That’s Right… It’s Silver, Baby!

 Well, yesterday was a special day. A day that most people (early on) thought would never happen. 25 years ago yesterday I married the most beautiful girl in the world. That’s right, 25 years ago! Man… I don’t even know what to say or think. We were young (I was 22, MJ was 18). We were broke. We didn’t have a college education (yet). Neither one of us knew a thing about what it really meant to be a husband or a wife. All we knew is that we were in love and that, in our minds, we wanted to be together forever.

We bought new silver wedding bands to commemorate this great milestone  in our relationship

It was 100 degrees that sunny-hot-humid Georgia afternoon. We got married in my in-law’s back yard because we couldn’t afford a different venue. There were only about 50 people there because we only invited our closest friends and our family. It was actually so hot that day that the record (yep, I said the record- i.e. 33rpm LP) warped on the turntable as it was playing music outside as the wedding processional was taking place. 

I had one of the most ridiculous mullets ever and a flesh-toned mustache that matched the awesomeness of my bad haircut. MJ had one of those big 80’s hairdo’s that girls had back then. You know the one. It was where it was long in the back and then that ‘claw/wave’ looking thing in the front. It had sooooo much hairspray on it that you couldn’t get within 20’ of an open flame or you’d run the risk of spontaneously bursting into flames yourself! Yep, that’s the one: )

I can remember our wedding day like it was yesterday. I was getting ready in the basement of my in-laws house and my father-in-law was there with me. He had already been married 28 years at that point and it seemed like his relationship was pretty strong so I asked him a question. I asked him if he was gonna give me one word of advice to insure that I’d have a good marriage what would it be? And I’ll never forget his response. His advice was- “always give her her way.” I think I may have chuckled a little when he said it, but he wasn’t smiling, he was serious. And then when he could see that I was confused he said it again. “Always give her her way.” I was still trying to discern if he was being sarcastic or if he was just joking around. I didn’t understand so he broke-it-down for me. He said, "always give her her way on the small every day things that really don't matter much and only try and get your way on the big stuff.” Hmmm. That sounded like pretty good advice. So to this day I still try to do that. Not perfectly, of course, but I do try. And I must say, "it’s worked-out pretty good so far”. : )

We faced tremendous adversity throughout the early years of our marriage. Mainly because of my stupidity and selfishness. But God, in His mercy, helped us work through everything that the enemy tried to destroy us with. And when we both really submitted everything to Jesus, that’s when we were able to start seeing some amazing things happen in our relationship and in our lives. 

A lot has happened over the last 25 years, both good and bad. We’ve been blessed with 3 amazing biological children. We lost one child mid-way through a pregnancy back in 95’. We were able to adopt a sibling group of 5 children 6 and a half years ago from Brazil. 

We’ve lived in 3 different states and 2 different countries. We’ve lived in an apartment, a trailer, 3 different duplexes, we rented 3 different houses and we’ve owned 2 different homes. And to top it all off- we got rid of most of our earthly possessions to move here and live in an A-frame in the middle of the jungles of Brazil!

We’ve had the honor of working at 2 amazing churches (RHEMA Bible Church- Broken Arrow, OK and Hope and Life- Snellville, GA) during the first 14 years of our 18 years of full-time ministry. We’ve even had the privilege of serving as lead pastors at the i3C (The International Community Church of Curitiba) for the last year and a half- in English here in Brazil! Who could’ve ever imagined that?

We’ve been able to minister to thousands of children and teenagers here in Brazil over the past 3 years through camps, orphan ministry and ministry in the local favelas. Actually, as I think back over the past 3 years it amazes me that we’re even here, much less ministering effectively to these precious kids.

I can’t believe we’ve been able to make it this far. And I certainly can’t believe we’ve been able to do as much as we’ve been able to do as a couple over the last 25 years. It sounds so cliche’ but “all the glory goes to Him.” We’re so thankful to Him.

Marriage is hard. It takes work and commitment. I’ve tried being married without being totally committed to Jesus and I tried it with being totally committed to Jesus. And let me tell you, “with is better.” lol! So, if someone asked me today, “what's the secret to having a successful marriage?” Well, although I’d incorporate my wise father-in-law’s advice in there somewhere- I’d have to say that the real secret of having a successful marriage would have to be this:

“Give your life totally to Jesus and follow Him wholeheartedly. Don’t hold anything back.”

Because as you do, not only will you be happier and more fulfilled personally but you’ll be able to love your spouse better, you’ll be able to parent better, you’ll be more effective doing whatever it is that you do. 

