Let the Nations Be Glad and Sing for Joy!

2011 Mapped-out!

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:17:00 +0000

2011 mapped out (AKA from A to B... and sometimes C) ...

Our state of residence: Michigan → California → Missouri

# of X Chromosomes in our growing family: 9 (us) → 11 (us + female fetus)

# Sibling Families living in Colorado: 0 → 1

Our focus of study: Learning the Bible's content in its context → Sharing the Bible's content in various contexts

# of times Jared made a fool of himself in a school video: 0 (that's debatable) → 2 (here and here)

Weichert Apps in Apple's App Store: 0 → 1 (here ya go)

The Lord's love and grace: ... ← ... → ...

[NOTE: Explanation of the above photo collage (from left to right): A close-knit crew, home-made Dough-boys, another girl, silly sisters, underwear-heads, tunnel-digging, a rejected family Christmas card, a long-last completed iPad app, more silly sisters, some bath-phone time, and fricative/diphthong/glottal-stop practice AKA class-time]

P.S. For a short-ish summary of the classes we completed this fall semester and another peak at what life at the MTC was like for us, check here.

No Halfsies!

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 02:34:00 +0000

Moments prior to unconsciousness.

As the radiant blue sky faded into vision, questions began to flood my mind; "Where am I? Why does my head hurt? What am I doing lying in the dirt?". Within a matter of seconds my brain had re-engaged and I was beginning to put the pieces together. Words like, 'rope-swing' and 'tree' were quickly filling in the gaps. It was at this moment, though, that I began to realize that the entire left-side of my body was numb.

In the same way that a fast moving man on a rope-swing connects with an unmoving tree and then feels only half of his body, I've learned that the assumptions I had of our training in Missouri were only half-true. My incorrect expectation was that God desires to use our training here in Missouri only to fill us with head-knowledge about our future ministry (how to learn an unwritten language, how effectively minister amongst animism, etc). But what I've come to realize is that He (God) is equally determined that we live out our ministry as ambassadors for Christ here-and-now in Roach, MO (2 Cor. 5:18-20).

Life in Roach, MO

So here we are, in the second and last phase of training, practicing and growing at getting Truth into the hands of those without it whether they be in Roach, MO or the highlands of New Guinea. We've been reminded that as Christ works through us He's is always working with two halves... Truth and grace (John 1:14).

Speaking of grace... Would you consider praying for our family? If so, please pray that Jessica and I would persevere and have a clear focus on the tasks at hand as our time here is quickly moving by. [There are other specific prayer requests in the right-side column. We highly value your prayers!].

P.S. Jordan, Charlee, and Alex are all happy and well at the moment, as is our fourth child as Jess is now about 8 weeks into this next pregnancy!

Learning the ropes...

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 05:16:00 +0000

A week of learning through new classes and orientation and we're still hanging in there.

The girls (Jordan, Charlee, and Alex) are learning about the joys of reuniting with old friends and making new ones, as well as the adventure that comes with starting new classes in childcare.

In class Jess and I (Jared) have been learning about what 'learning styles' we have (possibly Combo and Abstract Random respectively) in order to better work in unity with others of different styles.

We, as a family, have learned the fun of playing with the rope-swings at the creek as well as the encouragement and necessity of fellowshipping with both new and old friends here.

Lastly, we learned two days ago, that God has blessed us another opportunity to have a forth child. We still don't know very much about the pregnancy (due date, etc.), having not seen a doctor yet, but are excited none-the-less.

And lastly-lastly, we 've been learning the importance of having members of the body of Christ, the Church, pray for us. If you would, we desperately desire your prayers as we seek to honor and better know God by being trained, here in Roach Missouri of all places, to effectively reached those who have yet to learn Truth and the hope therein.

Home sweet home!

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 04:09:00 +0000

Yes, as it stands, home sweet home is now Roach, Missouri (or as the locals say, "Mis-ur-uh").

