New family picture

Ashamed of the gospel

The title of one of my favorite books is "Ashamed of the Gospel" by John MacArthur. In the book, Dr. MacArthur challenges the church about the danger of watering down and therefore changing the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the late 19th century there was a big problem going on within the "evangelical" churches of England; it was called the "Downgrade Controversy". There were many within the church who had seriously watered down the gospel in order to make it more palatable to the masses. Charles Spurgeon (and a few others) stood up against this heresy and took a lot of heat for it. I believe that we (as the church) are at a similar crossroads where we need to decide on what side of the issue we will stand. It was the Lord Jesus Christ himself who said in Mark 1:15 "The time has been completed, and the kingdom of God is at hand; therefore repent and believe in the gospel." Alright, you might say, but what is the gospel? The Apostle Paul was quick to point out to the Galatians in 1:6-8 of his epistle to them that there is only one gospel, and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. And this gospel is explained in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians in chapter 15, verses 1-5. Christ came to earth, He died for our sins, He was buried, He rose from the dead. Beyond that we know from Acts 1:10-11 that He ascended into heaven and that He will return one day in like manner to seek those who belong to Him. (John 14:3; Revelation 19:11-16) The promise (forgiveness of sins and the gift of salvation) is offered to those who will but believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31) and in Him alone. (John 3:16-19; Acts 4:12)
In our pluralistic societies this kind of teaching is considered foolishness and appalling. (1st Corinthians 1:18-25) However this is the message that we as believers and followers of Christ have been called to bring to the nations. (2nd Corinthians 5:18-21; Romans 10:14-15,17) May we not be ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation for all who will believe, for the Jew first and also the Gentile. (Romans 1:16)
Now a personal application to this... We are drawing closer to December 25th and the time when many "supposedly" celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I understand from having spoken with people and witnessing their lives that they truly aren't celebrating Christ at this time nor at any other. Although I try to not give much heed to the calendar, I do recognize that there are moments when the culture might be a little more open to hearing a "Christian message". I mean, it is "Christmas" after all. So when there was to be a presentation of Christmas carols in the town plaza I was presented with the opportunity to share the story of Christmas. But with one exception. I was only to share the story in a generic sense, without any "evangelical commentary". In other words, I was to water down the message in a way that it would not be offensive to any who might hear it. I politely declined the opportunity to share since I deemed it impossible to share the true meaning of the birth of Christ without explaining the sacrifice of Christ for our sins. This (nor any other time in my opinion) is not a time to worship the baby Jesus, but it is a time to reflect upon and thank the Father and thank the Son for the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) To thank God that the Son of Man came to give His life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45b) To urge men and women, boys and girls to lay aside their idols and turn to the living God. (1st Thessalonians 1:9-10)
Please pray for the light of the gospel to shine in the hearts of the people here in Curaco as it has in our own. (2nd Corinthians 4:6; 1st Peter 2:9-10) To God be the glory as we His people take a bold stand for, and never be ashamed of, the gospel!

Please pray for Curaco!

Don't forsake the fellowship of the saints

"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!"(Psalm 133:1)
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--- and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25)
"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:46-47)
Last night we started a new service at Grace Baptist Church. Our Wednesday night Bible Study/Prayer/Food fellowship. (please notice that I put food at the end of the title) What a blessing it was to gather with the brothers and sisters to worship the Lord together. Some time back we had a Thursday night Bible Study, but we switched things around by meeting in individual houses rather than all together at the church building. Now we have gotten back to meeting all together at the church building. Please pray for us and for the gospel ministry here in Curaco. We are only simple laborers in the great vineyard of the Master.
Over the last few days we have been informed of some very dark situations going on in our little town. Spiritual battles are going on all around us. We are in the thick of it, folks. Please pray for us and for the people to whom we seek to minister. The battle is too big for us, the enemy is too great. But thankfully the battle belongs to the Lord and He will obtain the ultimate victory! (2nd Chronicles 20:15; Psalm 60:12) Most of all we need the help of the Lord (Psalm 20:7) but we also need your fellowship in prayer, interceding for us. Alabado sea nuestro Dios. May our God be praised.

Proverbs 31 Woman

I thank the Lord for the wife that He gave me in Ruth.

More love to thee

This past weekend at Grace we spoke on the love of God and how that must totally transform our way of living. The way we live with our God and the way we live with our fellow man is radically affected by our understanding and appreciation of the love of God. Oh how I love the words of 1st John 4:10 "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." How can one be "unamazed" by such words? The Scripture is abundantly clear that we do not by nature love God, on the contrary we hate Him and love our sin. Praise be to God that it was He who said, "Let light shine out of darkness and made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."(2nd Corinthians 4:6) He has made His love for us known through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. (2nd Corinthians 9:15; John 3:16; 2nd Corinthians 5:21) And what does He require of us? That we would love Him with all of our heart and with all of our soul and with all of our mind. And that we would love our neighbor as ourself. (Matthew 22:37-39 paraphrased) May we all grown in our love for the Lord and for our fellow man. Let us all take a moment and thank the Lord for His amazing love and pray that His Spirit would empower us to share it with those around us. To God be the glory in all things! "Yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) "Amazing love, how can it be? That you my King would die for me." Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Blessed are you when people insult you

What is the first thing to happen when someone treats us unfairly? Please note that I don't say "what should happen when someone treats us unfairly?" Many times the first thing that comes to our hearts and minds is a feeling of anger (righteous or not). We may think of defending ourselves from someone's attack. We may think of how we will confront the individual(s) responsible for such an atrocity. But what is the first thing that we should do? Pray. Pray for your own heart. (Proverbs 4:23) Pray for the person (or people) who have wronged you. (Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60) Seek to have the right attitude/outlook on things. (Matthew 5:11-12; Philippians 4:4-7)
Just upon returning from a missions conference in Santiago, I was confronted with some vicious (and totally untrue) accusations against me. Truly satanic in nature. (Ephesians 6:16; 1st Peter 5:8-9) So what was my first reaction? I sorrow to say that my first reaction was to somehow defend myself. Then I thought to go right to this individual and confront them for these blasphemous statements. I felt that I had a right reason to be upset about this. But then as I got thinking about it I realized that my initial reaction wasn't entirely worthy of the gospel. I wasn't taking the time to pray that the Lord would help me to respond in a way that would honor Him. My first reaction was to respond in a way that would leave me in the clear. The Lord is my shield, He will defend His own. (Psalm 7:9-10) My second error was that I became upset with the individual who was directing the slander towards me, when I should have been praying for him. Then came the Holy Spirit's gentle direction for me to repent of my bad reaction and attitude and to pray about the situation and the individual(s) involved. So I apologized to Ruth for having responded incorrectly (and in so doing not given the testimony to her that I should have) and we prayed. What a weight was lifted from my heart! (Matthew 11:28-30; 1st Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:4-7) And I was reminded of the reality of spiritual warfare that is going on all around us.
Praise be to God that not only have we learned a bunch throughout the past couple of days, we have witnessed the Lord minister in and through the situation for His glory. Please continue to pray with us and for us that the gospel would go out with power and that the Lord would extend His saving and sustaining grace to those who so desperately need it.

Thanks for your prayers!

OK, I can't cry over spilled milk but how about a broken coffee pot?

