Thursday Cambodia Team Update

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Keep praying for the team for their last day of clinic before coming home on Friday!? They will be flying home at 11 a.m. Friday at CST.

Hey All

We had another good day in the Village.? It was Hot again, but not near as bad as Tuesday.

We all pretty much performed the same tasks as the other days.? We did have some good questions during our gospel presentation which was very encouraging.? It is a long process for a Budhist or a Muslim to convert to Christianity, but some of the questions showed that God is at work.

Today we shared the gospel with the children using the colored bracelet (black=sin, red=Jesus’ blood, white=forgiven, blue=baptism, green=grow and gold=heaven).? The children were very attentive and it was fun to share with them.

This morning Rhet, the man I asked you to pray for yesterday, attended our devotional time.? The Gospel was presented in a very clear way and we prayed for him and his wife.? I think he has tremendous potential to be a great leader and look forward to the day that he surrenders his life to Christ.

Tomorrow we will work until noon and then make our way back to Phnom Penh.? We fly out at 11pm our time (11am Joplin time).? I doubt I will have the opportunity to write again, so keep us in your prayers as we travel back home.

God has been good and it has been a blessing to serve Him here in Cambodia.
Brock

Tuesday in Cambodia

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Keep praying for our medical team in Cambodia!

Hey All

Tuesday was HOT, I heard it was over 100 today!!!!!!

We had another great day at the clinic. The Doctors saw just over 100 people. Terry continued to evaluate patients before they were seen by the Doctors. Julie joined her today. I worked some in the pharmacy, shared the Gospel with some and played with kids. Did I mention it was HOT today?

Terry and I are both feeling better. We still have coughs, but we also have our voices back. Wow was it HOT today.

The food has been good, so far no major stomach issues. We are about to run out of Diet Coke though. I am not sure what that might do to team chemistry, because I think 3 of us are addicted. We can’t find anymore in the town we are staying in, so it could be a long couple of days. By the way, it was nasty HOT today.

Driving in Cambodia is amazing. I have never seen more motorcycles, scooters and mopeds in my life. They drive like they are invincible. It is fun to watch, especially since I am not driving. It was pretty HOT today.

We are expecting another good day tomorrow. I think it is supposed to be HOT.

Thanks for your prayers,
Brock

Cambodia Mission Update

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Just got this from our missions pastor, Brock Cummins.? I was planning on going with the team on this trip, but it just didn’t work out.? Please keep these four people in your prayers!? Pray also for the missionary doc, the Cambodian people that are receiving medical care there.

Hey All,

I apologize for not getting an update out sooner.? All of our flights went smoothly and we arrived Saturday night around 11:45pm local time.? All of our bags arrived with us and we had no trouble getting through customs with all the meds.

Sunday morning we did some shopping at a market in Phnom Penh.? Sunday afternoon we loaded up the van and the truck and headed to the province of Kompong Chhnaing (I don?t know how to pronounce it either.).? The hotel here is nice.? The air conditioners work great and we have hot water.

Today, we had a great first day at the village.? It is about 1 hour and 15 minutes from our hotel. Dr. Blake Little and Dr. Kit (a missionary Dr. with New Tribes Mission) saw 50+ people.? We shared the gospel with those who were seen.? Nurse Terry Osborne assessed everyone before they were seen by the Doctors.? Nurse Julie Reed and I worked in the pharmacy and we found some time to play with kids.

It is very HOT, but we are all surviving.? Terry and I both have colds.? Dr. Blake put us on antibiotics.? We both have bad coughs and squeaky voices.

Jessica, the missionary we are working with, is great.? She is taking wonderful care of us and did a great job of getting all the details taken care of before we arrived.

We are looking forward to another good day tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers,
Brock

Monday is for Missions . . . New Pamek Airstrip in West Papua, Indonesia

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My great “soul friend” Kevin Lynne is a missionary pilot/mechanic w/ Mission Aviation Fellowship serving in West Papua, Indonesia.? You HAVE to check out his blog at http://flytheplane.wordpress.com.? I first met Kevin in Nixa, MO when I was the pastor/planter of the Church at Finley Crossings.? His brother, Kurt, was a member of our church and was always talking about his “missionary pilot” brother.? I didn’t meet him for almost a year because he was out all over the country raising money to go to Indonesia.? (Sometimes it pays to be a Southern Baptist, I suppose.? Go Cooperative Program!!) Actually, MAF isn’t affiliated with a particular denomination so that they can help ALL evangelical denominations on the field.? They do what denominations can’t do, or don’t need to do–fly planes for the Gospel.? When I finally met him and he made his base of operations in Nixa, we had a lot of conversations about how good God is to let us do what God has wired us up to do!

Kurt and Kevin grew up in Indonesia where their father was a missionary pilot for MAF as well.? So it was not as difficult for Kevin to go back and fit back in to the culture and language, but still a lot of time had go by since his childhood.? A lot of things things had happened in their lives as well since they lived in Indonesia as well.? Kurt had joined the Marine Corps…Kevin went to the Naval Academy and was a Naval Helicoptor Rescue Pilot.? While serving in the US Navy in Pensecola, God called Kevin back to the jungle where he grew up to serve the Gospel in Indonesia.? Here is what he wrties in his post about the new strip in Pamek: “I?m just a guy who loves to fly, and God wanted to call up from my Navy flying to something ?higher? and a ?job? w/ eternal value in every days? efforts.”

