New India Blog Site

I have created a new blog site specifically for my trip to India. For daily updates (or as often as I can), photos and video footage go to redhillsindia.blogspot.com.

Red Hills India

From February 1-14 I will be embarking on an adventure of a lifetime. I was asked to be part of a team of 20 to go to Chennai, India to take the Good News of Christ to this city of 1.5 million. My specific role will be to serve with the technical team in setting up audio/visual equipment and assisting with photography and videography. This is especially exciting for me because the Lord has chosen me to use the gifts he has given me to use to His glory. My background is in graphic design, but over the years have "evolved" into more of a rounded communications area. I am a photographer and graphic designer at Corban College, and, by God's grace, I have been led to many people in ministry that can benefit by what I do as I can benefit from their knowledge in the Lord and experience in ministry.

Here is a brief background: the team I am traveling with is headed up by Reid Saunders, an alum of Corban. The Reid Saunders Association (RSA) travels around the world telling the Good News through evangelistic events. I had the chance to get to know Reid through various events at the college and around the city of Salem. RSA was created under the umbrella organization Next Generation Alliance (NGA), a Luis Palau company. NGA is also associated with Livin' It, an extreme sports ministry headed up by Stephen Baldwin (yes, of the Hollywood Baldwin brothers). I also had the opportunity to meet Luis at an event in Salem and was at that time asked to go on this trip. The trip involves setting up events to share the Good News of Christ with the people of Chennai. It has been more than 15 years since the Gospel has been taken into this city, so there is expected to be at least 4000 people attending each event per day.

I am truly amazed at how God has been working in my life. This is just another step in my spiritual growth that will lead to yet another step. I am learning that, by faith, stepping out into the unknown is perhaps the most gratifying experience, because I know God's hand is in it and He is in control of everything; nothing is impossible through God! I can see how he has worked in my life and it gives me a hint of where He will lead me in the future.

For those of you who are interested in my trip, I will be logging my experience on this blog beginning soon. I leave on February 1st and will attempt to post as much as possible (wherever I have an internet connection). If you would like to help with this trip you can do so by praying for the team and I. We need specific prayer for God to prepare our hearts for this experience, for all necessary doors to be opened, for protection from harm (both physically and spiritually), to focus on Christ and strengthen our fellowship and to prepare the people of India to receive Christ into their lives. You can also help by supporting me financially. Since I didn't even know about this trip until about one month ago and it wasn't confirmed I was going until a few weeks ago, I have just a short time to do any fundraising. If this is something that is on your heart, I ask you to help send me to India on your behalf. God has blessed us all in different ways, some financially and some not. I have been blessed by being chosen to go on this trip. I honestly don't feel worthy of it, but very humbled that I can serve with the team. I know the Lord will provide financially for me through certain people and He has already selected them. By supporting me, by prayer and/or financially, you’ll have an opportunity to be a part of this trip. I am grateful for anything you can do.

If you have any questions or concerns or would like to chat about the trip, please feel free to get in touch with me at cwells@corban.edu.

Our Fallible President

The recent national address by President Bush got me thinking about where this man has been in the last 7 years... It made me realize some things about how we, as humans, are fallible. We have our personal weaknesses and our strenths. By nature, we dwell on weakness. Why? I don't know. It may be how God programmed us. Trusting in God by raw faith is perhaps opposite what our bodies tell us to do. I think that maybe we were created to seek truth, to know that what "is" is weak and that there is something better. It's possible that our reaction to this human trait is to look inward and to attempt to acheive greatness ourselves. To attempt to become greater than the weakness we find in others. This is the case with many Americans, and actually, the entire human race. I do believe we have pointed our efforts in the wrong place. Instead of inward, we need to be pointing upward. God designed us to seek Him!

President Bush is a fallible man. Not perfect by any means and, yes, he has made some major mistakes as president. But what has he done to better our country and the world? I was discussing with my wife last night about our world politics and the countries and powers within it right now. We are living in an incredible time of history - the United States is the most powerful country in the world! And the man who leads it is simply a man. However, I believe he is a wise man. I can't begin to image the trials he has gone through and I would not wish that on anyone. But he has also been through some incredibly gratifying times. Our infallible God chose him to lead this country whether we like it or not. As a Christian, I am called to obey the leaders of nations and those put into power as long as it is not in defiance of my faith, because God put them there. Although I don't agree with everything he has done as a president, George W. Bush has my utmost respect. Consider what is going on in our world right now. It is not the same world we knew 100 years ago, 50 years ago, or even 10 years ago. A time in history that we should all be proud to be a part of.

"I'm a Methodist. I'm an active church member. . . I attend church, I like church . . . I've heard great preachers, I've heard not-so-great preachers. I love the hymns, I read the Bible daily. . . .I pray on a daily basis. I've got a structure to my life where religion plays a role. I understand religion is a walk, it's a journey. And I fully recognize that I'm a sinner, just like you. That's why Christ died. He died for my sins and your sins."
-- "George W. Bush: Running on His Faith," US News Online

"I would describe myself as a man who was raised a Christian, who sought redemption and found it in Jesus Christ. And that's important by the way, for someone running for public office. It's a humbling experience to make that admission. I admit I'm a lowly sinner. It's that admission that led me to redemption and led me to Christ. Without making that admission, I don't think there's such a thing as redemption."
-- interview with the Baptist Press, 31 August 2000

New Year – New Beginning

The new year brings an opportunity to start fresh. A new beginning to a new year. Resolutions are made to be better, do better, have more, do more, etc, etc.

To me, the new year is a reminder of death. Dying to my past and looking to a new future full of hope and optimism. Dying to a part of myself I don't want to be in this new year. Dying to selfish ambitions and realizing a greater purpose. To decrease is to increase. A new year? A new opportunity? A second (or third, or fourth) try? A new life? Yes, all of these. Only through death am I worthy of such a claim. The death of a man to live life like I should, like I know I am to live. Giving credit where credit is due? Jesus.

ADHD or CEO?

This is a great post to consider the natural tendencies of those diagnosed with ADHD and the leadership abilities of your average CEO: Sleepy Bear Hollow: Ponder this