Just say YES!

Shadow Hills Baptist Church did a local service project this week, serving food to college students at South Plains Jr. College, Reese Campus.  Special thanks to Rene Alley for preparing the food and giving her day to make it happen.  Thanks also to Byron, Tiny, Kristen Harper, and Bille Downing (with oxygen tank in hand) for helping us serve.

What a joy and privilege to meet and feed these  students.  We see a variety of students, traditional and non-tradition, busting their chops trying to study, work, support family, and make ends meet.  Then, of course, there is the occasional student who rolled out of bed for lunch before their 1 pm class, but I am sure they studied ALL NIGHT LONG!

I had the opportunity to share about my trip to Kenya, telling these students about how God worked through our optical clinics.  Jarren Ray saw over 300 patients in 5 days.  We were able to give away over 75 glasses, and take over 100 prescriptions.  And we will be able to fill the prescriptions through the Lion's Club of Texas and send them back in about 2 months.  All without cost to the patient!

And to top things off, we are currently watching God provide a significant investment of land and building to one of the churches because of the ministry that was initiated through the optical clinics.

The students were genuinely appreciative of the various events that came together for this mission moment.  And the heart of the message was this:  Jarren was not sure if he could go and do the clinics.  Nor did he know how he was going to afford the airfare for himself and his wife.  Yet, they said YES to God's invitation to go.  And God provided airfare, a place to stay, equipment, glasses, and even Lion's Club connections.  And then he provided land for a local church in Limuru.  Land that would cost $20,000 US.  And God provided it.  And he will continue to do so.

All we need to do to participate in God's great and wonderful plans?  Just say YES to his invitation. He didn't ask Jarren to be something he wasn't.  He asked Jarren to serve within his training and gifts.  And Jarren said YES.  And God multiplied all of it.

So, the message to the BSM was "Just say YES."  What could God accomplish through us if we just said YES to him?

Random world observation #1.

So, on my trip to Kenya, I asked David, the driver and tour guide, a basic life question.  Zebras:  black with white stripes or white with black stripes?  Without hesitation, he responded:  White with black stripes.

So there is the definitive answer:  White with black stripes.

His rationale:  Their are various shades of colors in the dark stripes, but the white never changes.  Thus, he concludes that since the white doesn't change, it must be the dominant color.

I am sure there is a more scientific answer, but when the Kenyan says they are white with black stripes, then I am going with him.

Especially since he's driving, and I am a long way from home.  Just saying . . . . . .

Dr. Technical? Where did that come from?

My class from Wayland Baptist University, Kenya Campus.  March 2012

Glad you asked.   Having been through school for many years (17 years of post-graduate study), you manage to develop some technical skills and knowledge.  And my students will tell you that I do grade content and grammar (communication ability) with some measure of detail.  However, the moniker "Dr Technical" relates to my time in Kenya.  One of my older students in 2009, Pius Watene, noted that I was very detailed in my grading of exams.  In fact, he was rather surprised that I took the time to read the whole exam from every student and grade the details.  So, in an effort to describe my detailed grading, he said, in front of the whole class, "You are so TECHNICAL."  I think there was a measure of frustration in his voice, but I must admit it made me laugh because I have never seen myself as "technical".  And having a Kikuyu tribal accent (in which the "k" sound is often followed with a vowel sound), the term "technical" came out "Tech-i-nical."  And so now, in Kenya, my friends who help with the Wayland Campus and the Kenya Baptist Theological College all call me Dr. Technical, pronounced, Tech-i-nical.   The extra syllable makes it that much sweeter, really.  I get it referenced in my emails and other correspondence.  They tell me everyone gets a title when they come to teach.  So, Dr. Technical is mine.  I will wear it with pride, although I am not sure I will always live up to the hype.   I have never truly been a stickler for details when it comes to rules.  I always err on the pragmatic side of things.  But when it comes to grading, you gotta stick with the plan, so to speak.  I guess that makes me more technical than I would have thought. 

Anyway, that is the short version of the story, and the reason why I have taken the moniker Dr. Technical.  I guess it beats being Dr. Comatose.  I didn't feel the need to find out where that moniker came from  . . . .

The whole idea of a GWOT blog is rather undignified.  I mean, it just screams, "I don't really have a true focus."  This was drilled into me by my first preaching professor at Hardin-Simmons University.  And anyone who endured the brilliance of that Preaching Class with Dr. Shields knows the focus that he required of our work.  And it probably wouldn't surprise him at all to find that I am still living in the GWOT side of life. 

Yet, I find that life is lived more in the unfocused areas (the gray, as some people put it), rather than in the clearly defined plans and projects that we set up.  And honestly, when is the last time you saw one of your clearly planned events happen without some sort of the adjustment?  Yes, we all need focus.  And I intend to focus most of my musings on scriptural observations. However, I look forward to delving into all manner of topics that relate to scripture, Christianity, and life in general.  Thank you for joining me!!