On the Twelve Days of Christmas there were . . .

• 12 Classes in 2 different public elementary schools in which to teach the Christmas story,

• 11 Sermons (or Bible School classes) to prepare (for regular and special church events),

• 10 Days of Homeschool Classes to supervise (Marla) and complete (Beth) in the midst of all the other activities (actually its more like 20 days of classes in December!),

• 9 Personal Conferences for planning, organizing, counselling, discipling, etc. (in reality who could count them all),

• 8 Nations containing 100+ churches, friends, or family members to whom to write personal Christmas cards and greetings,

• 7 Choir Practices (or program practices) to attend,

• 6 Floors and 3 Christmas trees to decorate in our church and home,

• 5 Family Members, 2 of which are on the opposite side of the globe, for whom to buy, wrap, and send Christmas gifts,

• 4 Christmas Fellowships, Parties, or Pot-luck Meals to plan for, prepare for, and/or participate in (lots of baking, gifts to exchange, and cleaning up),

• 3 Days of Christmas Celebrations (Saturday- Christmas Eve church program; Sunday- Christmas worship service and activities continuing through the evening; Monday- our own home celebration with family and friends),

• 2 Cultures to balance, each practicing differing Christmas customs and traditions,

• 1 Savior who is the reason for it all and who makes all the activities worthwhile and meaningful.

In the midst of it all we wish to say, from our family to yours:

Merry Christmas!

There are 11 or 12 people attending this Sunday School class which is held in our own living room. It is an exhilarating experience to participate in the process of building up new believers. Their questions about the Bible and about life are a reminder that we are not dealing with abstract principles or theories, but with practical reality. It is a challenge to simplify truth without trivializing or minimizing it. And we are constantly challenged to relate doctrinal truth to the real life issues to which they apply. Please pray for these new believers–the future workers and leaders of the church–and for us as we teach.

For those interested in using our discipleship materials in English-Chinese format, go to our Disciples Sourcebook page on the drop-down menu under RESOURCES >> BIBLE STUDY MATERIALS.

Our church choir under the direction of Dolly Wong presents a ministry in song.
September 25, 2011

The video player should appear above this text. To begin the presentation click on the arrow in the middle of the video player screen.

Since I had plenty of time on my hands with not much else to do, I made some minor improvements to Infinitude in three areas. First, I smoothed the grammar and word order in a few places where it was still a little rough. Second, I tried to clarify my intended meaning by changing some word choices. Finally, I’ve tried to enrich the meaning of the original text where possible by deepening it along the lines of my original intention for the poem. Hopefully, I’ve succeeded in improving it without overdoing things (another of my tendencies).

By the way, I’ve been working on a new poem for about two years now which is only about half to two-thirds complete; it will be the longest poem I’ve ever attempted when finished. Given the constraints of time available for me to devote to this type of project and my perfectionist tendencies, don’t expect it to appear here any time soon. It’s title is I Abraham; the personal motivation for me to persevere in completing this project has come from the devotional benefits and Scriptural insights I’ve gained as I’ve reflected on the life of Abraham as a missionary and fellow pilgrim. My current plan for the project calls for 9 chapters of 4 stanzas each (36 stanzas total). Chapters 1-5 are essentially complete except for minor revisions, and 6 is partially complete. Chapter One is entitled “Canaan”; here is the first stanza of Chapter One to whet your appetite:

I ABRAHAM

1. Canaan

The LORD said, “Go!” My course I never shall repent:

My country, gods, and kindred I forsook; I went

To seek a land to me unknown and did not rate

My loss a poor exchange, nor count the cost too great,

Which made of me a pilgrim and my home a tent.

One of the first things necessary for me clear away is communication with our supporters. Here is a brief update which will be followed in a few weeks by a regular prayer letter:

We enjoyed visits both with Matt’s parents in California and Marla’s mother in Michigan. Although we had previously announced that Marla and Rose would be going to the U.S. so that Rose could get settled for college, we were secretly planning for all four of us to go along and surprise my parents for their 50th wedding anniversary. The surprise was complete; we thoroughly enjoyed the visit with Art and Marian and with my brother Nathan and his family, who also came down for the occasion. Nathan and family took a break from his pastorate of a native-American church in a remote portion of Alaska. He and I were able to do quite a bit of work around the property, which was important, since my dad (who is 91) is in declining health. We killed four rattlesnakes and a scorpion during our stay—an unusually high number of critters not seen for many years. [FACT: Did you know that when a rattlesnake coils to strike, with just one chop of the hoe you can cut it six pieces?]

From California we went to Michigan and stayed with Marla’s mother for two weeks. First, Rose and Marla flew to Greenville, SC for a weekend to participate in Rose’s summer orientation at Bob Jones University. This program allowed her to pre-register for classes, get her student ID, spend a night in the dorm, apply for a job on campus, and other things, which helped a lot toward relieving some of Rose’s apprehensions about college. In Michigan we also met up with Luke who is staying with his grandmother for the summer and doing an internship at Hope Baptist Church. Like in California, our visit was a working visit with several projects around the house checked off while we were there.  Rose will be spending the rest of the summer with her grandmother and her brother in Michigan until time for school to begin in the fall.

We plunged right back into ministry as soon as we arrived home in Taiwan. Our summer youth camp was well attended and we know of at least one salvation decision that was made by an individual from another church. Cornerstone Baptist Church was represented by 13 campers or leaders, three of whom made important decisions regarding their Christian walk. Although there was a lot of rain, it did not dampen the spirits of the campers.

After camp I left Taiwan again for a week-long teaching ministry focused on the book of Revelation. I returned home exhausted and exhilarated by the opportunity. This should be the last trip for me for a while, at least. Now I need to turn my focus back toward the ministries and needs of our own congregation. There is much that needs attention.

Other pictures of our recent activities have been posted to our Picassa site for viewing (see the left sidebar, or click on a photo above).