Pray for Myanmar (Burma)

Fox News reports 22 thousand deaths and over 40 thousand missing after the massive cyclone ravaged that country.

Pray that Christian missionaries will find opportunities to minister to the glory of God.

Those Weakening Hands

Here is a piece of news that Southern Baptists did not want to hear: membership and baptisms have declined. While IMB missionaries are reporting increases in overseas membership and baptisms, the churches holding the proverbial ropes are weakening. So what's happening?

Why is this taking place now? One site quotes expert Ed Stetzer, also providing a link to Stetzer's own site. Stetzer gives three issues that must be discussed to address this historic and unprecedented decline for Southern Baptists:

• The absence of young leaders and ethnic leaders in denominational life.
• Denominational infighting.
• (most importantly) We’ve lost our focus on the gospel.

Add to Stetzer's opinion other important factors such as:

• Our love affair with American culture
• Undisciplined churches
• (most importantly for me) a growing indication of prayerlessness

When you work in a group with so many members (over 16 million) it becomes very easy to rest on those historic laurels. We have gotten large and lethargic. Large is good; lethargy is deadly.

Why is this significant to someone working in South America? Consider the following:

1. Our future international missionaries come from this declining pool.
2. Lethargy eventually reveals itself in lethargic missions support; this is not just financial in nature. We are currently blessed with a surge in personal participation on the part of SBC churches. But this will not continue if those churches are losing the battle "back home."
3. Denominational infighting creates such a lack of focus that important things as winning lost America and reaching a lost world fall in the cracks.

Pray for the SBC. Pray, pray, pray for revival.

The Call

I just returned from St. Louis, MO. It was a great week (the better part of a week) of ministry. The best part for me was being able to be with a couple who were just appointed to serve in Peru. They were refreshing to listen to. Their exhuberance was delightful to see. Their faith is strong and their vision, stronger. It was a meaningful time for me.

The most meaningful part was when the associate pastor for missions asked me to pray a blessing over them in the final service of this global missions celebration. As I thought of where they would walk--a part of the world where I have also been--I was moved with joy. I wept as I sought the face of our Father in Heaven. The other missionaries with us wept, too. The joy was too much to contain.

Somewhere, years ago, God began a work in the hearts of this couple. Before too many years passed, God began convicting them of a call to go--a call to be more than they were at that moment. So they obeyed. And now the journey begins.

Pray for this couple and 90 others who were recently appointed as missionaries who will serve around the world.

Warning! Bridge Out Ahead!

I wrote some weeks ago about a renewed emphasis on New Age doctrine, this time being preached by Oprah Winfrey. Lest you discount this as harmless, please watch the following video.

For those who may think that Oprah's new love affair with Hell is cute, please beware; the bridge is out! You will not make it across....

Finding a Vision

I blinked and two weeks flew by. Time never stands still--at least not for a 50-something.

God let me go back to South America to lead a good group of men on a vision trip. They will adopt a part of Lima and begin sending teams down every few months. This partnership will, Lord willing, last up to 5 years.

I was both amused and impressed as I watched this group of men. I was amused at their reaction to our traffic. One man exclaimed, "I will never complain about traffic in Memphis again!" Others were far too busy praying for me, their driver. Even our Peruvian guest in the vehicle--himself a taxi driver--muttered, "Now I know what it feels like to ride in the back seat of my taxi." I guess I have become acclimated to driving in the big city. One thing is certain, those men learned how to pray!

I was impressed by their zeal for the lost. We did not do any persuasion evangelism; it was a vision trip. Some of you more spiritual readers may think we were unspiritual because we did not do any evangelism on this trip. But the men with me caught the same burden that wrenches my heart each time I enter a new community. We were overwhelmed by the lostness of Lima.

Once we went back to our rooms to have a prayer meeting; it was the middle of the day and we were completely overloaded with information about our task. I listened to the men as they begged me to make it easier and tell them where to work. I told them I could not do that; they had to find out where God was at work and join him there. So we prayed. They wept aloud over the task at hand. And God answered.

