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WHY ARE WE HERE? IBC is a community that exists because we believe Jesus Christ transforms lives. We want to be fully alive as followers of Jesus, and we hope youll join us on this journey.

HOW DO WE DO THIS?

GROWING IN CHRIST At the heart of our journey is the gospel of Jesus. We trust Christ as our Savior and find ourselves becoming more like him as we deepen our relation-ship with him.

CONNECTING IN COMMUNITY The way of following Jesus is not a path we walk alone. The gospel story draws us into a community of people whose lives are being transformed by Jesus.

JOINING THE MISSION Followers of Jesus arent just saved, theyre also sent. Believers become witnesses to the grace of God as they take part in his mission to rescue and redeem the lost and broken.

For more about growing in Christ, connecting in community, and join-ing the mission at IBC, please contact info@irvingbible.org.

C O N TACT I B C2435 Kinwest Pkwy Irving, TX 75063 (972) 560-4600

WEB irvingbible.org FACEBOOK irvingbible TWITTER @ibcvoice ELETTER irvingbible.org/eletter

New to IBC? Turn to page 18.

OASIS RETREAT & D.R. CONGO MISSIONWomen at IBC enjoyed the Oasis retreat with speaker/au-thor Annie F. Downs at Camp Copass (Denton, TX). On April 10, an IBC team left for D.R. Congo to present a conference on trauma and healing for local women.

We all hear those whispers of fear, but being brave is choosing to stop listening to them.

Annie F. Downs, Oasis womens retreat speaker

The Women at IBC Oasis Retreat. Worship led by Jeff and Sarah Taylor.

Celebration at the conclusion of the Congo conference.

Chatter | 3

LIFE

YESTERDAY, MY FOUR-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER MADELINE WAS ASKING ABOUT SIN. This is be-cause she is exceptionally bright, spiritually advanced, and concerned with acquiring justice for her brother who had been ignoring her.

Is sin like a bad bug in your body? she asked. Except she said, YIKE a bad bug, because she cannot yet say her ls.

Yes, I said, Sin is like a bad bug. But Jesus died to take away your sins.

She thought about that for a second.

Well, it didnt WORK.

It just so happens that Madeline has a complicated relationship with bugs. Not just sin bugs. ACTUAL bugs. She delights in them; she despises them. She is obsessed with the horrible shapes of their legs and eyes and wings; with the fascinating sounds they make; their unpredictable, dangerous behav-ior, and the way they do not ask her permission to EXIST, how they go right along their bug-gy way de-spite the fact that she has so many questions to ask them. She has an overwhelming desire to welcome them and rejoice in her co-existence with them, but the truth is, there are just some BAD BUGS. Even the nice ones are sort of awful.

Ladybugs, with their haphazard, sudden departures.

Butterflies, with their spider-like, hairy legs.

Bugs are either bad or just a LITTLE BIT bad. She wants to like them, she really does. Theres just a lot of unresolved tension. She pushes her hair behind her perfect, tiny ears, and soldiers on through the dying St. Augustine.

Theres tension inside of me, too. Tension with myself, with other people, with the world. The ten-sion of living in a not-yet life where Jesus has taken away my sin fully but not yet.

Sure, I say, Jesus paid it all, and when he looks at me, he sees perfection and a white robe and childlike innocence. But when I look at me, I see a six-eyed Sort-of-Awful who maybe deserves to be crushed by a plastic princess shoe. Like what Jesus did for me didnt work. It didnt take. Even if Im not bad, Im at least a little bit bad. And even a little bit bad can be bad enough to feel useless and defeated, especially if my issues SHOULD be relatively easy to overcome or avoid; easily shattered like inconse-quential nothings-at-all over the bedrock of Gods real-ness and grace.

How on earth will God ever really use me in this life when all I want to do is shop online?

How will I ever really leave a legacy for my kids when, day in and day out, when Ive spent more emotional energy being concerned about how I look in these jeans?

These are tame compared to the dark, actually Bad parts of me I could share.

Brother Lawrence, that potato-peeling monk of old, said this:

I regard myself as the most wretched of all men, stinking and covered with sores, and as one who has committed all sorts of crimes against his King. Overcome by remorse, I confess all my wickedness to Him, ask His pardon and abandon myself entirely to Him to do with as He will. But this King, filled with goodness and mercy, far from chastising me, lovingly embraces me, makes me eat at His table, serves me with His own hands, gives me the keys of His treasures and treats me as His favorite. He talks with me and is delighted with me in a thousand and one ways; He forgives me and relieves me of my principle bad habits without talking about them; I beg Him to make me according to His heart and always the more weak and despicable I see myself to be, the more beloved I am of God (Practicing the Presence of God).

God outdoes our determination to wallow with his own brand of stubbornness: his determination to delight.

Actually, now that I think about it, Im not being totally honest about Madeline. There IS one bug for which she has true agape love, and thats a roly-poly. She is uncannily in tune with his/her whereabouts

assuming there are roly-poly hims and hers. In her mind, there is nothing to condemn in a roly-poly, except perhaps its tendency to die without the proper permits.

She pinches it gently and lets it crawl all up and down her arm, its disease-y little legs whipping back and forth across the pristine plane of skin.

She laughs and thrills and tries to find another one, and then another; collecting them like jewels for a crown.

a letter from ChatterEditor Julie Rhodes

Art Direction, Design & Goodness Josh Wiese, Lindsey Sobolik, JD Lemming

Admin Extraordinaire Victoria Andrews

Pastor to Hashtags Scott McClellan, Communications Pastor

Photography Dieula Previlon (Photo Update)* Evan Chavez (Sukhwant)* Katherine Ivey (ESL)* Patty Thompson (Easter Eggsperience)* Stephanie Suire (Photo Update)*

Writers Beth Robb (Senior Spotlights)* Brent McKinney (South Sudan)** Megan Foreman (Chatter Facts)* Nat Pugh (Next Steps)** Ryan The Colonel Sanders (Synergy in Mission)** Shannon Miller (ESL)**

Editorial Assistance/Proofing Summer Alexander*, Annie Stone*

Thoughts, comments, ideas? Contact Chatter at chatter@irvingbible.org.

Need Chatter Digitally? Chatter is on the web at irvingbible.org/chatter.

Are you a media socialite? Like Chatter on Facebook. Its so likeable.

*Most beloved and indispensable Chatter Volunteer.

**Most beloved and indispensable IBC staff member.

The Monarch butterfly became the Texas State Insect in 1995.

HISTORY

SCIENCE

TEXAS

TOMFOOLERY

LANGUAGE

GENERAL

FOOD

CULTURE

CHATTER FACT ICON KEY

Chatter is

GEOGRAPHY

Chatter | 4

Chatter Chats with Sukhwant Bhatia This month, IBC partner Sukhwant Bhatia of Seek Partners International (seekpartners.org) will be paying a visit to the IBC family. And hes got a lot to report.

Pho

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The Indian name Sukhwant means full of happiness.

Chatter | 5

First, a little background...

IN 1981, Sukhwant Bhatia came to Jesus from a Sikh background in Punjab, India, after an exhaustive 4+ years of comparative study of other religions with the Bible. He is the fi rst Sikh convert to have graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) with a ThM degree. Coming from a back-ground where the number of Christian converts was only in the hundreds (out of 40 million followers of Sikhism), Sukh-want felt challenged to take the Gospel to unreached people in Northwest India Sikhs in particular. Sukhwant earned his PhD in Higher Education Administration at the University of North Texas, in col-laboration with DTS, to prepare for a life-time ministry of teaching faithful men who will also be qualifi ed to teach others (2 Tim. 2:2). Sukhwant has been pastor-ing and planting churches since 1984. He has also been involved with formal and non-formal theological education and ministry training since 2001.