What an interesting day.
We got up relatively early and ate breakfast. Made it out of the house ahead of schedule and got down to the church. Then came running up to the building one of our Sunday School regulars shouting "Tio Daniel, Tia Ruth needs you at home right away. It's urgent!" Of course my mind was racing over what could have been the problem. Maybe one of the kids had fallen or maybe someone had called saying that a loved one had passed away. So I race home and do not detect any crying from the children. That was a good sign. I go in and call out my wife's name. "Ruth, what's going on?" She says, "I moved wrong and now I can't get up." Where is Dr. Shea (our chiropractic brother) when you need him?!? Eventually we get Ruth up and out of the bed to which she had crawled. Another 20 minutes pass by and we get her down to the church. By this time I am almost an hour late to pick up a family from the church. The time delay accompanied by some mechanical problems that I had with the truck make it impossible for me to bring them to church on this day. Not cool. Fortunately Ruth is able to help Tio Jorge and Tia Vivi finish up the Sunday School and get ready for our noontime adult worship gathering. The time with the adults was very edifying and we trust was well pleasing unto the Lord. We had some visitors to our gathering from Peru and the United States so we invited them over for lunch. My wife had prepared for lunch beforehand so all she had to do was heat it up. We sit down and eat and have some good fellowship over a great meal. (thanks Ruth!) "Hey, who wants some coffee?", I ask. Several respond to the affirmative. "Coming right up", says the barrista. (me) My coffee pot has this annoying thing where the coffee leaks out the side whenever it is being poured out. So in order to prevent this, I take off the plastic lid. No problem there. But when I go to put the plastic lid back on, I suppose that I did it a little too enthusiastically. The coffee pot, the glass part, cracked. Oops! Fortunately it was a clean break and no shards got into the coffee itself. Most of our guests enjoyed their coffee without knowing about the mishap. Tio Jorge heard about it and was worried about drinking glass. However his fears were relieved as I proved to him that the coffee was safe to drink by passing the "joe"first through a plastic/mesh strainer. "I will drink it now", he tells me. Ok. And he states resolutely, "I think that coffee caraffe has seen it's last action." I sadly agree with him. Throughout this time I have flashing in my mind the reaction of little Tabitha to her spilled milk several days ago. She was devestated. She wanted her milk. And now it was gone. My situation is similar to hers. I will want to drink coffee tomorrow. And now my coffee making ability is gone. But at least I am not devestated. I can live without coffee. If need be, I can buy another coffee pot. We can make so much out of the trivial things and lose sight of what truly is important. Instead of being upset about the coffee pot, I had reason to be thankful for my relationship with God, for His powerful hand upon Ruth's body (she was still able to minister in the church), for the rest of my family, and for the brothers and sisters in Christ who were here to fellowship with us. Why waste time, energy, and emotion crying over a broken coffee pot when there is so much to praise the Lord for? Besides maybe I should drink more milk. It is supposed to do the body good, isn't it? Yeah, as long as I don't spill it.

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

8 years ago the Lord saw fit to gift Ruth and I with a little girl. Ruth and I were so young at the time! (29 years old) So now we are all a full 8 years older. (you can do the math)
Elizabeth has had a very full year. Only one week after her 7th birthday we left Michigan to move down here to Chile. The first couple of months were a difficult transition for her as she really missed her friends and family in Michigan. Thankfully she now has adjusted well and has made new friends down here.
There are many things for which we are thankful for our daughter Elizabeth. She is an obedient daughter and a very loving and responsible big sister to her four younger siblings. But over all of these things we, as her parents, are most thankful for the spiritual insight that the Lord has given her. Of course this has a lot to do with how well that she is doing in other areas as well. Please pray along with us for her further understanding of the Lord and His Word and that she would be empowered through His Spirit to put His Word into practice.

Crying over spilled milk

If only slow motion replay could be applied to real life. As I was walking behind the one year old milk toting Tabitha, I noticed that her shoestring was undone. "I should tie that so she doesn't trip over it", I said to myself. And before I got that thought out of my head, my big foot stepped on her untied shoelace and she and her cup of milk went crashing to the floor below. A big cry went out as she noticed that her precious drink had been so ruthlessly taken away. I was not looking forward to cleaning up the milk but knew that I needed to do it. While Tabi cried about her spilled milk I couldn't help but think about that oft-used phrase, "don't cry over spilled milk." Of course this little one would not understand my rebuke nor consolation in this matter. However it did reinforce in my mind the importance of always trusting in the Lord and focusing on His faithfulness and immutability. Whatever has happened to us has happened. We can't change it. But God can heal from whatever wound we have suffered from. What is happening right now is happening right now. We may not be able to change it, but we can rest assured that the Lord will give us the grace that we need to get through it. What will happen is going to happen. (rest assured no nihilism nor fatalism found here) We can trust that God is good and that He does all things right and has, is, and will use all things for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. So don't cry over spilled milk. If His eye is on the sparrow and not one of them falls to the ground without Him knowing (and allowing it to happen!), He knows what's going on with your milk. Just clean it up and trust in the Lord for His provision of another glass.

Beef chops and bread

We are in the waning moments of our local political race. A new mayor and seven city councilmen will be chosen tomorrow. (Sunday) Just last night Ruth and I were talking about the political process and how we would like to see things done differently. We lamented the fact that we know so little about the candidates and concluded that it sure would be nice to ask them personally "why do you want to hold this office and what makes you different from the other candidates?" So we prayed about it and went to sleep.
Early this morning I ventured out to buy some fresh bread and noticed that the butcher was just bringing in the fresh slaughter of beef. (sorry, my vegetarian friends) Sometimes it takes an hour to place your order at the butcher so I took advantage of the fact that there was only one person in line before me. So, as I am waiting for the butcher to cut up the beef in walks one of the candidates for city council. I ask him, "Don Carlos, are you nervous about tomorrow?" He responds that "no" he is not nervous, he is tranquilo. After a little bit of small talk I throw out the big question, "Why do you want to be a city councilman and what distinguishes you from the other candidates?" (maybe I could have been a reporter, but on second thought I am already a herald of the good news!) He looked a little surprised, but then gave a very good answer to my question. I thanked him for his time and paid for my beef and proceeded on to the bread store. I bought the bread and then went home. Ruth asks, "What happened? Did you go to buy the bread or to make it yourself?" Then I told her the story that I just related to you all. It is like another post that I had from the other day "opportunities". Sometimes we pray for, sometimes we wait for opportunities, and sometimes they just fall into our laps. I wanted to talk to one of the candidates and ask him (or her) some direct questions. I wanted to buy some bread. I "always"am ready to buy some fresh beef. The Lord gave me the opportunity to do all three.
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)
The Lord is so intimately involved in our lives. Our God is not the god of the deist, our God is the Living God, the Maker of heaven and earth and the One whose eye is on the sparrow and how much more important to Him we are than they. (Matthew 10:29-31)

Easier than a birthday cake

Happy 37th Birthday Ruth!

Please join me in wishing my wonderful (and only) wife a very happy birthday. Leave a quick note if you get a chance. Thanks.
Daniel

This could be a postcard ("thanks for the new camera, it takes great photos!")

Opportunities

Have you ever prayed to the Lord and asked for opportunities to share with people? Maybe it is even praying for an opportunity to share with a specific person. Of course the Lord is always listening to our prayers and He answers in ways that sometimes are surprising to us. But when we have those opportunities thrust in our laps, may we also trust in the Lord's power to follow through with what He would have us to do.
Without going into much detail, today was one of those times for me. There were some people that I wanted to talk to and I wasn't sure how it would all work out. We met up on a street corner and ended up at their dining room table talking for a good while. Please pray as well for a Bible study that we have scheduled for Thursday. (Another opportunity)
Opportunities abound. May our faithfulness as well.

Where have you been?

For the last few weeks I have been off the blog radar. Truly I don't know why. I suppose I just got busy with other things and didn't take the time to write anything new. So here's a quick update....
The transportation strike is over. It only lasted about three or four days. We were at the point of running out of gas and food, but disaster was averted.
I travelled to the U.S.A. for a couple of weeks. This was a very productive time and I had the privilege of meeting up with some (but not all, sorry) very near and dear people.
I am now back in Curaco with Ruth and the kids and excited about preaching and teaching at Grace Baptist Church tomorrow morning.
Please pray along with us for our God to be glorified in and through our lives.

Strike!

For the last two days the transportation workers have been on strike. The strike is a localized one but with far reaching consequences for the people here on the island. Those who organized this strike are upset about the governments' failure to complete with the promises that it made to the people of Chiloe. Supposedly the strike will not be lifting until the promises are completed. That could take a long time. So how does that affect us? Well, think about this. In order to get to the island one must cross a ferry from the mainland. Currently the "strikers" have closed off the passageways and no trucks and/or buses can get through. There is only a certain amount of supplies (food, gas, etc.) on the island at any given time. And now there are no fresh supplies coming in. The last time that there was a strike it lasted about a week. Many things ran out, but we still survived. This time as well there may be things that we will go without, but we will survive. It is at times like this when we realize what are the things that we want and what are the things that we truly need. The Lord has promised us that when we seek His kingdom and His righteousness that all these things that we need (food, clothes, shelter) will be provided for us. But so much more have we received in Christ. Forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with our Creator. Fortunately God didn't just get upset with us because of our sins and go on strike and refuse to do anything to rectify the situation. No, He took the initiative and did what only He could do. And now that we have received His grace and His mercy, may we not go on strike but may we faithfully serve Him as we should. We can be sure that He will always fulfill the promises that He has made. So again we are taught to put our hope in God and not in men. Men may promise us the world but they won't deliver. God has promised us heaven and He will deliver. Amen.

