Adoption and Orphan Care Panel Discussion

There are over 400,000 foster children in the US.  Join us in New Orleans for a panel discussion and light breakfast during the annual SBC meeting.  The breakfast will begin on Wednesday June 20th at 7 AM and the panel discussion will begin at 7:15.  Please assist us with our plans for breakfast by letting us know you will be attending.  Visit and register at

https://www.facebook.com/events/316457885100037/

 

 

 

High Impact Luncheon in Houston

This Thursday, May 31st, I will be hosting a luncheon for missionaries at Houston’s First Baptist Church.  The church has graciously provided us a great place to meet just prior to the annual meeting of the Association of Christians Ministering to Internationals.  We will have lunch together, hear from Dr Stephen Trammell of Champion Forest Baptist Church in NW Houston, and then discuss how we can work together to advance international student and scholar ministry in 10-20 new churches this coming year. The luncheon is by invitation only.

I Love Crossover

Crossover is almost here.  This annual event is conducted by Southern Baptists to reach into the heart of the city that hosts their Convention conference.  The event consists of assisting churches in the city as they reach out to their community through block parties, prayerwalking, and other acts of kindness as they relate to sharing the gospel of Christ.

Tomorrow I will visit with local leader Kay Bennett who is coordinating a prayerwalk for Crossover.  Kay and I are hoping to advance a strong emphasis on praying for those who are affected by human trafficking and other forms of oppression.  Human trafficking is a serious problem in cities with a strong conventioneering atmosphere.  The I-10 corridor and New Orleans are some of the highest places for human trafficking in the US.  Be in prayer for Kay as she helps lead us in addressing this tragic sinful plague on our society.

Off To Rochester, MN

I will be speaking at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Rochester, MN on Sunday March 18th.  The weather is warm and there should be no flight delays in the afternoon.  My audiemce is primarily made up of IBM and Mayo Clinic people so guess I should brush up on AI related illustrations and stories!

Empower Conference – Green Lake, Wisconsin

On March 16th and 17th I will be speaking at the Minnesota/Wisconsin Empower conference.  During that time I will provide two seminars on Friday and one on Saturday morning on the subject of Love Loud in your community.  On Sunday morning March 18th I will be speaking on the subject of Compassion and Human Need at the Emmanuel Baptist Church of Rochester, MN.

Dealing With Multiple Deaths

It has been some time since I last updated this site with an article. Actually, with anything!  As well, I noticed that I have not been comfortable in the last few months with posting much on Facebook, Linkedin, or tweeting anything out.  I have actually found it difficult to find words to post anywhere, so what’s up?

After thinking it through, it is not hard to see what is happening. Death. That’s right. Death.  In August my father died which left me with a quiet phone.  Until he died, I had not realized that I spoke with him many times during the week and even nightly.  He often just shared about what he was going through, was observing in the world, or listened to what I was experiencing.  It was fun.  Then it all stopped.  Since then I have been trying to settle all my mom’s matters as she adjusts to her new life in a memory care unit.  That was hard but there is more.

In October my mom’s brother died, then in November my father-in-law died and then in December my wife’s uncle died the same week as my dad’s brother-in-law died, which was on Christmas day.  That is a lot of death but it seems to be the norm now.  As a matter of fact, 1 in 3 people over 40 will experience the death of someone close this year and over 740 veterans die every day in the U.S.  Death touches everyone.

The web is full of articles and studies on death.  After looking at some of these, I think I must be the rare person.  When my son Owen died we got through it ok…at least that is how it seemed.  My family didn’t seem to go through the ‘normal’ grieving process…See 7 Steps.  Maybe my family is remarkable but while we were greatly saddened at Owen’s death we seemed to get through those first months and years much better than most that we hear about.  I have always felt that many people wanted to question me about this but did not feel comfortable asking.   I know that our faith in the Lord and His work in our lives was the rock that carried us through it.  We long to see Owen again but we never went through the tough days others seem to experience.  God prepared us and gave us a good understanding of life and of the hope we have in the work of Christ.

So why do these recent deaths seem to affect me so.  First, I miss these people.  Five deaths in a short time is no small number!  Second, there is a lot that I have to do to help my mom continue in life.  She has financial support issues, insurance issues, social security issues, heath issues, and the list goes on.  Thirdly, my wife is now helping her mom get through her initial transition.  That is quite a bit of concern. Finally, and I should have noted this above, my job changed.  Not only did it change but I was given much greater responsibility and supervision of others.  My new job consumes my day and it shocks me when five o’clock appears out of nowhere.  Lots of life change.

Well, there you have it.  No spin, no avoiding reality but the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away…and life goes on.  Now that I have identified the possible/probable stifling of my writing ability, maybe I can beginning writing again.  I look forward to it.  Always glad to hear from others who are also dealing with death(s) in their life and how they are moving along.  Remember that the Lord cares for you and that He never leaves you nor forsakes you.

International Challenge Week 2012

Last Wednesday I met in New Orleans with the BCNetwork International Committee (a leading baptist network of campus ministers) to discuss and begin to implement a special emphasis to internationals on college campuses in 2012.  During the meeting we concluded that we should immediately announce that we have selected the first full week of October to be International Challenge Week.

