Blogosloveniya

Women's Bible Study 3 and English Club

2010-09-21T00:53:00.000-07:00

Continue to pray for Inna (a young woman in the bible study led by my wife Inna) and another young woman who atteneded the study last week, Ira. Both are unbelievers. Pray that God would open their hearts to His wonderful truth. Also, pray for our english club that meets on Wednesday evenings (see pictures above). Last week we had over 15 unbelievers there who heard from the Word. At the end of every English club evening, we do Bible storying. We tell a story from the Bible in simple English and they repeat it back to us in English. We have the Russian translation printed for them in case they don't understand everything. Pray that more than English comes from this, but that the Word would penetrate their souls. Finally, here is a link to a good article on Church planting I thought was good. http://networkedblogs.com/86jdK

Women's Bible Study 2

2010-09-06T07:47:00.001-07:00

Continue praying for the bible study Inna is working with. Another woman named Inna says she is searching for God and began crying when they were mentioning prayer requests. Pray that the Lord would open her heart and set her free!!!

Women's Bible Study

2010-09-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Inna is hosting her first women's bible study, all Russians of course. They are looking forward to growing together and, most of all, in God. Pray for them!

English Camp 2010

2010-08-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

In July Inna and I took part in an English Camp outside of Moscow. Besides English we also play sports, do dramas and share Christ. Sermons are often preached in English and translated into Russian. I am excited to share that over 60 youth and young adults professed Chrsit as their Savior this year!!! Please pray that these are genuine commitments...we know that profession means nothing- only faith and repentance. But at least some hearts have been stirred and their interest in spiritual matters have been piqued! Here are some photos:

Some Notes

2010-06-21T05:09:00.000-07:00

Last week we enjoyed meeting with other people from our company who live here in Russia (and a few who live outside) at our annual conference. We were at a retreat center about 150km or so outside of Moscow. Our speaker had many good things to say, here are some of them:

In reaching others, it is important to create liminal space (space in between the lines), where there is mutual interaction bewtween their world and ours. In this space, three things are important to remember:

1. Legitimacy- have a (good) reason to be there
2. Longevity- the need to have repeat conversations...move from microwave to marination
3. Linkage- get to Jesus, his death and resurrection

Throughout this it is important to ask questions. People always answer truthfully (at least on the inside).

Check out more pics!

2010-03-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of what we have been up to in Russia!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9989850@N04/

Coooollldd!

2010-02-11T05:27:00.000-08:00

Well the last few weeks here in Russia have been very cold. Like sub-zero temps. It's actually what I expected, although a lot of people have said that they have had very mild winters here the last few years. Glad I came at the right time LOL. This past week Inna and I have been apart of two summer camp meetings. One involves taking orphans down to the Black Sea for a couple weeks in June and the other involves an helping an English camp outside of Moscow that will be held for 10 days in July (see www.superlager.ru). Both camps have seen spiritual fruit in the past and we pray for the same this year. If you would like to be a part of these ministries and donate your time and/or finances, please contact me for arrangements. It does cost money to get these orphans to camp, so every dollar helps! In addition, we are in great need of English teachers for the English camp, so if you can get on an airplane this summer and donate some of your time working with young adults, that would be great! Here are some photos of an orphanage Inna and I visited back in the fall.

The Grace of God

2009-11-28T04:43:00.000-08:00

My friend from Milford, Michigan visited Inna and I this past week and it was a great encouragement to the both of us. He is a guy who I met a few years ago when I worked at First Baptist of Milford. We've now done ministry together in America, Cuba, Mexico and Russia. His testimony is an awesome reminder to me of the grace of God. If God does not open our eyes to see His glory, we will remain blinded and enslaved under the weight of our sin. When God delivers us from our sin and gives us victory over the power of Satan, we have no one to thank for except Christ. This is the way its suppose to be. The Giver gets the Glory. If we could beat Satan and sin in our own strength than we would have reason to boast. But that's not the case. We are too enslaved, too addicted, to en-natured (is this a word?) to overcome the power of darkness. But Christ is not and his Grace is greater than our sin. Therefore, He gets the glory! Ephesians 1:3-8.