Thanks to folks like the Benzigers, the Metges, and the Jobes, we've sanely finished our treck from California to Missouri and have spent the last few days unpacking and settling into our new home.

This 'new home' of ours lies in the bottom of a small valley in the mountains, only a stone's throw away from the beautiful "Lake of the Ozarks", which is a complete night and day difference from the urban city of our previous home in Jackson, Michigan.

Aside from the landscape, two days in and we've already dealt with multiple deer, an armadillo, an opossum, bats, hords of humming birds, and insects of enormous size!

As our training here kicks off next week we'd appreciate any consideration on your part for praying over any or all of the prayer requests we've listed in the top left of our site.

-the Weicherts

Summer, Come and Gone ... OR A New Home in the East

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:26:00 +0000

After a full and fun summer, this coming Wednesday (August 3rd) will mark yet another turning point for our family. We are preparing to embark on the long journey to our new home and training in Missouri.

First though, the encouragement and love that we've experienced from the Church, our families and friends this summer in California has been invaluable! We've been carried every step of the way and we thank God for this.

Our time at the Bible school in Jackson Michigan now finished, were looking forward to the now additional 1.5 years we'll spend learning linguistics, world view analysis, medical administration, church planting, and more in Missouri at New Tribes Missions Missionary Training Center.

If you think of us, please pray that we'd transition into this new phase of our lives in such a way and with such attitudes that would glorify God, that we would be resting in Him and what He has already done for us!

West Again

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:20:00 +0000

After 10 days of travel covering more than 3,000 miles with hundreds of potty stops and good friends and family along the way, we're hard at work back in California!

Actually, at this point we've been in California for about 2 weeks, enjoying time with family and friends after our long trip back. We'll be here in CA until the August 1st and would love to catch up with any of our local Californians before heading down to Missouri for a while. You contact us by using any of these three options.

New 2-Min Video Updates!

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 20:53:00 +0000

We're moving to a more personal (and honestly easier) way of connecting with you folks... video updates. Every month or so we'll turn the camera on, hit record and send y'all some footage of us sharing with you what we're up to... we're even going to try to keep it to 2-min or less! So without further ado... here's our first Weichert 2-Min Video Update! Enjoy.

Watch God Work

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 01:48:00 +0000

While reading 'A Concise History of the Christian World Mission' by J. Herbert Kan, I came across this brief yet wonderful account of the beginnings and expansion of Christianity:

Christianity is the only truly universal religion in the world. Yet its Founder was born in a stable, lived in obscurity, and died on a wooden cross in a remote province of the Roman Empire about half-way between the time of Buddha and that of Mohammed. Although His untimely death at the age of thirty-three sent His disciples into confusion, His resurrection on the third day revived their Messianic hopes, rejuvenated their flagging spirits, and sent them out to win the world.

Their task was formidable; their chances of success almost nil. They had no central organization, no financial resources, no influential friends, no political machine. Arrayed against them was the ecclesiastical power of the Sanhedrin, the political and military might of the Roman Empire, and the religious fanaticism of the Jews. Moreover, their Leader, whose life and teachings were to constitue their message, was unknown outside His small circle of friends. He had written no book, erected no monuments, endowed no institutions. The task looked hopeless.

The Book of Acts opens with 120 timid disciples meeting secretly in an upper room in Jerusalem for fear of their enemies. A generation later, when the Book of Acts closes, the gospel had been preached as far west as Rome; and there was a thriving Christian church in almost every city of significance in the eastern part of the empire. What began as a Jewish sect in A.D. 30 had grown into a world religion by A.D. 60.

Screwtape's Latest (part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:09:00 +0000

The following is the conclusion to Kevin DeYoung's wonderful attempt at writing an updated "Screwtape letter":

We pick up the letter with Screwtape’s instructions on how to keep his nephew’s college-aged subject away from church and perfectly wretched…

At the risk of insulting your diabolical intelligence, allow me to remind me of your course in Youth Misery. Recall the Three S’s of Satan, our Sinister Snake (I know, he sometimes gets carried away with alliteration, but it does help jog the old memory). The Three S’s of youth misery: Keep them separate. Keep them selfish. Keep them searching. Allow me to expound.

