A Note from Kim: Compton Beaton was a student in one of my husband’s classes offered at America’s Keswick  some years back. During that time, God was working on Compton’s heart regarding pastoral ministry. After the class ended, Compton went on to attend Liberty University earning his master’s degree. I will always remember the day Compton called and left a message on my husband’s cell phone during his graduation ceremony from the floor of the Vines Center at Liberty University to say thank you for his counsel and teaching. He saved that voice mail for as long as he kept his phone! It meant so much to him. Compton is the pastor at Grace Gospel Church in South Tom’s River, NJ, serving there for the past ten years. Recently, we attended a dinner given in their honor by their church for ten years of faithful service. The love expressed by their dear people through this gesture was incredible. Last year, Compton and his wife, Coreta, were blessed by their church with the gift of a trip to the Holy Land. We, in turn, were blessed to have them join us for our Victorious Life Tour to Israel: In the Footsteps of Jesus and share in the devotional times and music each morning throughout the trip. Both Compton and Coreta exude the joy of Jesus in their lives and it is an honor to call them our friends.

Being Skilled at Life in the Right Kind of Way!

by Pastor Compton Beaton

Have you ever asked yourself “why do smart people do dumb things?” Or why do some people who seem to have everything do not have the wisdom to life? These questions and more have caused me to seek after wisdom to find the secret on how someone can become skilled, to live life in the right kind of way.

My search led me to the man of God Job who wanted to know the answer to the same question, “From where does wisdom come?” He received his response in [Job 28:20, 28 NKJV] “From where then does wisdom come? And where [is] the place of understanding?… And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom, And to depart from evil [is] understanding.’ “I then realized the starting point of wisdom begins with “the fear of God.” The word wisdom means skill or skillful.  This key ingredient is also found in the book of Proverbs [Pro 1:7 NKJV] 7 “The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge, [But] fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Therefore, if someone does not start with this key ingredient, he or she will not possess the skills to life.

My life did not begin with the fear of God, nor was I desirous of seeking after Him. I was born to teenage parents in a little village called Good Intent in Guyana South America. My early years were spent living with my grandparents in whose eyes I could do no wrong. The startling reality hit home to me when I failed my first attempt at the entrance examination to attend the high school. It was at this point my mom took me from her parents to live with her. At the time, she was living with a Christian family whose influence has impacted our lives today. I started attending church with my mom and was convicted of my sins by the Word of God. As a result, I came to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord.

My new life in Christ then started with a reverential fear of God and set me on a quest to learn more about Him. I wanted to understand how I could become skilled at handling life in the right kind of way. I passed the high school entrance exam on my second attempt and embarked in studying the Scriptures. I was encouraged by the instructions given in Proverbs 2:1-9 from the father to the son. I took these verses as though they were the utterance of my father to me. They have formed the substance for my spiritual walk with Christ, and are foundational for my life, marriage, family, ministry and career.

The first four verses of [Pro 2:1-4 NKJV] present the conditions for “the son to accept the words of the father, and to treasure up his commands within him. He is to make his ear attentive to wisdom and apply his heart to understanding. If he cries out for discernment and lift up his voice for understanding, and seek for her as silver and search for her as hidden treasure;”

Then verse five shows the result of such actions, “Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God.”

The next three verses [Pro 2:6-8 NKJV] show that “the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth [come] knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.” Verse nine displays that the son would have the understanding in the ethics of life. “Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity [and] every good path.” These instructions provide the tenet for someone to be skilled at living in the right kind of way hence, he or she must first start with the fear of God, obey His word and apply it to their lives. If your beginning started out wrong, or in failure and disappointment, you can start anew by trusting Jesus and have a new beginning to a life of wisdom.

Compton Beaton

May 21, 2016

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Compton Beaton is a pastor at the Grace Gospel Church in South Toms River NJ, where he faithfully serves the Lord for the past ten years. He answered the call of God when the church was about to close with no one to lead the church of seven members at that time. Born in Guyana South America, he was involved in church ministries and enthusiastically served as a Sunday school teacher, youth leader and deacon in his local church before immigrating to the U.S.A. in 1990. He now resides in Toms River, NJ with his wife Coreta and two sons. He is a member of the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) Ocean County Chapter in Toms River, and enjoys doing the will of the Lord.

He is bi-vocational and also works as a computer specialist for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Atlantic City NJ. He is the database project lead for flight movements and weather products distribution within the National Airspace System (NAS).

Compton holds a Master of Arts degree in Religion from Liberty University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology. Find out more about Pastor Beaton’s ministry at http://www.facebook.com/gracegospelchurchnj

 

 

 

 

 

A note from Kim:  I met Clare and Donna Jewell in January of 2015 when Joe and I attended a meeting with ABWE in Orlando, FL. My husband, Joe, had been networking with the ABWE  North American Leadership team at various functions for about two years, but I had not met any of the team, besides Doug Martin,  ABWE’s North American Director, and his wife, Sharon. What a privilege and joy to get to know Clare, Donna, and the rest of the team. What a heart and vision they each have for reaching people for God’s Kingdom through crossing cultures without crossing borders, as they develop strategies to plant multi-ethnic, disciple-making churches throughout the United States and Canada. Clare and Donna are great examples of faith and faithfulness and I am blessed to know them.

