34- Nepal in October

Greetings,
I hope this letter finds you well. I just recently graduated from the University of Central Missouri with a degree in Music Technology. The degree essentially allows me to be able to produce music. Although, I am unclear in how and where God wants me to serve, one opportunity that I feel strongly about is a short-term mission to Nepal.
Sometime last year, I got a call from a man named Uttam. Uttam serves the kingdom by helping disciple and train young people in Nepal. I had a great meeting with him and thought about the idea of going sometime. Later on, a good friend of mine shared that he wanted to build a playground at one of the orphanages there. This also got my attention as I love kids. The idea of using music with children, especially orphans, is something that really stirs my heart. I love the idea of really using the power of music to change hearts. I would love to be able to sing of the Father’s heart to those who do not know it. I have since met with a small team planning on going to Nepal to install a playground, yes, but even more to show the love of Jesus by encouraging community and revealing the heart of the Father.
My chief invitation is to ask for prayer partners. I do not want to attempt to serve the kingdom in such a way, without a prayer covering. Please consider putting me and the team as well on your prayer list.
There is a financial need. I will need to raise around $3000 to serve in Nepal. I ask you to please pray about being apart of this mission. If God wants you to give, please do. At the same time, don’t feel pressured to give either. I trust God has set apart the funds.
I specifically hope to really use my gift in music to draw people together and allow them to see Jesus. I am excited to sing over and bless orphans. I want to love the ones that Father loves. What better place to do that than at the top of the world!
If any of you have any other thoughts or questions please email me at andbryce@gmail.com . Also, to get some random thoughts on life, my blog is andbryce.blogspot.com
Even broader than just this trip, I would love to have prayer support as I endeavor into a season of unknown. I do not know where the Lord will take me and would love to have some prayer support in the journey. If this is something you are also interested in, please email me.

Bless you!
~ bryce


For more info:
http://www.hope.org.np/ for info on the work being done in Nepal
or
http://mrplayground.blogspot.com/

NOTE: If you choose to give:
Please include a brief note with your check to indicate if the financial support is for team member support & which team member or if is building material support or both. Please also put the following account number on the note & in the check memo: #12032.000


TEAM MEMBER
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Send to:
Lee’s Summit Community Church
1440 S.W. Jefferson
Lee’s Summit, MO 64081
RE: Playgrounds Of Peace
816-524-6786
info@lscckc.org (email)

EQUIPMENT & BUILDING
MATERIAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Send to:
Lee’s Summit Community Church
1440 S.W. Jefferson
Lee’s Summit, MO 64081
RE: Playgrounds Of Peace
816-524-6786
info@lscckc.org (email)
www.lscckc.org (web site)
October 9 – 18, 2009 ~ Kathmandu, Nepal
Hope Home - Playground & Relationship Building- Short Term Mission Trip

33- Most Important Thing About Us

"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us...

Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like."

What do I think about God?

Do I think about God?

I want to have a healthy fear of who God is, alongside a confidence in His love for me. Jesus, I want to know You, that I may think of you rightly.

Do you think about God? How so?

thanks Mr. Tozer

32- Praise

How would you define praise?
When it comes down to real life, what is it really?
Some of my thoughts...
I think praise is admitting/confessing/declaring something that is already true. It is seeing, agreeing, and responding to something valuable. Praising God is seeing something worthy in Him and telling Him that truth. For me, part of praise is closely linked with gratitude. Oh how I am grateful for God pulling me out of the pit. Thank You Lord for your generous mercy that saved my life. You are so good to me Lord.
The word appraisal came to mind the other day. To attribute value.
The other side of praise is just seeing His awesomeness and worshipping in wonder.
I want to recognize His goodness to me and wonder at His majesty.
Throughout my schedule, I want to see Him in all things and praise Him for who He is.

31- Psalm 139:14

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

30 - Study God

dictionary.com holds that theology is "the field of study and analysis that treats of God and of God's attributes and relations to the universe; study of divine things or religious truth; divinity."