Deep roots

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." (Colossians 2:6-7)
Those of us who have received Christ Jesus as our Lord must continue (persevere) in Him and have our roots grow down deeper in Him and His Word.
One of the first things that come to my mind when I think of deep roots is the redwood tree. Whereas I realize that it isn't the tree with the deepest roots ever (that would be a wild fig tree in south africa), it is a huge tree with very deep roots. That's what I want to be as a believer. No, I don't want to be a redwood tree, nor a fig tree for that matter. I want to be a man deeply rooted in Christ. I want to bear fruit for God's glory. (John 15:1-8) I want to be a man who encourages others to be deeply rooted in Christ. So please pray for me and for the ministry here in Curaco. May I continue to see my roots growing deeper in Christ and may those around me have the same thing happen in their lives.

The power of a single verse

Over the past several weeks we have been digging into the Apostle Peter's first epistle. This has been a real blessing for me and for the others at Grace Baptist. Today we studied 1st Peter 3:11-18 and for me the verse that really impacted me was the first part of verse 18 which reads, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God." How absolutely powerful! As I told the congregation, in that first part of verse 18 we have the gospel. Peter had encouraged his readers in verse 15 of the same chapter to be always ready to present a defense of their faith (also known as apologetics). One does not need to be a theologian, a pastor, nor a missionary to share the gospel. One only needs to know that God is holy, all men have sinned, and that Christ died in our place on the cross and that through faith in Him we can be reconciled to God the Father. Praise be to the Name of Jesus!
Would you please pray for us as a congregation, that we would humbly, reverently, and lovingly share this life-saving and life-giving message with those in our community. And that the Holy Spirit would work through the Word to draw men and women, boys and girls into a relationship with the One True God.
I am so thankful in this day for 1st Peter 3:18. I am thankful that it is true and as a result I am thankful that God the Father has reconciled me unto Himself through His Son Jesus Christ. Lord, I lift your Name on high!

Some locked up and others set free

CNN reports that a town in Arkansas has instituted a type of martial law in order to curtail violence in there. The citizens are on a 24/7 curfew and are being told that whoever violates it will be subject to relocation to a jail cell. Interesting.
Our situation down here is only mildly comparable. On Saturday, extreme town makeover started here in Curaco. Tearing up the streets and the sidewalks. Quite a mess. Yesterday (Monday) they started to straighten things up a bit. Ours was the first side of the road that was to be "residewalked". The problem is that with the work going on, with the wet cement and all, I cannot get my vehicle out. I feel a little boxed in. But at least I can walk. And the cement should be dry by tomorrow.
The most important thing however is although I used to be a locked up as a slave to sin (Romans 6:17), I am now free in Christ. (Romans 6:18) The truth (Christ and His Word) has set me free. (John 8:32) The Son has set me free and I am free indeed! (John 8:36) I have been set free from sin. I am free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2) And to the praise of God, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." (Galatians 5:1) Free at last, free at last, praise God Almighty, I am free at last! And so we don't forget how this happened, may we be faithful to share this life-giving message with others (Romans 10:14-15,17), that they can be released from their prison and enter into the freedom that can only be found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Some of the brethren at Grace

A time of adjustment

A week of VBS. Ruth up to Santiago for the week to send Kristina back to Michigan. And now adjusting to the ministry with one less pair of hands. It has been a very full, interesting couple of weeks. Of course we thank the Lord for His grace and trust that it always has been and always will be sufficient as to our needs.
With the departure of Kristina (what a great helper she was!), we have had to reorganize ourselves. There are some Bible studies that we have needed to alter; I go alone whereas Ruth used to accompany me. The Bible studies that we conducted in the countryside have been postponed for a time given the fact that it wouldn't be right for me to meet alone with the women. And Ruth can now only attend half of the classes at the Bible Institute since I (as one of the teachers) need to be in attendance every other week. So we have had to make some adjustments. But so far so good. Our people down here at Grace Baptist have granted us just that: grace. They understand that there are some things that we have needed to adjust for a time and they know that our love and care for them remains a constant reality.
We thank you all as well as you pray for us and support us in the ministry down here in Curaco. Hallelujah, what a Savior we have in Jesus Christ!

VBS Pictures

VBS IS OVER!

We report with both a sigh of relief and a praise to God that VBS is over. What a long, blessed week it was. There was a lack of personnel, but just like in the story of Gideon it was obvious that the Lord was at work through our small number. The children really enjoyed the time and several made indications that they were receiving the truth of the gospel. Please pray for our continued discipleship of these children and for the further evangelization of others.
I (being the technological non-guru that I am) tried earlier in the week to post some video of the VBS. But unfortunately it didn't work out. However I will post some pictures along with this so that you can see a little of what was going on.
In our adult service yesterday we had a wonderful time praising the Lord. Our people are hungry for the Word and it gives us great joy to see them growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. (2nd Peter 3:18)
And again, as always, to God be the glory!

VBS Day 4

Day 4 of VBS was rather interesting. We had some new children come out today and that in and of itself was great. However there was one little one who sought to steal the show by doing his Chilean equivalent of acting the rap artist. He was very disruptive and very disrespectful. We realize that this is due to the fact that he (as all of us are) is a sinner and he needs to have his life transformed by God. So please pray for him and for us and the rest of the kids here in Curaco.
What a privilege to share the gospel 4 days in a row with all of these little ones. We trust in the power of God's Word and trust that it will fulfill with the Lord's purposes. Tomorrow is the last day of this VBS and we look forward to what the Lord is going to do. To Him be the glory!

VBS Days 2 and 3

The VBS adventure is still going strong. Day Two was better than Day One. Not only were there more kids, they were better behaved. This was a lot to do with Ruth's "zero tolerance" disrespect policy. I wasn't there when she instituted it but it was obvious that the kids were there and heard her loud and clear. By the end of the day Ruth was feeling very poorly. She already had an appointment at the doctor for a sick Tabitha and she also took advantage to have the doctor take a quick look at her. "You look palid" said the doctor and Ruth said "I need to get sick....." So both Ruth and Tabitha got sent home with some medication and around 8 o'clock the paramedic on call came by and hooked Ruth up to an I.V. right in our bed. I told Ruth that her situation looked bleak but it would get better and someday (soon) be a good analogy about the rigors of VBS.
Day 3 found Ruth at home recovering from her illness. Fortunately we had two brothers from another town come over and help us with the VBS. The music wasn't nearly as harmonious but the Word was preached and we trust in the Lord for the results. Several children indicated their need (and desire) to have Christ forgive them of their sins. Please pray for them and for the Spirit to truly illuminate them. (if He already hasn't)
Day 4.... What wonders will it bring?

Escuela Biblica de Vacaciones

Today was the first day of our Winter VBS. The kids down here have three weeks of winter break, so we thought that we would take advantage of the time by having a VBS. One day down and four to go! We are desperately short staffed but thankful to the Lord for the opportunity to minister to these children. Please pray for us and for them throughout the week. I will post more on how things proceed. To God be the glory!

