Category: Random Observations
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A Candle That Never Goes Out
On a cold October day in 1555, two English pastors were led to the center of Oxford to be burned alive. The first, Nicholas Ridley, was the highly intellectual bishop of London. Disciplined and sharp, he was incredibly influential in shaping the Protestant reforms in England and played a key role in developing the English…
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When Paul Corrected My Critique
I loved my time in college at Cedarville University. One of the things that distinguished it from other Christian colleges was its commitment to chapel every weekday at 10 a.m. Through my four years of college, I heard some of the greatest speakers in the country open the Word and preach. However, with roughly 1,000…
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Submitted for Approval
Last week I submitted the first draft of my Ministry Project Proposal to my seminary advisor. Eventually, after what will likely be a great deal of editing, those 5,000 words will form the first chapter of my Doctor of Ministry project. This section of my paper took countless hours of research and writing to put…
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The Name on the Van
I loved attending the frequent events of my youth group as a teenager. From roller-skating nights to laser tag to all-nighters, we often piled into our church’s musty 15-passenger Dodge van to participate in activities designed to draw our unsaved friends to the ministry. Inevitably on these trips, before our youth pastor would release us…
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Two Very Different Mornings
For many years I served at a church that hosted an Easter sunrise service on the beach. I would dutifully wake up far earlier than I was accustomed to, layer up since a warm Easter Sunday is more of an ideal than a reality here in the Northeast, and make my way to the seaside…
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Broken Jars, Broken Bread
This week we approach two of the darkest chapters of Scripture: the betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion of Jesus. Mark, our guide on this narrative, has raised the tension higher and higher each week. Chapter by chapter we’ve learned that while Jesus is controversial and confrontational, he’s also approachable, pure, on an uncompromising mission, and in…
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God likes to poke at things while you’re on a mission trip.
One of the more exciting parts of the trip is our re-introduction day at Zanglas, the retreat center on the ocean that belongs to RMI. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. After hours of travel we finally made it there (after a brief stop at the guest home…
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Haiti is mountainous—this is important to remember.
There is an old man who seems to be the church handyman. He is a tiny guy-0maybe 110 pounds of muscle, skin and bones. Today we really got into a rhythm with the water filters. Each is a blue cylindrical container about 4ft. high and 12 inches in diameter. We prepare the filters before we…
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The first day of the “real work”
After an early breakfast, we split into 4 teams. One team taught the leaders of 9 other churches in the district health practices and how to disperse the medication for intestinal parasites. We learned this week that there is a saying in Haiti that everyone has worms. The work those two teams in our group…
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They Turned the Music Down
This trip has been a bit different than the last. Many of the things that always happen (like a big greeting at the entrance to town, food from the airport to Las Cayes, some of the food we were able to eat) have changed. I can sense a level of frustration in the team. Today…
Pastor Jeremy Stephens 