If this be true should not every Christian be a theologian. Mike Bickle, Allen Hood, Doug Brown, Jack Anderson, John Piper, Sam Storms, and others offer great and needed explanation and exhortation of who God is. But do I know God for myself?
I am done simply letting them do it for me. I can not surive if I attempt to live off of someone else's study of the Bible. I must know God for myself. I must be a student of His Word. I must be a student of who God is. I must be a theologian. Maybe not at the same level of other great minds, but as I hunger for Christ I gotta go to the source.
I can only know so much about Ben through Scott. If I really want to know Ben, I gotta go to Ben and spend time with him. Scott may give me some ideas and helps into who Ben is, but if I am gonna really be a friend I have to go the person.

Basically, I feel inspired and led to really pursue the study of God. Life is too short to not know my stuff and God is too great to leave Him aside. Its time to learn the things I talk about learning and figure out the things I talk about curiously.

Its time to get to know who made me.
Its time to understand (if even the smallest bit) who holds my life in His hand.

PS "Mike Bickle, Allen Hood, Doug Brown, Jack Anderson, John Piper, Sam Storms, and others" are men I greatly respect and will most likely continue to use and receive inspiration and encouragement from. In fact they inspire me ot get into the Word for myself. Sooo, dont anyone take that as a slam on those guys. There ma guys!

29 - St. Mark

Excerpt from the Fox's Book of Martyrs

St. Mark
Was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He is supposed to have been converted to Christianity by Peter, whom he served as an amanuensis, and under whose inspection he wrote his Gospel in the Greek language. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of Serapis their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands.

God make me ready to die to for You. But now make me ready to live for You.
YOU are worth it.
I love you Jesus.

your son,

bryce

28- 2 Chronicles 14:11

And Asa cried to the LORD his God, "O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you."

27- Denver, Red-neck Vegas, and Chanute

So last week on Friday May 22, I headed west with some pretty amazing people. Myself, the Faagutus (Rachel, Uelese, and their 3 kids) and the Motlongs (Josh and Sarah and their Isabella) traveled to Colorado. We left Friday afternoon and got there... oh around 5am saturday. I got between 3-4 hrs of sleep. 9 of us stayed in a one bedroom apartment. Oh it was fun.
Later that night we headed to Colorado Springs and led worship at a prayer meeting at Freedom Church (Dutch Sheets church). Rachel did a great job leading and I loved playing with the team inclulding some other friends of the Faagutus from the area. I really enjoyed being able to worship and also learned a lot.
The next morning we led worship at Power Invasion Ministries in Denver. Again, lovedworshipping there and was also very encouraged and ministered to. I got to know some pretty cool people while I was there.
I spend Monday with my cousin, Jon. We headed up to Estes with his housemate Jacob and looked at a pretty sweet art show as well as did some offroading. I may not have been ready for the roughness of the off-roading, but was a memorable experience nonetheless. Maybe I am just a sissy... :)

Good times!!!
Monday night I joined the group again and we did a sound check at the news station.
Tuesday we played on the local News- the Deuce. Uelese (SAM*SON) did an awesome job! And it was a lot of fun playing (even though he gives me trouble for a dash of vibrato in a song, which upon reviewing was pretty silly :)

.

Josh and goose Isabella Lei Manna
I did not get a pic of Comay on the trip but here is an old one so shes not left out...

There is a video here for song http://www.2thedeuce.com/entertainment/localmusic/ just look through the video list for SAM*SON
and here is another...

We eventually left town after the show and ended getting back to KC around 3am, Wed. It was tiring but totally a blast!

Friday, May 29th my family and I left for Branson MO aka Red-neck Vegas. If your not familiar with Branson, it has a lot of different shows, restaurants and activities most of which are geared toward families and midwest/southern style. I had a really good time with my family. We went to Dixie Stampede, did some mini-golfing, shopping and certainly some eating too. I really do love my fam.

We got home Sunday.

Yesterday (June 6th) afternoon I headed to Chanute KS where I got to see some dear friends and spend time with them.

This morning I got to minister at First Baptist of Chanute. I led worship but also preached too. It had been a long time since I really taught the Word. Last time was over 3 years and was to a small girls Bible study. I was a bit nervous but ended really enjoying doing it and even went a bit long.

I spoke on how the Lord wants to be friends with us and for us to respond to this, we must understand His mercy. If we don't know his kindness to us we keep Him at a distance and cant receive the grace and love that gives us power to live righteously.

I am now home.

I have been out of town the last 3 weekends. I enjoy traveling but it will be nice staying around, at least for a little while.

God is growing me. I love Him. I love the Holy Spirit.

God is good.