Crazy Run For Us = Great Opportunity For You

Hello all,

As many of you know, two friends of mine (Todd Wigley and Weston Cheatham) and I will be running in the Rock Creek Stump Jump 50K Ultra marathon on October 6, 2012.  We’ve been told we’re crazy by our wives and co-workers, and maybe we are.  But, we want to use the opportunity that this crazy run provides to make you aware of a need halfway around the world.  Just across Lake Victoria from Kampala, Uganda is a place where tremendous opportunities for service await.  Some of our friends in ministry, Steve and Stephanie Bredesen are in the process of building a clinic and aid facility in a village called Nakalanda on a remote and isolated peninsula, far from all conveniences.  The people of Nakalanda have no running water or electricity and they survive essentially on what they are able to raise and produce around their homes.  At this time, they are raising money to equip the clinic with water and to finish some critical projects in order to sustain their work among the people of Nakalanda.  The heart of this message is this:

If our crazy-long run inspires you to do something outside your normal routine in order to help the Bredesen family in their service to some of the poorest in Uganda, we would be honored.  Please check out their work online by going to their Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/BredesensInUganda or by going to their website, http://www.bredesensinuganda.com.  You can also check out the race we’re running by going to http://www.rockcreek.com/stumpjump.rco.  Any amount given would be appreciated, as there is so much work to be done, so if you’d like to partner with us to assist them financially, please send your donations to the following address with the words, “Bredesen Account” in the memo line:

Mission Ministries

PO box 6546

Santa Ana, Ca. 92706

All we’re doing is running for a day.  They’re doing the real work of serving those in need every single day.  Thank you for your prayerful consideration and for your support of the Bredesen’s and the Nakalanda Project. 

Sean Riley

God Always Had A Party In Mind

In my reading today, I was struck the following verse from the story of Creation:

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for festivals and for days and years. (Genesis 1:14 HCSB)

God has always had celebration on His mind. When He breathed the stars into existence and placed the Sun and Moon in the canopy of the heavens, He did so, in part, to serve as "signs for festivals (read: worshipful celebrations)". A part of day four of the creation of the universe was dedicated to party-planning. This points to God's eternal purpose for humanity - we are designed to worship. It is written in the heavens as a divine appointment for all people to worship our Creator God.

Additionally, this serves as a reminder of what worship should look like: not drab or dreary. Instead, the idea of "festival" should be always in the from of our minds as we come together to praise God. Does this mean worship isn't serious business or that we don't deal with life and death issues in worship? Not at all. Worship is the most serious endeavor of the human heart, but it doesn't have to be somber in order to be serious.

Our God is a celebrating God. He rejoices in the presence of the angels when a sinner repents (Luke 15). Should we not rejoice in His presence for the ability to repent and the gift of redemption? Let's party in the presence of God this week...the Sun Moon and stars all say it's time.

Worship Through Obedience

I have been touched by the outpouring of love and care for Lydia and our family as we journeyed to Uganda to meet her and as we have since brought her home. Something that has honestly surprised me has been the conversations I've had with people who have told me that our story is "inspiring" or that we were "brave" to pursue this adoption. While I am humbled and grateful for these kind words, it is not something I would think of on my own. Much of the time during the process, it just felt like faith and obedience to what we felt God was leading us to do. He led us every step and provided all we needed. This process put flesh and bones on what I've taught students for years: step out and follow step by step where God calls and leads...your obedience in faith is worship. When I was in the middle of the process of adopting Lydia, I didn't feel particularly brave. I felt dependent, humbled and amazed by the big-ness and goodness of God.

Heading home

Great news! Bonnie and Lydia are headed home and will arrive tomorrow. What a journey it's been to just bring her into our family; and it has all been wonderfully worth it.
The generosity and love that have been given so freely are truly acts of worship. For each of you who have prayed for us, cared for us, given to us and followed our story, you have been living out James 1:27: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."