GOD’S EXTRAORDINARY, AMAZING LOVE
GOD’S EXTRAORDINARY, HIS AMAZING LOVE
God’s Love really is extraordinary. His Love is amazing. And best of all, His Love is absolutely real. Look around. He proves it in the intricacy and beauty of Creation which surrounds you. Listen. He proves it with the infinite variety of sounds in nature which fairly sing His praises. Examine your heart. All you find there which is good and true and beautiful comes from Him and His proven love for you.
God’s Love is always looking for those who will declare and prove His Love in the beautiful way they both speak and act in Him and for His glory. When I observe extraordinary love lived out in life, I always find as its source, the glory of God. When I am amazed at loving acts, loving thoughts and loving intent; I always find in the heart of those acts, those thoughts and that intent; the absolute love of Christ.
If we look for an example of living the life of godly love, we need look no further than to the life of Jesus, our Lord. He clearly lived out the Love of God and demonstrated daily the reality and the power of divine love. The Apostle Paul gave us a beautiful description of such love in I Corinthians 13. If you examine the qualities he identifies in God’s Love, you cannot help but see how beautifully His Life met every standard for living out Almighty God’s own Love for us.
1. Jesus lived out patience and kindness day-by-day as He related to His disciples.
2. Jesus neither envied nor boasted—He always chose contentment as the Father led Him.
3. Jesus insisted on the Father’s Way and not His own.
4. Jesus never allowed weariness nor disappointment to make him act irritably or resentful.
5. Jesus never rejoiced at wrongdoing. He clearly rejoiced with the truth.
6. Jesus bore up under every attack. Jesus believed and acted obediently in response to every word from the Father. Jesus joyfully embraced hope from Heaven even when there were 5000 waiting to eat. Jesus endured His arrest, His trial, His condemnation, and His crucifixion.
7. Jesus bore every earthly hurdle life threw His Way, looking to, listening and reveling in every promise from Above.
Just last week I was reading in a daily devotion book based on the life and testimony of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who joined the small number of Christian ministers who dared to stand against the evil violence of Adolph Hitler against Jews, disabled and so-called imperfect people in Germany society. Hitler’s hellish philosophy, which proclaimed keeping the so-called purity of the German race by any means necessary—much too often leading to hideous torture and murder. In the face of pure evil Bonhoeffer and others risked everything to joint in planning Hitler’s assassination. When their plot failed and they were arrested, Bonhoeffer and others eventually faced the death penalty.
“This is the end—for me, the beginning of life.” In 1945 Just as War II Ended, Bonhoeffer was hung because of his anti-Nazi activities, inspired by his deep faith in Jesus.
Bonhoeffer inspired Charles Ringley to write these words in speaking of God’s Love which aggressively seeks redemption for every person He creates:
An approach that gives when it has the right to demand
is a remarkable quality of love indeed.
An attitude that forgives when it could condemn
and a love that embraces when it could so easily
find reason to reject us
is an attitude and life that can inspire hope and faith.
God’s love does the opposite to what we would normally expect.
It fills empty rather than full hands.
It pursues the worst to make it be best.
It makes the weak strong and rules with love
rather than with force or coercion.
Such a love is wholly undeserved,
but it I most welcome,
for it is love that transforms us.
Here is a lot to ponder: The Love of God gives when it has the right to demand.
The Love of God forgives when it could condemn.
The Love of God embraces rather than rejects.
The Love of God inspires hope and faith.
The Love of God does the opposite of what we would expect.
The Love of God fills empty rather than full hands.
The Love of God pursues the worst to make it the best.
The Love of God makes the weak strong.
The Love of God rules with love rather than with force or coercion
The Love of God is wholly undeserved but is most welcome.
The Love of God miraculously transforms us.
The Love of God lives eternally in our Lord Jesus.
Throughout His life on Earth Jesus daily and moment-by-moment illuminated the Love of God. One of His most poignant and powerful acts of Love came just before the Last Supper when Jesus knelt and washed His disciples feet—something none of them had been willing to do for Him or for each other.
GOD KNEELING DOWN
Christ in His Perfect Love
startles our slumbering hearts
when we watch
God kneeling down
with a towel around His waist
taking our filthy feet
in His strong
yet His merciful hands
doing for you what we in
pride never thought we could do
for another—
carefully cleaning from
the bottom of our toes
the grimiest of earth,
ignoring the odor
of the dung from the street,
serving in love
those who should be bowing
before Him in glory—
Him whose feet we should
be anointing,
Him who in humility serves
those who should serve Him.
FAITH THAT WORKS
What is faith? Who gives faith? Where does faith come from? When does faith appear? Why is faith so necessary? How does faith work? Those are just a few of the multitude of questions which arise when we think about faith. Don’t worry. God has all the answers, and He is anxious for us to live in faith, so He is always revealing real answers to all of our questions. We are going to break down our study of faith by using an acrostic, examining five basic truths about faith; each one labeled by a word beginning with each of the letters in the word, FAITH: F(acts), A(we), I(ncarnation),T(rust), and H(oiliness). Faith is based on essential FACTS about God, His Ways and this world. As we get to know these facts about God, we experience a sense of AWE, wonder, and worship. At the heart of faith stands our Loving Savior, Jesus, who embodies God in the INCARNATION. As we follow Jesus He teaches us life-enabling TRUST. As we trust and obey, Jesus blesses us with HOLINESS, based on the indwelling Holy Spirit, once we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Yes, faith is based upon fact. Faith is no myth—faith is more real than anything else in life. Here are the facts. Faith begins when we choose to believe the substance of the Word of God—all of it—from Creation until the Re-Creation, from Genesis to Revelation in the Word of God. God created the Universe. God created the Earth. God created human kind, man and woman. We hold these facts as fundamental truth because God says they are so. In Genesis, Chapter One, Verses 1-9, He declares:
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was without form and void,
and darkness was over the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light, and there was light.
And God saw that the light was good.
And God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters.”
And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were
under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse.
And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven.
And there was evening and morning, the second day.
And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens
be gathered together into one place,
and let the dry land appear.”
And it was so. God called the dry land Earth,
and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas.
And God saw that it was good.
In Revelation 21:1-4, God speaks:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven had passed away, and the sea was no more.
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
”Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them,
and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more,
neither shall there be mourning, nor crying nor pain anymore,
for the former things have passed away.
In the beginning, God was there, creating the Universe. In the end, God will be there, re-creating all things, so that they come to fully express His Loving Plan for human kind and this Earth that is our temporal home. So, faith is, indeed, based upon eternal facts which have been established from before the Earth’s beginning, enduring until the new beginning of New Heaven, New Earth, and New Jerusalem—all of it, every day of it—for God’s glory.
