How are you harvested?

Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech. Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground? When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place? For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him. For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod. Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen. This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.   Isaiah 28:23-29

God is speaking to Isaiah and uses the visual picture of a farmer.  He starts with the prepping for the crop.  Each seed is put into its right place.  Each spot prepared and chosen.  Can you imagine a great God doing that for us?  Looking at who He made us to be and preparing a spot especially for us?  Look at Acts 17:24-28.  Do you see it?  A preparation for you and me.  All that we need to grow is around us.  Not just the "good", but also the things that add stress so that we will grow healthy, hearty, producing much fruit.

Sit here a while and ask God about where He planted you.  What preparations did He make for you?  What things in your past or present can you see as being from God and part of His ensuring your best?

And it gets better.  Harvest comes.  When the harvest comes, the grains are gathered and prepared.  Growth has happened, now it is time for the next step.Look at how each is different.  Each type of grain takes a different method for it to be prepared for use.  Some methods are rougher than others.  In the end, all are used.

So how are you being harvested?  Are you cummin, corn, grain?  

Come for Me

I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.  -Psalms 119:176

What a powerful word. Calling to the Lord to come after us.  To seek us.

Seek us in our lost-ness.
Seek us in our wandering.
Seek us in our own mess we created.

The assurance we have as followers of Jesus is that the good shepherd will not leave or forsake us.  The key is the memory of the truth of the commandments.  We know what is required.  We have studied, learned, memorized and repeated God's word.  It is buried in our hearts.  Buried deep enough that it is not lost when we wander.  This is different than throwing away and rejecting.  This is the gradual loss that happens through loss of focus and distraction.

How beautiful the cry "Seek thy servant"!

Seek your people, oh God.  We are often lost and wandering, and our hearts are yours!

Ending One Adventure.... and on to the next

I landed in Louisville 10 days after I had left.  I am full of memories and wondering what is next for me and my family.  The memories and experiences in India were amazing.  I saw God's hand moving in new and fresh ways.  I pray that as this adventure ends the memories do not fade.

And on to the next......

Thanks for chronicling along with me, my friends.

Team ATL

This is the Atlanta team.  A group of men and women with hearts for worship and lifting up men, women and youth for God's glory.  These 4 folks came to India to spread the message of God and serve where needed.  Many good memories with these folks!

Last Worship and Goodbyes

The last day is always rough.  We come together for final worship at Nissi Faith church.  We celebrate the memories of our trip.  We say goodbye to friends both new and old.  My heart misses my family back home.  My soul is refreshed by seeing and hearing the Gospel in action.  My body is weary and in need of rest.

Last worship was good.  Fantastic praise music, final thoughts and the heartfelt wishes of the congregation.

Bye, bye, India. Until next time.....

Welcoming a New Pastor

Nissi Faith is a network of pastors.  We went to visit the newest pastor, John Victor.  His congregation is the closest church in miles.  Many come to see what is happening because they hear the worship and praises and wonder what is going on.  Their congregation has been working on their building for 4+ years.  Brick by brick they build as money allows.  They still have no roof, yet their hearts are full of joy.

It was amazing spending time with this congregation.  Their hospitality was amazing.  Their faith in God was inspiring.  Please pray they will be able to soon begin roofing.

Village Visits

 We went to visit and do ministry in the villages.  Some houses are less than a house.  Some have roofs.  Some have walls.  Each family working with what they have.  The village itself usually has a concrete main path.  This path is used by people and animals walking as well as motor vehicles.  There are no sewers so mostly it is a septic type system.

In the villages we just go to visit and to love on people.  We come into their homes and places of gathering.  We do not judge or refuse hospitality.  Instead, we just come to be with them.  Offering to pray.  Offering smiles and laughter.  It is amazing to spend time with the people that live here.