Hey there.

How are things going? We’re doing pretty well here. Still some ups and downs as the TEE situation continues to play itself out, but mostly we watch from a distance at this point. The way things worked out there is still a disappointment for us, and we are looking to God and others to help us make sense of the situation.

A few weeks ago I was reading a commentary on Psalm 73, and it has helped to shape my attitude about this difficult time. The commentator quotes another writer to highlight that “heart” is mentioned six times in the psalm, which indicates that “the state of the heart determines whether a man lives in the truth, in which God’s goodness is experienced, or in the semblance truth, where the fact that it ‘goes ill’ with him is confused with the illusion that God is not good to him.” (Tyndale OT commentaries, Psalm 73–150, pg. 259–260)

I am slowly beginning to realize that I have been looking for goodness in the wrong place–in a sick and broken world. I will always be disappointed. The only place I can find true goodness is as I draw closer and closer to God. The fact that He loved me enough to make that relationship even possible is all the proof of His goodness that I should need. May our hearts be so filled with the wonder of eternal intimacy with the God of the universe, that we rejoice in His goodness in even the most adverse of earthly circumstances.

1. Keep praying for Steve’s family, as the memorial service for his uncle was this past weekend, and the burial is set for sometime later this week. Help us to know how to mourn in a healthy way, and show love and encouragement to the rest of the family–especially as we are far away.

2. Praise God that Tim Robertson’s parents (Kim and Sue Robertson) arrived safely, to spend some time getting to know their new grandson. Ask God to help Ian sleep more at night between feedings, and to keep the whole family safe and healthy during the Robertons’ visit.

3. Ask God to bless the Christian Family class that Steve has been facilitating every Saturday. Steve has been trying to give others the opportunity to learn to lead a discussion group like this one. This week a Khmer man, Phearin, is due to lead the group, so ask God to give him focus and diligence as he prepares and leads the discussion. The group only has two more meetings, and then a final test, so pray that the students would follow through and finish well. Also, one of the missionaries in the class, Carolyn Gabriels, is having some ongoing health problems with an amoeba, so pray that God will heal her quickly.

4. Praise God for a very good talk with Wayne Hannah (GBIM’s Asia Region Director) last week, with clear internet connections and helpful conversation. Pray that God will keep Wayne strong and healthy, and that He will give Wayne lots of wisdom and insight as he works to advise and guide all of us GBIM missionaries as we work in Asia.

5. Keep asking God to have His way with the situation at TEEac. Ask Him to display His justice and righteousness in a mighty way, so that many can see it. But even more importantly, pray that we will have the kind of heart that is sensitive to see the goodness of God throughout all types of circumstance.

Psalm 73:25-26, 28
Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever…
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works.

In Him,
Deborah & Steve =

TNT Prayer Requests

Dear praying friends. We are very grateful for the overflowing of oil, not in the Gulf but in our ministry because of your faithfulness to pray for us. We ask you to continue especially at this time, as we have several present and upcoming events.

High school and college students here are on semester break. Brian Keogh, here for the month of July, is imparting a “Vacation Bible Seminar” this week, teaching Second Peter. We are endeavoring to make good use of the time, and have a good turnout. Pray for the Spirit infused word of God in the ears of young men and women, and that God continue to speak to Brian as he considers what the Lord might be calling him to.

Pray that Brian might be able to raise the full amount of funds to cover the cost of his trip.

For the successful installation of a recording studio in the Seek the Lamb Discipleship Building, and that this building be used precisely for that–DISCIPLESHIP–and not merely as office space. Pray for the team that will be arriving here on July 17: Will and Sonie Reidel, Steve Bragg, Karen and Seth Harmer, Ted LeBrech, and Mike Bagby. They will be doing physical work as well as imparting vision in our leaders to insure that this becomes a reality. Praise God for them and lift them up.

