Hide "them" under a bushel?

Jesus tells us clearly that His followers are the light of the world. In not these exact words, He tells us to light our lamps and cover them up would be ridiculous and wrong.

Parenting, I have found, is a practical but difficult application of this principle. How does hiding our light under a bushel relate to parenting? I'm glad you asked!

Our daughters, as followers of Jesus, are also "the light of the world." Paul spoke to the Philippians like his beloved children when he encouraged them to "be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world."

So what gives us the right as parents to withhold opportunities from these vibrant "lights" who are burning with a passion to be Christ' royal ambassadors? Isn't this what we should be preparing them for from Day 1? Shouldn't we be longing for these moments when they too choose to go and shine their light to a dark and needy world?

Yes we should. Easier said than done.

Yesterday was one of those "moments". Hannah and Katelyn were two of 10 high school girls selected to represent their school on a community service mission to northern Tanzania, an east African country. They have been counting the days down and yesterday, at 3 p.m., we launched our two oldest "shining arrows" to be lights in Africa.

We received a phone call from our school Principal around 11:30 p.m. that the girls had arrived safely in Tanzania. But I noticed this morning, even though it was Saturday, that I didn't have the best night sleep last night. :-)

The girls will be gone for 11 days. Their itinerary includes: playing with children at an orphanage, visiting recipient families of cows donated by the school, digging foundations and preparing concrete blocks for the building of a new classroom for a local school, painting classrooms, preparing lessons and activities for local children. On the last two days they will be treated to an overnight camping trip and guided safaris to enjoy the African wildlife and scenery.

This isn't their first excursion to another country. We've launched our shining arrows before on three short-term trips to Peru. But every time they go it is a step of faith to not hide our lights under a bushel!

Please pray for Hannah and Katelyn to shine brightly on this trip. The focus of this school-sponsored trip is different than the ones they have taken before, but we are praying for the same result - that our daughters will "appear as lights in the world" and they will let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

And the winner is...

All dressed up and definitely some place to go! The annual Sports Banquet to be exact. Here are Katelyn, Betsy, and Hannah looking NOT like they just ran a race or played a game!



We are nearing the end of our first school year in Dubai. Our school year exceeded our expectations in many ways but in particular in the area of sports. Although they have played volleyball before, this is their first year to compete in many sports like Soccer, Basketball and Track.

A couple of weeks ago, our girls took home some awards at the Annual Sports Banquet. Betsy won the "Most Improved Player" award on her Basketball team, Katelyn took home the "Most Improved Player" award in Track, and Hannah took home the Most Valuable Player award in volleyball AND the overall "Outstanding Athlete of the Year" award.

Needless to day, we were very proud of each of our girls for not only their hard work and dedication but especially for being good team players and exhibiting a Christ-like attitude to their teammates and opponents.

And the winner is....God gets more glory! We praise Him for helping our daughters not only survive their first year but to thrive!

Photos, Photos, Photos!

Hi there! It's Lori this time. I just thought I would include some of the scenes that we see on a daily basis around here. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into our lives.

Scenes from the city... The ones they want you to see

Reality scenes from the city...

This photo is inadequate to describe what the traffic can be like here.

Yes this is a man riding on the bucket! It was taken looking out over our balcony!

It takes a lot of these to power up the world's fastest growing city!

Double-dog dare: Love one another

On my recent personal retreat, I was caught off guard as I listened to an old familiar hymn, "Be Thou My Vision." I was overwhelmed with the love of my Heavenly Father for me.

I found myself resting in this Love. The by-product was peace. This displaced any anxious thought I had about the future. "Perfect love casts out fear". 1 John 4:18

My former pastor in San Antonio, Dr. David Walker, used to say all the time, "The essence of a kingdom is the presence of a king." No king. No kingdom. I've found this to be true. When King Jesus is ruling and reigning my life, His Kingdom (righteousness, peace, joy, power) is ushered in and manifested in me and through me.

Now, stay with me as I shift gears on this subject of love.

Love is defined many ways in 1 Cor. 13. One way is this: "Love does not take into account a wrong suffered." I can think of no greater "joy-robber" and "peace-stopper" in my life than when I focus on the imperfect actions or attitudes of others. In other words, love lets go.

Although I don't agree at all with the substance and "theology" of the old Beatles song, there is at least wisdom found in the title: "Let it be"!

