Text only post here today. We crossed a pretty large milestone today in the life of the Church of Descartes. We met with the mayor.
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Sometimes I go to sleep without brushing my teeth. Not tonight. But sometimes. It's not that I don't enjoy minty breathe. But instead I get ready to go brush and... Meh. This is usually about an hour after I lecture my daughter on healthy gum habits. We've started brushing her tongue. I think I heard someone say that's a good thing to do. Meh. I think for some of you this might be an inaccessible thought or idea. Maybe it's 'The Simpsons' coming out of me after all these years. Or maybe we just all hide it well. We all have meh moments. Gulp. I used to love drinking Dr. Pepper. I'd stop on the way to the office and get 44 ounces of it to fuel my afternoon (dependency). Then I realized 44 ounces is a lot. Then I moved to France. Good luck finding it. That's one kind of gulp. There's a totally different kind too. You know when you get ready to do something and say 'here goes' or when in France, 'bonne chance' (This phrase is common here. I don't think they mean it quite as sarcastically as I think we do in America but it still enters my ears like that.) We stand on the CUSP of a gulp moment. There are visas. Documents. Drivers Licenses. There's that ole pesky church plant. It's exciting but it's terrifying. I think the word for that is exilirating. I have so much more to learn. We have so much more to apply. You have so much more to pray for. I've been up reading and listening to hymns and music. It's 1 am. One of the songs had this line: 'You're what I'm counting on.' It's true. It's not far fetched. I'm counting on God. In all my messy, non toothbrushed, dr pepperless spirit. I'm counting on God. You should too. It's exhilarating. About 2 months ago we were in a small car accident. Quickly we moved to have the car 'totaled' and moved on to find a new car. Quickly we moved. It feels like it's been about 769 days since we made that trip and had the accident in Lyon. Since then we've played a waiting game (the blame goes all around, government agencies, circumstances, my own (Greg's) errors). Yesterday we received the last bit of paperwork to be able to move ahead with getting the reimbursement check from the insurance and purchase our car. A while ago we asked you to help. We had some money to go toward the new car (from insurance) but were short quite a bit (about 2000 Euros). So we did it. We asked you, "Help us fund this personal project." So to recap without you, this is what our new car looked like... Slightly faded and half there. Surprisingly, half a car can be good for many endeavors: 1) It cuts down on arguments 2) Tolls are cheaper 3) It helps to settle a crying baby 4) It starts conversations 'Hey, half a car huh...you must have a lot of faith to drive like that..' 'ACTUALLY sir or madame, have you ever heard of Jesus?' But realistically, half a car is...well, not useable. With you though, we turned that half a car into this... A WHOLE CAR! Yes, we asked and you came through. You showed faith and aided us and the Kingdom here. It's shiny and nice. Now, realistically there are a few more issues... 1) This car is paper. It's not the actual car. The real car, a Citroen Picasso, has been purchased for us here in France and 2) is awaiting (you guessed it) some paperwork and insurance to be put in our name. In actuality the car is all but ours. We can't wait to have a real picture of the car with us in it to show you. We are humbled not just by you but also by the many people here in France who aided us when, frankly, we had no idea what to do. So THANK YOU ALL for making this demi-car problem a whole car solution. We are blessed. A Quick Update on what we are up to: Nikki taught her first session on Hermeneutics at the church this past Sunday and will finish the class this Sunday. Greg and Nikki will attend and help with a preaching intensive next week, a part of the CFRi in Loches. Greg will attend an orientation for France Mission on the 22nd of this month in Paris and our family will attend another event like this for Kontaktmission (in Germany) in November. We've been continuing our tutoring 4 days a week and Ophelia is continuing her 4 day a week schooling at a local preschool. Greg is scheduled to preach for the first time in December and will help with Kids Club (3-7 year olds) at church starting in November. Our team continues to meet to get to know each other as we continue our move toward launching a new campus in Descartes, France. Thanks again for all of your prayers, letters, notes, cheddar cheese (yes, that happened), salsa (that happened also) and love. We miss you, but love working for the same big God together. Until next time. Read the Bible and actually do what it says..
