How To Silence The Anti-Christian Talking Heads Once And For All

Everywhere we turn someone is taking a shot at us Christians.  Whether it’s the media, a politician, some popular primetime news anchor, Hollywood, social activists, secular academia, a few military elites, your co-worker, or the next door neighbor it seems like the whole world has it in for those of us who claim we believe in Jesus.  Boiled down their basic complaint is that Christianity and those who profess to be Christians are just plain stupid.  Oh, there are plenty claiming our convictions make us guilty of hate crimes too, but for the most part that’s because of our “religious” ignorance.  Obvious to us is the fact that these “talking heads” don’t have a clue what they’re talking about but for the time being they do have the chair (bully-pulpit) and are the ones being listened to.

So how should we respond?  Is it time to bring out the “big-guns” among us and begin ad campaigns—say taking out a center page advertisement in USA Today featuring Chuck Norris, holding his “Chuck Norris Study Bible”, to articulate how far our country has departed from the morality and politics of our founding fathers?   Or maybe, just maybe, it’s time to join the NRA, the AFA (American Family Association), CAM (Christians Against Muslims), CAP (Christians Against Pornography), CAG (Christians Against Gays), CAD (Christians Against Divorce), or CFR (Christians For Rush) and begin making our political and religious convictions heard, known, and felt.

Well, there is another option--the best option--because it's God's option and I thought that it might be a good time to put it on the table.  It would save us a whole lot of money (those USA ads are pretty pricey) and we’d have the time and energy to invest in something else--like our church--instead of one of those political action groups.  Here it is—straight from the Bible.  Maybe you’ve seen it and even read it but just didn’t get it.  Well, look at it again. . . .for the first time and see what you think.  It’s found in 1 Peter 2:15.  “For such is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.” 

Did you see it?  The way that we silence the ignorant (stupid) talk of foolish people is not by arguing or fighting with them.  It’s not by publicly contradicting them or even debating them.  Rather, the way to silence them is by doing good.  Peter elaborates on what this means in the rest of the book.  Such things as honoring all people (including those who want to take away our guns), loving our fellow believers, caring for our neighbors and neighborhoods, volunteering to feed the homeless or help a challenged student learn math, honoring the King or in our case the President and all those other elected officials, as well as responding humbly to those who criticize you and are otherwise unreasonable and harsh will do far more to silence the talking heads than trying to out-argue, out-think, out-spend, and out-gun them.

So, why not forget about making that call to Chuck Norris and just call your sick neighbor instead. 

The Waite Update................April 2013

April 4, 2012

Where In The World Is The Waite Family?

After leaving Cameroon February 13 and landing in Memphis, TN, twenty-eight hours later, we have logged over 6000 miles on the road reporting back to seven churches in five States while visiting family and friends along the way.  Not quite finished yet, we still have 1500 more miles to travel, one more church to report to, as well as a few more family and friends to see in the Northeast before the end of April when we will move to Manchester Center, Vermont.  That’s a lot of driving, preaching, visiting, and fast food to cram into a family in less than 50 days.  No wonder you don’t know where we are and no wonder we’re a tad bit tired!

Seriously, we have thoroughly enjoyed the visits with our supporting churches and praise God for these churches who have invested heavily in our ministry in Cameroon.  We are also very thankful for our individual supporters as well who have also invested hard earned finances into the lives of Cameroonian believers and “pre-believers” alike.  And whereas it was simply impossible to visit everywhere and everyone we wanted all of you to know that your faithful prayer and financial support are very much appreciated.  In fact, your generous and sacrificial giving has resulted in the Grace Tait Children’s Shelter becoming a loving, stable, and almost entirely self-sustaining ministry to orphaned children.  In addition to the orphanage, your financial support helped three missionary training schools come into existence so as to train national believers in Cameroon as church planters, evangelists, women & children’s workers, and pastors.  Finally, your investment was used to support the beginning of two new churches, one in the town of Bali and another in the Muslim city of Maroua.  Thank you for giving to the Lord so as to make much of Christ in Cameroon.

