6</sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV1984-15279" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: text-top;">7</sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.</div></span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In asking GOD to revive us there is the assumption that we've been already been 'vived' at some point previous to this one! Some have, some have not. It is a work of GOD though, we can schedule revivals and do the planning, but unless we seek GOD and allow GOD to move and lead while we follow in obedience, we cannot expect much.<br />
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I'm passionate about these gatherings for two main reasons: 1) I'm convinced so many of us aren't experiencing fullness in Christ. GOD has more - and I don't mean by this a Rolls Royce, but more of a closeness with Christ, more service with purpose, more significance in belonging to our ABBA, more lifting up of the poor and oppressed, more effectiveness in leading others to experience the Living GOD and more joy in our journeys with GOD! 2) There are so many who do not know the love of GOD in Christ! They may or may not be religious, but so often GOD is only a concept or an ideology in contrast with trusting in and experiencing this Rabbi, Carpenter, King who walked among us 2,000 years ago with a message: Turn from your own way and trust in Me and my Way of Love which is the Rule and Reign of GOD! Jesus, as the human face of GOD, displays the immense and unfailing love of the Creator by teaching us how to live, confronting the warped and oppressive religious and political systems, healing the sick and then becoming the needed sacrifice for our inner darkness - our sin. This is a darkness that GOD cannot ignore or accept. It must become light! And so the Immortal dies! GOD solves the problem of sin and death not with a Jedi-mind move nor a Power move to wipe it all away, but rather, Jesus the Lamb of GOD, takes sin upon Himself and absorbs it. Paying the debt fully, the Lamb slain is now the Risen Lamb, reigning now and forever more in the partially here and soon to be universally present Kingdom of GOD. All who trust in and follow Jesus become part of this unending Kingdom! GOD's Spirit has been poured out and indwells all these believers as a fulfillment of GOD's desire and promise: </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">"My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.</span><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="color: blue;"> </span><sup style="color: blue;"></sup><span class="Apple-converted-space" style="color: blue;"></span><span style="color: blue;">Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever"</span> (Ezekiel 37:27-28).</span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It is good news, make no mistake! </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I invite you to pray for these churches and if you know someone looking for a good church in these areas, please send them!<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="http://fairviewumcdanville.org/">Fairview UMC - Danville, VA - Pastor Kathleen Monge</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.gbgm-umc.org/dahlgrenumc/index.html">Dahlgren UMC - Dahlgren, VA - Pastor Ed Johnson</a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
<a href="http://www.graceumchartwood.net/index.html">Grace UMC - Hartwood, VA - Pastor Brenda Pusso</a> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Last night we had the revival after the revival! A number of people from Stokesland UMC, when I was pastor, gathered for a late meal, marshmallow roasting, an attack of silly string and praise songs around the fire until almost midnight! </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><u style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Dear Friends Longing for Their Mission in Africa</b></u><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFMF1aqWnkWFHJOEvr4-TauTB3HmNrp0QBXfj7OLBqtm6yAoena3_Oa2Pwo4gTg5cZQ1F9K-yYPCbdwFjB9Mm-sYE1EuyOJMB3Z2dDLf95GrVHQigxE9TEDbYhrYBujpL660E/s1600/harkonen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFMF1aqWnkWFHJOEvr4-TauTB3HmNrp0QBXfj7OLBqtm6yAoena3_Oa2Pwo4gTg5cZQ1F9K-yYPCbdwFjB9Mm-sYE1EuyOJMB3Z2dDLf95GrVHQigxE9TEDbYhrYBujpL660E/s320/harkonen.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Timo, Laura, Janey & Richard</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Timo and Laura Harknen are one of the families that I've spent some time with here in Danville. They have a fantastic story - some of which I share below. Yesterday, we had a great game of soccer with their children Janey and Richard! <b>They are on staff with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and are currently seeking ministry partners to help them launch out to the Democratic Republic of Congo! </b><br />
MAF has a great reputation among all denominations. If your church might consider hosting them to share about their call, they would love to hear from you. If I was still a pastor, my church would be supporting their mission! They are at 65% of their needed monthly funds. You can find them online at: <a href="http://www.maf.org/harkonen">http://www.maf.org/harkonen</a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In 1999, Eileen and I took Laura out to lunch shortly after we arrived in Danville, VA. Laura was the pianist at the church, Stokesland UMC. I was the new pastor and was super excited to get going in ministry. Laura was an undergraduate student at Averett University while Timo was an MBA student originally from Finland. Laura is a gifted musician and was great to work with for those 3 years. We didn't meet Timo right away, as he started attending some Sunday worship times well after we arrived. I thought he was really interested in my preaching - truth be told, he was interested in the pianist! However, Timo, within that community of Christ at Stokesland, began to consider Jesus. Laura and the other college students were a compelling and constant witness. Timo jumped into the Men's Group which was modeled off Wesley's Class Meetings. <b><span style="color: blue;">"How is it with your soul?"</span></b> was our ongoing question. He was hungry for the truth and in addition to reading the Scriptures, he read through numerous Christian books. Often in our Men's Group, Timo would hand us all a copy of his notes on the latest book he read, which included his favorite quotes, ideas and a detailed summary! Timo was loved into Christ's community! A couple years later, I had the privilege of leading them in their wedding vows. They have since been in ministry together in many places, most recently in Unicoi, Tennessee. Imagine a 6' 4" blond Scandinavian man welcoming in Latino youth to the congregation near the Smoky Mountains! I love it! In their journey Timo and Laura adopted their children from Brazil - Janey and Richard are a joy to be around!<b><u> </u></b><br />
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<b><u>More Preaching and Teaching and Sharing Christ</u></b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I recently had the opportunity to lead a lunchtime seminar on "The Method of Jesus . . . The Method of the Methodists" to about 30 pastors on the Harrisonburg District! One of the wonderfully shocking truths I share with them is that the early Methodist Preachers were not expected to shepherd a congregation! They were expected to shepherd the Class Leaders (small group leaders) who in turn were shepherding the rest of the congregation! This incredible model enabled the Preachers to focus on preaching in new places and forming new Classes which often morphed into new congregations. We need to recover this lost Method of the Methodists, which I believe really is the Method of Jesus - small group ministry. <br />
I've also been preaching at a number of other churches including a seminar on Evangelism with my good friend, Pastor Bob Weeks at his new church:<a href="http://veronaumc.net/"> Verona UMC - Staunton, VA - Pastor Bob Weeks</a> A highlight of this trip was going door to door through a nearby trailer park. We didn't accost anyone, just a visit to get to know them and to let them know the Verona UMC was right up the road and cared; and their care was tangible . . . a food pantry open to all, 12 step groups, Small Groups, Worship and more! </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I also shared about Missions connecting my role as Evangelist with 3 recent trips to Nicaragua at Jim Smith's church. Jim is another pastor-friend who has been a great encouragement to me in my ministry. <a href="http://emmanuelchurchstephenson.com/">Emmanuel UMC - Winchester, VA - Pastor Jim Smith</a><br />
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One other brother in Christ and Pastor-friend is Gordon Pruitt. I was able to share with his church about "The Method of Jesus . . . the Method of the Methodists".<br />
