Goal Setting for 2009

If you don't know where you are going, you will not know where you are when you get there. Very few people have written goals for their lives. Few who do have goals, actually evaluate and rewrite them on a regular basis.

Who are you planning on being, and what are you planning on doing for the future? What is the desired outcome for your life one year, or five years,or ten years from now? Goal setting is not just for the high achievers in this world. It is for everyone who desires to reach their God given potential.

There are several keys to effective goal setting. None of these are particularly original to me (nothing is new under the sun) but are instead concepts that I have gleaned from various sources over time.

1) Goals must be specific.

Your goals should be action oriented and specific. Know your target and be sure the action needed to hit the target is realistic for your life.

2) Goals must me measurable.

"I want to be successful" for example is not a measurable goal. Goals should be more quantitative than qualitative.

3) Goals must be challenging.

You cannot achieve your most valuable goals in one hour. It takes time to reach substantive goals. If you are changing an area of your life that you are not happy with, most likely you did not get in that condition in a short amount of time.

4) Goals must work in unison.

Your goals should point toward a balanced life- physically and spiritually. They should cover the bases of personal life, family life, finances, etc. You cannot head in four different directions and expect to end up at one destination. Know where you are going and unify your goals.

5) Goals must be followed by a plan to fulfill them.

On a journey you need to know your final destination, you need to know your route, and you need to know what vehicle is going to get you there. The destination is your final outcome, the route represents your goals, and the vehicle is the plan to fulfill those goals. Put a timetable alongside your plans.

6) Goals should begin and end with glorifying God.

What is your God given purpose in life? Who is God calling you to be and what is God calling you to do?

Remember in your goal setting to submit everything to God. We are subject to His Sovereign will for our lives and He is not at all impressed with self sufficiency. To keep all of this in perspective consider the following passage and meditate on it:

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit." You don't even know what tomorrow will bring- what your life will be! For you are a bit of smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So, for the person who knows to do good and doesn't do it, it is a sin. James 4:13-17

It's Relationship, Not Religion

I am on a journey to learn more about prayer, because I want to grow in my walk with God. I have found in my walk with God that the more I seek Him, the more I want to know Him. Prayer is all about relationship, a love relationship with my Heavenly Father. Prayer is partnering with God in an intimate relationship and is the key to true spirituality and to empowerment in living out the Word of God.

Psalm 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

God created us for fellowship. When we pray, we are keeping company with God as one of the early church fathers stated it.

It takes time to develop a relationship. If you are married, consider your relationship with your spouse. When is it the strongest? When you are communicating the best, right? Same goes for your relationships with your children.

Prayer is our lifeline in the most important love relationship in our lives, with our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. The Psalmist stated very plainly that God fills us with joy in His presence. Eternal pleasures are ours at the right hand of God.

Prayer helps me to grow in, and live out the most important of all my relationships. It's only as strong as I make it.

As I think about living out this relationship, several key thoughts come to mind:

1)God is holy, therefore I am to live a holy life. I am to live a life that is worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2)I am dependent on God, therefore I must grow in my faith and understanding of Him.

3)God desires that I walk with Him in fellowhip out of my love for Him, not merely out of a sense of duty.

Love Him, Praise Him, Know Him!

Christmas Through the Eyes of a Child

We had a blessed Christmas Eve Candlelight Service in our church tonight. The Christmas Eve Service in our church is always special and the music and the message was very moving.

We are blessed with three small children (9,7, and 6) who are about as excited as they can possibly be about Christmas. They love Jesus and everything that Christmas is about. Of course they love the fun of the gifts, and the joy of seeing family they don't get to see throughout the year.

As an adult, I would like to capture just a bit of that wonder for myself. For many of us, somewhere along the way our senses get dulled, and we miss the full beauty of the season. I am asking God to give me a fresh perspective on it and to help me see Christmas through the eyes of a child!

Merry Christmas to you and your family! Jesus is indeed the reason for the season.

Moldova Memories

Operation Cross the River Photos by Krista Piferrer

Many of you who prayed for us, and followed the blog of the mission effort will appreciate the link to these pictures. You can see many of the images from Week 2 that the CLBC Team participated in. The Week 3 CERI Team has returned home and the mission has been accomplished.

Pray for the work in Moldova.

