You Are a "Mist"

Did you know that the Bible calls you a "mist"...(well, among other things...)?

In the Book of James, we read, "Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes" (4:14, ESV). James is full of practical wisdom for "everyday living". In this section, James is reminding his readers of the brevity of life. He encourages us to keep the scope of our lives in a proper perspective. He is really addressing the common arrogance of the human spirit in its assumption that it has any sort of control of or guarantee for "tomorrow".

Today I will be participating in the funeral of my friend and neighbor. The Lord brought our paths together last year during an especially difficult time in her life when she was struggling with her health and just needed the help of others. God laid it on the hearts of many at New Beginnings to come alongside my neighbor to help her get back on her feet and as a result she began to attend our services. Phyllis, my neighbor, loved the Lord Jesus Christ and placed her faith in him for her own salvation and peace with God. Unexpectedly, last week Phyllis left this strange land for her true home in the presence of Almighty God. Paul spoke of the glorious promise that "to be away from the body is to be at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). In this same passage, Paul soberingly reminds us that, "...we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad" (5:10).

It is always difficult and saddening to lose a friend--expected or unexpectedly--in death. However, in Christ, we know that death is not the final word. Because Christ died and was raised to life, we know that everyone who has trusted in him will too be raised (1 Cor. 15; 1 Thess. 4:14). But the reality of death also reminds us that we haven't yet arrived in our final place. There is something beyond this world. We are a "mist" which appears for a short time and then vanishes away. Yet, what we do during that "misty" period is tremendously important.

One of the effects that the Bible has upon me when I read it is this: It helps me appropriately understand my smallness--in the grand scheme of time and life--, and my significance--in the loving heart of my Creator. Reading the Bible is deeply humbling, at least for me. I, too, am simply a "mist". But this "mist" wants to make the most out of his time here on earth.

An Excellent Wife

"An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels." Prov. 31:10

Happy Mother's Day, Laurie! I'm so very grateful to God for His sovereign leading of our lives together. Your devotion, first to Christ and then to me, is inspiring. Your diligence in nuturing our three zany darlings is deeply appreciated. Your sacrifice and support in service to our Lord's church is praiseworthy.

There is no doubt that one day "your children will rise up and call (you) blessed" (Prov. 31:28). I, too, only have reasons to praise you. It's still true, after these nearly ten years of marriage, that "I could not ask for more". I love you!

Graduation Night

"...I will build my church..." Matthew 16:18

Every year around this time we have the joy of celebrating the culmination of many years of prayer (on the part of moms and dads) and hard work in the lives of young people as they graduate from high school or college. Multiple weekends are filled with painfully long ceremonies and packed-out backyard parties as we congratulate those who are "the future" of our families, churches, and communities.

Well, just last week (on Monday, April 25th, to be precise) New Beginnings had its own "Graduation Night". About 45 people from our church traveled to Pinebrook Bible Conference Center in East Stroudsburg, PA, to attend a worship service where New Beginnings was received into the Bible Fellowship Church as one of two brand new self-supporting churches in our denomination. (A special word of congratulations to Tim Zuck and the Saucon Community Bible Fellowship Church for reaching this major milestone too!) It was an exciting and emotional night as Sara, Harvey, and Harry all shared the story of God's providence in leading our fellowship to that night.

The core group of New Beginnings BFC, about 25 persons strong, met for their very first "official" service on Sunday, October 3, 2004, in the home of Carl and Sonja Rentschler. Six-and-a-half years later, by the sovereign guidance and grace of God, New Beginnings is a vibrant community of about 140 people who are learning day-by-day what it means to love God and love others. Our grace-filled curriculum has been a good mixture of moments of healing, helping, hurting, and honoring in Christ. The Lord has been working in us and through us to expand His kingdom and build His church in Woodbury Heights, NJ.

Here a a few snapshots of our "Graduation Night"...

A Heart for Haiti

I'd like for you to meet Tom and Kelly Gambrill. Tom and Kelly have been good friends of ours for several years now. We first met at Grace BFC in Wallingford, PA. The Gambrills still live in PA but faithfully make the thirty-minute drive to New Beginnings each week because they have felt God's leading to help us become an established church in our denomination. They have been such a blessing using their gifts and talents for God's glory and the building up of our local body.

I guess it was about five years ago that Tom responded to the Holy Spirit's tugging at his heart and he surrendered his life to go wherever God wanted him to go and to do just about whatever it is that God wants him to do. Tom has been to India, Indonesia, Ukraine, and, a few times now, Haiti. It's been pretty awesome to hear how God has been working in the life of the Gambrills. However, their story is just as much about perseverance as it is about passion for taking Christ's love to the nations.

Both Tom and Kelly love the Lord immensely and they are diligently teaching their six children to love and follow the leading of God's Spirit. All along their path into full-time missions, the Gambrills have encountered a variety of obstacles and challenges. Some of their challenges have been educational requirements, funding, and major health issues. As Tom puts it, there seems to have been this thick fog hanging over their path ahead and only recently has it begun to clear.

Over the past two years, Tom has been significantly involved in aiding the hurting people of Haiti. The Lord seems to be putting Tom in just the right places to meet the right people and things are beginning to really pick up steam. Tom and Kelly just returned from a whirlwind trip to Haiti where they met with some Christian officials to discuss a potential partnership. It's incredible to see Tom's eyes light up as he retells several amazing examples of God's perfect will developing before him.

Let me ask you to pray for Tom and Kelly Gambrill. Obviously, this could be a huge deal for this family to move to Haiti and begin serving Christ in this need-filled place. Pray that God would continue to open the right doors and supply everything necessary for this amazing couple to do God's work. If you would like more information about how you can personally support the Gambrills, please get in touch with me.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Vanderhoff Family

"Life can best be understood looking backwards, but it has to be lived moving forwards." - Hudson Vanderhoff

Last Saturday, I had the blessing of listening to one of the most incredible testimonies that I have ever heard. Hudson and Patty Vanderhoff are an ordinary couple whom the Lord is using in an extraordinary way. The Vanderhoff's have committed in a most unique way to glorifying the Lord through bringing the world literally into their home. Hudson and Patty have eight biological children and thirteen adopted children. That's right; they have twenty-one children. And that's not the whole story. Every adopted child has unique physical or emotional needs that the Vanderhoffs knew about leading to their adoption. The faces of the Vanderhoff children represent the vast spectrum of the human race. It is an incredibly beautiful and moving picture.

Hudson shared his family's verse which is found in Isaiah 8:18. It reads, "Here am I, and the children the Lord has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the Lord Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion." Hudson stated that his family is itself a demonstration of the powerful of God's grace and kingdom. What a blessing and a challenge to listen to this man's story of love.