Author: Billy

Saturday the 8th was a day we all looked forward to. Our schedule had us at a leaders conference for young people, ages 18-25. These are all people who are actively serving in ministry and are passionate about growing in their individual calling. The theme for the conference was “Build”, so Zach and I both tailored out messages around the principles of cultivating and developing your gifting and calling in the Lord.
I spoke first, and gave an inspirational message about taking initiative in ministry and being the one who takes the necessary steps of faith that others will follow. Being a leader involves being bold enough to go and do where others aren’t willing or are afraid to.
Then Zach spoke from 1 Corinthians 3 about the humility involved in being a leader and how we need to make sure people see and depend on Jesus rather than depending on us to lead them.
Then Josh and the leader of the group both shared some helpful points on ministry, and we enjoyed some fellowship with the guys and girls who had come. Its always so refreshing to see people on fire and excited to be getting into the ministry. Their enthusiasm is contagious and reinvigorates the zeal that we sometimes lose sight of.

We returned to Chengalpet in the evening, which is about a 2 hour drive from Josh’s house. Its not more than about 60 km away, but the traffic in Chennai is so congested that it takes a couple hours to navigate.  Tonight, Zach was on schedule to preach the message, but before he did, Linda gave her powerful testimony. She has a moving story of the saving power of God. Then Zach addressed the crowd of roughly 500 people by breaking down the most popular verse in the Bible, John 3:16. He gave them the simple gospel, and many people responded to the call to salvation. We stood in front of the stage again for those who wanted to come forward for prayer, and laid hands on them individually while lifting them up in prayer.

We really had an awesome day of ministry today, probably because Zach is especially partial to ministering to people within the age group of the morning conference. All of us thoroughly enjoyed serving the Lord today and doing what He has called us here to do.
Thank you for your faithful prayers. We can feel the power of God’s Spirit working in us.

We woke to the smell of fresh coffee, prepared by Josh’s mother, Magi. Every morning, she faithfully prepares a pot of coffee and spreads a breakfast on the counter for us to enjoy. She is such  blessing to our team, and we appreciate her hard work.
Bill found the way to the ocean during a jog on our first morning here, so he, Bryan, and I have been getting our daily exercise by running every morning. We had not ventured out too far along the ocean until today, and we won’t be doing that again. The people living alongside the ocean use the beach as a toilet, so you literally have to dodge land mines the entire time. We only made it about 100 yards down the beach before I turned around. The streets are a much safer bet.

We kicked off ministry for the day by going into a gypsy camp near Josh’s home. We visited this same place last year, and have been supporting ongoing efforts to reach these people. So it was good to be back and bring some more of the love of God to them. If I showed up at your door with a plastic bag of rice, you probably wouldn’t bee too impressed, but these people are so appreciative of a bag of food. We brought rice it not he village and gave bags of rice to each home. Some would receive a second bag, depending on the size of the family.
By the time we used up the rice in the cart, we were about 3/4 of the way through the village, and when Josh left with the cart to go back to the vehicle for more rice, the people thought he was leaving for good and started arguing with the village head about it. Those who had not yet received any rice were shouting and the situation was escalating rapidly. We were caught in the middle as people on all sides of us were shouting back and forth. Finally, Josh came back with some more rice and we gave some to the rest of the families.
The children were excited to see us, just as they were last year, and took every opportunity for a photo. One little girl even did some henna on Linda’s arm.
I can see that the people are truly happy that we come to see them, and I hope that these simple gestures eventually open them up to hear and receive the gospel.  The gypsies have a very strong culture, which makes them a difficult people group to reach with the message of the gospel. Please pray for the doors to open up for us to be able to lead them to Christ.