Recently, I was looking for another Bible verse and restumbled (yes, it’s a word now) onto these verses in 1 Corinthians 1. To me it was powerful stuff. Certainly the kind of passage in scripture that reminds me of many of us. 26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. I was many things when I heard God in my life. I was arrogant, proud, but also very weak and insecure. Hardly wise, hardly influential and well, the usual citizen. But read that again. Not many means some of…. Some of these Christians were considered ‘wise’, ‘influential’ and of ‘noble blood.’ Yet was there a king or duke or whatever noble title they used in the church? No. Was there specifically a seating section for the wise and another for the dense? No. Were the influential Christians given sparkly communion cups? No. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. The foolish things shame the wise and the weak to shame the strong. Quite the opposite of how we normally approach things. Were some less important than others in the Church? No. Did all receive some news that sounded weird and odd? Yes. God died for YOU? Even the lowest of the gods didn’t act that way. They knew better. They knew their place (in mythology). God knew his place but better than that, he KNEW OUR PLACE. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. I’m not pretending that this is some deep great theological entry. Nor am I going to pretend that I spent the last week scouring an ancient library to find some hidden secret. God chose things to use that which was not (Christ the man, apostles to preach, minorities, crazy stories) to overcome that which was. I’m not entirely sure what all this means but I know this. It isn’t the things that make us say ‘I better not…’ or ‘You have to be crazy to do that…’ that usually make us feel safe and secure. It’s the trophies that make us feel proud. The awards and the pats on the back (or kisses on the cheek) make us smile. It’s THOSE things we want for our children. Not to hear them come home and say ‘MOM AND DAD GOD HAS DONE GREAT THINGS FOR ME SO I’M GOING TO DO THIS FOR HIM. I KNOW, IT’S FOOLISH. IT MAKES NO SENSE AND ALL I CAN SAY IS DON’T TRUST ME, TRUST HIM. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” SEE HERE IS THE THING, IT’S NOT MY RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT MAKES ME GOOD. IT’S NOT MY HOLINESS THAT GOD IS LOOKING FOR. IT’S NOT HOW MANY TIMES I CAN SAVE MYSELF THAT HE IS JUDGING. HE IS JUDGING WHAT I DID WHEN HE REDEEMED ME. WHEN HE SHOWED ME WHAT HOLINESS WAS. WHEN HE SHOWED ME WHO IS TRULY RIGHTEOUS. I CAN’T BOAST IN ME BECAUSE WELL, I’M NOTHING AND THAT IS OKAY. REALLY. IT’S OK TO BE NOTHING. NO SERIOUSLY. IT’S GOOD. BUT GOD, GOD, HE IS SOMETHING. I highlight all this because I want you to understand that we get tired. I once heard someone say a missionary isn’t a super Christian. I agreed and laughed and said ‘ok, cool.’ Then I ‘went on mission’ (whatever that means) and found out I’M NOT A SUPER HERO and none of my friends who are on the mission field (wherever that is) are either. Sorry guys, if you are reading, you are awesome and do amazing things but straight up, we aren’t super heroes. So it is with that that I just say that life is tiring. It’s truly a God thing. Over the next few days our lives in Loches will ramp up. Tutoring starts again (you know so we can speak in French without making sentences that translate into, ‘Oh yes, yesterday good I saw her. He said she like bacon shoes and wearing elm trees’.) that’s sarcasm I hope. Our growth groups start at church as well. These are super small groups designed for bible study, discipleship and accountability. Ophelia started school (4 days a week) Tuesday. Pray that she will enjoy it as much as she always has. Pray that we will grow more familiar with our community and continue to meet people and understand the needs of everyone around us. |
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