So, yesterday morning, we had a guest preacher. Missionary who works @ Kiev Theological Seminary in Ukraine. Very challenging!
Here are 2 questions he asked. I've heard them before, but somehow they grabbed my soul this time.
What are you doing with your life that's making a difference for the Kingdom of God?
What do you want written on your tombstone?
The first one's going to cause me to ponder for a while...perhaps & hopefully all year. The second one evokes 2 thoughts. First, I'd like mine to say something besides "He had cancer, loved college football, & was occasionally funny." Second, I'd like it to say something like Mr. Ragains said yesterday morning: "His life mattered to others."
BTW, Mr. Ragains & his wife went to the mission field at the age of 57! Been in his career (worship pastor @ a church) for 35 years prior to that. They've been in Kiev for 6-7 years now, leading a church planting program there that's training young men to plant churches among the unchurched in Ukraine.
Maybe...hopefully...the Lord's not finished with the Madarises just yet in terms of missions...
Have you ruled yourself out of mission work? (short- or long-term) Again, this guy quit his job, sold his house & cars, and flew across the pond to stay when he was 57 years old. What's more, when he left, his mother had cancer. (She has since passed away) They have 2 adult children.
So, what was that excuse again, Madaris?
As I ponder, those 2 questions, combined w/ Mr. Ragains' life & work beg another question:
How big is your...my...God?
Join me in prayer that we would all change our tombstone inscriptions this year as we invest our lives in things that impact the Kingdom of God and thus the world. The list is virtually endless. Let's get on it!
selah.
bb
1 comment:
It must have been the
week for it. Our church
had a Rwandan priest in
to speak about church
planting in Rwanda and
evangelizing Muslims.
The family heard him, but
I missed because I was
taking my oldest son to
the airport in Orlando.
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