'Oxford Street' by Fred Blunt

The First S: Keep them separate. Our Bureau of Statistics (remember there are lies, damned lies, and statistics) has documented evidence proving that the best way to keep young people from growing into devoted followers of the Enemy is to keep them far away from any of his grown-up, devoted followers. Church attendance allows for too much interaction between old and young. With this interaction come manifold dangers: modeling, mentoring, service, and hospitality.

Listen closely. Groups of students meeting together for prayer and study is, it’s true, a pernicious influence, but gladly, the influence is often short-lived. Soon, your subject will graduate and he will find that the rest of the planet is not like his university. He will not be surrounded by peers all his age with his same interests. It is to our advantage that he be unable to relate to anyone above the age of 25. This not only makes for misery, but it makes church involvement, and therefore the Christian life, much less likely.

This, of course, goes hand in hand with the Second S: Keep them selfish. It’s really quite simple. All of our human subjects are selfish, but the young especially. It’s hardly their fault. They have no spouse or children to think of, only themselves. They have food handed to them on plastic platters. And they live in a country that believes for some strange reason, pleasant enough to us, that history doesn’t matter, that the old are useless, and that youth culture should be prized above all else. And yet, I must hasten to add, don’t underestimate your subject. Human youths are capable of extraordinary acts of courage and bravery and accomplishment, as the Annals of the Enemy record. Keep your youth far away from such examples. See to it that no visions of nobility or self-sacrifice or inspiration enter his head.

Which again, if I may repeat myself, is why church must be foresworn at all costs. It is at church that he will see examples of lived-out bravery and sacrifice. And, more importantly, it is at church that he will have to face his own selfishness. He will encounter music he doesn’t like and old people who do strange things and babies who smell and cry. (Incidentally, I only mention babies because your subject is male, as is mine. The female youth I am told must not, under any circumstances, be surrounded by small children, those children enticing the females to re-visit church rather than repulsing them away as with most male subjects). My point is that so long as the spiritual experiences of our youthful subjects can be catered to the whims and fancies of 18-22 year olds, the students will not likely stick with a church when they discover that churches must also deal with the whims and fancies of 8 year olds and grandmothers.

One more thing, students today love the idea of community. Do everything in your power to keep them loving the idea of community rather than loving their community. As long as they love their vision of community instead of loving the actual fleshly people around them, they will never have real community and they will stay far away from church.

The Third S, and I here I draw to a close, is to keep them searching. Use the native restlessness of this time to your advantage. Students think it is their inalienable right to be irresponsible and uncommitted. Feed this conviction. Do not, in any way, allow for your subject to consider commitment or service or what they call “accountability.” If he must be interested in God, keep it peripheral. Let him come and go and flit in and out of whatever spiritual venue suits him for the day. But see to it that he makes no promises, no commitments, no investment. And in the unlikely event that you cannot prevent such blunders, make sure there is no one in his life to hold him to his promises and commitments, especially those who are older and wiser. This goal is best served by keeping our patients away from church. Remember the cross-stitch (pardon my use of the foul word “cross”) above auntie’s fridge: “Keep them searching for the soul; never finding and never whole.”

All that’s left is for me to thank you for your patience in reading what has turned out to be a rather lengthy correspondence. Please do not hear my harsh words as anything but familial concern for your welfare and the good of our Infernal Kingdom.

Would you be so kind as to write me back as soon as possible? These are weighty matters and we truly live in troubled times. Might I suggest you use the post instead of email–what with your past internet struggles and dalliance with sermonography?

Say hello to your father for me. Best wishes in your malfeasance, malevolence, and malediction.

