Now That’s Funny!

Something funny happened the other day. Carolyn (my sister-in-law) and I were meeting with the 2 directors of the elementary school so that we could begin planning for next school year (how we could best help them and minister the Gospel to the kids, all at the same time). And as we were proposing our ideas to them, they began to ask us about actually teaching more English classes (Brad is already teaching every Tuesday) and then they said something that was so funny that it was hard for me to keep a straight face. They said, “they wanted Me and Brad to think about teaching P.E. to the kids!” Now in case you don’t know what that is, P.E. stands for “Physical Education.” Now, the last time I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn’t look and think, “hmmmm... I should be a P.E. teacher. My body is such a finely tuned instrument of physical fitness that I need to pass on all of my knowledge concerning being fit to the next generation!” As a matter of fact I’m literally sitting here eating a handful of cookies as I’m writing this very blog, so seriously? P.E.? Yeah, right! Ha! There’s nothing physical (or fit) about me.

We played softball with all the kids (and some kids from the mountain) a couple of Saturday’s ago and I pulled a stomach muscle swinging the bat! I didn’t even know I had stomach muscles! Then, at the end of that day, MJ informed me that I had stick legs on a potato body. Really? That’s how you’re gonna do the man you’ve been married to for over 22 years? Thanks. My self esteem shot to an all-time high at that point.

But the more I think about it, I think we should do the whole P.E. thing. What an awesome opportunity to leverage the Gospel in that school and to use P.E. as the door that it comes through... that’s actually brilliant if you think about it. It’s like God was sitting in Heaven one day and thought, “hmmm, how could I get the Gospel to those kids in Terra Boa in a way that nobody else could get the glory for it other than me? Hmmmmm. I know... I’ll get this overweight white guy from America, that can’t speak Portuguese, with no physical abilities at all and I’ll use him to teach P.E.! Not only will I (God) get the glory, but I’ll get a good laugh, all at the same time.” And then He probably looked at Jesus and they both laughed uncontrollably.

Seriously though... please pray for us. This could be a really good thing. To have an open invitation to be with the kids on a consistent basis... that’s awesome. And to be able to live the Gospel out in front of the students each week would be great. But we only want to do exactly what God wants us to do. So pray for us, because if this is something He wants us to do (even if it’s outside my skill set), I’m all in. Spirit, Soul and Body: )

Sore Already,

Jim

PS - The pics are just some random shots of this past week. One is of Robert and a huge beetle he caught, then there's one of me and the baby horse (colt?... I don't know, I'm a city boy) that was born a few weeks ago at Brad's house, the one of all the muddy kids is my kids and Brad's after they played in the mud and then one of the giant lizard is one that my nephew trapped in his back yard... it was eating all his duck's eggs! Awesome, huh?

Totally Random Blog Saturday

Today’s Saturday and we just wanted to post a few pictures of our “Mexican Thanksgiving” we had on Thursday (you need to read Thursday’s blog to fully understand). It was a beautiful (hot) day, the food was great (even though it wasn’t turkey), the kids got to swim and it was nice to just hang-out with the family for a change. It seems like even though we’re here in Brazil together, we don’t get to spend that much time with each other (the Atkinsons, Moores and Dunns). Also, we threw-in some pictures of a snake we killed in our backyard (right next to where I was burning our trash, great!). Marlon said, “it was poisonous” so I’ll take his word for it. The picture of Gabriel laying on the front porch looking at it was after we bashed it’s head in (didn’t want you to think we would allow our kids to go eye-to-eye with a live poisonous snake, haha). And the picture of the beetles were suppose to have been on Wednesday’s blog and I forgot to attach them, sorry.

Have a great weekend and please continue to pray for us. We have a family from the U.S. arriving tomorrow (Dean and Tamara Robinson) for a short term mission trip here at the camp. It’s gonna be a great week with them so please pray that God will be glorified as we minister to the people of Brazil together: )

Love Ya,

Jim and MJ

Happy Mexican Thanksgiving

Hey Guys! Happy Thanksgiving from Brazil.

We’re really missing being in the U.S. today. For the last several years “The Annual Thanksgiving Outreach” we did as a family at our church always kicked-off the day, the feeling of Fall in the air, watching American Football, pumpkin spice candles burning in the house, topped-off with a huge meal with all our family... man. We’re really missing that today. But instead, that’s all been replaced by warm temperatures, bugs, no football (I actually heard my Dolphins aren’t doing that good this year anyway), only part of our family is here, there’s a candle called “Caribbean Escape” burning in the kitchen and our traditional Thanksgiving meal has been replaced by Mexican Food! That’s right, Mexican. How does that even happen? It’s like somebody decided, “hey, let’s think of the food that will make this holiday the most UN-Thanksgiving-like and lets’s eat that.” “Let’s strip away one more thing that makes this holiday what it was meant to be (turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, green beans, mashed potatoes and biscuits) and let’s serve Mexican Food to the family.” Really? Mexican? I’m not making this up, folks. When I heard that was what we were eating I was less than thankful... it actually made me want to cry.