As we draw near to our great God, and as we discover more and more about who He is and what He does, we experience awe when we respond to who He is and what He does. How could we not be awed by His majesty and His grace? Scripture declares the awesomeness of God in Deuteronomy 10:17-21.
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords,
the great, the mighty, and the awesome God,
who is not partial and takes no bribe.
He executes justice for the fatherless and for the widow,
and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.
Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.
You shall fear the LORD your God.
You shall serve him and hold fast to him,
and by his name you shall swear.
He is your praise. He is your God,
who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.
God’s person in His Presence, and His actions in all He does, give us a deep and worshipful sense of awe. Our awe leads us to praise Him and serve Him and to reflect His goodness in all that we are, in all that we think, and in all that we do. Awe invigorates our entire being as we seek to worship, serve Him and bring Him glory.
At the heart of our faith is the amazing fact of the Incarnation. Scripture makes it clear, Jesus is Emmanuel, God-among-us. In the incarnation God places Jesus among us as a perfect representation of who He is, all the great things He does, and His eternal, perfect and redemptive purpose for us all.
John 1:14
And the word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
We look upon the loving, empowering, redeeming face of Jesus, and we can never be the same. God’s Loving Presence in Jesus changes us for better and forever.
Hebrews 1:1-2
Long ago, at many times and in many ways,
God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
but in the last days he has spoken to us by his Son,
whom he appointed the heir of all things,
through whom also he created the world.
Jesus came as God Incarnate to speak most clearly His Love for all His children. Jesus came as heir to all things, so that He could share with us the very best of all things. Through Jesus God created the beautiful, the immaculate, the perfect world of Eden for our parents, Adam and Eve.
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
How dramatically God intervened in His beloved world. He took on Himself the weak form of a peasant child. Then upon the shoulders of that remarkable, that incarnate child grown up, He placed the righteous, eternal Kingdom. He became the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and yes, the Prince of Peace.
Because of who He is, the more we depend on God, the more He proves Himself faithful, the stronger our trust grows in Him. We exercise our trust in God by taking Him at His Word according to His promises to us as we obey Him. Trust continues growing as every step we take in obedience deepens our determination to walk only as He leads us, for He is ever faithful.
2 Corinthians 1:20
For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him.
That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
Think of God’s promise to Eve even after her and Adam’s fall in the Garden. Her seed in the person of Jesus has, indeed, crushed the head of the serpent, Satan. Consider God’s promises to Abraham, often called the Father of Faith. Consider how He created Nation of Israel, the Exodus, the Promised Land, the Eternal Kingdom with more children from all around the world than can be numbered. Every promise of God is, indeed, made “Yes!” and “Amen!” in Jesus. And we, as the children of His Promise find power in His Presence to trust and obey, all to His glory.
And so, as we grow in our trust and obedience, God sets us aside with Him in His Holiness. We become a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and as His own people, deeply loved and treasured. We become salt and light preservation and hope to our weary world.
Leviticus 20:26
”You shall be holy to me,
for I the LORD am holy
and have separated you from the peoples,
that you should be mine.”
Imagine this: God sets us aside as holy to Himself, so that we are His own. We are God’s own children. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! What a privilege.
1 Peter 2:9
”But you are a chosen race,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a people for his own possession,
that you may proclaim the excellencies of him
who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
And here it is. God makes us holy through the FACT of His eternal Love, by the amazing and awe-inspiring acts He does on our behalf for His glory, through Jesus our Savior and His Incarnate Son, as He teaches us perfect Trust in a perfect God, and as He makes us holy as He, Himself is holy, a bright light of righteousness and goodness in a world which often seems dark and evil. Faith is our souls lifted up and blessed to love and worship and serve Him who deserves all of our praise and adoration and obedience. Our faith accomplishes His goodness as He enables us. Praise be to God.
FAITH
Faith is firmly founded
on the eternal strength
of God’s own perfect Love
in creation beautiful
all around us
one mighty witness
to His Goodness.
Awe-stricken and Awe-
inspired we raise our voices
in joining the universal
choruses raised by
the stars in the
in heavens
for His Goodness.
Incarnate loving God
walks among us bringing
His healing and redemption
and life risen up
to join His eternal
Kingdom based lovingly
on His Goodness.
Trust becomes His living
gift which raises us up
to follow Him daily
even as He leads us
in His shining glory
blessing us with joy
within His Goodness.
Holiness by the power
of the Holy Spirit
transforms us daily
into His image as
He conforms us for
Heavenly living
by His Goodness.
KOININIA WORKS
KOININIA:
In the Bible, koininia is a Greek word translated as fellowship, communion, or participation,
referring to a deep, intimate, and covenantal bond between believers in Christ, built on shared beliefs, spiritual life, and mutual support. It goes beyond mere association, describing a dynamic of joint participation in a common life, faith, purpose and commitment to each other and the Lord. Koininia, then is Christian fellowship, uniquely enjoyed among brothers and sisters in Christ.
Acts 2:42 ESV
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching
and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
In the midst of the new-born Church, koininia showed up as believers gave themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to rejoicing together in living out their new lives of faith, in sharing meals together, and in their prayers.
1 John 1:3 ESV
“ . . . that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
and indeed our fellowship with the Father
and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
Koininia welcomes us into the unique bonds of Christian unity which miraculously mirror the oneness of God the Father and the Son. Koininia is a deep and loving bond between believers which somehow reflects the glories of the unity of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 2:1-2 ESV
So if there is any encouragement in Christ,
any comfort from love,
any participation in the spirit,
any affection and sympathy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind,
having the same love,
being in full accord and of one mind.
Koininia actually encourages us in Christ, comforts us in His perfect Love, enables us to participate in spiritual unity within the Body of Christ, gifts us with the holiest sense of affection and sympathy, inspires us to think with the same mind, the Mind of Christ; so that we live in one accord, purpose, and experience.
Ephesians 4: 11-13 ESV
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists,
the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for
the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of the faith
and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
to mature manhood, to the measure
of the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, . . .
Koininia exercises our Spirit given gifts as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers—as we join as one to equip the saints for the work of ministry—spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ together. Koininia works hard to build up Christ’s Church until we become unified in our faith in our Lord Jesus. Koininia blesses us as we grow in knowledge of Jesus Christ. Koininia strengthens us and matures us in our common faith until we reach the full extent of Christ’s blessing in and through us.
Koininia Works
In the face of a crisis
koininia works,
sometimes standing
side-by-side
or possibly back-to-back
one with a spear
or with mortar
and bricks—
Nehemiah leading
the people at the
wall and Ezra
in their prayers—
or in these days when a
water pipe bursts
one with a mop
and others, towels;
God perfects our unity
when in the face
of a challenge
we each one
do our tasks as God directs
and encourage
each other with
pats on the back.
