A colleague of mine recently referred to me as erudite. Since the word erudite is not in my everyday vocabulary, I had to search an online dictionary to find the meaning – revealing the irony in the comment. Before finding the definition, I thought of some possible meanings in jest…  Could it be an Old Testament clan from one of the tribes of Israel who performed a courageous feat for God? Or maybe one of the ancient peoples of the middle-east, like the Moabites, Jebusites, Hittites or in this case, the Erudites, who were known for their military prowess?  As you have probably suspected, I was way off target.

Erudite is an adjective that means ‘having or showing great knowledge or learning.’

We readily acknowledge that at the risk of sounding like we have special knowledge – which we do not -or being arrogant – which we hope we are not – that God has given us some principles and practices over the years that might be of help and encouragement to you. As GCE unveils our new Director’s blog, we hope to show ourselves erudite by sharing our reflections, gleanings and stories to encourage you to take greater steps of faith in following Jesus Christ.  We desire to pass the wisdom we have gained by His grace, to you, just as Paul encouraged Timothy to do.

“And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

We invite you to draw from the reservoir of God’s grace and wisdom as we have sought to ‘make disciples, plant churches and reach the nations through Europe.’  The leadership team, nationals and missionaries that make up GCE trust our decades of battle-tested knowledge and practical experience will inspire, challenge and equip you.

Glad to have you join us in the journey.

Joe D.