The Hopes and Fears of All the Years

What a whirlwind the past few weeks have been.  Not only are the holidays (which now apparently start in late October) crazy, but the national tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary has whipped an already polarized nation into a partisan frenzy.

There is something happening.  It happens all the time, but I’m more aware of it this year.  A numberless mass of peddlers is selling hope.  The hope may be placed in material things or legislation or armed guards, but everybody is trying to tell us what we need.  This is a testament to the fact that humanity is keenly and almost universally aware that we are incomplete.

Our depravity is not always so clearly highlighted as it was on December 14th in Connecticut, but it is always present.  It’s always lurking in the back of our minds where we don’t want to think about it.  We spend billions each year on self-help.  We nip and tuck and augment so that we look better. We hop from hobby to hobby (or substance to substance) trying to fill our time or numb our mind.  While the manifestations vary, the truth is that we are not who we want to be...individually, societally, or as a species.

Our fixes are often just as bad as our problems.  Hope in finances can drive us to greed, theft, or worse.  Hope in legislation leaves us ironically disappointed.  How could severely flawed men put forth anything but a flawed system that is misused and abused for power and money?  Hope in sex is so futile, it’s not even worth discussing.  Relationships always leave us wanting for the same reason that our legislative system leaves us frustrated.  You can’t throw together two imperfect people and get a perfect marriage (and even if you could, a perfect marriage would leave us wanting as well...just in other areas).  And when relationships go bad the damage left behind can be practically paralyzing for all involved.

This is the reason that we’re in such a frenzy.  We try.  We kick and scratch and claw to fill the void.  But no matter how much we try, we can’t do it.  We can’t make enough money to be okay.  We can’t pass enough laws to whip our society into shape.  We never find that perfect person who makes our life meaningful and easy all at the same time.  We’re treating the symptoms and not the problem...

Yet, in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light...

Our fallenness is the reason that Christmas is such a big deal.  By the grace of God we’ve come to recognize that our issue is that we are at odds with our Maker.  Because of our sin, it is impossible for us to please Him by our own work.  This impossibility could lead to despair and sorrow, but then the Word became flesh and dwelt among men. Our problem is so profound that only God’s Son could remedy it.  By becoming a man, he rightly pays for the sin of men and being divine, he’s actually able to make the payment!

That is our hope: Christ crucified to obtain an inheritance of nations. Our standing before a righteous God restored and even more than that, Christ is our advocate at the right hand of the Father to plead our case before Him!  God is for us!  Good news almost seems like an understatement.

It is this message that we go to great lengths to deliver.  It’s why we plant churches and send missionaries. It is our reason for living and breathing and working and dying. Paul sums it up quite well: And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

This Christmas let us pray that God would keep us focused on the cruciality of the incarnation.  May we be humbled that we haven’t come to trust in Christ through our own wisdom or discipline or effort, but by faith.  We love Him because He first loved us.  May we be humble bearers of the good news that sets the captives free, opens the eyes of the blind, and raises the lame to walk.  Even more than that, it turns stone hearts into flesh.  And, in time, it will vanquish evil and death.  Amen, come Lord Jesus!

Merry Christmas!

Soli Deo Gloria 

Plant Team Profiles: Lucy Goodwin

Lucy Goodwin is a New Orleans Baptist Seminary grad who has worked in various ministry fields and is currently working as a Program Coordinator for the Tulane medical school’s Structural and Cellular Biology department.

N2N: Could you briefly describe how you came to faith?

LG: The Lord has been gracious in his patient pursuit of me throughout the course of my life. As many of you at NFCC, my story of coming to faith is somewhat long, too long to explain its entirety for this. As you will find out in reading, all these questions will sort of bleed into one answer because I believe the Lord has been preparing me for this move to New Orleans for a very, very long time. He has intricately ordained each event in my life to build up to planting this church in New Orleans. 

My Dad started to take my brother and I to a Lutheran church after my mom and he divorced when I was six. This was my first exposure to church life and I have fond memories of my time there. The first time I remember hearing the gospel presented was at one of those judgment plays about the Columbine shootings when I was 15. The Lord most definitely has a sense of humor because you could not pay me to go to one of those things now! Sitting there in that audience, I heard a clear picture of the gospel, who Jesus really was, the sin of the world, what Jesus came to do and the fact that my sin, all my sin, is covered and is redeemed by the blood shed on the cross. But of course I was too scared to go forward like the guy was asking in front of everyone. I do remember, however, very distinctly, very clearly, praying that night bawling tears of joy surrendering my life to that Jesus, the one I saw depicted in that play. I am grateful for that night and for the friends who invited me to go with them. But I didn’t know to tell anyone about my decision to follow Christ. I didn’t know about the importance of discipleship and accountability. I proceeded over the coming years to read the Bible, get involved with FCA at school but kind of just floated along the surface for a few years. 

