Just A Few More Weeks

We have recently been recommended by the trustee subcommittee for the Mid America Continent to be appointed as full time missionaries for the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention on March 18th of 2009. We will be on mission in Puebla Mexico as part of a very new and exciting work called the Urban Transformation Initiative. The target is the largest cites in Mexico of which Puebla is the 4th largest at 1.5 million and more than a million more in its suburbs.

Less than 2.5% know Christ at this time. Some existing churches show strong traditionalistic tendencies that are inhibiting the kind of multiplication and growth necessary to reach Puebla. Responsiveness to clear Biblical expression of the Gospel is expected to be very high. Poor evangelism has resulted in expressions of a superficial faith in Christ. We will be expected to be thoroughly Biblical in all we do. Puebla is a university city, it is an incredibly influential mega city; when it is reached, the impact will be massive within the nation of Mexico and beyond.
We have been asked to release all personal dreams of position and status. The growth will be very organic, New Testament. House and cell churches will be the norm. We have made a break with and will not plant “traditional,” churches. The disciples we make will be radical change agents in the world-Salt with saltiness!

My specific position is that of Spiritual Formation Mentor for our team. We will be Disciple Makers, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded of us.
We are inviting you to go on mission with us.
Ministry Blog - http://sentfromtexastomakedisciples.blogspot.com/
Family Blog - http://www.lottiegracebyrd.blogspot.com/
Email us at sentfromtexas@sbcglobal.net

IMB News

IMB forges ahead with reorganization, deals with tough economy 1/28/2009
By Shawn Hendricks
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Facing another year of a troubled economy, International Mission Board trustees pressed forward with efforts to restructure the organization and respond to a lost world in their Jan. 26-27 meeting.

Trustees also heard reports of $3.3 million being appropriated this past fall to human needs projects around the globe. Tom Elliff, senior vice president for spiritual nurture, announced he will be concluding his full-time work in March with the IMB.

‘MOVING AHEAD’
Jerry Rankin, IMB president, shared his excitement about changes on the way this year. In the September meeting, trustees approved a reorganization designed to improve the IMB’s ability to impact lostness and expand relationships with churches.

“I envision a massive mobilization of Southern Baptists engaged in the task through a growing variety of relationships and personalized involvement in mission strategies,” Rankin said.
“My vision is renewed that we can look forward to that day in a very few years when we will be unable to identify a people group that doesn’t have access to the Gospel.”

Trustees voted to better align their regional committees with a focus on people groups or “affinity groups.” Affinity groups are drawn together by language, culture and ethnicity, and not limited geographically.

Trustees also approved a measure that will streamline the restructuring process by allowing IMB leadership to transfer personnel to different assignments without trustee action.
“This is a matter for efficiency,” said Gordon Fort, vice president for overseas operations.
“(This) will enable us to move ahead and report back to you later rather than bringing numerous transfers … to the subcommittees in the next few meetings,” Fort told trustees.

ECONOMIC CHALLENGES

As angst grows over the world economy, IMB treasurer David Steverson noted that the declining value of the dollar, rising living costs overseas and medical expenses led the IMB to draw a “larger than usual” amount — about $7 million — from reserves.

Trustees allocated these funds to cover expenses — most of which allowed missionaries to keep up with rising living and medical expenses. It helped missionaries deal with a seven-year trend of a weakening dollar.

“I believe we need to buckle our seatbelts and get ready for another challenging year in 2009,” Steverson said. “While I believe the worst of the stock market decline is behind us, we now have to deal with all the fallout of that decline.”

Anticipating another tough year, trustees had already tightened the 2009 budget — cutting administrative costs such as reducing travel expenses and not adjusting salaried wages — in their November meeting. The budget allows for sustaining the current levels of missionaries on the field. Whether or not those numbers will rise above current levels will depend on the gifts of Southern Baptists.

“We remain confident that the Lord will provide,” Steverson added. “The Lord’s provisions may come in many forms, but make no mistake, He will provide.”

MEETING NEEDS

Trustees welcomed reports that the board’s human needs ministry appropriated $3,203,853.33 for 119 projects in the fall. Out of that amount, $2, 322,487.31 went toward world hunger needs, $701,945.97 went to general relief projects and $179,420.05 went to projects continued from 2004 tsunami recovery efforts.

A total of 508 human needs projects received appropriations last year – including addressing the economic crisis in Zimbabwe, hurricane damage in the Caribbean and needs in security-sensitive areas.

