Malachi 1:11” For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles……” How true this verse rings as I saw this sunrise on Saturday morning while driving to church to get food ready for a funeral. Creation does cry out to the existence and majesty of the ONE true God.  Note the sundog above the sun in both pictures and the double sundogs surrounding the sun in the picture below. This only happens when ice crystals hang in the air and at seven degrees above zero it was a sight!! I was also reminded that I may not see this beautiful array of God’s glory again for many years. 

By now those of you who read this blog can clearly distinguish which parts are written by Kent and which are written by Peggy! Yes we have different personalities and are experiencing the present changes in different ways. I think it is much better than if we were experiencing it the same. Our differences  at least adds some perspective for each other. I am at the point now where it all seems to be on fast forward and spinning out of control. Perhaps this sense of “out of control” is mainly because I am a planner and like to have ALL my ducks in a row and standing at attention. Believe me… they are not even in the same town right now, much less in a row. Isaiah 43:2 reminds me “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you”. I find great comfort in this verse as well as 2Cor 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness”. God is indeed my strong tower and I run to Him for comfort and peace in times of chaos. We are presently seven months away from our launch to Africa. My minds seems nearly incapable of focus as the thoughts of “have you done this.. have you done that.”… keep playing in my mind. I pray constantly for focus as I go throughout each day and by God’s GRACE I find focus.

The main activities right now are “focused” on getting our house in Bismarck ready to sell. I am packing boxes of things for storage and sorting for Good Will and garage sale. I am sorting this for Africa, this for Florida…. You get the picture! I am also trying to get the rest of the Biology curriculum written and currently have 36 out of 100 lessons to go. I am getting there but that also is intense writing. I think my mind spends more time in Africa than in America currently and I need to rein it in.

Kent has a recruiting conference in Orlando in April so we will be able to meet with the contractor who is making some updates to our house in Florida. I am excited about it but again it requires decisions and focus.

I do want to note here that three wonderful, talented, and enthusiastic women are stepping up to continue the funeral luncheon ministry at our church. I have prayed for several years for someone willing and eager to fill this role and now we have a team of THREE. Two of these ladies worked with me at the funeral on Saturday and believe me they will not even miss me in the future. What a gift that is to our church.

We are beginning to make serious preparations to sell our house now that Spring is approaching in ND even though today it is 16 degrees outside but the sun is shining. This is another big transition for us because we have been here for going on 19 years. We knew that shortly after our preparation trip to Tanzania Feb. 8-17 we would be traveling to Manning ND to speak in a little church which is now being served through Village Missions. This would be our first opportunity to present our ministry in Tanzania to another church so I spent a long time thinking about it coming and going on the African trip. One of the board members from the STEER organization (a large farm organization here in ND which contributes > one million dollars a year to mission programs through raising and selling cattle) had invited us to speak at his church. Peggy will be going off the board of this organization when we return to Africa. I decided to speak on Matt 19:30, “But, many who are first will be last and the last first”. I mention it here because of what the Lord opened to me in preparation. Obviously this verse does have some application to us because the verse before it speaks of leaving houses and children behind to follow Jesus’ calling. Most of you know that Peggy and I both have deceased parents and our daughter is now a graduate lawyer. Four things came to mind in preparation which I had not thought about earlier.

1.       We must never forget the Lord’s perspective regarding those who make significant sacrifices to follow Him. I was especially impressed with this when some years ago a high school class mate came to visit me after his nearly 30 years of working in the New Guinea jungle with Wycliffe Bible Translators-at last the New Testament was about to be delivered to the Saniyo people who previously had no written language. He had reduced their language to writing and taught many of them to read! His wife had recovered from a nearly fatal viral brain infection and, although regaining her ability to walk, still used a cane. Both of them looked battered from all those years of service. On the day of their visit I greeted them in the large paved drive way of our four story house, proud of what I had accomplished since high school graduation with my Great Dane and mastiff at my side. As they stepped out of their aging car the Lord reminded me, “many who are first will be last and the last first”. I never forgot the encounter as a permanent reminder that a day is really coming when we will be called to give an account of the abilities and resources which God has committed to us. In that day there will be many surprises and regrets because some of Christ’s bondservants got distracted in their devotion to the Master who gave so much for them. This then is the REALIZATION of what is coming (1 Cor 5:10).

2.       Next if we read on into Matt chapter 20 we have an illustration of exactly what the Lord meant by the quote from 19:30. At the end of the day the laborers are called and each given a day’s wages despite the fact that some of them had actually worked much less than a day and some for only one hour! Despite this the landowner is demonstrated to be very generous in paying his laborers but some grumble. Then Jesus reveals to the disciples in very plain language what is to be His destiny (previously misunderstood) as they go up to Jerusalem in Matt 20:18-20.  He tells them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him…”. Then a question arises about who will be the greatest among the disciples when His kingdom finally comes in power. Some even dare to ask to sit on His right and left hand through the agency of their mother. Jesus takes the opportunity to reveal the way to true greatness in His kingdom. Among those who love Him the path to greatness is becoming a servant and if you aspire to be among the first in the kingdom of God you must be a slave to the rest of God’s servants (vv. 27,28). This is the path which Jesus, Himself, took when He gave His life a ransom for many (see Isa 53). And so in the realization of what is coming we must have the true MOTIVATION in following His example. We are enlightened by appreciating the inestimable measure of what He has done. Paul talks about this motivation in Phil 2:5-11.

3.       But acting on this takes faith and the power of VISUALIZATION. We are able to order our lives as if we see before us the very thing which we strive to attain. The author of Hebrews talks about this in chapter 12:28. We surely are going to receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken by the vagaries of time and geography. We are exhorted to then offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe. The reverence refers to our attitude and behavior as we walk before God in everyday life and awe to the feeling of wonder and worship in our expanding appreciation of who God is and what He has done for us.

4.       Finally comes the works which we are empowered to accomplish as we move to the ACTUALIZATION. Paul taught that the practical end of being created in Christ Jesus in this world was for good works. They are prepared beforehand for us to walk in them. (Eph 2:10). James goes on to remind us about the practicality of these good works when he tell us, ”This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (Jam 1:27). God assures us that He is able to give us everything we need to accomplish these works. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed” (2 Cor9:8).

And so you are able to see with this posting what impels us onward to something beyond the careers which we about to finish and gladly take up the opportunity to serve our Lord in this new capacity: REALIZATION, MOTIVATION, VISUALIZATION and ACTUALIZATION. We hope that you will stand behind us in prayer and in whatever way possible as fellow bondservants of Christ.