News from Jackson’s Ridge

His name was Elson∑he was 12 years old and he was tuff as nails.  (I cannot include his photo- for obvious reasons- read on)  He lived with his Granny in an African township outside Johannesburg.  His mother had passed away in 2003 and his father in 2004.  They probably died of AIDS, although that would be impossible to validate∑few South Africans are ever tested for HIV and few are willing to admit that they are infected.  Elson had been keeping company with the wrong crowd for the last year and his respect for adult authority had seriously eroded.

I was Elson’s counselor last month, at a Royal Family Kid’s Camp in South Africa.  RFKC is designed for children who have been traumatized by severe neglect and physical or sexual abuse.  He came to me with a real chip on his shoulder.  He specialized in chasing after the girls, ignoring my directions, breaking the rules, tuning me out, defying me and running off whenever my back was turned.  I had only two kids to look after∑that’s the way RFKC is designed, but I spent ≤ of my time dealing with Elson. This was not a fun week.  My experience was frustrating and at times overwhelming.

RFKC is intended to plant happy memories into the mind of a child who has been living with nightmares.  RFKC gives each child the “royal” treatment for a full five days.  Chapel services are held but no child is coerced into making a decision for Christ.  We do however pray that God will somehow help us to plant the seeds of repentance and hopefully have an opportunity to lead each child to Christ as “we walk along the way.”

My input into Elson’s life paid off, when the chapel speaker asked if any child would like to receive special prayer.  I had just disciplined Elson for acting up in chapel and pretending to fall asleep during the service, so there was tension in the air between Elson and Pastor Ed.  All of sudden, to my utter amazement, he poked me in the arm and asked me to accompany him to the front for prayer.  As we laid our hands on Elson, he broke and began to weep.  I hugged him and asked God to show Elson how much he loved him.  We stood there praying for a long time∑I hugged him tight, held his head and let him cry.  Right then, Elson had his moment with God.  It was a life changing moment that Elson will never forget.  That is what Royal Family Kids’ Camps is all about.

Jackson’s Ridge has launched and now oversees eight RFKC’s across South Africa.  (The program was founded 20 years ago by Wayne and Diane Tesch of Orange County, CA)  Each camp produces changed lives for the kingdom.  Each camp makes a deep impact into the lives of kids who have been victimized.  You have a part in each changed life!  Each time you pray and give a financial gift to support the Corbin’s or Jackson’s Ridge, you are actively involved in changing children’s lives through Royal Family Kids’ Camps.  Thank you for caring enough to become involved.  We love you and thank you for being our friends!

The Corbin’s (Ed, Sonja and little Cecilia who just turned age 9 on Jan. 23rd)

Are You Sure That’s What You Want?

WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN
TO ORDINARY PEOPLE
Are You Sure That’s What You Want?
Pastor Mark Johnson
January 27, 2008

Galatians 6:7-10

A man reaps what he sows.

Are you sure you are planting what you want to harvest?

Planting is key to harvesting.

Remember – what you plant doesn’t come back in its simplified form. It comes back in its magnified form.

A few seeds:
1.    Lying = you reap a harvest of mistrust: not only to those you lied to, but with those who know you lied.
2.    Temper = broken relationships: tension, stress, pressure, and eventually loneliness.
3.    The parent who undermines authority = eventually undermines their authority. Proverbs 17:13
4.    Evil for good = a devastating seed. Evil will never leave your house.

This is why the Bible seems so confusing at times. We don’t understand the law of sowing and reaping.

Matthew 5:11-12, Matthew 5:43-45, Luke 6:27-28, Luke 6:32-36, Romans 12:19-21

These verses are not just for their sake, they are for our sake. Why? Because we reap what we sow.

In your actions and reactions you are planting seeds. We need to ask ourselves, “Are we sure this is what we want?”

Places we can reap a positive seed:

1.    With authority – Romans 13:1-5
2.    Giving – Malachi 3:8-12
3.  Generosity – Psalm 112:5, Proverbs 11:25, Proverbs 22:9
3.    Doing good to others – Galatians 6:7
4.    Prayer – Matthew 7:7

The reason many people find life falling apart around them is because they don’t understand the law of sowing and reaping.

