Everyone has a father.  Father’s Day can be fun and strengthen relationships between children and dads or it sometimes can bring painful memories of a strained or missing relationship with a father.

Shannon and I have learned a lot over the years from one of our favorite ladies serving in the campus ministry of Cru:  Gladys Hillman.   “Miss Gladys” shares her powerful story of forgiveness here in this video.  We’d love to know what you think.  Also, who do you know who needs to hear this story today?

The violence, deaths and aftermath are huge reminders that sin is the root cause and Jesus is the only cure.

Our daughter Avery has been taking a few classes at the local community college.   This summer she also landed a part time job there.   We were saddened to learn that, of the 49 people who died at the Pulse nightclub, 8 of them were students at the community college.   Avery did not know them personally.   But it hits home.

Recently I read Acts 11 and this verse stood out to me:

Acts 11:18 NLT   “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.” The NASB says it this way:  “God granted to the Gentiles repentance that leads to life.”

Why is it a privilege to repent?  And what significance is it that God grants or gives a gift of repentance to people?

Jesus’ ministry on earth began with John the Baptist loudly calling people to repent.  Repentance is a sincere turning away from sin.  If sin is not so bad, it sounds silly to repent.  But sin is exactly what the Bible describes it to be: it is truly bad, truly dark, denying that God is Holy, rejecting the perfection of His goodness to us.  “Small sins” may seem harmless at first, but I inspect my own heart and find that even a spoonful of jealous hatred can snowball into a heinous act.  Without repentance, sin totally owns us all.

When someone sincerely repents, they not only turn away from sin, but they also turn to God.  Jesus said, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.”

Is repentance a privilege?  Yes.  Yes, for many reasons, especially when you consider that no sinner deserves anything from God.  He owes us nothing.  In His eyes, any amount of sin is enough to cause an eternal, solid wall to separate us from Him.  Yet, because the sinless Jesus was punished and died for sins, that wall can be torn down.  And it gets even better.  Through faith in Jesus, my penalty for sin can be thrown away as far as the east is from the west.

I’m privileged only because Jesus first paid for me and loved me – long before I repented.  It is a privilege to be able to turn away from sin.  You could say it is a miracle this is even possible.  Living a life dominated by sin surely leads to death.  Anything better than this type of sin-saturated life (death) would be better.  But Jesus gives us something so much better than we deserve.

Getting back to Acts 11, the apostle Peter realized that God granted (allowed and gifted) Gentiles as well as Jews the privilege of repentance.  This is significant because it demonstrated to the early Christians that no race, no gender, no social class, no religious background, no merit or achievement, no status symbol in life, is a credit or a limitation towards repentance that leads to abundant and eternal life.  Good news for me.  I as a Christian and as someone who has appeared as a religious achiever for a long time desperately need the repenting privilege.  Everyone needs it desperately.  Everyone can receive it completely and joyfully.

Please know that Cru is committed to sharing this message of repentance as well as serving all people of Orlando with simple acts of love and kindness.  On our Facebook page, you can see some ways we are praying for and reaching out to Orlando.  Cru is a caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ.  Thank you so much for praying for us and supporting us!

Avery, Addison and Toby are smiling pretty wide as they finished up their school year over a week ago.

One of the fringe benefits of homeschooling is that, if the kids work hard, they can actually finish all assignments, reports and end-of-year testing a couple weeks before public schools finish up around here.  Whew!  They’re done.  Summer is here!

Would you take 2 minutes to pray for Avery, Addison and Toby?   We’re grateful for the Lord’s work in their lives and grateful for your positive influence and encouragement to spur their growth.

1)   Pray for their minds, hearts and bodies to continue to be engaged in learning, listening to the Lord and serving others this summer.   Pray for them to experience the deep love and freedom that only the gospel brings.
2)   Thank the Lord for the many great friends and growth opportunities He has provided for our kids this year;  we couldn’t do it without a great homeschool co-op and other supporting friends
3)   Pray for good rest for the school teacher (Shannon) and students, but also wise stewardship of time.  Next year Avery will be entering 12th grade, Addison 9th and Toby 7th

Here are a few photos from their school year:

What is a BibleBox?  Take a look at one below.   It is basically a simple, battery powered WiFi broadcaster that can store and distribute videos, books, audio sermons or any media to those who connect to it from their handheld device.  The idea is for believers to strategically place these devices – pre-loaded with God’s Word and resources in appropriate languages – in locations where little to no access to WiFi is available.