Now, why would I be thinking of Nehemiah and Ezra while I watched us as a church respond to the consequences of a broken pipe and lots of water flooding through the ceilings onto the floor? Well, the once exiled Jews, and their leaders once they returned to Jerusalem, found a broken wall, a destroyed Temple, and lots of enemies. God chose his leaders well, and Nehemiah and Ezra provided His people the direction and energy needed for the monumental, but necessary task of rebuilding the wall, Now, we at First Baptist Church Glencoe have not been exiled, and we have no outer wall to rebuild; but we did experience a mighty challenge this past Sunday morning, arriving for Life Group classes and a Mexico Mission fund-raising lunch. At least one pipe burst and a toilet had kept running and the water flowed freely upstairs and down in the fellowship hall, and in the classes overhead. So, as God would have it, people, young and old, jumped into the battle and eventually got floors and furniture as dry as possible. Many, many folks did more than their share, so Life Groups met as usual, worship continued, and the Mexico Mission Lunch took place as planned, although we’re not quite sure how those dishes got washed.
In this world we all learn how quickly out-of-control things can get; and that God has His plan and the enemy, his; each as to how they intend to have God’s children act. While God’s plan includes coordinated, Spirit-filled, selfless hard work shared by all God’s people; the enemy would divide us so we waste time arguing and pointing fingers, rather than in doing the work which needs to be done. God intends to make each crisis one more opportunity to grow closer to Him and each other, while the enemy seeks to divide and conquer us while we are distracted by petty arguments and assigning blame. God leads us toward unity and His, and therefore, our own victory. The enemy would lead us nowhere but in circles, frustrating us as we end up with nothing but dizziness and confusion.
Now, as I pause to reflect on this crazy, mixed-up, eventually glorious day, I recognize how koininia works to accomplish God’s Purpose through our faith family. I think of folks who hang out around laundry mats with stacks of coins to bless folks and engage them in gospelcentric conversations. I think of folks working hard summer days in West Virginia, creatively sharing the Gospel. I think of the Praise Team working hard on Wednesday evenings, prayerfully seeking to lead us in true songs of worship on Sunday mornings. I think of faithful men and women preparing to teach Life Groups, lead D-Life groups, work with G.A.’s and R.A.’s and Mission Friends. I think of our ministry leaders praying for God’s guidance as they proclaim the Gospel and illustrate its power and truth among us. I think of men and women welcoming us to worship each Sunday. I think of committee members as they seek to discover and do God’s Will on our behalf as a faith family. I think of our saint of a lady in the Church Office dealing with all of the details of keeping everything about us as a church functioning smoothly day after day. I think of those on their knees throughout night and day praying in praise to Him who makes all this possible, and seeking His blessing on all we do for His glory. I think of our selfless Day School Director and staff as they love children and their families in the name of Christ as they make learning fresh and effective throughout the year. You know, God always knows what He is doing, and He always does it right, so I just have to stop and praise Him for being the Mover behind the scenes as He spreads around plenty of Koininia Love for His glory and our shared joy. So join me in giving praise to the Father of us all, the creator of salvation, and the sustainer of Koininia Christian Love and Fellowship. INDEED, KOININIA WORKS!!!
Heavenly Strength For Earthly Days
HEAVENLY STRENGTH FOR EARTHLY DAYS
We all have some very long, some very trying, some very exhausting days. As we face weariness, exhaustion and the specter of hopelessness, we find just how powerful, just how merciful, just how faithful is our God. His Presence makes all the difference. As we put one foot in front of another and move from one task to the next, His Holy Spirit often literally picks us up and carries us when we fear we cannot continue. He gives us strength to stand when we can stand no longer in our own strength. His power is sufficient. His care is deep. His Love is sure.
We all have testimonies to share. First, in 1991, while I was serving as Principal at Baptist High School in Jos, Nigeria, a cataclysmic wind storm heavily damaged our campus. The damage was so great we had to send our students home. Even on the first day of this crisis, God raised up Nigerian brothers and sisters who spoke faith into the face of the heavy damage. Our recovery moved along quickly as Christians in Nigeria prayed and gave, as Christians in the U.S., through the International Mission Board provided relief funds, and as government officials in Plateau State did their part. God used His people to intervene, and He was glorified as a much improved Baptist High School campus emerged for all Nigeria to see. Praise God.
Later, the clear emergence of strong Nigerian Christian leadership allowed us to move on from Baptist High School to other missionary tasks. We took up ministry at Hillcrest School, an international Christian school which served missionary and other expatriate families in Jos. Then rioting came to threaten the peace and security of the city, and of our students and teachers at this very prominent school. One year, in particular, had to be creatively fulfilled, missing out on days when particular violence broke out in the city. We had students engaged in teachers’ homes, and in doing take-up learning packets—whatever it took to keep the learning process active. Although we missed many days of school that year, not one person associated with Hillcrest School was harmed in any way as the violence around us arose over and over again. God protected His children.
Later Becky and I moved from Nigeria to Niger to serve our missionary families at Sahel Academy. During our first year there, a historic flood forced everyone to flee the campus, and school continued that year at two satellite buildings, after the heroic effort of the Christian community in Niamey, the capital city. God provided super human strength, a strong sense of unity, and the material resources we need to be fully back in the original campus the following year. God uplifted and strengthened His people to accomplish His monumental task.
Finally, I experienced these past few weeks up close and personal the wrenching after effects of a cataclysmic fall by Becky’s Dad. I watched as her Mom, her sisters, our son and his wife, our daughter and her family, our nephews and their families, and her great nephews and nieces; all of them, as they watched him suffer and gradually slip away. During those three weeks I saw clear evidence of the love of God her Dad had shared with each and every member of the family. I saw the heroic and godly love his wife demonstrated night-after-night as she stayed by his side and spoke comfort, love and faith to him over and over again. I saw every member of the family suffering deeply, yet doing so with assurance and love provided by God, for their husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. I saw what it means to take each step in every long and difficult day by faith, uplifted by the empowering presence of our compassionate and loving God. I know better now than ever before the difference God makes in families who truly love and serve Him.
So, having shared these brief testimonies, I simply want to also share with you God’s Word in particular Bible verses that remind me everyday how great He is, how perfect are His ways, and how faithfully He guides, upholds, protects and loves us, His children, redeemed by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV
For God who said,
”Let light shine out of darkness,”
has shone in our hearts
to give the light
of the knowledge
of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Indeed, Jesus is the heart of God’s Love for us.
Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Surely, every day testifies to the unending
mercies of our God.
John 3:16 ESV
“For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him
should not perish
but have eternal life.”
There can be no doubt,
God loves us so much,
He gave us Jesus.
Romans 5:8 ESV
. . . but God shows his love for us
in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Remarkably, God allowed Christ
to die for us even while we were sinners.
2 Chronicles 20:15 ESV
And he said, “Listen, all Judah
and inhabitants of Jerusalem
and King Jehosophat:
Thus says the LORD to you,,
’Do not be afraid and
do not be dismayed
at this great horde,
for the battle is not yours but God’s.”
When we need God most,
He leads the battle—
victory is His.
John 16:33 ESV
”I have said these things to you, that in me
you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation.
But take heart;
I have overcome the world.”
On the most difficult of days,
and throughout the longest, hardest nights,
Jesus is right there close by our side.
Romans 8:37-39
No, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels or demons,
neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers,
neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us
from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
NOTHING!
Absolutely NOTHING
can separate us
from that love of God
in Jesus our Lord.
All that’s left to say is:
Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord!
Amen!
EVERYDAY PSALMS
OPENING MY HEART
TO GOD
EVERYDAY PSALMS
Sunday
Psalm 100:1-2 ESV
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
WE FIND JOY
IN PRAISING THE LORD!
Come into his presence with singing!
Even as You are Three-In-One
we come together in unity
brothers and sisters forever
praising You as our Father
and our beneficent Creator
and our Messiah and Redeemer,
the Holy Spirit who inspires us
for Hallelujahs eternal.
We lift our hearts for Your cleansing,
our souls for Your reviving, and our
minds for Your purifying and our
bodies for Your strong protecting;
we worship You as Joy prevails,
we serve You gladly as You endow,
we proclaim Your Great Good News—
Your glory fills, overflows, surrounds.
Monday
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
OUR HUMANITY
BOWS TO HIS HOLIINESS
God blesses us best on our knees
giving Him glory, seeking His Will
done on this earth as it is in Heaven—
seeking from His hand every need
we have—finding joy in Him as we
live as His children ready to repent
when we disobey His commands—
we are forgiven as we forgive.
Our humbled hearts, our seeking souls,
our dependent minds—we discover
our best when we depend on Him most
and as we share His blessings we find
them fuller and richer and deeper
for the more we pray for and love
our neighbor the more truly we serve
others the more wholly we worship.
Tuesday
Colossians 3:23-24 ESV
Whatever you do, work heartily,
as for the Lord and not for men,
knowing that from the Lord
you will receive the inheritance as your reward.
You are serving the Lord Christ.
WE LABOR FOR HIM
WHO IS OUR GOOD GOD.
Working for the glory of our Great God
Almighty takes us back in time
into the Garden where our Father
and our Mother before our Fall found
in work such joy as they shared
with God their Father in their glad
obedience tending to the fruit
upon the trees for pure goodness.
Playfully romping with the many
animals each a friend and as
such a companion like the Man
and Woman were beside their Father
and Creator—all was pure and all
was holy—all was pleasure deep
abiding in the perfect Will
in His Paradise provided.
Wednesday
Lamentations 3:23-24 ESV
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
GOD’S FAITHFUL LOVE
FOREVER AND FOREVER!
You can stand on this truth always
day after day when darker clouds
gather with gloom shadowing our
hearts attempting to hide even
God’s own splendid sun; but though they
grow thicker His sun is still there
and shines brighter than ever through
Jesus our Savior’s resurrection power.
No matter how dark a lonely midnight
might seem, no matter the fear and
and the pain and the doubt which try to rip
apart our hearts from our living faith,
God’s sun still shines on the horizon
and His dawn is drawing nearer ever
until His Trumpet finally sounds
in new Jerusalem His eternal victory.
Thursday
Habakkuk 3:17-18 ESV
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
ALL GOODNESS
COMES FROM GOD.
I do find joy as I join in praise
for the God of my salvation
who puts the blossoms on the trees,
who forms the grapes upon the vines,
who brings the harvest in the fields,
calls the herd into the stalls,
who faithful has always been
for He stands by me forever.
He faithfully provides my every need
even when it seems there’s so little
in the fields or in the barns, His
provision remains plentiful, His
care surrounds me, He blesses with
such gifts from His glory I have plenty
to share with my brothers and sisters
as He lovingly cares for us all.
Friday
Isaiah 44:22 ESV
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.
THE LOVE OF JESUS
RESCUES AND
AND SETS ME FREE
FROM SIN.
God calls His own in the depth of His Love,
”I will cover Your sin and Your
rebellion with the Blood of the Lamb,”
as He comes Incarnate the Son
down from Heaven in the midst of
the darkness of all of our sin
and rebellion calling us by name
laying down His life to pay for our shame.
He acts as our Good Shepherd seeking
us each, one-by-one, wherever we have
wandered away from His Care,
into all of the danger waiting out there
where lions and wolves would stalk
us and destroy us for their ravenous
desire to destroy us and rob us—
but He gives His life for our own.
Saturday
To God the Father,
God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit,
be all the glory forevermore.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
And I heard every creature in heaven
and on earth and under the earth
and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying,
”To him who sits on the throne
and to the Lamb be blessing
and honor and glory
and might forever and ever!!
Every day of every week, every month
of every year, I serve a God who loves
me and upholds me in His all-powerful
and yet His ever tender, perfect care;
there is no moment He ever leaves me
though I too often wander far from Him,
but He continues to pursue me and to
guide me always, until He takes me Home.
And so, I will eternally praise Him,
I will bow and worship before His Throne
gladly and with joy as we are gathered
there in glory to praise His Holy Name;
it is a wonder, it is a marvel, it is a
mystery beautiful—and we shall sing
forever the majesty of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Three-in-One.
JESUS:“I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.”
John 11: 25-26
Jesus said to her,
“I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me, though he die,
yet shall he live, and everyone who lives
and believes in me shall never die.
Do you believe this?”
For almost all of us, as we closely watch the dying of a loved one—there is a pain, there is an aching emptiness, there is an ugliness to the whole process. We find ourselves questioning almost everything—even God Himself. We often find ourselves weeping, both inside and out. But in the Scripture above, our beloved Savior who wept at Lazarus’ tomb, declared Himself as the Resurrection and the Life—and then proved it by raising back to life His dear friend. I believe this was a living parable in which Jesus chose to remind us how deeply He understands and empathizes with our suffering—and delivers us by this truth: He is our guaranteed resurrection. Praise the Lord. Throughout Scripture He reminds us time after time how He really is hope in the face of the ugliness of death.
