"Teacher, what is the most important commandment in the Law?" Jesus answered: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, "Love others as much as you love yourself."

Matt. 22:36-39, CEV

It’s all about love.

God and I just keep on coming back to that. A simple lesson, one you’d think I’d have down by now. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor. Not so difficult. We humans, though, we have this need to complicate things. So we, usually unconsciously, add a little bit here or there. Love the Lord and your neighbor, and don’t drink or smoke. Love the Lord and your neighbor, and make sure you don’t skip your quiet times. Love the Lord and your neighbor, and make sure that you’re volunteering at church events. Love the Lord your God and your neighbor and, and, and…. We add this never-ending list of “ands” to what is required of us.

That’s all peripheral stuff. What’s the GREATEST commandment, according to our Lord Jesus Christ? To love. Love God with everything in you and love your neighbor. Not just in theory but worked out in the everyday practicalities of life. I am 100% convinced that if we simply loved each other as Christ loved us we would see revival on a scale we scarcely dare to imagine. I’m not saying that it’s easy to love like Christ loved. It’s not; sometimes it’s incredibly difficult. In my human efforts I fail at this daily, often hourly. God alone can teach us to love as He loves, and I have a feeling that it’s a lifelong learning process. But it’s one I’m willing to undertake and that I pray you are, too.

My father has told me more times than I can count that the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing, to keep my priorities in order. Christ has prioritized for us, better than we ever could for ourselves. It’s all about love. I urge you to love Christ with everything in you and to love those around you with a passion stronger than you’ve ever had before.

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Here’s an update on what’s going on in my life: Things are going well with the family that I’ve been living with. Dima & Nina have been really wonderful in helping me learn more Russian words & how to use them. I feel more confident when I ask questions and sentences now. I even enjoy trying to follow conversations!

Since living there I’ve felt more comfortable with their different schedules, lifestyles and personalities. At first, it was challenging for me to pray for them, but now I know how to ask for specific things and even the little stuff that gets on my nerves. We had some great celebrations during the New Year & Orthodox Christmas. Even though it was a little sad to be away from my family, I was surrounded by good friends here. Lately Dima and I have had more serious discussions about Ukrainian history. I’m shocked at the things I’ve learned about Communism rule, the influence of the mafia and the exciting possibilities for the future. I truly believe that this is a time of change for Ukraine and I’m excited to pray in God’s will for this nation and city.

My work as a teacher here is also exciting. While a few of my students are ones that I taught last semester, many of them are new to me. It will be great to get to know them each more personally, through walking or going out for coffee/tea, etc. Also as a teacher, I’m excited about finding more creative ways to present the material. Now that I have taught a semester here, I feel a closer connection with the other teachers and office workers. (I hate calling them that because it is so formal. They are truly brothers and sisters in Christ.) It is amazing to work in an environment where we are free to uplift each other up in prayer at any time and speak out our feelings, no matter if we agree or not.

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 WOW!!! What an upset. David really did beat Goliath!!!

As I watched the last few moments unfold in this incredible game, I was reminded of all the situations in life that seem impossible. You know, we all have a list of things that can only happen if there is some sort of "divine intervention." For some it is a health situation, for others it is financial, for others it is relational and for others it is spiritual.

During the half time of the super bowl I shared a devotional with the fifteen or so people gathered to watch the game. I focused in on the testimony of David Tyree of the NY Giants. Tyree had gotten in to the drug scene at age 13. His life began to unravel. His mother was a Christian and tried to reach out to David. In college he began to drink every weekend and would black out. He was becoming an alcoholic.

After Tyree’s first year in the pros he was arrested for possession of marijuana. From his jail cell he cried out to God for his help and forgiveness. Shortly after getting out of jail he made his way to the front of a church and gave his heart completely to Christ. What a change, now that is a David and Goliath story, literally.

In the second half of the Super bowl, David Tyree caught a touchdown pass and caught what many are saying was the greatest catch in Superbowl history. He is living proof that miracles do happen.

I work with many people who are in need of a miracle in their lives.It sounds funny to say, but after watching the Superbowl and David Tyree, I have more hope for the people who need miracles. Christ changed David Tyree and he can change the lives of those you are praying for too. We serve a God who can do the impossible.

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As a missionary, I have a heart for the nations. I desire for the people of this world to come to know Christ personally. My heart breaks as I hear stories from around the world about senseless loss and persecution of people. I immediately think of places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur just to name a few.

Sometimes tragedies come very close to home. I doesn’t seem like a long ways away. In fact it happens in our own back yard so to speak.

Last weekend a high school basketball team, from Bathurst New Brunswick, was traveling home after a game and the roads were slippery from the snow. The driver, who was also the coach, lost control of the van and collided with a transport. Instantly eight people were killed. Seven teenage basketball players and the coaches wife.

Why do I share this? I think sometimes we take life for granted. We say "Oh, that would never happen here." The reality of life is that it could happen here. If it did happen, are we ready to stand before the Lord?

The greatest gift we can ever give our families when tragedy comes or when you and I die, is the truth about where we will spend eternity. Don’t make people guess. Live in such a way that others know that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life.

As a missionary I have a heart for the nations. I desire for others to know Christ personally. I desire for their families to know where their loved ones will spend eternity. That is my passion to lead people to Christ. That is why I do what I do.

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I had the privilege of spending a week in the Big Easy over New Years and I saw again how far the city has come since I was last there, in August. There are more businesses open, more traffic, and excitement in general for the city’s main industry- tourism. It was a big week for N.O. as there were 2 large scale college football games and a major convention taking place there. People are optimistic that New Orleans is coming back. And while at a quick glance, it looks like a normally functioning city, you don’t have to wander very far to see the remaining scars of a city maimed by flood and wind damage not quite 2 ½ years ago.

I was there to work with a group from Austin, Texas. The church has made several trips to the gulf coast with C.O.I. They are very servant minded and they keep coming because they know that the need is still great in the area. They worked at the home of a single mother who operates a sewing business from her home as a means of support. She has been working on her house for a year and a half and is getting tired of living in a trailer – it is hard to believe that there are still many in the city that are not yet living in their homes. She was very thankful and was a great encouragement to the team in the work they came to do.

The Bible tells us that by our fruit, we will be known as Christ’s followers. Well there has been much fruit in New Orleans from believers coming to meet needs, and reach the lost. We have heard on several occasions that the reason that the city has come back as far as it has is because of Christian volunteers coming and spending time, energy and money to help. In fact, on a couple of occasions during this week in N.O., strangers walking by our work sites stopped to talk to us, opening the conversations with something like. “Do you know what I see here?” as they look at the group. “I see Jesus – thank you for coming to help us”. What a wonderful declaration of God’s love in this city! What an open door to share God’s love and gift of salvation with those who don’t know him! Please remember that the need is still great in this city. Let’s keep being the hands and feet of Christ in this city.

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