It's Official - I have moved my blog

Thanks for all your input both here at the blog and by e-mail. It has been very helpful. I have made the decision. The blog is now at

www.chosenrebel.spaces.live.com

It is called Marty's Tribe.

Hope you can visit. Merry Christmas.

Miss spoke

It isn't My Space but "Spaces.live.com" that I am considering. Sorry for the confusion.

chosenrebel.spaces.live.com

New Blog Site?

Seriously considering moving my blog to My Space.

Visit "http://chosenrebel.spaces.live.com/default.aspx" and tell me what you think of the new look.

A Night to Remember

Last night Steph and I had a wonderful dinner with a half-dozen couples, most of whom were won to Christ through the ministry of New Song but who have since moved on to other churches. It was a marvelous time to reminisce and tell the stories of the grace of God at work in people's lives.

And of course there was lots of laughter and tears and joy. It was a great gift to both Steph and my spirit's. I can't tell you how much it means to us to know that God has made a difference in people's lives during the time of our sojourn in Bolingbrook. To have invested 18 years here, longer than I have lived any other place in the world, longer even then my beloved Pennsylvania, and to hear the stories of changed lives and families is a precious gift.

So thanks to the Hutchins for hosting and to Craig and Roxanne, and Mark and Alexis and Liz, and Hector and Katherine, and sweet Alice, and Mike and Jen and Sarah and Errick, and Paul and Lisa. You lightened the hearts of two disciples of the King. Thanks for loving us, loving one another and loving Jesus. We have no greater joy than to see our "children" walking in the truth. (3 John 4). You made our week.

Vanessa, you rock 'darlin'

Keep treasuring one another and know that we are praying for you.

I'm Back

Finally back in town after 6 day trip to Asia and a 10 day trip to the East coast of the US. While on the east coast I got to visit with former students, HS and College friends, and care for my ailing mother. On Sunday night I got to spend some time with two HS track buddies and our HS track coach. I love those guys. I have tried hard to stay in touch with them over the years and it was great to see them and swap stories. I look forward to doing it again.

I also was able to raise some support as I shared the ministry that God is calling me to in the next chapter of our lives as a family. And I even got to speak at the University of Maryland Campus Crusade for Christ meeting. "Cru" as it is now called was exciting and sobering at the same time. I realized that I was the only one in the room who was alive the year I took my last class at the University of Maryland. Wow.

But now it is back to the effort of raising the dollars needed to accomplish the ministry. Today I will make some phone calls to people who I have challenged to pray about joining with us and try to tie up some loose ends in my schedule and take a few days off for Thanksgiving.

Today a POD is supposed to arrive in my driveway so that we can begin the process of packing up for an eventual move to Mundelein/ Vernon Hills.

1. Prayer request: Have been invited to teach a group of 50 church planters in Dallas in January(19-22). Need to discern God's will about taking the time from support raising to go there.
2. Prayer request: Effective prep time for the class I will teach at TEDS on Church planting beginning in January (23).
3. Prayer request: Good thinking as I write the final paper for the doctoral class I took in early November.
   

Tribute to Mom

It has been great to spend most of the last 10 days with my mom and help her recover from her operation. She served her husband, her seven kids, her aging mother and father, my dad's mom and sister for 50 years. She is learning now to deal with a new "normal." Normal is now, lower energy, blurred vision, one functioning kidney and poor appetite. Tough pill for a woman who has served everyone in her life for over 50 years.

So it has been fun to give my sister a break from all the great care that she gives to mom and to serve mom myself. No amount of service can repay all that she did for us but it is good to be here nonetheless and to express some of the love that she has planted in all of her kids hearts. Mary, my sister, of course is the one who bears the larger burden and does so with great grace. That too is part of the legacy of my mother's parenting and service.

Thanks Lord, for a mother to be proud of. Give her joy, in her new "normal" and help her to adjust. Give her the strength she needs to do what you call her to do. And help we who were served by her to serve her. Amen.

Hunger Corps and Hands of Love America

Pastor Yugo Kobari is on the left. He is Japanese pastor of an American church and the executive director of Hands of Love America (HOLA). Hands of Love links American churches with leaders of third world churches in order to bring about total transformation of communities for the Kingdom of Christ. In the center is a M.D. from the Japan who is doing a remarkable work of bringing medical care to crisis and relief situations throughout Asia and Africa. Next to him on the right is a professor from Seoul Korea. he has come up with a barcode system that will allow supermarkets to incentivize the purchase of food closer to its expiration date by offering the consumer discounts of from 10-40%.


His system was developed after he learned two facts. Four percent of grocery market food worldwide (think western industrialized nations) is wasted because of expiration dates. One percent would feed the hungry of the world if it could be saved.

I took this picture of four Hunger Corps workers in a small Methodist church serving the barangay in Manila---three Philippino women and one Canadian. 16 of the 20 Hunger Corps workers in the the Philippines are women and they are brave, sacrificial, compassionate warriors for Christ. Each of these women are being used of God to transform lives for Jesus.

My picture of the Philippino pastor centered in the heart of the ghetto was too blurry to include here but he is a soldier for Jesus. More on their work tomorrow.

A Sobering, Humbling and Challenging Look at Poverty

On the way to Bangkok, I made a stop in Manila to see one of the sites of a Food for the Hungry project.

The picture is of the water underneath the stilted homes of at least 15,000 people in just one of the barangays of Manila. Look at the two white pipes in the upper half of the picture. Notice how they disappear at the water line of the water.

The homes in which people live are about the size of a small American living room and have an average of 6 people living in them. I asked one pastor how many people lived in a one mile radius. "50-60,000." he said. Imagine people living in squalor that no respectable rat would dwell in. Come to think of it, I didn't see one rat.

But these aren't rats, they are men and women, boys and girls, infants and toddlers made in the image and likeness of God. Among them are myriads of people for whom Christ died. Our brothers and sisters in Christ living in desperate need.

Tomorrow I'll share some of the pictures of the children on the barangay and the heroes who are making a difference there.

Back from Thialand

Back in the states after three flights totaling 19 hours in the air and 5 hours in airports. I'm tired but healthy except for the cough that I had when I left for the trip. Thank you for all your prayers. I will upload some pictures and begin to chronicle some of the things God is teaching through the experience tomorrow.

I will say this, Manila and Bangkok were extraordinary experiences. I think the future shape of my ministry will be radically effected by my brief time in Asia.

Meanwhile, I am in Philly, visiting my mom and doing some support raising as well as attending my HS reunion. Notice, I didn't say how many years.

More tomorrow.

Part way to Bangkok

Made it to Manila. Going to worship in a few minutes. Leave for Bangkok Monday. Today I will visit a couple of ministry sites and projects for Food for the Hungry. Keep praying for stamina and effective relationships to be developed.