<a href="http://www.mystmatthews.org/">St. Matthews UMC - Richmond, VA - Pastor Gordon Pruitt</a> <br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Again if you know anyone seeking a church in these areas, connect them!<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><u><b>Prison Ministry at Western Tidewater Regional Jail</b></u><br />
Joselito stands out to me probably because he looks so young. He is scared, not just for himself, but for his wife and baby. He has been incredibly receptive to being taught the Scriptures and is trusting in Jesus for salvation in the biggest sense of the word! I am encouraged by the openness of almost all of the Latino men to gathering to hear the Word, share prayer requests and to call on the LORD together. I welcome your prayers for them and for me as I share Christ with them.<br />
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</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><u><b>Thank you!</b></u><br />
The joy of sharing with so many and in so many different places is incredibly fulfilling. As I transitioned out of Pastoral ministry, my hope was that I would be able to preach more frequently. Well, in the last 21 days, I have preached 13 times! I'm including preaching tonight - on my birthday! Thank you to all who pray for us and support us financially. We continue to move in a good direction with financial support. We are currently receiving 75% of our budget needs. We trust that will continue to increase. If you would like any information about giving to Life in His Name, let me know. All gifts are tax deductible. Click here for detailed information on giving: <a href="http://www.lifeinhisname.net/contact.html">Giving to Life in His Name</a><br />
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<div style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="heading passage-class-0" style="margin-top: 10px;"><h3 style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;">1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(NIV1984)</span></h3></div><div class="result-text-style-normal" style="font-family: 'Charis SIL',charis,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-converted-space"></span>May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><sup></sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"></span>The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.</b><br />
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<b><i style="color: blue;">In Jesus' great love,</i></b><br />
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<b><i style="color: blue;">Greg West</i></b></div></span></div><ul><li>We have a Facebook Page check it out at: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Life-in-His-Name/223222664380005">Life in His Name - Facebook Page</a></li>
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</div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-39341254653398955892011-09-18T14:08:00.000+11:302011-09-18T14:08:20.010+11:30Info about Financial Support . . .<div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Checks can be made out to:</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: yellow; border-collapse: collapse;"><b>ELIZABETH RIVER DISTRICT UMC</b></span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;">And mailed to: </span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: yellow; border-collapse: collapse;"><b>ER DISTRICT</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: yellow; border-collapse: collapse;"><b>PO BOX 12654 </b></span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: yellow; border-collapse: collapse;"><b>NORFOLK, VA 23541</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: yellow; border-collapse: collapse;"><b><br />
</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b style="background-color: white;">We are tremendously grateful for each giver and each gift. It has been so lifting to see how God provides through His people. Thank you!</b></span></span></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-16353041261014241882011-07-30T09:09:00.003+11:302011-07-30T09:11:31.980+11:30Celebrating the 2nd Year in a New Ministy!<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><u><b>Tidewater Regional Jail with the Latinos</b></u></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVBAN3jyMy4RNxGzkc65j9b7MNs0Fs7mj6TGGE06BL1nev97J16y0vKQdJCob6LvwaVtOJzZo5CRWDWf4BRw8F-HvXcCya2cOm8YerQpjIYhFz27k8v1RHgxQZtQCO09WJSxO/s1600/Prison_Ministry+-+hands+through+bars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVBAN3jyMy4RNxGzkc65j9b7MNs0Fs7mj6TGGE06BL1nev97J16y0vKQdJCob6LvwaVtOJzZo5CRWDWf4BRw8F-HvXcCya2cOm8YerQpjIYhFz27k8v1RHgxQZtQCO09WJSxO/s200/Prison_Ministry+-+hands+through+bars.jpg" width="200" /></a>Solomon's eyes searched mine as he spoke with a sense of despair, "Of course I can accept Jesus, but how do I know he will accept me?" This Mexican father of five, had been searching the Scriptures for a few months hoping for some connection with God. He also desperately longed for a sense that his wife and children would be cared for while he was in jail. For the next hour I pressed the joyful reality that we can be sure Jesus will accept us, if we simply come to Him on His terms which are repentance and faith. Solomon opened up and seemed to grasp on the hope found in Christ.<br />
It is greatest to know God's love and acceptance in and through what Jesus' death accomplished for us and certainly through His rising from the dead, defeating death! The writers of the New Testament tell us that we can "know and rely on" the love of God in Christ! John the Apostle, bases this <i>confidence</i> on the experience of God's Spirit communicating with us! Check out 1 John 4:13-16:</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: blue; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV1984-30602" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: text-top;">13</sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span>We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV1984-30602" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: text-top;"> </sup><br />
<sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV1984-30602" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: text-top;"> </sup><sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV1984-30602" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: text-top;">14</sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior<br />
of the world.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV1984-30603" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: text-top;">15</sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives<br />
in him and he in God.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV1984-30604" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: text-top;"> </sup><sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV1984-30604" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: text-top;">16</sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>And so we know and rely on the love<br />
God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: blue; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><br />
</span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Assurance of God's love and presence in our lives is the privilege of everyone who is trusting in Jesus. Yet, too many followers of Christ simply do not know what is offered and so, they never seek God for the assurance that the Spirit gives. The Apostle Paul put it this way: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: blue;">"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children" (Romans 8:16). <span style="color: black;"><i>I urge you who are reading this, if you do not have the 'witness of the Spirit', seek God for it!</i> Trust completely in Jesus as your Savior and ask for God's Spirit to come and speak to your spirit. Press in and seek God until you have an answer. Our God is a self-revealing God, who rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Another insightful passage where Jesus addresses this marvelous truth is <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2011:11-13&version=NIV1984">Luke 11:11-13</a>. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the jail cell, Solomon and I prayed together. I cannot say all that Solomon's tears meant. However, I'm sure the LORD was at work in him and I'm sure there was a deep longing to just be with his family. When I went to visit Solomon the next time, I was told he had been transferred. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><u><b>Siuna, Nicaragua with Pastor David Ford, Newtown UMC and GO International</b></u></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvpjgo_5VAK2_ig34uflL7XH2bnfH5XnewEyVGq8Jrjs-gFYef5ihhoA0PBPcSPE_AZ1-QlORV_5r1y9uGp_u85TZHF5O08QN8pIDiySgoMtnsqyb5KMv1DmCMLKo0R06QmfP/s1600/flip+flop+and+spur+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPvpjgo_5VAK2_ig34uflL7XH2bnfH5XnewEyVGq8Jrjs-gFYef5ihhoA0PBPcSPE_AZ1-QlORV_5r1y9uGp_u85TZHF5O08QN8pIDiySgoMtnsqyb5KMv1DmCMLKo0R06QmfP/s320/flip+flop+and+spur+cropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="color: purple; text-align: center;"><b>It's a tough town where the women wear flip flops and spurs!