Yet when we spend nights and days by the sick bed of one we deeply love and admire, we need His assurance again and again, and His Word is filled, even in the most challenging of books, overflowing with His undeniable power of sin and death. Even Job, in the midst of his horrible suffering proclaims his conviction that God is His absolute home.
Job 19: 25-27
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been thus destroyed,
yet in my flesh I shall see God,
whom I shall see for myself,
and my eyes shall behold, and not another.
Already in his early years David faced grave danger as he guarded his sheep from great dangers, even lions and bears; yet He found in the person of His Good God and Shepherd, deliverance in the face of death. We can depend on Jesus, our Good Shepherd, as the eternal Victor over the very reality of death.
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
In fact, Jesus, as He spoke to Nicodemus, promised all of those who came to believe in Him, would not ultimately die, but would have eternal life. As believers in Him, we can know that we will live in His Presence forever.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life.
Because Jesus and God are one, and since God has given us to Jesus, no one can snatch eternal life from us—no one can snatch us from the eternal grip of Jesus’ strong hands. We are His, and we shall remain eternally His.
John 10:28-30
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish,
and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me,
is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
I and the Father are one.”
Late in life David, as he reflected on God’s Provision and Protection, prays for his Guidance into His Way everlasting. He recognizes, as should we, how our eternity with God is in His Good Hands, and as we put our trust in following Him, we can depend on Him.
Psalm 139: 23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting!
Here is the Good News: The free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Eternal life is not earned; it is given to us by grace through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to God!
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
These past weeks I have witnessed and experienced deep moments and even days of suffering. I have witnessed the coming of physical death in all of its finality. But, praise God, I know deep in my heart, how true these words are—God is bringing us to glory which will wipe away all of the pain of that suffering—in one glorious instant.
Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings
of this present time are not worth comparing
with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
The more God gets ahold of me as I surrender to Him, the more I understand His heart for me and His desire for me to turn to Him and so, find life and healing eternal. I depend on Him more and more, and He holds me more tightly in the embrace of His loving arms.
Ezekiel 18:32
For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone,
declares the Lord God;
so turn, and live.”
Death seems to be life’s worst sting because I cannot in my fallen human nature keep myself from sin. But then, I join the Apostle Paul in giving thanks to God because He gives me victory through my Lord Jesus Christ
1 Corinthians 15:56-57
The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, God remains faithful to His Word, of course. He has overcome death. Though we briefly suffer here from the pangs of losing those we love to death, we know His Victory is sure, and death will be no more. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
James And Mary Penney Faithful Shepherds
Faithful Loving Shepherds
AN APOLOGY AND AN EXPLANATION: Just a few short weeks ago, I posted a tribute to James and Mary Penney. Many folks commented on how much they admired this godly couple from our church family. Then, somehow that post disappeared. I worked with my web site’s administrators, but they could not find it—I most probably did something crazy which triggered the disappearance—but technically it remains a mystery. So, this week’s post is a repeat effort to honor this faithful couple who so powerfully impacted our church and most especially, the little ones among us.
I WILL CALL THEM SHEPHERDS
I will call them gentle shepherds
for their hearts so love to gather
all those precious little ones
and place them full of joy
into His outstretched arms
filled with strength and with love
both to welcome and to hold them.
I will call them searching shepherds
for their eyes are always seeking
as they call and whistle, searching
even on the darkest evenings
while shadows seem to gather
threatening the blessed children
wandering alone in the wilderness.
I will call them loving shepherds
for their hearts will never rest
until all His precious little ones
gather close around Him who
Himself lives as their Good Shepherd—
calling out their precious names,
welcoming them up in His lap.
Matthew 19:13-15 ESV
Then the children were brought to him
that he might lay his hands on them and pray.
The disciples rebuked the people,
but Jesus said,
“Let the little children come to me
and do not hinder them,
for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
And he laid his hands on them
and went away.
I praise God for people like James and Mary Penney who take to heart Jesus’ command, “Let the little children come to me . . .” Such couples humbly yet faithfully build the Kingdom of God for the future. They introduced many young and open hearts to the loving care of Jesus our Savior.
James in the Navy
James had been raised in Hokes Bluff, along with three brothers and sisters. He grew up on the “Penney Farm” now used by the Board of Education for agricultural education. At seventeen he followed in his brother’s footsteps to join the Navy. After serving during World War II, including a time at Okinawa, he returned home to Hokes Bluff and met Mary at a picnic. They fell in love and married. They moved to Birmingham where he worked at Merita Bakery, where their oldest son, Jimmy, was born; and after two years moved back to Hokes Bluff. He worked at Hackett Engineering, associated with the Steel Plant until he retired. They built a home on Marker Avenue in Glencoe, where they raised Jimmy, Mike, Nila and Norma. They also had seven grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
Mary Always Had
A Heart For Children
Mary had been the oldest of four children. She lost her mother when she was only eight. Her Dad worked as a carpenter; so she had to, in effect, act as the mother for the younger children. Her grandmother did help some, but Mary bore the main responsibility. Those were hard years for her, and she obviously built on her strength in the midst of that childhood difficulty to develop a great big heart of love for children.
Nila definitely remembers how her Mother prayed for and loved her own children. Nila also declares she never heard her Mom say anything negative about anyone. Those of us who were privileged to know her, can certainly testify to her loving and caring attitude toward everyone, but especially the children in her church and community.
James and Mary And Family
At Glencoe First Baptist Church James was a deacon and also worked with R.A.’s. Folks at Church truly enjoyed his tenor voice. One long-time member confessed she always sat near him so she could hear him sing. As a tenor in the choir, he inspired and enlisted other men to sing along with him. Mary participated actively, not only in children’s work, but also in G.A.’s, WMU (missions support activities) along with Vacation Bile School, and the Backyard Bible Clubs in various neighborhoods around Glencoe. I recall myself, how when I was directing the Summer Missions Program for the Etowah Baptist Association, Mary and James hosted one of our summer missionaries, treating her to lots of love and godly encouragement, of course.
Mary spent years working under Lois Pruitt in the kindergarten, and then moved into the Director’s Position. She studied at Samford University for this work. She led this ministry until she retired. In addition to her godly and loving leadership of the Kindergarten, she played a pivotal role in beginning and supporting the Children’s Church Ministry at our Church back in the late 1970’s. I had the privilege of working with her and Carolyn Snead in that ministry. I saw firsthand how deeply she loved God, how deeply she loved children, and how effectively she shared the love of Jesus with each and every one of them.