Today, Dr. Bhatia is a teacher, preacher, and trainer. Dr. Bhatias responsibilities as President and CEO of Seek Partners International include teaching at higher Christian education institutions in the least Christian region of the world, pro-viding consultation to various ministry projects, training Bible translators, and leading Bible translation projects in the Hindi and Punjabi languages. He also re-cruits and develops team leaders sourced both internationally and domestically, and provides consultation and working partnerships to international organiza-tions seeking large-scale ministry in Asia. He is currently the President of the North India Institute of Theological Studies (NIITS) in Chandigarh, India.

IBC has partnered with Sukhwant at Seek Partners International since 2006, and has been instrumental in training church leaders at NIITS and supporting the Bible translation works in the Hindi and Punjabi languages.

Lets chat a little with Dr. Bhatia.

NORTH INDIA INSTITUTE OF THEO-LOGICAL STUDIES ACCOMMODATES 60 STUDENTS, OF WHICH APPROXI-MATELY HALF ARE WOMEN. WHAT ARE MOST OF THESE STUDENTS TRAINING TO DO?

We do not take independent students, so all our students go back to the ministries that initially sent them to us for theologi-cal education and ministry training. Our graduates become church planters, start-ers of women and childrens ministries, and work as teachers/trainers with other organizations that have non-formal train-ing programs.

ONE OF THE THINGS THE SCHOOL HAS UNDERTAKEN IS THE TRANSLA-TION OF THE ENTIRE BIBLE FROM GREEK/HEBREW INTO HINDI AND PUNJABI. TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROGRESS SO FAR.

The work on the entire Hindi Bible is completed and it has been handed over to Biblica for testing and then publish-ing. The New Testament was released a few years ago, and the full Bible will be released by the end of this year (or early next year). Work on the Punjabi New Testament is over, and it has been handed over to the Asia Bible Society for publishing.

ANY OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE NEAR AND DEAR TO YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW?

NIITS is the only theological institution that off ers accredited training with bach-elors and masters degrees, so we would like to expand our program to include more students. We are in the process of raising a total of 50 annual scholarships of US $1,200 each (total: $60,000) for the academic year 2015-16.

We are also heavily focused on church planting in these days. This year we will take on two new church planters for a two-year commitment. At any given time, we have four church plants happening at once. When they become self-reliant, we help them become independent.

HOW CAN THE IBC FAMILY PRAY FOR YOU AND YOUR MINISTRY?

As my wife and I come to the end of our sabbatical year in a few months, we are seeking the Lords direction for greater involvement in his Kingdom. We have a staff of 24 in India and we are blessed to have each one of them. Now it is time for the organization to become a blessing to them, so we would like to signifi cantly increase their salaries. However, we are limited by the funds. It is a constant struggle to fi nd quality students with-out compromising on our standards in any way. Pray for Gods grace, wisdom, strength, focus, and blessings on all that we attempt to do for his glory and for the extension of his Kingdom.

Our graduates become church planters, starters of women and childrens ministries, and work as teachers/trainers with other organizations that have non-formal training programs.

It costs NIITS $5,000 per year to support, equip, and train one church planter.

The number of language groups with-out any portion of the Bible translated is around 2,000.

Photos from Left to Right

NIITS presents the newly translated Hindi Study Bible (New Testament).

Dr. Bahatia explains program require-ments to NIITS Master of Divinity candidates.

NIITS Bible translation in process.

Chatter | 6

Texas A&M University enroll-ment stands at a record 58,809. (Editors note: WHOOP fi ghtin Texas Aggie Class of 03!)

In 2014, Sacramento homeschool prodigy Tanishq Abraham graduated from high school at the age of 10.

Bring on the Pomp and Circumstance! Here are just a few of the 30 IBC seniors graduat-ing this month. They have a lot to say about what the IBC family has meant to them during their time as students especially Life Groups and their Life Group leaders.

Abbie Adkins, senior at Ranchview High School, will at-tend Baylor University and plans to major in Commu-nication Studies and then attend Law School. She has been involved in Student Ministry Life Groups for sev-en years through middle school and high school. She is closely connected with her friends at IBC and thankful for the adult leaders who have invested in her and helped her walk in her faith through her teenage years. She de-scribed leader, Jennifer Durrett, as caring, genuine and faithful. Life Groups have helped her become more se-rious about following Christ, and the accountability of community with other believers has encouraged her to dive deeper into her faith. Although she is sad to leave

her tight-knit community behind as she heads to college, she is looking forward to making new friends and has learned the importance of look-ing for a community that shares a similar passion for Christ.

IBC SENIOR

SPOT GHTS

Coppell High School senior, Jacob Pierce, who will attend Abilene Christian Univer-

sity in the fall, says the best part of Life Group is spending time with his leader, Joey Goodwin, outside of church. Joey made a point to be a part of my life. As an example, he picked me up from work one day, and took me out for a Sonic drink because he knew I had a rough day...He made it so much better. Jacob is excited about making new friends in college who are not afraid to show their faith. Life Group has taught me what account-ability looks like. Jacob believes the theme for Life Groups is found in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up...Though one may be overpow-ered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Shelby Pate will graduate from Cop-pell High School in June and attend Texas A&M where she plans to study Biomedical Science. She is excited about the opportunities to meet new people in the vastly diverse popula-tion of a large university like Texas A&M. Life Group has taught me to push myself to be open to friendships I may not have normally gravitated towards. We have gotten to know each other over the years as we have walked through many good and bad times. We have grown up together. Shelby is thankful for the account-ability her IBC friends have provided her and feels that her Life Group has challenged her to be open and vul-nerable. She has developed honest and open relationships with her co-leaders Liz Goodwin and Atala Bran-dao. According to Shelby, Atala is supportive, intelligent, and spicy (!). Liz is motherly, genuine, and wise. The Goodwins, Joey and Liz, each lead a Life Group of seniors and have

opened their home to share their lives with these students.

They are the best couple EVER. Not perfect, but the BEST, says Shelby.

ABBIE ADKINS

SHELBY PATE

JACOB PIERCE

Chatter | 7

Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, fl ew combat missions

in the Pacifi c during World War II.

Tarik Whitmore, from Irving High School, has not yet decided which school he will attend in the fall, but knows he wants to study Psychol-ogy. Tarik will look for a community to connect with when he gets to college that is lively, fun, and full of charisma. Mostly, he wants the kind of authentic community he has developed with his Life Group. Life Group sets you up with people you can confi de in. When you confess your sins to others, healing takes place. I feel prepared to go to college, and I think I will be able to connect with people better. I know how to be vulnerable and develop real relationships. The adult lead-ers in IBCs Student Ministry have also made a huge impact on Tarik. Hanging out with Joey (Goodwin) is always fun! He is REAL, wise, and compassionate.

Coppell High School senior, Maggie Hohfeler, who will attend Samford University in the fall, loves the authentic, real relationships she has developed with her peers in the six years she has been involved in Life Groups at IBC. They have shown me that I am not alone in my walk with Christ. I know I have people I can rely on who will walk through life together with me. She is excited for the new adventure she will embark on in col-lege with her studies, and the prospect of meeting new people and making new friends. I now know what to look for in friends and the value of authentic community because of the experiences I have had in Life Groups with my friends and leaders. Maggie describes her leader, Victoria Andrews, as invested, bubbly and authentic. (Chatter can vouch for this. Victoria is the IBC Communica-tions Admin Extraordinaire.)

Francis Cooper, from Ranchview High School, looks forward to attending the U.S. Air Force Academy and plans to study Chem-istry. He has been connected with other students and leaders in Student Ministry at IBC throughout middle and high school. Life Group has been a safe place for him to share life and everyday problems. Francis group at IBC has really been a support group for him.

They will always be people I can trust and who will be there for me, even after I go off to college. Francis is especially thankful for his leader, Peter Cott, and describes him as lov-ing, helpful, and persistent. Peter has been leading this group of boys since they were in third grade, faithfully serving in Student and

Childrens Ministries for many years.

Special thanks to Beth Robb for her work on this article. Beth volunteers as the Junior Grade Director, overseeing fi ve Life Group Leaders. She is also a Life Group Leader herself, and has been with her current group of girls for fi ve years.

