God is So Good

God is so good to our family. It is amazing how that whenever we become involved in "God's activity" that He gets involved in "our activity." In the past I've been guilty of pursuing things that were temporal... you know things like buying the newest electronic gadget, a newer car, clothes, shoes (no, I'm not gay! I just like shoes.), a bigger house... and it seemed like I was never satisfied. It seemed like we never had enough money to get the "thing" that was finally going to give us that feeling of contentment. But over the last 2 years as we've shifted our focus away from "us" to "others" we have more money. I can't explain it. When MJ and I began our journey to adopt 5 orphans from Brazil a little over a year ago, we didn't have the $40,000 that we needed to adopt them... but God provided all of the money we needed. Over the last year I haven't received a raise in my church salary (and no, I'm not complaining... I'm very thankful for my job.) and I've increased the number of people in our family by 5... but we have more money in our bank account today than before we adopted. As a matter of fact, when we received our giving records in January... we gave more in 08' than in 07'. So how does that happen? MJ and I were also able to have the money to pay for our mission trip a few weeks ago in cash ($2,500) without having to put it on a credit card. And it has nothing to do with us. We've been married for 20 years and most of the time we've lived paycheck to paycheck... always a month behind on our bills. But not now! God has supernaturally worked a miracle in our finances. And I believe the reason is this... we don't care about the temporal any more. We are focused on the eternal. Now I'm not saying that new clothes and houses don't appeal to us. But what I am saying is that we're not pursuing them anymore. I guess when Jesus told us that "if we would seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, that all of these things would be added to us" that it was true!? Here's another example; today our oldest son, Michael, boarded a plane for Nicaragua. He'll be there for the next two weeks helping to feed thousands of children with Samaritans International. I don't know if you remember, but a few weeks ago in an earlier post, I made the comment that I thought everyone should have their teenagers go on a missions trip (and every adult as well) at least once. I said that I thought it would change their perspective on life... do you remember that? Well anyway, when MJ and I got home from Brazil a few weeks ago we heard that a friend of the family (Perry Brown, President of Samaritans International) was going on a mission trip to Nicaragua where he has a feeding program that feeds over 21,000 destitute children in a rural part of the country. We asked Michael if he would be interested in going if Perry had room on the trip, and he said, "yes." So we called Perry and he told us that if we would pay for the plane ticket he would take care of all the other expenses. Well we just so happened to have the money (a little over $400) to cover the ticket. This is huge because normally we wouldn't have that much money left over after we paid bills but this time we did. God is so good! So my question for you is this... what are your pursuits? What is that thing that you are striving for? Is it an eternal thing or a temporal thing? If it's a temporal thing then you're probably on your own... but if it's an eternal thing... keep pressing on and just watch how God gets involved to bring it to pass.

See ya, Jim

Living Safely

If you are feeling safe and comfortable right now and you don't want to be challenged in your walk with Christ, then stop reading and we'll see you next time. That's right... stop reading and just check back on our next post. Because what I am about to say isn't for the casual christian, the just visit the church on Sunday and not even think about God the rest of the week person. OK... for those of you who are still reading, I just want to share something with you. I think we've been misled. I think that for most of us who have been in the American church for any length of time, that we have been given a "Gospel" that isn't fully true. Sure, we've heard a portion of it, but for the most part, a lot of what this Christian life is all about has been left out. You see, I think we as pastors do our people a dis-service when we tell them that all they have to do is pray a prayer or fill a card out at the end of a service and that's it... kind of like getting a lifetime country club membership or like getting a get out of jail free card that never expires. I think that's wrong. Sure, salvation is free. It's was paid for by Jesus over 2,000 years ago and there is nothing we can do to earn it. But, there is a price to pay to follow Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, "that if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." Now the cross (or the assignment) that you and I have been called to bear is different. He may be asking me to one thing and you another but one thing is the same... He's asked us to deny ourselves. Everyone. Everyone has to deny themselves the things that we want to do. He has a perfect plan for each of us and the plans are all different but they do require us to deny our self and put aside our plans for His. And that will sometimes be something that requires a step of faith... a step of faith out of our comfort zone... to the place where it doesn't feel safe. But that's OK. He will always require those of us who progress in our Christian walk to take steps out into thin air, where it is only Him who can sustain us. Look back at anybody in the Bible who did anything for God... at some point they ALL had to step out into the unknown or the uncomfortable... Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David, the Prophets... and that's just naming a few without even getting into the New Testament! The bottom line is this... God is calling us all to a deeper walk with Him that will require us to put aside our plans and pursuits and step up to the assignments (or our cross) that He has for us so that we can change the world for His Glory! Because that's what it's all about... changing the world. God isn't trying to torture us by asking us to do difficult or sacrificial things. He's trying to position us so that He can work through us to touch people's lives. I know that this was long today, but we need to ask the Lord, "are we doing what you want us to do?" "Or are we just living safely?"