We will be conducting a Teachers’ Workshop in Waspam from Wednesday July 21 to Sunday, July 25, with 50 village teachers in attendance. A time of refreshing and of spiritual and professional growth. We are asking God to give our teachers to see each one of their charges as precious to God in the context of a collective culture. The concept of “no child left behind” looks very different to Miskito people than it does to Americans. What does it mean to God? We will be working with them on very practical applications of this lofty concept. Pray that teachers will see their vocation as their principal venue for good works as a product of their faith in the Lord Jesus.

We ask God for a miracle. Construction supplies and teacher materials to be purchased in Managua and sent to Waspam need to arrive in a timely fashion for the teams coming down to do the work. The fees placed on luggage for international flights, the cost of $1 per pound for excess of 30 lb-per-person on in-country flights, the limited tractor-trailor service to Waspam, and the roadblocks continually set up by protesters all present obstacles to the completion of our objectives.

Talk about desired miracles … how about the completion of our living space? Please keep that in your prayers.

Tom had arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus on June 23. There was extensive cartilage damage because he continued to play ball for 3 or 4 years between the injury and the surgery. Pray for complete healing. The process is supposed to take 7 weeks, hey–7 sevens–pray the the glory of the latter knee will be greater than that of the former.

We miss seeing all your faces.

Tom & Nutie

Here our some photos of the missions store our Children’s ministry put on!

Hey, I hope you guys are having a great week! I also hope you’ve been finishing up your Horizon reading (Hebrews and James) for the month of June. We’ll start a new book on Thursday, July 1.

This weeks happenings:

The Well, Wednesday night @ 7pm in Lohnes Hall. We’ll continue our series through the 10 plagues, this week we’re on #9, where the entire land is turned to darkness. Our goal is to be transformed through the principles of God’s word. Love to see you there!

Also, Friday night @ 7pm, also in Lohnes Hall, we’ll have our monthly Movie Night. This months selection will be a surprise (which means I haven’t made my choice yet). So, guys bring a drink, girls bring a snack, we’ll have a great time!

I think that’s all. Love you guys!

– Doug

(you can view this original post @ www.gracechurchyouthministries.com)

Highlands County has many churches, and we are very thankful for the ways God is using believers that are teaching His Word and sharing the salvation of Jesus in many places. We at Grace see ourselves as an exciting part of what God is doing in this community. We have four defining purposes that govern all that we do:

Grace is a place for people who desire to WORSHIP. That means we provide a number of different opportunities in the week to gather with other followers of Jesus and tell God that He is awesome and worthy of praise! We believe that worship is not simply music, singing, preaching or prayer – it is taking the time to open our hearts to God individually and together. We create several different kinds of services to help us together grow in praise.

Grace is a place for LEARNING. We have many opportunities from small group studies to large meetings where we open our Bibles and study them thoroughly. We sponsor the Great Commission Bible Institute where students come from all over the US to study the Word. We take the Bible seriously, and believe it contains the principles to live a life pleasing to the Lord in every way. Expect every message to be a careful exposition of the Scriptures.

Grace is a place to BELONG. We love to get people involved in each other’s lives. We are an active body with a ton of ways to share your life with other people. Some of us have come through deep hurts and will lift your heart with stories of how God brought us through.

Grace is a place to MAKE A DIFFERENCE. We are involved in outreach projects in Highlands County, but also are regularly moving out in mission projects and trips around the world. We train students to become leader-servants in world missions. We want you to become a part of something bigger than you could ever have imagined. Come and visit with us. We think you will feel the difference!

The Lord has really stirred me (Pastor Aaron) to step up my prayer life and look into how we can increase our prayer life as a church.  Here is something I found helpful:

10 Tips to Help Your Prayer Life

If praying does not come effortlessly for you, try these tips for making your prayer life more focused and effective.

By: Gregory Koukl

For a few hardy prayer warriors, talking with God is as easy as breathing; it happens almost effortlessly. When you ask them how they do it, they simply shrug and reply, “I just pray.” Unfortunately, that’s about as helpful as John McEnroe saying “I just hit the ball,” when asked for some tips on more effective tennis. It may be easy for him to “just hit the ball”, but most of us hackers need a little more fundamental instruction to get the job done. With that in mind, we’ve included here some practical guidelines that might make your time with the Lord more fruitful. Not all of the suggestions will apply to your particular situation, but if you begin by incorporating a few of them, I’m confident your prayer life will improve.

