A Week On "The Farm"

I spent last week at the IMB's International Learning Center in Rockville, VA. I wish I could explain this place to you. Not only is it located on a beautiful piece of Virginia farmland, but it is kind of like a spiritual lightning rod. I don't think there is anything special about the land or the buildings or anything else on campus. However, it is a place that is usually filled to capacity with Godly men and women who spend hours of every day lifting prayers for the lost of the world. How can God not touch his finger on that place every day?

Anyway, I was there to take my first seminary class. (Systematic Theology, doesn't that sound fun?) And, while I am at it, let me say publicly how much I appreciate my friend Mike Bruce. One of Mike's many roles in my life is to remind me where I came from and that God must have lost his mind when He called me to serve as a missionary. So, his voicemail message last week which went something like, "hey, i was just driving down the road and realized you were in a seminary class....and that is just funny" was what I needed to break the tension of the day. He is right, you know. It is just funny.

But I digress. One of the things I enjoy so much about being at ILC is that it is filled with people who truly know what we are going through. They have (or currently are) selling all their posessions, saying goodbye to family and friends, and basically doing what the world thinks is absolutly crazy! It is nice to be surrounded by other crazy people. It is nice to hear their stories. For example, one day last week we were all sharing with each other stories about selling our houses. I want you to know that without exception, every person around the supper table was able to sell their house within a week's time. WOW! Isn't our God a big and good God?

I also had the opportunity to spend time with two dear friends who were home on stateside assignment. Scott Wood (and his family) were "home" from Prague, Czech Republic, and Buck and Leslie Burch were in from St. Petersburg, Russia. Both families are dear friends of ours and it was good to spend time relaxing, talking, and dreaming about the future with them. I thank God for the opportunity to be in the same place at the same time.

Well, although I am back home from my seminary class, I still have two papers and a final exam to author. So, I will close. My message tonight is simple. God gives us special friends, special places and special opportunities to get closer to Him and His people. Try to recognize these opportunities when they come along and savor them.

Remember the words of Psalm 94:19 -- "When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul."

For me, getting time to spend at ILC cheers my soul.

Blessings,
Marc

More Goodbyes...

This week and next we will spend squeezing in our Florida goodbyes. You know this already, but it is difficult to put relationships on hold, not knowing when and where we may ever see each other again.

This past Sunday we said our goodbyes to our church family. I had been kind of dreading this day for quite awhile. I could never mention all the sweet people from church whom I will miss so much, so I won't try. But, let me attempt to mention a few groups.

THE SOUND GUYS--"My Guys": Much of the time I have spent at FBCM has been spent in the sound booth working with some of the best people at church. You probably don't know many of them. They are a pretty quiet bunch, actually. They come early and they stay late. They are usually only recognized for their work when something goes wrong and they are very humble guys. I will miss working with them. They were always supportive of whatever new thing was thrown their way and they have always been dedicated to serving the Lord by making sure the message could be seen and heard. I will miss them.

THE PASSION PLAY LEADERSHIP TEAM: Most of you know that I have spent around 9 months of each year working on the North Florida Passion Play. The team that helps guide and direct that process are an amazing group of folks, each gifted in many areas. I have never gotten used to being amazed by how God has provided people to fill all the positions that we need to produce this amazing ministry tool. When we needed painters, God provided artists. When we needed builders, God provided craftsmen (not the tools from Sears, but real craftsmen). Working on the Passion Play is one of the things that I will miss the most. Hopefully one day soon God will allow us to create the Moscow Passion Play and we will have the opportunity to reach millions of Moscovites for Christ through drama and song.

THE SHARON FAMILY LIFE GROUP: Each week this wonderful group of people have supported us in the process as we bared our lives to the IMB, they have prayed with us, laughed with us and even cried with us. I am kind of an "old school" Baptist, so it is still "Sunday School" to me. But the members of our FLG have been a lot of what I like about church. Again, I am not going to name names so I don't foget somebody, but those special friends know who you are and I will miss you.

THE CELEBRATION CHOIR (BUT ESPECIALLY) THE ORCHESTRA: You have let me spend the time when I was not working "in the booth with you and I have cherished it. I love getting to play my French Horn and I love it even more when I get to do it with a group of people who love to play for the Lord. I have many fond memories of laughing with my Orchestra buddies. It will be hard to play "church music" and not think of you. I will miss you guys (and girls) too.

I am sure there are many more church folks that I will miss who didn't fall into any of those catagories. So, this is my generic "thank you" to you. Many of you were at church on Sunday night when Pastor Alan invited anybody who had an association with us to come forward and pray over us. I was overwhelmed at the number of people who left their seats to lift our family before the throne. Frankly, it was staggering. I love my church, and I love my "Family of Friends." I hope that my family and I will represent you well as we travel across the world bringing the Good News.

