One year later: It's a new day!

It was about one year ago when I suffered three heart attacks in six days. Not knowing if I would ever see my kids/grandkids again and with only 10% of my heart functioning, I went into a Moscow hospital for heart surgery. One year later, here I am with a clean bill of health on a busy journey to preach and teach God's word. Truly amazing!

In the next four weeks, Jill and I will travel thousands of miles between three Russian regions, teach over 140 class hours and preach more than 6 times. Even after we fly home the first week of April, we will only be there 10 days before taking off again to teach national pastors in Belize. And to think, one year ago I did not know if I would survive that long, difficult night. God has been good to me.

Today, I will preach at the church I preached for during my heart attacks. This should be a wonderful and fun reunion. It is a new day and I want to use it for God. To all my pastor friends, may God give you a powerful message this Sunday to build the church. We never know how many of them we have left! Enjoy the day.

This story is greater than just a mouse!

During the past few weeks, I have been teaching pastors and leaders in Georgetown, Guyana. Many nights, as I rested, a little mouse came to visit my stash of food goodies on the bed table next to my head. One night, about 2:30 in the morning, Mr. Mouse was so noisy he woke me up trying to chew his way into a package of Chips Ahoy. He found success! Each day, my facebook post became an update on my little roommate. Many people read, commented and at times gave me advice on how to rid myself of this little unwanted, nighttime guest. It was an interesting diversion to my busy few weeks.

Mr. Mouse was not the real story of my trip to Georgetown however. I had the joy of teaching 29 wonderful pastor/leader students the Theology of the Holy Spirit. I did not want to limit this class only to an academic, systematic discussion but rather, express how the Holy Spirit desires to be active in each step of our journey. During the two weeks of class, a number of students acted on what they were hearing and shared testimonies of how the Holy Spirit spoke to them and led them in ministry. Here is one of the stories:

After class one afternoon, a student stopped by the hospital to visit a friend that had just had heart surgery to pray and encourage him. As they visited that day, the student felt a strong desire to speak to another patient three beds away. Trusting that it was the Holy Spirit directing this desire, he walked over to the man, introduced himself, and soon found an open door to explain Jesus and to pray with him for salvation. What an exciting afternoon that was. The student made contact with the pastor from the city the man lived in and introduced his new believing friend to the pastor so good discipleship would take place.

The next day in class, I asked him to share his story. When he finished, before I could continue with my study, a second student stood up and asked if he could address the class. With tears in his eyes he said, “I also visited the same friend at that hospital a few hours before he did and felt the same desire to share with this man in the room, but I said ‘No’ to God. I am so thankful that someone followed behind me who was faithful and also realize, the next time I feel led to speak, I will do so right away.”

I am so pleased to have stories like this the entire two weeks of our class. Pastors went to their home churches, prayed for believers who were filled with the Spirit and prayed for people to be healed or set free. It was a wonderful week of ministry in and out of class.

Jill and I have a few days home, leave on Friday to Fairfield, Ohio for three days of ministry, and then return home for four days before flying to Russia for one full month ministry in three cities. Thanks for your prayers!

P.S. I did leave Mr. Mouse in Guyana…he had no passport to travel!

Can that be true?

In my last blog, our schedule listed a few of our travels in the next weeks. Once I began to look at the schedule, I was surprise. Here is our mission travel schedule from February 11 through April 21, or the next 10 weeks:

-8 Sunday Services
-160 Class hours (subjects: Holy Spirit, Missiology, and, Leadership Principles)
-20 flights
-3 countries (Guyana, Russia, and Belize), and,
-1 missions convention in Fairfield, Ohio

It is a full schedule for sure, however, we are excited about the voice God has given us to speak into this generation. Pray for these precious students as they come from many different backgrounds with amazing stories of how God brought them to this place in life. This is why God has placed us here...to serve the next generation and help lift up their hands.

P.S. Not only do we travel many miles, it is an extreme difference between the temperatures of sub-zero Russia to the Belize highs of 90 plus!

Help!