I love my God and I love my wife. And I’m so grateful that we’ve been able to share all of life’s ups and downs together over the last 25 years. And I’m excited to see what’s in store for us in the future. And, after all these years, I still think she's the most beautiful girl in the world: )

Still Madly, Deeply in Love,

Jim

Death

Having been in full-time ministry for almost 18 years now I’ve had the opportunity to be around death more than I’d like to be. And death always has a way of bringing things into perspective. I’ve had the honor of being bedside as a member of my church family decided to take their mother off life support. And we were able to witness her last breath as she went to be with The Lord. I’ve also had the privilege of being able to preside over the funerals of young and old alike. And one thing is for sure- death is never easy.

Sometimes death is welcomed though. Like when my 98 year old grandfather passed away last year. He was a man of God who was a great example to the whole family and had lived a full life here on this planet. He was bedridden the last year or so of his life and was ready to go be with The Lord (and with his wife- my 94 year old grandmother who passed away the year before). So, when he passed it was not only expected- but it was welcomed.

But then there’s the ‘death’ that comes unexpectedly. Like for my friend Eddie who died 2 years ago. He had just finished working out at the gym, got into his car, turned on the ignition and suddenly died of a heart attack- right there in the parking lot of the gym! He was young and in great shape. He left behind a wife and 3 beautiful daughters. That’s the kind of death that doesn’t make any sense. It happens suddenly and with no warning. And actually the pain and shock of it can still be felt today.

Or when a child dies... that’s the kind of death that never makes any sense and it doesn’t seem fair. My 1 year old niece, Zoe, passed away back in February of 2007. Not only does her death still hurt but the pain can still be felt in our family over 7 years later.

Death. It's just difficult to deal with. It’s something that either has or something that will eventually affect us all. It comes in many forms and in many ways. Sometimes you see it coming- sometimes you don’t. But the fact of the matter is still the same... “it’s coming.” And, the funny thing is (funny ironic- not funny haha) that nobody thinks it’s coming to them. We all think it will happen to somebody else and to their family but not to us. 

But today I’m not thinking about physical death and the pain that accompanies it, no. I’m thinking about a different kind of death. And it’s the death of a church. And, more specifically, it’s the death of our home church back in the States- Crossroads Church of Walton County.

A few days ago on Sunday, July 13, 2014’- it was their last service. The doors of the church officially closed forever. 

Pastor Mike Keaton ministering one Sunday Morning from the Crossroads stage 

The church was well known as a church that loved the people in their community. I was on staff at another church when I first encountered someone from Crossroads. I actually met the pastor, Mike Keaton, (who has over the past 7 years become one of my closest friends) and several other of their members while MJ and I were in Brazil adopting our kids. The church was there on a mission trip and they were staying in the same hotel as us. 

What’s crazy is that, back in the States, Crossroads was meeting at an elementary school only 100 yards away from the entrance to our subdivision, but it took a chance meeting in another country to put us together... go figure. Only God, right? 

After meeting them in Brazil, once we got home, we started seeing them all over town. It seemed like they were always doing something in the community. Everything from wrapping presents for people at Wal-mart for Christmas (for free), to paying for a portion of people’s gas back in 2009’ when the gas prices were so high (I think they paid .25 per gallon towards everyones gas as an outreach to the community), to handing out food each week to the poor in Monroe. They were always doing something. And as far as ministering to orphans... the amount of people in the church that were actively pursuing adoption and that had already adopted was staggering (compared to other churches). And it seemed like everything they were doing as a church was exactly what we had a passion for. 

And, even though we loved doing what we were doing at our current church, Crossroads was our ‘dream church’ because our vision for ministry was more similar to theirs than it was to where we were at (i.e., heavy emphasis on missions and caring for widows, orphans and the poor).

Years later, when MJ and I made the decision to leave our pastoral position at the church we had been at for almost 10 years (for Brazil and the mission field) Pastor Mike and Crossroads were the ones that stepped-up and became our sending/covering church as we left the US. Crossroads was our home base. Crossroads was our Family. We were Crossroads.

Over the last couple of years Crossroads has been in transition as a church though. They grew from one service on Sunday Mornings to two. They moved to a larger venue (The new auditorium at Monroe Area High School). They purchased property to build their own building on. People were coming to Christ- baptisms were happening- the church was growing. They were on the move.