Friday evening is our first crusade in Chengalpettu. We held crusades here 2 years ago, and had a great response. Pastor Joel is extremely passionate about impacting this area with the gospel. There was a setback to our crusades a last week when a local government official was murdered on the streets here. Apparently, some of the decisions he was making rubbed some people the wrong way, so he was killed and lacked to pieces in broad daylight. After that, the police imposed a 9:00 curfew on the whole city. So, we have to wrap things up by 9:00 each night here.
On the first night, Bill Garrity opened up with a short greeting before I preached the gospel. I had just taken the time to explain to them how God created them individually, knows them intimately, and how each of us has sinned against Him. Then I was speaking about the judgment to come and read to them about Judgment Day, when the power went out. Suddenly the entire crusade grounds were enveloped in blackness. That’s the first time thats happened to me before. It took about 5 minutes to get the generator fired back up, so the people had all that time to let those thoughts sink in. When power was restored, I was relieved to see that no one had left. So I continued the message and shared with them about the love of God in sending His own Son to bear the burden for our sins, and how He offers eternal life freely to all those who repent and trust Him. At the altar call, scores of people responded and prayed for forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ.
The altar was packed out when we asked them to come forward for individual prayer. There are so many people struggling with various issues here, and they take full advantage of the opportunity to receive prayer for their needs. We are happy and blessed to oblige them and take the time to lay hands on them and pray over each and every one of them.

We have two more meetings here, and we expect the next two nights to hold larger crowds. We will see what happens and keep you updated. Sorry for the lack of photos this time. The internet connection is really slow today and I can’t upload them very well.

Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to faithfully remember us!

We planned on waking around 5:30 and getting an early start to the leper colony, in order to avoid the heavy traffic, but lets just say that plan failed miserably.  We actually got up around 6:00, took our sweet time eating breakfast, and left around 7:00. We did alright for about the first half hour, but the traffic became increasingly congested until we were barely putting along through the streets. Poor Caleb ended up waiting on the roadside for a full hour by the time we got to Vandalur to pick him up. IT was another 45 mintutes to the leper colony from there.

The leper colony we visited today is the same one we have gone to for the past three years. Last year, one of the needs we met here was that they needed to update their P.A. system. The old one no longer worked and they needed a way to let everyone in the village know when there are meetings and events. So, we provided the funds to purchase a new system, and it was nice to see the fruit of that.

This year, the most pressing need they presented us with was to install a pump at the well. It is difficult for someone with no fingers to pull a pail up on a rope to get drinking water. They showed us how they already have a storage tank ready to go, and all thats needed it a simple pump to get the water to the surface. That way, they will be able to open a tap for water rather than struggle to get it up from the well.  Josh is going to get a plumber to give us a quote for that expense.

We walked up and down the streets, inviting people to the meeting hall, where Linda and Bryan both gave them a message of how much we love them and how much God loves them, and then we handed out bags of rice and provisions. The people are always grateful for these donations, and we were humbled as they showed genuine gratitude. 

After the leper colony, we headed over to the gypsy day care center in Vandalur which is run by Caleb’s church. Pastor Deva and Maria live at the building with the children and are their caretakers. Initially, they were just taking the kids during the day and having them go back to their parents at night, but after an incident a few years back where the local villages attacked the gypsy colony, they fled the area and left their children with Deva and Maria because they offered them such a better life. Now the children live at the center, and are provided for and taught school daily. It’s actually quite impressive to see the progress that has been made in their lives after coming year after year.
We played games with them, sang songs, did a skit, passed out candies and toys, and just loved on them for a while. We have a support network at Calvary that donates monthly to the operations of this Day Care Center, but there is a pressing need. Last year, the government came in for an inspection and told them that they need to have a separate building to house boys and girls. Obviously they don’t have that, and even if they did, it would require more staff. So, they are looking to either find the funds to build or rent a different area, or put the children on individual sponsorships and move them into families homes within their church. The government has not returned since the first visit, so they have been buying time until now, but they know that its just a matter of time before they coe back and enforce the laws. Please be praying for them.

We had another crusade in a different slum tonight. Actually, we held a crusade in this slum in 2012, and the local pastor asked us to come back again, so we obliged. The smells and sights and sounds were pretty much the same here as they were last night, excepting the new faces in the crowd. This time there were two dances before the preaching, which seems to always draw a crowd of people. Bryan opened with some Scriptures and encouragement, and Zach preached a message around John 3:16. At the altar call, a forest of hands went up as he challenged them to abandon their false gods and trust Jesus Christ alone. We were so happy to see that people are looking for truth and are willing to respond to it when its presented to them.
Again, we laid hands on and prayed for everyone who would come forward, which just about every person did.

