Persecution and Bible Translation

Click here to see Open Doors' list of countries where Christians are most persecuted. You'll notice our future home, Nigeria, is on the list but they specify that it is on the list because of the northern part of the country. We'll be living pretty central in the country, but a great number of the Bible translation needs are in the North. (This map shows this in visual form.)

In fact, if you look at the list of the top 20 countries that are in need of Bible translation, nearly half of them show up on Open Doors' list. A challenge, indeed.

Sad Day--The Citizen Has Closed

During the summer of 1994, I walked into the office of The Charlevoix County Press, Boyne City's local newspaper. (Boyne City is my hometown in northern Michigan.) I was responding to a help wanted ad for a sports writer--but I was only a high school freshman. I liked sports and liked to write...plus I needed a job. Why not go for it?

Hugh Conklin, editor at that time, took a risk and hired me. I started by covering golf and tennis, and some of the freshman and JV teams. By my sophomore year, I landed my first front page article while covering varsity boys basketball, the second biggest sports team in town (after football).

By the end of my senior year I had worked for the paper (by then called the Citizen-Journal) for four years and the following summer, Hugh gave me a huge responsibility in a smaller weekly paper owned by the Citizen-Journal, the Walloon Lake Villager. I took pictures, reported and wrote the stories, handled much of the physical layout, and even helped with bulk mailing. The newspaper business became a part of my identity, and I still think back fondly on those days.

My parents informed me today that the Citizen-Journal has closed after 128 years of publishing in Boyne City. (Click here for an article about the closing.) The Internet has taken its toll on the newspaper business in general, but this situation hits especially close to home. It is a sad day, indeed.

(As something of a side note, I am really proud of my brother Bradley, whose picture was featured on the front page of the last issue. He is part of band called The Vermeers and there was a story about their new album release.)

Judah Macrae Winkler

Here is a recent picture of Judah Macrae Winkler, born December 15. We're not sure if he's scared of the bear or just hungry. Probably just hungry.

There...now I can blog all these things that I've been wanting to blog since the birth but it just didn't feel right because I hadn't posted a birth announcement yet. (Even though I think everyone that reads this blog knew about the birth within 48 hours.)

Greg Maddux

I'm a big baseball fan, and I'm also very much a fan of people who humbly excel at their craft. That's why I've always liked Greg Maddux, even though he's never played on a team which I was following.

I think this article captures the essence of Maddux and even non-sports fans might appreciate this well-written piece about what he was all about. He will be missed, as he just announced his retirement.

Together

Watch "Together" The Forum of Bible Agencies - North America in Faith Videos  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Looking Ahead to Our Future Home

Many of you know that in June 2009, Christie and I are hoping to make the move to Jos, Nigeria, to continue our work in support of worldwide Bible translation. Unless you're paying close attention to the world news, you might have missed this news story out of Jos. (Although it has been creeping up the headlines in the last 12 hours or so.)

Please pray for all residents of Jos, Muslim and Christian alike, and for the violence to cease immediately. From the limited news I've heard, all of our colleagues are okay and we continue to pray for their safety amidst this crisis.

Bob on the Radio

I had the privilege this morning to help arrange (it was a team effort) an interview for my boss and Wycliffe President, Bob Creson, with Christian Broadcasting Network. Click here to listen to the interview, which will air on various CBN outlets over the coming days.

For all of you Orlando people, we hope to see you at Wycliffe on Saturday, November 22!

Please let me know if you have questions. This invite is available via PDF by clicking here. More information can be found at the Last Languages Campaign website.

Finally, a Chance

I'm a baseball fan.

When I first moved to San Francisco in 2002, the Giants were on a roll and wound up in the World Series. Thinking this might be something of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity--to see a World Series game and being able to almost walk to the stadium--my friend Scott and I tried to get tickets. The morning tickets went on sale, one of us would work the phone while the other would try online. Then we'd switch.

After a couple hours, as my memory recalls, we gave up.

Now, however, the Tampa Bay Rays are just a few wins away from the making it to the World Series--and bringing the Series to a stadium just a short drive down I-4 from where we live. Just yesterday the realization set in that I might have the opportunity to see a game.

Chances are probably better this time around, being that Tropicana Field is a fairly large stadium with few fans. Looks like sometime soon I might be hitting "Redial" to Ticketmaster again and again and again...

To-Do Lists

As I was reflecting on all that needs to happen between now and when the baby comes--and now and when we potentially move overseas--I made a (not very profound) realization last night.

Unless we continually take steps forward, nearly every day, stuff won't happen and our To-Do lists won't get checked off--the end result being that we're not prepared. Yesterday was getting some finances in order and making some calls about insurance for the baby. Not sure what baby steps (no pun intended) will take place today, but I have realized that I need to keep looking for them. All that needs to get done won't get done if we don't take action, piece by piece. It's way too easy to be overwhelmed by the list and just shut it down.

And if anyone was wondering, 82 days until Baby Winkler is slated to arrive. :-)

The Latest Priceline Fans

Christie and I had a friend who was telling us that he likes using Priceline's "Name Your Own Price" feature, so we decided to try it out a few times for our recent California trip. We are now some of Priceline's biggest fans!

