Thankful for…

Well, today is Thanksgiving Day in the States. Here in Brazil it’s just another day though. I’m working today (because Thanksgiving is an American holiday- not a Brazilian one, duh). It’s weird not being home for the holidays. But even though we’re not there with our oldest son, Michael, and our daughter-in-law, Sarah, and even though we’re not there with the rest of our family (who are ALL there now)- we’re still thankful. 

And even though there’s no turkey, gravy, stuffing, honey-baked ham, yeast rolls, green bean casserole, candied yams, mashed potatoes, biscuits or cornbread- we’re still thankful. And even though there’s no football, cool Fall weather or midnight shopping trips for the best deals- we’re still thankful.  

I could literally list off a thousand things that we're thankful for this year. God has done some amazing things here in Brazil in 2014’. And the fact that He’s allowed us to be a part of it is truly humbling and for that we’re truly thankful. But one of the things that we’re the most thankful for, especially this past week, is Refúgio. 

As most of you know, we live in the mountains/jungles in the Southeastern part of Brazil. What some of you may not know is that where we live is also a camp. And the camp is called Refúgio (that’s Refuge in English). We were given the property back in 2009’ and over the last 5 years the camp has evolved into something quite remarkable. 

We just finished a camp this past weekend for an orphanage that we've worked closely with for almost 5 years now. And it was a great weekend. I posted a ton of pictures on our Refúgio Facebook page if you want to check them out. Or you can just click HERE.

One of the great things about all the camps that we do with all the orphanages is that we’re able to do them for FREE. That’s right, FREE. And that’s all because of our faithful supporters back in the States. Thanks Guys! We’ve ministered to literally hundreds of children this year alone through the FREE camps at Refúgio. And to say that we’re thankful for the opportunity to do it would be a massive understatement. 

Just a few of the girls we hosted this past weekend

Jhonny is just one of the amazing kids were able to minister to multiple times each year

When we’re able to look these kids in the eyes, love on them and then share the Gospel with them… it’s hard to describe the feeling. All the hardships and difficulties that get us to that point (living here and then the hours upon hours of hard labor to get the camp ready) immediately melts away into nothing.

Friday Night we kicked things off with a great time of worship and teaching.

Even though Saturday Morning started off with a little rain- we were able to begin
making our way to the obstacle course by mid-morning.

Riding the zip-line and swimming were just a few of the activities of the weekend

The week before this last camp we hosted another one of the quiet camps. It's a camp where there are no games, no hikes, no swimming, no talking- nothing. There's 9 teaching sessions per day and the people who come have their lives radically changed by the power of God. Not only were there numerous salvations this particular camp but everyone who came was in the altar weeping and crying out to God on Saturday Night. God is so good: )

To know that people are literally being transformed, by the power of The Spirit, way out in the jungles of Campina Grande do Sul- a place that’s so far off the map that even Brazilians don’t know where it is… well, it’s absolutely crazy and for that we’re thankful.

It’s weird… Me and MJ were talking last night and we both agreed… even though, in the natural, we should be sad and depressed today (because we’re here alone on Thanksgiving) and we should be feeling sorry for ourselves- we’re not! Actually, we’re so far away from feeling sad or depressed that we feel bad (for being this happy, lol!). We’re so overjoyed with how God has blessed us this past year and to do anything but give thanks just wouldn't be right: )

Happy Thanksgiving. We love you guys! Thanks for allowing us to be here doing what we do for the glory of God. Have a great holiday weekend: )

Love Ya!

Jim, MJ and the whole Dunn Clan

Giving the Right Information

OK. Today’s blog is another one of those long ones that's could be a little controversial. But it’s one I felt like I needed to write nonetheless. It’s actually one that has eternal implications. Hopefully it will cause those of you who'll read it to really consider their beliefs (and their theology) to make sure that what they are trusting in is actually correct and true (i.e., biblical). So here we go: )

I purchased an i-phone when we first came to Brazil back in 2011.’ I still have the same phone that I bought back then. It’s a 3GS. That’s right, a 3GS. I know all my ‘techy’ friends back in the States are mocking me right now. But don’t laugh. It still works fine. And, yes, I realize there’s been a few newer generations of i-phones that’ve come out over the last 3 years, and although it’d be nice, I haven’t felt the need to buy a newer phone just because there’s a newer model. That, coupled with the fact that I’ve become a cheap-wad as I’ve grown older doesn’t help either. Anyway, the plan is to just keep using this one until it dies: ) 

