Tuesday, May 18, 2010

We keep on waiting (waiting) on the world to change...

The world IS changing, every single minute, but not for the better.

Did you know that 50,000 people die, every single day, without knowing who Christ is? It's so hard to believe that in today's world of cell phones and satellite TV and internet, but it is true!

In Revelation, it talks about a final battle that will leave blood "up to a horse's bridle" from the dead. That is a LOT of dead. Not one of them will be in Heaven. They could be your brother, or mother, or neighbor. Now, I'm not trying to scare you, what would be the good in that? However, it is a cold hard fact that makes my heart heavy.

In Jesus' triumphal entry, he wept. Why? Because, even in the midst of all the celebration of God's kingdom come to earth, He remembered those who won't make it.

We take time to celebrate the precious few who DO make it every week at church. We will all get to spend our eternity worshiping and celebrating God. All the while, pushing to the back of our minds the sadness of those millions of people who will never get to celebrate with us. They will spend their ETERNITY someplace very different.

If this post makes you mad, or sad, or upset, then it has done it's job- to wake you up.

This is the burden we, as Christians, carry with us. We are not to be complacent in our jobs. We are not to be wrapped up in our kid's athletic programs. We are not to be secluding ourselves in our church. All of these things are good, and pleasant! They are not sinful, in itself.

However, would you continue to watch TV if you knew your neighbor's house was on fire? Would you continue on to that game if you saw a horrific wreck happen right in front of your eyes? Would you continue singing at church if a tornado was ripping through your town?

This past week, on our way home from church, there was a bus broke down on the side of the road. It was a large white bus that read "Church Bus" in big black letters. I pulled over and Tom went back to make sure someone had a phone to call for help. We couldn't offer more than that, as our car was full, and we have no mechanical knowledge to offer to fix the bus. When Tom went back to talk to the driver, we were shocked to learn that the bus had been sitting there for more than 40 minutes and we were the FIRST people to stop and offer help.

How sad for our area that not one single car, on a busy major interstate, stopped to offer help to a church bus!!

Wake up America! What are you waiting for?! It's coming, and may catch you napping. Be vigilant, because the time is near.

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We have a 2 week wait before we can offer any new updates on our quest to become foreign missionaries. Until then, we find that we have a ton of mission work right here in the US. Please join us in prayer over the next months as things get sorted out. I'll update as soon as we have any new information. Thanks for reading and keeping our family in your prayers!!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Another Sports Analogy

By: Tom Adams

Even though we all like to think we’re complex beings, I guess I’m a pretty simple guy. Because last night God spoke to me about something I really thought I already understood, but he dumbed it down even more for me!

I love to watch sports. Live or on television it doesn’t matter (well, ok, some are better live!), and although I am very un-athletic, I appreciate the way these team sports work. Anyway, God spoke to me last night about the missions journey my family is on in terms of a simple sports analogy.

Let’s just say that I have played baseball throughout my elementary, Jr. High and High School years. Maybe I even played in college. But I will never be successful in Major League Baseball if I am not called up in the draft. End of story. No matter how much I want it, no matter how skilled I am, if I’m not picked in the draft, I better find something else that makes me happy, because I haven’t been chosen!

Okay, so for the sake of argument, let’s just say that Steinbrenner saw me play, and he wants to give me a shot. If I plan on accepting an offer to play with (Ugh!) the Yankees, I had better have done my homework and made sure that I can play within the system of the coaching staff. If they have a totally different coaching style than I have been under, or if their style of play doesn’t use my athletic strengths, I might want to look for another team who will be happier with my fit, and who will allow me to be happier and contribute in a more beneficial way, or no amount of ability or confidence from Mr. Steinbrenner will make this a good fit.

Now, I have been called up, I fit into the coaching system and style of play, but I have never met any of my teammates, and I really don’t know them personally. Sure I’ve read their stats and seen their baseball cards, but I haven’t had the opportunity to hang out and really get to know them. I had better go to New York (or better yet St. Louis!) and meet the guys I will be playing, and practicing, and traveling, and doing life with.

This is where my family is right now. We are grateful to have been called by God (what an overwhelming sentence to type!). We have strong conviction that we should serve the people of Italy (although we have no idea where in Italy). We have met with (and love!) Team Expansion, and if we are accepted as Recruits, our next step is to take a visit to Italy to meet the teams there and see if we are a fit in the work, the place and to just meet the people personally that we have been “cyber-stalking” for all of these months. I feel I am a part of this work and that I know these workers simply because I have spent so much time reading their “baseball cards” and praying for them and the work, but honestly, we don’t know each other very well. Also, God has placed a love for the Italian people in our hearts, but we have never visited their country or met them personally either! So when the process of support raising begins, we will be asking for your partnership to go and “scout” out the major leagues. I can’t wait to meet the awesome people God is using to do his work there, and to travel to the place I have fallen in love with without ever visiting (weird!?!).

Thank you all for the past and continued prayers. We really feel them, and will need them in the future as we go on the road.