They Call Him the Savior

Listen Here

Savior (Luke 2:11)= Deliverer

The Doctrine of Salvation

Before we are saved, we are:

* Separated from God

- We are sinners by nature and choice (Romans 5:12)

- We are under the penalty of sin (Romans 6:23)

- We are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1)

- We are on our our way to Hell.

When we are saved, we are:

* Secured by Christ.

- The Savior came as our Substitute (Romans 5:8)

- The Savior came to Redeem us (I Corinthians 6:20)

- The Savior came to Reconcile us (Romans 5:10)

- The Savior came to Justify us (2 Corinthians 5:21)

- The Savior came to Regenerate us (Titus 3:5)

After we are saved, we are:

* Set apart for Service.

- Set apart positionally (Hebrews 10:10)

- Set apart practically (2 Peter 1:4)

Matthew 5:16 Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to Your Father in heaven.

Don't Lose Jesus in Christmas

Christmas is one week away. If you were to gauge the timing of Christmas by American retailers, you would have thought it was three months ago. Each year the marketing of Christmas becomes more aggressive, and the Christ of Christmas gets pushed further into the background.

Even for followers of Jesus, if we are not careful, we can get our priorities out of order. Culture wants to convince you that you have not had a "good Christmas" unless you purchase all of the new items and gadgets that are being sold. So, people use credit to purchase things that will be forgotten or seldom used the month after Christmas.

I want to encourage you to take some deliberate steps to keep the right priorities and maintain your focus on Jesus during this season of the year. Of course if we have Jesus in our lives, we can't "lose" Him, but you get the point.

* Determine as a family that Jesus will be your focus this season and not "stuff." This means you need to have a good plan of how to do this. At this late date, you should have already formulated that plan. We have made it a point in our family that we are going to enjoy giving, but we will do so in moderation. We want our children to enjoy the fun and wonder of Christmas, but we do not want them to be spoiled brats who think the world owes them something. Focus your family devotions on Jesus and the significance of Christmas to help keep things centered.

*Take the opportunity to give to others. There are many wonderful opportunities to serve others through your giving this time of year. Find a single mom who needs some assistance, or an elderly neighbor down the street who doesn't have family around and be a blessing to them.

* Control your calendar, rather than your calendar controlling you. We love our church family and we try to participate in as many Christmas fellowships and activities as possible. As you might imagine however, we also have to say no to many more. It's not because we would not enjoy the fellowship, but every family has a limit. Learn to schedule your time in a way that does not run your family ragged and allows for time to reflect on what God is doing in your lives.

* Make worship the centerpiece of your schedule. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who go to worship only at Christmas. Christmas should be a highlight of the year as you celebrate the birth of the Savior. As you worship, praise His name and meditate on the significance of God becoming man and dwelling among us.

* Most of all, enjoy and have a Merry Christmas. Don't let the pressure get to you. Realize this is your life. We are not guaranteed next Christmas, we only have this one. Thank the Lord for it.

The Meaning of the Mission

Click here to listen to sermon.

Focal Passage- I John 3:16-23

Motivation: The Love of God

*Character of Love
*Commitment of Love
*Calling of Love

Methodology: Love for Others

*Possession of the World's Goods
*Promise of Confidence
*Passion for Pleasing God

Message: The Gospel of Jesus Christ

*Faith
*Forgiveness
*Future

What can I do for those in need?

-Plead with the Father on their behalf.
-Be a voice for them.
-Provide for them.
-Visit them.
-Give them a family.
-Mobilize the church.

People who need Jesus are crying out, the children are calling, what are we waiting for?

Moldova Mission, December 12-13, 2008

We wrapped up our work in Moldova on Friday. We ministered in the Voda Orphanage in Chisinau. Voda is an institution for the hearing impaired. Lisa Stover presented the Gospel at the end of our visit through a Romanian interpreter, communicating through sign language. A number of the orphans prayed to receive Jesus.

Friday evening we had dinner at a building that will soon be occupied by the Baptist Union and the Bible League. We were able to hear several testimonies from young people whose lives have been changed through the ministry. It was powerful. We also heard about the various ministries CERI has in the country.

We left for the airport at 4 AM Saturday morning, Moldova time, 9 PM Friday night West Virginia time. Our journey home is approximately 24 hours in duration.

Please pray for the following:

*On-time flights and connections for the flights.

*Continued strength for the team for the journey.

*Spiritual and emotional strength for the team as we transition back to our daily routines.