Years ago, in a land far, far away I found myself in a rivers current that I did not have the capability to swim. Thankfully for me, a person came by with a tube that I grabbed and lived to swim another day. Such is life, some days we seem to be overtaken by the currents and cry out, “Help!” In a small way, that is how I feel today.

One of the challenges I have taken on at the Caribbean School of Theology is raising funds enabling national pastors to come for much needed biblical training. This is the vision: to come alongside God called ministries and help lift up their hands. I am swimming against a enormous current but I trust someone, if not many, will swim alongside to help. God-given challenges are exciting!

July 2012, we offer the first of many “Pastors/Leaders Symposium” across seven countries in the Caribbean, West Indies and South America coast. “What is the price for this to happen”, you ask. Each event for up 50 pastors will be $1000 to $1,500. Of course, I know your next question, “How can I help?” For that, you can go to our web page where we provide information on financial partnership [www.99andone.com]. Even if you are not able to give, you now understand the need for prayer. This exciting event will have eternal rewards. Help us help them!

Jill and I travel a lot in the next months. Here is a quick look:

Guyana: February 12-21 Teaching: Theology of the Holy Spirit
Russia: March 8-April 2 Teaching: Leadership and Missions (twice)
Belize City: April 7-21 Teaching: Theology of the Holy Spirit

Each of these five classes is 32 hours in length plus weekend ministry. That equals over 150 hours of teaching in five weeks plus the journey! However, it is rewarding watching God bless students as they cram in the Word. Thanks for praying!

Happy Birthday to me!

Yes, it is that time of year when I get to celebrate my Birthday again. #54! Although my first few Birthdays are a little difficult to recall, the ones from 10 years old on I remember well and even some of the early childhood gifts my parents gave me. The early years of Birthday celebrations focused on gifts and cake. Each year mom would make a cake in the shape of something important to me: football field, race car, etc. Those were the days.


The greatest gift I could have this year is the joy of being with my family (although our kids are a long ways away from Jill and me). I am so grateful for the gift of life God blessed me with this year. I cannot express the joy I have when I see my grand daughters play in their room or my son lead worship at the church he serves as youth pastor. The things that matter most are family and friends rather than things.

There is no greater gift than that of life and I can enjoy it here and now plus in the future to come. Yes, that is right, my hope is build on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. As friends write on my Skype wall nice greetings, I will be thinking of the Birthday that almost didn't happen. "Thanks Lord for this wonderful gift."

Now, for Valerie and Alex, there is still time to shop....January 24 is a week away!

I Do Not Believe In New Years Resolutions

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”

This Bill Vaughan quote sums up the challenges for New Years. For some it is a chance to make better plans, others a chance to see the past finally disappear. Beginning as far back as 153 B.C., the Rome mythical king, Janus, had two faces, one looking back and the other forward. May people can hardly wait for the each New Year to bring about a change in their life. My question is, why wait?

I have never been a fan of New Year’s resolutions because of this very point, if something I am doing needs changing, why would I wait for a certain date on a calendar, should I not make the change as soon as I know it needs changing? Waiting for New Years to make a resolution gives freedom to live in a less that perfect state. Biblically, once I know or become aware of the need for change, I need to act. Waiting to change for the better is never an option. An example of what I am writing about is in the following three bullet points. What would relationship be like if we waited?

• I will not be over my anger with you until next New Years!
• Although lying is wrong, I still have a few months more before I change!
• Stealing, next year I promise to quit, but until then it is OK because it will be my New Years resolution!

Each of these examples are silly in themselves, however, in essence, this is what a New Years resolution does, puts off to the future what needs to change today. Therefore, seeing it is January 2, 2012 here is my New Years resolution, "To change something that needs changing at the moment of discovery rather than waiting until January 1, 2013!" Happy New Years!

When Less is More!

When less is more!

During my studies this morning, I came across a wonderful case of ‘less is more’. So often, we aspire to be the important one, to possess the finest, or have the clout. However, that does not impress God. God habitually prefers those with less to do more. My example comes from Judges 6:15.