The pastor told me that he could not close his eyes without seeing one particular area I had taken them. There are literally hundreds, in the thousands, who live in that area who need the gospel. I asked them to pray for that part of the city before we moved on. We stood on a steep hillside and prayed for God's purpose and plans to unfold.

As though God had ordered our steps for that specific moment (I believe he had), one of our lay workers strolled up as we were about to leave. He told us the most recent strategic plans for the area. It was a confirmation, to the word, about what I had shared. Each way the pastor turned, there he saw the lost masses calling out to him.

It's all about finding a vision. These men traveled 3,200 miles with that express intent.

I believe God blessed them with a fresh one...

March Madness of a Different Kind

It's March Madness. I am watching two very good teams face off in round two of the NCAA tournament. It's been fun so far.

Right in the middle of this excellent distraction the television network broadcasting the games put in a promo of their Sunday night show. It will be about the ossuary (bone box) that someone claimed belonged to Jesus and his family. It's March Madness on a spiritual level.

I am not terribly surprised that someone wants to bring this up once again. But I am terribly surprised they would do it with such impunity on Resurrection Day.

The world despised the truth of Jesus some 2,000 years ago; little has changed since then. But to challenge the resurrection on the holiest day for Christians? That is too much. They would insist on reverence for teachings about the Feast of Purim, or Passover, or Ramadan; but not for Resurrection Day. While they shriek over the idea of the intolerance of conservative Christians, they insist on the right to lambast Christians. Why?

Jesus said it would be that way. The world hates him. The world hates the idea of one way to heaven. The world hates the exclusivity of the Lord Jesus. And if they hate Jesus they will hate us; that is what Jesus said.

Do not forget this: Jesus is THE way; no one comes to the Father but by him. Eternal life does not exist outside of the salvation Jesus offers.

Let them parade the bone box. Let them claim it belongs to Jesus. They only join themselves to a select group who knew the Jesus had risen from the dead, who knew about the empty tomb and heard the report from the soldiers, but chose to reject his lordship all the same.

Just go right on proclaiming the truth: Jesus died for our sins; he was buried; and he rose again, all according to the Scriptures.

He lives!

The Changing Face of South America

I just read an interesting blog that speaks of the changing face of South America. It is "penned" by Dr. David Sills, a professor at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. Dr. Sills spent time in South America as a missionary, but continues to make annual forays into that great and lost continent. Read his blog here; it will give you one more reason to pray for revival in our hemisphere.

KDS, Somewhere in South[ern] America

Our Addiction to Automation

Do you think things are better here? A local believer where we serve told me he wanted to come to the U.S. because everything here is better. Granted, there are many, many things that make life in these United States a delightful and desireable place to live.

Those desireable things sometimes create unrealistic dependencies. Take the automated car wash, for example. I could get out there with a hose and bucket of water, as I did in years (ahem, decades) gone by, and wash the heavy spring pollen off our car. After all, even a 14-year-old car needs lots of TLC. And the pollen was an embarrassment to me when I drove down the road. My blue car was yellow-green; even the windshield. It happened from one day to the next--literally.

Yes, I could have washed that car the old-fashioned way. But I wanted to use the automatic car wash. In our city in South America, automated means the dude washing it uses a high-pressure hose to rinse it.

So I went to the gas station where our daughter got hers washed. I bought gas first, another automated feature included for payment. At the pump I was offered a car wash. I selected the best; nothing but the best for this Baby Blue '94 Lincoln. I purchased the gasoline and car wash, filled the car, and drove around to the entrance. There sat a sign: "Out of Order." Great. I went back around front and asked for a refund. The lady told me she could not issue a refund, to go to their other store, less than 1/4 mile from this one.

I drove over there and tried to enter the code. Code rejected. I went in to speak to the manager. He said he would have to issue another code. The attendant told him that their car wash was also out of order. So he reluctantly refunded my money.