*The Week Three teams that will be completing the shoe mission in Moldova.

Lord willing, I look forward to being back with God's people at CLBC on Sunday, after being out last week. Read I John 3:16-23 in preparation for the message, "The Meaning of the Mission."

Moldova Mission, December 11, 2008

Today our first stop took us to an orphanage at Razalai about 45 minutes from the Balti mission house. We received a warm welcome from the staff. The children were well cared for and fitting the boots went very well.

Our second stop was at Casenesti back toward Chisinau. Again we received a warm welcome. Between the two places we fitted over 200 children with boots. Rob James presented the Gospel at the first orphanage and Terry Vaughan did so at the second orphanage.

Everyone has stayed healthy with no major problems and we thank God for it. We have one more day of work and then we journey home.

Pray for a good finish to this mission week. This will conclude week two of the CERI Operation Knit Together. Next week will be week three, bringing to a close the effort. By the end of week three, 12,000 orphans will have received warm winter boots and will have experienced the love of Jesus from giving volunteers.

Moldova Mission, December 10, 2008

Our team went to minister today to an adult facility that houses 300+ people and to put boots on the people who could walk. The facility houses physically, mentally, and emotionally disabled people. We were blessed to have a group of ladies from a local church assisting us. They were a testimony to our team of what it means to love people like Jesus.

I had a feeling of uncertainty in my heart as we went there not knowing exactly what to expect. I knew when we entered the gates though, that if Jesus were walking this earth in the flesh He would be there, praying over the people, blessing them, healing them, touching them with His love.

I experienced many things there that just have to be experienced, that cannot be easily explained. Lame people, who could not manage to get themselves to where we were fitting, crippled people in wheelchairs, the mentally ill and handicapped, the blind, and more.

At the end of the work, we went to those who could not come or be brought to the fitting area. I measured these people for boots to warm their feet. As we went upstairs there were people literally chained to radiant heaters for various reasons. It was heartbreaking.

I write this post through tears. There was one little fellow who looked to be an older child but I am not sure. He was tied to his bed and could not walk. There had been a diaper placed on him but he had torn the inside of it to shreds and it was all over the bed. I went in and fed him a banana. As I did, he ate it so fast that he was trying to shove portions of the diaper in his mouth.

The level of human suffering in this world in some places is profound. I believe it is more than we can fully understand in our humanity. Why is there so much suffering? The biblical answer is because we live in a sin fallen world and even creation itself cries out for renewal. Sin is ugly, it has marred this world to its core and Jesus is our only hope. Jesus said He did not come to minister to those who are well, but instead to those who are sick.

As I reflect on all of this, my soul says, "How long, oh Lord, until you return and make all things new?"

Pray for the least of these. Do what you can to alleviate their pain and suffering. Be the hands and feet of Jesus in a broken world.

Moldova Mission, December 9, 2008

Today was a blessed day. We traveled two hours to the north of Balti and served the children at Visoco. The orphanage is a place for the learning disabled. The Director was very welcoming and offered us coffee and tea before we even started. We politely refused until afterwards. The children there were in great need and very happy about receiving the boots and hats. The Director said for us, the work was a few hours in time but for the children, it was something they would always remember.

Our second ministry stop was back toward Balti at Tarigrad. We were again welcomed with open arms. There was much need at this orphanage. Everyone was excited and happy for us to be there.

At both places Pastor John presented the Gospel and many orphans prayed and asked Jesus to forgive and save them. We served approximately 200 today.

In the morning we travel to Brinzini to an adult facility. This facility houses over 300 mentally and physically handicapped adults. Many are profoundly handicapped. Please pray for physical, emotional, and spiritual strength for the team as we prepare ourselves to serve there.

We have been blessed to serve alongside excellent translators this week. We have also been blessed with several volunteers from churches who have assisted us in the work. Several from the churches will assist at the adult facility.

Moldova Mission, December 8, 2008

Today our team began work in the north. The first ministry stop took us to an orphanage with very small children in Balti. There were 116 children total from bed babies up through early school age. The building was quite clean and the staff is to be commended for caring well for the children. Even so, when one sees these precious gifts of life, alone, with no home to go to, it is heartbreaking.