GROUPSLife

WHAT IS A LIFE GROUP?IBCs high school small groups (Life Groups) are made up of 5-7 students led by adults who love to pour into students and guide them along as they explore spiritual matters. Students get to hang out, make new friends, laugh a lot and explore the truths of the Bible. We meet each Sunday in the Student Ministries Area of IBC at 6:45 p.m.

MORE INFOFor up-to-the-minute information about whats going on with Students at IBC, please join our Facebook Group (IBC High School) or contact Matt Hamilton at mhamilton@irvingbible.org.

MEN NEEDEDStudent Ministry is currently looking for male Life Group leaders. Contact Matt at mhamilton@irvingbible.org.

FRANCIS COOPER

MAGGIE HOHFELER

TARIK WHITMORE

Chatter | 8

DAMON ARTHUR IS NOT A LINEAR THINKER. Neither his conver-sations nor his incredible journey to make history in Madagascar follow a straight line. They loop and whirl, stop and start, chase rabbits only to bring them back in a way that reveals that rabbit was an essential ingredient in the story all along.

AN EXAMPLE: I sat down to lunch with Damon and IBC Director of Global Partnerships, Lauren Moussa to talk about aquaponics and Damons nascent min-istry in Africa. But Damon wasnt sure about that verbiage.

I have had a hard time even using that word, ministry. Im a rancher, he said, his country accent undeterred by the meatless menu at the salad place where we agreed to meet. He took a few minutes to joke about the difference between farm-ers and ranchers, explain why ranchers are superior, issue disclaimers about his African trip only technically being agricultural in nature, and then, finally, try to pull the reins back to the word ministry. I rodeod for a while in my life. Thats a pretty hard lifestyle. Theres plenty in the closet. For me to be doing this well ... there are grandparents who would probably jump up and down in their graves and others who would roll over to think of me in ministry.

Point made. Colorfully.

Damon is part Texas ranch hand and part suburban businessman. He wears boots, but no hat. A short-sleeved cotton shirt and leathercraft bracelet. In a muted Texas accent he can slip effortlessly between talk of agriculture and NGOs, fish effluent to geopolitics. A conversation with Damon is at the same time expansive and rigor-ous. He can hit the nail on the head while swinging the hammer in wild arcs. And its only after reflecting on such a conversation that you realize Damons genius is in his rangy-ness. He thinks in possibilities and, more importantly, in synergies.

One of the most important synergies Damon has created is with Mercy Ships, a Christian aid organization with global reach and name recognition. Mercy Ships operates a shipboard hospital that has delivered acute medical care for 2.48 mil-lion people in 57 nations in the developing world, mostly in Africa.

This is the first time weve ever had a partnership, Ken Winebark said in a phone interview from Mercy Ships headquarters in Lindale, Texas. Winebark is the

Nutrition and Agriculture Programs Administrator for Mercy Ships, which means he runs the programs that train locals in sustainable, nutritional farming that stay behind when the hospital ship leaves port. A farmer himself, Winebark feels right at home in rural East Texas. He said he felt right at home with Damon as well.

Damon has the right ideas. We had considered aquaponics before and I thought the concept made a lot of sense, but I couldnt quite grasp how to make it work in Africa, with the materials I knew were available there, Winebark explained. But Damon solved those problems by using stone and other replacement materials we could source locally. I just felt like it was the right partnership. We just said, Alright, lets give it a try. It has already been a successful marriage for the two organizations.

Damons organization is called TAG Targeted Aquaponic Growth. Like its founder and its partnership with one of the worlds leading relief organizations, TAG thrives on synergy.

SYNERGY At the core of TAGs ministry is something called aquaponics. Its a symbiotic micro-farm in which plants grow in water taken from, and then returned to, fish tanks. The fishs waste provides bacteria and nutrients the plants need to grow, and the plants purify the water so it can be recycled into the fish tanks. In this way, the system grows both fish and plants (usually vegetables) in a closed-loop, sustainable system that uses 95 percent less water and half the germination time as traditional farming, while yielding as much as three times the produce. Its right down Damons alley.

Almost always in an orphanage setting, the kids are hungry, Winebark said. Food is almost always an orphanages biggest cost. And protein is a limiting factor. They eat a lot of rice and virtually no protein.

TAG could change that. Its vision is to equip orphanages and schools with aqua-ponics systems that produce enough fish and vegetables to feed the children under their care. But in typical Damon fashion, he sees more possibilities than just a source of food.

Ideally, well get to a system that can exceed the consumption of the kids and then produce goods for market, he said. I asked the director of an orphanage this

summer, What if you could grow tomatoes in the rainy season? and she said, I could sell them for twice as much as we normally get! If they can make more money, they can buy other things they need like vaccines and books.

Such a system could extend to education too. Most of the upkeep is simple enough for students to help with, so its presence could teach both agriculture and entrepreneurism. You can talk about agriculture in the classroom and then step right outside the door

SYNERGY MISSION

in

Madagascar is the only place where the lemur can be found living in the wild.

A boot-less Damon (right) stands in front of an aquaponics system with Ken Winebark (of Mercy Ships) and Christine Dummann, TAGs Director of Nutrition, Education and Out-search.

The system in Madagascar after a little more than one month of growth.

Chatter | 9

and learn a vocational skill. A first-grader can plant a seed. A third-grader can cut heads off lettuce, Damon said.

And there are deeper lessons. Mercy Shipss Food For Life program teaches theol-ogy as well as agriculture. We start in Genesis, Winebark said. We start with Gods plan for the world and for the farmer. What does God think of the farmer? In many places where we serve, farmers are looked down upon. We read about Eden and we tell them God was the first gardener. There is dignity there.

CALLING Damon and his wife Loretta have attended IBC for more than a decade. They live in Grapevine with their daughter, Alex. And, appropriately, they attend the Synergy Bible Community. Like his mash-up of suburban savvy and cowboy logic, Damons involvement in missions is an admixture of faith and adventure. He reads National Geographic cover-to-cover every month, and has done so since his grandmother bought him a subscription at age eight. And he sees the developing world as a proving ground for obedience to Jesus command to care for the least of these.

Ive always said those words in red are the ones you better pay special attention to, he said.

This latest synergy between third-world orphanages and aquaponics came as a surprise even to Damon, and it started at Rudys Barbecue in Denton. In January 2014, he was standing in line there, waiting for a chopped beef sandwich, when he overheard a conversation about aquaponics. Already involved with orphanages from South Sudan to Nicaragua, Damon wondered if such a system would be a useful tool in the developing world. The next mornings mail brought a FarmTek catalog, part of the usual junk mail pile around the Arthur home. And there, on Page 42, was a commercial aquaponics system. This was a sign.

Damon dug into more research, started looking for a place to test an aquaponics system, and started to pray in earnest about his idea. He attended workshops, met with professors, and read all he could on the subject. But he was hesitant. This was a high-risk project and a terrible profit venture. He was reluctant to pursue it too far.

I was reading something about tilapia because thats a breed commonly used in aquaponics, and the article called them St. Peters fish, Damon said. I looked it up. You know that story where Jesus tells Peter to go catch a fish and get a coin out of its mouth for the tax? They think that was a tilapia. So its called St. Peters fish.

This was another sign.

I remember sitting there, just dumbstruck. I had been fighting this thing the whole way. I would pray those back-ended prayers, Lord, if you dont want me to go forward, just shut those doors and Ill know. And then Id get up off my knees and two more doors would open up. That night with St. Peters fish, I was like, Ok God. Thats it. I give up. Im not going to fight you any more.

Within weeks, Damon and cofounder Dr. Richard Palmer were creating a 501(c)3 organization for the use of aquaponics in third world orphanages. TAG was born.

PARTNERS Damon would eventually visit Africa to field test this idea. Because aquaponics systems could be disrupted by vandalism or neglect, he needed a pro-tected environment to build one. He also needed funding.

