Thursday, March 12, 2009

Burchette's Mission Trip

Hello Friends:

I hope this letter finds you doing well!I want to share with you a ministry opportunity that God has presented to me and Christina. From April 3 - April 12, 2009 God has offered us the chance to go to Burkina Faso with West Ridge Church out of Dallas, GA. On this 9-day missions trip we will minister to the people of Ouagadougou at the L.A.C. school, and in the poor area of the city known as Sector 30. Missionary partners will host us as we minister to teens at the school, and to children and families in Sector 30.

While God has opened up a door for us to develop a greater heart of compassion for His people around the world, the exciting part is that you will be able to share in this compassion in several ways. First, you can help pray for me and Christina. We will need prayers that God will prepare us for our visit and bless our efforts as we minister to the people of Burkina Faso.

We will also need prayers that our financial needs will be met. At this time we need to raise $4,500 in the next week, and that is quite a challenge! Another way you can be involved is to help provide that financial support. Would you consider supporting us with a donation? We will need to raise all of our funds as soon as possible (we leave in 23 days!) in order to pay for our trip.

For any donations please make checks payable to Christina or Anthony Burchette. Whether you feel led to contribute financially, through prayer, or both, all of your support is appreciated.We look forward to doing God's work in Burkina Faso and letting you know all about how God has worked through this trip when we return.

With love,Anthony & Christina Burchette
christina.burchette@gmail.com
waburchette@aol.com

Monday, February 9, 2009

Eye Opening

Ok this past week was pretty crazy. There was a lot going on and in a blink of an eye I was wrapped up in way to much. Those are the weeks I try to learn from. The bad thing is that I don't always learn from them. Lesson learned for at least now........step back when needed and be slow to react. Over reacting leads to bad decisions.

Ok...on to better things.......Duke is going to take a beating Wednesday night by my Tarheels, the weather is warm, it is Valentine weekend (time with my pretty wife), and I feel good for the first time in several weeks. This week so far is looking pretty good. It is refreshing to see some light at the end of the tunnel. I have already picked up my wife's gift and gave it to her. I couldn't wait. She has been wanting American Idol for the Wii. Let me tell you.......I should never...never....ever.....sing in front of anyone. I am awful at singing even when the words are on the screen for me. But.............................it is a lot of fun trying!

Have a great week!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

My New Adventure

Back in the day I used to ride motorcycles with a group of close friends, and riding was some of the most freeing adventures I ever had. My bike was stolen when I was living in Wilmington and ever since then I have said one of these days I will purchase another one......OK, most of my friends thought that day would never come........oh how you were wrong. I just purchased a 2003 Honda and am very eager to have some warm weather. To be honest I didn't think I would have ever purchase another bike, and if it had not been for a study I have been working through it would have not happened. I have worked my way through the book Wild at Heart with a band of brothers, and it is amazing on several different levels. I would recommend the book to ALL MEN. In this blog I want go into a lot of detail of the book, but one part talks about the adventure a man needs to fill alive. Riding my bike is the start of finding my true heart and freeing myself from so many mask that I have been hiding behind.

I end today with a passage that has moved mountains for me with my struggle of freeing myself and finding my true heart. God created everything, but out of everything we are the most important of all those things.

James 1: 16-18

16 My dear brothers and sisters, do not be fooled about this.17 Every good action and every perfect gift is from God. These good gifts come down from the Creator of the sun, moon, and stars, who does not change like their shifting shadows.18 God decided to give us life through the word of truth so we might be the most important of all the things he made.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Leadership

"Beginning empty-handed and alone frightens the best of men. It also speaks volumes of just how confident they are that God is with them"

This is my first blog and I owe it to Rodney for posting his link. Over the past month I have been studying "Andy Stanley's Next Generation Leader". Stanley takes life experiences and God's word to provide us concepts that will serve as an outline of five concepts of being a Leader. As I was studying all I could think was I wish I had read this book five years ago. All I could think about was what if......And then I realized I can't live in the past but live moving forward. I want to pass along things that jumped out at me that will improve my leadership in my family, my work, and ministry opportunities.

So here are Five Critical Concepts to be a Leader:

1. Competence-Leaders must channel their energies toward those arenas of leadership in which they are most likely to excel.
2. Courage-The best leaders are not always the ones with the most knowledge, but are the ones who have the courage to initiate, set things in motion, and move forward.
3. Clarity-Finding the ability to be clear even in the thickest of times.
4. Coaching-You never stop learning. Without a coach and mentor you will limit the ability to be as good as you can be.
5. Character- Character provides leaders with the moral authority necessary to bring together the people and resources needed to go further.

If God has gifted you to lead, then lead you will.