Serving is tough but not as tough as you think!!!

When I was growing up, we had a thing in our church called missions conference. I always loved it because we got to hear about distant countries and how people live and we got to see these things called slide-shows. It was kind of like watching t.v. in church. This was before it was cool to put the lyrics to songs up on the wall or project on H.D.. So whenever this time of the year came around I was excited, but a part of me was always scared because I was always worried that if I went and listened that God would call me to be a missionary to Africa. Because then I thought the worst place that you could live is Africa and that you might get killed by Lions or bitten by snakes. Now mind you, Africa is a hard place to live and it does have it’s challenges, but overall I found on this trip that it is one of the most gorgeous places on earth. My friend J.J. Alderman and his wife Melissa will be headed back, where he and I visited, to Togo to start a youth camp. But before you start to feel sorry for Him let me show you where he will be living close to. Literally Only a few blocks from his house!!

He would like for you to believe that he and his wife will be living in the hut pictured below, but don’t believe him. God has hooked them up with an awesome house where they can host mission teams, especially from Aletheia!

Pray for J.J. and Melissa Alderman and their team that God will continue to do amazing things through them and TOGO PALMS.Pray that God will continue to work through us as we partner with them to dig wells and plant churches in this very dark area of the world.

No Complaining From the church-people!

God did some amazing things in me the last couple of weeks. I have learned that life is short and we truly have only a “vapor” on this earth. More on that later this week. We visited a village called Polimay. The Church there was awesome. J.J. Alderman and I both got to teach at the church. The people were such a blessing and it was awesome to see how people worship differently in other countries. We worship the same God but man they do it with so much enthusiasm. These people are so passionate for Jesus and I was blessed to get to be around them. This is the church that we will be helping first. They don’t need a well but they do have some physical needs that need to be cared for. 1st of all they don’t have any doors on their church and so they have to take all of their seats, pulpit, and pictures down every week and store them in people’s houses so that they stuff doesn’t get stolen. Also, They need a road put in to get to their church. The church is in a low land area and it needs to be built up so that it doesn’t wash out. Lastly, They have children that need to be sponsored so they can go to school. Some of them haven’t been able to afford it so they either don’t go or often cases the teachers just don’t get paid. If you would like to help with any of these please contact me at aletheiaodu@gmail.com. Anyways, In all of this, none of the people complain.  Below is a picture of their restroom for the Church and school. We think we got it bad…I don’t think so! Also, Here is the picture of some of the people from the church. It was an awesome day. I preached from 1 Cor. 9 where Paul talks about the Christian life and how it is a race that we are running and that we should run to receive the prize! I had taught this before here in the states but I was only able to do maybe a 3rd of it because it had to be translated twice and the message still ended up being 45 min total. It’s a good thing I only taught a 3rd because it probably would have been 2 hours or more, but it was fun anyway. Hope you enjoy the pics and check back tomorrow for more on the excursion to Africa.

Officially Back in the 757

WA HOOOOOOO! I am officially back in the 757. Very tired but can’t wait to share all that God did while I was away in Africa. This week will definitely be jam-packed getting all caught back up but it is definitely worth it. Got to attend Alan and Kathryn’s wedding! It was off the hook! Congrats to the Sheriff’s! Can’t wait till they get back and we as a church can invest back into them and serve with them! We went to Aletheia Harrisonburg this morning and let’s just say….AWESOME! AP and the band knocked it out of the park and Dave was amazing as always and we got to see Mike get baptized! We are so lucky to be a part of this model and a part of this team of churches that God is going to use to do some amazing things! Anyways, to all my people’s in the 757…You don’t want to miss this Wednesday night! It will definitely be an awesome time to get together and eat but I will be sharing some of the things that God has been speaking to me about over the last 2 weeks. The First 10 people through the door will get a special gift all the way from TOGO, West Africa…and no it is not a disease! Also, you will want to keep up with the blog this week. It will be pics and stories about the journey to Togo and back! See you all this week. Thanks for your prayers and support. Peace!

One Wild Ride

For all of those out there that have been praying for me while I have been in Africa, let me just say…..THANKS! God has done some huge things in my heart for not only the people and the Churches that I was with but also God has revolutionized my heart for Aletheia Norfolk. God is truly positioning us for something bigger than we can ever imagine. I can’t wait to get back & love on my Wife and son! Dude…I miss them like crazy! I also can’t wait to get back and share all the amazing, awesome, and some scary experiences. We saw 4 people give their lives to Christ. The First 10 wells have locations and we know the direct need. We were able to touch peoples lives in practical ways with food, clothing, soccer balls, and most importantly giving them the message of Jesus. I have laughed, cried, laughed until I cried, and cried until I couldn’t anymore. Thanks to all who made this possible and to God who makes ALL THINGS POSSIBLE! PRAY 4 ME tomorrow! I fly a total of 14 hoursto get back to Virginia! See ya soon! BLESSINGS!

What I am studying & reading

Going to start a new series of posts. 1st is what I am studying & reading. The 2nd will be what I am Learning. These will be quick hitters just to let in the crazy place known as my mind! What I am studying & reading will run on Wednesdays and What I am learning will run on Fridays. Here is the hitch. I am going to Africa next week. So I am going to have to figure out how I can blog without it costing me a fortune while I am gone. Might have to post ahead and have it released later. Any thoughts on this would help. Also, Feel free to comment on what you are studying and reading!

What I am studying and reading

Acts Chapter 1- Here at aletheia norfolk, we are studying through the book of Acts with our core group. We are moving at break-neck speeds. In four weeks, we have made it through 11 verses. I’ll share on Friday what we have been learning. Let’s put it this way, The 1st Three decades of church history in one book! Wow that Rocks!

Psalms and Proverbs- Try and read at least one Proverb a day because I need wisdom. I also try to read at least a couple of Psalms a day because I usually find my self in need to cry out to God for help or in need to cry out to God in worship. Definitely need this!

Books: What is A Healthy Church- Mark Dever, The Promise of Answered Prayer- Jim Cymbala, The Carolina Way- Dean Smith, 212 degrees:The Extra Degree- Sam Parker & Mac Anderson, and The Book on Leadership- John MacArthur.

Please share what you are reading and learning so I can learn from you!

WOW…I have the best Job in the world!

This past weekend I had the awesome privilege of speaking in the ‘burg @ the original Aletheia. It is always exciting to go there and see how everything is always constantly changing. They have got to have some of the most artistic and talented people on the earth that contribute to making Aletheia Harrisonburg what it is. “Speedy” led worship and it was off the charts in my opinion. He did “Marvelous Light” by Charlie Hall and let me just say…step aside Charlie because Speedy is coming through!

Then I got to teach about one of the best combo of words in the whole book of 1 Corinthians. We went through chapter 4:1-13 and talked about characteristics of christian leadership. The 1st amazing word was Servant- hyperetes - this word literally refers to an “under-rower”.This is the lowest, most menial, and despised galley of slaves. These slaves would be rowers on the bottom tier of a ship. (Acts 20:19) This is a job that no one looks for in the classifieds. Think BEN HUR but the guy all the over next to the wall of the ship. The second word was Steward- “oikonomos” - Paul uses this word to define his role as an example. The Original word referred to one who had been entrusted to care for his master’s household: buildings, fields, finances, food, and many times even the children of the owner. (1 Peter 4:10)
- takes resources and executes them to maximum effectiveness!
- Our life needs to be stewarded to the purposes of God.
- Nothing belongs to me but to God and I have just been entrusted with it! We had an amazing time and we are so thankful for being a part of such an amazing network! Thanks to Dave, Ap, and all the crew we had an amazing time!

Then we got to eat here… Definitely had to ask God to forgive me for “over-eating”!

What makes you Boil?