Unscrupulously yours,

Uncle Screwtape

Screwtape's Latest

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:16:00 +0000

Disgruntled Demon by Fred Blunt

In 1941, C.S. Lewis wrote a series of fictitious letters of correspondence between two demons; Screwtape and his nephew Wormwood. The letters were both a humorous and serious take on how the demonic realm might see and deal with the world, humans, God, Satan, etc.

Recently Kevin DeYoung, pastor, blogger and author ("Just Do Something...", "Why We Love the Church", "The Good News We Almost Forgot", etc.) wrote and posted the first half of his attempt at writing a Screwtape letter. This time around we catch up with their (Screwtape and Wormwood's) correspondence as Screwtape now instructs his nephew on how "best" to deal with college students and church, now in the 21st century.

Albeit humorous, this letter has moments where, upon reading, I sat convicted, staring at some of my own wrong perceptions and self-centered desires towards the local church.

The following is the first half Screwtape's latest.

************************

Fall 2010, A.H. (Anno Hostis, “the year of our Enemy”)

My dear Wormwood,

It’s been too long time since last I wrote. In my defense, however, it was dreadfully cold up above. How do humans endure such miserable conditions? But poor weather aside, please accept my insincerest apologies for the delay in finally putting pen to paper.

I trust all is devious and devilish between you and your subject. I am not an easy uncle to please, but your efforts over the past several years with your subject have been, I must admit, rather impressive. True, high school is a particularly grand time for opportunistic spirits like ourselves. But these advantages do not detract from your work, which has been to date, exemplary.
Your teenage subject has all the usual paradoxes of American youth we like to see down here: rebellious, yet disinterested; slothful, yet impetuous; disrespectful to parents, yet an irresponsible drain on their resources; tolerant of religions he knows nothing about, yet fiercely intolerant of the one he knows best. All in all, a splendid few years my injurious Wormwood. Bravo!

It is because your work has proven so trustworthy over the last few years, that I now feel obliged to speak with you quite candidly about a matter of grave importance. Your subject is now enrolled in what the earth world calls “college.” I do not need to remind you what splendid opportunities these places afford us. But there is one particular danger, and you must see to it that it is avoided at all costs. And that danger is church attendance.

Though your subject seems safe from the clutches of our Enemy Above, you will recall that he has spent the majority of his Sundays, thus far, in church. The habit may not be easy to break. If he tries church for a few weeks, make sure it is a pointless endeavor. Do not forget our little rhyme: “If to church one must go, lead him to an empty show. And when all we can do is mettle, makes sure on one church he does not settle.”

Church attendance is bad enough, nephew, but consistent attendance at the same church spells almost certain doom for our cause. If your human persists in his church interest, you simply must devise some way to shuffle him around from congregation to congregation. See to it he never knows the people he is worshiping with. Keep reminding him of how rotten the music is over here, and how long the sermon is over there, and how bland the coffee is at that other church. Trust me, it won’t take much to get him floundering on church. Almost any excuse will do.

College students are nothing if not critical. They are trained in it daily. Use this to your advantage, my dear boy. If your subject is determined to go to church, make sure he searches for the perfect church. Within a few weeks he will be fast asleep on Sunday morning, much to our Father’s delight.

Speaking of sleep, do whatever you can do keep your subject out late on Saturday evenings? Drink, girls, football, video games, paper—it doesn’t matter. Just keep him up. You know perfectly well how our Father Below insists on busyness at all costs and how terribly he depends on sleep deprivation for his work. It’s a well known fact among the higher ranks of devildom, that silly humans suspect our interference in the big things–death, accidents, spinning heads, and the like. They never expect that our work consists mainly in distraction.

So do not neglect our demonic bread and butter. Make Friday a fun day and Saturday a waste. He will have no choice then but to sleep on Sunday and use the rest of the day to get ready for Monday. Keep up your discipline my dear Wormwood or he will keep up his!

