Celebrating the new Couple!!

On August 14, 2010, the Clark and Stanick family celebrated the joining in holy matrimony of Tiffany Michelle Clark to Jason Hanson. Mr. and Mrs. Hanson enjoyed a honeymoon on Fiji and now reside in Orange, CA. Jason is working in sales and marketing. Tiffany just landed a job with a law firm in Irvine as a receptionist with a clear possibility of advancement to work as a paralegal.

Please rejoice with us over the Lord giving Tiffany and Jason to one another. Pray that they will follow the Lord's leading in all that they do. Pray too for a new church home for them.

Thank you for your prayers for all of us related to this event. We greatly appreciate it.

Serving Him Together, the Clarks

Wedding Date Set!

Just a quick announcement to pray for us as we prepare for Tiffany and Jason's wedding on August 14, 2010.

Tiffany and her boyfriend Jason Hanson - Engaged!!

Dear Family and Friends,

Kim and I would like to announce to you that our oldest daughter, Tiffany Michelle, is now engaged to be married to her boyfriend Jason Hanson. Following several weeks (3 1/2) of constant communication between Jason and I and his answering of many, many questions that I had, I gave my blessing to Jason to ask Tiffany to marry him. He's a wonderful young man. Kim and I are confident that the Lord has brought them together. Jason arranged with us to have Tiffany in the San Diego area on Thursday, March 18th, on Shelter Island, which sits below Point Loma and across from Coronado Island. The idea was that we would take Tiffany to scope out places to eat on Coronado Island when Jason's family arrived with him the next day at our home. Since we knew we had to get her to Shelter Island Marina and not Coronado Island, I announced to her, as we came into San Diego, that I wanted to check out this place on Shelter Island first and then compare it to what we find on Coronado Island. I gave it the fictional name of Pacific Sunset Restaurant. We eventually found the gate of the marina. Under the guise that I was looking for this restaurant next to the docks, I stepped into an office to call Jason. The lady asked if she could help me and I explained that I just needed a place to fake like I was getting directions, while my daughter's boyfriend comes up to take her on a boat to propose. She jumped up to the window saying, "Oh, how exciting! I want to see this!". While Kim and Tiffany were standing there and waiting on me, Jason came walking up the ramp with a flower in his hand. She was completely surprised! She had no clue, since they had been texting all day long as if Jason was at work in Napa. Jason invited her on a sailboat sunset cruise on the pacific, so, off they went.

Meanwhile, Kevin had picked up all of our other children from school and met us near the marina for dinner while we waited. When Kevin told the other kids what was happening before they left. Kaitlyn screamed with joy, Kelly cried tears of joy, Jason, said, "Wait!, Wow! Are you serious?" and Brody, said flatly, "Oh, she'll say yes". When Kevin questioned Brody how he knows, Brody said, "My heart tells me. She's going to say yes". We met them at the docks just at sunset and all the kids hid until Tiffany and Jason got up to the gate. Then they surprised Tiff by jumping out to give her hugs. Following pictures and hearing about their sailboat ride, we all piled into the cars and went over to Coronado Island for ice cream at Moo Time! After this we left for home and when we arrived, Jason's mother, Michelle, sisters Jenny and Taylor and Jenny's children, Jayden, Zack and Kaitlyn were all there to meet us and stay a couple of days with us. Michelle's husband, Dan and Jenny's husband, Matt, weren't there due to work. March 19th is Jason's birthday and so we had a special birthday time on Friday. It was a special day! Jason and Tiffany are presently trying to decide where they want to have the wedding and are looking at July as the month. More on that later!

A Western Band of Brothers

I'm sure some of these hombres are wanted somewhere. Prior to the Desiring God Pastor's Conference our group of 16 sat for this photograph. Desperados, Why Don't You Come To Your Senses?

Encouragement From Desiring God Pastor's Conference

At the beginning of this week I was privileged to attend the Desiring God Pastor's Conference in Minneapolis, MN. I went there with Faith Bible Church pastors and the men who are involved with the FBC Training Center; 16 of us in all. Two of the men in Training Center were still on a mission trip to Uganda.

This was a wonderful opportunity to be encouraged in the Word and to deepen relationships with men who serve as members of FBC. The speakers were great and I was particularly encouraged by John Piper's teaching on C.S. Lewis. I'll definitely read C.S. Lewis differently than in the past and with more understanding. My heart was greatly encouraged too by the messages brought from the Word of God by Eric Mason (pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, PA) and Bob Blincoe (US Director of Frontiers and has been a missionary to Jordan and the Kurds of Northern Iraq through Medical Teams International). Pastor Sam Storms of Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City was the main speaker.