If just to maintain our own well-being, that should be reason enough for us to "let go" and love. But there is so much more at stake - especially when the people who have wronged us or have disappointed us are brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Jesus said, "All men will know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35. And again, Jesus prays to His Father in John 17:23, "I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that You did send me, and did love them, even as You did love me."

So go ahead. Let go. Love. I double-dog dare you. Love God by yielding to King Jesus and obeying His "new" command: "Love one another."

Not only will the presence of the King's reign usher in His Kingdom (peace and joy) in your life, a watching world will know that you are a follower of Jesus and, most importantly, will be drawn to Him.

How is your soul?

Today at church we had a visiting pastor from Arizona speak on the soul. When Jesus said the greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength", what exactly did He mean by "your soul"?

David, the shepherd, said of Jesus His Good Shepherd, "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads us beside quiet waters; He restores my soul." Our visiting pastor indicated that the fact David's soul needed restoring implies that his soul was depleted!

All of our souls tend to get depleted from time to time. The busyness of life is a constant drain on the soul.

He went on to share how God uses solitude to retore us, refine us, and strengthen us. Look how God used solitude in the lives of Moses, David, and Paul to prepare them to be used by Him. Even Jesus Himself had a rhythm to His ministry - engagement and retreat; engagement and retreat.

He challenged us to develop this discipline of solitude even in our daily, weekly, monthly, annual schedules. What a confirmation it was to me on what I have been sensing my soul needs. In fact, just yesterday I submitted a request for some time off to get away for a 3 day personal retreat next week. I'm going to head to the mountains to reflect on God's faithfulness, rest in His love, and receive any marching orders He might have for me.

Speaking of retreat, Lori is at a 3 day women's conference this weekend here in Dubai. Ann Graham-Lotz is the keynote speaker and nearly 600 women are attending. Lori is on the praise team and is, I trust, even as I type this post, enjoying using her talents of singing to help lead in praise and worship of our great God. He alone is worthy!

So, how is your soul? "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations." Psalm 46:10

Babel On

Dr. Mike Hyde, optometrist from The Woodlands, Texas, came to Dubai last week to minister at Sonapur labor camp. Mike is an incredible testimony of God's grace. Since his pursuit of following Christ last November, Mike discovered/received a new talent - the gift of song writing. He has written 18 songs since last November!

Make it 19. He forwarded me his latest work today and with his permission, I've posted it for you below. I haven't heard the tune yet but the lyrics - summing up his experience in Dubai - are stunning. The song title is an obvious play on words. Dubai is trying to build the world's tallest building, The Burj Dubai - dubbed by many as the modern day Tower of Babylon. By the way, the picture below shows the structure now 109 stories tall. Projected height is about 160 stories but the exact height has not been unveiled yet. Projected completion date is Fall 2008.

Thanks Mike! Keep using your gifts bro!




Babel On

The wise man built on solid rock but this nation rose from shifting sand
Through sweat and blood, mire and mud, the towers climb on backs of man
The poorest poor pay the price but no one stops to count the cost
The lonely cries from Sonapor that mourns for hope that’s all but lost

Chorus:
Pierce this shroud of darkness in the burning sand as we
Babel on, Babel on
Lead us to deliverance in this foreign land as we
Babel on, Babel on
The clock is winding down now it’s the final stand as we
Babel on, Babel on
Reach down in this place and touch the broken soul of man, why do we
Babel on, Babel on?

Covered in a thick veneer, religion’s the façade
We worship at the temple bank, our Money is our God
Amusement parks and tennis stars, they’re golfing in the sand
So once again were gathered here to test the strength of man
Were from every corner of the globe to execute the plan
To build the Tower Babel, to the heavens now it stands
But we’ve become slave drivers and abusing “lesser men”
We’ve got one hand in a pot of gold and a whip in the other hand

Wading through the Sea of Humanity as one by one the tide brings in more
Arabic, Hendi, Telegu, from Africa to the Far East too
They wash up here on desperation’s shore
Tucked outside the City, work camps out of sight,
People seen but never heard or learning of their plight
With a landfill on the left, a cemetery on the right
Treat them like trash throughout the day, and bury bodies here at night

Praying for "Lift"-off

My friend Kevin was back in town last week to nurture the Dubai Camps for Christ movement started earlier this year. (See link in the right-most column on this page.) Suffice it to say, momentum is building.

It appears that Jesus is breaking the break of His Word shared with one Telagu-speaking (Indian) congregation at one labor camp and is multiplying it - giving it to other workers to feed to other people groups and at other camps!