1. Choose a specific place to pray away from distractions so you can concentrate. Ringing phones and crying children will sabotage your “quiet time” before it gets started.

2. Pray at the same time every day, if at all possible. Make it part of your regular routine and it will become habit. Write it into your schedule and then treat it just like a daily appointment.

3. Pray out loud. Many people can pray under their breath or in their minds for long periods and still maintain intensity, but for most of us it’s a quick ticket to dreamland. When we pray out loud we have to form intelligent sentences. We have to concentrate more on what we’re praying about.

4. Keep a note pad handy so you can jot down different things that come to mind while you’re before the Lord. Sometimes you’ll get great ideas totally unrelated to what you’ve been praying about. If you jot them down you can quickly get back to the topic at hand without being too distracted.

5. Make a list to keep track of your prayer needs. This can be done several ways. Prayer needs can be listed by category like “Church,” “Family,” or “Unsaved friends.” Or they may be listed by the days of the week. Each day you pray for a different set of needs. You may want to include prayer everyday for a different area of society that has a tremendous influence on the direction of our nation. These seven categories include 1) the church and religion, 2) the family and the home, 3) the media, 4) government, 5) education, 6) business and commerce, and 7) the arts and entertainment.

6. Redeem time for praying out of unused corners of your schedule. Those who have to drive to work can use the time talking with the Lord instead of screaming at traffic (just don’t close your eyes!). Busy homemakers can combine prayer with housework, especially if the task doesn’t require a lot of concentration. Joggers, swimmers and cyclists can use their workout time for prayer. Sometimes my best times with the Lord have been chats during long, early morning walks or jogs along the beach.

7. Change the pace during your prayer time. Include praise, thanksgiving and singing as well as petition. Spend some of your time reflecting on the Scripture, meditating on it and digesting its meaning.

8. Keep a prayer journal. Here are two variations of this idea. The first is to keep track of what you prayed for and when you prayed for it. Leave a space to jot down the answer when it comes. This will help you to keep alert to God’s answer so you can thank Him promptly. Sometimes prayer answers come in the back door and you don’t want them to slip by you. The second variation is to write the entire prayer in your journal. Make it a personal letter to the Lord on a daily basis. Just write “Dear Lord” instead of “Dear Diary.”

9. Pray with someone else. Though some prayers can only be said in solitude, there will be times when you’ll want to join hearts with another person in prayer. If you commit to meet on a regular basis, the accountability can really help build consistency. Such prayer trysts can become powerful, life-changing events.

10. Pray one-sentence prayers. If the thought of laboring over a topic wears you out, pray short, sincere prayers instead. A sentence or two may be all that’s needed to exhaust the topic for you for the time being. If so, just move on to the next item without feeling guilty for your brevity.

Thought this was an interesting read about the state of the country in relation to their Biblical knowledge:

Americans and the Bible: Bible Ownership, Reading, Study and Knowledge in the United States
by Michael J. Vlach (see in its original context here)

The Christian Bible continues to be a revered book in the United States. In fact, no other book comes close to having been read and re-read as much as the “Good Book”. Every year, millions of Bibles are printed in this country. Researcher George Gallup points out that so many Bibles have been printed in the United States “that even rough estimates of the total number published to date do not exist.” 1

How do Americans use the Bible and what do they know about it? Recent research has produced important information about Bible ownership, reading, study, and knowledge in the United States.

