Dude, Put a Shirt On!

The other day I had a couple of meetings in Curitiba (about 35 minutes away from where we live). So, I drove into town and met with a couple ministry partners, then drove back home, here, to the mountain. Most of the driving is “highway driving” which is great because it gave me some time to think. If it was city driving there’s no time to think because all that’s going through your mind is “Lord, please don’t let me die like this.” You see, if you’ve never driven in any city in Brazil they drive crazy. There’s no defensive driving it’s all offensive driving... and it’s every man for themselves. Stop signs are optional (literally), there are 2 cars (side-by-side) per single lane. Motorcycles drive in between cars, especially if they’re stopped. And the speed limit is only obeyed at places where there’s a traffic camera. So, to be able to drive on the highway is nice.

So there I was, driving home to the mountain, just thinking/meditating/chillin’... whatever term you want to use, when all of the sudden I looked over and on the side of the road was this guy. And he was hitch hiking. Not that unusual except for the fact that he looked like he could possibly be 8 or 9 months pregnant and he had no shirt on. Now I realize that guys can’t be pregnant but the size of this guy’s gut was enormous compared to the rest of his body. Not only that, but it was about 100 degrees outside so he was drenched in sweat. Then, to top it all off, he had a lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth (which, by-the-way isn’t good if you’re pregnant). The first thing that went through my mind (besides, there’s no way I’m picking-up this pregnant sweaty guy) was, “dude, put a shirt on and you’ll probably have a better chance of getting a ride.” I mean you’re covered with sweat and shirtless...not a very good way to try and get someone to pick you up. If there was ever a poster child for the “how NOT to get a ride hitch hiking” campaign, this was definitely the man for the job.

I wish I could give you a really spiritual story about how I pulled over and picked him up, gave him a towel to wipe his sweat off with, handed him a bottled water to quench his thirst, then I gave him a lift to wherever he was going... but that didn’t happen. I actually just drove by laughing and thinking to myself, “this guy’s never gonna get a ride like that!” Now in my defense, there have been times when I was prompted by the Lord to pick someone up on the side of the road and I did, but this wasn’t one of those times (thankfully, haha!).

But as I thought about that man and how unlikely it was that he would ever get anyone to pick him up like that (because of how he was perceived), I thought about how I might be perceived (by people who see me). No, I’m not hitch hiking and I’m not sitting here typing with no shirt on drenched in sweat with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth. I’m talking about when people see me in town, or at the store or out on the property working... when they look at me, do they see someone who’s a good representation of the Gospel and of Christ? Or do people see someone who looks angry, frustrated or stressed-out? Because that’s the way I feel sometimes. All of us can put on the “christian happy face” when we’re at church or in “ministry mode,” right? But I think what matters more, is what people see when we’re not in some “official ministry” capacity and we’re just “doin’ life.” When we’re NOT at church or ministering somewhere, that’s where I want people to see Christ in me the most. When I’m interacting with my family, when I’m buying groceries, when I’m driving in traffic. Because if I’m wanting my life to be something that attracts people so that I can introduce them to Jesus, it (my life) can’t be the equivalent of that shirtless-sweaty-possibly with child-dude on the side of the road. It’s got to look like I really do know the God of Heaven and Earth. What about your life? How do you think it looks to people who see you in your everyday life?

“Put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true

righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4:24

Looking Good (hopefully),

Jim

PS - Here’s a quiz for you. What do you think that is in the dish MJ is holding (in the picture up top)?

A- A bowl of potpourri

B- Some kind of fancy Brazilian salad topping

c- The light fixture cover from our kitchen, filled with bug carcasses

If you guessed C, you are correct! That’s the light fixture cover that hangs over/under the lightbulb that’s in our kitchen! The thing fills-up quick after you clean it too! Emptying it out is a regular duty at the Dunn house. I haven’t posted any bug stuff lately, so I just wanted to show you guys that just because we don’t talk about bugs much anymore, we’re still dealing with it: )

My Wife... The Mighty Dragon Slayer!

