Plans for 2008

Flying over ChicagoFor me, 2008 is going to be very different. In late November last year, I was invited to go and work at the IBLP Headquarters, the same place Robert has been for the past year. I was there most of December for sort of a trial period to see if this was something I really wanted to be part of for a full year. It was at this time that God made a verse pop out to me: “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26). In context with other things God had been doing in my life, I knew this was a rhema of God’s direction.

Me at work at my deskNot only will I be involved in the various ministries of the Institute, but I will be learning practical academic skills and gaining experience for the future. I will be working in the Graphic Arts Department doing design, layout, typesetting and picture taking for the never-ending outflow of various publications. To begin with, I’ll be learning the ins and outs of Mac computers, Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark and all kinds of useful software.

I would appreciate your prayers. God is all-powerful and He is the One who orchestrates time, projects, and people to make things go efficiently, quickly, or sluggishly. I hope to periodically post updates on how God works in the months ahead.

The Publications Center

8 Comments

  1. Esther January 8, 2008 at 7:46 am #

    Praise the Lord for giving us specific direction through His Word! It’s good to be able to accurately picture you at work now.

  2. Daniel January 8, 2008 at 2:14 pm #

    I’ll be looking forward to them, James! We miss you here in the holler, but we’re excited about the new opportunities your experiencing.

    BTW, what do you think of Macs?

  3. James January 8, 2008 at 9:06 pm #

    Macs are whacky. They are not dependable. I’ve experienced many crashes. I’ve lost hours of work. I dare not count all the mistakes I’ve made because I can’t remember Command-Option instead of Control-Alt. Don’t ever go Mac!

    They aren’t too bad. 🙂 Similar things have happened on PCs. My opinion might be a bit bias because I’ve only used one for about a month.

  4. Donald January 9, 2008 at 6:14 pm #

    James, I was praying for you this morning, that the Lord would be your encouragement; and to tell the truth I was the one encouraged by your post as well as by the knowledge that you are where God wants you to be enjoying what God wants you to do. May His joy be your strength! Say hello to Mr. Fredrickson.

  5. Joshua January 12, 2008 at 8:40 pm #

    James, you look right at home in that first class office surrounded by what appears to be an array of quality reading material. Are those britannicas or law books up on the shelf to the right of your desk?

    Thank you for sharing the rhema verse. May God continue to direct each and every step of your way!

  6. chad January 14, 2008 at 5:08 pm #

    I am really excited about what God is doing in your life James…and I see this as an awesome opportunity of learning a lot physically and spiritually.
    It’s kind of funny, but also really neat…that verse is the same verse that God gave me as a rhema to work there. God bless you James…
    …your bro in Christ,
    Chad Isa. 43:10

  7. James January 15, 2008 at 8:40 pm #

    That is exciting to know, Chad. I didn’t have a clue that was the same verse that God used to direct you here last year.

    And Joshua, I do believe those are just britannicas back there. But you wouldn’t believe all the Bible commentaries there are in that room! There are also all sorts of biographies, books on missions and volumes on church history. It’s almost too distracting of an invoronment for me to be working in. 🙂

  8. Don and Donna January 20, 2008 at 6:00 pm #

    Like Esther, your pictures help us visualize you at work. Your testimonies and reports also help us know how to pray specifically with you. We are encouraged, knowing Who you are following.

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