Then, what seemed ‘out of nowhere,’ numbers started to drop and they had to scale back to one service on Sunday Morning. Then a couple years after that there was a significant staff change. And, with that, several key families in leadership left the church. What was going on? There were no sin issues. There was nothing unethical happening.  Their theology hadn’t changed. Their purpose and vision as a church hadn’t changed. So what was going on? What was happening? No one could explain it.

The one thing that sticks out in my mind over the last couple of years though, is what I’ve seen in Mike. And what I’ve seen in him I truly admire. To be riding such a high (in the earlier years of Crossroads) and then to see all the transition that’s taken place over the last couple of years as the church was declining; to see him walk through all the heartache and pain of what was happening and still love God, love the people and love the city... as a pastor it’s inspired me. It’s shown me what a true pastor looks like. Because anyone else would’ve just given up. But Mike didn’t. He kept pressing forward, as difficult as it was, and he kept fighting. Thank you Mike and Angie for the example you’ve been to Me and MJ over the last several years.

The sad thing is that no church will last forever. That’s right, you heard me correctly. No church will last forever. Think about it before you judge me. Now I’m not talking about ‘the real Church’ (aka the body of Christ) because us, ‘the real Church’ will last forever. No, I’m talking about a local church body and the physical building where they meet. 

If you think I’m wrong, then tell me where you can find a church that’s 2,000 years old (that’s how long christianity and the first churches ever planted have been around). Give me on example of one that’s still meeting in the same building and thriving? Heck, give me one that’s still meeting in the same city! I mean, look at all the churches that Paul planted. None of them are still there- none of them, right? 

What about in America? Give me an example of a church that’s 238 years old (that’s how old we are as a nation). We were founded as one nation under God and with christian values. There were churches planted in the beginning, right? So try to think of one church that’s still there (and not just some type of historical landmark) with an actual congregation of people and that are still actively proclaiming the Gospel? Can you think of any? No, of course you can’t. So that’s why I can say that no ‘one church’ will last forever. 

Things happen. War, natural disasters, economies collapse, people move, climates change, alien invasions, zombie apocalypses... well, maybe not the last two, haha. But all the others happen, right? We live in an ever changing world and nobody knows what the future holds. I think about all the churches that were lost when Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August of 2005. Some of them never rebuilt. But I bet if you spoke with them a few weeks before the storm they would’ve never even imagined not being there today.

The problem is (just like with natural death) nobody thinks death will happen to them and their church. It’s like we think that just because our church is thriving today- that it’ll be thriving 20, 30, 50, 100 years from now. But the truth of the matter is that it most likely won’t. 

And, just like when an infant or a child dies, the same thing rings true of a young church closing it’s doors (dying)- it doesn’t seem right or fair. But bottom line is this... God is still sovereign over all and not only does He see but He knows. 

He knows what the future holds and He controls it all. Does it still sting? Yes, absolutely. Does it still hurt? Yes, of course it does. Do we understand? Well, unfortunately we don’t and maybe we never will. But we still persevere. And most importantly we still trust Him in the midst of all the uncertainty. 

So what do we do as pastors and as church members since our churches will all die one day? Do we give up and throw in the towel? I mean, since death is on the horizon, what’s the use? Well, just as our physical bodies are dying and we don’t just give up but we take care of ourselves and try to live in a way that prolongs our lives on this planet; we do the same with our churches. We steward them the best way that we can. We try to proclaim the Gospel and live in a way that honors and glorifies Christ- trying to grow our congregations as best we can. But we leave the lifespan of our church up to God. It’s His church and only He can control the true longevity of it. It all belongs to Him.

So just as it was just on that sunny day back in 2009’ when I stood beside the bed of that sweet lady who had been on life support for several months. After a lot of tears and a lot of prayer- the family made the decision to remove her from the machines that were keeping her alive. And after the equipment was removed- within a few minutes she was gone. 

Well, it was the same this past Sunday. After a lot of tears and a lot of prayer, the decision was made by Pastor Mike and the Elders of Crossroads Church of Walton County to ‘remove the church from life support’ and close the final chapter on what was once a thriving church. A church that has not only left a permanent mark on Monroe and Walton County, but one that has forever left a mark on Me, MJ and our entire family. You will be missed and you will always be a part of our lives. We love you.

Passionately Following Jesus,

Jim and MJ

Getting Ready for the Big Day

A Huge Brazilian flag hangs outside IBB in Curitiba as "The Cup" is not only in the country- but also in town: )

On Tuesday October 30, 2007- FIFA awarded Brazil with the 2014’ World Cup. And, from that day forward, preparations for one of the biggest events in the world began. The people of Brazil began building, spending their money, preparing and strategizing for how they would accommodate the massive amounts of people who would convene upon their country for this ‘one-month-long-event’ that was promised to take place.