By now I was determined to get a car wash. I drove to another station that had a car wash. I drove to the entrance and proceeded to feed my bills into the machine. The machine rejected my 5-dollar-bill. I selected a wash of lesser value and fed ones into the machine. It rejected the last bill, but I rescued the thing with 4 quarters.

Now I finally entered to get the much-needed car wash. The truth is, by now, I needed a good soaking, too. The fancy, automatic machine rolled backwards to soak the car; it stopped after 4 feet and rolled forward. It was broken. The best I got was a quick rinse. No wax. No pre-soak. None of the things I paid for.

I was flabbergasted. All the fancy things we can do, such as post blogs and control our entire house from one computer. And I could not get a decent car wash.

It showed me my dependence and delirium.

Life should be simple and fun. It's good. Enjoy the ride.

Overt Attacks on America's Families

This post is rated "R" for raunchy and ridiculous. It contains a link to an "X" posting, so reader beware.

America is being attacked. The pro-homosexual movement continues to grow in both scope and intensity. No longer is it enough to endure such perverted characters as found in "Will and Grace," along with Ellen "Degenerate," and 75, or so, other perverts that pepper our television shows; now our teens are being attacked in their schools.

One such attack is taking place in Deerfield, IL. You can read about it here. As I said, that link leads you to a posting that no one under 17--if not 77--should read. It is very disturbing. English students in Deerfield High School are being required to read homosexual porn. I read some of the excerpts myself, so this is not even close to an over-reaction or exaggeration. I have written those listed in that blog to express my disdain for their sick actions.

Another attack is around the corner. It is called "The Day of Silence." The following was e mailed to me; I researched it and found the sender to be accurate on all counts.

[begin pasted e mail]
"Day of Silence," keep your child at home April 25.

Is a Day of Silence coming to a school near you? Friday, April 25, several thousand schools across the nation will be observing "Day of Silence (DOS)." DOS is a nationwide push to promote the homosexual lifestyle in public schools

A Day of Silence and It's "Sexual Deviate" promoters leads the students to believe that every person who identifies as a homosexual, bisexual or cross-dresser is a victim of ongoing, unrelenting harassment and hate. Students are taught that homosexuality is a worthy lifestyle, homosexuality has few or no risks, and individuals are born homosexual and cannot change. Those who oppose such teaching are characterized as ignorant and hateful bigots. You should know that these sexual deviate groups do not and cannot exclude the pedophiles from their membership. In fact the more these sexual deviate groups get a foothold the better is it for the pedophiles. After all, who doesn't love kids?

There is simply no place in our school systems for this kind of "education". Yet, it's difficult to stop as long as the School Boards continue to approve such actions. I seem to recall this idea started in San Francisco several months ago and the local community tried unsuccessfully to stop it. These groups are well organized and financed by Corporate America. One of the largest donors is Proctor & Gamble. You know the company you buy from for your family needs. Another large supporter is Ford Motor Company. Ford has been falling in sales for the past couple of years due in part from the boycott initiated by the American Family Association (AFA). The falling economy has also had a drastic effect on their sales. Oh yes I almost forgot. Jaguar donates $1,000 for every car they sell to a sexual deviate group called GLADD.

Your school, or a school near you may or may not be on their list yet (see the list of Schools) but these sexual deviate groups have time to twist some arms. Why do these School Boards give into such pressure? Simple!! They are well funded. They have deep pockets and seemly a never ending source of funds to hire the best promotional agencies that money can buy. I cannot defend a School Board member that votes yes to them. I can only say they don't want to be called a bigot in the media. If they vote No on this issue . . . they are blasted in the local media. And, these sexual deviate groups are so experienced and practiced that they have a canned answer to your every objection. So it isn't easy.

