WOW is really how I feel! I praise the Lord for the great things He is doing and the great people He is doing them through! I have several reasons to say WOW!
WOW #1 - We had wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services this past weekend. We had several visitors during both services, but most importantly, the Lord was very present! I'm thankful for Mark Self coming forward for baptism, which we will be doing this coming Sunday on January 1, 2012.
WOW #2 - Thanks to the prayers of our family of faith, my daughter Lydia is back to her old self. We spent much of Christmas day in the ER at Children's Hospital with her. The initial thought was that she had a kidney stone, but the doctor diagnosed it has a nasty virus. Whatever it was, we give the glory to God and credit the prayers of God's people because by Monday evening she was feeling much better.
WOW #3 - My mom is continuing to recover from congestive heart failure. Though I'm writing this blog from the ICU of JMH, she has improved much over the last 24 hours. I'm "wowed" over the outpouring of love and support from our faith family - thank you for the numerous calls, texts, emails, visits and most importantly the prayers. We've been at great peace throughout this ordeal and I know it is because if the prayers of God's people. We are blessed to be a part of such a wonderful church family.
WOW #4 - Last night (Wednesday) our church approved a faith budget of $226,200.00. That is about a 7% increase over the previous year's budget. I'm thankful for the leadership of our Stewardship Team during the budgeting process, and the faith of our family to accept their hard work.
WOW #5 - (AND THIS IS THE BIGGIE!!!) After I left the hospital last night I stopped by the office to check messages, and on my desk was a note that read: "Lottie Moon Offering total - $10,264.33 (P.S. - total is after the "seed" money was put back in missions)". WOW! Our highest ever Lottie Moon Offering Goal has been reached, and in the first week of receiving it! Praise the Lord for answering our prayers and providing through His people! We'll continue to receive the L.M. Offering through January, so if you haven't had an opportunity to give, it is not too late. All of the monies received goes to directly support the 5,000 SBC missionaries serving the Lord outside of the United States.
We began the year saying that we wanted to be a church that gave away more than we kept. I don't know if we've reached that goal or not, but I know Magna View has given sacrificially this year, both to our budget and beyond. We have been a conduit of God's financial blessings this year, and it has all been to the glory of God. Thank you Magna View, for being open to God to do what He wants to do through you.
Final note: for the first time I can ever remember, I missed being at the last service of the year. I was in the hospital with my mom, and was unable to attend the Wednesday night service last night (Thanks to our deacons for taking care of the service). The last service of the year, whether it is on a Sunday or a Wednesday, is always one of my favorites. I usually share my goals and hopes for the coming year. I will do that at some point, but let me say for now that I'm praying that 2012 will be the greatest year of ministry that Magna View has ever experienced. I'm praying that we reach and disciple more people in more places than we ever have before. My theme verse for Magna view this year is Ephesians 3:20-21, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." I believe that what God has done in the past year is barely scratching the surface of what God is going to do in the year to come. WOW! Glory to God!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
THE PREVAILING CHURCH - OVERVIEW
Tonight we continued our discussion about the church, looking at what the Scriptures teach that the church is to be. I titled this section "The Prevailing Church", borrowed from Randy Pope's book by the same name which I'm using as a resource. Tonight was the overview, and borrowing an idea from Pope's book I contrasted the Prevailing Church with what Pope calls "the Precautious Church." But first, a definition of "prevailing"...
Prevailing: "Prove more powerful than opposing forces; be victorious; having superior power or influence."
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said that He would build His church and the gates of hell would not PREVAIL against it. The church Jesus founded is to prevail against the enemy, but as we take a hard look at the church and its impact on the modern culture, it appears that we are being overpowered and losing ground. We seem to more resemble the Precautious church.
The Precautious Church
The Prevailing Church
Over the next few weeks we'll look at each one of the characteristics of the Prevailing Church.
Prevailing: "Prove more powerful than opposing forces; be victorious; having superior power or influence."
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said that He would build His church and the gates of hell would not PREVAIL against it. The church Jesus founded is to prevail against the enemy, but as we take a hard look at the church and its impact on the modern culture, it appears that we are being overpowered and losing ground. We seem to more resemble the Precautious church.
The Precautious Church
- Has a "protect what we have" mentality - more concerned with keeping the people we have happy, rather than reach lost people for Christ.
- Provides a "comfort zone" environment - low expectations, and no challenges.
