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We got word of terrible storms and flooding in Honduras. Severe flooding in La Ceiba has left people living in churches and the mission compound. Things are very bad.
This comes from Helen Raudales, a Huntington University student who is the daughter of Francisco and Maira Raudales (Francisco is the conference superintendent in Honduras).
Donna Hollopeter just tried calling to Honduras, but got a message saying all lines are down.
Jeff Bleijerveld sent a quick note. He made it to Germany, for the first part of his trip. He says the snow falling across the Bavarian Alps is gorgeous.
Ron Ramsey, Bishop
The book Prayer Coach came across my desk as a freebie from the publisher, Crossway Books. It is written by James L. Nicodem, pastor of a church in St. Charles, Ill.
I had laid the book, aside but just picked it up a few nights ago. I haven’t read far, maybe 2-3 chapters, but I did skip to the last chapter. It deals with the subject of Satan and how he tries to stop Christians from praying.
That chapter is based on Ephesians 6, where Paul describes the armored garment Christians are to wear. He describes how Satan wishes to defeat us. That chapter alone is worth the price of the book.
To me, it is a very refreshing approach to prayer in the life of a believer. It is serious and very practical, not stuffy. This type of book would make an excellent study for a group of men. (Women might find it interesting as well but it does have a sports analogy and Bobby Bowden wrote the forward).
Anyway, I’d like to suggest that you buy this book. You can order it from Healthy Church Ministries, 1-888-622-3019, if you’d like. And I’d like to have some discussions about the book on the BishopBlog.
I’ll wait a few days until you get a chance to get the book, and then I’ll begin offering some observations about each chapter, starting with chapter 1. Then invite any and all who will to engage in the discussion to jump in. Who know–it might be fun as well as profitable. It might be a way to energize our prayer life.
Our annual staff Christmas party is next Tuesday, December 16. This would have been the first one for Jeff Bleijerveld, who joined us last spring as Director of Global Ministries. But he decided to skip out on us. Instead, he’s going to Africa.
Jeff left today for Sierra Leone. Though he has seen much of the world in his career in mission work, he has not yet visited Africa. So this will be a new experience for him (and probably a lot more interesting than our staff Christmas party).
The Sierra National Conference will meet during his visit. In addition, Billy Simbo, head of the Sierra Leone Conference, has a busy schedule of travel awaiting him. Jeff will be seeing the country in a whirlwind.
But first, Jeff is heading to Germany, where he’ll spend a couple days with a family who have applied as endorsed UB missionaries.
Jeff will return to the States on December 23, just in time for Christmas with his wife, children, and two grandchildren.
On November 30, Hillsdale UB church (Hillsdale, Mich.) dedicated a 12-unit former assisted living facility two miles from the church. It was donated by three member families who had owned and managed the facility known as Drews Place.
The church is developing plans to expand its outreach ministry in the community by partnering with Domestic Harmony to use the building. Domestic Harmony is a local shelter for abused women and children.
Steve Dennie, Communications Director
And now, one final thought on momentum from Andy Stanley. I promise–no more.
Momentum is never triggered by tweaking something old. It is triggered by introducing something new. Human nature prefers the old to the new. So our default action, when we want to become more effective, is to tweak what we’re already doing. More training, different schedule, new materials, whatever. B-o-r-i-n-g.
Perhaps it would be better to think, “What is something we’re not doing, something not even on our radar, that we should try?”
I think of our new church in Grand Ledge, Mich., which held a Vacation Bible School this summer in a trailer park. Rather than ask people to come to the church for two hours of wonderful programs, they took everything right to their target audience.
Imagine the logistics–equipment, food, shelter in case of rain, etc. But they did it, and people were saved. Such a simple idea that makes imminent sense. And it had never before crossed my mind.
As one of those computer companies says, Think Different. (And don’t get upset by the missing “ly.”)
Pastor Edner Antoine, from our church in Philadelphia, God’s Church by the Faith, informs us that his wife is experiencing kidney failure. He’s been spending a great deal of time going back and forth to the hospital. We told him we would add her to our prayer list.
Sandie Birdsall has had her ups and downs since entering a Minnesota ICU on Monday, December 1. Her husband, Brent, posts regularly to his Facebook page about Sandie’s condition. She still in the ICU.
At 11:23 this morning, Brent posted the following:
Sandie just underwent her fifth angiogram. Her doctor said tomorrow’s angiogram should be her last. She also had an angiogram last night and the doctor has been satisfied with the results. They go in initially to observe the blood vessels, using a special dye. They want to measure the level of vascular constriction/spasm. Then they apply a special med that relaxes/enlarges the vessels, thus allowing better blood flow.
Her vital signs have been improving. Her rest was better last night. She communicates well with her eyebrows, shoulder shrugs, and toe wiggles. She is still intubated (a machine assures that her breathing is steady and not stressful), but the doctor also talks about getting her off that machine in a day or so.
Yesterday the doctor mentioned (not promised) that Sandie may be out of ICU by the end of the week. I’m hopeful that she has come through the worst of it. I’m still not ready to hang out the “Mission Accomplished” banner; that will have to wait until we get her home.
For you dear friends who have been faithfully praying, I want you to know that Sandie shows all the signs of being on the upswing of the recovery process. Thanks again for your love and concern. It means so much to Sandie, myself and the whole family.
Steve Dennie, Communications Director
Here is another thought on momentum from Andy Stanley, adding to the others I mentioned here.
If you have momentum and you don’t know why–you are one stupid decision away from killing it.
I love my church. But right now, I think my pastor and most of us would agree, Anchor lacks momentum. We’re nowhere close to being a dead, status quo, business-as-usual church, and lots of ministry still happens. But momentum? Not so much, right now.
When Anchor (my church) started over ten years ago, we definitely had momentum. But I’m not sure why. And I’m wondering if we did something to kill it. Did we make a “stupid decision” somewhere along the line? I can’t think of anything offhand, but I’m gonna keep pondering.
Can you point to a stupid decision your church made which, looking back, may account for your lack of momentum?
Emmanuel Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.) has a sharp new website.