I was still thinking about this as another business and I couldnt make the num-bers work, he explained. Damon had already launched and still operates several companies in the agriculture, manufacturing, and construction sectors. Another IBC mission partner, My Refuge House in the Philippines, uses an aquaponics system. IBCer Mike Gwartney had seen a picture of that system and suggested that Damon apply for IBC funding.

I wasnt even thinking about IBC as a source of funding, Damon said. I dont know why in the world. I was thinking about how to make this profitable, and thats when God turned the tables and said, Ive got a different plan than making more money.

On January 22, IBC committed funds to help establish TAGs first aquaponics sys-tem in Africa. Mercy Ships was headed there in March. Damon had found the last piece of his big, symbiotic partnership. He was ready to go to Africa. All he would have to do is survive the trip.

AFRICA Damons three-person team landed at the island nation of Madagascar on February 6 where they met the crew of the Africa Mercy. The plan was for Da-mon to train 31 people, including staff from Mercy Ships and a local orphanage, in how to construct and maintain an aquaponics system.

But Damon fell ill, and when he visited a local pharmacy, they gave him a drug that conflicted with his malaria medication. His illness accelerated, with vomiting and crushing abdominal pain. Theres a scene Damon remembers, lying in bed with the sheets soaked with sweat. Hes doubled over in pain and the Mercy Ships team has gathered around to pray for him.

I said, God, if your point is to turn up the heat, Partner, its cooking. I dont know what you want and I dont want to die in Madagascar, but if this is what you choose, Im ready to go.

Damon didnt go, at least not to glory. A Mercy Ships doctor eventually discovered the conflicting medications and Damon started to recover. He managed to finish the course with the 31 trainees and install the first aquaponics system ever on the shores of Madagascar. He landed back in Texas on March 2.

NEXT STEPS TAGs North Texas R&D facility is in process, and Damon has recently employed two staff to work there. Hes also making adjustments to implementation plans for other African deployments and hes made contact with organizations who are interested in installing aquaponics systems for orphanages in Nicaragua and the Rio Grande Valley.

Theres always a way to make it smarter, more efficient, Damon said, shoving a folded napkin under the leg of an uneven cafe table as if to prove his point. Thats what gets me going finding a better way. Making it better.

Winebark said TAGs R&D facility is a key step in maximizing aquaponics impact. Having that facility in Texas is a masterful plan. It will be a place to come up with better ways of doing things that are just hard to negotiate in country. Getting that facility off the ground will be a massive boost.

Its a boost that will cost about $250,000, but Winebark says the upside is much bigger. Once we figure out how to adapt these systems to each setting where theyre installed like we adapted the one in Madagascar this could have an enormous impact in the worlds poorest places. Were talking about hundreds of thousands of lives effected.

Damons aspirations are more personal. When I think about where Id love to be in 20 years, its in the bush of wherever putting in a system for 50 little kids and know-ing that its going to change their families for generations.

Ryan Sanderss bowel-shaking earthquakes of doubt and remorse assail him, impale him with monster truck force.

Ryan is IBCs Small Groups Pastor. He also serves on the IBC Lead Team.

In 1997, Rodeo was designated the official state sport of Texas. Yeehaw.

In Africa, there are more than 90,000 new orphans every month.

Chatter | 10

Every year, I choose something to emphasize an area of my life where I will actively seek growth and allow God to work. This year, my emphasis is on prayer since I feel like its a weak point in my walk. A fellow IBC staff member recommended a book to me called The Circle Maker, which was recommended to her by another IBCer. The author, Mark Batterson, has some amazing stories about the power of prayer and suggests that we need to focus on what God has already promised in his Word and expect him to keep those promises. He calls this circling the promise. He talks quite a bit about the story of Jericho falling, and has literally circled physical places where he wants to see God work, with amazing results.

So I decided to circle IBC on Wednesday nights before 2435 Kinwest, asking God to work in the lives of everyone who comes through the doors. (2435 Kin-west is IBCs Wednesday night community outreach event where we off er a free citizenship class, medical clinic, ESL class, and a job transition workshop, among other things. I serve as the 2435 coordinator.) As I made my loops, I re-alized I wasnt praying very specifi cally in other words, I would have no idea at the end of the night if God had answered or not. So I asked God for some-thing specifi c and measurable: that one ESL student would ask about Jesus. Im not sure why that was what popped in my head, but it did. Honestly,

one simple prayer.

God is moving in the lives of ESL students at IBC.

I was terrifi ed that God wouldnt do it, and that him not answering my prayer would cause me to doubt. But I reminded myself that 2435 was his vision and that he wants people to know him even more than I do!

I popped in at the beginning of class and discovered only three students were present. I was so disappointed. I thought, Well, there goes that! I had a bunch of work to do because of the recent snow days, so I ended up working in the Fine Arts room until about 8 p.m. I wasnt praying or anything by that point; Id already written the evening off as a fail, but my earlier prayer was still in the back of my mind. Once I fi nished my work, I headed down to ask if anyone had happened to ask about Jesus. I was totally expecting a no. Even though our ESL takes place on campus, Jesus isnt a regular or expected topic of discussion. Little did I know I wouldnt even make it back down to class before getting a big surprise.

I was almost to class when I saw one of our advanced students, Leticia, sitting in the Haven. Leticia is from Honduras and has been in the U.S. since 1992. I hadnt seen her in a while and didnt even know she was there that night. She attends IBC, and even attended the womens Bible study last semester. But shes struggled a lot with depression and anxiety, and has been very open about that and is happy for me to share this now. I sat down and asked how she had been doing. Leticia told me she had been having a hard time. But then she started sharing about an experience she had at the Ash Wednesday service at IBC the week before. When Pastor Andy was putting the ashes on her forehead,

THREE AMAZING ANSWERS.

Jericho may be the oldest continuously occupied city in the world.

Pray, and let God worry.Martin Luther

Chatter | 11

she became dizzy and shaky and felt like crying for joy, but she didnt know why. Then, while Andy was preaching, it was like someone ELSE was speaking. Leticia said her husband told her it was the Holy Spirit, but she didnt under-stand what that meant.

What is the Holy Spirit? She asked me. A direct question, posed to me. An ESL student was asking ME about the Spirit of Jesus. Amazing.

So I began to explain about the Holy Spirit and Pentecost and how God lives in-side of us when we believe in him and what the Holy Spirit can do. Leticia was absolutely shocked. She started saying theres no way God loves her that much because she has made so many mistakes and had been so angry with him. So I explained grace to her and that all we have to do is believe that no one can be perfect except God. I could tell she was having a hard time believing that, so I stopped and prayed with her right then and there. We were both crying, and when I fi nished my prayer, she started asking me all kinds of other questions.

God is inside of me?, and Hes not mad at me? Leticias whole countenance began to change. I was rich and I didnt know it! she fi nally exclaimed. She said she felt like she got a new car and wanted to tell everyone!

I was beyond amazed at how God had so miraculously answered my prayer that night. An ESL student had asked about Jesus, and FOUND Jesus. And I was the one honored to intercept the question.

Unbelievable.

But the night wasnt over.

As Leticia and I were fi nishing our conversation, our ESL leader, Melissa came up, apologized for interrupting, and told me one of the students in the class was requesting a Bible. Did we have a Bible to give her? This was only the sec-ond time in the history of our ESL class when a student has made this request.

Crazy things have been happening tonight at ESL, Melissa added. Leticia and

I were amazed. We told Melissa about our incredible conversation, and I told both of them what I had prayed earlier while circling the IBC building.

I gave Leticia a hug and said goodbye, then went down to the ESL rooms where I caught back up with Melissa. She and our beginner teacher, Summer, were there. The three of us shared our stories. Turns out, Summer only had two beginner students that night (one from Kyrgyzstan* and one from Vietnam*), so she scrapped her lesson plan and went looking for a childrens book to use by way of instruction. She found a book about Noah and decided to use it. In the middle of the story of the ark, Summer realized she had chosen the diffi cult subject matter about God wiping out all of humankind. But just as she started kicking herself, the student from Vietnam began asking lots of questions about why and how. Questions, questions, and more questions.

