volcano climbing

While in Guatemala, we had the opportunity to climb an active volcano. Picaya, an 8,000 plus ft. high volcano is a once-in-a-lifetime site to behold. The older children from Casa Shalom, along with several adults, made the ascent on Friday. Pictures and video do not do the experience justice, but you can get an idea of the things we saw. By the way, never let anyone tell you that climbing this high is no big deal, especially if you are sea-level dweller like me.

t'giving in g'mala

We just returned from an incredible Thanksgiving holiday in Guatemala. We visited the children of Casa Shalom, the orphanage where our daughter and her husband live and work. One of the highlights of the visit was the Thanksgiving meal. We cooked six turkeys, 75 pounds of mashed potatoes, 2 gallons of gravy, 50 ears of roasted corn and 10 sheet cakes. The kids really enjoyed the pavo (turkey) and kept coming back for more. No doubt, this will be one of our more memorable holidays. Enjoy a couple of videos of the fun.

San Jose Rio Bravo Suchitepequez

Please take a look at our daughter, Jessica's, blog site. They are reaching out to a very needy community and the people there need our help and prayers.

a matter of the heart, not our circumstances

My friend, Bob Scheumann, from The Gathering, sent me this interesting tidbit on Thanksgiving. Hope you enjoy and are challenged.

"In 1636, amid the darkness of the Thirty Years' War, a German pastor, Martin Rinkart, is said to have buried five thousand of his parishioners in one year, an average of fifteen a day. His parish was ravaged by war, death, and economic disaster. In the heart of that darkness, with the cries of fear outside his window, he sat down and wrote this table grace for his children:
'Now thank we all our God
With heart and hands and voices;
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom his world rejoices.
Who, from our mother's arms,
Hath led us on our way
With countless gifts of love
And still is ours today.'

make it memorable

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? The usual…turkey, pumpkin pie and football? Awesome, sounds like a great day. But I would suggest adding something to your day. Try to spend even a couple of minutes serving. There are lots of soup kitchens and community meal functions that could use your help. There are probably a couple of college kids you know who can’t go home for the holiday who would love an invitation to dinner. There may be a senior citizen, or even a nursing home that could use your help.

During the most difficult holiday season of our lives, Letha and I invited a complete stranger to spend the day and meal with us. We knew nothing about him, only that he had no place to go for the day so we had him over. It was a little awkward. But it sticks out in my mind. I don’t remember that guy’s name or even what he looked like. I don’t think we ever saw him again. I just know that he was in need of a family for the day and we reached out to him. I’m glad we did.

I get amused by the skeptics who say things like, “serving a meal on Thanksgiving is so cliché, how about every other day of the year?”. OK, my question is, are you doing anything for others the rest of the year? If so, great, keep it up. If not, I like my plan better.

Don’t wait until Thursday, plan now, make a call, set something up. And please keep in mind that the same people who need you on Thanksgiving will need you next week, month and year.

ride to provide

What would cause 35 people to get up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday to ride a bicycle 62 miles? The 2nd Annual Ride To Provide would! These athletic men and women met at 7:00 AM in Carlin Park in Jupiter, Florida this morning to ride 62 miles to raise funds for New Life Nicaragua Orphanage in Managua. Ride to Provide is a part of the wecanshareit.org outgo adventures being promoted by Maranatha Church. My good friend, John Greene has put this ride together for two straight years. John is one in the colorful spandex, oh wait, that's everyone! He is the one picking up his young son in the 3rd picture. The funds raised last year went to help purchase a brand new van to transport the children to and from school. Thanks John and all of the riders for all of your hard work and generosity. The kids of New Life will be greatly appreciative!

a devotion

My good friends and colleagues, Than and Megan Graffam told me about a devotion that challenged them recently. It is called, Affliction, No Stranger, from On the Highroad of Surrender by Frances J. Roberts

The devotion is based on Job 13:15 “Even if God kills me, I have hope in him” (NCV)
Here is what Roberts says:
"Affliction is no stranger to the child of God. Darkness falls upon both saint and sinner. Those who know Me intimately will find a deep joy in the midst of life’s bitterness.
I do not smooth out the way for My loved ones, for how then could they testify of My provision?
I prepare you in order to use you in the hour of crisis. The crisis is not the time to cry for deliverance, saying, “Lord, save me,” but to cry “Lord, use me.”