It was a long day, so we headed back to Josh’s place and crashed out. We are all excited to see what tomorrow brings.

Thank you for your faithful prayers.

Well, we certainly have been enjoying the mild weather on this trip. I joked with Josh that it almost feels wrong that we don’t have to suffer through the grueling heat as we usually do. The reason we can so early in the year is because from mid-February through mid March the students have exams, so its not a good time to conduct crusades because it needs to be quiet for their studies. Right after that, they move into a major election season through the end of April and they won’t allow any public demonstrations, which would include our crusades. So, rather than come in May when it is 120 degrees, we decided to come in early February. I can’t believe I haven’t come at this time before.

On Wednesday, we had a private ceremony with some pastors and leaders from an Indian Christian college in a church downtown. There were about 30 or so people in the room. The Indian government will only recognize marriages performed by a licensed minister within a certain diocese, so Caleb and Josh and a few other pastors have always had to pay a minister to come perform weddings as well as burials. They received certificates licensing them to do weddings and funerals at this meeting. Also, Cale and Josh both received degrees from INA Theological University. We were blessed to be able to witness the event.

In the evening, we had our first crusade in the slums. Its always a difficult thing to go into these areas a

First of all I would like to share a word form Scripture for everyone who reads these updates. I know that some people think that there are those who only give these types of updates to brag about what God is doing, or to sound a trumpet before themselves and draw attention to their good works. Although I agree those situations do occasionally occur, that is not the intent of these updates. It is actually biblical for missionaries to bring updates to the church of all that God is doing. In Acts 14:27 we read that after Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch and gathered the church together, “they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the gentiles.” This is because there is an accountability to the senders  (those who have been praying and giving financially to the work) to show them what is being done.  Please be encouraged as you read about what God is doing in India.

We made the drive to Seattle on Sunday afternoon on bare and dry roads. Check-in at the airport went smoothly, and we were able to catch the first half of the Super Bowl before boarding the plane. We then enjoyed a 15 hour flight to Dubai, followed by a very short layover, whirring we found ourselves almost running to catch the next flight to Chennai.

Chennai greeted us withe the familiar sounds and smells of India, only this time we weren’t hit by a blast of heat as we stepped off the plane. The weather is much more tolerable this time of year. By the time we got our bags into Josh’s home, it was already getting to be 4:00 a.m.

Because of our long flight and the time of our arrival, we used most of the first day to rest and recover from jet lag. If you’ve never experienced flying for 20 hours straight, I can assure you that it drains a lot out of you. You’d think that after all that sitting around we’d be eager to get rolling, but it makes you feel like garbage.  Hard to explain, but its real.

We went to a Bible study Tuesday night with about 25 young people between the ages of 18-25. We were pretty surprised how we all fit inside a 10×12 room, but it worked out just fine and we had a wonderful time encouraging them with some Scripture and doing some subject discussions based on issues that they are struggling with.  We are going to be at a larger youth meeting on Saturday with most of these young people and we look forward to seeing them again.

Our last team member, who had to fly out a day later than us, arrived at the airport aroundmidnight, so the team is now complete and ready to hit the ground running tomorrow with energy and enthusiasm.

Have you ever saved someone’s life?
A number of years ago, when I was still a teenager, I spent a summer with relatives in Kalispell, Montana. One day a bunch of us went for a swim at a place called Foy’s Lake.
All the guys were out about 60′ from shore. As I was swimming out, my uncle was on his way back and asked me to swim in with him.
Within a few seconds, I heard him gasp for help as he was gulping down water. I turned around to see his limp body sinking lifelessly into the water.
I screamed for help to the other guys and dove down to get him. He was twice my size, but I managed to grip him around the armpits and force him up, while forcing myself deeper. I went up for air, and when I came back down, I used my body weight again to force him to the surface. He was so exhausted, he was like dead weight.
The other guys thought we were joking around and didn’t come for a while. I don’t know how long we kept bobbing up and down like that before help arrived. We helped him get to shore and it took a long while for him to be fully resuscitated, but slowly he regained his strength and composure. It was pretty scary.
But for the next few days, grandma hailed me as a hero.
I gotta admit, it felt pretty good. I was just a teenage kid who did what anybody else would do, but it was a pretty good feeling that I was able to do something that really mattered.