</b></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We had two options to get to Siuna from Nicaragua's capital, Managua. Either a 19 hour bus ride or a 1 hour flight. So it was a 12 seater Cesna, which was a lot of fun, especially landing on the gravel runway. We saw quickly that Siuna was a cowboy town with horses possibly outnumbering cars. There were 17 on the team all from Newtown UMC in Williamsburg, VA, except myself and Larry and Jenny Cochran who were the team leaders with Go International. </span><a href="http://www.gointernational.org/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">www.gointernational.org</a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Each morning we traveled a little over an hour by truck (<i>because 17 gringos riding horses was out of the question</i>) to our mission base, Salto Verde Church. Salto Verde literally translated is "I jump green", for which we never got a clear explanation. However, it is a beautiful, </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">rural area without electricity or running water, but full of smiling children, a few spider monkeys and of course, lots of horses</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We served the church and the community in five ways: 1) Medical Mission as Doctor Roberto saw patients throughout the day. He's a young doctor who is studying to be a Pastor as well! Brilliant! 2) A prayer and evangelistic ministry to people in the community and those who came to see the doctor. There was quite a long wait, so opportunities abounded to share Christ and pray over all of those who visited the Doctor. 3) Children's Ministry - Youth Pastor Jonathan Diggs led this charge. It was beautiful to see the number of kids grow from day to day. We welcomed about 100 on the last day. 4) Construction of a new sanctuary for the Church. It was powerful to see the community come together for this with people working who did not attend the church! 5) We brought a few hundred pairs of reading glasses and handed those out as needed. It was a holistic approach to the community in partnership with the church in Nicaragua.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EumxP6nTBRi-6R4KARYgtUSDE4c0bA9KQ-IhexoRflOXF1CkVBXW3M40wVqaAeAemqospXQwZWK6h86HyQ_v0eCzRgvf5Qy88SYLvKXqLYwYJ4CnrXwgQklmQuldhtxZEx5J/s1600/269510_2221413092417_1160397357_32696216_2933372_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EumxP6nTBRi-6R4KARYgtUSDE4c0bA9KQ-IhexoRflOXF1CkVBXW3M40wVqaAeAemqospXQwZWK6h86HyQ_v0eCzRgvf5Qy88SYLvKXqLYwYJ4CnrXwgQklmQuldhtxZEx5J/s400/269510_2221413092417_1160397357_32696216_2933372_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: purple;">Doctor Roberto on the left with the Team in front of Salto Verde Church.</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There was a young man who looked a bit lost outside the church one day. I introduced myself and asked him some questions. His name was Vladimir, which surprised me, as he was 100% Nica. As we talked it became clear why he looked so lost. He shared that many years before, his Dad was the pastor of this church; but his Dad was murdered in Managua 6 months before. Vladimir told me that he wasn't following Christ as he was too hurt and didn't have answers to his many questions. We talked for a long time about suffering and how God is in the midst of it. My heart ached for him and after praying together, he headed out for the two hour walk home.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6PGTJIcs-aXaMTpk4OY_cWrFLyUyWAgymnYVd6sRv1Azhnm1tFC1XXqrGWYHssShAU_ByfGK0Q-wV91JFbdmAF9a2ydK_j_zT5Ub1ZPbmqtBLdfHfkNsgJwLtNnvI-N6NBYm/s1600/100_4970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6PGTJIcs-aXaMTpk4OY_cWrFLyUyWAgymnYVd6sRv1Azhnm1tFC1XXqrGWYHssShAU_ByfGK0Q-wV91JFbdmAF9a2ydK_j_zT5Ub1ZPbmqtBLdfHfkNsgJwLtNnvI-N6NBYm/s200/100_4970.JPG" width="155" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: purple;">Gabriel, our young Amigo!</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We stayed in what was really a hostel, though it was called 'hotel' in Siuna. It was pretty rough. Pastor David and I thought we were the only ones in our room, but one morning I almost touched a toad the size of my two fists together! There was a 4 inch gap at the bottom of our door, so really lots of little critters could come in out of the rain! The team did well, no complaining and we focused on serving the LORD and the people in unity. There were great team times of worship, sharing and prayer. I</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We met Gabriel, a 13 year old boy and his mother, Maria, both of whom worked at the hotel. Gabriel ended up spending much of the trip with us as we received permission from his mother for him to travel with us. He was a lot of fun and I enjoyed helping him understand why we were there and sharing Christ through interpreting different worship gatherings, ministry times and life events. One of our high school team members, Lauren gave Gabriel her Spanish Bible as we left.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></span><u><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Youth Ministry: Training and Jumping In</b></span></u><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I spent a couple days training 8 Youth Interns at Ocean Grove Campmeeting Association in July. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Ocean Grove felt like a hidden treasure as it has it's origin in the Holiness Movement in the late 1800s. </span><a href="http://oceangrove.org/" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">http://oceangrove.org/</a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> There is a square mile there dedicated to the LORD, with tons of happenings all throughout the summer for adults, youth and children. The Youth Interns reach out through relational ministry, events, programs and small groups. They were a solid group all of whom are active in College Ministries. Another bonus was that Eileen and the children were able to come up with me and enjoy some down time on the Jersey Shore.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wYldy-LHEN0HZ6ehWoDU5VJz-vVuSNDGcLZjOZb3wWvdtf9jBs6eQCqDtEBOmYMXZkobKn-JiaiGEh9PO6wq6dBKKmmXoZS0n2Hs7-NnfJ4euwiI91kEhrkUKt95QPiMsjk7/s1600/Youth+Week+Kings+Dominion+Group+Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3wYldy-LHEN0HZ6ehWoDU5VJz-vVuSNDGcLZjOZb3wWvdtf9jBs6eQCqDtEBOmYMXZkobKn-JiaiGEh9PO6wq6dBKKmmXoZS0n2Hs7-NnfJ4euwiI91kEhrkUKt95QPiMsjk7/s640/Youth+Week+Kings+Dominion+Group+Photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King's Dominion for Fun Day with the whole group!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I am currently in the middle of serving with New Creation UMC's "Youth Week". Becky Lambert and Bill Canaday do a great job along with their interns to gather youth from New Creation, other churches and the community for a week of drawing near to Christ, serving, food and fun! My oldest son, Josiah participated this year as he is going into 6th grade! We have seen many of the youth growing in their faith and making decisions to turn from sin and follow Jesus! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>I am now in my second year of serving as a Missionary-Evangelist!</b> Thank you for your prayers and support, I am forever grateful! Our financial support continues to increase as we work towards our goals. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We have a new <b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Life-in-His-Name/223222664380005?sk=wall">Life in His Name facebook page</a></b> with extra pictures and information as well!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span">"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b style="color: blue;">"</b> <span style="font-size: small;">(2 Corinthians 13:14)</span>. </span></span><br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Greg West</span></span></i></b><br />