As an American I never realized what a big deal The World Cup really was until we moved here to Brazil. I know that over the last 10 years or so soccer has caught some traction in the US (as far as being more popular) but it still pales in comparison to football, basketball and baseball- as far as popularity goes. But, outside the US, soccer (the other football, haha) is a BIG deal, for sure. I mean, people are serious about it. And the World Cup?... from a worldwide perspective- it’s even more of a big deal than the Super Bowl! 

MJ and I drove to town to buy groceries the other day (one week before the first ‘official’ World Cup match) and as we were trying to make our way into the store we could barely get in because of the huge bottle-neck of people at the entrance. But it wasn’t difficult getting in because everyone was trying to buy groceries- it was crowded because they had decided to set-up a projector/screen right inside the front door so that shoppers could watch some kind of pre-World Cup game. And that day there was some type of ‘friendly game’ going on and Brazil was playing. So everyone was standing there watching. 

It was an awesome idea if you wanted to see the game but a horrible idea if you were actually wanting to get inside and buy groceries. And, as the owner of the grocery store,  if you were trying to make it easy for customers to get into your establishment and spend money- you couldn’t have picked a worse spot to show the game. But that’s just my American thinking kicking in. Everything is suppose to be efficient and easy for the consumer, right? But here in Brazil it’s different. And right now it’s all about the World Cup.

After we left the grocery store we stopped at the drugstore to buy a few things before heading back to the mountain. And, as we walked in, we could hear the same game that  was showing at the grocery store blaring from a small television there inside the drugstore as well. And all the pharmacists were wearing these sequined covered fedoras (Brazil colors, of course) and there were Brazil colored streamers hanging everywhere. It was a literal party atmosphere at the pharmacy. Haha! This is World Cup thing is serious: )

Weeks before the first game it seemed like everywhere you looked there were Brazil flags flying. In the stores, on houses, on cars, even at the little open-air bar here on the mountain you could see dozens of Brazilian flags draped along the outside of the building as everyone was waiting in anxious anticipation for the big day.

Brazilian colors flying proudly at "Paulo's Bar" here in the jungles of Brazil. 

We’re into the second week of games now and things are definitely different. Here in Brazil, whenever the Brazilian Team plays everything shuts down. Schools are closed, businesses close, employers let their employees off work 2 hours before the game and then it’s like a national holiday as everyone goes somewhere to watch the game. It’s something that, if you’re a Brazilian, you’ve got to see. You’ve got to be a part of it. I was driving through Curitiba during rush hour this past Tuesday afternoon during the Brazil game and it was eerily quiet. There was literally no traffic, no people, no movement anywhere. It’s like the rapture had taken place and I had been left behind! lol!

Hundreds of people gathering at Igreja Batista do Bacacheri to watch the games
on the big screens in the sanctuary last Tuesday afternoon 

At 4:45pm these roads are typically bumper-to-bumper with traffic but when
Brazil is playing it's a virtual ghost town. Crazy, huh?

And as I sit here thinking about all that I’ve witnessed over the last couple of years (as everyone was getting ready for the World Cup)- everything from stadiums being built- to host cities making preparations for hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world- to restaurants, hotels and businesses making adjustments to prices and upgrading accommodations- there’s one thing sticks out in my mind and it’s a question that I think I need to ask myself... “what would it look like if, as a christian, I had the same eager anticipation for the return of Christ as the brazilian people have had for the World Cup?” No, seriously. I’m not trying to be hyper-spiritual (and I apologize for the ‘Jesus Juke’) but really... what would happen if I was that excited, invested, focused, intentional, anticipative and zeroed-in on ‘that day’ as brazilians (and people from other countries as well) have been for a month long soccer event? It’s definitely something to think about.

Because if I’m really anticipating something as big as the return of Christ- my life should reflect it. How I plan, how I invest, how I spend my money... my level of anticipation should be so high that it’s all I desire and long for, right? Or at least it should be.

But the problem is that I get so caught up in the minutia of life that I tend to forget. Even though I’m busy serving Him and doing what He’s called me to do I lose sight of the fact that He could return at any time. So am I ready? Am I busy preparing for ‘that day’ or am I just treading water trying to survive today?... Lord, please help me remember and help me remain in eager anticipation of ‘that day.’

