First Kill Your Family . . .

"Richard Opio has neither the look of a cold blooded killer nor the heart of one.  Yet as his mother and father lay on the ground with their hands tied, Richard used the blunt end of an ax to crush their skulls.  He was ordered to do this by a unit commander of the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group that has terrorized northern Uganda for twenty years.  The memory racks Richard's slender body as he wipes away tears."  Peter Eichstaedt (quoted from the book First Kill Your Family)


"Man's inhumanity to man is not only perpetrated by the vitriolic actions of those who are bad, it is also perpetrated by the vitiating inaction of those who are good."  Martin Luther King Jr.

You Stood Before My Failure . . .

"You stood before my failure,

carried the cross for my shame.

My sin weighed upon Your shoulders,

my soul now to stand . . ."

For God So Loved The World . . .

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son . . . "

Though our world has turned their backs on God, He still loves the world.  He loves the world so much that He gave His only Son so that we can be free.  Not only can we be free, but the whole world can come to the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ.  He gave His Son for the "Whole World" . . . not just a select few but the whole world!!!!!

But He needs our help . . . He has given those of us who have come to faith in Him the ability to reach others, to reach the lost souls in this world.  He did His part by giving us life through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, now its up to us to reach out and share the love of Jesus with others.  With all that's going on in our lives . . . our main focus should be growing closer and more intimate with the Father and reaching others, leading them to salvation in Christ.  Whether in your community, province/state, country or overseas, God has called us all to reach so that souls may not perish, but have everlasting life.

Don't keep God's love to yourselves . . . reach out . . . share your faith . . . so they too can one day enjoy eternal life in Heaven!!!!!

It's Been A While . . .

Well it's been a while but I am back blogging!!!!!!  My last post was in April and I want to apologize for the time that has past since I last wrote . . .

God has been so good over the last few months, especially when it comes to our journey to Africa.  God is opening doors and continuing to lead the way . . . He continues to lead us home.  He is a faithful and just God, and I thank Him and praise Him for His leadership, wisdom and love.  God is awesome and we want to do what ever He asks of us . . .

He is our teacher . . . and over the last two and a half years He has taught us how to be patient.   Patience . . . yeah that's a tough one for me but I am learning to be patient as each day passes.  I've learned that I can't put trust in the world, I can't do things myself . . . I need to trust in God and be patient as He brings these things to pass.  Right now He continues to open those doors and we continue to be patient . . . this is part of our training.

I'm the type of person who can get worked up about things . . . yet these things are going to happen regardless of whether I'm worked up or patient.  God doesn't get worked up about all the lost souls in this world . . . He is patient with us as we reach the lost for Him.  We need to remember that we are created in His image, He has given us the ability to be patient.  So be patient . . . with God and with others.  God is good . . . He is faithful and He won't let us down.  Put your trust in Him and be patient . . . it will come to pass!!!!!

Our Family . . .

This is the most recent picture of our family . . . do you see any difference?  Oh  . . . the man in the middle is my brother and friend Pastor Raha Muzibao from the Democratic Republic of Congo.  In your eyes we may not look a like but in the eyes of the Father we are the same . . .

After spending a day with our brother, the desire to serve in Africa runs deeper than ever . . .

A defining moment in the day was when Pastor Raha said, "You are willing to give this all up . . . all this wealth to come to Africa?"

This opened our eyes in two ways:

1.  We know that we are to go
2.  We know that we are wealthy even though it feels like we are not at times

God has a plan for us . . . He has a spot for us in Africa.  During times of frustration and patience building, we often question Him as to where He wants us.  We often ask, "Why is this taking so long?"  We struggle with this since our hearts and minds are in Africa yet our bodies are still in Canada!!!!!

We can't push Him . . . we need to listen and follow

Yikes!!!!!!

Do you ever have those weeks when the days just seem to run together?  I realized that a couple of weeks ago I started into a series on faith . . . and thats where I left it!!!!!  Ahhhh . . . it frustrates me when I don't have the time to write . . . so here's to making the time.

Today it is my plan to find my study notes . . . once I have located them I will continue on in my series on faith.  Hopefully this will be sometime in the next 48hrs or so . . . thank you for your dedication to this blog and I apologize for the lack of entries.

Faith . . .

I'm going to try something a little different . . . you see when I study the word I write all my thoughts down.  Whether I go back to these thoughts varies at times . . . since the reason I do this is to help me learn what I am reading.  The Lord has challenged me to share some of my thoughts with you . . . hopefully its not to confusing!!!!

Faith - ". . . is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."

By faith we believe in God - we believe He sent His Son - we believe His Son died - we believe His Son descended to hell to take back the keys - we believe His Son rose from the dead - we believe His Son ascended to heaven - we believe He has left His Holy Spirit to continue His work here on earth - we believe that He is our Saviour - we believe when we ask He will forgive our sins - we believe we can ask Him into our hearts - we believe He has given us eternal life - all of this we believe - we do this in faith.

By grace we have been saved through faith - this is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8) . . . By faith we believe we receive His blessings . . . We believe we will see His blessings, His promises and someday His face . . . faith . . . the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

By faith in God man can be saved . . . "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."  Romans 10:9-10

To be continued . . .