Cheering them on

Today was a big day for Elizabeth and Daniel. They had a basketball game. For those of you who know that we homeschool, you would also realize that even though we have five children, they aren't all old enough to make up a basketball team. But with things as they are, the local school invites Elizabeth and Daniel to play with them. (Kinda like back in the States, right?) Anyway, it was the day of the game and of course I forgot to bring the camera! So please use your imagination. A lot of kids (10) running around, not completely sure of what they are supposed to be doing, but definitely having a great time. In the stands were Rebekah and I (Ruth stayed home with Grace and Tabitha) cheering on our little stars. Of course I tried not to cheer too loud, I didn't want to be like one of those stereotypical way-too-into-it sports parents. I really had to contain myself. Especially since I stand out as the one dad who isn't from around here, I wanted to blend in a bit with the other parents. It was fun cheering them on.
This makes me think of the passage in the book of Hebrews, chapter 12:1 to be exact. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (NIV) In chapter 11 we read about the heroes of the faith and how they served the Lord. And then the idea in verse 1 of chapter 12 that this great cloud of witnesses that has went before us (into the presence of God) is cheering us on to the finish line. That we would press on as the Apostle Paul desired to (Philippians 3:12-14) and as we read later, ultimately did. (2nd Timothy 4:6-8) And I am sure that just as the angels rejoice when an unbeliever puts his or her faith in Christ (Luke 15:7), they rejoice when the believer walks faithfully with the Lord. They are cheering us on too. And then we have the opportunity in the here and now to cheer each other on. We can drop each other a good word like "press on brother/press on sister", "in the power of the Lord you can (and will) make it to the finish line", or just a simple "I'm cheering for you." What a blessing it can be to know that we are being cheered for. Sometimes we may need to put aside our timidity and cheer really loud. Maybe we do need to stand out some and by so doing encourage those around us that the race or the battle is worth winning and to press on to victory.
Please know that I am praying in general for all of you who will read this blog and those to come. By so doing I am cheering for you that you would be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. I pray that you would know who you are in Christ, if you are in Him, and if you are not that you would come to know who He is and who He can transform you into.
Cheering for you.
Daniel

So much for New Year's Resolutions!

Well I'm back at the blogging thing again. It was my New Year's Resolution to blog each and every day throughout the year. Obviously that didn't happen, given that my last post was to wish all the moms out there a Happy Mother's Day. I really did have in mind to at least wish the dads out there a Happy Father's Day. Didn't happen. But why didn't it happen? At least this time I have a decent excuse. Computer problems really have had me down. The envidia card on the laptop went out, and that essentially means that the computer cannot be used. No video. No visual. Can't see anything. Warranty is expired. I am currently using a third-stringer.
The Kennison family is doing well. The family of faith at Iglesia Bautista Gracia is doing well. I will sincerely try to be more consistent with this blog. I really do struggle with how consistent I should be. How often should I post. How many details should I include. I of course don't want to turn our lives into some sort of weird reality show. But at the same time I do appreciate those of you who are interested in our lives and want to know how to pray for us and those around us. So I will be seeking the right balance. Maybe everyday is not a realistic goal or not even a needed one. I will however try to get the next post out before Labor Day. And oh yeah, by the way, Happy 4th of July!

Happy Mother's Day

To all of you moms out there: Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Birthday!

Daniel turned six years old on April 18th, 2009 and Grace turned five years old on May 8th, 2009. We had a nice time of celebrating each birthday. Daniel's party was bigger and held down at the church, whereas Grace's was more low-key and held at home. Maybe next year some of you could come down and celebrate with us?

John the Baptizer

Today we continued on in our journey through the gospel according to Mark. What an adventure it has been so far; and we have ten whole chapters to go! What a blessing it was for us to assemble together as a family of faith and worship the One True God, through His Son Jesus Christ.
After having a time of praise through prayer and singing, along came a time to praise God through the reading of His Word. Our main text was Mark 6:14-29 and along with that we also read Matthew 11:1-11. What an encouragement it was to read about the faithfulness of God in and through the life of John the Baptizer. Even though this guy did not have "His Best Life Now" during his days on the Earth, we can definitely see that he was blessed by God. Obviously there were times when he felt lonely, defeated, and didn't have all the answers. But what he did have was an unwavering trust in the Living God. He knew what he had been sent to do. He had completed his mission. He was faithful to the end. We as a body of believers were encouraged, exhorted, and confronted by the example of John. May we through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit be faithful to the end of the task(s) that the Lord has given to us. I am sure that moments after his beheading John heard "well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord." At that moment of his death, he truly began to experience "His Best Life Now". Press on brothers and sisters until the end. The finish line may or not be in sight, but the important thing is that we are in the race and each of us has been given a mission to accomplish for the glory of God. Be strong in the Lord! Be a hero (or heroine) of the faith!