My sister-in-law told me about this video clip and it goes along with today's blog so I thought I'd share it with you. Enjoy.

In Him,

Jim

What Are You Seeing?

I don't know if you remember, but while we were in Brazil I prayed that God would never allow me to forget the things I had seen, touched and experienced while we were there. I know that we've only been home for a little less than a week but so far it's sticking. It's been hard to 'not' think about everything we saw. The poverty, the hunger for Christ in the people, the children... I can't get it out of my mind. There are a few things that are stirring in our hearts that I think God wants us to do (I can't share it right now but I will once I get more clarity). It's exciting and scary, all at the same time. We're just trying to discern what it is that the Lord wants us to do with what we've seen.
I believe that the Lord shows us things sometimes so that we can make a difference and bring His presence into the situation. Not that we'll be able to meet every need that we encounter or right every wrong that is made, but we as Christians are suppose to be light and salt in the world, right? That means that where there is darkness we shine light, where things are rotting we bring preservation (salt isn't just for flavor it also preserves), right? You see one day we are ALL going to have to stand before the Lord and He is going to separate everyone, like a shepherd separates sheep and goats. And He's going to tell the 'sheep' to enter in to the place that was prepared, by the Father, for them before the world began... because I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and in prison and you visited me. And then they're going to say to Him, "when did we SEE you hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or in prison." And He's going to say, "when you did it for the least of these people you did it as unto me." The He's going to say to the 'goats' you didn't reach out to me in these areas and then you know what happens. It's not good.They even say, "when did we SEE you in these situations?" You know the story. This is something that WILL happen one day. Read Matthew 25. It's kind of scary if you think about it. What's funny is that He didn't say anything about, "you didn't preach to me, or you didn't quote the Bible to me, or that you didn't tell me everything I was doing wrong"... He's going to tell them that they didn't meet these basic needs and reach out and have compassion on them. We see people in need every day. And we don't have to go overseas to find people who need help. They're right here in our own neighborhoods... in our schools... on our jobs.
So, the question I think we all need to ask ourselves is, "God... why have you allowed me to see some of these things?" What changes do you want me to make so that I can help? I personally don't think that He allows us to see 'anything' by accident or just by coincidence. Sure, we need to pray for people in needy situations, but at some point we've got to put legs to our faith (James 2:14) and do something. We've got to give them food, water, clothing, visit them in their time of crisis, in addition to sharing the Gospel with them. We saw some overwhelming things while in Brazil. But rather than just praying for these people, or maybe just forgetting about them over time... we're going to do something. It's going to be crazy too! You just wait and see. We serve a BIG God and I believe He wants to show Himself mightily through His people. So, my question for you is, "what are you seeing?" What things has God allowed you to see? Maybe He's trying to put you into situations and allowing you to see people in need so that you can make a difference. What do you think?
Jim