Well, even though I have this older phone, I can hardly ever use it because we have close to ‘’zero" phone service at the camp (where we live). I pay around R$113 per month for my current contract (which includes voice, text and data) through a Brazilian company called TIM. But about the only time I’m able to use it is when we’re in town (which isn’t often) because there aren't a lot of cell towers in the jungle: ) 

So, I had the idea of cancelling my contract and switching it to ‘credits’ instead. You know- that’s where you can put a certain amount of money on your account and then you use all of the minutes/data/texts you’ve paid for and then you just add more money (credits) to it as needed, right? I’d already fulfilled my two year contract (for the R$113 per month) so it just seemed like the most cost effective thing to do since I never come close to using what I’ve been paying for.

So I went to the TIM Store, 40 minutes away (where I originally signed-up), only to find out that they had changed locations. So, I traveled to the next town and walked-in to that TIM Store, waited my turn and then sat down with the representative to tell them I wanted to cancel my contract and switch to credits.

When I began to explain to the TIM employee what I wanted to do, she stopped me (mid-explanation) and told me they couldn’t do that there. She said I needed to go to the TIM Store at the mall, which is smack-dab in the middle of downtown Curitiba (another 30 minutes away), because only they could do it!

What? You’re joking, right? That makes absolutely no sense at all. You are TIM, right? And I signed-up for the is plan in a store just like this one so why can’t I change my plan here too? But rather than arguing with her I just tried to understand that this is a different culture and things are different here (things like customer service, haha)- So I bit my tongue and we walked back to the car scratching our heads in disbelief. 

Getting to the mall is more difficult than it sounds. Not only do you have to navigate all the downtown traffic, you also have to park in the parking garage 100 stories underground and then take a series of escalators, elevators and staircases just to get inside of “the mall.” But I needed to change my contract so we decided to do it.

After we navigated the downtown traffic, descended into the belly of the beast (a.k.a. the mall-underground-parking-garage), climbed numerous stairs, rode an array of  escalators, and stood in a few elevators we finally made it to “the Mall TIM Store.” Tadah!!!! Finally.

We went inside, waited our turn and then I started to explain to the TIM employee what we wanted to do and guess what? He stopped me (mid-explanation, of course) and told me that they couldn’t do that there. He said, “I needed to call the number on my bill and they could do it over the phone.” 

OK. At this point I’m ready to smack someone (in love, of course, haha). I mean- don’t these employees know how difficult it is to get to their stores to begin with? Not only have they wasted my time, but they’ve wasted my money as well (at least R$50 in gas)! Someone’s got to pay for this. Why are they giving people the wrong information. It’s not right and it’s not fair.

Well, surprisingly, my frustration only lasted about 2 minutes. Stuff like this happens ALL the time here. So, rather than blowing a gasket, I’ve come to grips with the fact that it doesn't do any good getting mad about these things- because it’s just the way it is.

So we went back to the car and drove back the hour and a half to our house NOT being able to accomplish the thing we had set out to do. And all because someone, that should've known what to tell us, gave us the wrong information.

But, as we were driving home, something came to my mind. It’s something that’s similar (people giving the wrong information) but that has far more reaching ramifications. Eternal ramifications. It’s something that’s widespread and that’s actually happening in the church right now. There are pastors, teachers, evangelists and a lot of “christians" who are giving people the wrong information when it comes to salvation and eternal security. And the consequences are far more severe than just being sent on wild goose chase- running all over town wasting time and gas. There’s eternal consequences at stake. Give me just a few minutes and I’ll explain.

In Matthew 7:21-23  Jesus says,

 “Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. On that day (judgement day) many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

Wait a minute… I grew-up in a Southern Baptist Church and I was taught that all I had to do was confess with my mouth that Jesus was Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him (Jesus) from the dead and I’d be saved (Romans 10:9). Why is Jesus saying that there will be people that are calling him Lord, Lord that will be shocked and surprised that day as they’re turned-away from Heaven because, although they called  Him Lord, they didn’t do the will of the Father while they were here on earth- so they’ll be denied access? 