Here's an example of what I mean...

While Kevin was here, he led a “Train the Trainer” event for 30 people interested in replicating this discipleship ministry at other labor camps and among other language groups. One couple in attendance was an Egyptian couple. They told me of a group of Egyptian believers the husband has been working with for a few months. They asked if I wanted to meet them and explore the possibly of initiating a similar bible-storying track among this group. We went the next night.

We walked into the dimly-lit, one-room villa last about 9 p.m. These Egyptian brothers were expecting us and were eager to talk. All of them have been in Dubai less than a year and came here to work for a “lift” (elevator) company. Most of these men left young families back in Egypt. I was saddened by their basic living conditions: 15 men sharing a very small room and sleeping on thin mattresses on the floor. But I was encouraged by their heart-felt sharing. They spoke of their loneliness and their struggle to live the Christian life in this land.

God led me to share with them the parable of the 10 Virgins in Matthew 25 – five were prepared with enough oil for their lamps when the bridegroom returned, five were not. We talked about what it means to be ready for Jesus’ return – our lamps full of oil (walking in the Spirit) and being found doing what he asked us to do. We talked about Jesus’ last words to his disciples – the mandate to make disciples of all nations. We prayed. God broke into our meeting as the men cried out to Him in surrender.

Tomorrow night, I will meet with these Egyptian brothers again. I want to express to them what God has put on my heart over the last week. My goal is simply to equip and mobilize them to make disciples. Should they agree to work with me, I will commit to meet with them every week for the next 3 to 4 months. They have potential to share God's love with people I could never reach. There are tens of thousands of Egyptians in Dubai. And of course, they are much closer in culture to our priority target group.

If all goes well tomorrow, we will begin the next week by teaching them a story track on some of the prophets (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, etc.). Then we will focus our study on the life of Christ.

Studying this prophet story track will accomplish two objectives: 1) it will build them up in their knowledge of God and His Word and 2) it will allow them to build bridges with friends with whom they share these stories.

If you are reading this, we need you to pray for us. We need your church to pray for us. A church planting movement “lift”-off among our people group will not happen without MUCH prayer and FERVENT prayer from God’s people. Thank you in advance for your partnership in the Gospel through prayer.

Tennis anyone?

This week, a local church in town hosted “The Great Commission Conference”. Hannah and I attended the first two nights along with a couple of hundred other people. In a word, the conference was awesome. The dad/daughter time was even better.

Dr. T.V. Thomas was the featured keynote speaker. Dr. Thomas emphasized being Christ’ witnesses more than doing evangelism. After all, Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “… you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem…and to the ends of the earth.” Without diluting the need to present the Gospel, he encouraged us to seize divine appointments to “defrost our frozen world” with acts of kindness in Jesus’ name.

On the third night, Hannah and I thought we were taking a break from the conference to attend The Dubai Tennis Championship. In reality, the evening turned out to be a “lab experiment” to apply what we had learned the previous two nights! You might call our lab experiment, in tennis terms, a “lob” from heaven.


THE WARM-UP

Dubai is currently hosting some of the world’s best tennis players at The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Some friends of ours enjoy going every year and this year is no exception. But their schedule prevented them from going Wednesday and they kindly offered us their two tickets. How this would work with family in town, I wasn’t quite sure. But I quickly said “yes”, figuring this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Surely someone in our family would be able to go!

As it turned out, Hannah and I made the “sacrifice” to go and spent our third night in a row together. We arrived about 45 minutes early before the day’s featured 2nd round match: Roger Federer (SUI) vs. Daniele Bracciali (ITA). Federer, still maintaining his # 1 ranking in the world, is carving out his place in tennis history as one of the best players of all time.

As we walked into Center Court Arena, there were still plenty of seats to choose from. We surveyed the grandstands but the view looked better from the other side. It always does. We found some great seats, took a few pictures before the camera batteries died, and settled in for the big show as we sipped on our frappocinos. (I know what you’re thinking… “really suffering for Jesus, huh Matt?”)




Soon the empty seats next to us were filled. A professional looking man from Sri Lanka sat down next to me along with his family. I introduced myself and we began to talk. We enjoyed each others company and prepared to watch some world-class tennis.


THE LOB

The match was done in roughly 90 minutes. Federer was… well... he was Roger Federer. Even on an off day, he advanced relatively easily, 7-5, 6-3.

