We all need a little perspective...

Today is another beautiful day. It's hard to believe we are in the middle of October already. It seems like just yesterday we were wrapping up the spring semester and planning for the Group North Summer Training Program with Navs.

So far, we have had a great start to the 2010-2011 school year. There are lots of new faces at Nav Nite and it's really been exciting to connect with the freshman class this year. Typically I lead the freshman guys study every other year and this year it's been great. Freshman Connection is a once a month event to get all the freshman, both guys and girls, together to connect, have fun, share stories, and encourage one another.

Sometimes, ministry isn't always great and easy like some people may think. It may not seem very tough physically, but it can be challenging emotionally and spiritually; issues/conflict to deal with, fundraising, recruiting and helping people get connected, speaking the truth in love, staying up til midnight or 1 talking about deep issues, etc.

But when I step back, I remember that the only way to survive the "waves" of life is to rely on Christ to give me the strength. I realize that it's not up to me to change their life; God will use me in specific way to reach/help them but He is the one that ultimately does the heart changing.

It's like trying to drive a car with no engine. You push and push and push to get it up to speed but it's tiring. Jesus is standing there with a 800HP V8 engine waiting for us to put down our pride and ask Him for help.

Or maybe it's that we aren't spending enough time with Christ getting filled back up. We try to "Run on empty"; we burn ourselves out. Why is it that we do that to ourselves? Is it because we feel that if we aren't exhausted then we must not be giving 100%. Is it because try to live a busy life so others look at us and think we are successful?

Yesterday, there was an accident close to our house and as we were seeing what was going on, you could hear a guy on the stretcher yelling from the pain he was going through. All of a sudden all of the things I needed to do didn't seem like such a big deal because I was just thankful not to be that guy. I spent some time praying for the guy and couldn't imagine what he was going through. I think we all take for granted how good life is until things really start falling apart.

Do we have an eternal perspective on life or do we let every little thing effect us?

Paul said in Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain."

Paul knew and was fully convinced that dieing was not a bad thing because he would be with Jesus which in reality is far better than being on Earth. We may not be able to comprehend that because all we have experienced is Earth, not Heaven. But in Heaven there are no pain, no sorrows, no anxiety, no problems...just pure joy, God's presence, happiness, pure love, etc.

So let's enjoy the beautiful days that God has given us but let's not let the little things in life ruin our eternal perspective.
So as I look outside I realize that

Tim and Tara Chamberlain-For the sake of the Gospel

What we see as the process of reaching the end, God sees as the goal itself

I was recently spending some time reading the devotional "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. The scripture was Mark 6:45; the story of when Jesus walks on water to meet the disciples in the boat. Jesus and the disciples had just fed 5000 people and were on to their next stop. Jesus told the disciples to ride in the boat over to Bethsaida and He would eventually meet them.

Was His goal just for them to reach Bethsaida or was it to see how they would react to the storms while traveling?

Oswald Chambers says "The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself. What is my vision of God's purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power NOW."

I've seen this in my own life when I was raising financial support to come on staff with The Navigators. That first summer was tough, I just wanted it to be over so I could focus on what I thought was most important (the ministry at UWW). What if someone would have given me a check for $30,000 to take care of all my financial need? Was I trusting Him or myself? Was it God's will or mine?

But what I started to see was that God's goal was the process of fundraising. God was beginning to break me of expectations I had. There were some people that I thought could easily give $200/month but they didn't. There were some people I didn't expect anything from but they gave so much more. I started to see that I couldn't trust in my own wisdom but I needed God to guide me to the right people who would be excited about joining my support team. It was a lot of hard work, many face to face appointments, lots of phone calls, lots of prayer and reading God's Word. At the end of the summer God had provided what I needed to get to campus, but that wasn't most important. I remember thinking even if I wasn't able to get to campus, I had learned so much about who God is, how real He is, how much He loves me, that in the end the process of fundraising was worth it.

It's not in our nature to like the hard processes, it maybe slow, but we will look back and realize it was the process that was shaping us into the person God wants us to be.

Oswald Chambers says "If we realize that moment by moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious".

If you or someone you know is going through a tough time and aren't sure if it will ever be over, I just encourage you to trust God now and know that He is working in you, building you up to be more like Him. (Romans 8:28)

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)

Thank you Jesus for not giving up on us. Thank you for coming down to Earth to live a perfect life and die for our mistakes, our sins, our problems. Thank you for always walking with us through the hard times. Jesus you are not only our Savior but our friend, shepherd, healer, provider, Mighty God, Eternal Life, the Righteous One.

(Phil 4:19)

For the sake of His Gospel and His Kingdom,
-Tim and Tara Chamberlain

One Year old...baby, house, and ministry position

It's hard to believe that we are wrapping up the month of April here. It just seems like yesterday that Isabelle was born and we were getting ready to move into our house as well as taking on the new role as campus director.

Isabelle was born March 29th around 3:30pm and the days have gone by so fast. A few weeks ago we celebrated her 1st birthday with chocolate cake and ice cream. It's amazing to think how she has changed in this past year. From a human that can't move much or interact to a someone with their own little personality and preferences, someone who can interact with you and laugh, who can say a word or two; it's pretty amazing. We are excited to see what happens this next year!

Having our own house has been a huge blessing. I'm not sure we could have led the ministry this way without having this house so close to campus. The Lord truly blessed us with it and continues to provide and bless us with so much. Thankfully I haven't had to do too much in the past year to our house but we have painted the inside, done landscape work, learned the importance of watering and fertilizing the lawn, learned how to solder copper water pipe, replace a dishwasher, install light fixtures, install water faucets, install tile and grout in our kitchen, take care of rodents in the backyard, and probably several other things. It's been a fun year of home ownership.

This past year has also been a new ministry position for me. Becoming the campus director has been a big learning experience for me. Tara has been a huge help with helping me in areas that I lack like planning and organizing events. It's also been different leading a staff team and thinking not only about us but also about the gifts and abilities God has given the Wetzels and trying to help them find a niche here. We are looking forward to this next year of ministry with our staff team and the key leaders in this ministry and are excited to see where God leads us.

Thank you for continuing to pray for Tara and Isabelle and I. We couldn't be here without your prayer and financial support. These students are worth investing in and they need mentors to help them know Jesus and understand what His plan is for their life.

Tim and Tara Chamberlain
-For the sake of the Gospel

It's a new year!

What a great year 2009 was for us! Many changes for Tara and I this past year. We moved into a house in the spring time just after we had Isabelle. She is a joy to our family and brings lots of fun and laughter!

In a few days the spring semester is going to start and we are excited for all the students to come back. With new years and new semesters, many people make resolutions especially just before the new year.

Tara and I bought a Nintendo Wii with the Wii Fit program in order to exercise more and get in shape. It's working! You wouldn't think that a video game could keep you sweating but it does.

Physical resolutions are great, but spiritual resolutions are even better for us. Like Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:8 "For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."

(Below is a devotional from Our Daily Bread that I really like)
In 1722, Jonathan Edwards drew up a list of 70 resolutions, dedicating himself to live in harmony with God and others. The following resolutions give a picture of the serious purpose with which Edwards approached his relationship with God. He resolved:
• To do whatever is most to God’s glory.

• To do my duty, for the good of mankind in general.

• Never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

• To study the Scriptures steadily, constantly, and frequently.

• To ask myself at the end of every day, week, month, and year if I could possibly have done better.

• Until I die, not to act as if I were my own, but entirely and altogether God’s.

In Nehemiah 10, God’s people made an oath, vowing to follow all the commands, laws, and regulations of the Lord. This oath was so serious that they were willing to accept the curse of God if they failed to keep these commands.

Our resolutions need not be so serious as that. But any resolution to follow God is not a casual promise. Rather, it is a solemn and serious declaration that—with the help of the Holy Spirit—we can renew every day. — Marvin Williams

My Resolutions This Year Are:
1. _____________________________________
2. _____________________________________
3. _____________________________________


Tim and Tara Chamberlain
-For the sake of the Gospel

Isabelle's Corner

Hi! It’s me again! It’s been awhile since I last wrote because Mom and Dad have been keeping my busy. They’ve been taking me on walks, giving me baths, changing lots of diapers, feeding me, playing with me, taking me on trips, and making sure I get my beauty sleep. In my free time I like to roll over, make girly noises, sing when Dad plays the guitar or when Mom plays the piano, watch Mom cook, hangout with my cousins, and smile. See ya later. I’m hungry now.

-Isabelle

Isabelle's Corner

Hi! My name is Isabelle and I like to spend time with Dad and Mom. They are fun and so are the students that come over to our house. I like when Dad and Mom get me to smile and laugh. Going on walks are also one of my favorites. My Grandmas and Grandpas are also a lot of fun. I like staying at their houses. See ya later, I have some zzzzz to catch.
-Isabelle

Here I Raise My Ebenezar

Many of you know that this past spring we had a difficult time getting our house. Right at the time we were supposed to lock in, the government lowered the debt to income ratio which looked like was going to prevent us from getting a house. We found another type of loan that worked but we had problems with the underwriter and loan documents getting through the government. On top of that there were two people interested in the house and one person made an offer when we had an accepted offer with the seller. At one point we didn’t know if we were going to get the house and in three weeks our lease was up and someone else was moving in! During this time I know God was teaching me about faith and I could either doubt Him or trust Him believing that He will working things out for the best. Samuel experienced a different kind of battle and afterward he gave glory to God. “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far has the LORD helped us.’” - 1 Samuel 7:12

Tara and I decided to have a stone of remembrance in our yard remind us of what God did. Though circumstances like this were stressful at times, our faith grew huge after seeing how God orchestrated it all. Praise Him!