Determining to be a Man of God…Taking Christianity Into the World

Ten years ago I took the time to list what I wanted to be….A Man of God. Though the world will tell us to do whatever we want, what fits our needs at the moment, or what makes us feel good. However I want to be none of those things I want to be a Man of God, not made of or conforming to this world but one who strives to live a life according to God’s precepts. To this end I listed ten years ago, what I hope and plan to be. Periodically I pull out this list and review it against my progress and re-focus and if needed re-double my efforts so that I might become who God made me to be. I invite you to start your own list and to refer to it often as the Christian walk is a journey, not a destination, and we need to be reminded of our progress along the way. Here is my list just as it was written and still lives today: 

I want to be a man who:

-Puts God 1st.

-Serves God by Bible reading, tapes, church and SERVICE.

-Defers to others & does not seek his own way.

-Not try to change others.

-Will witness to the unsaved.

-In God’s Service will do local and overseas missions work.

-Actively lead groups in God’s service. We gain most by learning & sharing.

-Is Humble.

-Is not self seeking.

-Loves people where they are: does not try to change others.

-Offers advice only when requested or given permission.

-A Good Husband.

-A Good Father.

-Is self disciplined.

-Teaches to others self-discipline.

-A Leader (spiritually & as head of the home).

-Give only Good Reports. No gossip – especially about significant others.

-Looks to God & not people nor things for my inner peace.

-Gracious to everyone.

-Giving in time & resources.

-Kind & loving.

-Considerate.

-Committed.

-A good son (honoring my father & mother).

-A good provider.

-Defers to advice of other Godly people where & whenever appropriate or possible.

-Understands that true peace comes from within/God.

-Does not withdraw or punish others when hurt.

-Is less schedule orientated.

-Obeys God’s laws, doctrines & teachings.

-Has no mental attitude sins.

-Is a light of the Gospel. 

John Dillard is an Christian Speaker/Author and Certified Public Accountant in Duluth, GA. To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit http://www.hiscpa.com/ and for his latest book Overcoming Life’s 9/11’s: Job’s Journey and a Voice of One: Nehemiah’s Prayer visit http://www.john-dillard.com/ or call John Dillard CPA today at 770.814.9304 (All Rights Reserved) Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!   

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Friends of Honduras Outreach 

The recent political turmoil in Honduras, on top of the continuing economic pressures on our U.S. donors,  are significantly challenging the ministries and finances of Honduras Outreach. Knowing that you love the people of Honduras, would like to stay informed as to the situation there, and want to learn how you might help, we want to give you a concise view of the situation as we understand it. 

The one thing we have learned, again, is that God is in control and He is certainly sufficient! 

There has been little movement in the political situation in recent days in Honduras. The interim government has refused to allow the return of the ousted President, and the U.S. Department of State has issued an alert recommending that U.S. citizens avoid non-essential travel to Honduras and unnecessary travel within Honduras. That alert and uncertainty about how things will develop in Honduras have led the Honduras Outreach Board to wisely halt group travel until at least such time as our government has lifted these travel alerts. We suspect this will occur sometime after the upcoming regularly scheduled Presidential elections in the late fall. 

As you would expect, this change in our operations has the real potential to deprive our friends we serve in the valley around the Ranch of much needed support. It has also placed a severe financial strain on HOI. In response to this drop in funding we have had to reduce our staff and salaries, both in Honduras and the United States. Suspension of group travel has sadly also brought to a halt many projects to improve life for our friends in the villages.  To save money, I have been asked by the Board to take on the additional role of volunteer Executive Director of HOI.  

We have every intention to resume group travel to Honduras as soon as possible. In the meantime we are trying to keep our core staff and infrastructure in that vital community ministry in place so we can serve the people as seamlessly as possible when group travel resumes. Additionally, we are working to keep our other critical ministries and programs in place. 

Most notably we feel we cannot allow our Spiritual Life, Education, Medical, and Agriculture ministry’s to cease. We are serving thousands of people in the Agalta Valley and are their sole means of securing medical care and schooling for their children. We have no plans of stopping these much needed services, but we have a staff of 50 people (down from 65) still in Honduras we must pay in order to provide these critical services. Many of our staff members in Honduras have voluntarily reduced their compensation in an effort to help. We are also asking for and receiving support from the citizens in Honduras. For example, the parents of the children in our Aldersgate Elementary and Hope Middle Schools have voluntarily assumed responsibility for paying for the electricity costs in the schools. These parents, even with minimal resources, desperately want us to keep the schools open…and we plan to! 