- Focuses more on attendance than discipleship - is more concerned with building a crowd than building a church.
- Resistant to change - a "don't rock the boat" attitude. While change is hard for all of us, the Precautious church is exceptionally resistant to change. The emphasis is on keeping the peace at all cost, and that usually means leaving things as they have always been. Change is seen as being too difficult and even dangerous. Jesus said, you can't pour new wine into old wineskins (Matt. 9:17). The precautious church would rather live with the rigidity of "old wineskins" than experience the power of the "new wine" of the Holy Spirit.
The Prevailing Church
- Passionately committed to the Gospel - Peter's confession, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" is the passionate cry of the Prevailing Church and the primary message proclaimed inside and outside of the church. Jesus is the focus in the Prevailing Church.
- Governed by Christ and His word - Jesus said, "I will build MY church." Jesus is the Head of the church and His word, the Bible, dictate the structure and activity of the church, as opposed to a church governed by a worldly business model, or the traditions of men ("this is how we have always done it.")
- Intentionally living out the Great Commission - According to Luke 19:10, Jesus came to "seek and to save that which was lost." That was His mission statement. In the Great Commission of Matthew 28, His last instructions to the church was to continue that mission by going and making disciples of all nations. The Prevailing Church intentionally and strategically lives out the Great Commission.
- Overcomes the opposition of the enemy - Prevailing over opposition, temptation, trials, and resistance (spiritual, cultural and physical). Victory becomes the norm for the Prevailing Church.
Over the next few weeks we'll look at each one of the characteristics of the Prevailing Church.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
WEDNESDAY'S WORDS
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Matt 16:18 (NKJV)
On Wednesday's we're doing a little "getting back to the basics" study concerning the church. Our discussion started by considering the perception of the church by those outside of it. As Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" I asked our church "What do people of our world say the church is?" The responses:
House of Hypocrites Community Service Organization
Country Club Place to get help (financial, physical, etc...)
Social Club Place to receive comfort
Childcare service Place of Entertainment
There may have been a couple of others, but these eight summarize the thoughts from outside the church. I then asked, "What do you say the church is?"
Believers who are baptized Organism
Bride of Christ Place/people of refuge
Family Business (Father's)
Community (of faith) Organization
Again, there may have been a couple of others, but these are the thoughts of those from within the church.
It is important to have an understanding of the perception of the church from the community, and it is important to understand how the church sees itself, but most important is to understand what the church is from a Scriptural standpoint. Over the next several Wednesdays we'll be looking at the church through the lens of Scripture. Tonight we laid a foundation by looking at the first use of the word "church" in the Scriptures, Matthew 16:18. Here's a summary of the teaching:
1. The Church Belongs to Jesus - "I will build MY CHURCH"
- Jesus conceived the church (MY church)
- He chose the church (we are the chosen BRIDE of Christ)
- He bought the church (Eph. 5:25)
Though WE invest ourselves in the local church, we must avoid the thinking that it is MY church. We can have membership or partnership, but not ownership of the church.
2. The Church is being Built by Jesus - "I WILL BUILD My church"
Jesus is building the church, but He is doing it through us. We are the laborers, and He is the contractor which means to very important things:
- We have to stay in close contact with the Contractor - our job is to do His work His way, and the only way to know how to do that is to stay in constant communication with Him. Pray first, then plan and work.
- We have to follow His instructions - the Bible offers the blueprint for the church. The Bible instructs us how the Lord wants to build His church, not our traditions.
3. The Church is Prevailing because of Jesus - "the gates of Hades (Hell) will not prevail against it"
- The church is to operate from an offensive position, not a defensive.
- "Building" implies expanding and the enemy cannot stop the church from growing (because Jesus is building His church).
- Rather than trying to "hold our own" or protect the "territory" that we already have, we are to be actively taking territory from the enemy.
Next week we'll talk more about the "prevailing church."
Thursday, September 29, 2011
It Takes Discipline to Be A Disciple
D.A.
Carson once wrote: “People do not drift toward holiness. Apart
from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness,
prayer, obedience .. to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We
drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward
disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and
call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and
call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude
ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward
godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”
It
takes discipline to be a disciple, because spiritual growth is
intentional not automatic. If left to ourselves, we tend to move away
from God and His glory. Just as our bodies atrophy without exercise
and our minds weaken without challenge, so our spiritual life withers
without, as Carson says, "grace-driven effort."