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<div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',sans-serif; font-size: small;">Until the IRS recognizes the name change from the Norfolk District to Elizabeth River District, checks need to be made out to:<br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: yellow; border-collapse: collapse;"><b>NORFOLK DISTRICT UMC with 'Greg West' or 'LIHN' in the Memo</b></span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',sans-serif; font-size: small;">And mailed to: </span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: yellow; border-collapse: collapse;"><b>PO BOX 12654 </b></span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: yellow; border-collapse: collapse;"><b>NORFOLK, VA 23541</b></span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;">You can put either Norfolk or Elizabeth River District for the address. It will get there either way; technically it is now the Elizabeth River District UMC.</span></span></div><b><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></i></b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com0Autonomous Region of the Northern Atlantic, Nicaragua13.738858 -84.78493600000001612.740203000000001 -86.230744500000014 14.737513 -83.339127500000018tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-64449369558182723752011-07-16T09:36:00.001+11:302011-09-18T14:06:35.507+11:30New Address for Receiving Funds<div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Sorry about the confusion . . . </span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;">Checks can be made out to:</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: yellow; border-collapse: collapse;"><b>ELIZABETH RIVER DISTRICT UMC</b></span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;">And mailed to: </span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: yellow; border-collapse: collapse;"><b>ER DISTRICT</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: yellow; border-collapse: collapse;"><b>PO BOX 12654 </b></span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: yellow; border-collapse: collapse;"><b>NORFOLK, VA 23541</b></span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #405e4a; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;">Thanks!</span></span></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-48808035235883567702011-06-07T10:09:00.127+11:302011-06-08T14:17:12.056+11:30"Your very lives are a letter . . . Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:3 The Message<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><u>MEN'S MINISTRY:</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On April 30, a group of men from Virginia Beach UMC gathered, not for a Retreat, but an 'Advance' as Dave Lundquist, the 'Head of Men's Adventures' named it! Dave and Pastor Ed Johnson </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Jr. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">gave leadership to the 'Advance'. I presented 3 sessions on "the Method of Jesus and the Method of the Methodists." You could say the focus was "E</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">vangelism </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and D</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">iscipleship'. However, all the while we were trying to grasp the marvel of God clothing Himself in human flesh, His life among us, the coming of God's Holy Spirit and the overarching strategy to bring the Kingdom of God to earth! We covered some territory!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Pastor Ed, Dave and the other leaders in the group had been working hard to cultivate a deep commitment to discipleship. Dave and I thought these presentations could help move the Men's Ministry to the next phase - so I was thrilled when </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dave reported that 3 new men's groups have been launched with participation growing from 7 to 27 men! He said, "At this stage we are in 'boot camp' as we learn and practice the skills of ministry and gain comfort in really looking at ourselves and being ministered to. We pray that soon we will be reaching out to lost and hurting men outside our usual congregational contacts." </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There was a hunger among the men to be who Jesus called them to be, and to do the things He's </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OnFp9rTP_L-cRdfnw2CjBLlEjyIOPUlaqy02l33QRGGp2HXz2iHQARdwDHdAjALGt4aP02owZy4No5cJv7cUOrdGQoBx4UPf3xlUJpQZQx0rg4RgcDiLTxIDG0ZJTW-BHBMx/s1600/Wesley+1+in+30+Englismen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5OnFp9rTP_L-cRdfnw2CjBLlEjyIOPUlaqy02l33QRGGp2HXz2iHQARdwDHdAjALGt4aP02owZy4No5cJv7cUOrdGQoBx4UPf3xlUJpQZQx0rg4RgcDiLTxIDG0ZJTW-BHBMx/s400/Wesley+1+in+30+Englismen.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Above and below are two of the slides I use to illustrate the<br />
tremendous growth of the Methodist movement when<br />
the class meetings (small groups) were required.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">called them to do! When that is present it's hard to go wrong!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2vIIJqawxi_KfCr6UPTFALWV2-92nbTHxMn6I04wUAvb2upUldhSR4psSjGAm4RXbI58yiK9bZmGBrex4yK76TV0mYp8CNR4DOB4fU3T0ZfQuNwcg_lPFedLTpCtbM71BLbl/s1600/Asbury+and+Hosier+2+percent+to+34+in+USA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-2vIIJqawxi_KfCr6UPTFALWV2-92nbTHxMn6I04wUAvb2upUldhSR4psSjGAm4RXbI58yiK9bZmGBrex4yK76TV0mYp8CNR4DOB4fU3T0ZfQuNwcg_lPFedLTpCtbM71BLbl/s400/Asbury+and+Hosier+2+percent+to+34+in+USA.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>More than 1/3 of the population! What I am interested in <br />
here is the recovery of a method, the method of Jesus. </i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Pastor Ed shared, "The 'Advance' was a tremendous success as men were reintroduced to the power of the Holy Spirit available to all followers of Christ! In addition, the concepts that Greg taught have equipped us to empower laity to ministry to laity following the example of the original Wesleyan class model." </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This is a major goal of my calling as an evangelist . . . to assist the church in the formation of Jesus centered groups that shape people in Christ-likeness </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">and send us out as ambassadors of the Kingdom. These groups welcome all and are able to articulate and demonstrate the Supremacy of Jesus in every way! They cannot help but to have a redemptive effect, not only in the lives of the participants, but also all those with whom they come into contact!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Most people do not think of evangelists in an equipping capacity. However, this role is clear in Scripture. This is Ephesians 4:11-14:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV1984-29268" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: text-top;">11</sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV1984-29269" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: text-top;">12</sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV1984-29270" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; vertical-align: text-top;">13</sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you would like to experience one of these groups, I am a part of a weekly group that meets on Wednesday's at 6:30 at Dennis' restaurant in Churchland. Acts 2:42 summarizes our meetings: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> I am also in a pastor's covenant group meeting in north Suffolk with the same focus. You're invited!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">GATHERING WITH THE LATINOS AND JAIL MINISTRY:</u></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;"></u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">About 15 Latinos among other friends gathered at our home on Memorial Day. J</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ason and Delia Gillikin along with Ali Alvarez, Jose Gonzales, Eileen and I are desiring to connect with and minister to this community. We are asking God what our next step is while continuing the friendships and encouraging them in the faith. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My orientation at Western Tidewater Regional Jail was eye opening. This jail holds close to 800 people including Federal prisoners. My role there will primarily with Latinos, though I will have opportunity for ministry with others. As I am traveling much of June for ministry, "I'll be in jail" on July 7, with a team from Southeastern Correctional Ministry.</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><u>STUDIES:</u></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRRKmmpXr6mI-VBQcSw8yovRwa1We1BcJSsZaVzMqrYEp6QR4aMZWR4zmQAINlOS_Tk2aJk-c5cCqUo1DpqQX9FKtZXco3vqOZoN8LjmNPNQXFVJt6Nduo5Ze9aI1GlxhFe77/s1600/The+Supernatural+Occurrences+of+John+Wesley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRRKmmpXr6mI-VBQcSw8yovRwa1We1BcJSsZaVzMqrYEp6QR4aMZWR4zmQAINlOS_Tk2aJk-c5cCqUo1DpqQX9FKtZXco3vqOZoN8LjmNPNQXFVJt6Nduo5Ze9aI1GlxhFe77/s200/The+Supernatural+Occurrences+of+John+Wesley.jpg" width="128" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fascinating account of John Wesley's<br />
understanding of the Holy Spirit, healing,<br />