That’s when it happened! Federer approached the net to shake hands with his latest victim. He took a ball and struck it high into the air. It sailed… in our direction! I thought to myself, “Hey, I’ve got a chance to catch this thing.” The thought dissipated though as the ball sailed over my head by a good 20 feet. I had almost turned away, when the ball, as with some “heavenly english”, came bouncing back in our direction!! I stood on my toes, clutched the coveted ball with both hands, and pumped both fists with pure joy! As I handed Hannah her souvenir, a memory was made.


THE VOLLEY

My new friend, sitting next to me, congratulated me on my stroke of “good luck”. I replied that it was the Lord who had blessed me.

We sat down. The ball hadn’t been in Hannah’s jacket pocket 5 minutes when the Lord volleyed back, “That ball isn’t yours; it’s mine. I want to use it for My purposes.” As a good friend of mine says, “We’ve been blessed, to be a blessing.”

Somehow I knew what the Lord wanted us to do. My friend next to me had a son about 12 years old who was with him. The son loves tennis. He loves playing tennis. He loves watching tennis. This ball, straight from Roger Federer’s racquet would mean the world to him. That was it - the Lord wanted us to give our “trophy” to the boy. Afterall, what are the chances that we would sit in those seats, next to this family, the night AFTER two great nights of teaching on seizing divine appointments to be Christ’ witnesses? Another good friend of mine would answer, “100%... when you’re a willing witness.”

I whispered the idea to Hannah. She smiled and sealed the deal when she said, “Besides, I didn’t even know who Roger Federer was until tonight!” Having put the tennis ball on the altar, the next question to be settled was how we were going to do it? With the conference teaching still fresh in mind, we knew however we did it, somehow we needed to exalt Jesus Christ and not us.


THE SERVE

The second match of the night featured the world’s #2 ranked player, Rafael Nadal from Spain. His opponent was a tough Russian, Igor Andreev. Nadal advanced after a hard-fought match that went all the way to a tie-breaker in the last set.

We were just a few games into the first set of this match when the Lord gave me the idea. I slipped out of my seat to get some nachos and popcorn. I borrowed a pen from the concessionaire, scribbled a note on a napkin, and stuffed the napkin in my pocket – ready to be pulled out at the right time. I made my way back to my seat.

After our “meal”, my friend and his family began to stir. This was it! They were getting ready to leave and we had to act fast. I motioned to my friend to wait. Hannah handed me the ball, I wrapped it in the note/napkin, and I told him secretly, “We want to give this to your son. There’s a note on the napkin. Please read it and give it to your son.”

My friend from Sri Lanka couldn’t believe it. Stunned and smiling, he said, “Thank you.” He said he wanted to stay in touch with me and proceeded to give me his mobile number. Mission accomplished.


ACE!

Oh... the note... what did it say? (I almost forgot!) Simply this:

"Jesus Christ once said, 'It is better to give than to receive.' He told us to give you this ball. We hope you will receive it as a gift from Him. Your friends, Matthew and Hannah"

Do you ever get amazed at God’s creative ability to demonstrate His love and kindness to those who are lost? Truly He is willing that NONE would perish. So go ahead - BE Jesus’ witness today. "Defrost your frozen world" by serving up an "ace" of kindness in His match-less name!

Burns Bunch Budget-Busting Birthday Bonanza!

The Burns Bunch survived 5 birthday celebrations in 25 days!!! That's enough to bust anybody's budget! But we sure had fun doing it!

Hannah and Katelyn started us off on January 29 turning 15. We had a fun family outing going bowling. See "15 candles" post for photos.

Matt's birthday came next on February 8. He says the view of his 30's out of his rear-view mirror is nice but the view ahead looks pretty adventurous! Matt enjoyed IBC rootbeer and two pecan pies on his birthday!

Lori's birthday was next on February 16 as she entered the most common age known to man - 39 and holding! We believe you honey! Lori's reward for enduring 6 months in Dubai including a Fall season without colors was a nice spa treatment at one of the local malls! She deserved it!

Finally, Daniel capped off the Burns Bunch Birthday Barage on February 22 with presents and a delicious cake. No turning back to "pull-ups" - we're going big boy underwear from here on out!!!

Daniel had so much fun bowling on Hannah and Katelyn's birthday that he was counting the days down until his birthday so he could "knock down pins" once again!!

And he received his very own set of wooden bowling pins for the apartment. Daniel and Dad came up with a great game - world soccer bowling!