You will excuse me for my stern tone, but I cannot overstate the importance of this matter of church. Perhaps your youth prevents you from fully grasping the eternal significance of this issue. Heaven is at stake, my infernal child. Spirituality is one thing. God talk is generally harmless. Student “fellowships” as they call them are tolerable for a season. But for hell’s sake, Wormwood, church is absolutely out of the question.

Of course, it goes without saying some churches serve our cause nicely. Dead tradition churches. Silly entertainment churches. Social get-together churches. Political party churches. Loveless, divisive churches. Doctrineless churches. These are all wonderful. Our concern, and I must reiterate it is a deep concern, is with churches that act like churches, the ones that preach Christ and live out their blasphemous faith.

Such churches introduce many bad habits in our subjects. They become more thoughtful. They become more aware of our Enemy’s character and schemes. They learn to love each other, even people unlike them in situation and temperament. This can only bode ill for our work in the long run.

(Check back tomorrow for the conclusion of the letter) via Kevin DeYoung

Sharper than a Ginsu knife

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:19:00 +0000

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

"Ya. Ya. I know this one..." was my thought when I began writing out this verse for Hebrews. Apparently in my pride of 'knowing' this verse I also tended to look over the latter part ['and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.'].

This drew me back to another verse we spent time memorizing this past semester...

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

Today might just be the first day I am thankful for being assigned to memorize scripture! These reveal my need for the Word of God [Bible] and discern the thoughts and intentions of my heart!

My heart is deceitful! Desperately sick! And full of lies!

When I am not in the Word, my heart makes excuses...really good ones too! And what is sad is that I believe them! I learned tonight that I need to be in the Word. I learned that God's Word will cut through to the deepest most ugliest parts of my heart...after all God is working to sanctify me [a mangled piece of wood in restoration]. And finally, that by giving in to my excuses of not being in the Word I am buying into the lies in which 'my' heart is selling me! Which is NOT TRUTH!

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to saturate yourselves in the words of our LORD. Or as the writer of Hebrews puts it;

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. (Hebrews 2:1)

-Jess

Us.

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 20:30:00 +0000

Great Return

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 03:47:00 +0000

We've been in Jackson now for two weeks and have already been greatly impacted by the teaching and training we've been given concerning the Word of God.

We're reminded that the standard of truth is God's revealed Word in the Bible. That it is through the Word that we are made aware of the reality of our (mankind) needs. That the provisions for all our needs are given through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Word. And that a maturing walk with God takes time.

There is so much more to say, but for now know that we Weicherts are well, happy in the Lord, and excited to spend another day walking with our God.

The toothbrushes are packed...

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 14:41:00 +0000

The wave of immediacy hit me like a ton of bricks.

Tonight when I went to the grab my toothbrush I found it not in its normal spot but rather collected with the the girls' toothbrushes in a plastic bag in the corner.

Toothbrushes in a plastic bag means that they are packed, and what makes that so sobering is the fact that Jessica (my wife) always takes a meticulous and chronological approach towards packing. In her routine the toothbrushes are always the very last things to be packed.

In less than 24 hours we'll be leaving friends, family and church to fly back to Jackson, MI to other friends, pseudo-family, and church for another year of training with New Tribes Mission. Though I've exhausted the term this summer, bitter-sweet is the best way we can describe this time.

If you think of us in the next 48 hours, pray that we would have sufficient amounts of physical and emotional energy to honor God during this trying transition.

See y'all on the other side.

The Martinez Family

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:51:00 +0000

Our friends, the Martinez family (Noe & Lisa and their daughters Adannaya & Jocellyn), have done a wonderful job of creating and posting a short video briefly detailing this past year for them. You can find it here. Please keep in prayer those like the Martinez family who work to make known Him, who we know, where He is not known.

"To the church of God that is in Corinth..."

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:54:00 +0000

Thanks to Brad Thomas and wordle.net, here is a graphic representation of 1st Corinthians. The more a word is used in Paul's letter, the larger it's font.

