Report for May with thoughts on the church

It's been a pretty amazing quarter, and we're extremely excited to already be half-way finished with the program! Or, at least, almost half-way. We are fast approaching the mid-quarter "research week," which means the last few weeks of classes will be gone before we know it. We are still learning a ton - almost finished with Greek (which is wonderful). We're enjoying other classes such as the survey of denominational doctrines, OT 3: Wisdom Literature, a class on Hermeneutics, and Restoration History. The women's classes this quarter are Public Speaking and a survey of the New Testament epistles: Acts through Revelation. Whew!

In Denominational Doctrines, we are covering everything from Catholicism to Islam, which has made for a very interesting class. It's pretty incredible to see how much man can deviate from God's Word in a matter of just two to three hundred years. Two thousand years later, these deviations have splintered into literally thousands more groups that all call themselves different versions of various names. What is fascinating to consider as we spend each day finding out more of this historical phenomenon, is that those who were called by Christ were not to take any other name for their "group" (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). They were simply "the church," simetimes including a reference to their location. They were not "a church" in Corinth. Not even "the Church," as though that word were a name, and not a description. As "the ones who are called out," which is what the word "church" means, this group of believers had no other name to call themselves other than the one given by which they were saved (Acts 4:12). So they were called Christians (Acts 11:26), not by men, but by the Holy Spirit as prophecied in Isaiah 62:2.

So, for people who are seeking to have fellowship with those who have been called out, the emphasis has always been to know the Word of God, so we know the church when we see it. While the words on a sign are sometimes an indicator, it is of utmost importance to see if their practices match those of the church that Jesus established in the first century. Thanks to the apostles, we have adequate instructions to follow and descriptions to read that give us a standard with which we can measure. What an irreplacable treasure we have in God's complete, inspired Word. Thank you for your participation in our training as we work to equip ourselves to bring this information to others. We've become very passionate about this; the more time we spend learning, the more we anticipate bringing what we've been given to the world around us.

God bless, and have a wonderful week!

Fourth Quarter - Unbelievable!

We're almost half-way done. This year has gone by so quickly, with no signs of slowing down. I think the coolest part about this experience has been the development of the dream. David and I had lots of what-ifs and maybes when we were planning to get married. What would God do with us as a couple? Where would we go and how could we be a part of helping God's kingdom to grow? Now there are no limits. There's not even really any concern about where we'll end up and what we will do when we get there. Two things are certain. We will share the message of God with as many people as we can, and we will do it together. God has left no doubt in our hearts as to our mission. For myself, I'm excited for having children. The mission field in our home is a priority I am preparing for to the best of my ability, and there has been no lack of helpful, practical lessons on the subject. What an incredible charge God has given us! Not only is there a world out there on whom God is anxious to pour out His compassion when they obey the message, but our homes have been built for the express purpose of bringing souls into the world that we can love and instruct from day 1.

On our campaign to Security, Colorado, this was a topic of much discussion in a parenting seminar based on Psalm 127-128. That was an incredible week, not only for the practice we got in reaching out to the local college campus, library, park, and mall to spread the word about the seminar, but also because we saw what God can do in a small congregation of people who strongly desire to be a light to their community. It gave us courage, fortified our love for God and His church, and taught us much in the way of reaching for the extraordinary instead of settling for mediocrity.

We would like to thank you, once again, for your participation in this. David and I have spent hours and hours delving deeper into the Word day after day, hoping that our lights will burn the brighter and that the world will be the better for our efforts. What effect will we have on the kingdom? It's hard to say. But if we have anything to say about it, there will be no small commotion.