___

Another hard goodbye. Kellye's two (OLDER) sisters came to spend a few days with us this past week. Just thinking now of saying goodbye to them makes me emotional, so I won't dwell on it. However, you should know that I am proud to call them (and their families) my sisters as well.

___

I know that saying goodbye is a part of looking forward to the adventure that God has set before us. And, it has bittersweet emotions attached to it. So, as you read this, know that if you took the time and effort to look up this blog then you are one of the special friends that I will miss. Thanks to technology, the world is a much smaller place than it used to be and I covet your prayers and hope that you will use this technology to stay in touch. Know that you are constantly loved and prayed for.

Blessings,
Marc

A Day At the Beach...

Since we live in Florida you would think this post would be about taking a final trip to see the ocean and letting the kids play in the sand. However, yesterday morning I had the opportunity to listen to my favorite preacher...my pastor, Alan Floyd.

Frankly, I was not really emotionally prepared for the sermon, "A Day At The Beach with Simon Peter." I had other things on my mind. It was our last Sunday at FBCM and I cannot honestly say that at the start of the sermon that I was fully engaged. I have spent the past couple of weeks kind of dreading this day. The day that we would have to say goodbye to so many people who have meant so much to the family and myself. We have lived in Florida longer than we have lived anywhere else since we have been married and this has become our home. And much of our identity here has been wrapped up in our involvement with First Baptist of Middleburg.

15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
16Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?"
He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

This passage comes from the 21st Chapter of John. I had read it many times and knew the passage well, so when Pastor Alan started preaching I was still lost in my own thoughts. I am not sure that I ever thought that much about the passage and how it applied to my life. Like many other stories fromt the Bible I had read it and knew it, but never bothered to look any deeper. I find that I am guilty of that many more times that I would like to admit.

But then the question was asked..."do you truly love me more than these?" And I had to stop and ask myself...
Marc, do you truly love me more than Lighthouse Video? Yes, Lord.
Marc, do you truly love me more than your house? Yes, Lord.
Marc, do you truly love me more than all your stuff...your surround sound system, your big comfy bed, your china cabinet that you purchased on your first anniversary? Yes, Lord.
Marc, do you truly love me more than the people sitting around you? The Family of Friends? Your Pastor and friend? Kellye's family who has loved you as one of their own for the past 17 years? Yes, Lord.

In many ways that was a hard inventory to take. For almost two years now we have been following our call to missions. But up until a couple of weeks ago that journey was filled with lots and lots of paperwork, hours of introspection and divulging every dark corner of your life to the IMB candidate consultants. But on May 15 when we were officially appointed as Southern Baptist missionaries things started happening quickly. I turned my back on my life-long dream to operate my own media production business. I gave up the home our family had dreamed of and that God had provided for us. I started selling our posessions. Which was harder than I thought it would be because each item had a specific memory attached with it. And that period of our life ended yesterday as we had to say goodbye to many dear friends. Yesterday Jesus asked, "Marc, do you REALLY love me more than these?" And the only response that I had was the same one that Peter had when Jesus asked..."Yes Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."

And then I read something interesting. Jesus finishes this conversation with Peter the same way that he started just 3 years earlier. The end of verse 19 reads, "Then he said to him, "Follow me!"" I think the conversation Jesus has with each of us every day is not terribly different than the one that he had with Peter. He asks us just how much we love him...and then he calls to us...FOLLOW ME! Notice the exclamation point. It is with excitement that Jesus commands us to follow because He has exciting adventures planned for us.

Am I sad to leave the church family that has meant so much to me? Of couse. But, like Peter, I am excited to follow Jesus wherever He leads. God has called us to follow Him around the globe to Moscow, Russia. Where has he called you? Has he called you across the street to talk with your neighbors? Has he called you to tell your co-workers about how much you love Him? Has he called you to share the love of Jesus with the woman who pours your coffee every morning? Whatever He has called you to the question is the same... Do you love me more than these? If so, then follow me!

Going Home

Last weekend I packed up a few of our worldly posessions into a small U-Haul truck and started the trek from Jacksonville, Florida to Finksburg, Maryland. Yes, I grew up in a place called Finksburg. Explains a lot, doesn't it?

My parents have been gracious enough to let us store a few things at their house while we are serving overseas, so it was my responsibility to drive the truck filled with these few precious items to their house for storage. There was Kellye's wedding dress, the grandfather clock that Barry Bishop built for us when we moved into our house, the director's chair that was given to me by a group of special students on my 30th birthday, 17 years of snow globes (at least one for every year we have been married), lighthousees and bison, video tapes of the kids and, of course, boxes and boxes of photographs that have frozen in time the memories of nearly 40 years of life in the United States. It was as hard to stack the boxes in the garage as it was to pack a lifetime of memories inside of them.

