FYI, this is the song Travis sang in Melissa’s wedding. It’s “Forevermore” from the album Found. Thank you, Rich, for another amazing recap!
Author Archive
The Weakness of Will-Powered Living
Holiness, the Holy Spirit, and James Coney Island
by Curtis Jones
Last night I swore off fast food. I’ve been having some stomach pains and a few days ago I ran out of Zantac. It’s not the first time. A few years ago I noticed I was starting to develop sharp pains in my stomach. Since I’m a male, I didn’t do anything about it. One day I was on the way to eat lunch with a friend and the pain was so unbearable I made him turn around and take me to the doctor. The problem was, since I am a male, I didn’t even have a doctor. So I looked one up in the yellow pages. I arrived at the doctor’s office, told him the situation, and waited as he ran some tests. He was perplexed, so he told me about Zantac (praise God), and scheduled me for an ultrasound the next morning. I was a little embarrassed to be having an ultrasound since the only people I knew who received ultrasounds were pregnant women. I was confident I wasn’t pregnant. In high school my youth pastor told us that if we filled out a True Love Waits card we didn’t have to worry about getting pregnant. It turned out he was right.
When I showed up for my appointment, I was escorted into a small dark room and asked to slip into one of those paper gowns. Then they made me wait as if it were some twisted joke among the staff. “The guy in room 1b is wearing the paper gown! How long should we make him wait?” Eventually, a woman came in and told me to lie down on the table. She took a wand and rubbed it around my stomach. I tried to peek at the screen, at which time she informed me that I wasn’t allowed to see it and then moved it out of view. While she did veil the screen from my eyes, she failed to veil her amusement at the state of my stomach. I’ll spare you the diagnosis, but suffice it to say that I needed to cut out soda and French fries.
Last night my gastrointestinal misery led me to proclaim to Amanda that I was done with any food you can get through a window. She seemed unmoved by my new commitment, probably because it is not the first time she has heard it. No doubt she knew I couldn’t, wouldn’t follow through. Turns out, she was right. Only thirteen short hours after my resolute decree I found myself in the drive-thru of James Coney Island (home of the best chili dog in Houston). They have the freshest buns, the juiciest hot dogs, and cheese that comes out of a gun. I was bewitched. I couldn’t resist the siren’s call. And I’m weak.
I’m the king of commitments. My specialty is spiritual commitments. I’m going to read through the Bible in one year. I’m going to share my faith every day. I’m going pray with my wife every night. You name the commitment and I guarantee I have made it. And broken it. Each time I come with good intentions, a pure heart, and an intense desire to do what is right, but rarely does it work.
Will-powered faith is the worst kind of faith. A relationship with God that is rooted in our ability or strength is doomed to fail for two reasons. First, a will-powered faith will result in self-loathing. We make commitments, try our hardest, give it our all, and fail. So we try again…and fail. And the only person we have to blame is ourselves. Some of us suffer from a spiritual depression because we have lived in a cycle between trying and failing for so long. Second, if our will-powered faith doesn’t end in self-loathing it is because it ended in self-righteousness. We make commitments, try our hardest, and we succeed. We congratulate ourselves on a job well done. Then we look around and notice that other people are not experiencing the same success we are. Why don’t they try as hard as me? Maybe they are just not as godly. Self-loathing or self-righteousness—God hates both.
That’s why he sent us a Helper. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:16-17, ESV). Jesus said it was to our advantage that He went away so He could send the Holy Spirit (John 16:7) to rescue us from the inevitable cycle of human strength-centered living. He will give us the help that we cannot give ourselves. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21, ESV). The Holy Spirit’s power at work within you, the same power that raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11), is able to do for you supernaturally what you could not do naturally: live for Jesus and resist fast food.
A Little Leader Love
Two weeks ago we wrapped up our Breaking Free Bible study in Houston and we got a chance to share a little bit about it on the blog. Now we would love to hear from all you Bible-study-leading, blogging siestas. How did your semester go? Chime in whether or not it was a Beth Moore study. We just want people in the Word!
Last Day of Taping
*UPDATE*
Here’s the latest text message my mom sent me:
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! God heard the prayers of the saints! It was cold and at times sprinkling the least bit but mission was accomplished to the great glory of God! 4:28 p.m.
Hey Siestas! I would like to ask for your prayers for the taping today. Beth and the crew were not able to film this morning because of bad weather. They are getting ready to try again right now. Please pray for God to clear out the rain and grant them favor to get everything done this afternoon. He is so gracious! Thanks, y’all!