And why is Jesus telling us that there are gonna be many people, that are busy doing stuff (all religious activity too), and on that day they are going to be forever damned? I thought that if I was busy for Him that I was OK? But that’s not what Jesus is saying here at all. So it seems like we may have been given the wrong information. 

That’s pretty serious. Think about it. The fact that, on that day, many will be surprised and shocked to find out that they've believed something that wasn't correct is scary. To be told that just confessing Jesus as Lord or just praying a prayer or just asking Jesus into your heart, or even volunteering in the church and doing all the right things was gonna cut it… and then to make it to the end of your life only to be told, by Jesus, that you’re NOT going to spend eternity with Him- wow!  That’s a sobering thought.

And, I guess, what makes it worse is that a lot of people will suffer and be separated from God forever just because they were taught wrongly by people who should've known what the bible teaches about Heaven, Hell and Eternity. Maybe that’s why James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with a greater strictness.”… that’s another subject, but it’s  something to think about: ) 

In another scripture (Matthew 24) Jesus was telling his disciples about the signs of the end times. And the first sign He gave them (vv4-5) was this- He said, 

“See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will lead many astray.” 

Now the way that most people interpret that scripture is that there will be people in the last days that are coming saying that they are Jesus- come follow them. But here’s the problem with that interpretation- Jesus said many will come and they will lead many astray. Sure, there’s been a few people that've come throughout history claiming to be Jesus. And sure they've had small groups of people (on the fringe) who've believed them, but it wasn't the many like Jesus said there would be.

Here’s what I think Jesus is saying and it makes more sense. Jesus said many will come in His name saying He’s the Christ (the many being preachers, teachers, evangelists, “christians,” etc. that say Jesus is who He says He is) but because of what they believe and what they teach (i.e., an easy believe-ism that requires no repentance or having to give your entire life to Him and making Jesus Lord of your life), they’re leading many people astray. They’re giving people the wrong information (i.e., just pray this prayer, just invite Jesus into your heart, just look up at me and I’ll include you in this salvation prayer, just…).

So what’s the right information? What does it really mean to be a christian? And how can you know that what you currently believe is true and that if you died right now you’d spend eternity with Him? It’s easy to explain and it’s the message of the Gospel. Here it is:

We were eternally separated from God with no hope of ever being good enough or ever doing enough good deeds to be able to repair the bridge that separated us from Him.

He’s holy, He’s perfect and He’s good. And it was going to take someone holy, perfect and good to pay the price for us because we didn’t have the ability to do it on our own (because we weren't holy, perfect or good- right?).

So God willingly sent His Son (Jesus) to incur all the wrath that was due us because of our ‘sin debt.’ And Jesus absorbed the wrath of God for our sins (past, present and future) and payed the penalty that we should've been responsible for. 

Isaiah 53:10 says, “it pleased the Lord to crush Him” as He (Jesus) was making the payment for our sins. It pleased Him to crush his Son for our sins? That’s crazy! But that shows us the love that God has for you and me. 

Jesus said, 

“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.“                                                                                                                                                                  

John 14:6

So, knowing that our sins have been paid for and there’s no way to God- except  through Jesus- what do we do? 

Acts 2:38-39 says this:

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.” 

So it looks like this:

-Hear God calling you (this is the jumping-off point)

-Repent. Really repent (change your direction, change your heart, change your mind) 

-Be baptized (publicly profess that you’re dying to yourself and raising to life in Him)

-Believe/Trust solely in Him and what He did for us (by living for Him not for yourself)

When you’ve really done this- your life will be different. You’ll be different. Your desires and your direction in life will be different. There’ll be no denying it. It'll be more than just praying a prayer to stay out of Hell (like there’s even such a prayer, haha). It'll be more than just walking down an isle and shaking a preacher’s hand. It’ll be more than just volunteering at church and doing a bunch of stuff… sure, those things are all good. But they'll just be the over-flow of what’s really happened on the inside of you.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the Gospel’s will save it.”

                                                Jesus- Mark 8:34-35

I know that this was an abnormally super-long blog today and it was kind of different writing about this rather than something happening here in Brazil. And it's especially weird writing this since 99% of our readers are christians. But for some reason I felt like this was important. Because you’re important. So, I hope this either encouraged you in what you already know or I pray that (for those who were believing something else) that it challenged you to take a hard look at what you believe and study it for yourself (rather than possibly being wrong just because somebody told you differently). Because I feel (unlike the TIM employees here in Brazil, haha) that it's important to give you the right information: )

If you have any questions, doubts, concerns, or maybe you want to dialogue (i.e., debate what I’ve written, lol!)- please feel free to email me at HopeAndLifeBrazil@gmail.com.