Brownfield Blessings!

Lori's parents arrived last Wednesday and had a very uneventful trip half -way around the world! They survived the marathon 12 hour plane ride from New York City to Dubai.

They arrived bearing LOADS of Brownfield Blessings! Thanks to all the G.A.'s at First Baptist Church, Brownfield, Texas for all the creative cards and letters! We appreciate you!!!

Thanks too for the suitcases full of graham crackers, Paydays, Reeses Pieces, muffin mixes, etc. etc. sent from the good folks of Brownfield. Your tangible expresssions of love and encouragement were all of that and more! We love and appreciate "ya'll"! Mission accomplished!

We have have tried to keep Kermitt and Janice moving through the first few days to help them through the jet lag. Their "clocks" are getting regulated and we have had lots of fun showing them the sites.

The Shults' camera has been getting a work-out! I feel sorry for those who have to sit through the hundreds of photos of their slide show! It may take days to see all the photos! At any rate, here's a small sampling of shots!

Kermitt and Janice at the Souk Madinat Jumeriah where we enjoyed a nice Italian dinner by the water front!

They know how to do malls here in Dubai! Note all the locals enjoying their coffee at Starbucks!

They also know how to do landscaping! Here's a shot of just one of hundreds of "round-a-bouts" throughout the city.

Kermitt and Janice enjoyed their tour of the beautiful Jumeriah mosque.

The extremes... two views from the same parking deck at Mall of the Emirates. Construction cranes abound (above) and finished work beauties to behold (below).

A glimpse of "greatness"

Yesterday, I did something I’ve never done before. I attended a pro golf tournament - the Dubai Desert Classic. I received an offer for a free pass from a friend who couldn’t attend that day – the final round of the tournament. Lori and I had a lunch meeting already scheduled with an older, dear couple who is retiring from our company. I didn’t know what time we would be done, so I told my friend that I probably wouldn’t go. He told me to call him if I changed my mind.

Lori and I finished up our lunch meeting around 2 p.m. I assumed it was too late to make the tournament, but I checked the leaderboard on-line just in case. To my surprise, the last group was still on Hole 8. Tiger Woods was still lurking two-shots back on Hole 9. “What if it goes to sudden death like last year?” I couldn’t resist.

I grabbed a cab, picked up the free-pass, and headed towards the golf course. I knew it was going to be close. I arrived well after 3 p.m. I felt a little childish asking the Lord to allow me to at least see Tiger on the last two holes.

As I got out of the cab, I wasted no time. I walked straight to Hole 17 and nestled myself in near the green. I saw one group approach. Some “no-name” Europeans. They were the third to last group. That would mean Tiger’s group was next. Yes!

Then I saw him - bigger than life. Tiger stepped out into the fairway – true to form wearing his red shirt in the final round. He addressed the ball. I held my breath – afraid to cough or make even the slightest noise. You could have heard a pin drop as Tiger’s ball dropped out of the sky with a solid “thud” landing only 5 feet from the hole. The gallery thundered. Greatness.

Still on a cloud, I floated over to the 18th Hole. Finding room near the green was impossible so I settled in about 50 yards away. Then, I looked up and to my surprise, there was another living legend, tennis king Roger Federer! I must confess, even though cameras were prohibited, I took out my phone and grabbed a quick photo as he strolled by just 5 feet in front of me. Another brush with greatness. “I cannot believe this!”

As if that wasn’t enough, I witnessed another sports legend at the trophy presentation. Michael Shumacher, Formula One Racing Phnom, came forward to present the runner-up trophy to Ernie Els. Although I’ve never watched a single lap of Mr. Schumacher’s career, I could sense that this man commanded the respect of the gallery – certainly more knowledgeable about racing than me! Greatness. (I’ll take their word for it.)

Then, to top off my big hall of fame sports day, I got up early Monday morning to watch a masterful performance by MVP Quarterback Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLI. Greatness. That sums up Peyton Manning.

But what is “greatness”, after all? Certainly, no one would argue that these gifted athletes – Woods, Federer, Schumacher, and Manning – have reached the pinnacle of their respective sports because they have mastered specific skills. But that’s just it, our entertainment-addicted culture measures greatness on performance. And though the annals of time may preserve their “greatness” for a while, their trophies and records will some day, undoubtedly be forgotten.

Heaven’s perspective on greatness is drastically different. Jesus said that if you want to be great in His Kingdom, you must be a servant.