When I was a sophomore in college, I got involved with the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) and as a result of the people there, God graciously revealed to me the beauty of a community of believers, of Bible studies, of prayer meetings, of weekly church attendance and of course, weekly BCM lunches! Through reading God’s word, I began to be convicted about being baptized as an act of obedience to identify myself with the universal body of Christ and did that when I was a junior in college. My senior year of college I began to feel a call to college ministry. I was a Recording Industry (Music Business) major at Middle Tennessee State University and was increasingly becoming uneasy with the idea of working in that industry. The more I learned about that industry the less I wanted any thing to do with it. I wanted to have the impact on lives my college ministry had on me, I wanted to be a part of doing that for college students. So I looked into going to Seminary and studying college ministry. The best place to do that is at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and that is what I ended up doing. 

N2N: How has the Lord brought you to be interested in church planting/being part of a church plant?

LG: My interest in church plants starts with the church I joined in college. It was a church plant that met in a high school auditorium. I loved the environment. I had no exposure to old school Baptist churches so it wasn’t out of rebellion or anything like that. It felt real, it felt authentic, it wasn’t pretending to be something it wasn’t. It was just a group of people dedicated to the gospel and each other and that is where my love of church planting started. Throughout the course of my life since, I have been a part of church plants. Simply, there just my kind of people. I am so encouraged by the obedience of Tracy and Jerry to do what they did and to see how the Lord has blessed their obedience with what I consider the most Biblical church I have ever been proud to be a member. I cannot wait to do what we do in Shreveport in New Orleans. Its not going to be a carbon copy, that’s impossible. But the basic model, what makes NFCC unique, in my opinion cannot fail and I look forward to seeing God move in the city of New Orleans. From my first connection group meeting with NFCC, Tracy has talked about his passion for church planting and wanting to plant churches out of NFCC. And from that point, I wanted to be a part of it, not knowing how it would happen. Not thinking it would be a church outside of Shreveport. Not thinking it would be in New Orleans. 

N2N: Why New Orleans?

LG: I have never felt more at home anywhere than in the city of New Orleans. I loved living in Middle Tennessee during my college years and I will always love it there. But for me, there is only one place where I felt at home, at ease and that is in New Orleans. I know that is strange for some people to hear because they don’t quite know how that is possible. Highest murder rate in the country? Yep. Potholes that can flatten all four of your tires in one fell swoop? Yep. Extremely territorial neighborhoods that will be difficult to plant a church in if you live in another neighborhood? Yep. But there is so much more to the city of New Orleans than meets the eye. Its more than the tourist traps around the Quarter (that I despise) that have awful food and bad service. There are some of the most beautiful parks you will ever see. There is an incredible Lakeshore that you can drive along and feel the awesome breeze. There are some of the nicest, most genuine people you will ever meet. There is the best football stadium housing the best football team on the planet. There are also the best restaurants on the planet. There is a spirit of community and genuine friendliness like I’ve never experienced before. 

My connection to the city began when I started attending Seminary in New Orleans in the Fall of 2005. August, specifically. That is a monumental month in the history of the city of New Orleans in that on August 29th, Hurricane Katrina struck. I was there for two weeks before I had to evacuate to Shreveport. Our classes were converted to online format so I could continue taking classes during that year of displacement. There was no doubt in my mind (and I know this was from the Lord) that I made the wrong decision or that I should transfer to another Seminary. New Orleans was it for me. The Seminary re-opened in August 2006. I dove right into soaking up as much of the city as I could. I discovered the history, the parks, the people, the restaurants and made some of the best friends of my life. When I graduated in 2009, I moved to Cleveland, TN to work at a BCM as an interim Director for one year. I was sad to leave the city, but I didn’t want to stay in the city just because I wanted to be there. I wanted to be open and obedient to God’s call where ever He lead me. I didn’t want to move back to the city without a specific call to move back. I believe that is what this is. I ended up back in Shreveport after that year of working at the BCM because I couldn’t find any positions in the BCM world. Long story short, I believe I moved back to Shreveport to join NFCC and be a part of this church plant. I am so grateful to have such a strong, encouraging, loving, body of believers to call home in Shreveport. 

N2N: What is the next step for you or your family in moving to NOLA?

LG: I spent this summer up until about a month ago living from paycheck to paycheck. I had the privilege of working for Heart of Hope as the House Assistant since October 2010. But as the Lord began to bring this team going to New Orleans together, I felt I needed to resign in order to be ready if I found a job in New Orleans. I looked for jobs in Shreveport but nothing really panned out. So I swallowed my pride and started working for Starbucks again. God was faithful to provide for all my needs, but just that; to the penny some months. I am thankful for that time to be fully dependent upon God and giving me the perspective of learning to be content regardless of the circumstances. I didn’t know when I was going to move to New Orleans. Being single, I just needed to find a job and move. Easier said than done, let me tell you. God was gracious throughout this process to give me perseverance and remind me of the calling to plant this church with this team. I have spent the last eight months actively looking for a job in New Orleans. Applying, calling, emailing, calling, emailing, a constant vicious circle of cat and mouse hoping for a break. I’ve been applying mainly with the 5 major universities in the city in hopes to get a job within a department so that I could at least still be around college students and that atmosphere because its one that I not only love, but know and understand very well. 

