I have to apologize because I’ve been flying under the radar the last week and a half. After coming back from Asia, I’ve been focused on the first-ever weeklong technology training for our regional ISI team that we in Dallas were hosting and I had much teaching responsibility. Our whole ISI North Texas team, Rebekah from the national office and volunteer Ken were the coaches and 20+ staff from Albuqueque to St. Louis, Dallas to Omaha came to learn things as diverse as using Mail Chimp to send messages, doing mail mergers, using facebook to enhance ministry and communicate with students, etc. I was preparing nearly around the clock the prior week and then all this last week.  Our local staff worked with the other staff from 9 am to 5 or 6 PM every day. Ministry partner 121 Community Church graciously allowed us to use their facility. It was one of the few churches had the WiFi bandwidth to support so many internet connections.

It was a good time. The use of technology is spiritual activity. How? As it is the means today that people communicate among other things. Jesus, it is essential that we at least learn to be proficient in it. (So your prayers were critical as The Enemy would love to keep us from using it) Our goals were to help the staff “students”: 1) see that they could do it, 2) learn to work together to help each other use technology, and 3) help them to search for help resources first before looking for expert help. The operative phrase became, “google it”. The students, ranging in age from their mid-20’s to their mid-70’s, were so responsive and by the time we were finished, they seemed more comfortable with using their computers, smart phones and the internet in serving students.

Praise:

• The time with the regional staff, went very well. It was an honor to serve them. I really feel the staff came away with a greater confidence that technology can help their ministry not hinder it and with greater courage to use it more. It was a testimony to their commitment to life long learning and willingness to do what ever it takes to touch students’ lives.
• We had a wonderful Bible study on Friday night. We were studying the story of the disciples on road to Emmaus. One question we always ask in M:28 style study is, “if this passage is true, what will you do differently or how do you see Jesus differently?” One non-Jesus following student, M from Ch1na, answered this by sharing how it seems hard to believe that what is in the Bible is real, not just a fictional story. He said that he has never seen anything like what he just read happen. But he has been watching Christians and see something different and wants to learn more. Most telling, he said that if this passage were true, the resurrection is the critical point in the Bible and the whole message lives or dies by it. He said, “If it is true,” and he he commenced to share the whole gospel story. Wow! He got it… now he needs to see that it is real through reading more and seeing it lived out. Pray for M and his friend T.
• Two other East Asian  gals said that they need to share the story with their families back home. One boy from Taiwan said in response to this first time reading the Bible that Jesus and God is powerful and we should follow and obey Him.