In the US, it is getting difficult to go to any populated area and not find WiFi available.  But millions of people around the world own cell phones capable of receiving WiFi, yet there are very limited WiFi providers in their countries.  Here are a few examples of BibleBox use (list is from the BibleBox.org website):

A Christian in an apartment complex in Bangladesh uses his BibleBox to share Christian resources anonymously with others in his complex. They share resources and can even chat online using the BibleBox software out of sight to answer any questions or discuss issues.

A Taxi driver makes resources available to passengers as they journey with him.

Missionary families living in remote communities can have a BibleBox sitting on a window sill of their house or office making Bibles and learning resources available simply by having it turned on. Nothing else is required. Once the device is on anyone with a wifi enabled device simply connects to the BibleBox and can download the shared files.

See more at BibleBox.org

I asked, “You want us to pray what every day until the end of the year 2020?  …And you want us to set a daily alarm to remind us to pray?”   It sounded a little crazy.   Some days it still seems crazy.   Crazy or not, it is a faith goal.   If we have an infinite God who loves to answer prayer and who is able to do far beyond what we ask or imagine, it’s really not that crazy.   But it is really big.

Last year, leaders around the world with Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru in the US) sensed the Lord moving them to trust Him for a huge goal.   The goal has two parts:

 1)   Believe Him for 5 Million new churches planted by the end of 2020.  (That’s about 4.5 years or about 1,700 days away)  As we assist other church planters, the goal is to help launch a seedling church of at least 10 believers for every 1,000 people in the world.  This would roughly double the number of churches that existed as of 2010.
2)   Trust Him to see 10 Million disciples actively multiplying their faith in Christ by 2020.   This is part of our calling to win, build and send people as we help fulfill the Great Commission.

Will you join us daily in asking the Lord of the Harvest to do this?  We believe these goals are from the Lord and He is the only one who can accomplish it.   All of our staff around the world and all of student volunteers – even all of the amazing church planters that we partner with – are not able to do it.   Only God can.   He wants the glory.   He deserves the credit.

So every day at 8:20pm (20:20 in military time – to remind us of the year 2020), our alarm goes off to remind us:   Lord, please…

• Mold our hearts to Yours
• Multiply our lives into others who will follow You
• Mobilize laborers to seek and build disciples

You can sign up to pray at Pray2020.org.   To learn more, you can visit Pray2020 or read their latest Prayer Journal (April-May 2016).  It even mentions a short story of what the Lord is doing in Thomasville, Georgia!  (Familiar stomping grounds for me and several of you.)  Read it here.

You can also see more updates on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter by searching the hashtag #PRAY2020

Although this man has a unique story (and he does have a name), millions of other believers are like him.   Over 200 million people today have come to know Christ through the Jesus Film.

Cru just one of hundreds of organizations and churches who use the Jesus Film to share the message of Christ.  Kolo Group is one such Great Commission organization operating in Africa.  Also, many churches in Africa are using the Jesus Film as a visual Bible to help disciple new Christians and to teach the Bible.

Please watch this video to see this man’s story.   You’ll also learn how Kolo Group built a smartphone app specifically to help teach the Bible in Africa.

Probably these verses are familiar to you.  Sometimes we are tempted to rush past these thinking, “Oh, I’m beyond all that; I have known that for so long.”   However, these promises are absolutely stunning.   They are stunning in light of what Jesus has done for us – in light of what we deserved.

How have you been shaped by these truths?   We’d love to hear.

For anyone who is in Christ…

Not Condemned

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

Clean New Slate

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Raised from the Dead

“I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.” John 11:25

What were Mrs. Bright’s parting words?  Barely three weeks before she passed away on Dec 23, she made a phone call to Dr. Steve Douglass (President of Cru) at a unique gathering of Campus Crusade’s top global staff leaders in Rome, Italy.  At the time, her health was relatively stable and her spirits were high.  What she had to say to those leaders was powerful and encouraging:

Listening to her reminded us of two super critical foundational principles that Mrs. Bright fully exemplified and we strive to follow – living the fullest life possible in Christ:

 1) Prayer is the single most powerful activity we can engage in.   Vonette truly believed this.  It is an amazing privilege which unlocks our hearts before the King of the Universe, allowing us full access to “approach the throne of grace with confidence to find grace to help…”

2) Walking daily in the power of the Holy Spirit is a lesson we all must learn and relearn constantly.  Absolute dependence on the Holy Spirit is the only means by which believers can experience the soul satisfaction and fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness and self control.

Here is the recording of Vonette’s phone call.   Actually, it is a video with photos from the ministry and her talking in the background.  You’ll see and hear Dr. Douglass asking her a few questions.  Take special note of her final remarks starting approximately at 20minutes into her 22minute call:  http://www.cru.org/mrsbrightrome.html

Praise God for Vonette’s life!  What a moving testimony challenging us to joyfully surrender and fully obey Jesus’ command for the Great Commission.