We continue to support and provide guidance to the different ministries in Cameroon from here in the States and will continue to do so indefinitely.  Whereas, we had hoped and planned for the orphanage to be independent and completely self-sustaining by this June some of the Cameroonian churches who had pledged support are unable to fulfill their commitment leaving us to provide $600 per month for the support of the orphanage at least through 2013.  We are still hopeful that the churches will come through and begin helping in the next year or so.  In addition, we are hopeful that the orphanage’s farm and business ventures will continue to keep costs low and eventually provide for the lion’s share of the ministry’s support.  Until then, we are continuing to accept donations for the Grace Tait Children’s Shelter through our ministry partner Southern Hills Baptist Church.  The “Adopt-An-Orphan” program is also still up and running as well.  To donate please go to www.gracetaitshelter.org

 We are also continuing to support two missionary training schools in Yaounde and Maroua respectively.  Both schools run 12 week class sessions three times a year training between 36 to 40 young men and women per year.  We have also been asked to begin a CM3T School (Centers For Missionary Training, Tactics & Theology) in Liberia.  This new school is slated to begin this September.  Each school needs $200 per month to operate.  If interested in helping to support or even adopt a school please go to www.cm3t.blogspot.com and hit the “DONATE” button.  Whereas, you will see that your gift is being directed into the Grace Tait Children’s Shelter fund you can designate it for CM3T on the notation line. 

If you would rather donate by check please send your gifts to Southern Hills Baptist Church.  Please designate whether the gift is for the orphanage or CM3T.  The church’s address is:

Southern Hills Baptist Church

P.O. Box 638
Copperas Cove, TX  76522

 Finally, Mark is planning to lead a trip to Cameroon and Liberia in early 2014 for the purpose of providing theological and pastoral training in our three schools.  Please be in prayer for this trip as it provides our national believers in Cameroon and now Liberia with opportunities for encouragement, further training, and ministry resources which we are able to hand carry to them, that otherwise would never get into Cameroon.

As for our personal support that is given to us through CTEN, this should no longer be sent to CTEN after June 27 as we will be resigning from the mission at the end of June.  Our resignation from CTEN does not mean we will no longer be working in Cameroon or continuing to oversee and expand the ministries God has given us there.  It simply means we will no longer need personal support.  On the other hand, we do need ministry support to continue supporting the orphanage, CM3T Schools, and our church planting evangelists who are working among the Muslims in Cameroon.  Any support that you may wish to send for the support of these ministries after that date should be sent to Southern Hills Baptist Church in Copperas Cove, Texas by either check or PayPal.  All financial support sent to SHBC for the work in Cameroon will be used by us for that work.  In addition, all of your gifts are still tax-deductible and you will receive a tax receipt.

So, perhaps you’re wondering what’s to become of us now that we are back in the States.  Well, we have been adopted by a small church in Manchester Center, Vermont that was looking for a missionary pastor to come and lead them in making much of Jesus in a very hard an “unchurched” area of the country.  When we realized we were not going to be able to stay in Cameroon on a fulltime basis we asked the Lord to send us to an area in the U.S. that had very few believers and very few Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching, and Christ-exalting churches where we could be used to make much of Him.  So God is sending us to Vermont where we will be ministering with Northshire Baptist Church (one of those Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching and Christ-exalting churches) to make Christ known among those who do not yet know Him and love Him. Believe-it-or-not, there are less solid Bible believing and teaching churches in Vermont than in Yaounde, the capitol of Cameroon.  Please pray for us as we engage this new adventure in a few weeks once our travels are over.

Thanks so much for all your help!  God has indeed used your prayers and gifts to further His work in Cameroon and soon Liberia.

In Christ,

Mark, Nancy & Kids

P.S.  This is not an afterthought…….but because I know many times we run our cursor down the main body of letters and read the P.S. I decided to put this prayer request here.  Please pray for a young Muslim man named Bah from Maroua who recently was brought to saving faith in Christ.  He left the Mosque and began preaching Christ in his village where three brothers, listening to him, also came to saving faith in Christ.  The father of these three brothers had them killed when they would not deny Christ.  Bah was able to escape and is in constant danger of death as well.  Presently, he has found refuge and is growing in his faith.  Please pray for him and for our evangelists in Maroua who are preaching the glorious and costly Gospel of Christ.