Monday November 15

Okay, I'll admit it, this has been a tough 30 days. Discouragement is sneaking in, pride raises its nasty head and jealousy is scratching at my door. I'm up, then down. Fickle thy name is Cynthi.

BUT, and this is a huge but, I serve a God who can not be contained. I serve a God who with His words made light, the Heavens and breathed the stars into being. Psalm 33:6 This very God, seeking His own glory chose to save me out of the ugliness and shame of my condition. He is mighty and beautiful above ALL things. By Him all things were made and all things are held together through Him.

How can I doubt that He can get us to Belgium. That the God who controls the entire universe knows my feelings. Knows my needs, and the needs of the people of Belgium. He will save. His will is going to be done. So instead of pouting and worrying I choose to praise Him. I choose to patiently wait on God. I choose to submit to His will and His timing.

Now friends wait, pray and watch with me. God's going to do something big I just know it!

100 Years of Reaching

LifePoint Church formerly First Baptist Church Smyrna celebrates 100 years today. What an amazing thing for a church to be just hitting it's stride at a century. From it's very inception, this church has been missionally minded. In 1909 a pastor of a small baptist church in Murfreesboro TN decided that a nearby town needed it's own church. Nine brave and obedient people headed to the call and moved to start a church. Fast forward to today and LifePoint church who underwent a name change to be relevant worldwide is reaching around the globe. Quite an accomplishment when you consider that 80 percent of churches are actually diminishing in size and growth. The key to this success? I believe it is that this church is running hard after God. His glory here and around the earth is a common desire of this body. We have been called to do things that are uncomfortable, and as a whole have accepted change with grateful hearts. I am proud to serve in a church where Jesus is our head and the body though not perfect is an example of Christ's love to the world we live in. Here's to another hundred years of making His name famous!

This is what our church looked like this morning. After a full long weekend of training sessions we concluded with a new idea of church. Each person was responsible for bringing something to edify the body. It may be a verse, a song, a prayer even a word of encouragement. It was a beautiful experience. My contribution was Philippians 4:19

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus". The riches I was thankful for this morning were the people God has put in our lives during this process. The financial supporters, prayer warriors and spiritual leaders. Not in this picture? That's okay you are in the process with us and I am thankful for you too. For His Glory!

We May be the Only Jesus Some People Ever See

Here we are. Franklin,TN Marriott. It was our weekend long training with UpStream Collective. What an amazing time of encouragement and direction. I am so thankful for the oportunity to learn from people who have been on the field and learned the hard lessons. The bottom line I took from the weekend...because we are in Christ, we are on mission, the church is a natural outpouring of that.

This is Joe and Lily. Joe spent a good deal of his childhood years in Thailand. Lily spent much of hers in France. They are TCK's, in layman's terms that's third culture kids. Their parents are missionaries. Joe and Lily's unique childhoods make them perfectly equipped to do the job they do now. They work for MK2MK, an outreach of Campus Crusade for Christ. Its purpose is to serve missionary kids to keep them emotionally and spiritually healthy. Ryan got to spend the entire weekend with them and 7 other kids. It was an amazing experience for him, to know that it's not only ok but normal to feel sad, scared and all the other emotions that come along with moving to a whole new culture. How exciting we were to hear that our kids are not only excited to go but they feel called too. Spreading the name of God belongs to anyone who will follow Him.

This is a group of children telling a bible story at Wherry Housing Children's Center. The kids and I have been volunteering at Wherry for almost a month. We have loved it! The children are amazing, culturally varied and all ages. I usually spend my time on homework help and friendship building. Ryan, Ruthie and Ross are loving the opportunity to make new friends. Last Thursday Ryan played bad mitten with two first grade Thai boys, Ruthie colored with a young Hispanic girl and Ross built a lego vehicle with several other friends. It is amazing to see the ways they reach out and I am encouraged that they are learning skills that will be so valuable in Belgium. Even I am constantly thinking about how I will be the one without the native tongue. It sure changes my perspective! I have a lot more understanding and I pray that there will be people in Brussels who also are compassionate towards me. God is great, the more I concentrate on serving Him the more I see what He has done for me. Praising Him for His love and mercy!

This past Wednesday we had the privilege of watching our friend Dan Christensen be ordained into ministry at LifePoint Church. Dan is on our Belgian Team and he and his wife Elizabeth will be headed to Brussels ahead of schedule by the end of this year. They have been faithfully and diligently working towards the goal of serving God in full time ministry. It is an honor to serve on a team with such amazing men and women. Everyday I am more aware of the importance of this call and more importantly the call on my life everyday. I owe my life to God now, that service doesn't start upon arrival in Belgium. Congratulations Dan, we are so proud of you!