Will they stop after conducting their classes in the High Schools across this Nation? Why stop when they are being so successful? Next, the grade schools. Here is a partial list of participating schools.
http://www.missionamerica.com/agenda.php?articlenum=78

Is the guy who gets in on with a sheep a pedophile? He is a pervert for sure, but a pedophile? I guess that depends on if it's a "young" sheep. Better a sheep than your child or grandchild.

[end pasted e mail]

And finally, don't forget the California Appeals Court who has decided that at least 166 thousand families in California are wrong for home-schooling their children. That is nothing more than a new attempt to be able to control your child. You, the parent, are too stupid to know what is best for your child; they, the state, are the ones with the knowledge to make your child productive and suitable for society.

Stand up, America! Pray, friends around the world! This is a cultural war that must not be lost.

Life in America: Questions to Ponder

Humorous questions my sister posed to me...

Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety-one?

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If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhea...does that mean that one out of five enjoys it?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ?

Why do croutons come in airtight packages? Aren't they ?just stale bread to begin with?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~

If people from Poland are called Poles, then why aren't people from Holland called Holes? ?

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If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

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Why is a person who ?plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a racecar is not called a racist?

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If it's true that we are here to help others, then what exactly are the others here for? ??

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If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

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If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP? ?

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Do Lipton Tea employees take "coffee breaks?"

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What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of ?bald men?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I ?thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use. Toothpicks?

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Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the mailmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

If a cow laughed, would milk come out of her nose?

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Whatever happened to Preparations A through G?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* And finally...,

As income tax time ?approaches, did you ever notice: When you put the two words "The" and "IRS" together, it spells"THEIRS"?

Those Spiritual Gifts

Do you know what your spiritual gifts are?

My top three spiritual gifts seem to be:

Prophecy
Exhortation
Teaching

Leadership is probably up there, too. But let's leave that aside for the moment. And I guess you could even add apostle, if you see it fulfilled through cross-cultural missions. No spiritual gift inventory I have seen to date asks questions that would reveal that.

As a missionary, I seek to work within the framework of my spiritual gifts. To do otherwise would be detrimental to the work of God. I also seek to form teams that best utilize their gifts. I think we fall short when we ask men and women to work outside their gifted areas. For example, to ask a person who is a strong administrator, but a weak teacher, to be a church-planter could be a misuse of that person's ministries, as given by the Holy Spirit. The converse would be equally true.

How do you carry out your ministry? What "form" do your teams take?

A Not-So-New Danger Lurks at Your Door

I just read a disturbing article on Worldnet Daily's website.

For those who do not want to click on the link above, the article warns of a new false prophet out there. Only this time, the false prophet is being puffed by none other than TV Celebrity Oprah Winfrey. That Mississippi woman has shown her true colors. Long ago I heard her deny Christ as the one true Savior. Now she uses her TV show to lead others into the path of hell that she has chosen.

I, for one, will not allow her garbage to air on my television.

Beware of false prophets! If possible, they will even lead the elect astray.

Guard your hearts, people. The enemy is out, gunning for you.

Pray for this Jungle Tribe

One of my colleagues in South America sent me the following. Please take time to read it and to pray for the Asheninka along this part of the Amazon Jungle. Unfortunately, the photos would not transfer into the article. You may see a number of them here.

Asheninka Team
Peru

The Río Negro flows beneath the misty hills of Sira.

March 2, 2008

The river at the base of the 7,000 ft. Reserva Comunal de Sira (Comunal Reserve of Sira) is a mysterious place. There's gold there. The cold waters of the river run with the glistening dust that has drawn men to is banks for eons of time. Their presence still hangs in the air and their wares in the ground. The evidence of the inhabitants of centuries is as easy to step on as it is to imagine. In the yard of our dwelling on a high bank the sandy soil was strewn with potsherds and no great effort brought up for us ancient clay pots that had been resisting the torrential rains of the ages. Stone implements, axes, lay on the ground nearby for the taking. Locals say these things appear regularly in their fields or upon clearing to raise a new house. These same locals make their way to the river early in the morning and return in the afternoon with a gram or two of gold dust, selling at about $20 per gram to local buyers.