Jesus
is committed to our spiritual growth. He is not content to allow us
to wallow in spiritual immaturity. The Bible, in Ephesians 4:15
says, "...we will speak the truth in love, growing in every
way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the
church." (NLT) Jesus loves you the way you are, but He loves
you too much to leave you the way you are. He's committed to enabling
you to grow spiritually so that you become more and more like Him in
every way.
That's
why uncommitted Christians are spiritually miserable. They go to
church, but get nothing from it. They sporadically read the
Scriptures for their devotion, but see no application to their daily
lives. Prayers are occasional, mostly before meals, but spoken from
childhood memory rather than heartfelt devotion. They have a form of
godliness (basically good people), but deny the power of it. They
sense something is missing, but can't quite put their finger on what
it is. Often, their solution is to withdraw and put the empty feeling
on the back-burner of their lives. Because it is easier to ignore the
problem than to practice the discipline needed to grow spiritually.
But
it takes discipline to be a disciple. The apostle Paul wrote: Don’t
you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets
the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their
training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it
for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not
just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it
to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to
others I myself might be disqualified. 1 Cor 9:24-27 (NLT)
Paul had a plan for
spiritual growth:
1. He knew what the goal was - Paul knew the goal of spiritual maturity (Christ-likeness) and he went for it
2. He trained himself in godliness - Paul practiced the spiritual disciplines of prayer, study, obedience and others.
3. He lived with purpose to his life - Paul's goal in life was to glorify God in everything He did.
4. He mastered his fleshly desires - Paul made his body subject to his spiritual nature. Many times I've heard it quoted (and said it myself), "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt 26:41), but I'm afraid that verse often becomes the excuse for failing to discipline ourselves in godliness.
It
takes discipline to be a disciple, because spiritual growth is
intentional, not automatic.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
September 18
Great day of worship at Magna View today. I really love the sweet spirit in our fellowship. We're different than any church I've been a part of. The atmosphere is relaxed, people are free to worship as they feel led of God, and the sound of laughter is heard often. It is a great place to be on Sunday mornings.
Great message from Bill Hall this morning. Bill is an entertaining speaker; he always has great illustrations and always has an object lesson. As anyone who was there this morning could tell, he's passionate about discipleship. Bill lives discipleship. He uses his construction business to move his guys toward God, and to be a witness for the Lord to the community.
Baptized one of our young men this morning with help from his dad. I love having the dads in the baptismal waters. It is such a special time for the family.
Tonight is Life Group night, our small group ministry. This is something new for us and we're still working out some issues. I love the small group ministry and here's why:
1. It's biblical - the early church didn't have special buildings to meet in, so they met in homes for fellowship, Bible study and discipleship. It was the time of greatest growth for the church.
2. It's effective - small groups build relationships and that is at the heart of making disciples. Jesus made disciples by investing in a small group guys, spending time with them and being in their homes and with their families.
3. It moves the church back toward New Testament Christianity - one of my concerns for the church in America is that we have become just another "institution" in society, where people come to get some religious instruction or encouragement. But the church Jesus started was to be a movement that infiltrates the world as salt and light and takes the Gospel to the world. Small groups get the church out of the building and into the neighborhoods.
We're going to keep working at it, and struggling with it because it is what God has called us to do.
Great message from Bill Hall this morning. Bill is an entertaining speaker; he always has great illustrations and always has an object lesson. As anyone who was there this morning could tell, he's passionate about discipleship. Bill lives discipleship. He uses his construction business to move his guys toward God, and to be a witness for the Lord to the community.
Baptized one of our young men this morning with help from his dad. I love having the dads in the baptismal waters. It is such a special time for the family.
Tonight is Life Group night, our small group ministry. This is something new for us and we're still working out some issues. I love the small group ministry and here's why:
1. It's biblical - the early church didn't have special buildings to meet in, so they met in homes for fellowship, Bible study and discipleship. It was the time of greatest growth for the church.
2. It's effective - small groups build relationships and that is at the heart of making disciples. Jesus made disciples by investing in a small group guys, spending time with them and being in their homes and with their families.
3. It moves the church back toward New Testament Christianity - one of my concerns for the church in America is that we have become just another "institution" in society, where people come to get some religious instruction or encouragement. But the church Jesus started was to be a movement that infiltrates the world as salt and light and takes the Gospel to the world. Small groups get the church out of the building and into the neighborhoods.