So, “upon further review”, I was in the presence of true greatness yesterday. It just wasn’t at the golf course. Remember the lunch we had with the couple that is retiring? By heaven’s account, these two – Gerry and Arylis Milligan – are truly “great servants”. Gerry and Arylis have lived in obscurity on this side of the planet for 30 years serving our Lord Jesus and our organization with excellence and faithfulness.

Thanks Gerry and Arylis for modeling for so many of us what true “greatness” is all about. You will be missed but your legacy lives on!

15 candles!

I can remember as if it were yesterday. "D" day - January 29, 1992. Lori was "great with children". The twins would make their great entry into the world and turn their mommy and daddy's world upside down. We're still trying to recover! My dad asked me a penetrating question. "Son, are you ready for a 20 year marathon?" I had no idea.

Well, Dad, we're 3/4 of the way through the race and turning the corner for the last 5 years. I'm not sure what I was thinking but I bought both Father of the Bride - Part 1 and Part 2 - the other day. Just thinking about walking my daughters down the aisle sent me into an emotional tail-spin. Ok, Ok. That's enough of that. This is turning into an on-line therapy session!

We had fun celebrating by going bowling! Daniel had his first experience bowling and actually beat some of his sisters. I won't embarrass them by mentioning their names!!

Cheese! Cheese!

Ice Cream! Ice Cream!

Queso!

What Daniel lacks in form, he makes up with body english!

Modern Day Apostles

As I was reading Acts 9 this morning, I was struck by the way Jesus invaded Saul’s life. There were no negotiations. No offers made. No contracts signed. Jesus simply but profoundly intercepted Paul’s life and took over. That’s what Kings do. They rule. They reign. They establish and advance their kingdoms. And to demonstrate that His kingdom was established in Saul, King Jesus gave him a new name and a new life purpose. The rest is history. Or is it?

Paul’s apostolic purpose – taking the good news to unreached peoples – continues to live on. The same Spirit that invaded and redirected Saul, is still invading, still redirecting, still expanding His kingdom here on earth in our day.

This week, I have been in the presence of two men who have embraced Paul's purpose as much as anyone I know: Kevin Phillips and Eric Guthrie.

Kevin Phillips and I came to Dubai together about a year ago. We were both sensing God's leading to work in this city. On the last night of our trip, we visited Sonapur Labor Camp - an area of 8 square miles housing 200,000 men from India, Pakistan, Egypt, China, etc. All in all, there are nearly 20 nationalities represented in this labor camp.




Kevin felt led to initiate a discipleship initiative among the nearly 200 Telagu speaking Indian brothers who make up the Christian Evangelical Church of Sonapur Camp. Over the next year, Kevin's goal is to mobilize teams from the US and from Dubai to teach these men 72 Bible stories that they can, in turn, teach others. To read more about this exciting ministry, visit: http://www.dubaicampsforchrist.blogspot.com/. Please pray for the success of this project and for the ripple affects to be felt all over the world. Kevin is a man of great faith and great vision. KP - thanks for coming this week and for believing God to do the impossible! What an encouragement you have been!!!


Eric Guthrie of Every Nation Ministries mobilizes short term volunteer teams to partner with church planting teams in the 10/40 window. In fact, on my first trip to the 10/40 window to do tsunami relief work, Eric was our team leader. Eric came to Dubai this week to find out where God was at work and was looking for a potential partnership opportunity. He wants to send teams to help us prayer walk different parts of Dubai but, after meeting Kevin and seeing first hand the labor camp ministry, he wants a piece of that action too! The fact that Kevin's and Eric's trips overlapped each other is a sovereign act of God. You can check out Eric's amazing faith ministry at: http://www.untilallhaveheard.org/. Eric, you are my hero. Thank you too for coming and for not being afraid to "get out of the boat."


I count it a real joy to know these modern day Apostle Paul's who are following the simple, impossible commands of Christ as they trust King Jesus to do the impossible through them!

Christmas in the AP!

The Burns Bunch Babe singers! Lori and the girls sang in a Christmas cantata performed by our church choir at the Crown Plaza Hotel!

Daniel's favorite gifts were his Burj Al Arab t-shirt...

...and his new train set, of course!

With a little creative work on the computer the girls received an I.O.U. of sorts from Lori... a shopping trip for some native UAE dresses!