About a month ago, I got a call from the School of Medicine at Tulane University in Downtown New Orleans, the Structural and Cellular Biology Department. Don’t worry, I didn’t know what that meant either. About two months previous, I applied for a position to be a Program Coordinator not knowing entirely what I was applying for and not thinking anything would come from it. Basically, its a front desk receptionist type position but it also involves managing the courses for the department and all lab supply orders. Two months on when I got the call, I had honestly forgotten about that position especially because I had just applied for some jobs with Tulane that I thought were really awesome. The School of Medicine called on a Tuesday to set up a phone interview. That happened two days later. They called the next day (a Friday) to set up a face to face interview for Monday. Finagled my schedule at Starbucks so that I could go for the interview. On my way back to  Shreveport from the interview, they emailed me to offer me the job with the exact minimum salary I determined I could live on in the city. It was a week from the initial call for the phone interview to the offer! It was incredible! Tulane is a beloved institution in this city and I feel very blessed to be a part of such a well respected and well run organization. I started this past Monday the 10th and I’m taking each day as it comes with the job. I am hoping in the not too distant future I can apply for some sort of uni-lateral move to another department within the university on the Uptown campus. I have found an apartment to move into with two girls here in the city only 12 blocks from work! One of the girls is a Seminary student and the other is a local girl who goes to the same church as the other roommate. The Lord blessed me with the gift of a new (to me) car; someone graciously offered me their car and I was able to sell my old one and have a little security money between my last Starbucks paycheck and my new job paycheck. I’m currently staying with a family on the Westbank because our office closes for Christmas break on the 21st and I get a week paid vacation! So I am going to go to east TN to visit family and then be in Shreveport 12/27-31 before moving back to New Orleans to start back at work on January 2nd. I will be at church on that Sunday Dec. 30th, I hope to see as many of you as I can! God has blessed me in abundance as a result of this move further confirming it was the right time because He did it all. No one, I mean absolutely no one can get credit for this and I love telling people about all He has done. I always saw people with these awesome God stories, wondering (selfishly) if and when I might have one of those. Well, I do now! 

I have been struck with awe every time I cross that big bridge coming into town by how much of a privilege this is! I get to live here! As each day passes and this sinks in even more that this is a reality I am filled with praise to God for this opportunity. I am truly honored that I get to live in a city I love and be a part of starting a church that is community driven and focused on spreading the Gospel. 

N2N: How can we we praying for your family as the move to NOLA draws near?

LG: Pray for continued re-acclimation with the city. As I journaled this afternoon, I am seeing the city with different eyes, but its still home. Pray the move into the apartment goes smoothly, that I can develop good relationships with my new roommates. Pray for the job that I can develop genuine relationships with them and find opportunities to share. Pray for the four of us that are here for a few months without the Jagers’ and Marbry’s. We are each going to need to keep each other accountable, I know it helps Megan and Josh to know there are two more of us here, pray that we be faithful to meet as a group and minister to one another. I am so grateful to God to know with confidence that we have people faithfully praying for us. I’m sorry this was so long, but I am so blown away at God’s intricate design in all of this and feel so honored and blessed to be on this team in our attempt to spread the Gospel in the city of New Orleans. 

Join us in praying that Lucy’s adjustment to life in NOLA continues to progress successfully.  Her testimony is one, like the others that we’ve read, that hi-lights the faithfulness and providence of our Lord.  Praise God for the care and provision he gives to those he loves.

Soli Deo Gloria

Plant Team Profiles: Marbry Family

This week we continue our series on the NOLA plant team.  This week we'll get to know Kelly and Clay Marbry.  Clay is a chemical engineer and Kelly is an administrative assistant at Norris Ferry Community Church.

N2N: Could you briefly describe how you came to faith?

Kelly: I was 6 years old when I first realized that I needed Jesus, so I asked Him into my heart with as much understanding as a 6 year old can have. However, I didn’t understand how much I really needed Him and what it really meant for Him to be my Lord until I was in college. My sophomore year of college I “rededicated” my life, was baptized and have been striving to take up my cross daily and follow Him ever since. 

Clay: I knew from an early age there was something wrong inside me, but because of my desire to please people, I was careful to be a good boy.  I vividly remember a church dinner when I was about 6 years-old.  My family was going to be sitting at the same table as the pastor.  I was petrified to sit there because I was afraid our pastor would see right through my façade.  When I was in 5^th grade, my dad took me to the LSU lakes one afternoon.  During our conversation he said, “You are a good kid.  But, you aren’t good enough to get into heaven.”  While I was very conscious of that fact, the reality of my separation from God became real at that point.  My dad asked if I wanted to pray then, to receive God’s forgiveness.  I hesitated, unsure if I was ready for that step.  During our drive home, I felt God’s call consistently.  So, somewhere on Highland Road, I surrendered my self-righteousness and accepted Christ’s gift of righteousness by faith.

It hasn’t been a perfect journey.  I have struggled long and hard with still relying on my own strength to be right with God.  My perfectionist tendencies make it hard to truly accept grace.  But God is ever gracious, patiently teaching me how to abide in Christ, since apart from Him I can do nothing.  