But, besides that... “we’re thankful.” Really, we are. I was reading my Bible this morning and was noticing all the times Paul mentioned (in his letters to the churches) about how God called them before the foundation of the earth and predestined them to be sons of God. And, the more I think about how God did the same with us, that makes me thankful. To think that I was literally dead in my trespasses and sins, and that Jesus left Heaven to die in my place... that makes me thankful. It’s something we’ve heard all our lives but for some reason it’s more real to me today than ever. We’re also thankful and honored that God called us to represent Him and the Gospel here in Brazil. I know I was just whining about the lack of turkey and all the “fixins” that we usually enjoy on this day, but I wouldn’t trade all the turkey in the world for being right here, right now. Thank you for calling us to Brazil, Jesus.

We have this tradition (as many of you do this time of year) where we go around the room and have everyone say one thing they’re thankful for on Thanksgiving. We’ll do it later today as a family but on Monday Night, at our Monday Night Outreach, Brad was explaining to all the people there about the Thanksgiving holiday that we (the Americans) would be celebrating today and he decided to have everyone, there at the meeting, give one thing they were thankful for (just like we do as a family every Thanksgiving). One by one everyone stood and boldly proclaimed what they were the most thankful for. There were a lot of “family”, “God” and “Jesus” responses... whether they were really thankful for those things or they were just copying what the other person said, we’ll never know. But it was moving along really good until it got to our 11 year old daughter Ana. That’s when the breakdown occurred. She literally stood there with her mouth open and said, “uuuuuuuuu daaaaaaaaa oh uuuuuuuh???! Really? You’re gonna stand there and not be able to come up with one thing you’re thankful for? Seriously? At least copy what someone else said you dork! (Sorry, that’s sounds harsh, huh? We didn’t actually say it... I’m just letting you know what we were thinking.) Then that’s when time “officially stood still” and the crickets began chirping. People began to age right before our very eyes as everyone awaited Ana’s response. Duhhhhhhh ooh uuuuuuuh... it never came. Then finally the next person in the row put us all out of our misery and said what they were thankful for so that the wheels of progress could continue moving again. “Thank you,” random person sitting next to my daughter!

That’s very frustrating as a parent, isn’t it? When you’ve done everything you can to provide for your kids and then they stand there in front of everyone and they can’t say at least one thing they’re thankful for! Seriously? But we can’t be too quick to judge our kids when they do that to us. We need to look at our own lives. How many times have we done that to God? Look at how much He’s done for us but at the first sign of tough times (or if we just get a glimpse of something that’s hard in our life) we mysteriously forget about all the good stuff and become these unthankful, ungrateful spoiled little kids who can’t think of anything good to say about our lives. Lord, forgive us.

But God is still faithful to us in spite of our unthankfulness. He’s still loving to us, in spite of our ungratefulness. Thank you for your long-suffering toward us God.

Back to Ana (nothing like throwing your daughter under the bus publicly on Thanksgiving, haha). We didn’t want to discipline her too harshly (it’s that whole reaping what you sow thing... and we don’t want God dealing harshly with us when we mess up) but we did want to try and help her. We’re constantly trying to cultivate a thankful heart in our kids which is hard because we’re all sinful people, even as kids. So we had her write 30 things she was thankful for (and she couldn’t put family, God or Jesus down on the paper). The one thing that I noticed (besides the fact that she’s a horrible speller) is that when she really thought about it she had a lot to be thankful for. Just like us: )

Viva la Mexico,

Jim, MJ and all the Dunn Kids

Bug Update

We haven’t spoken about bugs in a while (and I didn’t want you to think that we had killed them all or something) so here’s a “Bug Update.” Actually, the reason I haven’t written about them in a while is because I think we’re just getting use to them. Which is weird because I’ve never seen this many insects in my entire life! MJ was walking around on the property the other day and saw a whole herd of beetles going to town on some vegetation by the side of the path (see picture up top). I know that “herd” isn’t the correct terminology but since I’ve never seen beetles more than 1 at a time I figured I’d go ahead and call them a herd. (I was going to say swarm but wasn’t sure if they actually flew) Then one of my nephews came up to me with a stick that had these caterpillars all over it. They were all about 5-6” long and were covered with what looked like little black spikes. He said that if they bit you that it feels like fire on your skin. Really, fire? (Note to self... stay away from those caterpilars.) I’ve come to the conclusion that if you see something here in the jungle, that looks pretty or unusual, it’s probably poisonous, dangerous or it’ll inflict some type of pain on you... just sayin.

