If the video doesn’t work, you can watch it here on YouTube.

Friends told me about this amazing story a couple weeks ago, but I’ve only just sat down to watch it. Now, I’m sorry I waited!

This heart doctor pronounced a man dead after 40 minutes of trying resuscitate him. The doctor filled out the proper paperwork, walked out of the ER, and sensed the Lord telling him to go back and pray over the man’s body. He did … and the man came back to life!

Dr. Chauncey Crandall has also written a book about this experience and how it has impacted his family and his other patients. It’s called Raising the Dead.

On His Exciting Journey,

We received a beautiful Christmas centerpiece from our dear friends in Canada a few days ago. I just LOVE it on my dining room table! It makes me smile every time I pass by it. As I look at it this morning, it brings to mind a quote I read recently:

At Christmas a man is at his finest …
He’s thinking more of others than he’s thought the months before,
And the laughter of his children is a joy worth toiling for.
He is less a selfish creature than at any other time;
When the Christmas spirit rules him he comes close to the sublime.
~Edgar Guest

I’m not familiar with Edgar Guest, but he certainly has captured the heart of Christmas (and of Christianity) in that statement. Isn’t it true that we see generosity and giving much more clearly at Christmas because, during this season, even non-Christians feel compelled to join in? Why is that, do you suppose? Scripture explains that it is because God has written His command to LOVE on every heart. Romans, chapter 2, says that even in the non-Christian, their conscience and thoughts bear witness that it is the right thing to do!

For the last few years, Benjy, McKenzie, and I have been focusing more on giving outside our small circle of family and friends, and one of the things we’ve been trying to do is match our giving outside our circle to the total of our giving inside the circle. There is SO much need in the world today, and we are commanded to give generously to those who are in need … by this they will catch a glimpse of HIS love for them.

One of the projects we are supporting this year is with World Vision. They reach into very poor neighborhoods and try to help the poorest of people thrive, not just by feeding them, but also by giving them the resources to help them feed themselves. There are all sorts of ways to do this. You can give farm animals, education, medical supplies, etc. Last year, we gave toward a water well. This year, we are giving a collection of farm animals. We’d like to encourage you to take a look at World Vision’s Gift Catalog and consider reaching out beyond your circle of family and fiends this Christmas season.

We pray that you will have a beautiful and blessed Christmas, that you will let LOVE reign in your hearts, and that you will enjoy much love and laughter throughout this special season.

On His Exciting Journey,

Photo courtesy of: Adri’

Perhaps idol worship is more rampant today than it was in Bible times, only we don’t carve them out of wood, we carve them out by picking and choosing the characteristics of God we like, and with these we make a new god that is comfortable with how we are living, even when we are not living according to His Word.

A.W. Tozer says it well in the following quote from his excellent book:

The Knowledge Of The Holy

The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. It begins in the mind and may be present where no overt worship has taken place. The idolater simply imagines things about God and acts as if they were true.

I recently read a commentary by Ray Comfort, from Way of the Master, in which he describes a conversation that is a perfect example of today’s idolatry. He said a lady told him that her god would not send anyone to Hell because he is a loving god. He told her that she was right, her god couldn’t send anyone to Hell because the god she believes in is an imaginary god! But the God of the Bible does … this is why we NEED to get familiar with what God has revealed about Himself in His Word. If we add to, or take away from, what the Bible teaches about Holy God, we are creating an idol.

I have really enjoyed learning about God’s personality, His attributes in The Knowledge Of The Holy . This is one book I would highly recommend for every believer.

On His Exciting Journey,

A couple nights ago, I heard a portion of an interview with Joni Eareckson Tada, who has been a quadriplegic for the last 40 years. She was talking about dependency, humility, and acceptance of the things God allows into our lives that ‘help’ us resist pride (i.e. force us to be humble).

