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Missionaries to Argentina

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January 3, 2019 By Stephen Underwood Leave a Comment

10 Manly Things my sons should know before leaving my house… And I am responsible for teaching them!

I have often taken for granted the knowledge that my dad passed down to me through just watching him work in the garage, in the back yard, or even getting ready in the morning. I don’t remember dad saying, “son, let me show you how to check the oil.” Rather, I just remember wanting to be where he was and doing what he did.

The generation in which we live now is much different than the one I grew up in. As a matter of fact, it is more common today to find that “dad” is no where to be found and young men are being raised by mom or grandma. This is even more a reality among the Xhosa people here in South Africa where we minister.

I now have a 10 year old, a 5 year old, and a 2 year old; all boys! I praise the Lord for them! I enjoy hearing them wrestle. I enjoy watching them pick up rocks, or make “stick knives.” I’m glad when they walk in with a scraped up knee from jumping off something they probably shouldn’t had!

I am also very concerned about them being prepared for life! A life, that in many ways, is harder than what I live with. A life that because of society, dilutes and minimizes the importance of being a man. With convenience at our fingertips, safe spaces in which to retreat, and regulations that prevent hurt feelings; is it a wonder that no one knows how to do anything for themselves?!

Below are 10 basic lessons that I want and purpose my sons to know before they leave my house:

  1. Proper personal hygiene. Your body is the temple of God, you are not your own, you are bought with a price! Take care of yourself! There is absolutely no reason at all that a young man should not know how to wash, shave, put on deodorant, or brush his teeth! But these are things that must be taught and I have a responsibility as a dad to teach my boys!
  2. Iron your clothes. Granted, I have a loving, caring, serving wife; and she will make sure that my pants and shirts are ironed! That does not give me an excuse not to know how, and know how to do it right!
  3. Make your bed. Long before the Army taught me to make a bed so tight that you could bounce a quarter off, and long before I knew that the collar of the sheets should be 6 inches in width; my mom and dad taught me to make my bed! I remember as a kid, my favorite part was tucking my 45 degree corners and seeing a crisp, tight crease at the foot!
  4. Cook on a charcoal grill. One of the ways my dad and I bonded was around the grill or in the kitchen. He enjoyed cooking. He really enjoyed smoking meat! I remember on Thanksgiving and Christmas, people from his work placing orders for him to smoke turkeys. Some of the best advice and conversation I ever had was around some hot coals. These are memories that I carry with me to this day!
  5. Drive a manual transmission. “If you can drive a stick, you can drive anything!” These words have stayed with me my whole life. He also taught me, “in most cases, you don’t need 4 wheel drive if you can drive a stick!” That hasn’t always been true for me, but mostly… 🙂
  6. PMCS (Preventative Maintenance Checks and Services) on your car. Again, before the Army showed me how to do PMCS on HUMVEES and the old k5’s; dad and I were working on old CJ 5’s and CJ 7 jeeps. Check the oil, make sure there’s coolant in the radiator, brake fluid, and if you’re fortunate enough, power steering fluid!
  7. Sharpen a knife. This one is a big deal for me, because I love knives! Knives are a tool. They are one of the oldest tools man has been known to use. Today, people think you are crazy if you carry a pocket knife…until they need to cut something, then they ask “anyone have a knife?” I like to carry an opinel #7 because of the good steel (high carbon), the open and close lock position, and they run about $10, so if you lose one or break it, it’s not a big deal. However, a dull knife is a dangerous knife! Learn to keep it sharp! And with certain steels, keep them oiled.
  8. Kill, clean, and cook something. Anything! A fish, a deer, a rabbit…anything! You will appreciate everything about it more! I still remember the first fish Peyton caught. We were with my friend Nathan Gregory in Michigan. It was a great day for Peyton, it was a better day for me!
  9. Accept responsibility, and learn to apologize! Unfortunately, today, everyone else is to blame, someone else owes you something, no one knows what personal responsibility is. When other’s money is used up, when “free” whatever is gone; what will you do? Take responsibility for yourself! Learn to say, “I’m sorry.” Usually, many of our problems can be quickly and quietly fixed with those two words. I think there’s a verse in the Bible about that… “A soft answer turneth away wrath:”? Proverbs 15:1
  10. Teach others also. 2 Tim 2:2 is the crux of my ministry philosophy. Pour my life, bible, character, faithfulness, service, etc. into young men that will be able to teach others as well! Your greatest disciples are your children…teach them! I want my sons to know how to do these basic things as men, but I also want them to be able to teach them to their sons one day! If we are to continue long after we are dead and gone, then the torch must be passed from generation to generation!

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Filed Under: Prayer Letters, Reaching, Teaching, Training, and Sending Tagged With: Character, Discipleship, Discipline, Family, Manhood, Teaching, Thoughts, Training

May 12, 2016 By Stephen Underwood Leave a Comment

Quick Update 5/12/16

It’s been a tremendous week here at Sand Mountain Bible Camp for our annual Vision Baptist Missions Orientation! I love having the opportunity to be challenged, encouraged, and to fellowship with my brothers in the battle for Christ!

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One of my heroes, Bro Jim Roberts III Missionary to India

I appreciate Pastor Austin Gardner (our President), and Brother Jeff Bush (our Director) sacrificing their time to teach us and give us the tools we need to be successful in ministry! Their investment in my life is one of the greatest assets I have in my spiritual tool kit, and I am grateful for them.

