As Mary Alice and I return to France this week, our hearts are full of thanksgiving for God's goodness and faithfulness during our two-month stateside visit. We leave with unforgettable memories of time spent with family as well as with the larger family of God. We have been encouraged and have had many opportunities to encourage others. Below, we share a few highlights of our trip as well as a special prayer request for the month of June.
One of our most memorable moments as a family was a ride on the Southern Belle river boat in Chattanooga, Tennessee. We had invited the families of our two daughters, Mary Lynne and Rebecca, as well as other relatives in the area. The entire experience was a walk down memory lane as Mary Alice and I had taken this same boat ride with our children, David's parents and sister and family over thirty years ago!
Our visit to our home church, First Evangelical in Memphis, Tennessee, was another highlight of our time in the States. There, I had the joy of presenting a seminar entitled "A Church of the Nations and for the Nations," based on my book, God's New Humanity: A Biblical Theology of Multiethnicity for the Church. This workshop, as well as the Sunday morning message, was in answer to one important question:
If the Kingdom of Heaven is not segregated, why on earth is the church?
Have you ever thought about that?
In both the seminar and the Sunday morning message, I shared from Scripture God's heart for the nations of the world, the multiethnic character of the universal church, as well as the need for this to be reflected in local churches. After all, this was Jesus' prayer (John 17:20-23) for the church and it should be ours also.
This message has been increasingly on my heart over recent years and is particularly relevant in light of the racial strife that divides our nation.
As mentioned last month, I anticipate the soon release of my book, Life with a Limp: Discovering God's Purpose in Your Pain, in which I recount my own grappling with one specific question:
How do we walk and grow through suffering?
Since the death of our firstborn son in 2004, I have wrestled intensely with God, seeking the answer to that question. Maybe you have also as you limp along through life.
One of the biblical characters who walks and grows through suffering is Jacob, the “God-wrestler.” Jacob's life begins with a strut, but ends with a limp—a limp that ultimately taught him to lean upon the One who alone could satisfy the deepest longings of his heart. As I see myself in Jacob and have better come to see the “Jacob” in me, I devote an entire chapter to this biblical character who limps and finally learns to grow through suffering. If you would like to learn more about Jacob and the limp in his later life, click here to read a select portion of this chapter.
From June 20-30, I will once again have the privilege of ministering alongside my Chadian colleague, Désiré Beadoum, as we conduct two seminars for French speaking pastors and leaders in two Cameroonian cities, Yaoundé (June 22-24) and Douala (June 27-29). Following this, my colleague Désiré along with our Cameroonian administrator, will go north to hold a third seminar in the city of Bafoussam (July 4-6).
We anticipate about 100 pastors and church leaders for each of these seminars. Here's how you can pray with us for this upcoming training:
For the impact of God's Word on the some 300 pastors and church leaders who will be attending.
Wisdom in identifying several (2-5 pastors) who can over the next few years be trained as certified teachers of this seminar.
The rapid spread of the gospel in this country as more and more believers become firmly rooted in the Word of God.
Since the beginning of the Thompson Bible International Institute and African Pastoral Training (APT) in Africa in 2007, more than 20,000 pastors and church leaders have been further equipped in the preparation of expository messages using the Thompson Chain Reference Bible. Given the demand and with sufficient funding, we have the potential of training more than 7,000 per year! Please join us in prayer for the needed funding!
Finally, continue to pray as Jesus instructed us:
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field”
(Matthew 9:37-38)
Thank you for your continued support and supportive prayers as we seek to press forward in Europe and Africa.
In grace,
David and Mary Alice
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