man deviseth - Jahve directeth

"The heart of man deviseth his way;

But Jahve directeth his steps."

- Proverbs 16:9

"Similar to this is the German proverb: "Der Mensch denkt, Gott lenkt" [ equals our "man proposes, God disposes"]; for, as Hitzig rightly remarks, 9b means, not that God maketh his steps firm  but that He gives direction to him. Man deliberates here and there (חשּׁב, intens. of חשׁב, to calculate, reflect) how he will begin and carry on this or that; but his short-sightedness leaves much out of view which God sees; his calculation does not comprehend many contingencies which God disposes of and man cannot foresee. The result and issue are thus of God, and the best is, that in all his deliberations one should give himself up without self-confidence and arrogance to the guidance of God, that one should do his duty and leave the rest, with humility and confidence, to God."

From the Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

As a college student, planning to enter the all-feared "real world" soon, I feel that it would be a responsible choice to start becoming more critical of what I hear, and actually think about the state of things, rather than just letting life hit me.  As I listen to student speeches and casual conversation on campus, I feel like many students have twisted the meaning of Proverbs 16:9, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."  Maybe it's not twisting, but a mere inconsistency.  We listen to the last part, but forget about the first.  The verse is not encouraging one to sit on his bum waiting for the Lord to direct his steps.  He is not even taking steps that could be directed.  Rather, one should be encouraged to take action, "grab life by the horns," dig in and make plans, "do his duty".  No, those plans will not always be exactly what God has in store.  However, as stated above, after calculation there is still much that is left out of our view.  This is where we do our duty humbly, and leave the rest to God, with confidence and peace knowing that God is in control.

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My Zambian Brothers

These are the guys I spent my two weeks in Zambia living with. More stories from Zambia are to follow!!

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Six Months In....(and I am in it deep)

This has been an incredible six months digging in to the mission field. With your help financially and in prayer, I have built a relationship with EDGE OUTREACH that has developed into a possible lifetime opportunity and gone to Zambia with my Dordt College.

In 2009, before my first semester ended, I had to chance to attend

the ECHO Sustainable Agriculture Conference in Florida. EDGE OUTREACH invited me to help demonstrate the water purification system at a global missionary conference. I met the leaders at ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization), and returned for a second visit to volunteer over spring break 2010 on their farm.

Your donations allowed me to both learn and serve through EDGE in Kentucky in attendance to their “I Thirst” annual fundraising dinner. This event also gave me the chance to meet some of the new people that have affected and been affected by EDGE in the last year.  While there, I continued to learn more about the purifier and showed others how it worked.  Sometimes I have found that things make more sense after explaining them to others.

Words cannot describe how powerful my experience to Zambia was in May.  Our team went to do a little service and a lot of learning, about the culture, the people, agriculture, and Northrise University, the school with which Dordt College has collaborated.  However, once away from my cell phone, and the hubbub of everyday American life, surrounded by Christian brothers, both American and Zambian, I encountered God face to face.  I really came to develop a better understanding of what it means to be a part of the Kingdom of God.  We worshiped together, slept together, ate together, and learned together about each other.  Going to Africa put faces with the “least of these brothers of mine” that Jesus talks about in Matthew 25.  Surprisingly some of those faces are plastered with the biggest smiles I have ever seen.  They really know what it means to be content with that with which God has blessed them. There is so much to learn from them. I hope to go back someday.

We had a very successful summer empowering youth and adults to do mission work in the city of Louisville, KY.  We built thirty raised vegetable garden boxes, refurbished a prayer trail, painted a homeless shelter, worked at a nursing home even painting a beautiful mural, and cleaned the inside of an old furniture factory for an up-and-coming inner city ministry.  Most importantly, we built relationships with the community, with individuals, and with each other.

I have agreed to work for EDGE throughout the school year and will be researching some new water purification technologies, getting a shoe drive started in Omaha, and preparing for a trip to Haiti in December with a team to teach health and hygiene and install a water purifier in this devastated country.

Thank you so much for what we have done together in God’s name.  Your partnership is a powerful tool God is using to make a difference in the world.


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