James and Mary also enjoyed their church family. He especially enjoyed the worship, while she found many wonderful Christian sisters. For instance, she and Louise Gray really enjoyed praying and fellowshipping together. I just have to say: Pity the hard-hearted sinner who had these two wonderful servants of the Lord praying for them. How blessed they were to have each other as Christian sisters and prayer warriors together.
Our Church Honors
Mary’s Ministry
Mary suffered a stroke when she was sixty-two, which slowed her down, but she lived until she was seventy-five at home with James. She did get back to church, and always had big hugs and bigger smiles for everyone. James and Mary bore the Presence of Jesus in their lives with such a genuine faith. God surely used them for His Glory. We praise God for them, all of us who had their lives so blessed by their faith.
Now, this is love
and appreciation!
GOD AND FAMILY FIRST
BRENT AND JOYCE GIRDLER
GOD AND FAMILY FIRST
I Timothy 6:11-12 KJV
But thou, O man of God,
flee these things;
and follow after righteousness,
godliness, faith, love,
patience, meekness.
Fight the good fight of faith,
lay hold on eternal life,
whereupon thou art also called,
and hast professed a good profession
before many witnesses.
This week I write to reflect on the beauty of a godly man’s life well-lived, invested with God’s redemptive love into the lives of his family, his wife, his daughters and their families, his children and his great-grandchildren.
This man grew up in Somerset, Kentucky, the youngest of a big family raised on a lot of love, a lot of hard work, a bit of mischief, some sports and also some strong lessons in faith in the church the family attended. After high school, he chose to join the Navy during the Korean War, and served on a ship, working as a mail man and as a member of a gunner crew. During his service he was also supporting his widowed mother.
When he returned he went to work and married his girlfriend, who had also grown up in Somerset. He worked as a butcher and later as a mechanic. Then God called him into the ministry. Then he, his wife and two daughters, assisted by support from his family, moved to Clear Creek Bible School, where they spent three years. During that time they also added another daughter as he trained to be a Baptist Pastor. He grew in his love and understanding of God’s Word. He also began a lifelong dedication to prayer and its power as God deepened his faith and dependence on Him as his Heavenly Father. He worked along with other pastoral students building church pews. After graduation, he began pastoring in another Kentucky town.
Not too long afterward, he received a call to Indiana, in the Muncie area, where pioneer churches were struggling to gain a foothold. Here he served a number of such churches faithfully. He soon learned these small churches could not pay a salary which would support his and his wife’s family of five. God then opened work for him in a grocery chain’s warehouse. He continued working there until he retired. So, all those years he did the work of a bi-vocational pastor. He labored hard and God supplied a steady living for his family. His girls grew up and his wife went to work in a school cafeteria, where she became the manager.
Throughout all of the challenges of raising his daughters, he and his wife depended on their faith, constant prayer, their love for each other, their love for the Lord and lots of hard work, as the foundation for a tight knit family looking to Heaven for their every need.
When I first came into this remarkable family, I noticed how clearly they loved the Lord and each other. I noticed how they fought the battles we all face in living out our faith in this modern world together. I noticed how loyal they remained to each other through their ups and their downs. Then, as I got to know them better, I realized that the faith of this man and his equally strong wife, provided the basis for this love, this resilience in battle and in this unique loyalty to each other.
As I listened to him pray over and over again, my admiration and my gratitude for him and his faith grew deeper and deeper. He prayed out of an absolute humility before God that touched me deeply. He truly prayed as one of God’s children depending deeply and completely on His Father. He had learned the trust and the faith our Lord Jesus personified in His relation to the Father while Jesus lived upon this earth.
One of those Christmas
Family Photo Shoots
As this man’s family gathered around the table to eat one of his wife’s hardy and delicious home-cooked meals, he would call us all to attention and begin to pray. His whole heart opened up in those prayers. It was during these moments I saw most clearly his mature, yet somehow childlike faith—His total trust in the good of our Heavenly Father. As we ate, he would look around the table lovingly, clearly appreciating each member of his family particularly and uniquely.
This is how he loves each daughter, the two of us sons-in-laws, and for me, most inspirationally, each of his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. To his oldest grandson he has passed on the torch as a deeply dedicated bi-vocational pastor. How he loves to hear this one preaching God’s Word powerfully, simply and truly—even as he always did, himself. To his next grandson he passed down the basketball sports bug. They have a special bond as he communicates with this excellent athlete his deep spiritual strength. Then to the third, there is this deep, abiding love for family, this godly determination to see that every child finds in this life all of the resources they need to succeed in every way, no matter the obstacles and challenges they may face. Then to the fourth a strength of will, he has passed on a sturdy determination to get the right thing done, no matter how difficult. (In fact, all three daughters, in their own beautiful way reveal this iron will day-to-day as the world tries to have its way. Not for them. Not with God on their side and not as long as they stand.) Interestingly this fourth one is the only girl. And then in the life of the fifth there is joy in the living, wonder in the beauty of all the Lord has created. There is laughter, there is creativity, there is joy in the living. In the sixth there is a kindred wonder, a wholesome goodness, a love for one and all and an ability to get things done. Finally, in the seventh there is a deep heartfelt prayer for the strength of this one who has faced so many unfair battles, to conquer and rise above it all—the devious and hurtful ways-of-the-world which batter us each and everyone.
Now, as I look back upon all of this man’s life investment in the grandchildren’s lives, I have to say there is to found in all of these seven precious grandchildren, a mixture of all of these virtues—much like the delicious results his wife’s cooking creates in all of her dishes, whether they feature meats, sauces, vegetables, breads or desserts. Needless to say, meals at their house are always a celebration, due to the delights on the table and also found in the hearts and lives of the people gathered around the table. How fitting that his prayers before meals draw of all of their goodness together.
Aren’t they wonderful?
The Great-Grandchildren
Plus One!
Among all of the great-grandchildren there are remarkable athletes, students, artists—in the making due to the goodness of God and the faithfulness of this man and his wife over their many, many years together, entrusting their lives, their family and their service to Him and for His glory.
And among the great-grandchildren there is a wide array of challenges, big-time challenges that life brings their way—but not without the godly resources God provides through Jesus and through their own parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.
And so it all comes down to this: One great God, His Son, our Savior, the Holy Spirit—together Three-in-One; overflowing the lives of this remarkable couple over a lifetime of years; multiplying and expanding God’s Kingdom within the hearts of this family, and to all those blessed to be around them, preparing for glory together in Heaven and deeply loving their lives in the meantime.
Praise God! I am blessed to have been welcomed into such a family’s life, led by this one godly man and his wife. Amen!
THIS MAN’S DEEP FAITH
God Leads Us From Before The Beginning To Beyond The End
God Leads Us For His Glory
From Before The Beginning
Until After The End
Isaiah 46:8-11
”Remember this and stand firm,
recall it to mind, you transgressors,
remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from the ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish my purpose,’
calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken and bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it.’”