The Icing on the Cake

Well, today was our last day of ministry here in Curitiba and we finished it on a high, that's for sure. We went back to the orphanage again! When I found out that there was a possibility that we were going to make another trip there I immediately thought, "there's no way I'm going back," because I didn't think I could handle it emotionally. The last time we visited

(on Thursday) was one of the most heart-wrenching things I've ever done. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome hanging out with all the kids, but having to leave them there was painful. It's incomprehensible to think that these beautiful children were either abandoned by there parents or that they were being abused so badly that the government had to take them away. It's crazy! Anyway, we were able to go and purhase over 100 liters of milk, soccer balls, crayons and coloring books... all of which we gave to the orphanage. We also bought a bunch of pizza and soft drinks and went and served it to all of the kids and the house parents. There were close to 40 little children that were so thankful for us being there. After we served them and they finished eating, we played with them. There was soooooo much energy on that property (and not because we just pumped them full of pizza and soda!) and there was so much love. You just sensed it everywhere you looked. There were kids loving all over the place, kids riding on people's shoulders, kids being swung around, jumping, laughing, hugging, kissing... it was amazing. Every mission team member was engaged with someone every second we were there and none of the kids felt left out. It really was "the icing on the cake" for the whole trip. Being able, just for a brief moment, to bring joy and to share love with these children was so fulfilling. I was able to hold it together until the very end... when Lucas came running over to me, jumped into my arms and gave me a huge hug. He held me so tight and didn't let go. That's when the tears started flowing again. But today was a little easier to leave, even though I was crying. You see, Crossroads Curitiba is going to start visiting these children regularly and will even be bringing them to church occasionally. So, until these children are adopted, they'll now be getting love and the Word of God... and that's really "The Icing on the Cake!"

Love ya,

Jim

What!? Jesus is Allowed in School?

Today, we had the awesome opportunity to go into a local school and speak about Jesus! Yep. You heard me right... Jesus. We were able to tell almost 800 elementary aged children about the Gospel and pray with them. We held 6 sessions before lunch and 6 sessions after lunch. It was amazing to be able to go into a public school and not only speak openly about our Savior but we started out by singing worship with them! You know, in the States we can hold assemblies every once and a while but we can only speak about avoiding drugs and alcohol or some other message that promotes a positive lifestlye... but we can't mention christianity, Jesus or even the Bible much less start out by singing worship with them. So it was awesome! We also gave all the kids salvation bracelets so they could remember what we had just spoken to them about.
One of the things I want to metion is the students we are here ministering with. In case you didn't know, we are here in Brazil with a friend of mine who pastor's a church in Monroe. He brings his youth group here every year (if you remember our blog last year, they were the church that was here at the same time as us). So, the entire team consists of 7 adults and the rest of the team are high school students. From the first day we arrived I've been so impressed with their zeal for souls, their compassion for the people of this country and their focus. It's contagious. We've been 100mph the whole time we've been here and they've been great. There is one guy in particular that God has really moved on since we've been here. When I first met him, he seemed a little rowdy and a little on the edge... but I just knew that God was going to meet him here in Brazil. This young man is a new person. His heart has been broken for the things that are important to God. If you are reading this right now and you have a teenager and they've never been on a mission trip you need to send them. And as far as that goes... if you've never been on one, you need to go! Our veiw of life is so distorted because of living in the U.S. and we need to have a clearer view of the world. You might say, "I can't afford a mission trip." Why is it that we can afford XBOX's and Flat Panel TV's and new cars every 2 years, but when it comes to being able to bring change to someone's life and to have a REAL encounter with God... we can't afford it? We need to change our thinking. OK, maybe you "really" can't afford a mission trip. That's cool. Then try to get involved in a ministry at your church or with another organization that minister's to the poor and needy. Volunteer with your family at a soup kitchen or reach out to some of the addicted or homeless in your city. There's plenty of places to try and reach the lost and hurting. Because when we reach out to lost like this, we're fulfilling what God has called us to do. And be sure to let your kids 'do ministry' with you. My parents never did anything that even remotely resembled reaching out to the needy. I don't even think it was a thought. But I believe God is raising up a different kind of parent that wants to not just raise their children but also train them. And I don't mean just telling them what their not suppose to do, but ones that will show them what to do... like reaching out to people where there's no ulterior motive other than wanting to minister the love of Jesus to them. We just need to start thinking outside of the 4 walls of our own homes. If you are one of my children and you're reading this... get ready because Daddy has some cool ideas of stuff we can do to reach out to people as a family!
So seeing Jesus ministered through a bunch of students to a bunch of students in a public school was awesome... I wish you could have seen it.