A call for discernment

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--- with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2nd Timothy 4:1-5)
"But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, 'In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.' These are men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit." (Jude 17-19)
Friends, it is time for us to be like the Bereans and diligently search the Scriptures. (Acts 17:11) False doctrine and teaching is rampant and we must be aware of its hazardous results. The post below has a link to a story in England of golf course maintenance gone wrong. The maintenance worker used a substance that appeared to be the right thing for the job, but it wasn't. His mistake had some serious ramifications. And so it will be for us if we do not make sure that we are receiving and dispensing the pure Word of God. (Psalm 12:6; 19:8; 119:140; Proverbs 30:5; John 17:17) "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

Golf course stripped bare after bungling groundsman mistakes weed killer for water | Mail Online

Golf course stripped bare after bungling groundsman mistakes weed killer for water Mail Online

Thankful for a weak battery

As Elizabeth, Daniel and I were just outside of Puerto Montt the battery on the truck started to lose strength. "Oh great", I thought to myself. This was a one-month old battery and I could not imagine that it was the battery itself that was the problem, maybe it was the alternator. (No, I am not a mechanic but I have learned from past experiences.) So anyway we limp into town and do what we need to do and find our lodging for the night. First thing in the morning we go to a garage and they send us to another garage and they send us to another garage until we finally get to the place where a guy comes out to the truck and takes out the alternator. He puts it in the vise and takes it apart. "Aqui esta tu problema", here's your problem he says to me. I am directed to go across the street and buy a new part for the alternator. I go across the street and buy the part and when I come back the mechanic has found another problem. And I am glad he did. The fan belt was razor thin in at least three places and could have broken off at any moment. The mechanic proceeded to explain to me that this would have been "muy malo", or very bad. "El motor se puede calentar demasiado y el motor podria echarse a perder", the motor could overheat and be ruined. So I thanked him for his eagle eye and went across the street to buy a 3 dollar fan belt. He puts it on and we pay him his $25 fee and are on the road. Normally I would not have been thankful for a weak battery nor for the need to replace part of an alternator. But considering the fact that the Lord used this to mercifully save the functionability of our truck was reason to give thanks. The moral of the story..... Do not be so quick to judge that the situation is bleak and/or without hope. The Lord knows what is going on and He will use whatever it is for His glory. In all things give Him thanks! (1st Thessalonians 5:18)

Keeping watch

Tonight was one of the nights when I laced up the old sneakers and headed off to the local gym. I brought along two of my biggest fans, Elizabeth and Daniel. Of course they didn't spend much time watching me play, but just having them there made the time more enjoyable. The competition was decent as we had the old guys (my team) against the young guys. The final tally indicated that we might be old but we can score more baskets than the younger guys.
Anyway upon coming home I needed to get the truck in off from the street and park it in the driveway. So I did that and before coming into the house I took a quick moment to look up into the sky and check out the stars. It has been pretty clear the past couple of nights and this has made for some nice vistas in the sky. I really enjoy taking a moment (when I can and when I think about it) to look up at the stars. The heavens declare the glory of the Lord. (Psalm 19:1a) Well, as I am still out in the front of the house checking out the show in the heavens I look over to my left on ground level and see another thing of beauty. Next to our house is an open lot. Green grass and the open space make it a nice pasture for several sheep. When I saw them lying down for the night, I had the verse pop in my mind from Luke 2:8, "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night." Why that verse? For several reasons. 1. There were sheep. 2.It was night. 3. I am a shepherd. The last reason brings to my mind another verse, found in Acts 20:28 "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God which He bought with His own blood." What a beautiful, powerful verse! Without much commentary I would just ask that you pray for us and for the flock that the Lord has placed in our care. And that we as well would ever remember that although "we were as sheep going astray, (but) now we have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls." (1st Peter 2:25) And He doesn't slumber nor sleep, He is always keeping watch. (Psalm 121) Amen.

37 degrees farenheit (inside!)

It has been very cold over the last couple of weeks. And due to our house's lack of insulation and adequate heating sources we have been very chilly here in the south of Chile. Maybe we should start eating some "chili" for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With some nice, hot peppers of course.
Would any of you, the multitudes who read this blog, have any ideas about how we could keep the house warmer than 37 degrees? Our friend and partner in ministry, Jorge Villalobos, suggested that we get a different house. Good idea but easier said than done. We have followed up some leads but nothing has surfaced. It appears that we will be here for a while. So any good ideas would be "warmly" accepted.
Things are going well with the ministry. People are receiving and rejecting the good news. May we be found faithful to share as the Lord would have us to share and serve as He would have us to serve. Thanks again for your prayers and partnership in the ministry down here. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

"I Thought That You Were a Bum!"

Today I needed to go over to Castro and buy some parts for the mechanic who was fixing our truck. Things here are a little different than in the good ol U.S.A. No Napa nor Parts Plus to deliver the parts to the garage. It's the client's responsibility to pick up whatever the mechanic tells you to get. And you had better get the order right considering that it is a 3 hour round trip to pick them up. Wahoo!
So anyway as I am walking around getting the necessary materials I happen upon a couple from our church. (see picture in post below) I spot them from about 20 feet as I they are walking towards me. But did they see me? When they are just about to walk by me (without having said anything), I say "hola". And still nothing. So then I follow them a couple of steps and say, "como estan?" Still nothing but I note that they appear a little uncomfortable. I take a couple of more steps closer and say "Osvaldo y Miriam...." Miriam turns around and looks at me and says, "I thought you were a bum!" People say the sweetest things sometimes. They had been walking arm and arm, all cuddly with their little baby between them and they didn't even notice that the guy who was greeting them wasn't a bum but it was their pastor. We had a good laugh, greeted one another more appropriately, and warmly went our seperate ways. Of course it made me think of the way(s) that we perceive and react to people, things, and situations.
Well I finally corraled all of the car parts on my list and after sharing lunch and fellowship with a local pastor friend I was off to drop off the parts to the mechanic. Upon arrival I show him the parts and fortunately they were all met with approval. Supposedly the truck will be ready tomorrow by noon. (we will see) So back to the bus stop. On the way to the bus stop I stopped by the home of a very poor family and had some good fellowship with one who is a believer and had a good opportunity to share the gospel with one who isn't yet. (to my knowledge) It was a special time to share with them. Now I need to walk about 10 minutes to get to the bus stop. As I am approaching the bus stop I notice that their is a bus zooming by but I am never going to catch it because the last two blocks to the bus stop are uphill. Why not sit down for a minute, I think to myself. Seated there waiting for the next bus (about 15 minutes between them) I am going over the day and rehearsing the different situations in which the Lord placed me. Then I got a visitor. A heavy man, with the stereotypical "bum-look" pushing a handcart stops right in front of me and asks "What are you doing here?" And I'm like "waiting for the bus." So he sits down next to me and starts asking me a bunch of questions. Alright, two can play at this game. I ask him some questions with the idea of sharing about the gospel of Christ. We had a good conversation and although at first I was taken aback by his look and demeanor I am glad for the opportunity to have shared with him about the Way, the Truth and the Life. Yes sir, Don Patricio "I thought that you were a bum" but now I realize that you are one of the people that we have been praying for when we say "Lord please give me the opportunity to tell others about you." Because of our sin we are all bums. Bouncing around without any kind of bearing, just responding to the stimuli around us. However now through faith in Christ we are dressed in new clothes (Luke 15:22; Galatians 3:27; Romans 13:14) and are no longer seen as bums, but seen as dearly beloved sons and daughters of the Most High God! (Luke 6:35; 2nd Corinthians 6:18) Yes I was a bum, but now I am a Son of God!

Brethren, please pray for us!

Sing Praises to the Lord!

We as believers have the express privilege of singing praises to the Lord. We are the only ones that can truly do it. The Scripture is very clear that there is one God (Exodus 20:2-3) and one Mediator between Him and man. (1st Timothy 2:5) Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to know the Father (John 17:3) and correspondingly give Him praise for who He is and for what He has done.
It has been a joy to see the recent formation of the children's choir at Grace Baptist Church. Listening to the children share special music last Sunday and hearing them practice again yesterday truly was "music to my ears". And I trust to the Lord as well.
As children of God we have so much to sing about. How I love the truth found in 1st Peter 2:9
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light."
May we bless the Lord at all times, may His praise be forever on our lips!

Teaching the kids the Word of God

A Good Father

The title of the message today at Grace Baptist was "A Good Father". With it being Father's Day I figured it was a good fit. From the beginning I stressed to the congregation that this day was first of all to be about our God and not about men. This and every other day "is the day that the Lord has made" (Psalm 118:24) and it is He who deserves all glory and praise.
Our message consisted of 4 aspects of how God is a good Father and how men should follow this model in their fathering. Here's the four things that we spoke about.
1. God as a good Father teaches His children
2. God as a good Father listens to His children
3. God as a good Father provides for His children
4. God as a good Father disciplines His children

What a joy it is to reflect on the goodness of God and His care for His children. What a model we have to follow. May we commit ourselves to the task at hand, trusting in God's grace and God's Spirit to help us.
It was a beautiful service today. Special music by the newly formed children's choir. Several times needing to put out more chairs as people continued to pour into the building. Sweet fellowship over a tasty after service meal. Nice Sunday School time with the children. God is so good to us! What a Good Father we have!

