2023

It was getting dark when Pastor Repaso and I and a CCI student named Ato arrived at a village more than 2,700 feet above sea level. After a simple dinner of fish cooked in coconut milk, the students gathered inside Cloudy Baptist Church for their third CCI session. I challenged the students to be faithful […]

“Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink,” Matthew 14:29-31 We learned from the Word above that Jesus walked on water to get to the boat where the disciples were. When Peter saw Jesus,

How many of us can say, “God is still working on me?” Because we know that the statement is true, we can allow God to conform us to His image. In leadership, there is reason to improve as individuals; there are processes to be refined and the vision to be re-cast. I find that the

“As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” Luke 9:51 On June 3, I was honored to speak at a graduation for Bethel Academic Saigon International. The focus of my message, to approximately 100 attendees including parents, was on Isaiah 50:6-7. I started my message

“[It is] better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.” Psalm 118:8 Adding some color to the inside of the house was something we planned to do before we left to go to our daughter’s wedding in Florida. In fact, we bought paint to do so before Brenda Johns came to

Welcome to the second edition of my June newsletter. I continue with another update on our ministry work in the Philippines by highlighting some of the new classes we have launched, as well as sharing some inspiring testimonies from individuals whose lives have been touched by our students and their churches. I hope you’ll be

In Indonesia, there is a rise of TikTok and YouTube pastors who are conveying teachings that are very confusing. There are also debates between fellow priests who attack each other’s sermons and teachings that they convey via YouTube and TikTok. I am very grateful for the CCI teaching materials. This learning becomes a filter for

This month I had a chance to travel to the northern part of Thailand that borders Laos. I met the leader of the Khmu tribe, with a population of over a hundred thousand people living in the countries of Thailand, Laos, Burma, China, and Vietnam. This time, I met with representatives of the Khmu leaders

“When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them.” Isaiah 22:22b It has been a great joy to be in this new month to experience God’s goodness in our family and in the ministry we are doing. God spares our

In 2015, Aaron Issler accompanied me to Bolivia, where we led the first Teacher Training Workshop. I trained Aaron to equip new trainers with the CCI philosophy of the relational environment of discipleship and the BTCP curriculum. In 2018, Aaron was invited by Jeff, the director of a men’s ministry called Man Up and Go.