Love you guys!
Jim

Village of the Walking Dead

The Village of the walking dead. Does that sound like a neighborhood that you woud like to live in? What about if your subdivision was named Walking Dead Place? Or what if your street was named Walking Dead Blvd? I don't know about you but me and my family aren't even loooking at a house there! Well, that is the name of the village that we've been working in all week. It is in Curitiba, Brazil and is a village with the population of about 10,000. It is a very poor village. A village with poverty that is unlike anything I've ever seen in America. It's like the stuff you only read about or see on TV. There is no way to explain the filth, the smell, the hopelessness. There are dogs, diseased and dying, just laying all over the streets and in front of houses. This village is outside of the city and everyone who lives and works in the area has to drive by the village, which can be seen as you're travelling on the highway. The government gave this village the name "Villa Zoombi" which means "The Village of the Walking Dead." That's becuase they view these people as a people who are basically just breathing, a people with no hope who just happen to be alive and waiting to die.
About 3 years ago, a young Brazillian pastor and his wife felt the call to go and plant a church right in the middle of this village. Right in the middle of the crime, the drugs, the prostitution, the poverty... right in the middle of these people called "The Walking Dead." They started out with only a handfull of people in the back room of an old warehouse. Last year they broke ground on their new property. This past December they held their first service in their new building. which is still under construction. It isn't anything fancy, just a big 3 story block building. Services are being held on the 2nd floor right now and they have plans to put in a computer lab, vocational classrooms for the people in the village and a gym for the village children within the next few years. Just within the last year this church has had such a huge impact on this community. This church is a beacon of light in the middle of a very dark place. As the big steel gate is rolled back on Sunday Nights, Wednesday Nights and Friday nights, adults and children pour into this facility to hear the Gospel. To see their faces when they are singing or when they are listening to the Word is amazing. I think that if Jesus was here today and decided to start a church... there is a very strong chance that He would start one here (or some place like here). This is what our Christian walk should be all about, right? Jesus even said in Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the Gospel to the POOR; He has sent me to heal the BROKENHEARTED. To preach deliverance to the CAPTIVES and recovry of sight to the BLIND. To set at liberty those who are OPPRESSED; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Now you're probably saying, "yeah but you're in Brazil. How does that apply to me here in the United States?" If you look out your window right now... you're living in the "Village of the Walking Dead" too! It's only different for us because we're not looking at the poverty and a lot of the other stuff I listed earlier... but most of our neighbors, co-workers, and even some of our friends are walking around dead and they don't know it! They think everything is OK and all is well... but the truth is they're on the Road to Hell (hey that rhymes!). So, it's up to us to be the beacon of light in our own neighborhoods to help shine the Light of the Gospel of Christ on them. It's all about Jesus and His love for people. So be the Light! Even think about who you can invite to church next week... c'mon! It's Easter and pretty much anyone will go to church on Easter, right? If you don't do it, who will? We love you guys and we're excited about the times we're living in right now.

