James, I always have a blast with Becki! She challenges me and encourages me and makes me laugh! Her friendship is such a blessing in my life.

As for Spring Break, my husband is working in Austin right now so my boys and I are just hanging out in McKinney, for the most part. We're planning a couple of picnics with friends and some game nights together. Other than that, we will drive to Houston over the weekend to spend some time with college friends.
What about you and Becki? P.S. Hope your trip to California was good!

My name is Brother UChenna F. Bekee from Nigeria West Africa. I have being married to my sweet heart for about four yrs now. I am blessed with two kids, one boy and a girl. the work in Nigeria is going on well, many souls are worn to Christ and new congregations are planted . I started a Mission School and orphnas Home to help with the moral, academic, and Spiritual needs of


A faith Based Development Project for Christian education (HTCHS)

Began as an outgrowth of Evangelist Uchenna Bekee's concern regarding academic growth and Christian conduct. And the continuity of the faith of our fathers . HTCS seeks to provide activities to assist the well rounded development of each student, a development similar to Jesus' development in Luke 2:52 “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man”. Intellectual growth is stimulated through academic training; physical growth is provided through various physical activities; and spiritual growth is fostered through religious training and worship periods. Students at HTCHS are encouraged to give their full effort in these areas. This missionary school is founded to assist poor families within the church and the entire community who could not afford to send their children to public school or private school.

I am a gospel Preacher with the Church Of Christ Oyigbo in Rivers State Nigeria.

Thanks for been my friend here. I wish to talk with you more in this place.

Hey James, Have you read the book by Dave Gibbons called "The Monkey and the Fish: Liquid Leadership for a Third-Culture Church? The "third-culture" struck me since as missionaries my children are considered 'third culture."
Here is section from a reviewer on Amazon: The book begins "with an eastern parable. A well-meaning monkey sees a fish struggling in the water after a typhoon. Having a kind heart, the monkey with considerable risk to himself reaches down precariously from a limb of a tree to save the fish snatching him up from the water. The monkey lies the fish on dry land. For a few minutes the fish showed excitement but soon it settled into a peaceful sleep.

Translation: it died. Relevance to the 21st Century church: everything.

Gibbons is the founding pastor of Newsong, a multi-site international third-culture church. Years ago, Gibbons was building his megachurch and was struck with the thought of building a big box that would not be used most of the week to entertain people who for the most part would not change the world. He was a well-meaning monkey thinking he was saving a fish."

-Taylor

Hi James! I was home in Plano last week and returned to Lubbock yesterday. Sorry I was so busy back home that we couldn't get together and meet. I am celebrating my birthday this week and got Alan Hirsch's The Forgotten Ways as a birthday gift. I am looking forward to reading it at some point in the future. Looking forward to reading and will write a review of it on my blog. Thank you for all you do on this site and at High Point to expand and edify the Body of Christ. God bless.

Hi James! Zack here again. Just watched the video of your sermon on Following Jesus Into Baptism. Great job! God bless you, your family, and the work y'all are doing at High Point. Grace and Peace.

Sorry about that. Weren't you on the trip we took to Freed several years ago? You guys picked me up in Henrietta...

James, I am George Akpabli. I am an African missionary working in the French-speaking nation of Benin. I am the Principal of the Benin Bible Training Center where we have been training gospel preachers for some of our French-speaking churches in Africa. The church of Christ in French-speaking Africa is relatively weak compared to those in the English-speaking nations. The reason is mainly due to lack of leadership training facilities that takes into account the culture of the native French-speaking brethren.

I am glad to be invited, once by Eric of Christian Chronicle and again recently by Sam Shewmaker.

I hope to learn a lot from this network.

Thanks James. Yes, the opportunities for missions in Africa are enormous. Materialism is yet to take deep roots in most parts of Africa, but these things are coming fast, the internet, cable TVs, electronics are all coming and very soon would enslave people and they would no longer have time for God. The Western atheist philosophies are coming. I do not know how long we would keep waiting. We are doing our best so far. As for resources, we cannot have more than enough. The good thing is that the resources are available in English and I spend most of my computer time either working on new lessons in French or translating from English to French. Yes, if you have resources available for a preacher training school, show us the way.

Happy Birthday James! May God Bless you and your family always!

James, I started a new group a couple of days ago, Africans Claiming Africa for Christ. In retrospect, I should have informed you and learned a little more about how to invite to a group. Those I invited are a steering committee for an African movement leading others to Christ. It looks like MON could be a good medium through which the group could discuss its issues as well as make a connection with a broader fellowship of missionally-minded folks. But I should have asked your permission and guidance in how to use the system.
I thought I was inviting them to the group I started, but as they joined the network, I notice they are not yet part of my group. How does that work? Do I now invite them again to the Group? Thanks for your help. Sam

That's me as my alter ego Cletus. Just a little fun I had with church Xmas parties and other fellowships. I find sometimes that I have to show the church how to have some fun. We in the churches of Christ can be a bit boring. We're doing well here at Blue River. We are about to start a discussion with African American Christians in our area on how we at Blue River can be more racially diverse. Keep us in your prayers about that and about our effort to go to two services. I hope we can start two services in September.

