The World Was Not Worthy of Her

A young Christian has died. Her Muslim father killed her. This happens far more often than we in the west know. We are comfortable. We are busy trying to make ourselves worth something in this world. She was worth more than the world could pay (so are we; we are just too often caught up in the hype and glitter of this world's temptations).

So now this young woman stands before Jesus, dressed in white, giving glory to the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world. She stands there because the world was not worthy of her.

Let's not lower ourselves to the value of this world.

Homeward Bound

It's been a long furlough--stateside assignment for those familiar with the SBC's International Mission Board terminology. We have been stateside since November. That was at least ten pounds ago for me. Okay, so maybe it was closer to fifteen. That's what happens when you visit church after church that feeds you a meal or two, accept numerous invitations to eat out, and rationalize eating by telling yourself it's the last time you will get to eat here or there.

Aside from gaining a few pounds, we did accomplish a lot this furlough. Let me just name a few of them:

• We have networked with a number of churches, who will help us in South America
• We trained men and women to serve as strategic partners
• We spoke in about 30 different churches in 3 different states
• We watched our daughters move forward in life
• We enjoyed the company of our brothers, sisters, and mothers

That is just a small sampling of a long 9 months of time away from our ministries. Now we are more than rested and more than ready to get back into the swing of things.

We are headed to a country we have called "home" for almost 20 years. Yes, come August 29th we are homeward bound.