That said, we need your help…now. Our funds are running out quickly, and unless we immediately raise a significant amount of contributions, we will be forced to make some very difficult choices. We don’t believe anyone wants this to happen, and we don’t believe it’s in God’s will. 

What is being done to raise money? First, our Board of Directors, while always giving sacrificially to HOI, has stepped up even more by giving generously and asking others to do likewise. We have also made a request to all of the Churches and Groups that travel with us to Honduras, to make appeals to their congregations and constituents for emergency funds. We are thankfully seeing an excellent response to those requests. As one example, the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Decatur which just sent us an emergency relief check for over $15,000. We were especially humbled by this generous response, and there are many other groups stepping forward to help.We have also received from an anonymous donor a $25,000 matching grant for Education for funds received by September 10, 2009, for our school system. 

To be specific, in addition to the generous response we’ve already received, we still need to raise an additional $200,000 to be able to operate to the end of 2009.  Our operating budget for 2010 will be approximately $950,000, down some 40% from the run rate of the past year. All of these funds will need to be generated from our generous donor base if we are to continue operations.  

What can you do? We are asking everyone who has the ability, to prayerfully consider a regular gift to HOI to enable us to continue our work, even if at reduced levels, on your behalf in Honduras. These people have no other resource to fall back on. It’s us! We will be contacting you soon as part of a grass roots giving campaign built on the theme that HOI has just celebrated its 20th year in service to Honduras. In the meantime, if you feel so moved to help, you can mail checks to:

Honduras Outreach Inc. 4105 Briarcliff Road, N.E. Atlanta, Ga. 30345 or visit our website www.hoi.org where contributions can be made online. God bless each of you and pray that we will be able to continue the ministry that has changed so many lives, both in Honduras and in the United States.

HOI has completed its first 20 years, and with God’s help we plan to be here for many more 20 year anniversaries.  Our desire is to stay in God’s will in Honduras, and to raise the money needed to continue our mission to serve the people there.  This most definitely includes group travel, for that is where lives are changed and relationships are born.  To do that, we are asking for your help, right now! 

In His name, Sue Church Chairman of the Board of Honduras Outreach

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Casting a Vision…Navajo Family Missions…Taking Christianity Into the World 

We just completed our annual mission trip to the Navajo Indian Reservation in Pueblo Pintado, NM. Since day one it has been a family mission trip and was the third year that our family was involved and the second year that my wife led the trip and the third year that I was allowed to serve as the spiritual leader. This year was a huge success as we began to see the effects of the Navajo people embracing our efforts by their words, actions, materials/supplies and support of our service. Those who served alongside of us this year will never be the same as God joined us and our efforts in a big way. For the 2009 mission trip we focused on Vacation Bible School, Adult Bible Study, Arts and Crafts at the Senior home, and construction. Some of the highlights of the trip included seeing the results of those coming to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior, a Community night and a deepening of the relationships previously established. We were also able to share Bibles from the American Bible Society written in the native tongue of the Navajo. 

Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!   

Casting a Vision. Though many might see this a slogan, I do not. The Apostle Paul all called us to  be bold in our faith and that in so doing will do great things in God’s name. In our past blogs at http://www.christianpost.com/blogs/cpa/2009/03/i-double-dog-dare-you-taking-christianity-into-the-world-27/index.html we exhorted Believers throughout the world to strive to do something so BIG that it was doomed to failure unless God was in it. Our latest book A Voice of One: Nehemiah’s Prayer which can be reviewed at http://www.john-dillard.com/ encouraging Believers of all faiths  that we are indeed all Lay Ministers who should be looking to serve and honor God, regardless of affiliations whether Baptist, Episcopal, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc. Below are a few thoughts I have for seeing what God might do with us, if we let him lead guide and direct. Prayerfully consider these as you strive to see God’s hand for you and your life. 

Visioning for Family Missions to the Navajo Indian Reservation for 2010 & Beyond 

-Establishing a relationship with the President of the Navajo Nation.