This is the Río Negro (Black River). It's mysteries abound, but in the darkness of mystery also abounds a spiritual darkness that the glitter of gold cannot illumine. Here I spent the last two weeks with a team of Asheninka believers sharing the light of Christ with Asheninka people who have lived in the shadow of the Sira, just existing, panning gold, spending their lives with no aim but to simply get through another day; another year. In the midst of this, however, there is a tiny community of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who have now come back to Him after some years of spiritual wandering.

In the community of Pueblo Libre (Free Town) seven Asheninka adults recommitted their lives to Christ with a renewed passion to serve Him. Hyony, Alejandro, Justiniano, Luzmila, Ema, and myself called the people back to Christ and appealed to still others to turn to Him for eternal life. While others did not respond to the careful explanation of the gospel, those who reconciled with Christ came to life with a lot of excitement to know and experience more of Him. Santiago is middle-aged. He's also Ema's brother. He loves Jesus, sings to Him with passion, and wants to serve Him. He will be trained in May in the leadership of a new church as well as receive deeper teaching on the Christian life. Helping him will be Ubaldo, also middle-aged, Spanish-speaking Peruvian in charge of the school. What Ubaldo lacks of knowledge of God is more than made up for in passion. Both of these men have been invited to our May leadership training event at Yarina Isla on the Apurucayali River. Nights at Pueblo Libre brought large gatherings of the locals, filling the school building to hear biblical messages.

After a week of intensive teaching and evangelism at Pueblo Libre, our team moved back down the very shallow and difficult river to Tahuantinsuyo (Tah-Wan-tin-SU-yo) to offer the same grace of God that had impacted the Pueblo Libre believers. This community has very few believers and we encountered a resistance to the things of God. Most of those who said they would participate in our sessions failed to attend; others arrived late each time and missed much of the message. Yet three adults and two young people renewed their commitment to follow Christ. Alejandro's brother, Grimaldo, is a resident of Tahuantinsuyo and a believer. He rallied the people to attend the meetings and proved himself a faithful servant. Grimaldo is also invited to leadership training because he desires to spearhead the formation of an outreach group in view of forming a church.

At the end of two weeks our crew navigated the river back to its mouth, pushing and pulling the boat in numerous rushing shallows. The peque motor barely got us into the port at Yuyapichis (YOU-yuh-PEE-chees). The next morning at 3 AM I returned over the muddy road to Pucallpa while my team remained to fight the swelling current of the Pachitea, Pichis, and Apurucayali Rivers. Last night I received a call from Hyony at their final stop, a small village with a phone. They had waited three days on the swollen river until they had to leave. He reported that they almost lost the motor in huge swirl of current at a place called Guacamayo (a macaw parrot). Praise the Lord all were safe, among them our preciouis twelve year old Berta returning home to Yarina Isla with the team after a month-long visit to our home in Pucallpa.

What a blessing to see believers who have been unshepherded for a long time return to Christ with glowing faces. Most of the faithful at Pueblo Libre followed our team by 2-hour trail in nearly knee-deep mud to Tahuantinsuyo to soak up more of God's Word. And that they did! You are urged to pray for these precious people on the Río Negro so that they will grow in their faith. They need to begin to meet together and read the Bible and talk about it and pray. They need to express their faith unashamedly to other Asheninkas in their communities. They need to grow into a deeper commitment to serving the risen Lord no matter what kind of opposition they face, and there is a lot of it out there in the darkness. In the darkness of an Asheninka night the frequent sound of the "lechusa" (owl) holds dark meaning for those who fear and who hold the traditions of the local people. But there are devils in the night to be feared above a sleepy owl as the evil one roams seeking whom to devour; and if not devour, to mislead and to hold trapped in misunderstanding and supersticion. As the locals dig and wash their gold in the flowing river, how they need to come to understand that the Lord wants to wash the dirt from their lives until they glitter with a brilliance beyond gold. And to learn that His Truth is of infinitely greater value.