The Dawn of Wisdom

by Clare Jewel

“I am wrong. I need you to be less wrong.”

As a young leader, I thought I was pretty smart. I started with the premise that I was right. I was willing to listen, to debate, to hear an alternative point of view; but I started every discussion believing that the other guy had to prove me wrong.

That worked well until I found myself sitting next to my wife across from a counselor wondering what in the world went wrong. We didn’t have a horrible marriage. We just didn’t have a very good one. I was sure I was right. Donna was sure I was wrong. Somewhere along the way, we decided to stop arguing about it, and we just sort of coasted. We put our arguments in boxes and stored them in the basement with an unspoken agreement that we would live our lives on the first floor.

Counselors love basements. This one led us straight down the stairs and made us open up our boxes. I got to go first. “Clare, it appears to me that you have a rather strong tendency to be controlling.” In my peripheral vision, I could see Donna nodding so hard, she gave herself a whiplash. I wanted to scream. I wanted to argue. I was right. He was wrong. I was right. Donna was wrong.

In that moment, the Spirit of God had the audacity to prompt me with a new possibility – “Clare, you are wrong. You need me, you need your wife, you need this counselor, and you need all the other people I’ve put in your life to become less wrong.”

That was the dawn of wisdom. That was the day Proverbs 4 came to life. “Listen when you are corrected. Pay attention and learn good judgment, for I am giving you guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions.” In my marriage and in ministry, I assumed I was the guide. Donna needed my instructions. People needed to follow me. The whole time, I was missing out on the opportunity to grow, to learn, to gain wisdom from others.

That day, a new door opened for me. Instead of beginning with the proposition that I was right, I started discussions with the assumption that I was wrong, that I needed wisdom more than I needed to prove my point. Proverbs 4:5 – “Get wisdom” Proverbs 4:6 – “Don’t turn your back on wisdom.” Proverbs 4:7 – “Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do!”   Proverbs 4:8 – “If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her and she will honor you.”

It wouldn’t be very wise to assume I have this wisdom thing figured out. My pride and arrogance still put up a good fight. Assuming I am wise can lead to much foolishness. But I do believe I have a little more clarity, enough wisdom to know that I need more. And that’s the promise of Proverbs 4:18 – “The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.”

Wisdom is a process. If we embrace our wrongness (if we truly believe we have a sin nature and are inherently wrong), we will enter each day and every circumstance knowing that we have some wisdom, but we don’t have it all. We will keep seeking more. That little bit of light will grow, and we will become a beacon of hope to those who are discovering they don’t have it all either.

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Clare Jewell is serving as the Regional Director for ABWE in the western region of North America, and is the National Church Planting Coordinator for the GARBC. ABWE (Association of Baptists for World Evangelism) is a global mission agency with approximately 1,000 missionary units operating in nearly 70 countries around the world. The GARBC is a national association of more than 1,300 Baptist churches in North America, with a global church affiliation of 7,000 churches.

Prior to joining ABWE in 2014, Clare served as the Senior Pastor of Lakewood Park Baptist Church in Auburn, Indiana for 21 years. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Corban University in Salem, Oregon.

Clare has been married to Donna for nearly 35 years, and they just moved to Salem, Oregon in August. They have four daughters and 10 grandchildren with two more on the way! His primary interests are planting local churches, developing leaders, missions, reading, skiing, golf and the Michigan State Spartans.  

 

 

A Note From Kim about Robert Bowman, Esquire at the Law Offices of Schroll and Bowman:

People are often wary of lawyers assuming them to be dishonest or greedy, but I know at least one lawyer who is truly a man of integrity. I met Robert Bowman about ten years ago when I was teaching at Kings Christian School in Cherry Hill, NJ. Besides having each of his three children in at least one of  my computer classes at the school, I got to know his wife, Susan, who taught with me at Kings. In addition, she was my youngest son’s junior high English teacher. During that time, Robert and his partner, Bryan Schroll, opened the Law Offices of Schroll and Bowman in Voorhees, NJ – their slogan, “A full service firm practicing law from a Christian perspective.” Little did I know that a couple of years later, I would be starting Online Bookkeeping Solutions, and Robert would become my attorney. Robert’s help in wthe formation of my business and walking me through some challenges over the years has proved to be invaluable. This year Robert has been a great support in the birth of my new ministry, ProverbWise. Because of his strong faith and understanding of ministry, he understands my priorities and passion regarding the ministry of ProverbWise, but also the economic needs to make the ministry sustainable. I am so thankful for his counsel, and I deeply appreciate his approachability and the wisdom God has given him. Robert is a faithful husband and father, and a true Christian, who lives a life of faith and integrity each day in his home life and in his professional life. I was honored when Robert agreed to take time from his busy schedule to write an article for ProverbWise, focusing on Men of Integrity in Business during this month of June.

