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Category Archives: Ministry

87 and Hungry – Moldova Part 3

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One ministry we engaged in during our recent mission trip to Moldova was home visitation and food distribution. We visited low-income, elderly people living in apartment buildings near Kishinev Bible Church.

One visit was especially memorable.  That particular morning I was the only American visiting with two of my new Moldovan friends, Sveta and Liuda. It was our last visit of the day, in fact, our last visit of the trip.

Liuda knocked on her door and explained why we were there. “Americans have come to visit and to bring you food.” The woman invited us into her apartment and led us into her small kitchen. She pointed to a bowl of hot cereal on the table and spoke to Sveta in Russian. Sveta translated, “This is all I have to eat. I have five children, but they can’t help me because they don’t have jobs.” Read more

Diggin’ my Scripture Dig girls

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I just returned from the “She Speaks” conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. This conference, held by Proverbs 31 Ministries, trains women’s ministry leaders, writers, and speakers. I spent the weekend in the company of 600 women who long to share Christ’s message with the world. Pretty awesome!

However, the best thing about the weekend was the time I spent with just five specific women. In case you haven’t heard, I am part of a brand-new and exciting online discipleship ministry called Scripture Dig. (You can check it out here.) I had only met the other team members via Facebook, Twitter, and email. But all of us attended “She Speaks” and I got to meet every one of them face to face.

I’ve been amazed at what God has been doing during the short two months that the Scripture Dig ministry has been active. This weekend was no exception. After personally meeting the team members, spending time with them, and doing some planning together, it’s very clear God put this group together.

I’m very grateful God would allow me to be included in this godly – and fun – group. I came home with five new friends and great anticipation about what God is doing with Scripture Dig. Would love to have you join us over at The Dig!

Moldova Moments – Part Two

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During our recent mission trip to Moldova our ministry included visiting and taking food to elderly people in the area surrounding Kishinev Bible Church. Before we began our first morning of visiting we bagged the food we had purchased. Flour, sugar, oil, coffee, corn meal, canned goods, and more filled the sacks and spilled out the tops.

We went out in teams of three or four – two Americans and one or two Moldovan translators. When we rang a bell, the translators would explain that we came from America to bring them food. For some reason the fact that we were Americans opened doors that would not normally be opened. Yet even then many remained closed from fear or skepticism. When doors did open, we explained through the translator why we had come. Our goal was to share not just physical food with them, but spiritual, life-giving food as well.

Since many of the people we visited are lifelong members of the influential Eastern Orthodox Church they are religious. But religion does not equal a relationship with Jesus Christ. When we shared the Gospel message of Christ with them they often told us about how often they pray or go to church. Sadly, Moldova is not the only place in the world where religion hinders someone finding Jesus. Read more

Moldova Moments, Part One

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Something about a mission trip always seems to change my perspective on life, God’s activity in the world, and my relationship with Him. I just returned from ten days in Kishinev, Moldova with a group of twenty from my church. Over the next few posts, I’d like to share some “God moments” from this trip with you.

You may be wondering “where in the world is Moldova?” Moldova, a former Soviet block country, is squeezed in between Romania and Ukraine in Eastern Europe. Most Moldovans in the rural areas speak Romanian and most in the urban areas speak Russian. Of course, I don’t speak either one. Read more

Are you growing spiritually?

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Have you ever wondered how to tell if you were making any progress in your spiritual journey? The Bible is clear that God wants to be increasingly more like Jesus. He wants us to grow up and mature in our faith. But how do we know if this is happening?

I just started a great book yesterday by Donald S. Whitney called “Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health.” It’s only 130 pages and so far a very easy read. What I’ve read so far is chocked-full of useful and practical information.

The titles of the ten chapters are questions we can ask ourselves to help evaluate the state of our spiritual health. Here they are: Read more