[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Flasting-impressions":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Flasting-impressions-surround":69},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":52,"date":53,"description":16,"extension":54,"image":55,"meta":56,"minRead":57,"navigation":58,"path":59,"postType":60,"publication":61,"publicationUrl":55,"seo":62,"stem":63,"topics":64,"__hash__":68},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Flasting-impressions.md","Lasting Impressions",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"Colossians",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":48},"minimark",[13,17,20,28,35,42,45],[14,15,16],"p",{},"Labor Day is one holiday the United States and Canada share in common, so if you're a citizen of the U.S.A., let me take you north of the border as we pause from our labors this weekend.",[14,18,19],{},"A few weeks ago I preached for a series of meetings in Prince Edward Island. P.E.I. is Canada's smallest province, yet it's rich in history and natural beauty. My wife and I enjoyed driving through the countryside where potato farmers grow tons of Russet Burbanks in the island's red soil, and tall wildflowers called lupins paint the meadows with splashes of purple, pink, and white. The sea and its influence appear at every turn, from the boats of the lobster fishermen and the picturesque lighthouses dotting the shore to the enormous Confederation Bridge that connects P.E.I. with New Brunswick.",[14,21,22,23,27],{},"Prince Edward Island's best known native, Lucy Maud Montgomery, was born in New London in 1874. Tourists from all over the world still come to this region made famous by Montgomery's classic fiction, ",[24,25,26],"em",{},"Anne of Green Gables",".",[14,29,30,31,34],{},"Not as well known, but quite important in church history, is another person who was born in the same town of New London on the day after Christmas, 1850. When he was 16, Archibald McLean was baptized at the very church where I was privileged to preach in the town of Summerside. (A picture of him still hangs in a prominent place on the church building's wall.) Known for his commitment to world evangelism, McLean devoted himself tirelessly to the cause of missions. James DeForest Murch wrote that \"Foreign missions was an obsession with him. . . . Immersing himself in a study of world needs and acquiring a knowledge of the history and techniques of Christian missions, he became one of the most capable missions executives in Christendom\" (",[24,32,33],{},"Christians Only",", Standard Publishing, 1962).",[14,36,37,38,41],{},"In ",[24,39,40],{},"The Stone-Campbell Movement"," (College Press, 1981), Leroy Garrett tells more about this fascinating man. McLean never married, choosing instead to devote his life to the larger family of God. He ministered for 11 years with Mt. Healthy Christian Church (located just a few blocks from my office at Standard Publishing). But his greatest love was mission work. In 1895-96, he circled the globe to preach and encourage missionaries in Hawaii, Japan, China, and other lands. He prayed for missionaries by name every day, and whenever possible wrote a personal letter at least once a month to each missionary who came under the scope of his pastoral care. \"A missionary in Japan,\" Garrett notes, \"preserved 129 letters from him over seven years, many written on trains and in hotels.\" When McLean accompanied his missionary friends to a railroad station, he insisted on carrying their bags. If they protested, he would say, \"Would you do me out of the honor of escorting an ambassador?\"",[14,43,44],{},"There are many ways to serve the Lord. Some do it by preaching and teaching, others by singing and writing. Some serve Christ while they build bridges or grow potatoes. Whatever our chosen line of work, we can find opportunities to bring our neighbors hope, and use our earnings to support God's kingdom work.",[14,46,47],{},"\"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men\" (Colossians 3:23). When we do that, we'll leave behind more than a picture on a church's wall. We'll make a lasting impression on a world in need.",{"title":49,"searchDepth":50,"depth":50,"links":51},"",2,[],"From the Editor's Desk","1999-09-05","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Flasting-impressions","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Flasting-impressions",[65,66,67],"Church Leadership","Biblical Theology","Christian Unity","p5u-fKd81SZK8UoTMXUfFREoBHLTZuA9IoUaJxLUT9A",[70,75],{"title":71,"path":72,"stem":73,"description":74,"children":-1},"Kingdom Kids","\u002Farticles\u002Fkingdom-kids","articles\u002Fkingdom-kids","My three-year-old granddaughter Abbie notices things others tend to overlook.",{"title":76,"path":77,"stem":78,"description":79,"children":-1},"Laugh or Cry?","\u002Farticles\u002Flaugh-or-cry","articles\u002Flaugh-or-cry","When I was a Bible college professor, one day a ministry student told the class about a problem in the small urban church where he served as the preacher. “Our congregation constantly talks about the ‘good old days’ when the church was large,” he explained. “A picture taken years ago hangs on the wall in our building’s main lobby, and it shows an overflow crowd. Older folks point to the picture and wonder, ‘Why can’t we be like that again?’”"]