Dear Brother Nored,
Thank you so muich for your kind enquiry. I am a preach of Church of Christ, in Nandigama, Krishna District, A.P.S.India. since I have been the All India Radio Speaker for NT Doctrine, and the speaker in so many Lectureships and gospel meetings, I have been overwhelmed with my work, as and when I have time I will definetly respond to each and every mail. I am very happy to have contacts with so many brethern through this web. I appreciate you work for the missional outreach. Recently I have added some dof dour Lectureships photos.

FDurther, I was remembered that I have requested toi kindly enlighten me about the whereabouts of Late Brother Hubo Mc Cords children, since he is my spiitual mentor, I have started a school Carl Hugo Mc Cords School of evangelism and Biblical studies, Just I have a great desire of let them know about the spiritual relation we have and the work he started is going on without any intruption. Hope yoiu will understand and respond to me at the earliest possible.
Your in His service
KOTA,

Hello James
I am in a class where we are discussing the qualities of elders. There is one phase that is confusing me, now: "husband of one wife". Do you have anything that I can read on this? It seems like I may have been taught wrong or my understanding of this isn't correct. Or do you know of a link that I can go to on the Internet to do some reading on thi? Thank you in advance.
How are things going with you? I am doing great. I am finally getting some time to get in here and see what is going on. I am truly impressed.

Already done some time ago, James. Thanks.

THANK YOU FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT, JAMES. I HAVE 3 CD'S CALL ME IF YOU WANT SOME GOOD MUSIC. 213-281-2341. GOD BLESS. AGAPE'. STRONG

James, I don't think we met at the Tulsa workshop, but I did go to the Dobbs class on blogging. He mentioned you and your work!

I am a youth minister, and well my main interest in mission outreach is adolescents, young adults, and I am trying to live missionally daily.

Blessings,

No new insights. Still procrastinating on my last normal paper before I get to sending in my proposal for first reviews. Once we get out of Easter, that should free up some time.

Hi James! I'm sorry I already have plans for the summer. Lord willing I will go to Cameroon, Central Africa for a couple of weeks. It is a possibility I could go to New York for 3 weeks but that's not a done deal yet. I apollogize for not being able to help y'all out this summer. Church planting in the DFW metroplex sounds awesome! I would love to hear more about y'all's plans to do that. Thank you so much for thinking of me James. God bless you, your family, and the work y'all are doing. Grace and Peace.

Thanks for your encouraging welcome again James!

bless you

Tony

Charles and I are currently working together. I am Church Planter in Residence at the moment with Storyline. I was involved in planting the Sunrise Church of Christ in Grand Prairie five years ago in partnership with the South MacArthur Church in Irving. We closed it down in December and I am currently working with Storyline for the next few months as I figure out my next steps in ministry/church planting.

Okay, so either you're harassing me or you're harassing me. Which is it? When I set up my profile I spent a great deal of time trying to post a picture and still was unsuccessful. Although the picture of the Angola team (which may be the one you're referring to) does at least show something.

haha, I'm glad you liked it! God bless!

I am going to try. Last year I was going to go, I know you did it, but it ended up being during our vacation. This year it is right before we leave so as long as I'm not working on to much getting ready to go I will attend.

I am an English-speaking, North American, Restorationist Christian who bought a Spain-Spanish translation of a German text from a Catholic nun in South America! . . . The world is truly flat! :)-

Sorry, James, I do not have a recent photo in my files --- all photos are in Gwen's files...and Gwen and I are leaving for Europe on the 14th.

Hi James! Thanks for the invite! Boston is rainy and a bit windy depending on what location. I'm near the water at the moment (working) and I just left from out there I did not enjoy it! Its suppose to rain ALL week!

We got the rain last week. You up for a phone call tonight?

We are one in the same! How are you, James? I had heard you were at High Pointe. Up until that moment, I had no idea you were in ministry. I'm interested to hear about your journey into ministry.

This is a great site. I look forward to connecting and collaborating.

I began youth ministry right out of OC and did that for almost ten years in Wichita Falls and Fort Worth. Through my grad work at ACU ('97-00') I was exposed to some of the church strategic and organizational principles that are behind the work I do now. Currently I am the Congregational Life (read "Equipping" here) Minister at Pleasant Ridge in Arlington. I also work with a few churches around the country on strategic planning and ministry initiatives. In addition to that, I've had the opportunity over the past two-and-a-half years to serve as a lead facilitator for Leadership Network in Dallas. That work is beginning to shape my future ministry. But more on that at another time.