Conference in Greece

2009-07-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

In late June we went to Greece for a few days of sightseeing in Athens and then to a conference near Athens for M's in the Central and East Europe region. It was good to see some friends that we got to know at training last year in Virginia. Not only were we right on the beach, but there were two pools at the hotel too...one saltwater and one fresh! Our guest preacher for the week was JD Greear from the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. He was excellent and encouraged each of us.

To note, in early June, Inna was able to go to an Orphanage, something she's been wanting to do since we've arrived in Moscow. This orphanage might be a possibility for further interaction and ministry.

Moscow Happenings

2009-05-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

Inna has been going to a couple women's bible studies each week (one in English and one in Russian) and I have been going to a small church plant bible study (in Russian) on Saturday's. In addition, both of us go to a bible study together every other Thursday (in Russian) with friends from the church we've been attending. Pray for us that God would give us the strength to minister to others and keep focused on why we are here...to expand the kingdom of God via church planting. Also pray that God would give us wisdom on what ministry opportunities we should move forward with and which one's we shouldn't. And finally, pray for my language acquisition!

Update

2009-04-17T00:20:00.000-07:00

Quick update about Russia...Inna has been helping out quite a bit in the office, I've been studying language, Inna has been helping me out with language, we've been attending a small church (and some bible studies) in the southern part of Moscow and I actually preached last Sunday (obviously not in Russian!)...oh, and we have moved to a new apartment here in Moscow. Pictures to follow soon.

2009-03-26T00:44:00.000-07:00

One the best-resourced websites I know of is the Gospel Coalition, which has hundreds of free sermon downloads you can listen to....people like John Piper, DA Carson, Mark Driscoll and Tim Keller. Here is a weblink to their resource page:

http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/resources

In Russia

2009-03-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

Finally, here is a quick update of our time in Moscow. I am taking three hours of language a day and involved with a small church who have a lot of young people passionate about seeing the work of God in their lives. It's still pretty cold here, but fortunately public transportation is readily accessible almost everywhere. Here are some pics of our place and surroundings.

Just Waiting

2009-01-14T23:41:00.000-08:00

Inna and I are just waiting for our Letter of Invitation from the ministry in russia in order to apply for our visa. Once we get our LOI it shouldn't be much longer after that to get to Russia. In the meantime, we are enjoying the beautiful California weather and taking it easy! I am reading an excellent book by DA Carson right now entitled "The Cross and Christian Ministry", which highlights some passages of Paul from 1 Corinthians. An excellent read and good reminder how our ministry needs to be always focused on the cross. Here are a couple pics from San Ramon, a suburb of San Francisco where we are staying until we get to Russia.

A Great Time!

2008-11-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

Inna and I are having a fabulous time here at the ILC in Virginia. We are learning many different things...this week we are learning about Anthropology and other culture's worldviews. We just finished our ESL certification on Saturday, which means our Saturdays from here out are relatively free. They are providing us with different tools that will help us in our assignment in Russia. Continue to pray for us. Here are some pics!

A Little Tight!

2008-10-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

This is a shirt the Burmese gave me as a going away gift...in the biggest size they could get!

Goodbye and Hello

2008-10-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

Well, last Sunday said some goodbyes to some of the people we have been ministering to/with for a little while now...see pictures- Congolese, Turkish/Russian and Burmese (a group we have had bible studies with for over a year now)...and on Monday said hello to training in Virginia that will prepare Inna and I for our assignment in Moscow. So far we have met some great people who love the Lord and are a delight to be with.

Jonathan Edward's Resolutions

2008-10-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

And just think, most of these came when he was a teenager! His spiritual maturity is something we wouldn't recognize today...we would probably call him "extreme"