deliverance, dreams and visions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><u></u></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I am digging deep into the Scriptures and other books to better understand and be led by the Holy Spirit. Imagine being one of Jesus' disciples and hearing him say, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">"It is for your good that I am going away."</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Stunning words, but then the explanation: <span style="color: blue;">"Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7)<b> </b></span>I am quite convinced that we followers of Jesus in the 21st century have a ton to learn, experience and live out concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit in us and through us. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The book to the right has been quite an eye opener in terms of John Wesley's ministry and his understanding of the Holy Spirit.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">SEMINARY ROAD TRIP:</span></u></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0nGGHMJhX61NSfp24Y4smYrpqbvsZGOsY91yUO2k19qOmQfvjvABKD7KYHKZIKz9OXtVrYk0sQMMKj55c7JawF5rQ6SI4w1bvTSUeetdUurow8APvpsowBeKInEjO1Ad-10l/s1600/VWC+students+and+Wesley+ATS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0nGGHMJhX61NSfp24Y4smYrpqbvsZGOsY91yUO2k19qOmQfvjvABKD7KYHKZIKz9OXtVrYk0sQMMKj55c7JawF5rQ6SI4w1bvTSUeetdUurow8APvpsowBeKInEjO1Ad-10l/s320/VWC+students+and+Wesley+ATS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keith Abraham, Wayne Credle Jr. and Brian Boettcher<br />
hanging out with John Wesley at Asbury Seminary.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Five Virginia Wesleyan College students and I traveled to Duke Divinity School for a tour. Then three of the students and I traveled on to Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. Eileen and I were there from 1995-9, with me studying and Eileen paying the bills! A road trip with college students who are listening to God's call in their lives is an exciting experience! We learned together, prayed together, shared meals and lots of laughter! It looks like Keith will be going to Asbury. The others still have another year of under-graduate work.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was good for my soul to visit ATS. For Eileen and me it was a wonderful immersion into Christian community. We were enriched, challenged, equipped and then sent from Asbury in 1999.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><u>NICARAGUA IN JUNE:</u></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTagu6Hg9sXBw00dkW7EGL84uW1-O67J2A-QA38j8PCPOo5OHTPVa1x_KE1J8IQhiTJTxvPv3vhhyphenhyphenD53T1so1IZ7LY0z63K2teROZduGz1VTwrTzPFkWmReVgGnZFtX0wIF1vx/s1600/Greg+with+Asbury+statue+ATS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTagu6Hg9sXBw00dkW7EGL84uW1-O67J2A-QA38j8PCPOo5OHTPVa1x_KE1J8IQhiTJTxvPv3vhhyphenhyphenD53T1so1IZ7LY0z63K2teROZduGz1VTwrTzPFkWmReVgGnZFtX0wIF1vx/s320/Greg+with+Asbury+statue+ATS.jpg" width="254" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bishop Francis Asbury is one of my heroes. He gave<br />
himself fully to the LORD, preaching along circuits <br />
through this country from 1771 - 1816. The movement <br />
grew from 1,200 persons to 214,000 under his leadership. <br />
Tears came to my eyes as I learned that he was homeless<br />
in order to be more effective in making disciples of Jesus. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While in Wilmore, I visited 'Go International' a missions organization that partners with local churches to help fulfill the Great Commission. I will be traveling with 'Go Int.' and Newtown UMC in a couple weeks to the city of Siuna in Nicaragua. We'll be serving a church there with building, evangelism and any other way we can. I will also be bringing books and teaching resources for the pastors of the Evangelical Methodist Church. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We welcome your prayers as overseas travel always has some challenges. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">On Sunday I had the opportunity to speak at Charity UMC in Virginia Beach. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One of the Sunday School classes is using</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Francis Chan's new book, <u>Crazy Love</u>. I read the chapter entitled "Giving Our Leftovers to God." Chan says that if 100 people represented the world's population, then 53 live on less than $2 a day. And if you make $4,000 a month then you make more than 100 times what the average person on the planet makes! This is part of the tug on my heart that keeps me returning to Nicaragua, 3 times so far this year. The great joy is that each time there are people seeing the poverty of the country for the first time; and at the same time they see a church that is vibrant, doing so much with so little. We would all do well to go down bringing material resources to help, while they give us spiritual resources unknowingly.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><u>SUPPORT UPDATE:</u></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We have made significant progress towards our new financial goals. We will continue on as God keeps opening doors and providing in marvelous ways through the body of Christ. if you would like any information about my ministry please contact me and check out: <a href="http://www.lifeinhisname.net/">www.lifeinhisname.net</a></span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I will be sending a new address and information for giving purposes later this month. We are grateful for your prayers and support! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In Jesus' great love,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Greg West</i></b></span><br />
<br />
<ul><ul></ul></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-69115564323973010652011-04-22T03:04:00.015+11:302011-04-23T07:50:26.039+11:30'Out of Darkness into His Wonderful Light'<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><strong>HOUSE OF HOPE ~ Freeing Women and Children from Human Trafficking and Prostitution</strong></u></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhm6oqASDFT_htp9YqC9Yl9bnRLzXWo21m-l8snamUSEY9ElvA2R3qjSamFVXkvRYSgtQBGTLpOBMVyQ8nZDWT3_q8hyphenhyphenRzCVn219_9WEY6iCpcLljGAPF9yUfpaZ2zHV655cVT/s1600/Slide+Pic+Nica+VWC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhm6oqASDFT_htp9YqC9Yl9bnRLzXWo21m-l8snamUSEY9ElvA2R3qjSamFVXkvRYSgtQBGTLpOBMVyQ8nZDWT3_q8hyphenhyphenRzCVn219_9WEY6iCpcLljGAPF9yUfpaZ2zHV655cVT/s320/Slide+Pic+Nica+VWC.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The VWC Mission Team: Alan, Brandon, Andrea, Amber, <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Devon, Clancey, Katerina, Kala, Wayne and a little amigo</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been slow writing because the topic is, at times, too difficult. Traveling to Nicaragua with 9 students from Virginia Wesleyan College last month was amazing and yet so challenging. We had a fantastic trip working with the Evangelical Methodist Church, Metanoia Missions and the House of Hope; and the team functioned with great unity. It is a great joy when I hear the students process what the trip meant to them and how they have been changed. <span style="font-family: Arial;"></span>The Evangelical Methodist Church would love to host teams from the United States. The needs are many and the blessings eternal! If you and your church have any interest in connecting with them, I can help make it happen. They have a full time mission coordinator who speaks English. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I realized that when Eileen, our children and I spent time with the House of Hope in January we received a 'PG' version because our children were present. This time was different. April Havelin, who heads up the ministry, interviewed women and girls who have been rescued from brothels. We heard from a school teacher whose husband abandoned her, leaving her to feed and care for their many children, pay for the home and everything else. She could not make ends meet and was pulled into prostitution to feed her children. This woman though, has been transformed by the love of God in Christ! She leads ministry at the House of Hope including going to the streets to befriend prostitutes and tell them of a better way in and through Jesus! April has a wonderful connection with the children. She invited them into our circle asking them their favorite games, subjects in school and encouraging them to share a greeting with us. April told us what the girls had been through before they entered. I was stunned as a little seven year old girl came in with a big smile, excited to sit with April. As my mind tried to process the heartbreaking information, I resisted the strong urge to fall onto my hands and knees and weep. More girls came in to meet us. We did not want to believe the stories we heard, because the pain was too great. Today as I remember and write of what I saw and heard, I feel the tears coming. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYVLUlLtDhkvmSP1Rgir70pUWYSqLnLHRoyakqotDDFFN_jgcK4-0qHuuX_WrhrC9n8aPd3fd1pQxqm-sYfX_iarIje_wr0wEDEhJT7f-QcV45nXU5SEFW6PnxUFz6KCpCWcp/s1600/Eileen+speaking+at+the+Gathering.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" i8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYVLUlLtDhkvmSP1Rgir70pUWYSqLnLHRoyakqotDDFFN_jgcK4-0qHuuX_WrhrC9n8aPd3fd1pQxqm-sYfX_iarIje_wr0wEDEhJT7f-QcV45nXU5SEFW6PnxUFz6KCpCWcp/s320/Eileen+speaking+at+the+Gathering.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center">Eileen sharing recently at 'The Gathering'</div></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The darkness is real. Yet, ministries like House of Hope, do indeed give hope. Eileen and I are committed to serving them. On our trip in January, we brought back jewelry and greeting cards made by the women who have come out of human trafficking and prostitution. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love working closely with Eileen bringing attention to the tragic realities of human trafficking. Eileen sent a check to the House of Hope yesterday for $2,000 from items we have sold! Some of the VWC students and I are making and selling cappuccinos out of my office at the college with the profits going to House of Hope. For more info on them go to: <a href="http://www.houseofhopenicaragua.com/">http://www.houseofhopenicaragua.com/</a></span><br />