Here is a gallery of pictures that were on his Facebook profile.? I asked him if I could show these pictures on this blog and he was really excited to share! Read more

Friday is for My Soul Friends…Daryl Eldridge

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One of my “soul friends” is Dr. Daryl Eldridge.? Actually, the idea for this category on my blog is based off of the name of his blog–“My Soul Friends.”

Dr. Eldridge is the Founder and President of Rockbridge Seminary, an online seminary based out of Springfield, MO. He was “my” dean while I was at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, TX.? Actually, I was a MDiv. guy and Daryl was the dean of the Religious Education School, but I still had my share of classes in his “school.”

I did not personally meet Daryl until a few years back when I began attending a Pastors Learning/Accountability Group that was started by Michael Haynes, the Director of Missions of the Greene County Baptist Association.? Michael and Daryl have a heart to pour into the lives of “young” pastors/church planters and have somewhat “tag teamed” the leadership of this group.

Honestly, Daryl and the rest of that group really helped me make it through a very dark, difficult time a couple of years back.? He has always been available to listen and give advice to me when I have needed it.

What I love about Daryl is his passion for the education process.? Rockbridge Seminary is set up to reflect those passions.? Each student that is enrolled must find a mentor for their classes that they can learn from a “practicioner,” not just a professor that isn’t “in the trenches.”? What is awesome about this mentoring process is that not only does the student learn from the process, the mentor learns as well!? Daryl calls it “cross mentoring.”? I believe that as I walk with a student through this process, I am probably learning just as much as them.

A huge thanks to my soul friend, Daryl Eldridge!? Thank you for pouring into students, pastors, and future leaders of His Church!

Who is one of your mentors?? What is your relationship like?? How often do you meet with your mentor(s)?

The Unofficial Guide to Composing a Quality Facebook Status

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I found this on one of my best friend’s Facebook profile and thought is was definitely “blog worthy.”? Daniel McKenzie is a student pastor in Johnson City, TN.? He and I went to seminary together, have done some ministry things together, and have kicked around some “what not to do in youth ministry” books.? As you can see in the body of the Facebook note, Daniel is hilarious!? Enjoy!

In the literary realm of facebook stati, there are many acceptable practices for composing a quality facebook status. Here are some of the more common quality practices?

Hidden Meaning ? Any good Facebook status should have hidden meaning, causing readers to assume a depth of insight for the composer. Simple phrases can have such duality. For example, ??is tired.? This simple statement has multiple layers. One might think the person is simply physically tired, but such a statement begs for further examination. Maybe the person is mentally, emotionally, or spiritually tired. Perhaps it?s a cry for help, masking years of pain and addiction. Whatever the case ? the status laden with hidden meaning portrays depth and poetic insight that will inspire and win friends.

An Inside Joke ? Inside jokes tell many positive things about the composer. First, of all it says that this person has people around them that they consider to be on the inside with socially. Popular phrases for this occurrence are ?has friends? or ?has a life.? Another positive sign from an inside joke is that the person often jokes about with said friends or friend. This indicates a jovial quality about the person signaling to readers ? ?hey, that person likes to have fun with at least one other person who gets the joke.?

Song Lyric ? A quality fall back for a Facebook status is the song lyric. The song lyric can accomplish several things for its composer. First it lets people know of the composer?s musical tastes. For example, from, ??is stop collaborate and listen.? readers might be able to quickly identify ?wow that person also enjoys Vanilla Ice.? But for those readers who may not recognize the lyrical jaunt by Rob Van Winkle this status also has positive implications. They might assume the same poetic insight for the composer that a ?hidden meaning? invokes, not realizing the phrase has been lifted from the lyrical giants of our time. It might also cause a reader to ?google? the phrase and be exposed to finely crafted song. Either way you really can?t lose with a song lyric status.

Begging for Comments ? A status that begs for comments is similar to a hidden meaning status but is less subtle in its attempt at duality. For example, the status ??is ready to give up,? begs sympathy from all who read. Surely, the composer needs a glimmer of hope that all will want to provide with a comment. Likewise, a status like ??wants a piece of cake,? can induce the same sort of sympathetic leanings. Readers might ponder the issue and respond with ?what kind of cake do you like?? or even ?I have a piece of cake, I will bring it to you.?

Paranoia Inducing ? Many a Facebook status can cause feelings of paranoia from its readers. Initially this might appear as a cruel use of the status, but upon further examination this reveals the true power and value of the Facebook status. One of the best methods of behavior modification is a carefully crafted disparaging comment that invokes guilt and paranoia. For example, the status, ??is sick of EVERYONE!? can cause readers to ask in their mind, ??am I one of those included in everyone??? The sweeping generalization that is chosen with precision can speak to all of your Facebook friends, including those who are in your inner circle of ?inside jokes? and those who you wonder how a friend request was ever requested or confirmed because you really don?t know the person. Either way, this status will cause everyone to step lightly around you resulting in more peaceful interactions with all. If everyone made such broad statements we could all be conformed into a joyous, massive brethren of Facebook friends.