Without taking anything away from the value of my uncle’s life, I have to say that words fail me to express how much more exciting and fulfilling it is to lead another person to the Savior of our souls.
When someone’s physical life is saved, they are given a few more years to live here on earth, but when you lead another person to the salvation found in Jesus Christ, they are given an eternal, vibrant life and an inheritance that will never fade away.
They receive complete restoration and reconciliation with God, and all of heaven rejoices as they are spiritually born into His family. It’s absolutely incomparable to anything else you can ever do.
James 5:20 says, “Let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
Think about that for a second, and then ask yourself, What is the highest calling in life for the Christian who wants to make an impact for God?
It’s no surprise when we read verses like Proverbs 11:30 “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.”
Daniel 12 gives us a glimpse as to what sorts of rewards God has in store for those who take up this highest of callings; “And those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.”
Wow! God must really love it when we bring people to Him.

How are you impacting your world for Jesus Christ? Are people being pointed to the Savior through your witness?
There’s a whole world out there that desperately needs the forgiveness you have found.
Get to it!

I was really grieved this morning to hear a program on Christian radio offer stress relief to their listeners, not through faith in God, but by taking supplements.
Seriously? That’s their big answer to life’s problems? Are pills the remedy that God has prescribed for stress or anxiety?
I have no doubt that they work, to some degree, but that’s really sad. Those people are either ignorant of what the Word has to say or they are simply opportunists clothing their petty sales tactics with Christian language in order to conform their pitch to the audience.

You could solve your stress issues in an instant, for free, if you’ll take God at his word. The Bible is full of scriptures that address stress and anxiety.
When we have a medical or law enforcement emergency, we dial 911 for help.
Well, when you’re stressed out, you could appeal to the highest place and go to God’s 911, found in Psalm 50:15 “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Is there something in your life that is weighing you down, causing you grief, stressing you out, stealing your joy? Would you like to be free? Would you like your peace restored? Here’s a major stress-buster, found in Philippians 4:6
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Pretty simple, if we will obey it and believe it.

Believe God today, friends. We don’t need supplements or pills to deal with life. We need Him.
Real peace comes from a life that is yielded to God and takes Him at His word.
He’s only a whisper away today. Go to Him!

I heard the true story of a failed robbery that happened recently. A man walked into a convenience store and placed $20 on the counter, asking if it could be broken. When she opened the till, he demanded all of the cash, which she promptly handed over to him. Immediately he dashed out of the store, leaving the $20 bill behind.
He escaped with the money, but unfortunately for him, the amount of money in the till came to a grand total of $15. He left more money on the counter than he got away with!

Such is the disappointing nature of sin. We walk into it expecting much yet receiving little.
Sin deceitfully promises to yield fulfillment and satisfaction, yet winds up costing us more than it delivers. We trade our peace, our joy, and our fellowship with God for something of far lesser value.
A clean conscience is worth infinitely more than the passing pleasures of sin.
How many times have you compromised your convictions, gave in to temptation, and felt good about it?
Anyone with a tender conscience can identify with the truth of what I am saying.

Thankfully, we have a remedy for sin. John tells us, “and if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.” Just before this, he told us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
If you have given in to temptation and are reaping the negative consequences of your sin, you can find forgiveness and restoration in the blood of Jesus Christ today. Turn to Him. He will receive you.
Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Then walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the desires of your flesh.

 

One More Thing:

If you have been reading this blog for very long, then you know that we go to India once a year. We will be leaving for our 2014 trip on Feb 2. During that time, I will be sharing daily updates on the ministry happening there, so you can be expecting to receive plenty of emails from Sowing the Seed.

We have a small team this year, so we have not been able to do the usual fundraisers. This has resulted in a small budget for ministry. If you would be willing to partner with us, there are two ways you can do so.