One little boy in particular caught my attention at this place. He was lame in his legs and could not walk at all. A caregiver had to carry him in to be fitted with shoes to keep his feet warm. She was a loving lady who was taking care to bring him in. He depended on her and needed her. In that moment as I fitted him, God impressed the thought on me, "You are just like him." Not physically just like him but spiritually. We are totally dependent on God whether we realize it or not. We can't walk on our own spiritually, but God carries us. What good care He takes of us as we journey through this life.

The second ministry stop took us to Falesti, the orphanage a team from our church worked at this summer. There were just under 200 children at this place. I was able to see five children that my family is sponsoring there - Arcadie, Valentin, Eugen, Veronica, and Carolina. Because we got there late my visit with them was not as long as I would have liked but it was a blessing.

Tomorrow takes us two hours to the north of Balti. The weather has turned very cold after raining heavily last night. No snow yet, but very cold and windy.

Pray for continued health and strength for the team.

Moldova Mission, December 7, 2008

The CLBC Team arrived safely to Chisinau on Saturday evening. The duration of the trip from Charleston to Chisinau is approximately 24 hours depending on flight connections (three flight legs of the trip). Chisinau is seven hours ahead of Charleston in time.

We stayed overnight at the IMB house in Chisinau and received initial orientation and preparation from the CERI Moldova Team, and CERI Executive Director, Dr. Dearing Garner from Kingwood, TX.

On Sunday morning we worshipped at Jesus Savior Church in Chisinau, a church that is a leader in the Moldovan Baptist Union. The church is doing a wonderful work in the capitol city and beyond. It is a well-established and effective church with strong leadership and a large membership. The service lasted approximately two hours and the music was stunningly beautiful.

After service today we had lunch and spent the afternoon loading the trucks full of shoes. We traveled to the north two hours by van to Balti (pronounced “belts”). We are staying at the IMB House in Balti and working the northern region this week. We will prepare this evening for the week ahead.

The first day of our team's work will take us to Falesti (pronounced “falest”). A team from CLBC worked the orphan camp there this summer. Many of the children there will be familiar. There are 26 children at Falesti being sponsored by families from CLBC.

Pray for continued health, strength and emotional and spiritual preparation for the team. Pray that we would be a reflection of Jesus to the children.

Moldova Mission, December 5-6, 2008

Friday and Saturday are transition days for me. The team I worked with this week finished up and headed back to Chisinau. A couple of the team members are staying in Moldova as I am for week two and the others are going home.

As I post this, the team from CLBC is in route to Moldova. Pray for God's protection and safety as they travel.

I was able to spend a considerable amount of time with Tatiana today, the young lady our family is sponsoring. I was blessed with an excellent translator friend and we talked more at length than on previous occasions.

Tatiana lives in an apartment with a godly young adult lady who is a missionary from Holland. This young lady was gracious enough to work with us in the program and have Tatiana live with her. Tatiana is doing well in school and has dreams for the future. We discussed her schooling, life issues, and most importantly her faith. It is all new to her. She just came to Jesus mid summer and has many questions.

Tatiana's mother is an alcoholic and left Tatiana at the orphanage at a very early age. The mother lives in a village outside of Cahul. I feel led by the Holy Spirit to go to the village and tell this woman about Jesus. On Saturday, I am going to the village. Pray we find her and that she is sober so I can talk to her.

After the morning traveling to the village, I will make the three and a half- to four-hour journey to Chisinau to meet up with the CLBC team arriving at the airport. We will stay the night in Chisinau, worship there on Sunday morning, load up a truck full of winter boots, and drive to the north for a week of work.

Moldova Mission, December 4, 2008

As I have done more and more mission work over the years, I have asked God to give me spiritual eyes to see the needs around me and a willingness to do something about them.

Moldova is a country very much in need. Sometimes things don't go according to our plans, but in America we still have hope. Hope stirs the human soul to keep on trying, to keep moving toward a higher goal. The American dream is still alive and well and that is why many still flock to our shores. In many parts of the world though, hope is a fleeting thing if it exists at all.

In Moldova, people are happy to have any kind of work to help them survive. Even a university education is no guarantee of employment. Teachers, if they can find work, make the equivalent of $80 to $100 US dollars PER MONTH. Many cannot find work at all. This leads to great poverty and despair. The poverty and despair leads to many children being orphaned without anywhere to go home to.