We Love You Guys!

Jim

Will We Stay or Will We Go?

Several weeks ago I was in the US. I know, most of you had no idea, right? Well, the reason I didn’t make that big of a deal about it on Facebook or send out any letters is because MJ didn’t come with me and she was back in the jungle by herself (with Matthew and the rest of the kids). And even though where we live is very remote and people don’t have all the things that we have in the States, one thing they do have is Facebook and social media. So, long-story-short, I didn’t think it was wise broadcasting to everyone that my family was here in Brazil all by themselves (for safety reasons).

The reason that I was back home in the US was to officiate a wedding for someone that I consider to be a ‘spiritual daughter’ to me and MJ. Actually Maryssa was the maid of honour as well, so she came too. It was a beautiful wedding and we were honoured to be a part of it. It was also very encouraging seeing so many of our Hope and Life Family there at the wedding: )

Amber and Jerrian right before he 'kissed his bride.'

I was able to speak at Grace Summit and at Graystone Church a few times while I was there. It was great seeing everyone and to be able to share some of the things that God is doing here in Brazil. Being able to minister to people from your own culture is something that I miss greatly. Even though I’m able to minister in English every Sunday at the church MJ and I pastor (which I’m very grateful to God for) it’s different being able to speak to Americans. I miss that. 

And, as it happens every time I go home, I get the same question, “when are you guys coming back to live in the US?” It’s actually a very good question. And it seems logical that we’d come back, right? 

Here, I’ll list out some of the main the reasons to come back for you: 

First and foremost our oldest son, Michael, and our daughter-in-law, Sarah, are there. Just the weight of that alone is reason enough to come back. But there’s actually more reasons too. All the rest of our family is there. Our parents (who are elderly) and all our siblings are there. Along with all our nieces and nephews too. So, our family is a big reason to move back.

Our daughter-in-law Sarah and our oldest son Michael

Secondly, being able to pastor and be a part of the American Church is something that we truly desire to do. And we know how to do it. It’s something that, without trying to sound arrogant, we're actually quite good at. And not only do we have several years of experience in it (the American Church)- but we were very successful at the churches we served in as we helped build the Kingdom in the cities where we were located. So pastoring in our own culture is another big reason to move back.

Thirdly, and probably the most glaring thing to most people, is not having to deal with all daily drama that ‘living here on the mountain’ entails… i.e., the water problems (no water 3 times in the last week alone- didn’t have any water at all for the majority of the day Tuesday), the power outages (2 in the last week- one lasted 15 hrs), all the venomous snakes, the copious amount of spiders, all the bug bites we receive every night as we sleep (only 3 last night, PTL), having to shake out all of our clothes and shoes before putting anything on (I neglected to do that yesterday and paid the price- see pic below), the lack of internet and cell service, the extreme weather we have to encounter all the time (we’ve had 2 hail storms, 3 wind storms some minor flooding over the last couple weeks)- and the list could go on and on.

                                            Here's some hail from one of the hailstorms last week

Here's one of the rain storms we've had over the last week. Although it seems beautiful and relaxing- try being held hostage inside for days with a ton of kids and dogs because of it. It'll change your perspective a little. Haha!

Here's a fresh spider bite- and all because I didn't shake-out my jacket before I put it on.
And yes, all the other bumps are older bug bites I've received over the last week or so: )

But there’s something that far outweighs all of those reasons to STAY rather than GO. Let me explain.

If you took all the reasons to move back and loaded them up on one side of a scale (one of those old-time ones with two sides) and then you put 'the reason’ we stay on the other side- this reason (singular) that we stay would easily outweigh all the reasons (plural) to move back right now. 

Now, you’re probably thinking- “I know what it is… it’s because of being able to minister to all those orphans and all the street kids. And it’s because you’re ministering in a place where there’s such a great need for the Gospel, right?” Well, I would have to say those are definitely benefits of being here but neither one is the thing that keeps us here. 

Actually, to be honest with you, the thing that keeps us here is being able to 'know Jesus.’ Now before you shut me down or think I’m just trying to sound super-spiritual just hear me out first. 

