This makes me pause...
Kyle Lake--the 33-year-old pastor of University Baptist Church of Waco--passed away yesterday. He died in the baptistry of his church from grabbing the microphone while standing in shoulder-deep water.
I don't know Kyle personally, but I had heard of his efforts first as Community Pastor and then as Senior Pastor of UBC Waco. I went to the church's site and listened to his last sermon from a couple of weeks ago. It was intense--for me--as he dealt with the subject of apparently unanswered prayers. He didn't know it would be his last taped sermon.
He suggested that perhaps the prayers we view as unanswered are actually answered. And that we don't always perceive the answers even as God answers prayer. And that we should trust he IS actively answering prayers.
Today I received Avery Willis' Prayer Letter regarding his efforts to minister the gospel around the world. You might recognize Avery's name if you went through MasterLife discipleship in the 80s or 90s. He is one of the most gifted innovators of strategies for eveangelism and is currently working on a ministry that was called EPIC but that will become OneStory.
In his words: "OneStory is a two-year training and mentoring program to help two-year personnel translate and record 50-60 Bible stories in the languages of unreached peoples, most of whom have no Bible translation or work among them."
In each Prayer Letter he lists both the prayers for the current month and the specific answers to the previous months. It is an amazing blessing to read about the answers to prayer that Avery distributes...and it always encourages me to pray seriously for his (and the International Mission Board's) ministry.
I thought of Kyle as I read Avery's letter this morning. Sometimes the prayers are answered immediately...especially when many pray. Kyle pointed out that Moses changed God's mind once when God was very angry with the Hebrews/Israelites. Then another time Moses was frustrated and God changed his mind. Isn't that beautiful?
P.S. If you would like to hear directly from Avery and support his ministry in prayer, drop me a line (my signature has my gmail account set up as mailto:). And while you're doing that, won't you pray that God would replace Kyle with another Godly man who is also after God's own heart? And that many would be saved because of the situation at UBC Waco??
I don't know Kyle personally, but I had heard of his efforts first as Community Pastor and then as Senior Pastor of UBC Waco. I went to the church's site and listened to his last sermon from a couple of weeks ago. It was intense--for me--as he dealt with the subject of apparently unanswered prayers. He didn't know it would be his last taped sermon.
He suggested that perhaps the prayers we view as unanswered are actually answered. And that we don't always perceive the answers even as God answers prayer. And that we should trust he IS actively answering prayers.
Today I received Avery Willis' Prayer Letter regarding his efforts to minister the gospel around the world. You might recognize Avery's name if you went through MasterLife discipleship in the 80s or 90s. He is one of the most gifted innovators of strategies for eveangelism and is currently working on a ministry that was called EPIC but that will become OneStory.
In his words: "OneStory is a two-year training and mentoring program to help two-year personnel translate and record 50-60 Bible stories in the languages of unreached peoples, most of whom have no Bible translation or work among them."
In each Prayer Letter he lists both the prayers for the current month and the specific answers to the previous months. It is an amazing blessing to read about the answers to prayer that Avery distributes...and it always encourages me to pray seriously for his (and the International Mission Board's) ministry.
I thought of Kyle as I read Avery's letter this morning. Sometimes the prayers are answered immediately...especially when many pray. Kyle pointed out that Moses changed God's mind once when God was very angry with the Hebrews/Israelites. Then another time Moses was frustrated and God changed his mind. Isn't that beautiful?
P.S. If you would like to hear directly from Avery and support his ministry in prayer, drop me a line (my signature has my gmail account set up as mailto:). And while you're doing that, won't you pray that God would replace Kyle with another Godly man who is also after God's own heart? And that many would be saved because of the situation at UBC Waco??
posted by greg.w.h@10:52 AM link-to-post
2 comments
2 Comments:
Oh Greg! This is so sad! That's hard news. Wow... I can't imagine what it was for his people to be there while that happened either. Oh wow...
I love Avery Wills... amazing man... thanks for the update... thanks for sharing.
Wendy
The Willises were in Indonesia when our family was. I have great affection for his second son Wade as he was my suitemate at the hostel (catacorner from Brent).
I always enjoy catching up with Avery. When I've been able to do that, it is always in a relaxed setting and he shares his heart and the great burden for missions that God has carefuly ensconced in Avery's heart.
Once was over lunch out at a favorite restaurant in San Berdo. Another time was at their house in Nashville at Christmas time. A third time was catching up with folks in the Dallas area one year.
I feel kind of funny about even mentioning it. I know MasterLife was inspired by the effort in Indonesia to give pastors the ability to train new pastors within the home church. That programmed theological education focused on basics so it would be teachable. It was done BECAUSE students would go to the seminary in Semarang and...like in Fort Worth...sometimes never leave.
And I know OneStory comes from a pragmatic approach to illiteracy: use oral traditions if people can't read. The Great Commission is one full of educational purpose: to make disciples. So getting people familiar with the stories leads to heart change. And heart change leads to a greater desire for learning and often, eventually, to literacy so that the disciple can read the Bible. Getting the stories out there prepares hearts for the Living Seed and then for the written seed.
I came to post...but here I am commenting. Thanks for encouraging me to reiminisce.
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