Lights going on

Well it's about 6am and I decided that now was the best of any to get up and have some time alone with the Lord and the computer. As I contemplate that last phrase I realize how it might sound. I obviously I do not want to imply that in order to commune with the Lord that we need to have a computer in tow. What craziness that would be! No, what I wanted to communicate is that right now is the most quiet that I will find it to do one thing very important (spend time alone with the Lord) and another thing semi-important; put out a new post. So hopefully that clears up any confusion if there were any....
The title of this entry is "lights going on". It doesn't refer to physical lights but to spiritual light shining into people's hearts. Last night we had a Bible study with one of our most faithful church attenders. She is a lady who had grown up in church but as she got older she started to grow lukewarm. Her husband doesn't share her beliefs but is very open to her attending our church and us having Bible studies in their home. As we shared in the beginning of our study last week she made the comment that she doesn't know much about the Bible even though she has been a Christian for many years. Our reaction was an enthusiastic "well, let's do something about that!Let's dig into the Word!" So last night as we were sharing with her from the Word, the questions just kept pouring out of her. Not just any kind of questions but good questions, insightful questions. It was obvious that she was thinking about these things for some time and wanted to have a clear understanding what God's Word had to say on these things. Lights were going on. She just needed someone to come alongside of her and point her to the Lord and to His Word. We are clear about who we are as ambassadors of Christ. (2nd Corinthians 5:20) Just as John the Baptist said, "it's necessary that He (Christ) becomes more and that I become less." (John 3:30) Again along with "The Baptizer" we rejoice in "preparing the Way of the Lord"; pointing people to the Father through Him and trusting in the Holy Spirit for not only turning the first light on (regeneration) but to keep it shining and shining (sanctification) until the day of Christ.
So to sum this all up, we praise the Lord for the opportunity to know Him and to make Him known. Sometimes as God's servants we don't have the opportunity to see fruit from our labors but other times we do. Regardless of the results may we be faithful to use God's light (Psalm 119:105) to point people to the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. (John 8:12)

Worse than we think

Interesting that we often don't see ourselves as bad as we really are. I went to the doctor yesterday to find out why I have been coughing up so much green stuff and having some obstruction in my breathing. When the doctor looked at me she informed me that I indeed had some bronchial obstruction along with sinus congestion and an inflamed throat. Ok. And then she told me that I also had pink eye in both of my eyes. What? Pink eye? I can't remember ever having that before! I was worse off than I thought! So I left the office with an armful of medication that hopefully will give me some relief.
Now let us consider our sinful condition. God's Word is clear on the topic as it states that apart from Christ we are dead in our transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2:1). Not just kinda sick, but totally dead. Unable to fix ourselves we need someone to fix us. The only One who can do that is Jesus Christ. (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1st Timothy 2:5-6) But many times people think that they really aren't that bad. They think that maybe they have some flaws, but surely they are alive. Physically yes, but spiritually no. So how will they find this out? Well this is our opportunity to share the good news. The good news in that although we must share the truth of man's spiritually dead condition, we also share with them the truth that God offers healing and restoration through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. May we never fall into the error of leading people to believe that they are "better than they are", let us lovingly tell them the truth that they are "worse than they think". Only by telling them the truth will there be any hope for them of recovering from their wretched condition.
"Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ, the Lord." Luke 2:11

So much to be thankful for

Just a thought on fifteen things for which I am thankful today
1. God
2. God's Word, The Bible
3. My wife
4. My kids
5. Brothers and Sisters in Christ
6. Water
7. Citrus fruit
8. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes
9. A roof over our heads
10. A decent internet connection
11. Our co-worker Kristina
12. Trials
13. Health
14. Family
15. Each one of you who most likely fall under #3,#4,#5 and/or #14. Thank you so much for the part that you have had in our lives and in the ministry down here in southern Chile.

*May we remember to give thanks in all things, because this is God's will for us in Jesus Christ. (1st Thessalonians 5:18)

A High View of Scripture

Sola Scriptura. Scripture Alone. Of course it shouldn't just be a neat, little catchphrase. It is the recognition that our ultimate guide for faith and practice is found in a book; God's book called "The Bible". As the old song goes, "The B-I-B-L-E, yes that's the book for me, I'll read and pray and then obey the B-I-B-L-E." Some accuse of us as being "Bible worshipers" but we tell them that there is no truth in their accusation. We are worshipers of the One True God and we believe that He has revealed Himself in the Bible. Where would be without the Bible? How could we be reconciled to our Creator apart from it? Whereas God "could" have chosen a different way to communicate to us, He still chose to use a book. The Book that would recount His works from creation to fall to restoration. May we never stop thanking God for His Book and may we never cease to have a high view of Scripture.
Please pray for us and for the flock of Grace Baptist Church as we take a stand in our community for the infallible, living, and sufficient word of God. And please pray for the Spirit of God to work in the hearts of His people so that they would follow in the footsteps of the Word of God by putting God's Word into practice. (John 14:15; 17:17; James 1:22; 1st John 2:6)

OK, I'm not from around here

I don't think it is so much the face or the height that point to the fact that I am a foreigner in this land. It cannot be my fancy clothes nor the new vehicle that I drive; since I don't have either. It must be the accent. Not the fact that I cannot be understood by the locals but the accent is thick enough that they know that I am not Chilean. Sometimes they think I'm from Uruguay or maybe Brasil. Kinda like in the U.S. when we run across an Australian, or a Brit, or a Canadian. (Ha Ha Bill) The really funny thing is when the people don't think that Ruth is Chilean. They say that she has an accent as well. Too much time hanging out with the gringo I suppose.
But what we do tell the people is that although we aren't from this specific area we do feel that this is the place that God wants us to be right now. We tell them that we have come to share the good news that the One True God offers reconciliation to sinful rebels through their responding in faith to the sacrifice of His Eternal Son. The Son of God's face nor His height would have made people think that He was from somewhere else. (Is 53:2) It definitely wasn't His fancy clothes nor the beautiful chariot in which He traveled. It wouldn't have been His accent that gave Him away as being from somewhere else. It was His message that distinguised Him from the rest. He came with a message that the One True God offers reconciliation to sinful rebels through their responding in faith to the sacrifice that His Eternal Son would give on their behalf. (2nd Corinthians 5:21) And that He would be that sacrifice! (Mark 10:45) And as we read in John 1:14 and John 17:3, the One who was not from "around here" came down here so that we might know and experience eternal life through Him. He came to His own people (the Jews) but they did not receive Him, but to those who receive Him, to those who believe in His Name, they have received the power to be made children of God. (John 1:11-12) So He could say "No, I'm not from around here. But I have come here that you might know my Father and therefore become His children." And that is the same thing that I say, "No, I'm not from around here. But I have come here that you might know my Father."
Please continue to pray for a fruitful harvest for the glory of God. Thanks again for your friendship and partnership in the gospel.

Is anybody out there?

The reason for the title is quite simple. I want to know if I am writing this as some kind of quasi-diary or if anyone is actually reading this blog. Some time back I enlisted the "help" of a website that informs on how many people check out the blog. For the last several months my count has been at zero for everyday. So please know that this isn't just some desperate plea for affirmation, but if you could please leave a comment after this post so that I know that I am not just writing this for myself.
Thank you. If there is anybody out there.....

A High View of God

Either we have it or we don't. A high view of God. How do we see God? Do we see Him as small and moldable by our human hands or do we see Him as the Immutable Creator of the universe? This was today's message at Grace Baptist Church as we look at the pillars that hold up our church. Of course it is the Word of God that reveals to us the attributes of God and of His working in the lives of His people. We will be getting to that in a later message.
Today I felt horrible. Sinus congestion, body aches, and fever. I surely wanted to stay in bed but I knew that I couldn't. I had prepared a message for the flock and truly felt that this was something that they needed to hear. Praise God for His grace in that He allowed me to preach the message and quickly get home and back into bed. My intention for writing this is not to pat myself on the back for the discharging of my responsibilities. My intention is to glorify the Lord through my recognition of His strength and of my incredible weakness. It is the Lord's Spirit and work in me that allows me to do anything that is pleasing in His sight (1st Corinthians 1:31). While I wallowed in my aches and pains, I took my eyes off of the Lord "high and lifted up." (Is 6:1-5) I forgot for a moment that it was He who gave me a mouth in the first place and it was He who had given me the air that I breathe. So I committed myself and the message unto Him and went about my Father's business. I repented of my low view of God and declared that I would "lift up my eyes to the hills from where my help comes from." (Psalm 121:1-2) May our eyes be lifted up to the heavens and not stuck here on the Earth. (Heb 12:1-2) We aren't the important ones, God is the IMPORTANT ONE, THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL. May He receive praise in and through His church; here in Curaco de Velez and to the ends of the Earth!