In San Francisco, we wound up paying $88/night for a nice hotel very close to the heart of downtown--almost half of what the room was going for elsewhere. We're still not sure why they gave it to us for that price, because surely they were losing money on us--but we certainly didn't ask why!

Then we used it for an airport hotel flying out of SFO. If I had booked the cheapest possible online, we would have paid $65 for a dump. Instead, we wound up in a three-star for $60.

Somewhere, somebody is regretting they ever let people like the Winklers use Priceline.

First Fay...then Gustav...now Hanna...soon Ike

A brief hurricane update for those of you not in Central Florida:

We made it out of Tropical Storm (or TS, as the locals like to say) Fay with minimal wind and rain damage. (The worst part of Fay for us was all of the ants that decided to take refuge in our kitchen.) I think Hurricane Gustav pretty much missed us completely, but I don't know for sure since we were in California when it came through. We're getting overcast skies and a little rain right now from TS Hanna, and I don't think that it will get any worse than that for us here in Central Florida.

Hurricane Ike is now looming on the horizon, and appears to have South Florida in its sights. This would probably mean Orlando might get hit hard, although I'm still a relative novice at this hurricane-prediction thing.

Tropical Storm Fay

For the first time since living in Florida, it looks like I might actually experience a tropical storm--Fay. Most schools are closed tomorrow (and some for Wednesday already), Wycliffe's office is closed, store marquees are saying "Stay Away Fay," and all the talk is either about Fay or reminiscing about previous storms.

The damage shouldn't be too bad, but we might be holed up at our house for a while. Thankfully if we get bored playing games with each other, we can always go next door and hang out with the eight kids there.

Thanks to all those for praying for us--we'll try to keep you posted through this blog.

Does a Degree Matter?

I was talking with a colleague today about college degrees. Do the degrees do anything for us? Most of the people I graduated with are working in something completely outside of their major(s). I'm sure much of the same is true for others as well. For the role in which I'm currently serving, I probably "should" have majored in business administration. Instead I was a social studies major--with an elementary teaching certificate to boot. Yet I would say that my college education prepared me extremely well for this role.

Of course, the value is not as much in the degree itself and even less so what your major was (with a few exceptions), but more so in the college experience as a whole (the degree is only a representation of that experience). When I got home tonight, I read an interesting article from Crown Ministries on this very topic. A couple pull-out quotes, if you don't have time to read the whole article:

On average, every dollar that is put toward education translates into $34.85 earned income over the individual's lifetime, an investment yield any broker would envy.
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According to Michael Hampton at Western Oregon University, "Unless you are going to be an engineer, architect, teacher, or lawyer, the label on your degree does not matter. The degree is a check-mark (as opposed to the focus) in most job requirements. Many job ads will state: 'Business, Communications or other degree required.' Most folks have the 'other.' "
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Earning your degree goes well past the finances. According to Katherine Hansen, with Quintessential Careers, your degree pays dividends in other areas, including:
* longer life-spans,
* greater economic stability and security,
* greater job satisfaction,
* less dependence on government assistance,
* greater participation in leisure and artistic activities,
* greater community service and leadership, and
* more self-confidence.

More Baby Pictures

Here are the latest ultrasound pictures--taken this morning--of our soon-to-be-born child. Obviously much more defined than our last set of photos, and still very exciting. The miracle of life is pretty amazing...and so is the technology that enables us to see so much! We were able to see the femur, kidneys, and spine, amidst other random anatomical parts. In these pictures, you can even see the fingers and toes!

To answer many people's questions, we are due December 14 and are not going to find out the gender until, well, about December 14.

Which One Is Pregnant?

One of these two people is pregnant. The other has sympathy pregnancy. Both have gained a fair amount of weight in the last few months. Can you tell who is who? (Hint: One is Chris and the other is Christie.)

Trauma Healing In Congo

This video speaks for itself. Thanks to all of you who are praying, giving and going in support of worldwide Bible translation.

Shirts to NOT Run Behind

I ran a 5K in Winter Park this morning.

I learned today that someone like me should not run behind people wearing the following shirt slogans:

"I am a Triathlete"
"500 Mile Club"
"70 Years Old, 7 Minute Miles"

90 Degrees and Hail

One of the things I haven't been able to figure out is how it can be 90 degrees outside, yet grape-sized hail is falling from the sky.

This is the view from our porch today--the yard literally looked like a driving range.

Solomon Islands

We heard a report this week from some of what God is doing in the Pacific area, particularly in Bible translation. I was drawn to some remarkable breakthroughs the Lord has provided in the Solomon Islands. This is evidenced by the praises and prayer requests in the following prayer notice from Wycliffe International:

Praise God for the publication of the whole Bible in the Solomons Pijin language. The Pijin Bible will be dedicated on July 6 as part of the nation's 30th independence celebration. The Bibles are scheduled to arrive by ship just days before the celebration. Pray that the ship will arrive on time; that there will be no difficulty getting the Bibles cleared through customs and off the wharf; that God would be glorified during the dedication service and that many people will purchase Bibles and read them. Pray also for God's spiritual protection and covering over this event.