Bible Ownership
Most Americans own a Bible. In fact, 92% of households in America own at least one copy. Of those households that own a Bible, the average number of Bibles is three. This includes not only the homes of practicing Christians but hundreds of thousands of atheists as well. 2

Bible Reading
Although most Americans own a Bible, use of the Bible varies significantly. In a poll taken by the Gallup Organization in October, 2000, 59% of Americans reported that they read the Bible at least occasionally. This is down from 73% in the 1980s. The percentage of Americans who read the Bible at least once a week is 37%. This is down slightly from 40% in 1990. 3 According to the Barna Research Group, those who read the Bible regularly spend about 52 minutes a week in the scriptures. 4 Barna, “The Bible,” data is from 1997.

Which gender is more faithful at reading the Bible at least weekly? The prize goes to the women. Women (42%) are more likely than men (32%) to have read the Bible in the past week. What version do people prefer? As of 1997, those who read the Bible preferred the King James Version to the New International Version by a 5 to 1 margin. 5

Bible Study
When it comes to going beyond merely reading the Bible to actual study of the Bible, the numbers decline sharply. Only one in seven Americans report an involvement that goes beyond just reading the Bible. Fourteen percent of Americans currently belong to a Bible study group. 6 This is down a full one-third from 1990 when 21% said they were involved in a Bible study group. 7

Bible Knowledge
How about knowledge of the Bible? According to Gallup, “Despite the impressive statistics concerning Bible reading and study, it is apparent that ignorance about its contents is widespread.” 8

He gives evidence for this conclusion:

• Only half of adults interviewed nationwide could name any of the four Gospels of the New Testament
• Just 37% of those interviewed could name all four Gospels.
• Only 42% of adults were able to name as many as five of the Ten Commandments correctly.
• Seven in ten (70%) were able to name the town where Jesus was born, but just 42% could identify him as the person who delivered the Sermon on the Mount. 9

Researcher George Barna has also documented the lack of Bible knowledge in the United States:

• 38% of Americans believe the entire Bible was written several decades after Jesus’ death and resurrection (While this is true of the New Testament, the entire Old Testament was written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus Christ).
• 12% of adults believe that Noah’s wife was Joan of Arc.
• 49% believe that the Bible teaches that money is the root of all evil. (The love of money is said to be the root of all types of evil).
• 75% believe that the Bible teaches that God helps those who help themselves. 10

George Lindbeck, the famous Yale theologian, has commented on the decreasing knowledge of scripture from a professor’s perspective: “When I first arrived at Yale, even those who came from nonreligious backgrounds knew the Bible better than most of those now who come from churchgoing families.” 11

Recent research highlights the decreasing influence of the Bible in the United States and the importance of serious Bible study by Christians. As our society becomes increasingly pluralistic and subjective in its worldview, the more important it will be for Christians to know and study their Bibles. Only by doing so can we intelligently present a biblical worldview to those who know so little of the Word that is able to save their souls.

1 George Gallup, Jr., The Role of the Bible in American Society (Princeton: The Princeton ReligionResearch Center, 1990)
2 Barna Research Online, “The Bible,” www.barna.org. This information is based on 1993 figures.
3 Alec Gallup and Wendy W. Simmons, “Six in Ten Americans Read Bible at Least Occasionally,” TheGallup Organization, www.gallup.com, October 20, 2000.
4 Barna, “The Bible,” data is from 1997.
5 Ibid., data is from 2001.
6 Gallup, “Six in Ten Americans Read Bible at Least Occasionally,”
7 Gallup, The Role of the Bible in American Society, 17.
8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
10 Barna, “The Bible,” The information is from the years 1994, 1997, 1994, and 2000 respectively.
11 George A. Lindbeck, “The Church’s Mission to a Postmodern Culture,” Postmodern Theology: ChristianFaith in a Pluralist World (San Francisco: Harper & Row Publishers, 1989) 45.

Hi there. Happy Father’s Day!

How are you all doing? What did you do for Father’s Day? We were able to catch some of the US Open, which was an enjoyable surprise. We are trying to convince our fellow team-mate that there is much more drama in a round of golf than there is in a soccer game, but I don’t think he’s buying it.

