This weekend is the annual harvest Collection at RHCC. Their goal this year is to raise almost 1.4 million dollars to support mission efforts around the globe. We are praying that God will even blow that figure out of the water with people's generosity. May His name be glorified and lifted high as people search their hearts and give.

This is a busy week for us as we lead up to the weekend. We're enjoying so much getting to know so many families here and making new prayer friendships.

May God give us all generous hearts to live our lives for Him!

We sing a song based upon a passage in Psalms, "The Joy of the Lord will be my Strength." What an encouraging thought.

Joy, the second fruit of the Holy Spirit listed by Paul in Galations, is an emotion that comes by walking in step with the Spirit. Oh, to be Spirit-filled and thus filled with JOY.

Christine and I came across a plaque in a little shop in Fredericksburg this week that we just had to buy. I'm not really a nick-nack kind-of guy but the saying on it was so good and encouraging that we bought it anyway.

"Being happy doesn't mean that everything's perfect…It means you decided to see beyond the imperfections."

Isn't that powerful. I meet miserable people all of the time who are whining and complaining about how life isn't treating them right or because they aren't getting what they deserve. Or, they're pointing out all of the imperfections in others, continuously criticizing everything and everyone. And you know what, there is NO JOY.

Seeing all of the imperfections in life and in others does not bring JOY. It destroys it. Maybe that's why Paul encouraged us to take every thought captive for Christ. He also encourages us to focus on that which is good, honorable and admireable. If anything is worthy of praise, let us put our attention on such things. The Hebrew writer encouraged us to 'fix out eyes on Jesus,' a much better focus than all of the imperfections in this life.

Yes, the world is imperpect. It's doesn't take an ounce of maturity to point out all of the failings of people. It does take maturity to see the imperfect in others and still remain positive and to be encouraging.

Oswald Chambers, in his excellent devotional book "My Utmost for His Highest" suggested that the Lord allows us to see the imperfections in others not so that we would criticize or judge them, but rather so that we would better know how to interceed for them. Now there's a novel thought. Do you see something imperfect in someone or something, PRAY!

I believe that a Joyful Spirit and a judging spirit cannot live in the same person. They cannot coexist.

Needing some joy this week? Try walking in the Spirit rather than the flesh and you may find yourselves filled with the JOY of the Lord which will strengthen you in your inner being and refresh your soul. Do you see something "imperfect" in something or someone, rather than judge and criticize, try PRAYER! Who knows, you might be filled with another fruit of the Spirit called PEACE:)

PEACE and JOY. JOY and PEACE. Now those two walk side by side.

May the JOY of the Lord be your strength today!

The past few days we've been enjoying Vacation Bible School at the Southgate Church of Christ in San Angelo. Christine and I have our own tribe of 12 11 year olds. The theme this year is Elijah.

What a great man of prayer and faith. I love the part in Jame where it says that he was a man "just like us". What made him different was that led a righteous life and he prayed. The man was "like us" but the world was changed because of his life.

My prayer is that God would use me, a ordinary person, to live an extraordinary life that changes the world around me.

Those of you who know me, know that I crave, desire, love closure. As the years go by however, more and more things in my life remain continually open, rather than closed, decided, final. I find myself longing for a "time" when everything is "known", "set", or "for sure" but am realizing that even if all was known, it would not satisfy. Because once one matter is settled another opens up!

So, where do I turn for rest and peace in the midst of the "unknown" factors in my life? To the only source of true lasting peace, the Creator God Himself. I must admit that this is not a new revelation and some of you are probably wondering, dah Murphy, welcome to the planet. But for me, knowledge is one thing, applying it to my daily life, another.

Our lives as missionaries seem to be in limbo all the time. We are "between" things often and there is no rest if I have to have closure first.

These days, God is working on my heart to have peace and rest in the midst of the "unknown", unforeseeable future. Pray for me, that I may put my knowledge to work in my heart and discover inner peace in the midst of outward uncertainty.

Psalm 66:10-12. I read this this morning before I headed out to my meeting with Batoe/Sedome. As I read this I couldn't help but think about the past few months. I believe that the Lord has been testing me. Unfortunately, I don't think I did very well. I passed, but with a C. I was concerned about things that I should've trusted Him in. I said some things that I should've have said. And, I bent some personal principles that I should've stuck to.

The great thing about being a disciple of Jesus is, I get to study again and retake the test. Hopefully, next time, I'm move up to a B+:) And as verse 20 says, "Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!"

Water. Not just water, but water in my home, pouring out of the faucet, whenever I want it. Something that I've had all my life. It was there, like the air we breath. Always there. A necessity of life, right?

Wrong! It's a luxury. And nothing brings that truth home more than to do without. Three days ago "something" broke in the city's water system and 10's of thousands of people were without water for three days. If you've been reading our Tabligbo Times (sign up on our website @ watchiharvest.com) then you've heard about our water and power troubles during the last few months. To have the power and water on has become a luxury that we appreciate more and more knowing that the majority world does without throughout their lifetime!

A few months ago I started to complain to a few of the leaders that I work with about the power outages. I caught myself beginning to complain when I suddenly realized, "These guys have never had running power or electricity in their homes in their entire lifetime! And probably never will!" Oops. Change of subject, "So, how are you guys doing today?"

I find myself complaining less and giving thanks more. Even now, I'm not complaining, I'm changing. A change for the better. As one who who grew up in America, I am so spoiled! Luxuries that I have enjoyed all my life have become necessities and I forgot, or didn't even know that they were luxuries.

As we drove home yesterday we saw dozens of hundreds of water buckets and basins lined up at the water pumps all throughout town as people were waiting, hoping that the water would come back on today. They fill their basin up, put it on their head and then walk home with 20 liters or so of water. When the 20 liters are finished, they walk back to the pump, fill it up again and then return home. And these are the people that live in town, where there is "running" water. It's much worse out in the rural villages where most of the churches that we work with are.

I'm thankful for the luxury of power and water. More importantly, I'm thankful that my attitude is changing. I complain less when it's off and rejoice more when it's on, knowing that I am blessed more than most.

My prayer is that I will use the blessings that I have to bless others.