What are we accomplishing by bringing warm socks and winter boots? We are providing for an immediate need. Even more importantly, though, we are offering hope. The boots will eventually wear out, but for each child who trusts Jesus Christ as their Savior, they receive eternal hope. A gift of hope through the blood of Jesus Christ, which can never be taken away. My faith tells me there will be Moldovan people around the throne of God singing eternal praises to Jesus. Their walk with God started when someone cared enough to warm their feet and tell them about saving grace.

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Today took us to two orphanages outside of Cahul where we served over 300 children. I was able to clearly and concisely share the Gospel in devotion time with all of them. I count this as a great privilege to have already shared the Gospel with more than 700 orphans this week. Many have heard before, many have already believed. God only knows which ones needed to hear it this week.

One little girl in particular caught my attention today. Remember the “asking God for spiritual eyes” part? Well I was drawn to this little girl because of her physical eyes.

She was a beautiful little eight-year old girl named Alexandra in a Russian-speaking orphanage. If I were to guess what the face of an angel looks like, I would say Alexandra's would come close. But there is something different about this little girl. Her face is deformed and one of her eyes is offset from the other. But it was difficult for me to notice because of the smile on her face.

This thought came to mind: When God sees us, He sees the deformities in our lives spiritually speaking because of the damage of sin. But because of the blood of Jesus, He can wash those away and see what we can become in Christ.

By the way, Alexandra doesn't have a sponsor. Truthfully, most of these children do not have sponsors. We have been blessed to be a blessing. We have been given the hope of Jesus.

Are you willing to pass that hope on to someone else and share it?

Pray for the CLBC team as they depart for Moldova on Friday to join me.

Moldova Mission, December 3, 2008

What could motivate people to travel across the world at considerable expense of time and resources for mission work? What could motivate people to pull wet and smelly socks off of the feet of children and replace them with dry socks and warm boots?

Are you ready for the answer? It is not complicated at all. The answer is love - and a desire to be like Jesus.

I am reminded of Jesus just before the Feast of Passover when He knew His hour had come. He ate a meal with His disciples. At the end of the meal He got up from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself with it. He poured water in a basin and began to wash the feet of His disciples.

Jesus was demonstrating what servanthood is all about. He was about to perform the greatest act of servanthood, in laying down His life for sinners at the cross.

Jesus said in John 13:15-17, "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."

So, we come to Moldova with warm boots and to share the life changing truth of the Gospel. We give because we have been given so much.

Our day today took us to Congaz and Mateevici. The second orphanage is for the hearing impaired. The deaf children are particularly expressive as you might imagine with their speech limitations.

One little boy stands out for me in particular. His name is Peter. At the end of our time there, Peter came up to me and wanted me to lean over. He began pointing at my hair and giggling and then calling the other children over to see the American. You see, Peter has red hair and he had discovered someone like him. That is a rarity in this part of the world. Never mind that he can't speak at all, and if he could, I couldn't speak Romanian with him. Yet we connected. The joy in that little boy's eyes made the whole effort worthwhile.

Moldova Mission, December 2, 2008

Cross Lanes Baptist Church is partnering with Childrens Emergency Relief International for the 2008 Boot Mission. Teams are working together to make the mission possible. Warm winter boots and socks will be fitted on 12,000 orphans over a span of three weeks. There are also a couple of larger institutions where mentally and physically handicapped adults will receive shoes.

I am working in the southern part of the country around Cahul this week. There are volunteers on this team from TX, VA, TN, and WV. We fitted children at Krihana-Veke and Cahul.

The looks on the children’s faces are priceless. They are most appreciative of the boots and socks.

We are blessed with capable interpreters but what is communicated goes beyond words. While we cannot speak their language, the language of love is spoken through a smile and a warm hug.

Each child receives a written Gospel in Romanian and we have opportunity to clearly share the Gospel at each orphanage. God only knows how many of the children come to faith in Him through these efforts. You can be sure He knows each of their names.

I was able to spend some time today with sixteen-year old Tatiana who my family has connected with. We are supporting her in the Transitional Program through CERI. She graduated from the orphanage at Cahul last year. She has become a part of our family. I don't speak Romanian and she doesn't speak English but love clearly communicates.

There are more than 143 million orphans worldwide. This is a staggering number and it would be easy to ask, “With so many, what can I do? I cannot solve this problem.” You would be right. But God has called you to do what you can. How many professing Christians are there? I am not sure but I am confident there are way more than 143 million worldwide. What if every Christian took an interest in just one orphan to give and offer them hope?

Which one will you take responsibility for, Christian?

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.