She said that some mornings (more often now that she is struggling with the mid-life thing) she feels that she has NO energy to do the day, no energy to even start the day, especially knowing that everything she attempts to do takes far more effort for her than it does for others. But she said she has learned anew, because of those days, that dependence on God is how He really does want us to live. She said she has learned to pray like this…

God, I feel awful! I don’t have the energy to face today. I don’t even want to get out of bed, because I am already overwhelmed with what lies before me today … but in a moment, my girlfriend/helper will be coming into my room to dress me and brush my teeth and fix my hair and do the uncharming things that are necessary to get me ready for the day, and she needs to see a smile on my face before she gets started … but I need You to put it there, because today, I don’t feel like I can do it.

She also said that she has come to realize that maybe being a quadriplegic is a better way to live, because it forces her to be dependent on God … and pride doesn’t have nearly as much room to take root. She said sometimes she thinks that ‘whole’ people are less blessed, because they get up and hustle out the door, never stopping to ask for the strength of the Lord … yet He has SO much to offer those who will ask.

Joni’s insight challenged me to give more thought to how dependent I am on God. It reminded me that when Jesus taught us to pray, He said we should ask for ‘daily’ bread. I think that was to remind us to be humble and dependent on God daily, so that pride has no chance of taking root.

On His Exciting Journey,

May we recognize and honor the presence of the Holy One this Christmas season.

Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In His presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared Him and always thought about the honor of His name, (Malachi 3:16 NLT).

What Kind of List Does God Keep?

The world tells the fanciful story of jolly old St. Nick keeping a list of those who are naughty and nice, but Scripture gives the true account of God keeping some lists of His own …

• The Book of Remembrance, with the names of those who enjoy talking about God, and who are careful to honor His name, Malachi 3:16.
• The Book of Tears, where God keeps track of the sorrows of His people, Psa 56:8.
• The Book of Our Days, where our lifespan is recorded, Psa 139:16.
• The Book of Life, where our works are recorded. We will be judged according to the works listed in this book, Rev 20:12.

Please take some time to consider what is being recorded in Heaven about your life.

Our Winter Wonderland Experience

The pics in the collage above were made in March of this year, when we had the pleasure of spending a couple weeks in a winter wonderland with our Canadian family (brothers and sisters in Christ).

Benjy and I had our 25th wedding anniversary in Sept. 2008, and we chose to celebrate it by vacationing in the beautiful Pacific North West (British Columbia, Canada). We went during their short summer season and enjoyed the beautiful mountains, waterfalls, trails, and lakes, but we were told that we HAD to return during the winter season to experience the beauty of a world of white. I must say, it was a sight to behold! Our Deep South eyes have certainly never seen anything like it, and words and pictures can only partially convey the beauty of that experience.

On His Exciting Journey,

Note: Chapter and verse designations are all from Mark, unless otherwise noted.

On the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, they were to select a year-old lamb without blemish or spot out from the flock and keep it until the fourteenth day of the month (Exodus 12:3). During this time frame, each family would become personally attached to their lamb so it would no longer be just an ordinary lamb (Exodus 12:3) but their very own pet (Exodus 12:5). This would deeply impress upon them the costly nature of the sacrifice; an innocent lamb was to die in their place. On the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month, as the sun was setting, the lambs were to be publicly killed.
~ Quoted from: Passover Teachings

Nissan 10 (Monday)

Jesus rides donkey outside Bethany and into Jerusalem, 11:1
People praise Jesus, 11:8
Entered Jerusalem and went to the temple, 11:11
It was late, so Jesus returned to Bethany, 11:11

Nissan 11 (Tuesday)

Left Bethany and headed to Jerusalem, 11:12
Jesus curses fig tree, 11:13
Arrives in Jerusalem, 11:15
Overturns money changer’s tables in Temple, 11:15
Taught, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,” 11:17
Evening came and he returned to Bethany, 11:19

Nissan 12 (Wednesday)

Left Bethany and headed to Jerusalem, 11:20
See the withered fig tree, 11:20
Arrive in Jerusalem, 11:27
Jesus’ authority questioned in temple, 11:28
Jesus teaches with parables, 12:1
Jesus watches widow give her two mites, 12:42
Jesus left temple, 13:1
Taught about end times on Mount of Olives, 13:3
Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, 14:1

Nissan 13 (Thursday)