What about you? Have you forgotten that He is returning? Are you busy preparing for that day or have you lost focus? His promises are true He promised us that one day He will return. So get ready: )

“... be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you don’t expect.”

                     Matthew 24:44

Looking for His Return,

Jim

Faith or Frustration

Here's a picture of our car when I let a friend drive it on our road back in December.
And yes, it's stuck. Rookie: )

OK. When I got up this morning it was 53 degrees... in my kitchen!!!! What’s up with that?! It’s only the beginning of Winter here in Brazil and we’re already miserable. It’s been raining off and on for a couple of weeks and it’s been cold too (40’s-50’s). You may be saying, “Jim- you’re just being a bit overdramatic aren’t you? Because 50 degrees isn’t that cold.” Well my response to you is... well, I won’t tell you my initial response was because I’m a Christ follower on the mission field and all that good stuff, haha. But you’re right, 40-50 degrees isn’t that bad- ‘when you have heat!’ We have no heat in our house or in our car. So when it’s that cold outside- it’s that cold inside as well. 

Not good: (

But it gets even better. After I got over the initial shock of the cold morning, I went outside to rinse the car off before I drove to church (it had a ton of mud on it from the roads) when I noticed that my front bumper was hanging off. It was yet another part of my car that had fallen prey to the bumpy roads (that resemble the surface of the moon) here on the mountain. Now, not only do I still have my front headlight taped on (it had fallen off last year because of the bumpy roads), I also have my bumper wired onto the front of my car. I mean, seriously? Talk about having every ounce of pride stripped away from your life. I was already driving something that I’ve had in the shop at least 20 times in the last year and a half. I’ve had the engine rebuilt once, I’ve been driving it without a 3rd gear for the last couple of months, it has no heat, no defroster, no horn, no radio, every door handle is broken, it has a cracked windshield, the gas gauge doesn’t work, the headlights are so dim that it’s dangerous to drive at night. When I had it in the shop last week they told me it needs a new clutch... and now I’m rigging the bumper back onto the front of the car with a piece of electrical wire?! Give me a break, Lord!

To say that I was frustrated would be an understatement. Then that’s when I started thinking about how it wasn’t fair. I started thinking about how, here I was... giving my entire life to Jesus by living here in a foreign country with minimal or no comfort at all. Everything is inconvenient and difficult and it seems like there’s always something negative happening. And things keep getting more inconvenient by the day. 

So, seeing how my frustration level had reached an all time high- I just decided to throw a party. That’s right a party... a pity party, that is. And, as I drove the 4km down the bumpy road that leads to the highway, I just kept thinking about how unfair that it really was. This isn’t what I signed-up for. And God just let me stew in my pity for a few minutes and then it happened. He reminded me of a scripture. Don’t you love it when that happens? And no it wasn’t one about being thankful or one about being able to do all things through Christ (although they could’ve also applied). He reminded me of the people in Hebrews 11. 

This is a chapter in the bible that some call ‘the heroes of faith’ or the ‘hall of fame of faith’ or something to that effect. But when the Lord brought it to my memory, it wasn’t the first part of the chapter that He reminded me of- it was the latter part. You see, when we think about Hebrews 11 we always think about the first part. That’s the part that talks about how “by faith” Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and a whole bunch of others accomplished all these amazing things- ‘by faith.” But, if you read through to the end of the chapter, you’ll also read about some other people who did some stuff “by faith.” They also accomplished some things by the same thing that all of the people in the front of the chapter did- “by faith.” 

Before I tell you what these people (in the latter part of chapter 11) did, let me ask you a question. What does it mean to do something ‘by faith?’ Faith, by definition, is simply ‘belief and trust.’ So doing something ‘by faith’ is simply doing or believing something because of what God has told/promised you. It’s having the assurance that God has given you a specific promise/instruction and you’re going to fulfill it no matter what the outcome. And even though there are some amazing things that happen in our lives ‘by faith’ there are also some not-so-amazing things that will happen in our lives ‘by faith.’

If you read the latter part of Hebrews chapter 11 you’ll see what I mean. The first 34 verses of the chapter lists out all these amazing things that people did ‘by faith.’ They conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were mighty in war, put armies to flight, women received back their dead by resurrection... but then in the last part of verse 35 it all changes. 

In the last part of verse 35 it starts to list out other things that people did ‘by faith.’ They were tortured, suffered mocking and flogging, they were in chains and imprisonment, they were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword, they went about in animal skins- destitute, afflicted, mistreated, homeless... and all by the same thing that the people listed at the beginning of the chapter did things by- ‘by faith.’ And it says that they were all commended for ‘their faith’ the same way as all the people in the first part of the chapter were. Whether the outcome of what they did was amazingly awesome or whether it was amazingly painful and in the natural- looked like a fail. They were all commended for ‘their faith.’