Recently the Lord has used parenting to teach me about Himself.  Learning more and more what it means to be a father has given me a brand new perspective on God as my Father.  Knowing that as flawed as I am, I love my kids in a way I didn’t know was possible.  Imagining the perfection of that love, the source of that love, loving me…it’s astounding.  

N2N: How has the Lord brought you to be interested in church planting/being part of a church plant?

Kelly: Loaded question! Well, we have a long story of being unsettled, moving and changing jobs to find where we’re supposed to be. I grew up in NOLA and the city has had a special place in my heart forever. Not so much for Clay. However, we ended up in NOLA a year and a half before Katrina. That period of time and going through Katrina with the city changed Clay’s heart and mind about NOLA. There is no denying that the Lord has given us this love and desire through living there and directing every step/move along our journey as a couple to move back and share the Gospel with the people of New Orleans. 

N2N: What is the next step for you or your family in moving to NOLA?

Kelly: Clay needs a job there. So, we will begin to pursue employment for him and pray that the Lord will open and shut doors as they come. Also, we will need to sell our house. 

N2N: How can we be praying for your family as the move to NOLA draws near?

Kelly: Pray for wisdom and clarity as we seek employment. Pray as we can and will get discouraged through the process. Pray for patience. Pray for our team as we are now split, that we can make the most of this time apart and continue to grow together in the Lord. 


It's such a blessing to see how God has worked in the lives of these plant team members and has prepared them for the work that He has for them in NOLA.  Please join us in praying that God will provide a job for Clay and that they would be able to sell their house when that time comes.  Please continue to pray for the entire team that God's glory would be on display in a dark place through their obedience to follow Him.

Soli Deo Gloria

Plant Team Profiles: Matt Moore

This week we'll meet Matt Moore.  Matt is a personal trainer who has an established ministry of writing and speaking.  You can check out his blog here.

N2N: Could you briefly describe how you came to faith? 

MM: I came to faith about 2.5 years ago, when the Holy Spirit awakened me to the reality of my sin---of all places, in a gay bar. Over the course of the next 6 months (through studying the Word of God) I really began to understand the depth of my brokenness, which enabled me to really see my need for the grace of God in the Cross of Christ. Jesus was, and is, my only hope for salvation. 

N2N: How has the Lord brought you to be interested in church planting/being part of a church plant? 

MM: The Lord put the desire in my heart to be a part of this New Orleans church plant 3 or 4 months ago, and has continued to prove this to be His will in clear, objective ways since I committed.

N2N: Why New Orleans?  

MM: New Orleans is a city full of rampant sexual immorality, endless drunkenness and idolatrous self-worship----exactly the lifestyle that the Lord saved me from. I can relate to these people in ways that not everyone can and I want my life to be an example to them of God's transforming power. There's more joy in obedience to Christ than there is in the indulgence of the flesh, and I can communicate that to them from personal experience. 

N2N: What is the next step for you or your family in moving to NOLA?

MM: I am moving this Saturday, Dec 1.

N2N: How can we we praying for your family as the move to NOLA draws near?

MM: Just pray that God do with me what He wills, and that I would willingly submit to whatever that may look like. I want to present my life as a blank check before the Lord, to be spent however He deems good and pleasing to Him. I don't want to hesitate in obedience and waste time. But I also don't want to rush into anything that He hasn't equipped me or called me to do. Pray that I would have discernment in discovering His specific will for me in New Orleans.

Join us in praying that God would protect and guide Matt as he makes his move this weekend!

Soli Deo Gloria

Cooperation and Participation

Today is the first day of the annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention.  The ministries of the Louisiana Baptist Convention include church planting.  Beyond state efforts, the Louisiana Baptist Convention helps serve as a clearing-house of sorts for the North American Mission Board funds that are used to help support church planters.

With our New Orleans efforts, these issues are near and dear to our hearts.  Please pray for the LBC Annual Convention.  Pray that God would give the messengers wisdom and clarity as they consider the business of the convention.  Pray that God would use the LBC and its member institutions to reach the lost for Christ, to disciple new believers, and to send out pastors to bring the Gospel where it is needed.

May our cooperation be based upon the truth of the Scripture and the necessity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria

Plant Team Profiles: Kyle Jagers

This week we begin our series highlighting some members of our NOLA plant team.  Kyle Jagers is the lead pastor of our NOLA plant and he will be moving this March with his wife Suzy and their new baby Laynie.  We asked Kyle a series of questions to help you get to know his heart for the plant and for NOLA.  

N2N: Could you briefly describe how you came to faith?

KJ: As a teenager, I knew about the gospel, but I my heart was not changed. I was living in rebellion against God, with no desire to honor him with my life. At the age of 16, the Lord convicted me of my sin and drew me to himself. For the first time in my life i was broken over the reality that I had sinned personally against God. I placed my faith in Christ for forgiveness of sins. I also experienced a change of heart. The Lord gave me a new heart and mind to desire to honor and glorify him in all that I do.