I haven't been back to the house where I grew up in more than 13 years. As our family grew it became more practical for Mom and Dad to visit us than it did for us to visit them. I was stuck by how so many things can be exactly the same...but different. For example, I almost drove right past the house. Although it was exactly the same as it was when I lived there, the trees had grown so much that I could barely recognize the front yard. Walking around inside the house was like this too. There were places in the house that I am sure had not changed one single bit since I lived there. The bookshelf behind the couch in the family room was exactly the same as it was more than 20 years ago. There are still at least two rotary phones in the house. And, Dad still won't break down and have cable television installed in the house. But while some things are exactly the same, many thngs are different. What once was my bedroom is now an office with barely enough room to turn around in. The back yard has recently been re-landscaped and is hardly recognizable by me at all. And, while I can't watch The Discovery Channel, I can get a wireless Internet signal for my laptop computer anywhere in the house. I suppose all of this is a reminder that we are all a little bit like the house of my childhood. There are somethings that will always remain the same. However, as we age and mature, there are parts of our lives that change. Sometimes we become more modern. Sometimes (like Dad's rose bushes) we adapt to the landscape around us, and sometimes we have areas of our lives (like the back porch) that need to be torn down and reconstructed.

I enjoyed my brief visit at home. I could write so much more just about the 12 hours that I got to spend there. It was wonderful. The whole family will be spending a week there at the end of July and I am looking forward to sharing some special parts of my childhood with my family. But most of all, I am looking forward to sharing my parents with my family. While not every moment was golden, I lead a pretty good childhood and the man I am today is largly due to the upbringing my parents gave me. I hope that in the week we get to spend in Maryland that my children will not only enjoy Baugher's french fries, Hoffman's ice cream, Ledo's pizza, steamed crabs, and Utz potato chips, but they will see the world in which I was raised and the people who raised me.

Thanks Mom and Dad.

Blessings,
Marc

Vacation (Part Deux)

I sure wish that I could say that our vacation to the South Georgia mountains was relaxing. But, I cannot. However, it was a time where I was able to spend some time communing with nature and with God and preparing myself for some of the things that lie ahead.

I know that most who know me will find this hard to believe, but I love to hike in the woods. Now, don't ask me to camp where I have to sleep with the creepy critters that live in the woods, but I love to walk for miles at a time, especially if I am alone (I know, that probably is a surprise to most of you as well.) I like the solitude. But I like solitude with motion. I guess that is one of the things I like about being out on the ocean in a boat as well. And, it probably explains why I use my time in the car to have some quiet time with God. No radio, cell phone, etc. Just quiet...with motion.

I had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time hiking alone in the woods this vacation. It gave me time to think, plan, and just talk to God. It was easy to see why David liked the wilderness so much and why he wrote so much in the psalms about communing with God while in nature. I came up with a lot of great things that I wanted to write down and share with you while I was in the woods, but it just didn't seem right to take my laptop with me so I could write them all down. (And those of you who have seen my handwriting know that if I had written it out, I would have no idea what it said by the time I returned to the cabin.) However, I did remember a few random thoughts, so here they are:

1. First, it is good to get alone in nature (woods, beach, ocean, desert, etc) where you and God can talk uninturrupted. While I believe that God has allowed man to evolve into the the sophisticated technological people we are today, I believe He likes it when we get back to the things that only He could create. It is one of the ways in which he speaks to us and it can be very special.

2. While hiking I came to a campsite by a stream. Named "Bethel" which means "House of God", the site was a clearing in the woods next to a cool running stream. (See the photo at the top of the blog.) I stoped at Bethel and was refreshed, not just by the cool water and place to sit and rest my weary body, but by the time that I spent with God in that place.

3. As I have said before, God is funny to me. We talk about the scriptures being His "Living Word", but what does that mean? What that means to me is that every time I read the Bible I find something that applies to my life THAT DAY. How is it that words written centuries ago could be that applicible today? The scriptures are God's living word. During many of my hikes I had the opportunity to encounter deer. Sometimes I would get to see them. Other times I could just hear them in the distance. On many occasions, I would hear the deer first, but only after I heard the sound of running water. Immediatly, the psalm "as the deer pants for water" came to mind and I repeated it in my head over and over. And, because God has a sense of humor about him and because the scriptures are the Living Word, that very psalm was in my scheduled devotional reading the next morning. "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God." What great words. But how greater still are they when you are walking through the woods in the heat of the day and long for the sound of cool running water. I hope that on a daily basis, my soul is as thirsty for God as the deer are for a drink from a cool stream.