Also, the other morning, Matthew went to put his shoe on and there was a huge beetle-looking thing crawling in his shoe (again, see picture up top) which isn’t that big of a deal but definitely an attention getter first thing in the morning as you’re putting your shoes on. It’s like we have to live in a constant state of paranoia. Always banging-out our shoes before we put them on or violently shaking-out our clothes (before we put them on) in case something crawled into them since we last wore them... it’s all second nature. The other morning I was putting my underwear on (no picture up top, lol!) and right when I got them all the way up I felt something prickly in the back- on the left side. The first thing that entered my my was “giant spider!” I stripped them back off in one furious motion so fast, that I couldn’t believe it (I can’t remember ever moving that fast)! Then, when I looked inside them, all I saw was one of those little sand spur things. I felt like such a little girl. But that’s what the jungle has turned me into when it comes to bugs. Even how we go to bed each night has changed. But we have the routine down to a science. We turn the fan on so it will blow the mosquitos away from us (plus, it helps mask all the freaky sounds coming from outside our window), then we put eucalyptus drops on our sheets before we get into the bed (the locals told us this helps keep bugs away), and then we spray our bodies down with bug repellant. I know that can’t be healthy but getting bitten by spiders and no-see-um’s (little black bugs that burrow under your skin and cause you to itch uncontrollably) can’t be healthy either. I guess this is a case where you can actually “pick your poison”... get it? Pick your poison? haha. That was bad, I know. But we’re still seeing a lot of insects in case you were wondering.

A couple of days ago, early in the morning, we could hear Maryssa crying out for us from upstairs and we knew it was serious. The pain we could hear in her voice, as she cried out, wasn’t good. Even though she’s “a princess” we (Me and MJ) knew that whatever it was she was experiencing, was no joke, so we both ran upstairs only to find her literally “paralyzed” laying on her side in bed, in pain, weeping. It was one of those things as a parent that you don’t want to experience. It was that feeling of utter helplessness that you get when something is wrong with one of your kids.

There she was, on her side, crying and she couldn’t move. She couldn’t even roll over onto her back... she was paralyzed, for real. We tried to roll her over but she was in such excruciating pain that it was almost impossible. We could see that she had hundreds of bites all over her body and the only thing we could figure out is that all the poison from the bites caused her body to go into a state of shock, which caused some sort of paralysis. As a father I was heartbroken, scared, mad, worried... all these emotions went flooding through my mind in an instant. We still didn’t have a vehicle, we’re in the middle of the jungle... what the crap! Really God? This is what we have to go through because we’re following you? (I’d like you to think that I’m super-spiritual and I didn’t think all that stuff, but I did)

We couldn’t call an ambulance (there’s no 911, we don’t have a phone and there aren’t ambulances anywhere near here), we couldn’t drive her to the hospital (we don’t have a vehicle), we couldn’t get Brad and Carolyn to drive us to the hospital (their car was in the shop for the millionth time), we were stuck! All these things rushed through my mind in an instant. It’s like I could feel ‘panic” starting to rise-up trying to grip me... but then the Holy Spirit, the comforter, reminded me- “we still had God.” So, we laid hands on her and prayed. And not because it was the only thing we could do or that it was our last resort either. We did it because we trust Him, He is our refuge and the strong tower we run into when we’re freaked-out. Sure, all those crazy thoughts ran through our mind for a brief moment but when the rubber hit the road and when reality hit us square in the face, Jesus was the one we turned to. As MJ held our daughter in her arms, we prayed and asked God to take the pain away, to touch her body, and to help her... pretty simple. And then God, in His mercy, did just that. He touched my little girl’s body as she slept for the next several hours. The next day she was as good as new! He’s so good to us: )

It’s in moments like that (when you’re at the end of everything you can do in your own ability) that running to God is at it’s best. I think that’s what Jesus meant when He told Paul (in II Corinthians 12:9) that “His grace is sufficient for us, for His power is made perfect in our weakness.” When we’ve totally depleted everything in our arsenal to combat whatever it is that we’re facing, and then we turn to Jesus in a totally weak and vulnerable state... He always comes through for us.

So what are you facing in your own life that you need to turn over to Him? What is it that you’ve been trying to handle in your own ability? Why not just surrender it to Jesus? He said that His power is made “perfect” in our weakness. So weakness isn’t all that bad, huh? And you thought just because you couldn’t fix the problem yourself that it was a “bad thing.” When in all actuality the fact that you can’t fix it is the “best thing.” So get out if the way and let God do “His thing” : )

Trying to Be Weak so He Can Be Strong,

Jim

PS- I know that worms aren’t scary but the picture up top is of one we found in our backyard. It was at least 18” long. We actually thought it was a snake when we first saw it (because it was so long) but it was just this freakishly long earthworm. Also, note all the bug bites on his forearm... in the words of Axl Rose “Welcome to the Jungle” : )