THE RESOLUTIONS
of
Jonathan Edwards
BEING SENSIBLE THAT I AM UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING WITHOUT GOD' S HELP, I DO HUMBLY ENTREAT HIM BY HIS GRACE TO ENABLE ME TO KEEP THESE RESOLUTIONS, SO FAR AS THEY ARE AGREEABLE TO HIS WILL, FOR CHRIST' S SAKE.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God' s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.
2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the aforementioned things.
3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.
4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.
5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.
6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.
7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. July 30.
9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.
10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.
11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder.
12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.
13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.
14. Resolved, never to do any thing out of revenge.
15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings.
16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.
17. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.
18. Resolved, to live so, at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of things of the gospel, and another world.
19. Resolved, never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.
20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance, in eating and drinking.
21. Resolved, never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him. (Resolutions 1 through 21 written in one setting in New Haven in 1722)
22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness, in the other world, as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.
23. Resolved, frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God' s glory, to repute it as a breach of the 4th Resolution.
24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then, both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.
25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.
26. Resolved, to cast away such things, as I find do abate my assurance.
27. Resolved, never willfully to omit any thing, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.
28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.
29. Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept.
30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.
31. Resolved, never to say any thing at all against any body, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of Christian honor, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said anything against anyone, to bring it to, and try it strictly by the test of this Resolution.
32. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that, in Proverbs 20:6,‹A faithful man who can find?Š may not be partly fulfilled in me.
33. Resolved, to do always, what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace, when it can be done without overbalancing detriment in other respects. Dec. 26, 1722.
34. Resolved, in narrations never to speak any thing but the pure and simple verity.
35. Resolved, whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.
36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call for it. Dec. 19, 1722.
37. Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent,- what sin I have committed,-and wherein I have denied myself;-also at the end of every week, month and year. Dec. 22 and 26, 1722.
38. Resolved, never to speak anything that is ridiculous, sportive, or matter of laughter on the Lord' s day. Sabbath evening, Dec. 23, 1722.
39. Resolved, never to do any thing of which I so much question the lawfulness of, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or not; unless I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.
40. Resolved, to inquire every night, before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.
41. Resolved, to ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.
42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism; which I solemnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have solemnly re-made this twelfth day of January, 1722-23.
43. Resolved, never, henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God' s; agreeable to what is to be found in Saturday, January 12, 1723.
44. Resolved, that no other end but religion, shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it. January 12, 1723.
45. Resolved, never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion. Jan. 12 and 13, 1723.
46. Resolved, never to allow the least measure of any fretting uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eye: and to be especially careful of it with respect to any of our family.
47. Resolved, to endeavor, to my utmost, to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented and easy, compassionate and generous, humble and meek, submissive and obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable and even, patient, moderate, forgiving and sincere temper; and to do at all times, what such a temper would lead me to; and to examine strictly, at the end of every week, whether I have done so. Sabbath morning. May 5, 1723.
48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.
49. Resolved, that this never shall be, if I can help it.
50. Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world. July 5, 1723.
51. Resolved, that I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723.
52. I frequently hear persons in old age, say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.
53. Resolved, to improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.
54. Whenever I hear anything spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to imitate it. July 8, 1723.
55. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if, I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments. July 8, 1723.
56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
57. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it, and let the event be just as providence orders it. I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty, and my sin. June 9, and July 13 1723.
58. Resolved, not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness and benignity. May 27, and July 13, 1723.
59. Resolved, when I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. May 12, July 11, and July 13.
60. Resolved, whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. July 4, and 13, 1723.
61. Resolved, that I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it-that what my listlessness inclines me to do, is best to be done, etc. May 21, and July 13, 1723.
62. Resolved, never to do anything but duty, and then according to Ephesians 6:6-8, to do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man:‹knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall he receive of the Lord.Š June 25 and July 13, 1723.
63. On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true luster, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, to act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time. January 14 and July 13, 1723.
64. Resolved, when I find those ‹groanings which cannot be utteredŠ (Romans 8:26), of which the Apostle speaks, and those‹breakings of soul for the longing it hath,Š of which the Psalmist speaks, Psalm 119:20, that I will promote them to the utmost of my power, and that I will not be weary of earnestly endeavoring to vent my desires, nor of the repetitions of such earnestness. July 23, and August 10, 1723.
65. Resolved, very much to exercise myself in this, all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness, of which I am capable of, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him: all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance; according to Dr. Manton' s 27th Sermon on Psalm 119. July 26, and Aug.10 1723.
66. Resolved, that I will endeavor always to keep a benign aspect, and air of acting and speaking in all places, and in all companies, except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise.
67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what am I the better for them, and what I might have got by them.
68. Resolved, to confess frankly to myself all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.
69. Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. August 11, 1723.
70. Let there be something of benevolence, in all that I speak. August 17, 1723.

When the Market Crashes

2008-10-07T14:27:00.000-07:00

Another rough day on Wall Street. These are truly the times when the love of money is being tested. How much worry do we have when our 401k's and other investment accounts drop off the table? Do we focus more on our future 20, 30 or 40 years from now or 120 years from now?

