BOASTING (ABOUT THE LORD)…BUT NOT BOASTING (ABOUT PREACHING)
In First Corinthians, the Apostle Paul writes,
“Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord'” (1 Cor. 1:31).
I want to boast about the Lord, but Paul adds,
“Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1Cor. 9:16)
So we can boast in the Lord (Yes, there is so much about Him to boast about) but we cannot boast for sharing the Good News of Jesus. We are compelled to do so out of gratitude for His great mercy, grace, and divine plan that we get to be part of.
…YET BOASTING (ABOUT LIVING LETTERS)
The time is coming, however, when we will boast about what God has done through our witness:
” …you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus” (2Cor. 1:14).
Here is some of what we will boast about when Jesus returns:
“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2Cor. 3:2-3).
2000 MILES OF LIVING LETTERS
I want to boast about some of the “living letter” friends and family members I was with recently as I traveled from Long Beach to Idaho to Colorado and back. My ultimate destination was in the mountains above Fort Collins, Colorado for our Global Training Network Leadership gathering.
First Stop: Indio
Second Stop: Mammoth Mountain
Third and Fourth Stops: Susanville, California, and Bend, Oregon
Oops, I forgot to take photos of dear friends Dave and Marilyn Hutchens and Terry and Duane Smith: great followers of Christ.
Fifth Stop: Baptisms in White Salmon, Washington
Farther North: Post Falls Idaho with Some of My Family
A Lunch in Nearby Spokane, Washington with Four Daughters :-). Ok, actually three daughters and a Dear Jr. High and High School Christian Friend, Linda
On to Boise, Idaho
Where I had dinner with Paul and Judy Williams and Kent and Myrna McLain (I forgot to take a photo of them while there). All four are faithful followers of Christ since our UCLA ministry days.
Paul and Judy have served in missions in Columbia (the country), and Kent and Myrna’s son Brady and family are pioneer missionaries in Georgia (the country).
Shining the Gospel Light in Salt Lake City
My next stop was in Salt Lake City to have dinner with Kay Rudd, her son Aaron, and daughter-in-law Sarah. Jack and Kay were our neighbors for a year and a half, during which time Jack gave his life to Christ. After they moved to Salt Lake City, they became missionaries in Vanuatu, in the South Pacific.
When not oversees, Jack, son Jay, and Kay were active in “The Fellowship Church” in Sandy, Utah. After Jack and Jay’s passing, Kay continued to be active in their church and serve a ministry to internationals. Aaron and Sarah now pastor the Fellowship (called Sego Lily Church after the street it is on). Kay, Aaron, and Sarah are pictured below.
Almost to my Destination: But First Louisville, Colorado
One of the reasons I drove all the way to Colorado was to bring back some Bible commentaries Gunilla Sorensen offered me. Steve Sorensen slipped into heaven on May 8th while running on a Colorado mountain trail.
Steve was the first youth-pastor of the Crossroads Church we planted in Ferney-Voltaire France (bordering Geneva, Switzerland). While there, he met and later married Gunilla, an au-pair from Sweden. Steve took over the News Release basketball ministry and led it for the the next 40 plus years.
When I called Gunilla to express my condolences at Steve’s passing, she asked if I would like to have his biblical commentaries. I was reluctant but she assured me she wanted me to have them since mine were burned in the Palisades fire. What an honor…. I was also happy to have dinner with Gunilla, her two sons and granddaughter.
DESTINATION: BELLVUE AND THE GTN LEADERS GATHERING
I’ll save my time in Bellvue and the GTN Leaders Gathering, and my return trip, for my next letter. It is inspiring to be part of what God is doing all over the world through Global Training Network.
I have bugs on the front of my car from California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, and Colorado. I saw some incredible scenery, lots of wild animals, and almost hit a bear scrambling across the road in front of me.
Most importantly, I attended a couple of great churches and met with some wonderful living letters for Christ (including my family members)—and that was just the first 2,000 miles. My main destination was to meet with some of the living letter leadership of Global Training Network and more upon my return.
All of the above are worthy of boasting about as living letters of Christ…as are you.
Because of Christ’s great love, mercy, grace, and sacrifice,
Linus
“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2Cor. 3:6 ).
On Expedition + 