“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23 (NLT) Our main focus this month is on Mark’s upcoming trip to Romania. Be sure to read his column for all the details. Barring no obstacles, I will be having eye surgery on February 6th. I am looking forward to getting past this trying time with victory and marching forward with life, unhindered. We continue to make progress with the editing process on our book, Introduction to the Bible . It may seem like it’s taking a long time. And, in some ways, it is. We have to contend with Jennifer’s very busy work schedule, as well as the fact that this is the kind of material where it has to be “just right,” not just mostly right. So, we are taking particular care to make sure we have handled our subject matter properly. If anybody ever tells you that writing a book is easy (especially a textbook), I’ve got news for you. It’s a challenge. The upside is that we believe this ...

Greetings from the “Where’d Our Winter Go” North, Weird. Cold, snowy December morphs into wet and windy January, and now it’s clear and, for Juneau, downright balmy for February. In fact, there have been several days this winter that we’ve been warmer than Louisiana. Maybe some of our Cajun friends should consider moving here to escape the frigid winters on the bayou. ROMANIA Hard to believe that it’s just a bit more than 3 weeks away. I need to take this moment to say a very loud “Thank You!” Several people gave generously last month and there was more than enough money to purchase my airfare. Thank you Father for providing, again! So...the tickets have been purchased, the ministry time scheduled and Mark is chomping at the bit. Departure date is February 27th. We still need $800.00 by February 20th to meet the rest of the budget. If you would like to be a part of this mission, you still have time. There is a wonderful sense of anticipation for this trip, a knowing that...

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 Glorious greetings to you in this New Year! I pray that it will be a remarkable year for you. One that is filled with the grace and glory of the Lord in your life. His desire for you is that you march forward in the power of His might, living the overcoming life in all things. We had the best Christmas our family has had in several years. We spent it in south Florida with Jennifer’s boys – Ryan, Alex and Erik – her two daughters-in-law – Lindsay and Amy – her grandson Asher, and of course, there was Jennifer, Janna and myself. We always miss having our other branch of the family with us – Mark and Julie and girls Hannah, Ellen, Claire, and son-in-law Gunnar – but we thank God that all of us are alive, well and serving the Lord. We hope your Christmas was very blessed, too. Now we ...

Greetings from the Oh So Snowy North, Snow, snow and more snow.  Just about every day since mid-November. Ahh, the joys of living in Alaska! Lots of sledding, skiing, snowball fights and shoveling! And the beauty of this time of year is unbelievable! A couple of years ago, Bill Paddock joined Mark for the annual trip to India. What we didn’t share at the time was Bill’s struggles with public speaking.  God had shown Mark the gifts that He had placed in Bill, the leadership ability, the prophetic insights and the calling to share these gifts with the Church, but Bill doubted that God could, or would, use him in public ministry. Bill took the plunge and went to India in spite of his doubt. And he struggled in India. He loved the personal one-on-one ministry, the culture shock wasn’t a problem, and the Indian people loved him. But public speaking was a battle, and he didn’t always win. What he did do, was ask the Father for help. He kept trying, and he asked others for ...

From our homes to yours,  We send tidings of joy and whishes to all for a wonderful Christmas Season. As you celebrate our Saviour’s birth, may your homes be filled with His presence. May each of us be filled once again with the wonder and awe of God’s most Precious Gift. 2014 is filled with promises, but for now, let’s take a moment just to reflect. We had just been in Ghana for one year, during which time we had learned the little chorus. The lyrics are simple. The melody is sweet. Yet the message is precious. It’s peacefully complete. As we entered the Christmas Season that year, the following poem was birthed in me. Reflecting on that reminded me that His birth truly was a miracle, a marvelous thing. Jesus – The Wonderful One Not only is “Wonderful”  one of his names,  But the truth of that name  is always the same. It means “miracle,”  “a marvelous thing.” When born of a virgin  this truth was proclaimed. Isai...

Greetings from the Great White North 5 degrees, followed by 18 inches of snow, followed by 35-40 degrees with rain and 40 knot winds. Typical Juneau winter weather. This is the time of year that one begins to question the sanity of living here. Ah, well, this too shall pass. Plans are moving forward on several fronts right now. You will remember that we introduced the idea of going to churches to help with the transition to a revival  culture. We’ve already had some positive response to this in the form of 2  invitations from churches! We’ve run this idea by several pastors and gotten the same response from all of them: “That’s something I could get behind. Could we get you to come here?” Thank you, Father, for giving us a vision! The plans for Romania are moving forward. The date is pretty well set for February 18th, so it’s fast approaching. We would ask that you pray for provision, for ministry opportunities, favor with church leaders, and relationships that will l...

“giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20 The first thing I want to say in this newsletter is, “Thank You” for praying with me concerning my left eye. I have been seeing better for about 3 weeks, so I have asked my doctor to postpone the surgery and to examine my eye once more to see what its present condition is. That will take place on November 4th. As it stands right now, I am able to read without glasses, so I am expecting a good report. Thanks so much for your prayers. I will update you next month. Last month, we had the pleasure of hosting one of our Indian pastors, Rev. Bhalchandra Kamble, for a few days while he was in the US itinerating among several churches. It’s always a joy to sit around and talk about the good things of the Lord and to hear all of the stories telling of the mighty things the Lord is doing. During our visit, Bhalchandra pulled out his digital photo album to show us some pic...