Labor Day

Today feels like a Saturday. Why? The streets are relatively empty and the town is really quiet. Normally there is a lot of vehicle and foot traffic in front of our house, but not today.
Today is Labor Day here in Chile. It seems a little weird to celebrate Labor Day in May, and not in the end of August or the beginning of September. But that's what happens when you live south of the Equator. Fall is in full force, today is cold and rainy. Winter is on the way. Hopefully it will be a mild, fairly dry winter. We will see.
We all have reason to celebrate Labor Day. Whether one works outside the home or not, everyone does some kind of work. The important thing is that we do whatever we do for the glory of God. (1st Corinthians 10:31) And remember that we must redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16), recognizing that our work done for the Lord is not done in vain. (1st Corinthians 15:58)
So Godspeed and Happy Labor Day!

The Gift of New Life

This morning we got down to our meeting place early and prepared things for our Sunday worship gathering. Ruth and I were there but no one else was. We waited and waited a little longer and then we saw the first people arrive. Then more arrived. And more arrived until we had a nice number of people in attendance. Of course we know that the important thing is that no matter how many are gathered together, the Lord is present. (not taking Matthew 18:20 out of context)
So we sought to make the best use of our time by doing the most important thing that we can do; giving the Lord the worship that is due His Name. When it came to worship the Lord through the reading and exposition of His Word, our main text was Mark 5:1-20. The text speaks of Jesus healing a demon-possessed man in the region of the Gadarenes. It truly is a remarkable account of how Jesus sets this man free and gives him the gift of new life. We were all encouraged to consider the fact that the Lord has offered to do the same thing for us (John 3:16-17) and when His salvation becomes a reality in our lives it is no less of a miracle than when a legion of demons were cast out a man some 2,000 years ago. When one is in Christ, he or she becomes a new creation. (2nd Corinthians 5:17) New life and eternal life are our new realities. And what should we now do? We should do what the man in the text did. His first desire was to be with the Lord and not leave His side. And we can and are encouraged to do the same. (John 15:4-8; etc.) However you will note that the Lord told the man that "no" you can't come with me now (nor can we, see Philippians 1:23-24 etc.) because I have another mission for you. (Mark 5:18-19) So our mission, yours and mine, those of us who have been given this gift of new life in Christ have the privilege and responsibility of communicating to those around us, through word and deed the good news that their is new life available to them as well. And this new life is found in but one person, the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 4:12; 2nd Corinthians 5:21; 1st Timothy 2:5-6) Praise be to God for His gift of new life!

Sovereignty

The Lord is in control. Amen.
I could (and maybe should) stop here. The Lord knows what He is doing and we have the privilege of participating with Him in His endeavors; all for the glory of His Name.
We have witnessed over the last couple of days some very obvious examples that the Lord is at work in and through our lives. As the old hymn goes "we stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene". May we never forget that it is He who is on the throne (Hebrews 12:2; Revelation 3:21), it is He that holds the universe (and beyond) in its place (Colossians 1:16-17), it is He who never slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:3-4), and there is no one like Him! (Psalm 113:4-6)

I knew this was coming

Some things are just bound to happen. We have been here for about 16 months now and have done many of the things that a local body of Christ does: baptism, Lord's Supper, baby dedication, etc. While I still have not performed a wedding ceremony, tonight was my first opportunity to officiate a funeral here in Chile. I was given approximately an hours notice, but I believe that the Lord answered my prayer that the Name of and Person of Christ would be glorified. The funeral was for a dear sister named Miriam who had two inoperable (and growing) brain tumors. If she did not have them operated on she was given just a few months to live and if she did have them operated on she was told she might not make it through the operation. Well, as it turns out she did have them operated on and after a couple of weeks in a coma and then having shown some improvement she died suddenly yesterday afternoon. Ruth and I had spoken of the delicate nature of Miriam's condition and about how we as a church could minister to Miriam and her family. Many in her family are people who grew up with a knowledge of the gospel yet they appear to be far from the Lord. Please pray along with us that the Lord would do the necessary work in their hearts and that we would be able to minister to them the truth of the gospel, in both word and deed. And please pray as well for the chance we will have to minister in another funeral for Miriam that will be held at Grace Baptist on Monday morning. (tonight's funeral was held in the family's home) To God be the glory! Praise be to God for the victory that we have in Jesus Christ. (John 16:33)

Marching slowly

I realize that I have not started off the month of March blogging as I had hoped. With yesterday being Sunday (the 1st) and today being the 2nd I kinda got behind. However I will try to get back on track tomorrow. So I thought that I would at least put this up. Chao!

