Pray BFF Letter #228

Friday, August 9, 2013

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“Being transformed...”

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Dear Prayer Partners,

I wonder whether our greatest good works are accomplished when we are busily running back and forth, doing this, doing that, or when we are still before the Lord? We have done a lot of back and forth, driving thousands of miles, for personal reasons. The latest has been for my father’s sudden death.

At 92, he simply died in his sleep, though he was in better health than many people half his age. Our next drive is to return Allison to Union University in Tennessee for her last year of college next week. She is moving into her first apartment.

Changing gears

It still is hard to believe that my father is gone. I reach for the phone to call my Dad. But remember that he is not at the assisted living place, nor is he at home. The house is being put up for sale. Six of our children could accompany us for the small funeral service held at my father’s house. Cleaning out the house occupied the hot mornings, but we often managed to get a refreshing swim later in the day. I was able to share the gospel during the funeral service.

Now, perhaps due to delayed reaction, I feel as if in a lull. So much of my mind and prayers went into how to care for my Dad and now all that has dissipated. It occupied a bigger spot than I realized. I wonder if the Lord wants me quiet for a few months. He certainly has my focus. I am still waiting on Him for an overseas assignment (STM) for the fall.

I was originally planning to visit a pastor/leader in the southern part of the Philippines, but I have not heard back from him. Instead, I got an advisory from the US government warning me not to go into that area due to Muslim unrest. Was he swept up in that horrible typhoon last year? Is he away on a ministry trip in the interior away from the internet? Other problems? Communication difficulties have been greatly reduced due to email, but they still exist.

Gladly, though there are interruptions, the BFF ministry resources are being used to transform God’s people around the world. The remaining challenge is, however, enormous.

A new “To Do” list

On my study wall, I have a huge whiteboard where I keep maps and ‘to-do’ lists. With Allison’s help, we have largely finished editing one new book; she is working on another. Fantastic. This process, however, has kept me on my toes, busily answering her many appropriate editorial questions, rewriting parts, etc. As I write a new ‘to-do’ list, I will be able to erase many ticked off items: posting the foreign language training materials: Bengali, Telugu, Spanish, Amharic, Swahili, Hindi, Burmese and Chichewa. We still have to do some work on Oriya and Visaya (I think). With this year almost 2/3rds over, we need to clarify and prioritize some goals.

One of the biggest changes will occur when we begin reaching out to mission organizations and foreign nationals with our library resources. How can we work with them to equip and challenge God’s workers? I remember how difficult it was to find enriching resources overseas. When attending a Chinese church during language school, we had difficulty joining in the worship in a meaningful way. Even when involved in church planting, the focus is on serving at the very basic gospel level. God’s workers need to be refreshed.

They also need to be equipped. Think about how things have changed in this last decade. Two seminar places in the Philippines expected slides to accompany the talk! They had the projectors. Few have been trained in such areas and need sample slides and familiarity to be able to use them appropriately. Books are expensive to mail overseas. Our society is fast moving toward digital information–this is BFF’s specialty, graphically enhanced Biblical training library resources. We really need God’s sensitivity to go forward.

Praise!

My Dad’s situation has been surprisingly resolved. Thank the Lord for grace to speak God’s Word during the funeral.
To-do list has had numerous items ticked off.
God has given a pause to further contemplate what He wants to do with His BFF ministry.

Pray!

Pray for the youth retreat this weekend (Aug 9th). We have three children attending!
Pray that the Lord would lead to where our next international training will be. We have many different invitations but none, at this time, seem to be working out.
Safety as we travel to Tennessee next week. Provision for Allison’s last year of college.
Several invitations for teaching seminars in the USA, including our own church.
We desire God’s Spirit to powerfully work in the new “Discovering God through the Psalms” Sunday Training series starting in the fall at our church. I will be one of the teachers.
Wisdom on how to offer our free training libraries overseas.

Thanks so much for your prayers!

PLEASE NOTE:

BFF is an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit religious organization and able to offer receipts to contributions in the United States. Address your financial support to Biblical Foundations for Freedom (BFF, directly to us). All designated funds go to the general fund, but specified gifts are allowed: STM (overseas training), Love (helping overseas pastors/ Christian leaders and families in need). Thank you for your kind giving!

Paul

Rev. Paul J. Bucknell, President and Instructor

Biblical Foundations for Freedom

____________________________

Email: pb@foundationsforfreedom.net
Phone: (+001) 412-398-4559 (Mobile)
3276 Bainton St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 USA

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