Seek first the Kingdom of God

Interesting how things often turn out differently than we had planned. This past Saturday I had a Bible Study set up at 2 pm with a brother from our church. It had been raining hard all day (and the night before) so we got a little wet on the way down to the church. Ruth had come along with me to set things up for our services the following day. Around 3:30 pm there was a knock on the door. It was the brother with whom I was to have the Bible Study at 2 pm. "What happened?" I asked him. He told me that he didn't think that I was going to come due to the bad weather and that he now had to fulfill a commitment that he had with his family. "Could you give me a lift?" was his next statement. I agreed and off we went. The roads were wet and the ground was soft and muddy. Jorge advised me to just leave him at the entrance to his parents house but I insisted to go down the hill and take advantage of the opportunity to share with his parents as well. (dad professes faith in Christ) So we go down the hill and I suddenly notice that it is the grass is extremely soft and mushy and I am not going to make it out very easily. I try a couple of times to get to higher ground but to no avail. Then came the crazy idea....
Why don't we try to push the truck uphill? It only weighs a couple of thousand pounds! How crazy. I get out and Jorge and I are pushing the truck from the back end when it starts to advance backwards and not forwards. "What's the big deal?" you may ask. Well, down the hill is about a 200 meter drop into the ocean. Not good. So I need to make a split second decision. I must somehow stop the truck and fast. I run around the side and dive into the front cab and slam on the break. What an adrenaline rush. What a relief to have stopped the vehicle but now how were we going to get it out? We went out onto the side road and someone with 4 wheel drive passed by. He hooked on to my truck and was able to pull me out. I was really wishing that I would have had the $$$ to get my 4 wheel drive fixed. Maybe later. Anyway I say "chao" to Jorge and agree to see him the next day in church. Sunday comes around and after the children's Sunday School the adults started to come out for our adult service. We always give time for testimonies and on this day Jorge came forward. He rehearsed for the group what had gone on the day prior and how he had been at fault. Through tears he shared with the congregation about his poor decision in having blown off the Bible Study in order to watch a soccer game with his brother and father. And then there was almost the major incident with the truck. He stated that he had erred in seeking the things of this world before the things of the Kingdom of God. Jorge finished by stating that with the help of the Lord he wouldn't do this again. What a testimony! He recognized his sin and gave glory to the Lord by so doing and encouraged the rest of us to have our priorities right: seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. And there was even a little bit of irony thrown in..... After I had been towed out and went on my way, Jorge went back into his parents house. His dad came in the room and invited Jorge to have something to eat. Jorge said "Dad, we are going to miss the game." Then his dad countered with "Son, the game has been postponed due to the bad weather." When I heard this I couldn't help but laugh and thank God for His mercy and for using this situation in our lives to draw us closer to Himself.

Be anxious for nothing

People in the streets were talking about the dust that fell from the sky. I didn't see it. I will admit that the thought of volcanic ash falling upon our town was a bit intriguing. The volcanic explosion of a couple of weeks ago had not affected us but it had greatly affected the inhabitants of Chaiten and Futalefu only about 100 miles away from us. It has been said that if the winds had been directed to the west and not to the east that we would have been the ones evacuated from our homes. But this wasn't the plan of the Lord for us. The people here on our island sympathized with those affected by the explosion and at the same time were thankful that it didn't affect us physically. People were still a little worried when they heard of more action from the volcano and the possibility of the winds blowing our way. So when the dust started to come down, the people started to worry. We got a call the other night from one of our friends asking "have you seen the ash falling from the sky and covering the ground?" We answered "no" and I soon went outside to check out the situation. I couldn't see anything on the ground (it was night) but I could feel a thin layer on the hood of my truck. So we just went to bed figuring if there were to occur something more urgent that we would be informed of it. The next day (yesterday) came around and there was a town wide power and telephone outage and people again worried about the possible connection to the volcano. Our friends expressed again their concern and we encouraged them to not worry but to trust in the Lord.
As believers in Christ what other option do we have? The Scripture makes it very clear that God is faithful and can always be trusted. To not trust Him is to essentially call Him a liar and the Scripture also tells us that God cannot lie. The Apostle Paul reminds us to "be anxious for nothing but with all prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto God". That's what we choose to do. Not just with the volcano situation but in all situations. We want to honor God by declaring to Him and to others that He can be trusted. He is our refuge, He is our shelter, He is our shield. Of course we are succeptible just like anyone else to the "natural disasters" that our world experiences: earthquakes, cyclones, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, etc. But we also know that we dwell under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91) and His eye is upon us on the sparrow (Matt 10:29-31); how much more will He take care of us? Beloved trust in God! Be anxious for nothing!

Thank God for His grace!

In our Sunday adult services we have been studying the Apostle Paul's letter to the Galatians. What a blessing it has been to our congregation! We have been confronted over and over again by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. No trust can be placed in man nor in his works; our only hope is in Christ. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2nd Corinthians 9:15)
Theologians speak of God's common grace and His special grace. Whereas they are radically different they both reflect the glory of God in His creation. The way that He makes the rain fall on the just and the unjust (it is pouring right now), the way that He provides food for the sparrow and for the rest of His creation, the way that He keeps our little blue ball in its perfect little orbit, etc... And then there is His aforementioned special grace. Oh to think that He would extend forgiveness to those who have so horrendously rebelled against Him! What incredible grace in not only showing us mercy, but in showing us forgiveness and reconciliation through faith in Christ.
Thank God for His grace!

Happy 4th Birthday Grace!

Hola

A friend dropped an e-mail along with a little hint that not much has been reported lately on this blog. So I say "hola" to all who are checking this out. How are you? I realize that sometimes I go on and on about us, but don't take the time to ask about you. Sorry. Please get in touch with us and let us know of what's going on with you and if you have any prayer requests.
We are all doing well. In the last couple of posts I made mentioned of our new building. It really is nice to have the extra space. Just today we had a little "tea time" with the moms of our Sunday School kids. It was nice to see some of the kids' moms actually show up, since quite a few of the kids don't have parents who are involved at the church. I would ask for prayer for one of moms, her name is Miriam and she has what appears to be an inoperable brain tumor. Whereas we have prayed for her physical healing our most urgent concern is for her to have peace with the Father through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Sunday services are great times of worship and edification. The Lord has blessed our weekly Bible studies. We have changed the format where we (Ruth and myself) now go into the homes and have studies with the individual families. This has been a blessing. There is a very obvious need for Biblical instruction. Please pray along with us for the Holy Spirit's work in and through the Word to change all of our hearts.
The English classes are a big hit with the kids. Currently about 75% of the students are kids who come to the Sunday School. It would be great to see that number swell closer to 100%.
Guitar class (taught by Ruth of course!) is going well for the adults and for the kids. The adults who shared special music several times during our Sunday morning worship services.
The Bible Institute has been a real blessing. We meet every Friday night for about 2 1/2 hours. It is a 2 year program and those who complete all the requirements will receive a certificate in Bible Studies. We are currently meeting in 2 different churches in 2 different towns, but when the next semester rolls around (in August) we will be one of the host churches. This is another benefit of our larger meeting place. Since our format is 2 weeks at one church (in one town) and 2 weeks at another church (in a different town) it will be nice to just have to travel about 3 blocks down to the church for our 2 weeks.
The kids are doing well. Daniel turned 5 back in April and Grace turned 4 last week. They are growing up so fast! Seems like someone told me that it would happen that way. With experience comes wisdom.
But hey, I had better stop typing. For various reasons. Number one being that you probably don't want to read much more. And number two being so I can share some more updates tomorrow.
Grace to you all.
Daniel

A dream becomes a reality

After two years of meeting in a tiny storefront building, the Lord has provided a much bigger place for Grace Baptist Church. Of course we are very excited about this new development. This past Sunday we had our first services in the new building and it was great to be able to divide up the children's Sunday School classes and also have more room for our adults upstairs. After the adult service we had a nice fellowship time with the kids and the adults. The weather wasn't pleasant, it was a cold, rainy day. But that didn't change the warmth that we felt in our hearts and the gratitude that we felt unto the Lord for His unfailing provision for His church.
Thank you again for your part in the ministry down here in Curaco. Many of you pray. Many of you give financially. We appreciate every one of you and pray that the Lord would bless you and use you for His glory.
Yours in Christ,
Daniel and Ruth

New ministry center for Iglesia Bautista Gracia?