Using the “F” Word: Pt. 2

Yesterday I wrote about the “F” word... “Forgiveness.” And today I wanted to finish off a few thoughts I had on the subject. I don’t know about you, but when it comes to forgiveness, It’s pretty serious. There was a time back in the early 90’s, when I was in Bible college in Florida, that I let un-forgiveness into my life and it totally shut me down from the presence of God. It was horrible. It turned into a very dark period of my life. It wasn’t good. It usually takes me having to go through something 100 times before I learn the lesson, but that’s one time in my life I learned the lesson after only one time. But having the personality that I have, I tend to look for creative ways of arriving at a destination. I like to go a different route than the one that’s obvious or the one that everyone else is taking. Kind of like a “spiritual trail blazer.” And it’s the same with this whole forgiveness thing. I know that I’m suppose to forgive even if my brother sins against me 490 times in one day like in Matthew I8:22 (which is a lot of times to have to forgive someone in a single day if you ask me). So I have this concept I like to call “Creative Forgiveness” and it’s pretty ingenues. It’s a great way to take the sting out of having to forgive someone. It’s such an awesome idea I should probably try and put together a manual for it or something. Here’s how it works. In the back of your mind you know that you’re going to forgive that person for whatever it is that they did to you because it’s what’s required of us as Christ Followers. But before you actually do the whole “forgiving thing” just choose one of the following options before you forgive them. It’s called “Creative Forgiveness” and the concept totally makes it easier to forgive someone when they’ve wronged you. Here’s just a few options to choose from (I’m still working on the list and it’s by no means exhaustive):

• Option 1 Continuously think about what the person did to you and replay the event over and over in your mind until it doesn’t bother you anymore. The more you re-live it, the easier it is to deal with. You know, the whole familiarity thing. WARNING... if this is the option you choose, it may take a very long time and Jesus may possibly come back before you feel better and the whole “being left behind thing” isn’t that appealing.

• Option 2 Lay in bed at night thinking about all the scenarios of how you can get back at them. Even though you know you won’t actually follow through with any of your awesome plans, it sure feels good to imagine their demise in your mind.

• Option 3 Tell 1 or 2 other people just so that somebody else knows what that person did to you. Because it sure feels good to have somebody else on your side, right?

• Option 4 Punch that person in the face (if you’re the physical type) because that will make all your problems go away. You know, some people like to jog or workout to relieve stress... you just like to punch people, it’s all the same thing (in theory) if you think about it. If you choose this option, you may want to check the laws in your state first... unless, of course, you want to start a prison ministry.

• Option 5 Give the person a piece of your mind first. If you can’t do it in person just attack them verbally in a letter, an email, on facebook, or in a blog because God knows that you need to vent all those emotions before you can actually forgive them.

• Option 6 Ask God to do something really bad to them (anything short of death) because you know that He loves you way more than the other person who hurt you. And by causing something tragic to happen to them, it will only draw them closer to God so it’s a win-win, right?

OK. The list is totally a joke, of course. But the funny thing is that we actually do some of those same things (or things similar to them) before we forgive someone. When you read the list of options, they sound ridiculous, right? Then why is it that we actually follow-through with some of them rather than just forgiving the Bible way?... which is forgiving with no retaliation, no stipulations, no revenge, no paybacks, just forgiveness. I mean, I just did some of these things from this list the day before yesterday... it’s crazy! Even though the things I did were just in my mind, I meditated on them for way too long. And that’s where the real me is... in what I meditate on. I can look OK on the outside and do all the right stuff but what I am when I’m alone, the things I allow my thoughts to linger on, that’s the real Jim. And I don’t like what I am. Man, I’m soooo sinful. And that God puts up with followers like me is totally amazing. He’s so merciful. Now don’t go judging me until you look at yourself first. Do you lay in bed and think about that thing that the person did to you all night (or as soon as your eyes open in the morning)? Do you think of ways to get back at them? Does the very thought of that person make your blood boil? If you answered , “yes” to any of those then you probably need to forgive them still. So what are you waiting for? Why are you allowing yourself to be tortured and held captive to that thing? By forgiving them, you’re not saying what they did was right... what they did was wrong, no doubt. But by forgiving, you’re allowing the Spirit of God to work on your behalf. And forgiveness is one of the things that distinguishes you as a true Follower of Christ. Because when you understand how much God has freely forgiven you for, there’s no possible way that you’re gonna hold something against someone else because it doesn’t make sense. (think about all the stuff God has forgiven you of)

So, how do you react when someone hurts you? Do you have any creative things that you try to incorporate into the way you forgive to make it easier? Or is using the “F” word easy for you? Just curious...

Trying to Be Quick to Forgive,

Jim

PS - the pics at the top are of us (our family and some friends from the mountain) having dinner at the pavilion one night last week. The 1st pic is what it looks like upstairs at our house when it rains and we have to dry clothes inside... yippee!