So Summer got a Bible. She looked up Noahs story in Genesis 6, and described how the rest of the Bible is about God redeeming his people. The lady kept ask-ing questions, so fi nally Summer just told the whole story of the Bible be-ginning to end! When she got to the part where Jesus rises from the dead, the woman actually gasped. After hearing the story, she asked for a Bible and said she had never heard ANY of this before.

Then our Kyrgyzstani student piped up and began sharing an amazing story of her own. There had been a stillborn birth in her family, and her grandmother had prayed to Jesus that the baby would be healed. It didnt sound like the grandmother was a believer in Jesus at the time, but sure enough, the baby came back to life and the whole family came to Christ! I wonder what work God was doing in her life to remind her of his powerful work in her family. On this night, of all nights.

And so, instead of learning conjugations, nouns, sentence structure, and conversation skills, our little ESL class was asking questions, sharing miracles, and coming to know God in a real way. One tiny prayer, sent up with a mustard seed of faith, was all it took. One prayer, three students, and three amazing miracles! I had asked God for one student to ask about Jesus, and three stu-dents had asked multiple questions about Jesus, the Bible, the story of grace, and the power of God.

We were all blown away.

Shannon Miller regularly purchases shells on Amazon for her hermit crab, who prefers a mother-of-pearl lining.

Shannon Miller is the Director of 2435 Kinwest and the Special Needs Coordinator.

*Country names have been changed to protect the privacy of our students.

THREE AMAZING ANSWERS.

Summer

MelissaESL Volunteer

ESL Volunteer

ESL StudentLeticia

Shannon2435 Kinwest Director

Since my experience, Ive felt a calmness Ive never felt before. I fi nd myself no

longer angry with God for the multi-tude of bad experiences in my life.

I want to talk to everyone about the love of God, and let them know how Ive been blessed.

Vietnamese is the third most commonly spoken language in Texas (as of 2014).

How has Leticia's life been different since that fateful night at ESL?

Chatter | 12

Basketball was created in 1891 by James Naismith at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts.

In Africa, about 358 million people are without access to safe drinking water.

If I were to show you a few photos from my childhood, they might not mean a whole lot to you. A basketball goal in the driveway. A large gap in an old chain-link fence. A rock-ing chair on a porch. At first glance, they are all ordinary images of ordinary places.

But if you walked along with me and heard a few stories, you might begin to under-stand more about me and who I am. Like how my blue-collar, shift-working dad would take off his hard hat and play one-on-one or H-O-R-S-E with me for hours after school. Like how my moms dad would take me by the hand and walk through the woods for what seemed like miles to a waterfall, telling stories about our family all the way. Like how my dads mom would tell me to get a soda from the rack of 6 oz. bottles she kept in the laundry room, and wed rock until the sun set, her asking about me and what was going on in my life.

Youd see pretty quickly that I had a pretty happy childhood, surrounded by extended family that valued being close-knit. If we had even more time together, you might even see how I carried those values into my own family relationships. No matter how ordinary my childhood photos might appear, the reality is that there were deeply held values behind each one.

This principle was certainly highlighted on my recent trip to South Sudan. Id seen a lot of photos. Id heard a few stories here and there. Id had coffees with the chairman of the board and the director of Water is Basic. I even had the chance to meet Bishop Taban when he was in the U.S. to receive an award. At first glance, the work IBC had been doing simply seemed like another good ministry wed been involved in for years.

But in January, things changed. I got on a plane and went to see for myself. I walked alongside the director and the board chairman and the award-winner, and I heard the stories. I heard about the improvements to the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church) compound wed invested in years ago. I heard about the roof on the EPC church building that our IBC family provided funds for and the impact that it had, physically, spiritually and emotionally on their church family. I stood beside the first water well that had given people their first source of clean water (built by IBC partner Water is Basic), and I stood beside the most recent well that was giving a school and yet another community (over 500 wells and counting) a clean-water source. I saw another community well that spawned a brick-making operation next to it as well as a small market on the other side, providing economic opportunity to the village. I listened to an IBC-sponsored radio station that was giving South Sudan the chance to hear music and sermons.

And I met people who had their lives changed by God and were now living for him. Hearing the words, We are so thankful for IBC in a South Sudanese accent is some-thing I dont think Ill ever get tired of hearing.

What I saw were the deeply held values of the IBC family: To love God and have him lead us where he wants us to go; to serve the poor and the oppressed wherever we have the opportunity; to empower local leaders to do the work of the ministry; to support creativity and innovation as the Spirit leads those local leaders; and to not only present the Gospel message in words, but also in our deeds. There are certainly other values I saw up close and personal, but there is a word-limit on this article.

My hope is that the next time you see photos of water wells, or Bishop Taban and those that worship at EPC, or see a yellow water can in our Town Square or hear about solar-powered radios and all the other ways IBC is involved in South Sudan, that youll take the time to remember that those seemingly ordinary snapshots are evidence of the extraordinary work IBC is doing to show the world his love.

Brent McKinney has traveled 52,686 sky miles in two months, and has since become an aficionado of pil-pil sauce.

Brent is IBCs Mission Pastor. He blogs regularly at mckinneydiner.wordpress.com.

Snapshots of South Sudan

Sometimes a picture is NOT worth a thousand words. On a recent trip to Africa, IBC Mission Pastor Brent McKinney discovered the partnership behind

the pictures.

Villagers in Yei line up their cans for clean water.

Mike Gwartney hands out solar radios to the congregation of EPC with Bishop Taban. (IBC also provided funds for the roof of this building.)

Brent is finding out he will have to dance in the upcoming church service. (He did.)

A school building about to be built. Water is Basic will drill a well for its students to use.

At a recently repaired well that had been broken for two years. Water is Basic fixed it in two days.

Chatter | 13

IT was the first morning of sabbatical for me. It was still dark outside as I plopped in my favorite chair with a steam-ing cup of coffee, ready to begin the first of many books I planned to read. The book was Soul Keeping by John Ortberg. I hadnt even gotten through the first chapter before I put the book down, grabbed my journal and a pen. This sabbatical is going to be nothing like I planned, I wrote.

As I was preparing for my three months away from normal ministerial duties, I had very specific goals of what I wanted to accomplish. I was going to come back with new ideas and laser clarity while being totally refreshed and ready to hit the ground running. The book arrested my thoughts and derailed my plans. It pointed out that the best thing I could do for IBC, my family and me, was to focus on the condition and care of my soul.

I learned that the biggest enemy of soul care is hurry. Burn out is another term that describes a soul nearing drought conditions. For the soul to be prop-erly nourished, it requires a deliberate slowing down. It means intentionally quieting the mind, eliminating distrac-tions, and being still. Seriously? Who has time to be still? Being still means not being productive. Right?

Actually, I find it much easier to frenetically cram more and more into an al-ready overstuffed life than to be quiet. Im starting to buy into the thought that my best ideas and most creative work spring from a well-nourished soul. This means creating space for quiet.

For me, this looks like getting up early while the house is still quiet, making my coffee and getting comfortable. I grab my favorite fountain pen (a gift from my wife) and my Bible and my journal with the really good paper. I read some Scripture and look for any application to my life. Then, I just write. What I write is more of a conversation between God and me. I guess its my way of praying. What it does is slow me down. I need that. The discipline of writing gives me time to process my thoughts, and, more importantly, my heart. It waters my soul.

Ive been back from sabbatical for three months now. I wish I could say I am living daily from a well-stocked soul, but that would be a stretch. I can tell when its starting to get a little parched when I feel my anxiety level tick up a bit having to stand too long in a line or wait at a red light. Thats when I realize Im in a hurry and its sucking my soul dry.

Im working on slowing the pace down a bit. Its a challenge. Im coming to agree with Ortberg that increased pace doesnt guarantee increased effective-ness. Im also coming to understand that replenishment doesnt happen over-night, just as droughts arent eliminated with one rainfall. Im trying to accept the invitation of my soul to build in more margin; to linger a little longer and to experience more times of quiet and stillness. I think this is the best thing I can do for IBC, my family and for myself.