Inches from death!

Maybe you have heard it said before, or you have said it yourself, "I was this (fingers illustrating) close to dying. And of course there are the many times where we are so close to death that we don't even recognize it. For me today (already) has been an eye-opener as to the frailty of life.
Our church is located about a block from the town plaza. In order to get to the church you need to go down a small hill and across an even smaller bridge. So today as I was walking down the hill and about to cross the bridge, I found myself face to face with death. No joke. The small bridge can handle two-way traffic but only recommended at very slow velocity. It is a tight fit. When I looked over and saw a blue car crossing the bridge (towards the church) and nothing crossing en route to the plaza, I figured that it was time to step out into the "unoccupied" lane, wait for the blue car to pass and then finish crossing the bridge myself. Something (or better stated "Someone") detained me for what I believe was a millisecond. Praise God for that Someone. All of a sudden, just as I was to step into the "unoccupied" lane, a white van speeded past the blue car on "my" side of the bridge. If that "Someone" had not detained me for that millisecond I would have been dead. No doubt about it. I would have taken the hit full force in the back and would have been slammed to the pavement-instant death I am sure. So when this didn't happen I was of course very thankful and at the same time very startled with the gravity of the situation. I had only planned on going across a physical bridge down to the beachside but I almost ended up crossing over the river into the presence of the Lord. Although I concur with the Apostle Paul that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2nd Corinthians 5:8) and that is truly the best place to be (Philippians 1:23), I wasn't planning on it happening today. (Hebrews 9:27; Luke 12:20; James 4:13-16) The words of a plaque that I have hanging on the wall speak even louder to me at this moment, "Only one life and it will soon be past, only what is done for Christ will last." Praise be to God for the victory that we have in and through Jesus Christ (Romans 8:37; 1st Corinthians 15:56-57). In Job 19:25-26 we read "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the Earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God." Please consider with me a part of the beautiful hymn 'O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing'
"He breaks the power of cancelled sin
He sets the captive free
His blood can make the foulest clean His blood
His blood availed for me."
And then this line from the beautiful hymn 'There is a Fountain'
"There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains
Lose all their guilty stains
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains."

Yes, inches from death but also inches from everlasting life in Christ. (1st Timothy 2:5-6; Hebrews 9:14-15; 10:11-14)

Turkey!

Yes it is a little early for Thanksgiving, but turkey always sounds good to me. Turkey breast, turkey casserole, turkey sandwich, turkey burger, etc. I like turkey. So what does that have to do with anything? Well, the other day I was playing a bowling game with the kids and I got a "turkey". For those of you who aren't bowling fans a "turkey" is when you get three strikes in a row. Needless to say I was quite pleased. So am I today. It has been three days in a row that I have written something on the blog! I realize that may not sound too impressive to everyone but I am quite pleased. This blog is a small way for us to give glory to God for His merciful working in and through our lives. May we (and may you) keep our (your) eyes focused on Jesus Christ and seek to emulate Him each and every day. (Hebrews 12:1-2; 1st John 2:6)

Go to the right person

The Apostle Paul was inspired to write down some beautiful words in his first letter to Timothy. In chapter 2 and verse 5 of that letter it states "for there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ." There is no other. As much as people would like to assume or pretend that there is, God's Word speaks differently. Similar to the words of the Lord Jesus in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me." We must go to and through the right person. "In none other is there salvation, because there is no other name under heaven given to man in which we can be saved."(Acts 4:12) The One and only!
Today I asked my friend Jorge to take my ailing pick-up truck to the mechanic. He assured me that he knew of whom I was speaking when I detailed to him the directions to the shop of the mechanic who regularly fixes the truck. Jorge phoned me to tell me that the mechanic was out of town and potentially would be back later in the day. So when later in the day came around Jorge went back and "yes" the mechanic was there. Jorge began to explain to the mechanic to whom the truck belonged and that I had taken the truck to him for a similar situation, etc. The mechanic then told Jorge that he had never worked on the truck and that Jorge had mistakenly taken the truck to the wrong mechanic! "My" mechanic was just a little ways down the road. In this case Jorge thought that he knew the way to the mechanic but it turned out that although he did make it to "a" mechanic he just didn't make it to the "right" mechanic. And so it is with many people. They are so sure that they know the way to God. They may believe that there are many ways to God or they may believe that there is just one way, but that way is not Jesus. According to the Bible they will one day realize the same thing that Jorge did. They thought that they knew the way but they were wrong. There is only one God and there is only one way to Him; it is through His Son Jesus Christ. Whereas I have never heard Him referenced to as the "Great Mechanic", I have heard Him referenced to as the "Great Physician". "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."(Isaiah 53:5-6) As the old hymn writer penned "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, now it's white as snow." Not because of anything that we have done, do or ever could do. But because "It is finished!"(John 19:30) My hope is found in nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I have been spiritually repaired because I went to the right person. The only One who lived a perfect life and gave it as propitiation for my sin and for the sin of all those who would believe.(Mark 10:45) Alabado sea nuestro Señor!