We're going to keep working at it, and struggling with it because it is what God has called us to do.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
PURE IN HEART
A few thoughts from the morning sermon:
I've always struggled with this Beatitude, bothered by the term "pure in heart." I think of PURE as being untainted or unstained. (Actually I think of the Disney character, "Snow White"; she was innocent and naive, untainted by the evil around here). I knew I didn't fit that category. When I think of my spiritual heart, I think it is dirty and stained up from the sin I've allowed into my life. Even though I am a Christian and I know I am forgiven, I felt like my heart would never be pure enough that I would be able to see God, at least not this side of eternity.
So, as I began to study this passage, I began to think about the people who "saw" God, or had a personal encounter with Him. I thought of Abraham, and God's visit to his tent to tell him that Sarah would become pregnant. Abraham, who lied about his relationship with Sarah, who went to Egypt even though God did not tell him to go. Abraham who tried to help God keep His promise by having a child with Sarah's servant. Was Abraham really "pure in heart."
I also thought about Jacob, who wrestled with God at the Jabbok brook. Jacob, the trickster, who stole the birthright and the blessing from his brother Esau; who tricked his uncle Laban in order to grow his wealth. Was Jacob "pure in heart"?
Moses had a personal encounter with God, and even spoke to God as a man speaks to a friend. But Moses was on the backside of the desert when he encountered God through the burning bush, and he was there because he was wanted for murder in Egypt. Pure in heart?
As I studied the Scriptures, what became clear is that "pure in heart" didn't mean to have a Snow White heart that had never been stained by sin. It means that your heart has been cleansed by God, the stain of sin removed by His grace and forgiveness. The word for pure that Jesus used is where we get our word "catharsis", which refers to a cleansing of the heart or mind. It is also a noun that means to be "unmixed, as having no double allegiance." Pastor Brian Bill gives a great explanation of what it means to be pure in heart: "A person with a passion for purity (a pure heart) is one who has been cleansed in character so that the way he or she looks in public is the way he or she is in private." A person whose heart has been cleansed by God is the same person all the time; he or she doesn't have a public persona and a private persona. To be pure in heart is the opposite of being a hypocrite. I'll expand on this more later.
I've always struggled with this Beatitude, bothered by the term "pure in heart." I think of PURE as being untainted or unstained. (Actually I think of the Disney character, "Snow White"; she was innocent and naive, untainted by the evil around here). I knew I didn't fit that category. When I think of my spiritual heart, I think it is dirty and stained up from the sin I've allowed into my life. Even though I am a Christian and I know I am forgiven, I felt like my heart would never be pure enough that I would be able to see God, at least not this side of eternity.
So, as I began to study this passage, I began to think about the people who "saw" God, or had a personal encounter with Him. I thought of Abraham, and God's visit to his tent to tell him that Sarah would become pregnant. Abraham, who lied about his relationship with Sarah, who went to Egypt even though God did not tell him to go. Abraham who tried to help God keep His promise by having a child with Sarah's servant. Was Abraham really "pure in heart."
I also thought about Jacob, who wrestled with God at the Jabbok brook. Jacob, the trickster, who stole the birthright and the blessing from his brother Esau; who tricked his uncle Laban in order to grow his wealth. Was Jacob "pure in heart"?
Moses had a personal encounter with God, and even spoke to God as a man speaks to a friend. But Moses was on the backside of the desert when he encountered God through the burning bush, and he was there because he was wanted for murder in Egypt. Pure in heart?
As I studied the Scriptures, what became clear is that "pure in heart" didn't mean to have a Snow White heart that had never been stained by sin. It means that your heart has been cleansed by God, the stain of sin removed by His grace and forgiveness. The word for pure that Jesus used is where we get our word "catharsis", which refers to a cleansing of the heart or mind. It is also a noun that means to be "unmixed, as having no double allegiance." Pastor Brian Bill gives a great explanation of what it means to be pure in heart: "A person with a passion for purity (a pure heart) is one who has been cleansed in character so that the way he or she looks in public is the way he or she is in private." A person whose heart has been cleansed by God is the same person all the time; he or she doesn't have a public persona and a private persona. To be pure in heart is the opposite of being a hypocrite. I'll expand on this more later.
