A Journey Through God's Narrative and Random Musings...

We made it!

We made it to Brazil after an extra 24 hours of travel. Luckily, we were able to get exit row seats, too, which made the flight very nice. Thanks for all of your prayers; I will keep posting as the trip continues.

We made it!

We made it to Brazil after an extra 24 hours of travel. Luckily, we were able to get exit row seats, too, which made the flight very nice. Thanks for all of your prayers; I will keep posting as the trip continues.

Getting to Brazil... again

So far everything looks good for our new flight to Brazil.  We will be leaving at 3:40 this afternoon via American Airlines and will land in Miami, Florida.  We leave Miami around 9:00 tonight and arrive in Recife tomorrow morning at 9:00.  Please continue to pray that our flights will be on time and that we will have safe travels.  I will post again with any updates.

Grounded...

Well, we were sitting on the plane, waiting to go to Atlanta, and there was a mechanical problem.  So we're stuck in Indianapolis for the night.  Delta was able to rebook us on an American Airlines flight tomorrow that will get us to Recife, Brazil on Thursday morning.  Thanks for your prayers, and we'll keep you all posted regarding the trip.  The students are still scheduled to leave on Thursday and arrive on Friday morning.

Legacy

This summer is off to a fast start!  We just returned yesterday from our annual High School Retreat.  This year we traveled to Beulah Beach Christian Camp and Retreat Center in Vermilion, Ohio.  I think this was the best HS Retreat we have ever had.  The theme, "Free Fall," tied well into the sessions, and we started the week off at Cedar Point. 

As the leader of such trips as this, God is always teaching me something, and the overwhelming truth that He put on my heart while we were away is the idea of legacy.  What kind of legacy will I leave when I'm gone?  See, Beulah Beach is a special place for our family because it is at that place that my uncle entered into a relationship with Christ as a teenager.  When he returned home, he told his family about his change, and one by one, they all became followers of Jesus.  That's where I come in.  I am a follower of Christ today because of the faithful decision of my uncle several decades ago to put his trust in Jesus.  My guess is that he had no idea that his personal decision back then would have such a lasting impact on God's Kingdom both today and moving forward from here. 

I hope that I will leave a legacy of faith behind me.  I hope that those I lead and those who are part of my family will come to know Christ because they have known me.  Isn't that the goal?  To reflect Christ in such a way with our lives that when people meet us they actually meet Him? 

What will your legacy be?  How will people remember you? 

500 Posts, and still posting...

Hey there, world!  You might wonder where I've been for the last few months.  Honestly, I didn't realize that it had been so long since I had updated here.  My life has been really hectic with lots of things going on.  I'm going to try to do a better job to post a little more regularly, but let me sum up the last two months:

• We have a new senior pastor at LifePoint!  His name is Jym Gregory, and I have already enjoyed working with him and getting to know him.  The transition was really smooth, and I have a lot of respect for the way that both Pastor Tom and Pastor Jym handled things.  If you want to meet Jym, visit the LifePoint web site here.
• I'm in the process of preparing for our High School Summer Retreat and our Middle School Camp.  These take place on back-to-back weeks at the beginning of June.  YIKES!  Lots to plan for, but I'm excited... these are two of my favorite weeks of the year!
• Kari and I are taking three students with us to Brazil this summer!  We will be spending three weeks with our church-sponsored missionary, Tele Moraes, serving with medical clinics, an English camp, and light construction work.  We are in the process of raising support for our trip, so if you would like to contribute, please contact me, and I will let you know how you can partner with us.
• I'm learning Portuguese.  This might actually be the main culprit for taking me away from my blogging.  Kari and I bought the Rosetta Stone so we could know some Portuguese when we're in Brazil for three weeks.  It has been a long, but hopefully rewarding process!
• I'm reading Crime and Punishment.  If you've never read it, I highly recommend it.  It has some really cool thoughts about sin in it.  I'm about 1/3 of the way through, and I can't wait to finish it in about 400 pages.
• My sermons are now available for download from LifePoint's web site and will no longer be posted here.  Sorry for the confusion, it's just easier that way.  You can get them here.  Also, there is a new podcast link from the LifePoint web site.

Well, that's about it for me.  I'll try to be more on top of staying up to date here.  Keep me posted on what's going on in your lives, too. 

I also just noticed that this is my 500th post!!  That's something to celebrate!

You be the Judge: Closing Arguments - Student Notes

If you're interested in getting a PDF of student notes that go with the fourth message, you can download them here.

Download You be the Judge - Student Notes - Closing Arguments

You be the Judge: Closing Arguments

The latest sermon from the LifePoint High School Student Ministry.  In this final message of the series we look at how Jesus' empty tomb provides the final piece of evidence for the resurrection.

Please Note: There is a separate blog posting that where you can download the student notes.

Download You Be the Judge - Week 4 - Closing Arguments

Update from Brazil

I just saw this update from our missionary, Tele Moraes, and I thought I would post it here.  Please pray for Tele, his family, and for World Renewal International Brazil. 

Tele Talk 2/25/09 from Jeffrey Turner on Vimeo.

You be the Judge: Cross Examining the Witnesses - Student Notes

If you're interested in getting a PDF of student notes that go with the third message, you can download them here.

Download You be the Judge - Student Notes - Cross Examining the Witnesses