Embracing the Culture

We've enjoyed experiencing some of the sights, sounds, and yes, even smells of our new home and thought we'd share some of them with you.

Betsy at the Gold Souk (Market)! There must have been at least a hundred gold shops lined up one after another!

Since we did the Gold, we also checked out the Frankincense and Myrrh while we were at it...in addition to all the other spices at the Spice Souk!

We then caught an abra (water taxi) across Dubai Creek and enjoyed dinner at this Arabic Restaurant!

Matt and Camel Boy!

It took a while but we finally convinced even Lori to climb aboard!

The tricky part is the dismount!

Co-workers Uncle Gerry and Aunt Arylis led us to the top of Jebel Hafeet - the highest point in the UAE near Al Ain.

"Look Mom, I'm on top of the world!"

Lori and Daniel doing their "7-Star" Pose in front of the Burj Al Arab.

My "7 star" wife on our 17th anniversary in front of The Burj and Souk Medina.

A visit from some good friends

Albert and Wanda - some good friends we met this summer - came to Dubai recently. They ended up staying for Christmas and it was wonderful having them here. It was nice to rekindle our friendship and it gave us many excuses to get ice cream! The mosque photo was taken on the porch of where they stayed while they were here. We love you Albert and Wanda and miss you already!

Merry Christmas...From Our Tent To Yours

It's a "smile" world afterall

We met a few weeks ago in a Food Court. He was on a lunch break sitting by himself. I greeted him in Arabic. He greeted me in English. We smiled. I introduced him to Lori and Daniel and told him in my broken Arabic that, in addition to Daniel, we had three daughters. He smiled. He said he also had three daughters and one son. I smiled. I praised his English and asked where he learned to speak it so well. He said he studied Engineering in Texas. I smiled. He asked me where I was from. I told him I was born in Texas. He smiled.

After I received some complimentary Arabic tips, we exchanged mobile numbers. We agreed that we should meet sometime over coffee when we had more time to continue my free lesson. We smiled.

“Sometime” was Sunday evening. We met at Starbucks. The conversation was natural, effortless, and most enjoyable. The Arabic “tutorial” only lasted about 20 minutes as we began to talk about life – family, sports, work, beliefs. He said sports was a big part of his life. I told him that there was a time when sports was my life. I shared my story. I told him how I started following Jesus at a sports camp. I explained that I am still following Him today, and that He led us to this city.

We shook hands at about 11:00 p.m. Before we parted, we agreed that we should get our families together – perhaps for a little BBQ in the desert under the stars. We smiled again.

How do two people – separated by thousands of miles all these years – “find” each other and discover we have so much in common? Only God knows. How is it possible to form an instant friendship with someone whose beliefs are so different? Only God knows. Smile!

Falconry anyone?

When my local friend began talking to me about his hobby of falconry a couple of months ago, I knew I wanted to go with him some time. I took an interest - it wasn't hard. He said when the weather cooled off, we would do it.

A few weeks ago, I got the call. I was pumped. What a great opportunity to experience the desert outdoors, see some incredible birds in action, and spend time with my friend away from his work.

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These birds are amazing. One by one they would take turns going after pigeons or - in one case a duck - that had been released before they were turned loose to go after their prey. They did not mess around - as you can see below.

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I had a blast. More importantly, I feel like my friend and I had some great "male bonding." I must admit, when I was the only "gringo" in the group of about 10 locals all training their falcons, I had one of those "I can't believe I'm out here" kind of moments.

I couldn't help but smile. Jesus said, "Follow me, and I'll make you fishers of men." I'm starting to get the picture.

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Save The Day

I was reading a few weeks ago the familiar story of Jesus turning water into wine. I was struck by the parallells and application points for our team. Today, as I sit at the local coffee shop, typing this journal entry, men from my target people group are all around me. Lord, they need your wine. Do it again...save the day.

I know the blog posting below is long. It was written originally as more of a journal entry. But in case you have time to read it, I pray it gives you some insight on how to pray for our team and our people group.

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Jesus and his new followers were invited to a wedding. Just a few days before this special occasion, Jesus began the process of calling those who would follow him over the next few years. But they weren’t the only people who knew Jesus that were invited to the wedding. His beloved mother Mary was there too.

At some point during the wedding, the Wedding Party came to what was probably an embarrassing realization that they had run out of wine. Uh-oh. Now what? Evidently, Mary had some emotional vested interest because she felt the need to come to the rescue. She did the only thing she knew to do. She asked her son to save the day.