A job well done

We needed to get a new water heater due to the fact that our old one decided to stop working. Of course this wasn't what we had hoped for but we were thankful that the Lord provided the funds to replace the old one. So we got the new one installed (on the wall,outside the bathroom) and it works very well. Due to the fact that we want to protect the heater from the elements, a little house needed to be made for the heater. So we contacted and contracted a carpenter to make the little dwelling place. He came over yesterday and got right to work. He appeared to be very competent and when he was done we thanked him for "a job well done". Shortly after the carpenter left, Ruth attempted to open the bathroom window. She was unsuccessful. The carpenter had not only built a little house for the water heater but he had also sealed shut our bathroom window. Apparently the job hadn't been so well done. At this point all I could do was laugh. And then I realized that it would be necessary to talk to the carpenter and tell him of his little error. I felt a little sheepish to tell him that his job wasn't entirely well done. But as it happened I met up with his boss and was able to tell him about our inconvenience. The boss man got quite a chuckle out of it and promised to send the carpenter back over to fix the problem. He hasn't made it over yet, but we are waiting for him. I have learned a lesson from all of this, that I should check things out thoroughly before I give the thumbs up and declare a job well done. This reminds me of the words of the Apostle Paul in 1st Thessalonians 5:21 "Examine everything, retain that which is good". We must not be so quick to say that things are good or that they are well done; we must take the time to observe and discern before we give affirmation. When we have done this, and only when we have done this, can we truly and wholeheartedly say "job well done". I have learned a valuable lesson from this and will seek to put it into practice: will you do the same?

Crown Him With Many Crowns

There are so many hymns that are near and dear to my heart. Many of you who have been close enough to hear my "not-so-melodious" voice know that I will never be invited to sing a solo in the church choir. Praise to the Lord that all He requires is that we "make a joyful noise to the Lord." Good.
Today "Crown Him With Many Crowns" was one of the songs that we had programmed to sing during our Sunday noon gathering. However there were some technical difficulties and the aforementioned song got pushed back to a later date. No matter. We still "crowned the Lord" with our praises through other songs, prayers, our giving, and through the preaching of His Word. As we read in the Scripture, we are to do all unto the glory of the Lord; (1st Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:16) and by so doing we "crown Him with many crowns".
What a privilege and a joy it is to gather together and worship with God's people. As we sang in another song, "Praise Him! Praise Him!", speaking of His excellent greatness and grace to save. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
The Lord Jesus is seated on His throne exalted and one day (soon) He will come back to the Earth that He created(along with His Father and the Holy Spirit) to defeat His enemies and to reign over the planet throughout the millennium. We as believers are not exempt from trials and tribulations, however we are assured of the victory that we already have in Christ (Romans 8:37) and look forward to the consummation that the Lord has promised. (Revelation 22:20)
So brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord and never cease to praise Him!

Year of discipleship, life of discipleship

I just noticed that it has been about 3 weeks since I have posted anything new on the blog. Way back in 2008 was the last time that I wrote about any of the "goings on" down here. Well, much has been going on and we thank the Lord for His faithfulness towards us.
At Grace Bapist Church(aka Iglesia Bautista Gracia) we have proclaimed 2009 to be a "Year of Discipleship". I put it within quotes as I fully recognize that for the Christian every day of every year is about being a faithful disciple of Christ. Just a couple of Sundays ago we started a journey through the gospel of Mark. It is exciting for me to look out and see the people engaged with the text and for them (and me) to be learning to appreciate more of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. And when we look at how He lived, how He ministered to others, it makes our pathway so much clearer. "If we say we abide in Him, we must walk as He walked." (1st John 2:6) "If we love Him we will obey His commandments." (John 14:15) Please pray that the Lord would be glorified in and through His church here in Curaco and throughout the world.
May the year 2009 be a time where you (and I) grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ. To God be the glory!

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