We've just started our 3-week, 3-hours-a-day study of Paul's letter to the believers in Corinth yesterday. We're blessed and excited to spend more and more time digging into God's Word!

The Word Sharpens

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:18:00 +0000

  Praise the Lord for His word and for His blessing to me of a FANTASTIC husband that I can be one with in heart and soul! We had some time the other night to have conversation with one another and through it realized how glorious this year has been here at NTBI. But why... Jackson, MI? People we've met? Church-life? Enjoyable job? Financially flourishing? Perfect family life? New Tribes Mission? Bible training? Easy life? None of these are the answer!

  Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

  2 Timothy 3:16 also states that "All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."

  The word of God has been discerning the thoughts and intentions of my heart! Teaching me, correcting me and training me in righteousness. Being in and studying the Word has whet my appetite for more of Him, captivated me with His holiness, majesty and righteousness. I am enveloped in who He is and what He is doing and has been doing throughout history!

  One of our memory verses this semester was Jeremiah 17:9. It states that "The heart is deceitful above ALL things and desperately sick; Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind,..." I'm thankful this verse was revealed to me! My heart is so very deceitful and desperately sick, over and over I think..."I'm pretty good!" "I have something to offer!" I believe we have nothing of value to offer God, but that God so lovingly offers, through Christ, to restore our broken relationship that has been severed by sin. God has been searching my heart and testing my mind, revealing to me the areas of my deceitful heart.

  God is growing us, but it is not without growing pains. This year has been one of our toughest years, yet we've reaped much. Hebrews 12:3-17 talks about how God treats those who believe on Him, as sons. What son is without discipline? God disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (paraphrased)

  Our desire is to continually abide in Christ and be trained in His righteousness.

~Jess

Christian, You Need The Gospel

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:27:00 +0000

B. B. Warfield says:

There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God. We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot ever be accepted at all. This is not true of us only when we believe. It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be trust as long as we live. Our need of Christ does not cease with our believing; nor does the nature of our relation to Him or to God through Him ever alter, no matter what our attainments in Christian graces or our achievements in behavior may be. It is always on His “blood and righteousness” alone that we can rest.

HT: Tullian Tchividjian, Nathan Bingham

Alex Paige Weichert

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:37:00 +0000

Our long awaited bundle has arrived! She, Alex Paige, graced us with her presence January 3, 2010 at about 7:30 in the morning! Delivery went well, no complications. With Jordan I had to have a c-section (bc she was breech), with Charlee I delivered with an epidural, and with Alex I delivered with no pain meds (labor went too fast!). But I have enjoyed each scenario and am thankful to have the experience they have each given. The experience of pregnancy and childbirth truly amazes me at the greatness and creativity of God, to whom I am thankful for the experience!

Alex is beautiful! She doesn't cry much, but makes herself known by grunts and other little noises. She has been sleeping for the most part of the night and only wakes once. She is greatly loved by her sisters, who always want to talk, kiss and hug her!

So wow...3 little girls! What a JOY!

The Big Picture... Practically (part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 04:56:00 +0000

A New Tribes Mission (NTM) missionary recently visited and dropped off a bunch of the following half-sheets. They lay out the big picture for NTM in a time-line fashion. It's a great resource to be able to visually grasp the different facits of NTM's development leading to planting and watering the seeds of the gospel to an unreached people. (Click on it to enlarge)

1st Snow Shoveling

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:44:00 +0000

I've got a lot to learn...

The Big Picture... Practically

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:40:00 +0000

With the school building (home) emptied of all other students (because of the month-long Christmas break) and with the motivation-vacuum of the at-any-moment arrival of our next daughter, we find ourselves with plenty of time to think.

And it's in the openness of this time that discouragement seems to creep in. Thoughts like, "what are we really accomplishing here?", and "we've still got three more years of training" and "it's just Bible school" readily pop-in.