“’But Lord’, Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’”

I am not sure how Gideon’s family members felt about this lowly kinfolk assessment, but for Gideon, it was how he saw it. This was his reality. Thankfully, God sees things differently; he looks at potential when we focus on mirrors. Through Gideon, a great victory was won because God took what was a limitation and created a miracle!

Each day, I try to apply this in my life. It is not who I am but who Christ is in me. After suffering a few heart attacks, I fully understand how limited we are, but God is unlimited. It is in His strength we live and move and have our being. Quit looking at your limits and focus on God’s might within you. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

New Lifestyle, Same Life

Five months have passed since my three heart attacks that rocked my world in Moscow, Russia. So much has happened since then it is difficult to put in words. After the placement of successful stints, two in Moscow, and one in Helsinki, Finland, Jill and I returned home to the Northwest for a seven-week medical leave and a chance to hug my granddaughters again.

Returning to the states had a greater emotional feeling for me now than ever before. Over the past 19 years, whenever Jill and I came home, I focused on my parents and food. However, with my mom and dad both with the Lord and the doctors placing me on a strict diet, those feelings changed. Seeing Alex and Val and their families at the airport to meet us was such joy. Just one month earlier, I did not know if I would have that opportunity again. Now, here I stood with tears in my eyes hugging my kids and grand kids. To me, this was a gift of God.

Enjoyable visits with family occupied much of my time over the next months. During this period, I began to see things in a new way, one where only a close encounter with death seems to allow. For the first time since entering the adult world, relationship took center stage over anything else. Although I still honor a strong work ethic, now my greatest joy is visiting with my children or going on a bicycle ride with two beautiful, little granddaughters.

On the somewhat funny side, I faithfully attend the local OGC meetings three times a week during my medical leave. Of course, you may not know what OGC means so I will explain the term. OGC or OLD GEISERS CLUB is the name I gave to my cardiology rehab department. I was the youngest person there with most of my fellow OGC members 30 years my senior. The goal of OGC was in teaching how to strengthen hearts and teach healthy life management skills. However, the primary focus of these weekly events seemed to be on pains, medicines and bathroom experiences. Although of value, at times I left feeling quite depressed that I was one of the OGC’s but I faithfully attended every session for the good of my heart!

After completing my required OGC attendance, my cardiologist gave me a 100% clean bill of health the last week of July. HERE IS THE MIRACLE: FROM NOT KNOWING IF, I WOULD LIVE THROUGH THE NIGHT IN MOSCOW MID-MAY TO HAVING A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH LATE JULY IS A GOD-GIVEN MIRACLE! Today, I am back to my normal self, although some may wonder if that statement is a contradiction of terms. A week after walking out of the OGC meeting for the last time, with the blessing of my cardiologist and Jill, I went on a 430-mile bicycle trip across parts of Washington, Canada and Idaho. For the first time in five years of long distance bicycle riding, I felt wonderful the entire trip. I love being a miracle of God!

Jill and I have now returned to our mission ministry at Caribbean School of Theology, getting ready to teach a wonderful group of Christian leaders/pastors the Word of God. Although we know without a doubt God’s direction for us to partner with this great ministry in the West Indies, much of our heart remains in Russia. In March/April, we return to teach a series of classes to students.

Jill and I know that many people around the world prayed for our miracle. We want to say, “Thanks” for those prayers. I believe I am here by the mercy of God, the prayers of many and because our work is not finished. Email us any time to visit; we are thrilled to hear from you. God bless!

Almost Indispensable and Irreplaceable

Almost indispensable and irreplaceable were terms I felt applied to my work and life, however, Monday night, April 11 I discovered a different reality.

Listening to one sentence from the night doctor at the European Medical Clinic in Moscow, Russia, ‘You have a serious problem with your heart and need to check into the clinic immediately,’ brought new reality, I’m not indispensable or irreplaceable! The next 15 hours went as quick as a breath. Decisions made, family contacted, hundreds praying and the 'almost indispensable/irreplaceable' one on a hard, cold table prepared for heart surgery. Life changes fast.

