Despite the endlessness of the cold, dark winter, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The days are getting longer and teaching is becoming less demanding. The departure date for the USA on June 2, is in sight.
As I look toward the future, several opportunities have surfaced. I am busy considering the details and praying about some next steps. I would appreciate your prayers in this matter.
The Philippines
The January/February trip to the Philippines was full of enjoyment (see pictures in my photostream) and the beginning of some new friendships. The last things I expected to do were to teach, preach, and sing on the trip. God was gracious and merciful as He helped me prepare and accomplish these tasks. The whole experience was a pleasure and a privilege.
New Developments
I recently changed churches (http://www.icapetersburg.com ) and am starting connect with a group of African university students from Swaziland, Ghana, Nigeria, and other places. I am also meeting Russian believers as well as making new friends from the US and the UK.
I am also teaching a new group of linguistics students at the university. They are first year students (16-17 years old) and all fourteen of them are girls. Stay tuned. I’m sure there will be some drama.
Love God! Love Man!
God began a work of renewal and a season of growth in my life beginning in late December. Much that is going on is hard to explain, but in some definable ways I am reading and studying a whole lot more Bible, listening to a lot of teaching podcasts from churches all over the place such as Capital Church, K2, Woodland Hills, Mars Hill, and Mosaic-Portland, etc. I am also reading a lot of great books.
Truths that I am hearing consistently in much of the teaching, Bible study and books that I am reading seem to focus on three topics.
1. Loving God / Loving Man
2. God’s grace and mercy
3. The Great Reversal (living Jesus’ example of servanthood and humility is the only way to be great in the Kingdom of God)
I will focus on loving God and loving man in this post and will write about the others in the future.
In all of the expectations, requirements, disciplines and rules that we learn about the Christian life, it is quite easy to become distracted and miss the point of a life in God altogether – loving God and loving man.
Mark 12:30-31 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Jesus sums up the 10 Commandments and the 613 laws that the Jews were following at the time with two – LOVE GOD and LOVE MAN.
Christ followers in the First Century did just that and they changed their world. Their actions still reverberate in our world today. What if we actually decided to live this way? What if we actually looked at the way Jesus lived, obeyed him and followed His example? We can change our world too – by carefully considering Jesus’ words and life and then imitating him.
GRACE and PEACE in JESUS,
Allen
Hey Allen, great reading your blog. Sounds like your time in Russia and the work you are doing has been quite profound. What an experience–foreign country, serving God, making the most of life! It sounds like you are doing great, which has been really nice to read. Keep up the great work! Curtis Linton