It has been good being settled in back at home, getting back into the swing of things. I’ve really enjoyed getting back to teaching the children’s class on Sundays. The kids here are really an uplift to me, and I think they are a vibrant part of the life of the body in Woodlands. This past Sunday, we had a small class, with several of our regulars being absent for one reason or another. The students who were there had some really good questions for me, and we spent time exploring how they might find answers to those questions. The best question was, “How do we decide whether a thing is right to do if God didn’t mention it anywhere in the Bible?” We spent a good deal of time talking about 1 Cor. 6:12 and the principles expressed there. I was amazed at the depth of the questioning these kids were doing — they range in age from 7 to 10. I think it really reflects well on their parents, that the kids were thinking beyond just rule-keeping, and how they might have to discern sometimes between things that don’t seem so clear cut. It was just another of those times when the kids proved themselves to be the ones who really seem to know what it is all about. 
Our regular small groups are also continuing to go well. I’ve enjoyed the time spent with each of the groups, and am pleased by the study each is doing. I’ve also started meeting once every two weeks with some of the people who are involved in leading the various groups and the Bible classes on Sunday. It gives us all a chance to discuss the various issues that come up, and to pick up ideas and insights from each other. The leaders of the groups were the ones who initiated the regular meetings, and I think that is a good sign of the commitment they have to their task of leading well.
One of our men was recently able to participate in a mission effort to Sarawak and Sabah, the two states that make up East Malaysia. The work was very encouraging, and there are signs of some real growth there. Those involved in the effort have put together some reports in PDF format. If you are interested in knowing more about that work, do feel free to contact me and I will forward the reports along to you. The brother from our congregation who has been involved in the work over the past year will make 3-4 trips there this year, and we are excited about that.
The work in China is moving along nicely since I’ve been back too. The weekend after I left, during the study, they had a question from the passage they were reading. They did as they always do, wrote it down to ask me when we next spoke on the phone, and then continued their discussion. As they continued reading, they found the answer to their question, and worked it out for themselves. They were very pleased to find that they are able to explore and find answers on their own. This is something they (and I) have been hoping to see happen in their studies, and I think they felt they’d really achieved something. It was nice to hear the sense of accomplishment and a higher level of confidence as they told me about it.
The youth ministers from some of the churches that help in my support have started a new website, and I think it is a fantastic tool. I’ve already sent it out to the youth here, hoping they will want to get involved in the interaction on that site, which would hopefully help them feel more connected with a larger group of Christian teens than they really get to mix with here. I’ve linked the site in my blogroll (on the right of my main blog page) so that it will always be right there when people visit my site. Alternatively, you can click this link:
Striving to Be Real