We are back in Phnom Penh now, having flown back into the country on Saturday. Our return was bittersweet, knowing that we are coming back to a difficult time of transition and uncertainty. I am sure that God is saying, “Well, you have said so many bold things about faith and perseverance; now’s the time to put your words into action.” It isn’t always easy to live out the things that we teach to others. Sometimes we just feel discouraged, and want to throw in the towel.

The Psalms are a constant source of comfort and encouragement, and I was struck by Psalm 37 this week. It talks frequently of the righteous inheriting the land. I had always thought of this in the sense of the Israelites, and the land God had promised to them, and didn’t really see how it applied to me. But then I began to think about Cambodia, and how this country has been Satan’s domain for so long. He is worshiped every day by a majority of the people, and so any attempt to establish God’s kingdom in this country is a threat to the evil one’s domination. It is the desire of our hearts that this land be given over to God, and that righteousness would reign supreme here. Psalm 37 reminds us that those who wait on the Lord, those who are humble, will inherit the land. It contrasts the quiet faith of the righteous with the frantic plotting of the wicked, reminding us that evil doers are gone in a flash, but the righteous will endure, and inherit the land. Please pray with us that God will help us persevere, and give us an inheritance of righteousness in this land!

1. Praise God that we all (Wises, Robertsons, and Lois Gillette) got back to Cambodia safely. Keep praying for Tim and Jessica as they adjust to the joys and challenges that a new baby brings. Ask God to keep Jessica’s mom, Lois, safe as she travels back to the US next Monday, June 28.

2. Pray as we make decisions this week about our next steps, following the recent developments at TEEac. We have been receiving varying advice, and need to determine to what extent we can remain involved with TEEac, if at all. Especially pray as Steve considers how and if he can continue the TEE discipleship classes he has been leading. Also pray for Friday, when we will go to the TEEac office and remove our personal belongings.

3. Keep praying for the others who are involved in TEEac, including the other employees, board members, and the denomination with which this disgruntled employee is associated. Many are feeling conflicted as they try to decide how to respond to the events of the past few weeks. Keep praying that people would stand boldy for truth and Biblical principles, that the Khmer church would grow and mature through this struggle, and that God will ultimately be glorified.

4. Praise God that our team-mates in K.stan have reached the capital safely, and have found friends and others who can minister to them in this time. Ask God to help them recover from this traumatic time. Keep praying for God to protect believers, both national and foreign, and for peace to be re-established among the ethnic minorities. (Please DO NOT post this request on the internet.)

5. As a result of your effective prayers on our behalf over this past year or so, our new team (Wises, Holabecks, and Robertsons) has set the goal to find 1000 people who will lift us up in prayer on a regular basis. Because the battle we wage is a spiritual one, we can NOT claim this land for Christ without this vital element—which is you! You are a VERY important part of our team. If you know of anyone who might be interested in becoming a prayer partner with us, please forward this e-mail to them and ask them to write stevendeb@mac.com to be added to our weekly update list. Thank you!

Psalm 37:9–11
For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.
Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

In Him,
Deborah & Steve
=

Dear Friends,

I will be having arthroscopic surgery on my right knee tomorrow at 2:00 EDT to repair a torn meniscus. Dr. Hazel Barquero, a Nicaraguan/Argentine Jewish orthopedic surgeon, will be performing the operation. Please pray for Nutie, since this is the same hospital where her husband David was operated on when they found terminal cancer, and a lot is going on in her memory. Pray for the doctor, and for me … I need to place physical demands on my body in order to be effective on the river.

Hey guys! Well we got another busy week coming up; check it out…

Wednesday, 7pm, at the church, we’ve got The Well. I’ll be teaching from Exodus 10:1-20, the 8th plague. This time God sends locusts all over the whole land. Yikes. Also, Brian will be leading worship this week, so come say hello to our buddy BK.

Thursday morning, 9-11am, at GCBI, we’ll be doing our monthly listening party. This time it’s mixed with a breakfast, so come hungry, and we’ll burn off some energy playing round robin ping-pong!

I think that’s it for this week. Be sure to vote on the poll, and we’ll have some good times this week. Love you guys!

– Doug