Jesus was in Bethany, 14:3
Jesus had a meal with a friend, 14:3
Humble woman anoints Jesus with oil from an alabaster jar, 14:3
Judas Iscariot went to discuss terms of Jesus’ betrayal, 14:10
Disciples ask Jesus’ directions for the Passover feast, 14:12
Passover and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins after 6:00pm on this day

As recorded in Exodus 12:8, God required three symbolic foods to be eaten that Passover night: the lamb, matzah (unleavened bread), and bitter herbs (called “maror” in Hebrew). The sacrifice was to be a young lamb, depicting innocence. It was to be roasted with fire portraying the judgment that would befall it instead of their own firstborn. Matzah was to be eaten symbolizing the purity of the sacrifice since leaven, with its souring characteristic, was often a symbol of sin (I Corinthians 5:6-8). In addition, bitter herbs were to be eaten as a reminder of the suffering of the lamb.
~ Quoted from: Passover Teachings

Nissan 14 (Friday)
(Starts after 6:00pm on Nissan 13)

Disciples kill the lamb and prepared the Passover meal, 14:16
Jesus arrived (notes that it is evening), 14:17
They reclined at the table and ate the passover, 14:18
They sang a hymn, then went out to the Mount of Olives, 14:26
Peter declares his loyalty, 14:29
Prayed at Gethsemane, 14:32
Jesus seized and arrested, 14:46
Jesus suffers trials and mockery throughout the night, 14:53
Jesus is crucified at 9:00am, 15:25
Jesus died at 3:00pm, 15:34-37
Veil of the temple was torn, 15:38
It was Preparation Day, the day before the Sabbath, 15:42
Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus’ body, 15:43
Jesus’ body was laid in the tomb and a stone was rolled over the door, 15:46
(Preparation Day was for the special Sabbath, see note: Mar 15:42, John 19:31)

Nissan 15 (Saturday)

High Sabbath (John 19:31)

Nissan 16 (Sunday)

Sabbath was past, 16:1
Mary, Mary, and Salome visited tomb very early Sunday morning, 16:2
Tomb was rolled away, Jesus had risen! 16:4
Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, 16:9
Jesus appeared to two more people, 16:12
He appeared to the eleven and rebuked their unbelief, 16:14
Commanded them to preach the gospel to the whole world, 16:15
Ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God, 16:19

In Exodus 12:24-27, we are commanded to observe the Passover forever with a ceremony, so that when our children ask what this ceremony means, we can tell them what the Lord has done for us. This is how God intended for fathers to teach their children about God’s provision. God commanded the Israelites to do this even when they reached their Promised Land. On this side of the cross, Jesus is our Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7), and we should use our ceremonies this week to teach our children what happened to our savior and why. It’s a beautiful love story … get familiar with it and share it! In fact, you are most welcome to print this time line and use it as a guide for sharing.

On His Exciting Journey,

I’m giggling at the title of this post, because it brings to mind those days in elementary school when we passed notes with this all important question … “Will You Be My Friend? Circle Yes or No.”

Godly friends are SO VERY important in the life of a believer. Scripture admonishes us to do good things for each other every chance we get … and look at the last half of this passage from Paul’s letter to the Galatians:

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galatians 6:10 NIV)

Have you ever noticed that part? We are to be especially helpful to our fellow believers. Why? I believe the verse preceding this one gives us insight … So they don’t become worn out, burned out, drop outs who are weary of doing good … So that they will reap a harvest in due season, because they didn’t quit. That’s what this life is all about, isn’t it? Producing a harvest for the Kingdom of Heaven? We’re on the same team … and by refreshing each other, we will have a stronger voice, greater courage, and more influence in our mission field. Jesus’ words back up Paul’s admonition. He said that the love we show to our fellow believers is how ALL the world will know we are His disciples (John 13:35).

Staying Connected Is The Important Part

So where do we start? Well, Benjy and I would like to start by asking you to be our friend. No kidding! We realize that life and community aren’t the same in the new millennium as it was in the days of Andy and Opie. Families are doing more and talking less … and that’s not a good thing. But we have learned new way of doing community that keeps people in touch on a level that is manageable even with our busy schedules. It’s called Facebook.

