NCF in Action
May 12, 2008
Dear Friend, |
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Dr. Bruce Narramore |
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I trust that you had a wonderful and meaning-filled Christmas Season and are looking forward to all the Lord has in store for you in this New Year! Since many of us spend extra time with our families as well as celebrating Christ’s birth during the Christmas season, I would like to share some “family news” with you this month. The first is about my personal family. The second is about one of our key NCF staff members.
Our son Richard and his wife Kathryn live in Jersey City, New Jersey. Richard is a senior editor with John Wiley Publishers and Kathryn is completing her doctoral dissertation in English Literature. They have three young children and are involved in their local church as well as a ministry to inner city children in Jersey City. Sometimes life in the city can be difficult but they feel called to make a difference there along with a number of their good Christian friends.
Our daughter, Debbie, and her husband, Paul, are living in Carbondale, Illinois. This year Paul is taking a one year internship in clinical psychology at the counseling center at Southern Illinois University. The internship and dissertation are the two remaining steps before Paul receives his doctorate in psychology from Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University next May. They then plan to enter a full-time Christian counseling ministry with a special focus on serving the psychological and spiritual needs of pastors and other Christian workers. Paul and Debbie and their two children are enjoying the changes of seasons and small town life in mid-America. They too have a good home church and are making a number of meaningful friendships.
It was a special treat for Kathy and me to spend a few days with our children and their families during the Christmas holidays. Richard and Debbie are both great parents and it was wonderful to see their commitment to their children and to serving others. It was also wonderful to catch up on “hugging” and playing with our grandchildren!
Now for an exciting piece of NCF family news. More than 30 years ago a young Christian author and evangelist from Australia, Dick Innes, took our intensive three week seminar for pastors and missionaries here in Southern California. According to Dick, “That training changed my entire life and transformed my ministry by teaching me how to apply the gospel and Christ’s message to the every day issues of life.” Since that time Dick has distributed millions of copies of practical Christian literature around the world on topics like “Overcoming Discouragement,” “Coping With Stress,” and “Improving Your Relationships.” With the arrival of email and the internet Dick started reaching out through these media. More than 130,000 people now receive his practical devotional messages each week and during 2007 and 5,220 people from over 118 countries reported making first time decisions for Christ or spiritual recommitments through Dick’s ministry.
What an incredible outreach! And it happened because Dick learned how to apply biblical teachings to the nitty-gritty problems of life through our NCF seminar. People who would never read traditional devotional messages seek out Dick’s writings because they touch on a wide variety of human needs and problems. We count it a special blessing to have Dick minister with us at NCF today and praise God for his wonderful literature and internet ministry. You can learn more about it on the web at www.actsweb.org.
After a brief week back in California following Christmas with our children, I am now in Manila teaching a two-week course for students working on their M.A. degrees in Christian counseling. It is a special honor to have a part in training these fine young men and women who will be serving the Lord and the people of their nation as Christian counselors. They are eager learners and so appreciative of the training they receive.
When my class in Manila is over, I will travel on to Thailand for a meeting of the Board of Directors of Cornerstone Counseling Center for missionaries. The new headquarters building for Cornerstone is going up even more quickly than promised and it looks like it will be finished sometime in March—nearly two months ahead of schedule!
Between the ministry of Cornerstone Counseling Center in Thailand, the graduate training program in Manila, preparation for this year’s MK reentry program, and our ongoing outreaches here in the U.S., it looks like 2008 is going to be another great and rewarding year. We would especially appreciate your prayers for each of these ministries and also that God will continue to raise up men and women who will stand with us financially to make these outreaches possible. The world is in turmoil, and you and I know that only God has the solution. What a privilege to serve Christ!
Our staff will be praying that you too will have a special 2008 serving the Lord and that this year will be one of the best you have ever known!
Expectantly,
Bruce Narramore, Ph.D.
President
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