N2N: How has the Lord brought you to be interested in church planting?

KJ: The Lord burdened our hearts to plant out of two things: 1) A longing to pastor a congregation and reach people with the gospel and 2) by providing people as part of our team who are passionate about planting in New Orleans and moving their families there to reach people for the gospel. 

N2N: Why New Orleans?

KJ: New Orleans has an incredible need for gospel-centered churches. It is an eclectic city, full of culture and traditions, but the majority of those culture distinctives and traditions are void of the gospel. The disparity between the population and number of gospel-centered churches makes New Orleans an ideal city for reaching people for the gospel. Along the way, God has provided confirmations for us that New Orleans is where he wants us to plant, such as other churches wanting to partner with us to reach the city. 

N2N: What is the next step for you or your family in moving to NOLA?

KJ: Suzy and I will move to New Orleans in March, Lord willing. Out plan is to move to the heart of the city, rent for about 6 months and prayerfully seek where the Lord would have us plant our church. This will give us time to get to know the city well and see where there are opportunities and where he would have us be. During this time, all of the core team members will have moved down to New Orleans so that we can pray as a team, seeking his will.

N2N: How can we we praying for your family as the move to NOLA draws near?

KJ: Pray for us that we would find places to live, and that we would gain greater wisdom about where God would want us to be in the city. Pray that we would meet people who would place their faith in Christ when we share the gospel with them and that we would find faithful partners in the ministry. Overall, pray that Christ would be glorified and that we would be faithful to what he has called us to do.

Let's commit to pray for this team and for the work of the King in NOLA.

Soli Deo Gloria

Baptism: welcome to the family

Yes, I know that we are supposed to start highlighting New Orleans team members today.  What happened between last weeks blog and today is that our lead planter had his first daughter.  We are rejoicing with the Jagers and we'll wait to pepper them with church planting questions until next week.

Here is little Laynie!  She's the newest member of the NOLA plant team and we're glad she's here!

So, instead of highlighting team members, our blog today will discuss the goal of the church planter: Sinners convicted and then forgiven of sin placing their trust in Christ and joining a local body.  We saw this on display yesterday at the NFCC Baptism service.

We baptized several members yesterday and I was blown away with their stories as they communicated what their lives looked like before they trusted in Christ.  At this point, I should let you know that it is easy, as a staff person, to become consumed with the "grunt" work of the ministry.  It is easy to lose focus on the things that are important...on the reasons why we went into the ministry in the first place.

Each person communicated that they were trusting Christ for their salvation and they were entrusting themselves to the local body to hold them accountable and help them grow in godliness.  There were young folks and a few that were more seasoned, but they were all able to say that they had previously trusted in behavior or self-gratification, or any number of other things to make them whole.  By the grace of God, they have been transformed.

Yesterday, we saw a very visible symbol of that transformation.

Soli Deo Gloria

Neighbors to New Orleans

New Orleans is a city rich in tradition, culture, and fine foods.  It is a cultural center, not just of Louisiana, but of the entire gulf south.

A list of the unique attributes of New Orleans would be very long.  Sadly, in one way, New Orleans is not unique among the cities of the world.  New Orleans is under-churched.  What I mean by that is that there are too few evangelical churches to successfully reach the population for Christ.  

You see, for all the color, beauty, and culture in the city, there is also a profound darkness.  This is a darkness that can only be lifted by the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Simply put, New Orleans is a ripe mission field for the ambassador of Christ.

The New Orleans Baptist Association provides this staggering list to communicate why  New Orleans is in need:

1) Highest murder rate per capita in the United States
2) Rated by Traveler’s Digest as the second most sinful city in the world
3) Leads the United States in incarceration per capita
4) One of the most impoverished, underserved cities in the United States
5) Worst disaster to ever hit American shores – Hurricane Katrina

Being burdened for the city and the work of a Pastor, one of our NFCC staff has committed himself and his family to lead a plant team in NOLA.  Over the next few weeks, we'll highlight Kyle and Suzy as well as their team members.  Our goal is that you would feel a closeness to them and would commit to praying for them and the work that lies ahead.

Soli Deo Gloria

Sudan Reflections: Flash Floods

After three days of travel from Shreveport to South Sudan we were excited to finally be heading down the muddy roads to Karkamuge in the rugged Land Cruiser with five days of camping gear strapped to the roof, great anticipation in our hearts and our senses in overload as we tried to process a variety of sights, sounds and smells our mind could barely comprehend. As any good southern boy would do we hooted and hollered as we slid down the muddy roads narrowly escaping stoppage at every turn - that is until the flash flood hit. Out of nowhere the bottom fell out and in an instant the roads became streams and the streams became rivers. Upon reaching a deep intersection of streams Shannon and I got out scouting for a way to pass. With each step going deeper and deeper into the waters and as the cool rain pounded our hoods, Shannon and I came to grips with the reality that we wouldn’t be making it to Karkamuge.