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<strong><u><span style="font-family: Arial;">Jail Ministry and 'On the Outside'</span></u></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I met 'Tom' (name changed) in the Portsmouth Jail. When I came by his cell, he and a number of other men gathered so that we could share the Scriptures, pray and be in fellowship with one another. Tom and the other men studied the Bible daily and I could see a hunger in him to for more of God. It is so rewarding to see people hungry for the Truth, to be able to help them understand the Gospel and take their next step of faith. One evening after the group ended, he told me he was about to get out. Then he asked if we could meet 'on the outside.' I gave him my cell number and he called me the a few days later. Tom and I have been meeting in a mentoring relationship. He has joined a church in Portsmouth and is involved in their Men's Ministry. He and a friend have also come to our Wednesday morning group. He is 23 and has 3 children under 4 years old. His Dad is about to come home from prison for the seventh time. Tom does not want to repeat the mistakes his Dad made. I've met his family and I too want so badly to see the pattern of brokenness healed. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will be going to a different jail, since there is a need for Spanish speakers at Western Tidewater Regional Jail in Suffolk.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><strong><u>Preaching and Teaching</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I am preaching frequently in churches in the Hampton Roads area. I just finished a four week series at Memorial UMC with my good friend, Pastor John Cole. Here is a link to a message I preached at Newtown UMC earlier this year: </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.newtownumc.org/index.php?option=com_sermonspeaker&task=singlesermon&id=10112&Itemid=30">Greg's Message - Search and Rescue</a></span><br />
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<u><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;">Thank You and Support Update</span></strong></u><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are so grateful for the financial and prayer support we receive as well as your words of encouragement. We count it a privilege to be able to serve in this way. We are actively seeking churches and families to support the ministry. The Portsmouth District of the United Methodist Church has paid for our health insurance in this first year. So we need to raise the funds for that cost. Our goal is 20 supporters at $50 a month by the end of the summer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Apostle Peter contrasts those who disobey with the faithful by affirming their new identity and reminding them of what God has done. Let us continue to walk and live in this reality!</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you <b>out of darkness </b>into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9).</strong></span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The Board of Life in His Name, Inc. meets regularly to establish this new ministry and map out the future. We will be losing one of our Board members as Pastor Bob Weeks has been appointed to serve a church out of the area. For more info on the ministry check out: <a href="http://www.lifeinhisname.net/">http://www.lifeinhisname.net/</a> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Greg at the 'House of Hope' with the son one of the women who has come out of prostitution</div></td></tr>
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>In the transforming love of Jesus,</strong></span></div><strong><br />
</strong><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;"><em><strong>Greg West</strong></em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span> <br />
<div style="text-align: right;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-80495234932672800942011-02-22T15:21:00.000+11:302011-02-22T15:21:10.048+11:30Nicaragua - There and Back Again<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It will be 6 1/2 weeks for me between the two trips to Nicaragua. I am taking 9 students from Virginia Wesleyan College (VWC), for Spring Break, March 11 - 18! We will be working with the same groups that my family worked with while in Managua. Please pray for Devon, Wayne, Kala, Katerina, Clancey, Alan, Amber, Andrea & Brandon. Pray that their hearts would be receptive to all that God wants to share as they move outside of their comfort zones to serve. I welcome your prayers as I lead this team. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNHtbAWAVgG3gPmGYS9xHIaIa0z02fRRSD82Ic3l33rA03oP5vB-gPDiNBK2BxBe0MXBUTTrPrG7k9ovLvObA5WitQ00w96S1FtNRqThAwgRzA99UYr6_FUipQwIYcoXvxcjD/s1600/Copy+of+Iglemen+foto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNHtbAWAVgG3gPmGYS9xHIaIa0z02fRRSD82Ic3l33rA03oP5vB-gPDiNBK2BxBe0MXBUTTrPrG7k9ovLvObA5WitQ00w96S1FtNRqThAwgRzA99UYr6_FUipQwIYcoXvxcjD/s320/Copy+of+Iglemen+foto.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Evangelical Methodist Church of Nicaragua Pastors and Leaders</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While we were in Managua in January, I met with Pastors from the Evangelical Methodist Church. 20 years ago a Pastor from Argentina started the Methodist Church in Nicaragua. They have 15 congregations and are eager for partnerships with churches from the USA. I hope to help them make some of those connections. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg361zDeTPYH3dI8wTA1LbBjUrUq8ncbJvbDIp2uLwtRAHOnHyaaNglNdl6r41N_WfMaj8fYWLW6ZA6lOe_K0Y5sqWcLDu14LZRNhxkxnbje4HBoV__ZjX_HEQRkYJlIxPTPBEu/s1600/Nicaragua+2011+494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg361zDeTPYH3dI8wTA1LbBjUrUq8ncbJvbDIp2uLwtRAHOnHyaaNglNdl6r41N_WfMaj8fYWLW6ZA6lOe_K0Y5sqWcLDu14LZRNhxkxnbje4HBoV__ZjX_HEQRkYJlIxPTPBEu/s320/Nicaragua+2011+494.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">House of Hope - Making Jewelry and Greeting Cards</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of the ministries in Nicaragua that affected Eileen and I deeply is the House of Hope or Casa Esperanza. Mike and April Havelin of Washington, NC started the ministry to prostitutes in 2001. They thought they would be working with 50 women. Today they are working with 500, including children who have been forced into the darkness of sex trafficking. There is a video on the homepage of their website that tells their story and is well worth seeing: <a href="http://www.houseofhopenicaragua.com/">http://www.houseofhopenicaragua.com/</a> The human trafficking and sex trafficking industries are on the increase and the body of Christ must stand for justice and be available to lift the oppressed. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We worshiped with the women of this ministry and watched as they transformed the worship space into a jewelry and greeting card factory! Eileen and I brought back $4,000 worth of jewelry and greeting cards to sell here in the USA for the House of Hope. The jewelry and cards make great gifts and can open up fantastic conversations about the problems of the world and the answers found in the person of Jesus along with his people alleviating and confronting the suffering in His Name. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Evangelism and Discipleship </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On a recent Monday night I went into the Portsmouth Jail with the men from Southeastern Correctional Ministries <a href="http://www.secorrmin.org/">http://www.secorrmin.org/</a> including Chaplain Gary Tingwald, a great friend and brother in Christ. I went to the 5th floor and met with 2 cell blocks over the course of 2 hours. Some of the guys 'circle up' when they see one of the volunteers and we invite others to join in and some do. We share along the lines of the intersection of life and the Scriptures. How do the teachings of Jesus become a reality in our lives? This night I met with 15 guys total within the 2 cell blocks. I asked both groups, "How many of you grew up in the Church?" Can you guess the answer? 