Check out Than and Megan’s ministry blog at: maranathachildren.wordpress.com

dark clouds

It seems to me that many people are living their lives these days surrounded by negativity. I think they are taking their cues from a society that puts too much emphasis on money. Because our economy is in bad shape (compared to what it used to be, not compared to most of the rest of the world), they act as though the whole world is going to hell tomorrow.

If your eyes are on money and you don’t have enough, you will get discouraged. Discouragement unchecked leads to feelings of hopelessness. Feelings of hopelessness are poisonous and they are contagious.

Believers in Christ cannot be hopeless. Faith in Jesus, and giving up, cannot coexist. Jesus gives us hope. He is Hope. It may seem heartless to rebuke the hopeless. If one’s despair is connected to finances, the answer is simple: Jesus said, “you can’t serve God and money- take your pick” (very loose translation). If you worship money, get ready to be hopeless. If you serve God, hope will be abundant.

Today, in a great consulting session with Dr. Fred Garmon of People For Care And Learning and Leader Labs, Inc., I heard a good definition of hope. Fred says: “Hope is the awakening of the human soul that life can be better than this.” A marvelous definition.

If you trust Jesus, you have to believe that, no matter what you are facing, life can be better than this. Jesus did not say that It would get better by us getting rich. He did say that He would give you The Kingdom. How’s that for hope?

Let hope blow away your clouds of doubt.

if necessary, use words

I ran across an excellent blog site and post by Dr. Carmen C. DiCello. He is launching off of the tremendous quote by Saint Francis of Assisi. “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”

Some quotes from Dr. DiCello:
“What Saint Francis is saying… is that what God’s after is not merely a series of well-crafted theological formulas or a proper articulation of the good news.”

”… the purpose of the truth we have acquired, the intent of the gospel, is to actually find its way into our hearts and lives, dramatically altering the way we live, love, and relate to others.”

“You see, what really matters is that we love (God and our neighbor, according to Jesus), that we bear fruit (according to Paul), and that we become increasingly like Jesus himself.”

“Our lives ought to exude compassion and care. The good news–the news that we are loved and accepted, that we are empowered to love, that we have purpose–should flow from our lives in such a way that no one will be able to deny it.”

“Preach the gospel at all times. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, be it morning, afternoon, or evening, whether it’s raining or the sun is shining, let the good news, the news of faith, hope, and love, flow from you. Let good news emanate from your life. And, when it’s needed, when the situation and setting warrant it, open your mouth too. Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”

Well said. Much easier said than done.

a verse and commentary

(my words in parenthesis)
Luke 21: 1-4 Just then he (Jesus) looked up and saw (yes, Jesus watches what we give) the rich people (yes, rich people are supposed to give) dropping offerings in the collection plate (yes, Jesus approves of receiving an offering at church). Then he saw a poor widow (yes, poor people are also supposed to give) put in two pennies (there is no such things as too-small of a gift). He said (yes, He had the nerve to discuss her giving in public), "The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today (Is Jesus bad at math?). All these others made offerings that they'll never miss (is Jesus making a judgment statement here?); she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford (does Jesus want us to give more than we can afford?)—she gave her all! (Jesus must want it all – all our money, all our time, all our efforts - Jesus wants all of us, including our hearts!) " (The Message)

$8 dollar hotdog

why are we doing this?

Why the focus on reaching out? Why would we be spending our time and energy on doing menial tasks for people? What do our community and international projects have to do with serving Christ? Is this anything more than random acts of kindness? Jesus said, in Matthew 10:41-42, (MSG): “This is a large work I've called you into, but don't be overwhelmed by it. It's best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won't lose out on a thing." Possibly by doing something good for someone, they will get the idea that God cares for them. Maybe we can help turn someone’s heart back to God.

That’s why we are doing this. Check out wecanshareit.org

live generously!