Love ya,

Jim

I Think I Can Talk About it Now

Yesterday was so emotional. There was no way that I could have even attempted to relate it through the blog without weeping. So, I decided to wait until today to blog about it. Yesterday, we visited the orphanage that we adopted our children from last year. We really wanted to go back and visit so that we could thank all of the people who took care of our children while they were there. We also wanted to bring gifts to all of the children who were there and have a day to just hang out, do crafts, play soccer, face paint... you know... just spend time with them. When we arrived the kids were peering through the barred windows waiting for us. When we got out we were greeted by one of the directors of the orphange as well as some of the children. We began to show them pictures of our children so they could see how much they've changed in one year. Everyone was so happy. Then one little boy, named Lucas, looked at the pictures then immediately walked away with his head hanging low. I watched him out of the corner of my eye and saw him walk over to a wall, put his back against it and slide down with his face in his hands. Immediately, I knew why this happened... you see, last year little Lucas was the last face I saw as we pulled away from the orphanage with our 5 adopted children. And to this day I haven't been able to forget the look in his eyes. It's like I could hear him thinking, "why do they get a family and not me?" It was so sad. Now here it was 1 year later and Lucas was still there. I think that seeing how happy Marlon, Ana, Diogo, Gabriel and Robert were really hurt him. Not because he didn't want them to have a family. But because he didn't have a family. When I saw this happen , I lost it. Later in the day, he even told one of the people on our mission team that all he wanted was a family. It isn't fair that these children don't have parents. It isn't fair that they don't have someone to be there for them no matter what. They didn't ask to be put into this situation. They didn't ask to be orphans. Man, we as the church have GOT to do something. We can't just go on just thinking about ourselves while over 134 million children in the world today are without parents. While millions of people all over the world are starving and destitute but yet we do nothing. Please don't tune me out. What I am saying that we as the church we have got to step up and start doing something more for the orphans, widows and the poor. I'm sorry if I seem ticked... but I am! You see, yesterday I had to drive away from that same orphanage, and look into the eyes of that same little boy, who had that same look in his eyes... the eyes that said, "why can't I have a Family?"

Jim

I Pray That I'll Never Forget

Today was a life changing day for me as a christian, as a man, as a father and as a human being. I saw poverty. Not the kind of poverty that we see in the U.S. ... I mean real poverty. The kind where you think, "how can I go home and feel good about the way I live and not do something to try and help these people?" Sure I won't have to see them everyday but the images of these precious people will be burned into my memory forever. To see adults living in poverty is one thing, but to see children living in an environment like that... it was heartbreaking. There is no way to come away from this experience the same. As I sit here I don't even know what to blog about because I'm overwhelmed at what I saw. I pray that I will never forget the sights, the smells, the children, or the look in the eyes of these people, ever. I also pray that the Lord will allow me and my family to do something to help these people.
These people were so open to the Gospel. Many excepted Christ today. Their lives changed forever. We're here helping a new church that has been built smack dab in the middle of this poor village of about 10,000 people. So, we're not only getting them saved but we were able to put them in a church right in their own community. And the children in this community love this church. We had an opportunity to go and hold a youth service with the kids tonight. This church is doing some amazing things.
We also went to the orphanage that we got our children from last year. It was very emotional. To see some of the same kids still there was too much. We couldn't hold back the tears seeing these children. I feel like I've been crying all day so I'm going to have to blog about our trip to the orphanage tomorrow, sorry.
Keep praying for us. We miss everyone.

Love Ya,
Jim

Do We Really Believe What We Have?

Today was absolutely amazing. I know we use that word a lot... but it was. To be able to come to a foreign country and share the Gospel with kids who don't even speak the same language... was truly amazing. The response and hunger for Christ was amazing. Our God is amazing! We spoke in a school that had about 500-600 kids in it. We sang worship songs with them and then we used interpretors and presented the Gospel. The message was simple... God loved them so much that He gave His only son, that whoever believed in Him would never parish but would have everlasting life. Pretty simple, we've all heard it, most of us have been able to quote it since Sunday School as little kids... but when these kids heard it they wanted it! The response was overwhelming. One of the people on our team even had 2 boys stop him as he walked up the street and asked him to tell them about Jesus and salvation and subsequently won them to Christ. I think we've become de-sensitized to what we have on the inside of us because if we really believed that God loved us so much that He sent His son for us, we'd be more excited about it... we'd want to tell someone... don't you think? So, my question is, "do we really believe what we have?" No, seriously... do we believe it? Is our passion for Christ so strong that we've just got to tell someone about Him? OK. next question, "when is the last time we've tried to intentionally tell soemone about Jesus when it wasn't a missions trip, or we weren't at church or during an outreach event at church?" Ouch! Hurts, huh? It does me too. Now, I'm not ashamed to speak about Jesus to anyone and I'll always jump at the opportunity to witness, but I can't say that I'm always being intentional about trying to target someone with the Gospel. I pray that this trip will help change that in me and that something will spark the desire in you because people need what we have on the inside.