James 1:18

Some Good Tips for Sober Judgement

• Never in your life say, “It’s not my job.”
• Keep track of what you do; someone is sure to ask.
• Never bring your boss a problem without some solution.  You are getting paid to think, not to whine.
• Long hours don’t mean anything; results count, not effort.
• Write down ideas; they get lost like good pens.
• Always arrive at work early.
• Don’t hang out with the complainers, gossips, or the ‘we’re smarter than them’ crowd.
• Assume no one can/will keep a secret.
• Sometimes you’ll be on a roll and everything will click; take maximum advantage.  When the opposite is true, hold steady and wait it out.
• Unless you are in physical danger, don’t quit until you have a new job.  Don’t quit just because you had a bad day or just because your boss had a bad day.
• Understand the skills and abilities that set you apart.
• Always remember that over one billion working-age people in the world today cannot find a job – be thankful for yours.
• If you can’t stand doing what you do, get some career advice.  DON’T JUST QUIT.
• Those who advance are those who succeed where they are.
• Always be willing to help a co-worker when they are in need, and then make sure your work is done as well, even if you need to work late. You’ll never know when you’ll have a need.
• Never say, “It can’t be done” just because it would take a lot of work.

Are you Really One of These?

WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO ORDINARY PEOPLE
Are you Really One of These?
Pastor Mark Johnson
January 20, 2008

Seeing Ourselves

Proverbs 11:2; 13:10; 16:18; 29:23

What is the fruit of pride?
Embarrassment, arguments, destroyed relationships, and lack of honor.

Do you think how we see ourselves matters?

In Philippians, Paul reminds us of the attitude of Jesus that we should emulate.

Philippians 2:2-9
The result is: “Therefore God exalted him.”

A proper view of ourselves is important in finding God’s favor.

Today let’s examine ourselves in one area of life: How good of a worker are you?

Proverbs 14:23; 18:9; 20:4; 21:25; 28:19

This calls for sober judgment of our lives.
Everyone thinks they are a hard worker.

What is a good, hard worker?

Work Ethic:
1.    Do I show up to work everyday?
2.    Am I early or late?
3.    Am I willing to stay to get the job done?
4.    When I am at work, am I at work?
5.    What is the quality of the work compared to others’ work?

Proverbs 20:4; 21:25; 28:19
Ephesians 6:5
Proverbs 22:29

New Year’s Greeting from Belgium

Dear Prayer Partners,

We send this New Year’s Greeting to you trusting our Lord that He will give you His special, Touch, Guidance, Peace, Love, Joy, Protection, Strength, and Healing throughout 2008.

Get to know Belgium from a Christiam Perspective with this wealth of information about this area of the world.  Download now.

Along with this, we send you a paper that I’ve been working on over the past few months called “Belgium-Factors” which is not only an attempt to explain what life and ministry for the Lord is like in Belgium, but also a timely call to greater, knowledgeable prayer for the people of Belgium than ever before<  Belgium needs prayer more than ever at this time as its government is on the verge of collapse.  It has been tending towards this state of collapse for many years, but now is ‘tottering on the edge’ with only an interim government and the king (King Albert II) holding things together until March.

Please read it through (when you have the time) and let us know what you think about it.  I originally used the rough outline of this on itineration to explain what it was like to be a missionary in Belgium, but since then have ‘filled it out’ with more facts, experiences, and references.  I only hope it will be an inspiration to you as you get to know a bit better the country of our calling, without having to travel personally across “the big pond”, the Atlantic Ocean, as the G.I.s of WWII called it.  But, still, you’re more than welcome to come on over for a visit!

God bless you as you pray,

In His Service,

Ken & Marianne Barickman

A/G Missionaries to Belgium

How to Know What you Don’t Know

WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO ORDINARY PEOPLE – Week 2 Notes
How to Know What You Don’t Know
Pastor Mark Johnson
Sunday, January 13, 2008

Proverbs 2:1-11

Have you ever heard the saying…
What you don’t know won’t hurt you.

There is no ignorance immunity.

Have you ever looked back on your life and thought,
If I had just known then what I know now, things would be different.

Here is where we get into one of the “principles that work for everyone.”

Proverbs 12:15, Proverbs 13:10, Proverbs 19:20, Proverbs 15:22, Proverbs 8:33-34, Proverbs 13:13, Proverbs 16:20, Proverbs 11:14

Key Verse
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.

Are you open to advice?

When we seek out advice we have the opportunity to use experience that we don’t have.

Seven places in life we should all seek advice:        1. Health        2. Faith
3. Finances        4. Marriage
5. Careers        6. Children
7. Education

These are places that your life can get better and easier if you seek out advice, counsel, and wisdom.