Our annual dinner night at the church is Friday the 10th, and costs $15 per person to attend and enjoy great fellowship and delicious tri-tip. The event will be held at Calvary Chapel Tri Cities at 6:00. Tickets can be purchased at the door. All proceeds benefit the mission work.

Also, you can easily make a tax deductible donation by going to the Sowing the Seed website, http://sowingtheseed.com and clicking on the “Donate” tab. You will be redirected to the Calvary Chapel India Missions page. Just make a ‘general’ donation and it will go towards the mission work on this trip. You will be given an email receipt for your tax records.

Mostly, we covet your prayers. Please take a moment to deliver up our team and those we intend to reach. Satan hates it when the great commission is fulfilled, so we expect him to attack in any way he can. We know that greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world, so we do not fear.

Thank you, brothers and sisters. I look forward to sending you many encouraging and inspiring updates!

 

When we were first married, my wife didn’t have a whole lot of cooking skills. I dare to say this because she freely admits it. There were a few dishes that she was good at, and everything else took time to figure out.
After a particularly rough day at work, I came home with an appetite, and opened the door to the smell of something new. She had made some sort of rice with chicken, but the trouble was, there was hardly any chicken. There was a whole lot of plain rice with a tiny trace of meat here and there, and there were no side dishes.
I tried to hide my disappointment, and kept my mouth shut, because any husband with half a brain knows better than to criticize his wife’s cooking. About 5 minutes into the meal, she broke the silence and asked thoughtfully, “You know what this would taste good in?” After a short pause, I said the first thing that came to mind, “Prison?”
Let’s just say that she and I have never forgotten that choice of words, and I have never lived it down for the past 15 years.
Thank God I married a woman who can take a joke. She was a good sport about it, and we’ve shared a good laugh over that remark for years. 15 years later, my wife has developed and honed her culinary skills to make excellent meals.

Have you ever said something that you later wished you hadn’t? Maybe it was so tempting because it was either too funny to keep to yourself or because you were so angry you had to let it out, or maybe you just weren’t thinking. Sometimes we say things and regret it, big time.
Proverbs 29:20 says “There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.”
Once you’ve opened your mouth and said those words, there is no way to put them back in. There is no way you can reach into the ears of the hearers and take them back out. We’ve got to be careful and think before we speak.
Here are some good guidelines on what should come out of our mouths. Eph 4:29 says “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

If you’ve gotten yourself into a bad situation, regardless of who it is you’ve offended, there is a way to fix the problem. The same mouth that was used to cause offense can be used to bring restoration. Simply humble yourself and apologize. Ask for forgiveness from the offended party, whether thats your spouse, a friend, a loved one, a boss, etc.
You’ll be amazed how far a genuine apology will go.
There is forgiveness, transformation, and hope for a better future at the cross!

Don’t be hasty with your words. Ask the Lord to make your mouth into an instrument of righteousness, and speak words that bring life. Be blessed today.

I don’t ever have to doubt how valuable my communication is with my wife. One day she was using my phone and she asked why I delete all of her texts. I told her that I clear out all of my texts regularly.
I could tell it bothered her, so I checked her phone and sure enough, every text from me was there. Every affirming word, every “I love you,” even things that I thought were meaningless were valuable enough to her to keep.
In fact, she has a special place where she stores every card or love note that I have ever given her. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find that incredibly assuring of how much she loves me. It demonstrates how much she cherishes when I communicate my affection towards her.

God loves us with an immeasurable love and places incredible value on our communication with Him.
Do you know how much God values your prayer? Revelation 5:8 tells us this… “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.”

Your prayers are like a fragrant aroma that is tremendously pleasing to the Father who loves you. Think of it! He cherishes them and stores them in golden vials under the throne. Wow!
This is an amazing concept when we think about how awesome, powerful and holy God is compared with how puny, insignificant and unholy we are, yet it’s a truth that God wanted us to know.
It gives us great assurance of how much He loves us and how much value he places on our communication with Him.
Have you talked to Him today?
Spend some time alone with The Lord right now. He loves to hear from you!