40th Birthday

Amielle, Luke and I had a great time this past week in Greece as we met colleagues and friends for a conference; it was a time for spiritual renewal, worship, fellowship, training and motivating. What made the trip extra special was my 40th birthday.

Since Buck and Ashlyn are in the states for a few weeks, I was able to celebrate this special day with many friends and people that I actually consider family. Accepting that I was turning “middle-aged” has been a process for me; however, I am admitting it now and no longer in denial. Thank you for the gifts, birthday wishes and prayers. I heard from many of you via e-mail as you noticed my name on the list in Missions Mosaic. God bless you today, too!

The trip was slightly stressful as I traveled without my best friend, Buck; but we did not miss any of the flights, and I handled the paperwork just fine. Our time of worship and renewal was wonderful. Hearing messages and singing in our heart language is always very relaxing and comforting. And the kids enjoyed a time of VBS all week. Thanks to all volunteers for traveling to bless our kids.

Interestingly, though, I found myself singing some songs in Russian. And, when we landed back in Russia, I noticed that I felt like I had returned to my comfort zone. It helped that the people at the airport treated us extra nice and even offered assistance with special documents. It was like a nice welcoming “home” present!

Speaking of home…
My thoughts are often of home. Let me explain. As I sat on the front porch swing of my family’s home place in the summer months of our stateside assignment a few years ago, it became very clear what keeps me going, other than my Lord, is the one thing that remains the same or undisturbed—home. As I have been organizing some of my journals from the past ten years, I have been defining this term home. Home is rows and rows of pine trees planted across the acreage, gorgeous farm land in a rain storm, the sound of droplets of water falling from a tin roof, antique farm equipment decorating the front yard, an old picket fence, sound of crickets at dusk, batches of mistletoe in the old oak tree, sitting down for dinner and conversing about the small town news, etc. I could continue with many thoughts, but the real definition of home and who we really are is not totally these things.

The who we are has been shaped and formed by the many people that have invested their time in us and the many places and opportunities we have seen or lived to experience. You know the feeling you get when you look through an old photo album or sit and watch a slideshow from your picture files on your computer screen saver. You get that warm sensation while glancing at those photos, you notice how the kids grew over the years, recognize how your looks changed, recall the places you have visited and reminisce about the people that crossed your path.

That is what it has been like for me these past few years. Now that I have turned 40, I wish that I knew in the beginning what I know now and somehow matured miraculously years ago. As I have said before: We pass a moment only once and what we gain or take from that instant is up to us. Sometimes we make mistakes, but we do not let them force us to give up. We learn from them and actually push forward because of the knowledge we gained from the incident. As I look through my so called album, I recognize that God has definitely been good! God led me down a certain path, thus helping give a title to my meanderings. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to share all my thoughts on paper.

Thanks for making my 40th birthday so special and keeping up with what is going on in our lives; we look forward to helping you connect more with the Russian speaking people in our area this next season.
-The Chosen Path, L.Burch

SBC news

For current news about “SBC green-lights Great Commission Task Force”, I referenced this article link from Baptist Press for you. Thanks to all in your commitment for church planting, renewal, revival and spreading the Good News. Let's be in prayer for President Johnny Hunt and the appointed 19 members of the task force panel.

In His Love,
Les
Serving in European Russia with IMB

Steps to take to enter into a personal relationship

Step 1: Believe in the Son of God.
God wants us to have a life that is eternal; therefore, he sent His Son so this would be possible (John 3:16). We only need to believe in the Son, and we receive this gift of everlasting life. With this gift a promise is given to us that we are now seen as justified. This righteousness is not received by what you do but received because of what Jesus Christ did at Calvary. We are placed in right relationship with the Father. The Father will see the Son in you (Romans 10:9-10).