Nat Pugh has recently discovered that adding generous portions of salt to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (as well as to cinnamon rolls) increases their flavor dramatically.

Nat is IBCs Mens Pastor and serves on Lead Team.

Next Steps: SOUL CARE

Chatter asked IBC pastors to weigh in on their next steps for the year personally, spiritually, or ministry-wise. Heres Nat.

Our soul is like a stream of water, which gives strength, direction, and harmony to every other area of our life. - Dallas Willard

Chatter | 4

UPCOMING

May JuneMAY 3

KidVenture Food Pantry Fill-upSee ad, pg. 17.

Tapestry Book Club 5 p.m.We will be discussing No-Drama Discipline to-

gether in 2015. Contact rnorth@irvingbible.org.

MAY 7

National Day of Prayer7 p.m. The ChapelCome together with IBCers to pray for our leaders

and nation. Contact jstein@irvingbible.org.

MAY 8-9

The Big Questions: A Conference on Life and FaithSee ad, pg. 16.

MAY 9

Writers Workshop 10 a.m.Join a community of people honing their writing

skills. Contact Donna at doreilly@irvingbible.org.

MAY 17

Tapestry: Fostering Hope Support GroupFor parents of foster children. Contact Ryan at

rnorth@irvingbible.org for more info.

MAY 20

Cancer Care Support GroupsMonthly beginning on Wednesday May 20 at 6:30 p.m.Caregivers meet in West A, cancer patients meet in

Mens Conference Room. Contact Sherri at ssharp@

irvingbible.org.

MAY 24

Pentecost Sunday CelebrationSee ad, this page. Watch the IBC web page

(irvingbible.org) for more info.

MAY 31

Safety Team Lunch 12:30 p.m.Interested in joining the safety team on Sundays?

Join us for a lunch at 12:30 p.m. in the Training Cen-

ter. RSVP to Sherri at ssharp@irvingbible.org.

Summer Growth Groups Begin See ad, pg. 17.

JUNE 9

Womens Summer Bible Study Begins6:30 p.m. See ad, pg. 17.

JUNE 22

VBS at IBC beginsThis summer, kids will go on an exciting expedi-

tion to Mount Everest where they will discover they

can conquer challenges with Gods mighty power!

Register at irvingbible.org/vbs.

PENTECOSTCelebrate the gi of our IBC family and the birth of Gods (big-C) Church!

Sunday, May 24

SUNDAY COMMUNITY MEALS

6 p.m. Town SquareMeals are $3 per person or $10 max./family.

5/3 Awesome pizza and bread sticks, salad bar

5/10 No meal. Happy Mothers Day!

5/17 Burgers and Brats, salad bar

5/24 No Meal. Pentecost Sunday

5/31 Giant baked potatoes and all the fixins, salad bar

If youd like to serve on a Sun-day night meal team, contact Pat OReilly at (214) 289-6176 or sun-daynightmeal@irvingbible.org.

WEDNESDAY MIDWEEK MEALS56:20 P.M.

Cost is $3/meal or $10 max./family. PB&J sandwiches are also available.

5/6 Lasagna, bread sticks, salad, dessert. Hosted by Mike Gwartneys team.

5/13 Chopped beef sandwiches, baked beans, chips, cole slaw, pickle spears, dessert. Hosted by Marlene Brittons team.

5/20 Honey baked ham, scal- loped potatoes, mixed veggies, salad, rolls, dessert. Hosted by Pat Downeys team.

5/27 Enchiladas, tacos, beans, chips and salsa, home baked cookies. Hosted by Barbara Wittes team.

Changes to the menu may be made depending on food cost, availability, and Bob Downeys whim.

If youd like to serve on a Wednes-day night meal team, please email bdowney@irvingbible.org.

ONGOING MEALS

BIBLE COMMUNITIESGroups on Sunday

Synergy9 a.m. The AlcoveMulti-generational

The Tree9 a.m. West D20s & 30s, married & young families

Crossroads10:45 a.m. West CCouples & Families late 20s to 40s

Journey10:45 a.m. The AlcoveAll Welcome

On Track10:45 a.m. Conference RoomSingle Parents

Thrive10:45 a.m. West DSingles in their 30s & 40s

Renew10:45 a.m. Training CenterAll Welcome

Legacy Builders6:45 p.m. West A All Welcome

CHILDRENInfants Through 5th Grade

Childrens Sunday Services9 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 5 p.m.

MyZoneWednesdays, 6:308:15 p.m.The Zone K-5th gradeActivities, friends, conversations, and slime. No registration required.

HOPE & HEALINGCommunity Care

Abortion Recovery CounselingContact Kym at (972) 560-4632 or kyeichner@irvingbible.org.

Recovery at IBCThursdays, 6:308:30 p.m. West Wing Youth LoungeA group for hurts, habits, and hangups. irvingbible.org/recovery.

Shelter from the StormSexual abuse support group. Con-tact shelterfromthestormibc@gmail.com or (214) 725-0898

The Living Grace GroupFor those with mental illness. Contact Heath at heathmurry@yahoo.com.

Family Grace GroupFor families/caregivers of those with mental illness. Contact Buzz Moody at myrabuzz@gmail.com.

NAMI Family-to-Family ClassContact Joey at joey@netbreezeinc.com or Debra at eumoore@yahoo.com.

Stephen Ministry at IBC One-on-one ministry for hurting people. Contact stephenministry@irvingbible.org or call (972) 560-4636.

Spousal Abuse RecoveryContact kyeichner@irvingbible.org.

MARRIAGEGrowing Together

Marriage at IBC Contact bmassey@irvingbible.org.

Pre-Marriage Mentoring Visit irvingbible.org/marriage.

MENCommunity and Resources

First WatchFridays, 6:22 a.m. The Commons Contact Nat at npugh@irvingbible.org.

First Watch ReplayTuesdays, 6:30 p.m.Training CenterContact brianarrington1@yahoo.com.

First Watch Xtra Wednesday, 6:30 a.m.Training CenterContact bcope@huntoil.com.

Visit irvingbible.org/men.

MISSIONLocal and Global

Prayer Meeting2nd and 4th Wednesdays6:45-8 p.m. The Chapel

Laundry LoveFirst Saturday of the month 9 a.m.12 p.m. Contact laundrylove@irvingbible.org.

New Friends New LifeServe dinner to women healing from exploitation in the commercial sex industry every third Wednesday. Contact Christine at newfriendsnew-life@irvingbible.org.

YOUNG ADULTSEvents and Resources

The Gathering Thursdays, 7 p.m.Join other young adults for a time of teaching and community. More info at irvingbible.org/youngadults.

SINGLE PARENTCommunity and Resources

Sit with us on Sunday!9 a.m. service, lowest right-hand section, Rows 5 & 6, facing the stage. Visit irvingbible.org/singleparents.

SPECIAL NEEDSCommunity & Care

Small Group for MomsSundays, 10:45 a.m.12 p.m.

In His Image Bible StudySundays, 6:307:45 p.m

Small Group for ParentsWednesdays, 6:308:15 p.m.

SonShine Pals and RoomCare during Sunday ministry.

Contact specialneeds@irvingbible.org.

STUDENTSMiddle/High School and College

Middle School SundaysLife on Life Sundays10:30 a.m.12:20 p.m.Student Ministries area

High School SundaysLife Groups Sundays, 6:458 p.m. Student Ministries area

IBC College MinistrySundays, 3:30 p.m.The Commons AnnexContact college@irvingbible.org.

2435 KINWEST Wednesday Nights at IBC

IBC ChoirWednesdays, 78:30 p.m.IBC Worship CenterContact Crystal at celwell@irving-bible.org.

