Pursuit of the Truth

This next week is going to be very busy for me. Very exciting. Very busy.

Later today I am going on an overnight men's retreat with Heritage Baptist Church. I am very excited about going to Arrowhead Campgroup to grow in Christian Character. Some of the sessions are on Holiness, Humility and Honesty.
I am looking forward to the retreat.
Pray for Krista and the boys this weekend.

Next week, starting Tuesday night, is Baptist Bible College's Mission Conference. The focus is on urban ministries. The theme word is VERACITY, which means a devotion to the truth. On Thursday we are planning to take over 400 students to various places to do and see ministry. Please pray for all the details of the conference, for the students, and for those who will hear the truth of Jesus Christ that day.

I will write more about the conference later but I need to get to class now.

I have been cleared...

by my podiatrist this week.

I don't need to see him again regarding my foot surgery

by my Hebrew professor to take second semester Hebrew, which starts in just over a week.

Doctor appointments

I had a doctor's appointment this week.
However this photo is not from that appointment.

The pins are out of my toes. However there is still a lot of swelling in my toes and ankles. The doctor, not Josiah, said there is nothing to be concerned about now.

With the diabetes, he was a little nervous about infection but it has not been a problem.

Krista's pregnancy is going well. She is experiencing tiredness which is probably from the pregnancy and dorm life.

Joel finished soccer season. He improved so much during the season. We think taking part in Big Blue soccer camp here @ BBC helped with that. He is also doing great in first grade. One of his school friends has started coming to AWANA at Heritage.

Josiah is enjoying Cubbies and once a week preschool @ BBC.

He loves washing dishes, singing and "teaching" the baby how to do things.

A Lesson from the Living Room Couch

Well this semester has been really busy. Good but busy.
Classes. Mission. and other things.
Actually our time here @ BBC&S has been very busy.

Sitting on the couch, recovering from surgery has forced me to slow down a little bit.

"Never get so busy doing the work of the kingdom that you forget who the King is."
Anonymous.

A temporarily slowed down life, this quote and much more have me thinking about our time @ BBC&S.
I have been very thankful for my experience here.
Especially the fact that the professors at the seminary stress the importance of a personal relationship along with a knowledge of the Bible.
I have also loved being able to take the things I have been learning in classes and applying them @ the Scranton Rescue Mission.

Health Update from the Rodgers family

This Tuesday Krista and I were able to hear the heartbeat of our baby.
The due date is May 7th, graduation day here @ BBC.

The boys are very excited to have a younger brother or sister.

Also, on Friday I am scheduled to have surgery on my left foot.
- I have a cyst on my ankle that needs to be removed.
- Two of my toes are going to be straigntened out.

Josiah Preaching

This is a video of Josiah talking with
some of the girls in the middle floor lounge.

All is quiet in Northeastern PA

Vibbard Hall has been quite since yesterday @ 2:00 pm.

Krista and the women from Vibbard have gone camping.
From Krista phone report this morning, things have been going well.
It was very strange to have a quiet dorm on a Saturday night during the school year.

Camping Trip

Krista and 43 of the women from Vibbard dorm are camping today (Saturday, 09.12) and tomorrow @ Rock Mountain Bible Camp.

Please pray for the weather, safety and especially for the women as they spend time building relationships with each other during this time.

09.11 - In the midst of Pain, Suffering and Affliction

On September 11, 2001, I was in the Dominican Republic.
Every Tuesday Missionary Flights International would bring the mail to Santiago Christian School.
On this particular mail day I received a copy of The Hidden Smile of God, a book on suffering, pain and affliction, from my brother-in-law.

Several years later, my copy of the book was destroyed in a fire @ Emmanuel Christian School.
Through the difficulties of both of these situations William Cowper's poem "God Moves in Mysterious Ways" speaks volumes to me about God and His goodness even in the midst of difficult times.
The poem is below and the link to the online version of the book is above.

God Moves in Mysterious Ways
William Cowper (1731–1800)

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.

Start of the Semester

The school year @ BBC started a week ago on Tuesday.


DORM LIFE:

Krista had a very busy week of leadership training last week. But it was a good time to reconnect with this years RAs and dorm leaders.

They developed the dorm theme of PERFECT PROFILE:

Finding the Face of God in His Book.

The theme passage is Psalm 62.

Please pray that the 24 new women in our dorm and the other 25 women will grow closer to God as the live in community in Vibbard Hall.



SEMINARY CLASSES:
Don't start until September 7.
I will be taking Hebrew and Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus).

RESCUE MISSION:
Things at the mission have been going great.
You can read about some of the prayer requests and praise @ the mission prayer site:
http://rescuemissionprayerpage.blogspot.com/


THE BOYS:
Joel attended Big Blue Soccer @ BBC and is now playing in the Abington Youth Soccer League.
Pictures can be found at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98581&id=501059302&l=3c5957d7d9

Josiah is excited he gets to attend Cubbies @ Heritage and preschool @ Jackson Hall.

Both of the boys are very excited the semester has started up because they are able to see all their "sisters" in the dorm.

Pictures...

Some links to pictures from the summer.

Steamtown pictures:
www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=94005&id=501059302&l=685add4633

BBC Lumber Company:
www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=94008&id=501059302&l=008deafa94

Our camping trip:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=94004&id=501059302&l=ba35b250f7

If these links don't work please let me know.

My activities and priorities

MY ACTIVITIES:

From Thursday to Sunday night I have been to Philadelphia and back to Clarks Summit, then to Pittsburgh and back to Clarks Summit and then to Rochester, NY and back to Clarks Summit. (over 1400 miles of driving or riding in a car.