These days, I am loving the flow of the scripture verse: Matthew 10:8b “You have been treated generously, so live generously.” (MSG) The people at our church are probably getting tired of hearing me quote it. I just think it so succinctly states the profound truth of the generosity of God toward us, and our resulting lifestyles. God gives us a lot. And He wants us to share a lot. I want to live generously. I want my everyday life to be a reflection of how good God has been to me.

As a conclusion to our wecanshareit.org series at Maranatha, we are sharing a message called, “A Vow of Generosity”. We are also engaging in several hands-on gestures of generosity within and without our community. I am hoping that hundreds of people will move all around the county to let people know that God cares and we care. For a list of still available projects, click on the wecanshareit.org site and the Outreach tab. If you have yet to do so, sign up today.

Christa Wells

We are excited to have Christa Wells as a special muscial guest at Maranatha Church this Sunday. Krista is a Dove award winning singer and song writer who visits with us from time to time. We really appreciate her authentic approach to worship and ministry. If you are in the area, please come on by for the 9:00 or 10:45 service.

By the way, Christa is the sister of our Youth Pastor and friend, Spencer Rogers.

wecanshareit.org

We are half way through our message series entitled wecanshareit.org. I hope you get a chance to check out the web site. Especially take some time to read some of the daily blogs. Several church staff members, friends and guests have written some great posts. Some real inspiration can be gained. Feel free to add a comment!

We are getting excited about our connected projects. On or around November 16, most of the people from our church are heading out after our worship services to share. We will be doing some neighborhood cleanup, visiting nursing centers, throwing a block party for a needy community, giving out water to immigrant landscape workers, and a variety of other care-focused opportunities. The goal is not to do a project. We are hoping to begin the process of lifestyle change.

It is inspiring to see people getting mobilized. People are catching the vision. Lives are changing.

Join in with wecanshareit.org. Not just the series, the lifestyle.

Bethel

Tonight I had the opportunity to speak at the 7th anniversary of a church about 15 miles south of us. My friend, Trevor, serves as the pastor. The church is a Jamaican church and I have visited with them several times before tonight.

Tonight’s service was pretty typical for their church. Probably 20 people there, a very small and run-down building. They always start late, tonight it was a good hour later than advertised. They sang very old songs but with a really cool reggae style rhythm. All of the ladies wore dresses and hats and one elderly woman played the drums, it was awesome.

They expect you to preach for a long time. Tonight, I only talked for about 45 minutes. I think they were disappointed, but they were gracious about it. It was nearly 9:45 when the service ended. Just before they dismissed, the pastor leaned over the me and told me that he had to go to work, he would catch up with me later. I was pretty humbled to think that he would be working at his job while I was home sleeping.

Congrats for 7 years of faithful ministry! Bethel means “house of God”. Great name, God bless them.

the best news

I had a very meaningful experience today, following one of our worship services. One of our regular attenders introduced me to a first-time guest. This young woman came for the purpose of finding a relationship with Christ. She was in tears and the first thing she said to me was, “I am so lost!”. I explained to her the early stages of meeting Christ and was able to lead her in a prayer of submission to God.

Sometimes I need to be reminded that what we are doing actually connects with the Great Commission. Sometimes the business of local church ministry wears us down and we have to refocus on what God actually called us to do. Events like this brief prayer session are what it is all about. It will provide plenty of energy and motivation for a while.

It was a great Sunday all around, but my brief time with these people was definitely the highlight of the day, the entire week!

so what are you gonna do?

My last couple of posts have been on the topic of worry. The reason for this is the significant damage that I see being done by worry, people are messed up.

What will you do with it?

Let’s take whatever it is that is worrying us,
the thing that keeps us awake at night,
causing ulcers,
and grey hair…

and let’s give it to God.

It works for health problems and financial problems and marriage problems. It even works for future problems, the stuff we worry about that hasn’t even happened yet.

William Barclay said: “When we pray, remember:
The love of God that wants the best for us
The wisdom of God that knows the best for us
The power of God that can accomplish it.”

God is bigger than all of it. Give it to Him.