Remembering in the Desert
Guess what!?!? I am blogging from the LPM office today! Isn’t that fun? I almost brought my camera to document the day, but I decided not to pester my co-workers with a camera flash on my first day back. The Jones family made the move down to Houston two weeks ago. I will still be working mostly from home, but on Thursdays Curt and I will switch places so that I can work in-office with the rest of the Village. I have been away for four years and I probably don’t need to tell you how good it feels to be able to see and talk to these wonderful women again on a regular basis! There is a lot of iron sharpening iron in this office and my spirit dearly missed that while I was away. These women have set the bar high and I benefit from their influence in countless ways.
Well, this has been a big week. Curtis started work at LPM, Beth flew up to the Dallas area to do a filming at the Life Today studios, and she heads back out of town again today. She is meeting up with her beloved LifeWay film crew to tape “intros and outros” for the Esther series. (Intros and outros are the little clips you see immediately before and after the teaching sessions.) They will film on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and then we will get her back home on Monday. Beth and the crew would love to have your prayer support during the next few days. The biggest request is for great weather and no rain!
In October of 2006, Beth and the crew filmed intros and outros for the updated version of the Tabernacle study. Beth wrote a really neat reflection about that week and, not having a blog at that time, we posted it on our devotional page. Here’s a link to it in case you’d like to check it out: Remembering in the Desert.
Our Beloved Lee Sizemore
I can’t remember who came up with this word, but somewhere along the way Travis Cottrell and any other (generally invisible) male blog readers acquired the name “miesta.” It is, of course, the male answer to “siesta.”
I want you all to know about a very special miesta who was used by God to bring Christian women all over this nation and even across the world together for Bible study. His name is Lee Sizemore and, to say it simply, he was the visionary and the video producer for the first 10 Bible study series my mom got to film. Had health concerns not necessitated early retirement, he would have also produced the three that followed. From A Woman’s Heart to The Patriarchs(ten years later, and dedicated to him), Lee worked tirelessly to produce discipleship materials for women like us. He also produced video-driven Bible studies for many other teachers, among them Anne Graham Lotz, Jennifer Rothschild, and Angela Thomas. I’m sure many of them felt about Lee as Mom did. She considered him one of the dearest friends she’d ever had and one of the most significant co-laborers God, in His measureless grace, had ever sent her way.
When I was sixteen, Lee hired me to be a production assistant for the To Live is Christ series. I enjoyed getting to work behind the scenes with his team so much. Lee was always there with something encouraging or amusing to say. Throughout the years it was such a joy when the LifeWay team would come to Houston or when I had the chance to be on another film set. They were a very special group of people with an exceptional, wonderful leader.
After an almost three-year battle with severe health problems, our brother Lee Sizemore went home to be with Jesus on Saturday, March 22, 2008. The next morning, as we all celebrated the Risen Christ in our man-made church sanctuaries, Lee got to see the resurrected Lamb of God with His own eyes and worship in His visible, glorious presence. Though tears fall from my eyes even now, it blesses me to know that our dear friend had this privilege.
Lee leaves behind an adoring, faithful bride of nearly 40 years named Myrna, two sons, two daughters-in-law, four grandchildren, and a slew of friends and co-workers who all loved him very much. His absence will leave a tremendous void in their lives. Myrna’s birthday is this Wednesday and her precious husband’s funeral will be held on Thursday. I know many of you have watched the Bible study videos and will want to cover Myrna and her family in prayer during this difficult week. Thank you in advance. Myrna is a siesta, so if anyone wants to share a word of love, encouragement, or thanks, we will make sure she gets to see it.
*Lee is the one next to my mom in each of these pictures.
The Patriarchs
Living Beyond Yourself 
Breaking Free
A Tribute
When Curt and I were first married, we served in the youth ministry at Houston’s First Baptist Church. In July of 2003, we were going to help lead a youth mission trip to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. This was going to be the Joneses’ first trip to Honduras and our first mission trip as a married couple. (Curt has been back three more times and is actually there right now.) Our church had strong ties with Larry and Jean Elliott, a missionary couple who had been serving in that area for decades. Every summer HFBC sent a youth team to work with them and their mission churches.
A few months before the trip, the Elliotts were going to be in our city visiting family. They had raised their son and daughter in Honduras and were now grandparents of young children who lived in Houston. We set up a time to meet with them and the other couple leading the trip with us so that we could plan our week. I had never met the Elliotts, nor any other career missionaries, and I honestly had no idea what to expect. In my ignorance and stupidity, I thought the dinner would probably be really boring. I didn’t even want to go, but I knew I should.
I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that this precious couple shattered any preconceived notion that I had about missionaries. Larry and Jean were some of the warmest, most joyful, most down to earth people I had ever met. We fell in love with them instantly. One thing that struck me was how much they laughed, and I have to say that it was a treat to hear Larry’s laugh. He had such a good one. Larry and Jean had tons of stories to tell about their experiences in Honduras. It was so interesting to listen to them. God had given this couple an incredible twenty-six-year ministry there. The first church they planted had grown exponentially and had gone on to plant more churches that in turn planted more churches. God had His hand on everything they did. They had a passion for disaster relief, which I believe was birthed out of the devastation that Hurricane Mitch brought to that country in 1998. Only God knows how many lives they were able to touch through evangelism, discipleship, and ministering to folks in the midst of crisis.