Friday, July 15, 2011
GUATEMALA LAST DAY
Ran out of time yesterday, so I didn't get to post. I'll try to fill in the blanks. On Thursday we spent the day in San Antonio working at the student center. It is run by a Guatemalan lady named Anna Louisa with help from a couple from Germany. The student center program is called "Step by Step" and it provides after school educational programs as well as meals for children in the town. Right now, they are cooking on what is the equivalent of a 5 gal. bucket with a fire in under it.
We finished chipping away the paint and plaster from the outside wall so it could be refinished. We also finished pouring the concrete slab for the kitchen we are building. Some of our group went to the town square to play with kids and give out candy and tracts. The man Cecelia had spoken to on Tuesday was there and I had an opportunity to share the Gospel with him. He is interested in Christianity and has been reading the New Testament. He didn't accept Christ today, but we made sure he knew what he needed to do, and we left him a "Steps to Peace with God" tract.
On Friday we split up the groups and some went to the church that Mike and Carla attend - it is an inner city church in Guatemala City. It is also a student center, and they had a birthday party with the kids. I went with a group that went back to San Antonio to get the walls up on the kitchen for the Step by Step student center. We were able to get the walls up and the mission team that is coming in tomorrow will put the roof on and install a new stove. It is a drastic improvement for the center.
We're about to start evening devotions, so I'm going to stop for now.
We finished chipping away the paint and plaster from the outside wall so it could be refinished. We also finished pouring the concrete slab for the kitchen we are building. Some of our group went to the town square to play with kids and give out candy and tracts. The man Cecelia had spoken to on Tuesday was there and I had an opportunity to share the Gospel with him. He is interested in Christianity and has been reading the New Testament. He didn't accept Christ today, but we made sure he knew what he needed to do, and we left him a "Steps to Peace with God" tract.
On Friday we split up the groups and some went to the church that Mike and Carla attend - it is an inner city church in Guatemala City. It is also a student center, and they had a birthday party with the kids. I went with a group that went back to San Antonio to get the walls up on the kitchen for the Step by Step student center. We were able to get the walls up and the mission team that is coming in tomorrow will put the roof on and install a new stove. It is a drastic improvement for the center.
We're about to start evening devotions, so I'm going to stop for now.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
GUATEMALA DAY THREE
Today was a great blessing. We spent the day in San Miguel, where we were all week last year. We saw the kitchen that we helped build; it is now being used by the school to provide hot meals for the kids. We also saw many of the children that we ministered to last year. They seemed to remember us. We weren't able to go to the "small school" so Jamie was not able to see the little girl she had connected with, but some of the others are in the student program being sponsored by Clubhouse Guatemala so we got to spend the day with them. It was great to get to be with the kids again.
We also installed four stoves in the village. Most homes in the village have open fire stoves that are usually found in out buildings near the home, but they have very little ventilation and the women have to deal with the smoke while cooking. The stoves we installed were made of cinderblock and concrete but also have an exhaust pipe to vent the smoke. The new stoves also use 3/4 less wood than a typical Guatemalan stove, which will be more economical for the families.
At the first home that we installed a stove, when the installation was complete, Mike Parker shared the Gospel with the home owners, a man and woman in their forties, and they both prayed to receive Christ as their Savior. They were both raised Catholic, but were not practicing any religion. Afterward, Mike said this is the first family that he has provided a stove for that prayed to receive Christ. He has installed about 100 stoves over the last year and he always shares the Gospel, but most of the time the people claim to be Christian because they belong to the Catholic church. Mike was on Cloud Nine today. We were thankful to be a part of two more souls for the Kingdom of God.
Tomorrow we return to San Antonio to finish the kitchen for the student center. We'll also go into the city square to minister to the kids and hopefully have a chance to share the Gospel. Please keep us in your prayers.
We also installed four stoves in the village. Most homes in the village have open fire stoves that are usually found in out buildings near the home, but they have very little ventilation and the women have to deal with the smoke while cooking. The stoves we installed were made of cinderblock and concrete but also have an exhaust pipe to vent the smoke. The new stoves also use 3/4 less wood than a typical Guatemalan stove, which will be more economical for the families.
