Our Blog
Wheels Up
This project has been through many struggles on the road to today. The six months since our return from Ghana have presented us with some obstacles and opportunities. At the conclusion of each project, as we sit in the departure lounge in the Accra airport, our team spends time reflecting on what we have just experienced on the mission and make some initial points about what we need to do differently and better on the next. My friends in the corporate world call this our download meeting which is really the beginning of the next project. These months of preparation...
Prayer is the Key
We are only a few days away from our ministry project to Ghana, West Africa and everyone is really excited about what the days ahead hold. So many people have told me that they were worried about my going, but I want to assure you that I have been cleared by my Doctor, Physical Therapist, and wife to go on this trip. My colleague, Jeff Andler has told Mary that he would “take good care of me and make sure that I do all the things I’m supposed to do” and I believe him. I thank the Lord for a...
When Tragedy Strikes
I awoke on Tuesday morning, 02 October to the sights and sounds of the tragedy of the mass shooting in Las Vegas. The sober sight of the organized, mobilized, and demonized murder of at least 58 and injuring more than 500 people attending a 3-day concert event in the city was paralyzing to me. Many must have, like me, found themselves asking the “why” and “how” questions that we coming all too quickly. Why would someone do this? How could a lone individual organize and orchestrate this hatred? While I believe time will prove this was not the act of...
The Fervor and the Flag
Over the weekend the media in our country covered ad nauseam the owners and players in the NFL decision to “take a knee, stay in the locker room, or lock arms” in defiance of traditional respect for and allegiance to the National Anthem of the United States of America. I am sure each person feels justified in their decision. This action drew much attention from social media sites which caused me to realize that most people cannot even agree on the issue at hand. I am not sure that even those taking the defiant position even know the true impetus...
Is It True?
Don’t believe something is true just because you want it to be true. One of the flaws of modern society is our determined desire to believe what we want to believe in order to prove a point. We’ve all seen and heard this in action. Think about these: “Vitamin C cures the common cold. Eating more carrots improve your eyesight. We only use 10 percent of our brain.” None of these are true, but because so many people have repeated the statements, a great percentage of the population has accepted them as facts. In the day of the rapid introduction...
What do the storms mean?
Early this morning I received a phone call from Ghana. Local Ministry Director, Rev. Samuel (Sammy) Lartey started the conversation by saying, “I have seen on ‘the net’ that the horrific hurricane has reached America. Are you still safe?” After explaining to him that here in North Carolina is nearly 1000 miles from Key West, FL, he was relieved. His next question was this, “Do we have GEM friends in FL?” I told him “Yes, we have many who have faithful supported our work within the state of Florida” which brought the reply, “We shall pray for them and all...