The fellowship among the men from FBC was sweet. All of us serve in various ministries at FBC. Interaction with these men has provided me with a great deal of encouragement lately and especially while getting away with them for a couple of days.

I would encourage anyone to go to desiringgod.org and listen to the messages from this conference. Here are some thoughts from my notes that had impact for me. They are not word for word quotes.

Will you not be satisfied with the work of Christ, which was sufficient to satisfy the wrath of God? ~ John Piper quoting something written by his father

Any joy not found in historical facts and scripture and its principles will prove to be infatuation. - Sam Storms

Definition of biblical joy = a deep durable delight in the beauty and majesty of who God is. Joy takes work and a strategy that will be achieved when we strive and sacrifice to obtain it.

The physical glory we see (in the natural world) is just a shadowy reflection of the spiritual glory of God. - Storms

Use Scripture memorization to confront what kills joy - there is a sin-killing power in Scripture. - Storms

In 1857, David Livingstone wrote that he rejoiced in the sacrifice of serving in Africa - saw it as a privilege to do it and face the realistic troubles - said he never made a sacrifice. - Blincoe

I'm not a prophet, nor a son of a prophet. I'm from a non-profit organization" - :) - Blincoe

The Bible relentlessly tells us to not lose heart nor be in fear or panic - Blincoe

If you don't know that life is war, than you don't know what prayer is for." - Blincoe quoting John Piper

Guard your heart from the idol of fear - we need knowledge of God to combat and replace fear with contentment and peace. Colossians 1:24

There is nothing more worthy of our desire than Christ - 2 Corinthians 4:6 - ⁶For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,"made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

The Lord Jesus was acquainted with grief and the whole world has been watching Him ever since. ~ Blincoe

Some may say that your suffering is a sign that your God has left you. No! It is a sign of the cross.

To fight losing heart we must press on into Theology (ie: to deepen our study and understanding of God as He has revealed Himself in the Bible).

Just another quote that I found a few months ago from John Piper where he calls the 66 books of the Bible "The Glorious Mosaic of Divine Design"

More on another post...

Link to ABWE Commit to Support Restored

A supporter brought to my attention that they couldn't click on the Team 200 image of the number to get to the ABWE page for registering to commit to support us. I have now solved that problem.

Africa is What it is, because of What Africa Worships

Just recently I was speaking with a new friend after the worship service. In the course of getting to know one another better he spoke of having just arrived after a visit back to his former native country in Africa. I was amazed at his openness about the situation there and his candid evaluation of it. He knows firsthand the problems of Africa. He told me that Africa is in a mess. He then said, "Africa is what it is, because of what Africa worships." I questioned him further and he elaborated. He said that most of the people only dabble in Christianity, but they never fully give up their worship and fear of the devil or the worship of pagan gods, which is also worship of the devil in disguise. So, they have generational sins that are never broken. They live in fear of the devil and try to appease him. Many never fully give up their former ways of worship. Situations in these countries from almost every standpoint never really improve enough. In essence, we are what we worship and based on that there are consequences.

I shared with him that we saw it similarly working in Europe, but on a different level. Although the countries of Europe are more stable than in Africa, the same problem of sin and worship are there. To the degree that people forsake their former objects of worship and depend on, worship and cling by faith to the Lord, to that degree they begin to grow and are fruitful in their new life in Christ. My friend said when he visits there his walk of faith is strengthened and his resolve to worship the Lord is greater, but his heart is saddened and breaks over what he sees.

Our short visit to South Africa last August was the same. South Africa is what it is because of what the people of South Africa worship. Sure it may be one of the most stable on the continent in a lot of respects, but what does "stable" really mean. South Africa has been dubbed "The Rainbow Nation" due to the new hope that was birthed when Nelson Mandela began as the leader in 1994. Has it really been able to live up to that nickname? Or, as is so often the case, is it just a fleeting symbol that represents worship of something other than the God of the Bible? The world worships things like diversity, plurality, tolerance, personal pride and self-esteem, etc. In this day and age, those who are most visible and admired are those who promote and exemplify the worst possible character traits. These are the trappings that keep mankind bound up in their worship of something other than Jesus Christ.

South Africa is a unique country. Many different ethnic and hidden people groups are represented in South Africa. Many nationalities have moved south and ended up in this diverse country “down under”. The largest Indian population outside of India is in South Africa as a result of bringing “indentured servants” to work 5 years in the sugar cane fields of South Africa from 1860 to 1920. Many worked for their freedom and then remained in South Africa.

