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 Dear Friends & Family,Greetings from Rzeszow (pronounced Zheh-shof) , Poland! The weather is unbelievably cold here! It has literally gotten down to 32 degrees below zero Celsius, or 25.6 degrees below zero Farenheit. Take your pick! Either way, brrrrrrrrrr! Because I have to walk everywhere, I went downtown, and it was so cold that my eyes watered, then the tears FROZE! That's a first! Production UpdateI arrived about 10 days ago, and we went right into auditions, and have cast the show. We have a great cast, and I'm excited. However, we still don't have a theatre! The pastor had something lined up, but then, the theatre we were planning on renting suddenly closed for repair, and they had to cancel everyone who had a booking with them. The show opens in 2 weeks, and we're still hunting down a suitable theatre for the production. We must start advertising. So, please pray that we'll find one, and soon!  While in Kiev, Ukraine, I had a chance to minister to the members of Pastor Henry Madava's church, Pobeda (Victory) where I will do a show in October. Financial Report for 2005God was faithful to provide for my needs plus Cornerstone's needs last year, and it was a very successful year! Here is how the funds are spent that the Lord provides through you:
 In rehearsal with my actors: from L-R: Monika, Max, Yulia, Rafau, Ania, next to me in red is my friend and interpreter, Marta, and Leshek in the very back. A wonderful group of strong actors! The Heart of GodI have asked myself in the past, "I wonder what God is thinking about?" What's on God's heart? When Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, did He mean to say, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot, go into all the world"? After all, it was the very last thing He said while He was here on earth. No, in fact, it's just the opposite. Often, the parting words shared by a great teacher or leader are the most profound. The Great Commission has been at the epicenter of creation. God's heart is to know His people. He wants a personal relationship with us. Yet, from the beginning of time, man has hidden from God, due to rebellion or disobedience. God Himself started evangelism and missions when He went after Adam and Eve, and help them to confront their sin. Think of it! From the first sin, God has been right there reaching out to us to bring us back! God then put that same missionary zeal into a man named Abram, as he was called by God to leave his land and go to another land. God blessed Abram's obedience to simply trust Him. But why is Abram's blessing important to us? The answer is found in Genesis 12:2, "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing." He wants us to be blessed so that we can be a blessing! Many of us pray, "Bless me, bless me, bless me" We want the RIGHTS that accompany our relationship with God, but not the RESPONSIBILITY.  Moving on to Rzeszow, I was invited by Pastor Marek Skrzpczyk to deliver the sermon in Sunday morning's service. Plan A From Abraham came a nation that would believe and trust and have relationship with God. The nation of Israel was to make known this King of the Universe! Yet, instead of Israel changing the nations around them, THEY themselves forsook God and changed to be like their heathen neighbors! Plan B When Jesus came to earth, He established a new plan, a new covenant between God and the people here on earth. He was simply doing what He saw the Father doing. Following after God's heart, He left HIS land, and went to another land. He gave His life, so that as we confront our sin, we have a choice to turn away from it and to accept His plan of salvation for us. Christians around the world are so distraught with life. They have no hope, no joy, no zeal, no motivation, and life is just awash with problems. How can this be, when we have a glorious God who loves us? The answer is two-fold: First of all, I think that there is a very real spiritual war going on right now, as we are in the last days. Satan is fighting Christians like never before to keep them discouraged and disheartened. By doing so, they lack any motivation to do anything important for the Kingdom. The second part of the answer is that Christians have been looking IN so long, that all they see is: well, themselves. Yes, they go to church, and they even serve on some committees and ministries. But for some, it's all about THEM! "I'll do this to be blessed, I'll serve to be blessed, I'll attend service to be blessed, and then I'll work to bless myself". And then they wonder why life is so meaningless. My friend, I pray that this is not you.  Under a fresh blanket of snow, the 400 year old Town Hall (once a prince's castle) still towers over the city. It is still in daily use today. We have a responsibility in our relationship with the Lord! We MUST go outside of ourselves. Leave that land called Self, and go into the World! Not the nations necessarily, but how about next door! Your boss, your co-worker, your fellow student, your friend. Our world is tragically lost. Even more tragic, Christians are forsaking God, and becoming like those heathen! May this not be! May we wake up, and forget about ourselves, with great abandon, and realize that if we don't roll up our sleeves and get to work, then these lost souls will be our fault, and their blood will be on our hands. Joy can only be found in living outside of ourselves. Giving to the point of sacrifice, serving to the point of inconvenience to our personal schedule, praying to the point of losing sleep and going without eating. Great Christian statesman David Shibley asked wisely, "If not now, then when? If not us, then whom?" Are you feeling down or depressed? Many are. The answer is to pour yourself out to the Lord, and to give yourself to the world. In dying to your self, you will find life in God's Kingdom, and you'll find there, the heart of God. Do Vedzenia!That's Polish for "Good bye!" As cold as it is, I find the Polish people to be some of the most warm hearted people in the world. They are kind, and generous. Yet, they're still in need of a Savior, and they can only find life in Jesus. Please pray that I'll be able to influence Poland for Jesus Christ through our production in 2 weeks. God bless you!
For the Kingdom, |
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