We miss everybody. We miss our kids especially! Mommy and Daddy love you! But we know that this trip has a purpose and we're beginning to see it, so pray that God will continue to allow us to hear Him more clearly and that many more people will come to know Him on this trip.

To look into the eyse of a child today and be able to introduce them to your Savior... AMAZING.

Love ya,

Jim

Why Don't They Sell Butt Cushions at the Airport?

OK. The older I get, the more my butt disappears. Yes, you heard me right. My butt has diappeared. I know that this isn't a very 'spiritual' way to start off with the blog today but I think I need to say it anyway. Let me explain... I turn 44 this year and it seems that every year my butt gets flatter and flatter, smaller and smaller, going, going... almost gone. And I really noticed it as we finished our 4 plane 26 hour trip to Curitiba. No matter how I sat... no matter how many times I shifted positions or what angle I tried to adjust to... I couldn't get comfortable. And then it hit me... I don't have any cushion back there! As a matter of fact I think all guys suffer from the same affliction as they get older. (And no, I haven't been checking anyone out either! It's just common knowledge.) One thing I did notice though, is that they sell those neck cushions at the airport and a lot of people were carrying them around. So, why not sell butt cushions? I bet they would sell great too! Maybe I'll start a fund raiser and use that as an idea?? So, if you go to the airport and you see a bunch of guys carrying around butt cushions... you'll know they stole the idea from me.
Anyway, we arrived safely in Curitiba, Brazil without ANY problems. Yes, that's right. No lost luggage, no running through airports to catch connections, no hold-ups in immigration or in customs... it was awesome! God was so good to us. We finally got to our hotel at 5:30pm... unloaded all the luggage, received our room assignment, showered(because we hadn't showered in over 35 hours), ate dinner and were out the door by 7:00pm to go minister at a church. It was pretty hectic... but worth it.
Mary Jane and I rode to church in the car with the pastor of the church we were going to, along with his wife and one of his daughters. It was dark and our communication was minimal because he didn't speak English and my Portuguese is weak. But we were able to understand that he had started a church and it wasn't in the typical location. As we turned onto a dark street that was leading us right in the middle of a place that woud make 'the projects' in the States look like Beverly Hills, we started seeing people walking down the street all moving toward the same direction. Now the streets were pitch black, dusty and pretty scarry but as we turned another corner we saw it... a sign that said "Living Hope Church". And that's where all these people were going. It was really amazing to see all these people, mostly kids ages 6-12, heading on this dark night to a place to hear the Gospel. We sang worship with them (songs we sing in the States, only in Portuguese) I was able to give a brief testimony and one of the other guys on the team ministered out of Matthew 22:37 on loving God above all else. A couple of people came to Christ and it was really cool to see what God was doing right in the middle of the darkness, both figuratively and spiritually, it made a huge impact on me. To see God moving in the lives of people who didn't even speak my language. Different language, same God... awesome.
Well tomorrow we have an opportunity to speak in 6 different assemblies in a school with several hundred children, so pray that God moves mightily among our group to bring people to Him.
We miss our kids so much and it's only been one day. Our children truly are a gift from God to us. We love you guys! And by the way... 'don't go stealin' my airport butt cushion idea... it's mine!

Jim