100%! All 15 of these men now behind bars went to church as children and youth. On my drive home I was troubled; and I still am. How is it that we the Church are unable to disciple children and youth? And Men? And women? </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Something is terribly wrong with our methods and quite possibly the spirit in which we operate! There are too many places in which evangelism and discipleship are not happening! So we must go back to the Scriptures and seek God with all our heart and strength, crying out for the wisdom and understanding that we so desperately need; And then pray for the courage and conviction to follow through. Really, our greatest need is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. For the Spirit gives us the wisdom, power and guidance necessary for life. And how does this happen? Jesus says:</span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span class="woj">“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><span class="woj" style="font-size: 16px;">Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?</span><span class="woj" style="font-size: 16px;"> If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:11-13</span></b></span> </blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm going to be leading some seminars in the near future dealing with all of these realities. If you would like to attend, let me know. I am longing that the body of Christ would be revived (including me) and then minister this revival, renewal, re-formation to others! In short, a movement of God.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upcoming Seminars</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><b>March 5, Saturday</b> ~ "Wanting the World to Know" Seminar - 9am - 4pm Christ UMC, VA Beach, Pastor Dan Abbot </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><b>March 23, 30; April 6, 13 (Wednesday evenings)</b> ~ "The Method of Jesus" Evangelism & Discipleship - Memorial UMC, VA Beach, Pastor John Cole </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><b>April 9, Saturday ~ Rethinking the Theology of the Bible, Ben Witherington III - Discovery UMC, Richmond, VA </b>This is going to be an excellent seminar given by a scholar and great communicator of the Scriptures and the challenges facing us. I will be there. Take a look at this link for all of the information: <b> </b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.efumcva.org/events.html">http://www.efumcva.org/events.html</a> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><b>May 21, Saturday</b> ~ "The Method of Jesus" Evangelism & Discipleship Seminar - Monumental Ministries - Portsmouth, Pastor Bob Friend & Pastor Hank Teague (*times and location to be announced)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am aware of God at work within me and I am grateful. There are times of great rejoicing simply because God is with us and for us! I will leave you with this great quote from Oswald Chambers: </span><br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">"When a man’s heart is right with God the mysterious utterances of the Bible are spirit and life to him. Spiritual truth is discernible only to a pure heart, not to a keen intellect. It is not a question of profundity of intellect, but of purity of heart</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">."</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span style="color: #333333;">Bringing Sons Unto Glory, 231 </span></i></span></blockquote>I am so grateful for the friendships and partnerships in the Gospel that make possible my serving in the role of Evangelist. Thank you for your support.<br />
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<div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen." 1 Corinthians 16:24</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoBodyText"><span style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>Greg West, Evangelist</i></b></span></span></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-59638207506860896042011-02-11T17:24:00.000+11:302011-02-11T17:24:28.619+11:30Opening Prayer in the Senate - February 11, 2011 - Richmond, VA<div style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>O God Almighty, we need Your help – <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>Today we acknowledge and rejoice in Your greatness, Your power and Your love . . . and in the same breath we admit our sins and are sorry for them. God, please forgive us and change our selfish hearts. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>O God Almighty, we need Your help here in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Virginia</st1:place></st1:state> – <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>We need your peace to overcome our anxieties and our violence, Your love to conquer our lusts and our hate, Your truth to free us from our errors and we need a humility that keeps You in first place. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;">Arise, O God and help us! Come to our rescue because of your unfailing love. We know </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">You are able, for nothing is too difficult for You.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>Would You give us glimpses of Your desire for planet earth, for this nation and for <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Virginia</st1:place></st1:state>, for our cities, towns and our families – even Your will for our lives. And let Your desire become ours and impart in us the courage to pursue these desires with all our strength so that we, the people of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Virginia</st1:place></st1:state> would act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with You. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>O God, we pray for these men and women of our Senate. Give them wisdom and grace from above to lead us. Give them health and <st1:personname w:st="on">friends</st1:personname>hips, vision and conviction. Please break all divisions and rivalries that hinder real progress; granting them a unity in solutions that transcend all lesser loyalties.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>We pray also for their families: for their spouses, children and grandchildren – bless them, O God, to be a blessing. Protect and bless their marriages with joy and faithfulness that their children and grandchildren will receive and pass on a legacy of love and integrity.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>Awake the all of us in these chambers and awake the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia just as You awoke Jacob . . . to the reality of Your Presence and let us say with him: “Surely the LORD is in this place and I knew it not.” With this awareness, what we do and say will work for and not against the coming of Your blessed Kingdom.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>We pray together for the Commonwealth . . . that it would be just that . . . a shared prosperity, a shared blessing and peace; a true equality of opportunity and justice, all flowing from Your goodness and abundance, O God. <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Above all</span> let us be a people that love You, and love our neighbors as ourselves.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>So LORD, with respect for people of all faiths, I submit this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><b>Amen.</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19126260.post-39319925288968166172011-01-19T07:21:00.002+11:302011-01-19T08:15:46.419+11:30Life in Nicaragua - La Lucha . . . the Struggle<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNu-k6O-9Rl9vcWtCPVQgZNYp0YBtUkLdr79taGc2RynSEs6sPRtU4avItC5zi4YaRsSzCwkyQAzfWIWjnzgMS6NCceE0pgVSpQrExcV-FrSe1GnEHAv431kGI235JhGzw3xRN/s1600/Guardabarranco.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNu-k6O-9Rl9vcWtCPVQgZNYp0YBtUkLdr79taGc2RynSEs6sPRtU4avItC5zi4YaRsSzCwkyQAzfWIWjnzgMS6NCceE0pgVSpQrExcV-FrSe1GnEHAv431kGI235JhGzw3xRN/s1600/Guardabarranco.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Guardabarranco</strong> - Nicaragua's National Bird</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s closing in on 11pm here in <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Managua</place></city>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From our apartment I can hear an action movie going on below us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there is the occasional sound of a whistle outside . . . long, loud blasts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some <personname w:st="on">friends</personname> informed us that this is call of the ‘Guardabarranco’ <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Nicaragua</place></country-region>’s national bird!