At the first home that we installed a stove, when the installation was complete, Mike Parker shared the Gospel with the home owners, a man and woman in their forties, and they both prayed to receive Christ as their Savior. They were both raised Catholic, but were not practicing any religion. Afterward, Mike said this is the first family that he has provided a stove for that prayed to receive Christ. He has installed about 100 stoves over the last year and he always shares the Gospel, but most of the time the people claim to be Christian because they belong to the Catholic church. Mike was on Cloud Nine today. We were thankful to be a part of two more souls for the Kingdom of God.
Tomorrow we return to San Antonio to finish the kitchen for the student center. We'll also go into the city square to minister to the kids and hopefully have a chance to share the Gospel. Please keep us in your prayers.
GUATEMALA DAY TWO
Just getting around to posting about day two of our Guatemala Mission Adventure. Was exhausted last night and went to bed early; had a productive but tiring day. We worked all day in San Antonio, on a student center that provides after school program for children. We prepared for and began pouring the floor to the new kitchen we are building for them; mixing cement on the ground by hand and moving it by wheelbarrow. We also began removing paint and plaster from an outside wall, using machetes, hatchets, hammers and various other hand tools. It is a long and tedious process.
Some of the group went to the city square and attracted a crowd of kids. They played with the and loved on them. Cecelia had an opportunity to witness to a man who told her he didn't have a religion but he was reading the New Testament to help him learn English. She gave him a "Steps to Peace with God" tract. We are going back Thursday, please pray that Manuel will be there so that we can talk further with him. J-Bob witnessed to the Teresa who, along with her husband and a Guatemalan lady named Anna Louisa, run the student center in San Antonio. Teresa is from Germany and was Catholic but now says she is not "in church." J-Bob talked with her and gave her a Gospel of John and a tract. Pray that the seeds planted will grow and produce fruit.
The other church groups we are working with have been great. The Youth Group from Bel Air Methodist Church has been impressive. They are eager to work and have done everything that has been asked of them. One young lady, Kendall, has worked circles around most everyone else. She is an athlete (placed 4th in her state in shot-put) and has worked tirelessly at some of the hardest jobs. Cecelia has made a friend from Gillespie Ave. BC in Knoxville. She and Mitchell pick at each other all day, and Cecelia is loving it.
Well the bus has just arrived to take us to San Miguel. I'll try to post more later tonight.
Monday, July 11, 2011
GUATEMALA DAY ONE
We arrived safely in Guatemala yesterday (Sunday) and was picked up at the airport around 10:30 am Guatemala time. We picked up the other teams that are here. We learned that there is actually 4 teams here this week: the largest group is a youth group from a Methodist church in Maryland. There is also a group of 6 from Gillespie Ave. BC in Knoxville (including Kelly Woods nephew, Austin), and a family of four from Northstar Church in Knoxville, and our group of eight.
After picking up the other groups we all went to Antigua (Central America's oldest continuous city) for our down day. When we finally arrived back at the mission house, our team was exhausted. Most of us were running on 3 hours of sleep or less. We all slept well last night.
After breakfast this morning we headed to the village of San Mateo, a mountainous village about an hour from the mission house. Mike has partnered with a church in the village to do a "Character Counts" ministry for the local kids. We spent the morning leveling the ground in the church's courtyard preparing it for sod and seed. As it is, the dirt courtyard ground was sloped and drained into the building that housed their children's ministry. We leveled the ground (by hand) and tomorrow they will be bringing in sod. It is a real blessing to the church.
In the afternoon, we held a birthday party for the kids who are registered with the ministry center in San Mateo. There are about 55 children involved and we provided a pizza lunch, drinks, and balloon decorations. When the pizza was brought in, someone asked the children how many of them had ever had pizza before, only three out of the 50 or so kids, raised their hands. After the pizza party, the kids had a tienda, or toy store. The kids in the Character Counts program earn points by doing things like, learning memory verses, helping at the ministry center, helping at home, etc. At the tienda they can cash their points in for toys and games.
In the afternoon, some of the group went to the ministry site that we will be working at tomorrow. It is in a city call San Antonio, and is in the downtown area. A man and his wife operate a feeding center and an after school program for kids, but they don't have a kitchen to cook the food. Tomorrow and Thursday we will be building them a kitchen from the ground up. Today we cleared and leveled the area where we will be building. We also had to unload a ton of sand from a truck that was too big to fit through the gate of the place we are working. We unloaded it with shovels at the entrance to the gate, then we had to move the pile to another location so we could get in and out of the gate. It was a full truck load of sand and it had to be unloaded and moved all by shovel. Our groups will sleep well tonight.
