A Traveler's Log

What a joy it is to serve a loving and faithful God!
It seems I've been learning a lot about TIME this year! God's time, managing time, time FLIES!
On May 3rd we had our graduation at The Ezekiel Project School of Evangelism. ( TEPSE )  It seemed like the school year flew by and it was a joy to see the students growing in the Grace and knowledge of the Lord. Though sad to see them go, I'm excited to see what great things the Lord has in store for them!
On May 4th I set out with TEP to Georgia for our scheduled Basic and Advanced Training held on the grounds of Camp Hope. We had 8 seminar attendees the first week and 5 the second.

Open-air evangelism

We were able to go out several times into Atlanta to plant the seed of the Gospel. It was such a joy also to see lives changed as a result! Praise God! It was so encouraging to see the student's desire not only to learn about open-air evangelism, but their desire to be used of God was evident.

Lake at Camp Hope

We had an amazing 2 weeks there in Dahlonega, GA at Camp Hope!
One evening I went for a walk along the trails of Camp Hope. One thing I love about trails that wind and turn is not only the thought of "This is so cool, I could get LOST!" but the fact that you never know what awaits you around the next bend! I'd be walking along and then turn a corner to find a small shelter built along the path with a fire ring, or I'd stumble upon a small creek with minnows and tadpoles. This all reminded me of reading through the Word of God. I'm currently working on reading plan to get through the Bible in a year. (Getting near the end actually!) It's so exciting to read and discover little nuggets here and there that I never noticed before. It's a lot like walking a path, you may think you know a path well, or walk it frequently, but there's always something new to enjoy or take from it.

From Camp Hope we traveled to North Carolina to Mountain Top Youth Camp ( MTYC ) where
Chris and JC were scheduled to speak to a homeschool camp and I would counsel a teen boys cabin. This was my first time to MTYC and I was excited to be on top of a mountain for a week! One thing I learned about a camp being on a mountain like this is that you either walk up... or you walk down! (Unless of course you were inside a building or on the playing fields). I thought to myself as I was walking one day, "I'm not in Kansas anymore, Toto!"
It was so beautiful atop Sauratown Mountain! You could see for miles (That is, when it wasn't cloudy)! The campers were scheduled to show up Monday afternoon, so I had the opportunity to find my cabin early, get settled in a bit, and somewhat learn my way around camp!

View: Pilot Mt. from the deck of the Lodge

When I walked into my cabin for the first time I had to pick my jaw up off the floor as I counted the bunks. There was room for 18 campers! Now, I've counseled before and have had up to 11 campers, but 18?!! What if they're all hooligans?! :-D
Haha, ok so I have exaggerated  my reaction a bit here, There was a part of me saying "18?! :-0 " But the other part was saying "Oh yeah! Bring on the pillow fights!!" (Note to parents who might be reading this, we never did have a pillow fight, rest assured.) I was so thankful for my co-counselor Zack! Don't know what I would have done without him! We had an amazing group of boys in our cabin, I couldn't have asked for a better bunch!

Morning quiet time interruption : )
(He just wanted to remind me of
his awesome creator.)

To sum it all up, it was a fantastic week at MTYC! The view was great, rappelling down part of the mountain was awesome, ropes course, etc, it was great! ...BUT! ...   If you were to ask me what I liked most about the camp experience at MTYC, it was seeing light bulbs turn on! ("Ok, Tim, you're that excited that they have electricity on a mountain?? Go fly a kite, man!") Not that kind of lightbulb, the light bulb of understanding as the Word of God was taught and sunk in! Seeing a fire kindled in a young person that I pray never dies or gets snuffed out! THAT was my favorite part of the week! Because in 100 years it's not gonna matter what they did at camp or if they got cleanest cabin award (of which we DIDN'T... but that's another story...) What really matters is if they have trusted Christ and what they have done for Christ.

C.T. Studd once wrote: "Only one life twill son be past, only what's done for Christ will last." 

Beautiful Sunset on Sauratown Mt!