For the majority of my life (especially as a kid growing up in the church) I always believed (because I was taught) that I invited Jesus into my life. That I made a decision to believe in Jesus so that my sins would be forgiven and I would go to Heaven. But the problem with that kind of teaching is that it’s wrong. Sure, we need to believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. And yes, we are going to Heaven based solely on the fact that Jesus paid the price for us (a price we couldn’t pay) and He suffered the penalty for our sins. But that’s only part of it.

We can’t 'invite' Jesus to be a part of our lives like He’s some type of accessory. Like He’s something that we add to our already busy schedules. No. We don’t just add Jesus to everything else we’re already doing and try and fit Him in (usually on Sundays and if we’re really spiritual on a Wednesday Night). That’s ridiculous. He’s God and He requires everything. And He’s not just a part of our home-life. Or a part of our studies. Or a part of our jobs. Or just a part of our aspirations and goals. He’s the centre of them all. He’s the one that directs which way we go with our lives (if we’re truly Christ followers, that is).

There’s this phrase that's made over 18 times in the Gospels and it still applies to us all. And it’s the phrase “Follow Me.” Jesus made this statement several times in the bible and it still applies to us now. He said, 

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

                                           Matthew 16:24-25 ESV

You see, to have a real relationship with Jesus, it involves more than just praying a prayer and receiving forgiveness for your sins. It means losing your life (i.e., your own personal goals and pursuits), picking-up your new life assignment (assigned by Him) and following Him. And as we follow Him we get to experience Him. We get to commune with Him. We actually get to know Him because we’re walking with Him.

But, sadly, most people never get to really experience Jesus in their lives like this because He’s just an addition to what they already have going on. And I totally relate to that. I mean, that’s what’s being taught from a lot of pulpits today. The problem is- it’s not scriptural and it’s misleading.

I even did this for several years (just adding Jesus to my already busy schedule) while I was in the ministry. Rather than endeavouring to keep my focus on following Him, I was busy asking Him to bless all my religious activity instead. And that’s living waaaay below what we were designed for. We were designed to walk daily with Him by following Him- not by asking Him to follow us.

And ever since we’ve made following Him the goal- life’s totally changed for us. And it’s not always easy. As a matter of fact I’d venture to say that life has more difficult days than it has easy days. But we get Him and that makes it worth it.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3 about all his many accomplishments (which are HUGE compared to anything we’d ever do). Everything from his heritage, to his education, to his status, to his zeal for God- he named everything he’d ever done. And it’s like you could see him loading it up on one side of those scales I was telling you about. And then on the other side of the scale he puts one thing all-by-itself that far outweighs everything he had or that he’d accomplished in his whole life (that was on the other side of the scale). He said it like this:

“I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”  Phil. 3:8

He said that knowing Christ far outweighed everything else in his life and it was rubbish compared to having the chance to know Jesus. When I read that I totally get it. I understand it. I relate to it because we’re living it and experiencing it in our life right now and it’s amazing.

So, here’s my question to you- “Is Jesus the centre of your life or is He just something that you add-in here and there? Is following Him your life’s goal or is something else what you’re aiming for?” Because I can tell you from walking both ways (just adding Jesus to my life- as opposed to making following Jesus the goal of my life)- that following His plans for my life is worth all the struggles we face. And it's solely because we get Jesus. 

So, to answer the question- "when are we coming back to live in the states?" Long-story-short- I don’t know. Whenever He leads us there. But, for the Dunn Family, right now Jesus is here in Brazil. So I guess we’ll be here until He says otherwise: )

Love Ya!

Jim and MJ

I Think We’re Alone Now

Todays blog is a painful one. It’s one that we knew would probably happen but hoped wouldn’t. Last night we said, “goodbye" to my brother-in-law, my sister-in-law and all my nieces and nephews as they boarded a plane headed back to the US not knowing if they’ll ever return. Being the only ones left (from the family, that is) in Brazil is a feeling that we’ve never encountered and quite frankly don’t know how it’ll play-out. But we know that God is faithful and that He knows what we need. So we’re trusting Him in spite of the heartache.

Me, Jubi, Calvary and MJ waiting before they left last night

But I don’t want to talk about us (the Dunns) today through the blog. No, today I want to tell you a little about my in-laws the Atkinsons. Some of you know them but most of you probably don’t. But Brad and Carolyn are what I think of as real spiritual trailblazers or better yet- ‘Pathfinders.’ Let me explain.