Using the “F” Word

The “F” word. There’s something different about that word that’s different from other words. It’s powerful. When you use it flippantly it doesn’t mean much. But when you use it on purpose, it’s a powerful force to be reckoned with as far as words go. Using the “F” word will actually change the course of your life. Some people use it and some people don’t. But after using the “F” word you’ll ALWAYS feel better. I like to use it as soon as somebody does something to me that frustrates me or makes me mad. I actually used the “F” word this morning and I’m not ashamed of it, I don’t care who knows either. Now before you start using the “F” word you have to understand that there’s 2 ways to use it. Intentionally and unintentionally. If you use it unintentionally you’re just wasting your breath. But if you think it through and use it intentionally you’ll feel the power of it. Some people just let it slip out at the drop of a hat but if you really think it through before you let it roll off your tongue you’ll effect everybody around you. Actually if you don’t use the “F” word I’ll go as far as saying you’re a fool. That’s right, I said it... a fool. And I’ll take it one step farther... if you don’t use the “F” word, from what I can see, you’e probably going to Hell. For real...

Oh, wait a minute... you thought I meant the other “F” word. The one that Richard Pryor would use so frequently in his stand-up routines (I just dated myself didn’t I?) that you’d lose count if you were trying to keep track or the “F” word that if you have one of those “curse free” TV things, it would remove 3/4 of the movie Goodfellows. Sorry, I guess I should have been more clear. The “F” word I’m talking about is the word “Forgiveness.” It’s a powerful word that will literally change the course of your life, it will effect your health, it will allow you to sleep better and most importantly it will determine what kind of relationship you have with God. It’s a word that’s so important to God that He said, if we didn’t forgive others He wouldn’t forgive us (Matthew 6:14, Mark 11:25). In Matthew 18 Jesus told this parable about this guy who didn’t forgive someone even though he had been forgiven much. Read it, it didn’t end well for that guy. The kicker is at the end of the parable when Jesus tells us that the Heavenly Father will do the same thing to every one of us if we don’t forgive our brothers from our heart (v35). That’s why I can say with no hesitation that if we don’t use the “F” word and forgive, we’re fools!

But what about when somebody does something to you and you’re right and they’re wrong? I mean, there’s no doubt about it... what they did to you is wrong-sinful-spiteful-hurtful and any other “ful” word you want to use. You’re in the right, they’re totally in the wrong... what then? Don’t you have the right not to forgive? The answer is no. We have no right to hold un-forgiveness toward anyone for anything. God has freely forgiven us for every evil/sinful thing we’ve done- past, present and future so we have no right to not forgive someone else. It doesn’t matter how bad that thing was... we’ve got to forgive.

The reason I’m writing about this today is because for me, this is a real thing. Today I had to forgive. I can’t be specific about the situation, but we received another evil report from the States that was very frustrating and intentionally hurtful. Some times people (even brothers/sisters in Christ) are going to do things that hurt us. Whether it’s intentional or not, people “will” hurt us. And, when (you notice how I said, “when” and not “if?”... pretty clever, huh?)... when it happens, we have a decision to make. Either we forgive them or we choose not to. It’s totally our choice. By forgiving we walk in freedom. By not forgiving we actually put ourselves in bondage to that person. They win (or technically the devil wins because we’re not in a fight against flesh and blood... Eph. 6:12). By forgiving you’re actually releasing yourself from bondage and that’s what Me and MJ chose today. We’re gonna forgive the way God forgave us... with no strings attached. Even though we don’t feel like it, we’re doing it. We literally just finished sitting at our kitchen table, holding hands, praying and calling out the names of the people that sinned against us and forgave them audibly. Not in our minds or just in our hearts, but verbally-out loud. Man, what a freeing thing. To be in-the-right and have something happen to you and then to release it/them with no strings attached. It’s the way to go, for sure. We’re not even going to use “creative forgiveness” on them. You know what that is, right? No? OK. I’ll write about that tomorrow then. Because all of us are tempted to use it (creative forgiveness) and you probably don’t even realize it. So be sure check back tomorrow. Gotta go for now. Have a great day: )

Not Afraid to Use the F” Word,

Jim

The Art of Pressure Cooking

If you weren’t aware of it, black beans and rice are probably the most common food that’s eaten here in Brazil. They’re eaten with almost every meal or as the meal. I can remember getting totally wore-out on them (black beans and rice) when we adopted our kids back in 08’. I actually began to loathe black beans and rice and we were eating them so much that the very thought of black beans and rice actually made me angry... for real. When we got back to the States one of the kids had a birthday and we decided to make black beans and rice for them. MJ soaked raw black beans overnight then she put them in a crock pot to cook all day. Later in the evening, right before dinner, we tried the beans to see if they were done and they were still raw! Hard as little rocks. They had soaked all night, cooked all day in the crock pot and they were still raw. What’s up with that? Then we found out that we were suppose to “pressure cook” them. Only problem with that is we didn’t have a pressure cooker. So we punted and went to McDonald’s and hit the dollar menu. Happy Birthday!