-Looking to have five Centers of Influence (CI) throughout the Navajo Nation the same week, including the capital. CI’s will be strategically placed to offer housing for attendants with each CI having its own Vacation Bible School, Adult Bible Studies, Senior Center Activities and Construction.

-Working with the local county schools to house events/members/missionaries with each CI having approximately sixty missionaries who are serving, which would result in over 300 missionaries serving the Navajo Nation. Each CI would have a team leader who would work in unison to accomplish established team/service goals.

-Deepening cross-cultural ties with the Navajo Nation while spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, with the primary focus of fulfilling the Great Commission and developing disciples, local leaders and supporting local Navajo churches.

-Developing a team approach to Missions where Navajo are invited to co-lead and serve at all levels of service with the ultimate goal of the Navajo people taking the lead to accomplish stated Mission Goals throughout the year.

-Only do construction projects where at least one local family member is involved in its work with the goal to team building and developing a local culture of “Paying it Forward.”

-Ensuring that all trips are self-funded (goal will be for trips to be revenue/expense neutral to each church) with each participant predominantly raising monies through support letters, while also seeking prayer support.

-Identification of key personnel including a liaison who will share ideas with all CI leaders and world-wide marketing of the required supplies and joint vision using the Internet.

-Seeking through prayer continually the prompting of the Holy Spirit for guidance and direction while keeping at the forefront the Parable of the Soils.

-Gaining involvement of ten churches throughout the U.S. with at least thirty members/missionaries from each.

Listen to the quiet words and prodding of the Holy Spirit and see what He brings forth remembering to always strive to do something so BIG, that there is no way it will ever occur, unless God shows His favor.

In the Matchless Name of Jesus Christ,

John Dillard is an Christian Speaker/Author and Certified Public Accountant. To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit http://www.hiscpa.com/ and for his latest book Overcoming Life’s 9/11’s: Job’s Journey visit http://www.john-dillard.com/ or call John Dillard CPA today at 770.814.9304

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Going the Extra Mile: Seeking First to Understand…Taking Christianity Into the World

Recently I did work for a client where the return, the IRS requirements and the coordination was especially difficult. In those circumstances, as in this one, I sought not to bill all of the time incurred out of both sensitivity to the client and to keep the client happy. Usually however, because of the extra exhaustive client and my work involved in a particularly troublesome and documentation rich return it is still problematic regardless of the sensitivity. However in my faith and in my walk with Christ, I believe it often much more important to be like Jesus in the marketplace. When a reticent client recently paid a bill in full, I felt led to return it, even though it appeared that we would receive no future benefit from doing so. So when I received the client’s check I voided it and returned it writing the below:

When I sent the last letter I only wanted you to know what had transpired from my end. I was hoping to find common ground and peace where we could both be happy and comfortable.

I cannot accept the check and have voided and am returning.

I have always intended first to respect and to keep you happy and your business.

I hope this shows my commitment to do so.

Here’s to many future Happy Returns.

John

Christ brought us into this world to serve and we cannot doing it by getting our own way. Laying down any rights is far better than standing tall in our pride. Humility and service to others is what we should emulate and live for others by our actions and our deeds.

John Dillard is a Christian Speaker/Author and Certified Public Accountant (All Rights Reserved). To See how he takes Christ along with him to work visit http://www.hiscpa.com/ (An Atlanta  CPA firm) and for his latest book Overcoming Life’s 9/11’s: Job’s Journey and to learn about his ministry visit http://www.john-dillard.com/ To contact John Dillard CPA (Atlanta Christian Author/Speaker) today call 770. 814.9304 proudly serving Duluth, GA, Gwinnett County and Beyond.

“Dare to Attempt Something so Great for the Kingdom of God that it is doomed to failure, lest Christ be in it!”

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Why are these verses here? Learn how HIS CPA became a Christian Accounting firm visit http://www.hiscpa.com/christian-CPA.html

We advise clients on: IRS representation, Offer in Compromise, Tax Problems, Incorporation in Georgia, Corporate and Personal Income Tax Returns, Part-time CFO, Virtual Controller, Business Planning, Offer in Compromise, Back Taxes, Business Acquisition/Sales, Forensic Accounting, Business Valuations and Bookkeeping.

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