To Roatan

A group of friends and I will be in Roatan (Honduras) the next several days.  Most of our time there will be spent under water. This is my annual mancation where some of my pals and I leave the normal routine, catch up on life, and SCUBA dive.

I’m looking forward to unplugging and resting the weary brain while looking at some of the most amazing things that God has created, all with great friends.  SCUBA diving is a “thin” time for me.  Let’s hope the air doesn’t run thin.

For a play-by-play (until internet runs dry) follow me on twitter or facebook.

While I am gone, the PM service at MCC continues the Good, Bad, and Ugly series with Justin Hoeppner and Jack the Fox.  The AM service continues The Me I want to Be series with Dr Vince.

And while I have you, don’t forget that Easter is April 4.  We have two services, 9AM and 11AM (no PM service that day).  This is a fantastic opportunity to invite a friend or family member to one of the best worship gatherings of the year.

Follow Compassion Bloggers in Kenya

A group of bloggers are in Kenya this week.  They are taking a first-hand look at Compassion International and blogging their experiences.  For more information, click here.

Side note:  I am putting together a vision trip to Kenya in September.  This trip has limited openings for Pastors or Sr leaders in larger churches.  More deets to come.

Make Your Life (and work) Count

Help Haiti Live

Compassion International presents Help Haiti Live.  Join us as we are assembling the largest on-line viewing audience possible. The concert will be streamed live at HelpHaitiLive.com on Feb 27th at 7:30 Central time and will last approximately two and a half hours.

Gibson Foundation has donated a guitar to be signed by ‘Help Haiti Live’ performers and auctioned at HelpHaitiLive.com as well beginning Wednesday afternoon. All proceeds from the auction and other on-line donations will go to Compassion International’s Haiti disaster relief fund.

Compassion has already been providing temporary shelter, spiritual counsel, clean water, food and medicine to about 20,000 Haitian families. This event, made possible by your support, will allow that care to continue and rebuild the homes and lives of many Compassion families devastated by the earthquake on January 12th.

Compassion Thursday; Laura needs you

Change the world for Laura, a Colombian child waiting for sponsorship with Compassion International. 

Laura lives with her father and her mother. She is responsible for running errands and cleaning. Her father is employed and her mother maintains the home. There are 2 children in the family.
Laura is not attending school because she is too young. Playing house, playing with dolls and playing group games are her favorite activities. She also attends Bible class regularly.
Because of your sponsorship, Laura will have new opportunities to learn and grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Thank you for your concern and prayers.

To learn more about sponsoring Laura, click here.

Compassion Thursday; Brandoll Needs You

Be a part of a world-changing movement by becoming a child sponsor with Compassion International.  Brandoll is a young man in Honduras.  My family and I sponsor a child in Honduras and in her last letter she asked us to pray that her country would become safe.  Honduras is currently not the best place to live or travel.  How great would it be to make a difference in Brandoll’s life and give him a chance to thrive in challenging country?

Brandoll makes his home with his mother. Washing clothes, running errands and cleaning are his household duties. His mother is sometimes employed as a laborer. There are 2 children in the family.
As part of Compassion’s ministry, Brandoll participates in church activities and Bible class. He is also in kindergarten where his performance is average. Playing with cars, hide-and-seek and playing group games are his favorite activities.
Your care and consistent sponsorship are especially important to Brandoll because he has asthma and is receiving regular medical treatment. Thank you for your love and prayers.

To learn more about sponsoring Brandoll, click here.

Compassion Thursday; Muvunyi needs you

Most Compassion kids are young.  Meet Muvunyi, a 19 year old young man from Rwanda.

In his home, Muvunyi helps by carrying water, gathering firewood and caring for animals. He lives with his mother. His mother is sometimes employed as a farmer. There are 3 children in the family.
Soccer, volleyball and playing ball games are Muvunyi’s favorite activities. In high school his performance is average and he also regularly attends church activities and choir.
Your love and support will help Muvunyi to receive the assistance he needs to develop his potential. Please pray for him.
This child lives in an AIDS affected area. In Africa, the disease has impacted the entire continent, creating a generation of orphans and vulnerable children. God can use you to help ease the pain of a child in desperate need.

For information on sponsoring Muvunyi, click here.

Goodbye exchange

Last Sunday the leaders off MCC verbalized what God has been leading us to for the last couple of years.  Exchange has joined forces with the morning community (EPIC) of Maryland Community Church.   No longer will we carry the titles of EPIC or exchange.  We are now Maryland Community Church, a community of people following Christ and serving in his cause.

Why?  Because we believe that together we can be better. 

What does that mean for exchange?  The Sunday gathering will look very much the same.  We will gain the addition of Dr Vince when it comes to helping our personal spiritual formation.  Vince will be teaching some classes and is already exploring some cutting-edge ways to help our personal spiritual walk (stay tuned for details).  I will continue to teach on Sunday nights and will begin to teach more in the AM gathering.

I talked about all of this at our last official exchange gathering, Vince talked about it at the last official Epic gathering.  You can listen here.

A detailed document on the change is here.

Am I excited?  More than you know.  I believe that we are going to see God do some amazing things as we all join together, follow him, and serve in his cause.  Will you join us?

Compassion Thursday. Samir Needs You

I used to feel like I couldn’t change the world.  I was wrong.   I can change the world.  I can change the world for one child.  So can you.  For $38 you can change the world of Samir.  Click here for all the details and be a world changer.

Samir lives with in Columbia, South America with his father and his mother. He is responsible for running errands. His father is employed and his mother is employed. There are 2 children in the family.
Playing with cars, hide-and-seek and playing group games are Samir’s favorite activities. In kindergarten his performance is average and he also regularly attends church activities.
Because of your sponsorship, Samir will have new opportunities to learn and grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Thank you for your concern and prayers.

For more info on changing the world of  Samir, click here.

Brit Hume to Tiger: Turn to Christianity

Everybody has an opinion on the Tiger Woods deal.  However, these 55 seconds may say it best.  Props to Hume for manning up and speaking his faith both confidence and manners.