Tag Archives: Guest Post

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

March 10, 2015

Posted under

Family, National Missions, Pastoring

Turning Point

By Steve Gill

We are excited to share with you that God has lead us to birth a new, life-giving church in Bonita Springs, Florida called, Turning Point Church. Our purpose is simple; ‘to help people experience a life changing relationship through Jesus Christ.’ We have a heart to point people to the life change that Jesus brings to all of us. That’s part of the reason our church is called, Turning Point. A turning point is a decision in a person’s life that changes things! It changes us, our circumstances, and even people around us. We believe that what we do with Jesus changes everything in our lives!   He is the ultimate turning point! p 9-10 Gill Family

For the past 23+ years, we have been involved in various roles of ministry, serving within the local church and overseas in Latin America. During that time, God has given us the opportunity to be a part of some great churches and to have some great leaders speak into our lives. Those experiences have honed the vision that we have for our community. We know three things very distinctly.

One, we have a heart for those far from God. Our desire is to see TPC become a church that connects with people who don’t know God. Certainly we want our church to be a place for people already following Jesus, but our mission is to care deeply about reaching those who have walked away from the church and those who don’t know God at all. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be a church where people far from God can serve side by side with those who know Him, and grow in faith together?

Secondly, we have a heart for families. We believe we live in a day and age where parenting is getting harder and harder. Being a kid and teenager is equally as tough. Think of the mixed messages that our culture is communicating. Think of the pressures that our kids are facing. We want to be a church that helps parents and grandparents raise their kids with intentionality. We want to help parents seize the everyday moments to lead their kids closer to knowing Jesus. Wouldn’t it be cool to have a church that is full of families; kids, teens, parents, and grandparents together?

Lastly, we desire to help bridge the gap that often exists between cultures and extends into the church. We’ve been told over and over that division exists in our community. We’ve even seen it! So, our hope and dream is to have a church that is diverse culturally, particularly where Anglo and Latino cultures come together to experience God and serve together. Wouldn’t it be amazing to see a church that is a small picture of what heaven looks like every day?

Recently, we had the opportunity to share that vision at our first public gathering. The amazing part was that God led 24 people to that first meeting! As we started the meeting you could feel a buzz in the room and an anticipation that God was up to something new in Bonita Springs. We walked away with a fresh excitement as several families committed to be a part of our launch team in March. The history of Turning Point Church has begun!

While we love this dream of building a Christ centered church, our biggest heart and priority is for our family. On more of a personal note, Keisa and I met back in college and have recently celebrated 24 years of marriage together. We are grateful for the experiences in our lives that have strengthened our marriage and ministry. God has also blessed the both of us with four amazing kids (Aaron-14, Ellie-11, Christian-11 and Karinna-8). We, like most parents, are actively involved in our kids lives through school and sports. That keeps us pretty engaged and moving most days at the Gill home! For fun, our clan likes to watch movies, play sports, and make some tasty desserts! We honestly just love spending time together.

We are looking forward to our new life in Bonita Springs, pouring into the lives of our kids and helping grow a church that honors God. Thank you in advance for your prayers and your generosity in helping Turning Point Church launch with strength!

Steve and Keisa Gill, along with their four children, are brand new to our General Baptist family. They will be launching Turning Point Church in Bonita Springs, Florida in the fall of this year as the very first Go Project plant. To follow their progress, visit www.tpclive.org or like Turning Point Church on Facebook.

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

December 4, 2014

Posted under

Christian Life, International Missions

Grace and Acceptance

By Phil Warren

A few weeks ago, I took my wife Cindy on a tour of the General Baptist Bible College in Davao.Phil and Cindy  As we walked around the beautiful campus I became aware of a spy following us.  She watched us from behind the green shrubbery in her pink dress. She could not have been more than five, and wherever we went she followed, scurrying from bush to bush watching our every move.  My wife began to giggle and said, “Have you noticed we have an escort?”  We found out later she had left her room to use the bathroom, but in the process her curiosity had gotten the better of her.  After a little while my wife and I sat down, and she slowly inched closer to us.  Her dark, mahogany-brown eyes twinkled with mischief and her long black hair danced in the slight breeze.

Finally, her curiosity pushed her beyond the safety of her self-imposed boundaries and she came over to me and began to rub the hair on my arm.  I smiled; this was a first for me.  She had touched me with grace and acceptance and I gently reached over and rubbed her arm as well.  Grace and acceptance: the heart of missions.