When you join Facebook (it’s free, by the way), you use the ‘status’ line to keep your friends informed about what’s going on in your life. And by reading their status line, you stay informed about what’s going on with your friends. You can even make short comments to a friend’s status, so if they say they need prayer, you can let them know that you are praying for them. I did this recently when McKenzie was admitted to the hospital, and it was so comforting to know that we had pray warriors covering us.

Facebook easier than a blog, better than email, and less time consuming than a phone call. That’s the best way I can describe it! Benjy and I have been enjoying sweet fellowship with a few of our friends on Facebook the past few months, and we want to invite you to join us and help us build a strong community of believers.

This is our invitation to you …

Join Tammie on Facebook

Join Benjy on Facebook

If you already have an account, befriend us … If you don’t have an account, make one and come join us!

On His Exciting Journey,

Who Is Their God?

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Now that I’ve told you about the natural beauty in British Columbia, I’d like to tell you about the dark side … the spiritual darkness that is so prevalent in people of the mega-city of Vancouver.

Located in the Pacific North West, the city of Vancouver, British Columbia is about 3,000 miles away from south MS. It is one of the world’s largest cities with a population of approximately 2.2 million people.

Vancouver is a port city with one of the world’s busiest International Airports. Because of the large number of people traveling in and out of Vancouver, it has become known as the Gateway To The World. It is a beautiful city with a mountainous backdrop, and people from many different nations call it home.

Because of the influences of all those different nationalities and belief systems, Vancouver has become a city shrouded in spiritual darkness. Each people group has brought with it the gods of their nation … and temples built for their worshipers fill the city.

We were encouraged, though, when we met with a small organization of Christian brothers and sisters in Vancouver. Janet, on the left, serves as the Mobilization Coordinator for the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists. She took us on a tour of the city of Vancouver which ended up here at the Collingwood Neighborhood House where Vancouver Baptist have started their newest church plant, Urban Village Church. The Mississippi Baptist Convention has partnered with a Vancouver church and together we are helping to support the Vancouver area ministry, which includes meeting the financial needs of this church plant, along with the pastor’s salary, and the salary of Donna (pictured right), who is a North American Missions Board Missionary from Vicksburg, MS.

We had a very informative meeting with Donna and Pastor Daniel about the work they are doing at the Urban Village Church, which meets in a room rented from a community center in downtown Vancouver. Daniel and Donna have been very creative in the way they approach ministry in this urban setting, and their small congregation is beginning to grow.

UVC had it’s first baptism in June of this year. Because the church meets in a community center, they had no baptistery, so they held the baptism service in the local park with a large kiddie pool. What a witness to the people who happened to be in the park that day!

Only a few blocks form the Urban Village Church is Chinatown.

Life in this area is filled with sights, sounds, and SMELLS that are strangely different from anything we know in our area. Look closely at the man in the white butcher suit … that is a whole pig on his shoulder!

Yep … that’s a pig alright!
You can see the open air markets that line the street. Julie and I walked in and out of one of the markets quickly … we had seen and smelled enough!

This is one of the many Buddhist Temples visited by the large Chinese population. Buddhists believe in reincarnation and karma.

These men are Sikh (pronounced ‘seek’), and they are flooding into Vancouver from East India. We saw them everywhere we went … even in the outlying areas of Vancouver. They are easily recognizable with their turbans and uncut beards.

Here are a couple of the Sikh temples in the area. They believe in one god that is multiplied into many forms and they believe in reincarnation and karma. There is also a large number of Hindu’s in Vancouver from East India. They are less recognizable than the Sikh because they do not wear the turbans. The Hindu worship thousands of gods, and they believe in reincarnation.

There are also many, many Muslims in the city, and of course they have their temples. Their women are easily recognizable because of the headdress they are required to wear.

And then there is a religion that has been in BC for many, many generations … the religion of the First Nations, a nature worshiping people.

They have Longhouses, rather than temples, and these are scattered all over the Provence of British Columbia. Public schools are not allowed to teach anything of the Christian faith, yet school children are taken to their local Longhouse for a lesson in First Nation culture and religion.