These verses speak truth to my heart and mind as I look back on our teaching careers, Becky’s and mine. Always we have seen God as the foundation for everything involving our teaching. We have seen Him at our beginning and now, towards our ending. He stands alone as the One who has set and sustained our course. His wise counsel has blessed our students, for indeed, He has been the source of all their learning. Whether we have been teaching here in the U.S. or abroad, He has always been there, constant in His Provision and His Wisdom and most especially His Love. In each school we have taught His people have mentored and upheld us as we ministered. His Spirit has continually spoken into our lives and has brought His good to bear because He has purposed to bless us and those we taught with His perfect knowledge and His clear wisdom. So, what can I say, but praise the Lord.
Calvary Baptist Church
Ludowici, Georgia
God began Mike’s teaching journey here.
So it all began when in 1974 God took me far away from home, or so it seemed at the time, from Glencoe, Alabama to Ludowici, Georgia and Long County High School, located about fifty minutes from Savannah. God provided housing for me graciously, though it seemed disappointing at the time. The only affordable and available place I could find was one room, with limited cooking privileges, sharing a bath on the occasional nights when tourists from up North rented an adjacent room. Mrs. Lawton Howard, a pillar of the town, and certainly, as it turned out, provided me comfortable if simple accommodations.
In Ludowici God blessed me with a loving church family at Calvary Baptist, and especially a strong Christian couple, Norman and Carolyn Mock and their son, Andy. Our Principal, Mr. Bill Owen, blessed me with his strong encouragement as I faced the realities of teaching and the rigors required in teaching ninth and tenth graders whose culture featured lots of time spent hunting in the swamps of Southeast Georgia. God taught me that wherever I am, He has already been there. He remains there with me daily and provides for my every need to sustain my service under His guidance and for His Purpose.
As it turns out, He had purposed to have me settled comfortably among the wonderful folks at Calvary so I could clearly hear His call into missions service. So, He called and I answered and after two years I returned home to study for my Master’s degree in English as a first step toward appointment as a teacher with the International Mission Board.
God continued Mike’s teaching journey in St. Marys on the coast south of Ludowici.
After a year’s interval I found myself teaching at the St. Marys Elementary School, teaching sevenths graders. In the interim I had been put on hold with the IMB until I gained more experience. St. Mary was located south of Ludowici, on the coast, about forty minutes from Jacksonville, Florida. Here God arranged for me to take a graduate reading course where I learned to use positive reinforcement to build strong classroom control. Under the Christian professor of this class, I discovered the use of tickets, the use of which have delighted American, Nigerian, Nigerien, and countless other nationalities of students down through the years.
In St. Marys I was surrounded by a loving community of First Baptist families and students in the Heaven-Bound youth group. I was shepherded in my teaching by a wonderful Christian gentleman, Mr. Charles Estes, our principal. My colleagues among the seventh grade students, Mrs. Bryant, Mrs. Stephens, and Coach Stewart, made teaching a joy and privilege. At first I had arrived in St. Marys disappointed, but before I left in 1981, four years later, I loved the people and the place, and still do. God had known His Purpose as he used your great years in St. Marys as He prepared me for service in Nigeria.
Becky attended Ball State University’s
Teachers College,
earning both a B.S. and and an M.A.E.
In the meantime Becky, living in Yorktown, Indiana, had been attending Ball State University in Muncie; and had worked at the Huffer Daycare Canter each summer, from 1976-79. This prepared her well for her first full-time teaching as a Journeyman Missionary assigned for two years to the First Baptist Nursery School in Port Harcourt where she served as the Advisor under the director, Mrs. Margaret David George as she assisted the Nigerian teachers while they taught three hundred students. Even today she remembers having to take her turn catching and putting back into their classroom, pre-schoolers who had escaped through the open windows. Becky also discipled the teachers and worked with university students. Becky had the privilege of serving under long-time, IMB missionaries, Dale Moore and Earl and Roberta Fine. Through Becky’s time in Port Harcourt, God was definitely giving her a love for Nigeria, and for Nigeria’s open-hearted and friendly people.
When she returned to the U.S,, she began her Master’s Degree at Ball State University. She also began teaching at Christian Haven Boys Home, where she taught from 1983-87. There she taught a classroom of boys who had been placed there due to their struggles at home and/or with the law. She discovered they were all broken inside, and that they would never learn until that brokenness was addressed. They had to heal before they could deal with the school work they also needed to do. Her experience with them grabbed Becky’s attention, as God used this experience to shape and mold a stssrong foundation for her teaching career—always concentrating on both the potential and on the challenges wrapped up inside each individual child.
Baptist High School in Jos, Nigeria continued Mike’s God-led journey in teaching.
Back in St. Marys, Mike had found such fulfillment in teaching and ministering through his church, God had to give him a wake-up call in the form of pointed questions from some of his dear friends. They basically asked; “Just when are you going to get serious about God ‘s call to missions?” Mike responded positively and before he knew it, found himself in Jos, Nigeria at Baptist High School where he spent eighteen years (1982-2000) as a teacher and then as Principal. God richly blessed his time there, mentoring him through missionaries Ward and LouAnn Nicholson, Jane Ellen Gaines and Sandy Achenbach. God also challenged him to grow in his faith, through the inspiring lives of Nigerian teachers such as Mrs. Ekaete Ettang, Rev. Bulus Aplakah, and many others. God inspired Mike as He stretched him to feed the extraordinary spiritual hunger of many, many students, including Michael Tosan, Ayuba Iliya, and Samson Adedokun.
In 1985, on Mike’s first furlough, his high school friends, Randy and Pattie McCollum, introduced Becky and Mike, After Mike returned to Nigeria in January 1986, God worked, and they got engaged, carrying on their courtship long distance through old fashioned air grams. They were married in 1988 and after Hausa study, were both back to Baptist High in 1989. In 1990 Mike was asked to serve as Principal. As Principal he found great wisdom working alongside Nigerian colleagues and fellow missionaries. Indeed, he learned to understand how the Body of Christ operates through the God-given talents of various members working cooperatively as God leads.
Married in 1988, Mike and Becky returned to Jos and Baptist High School to continue teaching together.
At Baptist High School Becky discovered a great need when she considered the difficulty of enrolling village pastors’ children, due to the difficulty of sourcing well-trained teachers for rural schools. For this reason such students could never pass the entrance exam. So she began with two such students, worked with them throughout a school year, concentrating on basics in English and reading, while a Nigerian teacher taught them math. These two students both passed the entrance exam that year, did well at the high school, and went on for university level studies. One became a lecturer at the university level and the other became a veterinarian. Others followed in their footsteps in this pilot program for special education in Nigerian schools.
