God has opened the door for me to go on a short-term mission trip to Istanbul, Turkey with Scottsdale Bible Church June 27 – July 6, 2025. We will be sharing God’s love and will be serving the Lord by ministering to Syrian refugees living in Turkey.

God is opening my eyes to a world that is in desperate need of understanding the love of Jesus. While it would be so easy to remain in my comfort zone and let others go on this trip, I am convinced that God is asking me to be a part of the team. While I am sure that God will use us to shine his love in the midst of the unrest in that region, I’m also convinced that I have lessons to learn through my participation.

My reason for writing to you is twofold. First, I am earnestly requesting your prayer support. We know that nothing of eternal value happens without prayer. Please pray for me and our team, and for people to see the love of God through us.

Second, I am asking if you would prayerfully consider helping me with the costs of this mission trip. The total cost will be $3,100 and is due by May 27. This will cover all our travel and lodging as well as ministry supplies.

If you would like to support me financially in this mission experience, you can give online with a credit or debit card by visiting this link.

If you would prefer to donate by check, please email me back with your mailing address and I will send you a postage paid envelope which you can use to make the donation. I will include instructions for making the donation in the mail.

All contributions are tax deductible.

You are very important to me. Thank you for praying. Thank you also for considering to be a part of my support team.

If you would like more information about the trip, please click here.

In my quiet time this morning I was reminded that we Christians have an amazing capacity to selectively apply Scripture to our lives. Perhaps it is only me that has this capacity, but my observation of Christendom give credence to the thought that we all struggle with this. We give in to the pull to ignore the bits that make us uncomfortable due to our pride, or preconceptions of how things ought to be.

Worse yet, we sometimes use scripture to justify our unforgiveness or condemnation of others. In this mode, we use the Bible as a club to bludgeon others into behaving as we think they ought.

Even a cursory acquaintance with the Bible gives us the idea that as Christians, we are called to live holy lives. Scripture validates our feeling that things are not quite as they ought to be. There is no doubt that Christians are called to pursue holiness.

In his sermon this past Sunday, our Pastor reminded us that any attempt to produce holiness that is not done in the context of increasing love will lead to what he called “lifeless legalism.” In this mode, we pound ourselves and others with scriptural demands reducing the Christian life to a list of rules and regulations that leave us ineffective and defeated. This approach reduces us to what Paul calls a “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1, NASB).

On the other hand, if there is an emphasis on love without a deep call to obedience to scriptural commends, this will lead to “lively licentiousness.” While it may feel loving to validate people (including ourselves) in their choice to violate or ignore God’s requirements, in the end this approach leads to death as we are told twice in the Proverbs (Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 16:25).

The third and best way is to have both a deep love for others and a firm commitment to obedience to the commands of scripture. The gospels demonstrate how Jesus did this perfectly, and he gives us an example to follow. This third way leads to true righteousness that is life changing.

By this reflection I am challenged to ask myself two questions as I read scripture and reflect on it:

1. How does this passage challenge me to live differently?
2. How does this passage challenge me to love God and my neighbor more deeply and effectively?