Jesus’ response was anything but sympathetic. “Woman, what do I have to do with you?”

What? You’ve got to be kidding me! Did Jesus REALLY say that? Yes, He said it. That’s not up for debate. But HOW did he say it? Was it a firm rebuke --- said with a frown? Or was it more of a “come on mom, you’re not REALLY asking me to make wine are you” --- said with a smile?

It is not clear to me HOW Jesus responded but the next words of Jesus do shed some light on WHY He responded this way: “My hour has not yet come.” Isn’t it interesting that even to the One who transcends time, timing is everything.

End of story, right? Not hardly. Jesus’ mother Mary had the audacity to not take “no” for an answer. She persistently, stubbornly (maybe even presumptuously?) said to the servants standing by, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

And “do it” --- He did! Not in a flashy, televangelist – kind of way. Jesus did it in a quiet, subtle way. He simply asked the nearby attendants to perform an ordinary, routine activity by filling six stone waterpots - used by the Jews for purification. And He asked them to fill them to the brim with water! The rest is history.

He did it. Jesus saved the day. He “manifested His glory” and “His disciples believed in Him.” He took a hopeless, embarrassing situation and not only provided MORE wine but DIFFERENT AND BETTER wine. In fact, it was so much better that the headwaiter – evidently unaware of the miracle – could hardly believe what the “bridegroom” had done. The headwaiter got it right – sort of. It was a bridegroom, all right. It just wasn’t the bridegroom of that wedding. It was another bridegroom – the One on whom we await His return.

The application of the above story to our current context is stunning. Can you see it? Let me try to paint the picture…

This is a culture, believe it or not, that is not void of Jesus. Jesus is esteemed in the Muslim holy book. But in their daily lives, He is just in the backdrop – just another guest at the wedding so to speak. He certainly is NOT the main attraction.

Muslims believe Isa (Jesus’ name in Arabic) was a great prophet. They believe He was sent from God and they even believe He is coming again some day. They just don’t believe He is the Son of God. They are unaware of His power and relevance to their life. Meanwhile, Jesus - the Bridegroom of the ultimate heavenly wedding – waits, patiently for his hour – the time He will be revealed for who He really is to these dear people.

The wine they are currently drinking (religious tradition) is going to run out to be sure. Many know this already deep down in their hearts. Religious wine never satisfies and it never lasts – regardless of culture. Only a relationship with the Bridegroom satisfies our deepest longings.

Our team has been praying that those that we meet in our people group will see that Jesus offers a different and better wine. It is the wine of His presence – His precious Holy Spirit. We, the attendants, are standing by. We believe He has asked us – through our team leader – to do six rather basic activities – to fill up six waterpots with water, if you will. They are as follows:

1) To know our testimony so well that we can present it in under 3 minutes and to always be looking for opportunties to share it. (The long term goal is to know our stories in Arabic – but that is a ways down the road for Lori and me!)

2) To become really familiar with a key passage in the Qur'an that talks specifically about Jesus. (I know this is going to be a stretch for some of you but bare with me.) Next time your out at your local Barnes and Nobles, pick up a copy of the Qur'an and read for yourself Surrah Al Imron 3:42-55. You won’t believe it. It is a perfect passage to raise Jesus above “prophet” status in the minds of our Muslim friends and build a bridge to the Bible. That is our goal.

3) To learn and share the “Creation to Christ” presentation of the Gospel in under 10 minutes.

4) To learn and share short powerful stories from both the Old and New Testaments to be used as the Spirit directs. The Qu’ran says a good muslim will read the “before books” – the Taurat (Gen. through Deut), the Wisdom books (Psalms and Proverbs) and the Injeel (Gospels).

5) To identify and locate men and women of peace that we can invest in and disciple – for some, even before they become believers!

6) To pray… for divine appointments and for discernment to identify the persons of peace and gatekeepers who will be instrumental in facilitating a church planting movement in this country.

Six basic methods. Six “stone waterpots.” But out of obedience, we are going to fill them up (carry them out as diligently as we can). Our prayer is for Jesus to hasten the day that He “manifests His glory” to our people group. We know they will stand before the throne some day. Why couldn’t these days be their time? Only He can provide the Wine they are really looking for.

Still I come back to this basic question: Why did Jesus ultimately carry out his mother's request? He was asked.

So we too plead. Lord, “they have no wine”. Do it again in our time. SAVE THE DAY!