Step 2: Repent and turn away from your sins.
The word repent in Greek, the original language of the New Testament, is metanoeo meaning to change one’s way of thinking. The word also has the connotation of actually changing your purpose in life. In 2 Corinthians 7:10, we read that worldly sorrow will lead us to death. We need not only be ashamed because we were caught in sin but also be sorrowful enough to make a change in our lives and run from sin.

I have met many people who think that they need to get their lives in order before they come to God. They feel as if they need to clean up the sin or bad habits before having a personal relationship with Him. We need to think the opposite. First we approach God with a repentant heart, and He will help us to stop those bad habits. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit can we win over temptation that can lead to sin. In Acts 3:19 we read that our sins can be wiped out. God forgets our sins once we have repented, and we can feel as if we are starting a new life. Actually we are starting a new life in Christ once we accept Him. The Bible says, “…the times of refreshing shall come…” (Acts 3:19). We are a new person in Him. In Luke 13:1-9, we can clearly read that the choice is ours. If we do not repent, we will die.

Step 3: Confess Jesus as Lord.
We should not be ashamed of the Lord but confess Him as our Savior (Romans 10:9-10). The Bible says that with our mouth we confess. Believe in your heart that He is Lord. Confess with your mouth. That is putting some action to your belief. The word, confess, here seems to express speaking out. Shout out that He is Lord! Live every day as if it is your last day for sharing about Jesus. Share with others what you are holding dear in your heart. Let your joy overflow to others. Make them wonder what you have in your life that is so special. Help them have a life full of happiness.

Step 4: Accept Him by faith in Jesus Christ.
Your faith in God proves that you are loyal to Him. It is fidelity to your agreement. Allow God to give you the faith you need. Sometimes people wonder if their faith is genuine. The Bible defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Pray to the Father for strong faith. Jesus said to His disciples in Mark 11 that whatever they ask for in His name, if they believe that they will receive it, it would be theirs. This verse applies to you as well. Ask the Father to give you faith in Him, and He will. Jesus said in Mark 11:23, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.”


Step 5: Trust in God's Word for assurance.
In I John 5:13 the Bible says that we can KNOW that we have eternal life. We may have times when we doubt our salvation, but we can always turn in God’s Word and gain reassurance. Perhaps there are periods in our lives when we doubt our salvation. However, Satan would want us to continue to doubt God’s Word and doubt ourselves. The devil is pleased when we are not confident of what God did for us at the cross. We are breaking fellowship with the Father when we are not assured of our relationship with Him. Settle your doubts by reading the Bible and praying. We will be discussing more in this study about seeing evidence of the Fruits of the Spirit in our lives as another way to assure us of our salvation. Also, we can check for evidence of fruit being produced in our work for the Lord. Remember we gain security only in Him not in our works. Our work for the Lord shows our gratitude to Him.

Step 6: Read and meditate on the Word of God.
We should read and memorize God’s Word (Psalms 119:11). The word for meditate in Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament, is hagah and may have several meanings. Let’s focus on meditate, speak and moan. In Psalm 1:2 and Joshua 1:8 the word is used in this context. This word is interesting because in our relationship to God and His Word, we want to be able to meditate on Him and His Word day and night. If we concentrate on Him and read His Word constantly, we are placing His Word in our hearts.

Another word for meditate may be think, plan, brood, etc. What does brood mean? When a mother bird sits (broods) on her young in the nest, she stays for a period of time, cares and nourishes them. We must cherish God’s Word as a mother bird does her young. Spend time in His Word. Meditating and understanding God’s Word begin during times when we sit (brood) and read His Book. We will have moments when we will need to be prepared to speak His word from memory. We may not have the Bible in our hands. How can we speak in public about God’s truths if we have not meditated on these truths in private?