Wow. So that means that I can be commended by God for freezing my butt off and driving a crappy car- just as much as I would if I was raising the dead or conquering a mighty army as long as I’m doing it ‘by faith’ (i.e., because I’m only doing it because God asked me to)? Hmmm. Then that kind of changes things. Even though it may not take away the pain of some of the things that we have to endure, it does give me hope that it’s not all for nothing. It shows me that as long as we’re doing what we’re doing solely based on our obedience and faith in God- it’s all good and it’s all commended by God as equally as if we were evangelizing the entire country of Brazil. If you don’t believe me, go and read it for yourself. The people who were destitute and afflicted ‘by faith’ got the same props as Abraham did for offering up Isaac ‘by faith’ and the same recognition that Moses did for leading the people ‘by faith’ through the Red Sea. Interesting, huh?...

And it’s the same for you. If what you’re going through is difficult, unpleasant, painful, frustrating and hard... but you know that God has you right there in the middle of it- then just keep doing it ‘by faith.’ Fully trusting Him and knowing that you’re being commended by Him just as if you were doing something else that you think could better serve Him: )

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith...”   

                                                                                                                      Hebrews 12:1-2

Feeling Frigid ‘by Faith,’

Jim

Don’t Worry- Bee Happy

Here’s a little song I wrote... I like to sing it note for note, “Don’t worry... Bee happy.” I know, I know- Bobby McFerrin wrote a similar song back in 1988 but that was “Don’t worry BE happy.” Not, “Don’t worry BEE happy” because “don’t worry BEE happy” is my song. jk: )

If you’ve been following us here in Brazil over the last 2 and a half years you know that we’ve had our fair share of encounters with the winged terrors known as bees. If not, click HERE and you can read all about these demon possessed creatures with stingers  that are here in Brazil (and there’s a short video as well).

Well, regrettably, I have to say that, “they’re back.” I was standing at the kitchen sink (trying to earn points with MJ by washing the dishes) when Robert yelled from the back porch, “Dad, there’s bees!” I looked up over the trees and there they were... a HUGE swarm of bees! There were literally thousands of them and they were coming our way! I yelled to the kids (who were outside playing), “run for the bunkhouse” and they immediately scrambled in and slammed the door. I frantically ran through the entire house trying to shut all the windows as thousands of bees descended upon us! It was insane. Why were they here? 

Maryssa was upstairs in her bedroom yelling because they were coming into her room. As I ran into her room you could hear the sound of thousands of bees in the ceiling above her bed (again!). I pulled back the curtains to look outside and the massive swarm of bees were all swarming outside her window and going into the house (into the space between the roof and the ceiling). What were we gonna do?! We were all trapped inside our house with thousands of bees outside and they weren’t going anywhere- so it seemed. Here's a quick video of part of 'the swarm' that had surrounded our house.

As I was looking out the window, perplexed- Matthew was standing next to me taking pictures to commemorate yet another amazing event in our life. I was looking up at all the bees as they swarmed outside the window and I just softly said, “Lord, please just blow these things out of here.” And immediately a big wind started to blow! It was so strong that you could hear a whistling sound blowing through the crack between the window and the wall (where the window wasn’t correctly installed). And all the bees were literally being blown away! Say what?! Yep, The Lord literally blew them all away as soon as I prayed my little half-hearted prayer of desperation: ) It was awesome!

It’s weird. Because as soon as I heard all those bees buzzing in the ceiling I started going through the rolodex (outdated illustration, sorry. Do they even make rolodexes anymore?) in my mind. I told Matthew, “I guess we need to go get Rato again (that’s the little bee guy from last time).” Then Matthew said, “we just need to buy a bee suit.” Then  I started to think about trying to find an exterminator in the city. And every other option raced through my mind in a matter of minutes. And as I reached the end of my mental rope I just asked God to do something and he did. It was awesome and amazing all rolled into a 30 second span of time.

It got me thinking though... how many opportunities to see God work on my behalf do I miss by always trying to handle stuff on my own? This was undeniably the hand of God that made this happen. As soon as the bees were gone the wind stopped. It was just a simple cry for help. I didn’t say, “in Jesus name” (which is obviously my go-to tag I use in my usual prayers, as it should be). I didn’t even say, “amen” at the end of my plea. I just asked Him to blow them out of there and immediately He did it. Wow. I’m still amazed.