When I was in the ARMY back in 87’ I was in the infantry. Well, within the infantry there were a group of guys called Pathfinders. They were the guys who would drop-in behind enemy lines (and into uncharted territory) and make a way for everyone who would come after them (creating drop zones). Because even though it would still be difficult for everyone who followed, them making a path (hence the name Pathfinders) by placing beacons, colored smoke, flash panels, etc. for everyone first, it would make it easier for all who came in after them- because they showed everyone else ‘the way.' And, because they showed everyone 'the way,’ it saved lives and made a huge impact on the success of each mission that took place.

Well, to me, that’s what Brad and Carolyn (the Atkinsons) are- Pathfinders. They’ve gone in ahead of us (and everyone else who’s watched them over the last several years) and shown us ‘the way’ by blazing a trail that nobody else was on. And because of their commitment to Jesus and the Gospel- them dropping in 'behind enemy lines' and showing us the way- it’s ‘made it easier for all of us who have and who will follow. 

Carolyn, Brad, Zeke, Ike, Matthew, Eli and some friends who came to say goodbye at the airport

Back in 07’ Brad and Carolyn adopted a sibling group of 4 children from Brazil. If you know anything about adoption and the church you’ll know that back in 07’ adoption wasn’t really mainstream (in the church) yet and it didn’t have anywhere close to the traction that is has today. But as people (a.k.a. ‘Pathfnders’) like Brad and Carolyn stepped-up and starting adopting others followed (Me and MJ included). 

Because of them adopting from Brazil first, it made it easier for Me and MJ to adopt from Brazil in 08.’  And because they had already been here and done it they were able to show us the way. Not that it wasn’t difficult, no. But having someone to have gone ahead and cleared a path made it soooo much easier for us.

MJ and Carolyn last night (before the tears began)

And if you know anything about our story and how we came to be missionaries here in Brazil, you’ll know that Brad and Carolyn moved here 2 years before we did. We were given the camp in 09’ but Brad and Carolyn were the ones who actually moved here in 2010’ to get things started. They were the ones who literally ‘cleared a path’ at the camp and did a majority of the repairs to get things going so that we could minister to hundreds and hundreds of kids over the last 5 years.

My nephew (Zeke) and 2 of the young men they've discipled over the last 5 years (Jonea and Rodrigo)

They were the ones who began evangelizing the mountain and developing relationships with the people we live with before we arrived. They were the ones who figured out how to survive in a culture that’s totally different than the one we’re use to so they could pass on as much information to us as possible. They’re the ones who made it easier for us. I didn’t say, they made it easy for us, no. Because following Jesus is hard (Matthew 7:13-14) and living in the jungles of Brazil is extremely difficult. But when you have someone who’s done what God’s called you to do by going in first- it’s given us a huge advantage.

So, why do I think it’s important that you know all this? Well, last night around 6:00pm we hugged, kissed, cried and then waved goodbye as we stood and watched as Brad, Carolyn, Zeke, Eli, Boaz, Ike, Braidlyn, Reign, Zion, Calvary, Shiloh and Jubi all walked through security and down the corridor toward their terminal at Alfonso Pena Airport in Curitiba, Brazil. Leaving us here to carry-on what they made a way for us to do.

Even though we feel very sad right now, there’s a huge part of us that feels a tremendous amount of joy. Now, before you start thinking I’m bi-polar, I’ll explain. Those of you who have followed Brad and Carolyn over the last 5 years here in Brazil know that, for almost 3 years now, they’ve faced a tremendous amount of adversity (from outside sources) that’ve been coming against them. It’s put an enormous amount of stress on them as well as the entire family. So, for them to not be under the stress and the strain anymore makes us very happy for them.

As frustrating as it’s been for them and as difficult as the persecution made it for them to be here ministering- they continued. They continued to walk in a way that was pleasing to the Lord and they maintained a good testimony in the community through it all. If you ever want to see a living example of what it looks like to endure hardship as a good soldier ( II Timothy 2:3-4 ) Brad and Carolyn have done just that. Living here is extremely difficult and the fact that they did it without a break in 5 years is crazy!