Well, now that we live in Brazil, we figured we ought to figure out the whole pressure cooker thing. We actually have a pressure cooker now and it’s huge! I have no idea where it came from or why it’s so big, but we have one none-the-less. Seriously... it’s so big we could probably fit one of our kids in it! Or if we were cooking Chinese food, a whole cat... lol! jk. (Totally different subject, but as I’m sitting here writing, I just heard one of our kids yelling from outside that they see a snake in the pond where they’re playing... just a little FYI. Back to the story...)

MJ has been cooking black beans and rice almost every day since we’ve been here and I’ve actually really been enjoying them. She has a routine she follows every day. She makes breakfast, then she immediately starts preparing lunch (black beans and rice). She’s like a Brazilian master chef when it comes to black beans now. And the secret is in the pressure cooker. She can do in 45 minutes (in the pressure cooker) what she wasn’t even able to do in 2 days (soaking beans overnight then 1 whole day cooking in a crock pot). You just add the beans, water, onion, salt, garlic and oil, lock the lid in place and the “pressure” and the heat take care of the rest. The secret is in the “pressure” that the pressure cooker applies to the beans. It’s cooks everything inside the pot with intense heat/pressure and it slowly releases all the pressure from this regulator thing that sits on top of the lid (it’s that loud obnoxious thing making all the racket) as all the water is turned into steam and released out of the regulator. It’s a pretty cool thing if you think about it (obviously I’ve got too much free time on my hands that I’m actually thinking about the intricacies of pressure cooking, ha!). But there’s a point. Let me explain...

Over the last several weeks it feels like our family has been in a “spiritual pressure cooker.” There’s been such intense heat and pressure applied to us that it’s almost unbearable. And it’s been constant with no relief. Have you ever felt that way? Where you literally felt like there was so much pressure on you that you were gonna explode (or have a total breakdown) because you couldn’t take anymore? That’s the way it’s been for us. And the temptation is to quit. The temptation is to “turn the heat off” and “unlock the lid” and go back to the whole slow cooking of the crock pot ( I’m speaking figuratively, of course). But we can’t. We must allow the process of what we’re going through to run it’s course.

That’s where the whole pressure cooker illustration comes in. By isolating the beans and applying heat/pressure to them it allows them to cook perfectly every time. It’s the same with us as christians, by isolating us (at least we feel isolated) and applying the heat of temptations, testings and trials into our lives, it allows all the negative stuff in us to be burned-out of us. And the work that’s being done in us couldn’t happen unless there was pressure. The work being done in us couldn’t happen unless we were pushed to the brink of collapse- to the end of “us.” Because that’s really the point... getting more of “us” out of “us.” That’s why character is never developed on the mountaintop. It’s always developed in the valley. Anyone can do great when things are good.

That’s why James 1:2 says to, “count it all joy when we fall into diverse temptations, testings and trials.” And I Peter 4:12 says, “don’t be surprised by the fiery trial when it comes on you like something strange is happening but rather rejoice...” and in I Peter 1:6-7 it tells us to rejoice in the trial because we’re just being tested and the genuineness of our faith is being shown. What the enemy is trying to do to destroy us, God is flipping on him and using it to make us stronger. So, “in your face devil!” As uncomfortable as the pressure is, it’s just making us stronger: )

It’s the same with you. Don’t be discouraged by that thing that keeps happening to you... embrace it. Let it run it’s course through your life so that your life will bring praise, glory and honor to God (I Peter 1:7) too. Because that’s what this is suppose to be all about... glorifying God.

Sitting In this Pressure Cooker Called Brazil,

Jim

I’ve Got a Lot of Pride in My Life

Pride. When you hear that word it’s usually a negative thing. The Bible talks about “pride going before a fall” and that that “God opposes the proud” and stuff like that. And that type of pride I definitely have to fight against constantly. But that’s not the kind of pride I’m talking about today. The kind I’m talking about is the good kind... the kind that I have because of my kids.
The other night I walked into Maryssa and Matthew’s rooms to spray some insecticide for them (because everyone’s been getting eaten alive at night) and for some reason it really hit me what a sacrifice my kids have made (especially Michael, Matthew and Maryssa). It’s huge. I mean, what would you do if your Mom and Dad told you that God was asking them to adopt 5 kids from a foreign country and that you would have to share your parents (with kids who have issues) for the rest of your life? Then, what if just 3 years later, Mom and Dad came and told you that they feel like God has asked the family to get rid of pretty much every convenience, comfort, and all the friends you had because God wanted you to move to the jungles of Brazil? Think about it... what would you do as a teenager?
It’s been difficult but they’ve been amazing. Now they do get aggravated with their brothers and sister and they pretty much want to strangle them 99% of the time but that’s to be expected, right? But when it comes down to it they just roll with it. And when we moved them, here to the jungle, they never once complained or bucked-up on us at all. When I was standing in their room, spraying the bug spray the other night, I wanted to cry. Especially when I looked at Maryssa’s wall and saw all the pictures of her friends, back in Georgia, hanging everywhere. Wow. The fact that they’ve not complained about being here, not even once, is nothing short of a miracle. Where they’re living now is primitive (I’m putting it nicely). I mean, to say that they’re living below what they’re use to would be a major understatement. It’s one thing for Me and MJ to make sacrifices because of ministry, but for them to have to make the same sacrifices is something totally different. As a parent it makes you feel bad too. But then to see them being willing to Follow Christ along with us is such an awesome feeling. I’m so thankful that God has honored our prayers and saved them and chosen them (and that they’ve decided to follow Jesus). I’ve seen soooo many PK’s (preachers kids) over the years who are bitter and rebellious to the things of God. Either because they see how ministry/people have hurt their parents and they want nothing to do with it or because they’ve never developed their own relationship with God and they just fall away. But to see my kids and how they’ve embraced what God has asked us to do, it just makes me proud.
I just pray, that as their parents, we can continue to point them toward Jesus because the decision to follow Him is ultimately all theirs.
Different blog today, I know. And if you didn’t make it to the end of the blog today that’s OK. Usually when people start bragging on their kids I usually tune them out, so it serves me right (you reap what you sow, right?). So, if you’re not even reading this that’s OK. I’ve got so much pride in my kids right now I’ll just tell you again later: )