Instantly the next question began to form in our minds - would we be making it home today. Analyzing our situation with rivers to the right, rivers straight ahead, no way to back up and trees to our left, our only option was to perform the first ever U-turn with nothing but a wench so for the next twelve hours our translator, who came to be known as Peter the Great, cut a path through the bush as we wenched the Land Cruiser to one tree after another at impossible angles until finally we were facing toward home.
During these hours of wenching, digging and cutting the Lord allowed us to share the gospel with eleven men who decided to watch the wenching festivities. These men received Christ that day. Two of them were even baptized in the floodwaters when they cut off their bracelets to denounce witchcraft.

With the baptism celebration complete and the Cruiser facing home we piled into the truck and headed home with the closeness that comes with the fellowship of ministry. Everything was rollin and we could feel the warmth of our beds until we came to a river and the air got tense. Shannon shifted into low gear and off we went. We made it across the river but as we tried to ascend the steep banks of the river our wheels began to spin and we were stuck again. Like a well oiled machine we all jumped out of the car, assumed our positions on the wench team and got to work once again; however, by now the wench was totally shot. After fighting the wench for four more hours, at 1:30am Shannon finally announced that we’d be sleeping in the Land Cruiser that night.

Imagine seven smelly grown men sleeping in a truck tilted at a 30 degree angle with all the windows rolled up nice and tight to keep the mosquitos out. After an eternity of trying to steal just a few hours of rest not knowing what tomorrow held, with the first peak of the sun we peeled ourselves from the truck and began digging out again. I wish I could say we then made it home safely but we are not there yet. A we excitedly headed down the road with cheers of celebration - you guessed it - we got stuck again - not a word was whispered in the truck.

Thankfully, by this time he river was down so Carrie came to our rescue. What a beautiful sight she was as she came muddin up and all we could see was truck full of mud and a face full of smiles. She is always a breath of fresh air. After only one more three-hour delay to repair the fan belt we were home safe and sound and drifting off to sleep in our soft, warm, clean beds. 

As we lay in our tukel discussing the events of the day we couldn’t help but think that God had just given us a glimpse into the struggles the Lewis’ face on a regular basis. On this day and throughout the rest of the trip one thing truth became abundantly clear - You gotta be tough to reach the unreached! 

TG
jn

Sudan Reflections: Singata Surprise

After a week of adventure we awoke early on this last day to begin our journey home having gone to sleep the previous night praying God would allow us to cross the Singata in the morning to get to our first of five planes home.  

We awoke to dark clouds so we kicked it into high gear at Shannon’s command.   We loaded into two trucks since during our previous adventures the fan belts in the Land Cruiser were being held together with zip ties in a move that would have made McGuiver proud.  With Carrie Lewis and Mark Pearson following behind us in the second truck we rushed out to beat the river once again. The road to the river was filled with hazards at every turn but it wasn’t until we rounded the final curve that we saw Singata flowing fast and furious and rising  by the minute. 

Using the tree across the river as his target Shannon shifted into low gear and we lurched into the waters praying once again.  It was  quiet in the truck and the air was filled with tension until we burst into cheers as we landed safely on the other side.  Immediately our attention shifts to Carrie and Mark behind us as we prayerfully watch them  launch into the river only to see them immediately come to an abrupt halt.  

Without a moment of hesitation Shannon orders us out out of the truck telling us he is running into town to get help.  As he speeds away all Scott, Hamm and I could do was circle and pray as the waters quickly rose over the hood of their truck. We prayed and waited only to see things rapidly growing more serious and dangerous. As the water begins to flood into the truck Carrie and Mark crawl out the window and onto the truck bed.  Just then, without a moment to spare Shannon rounds the corner riding in the Bog-Rat, the biggest and most beautiful old beat up truck I’d ever seen. They launch back into the now deeper waters and on to the other side where they deliver our friends from the waters and begin to attempt to hook straps to the sinking truck. Fighting the swift moving currents made it slow, hard work so that by the time they secured the strap the truck was going under and was  sure to be lost but to the cheers of the onlooking crowd they pulled the truck out just before it was washed away!  They rode back across in the Bog-Rat and we all hugged with the understanding that the Lord had just provided for us once again. 

Wow!  What a week! All week we had a saying that we repeated when things got challenging.  Whether it was a broken wench that meant we would sleep in the truck all night, being runout of a village by drunken fools, wading  across the river just in time, the long painful walk into the middle of nowhere, or escaping the river just in the nick of time – one phrase was repeated throughout reminding us of why we were there  - “And that is why they are unreached.”

TG
jn

Sudan Reflections: Leadership Chai

The Toposa people love their chai – a mixture of one part tea, one part milk and one part sugar – add to that up to thirty Christian Toposa  leaders, four servings of American visitors and one fantastic missionary and you have the makings of a fantastic batch of Leadership Chai. 

As the rain fell quietly all around we had the great privilege of participating in Shannon’s weekly gathering of leaders the Lord has raised up from all the surrounding villages.  They come to this safe place every Monday morning to share what the Lord has been doing in their villages and to be equipped and encouraged to keep pressing on for the sake of Christ’s glorious name.   

