Yount Shaw - Honduras Medical Mission and The Power of Prayer

This week at NCS we thoroughly enjoyed a visit from Winston-Salem native, Yount Shaw - a medical missionary doing great work at the Hospital Loma de Luz in Balfate, Honduras.

Yount's testimony is one of those stories that reminds us that God's plan for us may not always coincide with the plans we are attempting to make for ourselves. Yount made reference to Daniel and the manner in which God called him to serve the kingdom - and it most certainly wasn't easy for Daniel! But just as Daniel did, Yount curbed his own ideas and agenda to allow God to call him into action - where He wanted and when He wanted.

Having recently started my own company (Frogman Interactive), I have certainly struggled to 'control' all of the aspects of running a business - let alone the many aspects of my life as a struggling Christian. But if the testimonies shared at the lodge have reminded me of anything, it's definitely that God is in control. Always.

How did Yount (and Daniel) do it? One word - prayer. Here's that great quote Yount shared by Martin Tupper:

"Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence."

I also liked this gem: "Not praying with your wife in the morning is like giving up a gimme putt."

I'm grateful Yount shared the wonderful news of his missionary work with NCS. To make a financial contribution to Yount's mission, click here to make an online donation using the form found at the bottom of the page.

As for the prevalence of prayer in this posting - how's this for timing? Check out this photo of the praying mantis on my office window Friday afternoon. -David

Bill Wright - Sewing, Watering, Reaping

Bill Wright, a Winston-Salem resident and former lawyer with Kilpatrick Stockton, paid a visit to the NCS brotherhood on July 8th, while 'home' during a brief return from China. Bill is teaching constitutional law at a high-profile university in one of China's larger cities (5.9 million). But Bill is also spreading good news and he talked about his efforts to sew and reap in a land where he is truly a foreigner.

The previous weekend, I had taken my 6-year old son to see WALL-E: another stellar installment in the Disney Pixar series of incredible animated movies that entertain both kids and their parents. If you haven't seen this flick, I highly recommend it.

In short, WALL-E is the lone resident on future earth and is responsible for cleaning up all the trash created by humans. Then one day a space ship lands and leaves behind a state-of-the-art robot whose prime directive is to discover plant life on earth. This probe, named EVE, is solely focused on achieving 'her' mission - and isn't interested in bonding with the perpetually curious and equally lonely WALL-E

But as time passes and WALL-E remains persistent in his efforts to engage EVE for companionship, an amazing transformation takes place in EVE - and she suddenly develops an interest in learning more about another and what the significance of a relationship might provide her; all while still trying to honor the prime directive engrained in her programming.

To tell you more about the plot would potentially ruin it, so I'll stop there. But I must tell you the parallels between the efforts of WALL-E and what Bill Wright and his wife have elected to do in China - a country that does not infuse religion with cultural popularity - were undeniable. I can only paraphrase (at best) one of Bill's comments, but he spoke of how one seed can change perspective and open a new calling. That's powerful!

I also liked his analogy of the need for two chopsticks - one for support and the other for encouragement. I hope the return to NCS somehow gave Bill a healthy dose of both - we're certainly all behind him in Spirit!

Kevin Frack: The Spiritual History of Winston-Salem

After spending a month away, the NCS faithful willingly returned to the River Birch Lodge earlier this month for another wonderful gathering of faith-centric fellowship. Kevin Frack, formerly the pastor at Ardmore Moravian Church and a long-time brother at NCS, shared a wonderful spiritual history of Winston-Salem, NC with us on August 1, 2008.

Kevin framed his lesson by alerting us to the significance of an Experience Awakening - reminding us that God remakes people who are undone. How thankful we all are for that grace! I'm relieved to know that no matter how aimless I feel at times in my walk, I have a path upon which I can "re-set" my course. Kevin's reference to scripture reminds us that the groundwork for all that we do was laid out for each of us by our savior...

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 3:11

Here are some other topics and links pertaining to Kevin's visit and key moments linked to the history of Winston-Salem - please add others if I've forgotten anything!

• Jan Hus and the Bethlehem Chapel, Prague
• Great Awakening of 1727 - Herrnhut, Germany
• John Carteret and the House of Passage - Bethabara
• History of Bethania Moravian Church

In Him,
David