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We've heard the whistles each night about this same time. I took the picture on the right a</span>t the National Zoo, where we came closer to wild animals than in any other zoo! </span></span></div></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The time to reflect on what we have seen and experienced each day is so important . . . Driving through the battered streets of Managua with our taxi driver Johanna, listening to 'A Total Eclipse of the Heart' - each block has something new. The fruit stands invite with their unique colors and shapes . . . papayas, mangos, bananas, guayaba, jocote and more. The small children weave through the traffic at stoplights selling trinkets & candies or simply begging for money. The horse drawn carts are common and mix with the crowded traffic of cars, motorcycles, trucks and more. The 'Nicas' love to use their horns as they drive, some quick honks to say, 'Here I am' and others more robust that demand, 'Out of the way'. The trash is like kudzu in Carolina and the people are</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The people are super open to speak about Jesus. I've been surprised with how many openly share their belief in Christ and in the same sentence state that they are not following. Or better said, they have not yeilded to Christ. They are still in the driver's seat. The conversations are great and I've shared more of the Gospel with them trying to help them see the deception they've bought in to.</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT50GPk48YESMcA1NXKbpHguoXc7-XJYkMv0FigFY9VkQaPRSe32yoKT8qyjXjqPSw6yTYXWTwfodBgritpdpu33_Wrxt2YVhfV_YGnfunuuyOsEudqYSYFMayk4rkRro8NUjK/s1600/Evening+Worship+Tipitapa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT50GPk48YESMcA1NXKbpHguoXc7-XJYkMv0FigFY9VkQaPRSe32yoKT8qyjXjqPSw6yTYXWTwfodBgritpdpu33_Wrxt2YVhfV_YGnfunuuyOsEudqYSYFMayk4rkRro8NUjK/s320/Evening+Worship+Tipitapa.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Worship at Cristo Rey ~ Christ the King Church in Tipitapa</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Earlier this evening Eric Ferguson and I drove into a part of Tiptapa, just outside Managua. The wild dirt roads made me grateful for Eric's 4x4. We drove through dozens of blocks of homes, pieced together with tin sheets, cinderblock and scraps of wood. The electric lines were tied to the top of trees that had been cut for this purpose, no thicker than my arm and about 12 feet high. We pulled up to the church building which had 2 walls and a roof and 1 light bulb. The music was blaring, letting people know the worship would soon begin. The Pastor, Alfredo has been walking with the LORD for 6 years, for 3 of those he has been a pastor!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">There were no instruments, just the strong leading voices of the 'alabanzas' ~ praise songs. The people seemed alive to the Good News and there was a real sense of celebration. The little children were allowed to roam a little while some were gathered by a woman who was teaching them seated on the dirt. It's Monday night too! Pastor Alfredo shared his story with me a few days before. Alcohol, drugs and a lostness overshadowed his life for years. It almost cost him his family. Now he and his wife and children serve Jesus! They host two 'comedores' ~ feeding centers for children. The one at Christ the King has more than 100 children coming twice a week for food and the Word of God. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I was asked to preach a couple days before and was a bit intimidated. What do I know of these people's lives? Of their dreams and fears? Of their struggle and family? Yet the Holy Spirit can take the little we offer and add to it . . . so with that as my prayer, I preached </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">from 1 Samuel 30. I've studied the passage, but never preached on it, much less in Espa<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">ñ</span>ol! I chose this passage because in talking to so many 'Nicas' they talk about life in terms of the 'lucha' ~ the fight. That life is a struggle and they mean for the basics, to have shelter, to be clothed and to eat and provide for their children. Here's the essence of the message . . . </span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">David has been anointed King, though he’s not yet on the throne. King Saul who has been rejected as King by God is running out of time. David and his little army of 600 are returning to Ziklag, the Philistine city where they had taken up residence. They find the city empty, their families gone and the city looted and burned! </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the difficulties in life come, how do we react? </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the crisis shows up, to whom do we go?</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">David and his men are in the midst of a crisis . . . </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>"Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept, until they had no more strength to weep." 1 Samuel 30:4 RSV</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">The situation is so bleak that David's faithful men are on the edge of turning against him . . . </span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>"David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God." 1 Samuel 30:6 NIV </strong></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People in a crisis, filled with fear and pain often look for someone to blame. David has his own fears and pain and now the possibility of his men taking his life!</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;"><strong>"But David found strength in the LORD his God."</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">Here is an example for us! Here is someone who turned to the right Source in the time of crisis! I know you struggle because we all struggle . . . are you finding your strength in the LORD your God, in the times of crisis?</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">David asks for Abiathar the priest and seeks a word from God. </span><br />
<strong><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"And David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue." 1 Samuel 30:8 NIV</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">David does the right thing asking God for direction, not trusting in his own understanding or strategies</span>. <span style="color: blue;">The result is the promise of victory and the rescue of their families. So David and his army are now in pursuit.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you know any captives? Not like David’s family and the families of his army, but nonetheless captive? Jesus defined his mission in Luke 4: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;"><strong>"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Luke 4:18-19 RSV</strong></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">People are captive to sin, to the enemy of our souls. I remember my own captivity, the time before Christ was real to me, before he set me free. Do you remember? </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do we have compassion on those that are captives still? </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are we willing to battle for their freedom as David was? </span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the pursuit the little army of 600 stops and 200 of the men can go no further because of exhaustion. So the 400 press on and find a servant of the Amalekites who had raided their homes. This man led them to the Amalekite raiders and the battle began. Scripture says it lasted all day long. </span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here is a lesson . . . the promise of victory does not mean the battle will be easy. 200 couldn't even make it and the others had to battle all day long before their families were safely returned to them.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">There is a battle in this life. David fought with a sword, we fight in a different way . . . </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 </strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">Another potential crisis arises after the battle . . . </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>"Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. As David and his men approached, he greeted them. But all the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. </strong></span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>However, each man may take his wife and children and go." 1 Samuel 30:21-22</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">So David has division in the camp. David has God's wisdom and speaks it with confidence. David knows who gave the victory.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>"David replied, "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us. Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike." David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this." 1 Samuel 30:23-25</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">Are you ready for battle? Do you know Who gives the victory?</span>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16483657777481481119noreply@blogger.com0