Under the straw roof of the open air tukel the stresses of ministry melted away as we visited, laughed, sang songs and sipped endless amounts of warm cups of tea .  Behind each weather worn face with markings from the past was a story of God’s transforming grace.  Each man a believer whom Christ  had brought to spiritual life, whom had been baptized and whom was now a leading their village to turn away from idols and witchcraft and to find life in Jesus Christ.  Each man that is except for one new face in the group.  This new visitor showed up unexpectedly saying that God had led him to walk for days from his town, which was a nine hour drive away, to learn about this Word of God he had been hearing about.  Needless to say he did not leave disappointed. 

Each leader shared personal stories of the daily blessings and struggles they faced being the lone source of light in their dark sinful villages.  Some shared of great movements of God where large crowds were turning from sin and gathering regularly to hear God’s word proclaimed on their solar powered proclaimers whiles others shared how they were losing their followers to the old ways of drunkeness and sin and how they were facing verbal abuse, isolation and even stonings for Christ. 

It was plain to see the real warmth of this chai was the love of Christ found within this special group of leaders.  Perhaps the sweetest part of this chai was the time when I asked them each to tell me who had led them to faith in Christ and one name was repeated over and over in Toposa, “Shannon…Shannon…Shannon…I heard about Jesus from the Word of God and I talk to Shannon and he led me to trust only in Jesus.”  Oh what a glorious day it will be for the Lewis’ when they stand before Christ and see the tribes of Toposa standing before Jesus and when He asks who told you about me together they will say “Shannon and Carrie Lewis” and Jesus will say “Well done my good and faithful servants.”  

This batch of Chai has been brewing for many difficult years and on this rainy Monday morning we enjoyed the fruit of the Lewis’ labors.  After several hours and cups of chai one by one the leaders meandered back to their villages with a smile on their face and a song in their heart ready to face what the Lord would set before them.  Still today I thank God for the honor of participating in just one Leadership Chai.

TG
jn

Sudan Reflections: The Journey of Pain

Imagine walking for an hour and a half through the bush of Africa in the dark of night with your feet sinking ankle deep in the mud, with barbed thorns ripping your flesh,with no shoes on your feet and a 100lbs sack on your head. That is what the women do here virtually every day as they head to and from the nypengoroko village to sell their harvest of grain or to get it ground for consumption.

Or imagine being a 16 year old boy walking that same walk every Friday night to take God’s Word to a people whom you know will persecute you and then returning the next morning for follow-up.

Last night we got as all taste of their struggle. We headed out last night at 7:30pm to take that same journey only we had flashlights in our hands, shoes on our feet, and no 100lbs sack on our head. We waded across the river, trampled down a path of deep mud with the bush climbing higher than our heads until we finally arrived at a village in the middle of nowhere under the glittering stars of the African sky.

I’m ashamed to say that Initially I fought discouragement when I saw there were only eight young men. I found myself trying not to think it was all wasted effort. During the first several songs I was selfishly focused on my exhaustion, the painful blisters on my feet, and the aching back that I didn’t notice the crowd was growing one by one as the people slipped in under the cover of darkness. By the time I got over myself I was amazed to see that this young 16 year old boy had gathered over 100 people to hear God’s Word!

After a wonderful time of teaching by the boy we had to face the hard road home. By the time we arrived safely at home all we could do was shower and collapse in bed. I cannot imagine getting up the next morning and heading out there once again to follow up with very same people.

Lokoyo is the name of this amazing young follower of Christ. Please pray for him as he takes this long journey of pain every weekend for the glory of God. Joseph Lonya, Joseph Lotibe, Joseph Lomana are also heading out on similar journeys weekly. May we pray that the Lord will grant them courage, peace, protection, strength, endurance and so much more as these men faithfully obey the Lord’s command to share His good news.

Pray for the Toposa women who live a very hard life of physical labor and for the Lewis family who have dedicated theirs lives to loving and serving and teaching these people the Word of God though it is often a journey filled with pain.

TG
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Sudan reflections: Adventure in South Sudan

Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing stories from out Sudan team.  Not only will these stories help you know how to pray for the Lewis family in their ministry, but it will also display the joys of faithful Gospel proclamation.

Well the adventure continues in Sudan!

Because the roads are so wet Shannon took us to a different village today. Knowing the roads would be bad we drove only part of the way and hiked it the rest of the way with Shannon serving as our guide pointing out the African countryside, the unique Toposa culture, and the truck that someone got stuck over four months ago because the river suddenly rose without warning.

We made it to the village and began singing and dancing with the women and kids which brought the men in from their houses only to find some young Toposa men had been drinking homemade brew for three days. They were a real distraction to the teaching time as they acted like fools and displayed aggressive behavior. One of the few Toposa Christian women stood up to them and tried to run them off. Things got a little heated so we decided it best to leave. Shannon tells us that women who stood up for us will probably be slapped around or even beaten that night for taking a stand. Please pray for her as she must live there and face the persecution as we leave the village for our safety.

