“Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any  fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” Phil. 2:1-2 (NKJV) Our family has experienced joy serving Christ this summer. Amanda, Luke, and Nathanael worked at Lincoln Lake Baptist Youth Camp, Gowen, MI. Amanda was the Maintenance and Housekeeping Supervisor, while Luke and Nathanael were support staff. Every weekend they came home with stories to share and it is obvious they enjoyed working at camp. It was an extra special blessing when our sending church (Iowa City) sent their youth group on a week-long service trip at Lincoln Lake.  In July all of our kids participated with our youth group’s mission trip in Columbus, Ohio where they helped a church plant with a Soccer Camp outreach. As … Read More

“Count your blessings, name them one by one,Count your blessings, see what God has done!Count your blessings, name them one by one,And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.” Refrain from the hymn Count Your Blessings by Johnson Oatman, Jr – Public Domain What a great song to have stuck in your head!  We are blessed to announce that our church, Baptist Bible Church in Sparta, MI received the amount they asked for from the Lasko Foundation. Thank you for your prayers! We have been blessed to be a part of this church family since we moved to Michigan, and it is exciting to see God’s hand in this new building! After Christmas break and throughout January our family was hit pretty hard with a couple different colds. It is frustrating to be sick and miss out on things. Yet, “when you are discouraged”, counting your blessings naturally … Read More

“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 (NKJV) Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!  It is exciting to reflect on the past year.  This year has been an adventure and here are some of the highlights: – We attended the dedication service at Bethel Baptist Church in Camp Douglas, WI.  – We started our second build site at Chardon Baptist Church in Chardon Ohio. We had our fifth wheel parked in a trailer park about 10 minutes from the church. While we were there, we got to know our neighbors Michael, Carly and her daughter Emily. We had a water heater issue and Michael helped Brian troubleshoot it. Rebekah was burdened for Emily and gave her a Bible and Emily started to attend the Good News Club at her school led by … Read More

Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV) Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ As we begin our second build site as full-time missionaries, we want to take a few moments and reflect on all God has done. The first build site, Bethel Baptist Church in Camp Douglas, WI was a huge encouragement to us as full-time missionaries. From the time we left Michigan with the trailer to today we can see how God has worked through various challenges. The morning we were supposed to leave for Wisconsin we discovered that the trailer had brake issues. Since no mechanic was available the other builders helped Brian fix the problem. This delayed our departure and the traffic in Chicago was just starting to get congested. Going from a desk job to a manual labor job has … Read More

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. As we reflect on the last couple months, we stand in awe of what God has done. Sometimes, steps of faith are difficult. It is hard leaving a good thing and moving on to a better thing. Brian’s fourteen-year career at GoDaddy was a good thing. His job there meant a lot to him. Personal skills have been developed and wonderful relationships were made.  God knew this and has provided in amazing ways through this job as we made steps to transition to full time ministry.  Today, we are continuing to trust in God for our future.  We are trusting that serving Him full time as CBM Church Builders is the better thing.  We are excited to be heading to our first full … Read More

Colossians 3:1-2 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. COVID-19 has had a big impact on “our plans” in many ways this year. Brian’s sister’s wedding was postponed. The CBM family conference was cancelled. A speaking engagement at a hunter’s banquet cancelled. Deputation meetings need to be rescheduled. The kids’ spring concert became a virtual concert. After three years we finally made it back to Boundary Waters for a vacation in August. Shortly into the trip, Brenda developed a tooth issue that ultimately led to a root canal. Our vacation ended sooner than we planned. Honestly, if we dwelt on the things of the earth we could easily be discouraged.  And yet, the command is to set our minds on heavenly things. The hope … Read More

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Luke 12:25-26 (NKJV) God provides in amazing ways! When Brenda was leaving the kids’ music program one Wednesday she discovered a flat tire on the van. We were in a time crunch because we had a deputation meeting scheduled that evening. Brenda was able to put air in the tire and get home. Brian changed the tire and while we didn’t arrive at our planned time, we arrived with just enough time. During the presentation, Brian dropped the clicker and broke it. Between Brenda and Amanda they clicked through the rest of the presentation manually. Despite all the chaos, the meeting went well and when we went to buy a new clicker … Read More

“Let the wise hear and increase in learning.”   Proverbs 1:5a (NKJV) God continues to provide each us opportunities to learn and grow. The kids are challenged by their homeschooling curriculums. Amanda is learning French and uses it around the house which challenges everyone. The kids continue to push their limits and excel in musical pursuits. It’s a lot of fun listening to them practice. Brenda desired to be in a Ladies Bible Study and since we are officially members of Baptist Bible Church (BBC), they challenged her to take over leading it. That was definitely out of her comfort zone! She is being stretched, but enjoys her time with a wonderful and diverse group of fifteen ladies. To help facilitate his own learning, Brian is taking an AutoCAD class from the local community college. Not only is he learning how to use this tool, he really enjoys going over … Read More

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” John 15:5-6 (NKJV) One of the fun things about being in a new house in the spring is discovering all of the new flowers that the previous owner planted. We discovered an overgrown raspberry patch and as we worked to clear the weeds we found a vine. The branch was easy to cut off, but the vine was a totally different story. We have attacked it with hoes, spades, axes, and a tiller but the vine is still showing itself through branches that keep popping up in the raspberry patch. The verse about the vine and branches … Read More

“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22 (NKJV) Our first Michigan winter has been CRAZY! Yes, it was crazy weather, but it was also interesting trying to figure out the ins and outs of keeping our new house warm. For the first part of winter our master bedroom ran between 50 and 54 degrees. We learned that the return duct work wasn’t hooked up and it took a while to solve that problem. The cold weather also exposed drafty doors and windows. Due to a major ice storm we were on generator power for 36 hours. We were very grateful for the generator that came with the house! Now the melting snow has brought unwanted water into our pole building. Still, we know, based on God’s Word, that summer will come and we’re looking forward to new … Read More