Some 400 or so people congregated at CLC outside Indianapolis this past week for the first (what might be annual) Best Practices for Ministry Heartland conference. I attended as a representative of World Mission Prayer League and was pleased to reconnect with a few folks whom I had not seen in years, spend time with family, engage […]
Ramadan began yesterday. Were you aware? As Christians, how can we rightly observe Ramadan? We can pray. Will you observe this month in prayer? If we are the children of God, we ought to be about His mission. And, if we are the friends of Jesus, we ought to be about His redeeming and reconciliatory […]
Yesterday, we took an afternoon trip to Hout Bay. We primarily wanted to pray over the community (specifically one of the colored neighborhoods) and seek God’s further guidance for freeWord connections within Cape Town. This was a community that had long ago been identified as a possible connection point for freeWord. Actually, if the compelling […]
Matthew 7:24-25 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” […]
We have left Kroonstad and are en route to Cape Town. Some days ago, as we were sensing God’s strong guidance toward a turnaround, we were sent the following word from a friend in Malawi: 1 Corinthians 16:5-9 I will come to you after I pass through Macedonia — for I will be traveling through Macedonia — and […]
Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. This is a verse that Chuck regularly brought before us during recent meetings in deliberation and discernment of the next steps for freeWord. In recent days, we have indeed found it to ring true in our hearts, minds, and the daily […]
Please join in prayer for our freeWord team during this trip. You may have read that our vehicle failed us yesterday – https://vandercar.net/today-in-kroonstad/ – and today in a strange way, we are thanking God for his providence in that. Sophie, the 20 month old of the couple with whom we are traveling, has come down with croupe […]
Our vehicle failed us yesterday. We had it into a number of mechanics prior to our departure who all gave promising reports and encouraged us to keep driving. And so we did … until now. Seems to be a perfect storm. After nearly 20 hours on the road, the ABS light came on and […]
A primary destination for our journey to Malawi has been the northern town of Mzuzu. While filling the vehicle this morning and topping fluids, Dieter mentioned to our attendant (his name is Blessing) the long trip ahead. Blessing shared that he comes from Malawi – specifically Mzuzu. After inquiring of our intentions for travel and […]
Our days in Cape Town have been quite filled with preparations for the journey to Malawi. Dieter and I have had opportunity for a few insightful conversations with one another and with a few others who are interested in the mission of freeWord (all of whom have previously engaged in community Bible life alongside the […]
We are currently in a slow descent about a half hour out of Cape Town. I will be arriving to a clear night of about 60°. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, we desire prayers for the journey that lies ahead. Though I have somewhat troubled myself over the longing to see these travels […]
The journey has begun. Family saw me off at the Indy airport. I currently sit in Amsterdam awaiting the final leg that will take me to South Africa. I carry a small backpack. Reading material of choice is Life Together, The Problem of Pain, and the Bible. Unfortunately, moments before boarding my first flight I […]
It is time for a big Amen to this day. It has been great! This day brought three satisfying accomplishments and an enjoyable evening of spike ball. I don’t know that I expected even half that upon waking this morning. Core Contribution In July of 2014, I submitted ticket #29025 for WordPress core. In January, […]
We had our final evening of Lenten worship at Bethel tonight. From where I was standing it seemed like a wonderful time for reflection and prayer. I led the congregation through a few guided prayers while offering songs of worship and devotion. I also shared briefly a few thoughts that had come upon me this […]