I am now back in Michigan for about a week and a half before heading to Kansas City, KS for our next Basic Training Seminar. And then on to Turkey Hill Ranch Bible Camp for a time. Thanks to all who have prayed for and supported me. I praise God for the opportunity He has given me to minister through His Word and again am just thrilled in an overwhelmed sort of way that He would put me into the ministry like this. All praise, honor and glory be to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

Because He Lives,

Tim

Concerning my Faithful God

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Eph. 3:20-21

   Looking back over the past 7 months since I came to Michigan. I have found this passage to be dripping with truth! (Or should I say "abundantly dripping?") To say it's an adventure may be putting it lightly. Let me add an adjective... let's call it a WONDERFUL adventure! :) (I'd call it "A Wonderful Life," but that's already been taken)
The idea of leaving a possible career path or job to go into a ministry where your income and every need is totally dependent on God alone may seem "daunting" or "crazy!" to some. At times it may seem like that, but I must say that living by faith in God alone for every need is amazing in so many ways! Not only have I seen God provide in some amazing ways, but through it I've grown closer in my relationship with the Lord. I remember growing up and reading biographies of men and women who served the Lord. They lived a life of faith and told stories of God's providing safety circumstances beyond their control, or of God's providing finances in the nick of time. I remember thinking "I would like to live like that, but possibility or probability of ME doing it? ...hmm, maybe not." 
Ever since God's calling of me to the ministry, I too have seem Him work in similar ways in my own life! And all I can say is To God be the glory, great things He has done! At times of His provision I turn back to the verse mentioned above and thank God for not only providing, but providing in ways beyond what I've asked or in ways  I can't even think of! God is so faithful and I echo the words of Paul in 1 Timothy 1:12 thanking God for enabling me and counting me faithful putting me into the ministry! This is by nothing I have done, but all by the grace of my Lord and Saviour. All praise be to His name!

   Along with teaching me about a life of faith and trust, the Lord has been stretching me a lot. One of these ways is in giving me a class to teach! I know I've enjoyed teaching kids at Awana back home in Wichita, KS, but in a adult Bible school setting? Let's just say there was a lot of shaking going on in MY boots! The class is on Biblical discipleship, the terms, cost and rewards of being a disciple of Christ. One thing I love about teaching is that I learn so much at the same time and often the subject of the day was an area the Lord has been working with me on in my own life. To make a long story short I discovered I really enjoy teaching! But I also feel I have a lot to learn about teaching too! :D 

Moving from Kansas to Michigan was a big change for me, not just because I'm 1,000 miles away from home, but because the climate is a bit different from what I'm used to! I have come to appreciate hot summer days so much more too! It has been really cold and snowed quite a bit this winter here in Michigan. Some have told me this is nothing really compared to some past winters! (I gain a layer of clothing just thinking about it!) 
One thing that's inevitable with lots of snow is the arising of many snowmen/women. One night after getting home from a later night at the school, I pull into the parking lot outside my apartment to discover there in my headlights a monstrosity of a snow...thing! His base was about 3-4 feet in diameter and his whole being reached maybe 8 feet into the air! He had a necktie around his neck and pine branches poking out all over his "hairy" head. A carrot he had for a nose, and was looking pretty cooool with his sunglasses. To top it all he had gloves on his hands and there in one "hand" a booklet that read "May I ask you a question?" Yes, a gospel preaching snowman! With that I knew my neighbors (and students at TEPSE) had either some extra energy, or too much time on their hands (or both)! I chuckled as I went inside and readied myself for bed. Sleep came quickly, but I arose at one time in the middle of the night and was startled at the figure in the window of my apartment! I quickly remembered Goliath the Gospel preaching snowman outside and realized then just how close they had created this snowevangelist in conjunction to my bedroom window! With the nice parking lot lighting that shown through my window it cast a nice (large) shadow on my bedroom wall!  I quickly realized I had nothing to fear as far as intruders go because they would either see this snowman and run, or would read the tract, be saved, and well... not rob me. 
Although it was a cold winter, the sunshine has poked through the clouds the last few days and warmed things up a bit making me much appreciate the sun and thinking about Heaven where we will have no need of the sun because the light of THE SON! 

There's so many stories to tell, so much that has happened since my coming to Michigan and much happening each day, but time is getting late and another big day is ahead of me tomorrow as I grade papers and prepare for the graduation of our students and the trips immediately following of which I will further expound on in a future post, so stay tuned! 

Because He Lives! - Tim

"O PRAISE THE LORD, all ye nations: praise Him, all ye people. For His merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. PRAISE YE THE LORD." Ps 117