ESL: English as a Second LanguageWednesdays, 6:308:30 p.m. AZ17, 18 and 19

FREE Citizenship ClassWednesdays, 6:308 p.m.IBC Conference Room

IBC Career Transition MinistryWednesdays, 6:308 p.m.

Visit 2435kinwest.org.PENTECOST

SUNDAY COMMUNITY MEALS

6 p.m. Town SquareMeals are $3 per person or $10 max./family.

5/3 Awesome pizza and bread sticks, salad bar

5/10 No meal. Happy Mothers Day!

5/17 Burgers and Brats, salad bar

5/24 No Meal. Pentecost Sunday

5/31 Giant baked potatoes and all the fixins, salad bar

If youd like to serve on a Sun-day night meal team, contact Pat OReilly at (214) 289-6176 or sun-daynightmeal@irvingbible.org.

WEDNESDAY MIDWEEK MEALS56:20 P.M.

Cost is $3/meal or $10 max./family. PB&J sandwiches are also available.

5/6 Lasagna, bread sticks, salad, dessert. Hosted by Mike Gwartneys team.

5/13 Chopped beef sandwiches, baked beans, chips, cole slaw, pickle spears, dessert. Hosted by Marlene Brittons team.

5/20 Honey baked ham, scal- loped potatoes, mixed veggies, salad, rolls, dessert. Hosted by Pat Downeys team.

5/27 Enchiladas, tacos, beans, chips and salsa, home baked cookies. Hosted by Barbara Wittes team.

Changes to the menu may be made depending on food cost, availability, and Bob Downeys whim.

If youd like to serve on a Wednes-day night meal team, please email bdowney@irvingbible.org.

ONGOING MEALS

BIBLE COMMUNITIESGroups on Sunday

Synergy9 a.m. The AlcoveMulti-generational

The Tree9 a.m. West D20s & 30s, married & young families

Crossroads10:45 a.m. West CCouples & Families late 20s to 40s

Journey10:45 a.m. The AlcoveAll Welcome

On Track10:45 a.m. Conference RoomSingle Parents

Thrive10:45 a.m. West DSingles in their 30s & 40s

Renew10:45 a.m. Training CenterAll Welcome

Legacy Builders6:45 p.m. West A All Welcome

CHILDRENInfants Through 5th Grade

Childrens Sunday Services9 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 5 p.m.

MyZoneWednesdays, 6:308:15 p.m.The Zone K-5th gradeActivities, friends, conversations, and slime. No registration required.

HOPE & HEALINGCommunity Care

Abortion Recovery CounselingContact Kym at (972) 560-4632 or kyeichner@irvingbible.org.

Recovery at IBCThursdays, 6:308:30 p.m. West Wing Youth LoungeA group for hurts, habits, and hangups. irvingbible.org/recovery.

Shelter from the StormSexual abuse support group. Con-tact shelterfromthestormibc@gmail.com or (214) 725-0898

The Living Grace GroupFor those with mental illness. Contact Heath at heathmurry@yahoo.com.

Family Grace GroupFor families/caregivers of those with mental illness. Contact Buzz Moody at myrabuzz@gmail.com.

NAMI Family-to-Family ClassContact Joey at joey@netbreezeinc.com or Debra at eumoore@yahoo.com.

Stephen Ministry at IBC One-on-one ministry for hurting people. Contact stephenministry@irvingbible.org or call (972) 560-4636.

Spousal Abuse RecoveryContact kyeichner@irvingbible.org.

MARRIAGEGrowing Together

Marriage at IBC Contact bmassey@irvingbible.org.

Pre-Marriage Mentoring Visit irvingbible.org/marriage.

MENCommunity and Resources

First WatchFridays, 6:22 a.m. The Commons Contact Nat at npugh@irvingbible.org.

First Watch ReplayTuesdays, 6:30 p.m.Training CenterContact brianarrington1@yahoo.com.

First Watch Xtra Wednesday, 6:30 a.m.Training CenterContact bcope@huntoil.com.

Visit irvingbible.org/men.

MISSIONLocal and Global

Prayer Meeting2nd and 4th Wednesdays6:45-8 p.m. The Chapel

Laundry LoveFirst Saturday of the month 9 a.m.12 p.m. Contact laundrylove@irvingbible.org.

New Friends New LifeServe dinner to women healing from exploitation in the commercial sex industry every third Wednesday. Contact Christine at newfriendsnew-life@irvingbible.org.

YOUNG ADULTSEvents and Resources

The Gathering Thursdays, 7 p.m.Join other young adults for a time of teaching and community. More info at irvingbible.org/youngadults.

SINGLE PARENTCommunity and Resources

Sit with us on Sunday!9 a.m. service, lowest right-hand section, Rows 5 & 6, facing the stage. Visit irvingbible.org/singleparents.

SPECIAL NEEDSCommunity & Care

Small Group for MomsSundays, 10:45 a.m.12 p.m.

In His Image Bible StudySundays, 6:307:45 p.m

Small Group for ParentsWednesdays, 6:308:15 p.m.

SonShine Pals and RoomCare during Sunday ministry.

Contact specialneeds@irvingbible.org.

STUDENTSMiddle/High School and College

Middle School SundaysLife on Life Sundays10:30 a.m.12:20 p.m.Student Ministries area

High School SundaysLife Groups Sundays, 6:458 p.m. Student Ministries area

IBC College MinistrySundays, 3:30 p.m.The Commons AnnexContact college@irvingbible.org.

2435 KINWEST Wednesday Nights at IBC

IBC ChoirWednesdays, 78:30 p.m.IBC Worship CenterContact Crystal at celwell@irving-bible.org.

ESL: English as a Second LanguageWednesdays, 6:308:30 p.m. AZ17, 18 and 19

FREE Citizenship ClassWednesdays, 6:308 p.m.IBC Conference Room

IBC Career Transition MinistryWednesdays, 6:308 p.m.

Visit 2435kinwest.org.PENTECOST

Day One: Friday from 7 p.m.9:30 p.m.Day Two: Saturday from 9 a.m.12:30 p.m. Cost: $30Register: http://bit.ly/1AdQkkY

Whether you consider yourself a believer, a skep-tic, or somewhere in between, youre invited to thoughtfully engage these vital topics with us. Well hear from Craig Hazen, J.P. Moreland, Sean McDowell, and Clay Jones, all of whom have dedi-cated their lives to exploring the answers to lifes ultimate questions.

Although the registration cost for The Big Questions represents a great value, please dont let the cost prohibit you from attending. Scholarships for this event are avail-able based on need, so contact us to fi nd out more. Please note: Childcare will not be provided for this event.

Have questions about The Big Questions: A Conference on Life and Faith? Contact info@irvingbible.org.

IS THERE A GOD?

IS THE BIBLE RELIABLE?

WHY DOES GOD ALLOW EVIL AND SUFFERING?

DO SCIENCE AND FAITH CONTRADICT ONE ANOTHER?

THE BIG QUESTIONS

MAY 89

A C O N F E R E N C E O N L I F E A N D F A I T H

MAY =MISSIONThis month, we need you and your family to help re-stock the IBC Food Pantry.

When children are out of school for the summer, many families need a little extra help to have enough food around the house. You can help! For the month of May, simply pick up the list of needed items and then donate food at the collection stations in each of the Childrens Ministry areas at IBC.

Collection Schedule:5/3: Peanut butter, jelly, pancake mix, syrup, cereal5/10: Canned tuna, chicken, other meat, hamburger helper/tuna helper5/17: Canned veggies, fruit, beans, and soups5/24: Pasta, pasta sauce, mac & cheese, rice, beans (dry)5/31: Kidventure/packing day everyone is welcome to join us in the Haven after the morning services to divide up and pack the food.

KidVenture provides regular service projects for the whole family at IBC.

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T H I S S U M M E R AT W O M E N S B I B L E S T U D Y

FIGHT BACK WITH JOYby Margaret Feinberg

What if joy is better than you imagined? The cherished

virtue has been wrapped in clichs, stamped on co ee

mugs, and sewn onto decorative pillows. Fight Back

With Joy declares that joy is more than whimsyits

a weapon we can use to fi ght lifes greatest battles.

