Check it out!

If you click on "complete profile" over to the right, you will find other blogs that I am trying to keep up. One is called "God still speaks" and is my blog devotional. You might get some insight from it. The other is about the Childrens home in India. Check them out! Hey, drop me a comment, its nice to know that you read my stuff.

The Bottom Line

Being in ministry now for 30 years I've come to know the importance of having finances if you want to acheive anything for God. Not only do you need for your family, but also for fulfilling Gods calling on your life. The bottom line is having a revelation of "Who your source is." It took me quite a while to get this truth inside of my spirit. For the first couple of years my P.O. Box seemed to be my source. I went there almost everyday to see what was in the mail box for me. I later learned that God could bless me without using the mail box. Even after 30 years the biggest struggle is to really trust God to meet my every need. If I were to leave my safe, secure, comfortable position as pastor and go again to the mission field, could I again put all of my trust in Him to meet my needs? I've seen his faithfulness in the past and I know that he would continue to do the same in the future. Do you trust more your employer than you do God to meet your needs? Maybe your employer is your P.O. Box for you. Can we trust God to meet our needs "outside" of our box? We have started to build the childrens home in India "by faith", meaning that the project will continue as funds come in. I would love to do this project without having to pause for more finances becoming available. Will you join your faith with mine?

One Year Anniversary

It's hard for me to beleive that one year has passed since we started the childens home in India. I was talking with Sudheera yesterday and with excitement in her voice she reminded me of our success in one year. It is amazing what happens when you step out in faith. Sudheera had to take a step of faith. Her family told her that she was crazy to trust people she never met before in person. They told her that she would be embarrassed when she was left all alone and abandoned. Thats kinda the way our faith is in God. We have never seen him personally but yet we trust him that he will do what He has promised. Well, we started by sending an offering a month for rent, food, and other needs that the home had. Sudheera went out into the streets and collected some kids. Even the kids had to use faith as they were invited to come to a house where they could eat and sleep and go to school. Some kids didn't beleive and were left out. We now have bought property and construction has begun. First the exterior wall is going up then work will begin on the actual building. Here in the US a home for 5 could be built for about 100,000 dollars. In India we are building a home for 100 kids for the same price. Amazing! Thanks for your prayers and support, may Gods blessings continue to be outpoured upon this outreach and may many orphans know and recieve God's love in their lives.

Disciples of Who?

Jesus said in Matthew 28 to go into all the world and make disciples. This command had been taken from one extreme to another leaving many people confused as to what Jesus actually meant. You hear some people say that I am so and so's disciple. or so and so is my disciple. I suppose that there is some truth to what they are saying. Allow me to shed a little bit of light on what is being asked of us by our Lord. He is not asking me to make disciples of Patrick. Our challenge is to make disciples of Jesus. This understanding releases us from the pressure of making disciples of ourselves. What good is it to make a disciple of myself? I am not perfect. To teach a disciple to live and act a certain why would make me feel like a hypocrite because I know that I make mistakes. I don't always say or do the right thing. I get angry, am not the perfect husband, am not the perfect pastor. If my goal is to make disciples of Jesus, all I have to do is to point my friends to Jesus. We want to be like Jesus, our converts need to become like Jesus, our church members need to be like Jesus. As we train new beleivers we take them to the Word and show them Jesus who is the example that we all should follow. What am I suggesting here? Just preach Jesus, teach Jesus, point people to Jesus and He will work his purpose in their lives. Isn't it a joy to serve others?

Untouchable Loggers

Out in the forrest we found a group of men and women who were cutting trees. I've worked in the tree industry before and I was amazed at what I found here. As you can see in this picture they are using a hand saw to cut this tree. Not a chain saw, a hand saw. This is the only tool they use. I must admit that the saw was quite sharp but wondered what a fellow could do here if he owned a "chain saw"? The untouchables are the outcasts of society but I was very impressed with the attitud of these people. Very upbeat, no depression for feeling like they are being abused or mistreated. We in the west are so blessed.

 

Arranged Wedding

I had the privilege of witnessing how an arranged marriage works in a christian family in India. It was a normal Tuesday at the Ambati house when Raju the oldest son recieved a call from a friend. This friend said that he had a young man (36) studying his masters in divinity that was interested in marrying his sister (Hepsiba age 35). So a meeting was arranged that evening for the two to meet. As Raju was interogating the young man, Hepsiba could only serve drinks to the men. She could not speak to Joseph. The next day was quite tense to see if Joseph was still interested after seeing Hepsiba the previous night. He was up front to let the family know that he was poor and had nothing to offer her. Well, the response was affirmative. Hepsiba also agreed and plans started for the wedding. On Friday night of the same week the ceremony took place. The couple were forbidden to speak to each other only to respond to the minister as he tied the knot. Afterwards, word came to the family from Raju that the house had to be vacated for the honeymooners that night. The whole family slept on mats on the dirt floor of the church just up the street. I was asked to stay a few extra days to share at the reception the following Saturday. It was a joy for me to witness this strange event and also to see in the following days some affection and friendship be established between the two. India is a stange place with still ancient traditions and culture. The people though are so beautiful and in need of a saviour. One billion souls and the vast majority are lost without Christ. The prophet Isaiah wrote, Who will I send, who will go? and he reponded to the call, Here I am send me.

I'm Back!!

It seems like an eternity has passed since my last entry. Wow! how time flys! I'm still trying to get over "jet-lag" even though it doesn't seem to be as bad as previous trips. Also I'm dealing with a stomach thing, soon it will pass and I will be able to enjoy this wonderful south Texas food. OK, we were able to find an arquitect to help with the erection of our childrens home. It will have a capacity of 100 kids and also house some staff and have a guest room. We are excited about this project. The estimated cost will be around $100,000.00 (us) plus furnishings. Construction is pending on getting approval from some village elders and then will commence. We also had a great Encounter for pastors and leaders while there. There were about 80 in attendance and many were blessed and touched by God's love. I am excited about raising this money for the project. Funds have already started to come in. There is no better place to sow financial seen than into the lives of orphans and widows. Babu is eleven and wants to be a doctor. He is already doing algebra in school and has a very intelligent mind. Christi was left by her mother in a movie theater and was told to beg from people when she got hungry. All of these kids really love Jesus and are growing in Gods love. It really is a Joy to Serve Others.

Here we are doing a ground breaking ceremony by putting a Bible into the ground. It symbolizes building the childrens home upon the Word of God. This is Sudheera and her Father placing the bible in the ground.