Her memorial service begins at 10AM Eastern today.  You can view it live on your phone or computer here.  Or, view the service later.  It will be recorded for you to watch here.

Shannon and I owe a lot to Vonette Bright.   Without her consistent, encouraging voice and strong leadership alongside her husband Dr. Bill Bright (1921 – 2003), who co-founded Cru alongside her in 1951, we may have never met.  Cru has grown into one of the world’s largest missionary organizations and their commitment to family is much a result of Mrs. Bright’s influence.

It is with sadness, yet with the same eager anticipation which filled her prayers, that we share with you that Mrs. Bright went to be with the Lord a week ago today on December 23.  She was 89.   Up until recent months, she was still extremely active in the ministry of Cru – speaking, writing books, serving on committees and extending rich hospitality to many staff and guests in her home.

As recently as this November, David saw Mrs. Bright attending a Thanksgiving service at Cru Headquarters.  She was in a wheelchair but appeared to be in good spirits.

She passed away peacefully at home in Orlando with her family beside her.   Diagnosed with Leukemia only a few weeks prior, her health quickly declined but in her last days she said several times, “I am not sad.  It has been such a privilege for me to serve the staff of Cru and to see so many lives changed.  I’m not worried about His timing (for death) or His plans. …Oh honey, I am rejoicing!”

One thing about Vonette’s story that always intrigued us concerns her engagement to Bill and a transformation in Vonette’s life.   At the time, Bill Bright was a young believer committed to evangelism, but there was significant doubt regarding Vonette’s relationship with Christ.  Although a churchgoer, she did not see Jesus as real or personal.  As Bill grew stronger in his faith, Vonette saw the train wreck approaching:  “I decided that Bill had become a religious fanatic and that somehow he must be rescued from this fanaticism!” said Vonette shortly after their engagement.

If you want to find how the story finally resulted in a very happy marriage and Vonette coming to know Jesus, view the simple website here in her memory.   Read Vonette’s story.  You’ll be blessed.  You can even write a tribute message of your own.

Thank you for partnering with us in 2015.  You have made this a fabulous year of personal growth, blessing and great joy in serving the Lord.  Happy New Year!

Yes, this very thing can and does happen in Christian organizations and even in serving alongside friends at church.  The Lord doesn’t always protect us from disagreements and doesn’t want us to deny or isolate ourselves from it.  Conflict just happens.  Believers seek to uphold unity and selfless love but in reality we don’t always live harmoniously.

We’ve worked very closely in team relationships with full time Christian workers for over 20 years now.  As a whole, the experience has been wonderful.  Yet some days it feels like far too much fuss is made about things that really don’t matter that much. Other days not nearly enough fuss (productive fuss) is made about matters that are truly important.

So, disagreement happens.   How will I respond when it does happen?  These are lessons I am learning:

1) First, thank Jesus and bring God into the negative

Pray for those who made the decisions you disagree with.  By name, pray for the people who hurt you and lift up their heart to the Lord.   Seek to bless them.

2) Take initiative to reconcile

If the relationship is damaged, take the initiative to forgive, ask for forgiveness and go to them and seek to be reconciled.  It is very hard to be the first to reach out and reconcile when you’ve been hurt.  This is where the gospel is critical.  Jesus forgave us to provide the means and power for us to forgive others.   It doesn’t work without the cross.  But it also takes a very honest and sometimes lengthy commitment to repair a broken relationship.  Forgiveness can be relatively quick, yet rebuilding trust requires time and commitment.

3) Seek to listen and understand their point of view

Often people with many responsibilities make decisions under pressure.  Sometimes they have incomplete information or slanted information and yet a decision needs to be made.  Uncover the context from their perspective.

4) Lead change in the wake of decisions you disagree with

Find ways to lead change in one element of the decision that was made that you can believe in.  Look for the bright spots, hopeful places and opportunities this new decision has opened up.  Don’t attempt to revert everything to the way it was before or undermine the decision.

5) Lean into the process with your heart

Psalm 37 gives us a picture of a man who could be near the edge of brooding or anger over the evil plans or upright plans of those who “prosper in their way.”  The Psalmist says to be still, wait for the Lord, fret not, trust Him, commit your way to Him, delight yourself in Him with your heart and He will give you the desires of your heart.

I look in the mirror everyday.  I see a flawed, imperfect leader who truly desires to lead with God’s heart, but falls terribly short.  It’s inevitable that I will make poor decisions and even hurt people I care about.   I’m in process on learning how to follow flawed leaders and leading as a flawed leader myself.