One Proud Dad,
Jim

The Illusion of Something Better- Expectations vs Reality

I’ve been in the ministry for over 14 years now and I love serving Jesus. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Up until this point all of my time in the ministry has been in the local church though. It’s been great. There have always been challenges and struggles but I’ve loved what I’ve done. So, when God called me and the family to go to the mission field we were so excited. Something new, something fresh, something different. I can remember all the things I thought the mission field in Brazil was going to be like. I mean, I had already been on several trips to Brazil (6 times) over the last 3 years and had ministered in several churches, schools and orphanages on each trip. I “knew” what it was going to be like. Here’s my list of my expectations and the reality of how things really are:

Expectation

• It was going to be spiritual euphoria every day because I was doing “God’s work” on the foreign mission field.

Reality

• It’s spiritual alright... there’s so much “spiritual” stuff going on and it’s a daily battle. Some days it feels like all Hell has been unleashed against us. You can literally feel the warfare going on in the spiritual realm. I know that sounds hooky-spooky to some of you but it’s the real deal here.

Expectation

• All the Brazilian people were going to be glad that we were here... kinda like having a family of christian superheroes in town or something.

Reality

• All the Brazilian people are NOT happy that we’re here. A lot of them are very suspect

  of us and are wondering what we’re doing coming to their country. And we’re definitely

  not super-christians... just a normal family that are following Jesus. I realize that.

  Lord, forgive me for being so prideful.

Expectation

• Our family was going to be closer because we were going to be together all the time.

Reality

• Our family is one step away from killing each other because we’re together all the

  time.

Expectation

• Our marriage was going to be awesomer (it was already awesome, and yes I realize

  awesomer isn’t a word) because we were going to be together all the time.

Reality

• As awesome as I am and as much fun as I am to be around, our marriage isn’t

  awesomer (again, I know it’s not a real word) and there’s been some “intense times

  of fellowship” because MJ isn’t use to me being around so much. The mission field

  definitely puts a strain on your relationship.

Expectation

• Our quality of life, in general, was going to be better because we weren’t going to have all the distractions that we had in the States (i.e. a million channels on TV, instant internet access everywhere, cell phones, shopping, the hectic pace of the U.S., etc.) so we were going to be able to be more focused on what’s really important.

Reality

• Our quality of life (if you can even call it that) is extremely challenging! We’re stranded,

  we’re being eaten alive by insects, we have no contact with the outside world unless

  we travel down the mountain to the truck stop, and the culture is very difficult to

  acclimate to because this isn’t the U.S. and they do pretty much everything different!

Expectation

• I was going to lose weight rapidly because there’s no preservatives in the food here and that’s the only reason I was fat in the U.S... you know, all the preservatives.

Reality

• I’m still fat. Even though there’s no preservatives in the food, I’m still fat. I’m sure it has

  nothing to do with the fact that I’m 46, I don’t exercise and I eat a lot.

Expectation

• Basically, it was going to be one step away from Heaven

Reality

• Basically we’re one step away from Hell (well, at least it feels like it most days)

Have you ever done that? Have you ever had a picture of how something was going to be in your mind, only to find out it wasn’t that way at all? Have you ever said, “if I could just have a different job, or live in a different city, or if I just had a new_________ I know my life would be better... have you ever done that? If you have, you’ve probably found out that reality doesn’t usually measure-up to your expectations. You know why? There’s always one thing that’s the same... “You’re Still There!” The one common denominator is that you’re still in the equation. No matter where you go, what you do or what new thing you get... at the end of the day “you are still there.”