I can also identify with the word moan. There have been times in my prayer life when no words or thoughts would come to mind to speak. These thoughts may have come in the form of cries or verbal moaning. Sometimes in our Christian lives, we experience times of utter despair and confusion. Maybe at these times we were trying to survive on our own. Maybe we were just at a point in our spiritual walk with the Lord, and He wanted us to rely on Him for strength. During moments like this, I literally cried out Psalm 22 like David cried while in despair. Whether His Words are meditated, spoken or moaned, let them be hidden in our hearts, so our relationship with the Father can be intertwined as if we were one in spirit.

Let’s make a goal in our lives to dwell on God’s positive thoughts. We can learn of His thoughts by making a commitment to daily read His Scripture. Our thoughts and ways are not His thoughts and ways. His thoughts and ways are much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). The only way that we are going to understand the Father is spend time with Him. Spend time reading His Message to you. All answers for life can be solved through prayer and reading of Scripture.
-A Woman's Path to God, L. Burch

This may be your first time ever to think about these steps. If you have any further questions or thoughts, please feel free to comment below. I would love to hear from you.
In His Love,
Les

How to have a personal relationship with the Father

Have you ever thought about these two questions: 1) Am I sure that I have a personal relationship with the Father? 2) Am I at peace in knowing where I will be when I die? If your answer to either of these questions is “no” or “I am not sure,” ask the following question: What does it take for me to have a personal relationship with the Father? You can begin a remarkable relationship with the Father when you say yes to His offer of salvation.

His desire in creating us was for us to have fellowship with Him. You can take steps that will lead you to a personal relationship with the Father. God is ready to draw (near) to you (James 4:8). Realize that God created you in His image (Genesis 1:26), and He wants to communicate with you through the reading of His Word.

How is this possible? The Holy Spirit comes to live within us at the moment of our belief. We receive the promised Holy Spirit, the seal, who marks us as His children (Ephesians 1:13). And our understanding of the Scriptures is possible only through Him. He opens our minds to understanding which leads to wisdom.

Steps to take to enter into a personal relationship

Step 1: Believe in the Son of God.
Step 2: Repent and turn away from your sins.
Step 3: Confess Jesus as Lord.
Step 4: Accept Him by faith in Jesus Christ.
Step 5: Trust in God's Word for assurance.
Step 6: Read and meditate on the Word of God.

-A Woman's Path to God, L. Burch

In the next post, Steps to Take to Enter into a Personal Relationship, I would like to explain these steps in more detail. Please read through these carefully or share them with a loved one or friend; He desires for us to know Him personally.
In His Love,
Les

A Mother's Joy...

These people are my joy. I thank the Lord for my family. There are some days on the mission field when feelings of loneliness kick in. Being separated from immediate family and like friends from home makes it tough some days. Please understand that I love Russia and the people, but at times I ache for what is familiar--one could say this would be my heart language, my roots, small town life or South GA country living. However, there is a drive that keeps me going. It may be the urgency to spread the Gospel, the burning fire within me to make a difference, my desire to please the Father, encouraging words from national partners, words of exhortation from prayer warriors and verbal motivating statements from my children and husband.

Lately I have felt impressed to spend quality time with my children. I do not want to look back one day and say "I wish I had done _______(fill in the blank) with Ashlyn, Amielle or Luke before they left home." I will make great memories. And truthfully they help cure my moments of "loneliness". We just finished a successful home school year. I praise the Lord that I get to teach my own children. I get to spend time with them 24/7.


I now have a 4th, 8th and 10th grader in the house. Since we are finishing the school year and have more free time, I am setting aside certain days for each child. It seems wise to spend a little individual time together.





A mother may be surprised what she hears when she gives a child her undivided attention. And I do not know why I have to remind myself over and over again that a great way to solve my own "so-called problems" is invest my time and attention in others. So, here are a few family pics entitled A Mother's Joy.

A Winter's Path

Over the past couple of months, friends have asked how to get a copy of my earlier writings. Unfortunately there are no more hard copies of either work left. This month I prayed about how to make at least one of these available again. If your church is interested in having access to or if you would like a personal copy, click here for a free E-Devotional Book:
A Winter's Path