There are three types of people:

I.    Advice Adverse

Their motto is ‘I want to learn from my own mistakes.’

Proverbs 12:15

II.   Advice Challenged

They get advice; it’s just from the wrong sources.

Matthew 15:14

Bad advice can be worse than no advice.

III.   Advice Inclined

These are people who have a tendency to
seek out wisdom before they act.  To try
to learn what they don’t know.

Where do we get that kind of advice?
A.     Experts
B.     Experience

The Principle Rule:
All good advice has roots in the Word of God.

Proverbs 8:10-11; 8:33-34

Assignment for the week:
Pray about each of the seven places in life we need advice.  Are you adverse, challenged or inclined?

Journey Progress for January 08

Monthly Target and Given Comparison

Total Pledged and Given as of December 31

Monthly Giving Amounts

Notes for Series Introduction

Please feel free to comment or ask questions regarding this message series!

WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO
ORDINARY PEOPLE
Introduction
Pastor Mark Johnson
January 6, 2008
Proverbs 2:1

There are two ways to ask the question, “Why me?”
1.    Why did something bad happen?
2.    Why do good things happen?

Here are two truths:
1.    We don’t get to know all of the “whys” in our lives.
2.    There are ways to live that will improve your life.

I believe in the blessing of God.

Let’s be clear-
You can have the blessing of God in one area of your life and miss it in another area of your life.

Proverbs 2:9

Weeks 1 & 2: Biblical principles that work for everyone.
Weeks 3 & 4: Spiritual laws that, when applied, will happen.
Weeks 5 & 6: Pathway to the favor of God.

If you apply these biblical truths to your life, I believe people will start believing you are one of the luckiest people they know.

There is a beginning principle. God, by nature, is love, and He wants good things for us.

Getting in the place of God’s blessing begins with an understanding of who God is in your life. Start with prayer.

Luke 11:1

Hallowed can mean “set apart”.

The eight compound names of God found in the Old Testament:
1.  Jehovah-rohi/Jehovah My Shepherd/Deliverance

2.  Jehovah-nissi/Jehovah My Banner/Feed or Companion

3.  Jehovah-jireh/Jehovah My Provider/Meets Every Need

4.  Jehovah-rophe/Jehovah My Healer/Heals, Restores, Cures

5.  Jehovah-shammah/Jehovah is There/The Ever Present One

6.  Jehovah-shalom/    Jehovah is Peace/Harmony and Contentment

7.  Jehovah-m’kaddesh/Jehovah Who Sanctifies/Who Purifies Us

8.  Jehovah-tsidkenu/Jehovah Our Righteousness/ Purified from Sin

Pray through these names each day and ask for a clearer insight into God’s work in your life.

Cleared For Takeoff!!!  

Hello Everyone,

It is with much excitement we announce we’ve received clearance for departure!  Woo hoo!

 

While there remains a small amount of additional work funds to raise, we have met our minimum budget and are now busy packing for a January 11^th departure!  We had decided to leave later in January to give us enough time to get things done, but due to when our visas were approved, we need to leave earlier than expected.  So, we’ve got a lot to do in the next week and a half!

 

We want to say THANK YOU to all who prayed, gave and showed other forms of support during our itineration.  There were some dramatic moments and some frustrating moments as we watched the legendary pie chart eaten away rather slowly at times and gobbled up at other times!  In the end, it did indeed come together just in time!  Our monthly financial support base is made up of 78 churches (70% of commitments) and 43 families & individuals (30% of commitments). We logged 53,848 miles by car for 215 services and 83 separate personal appointments.  We’re humbled, grateful and excited as we look to the future together with you trusting God to move!

 

Stay tuned to our WEBSITE for more details, pictures and videos as we make the transition!

 

Please pray for:

·         The sea container that will carry our belongings and many other things for the school in Khartoum.  Pray that God will cause it to come together quickly, as arranging this container has been quite a headache.  All arrangements had to be scrapped last minute due to a change on the field. I start over Jan. 2^nd.

·         Energy for both of us as we pack and do other final tasks that were going to be done over a month, now in less than two weeks.

·         Peaceful hearts for the kids and a sense of God’s call on them as they embark on some big changes!

·         A strong start to life on the ground.

·         Grace for us and those we leave behind as we say Good bye.

 

If you live near us and would like to lend a hand with all there is to do, please call us at (608)449-0888.  We could use some help with moving boxes, remodeling work in our basement, and other odds & ends.

 

In Christ,

 

Steve & Natalie Overturf

Serving Sudan