• Thursday - I went to Lincoln Financial Field to see the Philadelphia Eagles lose to the New England Patriots in my first ever live football game. O.K. I know it was only preseason.
• Friday and Saturday - Drove out to Pittsburgh and dropped the boys of at grammy's house for the week with her and Aunt Deb and cousins Jacob and Nolan.
• Sunday - Travelled with Krista to Rochester, NY to attend the celebration service of a 37 year old college friend who passed away very unexpectedly.

MY PRIORITIES:

I light of these events and one of the tributes shared @ Keith's Celebration service, I have been evaluating life's priorities and I wanted to share some insights with you.

Priorities in rank of importance:
1. Live life in such a way that God is glorified. This is done first and foremost through personal, life changing relationship with Jesus.

2. Remember the importance of spending time with family.

Much further down on the list: NFL football. There are so many things that are more important than an NFL football.

Our Trip out west & TLC (teen leadership conference)

OUR TRIP OUT WEST:
From Saturday (07.11) through Monday (07.20), Krista, the boys and I went to visit family and friends out west (western PA and Toledo, OH).
We spent a couple of days @ the church camp Dave went as a teen. It was great to spend time with friends and family.
After that we went out to Toledo and got to spend time with Krista's family.
(There are some pictures below)

TLC (teen leadership conference):
Last week and this week I have been doing a workshop @ TLC.
It is entitled:
Helping the Hurting, Homeless or Hopeless Where You Live

The following is the link to the official TLC website:
http://www.bbc.edu/tlc/
The following is the link to the website I am using for my workshop:
http://www.boonedy.com/tlc.html

Please be praying for the seminar and TLC in general.









The boys and their cousins at the Toledo Zoo.













Joel fishing.












Josiah at the dock fishing.














The boys and the neighbors in grampa's backyard staring down the slip and slide.













The boys and grammy.

The end of June Update

We are going to be making trip to western PA and Ohio very soon. All of us are looking forward to reconnecting with friends and family.

Some of you may have heard about David's July 10th surgery. This surgery has been cancelled and will be probably be rescheduled in October. Below are some pictures of different things that have gone on in our lives this summer.

Rodgers family at the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees Game

Joel standing in front of a tree on campus @ BBC. We had a storm on Friday, June 26 that knocked many trees on campus.

Josiah and Bradley right before tonsil/adenoid surgery.

Joel and Josiah @ Knoebels' amusement park.

Josiah surgery/recovery and other things

Josiah had his tonsils and adenoids removed on Thursday (06.18).
Thankfully it well. Presently, he is not talking as much as usual but he does enjoy popsicles and ice cream.
Please continue to pray for his recover.

This summer, and I use that term loosely because it hasn't been much like summer, we have had some good day trips. Knoebels, an amusement park. Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees game. Sight and Sound Theater.
We had a great time with my sister and her boys.

Along with that work at the mission has been going well. Please pray for the services at the Scranton Rescue Mission on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
Especially be praying for the resident program in Wilkes-Barre.

Our Father in Heaven

A couple of nights ago we were doing a family devotions before bed.

We read a devotional called "The Perfect Dad." At one point in the devotional Krista asked Josiah who our father in heaven is. With a quick response he said "God." What followed was a very thoughtful look, a couple of seconds and another answer. "And Pappy" (which is what we call David's dad).

For those who don't know, my dad passed away several years ago. Well, reflecting back on Josiah's answer I realized two things:

1. It was not very theological sound. O.K. so I am a seminary student.
2. It brought joy to my heart. I am very thankful that my earthly father is in heaven. I know that this is by grace that he has been saved through faith - and this not from himsef, it is the gift of my heavenly father. (adapted from Ephesians 2:8).

Pray for Josiah. He is having his tonsils and adenoids removed on June 18th.

No More Shots

I had my 6 month doctor appointment with my endocrinologist today.

He said my sugar levels and other numbers have been improving.
I do not need to take insulin shots. I am continuing with medication and diet.
This is great news for someone who hates needles and shots.


Also, tomorrow night is a big senior social on campus. BBCs Got Talent. Be praying for preparation and last minute details.

Worship services & Doctor Appointment

Last Thursday our friend Josh along with several others from Proskuneo Ministry were here in Clarks Summit for a multilingual worship service. We had 25 people there not including volunteers. For a rainy Thursday night, that was a good number. There were a couple of people who have not been there in quite some time. It was a great opportunity to share Christ in a different way. Many of the people who were there have shared that it was a real blessing. The worship service at BBC that evening was also awesome. We sang worship songs in NINE different languages.

If you want to find out how to more specifically prayer for the rescue mission.
http://rescuemissionprayerpage.blogspot.com/
Tomorrow I have my 6 month appointment regarding my diabetes. One of the big things we will be discussing is a certain number, I cannot remember which one. If the number is at a good level I will probably have surgery on my feet this summer.

Proskuneo Worship Service

Tonight Proskuneo, a ministry that a friend of ours is part of, will be leading two worship services in the Scranton area.

5:30 at the Scranton Rescue Mission. This is an evangelistic service.

8:30 at BBC.

Please be praying for these services.

Thanks!

Doctor visit, Toledo visit and More classes.

Last week I met with our family doctor. He was pleased with my sugar levels. This "new normal" has been difficult but everyone in the family is jumping on board. Josiah reminds me to check my diobeaties before meals. Joel asks me if snacks are sugar free.

We are looking forward to going back to Toledo next weekend (03.14-03.17).

This Monday I started two more classes online.
Now I am taking 7 credits during this spring semester
Daniel/Revelation; Training others in Evangelism; Acts (online) and Contemporary Theological Issues (online).

We are in the process of adding some things to the Scranton Rescue Mission webpage. One addition is a prayer page.
If you are interested in updates regarding the ministry of the mission go to www.scrantonrescuemission.com and click on the prayer link.