This special week will encourage Baptist churches and their Baptist campus ministries to place a unique emphasis on outreach to international students and scholars and their friends and family living on or near a college campus.  There are over 700,000 internationals living on American college campuses and over 180,000 on Canadian campuses.  It is our hope that at least half of our ministries will participate in this challenge.

The International Challenge week will involve asking North Americans to sponsor events, activities and other thing for their international student classmates. It is said that almost 70% of all international students are never invited into an American home during their studies in the US. To support this effort the committee will establish a web presence to resource the week with video, pdf information and suggested event ideas.

The BCNetwork International Committee is chaired by Johnathan Chan of Tuscan, Arizona and supported by Ed Moncada of St Louis, MO, Alex Soejipto of St Louis, MO, John Aaron Matthew of Memphis, TN, and Mark Lydecker of Alpharetta, GA.  If you would like information about this special week or have some suggestions you may contact the committee members at: johnathanchan7@gmail.com  emoncada@mobaptist.org  asoetijpo@gmail.com                            johnaaronmatthew@gmail.com and mlydecker@namb.net   For some immediate resources for this week visit: www.internationals.org www.internationals.net  www.studentz.com/ism/  www.internationalstudentsbcm.blogspot.com/

 

What Will They Say About You? Make A Difference.

This is the statement which was released a few moments ago from Apple about their boss Steve Jobs.  I hope that someone will say something similar about me when I am gone.

“Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being.  Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor.  Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”

Here is a great comment from Jobs:

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do,” he told the Stanford grads in 2005.

“If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.”

NAMB Trains & Commissions 14 For Campus Outreach

It was my privilege this weekend to train and prepare 14 college campus ministers for service on 9 campuses in 6 states.  All of these leaders are fairly new to campus ministry directorship and all raise their own working and salary funds.  The funding includes programming activity, health and auto insurance, taxes, and personal salary.  This is a dedicated group of college ministers who understand  their focus and know the obstacles they face.  As colleges become more hostile toward campus ministries and religious activity, I ask they you pray for their success and effectiveness in ministry and outreach.  The campuses they will be serving include: U of Rhode Island, Worcester area colleges, Oklahoma Baptist U, Mesa Community College, New Mexico State U, Bowling Green State U, San Diego State U, San Francisco State U, and Widener.

A Tribute To Our Grandpa

On Christmas Grandpa told us that this would be his last one with us, and that we’d better enjoy it because he won’t be around next year. He said this over 20 years ago, and at every subsequent holiday or birthday we would spend with him. As a five year old when I first heard him say it, it probably freaked me out. Where was heaven? Why did my grandpa say he was going to live there? Oh the questions I probably asked my Mom and Dad. And while he continued to say his goodbyes on every high holy days or celebration, he continued to provide years of memories, wisdom, and gifts. Not physical gifts, all of us grandchildren got the same few dollars every birthday, but gifts that molded us and challenged us.

The first gift Grandpa gave us was security. I remember holding on tightly to him one of the first times we rode “thunder mountain” at Disney world. Or when I broke my arm on his back porch, him picking me up and loading me in the car to take me to the hospital. We always felt safe around him, because we knew he had our best interests in mind.

His second gift was the gift of value. When we would walk into the house to come visit,he would lean forward in his chair, smile big and call us by name. You could tell that he was genuinely was excited to see us.

His third gift was his Grandpa-isms.   When he would get excited his woo-hoo *** Finger to mouth*** “Holy Makeral” “This is awful” Noogies.   Many of these his grandkids have picked up and will continue to use.

His forth gift was authenticity. Grandpa was the same with everyone he interacted with. Sometimes too blunt, sometimes overusing his grandpa-isms, always honest, always real. When young people interact with authentic adults it gives them the freedom to do the same. Grandpa did that to people he interacted with.

His fifth gift was our Parents. If you have interacted with any of his children, our mom’s and dad’s, uncles and aunt’s. They are all different, and definitely their own persons, but they all have served as a model for us grandkids. And we know that model was greatly influenced by our grandfather.

The last and most important gift he gave us was Jesus. When my grandfather gave his life to Jesus as a young man, he changed our family tree. His children and grandchildren walk with the Lord, and the countless lives that have been touched by his and his children and grandchildren are a domino result of his decision to walk with Jesus. It is this gift that was the foundation to the other gifts that he gave us. Well, I don’t know if Jesus would want to take credit for the grandpa-isms. Either way, he blazed the trail that his children and grandchildren would walk, and by the grace of God his great grand-children and their children will do the same. Grandpa left a legacy, one that I am proud to be part of.

Two Christmas’s ago was the last Christmas I got to spend with my grandfather. And he again said that this would be his last Christmas and that we’d better enjoy it. I didn’t freak out like I did when I was 5. I responded with something like, “Maybe Grandpa… but the amount of Christmas’s we miss together, will pale in comparison to the amount of Christmas’s we spend together, when we both make it home.” I can’t wait to spend another holiday with my Grandpa, and he won’t make a threat that it is his last again.

by Adam (AJ) Swanson on behalf of himself, Pam, Christian, Steve, Joel, Melinda, Lindsey, David, Owen, Rachel, Tom, and Ashley

Marking Your Mark

On Saturday, September 17th, I will be speaking at an English as a Second Language conference in Columbia, Maryland.  The general session I am leading is called, “Marks of A Leader”.  For more information about the seminar see: http://bcmd.org/esl-conference1