Join us for this six-week Bible study where together

well learn that no matter our circumstances, we can

practice defi ant joy.

DATE: Tuesday, June 9 July 21 (not meeting June 23 due to VBS)

TIME: 6:308:30 p.m.

LOCATION: The Commons, IBC

COST: $15 (includes workbook)

For more information and to register visit irvingbible.org/women.

KidZone registration is also available at a cost of $10 per child, with a family max of $30 (the fee covers all six weeks of Bible study). Registration closes on June 2 at noon.

MSummer Growth GroupsA unique opportunity to gr

ow in Christ

and connect in community at IBC.

The only thing that should stop during summer is SCHOOL. If youre looking to take your next step in discipleship this year, this is your chance to connect with others and deepen your faith over the summer months.

Register at irvingbible.org/smallgroups.

When: May 31 Aug. 8 (10 weeks)

Where: Groups will meet weekly in homes through-out the summer, and will use a discipleship-focused video curriculum from RightNow Media.

Unlike the usual small groups system, these groups will be expected to disband after the summer session.

MAY =MISSIONThis month, we need you and your family to help re-stock the IBC Food Pantry.

When children are out of school for the summer, many families need a little extra help to have enough food around the house. You can help! For the month of May, simply pick up the list of needed items and then donate food at the collection stations in each of the Childrens Ministry areas at IBC.

Collection Schedule:5/3: Peanut butter, jelly, pancake mix, syrup, cereal5/10: Canned tuna, chicken, other meat, hamburger helper/tuna helper5/17: Canned veggies, fruit, beans, and soups5/24: Pasta, pasta sauce, mac & cheese, rice, beans (dry)5/31: Kidventure/packing day everyone is welcome to join us in the Haven after the morning services to divide up and pack the food.

KidVenture provides regular service projects for the whole family at IBC.

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T H I S S U M M E R AT W O M E N S B I B L E S T U D Y

FIGHT BACK WITH JOYby Margaret Feinberg

What if joy is better than you imagined? The cherished

virtue has been wrapped in clichs, stamped on co ee

mugs, and sewn onto decorative pillows. Fight Back

With Joy declares that joy is more than whimsyits

a weapon we can use to fi ght lifes greatest battles.

Join us for this six-week Bible study where together

well learn that no matter our circumstances, we can

practice defi ant joy.

DATE: Tuesday, June 9 July 21 (not meeting June 23 due to VBS)

TIME: 6:308:30 p.m.

LOCATION: The Commons, IBC

COST: $15 (includes workbook)

For more information and to register visit irvingbible.org/women.

KidZone registration is also available at a cost of $10 per child, with a family max of $30 (the fee covers all six weeks of Bible study). Registration closes on June 2 at noon.

MSummer Growth GroupsA unique opportunity to gr

ow in Christ

and connect in community at IBC.

The only thing that should stop during summer is SCHOOL. If youre looking to take your next step in discipleship this year, this is your chance to connect with others and deepen your faith over the summer months.

Register at irvingbible.org/smallgroups.

When: May 31 Aug. 8 (10 weeks)

Where: Groups will meet weekly in homes through-out the summer, and will use a discipleship-focused video curriculum from RightNow Media.

Unlike the usual small groups system, these groups will be expected to disband after the summer session.

Chatter | 18

Till We Have Faces was C.S. Lewis last novel. It was also his favorite.

HOW DO I GIVE?

FIND A PLACE TO SERVEYouve come a long way since that fi rst breath mint. Youve been busy worshipping, learning, relating, and committing. And its at this point that you might start looking around at all the people who help create those events ushers, greeters, meal team members, table hosts, small group leaders, and the like. Your next step now is to join them! Consider your passions, talents and spiritual gifts and then ask about a place to serve. Visit irvingbible.org/serve.

JOIN IN WORSHIPSo you found the address, a place to park, and a breath mint on the way in. Good work! If youre reading this, youve probably already taken the fi rst step attending a worship service. This is the fi rst and most important place to start, so keep coming. Become a regular. Make sure to fi ll out a Newcomer Card. Tell us a little about yourself and let us know how we can engage with you. Somebody will reach out to you this week. Visit irvingbible.org/connect.

Were glad you asked. Here are the steps to take for having your questions answered, guring out the IBC story, and, if youre feeling ready, plugging in.

CHECK OUT THE NEWCOMER GATHERINGSo youre kicking the IBC tires? Good! Were so glad youre here. The Newcomer Gathering is a great opportunity to meet church leadership, learn what IBC is all about, and connect with other newbies in a fun, relaxed environment. Next Newcomer Gathering: Fall 2015

SIGN UP FOR PROPELAll right! Youre feeling the IBC vibe and want to see where you might get involved. Propel is a 4-week class that explores the IBC calling and culture, and how your unique personality and passions fi t in. Meet many of our pastors and directors of ministries at IBC. Next Propel: Fall 2015

JOIN A COMMUNITYYoure fi ring on all cylinders but something is missing. And that something is a someone, or a group of someones. Enter sermon-based Small Groups, Womens Bible Study, First Watch, and more. We encourage you to fi nd a group and connect authentically with others. Visit irvingbible.org/adults.

Start

My Time, Talents & SkillsFind Your SpotEach Sunday, IBC helps about 800 kids grow in Christ and connect in community. We are in need of people of all ages to invest in the next generation of nursery, preschool, and elementary kids. We have opportunities for all skill sets. Contact Melody at mparlett@irvingbible.org.

Family Promise Day Center VolunteersThe FP Day Center is where the adults go to devel-op a plan for housing and jobs while their kids are in school. If you could give a few hours a week or a month to spend helping at the Day Center, contact Merlyn at (469) 586-5374, or ma-n-me@msn.com.

Meal Team VolunteersIBC makes meals available both Sunday and Wednesday nights. These fun teams could use some additional volunteers to serve together. For Sundays, contact sundaynightmeal@irvingbible.org. For Wednesdays, contact bdowney@irvingbible.org.

Medical Professionals NeededOur weekly medical clinic needs professional health care providers (MD, PA, FNP) to provide treatment for our patients. Volunteers serve on a rotating basis and do not need to serve every week. Contact Charles at cpierce@2435clinic.org.

Mentor Kids in Single-Parent FamiliesMen and women are needed for gender-specifi c mentoring of children from single-parent families. Contact Marsha at mtribbett@irvingbible.org.

New Friends New LifeServe dinner to women healing from exploitation in the commercial sex industry every third Wednesday. Please contact Christine at newfriendsnewlife@irvingbible.org.

Senior Citizen VolunteersDo you have a heart for our assisted living neigh-bors? Mac Arthur Hills and Ashford Hall need loving volunteers and visitors for those who dont have family nearby. For more info contact Mike at seniorcare@irvingbible.org.

My ResourcesOnline Giving OptionIf you would fi nd it more convenient to donate to the ministries of Irving Bible Church online, visit irvingbible.org/give.

HOW DO I GET CONNECTED AT IBC?

FOR MORE INFO, VISIT IRVINGBIBLE.ORG/CONNECT OR LOOK FOR THE NEWCOMER GUIDES AT THE INFORMATION DESK.

Chatter | 19

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FARM: EGGSPERIENCE CAPTION CONTEST

Last month, IBCers great and small converged for eggs and excitement. Eggcitement, if you will. If youve had-it-up-to-here with egg puns, never fear May is here. But first: send us a caption for each pic from the IBC Eggsperience below and you could win Marble Scramble. SLAB. You could win Marble SLAB

Send your captions to chatter@irvingbible.org.

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Sheep have excellent hearing.

Chatteryou CAN take it with you. Send us your Chatter photos on location, and you may see yourself in an upcoming issue. Email us at chatter@irvingbible.org.

Stephanie Sloane and Kimberly Head (L to R) take a break from frying chicken over a wood fire to mug with Chatter. They were part of the Next Gen mission trip to Honduras.