And then a comment on his note that follows has one more “Quality Practice:”

What about the literal status update? Let’s not overlook the obvious, my friend. In this virtual realm of networking, we too often log on with expectation of layers. We dig to find the root. The misplaced gold filling. “He says he’s standing in the rain. Does that mean he is depressed? Overjoyed? Is he attending a figurative boot camp with a figurative drill instructor making him complete 75 figurative pushups?” Sometimes we really are standing in line at the DMV. Conflicted over pillow shams. What’s interesting is that the literal status could fit snugly with all of your other acceptable practices. Round peg, round hole.

What are some of your “Quality Facebook Status Practices?”? Inquiring minds want to know!! (hidden meaning intended!)

The Mac is Back

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The Mac is back, baby! Ryan Hunter, our awesome IT guy at Forest Park saved my computer from having to be sent off to get a new hard drive! He did some sort of magic on this baby! He recovered all of my data, wiped the hard drive clean, and put it all back just like new! Thanks to this awesome application built into MacOS called Time Machine, I was able to get all of my documents and only missed about a weeks worth of work. . . pretty sweet.

Moral of the story. . . well two . . . 1. “You don’t know what you’ve got, til it’s gone” (sung in an 80s style Hair band kind of way!) and 2. Backup, Backup, and Backup again! Go ahead, spend the extra money to get an external hard drive and back up your data–often!

Thanks again Ryan! You are the man!

Refocus On Podcast

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My buddy next door, Gabe Lett, is a counselor and life coach.? He has a new life coaching business called Refocus, Inc. that coincides along with the Life Transformation Center that he runs his counseling business through.? He asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would be willing to have a conversation with him about “Revolutionary Christianity” on a podcast.? Basically, it is a discussion of the book Revolution, by George Barna.? I jumped at the chance to talk with him (I know many of you find that hard to believe that I love to talk!)? Here is a link to the podcast online.? You can also go on his website, refocus4life.com and subscribe to the podcast via iTunes.? Enjoy.

I really like Gabe and his heart for helping people and connecting them to the Church.? He has a lot of great ideas and is a great young leader in the Church.? He is also an author of Let’s Get Together: Building Community In The Church. You can get it here.? Trust me, he didn’t have me say that and I don’t get any kickbacks for this advertisement (I should though. . . just kidding!).

Golden Testimony

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We are in the final stages of our Generations Campaign at our church.? It is a capital fund raising campaign, yes.? But what I am finding it to be is a “faith raising” campaign.? I know for sure that our faith has been challenged for sure.? Jenny and I have neither one been through a campaign like this, so we are definitely “newbies.”? I have heard stories about couples praying seperately and then coming together to the penny, etc.? I always thought those kinds of stories were from super spiritual people and would never happen to me.? We actually had that happen as well to us this time around–pretty crazy.? I actually didn’t want to say what I had in mind because it was a huge stretch, so I asked Jenny what she thought first.? (Some people call it a lack of guts, I simply call it diplomacy!)

All along the way, however, there have been AWESOME testimonies come in about God’s moving in our church.? Here is yet another unbelievable, creative I might add, testimony of what some of our folks have done to give to this campaign.? Got this tonight from our pastor in an email . . .

Dear Generations Team,

Yesterday, we got an unusual gift from an anonymous donor.? The letter said,

“We felt like this offering needed a letter of explanation. Enclosed you will find a portion of our offering to the Generations Campaign. We have both been previously married and at one time these were a symbol to us of a person’s love and commitment to us and God. We both took our vows with commitment, but later in life, found that our former spouses did not. The results of our divorces left us feeling little self worth, but the Lord never gave up on us.? We were worth His life. We are priceless

Some time later the Lord led us to FPBC where we met through the singles ministry and became friends.? We were married here and gave each other new rings that symbolize our love?We have asked ourselves what we could do with our old rings. They are worthless to us, but the Lord could make them worth something for His kingdom.? Please accept them as a portion of our offering to the Generations Campaign.? We pray the Lord uses this offering to heal the broken, return the lost, and reveal His children’s worth to them.”

Attached is a picture of the rings.

I’m excited about Sunday.? I believe it is going to be a miraculous day!

Much love!

John

Branson Trip Pics

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Finally getting some pics up from our trip two weekends ago to Branson.? It was really good to get away after Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday.? We are really proud of Taylor and his progress into a really cool, smart little boy!? It is nice to have an “easy” Parent Teacher Conference–not something that mom and dad probably had with me–Ha!

Our friend, Brian Hissink works at the Sight & Sound Theater in Branson as a Lighting guru (my term).? He got us four tickets to see Noah: The Musical.? It was really cool!? The second act after intermission, you are inside the ark–real and robot animals all over the place!? Lions, Tigers, Bears, oh my!!? Thanks again, Brian!!

Here are some pics from the weekend: