Benefits and Dangers of Technology

Our age of technological advancement and capabilities is astounding and so fast-paced that being aware of the “latest” becomes an exhausting, endless pursuit. The doors of opportunity that such technology provides are both extremely beneficial and potentially dangerous. I was made keenly aware of this dichotomy recently.

Skype is a wonderful tool. Over the course of one weekend, I enjoyed three opportunities that, without the technology, would have been impossible. First, the kids and I skyped with most of my family. It was a blessing and a huge deal since we have recently moved to the other end of the US! It is a great joy to be able not only to hear a loved one but see them as well! Second, the board members of Search And See held a group skype for our annual meeting. A tremendous cost effective tool for non-profits! Much less expensive than hotel, travel, and meals required to hold a meeting! Third, and my FAVORITE, I skyped with two missionaries serving in Africa! As their pastor, I counted it a privilege to speak with them face to face, pray for them, seek to encourage them, and just let them know as their pastor, I care for them!

Technology can be very beneficial.

However, it can also be devastating, destructive, and dangerous. The advancement of technology has increased the opportunities to privately sin or hide ongoing sin to multiple proportions! You see the effects of this around you every day. Porn is just on click away. You can become another person, an alias, through social media. You can live a different life. You can say things on the keyboard you wouldn’t dare say in person. You can present yourself unrealistically as reality. You can maintain secrecy. You can set up false accounts. The list goes on and on. Pit after pit. Temptation after temptation. Ruin upon ruin.

Technology can be very dangerous.

How should the Christian respond?

1. Filter EVERYTHING through Christ! Philippians 4:8 is an excellent grid.
2. Don’t fool yourself - be accountable! The tools are available. Christian spouses and friends are available. Use the tools and allow your spouse and/or friends full access. Put up barriers.
3. Use every available means of technology to encourage the saints and proclaim the Gospel.
4. Stay in touch and keep healthy relationships with friends and family. We no longer have an excuse. God has given us multiple means in our day to stay connected.

Take advantage of the benefits and do all you can to avoid the dangers!

Annual Financial Report

One of the joys of Search And See is the annual financial report. I am always thrilled and amazed to see how the Lord has allowed us to touch lives with the Gospel all over the world with such little means. It is true! Search And See is a very small ministry, and yet God opens very big doors. I praise His name for the joy of equipping saints and witnessing to the unsaved, all over the world, on a daily basis, through varied means. It is an awesome joy.

I am also so very grateful for our friends who stand with us, our prayer supporters who uplift us, and our financial donors who make all of our outreach possible.

The following is a summary of our income and our ministry endeavors for our previous fiscal year.

Total Income from Donors: $70,169.97

Ministry Endeavors:

1. Hopegivers (orphan support for India) $3,729.80
2. Compensation (Wil Owens) $4,000.00
3. Kenya Mission Trip (all expenses for 17+ projects) $56,394.74
4. Compensation (office management) $747.50
5. Support for Pastor John Musiikhu $1,159.00
6. Sermon Broadcasts in Liberia $616.00
7. Internet Sermon Ministry $422.30
8. South India Orphanage $2,720.00
9. Book Publication and Costs $1,214.00
10. Family Conference in KY $464.03
11. Fees $15.00
12. Office Supplies $516.32

TOTAL: $72,043.69

To God be the Glory - Great Things He has Done!

Wil Owens

President

Search And See Ministries

Glory to the Father - Glory to the Son

Since our church completed Colossians 1, I decided to teach on two other Christ hymn passages before we take up Colossians 2. Last Sunday, I taught on one of my favorite passages, Philippians 2:5-11. During my preparation, a marvelous truth opened up to me. It was so exciting to share it with my church, and I’d like to share it with my readers here.

The glorious truth unfolding in Philippians 2:9-11 is this: The mutual pleasure of the Father in the Son and the Son in the Father is expressed by glory to the Father and glory to the Son!

Take a look at the text.

Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

First, notice the “therefore.” God the Father responds to the willing, sacrificial obedience of His Son by bestowing on Him a name, a name so high above all names, that at that name, Jesus, His Son, will be glorified!

Second, notice the final phrase “to the glory of God the Father.” The Son willingly became a slave in order to endure the cross so that He could redeem the Father’s children. The Son knew He would be exalted. And He also knew that His exaltation would result in bringing glory to the Father!

Now watch how Jesus’ prayer in John 17:1 matches this interpretation of the Christ hymn in Philippians 2!

Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify You!

Nothing brings more glory to the Father than glory to the Son! Nothing brings more glory to the Son than glory to the Father!

The application for us is that salvation in the eternal state is that we will be brought fully into the Father and Son’s relation of glory, love, and joy! We will know ultimate joy because we will be with the Father and the Son in their glory. (John 17:24)

*I am indebted to Jonathan Edwards and John Piper for helping me to see this beautiful relationship between Father and Son. I know the Spirit used the knowledge I have gleaned from them to open this text to me.

Myanmar Project 2011

Listed below are the 4 projects our team would like to see achieved for our visit to Emmanuel Ministries, Kalay, Myanmar. We desire to bless and encourage the saints in both practical and lasting ways. We go to serve them in any way possible.

1. ESV Study Bibles for each graduate (20). Our team is supplying these at our own expense, and we are delighted to do so. What a joy to place a solid translation that comes with great study aids and tools in these hands of these graduates! They will spend the rest of their lives studying and teaching the Bible. Presenting each graduate with a brand new Bible is going to be a blast!
2. A new outfit for every student (44) and every orphan (21). We need $1,500 to accomplish this. That’s about $23/person. Most of these orphans and students have very, very little. This is our way of reaching out to touch “the least of these.”
3. A large purchase of rice and beans for the orphans and students. We need $1000 to accomplish this. The quantity that this donation would purchase could provide meals for these believers for a long time. What a blessing to be able to study and not be hungry! We want to feed them spiritually by teaching, preaching, sharing our faith. We also want to feed them physically and sponsor their meals in Jesus’ name!
4. Purchasing permission to visit the surrounding villages. We need $100 to receive permissions from the government to visit villages in the area. These are the places where the students go to share Christ. We will accompany them and share our faith with as many as will listen.

We need $2,600 to clothe and feed the orphans and students and to visit the villages. Please join us in prayer for this provision. If you can give to the Myanmar project, please designate your gift “Myanmar” and send it to:

Search And See

PO Box 1304

Paintsville, KY 41240

Remember our team in prayer during our trip, Oct 1-12.

Blessings!

Wil Owens

Galatians 2:20

Stop By, or "Click By", and Visit Us!

As most of you know, the Lord called me and my family to sunny California! After a memorable road trip across the country, we arrived at our new home in Clovis, CA on May 9. We are now entering our 4th month of settling in to a new home, new town, and new church. It has been extremely busy, but very exciting!

I’d like to invite you to check out our new place of ministry, Clovis Evangelical Free Church. (www.clovisevfree.org) Many of you prayed for us so faithfully. I thought you would enjoy getting to see and learn about “how, or where” the Lord answered your prayers!

It’s an honor for me to serve this great church as Teaching Pastor. The Lord is working in lives and drawing people to Himself through His Word. I am currently preaching through the book of Colossians. It has been a thrill to proclaim the supremacy of Christ in this glorious epistle. In fact, I have requested that as a result of our study in Colossians, we should adopt the motto “In All Things, Christ Supreme!”

On Sunday, August 21 we will begin two morning worship services. It is such a joy to need more space!

If you are reading this and happen to reside near the Fresno/Clovis area, we would love to have you and your family worship with us THIS Sunday!

To God be the Glory - Great Things He Has Done!

Loving Christ by Serving the Saints - Will You Help Us?

If you are familiar with Search And See Ministries at all, you know two things about us. Number one, we love to take teams on short-term trips to visit strategic ministries all over the world! Number two, when we go overseas, we go to be a blessing to the believers!

This year’s trip and purpose is no different, and we are asking for your prayer and support to help us bless the saints laboring for the Lord in Myanmar.

Prayer: Our team members are Peter Copeland, Randy Alston, Greg Smith, and Wil Owens. We depart on Oct 1 and return home on Oct 12. During our visit, we will participate in a Bible College graduation, teach students, worship with the believers, and visit the surrounding villages. We earnestly desire your prayer support for safety, health, strength, spiritual insight as we teach and visit, and foremost that the saints would be uplifted and many will be drawn to faith.

Support: We would love to bless the saints in the following ways: an ESV Study Bible for each graduate, a new outfit for every student and orphan, and sponsoring the college and orphanage with food. Along with these projects, the permission to visit the villages cost $100. The grand total is $2600.00.

Please pray that we can reach this goal before our departure on Oct 1. If you would like to give toward this project, please send your gift to:

Search And See

PO Box 1304

Paintsville, KY 41240

***Be sure to designate your donation as “Myanmar Project.”

Matthew 25:40 - “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.”

Hebrews 6:10 - “For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love that you showed for His sake in serving the saints, as you still do.”

Search And See - August 2011 Update

Dear Friends:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! I pray this update finds you well and growing in the grace and knowledge of our Savior! We have some exciting news to share this month, and as always, we are so encouraged to have you stand with us in prayers, support, and financial donations.

*Sermon Ministry: 286 downloads in 27 States and 13 Nations. Weekly broadcasts in Liberia as well.

*Myanmar Trip: October 1-12. We have a team of four; Peter Copeland, Randy Alston, Greg Smith, and Wil Owens. All of our expenses are paid. I have received my visa. Please pray that the others will receive their visas with no problems. Also, please pray for strength and health as we will be enduring one long flight and several short flights to arrive at our destination!!!!! During our visit, we will teach students, participate in their Bible College graduation, visit villages, and join them for worship. As part of our trip, we will be blessing the believers. Keep a watch on the blog to see how you can help us be a rich blessing to the student and orphans!!!!!!!!!!!

*Kenya: PLEASE PRAY!!! Most of Kenya is under a famine, and it has affected Tiriki where Pastor John lives and serves. Pleasant Grove Baptist, SC received a love offering for this need on July 31. We continue to support all the pastors on a monthly basis, and support has also been raised recently for their 3 orphanages! My daughter, Talitha, was pleased to find out that Pastor John has named their bookstore after her!!!!!

*Search And See Ministries has a tremendous need approaching. This is something only God could provide. Please join us in praying for His will to be accomplished!

*I am ready to send “Wonders in the Word” to the publisher. It is now only a matter of raising the sufficient funds to purchase a publishing package. My children’s book will be ready soon!!

*Our family has settled into our new home and church, and we are having a wonderful time! It’s exciting to see the Lord working through His Word among His people. Check out the church at www.clovisevfree.org!

Thanks again for standing with us as we strive to take the message of Christ to the ends of the earth!

Blessings!
Wil Owens
Galatians 2:20