Several months back, My mom gave me a book about leadership and making a difference and various other things that she had received as a gift. She read it, and then passed it along to me because she loves me and is the greatest Mom in the whole world. The book is called 212- the extra degree. The opening statement stuck me this week when it comes to the church. The book opens up with the statement, ” At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And steam can power a locomotive. It is amazing that the smallest things can make a tremendous difference. In church life and even in our spiritual lives we all need those small things to add up to big things to see God do huge things in our lives that only He can show up and do. The word of God speaks directly to this when it comes to faith in Matt. 17:20- “So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” So it is God that provides the faith…it is God that does the work…it is God that makes up that 211 degrees… and it is God that gives us the faith to pray for that extra degree to bump us up to 212 degrees which provides the steam to see those mountains moved and to see God really show up and do what only He can do. This is the kind of faith that I am praying for and praying that our young church will have. The kind of 212 degree faith that allows us to see “the greater things that are yet to come and greater things that are still to be done” actually happen. It gives us the kind of faith that snatches people who are extremely far from God come to new life in Christ and become discipled into a growing relationship with Christ! It’s the kind of 212 degree faith that allows us to see hundreds if not thousands come to faith and be baptized at one moment. It’s the kind of 212 degree faith that allows a campus like ODU, JMU, or VCU to be transformed by the power of God! This is what I am praying for and learning…That God would gives us such a strong desire and faith that we would see Power and work happen that the world would stand and marvel at the amazing things that God does in and through Aletheia…knowing that it all happened through God and His power and not us!

You gotta check this out!

This week we will have our second bible study at our house. We will have some awesome grub so you don’t want to miss out. We are meeting at 7pm on Saturday at 7402 Gleneagles Rd. Norfolk, Va.. We also will be studying Acts 1:4-8. So come out this Saturday and grab some of your friends and bring them with you. See ya there!

I wonder if this is how God sees us?

Let me just say, I love living here in Norfolk. Especially since the “crazy lady” (see earlier posts) hasn’t re-surfaced. Every night after dinner, we go out as a family and go for a walk around our neighborhood. Each night our son picks something new to do. Most nights he rides his bike while we walk and talk but tonight he went for the Spiderman Skates.

Let me just say… Freakin’ Funny. We laughed and he laughed just as hard. He is definitely a Chevy Chase in training. Loves to be funny, so that urged him on even more. As he began to fall more and more frequently, I stood back and thought how that is how we probably look to God. We fall a ton. We need tons of help. We can’t even make it around the block, check that 3 feet, without falling and bustin’ our tails. After about the 1000th time of our son falling, I looked at my wife and said I bet this is how God sees us. She responded promptly that He probably doesn’t laugh as much as I was. I told her that He probably does sometimes but I am sure that He cries a ton to. Just as soon as we think we have it all together we need to realize we don’t. We should be reminded that just like my son on one of his first trips around the block on new skates, WE fall and only the Father can pick us up…dust us off… and help us navigate the troublesome path. Proverbs 3:5-6-

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your Path

Notes on Prayer

Isa. 56:7- ” My house will be called a house of prayer” says the Lord

Whenever I read this verse I am forever reminded of the fact that as a whole we don’t talk enough with the One who can ultimately change anything and do anything…God! Because of the sacrificial death of His Son Jesus we have access to Him and can talk to Him about anything and “cast all of our cares on Him” but so frequently we never do that very thing. Samuel Chadwick once said that ” the greatest answer to prayer is more prayer.” When it comes right down to it, I think that we are afraid to ask for great things.  Martin Luther spoke to this when he said,” We always ask for less than we should and don’t even think that God is willing to give us what we ask for. We don’t ask the right way. We don’t understand that what we pray about is more important than we can comprehend. We think small, but the Lord is great and powerful. He expects us to ask for great things. he wants to give them to us to demonstrate His almighty power.” I think Ephesians 3:20-21 puts it better, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.Amen. When it comes down to it. We it isn’t that we don’t pray enough, though we could pray more, but it is that we think small and believe small. It is our prayer for Aletheia that Greater things are yet to come and greater things are still to be done in the City of Norfolk. We truly want to see a great move of God and that the world would marvel at the things done, the people reached, and a city changed. Not because of what we did, but because of what God did in and through us. That’s what I am praying about…How about you? Share with us and leave a comment.