In other business, trustees heard two recommendations that were referred to the appropriate committee for discussion.
—That all trustees be required to attend a candidate conference during their first term.
—That the number of board meetings be cut from six to four in order to be better stewards of IMB resources.

ELLIFF ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE

Tom Elliff, senior vice president for spiritual nurture, announced his departure after three years of service. Elliff has led training and provided mentoring to new missionaries at the IMB’s International Learning Center.

“His training and equipping of new missionaries in doctrinal studies and a deeper spiritual life has made an incredible difference in the new missionaries we are sending to the field,” Rankin said.

Before joining the IMB, Elliff was senior pastor of First Southern Baptist Church of Del City, Okla., for 20 years. He’s a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, has authored several books and led conferences around the world.

“Serving these past three years … has been one of the greatest gifts, honestly, that I have ever received,” he said.

Elliff said he and his wife, Jeannie, plan to pursue other ministry opportunities — which will include writing, consulting and teaching. He will continue teaching at the IMB’s learning center through 2009.

“We feel like it is time for us to launch into that next level of our lives, and this is going to enable us to do that.”

The next trustee meeting will be held March 16-18 in Greenville, S.C. An appointment service will be held March 18 at Taylors First Baptist Church, Taylors.

Our First Time Back At First Baptist

Yesterday Kim and I and the girls were back at First Baptist Rockwall for the first time on a Sunday in 6 years. Having surrender my life to the ministry on Lottie Moon Sunday now more than 8 years ago the moment was all a bit surreal. It is going to take many hours to catch up with everyone, but the response was such a comfort. Pastor Steve Swofford introduced us to the congregation as recently approved for appointment and I prayed for the Church.

We are looking forward to sharing with any and all who will join us On Mission to Make Disciples!

This Is Home!

Yesterday was on of those days we rarely get a chance to live in that I watched as the electric company, water and gas company all came and took meter readings to end our service with them. and this morning our phones were dead.

So we have no house of our own, no cars of our own, no utilities of our own, and all I keep thinking is, This is home! It is a great feeling!

It Is Official, We are Official!

It is official. We were approved by the Trustee subcommittee on Monday For Appointment. Next we travel to Greenville South Carolina in March for appointment.Thank you all for your prayers through this process. now I would ask that you begin to pray for our transition. especially for the kids.

March 14-19Th Appointment Week (South Carolina)
April 20Th - June 18Th Field Personnel Orientation (Virgina)
July 09-June 10 Language School (Costa Rica)

My last Sunday at Faith Temple was last Sunday. We are about 90% stored or sold or given away. We are very close to fitting in 8 suitcases and 4 carryon's. We have sold our Van.

We are planning to visit as many friends and relatives as possible. we are going to leave for Virginia on about April 6th. So we will be in Heath for about 5 more weeks, then appointment then home for 3, then orientation, then home for about 2 weeks at the end of June. Then we will not be back in the States for at least 2 years.

My Grace Is Sufficient For You

After several long nights of prayer God has finally answered. His answer began with a confirmation for both Kim and I. First Kim had a friend tell her that God was writing our testimony and I had one state that God was creating our testimony. And now we fully understand why His answer has been what it was and came when it did.

We have heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. We will boast, but on our own behalf we will not boast, except of our weaknesses. Though if we should wish to boast, we would not be a fool, for we would be speaking the truth. But we refrain from it, so that no one may think more of us than he sees in us or hears from us. So to keep us from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given us in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass us, to keep us from being too elated. Three times we pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave us. But he said to us, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore we will boast all the more gladly of our weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon us. For the sake of Christ, then, we are content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when we are weak, then "I am" is strong. (See 2 Cor 12:4-10)

Still Once Again

Took me awhile to find this in my notes today, but I knew I needed it. Here we are just days before we go to committee and a slight irregular heart beat has been detected for Kim. The doctors all insist that she is very healthy and that she has nothing to worry about. But the doctors at the IMB pulled her medical clearance this morning pending more information. The cardiologist Kim was refereed to insist that this will turn out to be a benign condition and that he will ether take care of it medically or as a last resort it might require a medical procedure. But that leaves us waiting on God again. We have just a few days to regain medical clearance or be pushed forward two months.