 

Speak Up! Judge Fairly!

By Robert Bowman

All of us have experiences, all of us have influences, and all of us have incorporated them into how we live, and move, and have our being.   We are all unique, and yet we are so very much the same.     But why is it that some people seem to live lives of prosperity and others poverty?  Why is it that some people who are prosperous live lives of integrity and others as thieves, and the same for those in poverty?   What makes me, “me”, and what makes me who I am?

 

On the outside I am a husband, a father, and a lawyer.   I was raised in a working-class family and did working class jobs until a series of events, including having a sister who passed away when she was 18 (I was 20), steered me to college and from there on to law school.  I am the first from my family to graduate from college, let alone law school.    Until each happened, I never gave it much thought that I would one day be a husband, or father, and until I actually passed the bar exam, I never really thought I would be “a lawyer”….

 

But that is only “me” on the outside.

 

Through the circumstances I have experienced, the lessons I learned, and from the individuals who influenced and encouraged me along this journey we call life I also became a Christ-follower, and with that came a deep and abiding faith that God is good, Jesus is the only way to salvation, and that God’s Word is reliable which makes it my guide-book for life, faith, and practice.     I make every effort to wear the same hat whether I am at home, at church, with friends, or practicing law.    Frankly, it makes life easier, helps me to sleep at night, and helps me remember what I said the last time…..

 

One of those “guide-book instructions” comes from Proverbs 31:8 -9 which states – “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.  Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

 

Having now been in the practice of law for almost 25 years, I could give hundreds of examples of those who cannot speak for themselves — battered wives, abandoned children, debtors exploited by creditors…, aliens legal and aliens illegal…..   We live in a world where the predators seem to find more and more inventive ways to exploit their prey ….    Over time, I have concluded that it is expensive to be destitute – opportunities are limited, prices are higher, interest rates are exorbitant, bullies are everywhere, police suddenly get amnesia, advocates are mostly out of reach……

 

….  and sometimes all that is needed is for someone to listen, someone to help cut through the red tape, someone to stand in the gap, someone just to “speak up” for someone who would otherwise be ignored.

 

I also have internalized the following warning that comes to those, particularly lawyers, who do not…..  “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.”  Luke 11:46

 

Moreover, the writer of the Proverbs also compels all of us, lawyer or not, to  “…  be honest and to speak the truth,  so that you bring back truthful reports to those you serve.   Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life.” Proverbs 22:21-23.

 

 

All of us have experiences…. all of us have influences…. We are all unique, and yet we are so very much the same….     What makes the difference?   The difference is in “who” you follow, and whether you thirst for wisdom, knowledge, and depth of insight in order to determine what is best.   It is whether you are loading people with burdens or helping them bear their burdens….    It is whether you stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves, or whether you crush the needy in court….

 

Do you want to be a person of integrity?  Do you want to be a person that matters?  Do you want to live a life that is rewarding?  Do you want to make a difference?   “Speak up”   “Judge fairly”  “Do not exploit”   “Seek wisdom, knowledge, and depth of insight”  “Be” a person of integrity….. and follow the teaching and example of the one who gave his life so you can live….    That, my friend, makes all the difference……

 

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Robert Bowman has been married to his wife, Susan, since 1991. They have three children, and their family enjoys roller coasters, theme parks, missions trips, and travel. Robert trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior in 1974. He graduated from Cedarville College in 1988. He has served in many capacities in his church, Hope Chapel in Pine Hill, NJ, since 1991. He has been an elder, teacher, small group leader, District Executive Committee member of the CMA, and a volunteer church assessment team member of Metanoia Ministries of East Washington, New Hampshire.

Robert graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1991. From there, Robert served as a staff attorney from 1991-2000 and a managing attorney from 2000-2008 at South Jersey Legal Services. In 2008 Robert left public interest law to join Bryan Schroll to form the Law Offices of Schroll and Bowman.

Some of Robert’s Favorite Quotes:

If you know what is right, do it.

If you do not know what is right, do what is best.

If you do not know what is best, do the thing in front of you.

If there is nothing in front of you, wait (It is God’s will for you not to know).

In all things… keep reading and listening….
—- Jim VanYperen

“…. and when the great breaker crashes into his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the sea, he smiles. He smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father’s hand, and goes home.” — Max Lucado, “Sand Castle Stories”

Will you guide me, when I can’t see…. Please Lord lead me, you’re all that I need….

I will lift my eyes to the maker of the mountains I can’t climb, I will live my eyes to the calmer of the ocean’s raging tide, I will lift my eyes to the healer….

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” — J.R.R. Tolkien

“LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure…”
Psalm 16: 5-9