Everyone is doing well. Brittany is battling a cough she had before she came down. She feels fine, just irritated with the cough. We'd appreciate your prayers for her. I'll try to post some pictures later on our Facebook page.
After picking up the other groups we all went to Antigua (Central America's oldest continuous city) for our down day. When we finally arrived back at the mission house, our team was exhausted. Most of us were running on 3 hours of sleep or less. We all slept well last night.
After breakfast this morning we headed to the village of San Mateo, a mountainous village about an hour from the mission house. Mike has partnered with a church in the village to do a "Character Counts" ministry for the local kids. We spent the morning leveling the ground in the church's courtyard preparing it for sod and seed. As it is, the dirt courtyard ground was sloped and drained into the building that housed their children's ministry. We leveled the ground (by hand) and tomorrow they will be bringing in sod. It is a real blessing to the church.
In the afternoon, we held a birthday party for the kids who are registered with the ministry center in San Mateo. There are about 55 children involved and we provided a pizza lunch, drinks, and balloon decorations. When the pizza was brought in, someone asked the children how many of them had ever had pizza before, only three out of the 50 or so kids, raised their hands. After the pizza party, the kids had a tienda, or toy store. The kids in the Character Counts program earn points by doing things like, learning memory verses, helping at the ministry center, helping at home, etc. At the tienda they can cash their points in for toys and games.
In the afternoon, some of the group went to the ministry site that we will be working at tomorrow. It is in a city call San Antonio, and is in the downtown area. A man and his wife operate a feeding center and an after school program for kids, but they don't have a kitchen to cook the food. Tomorrow and Thursday we will be building them a kitchen from the ground up. Today we cleared and leveled the area where we will be building. We also had to unload a ton of sand from a truck that was too big to fit through the gate of the place we are working. We unloaded it with shovels at the entrance to the gate, then we had to move the pile to another location so we could get in and out of the gate. It was a full truck load of sand and it had to be unloaded and moved all by shovel. Our groups will sleep well tonight.
Everyone is doing well. Brittany is battling a cough she had before she came down. She feels fine, just irritated with the cough. We'd appreciate your prayers for her. I'll try to post some pictures later on our Facebook page.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
MAGNA VIEW CHURCH
Five things I want my Family of Faith to know I'm thankful for:
Magna View Baptist Church...
1. I am thankful you believe the Bible and seek to be obedient to the commands of our Lord.
2. I am thankful you have a heart for missions and are willing to send those who are able to go.
3. I am thankful for your generosity and passion to give cheerfully to the work of the Lord.
4. I am thankful you are willing to serve, to give of your time, talents and resources for the glory of God.
5. I am thankful that you are faithful to God and to His servants.
You are a blessing Magna View Family! I thank God for you each day. I love you as my family of faith!
Pastor George
Magna View Baptist Church...
1. I am thankful you believe the Bible and seek to be obedient to the commands of our Lord.
2. I am thankful you have a heart for missions and are willing to send those who are able to go.
3. I am thankful for your generosity and passion to give cheerfully to the work of the Lord.
4. I am thankful you are willing to serve, to give of your time, talents and resources for the glory of God.
5. I am thankful that you are faithful to God and to His servants.
You are a blessing Magna View Family! I thank God for you each day. I love you as my family of faith!
Pastor George
Friday, July 8, 2011
THE GRACE OF GOD
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Bible says that God's grace is sufficient. The context of that verse is very important. The apostle Paul has been plagued by what he calls a "thorn in the flesh". We're not told what his thorn was, other than it is identified as a "messenger of Satan" given to Paul specifically to keep him humble (I'm thinking it was one of those "sandpaper people" that always rubs the wrong way). Paul prayed three times (the number of holiness) for it to be removed, but the thorn remained. God's answer to Paul's prayer was "no, but ... My grace is sufficient for you." And then God explains why: "My strength is made perfect in weakness." In other words, when you are faced with a situation that you can't fix, a problem you can't solve, a weakness you can't overcome, that's when God takes over. He works in you, through you and around you to do what you can't. He shines the light of His love into your darkness.
I love Paul's response, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor 12:9-10)
When we face our most serious challenge, we can rejoice, because God is about to show His power. When we are at our weakest , we can "take pleasure" because God is about to show His strength. When we shrink down, God shows off.