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VBM Director and my friend, Jeff Bush

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Pastor Austin Gardner, VBM President and Mentor

I wanted to give quick update also on our progress toward our departure date! Neyland is now two weeks old!! His social security card has arrived, but we are still waiting on his birth certificate in order to move forward in the visa process.

Here are the steps we are taking and ask that you pray with us about over the next several weeks:

  1. Receive Neyland’s birth certificate, and expedite his passport.
  2. Drive to Washington DC to the South African Embassy and turn in our visa application
  3. Purchase airfare
  4. End of July, LEAVE FOR SOUTH AFRICA!!!

We still have several meetings between now and the time we leave, and are trusting God to continue providing the remaining 18% needed to reach our support goal!

Thank you all for praying with us, and we believe that our Great God can and will supply our every need according to His riches in Glory!

Your Missionaries to South Africa,

Stephen, Ashlee, Peyton, Eli, and Neyland
The Underwood Family
Acts 20:24
southafricamissions.com

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Filed Under: Prayer Letters, Reaching, Teaching, Training, and Sending Tagged With: challenge, Missions, preparation, South Africa, Teaching, Training, Updates, Vision Bapitst Missions, World Evangelism

September 7, 2013 By Stephen Underwood Leave a Comment

Personal Study of Holiness

Holiness

As a child of God we must think, and live in a way that honors Him. In order for us to have victory over sin, we must understand what is most important to God. If we will follow and obey two truths from God’s word, the foundation will be laid for us to remain spiritually, mentally and physically pure.

Matthew 22:35-40
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

In this passage of scripture; Jesus teaches us that the greatest commandment is for us to LOVE God! I believe that the reason He instructs us to love God fully is because when we love Him the way He deserves, then we begin to love the things that He loves.

When we LOVE God with our whole heart:

1) His desires become our desires and we love what He loves!
Ps 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

This does not mean that if we love God or delight ourselves in Him, that we get anything and everything we want! Prosperity gospel is heretical teaching and leads men astray by the thousands! It does however mean, that when we delight ourselves in the Lord, we love Him more, that His desires will also be our desires. We will grow to love and want the things that He wants and loves!Here are a few things that God loves that we should also love:

  • The World: “for God so loved the world…” – Jn 3:16
  • Worship: “singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” – Col 3:16
  • Honor: “or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” – 1Cor 1:31
  • Holiness: “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” – 1Pet 1:16
  • Reverence: “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” – Matt 6:9

2) We love one another!
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another:and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

What are some ways we can show love one to another?

  • Show them Jesus: “and ye shall be witnesses unto me…” – Acts 1:8
  • Bear each other’s burdens: “Bear ye one another’s burdens…” – Gal 6:2
  • Pray for each other: “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men…” – 1Tim 2:1
  • Serve one another: “ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.” – Jn 13:14
    3) We live a holy life!
    1 Peter 1:13-16 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

In 1 Pet 1:13a the Bible says to gird up the loins of your mind.
To gird up your loins simply means to prepare. It must be a conscious decision to prepare your mind. If you do not decide to be guarded in our lives each day, then we will eventually fall. It is the daily effort of purposing in your heart that you will not defile yourself. (Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank:therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.)

The passage also states that we should not fashion or live according to our old nature before salvation. Even though we are no longer “ignorant” to the grace of God, if we are not very careful, we live in our former unsaved state.

Heb 12:1,2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The first two verses of Hebrews tells us to lay aside things that hinder our relationship with God and the sin that we are most susceptible to.

The verse uses the illustration of a race that we run. To effectively run the race of a godly life we must put off weights and sin that would slow us down or hinder us from running.

What are some weights that could slow us down in the race of a Christian life?

  1. Our jobs
  2. Our hobbies
  3. Material things and wealth
  4. Even our families

These things in and of themselves are not “bad” things. However, when they begin to take up priority, when they take God’s place in our hearts, then they become wrong!
Matt 6:33 instruct us to seek first God’s kingdom, then all these things listed above will fall into the right priorities.

What are some sins that can so easily best us?

  1. Sex outside of marriage
  2. Pornography
  3. Alcohol
  4. Worldly Friends

The bible is very clear that we should abstain from fornication, fleshly lusts, drunkenness, and to be careful of our friends.

James 1:14,15 “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

James gives us the progression of feeding our lust.

  1. We are enticed by things that appeal to our flesh. This may be different for each individual. I may be enticed by something another person has no desire for. Satan knows this also. He will use bait that you enjoy to draw your attention and desire from the Lord.
  2. When that lust is acted upon, it produces sin. This is when lust is no longer an enticement, but something we have acted on.
  3. Then when sin has run it’s course, death is the end result.

It has been said that “sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”

This is why it is so important for us to remain guarded each day, putting on the whole armor of God!

Eph 6:11 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

It all goes back to the original command; Love God with all your heart! When you strive each day to be more in love with Him, everything else will have its proper place in our lives. Priorities will be in line with His will. Fleshly desires will be be quenched, our minds will be prepared, and God can get ultimate glory from our lives! Living a holy live is not to be a burden or yoke of bondage; but rather allow us to know and experience real JOY!

Stephen Underwood
Acts 20:24
stephenunderwood.net

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Filed Under: Reaching, Teaching, Training, and Sending Tagged With: Bible Study, Godliness, Growth, Holiness, Learning, Spiritual Growth, Study, Teaching, Training

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