But West Coast Baptists are in the process of taking the gospel to the people, and we were blessed to serve one Sunday with Gateway Baptist Church. Gateway is one of only eleven Baptist churches in the Vancouver area that meet in an actual church building … and they are making great use of this facility by sharing it with four separate congregations. Here you see Julie, Benjy, and Vic visiting with members of the Sudanese congregation.

And here you see Vic, Tammie, Julie, and Christina, a beautiful young lady from the island country of Myrnmar (Burma). She works with the Burmese congregation at Gateway Baptist Church. There is also, a Spanish congregation and an English congregation meeting in this facility.

So there you have it … our view of the many faces of Vancouver, a city with many gods but no real hope. Here you see Benjy overlooking bay area of Vancouver, it’s called Prospect Point. What a fitting place to stand and consider what God is calling us to do in order to help reach this city with the Good News of Jesus Christ, son of the One True God, and the hope of every heart.

The Director of Vancouver Baptist Missions sent us this picture of the memorial gateway at Peace Park. This park is a partnership between Canada and the U.S., and the gateway gives free access to either country. Vancouver Baptists want to know how we can partner with them and help share the gospel with the people of their beautiful city. We are praying and seeking God’s answer to this question. Will you join us?

On His Exciting Journey,

Because there are so many photos in this presentation, I broke it into two separate posts. Here is the link to part two, Who Is Their God?

Light and Dark

British Columbia is an unsettling mix of natural beauty and spiritual darkness. It would seem that in a place filled with the beauty of God’s creative handiwork, there would be a natural desire to worship the God of creation. But we learned that there is a dark side to BC, and we would like to share our experience with you. Before I tell you about the darkness, though, I’d like to give you some background information and show you a bit of the natural beauty of British Columbia, Canada. It truly is a showcase of some of God’s best work!

This September Benjy and I have been married 25 years!
To celebrate this milestone, we wanted to do something really special, so we decided to take a two week vacation to the beautiful mountains of British Columbia, Canada. This picture was made in Whistler, BC, home of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Isn’t it a beautiful place?

We became intrigued with this area when we became friends with Vic and Julie, long time residents of BC. God brought Julie into my life through the Christian Women’s Blog Ring. We became easy friends, and we started doing Bible studies together online. Julie regularly sends us photos of their beautiful mountains, waterfalls, and moss covered trails, so when it came time to make our anniversary plans, we knew exactly where we wanted to go!

Breathtaking Beauty

We lived together as family those two weeks, and they introduced us to some of the breathtaking beauty of their world … things that are TOTALLY unfamiliar to MS flatlanders!

Things Like Snowcapped Mountains …

Snowballs and Sniffle Stations …

And Snow Covered Lakes!
Yes, we’re wearing short sleeves … McKenzie is even wearing shorts!
Believe it or not, the temp was in the upper 80’s this day.

There was lots of snow in the upper elevations, but in the lower elevations
the snow had melted, and the waterfalls were something to behold!

We were so fascinated by the beauty and number of waterfalls.
This one is called Brandywine.

Vic found lots of ways to keep us busy and to introduce us to the beauty of their home.
The trees on this trail were HUGE!

The moss and ferns on this trail were unbelievable!

And this girl was cute as pie!
But she was a MS variety, not a BC variety.

We were told that we MIGHT see a bear if we were lucky …
but God went above and beyond and let us see FIVE!

We EVEN found Sasquatch and learned that the rumor is true …
He REALLY does throw rocks at people, especially overly curious MS flatlanders!

As if the beauty of the land was not enough, we were taken on a ferry ride to the beautiful island of Victoria, the capitol of British Columbia. No matter where we traveled, the snow capped mountains were always within view.

As you can see, British Columbia is a land filled with natural beauty. These are only a few of the many photos we took of the area. You can see more by visiting our photo album. But as I mentioned earlier, BC does have a dark side … a spiritual darkness that is a result of the many gods which have been welcomed into the area. You can read about this in part two, Who Is Their God?

On His Exciting Journey,