I wonder how many other things that He’d help me with if I’d just turn to Him? What about you? How many things in your life would He intervene in- if you’d just ask Him? There’s only one way to find out, right?

Love Ya,

JIm

The Darkness

Here's MJ having to cook with a head lamp on her head because of the darkness
caused by a recent power outage. If she ever decides to leave the mission field I guess she could
 begin a career as  a coal miner: )

Well, I’m sitting here in the dark writing (on my partially charged computer) using the glow of my computer screen as a light. It’s pouring down rain outside. The power is out for the umpteenth time. This is déjàvu all over again! 

We’ve had back to back to back to back storms and power outages here lately. It seems like as soon as the sun starts shining again another storm moves in and along with it comes the darkness. It’s kind of wears on you, if you know what I mean.

Taking cold showers (because of no electricity) gets old quick. It’s one thing to take a cold shower- it’s another thing to take one with frigid mountain water! It literally takes your breath away. We’ve lost food in our freezer because of the power being out, we’ve gone through a bunch of the batteries we had stockpiled (trying to keep flashlights on), we haven’t been able to wash clothes, the kids have been going stir-crazy because of the ‘not’ having anything to do because of the power being out. And then there’s the darkness... it’s so dark here! You literally can’t see your hand in front of your face. It’s a major bummer (do people even say that anymore?). Darkness definitely limits mobility, activity, and can create insanity. Please Lord, turn the power back on!

After 2 days of no electricity and rain Me, Matthew and MJ decided to play dominoes
by candlelight and by using our flashlights.

There’s another kind of darkness that’s even more crippling then the physical darkness that I was just talking about though. It’s a darkness that even you, who are reading this blog, have to fight against in your life. It’s the darkness that’s a result of hating your brother or sister in Christ. I know that came out of nowhere, right? But I feel like I need to write this for somebody today. Because I believe that somebody feels far from God and you feel like your lost even though you’re a christian. So, here ya go...

In I John 1:7-11 it says that if you hate your brother, that not only are you walking blind, in the darkness and that you don’t know where you’re going- but it also says that you’re ‘not’ walking in fellowship with God (which maintaining fellowship with God should be paramount in every believer’s life). The reason for that is that our love for one another is the thing that distinguishes us from every other religion on the planet. Our love for one another is the thing that causes those around us to take notice that we’re different. 

Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

We’ve been born of God, who in turn gave us His Spirit. And His Spirit gives us the ability to love as He loves (i.e., it's not dependent on how the other person reciprocates it back to us) and to walk in such a way that it causes others to notice. 

So how do we do that when, honestly, other people who are our brothers and sisters in Christ just frustrate us and maybe even do us wrong? The short answer is this... Just think about how much God loves you in spite of you. Now if you think you’re the easiest person to love... well, you’re wrong. And if you’re arguing with me then you’re definitely the person I'm talking to! If we measured ourselves against how much God loves us even though we blow it, then it makes it easier to forgive and love others even though they hurt us. Read the story in Matthew 18:21-35 about the unforgiving servant. That’ll make you want to drop whatever it is that you’ve got against your brother in a hurry! Because it’s just not worth it. 

And love’s not a feeling, it’s a choice. It’s choosing to react toward that person and respond to that person the way God wants you to (with mercy and grace)- rather than how you want to (by punching them in the face... hey, that rhymes. haha!). 

If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, you’ve got the ability on the inside of you to do it. You do. So just lay aside what’s happened and choose to love. Because it’s way better walking in the light than it is the darkness: )

“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness.”

              John 12:46

Love Ya, 

JIm

It’s No Reflection On You

The other day I was sitting at the kitchen table studying for Sunday’s sermon and MJ was washing dishes. When, all of the sudden she said, “do you notice anything weird over here?” So I looked and there it was... a mushroom. Now you may think, “a mushroom? It’s not that strange to see a mushroom in the kitchen. We cook and eat mushrooms in the kitchen all the time.” But she wasn’t cooking mushrooms or eating them... there was an actual mushroom growing under the countertop in our kitchen!

Now, before you go judging us, let me give you some perspective of our situation. We live almost at the top of the highest mountain in our state. Literal clouds periodically roll through our front yard because we’re so high-up (in altitude). Sometimes when we’re coming home from Curitiba on the highway and we see our mountain (miles away in the distance) and where we live is sometimes above the clouds. Our house is surrounded by the Brazilian Rain Forrest. We’re in the jungle. There’s water everywhere. Streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, springs... you name it- they’re all around us. It’s wet!