I know, that as they land in the US today, that they’ll experience a myriad of emotions as they arrive home. All the family, friends, their home, clean water, reliable electricity, central heat/air, good internet, a ‘real' Wal-Mart… all the things that they’ve been without for the last 5 years will be overwhelming at first. But, as the weeks and the months pass, our prayer is that when they reflect back on the sacrifice that they’ve made for the sake of the Gospel over the last 5 years, that they’ll be able to relish in the fact that they did something that not many other followers of Christ have done- abandon everything for Jesus. And as they look back I just want them to know, as a fellow laborer, that I’m very appreciative of everything they’ve done for Me and MJ by making a path for us to further the Gospel in a place where people desperately need Jesus. We love you guys and miss you already.

Love Ya,

Jim

Staying Out of the Ditches

(Note: Today’s blog is a little bit longer than normal. And it could be a little controversial but it’s one that I felt like I needed to post nonetheless. I also realize that most people won’t read this through to the end, but for those who do, hopefully it’ll stimulate your thinking a little bit.)

Where we live is oftentimes in the clouds- literally.

As you probably know, we live in the mountains/jungles of Campina Grande do Sul, Brazil. You have to drive about 4km up the mountain on a long-winding-bumpy-dirt road to get to our house. The road is so bumpy and has so many potholes on it that it actually resembles the surface of the moon! When we get large amounts of rain, parts of the road are impassable due to the water that runs across the road. 

About once a year the Prefeitura (the part of the Brazilian government responsible for the roads) will come in with a big machine and scrape the road for all of us ‘mountain people.’  And, when they do, they form these ditches on either side of the road so that the water will run-off either side, and into the ditches, rather than collecting in the center of the road. The ditches also serve as a buffer between us and the sheer cliffs that run almost the entire way up the mountain. The ditches show us where the boundaries are so that we don’t drive over the side of the mountain and die in a fiery car crash too. So they’re a good thing: )

Here's a tractor trailer that got too close to the ditch and fell down the 40' embankment.
This photo shows the truck already pulled back up the cliff and now
the tow truck is pulling the trailer back up to the top.

If you drive into the ditch on either side of the road, you’re either gonna get stuck or you'll plummet down the side of the mountain. Either way you'll need a tow truck to get you out.

Pica do Parana (the tallest mountain in our state) is on our road and just a little past our house. So, we have a lot of tourists who travel on our road each year trying to reach the state park that’s there. I can’t begin to tell you how many people have run into the ditches and gotten stuck on our road. But it’s been a lot. Most people get stuck because they’re too busy trying to dodge the potholes that they forget about the ditches.

So, the best place to drive on our road is in the middle. Sure, I’ll swerve to the left or to the right in an effort to miss a really big hole now and then- but usually I try to stay right in the middle of the road. That’s where it’s the safest.

Right about now you’re probably wondering, “what does this have to do with me and why is he writing about this?” Well here it is: 

“To me, it's a perfect example of how a lot of us tend to get stuck in ‘spiritual ditches’ while traveling down the road of life, when staying somewhere in the middle of the road is usually the best thing to do.”

Let me give you a couple quick examples.

When it comes to the subject of money, for instance-  we (christians) oftentimes fall into one of two ditches. 

There’s the ditch of “it’s God’s will that all His children are rich” on one side of the road. And on the other side of the road there’s the ditch of “God wants us to be poor for His glory.” 

Here’s the problem. For the first ditch, the Bible says, “that being rich makes it very difficult to enter Heaven” (Jesus said it, not me- Matthew 19:23, ). Then Paul said in I Timothy 6:6-10 “that people that desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” Read it- it’s there. So saying that all God’s children are suppose to be rich is a ditch on one side. (I could give you several more scriptural examples but for the sake of time we’ll move on.)

And the ditch on the other side (that we’re all suppose to be poor)? Well, there’s absolutely no scriptural evidence to show that God wants all His children “poor for His glory.” If we’re all poor then how will we advance the Kingdom? How can we give/sow into other people’s lives if we all have nothing? We can’t. So from what I can tell, “both views are ditches.”

To me, the biblical view of money is simple and it’s in the ‘middle of the road’:

• Work hard and make money (God blesses those who work hard)
• Live open handed (be a giver rather than just spending all your money on yourself)
• Invest wisely (in eternal things that won’t perish)
• Be content with what we have (don’t constantly chase the newest_________ for happiness)

That’s an example of  a ‘spiritual ditch.’ But, to me, one of the most blatant examples of a ‘spiritual ditch’ that I see right now is when it comes to the subject of sin.

