God Bless The USA

I'm back! Made it safely to the US with no problems. Thanks to all who prayed. Let me ask one other favor of you. If you would continue your prayers for me this next week. After a good, hard mission trip there is always the tendency for spiritual let down, temptation, and distraction. I would appreciate your prayer support.

Also, I will be doing some follow up blogs. So, stay tuned.

Pray Pray Pray

Please pray. Between 9:30 and 12:30 Central Time. At this time the first Franklin Graham Gospel Crusade will start in Tallinn, Estonia. Over the next three days there is the potential for 30,000 people to hear the gospel of Christ. For most, this will be their first exposure to the good news of Jesus. Pray that God will do His work in a mighty way.

If you miss the time window, pray anyway. There are more to come.

Off Day

Off Day

We are about to embark on our off day. We get to do a little sightseeing and shopping. But we still have our eyes open for opportunities to share the Lord.

Tartu Vangla

We didn't get much video today because you are not allowed to in a prison. But, it was a good time of ministry and we did get to share the gospel.

Outakes

Going To Prison

Tomorrow the guys are taking a train to Tartu, Estonia to do some prison ministry. We will be taking a train to and from the prison that will take about 2 hours one way. Pray for safe travel and that the Lord will use us in the lives of these inmates.

Noxious Weed

Goulash For Lunch

Top Of Oleviste

Hijinx

It's probably not the smartest idea to sneak up on a former SWAT Trooper!

Shine Jesus Shine

Chocolate Heaven

Is American Influence A Good Thing?

Pray For The Children

What Time Is It

Georgian Food

Lunch

Kopli

My Bathroom

Swans

International Church

The Necessity of Prayer

Getting Around

Derek At McD's

Worship The Creator

View From The Top

"Old Town" That is what the central historical district of Tallinn is called. It is where merchants, restaurants, government buildings, embassies, and much more are located. It is the place where we spend a lot of time because a lot of people go through Old Town.

Are You Ready For Some Football

Nice View

Friday Evening Update

Pancakes

Tram

Angel Cafe

Disclaimer

I want to make a quick disclaimer about video blogging this trip. I am not telling things like "I got to share Christ with this person", so that you will think highly of me. I don't want the spotlight for the events that are clearly orchestrated by and intended for, the glory of God alone.
I share these things with you so that you too may glorify the Lord, and so that you will continue to pray. I think the opportunities that the Lord presents are directly related to your praying.
Keep it up, and lift up Christ

Dinner and an Open Door

Made It To Tallinn

The Ferry Boat

Uspenski

I got to go in this Cathedral while a service was going on. I am so thankful that I don't need an intermediary to have access to God. Jesus is my priest.

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16, ESV)

Almost There

Estonia Via Sydney??

Go Time: Estonia

Cure

This is my first try and adding personal video. Hope it works.

Surrendering The Secret

Last night I was privileged to participate in a very unique memorial service. This funeral service was for the aborted children of three ladies. Please, stay with me.

These ladies had participated in a support group that the local pregnancy center sponsors. The purpose of the group is to help women who have had abortions to cope with the fallout, emotional baggage, shame and guilt that came with their choice. Of course, Christ is shared with these ladies so they can find the true source of forgiveness. Even if they are saved there is still great baggage that they need to work through.

After the service was over there was a reception. I sat around a table with 5 women who had abortions. Some were over 35 years ago. The emotional trauma had been shoved down and repressed for all those years. After seeking God’s hand, this service was a huge step in the process of catharsis.

The program that these ladies go through is called, “Surrendering the Secret”. I began to ask them questions about their sin, struggles, and relationship with the church. What I heard was priceless.

First of all, contrary to what the media and Planned Parenthood portray, abortion is hard on women. These ladies told me that they have struggled in every area of their life. Not one area is not affected by the choice to abort their child. The worst part is that they can share that struggle with absolutely no one. Men don’t understand. They can’t talk to their family about their struggles.

Well, what about the church? No way! All they hear from the church is how horrible abortion is, and that is true. But, the response of many in the church towards those who have had an abortion is not loving and redemptive, but often times mean and judgmental.