Pray for believers on the Río Negro and for Santiago, Ubaldo, and Grimaldo who have the potential to lead them in a growing faith in Christ.

It is time for the Lord to act; for they have broken your law. therefore I love your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold. Psalm 119:126-7
The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests hearts. Proverbs 17:3

Marty McAnally
Strategy Coordinator
Asheninka People Group, Peru
International Mission Board, SBC
www.asheninka.net

If you wish to contact Marty, do so at mcanally@asheninka.net.

The Offense of the Gospel

Last week a young man attended his religion class at a local college. Interestingly, his teacher is agnostic, if not an atheist. What would an agnostic have to say in a religion class? That sounds, to me, something like Osama bin Laden teaching on democracy.

The good unbelieving teacher assigned this student--the only Christian in his class, by the way--a paper, asking him to defend the uniqueness of Christianity over the predominant views of the class and the atheism of the professor. So the young man wrote a paper on the uniqueness of Christ and his salvation. As the young man presented the paper, his professor stopped him. The professor was irate and asked him when he was going to realize that his belief in the gospel was offensive and intolerant. The young man was wise and very bold. He asked the professor when she was going to realize that the gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive to those who do not believe and when was she going to take up her cross and follow Jesus. The irate, unbelieving, agnostic-if-not-atheistic professor asked him to leave the class.

Kudos to the young man! The truth is that the gospel offends when presented in its purest form. There are those out there now who would do all they can to make it palatable for today's unbelieving world. You can gather a crowd around most anything and call it successful. But if you want to be successful in the work of the kingdom of God, you will have to use the pure and, yes, offensive gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anything else creates the church of Jesus-plus.

And just in case you think I am pointing only to America, there are some out there who would tell Muslims they can be followers of Jesus as well as Mohammed. There are "Christian" missionaries who actually begin their teachings with such statements as, "There is one god; Allah is his name and Mohammed is his prophet." If any man preach any other gospel than that preached in the Bible, let him perish in the fires of hell. Such belief is the church of Jesus-plus.

There are others who claim to be Christian, yet teach us to follow the mother of Jesus, upholding her as co-redemptrix. To be sure, Mary was a chosen vessel of God; but even Mary had to repent and believe in the saving power of her son, or she would have spent an eternity in hell. Mary is not the way to heaven; Jesus Christ is the way to heaven. Again, such belief is the church of Jesus-plus.

Whatever you add to Jesus is one more way of diluting the gospel. Whatever you take away also dilutes the gospel. Some would remove the sexual sins from those habits that God says will keep one out of the kingdom of God. The lifestyle of homosexuality, receiving "sexual favors" from homosexuals (that is called effiminism in the Bible), pre-marital sex, adultery, and the like are sins listed in 1 Corinthians 6. And God says those people will not inherit the kingdom of God. Yet, there are those today who would soften the Bible's stance on purity and morality. The truth is this: no practicing sinner has eternal life. Those who have the true hope of seeing Jesus will purify themselves, even as he is pure (1 John 3).

Yes, the gospel offends. The gospel wounds and cuts. But the gospel of Jesus Christ also is the saving power of God to those who believe.

Let's proclaim a pure gospel, even if it is offensive.

Praying for Peru and Ecuador

Rains continue to ravage both countries. Pray for the thousands of now homeless families in both Peru and Ecuador. Pray for a good response on the part of local believers. More heavy rain is predicted for the coming days.

Rains Devastate Peru

Pray for Peru.

Peru's northern states are being ravaged by the same rains that are devastating Ecuador. The government has declared a state of emergency in two departments (states) along Peru's northern coast.

Meanwhile, in southern Peru, agricultural workers have held violent strikes, interrupting daily life, blockading roads, and even shutting down the Cuzco airport.

Pray for men and women believers to know how to respond to these very unique circumstances.

