So, Who is the Namo In Your Life?
Sharing Life—Connecting Journeys—Following Christ
Matthew 25:40 “The King Will Reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
One of my favorite authors is Phillip Yancey and as usual my favorite book is the one I just finished reading, or re-reading, or re-re-reading. One book in the last category that I make a point of reading at least once a year is the book entitled; Soul Survivor. It is an anthology of mentors that have impacted Philip Yancey in his own spiritual journey and in his personal interacting with both the world of the Church and the world at large. One of the mentors that he shares with the readers is the world renowned surgeon Dr. Paul Brand. Dr. Brand is one of the foremost medical researchers and experts in the treatments of Hanson’s disease more commonly known as leprosy. He was the son of medical/evangelist missionaries to India and while growing up in India encountered the devastating physical/social/emotional and spiritual impact of leprosy on almost a daily basis. He was so impacted by what he observed that he made research of the disease and the care of its victims his life work. He would go on to be recognized worldwide as a surgeon, research specialist, sought after speaker in medical circles and the author of several books including, “The Gift of Pain”. Philip Yancey would describe Dr. Brand on a personal level with the words, “humility and gratitude flowed from him naturally, and in our time together I sensed a desperate lack of these qualities in myself.” Yancey relates an account of traveling back to India with Dr. Brand to his childhood home in the Kolli Malai Mountains and the incredible witness of the ministry of his parents that is still there today. He also met a man named “Namo” who had been one of Dr. Brand’s first patients. A young university student when first diagnosed with leprosy (one of 4 million in India alone) Namo was forced out of the university and found his way to the only orthopedic surgeon willing to treat the deformities of the disease. Dr. Brand undertook treatments of Namos leprosy and was able medically to not only halt the disease progression but surgical reconstruct Namos hands that had been severely damaged in the course of his affliction. At the time of the writing of Yanceys book Namo had returned to the university and graduated and had gone on to become the Chief of Physical Therapy at the All-India Institute. When Yancey visited Namo’s home he saw on the wall a picture of Dr. Brand and underneath the picture the words; “May the Spirit that is in him live in me”. What an incredible witness of the fruit that comes from simply living as Christ would call us unto the “least of these”. Namo may not have been the epitome of a “desirable disciple” when he came to Dr. Brand but in the economy of heaven he is an ongoing witness to Christ ability to use ordinary people in extraordinary ways.
As a life group leader and a minister of the Gospel do you have sense of who the “Namo” might be in your Life? The “Namos” in our lives are not necessarily always obvious and you may have to look a little deeper than the polite surfaces we all have for each other.

So!! How Does God Speak to You?
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
Psalm 119:105
In the early to mid 90’s a series of messages began to appear on billboards on the Ft. Lauderdale area. They were cryptic one liners that caught people’s attention as they would drive on the freeways and could be read in a simple glance. Various media outlets pursed intently information regarding the authorship of the billboards and no one seemed to be able to identify the unnamed donor funding the effort. The anonymous donor chose to remain unknown and let the attention remain on the Speaker. The billboard idea caught on and began to bloom in over 200 cities across the country. I encountered them on my first trip to Gulfport Mississippi as part of the Katrina rebuilding/relief effort in 2005. Especially poignant in that time of intense need for so many the messages were timely and impacting. Along I-10 just east of Gulfport was a row of billboards….stark black in appearance with large white letters they stood out and you could not miss them or their messages. Messages like;
Let’s Talk………..
That “Love Thy Neighbor” thing----I meant it……
Ok, Now I have Your Attention…
Let’s Meet at My House Sunday, before the Game
Have you read My #1 Bestseller? (there will be a test)
I Love you…..I Love you…..I Love You
God
Our God is not silent nor is He absent. He inhabits the praises of His people, and the heart of every individual who gives him permission. We are blessed at so many levels of our lives to be His people called by His name. But we are blessed to be a blessing as well and there are a couple of opportunities for service I wanted to make you aware of.
October 17th at 5:30 pm at our church will be a silent auction and dinner as a fundraiser for Devin and Bridget Myers as they prepare for their commitment to Nigeria as missionaries from our church. We have a chance to be part of their faith journey and bless them and their ministry.
October 31st our church will once again be providing the “Light the Night” opportunity….a fun evenings when folks can tailgate in our parking lot and bless some children in the process. Volunteers are still needed as hosts and for set-up and clean up. Several life groups have volunteered in the past in some really humorous and creative ways. You don’t have to be a parent to be involved.
As we are getting a great response from folks looking to be part of the life group experience it would be especially helpful if you would respond to this email with your attendance and if you have room for more folks.
Just hit reply type in the attendance for your group and indicate open or full.
Any other stories you have to share about what is happening in your life groups would also be appreciated.
Blessings in all you are doing!!!
YOU ARE APPRECIATED!!!
Stephen Bishop Interim Life Group Director

Hospitality 101
Sharing lives--Connecting journeys—Following Christ
Romans 12:13-16
Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn, live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position…….
In 1990 our church sent several teams in succession to do construction work in Chillian, Chile. Our purpose was to construct a multipurpose building in the city of Chillian in support of the ministry efforts of Pastor Sergio and Maria Loyola. The building would be utilized as a seminary, for worship gatherings and as a general community center. Our church sent 3 teams for periods of 3 weeks each for a total of nine weeks and for a bunch of gringos learning to build the “Chillian” way I thought we did pretty well. The local congregation in Chillian provided an incredible level of hospitality while we were there and made sure that nothing was lacking as much as possible in our “home away from home”. Meals were always incredible and I was especially impressed with eating watermelon and fresh fruit in January. Remember in the southern hemisphere our winter is their summer and vice versa. We enjoyed days of work under an incredible blue sky and warm evening walks with all the neighborhood kids. When our team finally came to saying goodbyes there were easily 400—500 people at the bus station from a congregation of about 200. We connected with so many neighborhood folks beyond the congregation we came to serve that many non-church attendees came to see us off. We experienced an incredible level of love and hospitality that truly humbled us all. I remember two instances of hospitality that really stood out for me; the first instance-- we were fed far more food that we could all eat and I remember asking myself where the extra food was going until one of our team members discovered the secret. He inadvertently stopped by our lodging place during the day and found a large number of children eating our leftovers. It turned out that what we had been leaving the hostesses had been passing on to the hungry kids from the barrio. The food we were getting was far more desirable than the usual Chillian fare. So quiet lesson to construction team…eat less, leave more. The other example came when I noticed that the furniture in our lodging place was very nice especially with the observable poverty all around us. When I asked one of the church members if this was typical of a chillian home and I will never forget his response, “oh no Stephen….the furniture in the place you are staying is the very best. Each of the families of our church brought their very best piece of furniture to the place you are staying so we could make you feel welcome. They had all brought their best for us to use…not their cast-offs, not their surplus, but their best. Their desire to bless us exceeded their concern for their “stuff” and they shared it willingly.
What a great witness to a bunch of gringos.
As we are welcoming our brothers and sisters into our homes and groups…lets give them our best.
Do you have stories you would like to share about what is happening in your group. Let us know about them and your attendance this week. Please hit reply type in your response then hit send.
Remember; YOU ARE APPRECIATED!!!!

Stephen Bishop---Interim Director of Life Groups