I would enjoy getting together for lunch to catch up, exchange ideas, etc. I'm pretty flexible in May before things begin to pick up in June. Let me know if you have time within the next few weeks and we'll find a place to meet in the middle.

I've known Terry since HS...used to visit his YG at Westside when I was a Senior.

Hey James. I live in Edmond. I am a real estate broker, but we are planning to move to Rwanda later this year to go into mission work. We are attending Quail Springs. How are you? Give me an update. It is great to find you online!

Hey James, sorry it has been some time,the semester went very well and looking forward to the next, but yea, I'm actually in Houston on internship. I'm at Hidden Valley Church for the months of May, June, and July. Let me know what your plans are and maybe we can meet.

I don't know my schedule completely yet, but if you let me know a day and time I might be able to ask it off, I just started this week.

James, thanks for the warm welcome. Hobby and I met not long after I left fullt-time professional ministry and moved to Searcy. We became close friends and shared many hours of kingdom dreaming together during the year-and-a-half before he moved to Denver. We still speak regularly and share a kind of common vision for the life of God's people as missional community.

As for me, after 15 years of congregational church work, I know have an interesting life of kingdom living that is expressed in whatever things God seems to show us to do. I teach some adjunct Bible at Harding. I work for an exciting non-profit group that does economic development projects in East Africa. I build conversational community among mission-and-justice focused students. I lead a group of adults and students trying to live out the mission of God in our part of Searcy. And I look for whatever opportunities God may offer me to teach, inspire, write, lead, serve, love, speak, worship, engage, imagine, eat, drink, party, laugh, cry, pray, live or die in ways that reflect the gospel-formed life to which I have been called in Jesus.

It's an adventure of sorts.

Oh, and there's a pretty good chance we have other mutual friends. I spent nearly three years working alongside the Park Avenue Church in Denison and still have a number of friends in that US-75 North Central corridor, esp those who work for churches in and around your neck of the woods. I have family still living in Denison and make it out that way whenever I can.

James - check it out: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Missions-Resource-Network

Live CPM seminar in Dallas - they're on a lunch break right now, but will reassemble shortly

James,

I was in that same graduate class with you and Hobby. You don't remember me? Just kidding...don't feel bad, I did not remember who you were either.

Greetings James, I am Hobby's dad. It is nice to hear from you.

Thanks James.

I am the national director for the Nazarene Organic Church Network. We live in McKinney and are launching a network of churches here.

I also am a project manager for the State of Texas in the fight against Sex Trafficking in the state. This is a project funded through a grant through Houston Rescue and Restore awarded to Concerned Women of America as a subgrantee for this project.

Let's visit.

:) Have a great weekend! You deserve it.

It went well. Just 3 of us were there, but we had a nice time talking about the book and upcoming book ideas. I will post a summary in the discussion. Glad to help with this.

Greetings, James. It was good being with you at the coaching lab and on the tour to areas with your church leaders. What are some steps forward with High Pointe?

On a personal level, how is your family doing? Has McKinney been good for the family?

I appreciate your relationship with Hobby. He is one of three Mission Alive church planters going through the Missio internship called MCAP. I am ministering as a coach in training with these men. Do you know MIssio, MCAP, and the especially The Tangible Kingdom Primer.

Blessings,

Gailyn

Hey Jared...
Thanks so much for the warm welcome. Kenya is in good shape apart from the economic depression experienced all over the world. Actually my interest here includes networking with more christian friends especially those who are in various missions and be able to offer any kind of help that they might require from me anytime if within my capability...i understand that they too will be quite essential in my social, spiritual and even physical life.
Thanks once again and God bless.

Fundraising is going AWESOME! I only have $30 left to "raise", and a co-worker gave that to me in cash the other day, so it's merely matter of sending that donation in to LST. Thanks for asking!

thank you brother James pray for me as we plan mission work in Akwa Ibom STAte of Nigeria later this year .Fund raising has always been a challenge for mission efforts but lord will always provide

Your welcome and thank you James. Yes, I'll do what I can to welcome each new person that comes on board MON. Summer is good. I met a couple from HP three weeks ago. The couple are friends and supporters of a couple who graduated from Sunset two weeks ago. God bless.

it looks so good because it shows me with hair............

Hi James. The Women United in Recovery sadly has been dwindling in numers with only 1 or 2 women showing up. Lori said she was going to contact everyone & fnd out if there is another time that would be better to meet. She also mentioned maybe we should just incorporate the group into the Celebrate Recovery Womens Group. Sat am is tough for women with young children involved in sports etc.

Can't speak for Chris but I would love to go. I had mentioned it to Chris and he asked I get more info on it.