After the dinner, I had so much to say to Curt about this wonderful couple. I couldn’t wait for our trip. Before long, we arrived in Tegucigalpa with our youth and got to work. We were able to see first hand what God had done and was doing in that area through seeds the Elliotts, other missionaries like the Torbert family, and local believers had planted.
The Elliotts had our whole team over to their house for dinner one night and served us a great meal. Just being in their home made an impact on me. I remember saying something to Jean about the house and she was quick to say, “Thank you, Lottie Moon!” If you are Southern Baptist, you may know that the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering helps support our 5,193 IMB missionaries on the field.
That night Larry showed us a slideshow and some souvenirs from his recent trip to Iraq. His passion for anyone living in devastation was burning a hole in his heart for the Iraqi people. He wanted to enable hospitals and people to have purified water and, simply put, he could help! I wish I could convey his excitement as he showed us each picture in the slide show. He and Jean were seriously seeking God about ending their ministry in Honduras and beginning a new one in Iraq.
The trip came to an end and I got a big hug and “We love you!” from Jean in the airport. I nearly cried saying goodbye to her. She was just such a dear person.
I came home from Honduras changed in many ways. For one, I had learned that missionaries are regular people – regular people who love the Lord and are willing to serve Him outside their comfort zones. The Elliotts made me realize that being a missionary was not for the highest order of pious, perfect, solemn believers, which is what I had always imagined. Instead, a missionary could actually be someone like me! Or like you! A normal person who loves the Lord, who laughs, who loves their grandkids, and who loves being with friends. Don’t get me wrong. The Elliotts are spiritual giants, but the message of their life said, “You can do this, too. God can use you!”
Just two months later, having gained some confidence that God could use a normal person like me outside my comfort zone, Curt and I began looking into an opportunity to serve teenagers in England. It would only be for five months, but that seemed like a long time to us! We would leave March 9, 2004.
Before we left, Larry and Jean came back to Houston for a visit. Larry needed to borrow a car for a few days, so we got to take him our truck. Later they both came to Tuesday night Bible study. I was so excited to have them there. Jean had been in some of my mom’s Bible studies back in Honduras. I got to send some resources from the office back to the mission field with them and they gave us a bottle of yummy Honduran vanilla, among other things. It was such a blessing to cross paths with them again. Jean told me we might see them in England sometime since that would be sort of a home base for them while they were living in Iraq.
March 9 finally came and we boarded a British Airways flight to the UK. We were really excited, but I was also nervous and worried about being terribly homesick. Just five days later, on March 14, I was checking my email and received devastating news. Jean and Larry Elliott, along with missionaries David McDonnall and Karen Watson, had been killed in Mosul, Iraq. They had been checking out different locations for water purification projects in the city when their truck was targeted and attacked by gunmen. Only newlywed Carrie McDonnall had survived.
My world was spinning and my heart was absolutely broken to pieces. “No, Lord! This can’t be! And we are here – in part – because of them!” I wanted my mother, but she was an ocean away. I wanted to grieve with everyone else and talk about the impact this couple had had on my life, but we would not be able return to the States for their memorial service in Houston.
I don’t understand how anyone could harm, even murder, such precious people – people who had come to help them! And it hurts tremendously to think about the huge loss their families have experienced. But I do know that the Lord, in a way that is hard for my human mind to grasp, honored these servants by allowing them to not only live for Him, but to also die for Him.
Today, on the fourth anniversary of the homegoings of Larry and Jean Elliott, David McDonnall, and Karen Watson, let’s give profuse praise to God for selfless, courageous people who put their lives on the line every day as they work to build up God’s Kingdom. Let’s thank Him for the advancement of Light into darkness and for the souls who will worship before the throne from cultures that are hostile toward the Gospel of Christ. Let’s pray for our Christian brothers and sisters who are enduring persecution, especially in Iraq. Let’s praise God for their perseverance and for the glory they bring to Him. Let’s ask God to bless our sweet friend Carrie McDonnall as she continues to pour out her life for her Savior. Let’s praise Jesus for the victory He has already won and for the day He will do away with death forever!
We may not want to die like these precious saints, but we want to live like them – with courage, selflessness, faithfulness, and love.
“They overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” (Revelation 12:11)
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
*If you’d like to read more about these missionaries, check out these two resources:
Facing Terror by Carrie McDonnall and Kristen Billerbeck
Lives Given, Not Taken by Erich Bridges and Jerry Rankin