Whenever you leave home and enter another country, you do not attempt to impose your cultural values upon them.  Rather, you hold loosely your values and integrate as best you can into your new surroundings.  You eat different foods.  You travel in different modes of transportation.  You experience different forms of worship.  You don’t worry as much about time, and value relationships instead. However, there are two values you must always give and receive: grace and acceptance.

Jesus said if you give it will be given back to you in disproportionate amounts. Give grace and receive grace. Give acceptance and gain acceptance.

This is not only true in international missions but in the local church as well.

Our spy took a big risk to approach these people who looked different from her. I saw her the other day at the college and she ran over to me and gave me a high five. Once fear is broken by little acts of grace and acceptance, a whole new world can open up for you.

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

October 7, 2014

Posted under

Christian Life, General Baptists, International Missions

Life in Saipan

Lori and Robbie Myers are missionaries on the island of Saipan. 

Lori and Robbie Myers with their son, Reagan

Lori and Robbie Myers serve General Baptists on the island of Saipan along with their son, Reagan.

Needless to say, there’s been a bit of a learning curve this past year as we have gotten used to life on this island.  Some things have just made sense and haven’t taken too much adjustment.  Others, however, have gone on my ‘Believe It or Not!” list, and I thought I would share a few of those experiences with our friends and supporters back home.

First, there’s the thing that we had to adjust to early and often, because it hit us right away and continues to affect us most days.  Saipan is an island, and the main industry (overwhelmingly) is travel.  Vacationers tend not to look at their watches much-there is such a thing as “island time” and we are on it!  This is a multi-layered reality.  First and foremost, it affects the demeanor of the people who live here.  The majority of islanders are so pleasant and wear a smile 99% of the time.  I LOVE that about the people here!  On the other hand, if you are a stickler for people being on time, this might not be the place for you!  With my fibromyalgia pain making me take extra time to get ready most days, this is a terrific development!  Events start when they start, people arrive when they arrive.  I love island time and island people!

However, there are things here that make me realize how very spoiled I was all my life without realizing it.  Some of these things I will never take for granted again.  For example, who enjoys a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles?  No one!  This might make you feel better about your next trip, though:  When we arrived in Saipan last year, one of the first things we needed to do was get driver’s licenses.  Many things are discounted if you are a local resident, and after I saw the grocery and other prices, we wanted that as soon as possible.  We were sent to the courthouse, where we waited in line to go through security and a metal detector.  Once we got through, we went to the appropriate office, paid, and got a receipt.  Then we went to another building-which was unmarked-where we were to show our receipt, surrender our Missouri licenses, and get our new ones.  However, you just have to hope you get there are the right time of day, because they have to close periodically to let their copy machine cool down!

Living in a place that is so diverse is exciting in many ways.  I love making friends from so many parts of the world, and learning about their customs.  There is such a variety to food here, too.  There are Chamorran, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipino, (and more!) cuisines available.  Along with my severe fibromyalgia, I have unfortunately developed almost superhuman senses of taste and smell, so I cannot enjoy it quite as much as I once would have.  Buying groceries and eating out in restaurants each present their own challenges.

Packaging and presentation in the grocery stores are also different.  It seems no part of an animal goes unused.  You have the option of chicken beaks and feet in packs.  Also, beef intestine, entire beef tongues (which are huge), pig heads, pork intestines, hooves, fish heads-it all took some time to get used to.  I also had to adjust to the plastic drawstring bags (with the drawstring end not fully closed) of pork chops, short ribs, etc.  That would never get by at Kroger!

I have to cook according to what’s available.  Expiration dates are only suggestions here, it seems.  The produce selection is often made up of things they would have culled from most U.S. grocery stores.  The first two or three times I shopped for groceries, I left the store crying because I couldn’t find much that I recognized, and when I did find something, I couldn’t afford it!  The $10 gallon of milk, $7 orange juice, and $30 bag of frozen chicken breasts was daunting!

But eventually, I figured out how to shop here, what to look for, and which stores to shop at for certain items.  It often means I shop every day or every other day, and visit four or five places instead of buying everything from socks and nightgowns, to chicken and lettuce, to deck chairs and Christmas decorations from Walmart!

There are so many more new experiences and differences we have had to adjust to, but the best thing is that we have met so many wonderful people who have big hearts!  Yes, it’s been difficult at times, being so far away from our family and friends, but I am so grateful to God for His perfect plan for our lives and for our part in His kingdom.  I did not expect any of this at my stage of life.  What a loving, amazing God we serve!  I cannot wait until next summer, when we are back in the states on furlough and can share more of our experiences and ministry here on the island of Saipan.