All the things I thought would be better here aren’t and all the things I thought would be easier here aren’t. It’s crazy. But you think I’d learn (I’m slow on the up-take most of the time) that the only thing that never changes, the only thing that brings true happiness, and the only thing that we can really rely on is God. Everything else will fall short of our expectations and will eventually let us down. Whether it’s a new job, a new town, a new relationship, a new car, a new school, a new _______... everything that seems like it’s gonna make things better won’t. Now some things WILL temporarily makes things seem better but eventually it won’t anymore either so then we’ll want something newer (case in point: the i-phone 4S... even though the i-phone 5 will probably be on the shelves within a couple months. ha!). Everything except for Jesus and the things of God will fall short. He will never disappoint. NEVER. I don’t know about you but I’m tired of chasing illusions and for the next ________ to fulfill me. Jesus is the only thing that truly fulfills what we’re in the constant search for and being where He is, is the only place to be if we want “true” contentment.

Are you there right now? I mean, where He is? If you’re following Jesus then you’ll be where true joy and fulfillment is. So what are you chasing? Because everything else is just an illusion.

Facing Reality Head On,

JIm

*** The pictures at the top are just some random photos. The baby with MJ is our caretaker’s great grandchild, the kids are swimming in the pond on our property, Diogo and Marlon looking at the camping site at the camp and MJ walking home with some of the kids.

All Christians Aren’t Dorks

We’ve been here for almost a month and a half now. We don’t have a TV, which has been a blessing and a curse all at the same time. A blessing, well... because we don’t have a TV and we’re not wasting our lives watching it! And a curse because we’re bored out of our minds after dark. I can hear somebody saying right now, “but you have your Bible and you could pray” but I’m not even gonna respond to that. As a matter of fact, if that was you who actually thought that, go ahead and just smack yourself for being too spiritual : )

I did bring 2 books with me, besides the Bible of course, (Kings Cross by Timothy Keller and The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur... both great reads) and I’ve already read both of them and starting to read the MacArthur book a 2nd time. So we basically sit around and talk (which is good) or lay in bed just staring at the ceiling listening to all the freaky noises coming from outside (which is bad). So when Brad and Carolyn offered us a few of their movies to watch on my computer, we gladly accepted. They’ve bought several movies (bootleg versions of American movies... sshhhh - don’t tell anyone) from some street vendor guy that sells them here. They’ve been able to even buy christian bootleg movies. We watched one called “Impostor” with Kevin Max (from DC Talk) and Jeff Deyo (the More Love, More Power song guy) that was about a guy in a christian rock band that was living a double life. Good story but it was one of the cheesiest movies I’ve seen in a long time and one of the reasons I think christian movies get a bad rap (because of the cheese factor being so high, that is.). Then we watched another one the other night (I’m not going to say which one it was so that I don’t hurt anyone’s feelings) that was even worse. But this movie left me feeling depressed and ticked-off all at the same time. The person who played the pastor in the movie and the guy who played the other main christian character were horrible. These guys were the biggest dorks I’ve ever seen. They took being uncool and awkward to totally different level. But both of these guys were the stereotypical “christians” that are cast in most christian movies though. Why is it that most christian movies, that have a pastor or a person who’s suppose to be the lead christian character in it, portray him as a some kind of freak? They’re never normal or what a real pastor or a real christian are like at all. You know what I mean right? The one in the movie I’m talking about looked like someone who had just escaped from a mental institution. Every time he was in a scene, he had this huge smile plastered across his face (just like he just got back from crazy town), he spoke like Mr. Rogers, he had a egg-shaped head and his eyes were always open really big and he never blinked... it was freaky. He just had one of those blank stares... like he wasn’t really there. And when he spoke he only quoted the Bible as he smiled, of course. And the thing that made me mad was how he treated the non-christian characters in the movie. He acted hyper-superior and treated them like they were stupid because they weren’t doing what God said. He was so condescending... but I guess since he had the smile on his face that meant he was being condescending in love. Anyway, I’d like to see a christian movie where the pastor or the lead christian character were just normal and real.

I know the Bible says, “we’re in the world but not of the world” but man!... that doesn’t mean we have to wear outdated clothes, have a nerdy haircut, be socially retarded and be totally un-relatable to people who don’t know Christ. The thing that makes us different is that our lives have been changed by Jesus. We’ve been changed on the “inside” and now we’re passionate about God, people and following the King. We still have problems but now we rely on Him and not “things” to get us through tough times. Sure, we’re happy... but we also get mad. Sure, we smile... but not ALL the time. Sure, we quote scripture... but we also speak other words too. Sure, we’re sons and daughters of “the King” but we don’t look down on someone just because they don’t know Jesus yet. That’s the kind of character I’d like to see in a “christian movie.” Someone real. Sorry that you had to put up with my ranting today. I was just in one of those moods: )

Love Ya,

Jim

PS- the picture at the top is MJ, Carolyn and Silvano (a teenager who excepted Christ here on the mountain) after our Monday discipleship meeting this past Monday.