4. As I have said before, Warm Springs is a very special place for our family. The people there are wonderful and I learned a lot from the pastor at FBC Warm Springs, Bob Patterson. We visited the small house on the hill were we lived, we visited the church where we were loved and encouraged by many wonderful people, and we visited our favorite places on the mountain where we will always be reminded of that time in our lives. We are grateful that Warm Springs will always be a place of physical and spiritual renewal. As Mr. Edwin Self said to me, "It's nice to go back and visit the place where it all started, isn't it?" It sure is, Mr. Edwin. It sure is.

And, just so you won't think that I took our vacation to hide from the family, we had a wonderful time together. I don't think we ever laugh more than when we are all together. We played games, roasted marshmallows, ate lots of ice cream, and talked a lot about what might lie ahead of us in Russia. Whatever it may be, we will face it as a family and surrounded by the grace of God. I don't know about you, but I kinda like those odds.

Blessings,
Marc

Consider the lillies of the field...

Such an easy verse to quote. However, it is so much harder to live. We Americans are so used to being told that if we work hard we can be successful. It is, after all, the American dream. But how much harder is it to exercise faith that if God takes care of the birds and the flowers, then how much more will he take care of us?

The past couple of days have been pretty tough for me. I guess I am playing catch-up with the rest of the family. Kellye and the kids have already said their goodbyes to the people at school and have had a few weeks to adjust to their vocational changes. On Friday I flew home (and boy, my arms are tired) from my last business trip. A woman on the plane asked me what I did for a living and my response did not come as easily as I would have liked. "I am a video editor," I said without thinking. "Well, not really. I am just over 30 days away from being a missionary in Moscow, Russia." (Stunned silence. From me.) While my flying companions were very supportive of the adventures that will no doubt lie in front of us, I was struck pretty hard that my "professional career" was at an end. Now, don't get me wrong. I am excited about everything that we are doing and I am completly awestruck that God would choose our family for this kind of service. (Kellye, maybe. But not me.) However, I have spent the majority of my life getting to live out my dreams. For the past 20 years I have been doing the kind of work that I always dreamed of doing as a child. While other boys dreamed of being sports heroes, I dreamed of being on the radio, creating television programs and traveling the country as an expert in my field. So far, in my life I have been a very lucky man. So, I have spent the past few days adjusting to the change in my vocational status and that has been pretty difficult.

When I retuned home, my extrodinary family (et. al) had mostly finished moving us out of our home and into the Missionary House at San Jose Baptist. Consider the lillies of the field. Due to the obiedience and spiritual sensitivity of this wonderful congregation, my family has a wonderful house to live in for the month of July after we close on the sale of our home this week. I cannot say enough about how God provides and answers prayers.

Many of you have read in Kellye's blog the saga of the search for a home for our cats. They are more than just pets, they are members of the family. I won't say much on that note, other than God showed up (just in time, as usual) and provided loving families for each of the cats. I took both Scout and Beacon to their new homes today and can say that while they will be missed by our family, they will be loved by those who have adopted them. God is good!

I will talk more about my visit with my folks in another blog (I have several that I am working on right now trying to get caught up), but let me say that God has also provided me with a wonderful set of parents (and in-laws) who have been not just supportive about our call to the mission field, but have done whatever possible to help us as we go. So, thanks Mom and Dad and Ken and Betty. You guys have been great and a gift from God. As we tear ourselves away from this life, we will miss you greatly but know that you understand The Call and the need to follow.

You know, sometimes when you consider the lillies of the field you just have to giggle. Why? Because God is funny. Earlier this week we got a call from some of our "Mission Friends" in the field about our new apartment. The missionary couple that is currently living there is getting ready to retire and we have an opportunity to purchase a lot of their household things so that we do not have to pack and bring them, or look for those items once we get there (things like desks, fans, coffee pots, etc.) It turns out that when we totalled everything on the list we wanted to purchase, that amount was exactly (almost down to the penny) what we made from our garage sales and the sale of our American household items. Kellye and I have giggled about that one most of the evening.

So, as you read this, consider the lillies and the birds of the field. I can tell you from recent experience that if God can take care of their needs, how much more will he take care of ours. I can't tell you how many times I have heard the phrase "let go and let God." Well, that may sound good on a T-shirt or bumper sticker, but it is pretty hard to do. However, I can tell you that God does have a plan and he does want to meet our every need. It may not wind up being the American dream. But I can promise you that it will be a dream from which you will not want to wake.

Blessings,
Marc