We do believe the Lord used their wicked behavior for our good because as we left we discovered the streets were flooding and the river was rising rapidly from the rain in the mountains. As the Toposa people were running home away from the river we are running toward the river trying to get to our truck before the river became impossible to cross. When we get to the river it is rushing fast with rapids growing stronger. After asking some Toposa where the best place to cross, we lock hands and waded through the rushing rapids being sure to drag our feet as we had been taught. The current was strong and moving fast so when we arrived safely to the other side we all cheered and shouted praises to the Lord! It was awesome!! Even better than the rapids at Disney :)

What an amazing adventure with emotions ranging from tears over the unbelief and sin of the drunken young men, heartbreak for the suffering the young lady will likely endure with such courage, to the thrill of wading through the rushing waters. No words can ever express what we have experienced and what the Lewis’ are living every day. I can’t wait for you to meet them next year!!

TG

jn

Before and After

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, "You also are not one of his disciples are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did  I not see you in the garden with him?" Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. John 18:25-27

This is how we often think of Peter.  He is cowering and afraid.  He is overcome with the fear of man.  He's so overcome that he denies the man that he correctly identified (via the revelation of the Father) as the Christ.  We condemn Peter for his cowardice, but we do so with fear in our hearts because we can certainly identify with him.  In fact, if we are honest with ourselves, we far too often keep our mouths shut when we out to open them and speak truth to the lost.  Far too often we forget the warning of Matthew 10:32-33.

But just as flesh and blood did not reveal to Peter that Jesus was the Christ, flesh and blood does not empower us to speak the truth of the Gospel in difficult times.  Back up a few verses from Matthew 10:32 to verse 19: When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

The Father has a track record of giving his followers the words to say when they are faithful in their attempts to represent him accurately.  He is our power.  His Spirit is our helper.  In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells us that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes and that this power will enable us to be His witnesses.

Look at how the Spirit empowered Peter in Acts 2:14-41.

We are faithful in evangelism in the same way we strive for holiness or worship rightly or love our brothers and sisters sacrificially...through the power of the Spirit.

May we faithfully rest in the power of the Spirit for the strength to live as those who've been crucified with Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria

...to Nations

This will be an abbreviated entry.  Check back next week when we will be back in full swing.

This morning, four men from our church left Shreveport and began the trip to Southern Sudan to assist in the ministry work of the Lewis family.  



Pray this week for Mark Pearson, Scott Adams, David Hamm, and Tracy Graham that they would have travel mercies and they would find favor with the Toposa people that they will be witnessing to.  Specifically, pray for the Karkamuge people that we will be working with directly.

Shannon Lewis talks about the Toposa People

Happy Labor Day from N2N!

Soli Deo Gloria

Let Isaac spur us on to prayer

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefor pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." Matthew 9:37-38

Can I admit something to you?  I don't pray as I should.  I read and I study and I think, but the ratio of reading/studying/thinking to praying is way out of whack.  This became clear to me this morning as I was getting ready to write this week's blog.  We are in Louisiana and life in Louisiana often involves hurricanes.  I've watched Isaac closely over the last few days and over the last few hours, it seems likely that Isaac is headed for New Orleans.

I was a Louisiana resident 7 years ago and I remember Katrina and the devastation she caused.  Now, it seems very unlikely that Isaac will be a storm of the same magnitude as Katrina, but even "weak" hurricanes can cause major damage.  I've recently began to learn about the work of ministers and church planters in the New Orleans area and how devastated they were by Katrina.  This past week I heard from Dennis Watson of Celebration Church and he spoke of his depression immediately after the storm.  Similar comments were made by Southern Baptist Convention president and New Orleans pastor Fred Luter.  These men have poured themselves out in the the city and for the people.  The morning after Katrina, it appeared as if much of their work had been washed away by the storm.

We know, though, that the work of a pastor and planter is not one of mortar and brick, but of discipleship, prayer, and people.  Katrina may have destroyed buildings, but we know that that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.  Circumstances, however dire and formidable, cannot stop the work of God.  In the days following the storm, Dennis Watson and Fred Luter began to see what the Lord was doing through the storm as the people they had invested in girded them up and encouraged them to get back to the vital work of ministry in a city that was more in need than ever before.

This morning as I looked through facebook and twitter, I saw pastors caring for a people that are likely to evacuate and be dispersed.  Pastors from Vintage Church, Mosaic, and Harbor NOLA are urging their people to keep them updated on where they'll be.  As I read post after post from these men, I began to feel a burden to pray for them.  And I think that we should.  We have some folks who have already moved down in anticipation of the plant and I have been in prayer for them.  I urge you to pray for pastors and planters in the path of the storm.  I also urge you to pray for their congregations and the lost of the city.

What struck me though is that I should already be praying for these folks.  It shouldn't take a hurricane to spur me on to support our brothers and sisters in Christ who have been sent out as laborers into His harvest.

So, as Isaac bears down on New Orleans, let us commit to pray for the people there, but let us not stop on Thursday when Isaac is somewhere in Arkansas.  May we continue to pray for the Lord's will be done in New Orleans and all over the world.  May the Lord send workers into the harvest, and may our prayer be, "Here am I Lord, send me."

Soli Deo Gloria