Pray for Ecuador

I received this request today. Please join us in praying for the people of Ecuador.

Heavy rains in Ecuador during February have caused much flooding on the coast. Families are living in water that has flooded their houses. They are facing health problems from disease carried by mosquitoes and from being in water. Farmers have lost their crops and animals. The heavy rains have caused land slides in the mountains. Road conditions all over Ecuador are bad.
In the mountains, the volcano Tungarahua has continued to put out ash causing the farmers to loose crops and animals. The health of the people is endangered as they try to clean the ash off the crops and grass. They do not wear masks and breathe in the ash.

Food prices are going up due to these crises. The flour mills are holding back on grinding the wheat speculating the price to go up.

*Pray for direction for the government and Christians to know how to help.

*Pray that the people will be open to the gospel and come to know Jesus as their Savior.

*Pray that the Christians will be obedient to share the gospel.

*Ask God to use this to cause people to seek Him.

Thank you for being faithful to pray.

Don't Check Your Theology at the Door!

If you had the privilege or responsibility of giving one piece of advice to a new missionary or new pastor, what would it be?

One website I read said, “Be sure your belt fits, especially if you are large.” It was the first website that was listed for advice to ministers.

Another site said to write a business plan.

Then I found some more sage advice, such as, “Love God’s people.” That one was for pastors.
Adoniram Judson, that renown Baptist missionary of the 19th Century, said, “First, then, let it be a missionary life; that is, come out for life, and not for a limited term. Do not fancy that you have a true missionary spirit, while you are intending all along to leave the heathen soon after acquiring their language. Leave them! For what? To spend the rest of your days in enjoying the ease and plenty of your native land?” (Advice to Missionary Candidates, June 1832)

One of my daughters said to me, “To a pastor, I would say, ‘don’t be afraid of stepping on toes; preach the truth, no matter what.’ To new missionaries I would say, ‘Don’t go in assuming you know everything. Your expectations will get blown out of the water.’”

Someone else said, “To a missionary, ‘don’t lose hope; hang in there.’”

Here is my piece of advice, which applies to both missionaries and pastors: Don’t check your theology at the door. I am increasingly disappointed in the post-modern uncertainty that has begun to characterize our interaction with one another. In the name of tolerance, I fear, we are reluctant to have a strong and evident theology.

If you disciple men and women, but weaken your gospel to accommodate any given world view or culture, you have made weak disciples. And weak disciples equal a weak church.

Yes, there are areas of theology that are non-essential to the Christian faith; no, I am not referring to those areas. Yes, you will think some things to be non-essential that someone else will presume are essential; no, I don’t want to debate you on which are the essentials. I presume you are smart enough and have a walk with Christ that will allow you to develop a good theology.

Just don’t leave it at the door.

Now, what would your advice be?

A New Experience

It is Sunday night. Tonight I am returning from another road trip. This time it was Michigan. North Michigan. Not the Upper Penisula; but far enough north. We drove 4 hours from Detroit to get there.

It was tremenous experience. First, it was a time to interact with “Michiganders,” as one man at the conference called them. This was a men’s conference and I was surrounded by some of the finest men I have been around. They were humble men. Some came from hard and fast lives. They were once crackheads, hustlers, and drunks. But they met Jesus, who can change anyone at anytime. Others looked like lumberjacks. One man was so large and tall, I was sure that Paul Bunyan's offspring had walked into the room. Those were the ones who had driven 7 hours from the upper peninsula, right on the Canadian Border, to be with us. Then there were the former auto workers. I say “former” because they don’t actually make autos in the tri-motor city area anymore.

We enjoyed the presence of several South Carolinians, too. Ironically for me, they were from the Charleston area. I was reared there. I learned a lot about life there. I met the Lord there. It will always hold a very special place in my heart.

My purpose was to mingle with these men and also to share about what God is doing Somewhere in South America. That was fun. We laughed together. We also cried together. It was a great meeting.