Anniversaries

2008-09-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

Inna and I celebrated our first anniversary a couple weeks ago on August 25th. We actually went over that night to a friends home to see her new baby. The funny thing is that her and her husband's anniversary was on the same day. In fact, they were married on the exact same day we were, August 25, 2007! Needless to say, we weren't able to attend each others weddings. Her and her family (Meskhetian Turk Muslim) moved to the States from Russia back in late 2006 and we have been friends since that time, teaching them English and just hanging out with them. Here is their family back then (along with some of us Bridge City folk)...

....And now... Sevda, the mother of the newborn has a white head covering and her husband is standing next to her. The others are from left to right...Elzara (sister), Maxhira (mother) with baby, Murad (brother) and Zarina (sister)

My first delivery, kind of

2008-09-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

This happened a couple weeks ago, but thought it was worth posting...back on Thursday night, August 21st I got a call from one of the women Bridge City works with, Sun Sun Yu. She is a Burmese Buddhist, but her and her family have been coming to our bible studies for some time now. She called me saying "Teacher, friend stomach ache" and "baby". I put the two together and quickly realized her friend (named Naw Paw) was in labor! She was asking if I could drive them to the hospital! I quickly put on my shoes and ran out of the apartment to pick her and her friend up. Sure enough, her water had broken and she was in labor. This was her third child and she didn't scream once in the car ride, just a couple of soft moans. Forty-five minutes after we got to the hospital she had delivered a healthy baby boy. Interestingly enough, husbands apparently don't get involved when the child is born in their culture, just the girlfriends! Her husband doesn't drive and couldn't take her to the hospital anyhow. Here is a picture of the baby eight days later in Naw Paw's home. Naw Paw is to the far left and Sun Sun Yu is next to her.

Blowout

2008-06-18T07:39:00.000-07:00

This entry isn't about tires...it's about basketball. The Boston Celtics, my second favorite team behind the Detroit Pistons, blew out the Lakers (my least favorite team) last night 131-92 to win the NBA championship. It's been about 22 years since the greatest franchise in NBA history has won the title, so it was good to see that. Growing up, Larry Bird was my favorite player. He had great court awareness and a great feel for the game. It was a pleasure to get to see him play and was probably the reason why I like the Celtics. Boston has had a great year in sports. Too bad the Patriots lost in the Super Bowl, they would have had the NBA, NFL and MLB champions all within a year. Ok, that's enough for this entry. I better take a look at my tires....its been about 40,000 miles since at least three of them have been replaced.

Paris

2008-05-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

Inna and I just got back a few days ago from visiting Paris over Memorial Day. I'll be honest, I didn't give much thought, or thanks for that matter, for the soldiers who gave their lives for our country. But I was proud of our country when I saw videos and pictures of our troops helping liberate the French from the Nazi's during World War 2. This was displayed in the World War 2 section of the Invalides Museum we visited, not far from the Eiffel Tower. I was also reminded in an earlier part of the museum how the French helped free us from the rule of the British during the American revolution. Most of us know that the French were the ones that gave us the Statue of Liberty, sometime in the early 19th century. What most people don't know, however, is that they have their own miniature Statue of Liberty standing in one of Paris' rivers (the name escapes me!). This is a picture I got of it while seeing it by train.

Bridge City Church

2008-05-02T10:09:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple pictures of pictures of the church plant in Chicago we are involved with (Bridge City Church). The top one is from Christmas and the bottom one is from Easter. The name "Bridge" has multiple meanings in our context: First, we are a bridge to Jesus for those who don't know Him- by our words and our walk. Second, the area of Albany Park in Chicago is a bridge for thousands of refugees and immigrants who are being introduced to America and its culture. Third, to get to Albany Park from the east part of the city you have to cross a bridge, whether you are driving on Montrose, Wilson, Lawrence or Foster streets!

My first entry

2008-05-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

Blogosloveniya in Russian means "blessings". And since Inna and I have indeed been blessed, and because the word has blog in it, I think this would be an appropriate name for the blog! Of course, I don't know if I should transliterate it blogaslaveniya or blogoslaveniya, but I think you will get close to the right pronunciation. We (or probably mostly I) want to use this blog to talk about our thoughts on life....on God, on church, on culture, on sports, on people, on travel and a host of other things. We hope you will be blessed by it as well!