As beautiful and lush as everything is on the outside, the problem is that all that “beauty” creates moisture on the inside of all the houses here as well. The houses here aren’t insulated and you have your windows and doors open all the time anyway (because there’s no central heat/air). So there’s no escaping the moisture. And, because of the excessive moisture, there’s mold growing everywhere! On our walls, on our ceiling, on MJ’s decorations, on everything. We have these little things that we bought that are suppose to 'wick' the moisture out of the house but they’re no match for all the moisture in the air. There’s no escaping all the moisture. Almost all of the furniture that we shipped from the States is ruined because of the moisture as well. Drawers won’t close right because the wood is swollen with moisture and the  shelves under all the sinks have collapsed (or are in the process of collapsing) because they stay wet all the time. 

We have to burn all of our trash here. So we usually use paper to start the fire with. But even trying to light the paper can be difficult. As soon as you bring it outside it starts absorbing moisture from the air and, depending on what time of day it is, it can almost be impossible to even light the paper on fire! Here, I’ll give you another example of how much moisture is in the air:

We don’t have a closet for our clothes. So we have these big Rubbermaid containers that we store our clothes in- stacked up in our bedroom (fancy, I know). Well one day I went to get a pair of my shoes out and there was so much mold growing on them that you could hardly see what color the shoes were! Seriously?! They’re in an airtight plastic container...”what’s up with that?!”

Here's a belt that was hanging on the back of our bedroom door.
It's a black belt- NOT a gray one! That's mold all over it! Crazy...

Here's one of MJ's jackets hanging on the back of our bedroom door.
Those white/gray splotches are mold! No wonder I have such a hard time breathing here: (

It’s common to drive down our road and see mattresses, pillows and blankets hanging out of people’s windows, on their fences or on their clotheslines drying because of all the moisture that was created on them when they slept on them the night before... it’s bizarre. Bottom line- it’s wet and moldy here.

So back to the mushroom growing in our kitchen. When I told MJ that I wanted to take a picture of it she said, “no” because she was afraid that I was gonna write a blog and show people (what would give her that crazy idea?) and that someone was going to see it and think she wasn’t a good housekeeper or something. I, of course, grabbed the camera anyway because I thought it was awesome: ) It’s like we’re living in some kind of dream or something because this stuff is crazy! Who would’ve ever thought that we would be growing our own mushrooms? lol! It’s no reflection on her as a housekeeper or on us as a family- it’s just the way it is because of where we live. Plain and simple. So why hide it?

Here's the little guy- peaking out from under our cement countertop (fancy, huh?)

You see, there’s something inside of us all (as humans) that doesn’t want other people to see any of our flaws or any of the imperfections in our lives. It’s like we all want people to see how awesome everything is in our lives but we’re afraid to let anyone see the things that aren’t. If you don’t believe me, just take a quick look at all the posts on Facebook today. People only talk about the ‘highlight’ and never the ‘lowlights.’ 

It’s crazy, because we may not all have mushrooms growing in our kitchens, but we all probably have stuff going on that we hide and that we don’t want anyone else to know about, right? And it’s all because we’re afraid that someone would think less of us if they knew. Sorry, but that sounds a lot like pride. We all have issues in our lives that are a byproduct of the broken-fallen-sinful world that we live in. 

As followers of Jesus, the problem with only letting people see the ‘perfect’ things or only the things that are ‘pretty’ in our lives- is that it limits our ability to minister deeply and effectively. When we only let people know about all of our ‘wins’ and never our ‘losses’ it gives them the impression that their life is messed-up because, next to ours, their life doesn’t measure-up in the slightest. But when we’re transparent and honest it opens up so many more avenues into people’s lives because they don’t feel like we’re speaking down to them but actually to them (from the same level). 

Now, I’m not talking about airing all your dirty laundry to the entire world. I’m talking about letting people see that you’re not as perfect as they think you are. I’m talking about being real with people so that God can use you to speak into their lives. Because as we focus more on being honest and we put less effort into keeping up the facade that everything in our life is perfect- the easier it will be to minister to other people. And as Christ Followers that should be paramount to us- not ‘keeping up appearances.’

So what mushrooms do you have in your life? Is there anything that you try to hide because you don’t want people to think less of you? If so, you may not want to take pictures and write a blog about it, but you may want to start letting people see the real you. It’s liberating so give it a try: )

Wet and Moldy in Brazil,

Jim