Our drive from Detroit wound through a winter wonderland. It was like looking at a scene that would be used for a puzzle. There sat houses in the middle of fields, blanketed in snow for as far as one could see. The scene shifted from open spaces to woods. The variety of trees that contrasted with the snow was worthy of a painting. The deer foraging for grass added to the backdrop.

Shortly after arriving at the retreat center I took a walk. The snow fell slowly and gently around me. There is little that compares with the soft whisper of falling snow. I walked deliberately, taking in the sights and sounds around me. I almost forgot my purpose for being there.

On Saturday I had the opportunity to take another walk. This time it included the lake. It was the first time I have ever walked on water. It was frozen, of course; Jesus has yet to ask me to walk on any other kind. But I eased out on that lake to see what such a thing was like. Because of the heavy snow, one would not have even recognized there was a lake beneath his feet. It was important information to know. We have all seen those movies where someone walked out on a snow-covered clearing, only to find himself on weakened ice. None of us there had the courage or senselessness to walk out very far. We preferred to allow someone else to be the professional ice tester.

That, by the way, is what the Holy Spirit does for Christ’s followers. He tests the thickness of the ice for us. He warns us when we are approaching thin ice. He uses a lot of sources to do that. Sometimes it’s a word to our heart. Sometimes it’s a Bible verse. Sometimes it is through a person. My parents told me more than once I was on thin ice; it had something to do with my hard-headed response to their admonitions.

One of the most interesting experiences for me came this morning. I went outside and it was 8 degrees, according to the thermometer. That was at 8 AM. By 10, it was down to 5. By 1:30, when we left, it was down to 2. Then there was the wind. With the wind chill, we were looking at -18. Now that is cold, guys. It’s bitter cold. I thanked the Lord for my fleece-lined long johns. They did their job.

But I had a most unique experience for me. My nose suddenly felt stopped up. Then I realized what was happening. In the 30 seconds I was outside, my nose hairs had frozen. Now that was a new feeling to my senses. The jovial and godly men I was with got a real laugh out of this true southerner, as I explained what I felt. It was a great moment.

Everyone ought to visit this place at least once. Me? I hope to go a second time.

Losing Touch

All my life I have been a letter writer. My parents instilled this habit in me when I was just old enough to write my own letters. We won't discuss the penmanship! But it was a habit that helped me to want to stay in touch with my friends.

So when I lose touch with someone, I feel a slight bit of a loss. To be sure, there are those with whom I intentionally lost touch. Those were the ones who were less likely to maintain contact without a lot of personal effort. But those people are few and far between.

Recently, I lost touch with a friend--one who walked the hills with me down in South America. We stood on steep cliffs together, looking over the glorious sights below. We drove up and down rough and rugged terrain. We spoke with locals who shared their native beliefs as to why it did or did not rain in a given time of the year.

I left that part of South America first; he followed about a year later. My roads took me one direction; his, another. But we stayed in touch. E mail and cell phones made that possible.

Last year he told me he was moving again. He said he would be in touch as soon as he got settled. I guess he is still getting settled...

Sounds kind of sad, doesn't it? I guess it is. But it is not as sad as losing touch with our Lord. That would be the Lord Jesus Christ, in case you have some other "lord" in mind. Have you ever lost touch with him? Was there a time when you sang, "And he walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own...?" Was there a time when you did that, but now you don't? Were you an Enoc, walking with the Lord, staying in touch throughout the day; but now you just don't have time?

Maybe you remember that song "Cat's in the Cradle," a song about a dad and his son. The boy was born and not too long afterward, dad lost touch; he was too busy. Later, when the dad had time, the boy was emulating his dad. Now the boy had no time for his dad. "We'll get together soon, Dad; you know we'll have a good time then."

Don't lose touch with the Lord Jesus. Make time for him. Make walking and talking with him the first thing. You know you'll have a good time, then, friend; you know you'll have a good time then.