Six days earlier, working in my small apartment, the first of three heart attacks in six days hit. Although looking back, the warning signs had been there: loss of strength, shortness of breath, incredible heartburn, pressure on the chest and pain in the crooks of my elbows, I was not paying attention. Due to my personal agenda of important things, I pushed past all the signs and pain to complete my tasks. During these six days of immense heart problems I preached, lead staff meeting (during one of the heart attacks), carried a large folding table 100 meters, set up chairs, and dozens of additional ‘important’ little things.

Amazingly, even though we may not always understand the signs and walk blindly ahead, our loving heavenly Father is with us. As my gurney rolled across the cement floor into the cold operating theater, peace came over me. Never once did I wonder or worry about what happens next. I was in total peace that everything out of my control was fully in God’s control. Going into the procedure, I thought of my oldest grand daughter on a trailer behind my bicycle singing cute little songs this past summer as I peddled. What a precious memory to hold on to during those trying moments.

Thanks to the grace of God and the prayers of so many friends and family, everything went well. My doctors were successful and now back in that little Moscow apartment I can thankfully look forward to more bike rides with my grand daughters.

Life has great purpose and value as do each of us. Here is the problem, the idea that somehow we are indispensable and irreplaceable. Once we place ourselves as the ‘one of importance’, we can quickly discover how mistaken we are. We have been given a season to serve our family and friends while living for Christ. Indispensable and irreplaceable should not be how we ever see ourselves. No doubt, this was an important lesson for me these past days to understand.

In the Bible, Jesus tells Peter, “On this rock I will build my church.” Jesus is the indispensable and irreplaceable one, not me. At best, I am a provider for my family and caretaker of a church for a season.

Now the journey ahead of me requires faith and prayer as I prepare for more tests and heart stints this next month. Today, however, I enjoy day number eight since I learned my lesson on life. My prayer is that God will bless me with a wonderful long life with Jill, but I will look at each day as a gift not an expectation. May I enjoy many more bike rides with my grand kids!

Today I am so thankful for the prayers of family and friends, help of a caring hospital staff, and most importantly, my wife Jill. Jill you have been so strong, caring and filled with wisdom I re-discovered how blessed I am as your husband. Many played a valuable part in my survival. Thanks everyone!

Time line of events from April 6-18:

Wednesday, 6th -3:00, First heart attack

Saturday, 9th -Second heart attack

Sunday, 10th -Preached and set up at International Christian Assembly

Monday, 11th -Third heart attack during staff meeting at 11:00 a.m.
-Judy Ballweber, AG missionary in Kiev telling us to get to
the hospital via Skype at 9:30 p.m. Thankfully we listened
-Checked in at European Medical Clinic at 11:00 p.m.

Tuesday, 12th -Surgeons placed two stints in my heart
-During consultation told more stints are required

Monday, 18th -Released from the hospital

May 10th -Fly to Heart-Lab, Helsinki, Finland for the final
process on this long journey

With great thanks to my Lord Jesus Christ the only indispensable and irreplaceable one!

Where have you been?

Where have you been is a question we hear often from friends and family. If we loose contact with a loved one, we often say "Where were you?". For the past four months you have have asked that question about us. Well, we have been busy in our ministry in Moscow, Russia.

Since arriving back in Moscow last summer, Jill and I have been active as lead pastors at the International Christian Assembly here in Moscow, Russia. The former pastor resigned last January and we offered to help until June 2011. Throughout the week, we are busy preparing and ministering in this wonderful church family. There are up to 50 nations that walk through the ICA doors any given Sunday. It is fun to preach to such a diverse group and Jill and I feel honored to have this time with them.

During the week, I work on my doctoral dissertation. This paper is the final step towards my doctorate. Although it is quite challenging, I must say, it has helped me immensely in many areas of my life and ministry. My goal is to have the paper done by February 2011. In case you are wondering, the paper needs to be between 120 and 150 pages in length and will address the question: Has the methods of today affected the message within the Assemblies of God church. It is a fun subject and one I hope will be helpful to the body of Christ.

Due to our schedule, my entries in the blog not are as often as in the past. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel, preach, study and live in Russia. God bless you.