When missionary children needed similar supportive help in the basics, at Hillcrest School, also in Jos; Becky was asked to do specialized training in the National Institute for Learning Difficulties. To be honest, the two of us were skeptical, having seen no evidence of any other such program actually working with such students. However, the structured and foundational one-on-one teaching did prove effective in most cases. Actually some missionary families were able to stay on the field due to the progress their students made under this training. Over the years Becky did extensive training in serving such students, and in Teaching English as a Second Language. In this way she was able to support students at both Hillcrest School from 1993 until 2011, and then when we left Nigeria to address needs in Sahel Academy in Niamey, Niger.
Becky led the way to Hillcrest School, also in Jos, where she helped introduce a program for students with specific learning disabilities. Mike later joined her, filling various administrative positions.
At Hillcrest Becky worked closely with an SIM (Serving In Missions) worker, Lorraine Foute, as they basically introduced and expanded a program for the students there. They were blessed to be joined by missionary mothers and Nigerian educators who committed themselves to the extensive training required, and to the intensive one-on-one sessions required. These dedicated teachers can relate many success stories today, reflected in the lives of successful students who have gone on to serve in a wide range of careers.
Throughout Mike’s time at Baptist High School he continuously found opportunities to disciple both students and teachers. These Nigerians had a keen appetite for studying the Bible and how it applied to living out their Christian lives day-to-day. At this time Southern Baptists were introducing excellent discipleship materials, including Master Life, Survival Kit, Experiencing God, The Mind of Christ and Fresh Encounter. So, Mike had the privilege of feeding really hungry hearts in depth training which made them strong and fruitful leaders for Nigerian Christians.
Baptist work had begun in Nigeria in 1850. Nigerians had accepted and grown strong in the Gospel Message of Christ throughout those years. So, progressively they took over responsibilities for the work of sharing the Gospel and making disciples. As a result the number of expatriate missionaries reduced throughout Mike and Becky’s time in Nigeria. So, the time came when there were no longer any Baptist missionary students at Hillcrest. Mike and Becky were asked to transfer to Niger where Sahel Academy had a strong need for teachers and administrators and special educators.
Mike and Becky moved to Sahel Academy in Niamey, Niger in 2012, where they finished the African portion of their teaching journey.
So in 2012 Mike and Becky arrived in Niamey to do some French language study before beginning to serve at Sahel Academy. Mike would become the Secondary School Principal and teach some English classes. Becky would teach special education. They continued their ministry there until returning to the U.S. for retirement at the end of 2018. During those years Becky effectively worked hard to do research and furnish well-targeted strategies for a wide range of students with particular learning challenges. She did training in teaching English as a Second Language, since many of her younger students spoke very little English. Again, she was able to facilitate families in their various ministries as she met their children and youth’s particular learning challenges.
Teaching kindergarteners to read and speak English gave Becky a new challenge at Sahel Academy.
Mike was able to work on an administrative team which in their first school year at Sahel, dealt with the flooding of the main campus, moving to separate temporary campuses for the elementary and high school. In the midst of this natural disaster Mike saw the best in the people as the Sahel Academy pulled together to endure the flood and get the school running after just one month’s incredibly hard work. Then staff and students performed continuous difficult tasks to overcome the inadequacies of water and electric supply at both temporary campuses. Actually the camaraderie of students, staff and parents made the 2012-2013 a highly successful school year one to remember with praise to God.
Mike will never forget Friday morning chapel services on the roof of the secondary school, overlooking Niamey even as the sun rose. Students and staff carried their folding chairs from their classrooms up to the roof for those wonderful times of worship, and then back down to their classes afterward. There was such a “with God we can do anything” spirit about this year Mike will never forget. During this “year of the flood” Becky found the opportunity to introduce her services to wonderful, resilient elementary teachers, including Kathy Miller and Anisa Blomquist. Mike found joy in working along-side the Director, Brian Bliss, along with the Guidance Counselor, Mickey Schmidt, and others deeply committed Christian teachers as well.
Upon returning to the U.S., Becky eventually begin teaching with Dyslexia Connect, an on-line one-on-one teaching with students from across the country, and even from overseas. Always a determined and efficient learner, she overcame the challenges of handling computer and on-line technology and continues to support students and their families with her characteristic carefully crafted lessons suited perfectly to their individual needs.
Mike actually had the privilege of spending about three years teaching in Westbrook School in the greater Gadsden community. In teaching there he met dedicated, deeply concerned administrators and teachers working hard to provide the best education possible with Christ as their essential foundation for learning.
First Baptist Church Glencoe, our home church, warmly welcomed both Becky and Mike home. Both have the joy of teaching senior adult Sunday School classes (Life Groups), participating with the Prayer Team, and enjoying the fellowship and learning together with others in D-Life Groups.
Now, if you aren’t too exhausted to read just a bit further, look back with me and see how God has always been leading and directing in our lives apart and then together, using every bit of experience from one opportunity of service to another to fill our lives with joy and a sense of fulfillment. While learning to live in a very different place, yet filled with wonderful, godly people, in Ludowici, Mike heard God’s Call to Mission. Then, by God’s perfect plan, he was delayed in getting to the field, and redirected to the next perfect place in building his dependence on God, in St. Marys. Here God grew and refined Mike’s teaching and leadership skills—and His faith in God and his trust in God’s people. In the meantime Becky had spent two wonderful years working with three hundred pre-schoolers in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Only then was he ready for Nigeria, Nigerians and Baptist High School, the sweet spot for his soul. While discipling students and staff, godly and spirt-filled Nigerians and missionary models drew Mike deeper and deeper into the life of complete faith. In the midst of this blessed time, God brought Mike and Becky together through their mutual love of Nigeria and Nigerians. They returned together to Jos where they served together at Baptist High School and Hillcrest School. During this time God planted in Becky’s heart a desire to give students with unique learning paths the very best of opportunities to learn and achieve.
This calling and commitment led to a Sprit-filled sensitivity to those students’ challenges and their potential—and then to a determination to give them the very best. God enabled her to do so, and countless students live today blessed by the hard work she has done on their behalf. At Baptist High God opened this path for Becky, which then led to Hillcrest, Sahel and now Dyslexia Connect.
We do not consider ourselves to be at the end of this wonderful journey yet—but we do know the delights, the challenges, the glories of the path—all of them, are for God’s Glory. We are so blessed to just be His servants.
In every teaching opportunity, literally all over the world, Mike and Becky have always arrived to find God there, eager to lead, guide and inspire.
All glory to His Name! Amen!