Fruit that lasts

Today we had a special day at Grace Baptist Church. Our children's Sunday School was packed out and the children had a wonderful time of learning more about the Lord Jesus Christ. And then when it came time for the adult worship service we had a good crowd as well. But what was it that made for such a special day? Was it the amount of children who were in the 10 am service? Or was it the amount of adults who were in the 12 pm service? No. Although we were pleased to see so many people come out for the services, what really made it special was the group of people that showed up.
Last January Pastor Kelly Carlson (North Casnovia Batist Church) and I came down to Curaco for a couple of weeks and were able to minister to the flock down here at Grace Baptist. One of the highlights was being able to baptize five of the believers. We had to go back to the States but now my wife Ruth and I have come back with our family (and Kristina Erbes) to continue on in the church planting work. Today at Grace we had a baby dedication. Osvaldo and Miriam brought their 10 day old baby Yvonne to be dedicated unto the Lord. I had the opportunity to explain what baby dedication represents and what it requires of the parents and the congregation of the saints. So this of course was part of our special day. But it wasn't all that made it special. What made it "especially special" to me as a pastor was that Miriam was one of the five who were baptized 14 months ago and here she was still in the church, still seeking after the Lord. And then to look out into the group and see the four others who were baptized on the same day that she was. Jorge, Evleyn, Mari, and Juan. The Lord has given us fruit and it has been fruit that lasts. Praise the Lord for His work in the lives of His people. And please pray for these brothers and sisters and the others at Grace Baptist Church of Curaco de Velez.
As mentioned earlier in this entry we packed the place out this morning and afternoon. For some time we have been praying and seeking a larger meeting place. Yesterday we became aware of a possibility. At the close of the service I asked the brothers and sisters to pray for this. And then this evening Ruth and I were able to check the place out and supposedly we will hear back this week as to it being available unto us or not. We don't want to count this as a "done deal" seeings that we have had the rug pulled out from under us several times in situations like this one. So please pray for us and for those who are in charge of this property. If this is the will of the Lord may we be able to rent the place for a reasonable amount. The reason for wanting the larger space is not just to have a bigger place. What we want to do is have more room to receive more people and to split the kids up from one big Sunday School class to several smaller ones. And of course our main goal is to glorify the Lord and make disciples and that they would bring forth much fruit and that it would be fruit that lasts!
Daniel

Who's that knocking on my door (part 2)

Knock knock. Who's there? Waiting for the punchline? Well there won't be one. Probably a good thing since the majority of people find my jokes in english and spanish quite lame.
The last time I shared about people knocking on my door I wasn't very pleased with the visitors. Today was a bit different. The kids always get excited when someone knocks on the door. They love the wonder of "who it may be" and "what they might have brought" with them. So this morning the "knocker" was a man named Alvaro. He is from Brazil and came to follow up on our request for him to teach us Portuguese. (Ruth and I would like to learn Portuguese for potential ministry purposes and then be able to pass on to the kids another language) Alvaro stated that he would like to work out some kind of exchange of us teaching him English for him teaching us Portuguese. We told him that this sounded like a good idea and hopefully next month (April) we can get started with our classes. He ended up knocking on our door several more times throughout the day and we were able to help him with some things and generally get to know each other better. Please pray for Alvaro and for our relationship with him. We hope that through our time with him that he will hear a clear presentation of the gospel and that the Lord would draw him unto Himself.
Then there was the afternoon when I went over to Achao to help another pastor friend with some errands. He needed to move some desks from a different town back to his church. And since I have a truck I was the one that he asked. That's what friends and brothers are for, right? To encourage and help out one another. So on the way over to pick him up I came across four young ladies hitchhiking. This is still quite common down here. As we drove the 12 minutes over to Achao I struck up a small conversation. I asked them where they studied and where they were from. They told me that they studied in Curaco (our town) and that they lived in the dormitories alongside of the school. When I mentioned that my family is down here planting a church one of the young ladies (Marjorie) said that she had grown up in a Christian family and had always gone to church. What was so neat about this is the fact that Ruth and I had been praying for the kids in the dormitories and for bridges to be built between them and our church. And here was a neat opportunity to meet another believer and we hope for the opportunity to encourage her in the faith and to reach out to her peers with the gospel. Please pray along with us for the 150-200 young people that live in the dorms. And please pray for the people who are in charge at the dorms, that we would find grace in their eyes and be able to have easy access to the students.
Then this late afternoon/early evening Ruth had guitar class and then English class right after. English class was especially well attended and the kids are excited about what they are learning. And we were excited to see them there and of course encouraged them to come back on Sunday for Sunday School. Please pray for these kids and for their families.
And to round off the day we had a special time of studying God's Word in our adult Bible Study. Tonight we talked about the security that we have in Christ. We as believers belong to God, we are His children. No one can pluck us out of His hand. He has began the good work in us and He will complete it. What hope we have in Jesus! Praise His Name!
Thank you again for all of your prayers and support. We love you in the love of Christ.
Daniel (for Ruth and the kids)

Padre Gatica

There is a saying in Chile that goes like this: "Padre Gatica predica pero no se practica." The translation goes like this: "Gatica the priest doesn't practice what he preaches." I had that thought in my mind as I pondered upon the bottoming out dollar. The dollar has lost about 20% of its value in the 5 months that we have been down here. And the prices of things have not gone down, but they have gone up. So what does this have to do with Padre Gatica? Well I remember a message that I shared in November 2005 during a North American missionaries conference here in Chile. At that point the dollar was "way down" in the mid 600 range (it had been up to 740 in July of 2003) and I reminded the brothers and sisters about the sovereignty of God over all things including exchange rates. "We need not worry", I reminded them, "our trust and our hope is in the Lord." And of course I believed this when I shared it and I believe it just as much today. But the interesting thing is that through this time of financial uncertainty I have been crunching the numbers a little more than normal and have read more articles about inflation and recession than I had ever before in my life. So what happened? Had I forgotten about the Lord and His provision for all of our needs from past to present and of His promise to take care of our future? (physical needs yes, but more importantly our spiritual needs) Once I noticed this sin of unbelief and let go of it I received great peace from the Lord. I know that the Lord is still on the throne. I know that the Lord has brought us to this town of Curaco to preach and live out His gospel. I know that He holds the future. So I decide, so I desire to no longer be live like Padre Gatica but to live like an obedient, trusting child of the Most High God. Trusting Him for who He is, for what He has done, for what He is doing and for what He will do; all for His glory and for the good of those who love Him, those who have been called according to His purpose.

M&M

M&M is the "artistic name" given to my mother-in-law and to her best friend Monica. (Mother-in-law's name is Maria) They spent the last three weeks down her with us, helping us with the children and generally supporting the ministries of Grace Baptist Church. They left today in the morning and their time here will be long remembered. In the post below you can see and listen to them share special music in one of our Sunday morning worship services.
(Y si M&M estan leyendo esto, de nuevo le decimos "muchisimas gracias y que Dios les bendiga grandemente!")

Always something going on

When was the last time that you were bored? The last time that you just felt that there was absolutely nothing for you to do? I remember when I was a kid that there were quite a few boring moments. Although there probably were lots of things to do I felt like there was nothing to do. But not anymore. There always seems to be a lot going on!
I cannot believe that a whole 8 days have passed by since Ruth, Tabitha and I got back into Curaco after a few days away. As the old saying goes, "time sure flies when you are busy." Today our friend Dana left Curaco and began her journey back to Michigan. We enjoyed her visit with us and trust that the Lord used (and will use) her trip for His glory and for Dana's growth in Christ.
Today was a full day with some quality visits and contacts with the people. Please continue to pray for the people and for their spiritual needs. May more and more people truly bow the knee to Jesus Christ. Not just ritualistically nor legalistically, but sincerely. May the Name of the Lord be praised.
Let us as the servants of the Lord be busy about the Master's business and not just sit around twiddling our thumbs. With so much to do (and who know's how much time to do anything) may we be found faithful to the preaching and living out of the gospel. Remember, God has always got something going on. Don't miss out on it. Get involved in it.