We are anchored in the truth of God's will for us here and now, and have faith in His steadfastness and direction, but sometimes I find that I need to step-back and look at the big picture to find encouragement and focus for this all.

The mission organization that we're currently partnered with, New Tribes Mission, has recently produced a video that did just that for us. Although this is more on the practical side of things, it portrays well what it is that we're training to do. It defines the goal and gives flesh to the program. I hope it will leave you with a sense of the importance and urgency of such a ministry as reaching the unreached, and yet encouraged with the confidence we have in all of the 'Creator's talk'...

Winter 2009/2010 Update

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:13:00 +0000

We made it!

For those of you still wondering what happened to us since our last newsletter, no, we didn't get lost in a Nebraskan corn field for the past four months, but instead we made it to 1210 E. Michigan Ave. Jackson, Michigan right on schedule this past July. And boy was it hot and sticky! With no AC, right off the bat we got ourselves two box fans and shoved them into the windows... somedays we even opened the freezer and put one in there :).

Well, as soon as we got settled in, classes started ... and now here we sit, classes over, still reeling from the whirlwind of the semester, covered in snow.

So, what did we accomplish on our own these past 4 months? Nothing. Yep. In fact we've probably done worse than nothing, on our own. Ah, but that's the key phrase isn't it, "on our own". Good thing we're not. If there is one thing that has stuck out as strikingly blunt and blindingly beautiful in our study of the Word of God it is the utter dependence we need on God to accomplish anything. We've learned the truth of the depravity of our own hearts and lives apart from God (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:10), and then the all-sufficient and provisional nature of God.

So, what has God accomplished and allowed in/through us these past four months? Well, with His guidance and strength we've successfully completed a semester of studying the Bible (from Genesis on through 2nd Chronicles, and, oh, what an extraordinarily wise and living teacher the Old Testament is!), lived without running water for two of the four months, established many great relationships with other families and singles, help out with children's teaching at a local church, cleaned the school's attic, visited lake Michigan (beautiful), language-tutor our Korean friends the Parks, raise two girls, maintained a pregnant wife (or at least tried to), listened to numerous missionaries, flew to California and back in a weekend :), and have maintained sanity through it all. We thank God for His continued grace upon our lives!

One blessing this past semester was the opportunity to share with our home church (Community Baptist Church of Waterford) about what we're doing in Michigan. Because we couldn't be present to share, we made a video. You can view it here.

Also, for anyone interested in the academic work we've been doing, you can click on any of the following assignments to read a sampling of our work: Exegetical paper on Jude 3-4, assignment on the book of Job, summary of the Abrahamic Covenant, "Fools Stink", and "Death"

Some things that you can be praying for us through this coming semester:

Our continued dependance on God in all things
Wisdom in our time management
Our families' health during the cold and flu season
Continual relationship building both in and out of school

Connecting Points (if you'd like more info than what's in our newsletter):

-NEW: We have a YouTube channel where we try to give you a window into all of the silliness that is the Weicherts.

-Follow more periodic updates in our Blog, Jared's Twitter, or Jess' Facebook (links found on homepage of our blog).

One more day of class...

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:24:00 +0000

Tomorrow marks the last day of our freshmen semester (at NTBI each semester acts like a year, so when January rolls around we're considered sophomores), and we have plenty to share! God is good, faithful, holy, and gracious (among much more), and we continue to experience these about Him daily. Sometimes it's His strength to get us through a day of class, work, children, housework, homework, etc. And sometimes it's His patience as, daily, I see how much more prideful and undeserved I really am in light of His Word of truth.

Well as I've said, one more day, so off to do one more night's worth of homework and study before our classes (Old Testament History and Proverbs) are finished.

Much more to come...

(In the meantime, if you'd like to see some videos of our family being silly and dorkin' around the apartment, we've created our own YouTube channel that you can view or subscribe to here.)

Why we're living in Michigan...

noreply@blogger.com (Jared Weichert) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:07:00 +0000