This verse is especially significant as I prepare for our mission trip to Guatemala. Even though I've gone before, there is always that concern about what "may happen". I'm such a control freak, and being in a country where I can't speak the language, and can't navigate the streets takes me WAY out of my comfort zone. There's also the concern over being able to share the Gospel, which is my main reason for going. Will I have an opportunity to share the Gospel? Will I know what to say? Will I be able to communicate clearly? All those things keep running through my mind ... and then God speaks, "My grace is sufficient for you, My power is made perfect (complete) in your weakness (frailty)". Therefore I rejoice in the unknowns, uncertainties, and challenges of the trip, for in my weakness, He will be strong. Thanks be to God for His amazing grace!
I love Paul's response, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor 12:9-10)
When we face our most serious challenge, we can rejoice, because God is about to show His power. When we are at our weakest , we can "take pleasure" because God is about to show His strength. When we shrink down, God shows off.
This verse is especially significant as I prepare for our mission trip to Guatemala. Even though I've gone before, there is always that concern about what "may happen". I'm such a control freak, and being in a country where I can't speak the language, and can't navigate the streets takes me WAY out of my comfort zone. There's also the concern over being able to share the Gospel, which is my main reason for going. Will I have an opportunity to share the Gospel? Will I know what to say? Will I be able to communicate clearly? All those things keep running through my mind ... and then God speaks, "My grace is sufficient for you, My power is made perfect (complete) in your weakness (frailty)". Therefore I rejoice in the unknowns, uncertainties, and challenges of the trip, for in my weakness, He will be strong. Thanks be to God for His amazing grace!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
SEND NORTH AMERICA
Yesterday the storm knocked out the internet at the office; my initial response was confusion and then panic because I suddenly realized I was disconnected with the known universe. Well, not really, but it seemed that way. But it gave me an opportunity to read the latest issue of On Mission magazine published by the North American Mission Board (NAMB). Our church gets a copy, but I generally scan it and then put it on the resource table in the welcome area of our church. But something (or Someone) drew me into the articles and I was amazed at what I read.
The magazine outlines NAMB's new emphasis on church planting through a program called Send North America. They've divided North America into five regions: Canada, Northeast, West, Midwest and South. You can read the details at www.onmission.com, but what really got my attention were the numbers. In each section they breakdown the ratio of SBC churches to population, and the numbers were mindblowing to me. Here is a summary:
Canada - 1 church for every 123,971 people, (272 SBC churches in the entire country of 33 million people)
America:
Northeast - 1 Church for every 37,788 people, 1,761 SBC Churches)
West - 1 Church for every 16,788 people, (4,465 SBC Churches)
Midwest - 1 Church for every 12,802 people, (5,363 SBC Churches)
...drumroll...
South - 1 Church for every 2,697 people, (38,671 SBC Churches)
I had always heard that I lived in the "buckle of the Bible Belt", I just never realized how big that buckle was until I saw those numbers. God really got my attention. I'm prayerfully struggling with how to justify living in a place that has so much access to the Light, while most of the rest of the world is walking in darkness because they have so little access to the Light. I shared these numbers with our deacons last night and asked them to begin to pray about being involved in church planting in other parts of our land. I'm anxious to see what the Lord will do.
The magazine outlines NAMB's new emphasis on church planting through a program called Send North America. They've divided North America into five regions: Canada, Northeast, West, Midwest and South. You can read the details at www.onmission.com, but what really got my attention were the numbers. In each section they breakdown the ratio of SBC churches to population, and the numbers were mindblowing to me. Here is a summary:
Canada - 1 church for every 123,971 people, (272 SBC churches in the entire country of 33 million people)
America:
Northeast - 1 Church for every 37,788 people, 1,761 SBC Churches)
West - 1 Church for every 16,788 people, (4,465 SBC Churches)
Midwest - 1 Church for every 12,802 people, (5,363 SBC Churches)
...drumroll...
South - 1 Church for every 2,697 people, (38,671 SBC Churches)
I had always heard that I lived in the "buckle of the Bible Belt", I just never realized how big that buckle was until I saw those numbers. God really got my attention. I'm prayerfully struggling with how to justify living in a place that has so much access to the Light, while most of the rest of the world is walking in darkness because they have so little access to the Light. I shared these numbers with our deacons last night and asked them to begin to pray about being involved in church planting in other parts of our land. I'm anxious to see what the Lord will do.
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