Let’s face it. Talking about the subject of sin can be very uncomfortable, right? As a matter of fact I think we’d rather avoid the subject all together. But we can’t. The main purpose that Jesus came was to “take away sins” (I John 3:5,8). And if it’s the main thing that he came to do we can’t just avoid it and we’ve got to fight against going into ‘the ditches’ when it comes to the subject.

Here, I’ll explain. When it comes to the subject of sin; one ditch I see is when someone is out in public with a sign just yelling at everyone telling them that judgement is coming and that they’re going to Hell. You’ve probably seen them before, haven’t you? You’ll see some ‘so-called’ christian standing around with his friends (with big signs) yelling hellfire/brimstone stuff at people. I could be wrong but I don’t think that anyone has ever given their lives to Christ just because somebody yelled at them from a street corner telling them that they’re going to Hell. 

This is an actual 'christian' with a sign. It's not made up. It really makes you want to give your life to Jesus, huh? Not!

Now I can hear somebody saying, “but John the Baptist was in the wilderness telling people to repent and be baptized.” Yes, he was. But first of all you’re not John the Baptist. Secondly, he was there as a fulfillment to prophecy (Is. 40:3) telling people to get ready for the Savior of the world by repenting and being baptized. We also see that multitudes of people actually responded and were coming to him to be baptized (Matt. 3:5). He wasn't in the middle of town just shouting at everyone (and bearing no results) and only giving them one side of the story (i.e., you’re going to Hell).

So just standing on the side of the road, shouting, protesting, holding a sign- well, to me it’s a ditch on one side of the road.

If this really was Jesus (it's not, haha) I definitely think this is what his sign would say: )

Then there’s the ditch on the other side of the road. And that’s the ditch of never talking about sin and only telling people stuff like "God loves them.” This is probably the ditch that most christians (especially high profile ones on TV) tend to get into. It’s where the subject of sin is seen as taboo and it’s never brought up at all. 

The people in this ditch usually think something like this… "if we talk about how God hates sin and we’re all sinners in need of a savior- well, that could offend someone. It’s better to just tell people that Jesus loves them and that He died for them and leave out the whole ‘you're dead in your sins thing,’ right?”

And (just like in the video) when you bring this up to the people in this particular ditch they’ll usually say something like, “but the bible says that it’s the goodness of God that leads people to repentance” or something like that. Well, they’re right. It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. But if you read that particular passage of scripture that they’re referring to (Romans 2:4) in context you’d see that Paul is writing to the church in Rome and warning them about judging others who live in sin while they’re living the same sins. And he’s warning them about the coming judgment and God’s wrath and to not forget about God’s goodness/kindness that was extended to them (Romans 2:1-8).

We can’t ‘soft serve’ it when it comes to the subject of sin but we also can’t just tell everyone that they’re sinners going to Hell. Both sides are ditches.

So how do we stay out of the ditches when it comes to the subject of sin? If just telling someone they’re a sinner is a ditch and if just telling someone that God loves them is the other ditch- what do we do? It’s simple. It’s both and it's in the middle of the road. 

Here’s the way I see it:

• We’re all sinners in need of a savior. I mean, seriously, look around. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.
• Hell is a literal place where all sinners will go for eternity (i.e. forever). 
• Our sin has to be paid for- it has to.
• God loves us so much that He gave His all for us (His Son) and paid our debt in full.
• Life (real life) is freely available to everyone who believes and trusts in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins.
• Those who trust in Jesus will escape Hell and will live forever with Him in Eternity.

It’s that simple and it’s in the middle of the road. We can’t just tell people they’re going to Hell. And we can’t just tell people that Jesus loves them. Both are true but left alone they’re a ditch. We've got to proclaim both. We’ve got to tell people both sides. We can’t be ashamed. It’s His Gospel not ours. And only presenting one side is a ditch that if someone gets stuck in it- it could quite possibly cost them for an eternity.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

                                                  -Jesus (John 3:16-18)

Love Ya,

Jim

PS- There's a lot of other ditches out there too. We can't just listen to what's popular. Our theology has to be rooted and grounded in scripture and not in how we feel about certain subjects. Just something to think about.