Intercepted?

Again I have fallen behind on my blogging. Sorry. But I can say that it hasn't been for lack of things going on. Maybe my inconsistency is more a result of a busy schedule. So whatever it is (or isn't) here is something interesting that happened on Friday.....
Ruth, Tabitha, our friend Dana and I got back to Curaco on Thursday night. After Bible Study Jorge borrowed my truck and I planned on picking it up in Achao on Friday morning. So I hop on the bus and head over to Achao. On the bus with me is a family that I know and I offer to take them back to Curaco with me after we all get done with our respective errands. They indicate that it sounded good for them and we would meet up later at the bank. Cool. I went out and did my errands and made it back to the bank. We meet up and they said that they needed to go to the hardware store and I said "I'll meet you there." So I go and wait for them and they don't show up. And they don't show up. And they don't show up. I'm starting to think that someone else has picked them up. Maybe they have been intercepted. So I start back to Curaco. The distance between Achao and Curaco is 11 kilometers or 6 1/2 miles. About 3 kilometers into the trip I come upon three hitchhikers. I'm not going to lose these passengers! So they hop in and we proceed on to Curaco. I invite them over to lunch and we have a really good meal and some good conversation and an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our new friends names are Sandor, Daniella and Tomas. The first two are from Chile and the third is from Colombia. Please pray for them. After lunch Ruth and I were able to take them to the next town and drop them off. Along the way more seed was planted and each of them was sent off with a copy of "God's Bridge to Eternal Life" and a prayer that the Word of God would touch their hearts and that they too would come to know the Living God and His Son Jesus Christ. So all this is said not to bring glory nor adulation to a man (me) for what he has done. It is said to give glory to God that He is sovereign and He has a plan and He will always complete with it. Whereas I thought that someone had "intercepted" my passengers that wasn't necessarily the case. The Lord had other passengers for me to pick up and share with. If I had taken the original passengers I wouldn't have been able to take Sandor, Daniella and Tomas. Looking back on the situation I realize that again I have been humbled into realizing that the Lord's plans and thoughts are much higher than mine and I am thankful for that. He worked things out in a way that glorified Himself and that is what I want more than anything. May the Name of the Lord be praised!

Have you kept your New Year´s resolution?

I was so proud of myself for keeping up with this blogsite. I´m not sure if you remember or not but that was my New Year´s resolution. I decided that I was going to stay current with my blogging and informing yáll of the goings on down here in Chile. And I was doing quite well. Past tense. I was doing well but as of just recently I have both let you and myself down. Sorry. But I am not going to leave things unresolved. I am back on board and plan on staying more current with the blog.
Things have been going well down here. We had a special time last Sunday with our worship service and a baptism following. Another opportunity to witness to the community about our faith in the Lord Jesus. Please continue to pray for us and the flock at Grace Baptist Church.
Currently Ruth, Tabitha and I are in Uruguay. Nine years have went by since Ruth and I first met and we are taking some time to ¨get to know each other again¨. My mother-in-law, Ruth´s aunt and Kristina are holding the fort back in Curaco and we hear that all are doing quite well. We will be back in Curaco next week. I have a good friend who will be preaching in our Sunday service so I trust that the flock will be in good hands.
So, please continue to pray. Thanks again for your partnership in the gospel ministry. We truly do appreciate you and love you in the love of Christ.
Daniel

Busy day, blessed day

Today was one of those busy, blessed days. One of those days when you think that you know how it is going to start out but you really have no idea how it is going to end up. We had our services in the morning which went well. The Word of God was proclaimed and there were people with ears to hear. The afternoon and evening opened up some really good opportunities to connect further with some people both inside and outside the flock. Much to think about and more to pray about it. Please continue to pray for us and the ministry down here in Curaco. The work is plentiful so please pray that the Lord would enable us, the laborers. May we be busy like Martha and wait upon the Lord like Mary.
Daniel

Who's that knocking on my door? (and what do you need?)

In Luke 11:5-13 we find one of the many parables that Jesus spoke to His disciples. The message is that God's people need to trust in His goodness and in His faithful provision for their needs. It is interesting how the parable starts out and how this related to me in the past couple of days. In verses 5-8 there is mentioned a man who goes to his friend late at night to ask him for some bread. The guy doesn't want to do it, but he does it anyway because he doesn't want himself nor his family further disturbed at this hour. Understandable, right?
Well just the other day I heard a knock on the door, a rather loud knock on the door. I looked at the clock and saw that it was about 4:45 am. And I'm thinking, "what's going on? Is there some kind of emergency?" So I go to the door and there are three guys standing outside. I was a little hesitant to open the door but I did anyway. They ask for Jorge one of our coworkers who used to live in this house. I tell them that Jorge no longer lives here that he has moved a town over to Achao. Really I had hoped that that would be enough to get them going on their way, but of course it wasn't. The ringleader proceeds to tell me about the fact that he has a truck and that "many" times he had helped Jorge in the past. And I'm like "ok, I'm not Jorge, so now what?" But this guy is not taking "no" for an answer. And I don't want him to wake up the kids with his already elevated voice. So I get dressed and get the truck out and take them on their way. They are obviously intoxicated and I am just glad to get them out of the truck and to get myself back in the house. The next day I ask Jorge about this and he tells me that this is not the first time that they have pulled this trick. I say that for me it is the first and the last. And I would soon have my resolve tested. Just last night. About 1am I hear a knock on the door. It is a young man (one of the three from the other night) asking for a ride to Achao, a town about 10 minutes away from us. I put two and two together, realizing that there is no emergency and it just so happens that the big party just got over here in town and they probably want to keep the party going in Achao. Why would someone think to come to my house at 1 am asking for a ride to another town? Hey man, go to sleep and get up at 8 am and take the bus! Of course I don't want to be uncaring but I don't want to be a doormat either. And with that I also see an interesting connection with the parable found in Luke 11. God will of course hear our asking and our calling and He will notice that we are seeking. But what I believe is most important to Him is our motive. He doesn't want us to approach Him selfishly as if He were a celestial genie who must respond to our fleshly demands. He is the Holy One who does truly love us (John 3:16-17; Rom 5:8; 1st John 4:10,19) and will give us what He wants us to have (Matt 6:33), He is not a "name it claim it" God. He promises to give us "good things" (Matt 7:11) but He alone knows what we truly need and what He wants for us. (Psalm 37:3-5; James 4:2-3) So let's look for some balance here. Let's be fervent and consistent in our prayers, but at the same time let us leave the results in the hands of the Lord. (Is 55:8-9) He knows who is knocking on His door and He knows what we need before we ask Him. Let us approach Him boldly (and respectfully) through the Lord Jesus Christ trusting that we will find mercy and grace in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Daniel

His blood's for you!

Just the other day I was browsing one of my favorite internet sites called "A little leaven". It is a discernment/wake up call blog to the church to get back to the seriousness and the simplicity of the gospel. In one of the posts under the genre of "cheezy christian clothing" was a t-shirt that had obviously ripped off an idea from the Budweiser company. The shirt said "His blood's for you" (and for those of you who didn't know the Budweiser slogan is "This Bud's for you") And as the blogger stated, people are a lot more likely to relate this slogan to some watered down beer than they are likely to worship the Crucified Lamb of God. As a matter of fact when I read the blog and checked out the t-shirt I felt like both laughing and crying. Laughing because of the shirt being so ridiculous and crying over the way that it trivializes the cross of Christ. I mean whatever happened to not using persuasive (nor catchy) words and just preaching the gospel of Christ? (1st Cor 1:18-2:4) Brothers and sisters the gospel is our only hope. As the hymnwriter put it "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness". Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness. Yes His blood has been shed for us. Let us never forget that and let us never be ashamed to proclaim it to our fellow man. (Rom 1:16-17; 1st Peter 1:18-19) And may we not forget that it is the Holy Spirit working through the Word of God that saves people. It is not about man's wisdom nor gimmicks. Stick to the basics. It was good enough for Jesus. It was good enough for the Apostles and for the first disciples. Why would we think to use something different? Arrogance or ignorance? Whatever it be, let it not be so with us. Jesus' blood, the blood of the new covenant has been shed for the remission of sins (1st Cor 11:25) and praise be to Him who sits upon the throne! That blood avails for you and that blood avails for me. Thank you Jesus!