South Africa has well over 55 different false religions, cults and Christian sects that are influencing the people. One can add into that the worship and attention given to materialism and many other “isms”. Many try to pick and choose parts of many religious beliefs and meld them together for something personal. The idea is they want to create their own god to worship as they wish. This is an “ism” too. It is called “syncretism”, which means, “the action, process or result of combining or uniting different religions or objects of worship”. I looked for a synonym for this and there were many big ones, but the synonym that stood out to me most was “blend”. Mankind is always trying to blend the best (worship of our Creator), with the inferior or subordinate (worship of any thing else). The Lord knew this when He gave us the 10 commandments. The first two commandments have to do with worship of Him alone. It’s really an important issue!

What can possibly bring about a change in South Africa and the other African nations? It seems that many are searching in all the wrong places to find truth and life and objects of worship. It reminds me of the book of Amos, when he warned of a famine that was coming in the land of Israel. Amos 8:11-12 says, “11 "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. 12 Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east,.searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.” Many are still searching for truth. Some think they have found it separate from God’s revealed truth in the Bible. It is our intention to work and help to satisfy those who are searching and to challenge those who have not yet begun to search for the Word of the Lord. By equipping and training a new generation of South African nationals to proclaim the truths of God’s Word many will no longer hunger and thirst. The Word of God must be taught and proclaimed in order for men to be satisfied and turn their worship to the only true God.

The picture in this post shows a baton that Kim and I both received upon our commissioning by ABWE to serve in South Africa. It’s being passed to the hand of another. We signed our individual batons. They represent our goal to pass on to “faithful” men and women our vision, heart and life. We will work to help prepare them to teach and preach the Word of truth and life. We are even praying now that the Lord will go before us and eventually bring us into contact with specific South Africans to whom we can give these batons, as a symbol of their faithfulness to go further and deeper in ministry in South Africa than we can. They will sign the baton and then pray and work to pass that baton on to another.

An extremely challenging verse is found in Romans 10: 11-15, 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!".

This concept of beautiful feet seems a little strange. I’ve seen my feet and they are not beautiful. I won’t even give you a description because I don’t want to put that picture in your head. But the idea here is one of purity. Those who bring the good news must do so with pure motives and not for selfish gain. They bring the pure gospel message of the free gift of salvation. Those who hear this pure, good news and take hold of it by faith see the messenger of the truth of salvation as “beautiful”, since their faith in Christ as their substitute on the cross, has given them forgiveness and life in Christ. That is a beautiful thought.

Belief, hearing, preaching can only happen when one is sent. We desire to be sent to do this important work. When we are in South Africa we will work hard to prepare, entrust and send those who prove to be faithful, so that they will impact others to give attention, allegiance and worship to the Lord. We are what we worship. Pray that Africa, and specifically South Africa, will become what it should be by worshiping the Lord Jesus. Please ask the Lord to lead us to those South Africans He wants us to pass our batons of ministry to? Will you ask the Lord to send us? Will you prayerfully consider joining our Team 200 Project of financial support for $25 or more per month to send us there? We are seeking to answer this calling on our lives to entrust faithful men. Are you called to support and send faithful men to do this work? Thank you for praying and giving to send us.

The Mission and Vision of The Phoenix Fellowship

Picture: Pastor Selvan and Diana Govender

A Happy New Year to You!

We pray the Lord's grace and blessings on you, your family and ministry. We wanted to provide for you a link to a video presentation that was recorded by our son Jason while we were in Durban, SA at the end of August. This is Pastor Selvan Govender, senior pastor of the Phoenix Fellowship in Durban. He is standing on the property that the Lord has provided for them in the Durban suburb of Phoenix and he is presenting the mission, vision and prayer requests related to the church. Due to a lack of the right sound equipment you'll hear background noises (lots of birds, at least one motorcycle), which we've tried to overcome with the help of a friend. If you turn up your volume on your computer and any speakers or even use a set of headphones, it may come in better for you. Next time we'll have to pack some sound equipment. Please click on the link to the right of their picture entitled "Pastor Selvan Govender" to view this 5 minute presentation.

We'll be at a supporting church tomorrow sharing about our plans to get to ministry in South Africa. Please pray that new supporters will join our team to send us in 2010. A number of people have indicated their interest and are in process of committing their support. We praise the Lord constantly for our team and those who will help us finalize our plans to return to the field.

Blessings to you in Christ, The Clarks