I wish that I could convey to you the power that was present at this service and reception. God was there. There was brokenness over sin that I have rarely seen. There were emotional scars and wounds shared freely. There was healing and encouragement from the Lord.

I don’t think that my sermon at this service was all that great. One lady did tell me that it was meaningful for her to have a pastor of a church tell her about the forgiveness that is real in the Lord Jesus Christ. For them to have a pastor welcome them in the church, extend to them the gospel of forgiveness, and accept them in Christ, meant a lot.

I was challenged by these ladies. I believe the Bible and so I am passionate about the issue of abortion. I must speak out against this horrible crime. But, I also need to be aware that I must speak about the issue redemptively. It is not just a theory, it is something that affects people. I must speak the truth in love. The church is supposed to be the place where sinners can come, not where they should be shunned. No more scarlet letter sins.

Mental notes I made:
- Abortion not only takes the life of a child, it takes the life of the mother.
- Every single one of these ladies that had an abortion has seriously considered suicide.
- 43% of women 25-40 have had at least one abortion
- Jesus is a friend of sinners, I should be too.
- Jesus spoke against sin and still loved, I should too.

Obdurate

Think about this from Charles Spurgeon:

Once I had nothing but a heart of stone, and although through grace I now have a new and fleshy heart, much of my former obduracy remains. I am not affected by the death of Jesus as I ought to be; neither am I moved by the ruin of my fellow men, the wickedness of the times, the chastisement of my heavenly Father, and my own failures, as I should be. O that my heart would melt at the recital of my Saviour’s sufferings and death. Would to God I were rid of this nether millstone within me, this hateful body of death. Blessed be the name of the Lord, the disease is not incurable, the Saviour’s precious blood is the universal solvent, and me, even me, it will effectually soften, till my heart melts as wax before the fire. (Charles H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening)

Why I Do Missions

Mission Estonia 09

In exactly 14 days I will be leaving for my second mission trip to Tallinn, Estonia. I am pumped about the trip this year and truly sensing that the Lord has big things in store. I will probably be doing a lot of posts about the trip before, during and after. I thought I would begin with a few thoughts about why I do missions?

1. Obedience – I believe the Bible. I believe Jesus when He said, "And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”" (Matthew 28:18-20, ESV)

2. Need – There is a genuine need for the spread of the gospel. Of course, this doesn’t have to necessarily be in some distant land. Sharing the gospel should begin with where I am and then move out from there. I don’t want a foreign mission trip to be an excuse for me not to share Christ where I am. But I should also be willing to leave my comfortable surrounding and take the gospel to “all nations”. He (Jesus) said it, I am going to do it. Estonia needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a free and open society. There is not a huge Christian influence there. God is working there. All of those ingredients create the need to go.

3. Personal Benefit. This may surprise some of you. I do have a somewhat selfish reason for going on missions. It benefits me personally. There are few things that stretch my faith like being somewhere that makes me realize my utter dependence on God. I should have that same sense anywhere that I am, but it is always brought home to my heart when I go on mission.
I will be put in situations that make me uncomfortable. I will be asked to do things that are not in my personality and are not my “gifts”. So what will I do? Pray and trust in God. That is good for my soul.

4. Pastoral Responsibility. I am called to pastor the flock of God. That means that I am to lead the church to grow in our faith. If the shepherd is not being obedient to the great commission, then that is what the sheep will follow? I don’t want that on my conscience. I want my flock to grow in their faith, to become bold in sharing Christ, to be active in missions. But, I am not going to ask them to do something that I am not willing to do myself. That would not be functioning as a leader. I know that I am not a perfect example but I hope by the grace of God that I am a growing one.

So, this trip to Tallinn, Estonia is not just some sightseeing excursion. I would not be going if I did not sense that it was something the Lord was directing me to do. I know that it will be hard. I will not get much sleep, it will be taxing and costly. There will be spiritual battles. I will be away from my family. I am not going to be sitting on a beach sipping iced tea. But the difficulty is the very thing that will require me to press in closer to the Lord. For that, I am excited. I pray that I will begin pressing closer into Him now, and then when I return I will continue to press closer in to my Heavenly Father. Pray for me.

Comic Relief

Make your own swine flu caption.