As most of you may know we sold our home and closed last week, and I gave my notice at my church already. So we go forward with absolute blind trust that God is in control and has a plan. We prayed for Kim in Church Sunday and gave God a grand opportunity to glorify Himself in all this. It certainly will not be because of anything Kim and I can do about it. We go back for another EKG Friday to see if the medication has worked. Please pray with us for Supernatural Healing!

I have always been fascinated by Bald Eagles, and the eagle is a symbol used many times in Scripture, in fact, it is mentioned 38 times throughout the Bible. We can learn some important lessons from this majestic creation of God. Eagles have a wing span of 2 meters and are around 90 cm. tall.

The eagle mates for life and use the same nest for life. This nest is built in a safe place, often on the ledge of a sharp cliff. It is built to last and the largest nest reported is 9 ½ feet wide and 20 feet deep.When the babies are born, both parents assume responsibility for their care. They are gentle parents, sitting on the eggs for one month. The parents bring food up to the nest and feed them small pieces of meat. Within 45 days they can weigh nearly 40 times their birth weight. At three months they get special feathers for flying and a new learning experience begins. The mother eagle flies into the nest and begins to thrash around causing a great commotion.

Eventually one of the babies will fall out of the nest and begin heading for the earth below. Never having used his wings before, he's not really sure what to do, but does do lots of flapping while heading straight down! Just before the baby hits the ground, the mother eagle flies underneath in order to 'catch' the baby on her powerful wings and she flies him safely back to the nest. This continues on day after day until all the babies learn to fly.

There are two verses in scripture that actually mention this routine of the eagle. In Deuteronomy 32:10,11 Moses reminds the children of Israel how God cared for them and guarded them just "like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions." Again in Exodus 19:4 God says that "He will carry the children of Israel on eagles' wings".

We can get very comfortable in our 'nest'. Perhaps that could be our way of doing things, our way of thinking, our opinions, our way of living life. Then when God comes and 'stirs up our nest, we get upset. We don't always identify this as a growing experience. Sometimes if we were really honest, we really don't want to grow. We get very complacent and satisfied with where we are and any interruptions are viewed as negative. But God wants us to fly - to become all that He intends us to become. He never stirs up our nest without good reason!

The eagle can see a rabbit two miles away. It can soar up to two miles above the ground and can fly at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. They have a separate eyelid which slides across the eye sideways in order to keep the eye clean and free from dust as they fly. Their bones are hollow and therefore light of frame. Their frame has cross ribs like steel bars in sky scrapers. The eagle has 7000 feathers. The back feathers are as long as the head feathers. Their beak is black until age of 3 years and then turns golden.

When eagles are about 30 years old they go through a renewal process. They find a secret place high in the mountains and begin to claw at their face and tear out the feathers that have been damaged over the years. As a result, it bleeds badly. But this is necessary for the eagle in order to renew its strength. If it did not do this it would not be able to live to its normal 60 years of age.

Psalms 103:5 says "who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagles." A time of renewal is necessary for every child of God. A time when we get rid of what is weighing us down, holding us back, aging us spiritually. A time to give up the sinful habits, to give in to the Holy Spirit in whatever way He is convicting us. We need to do this even to the point of renewal with pain! Some things we hold on to so tightly that to let go, actually causes us pain. But in order to have the long, powerful, useful spiritual life that God plans for us, we need to do that. It will renew our spiritual youthfulness.

When the eagle is free to soar in God's creation, they are the cleanest of birds. They were created to be free and to soar to great heights. They were not meant to remain close to the earth in the lowlands. They were created to soar. When eagles are held in captivity, they become one of the dirtiest birds.

God has created us to remain pure and holy and conformed to his image. Don't allow the freedom we are to experience in Him, to be compromised by spending too much time in worldly thinking, activities, mindsets. Remain clean!

Eagles do not fly like other birds, they don't flap their wings but rather soar. Flapping their wings would use incredible amounts of their own strength and endurance and they would require so much more food as fuel if they didn't soar. Instead they sit on a high ledge and wait for the right wind currents to come. When the time is right, they take off and soar upward. Effortlessly, because they have waited for the right time. There is a special 'up going' wind, that they ride as it circles higher and higher toward the sky.

What a lesson for God's children to learn. How often do we waste strength by jumping out too soon and 'flapping our wings', instead of waiting for God's timing. Waiting is not a popular concept in these days of instant everything. But when we wait on the Lord - wait for His timing - wait for His answers - wait for His direction, then we can soar to new heights and fly to new places.

"Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles: they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."

Love You All Greg