My wife (MJ) is amazing. And no, I’m not just saying that to try and earn brownie points either. She doesn’t even read this blog most of the time, so there! I’m just saying that because it’s true... she’s amazing. And like most wives/mothers she doesn’t get the credit she deserves. Whenever we go and minister at a church, I’m the one up front speaking and she’s the one in the background. Whenever we have a camp here on the property I’m the one hanging out with the students or talking to the pastors. She’s at the house taking care of our kids and making sure the house is running right. It doesn’t seem fair but it’s been like that pretty much the whole time we’ve been married (23 years!) and in the ministry (15 years). I know that it (life) is a major struggle for her most days and we try and find time for her to be alone (to give her a break) but that’s almost impossible here on the mountain.
We use to be able to go on little dates to “keep the fires burning” but, here, it’s not that easy. Everything is way more complicated. It’s very frustrating not being able to just pick-up and go somewhere whenever we need some alone time. In the States, if we wanted a quick break from all the kids, we’d just jump in the car and do something as small as driving to a Dairy Queen for a Heath Bar Blizzard (or something like that). But not here. Here, it’s a major ordeal just getting down off the mountain and there’s nothing that even resembles a DQ once you make it all the way down.
The mission field has definitely put pressure on our marriage and our friendship. But all-in-all... what it’s done is made us more resolved to accomplish the task that God’s asked us to do. We don’t like “the mission” some days and some days we just grit our teeth and press through it just to survive, but the thing I’ve noticed is that in the tough times, if we go to Jesus, He comes along side of us and gives us the strength and encouragement we need to make it. So bring it, devil!... you’re just making us stronger!
Well. back to my wife being a mighty dragon slayer...
Some of the most poisonous snakes in the world are not only here in Brazil but are also here, on the mountain, where we live. What’s up with that? Isn’t it bad enough that we’re inundated with every insect imaginable (and some we couldn’t) that we also have to co-exist with venomous snakes? For real! Anyway, the other day, MJ was out hanging clothes on the line (that’s right, hanging clothes on a clothesline... we’re kickin’ it old school here) when she looked down and there was a Jararacussu (a snake in the viper family) right on the ground next to her. (FYI... with one bite, the Jararacussu can inject as much as 800 mg of venom which is enough to kill 32 people if anti-venom isn’t received in time.) So what did MJ do? She went inside, grabbed her machete (yes, her machete with the pink handle. haha!), and came back outside and proceeded to slice and dice it! Then, if that wasn’t enough there was another snake, by the car the next day, and she did the same thing (That’s it in the picture up top)! As you can see, she needs to work on her form a little bit. It looks like she just went to town without really aiming at any particular spot and didn't stop until all the life had left the nasty thing, but dang! That’s my baby! Most other women would have pooped themselves and just ran away, but not MJ. She took care of business: )
I love my wife. And I know that she deserves way more credit than she gets. She’s my hero and I’m so glad we’re in this journey together.

Lovin’ Me Some MJ,
Jim

Gotta Love It!

We’re not blogging this week because we’re getting ready for 2 mission teams from the US (that’ll be here in 8 days) and we’ve got some more construction projects we’re wrapping-up because of a camp we’re holding in 2 weeks (and we’re doing all the “normal stuff” that we do during the week as well). But rather than going the whole week without posting anything I had to show you guys this flyer we saw yesterday.

We were at the construction store yesterday picking up a few supplies for a project we we’re working on. I had gone inside to pay and when I came back out, MJ told me to look at the flyer that was on the wall. When I did, we both busted out laughing as we read it. It’s like we stepped into a time warp or something. The culture we live in is just “so foreign” to us (literally, haha!) but things are so much simpler here, gotta hand that to them, that’s for sure.

The flyer was for a Soccer Tournament that was going to be held where we live on the mountain. Not really that strange, seeing that we live in Brazil, right? Soccer and Brazil kinda go hand-in-hand. It (soccer) is definitely part of the culture. But when we read what the prizes were for whoever won, that’s what made us laugh. Here, I’ll translate it for you:

1st Place = Trophy and a Pig

2nd Place = Trophy and 2 Cases of Beer

3rd Place = Trophy and 1 Case of Beer

Welcome to Terra Boa! Yep. Grand prize is a trophy and a pig! “We’re not in Kansas anymore Dorothy.” It’s just so weird to think that we went from a culture that gave away cash, X-Boxes and flat screen TV’s as prizes to a culture where the winners get cases of beer and pigs! lol! And here’s the kicker... we later found out that they announced it in the high school. They even brought the little trophy into the classrooms and passed it around so everyone could see it! lol! Anyway, you may not find that as funny as we did, but I just had to share it with you.

Please pray for us these next few weeks as we’ve got a lot of ministry stuff going on. We want Jesus to be glorified in everything we’re doing too. So please pray for us: )

Love Ya,

Jim

Can I Smoke Weed on the Mission Field?

If there was ever a day when smoking a joint would’ve even been a possibility, it would’ve been yesterday. Come on... Don't go gettin' all religious on me, I’m only joking, don’t worry. It was just a joke: )

At our weekly discipleship meeting last night, this little kid came in with a shirt on that made me bust out laughing. Look at it up top. That’s hilarious, huh? I’m sure he didn’t even know what it meant either. It was just so surreal. Here we were getting ready to begin service (in the jungles of Brazil) and you look down on the front row, only to see a little smiling brazilian kid with a marijuana shirt (in english) on the front row. It was funny. Question... “is there such thing as Columbian black?” I’ve heard of Columbian gold, or Panama red, or Hawaiian blue... but Columbian black? Just curious. And another question... how does a 10 year old Brazilian kid end up with a shirt like that in english? Oh well, I guess we’ll never know.

But yesterday really was "the day from hades", though. And I think God had that little boy wear that shirt because I needed some comic relief. Let me start from the beginning...

It hasn’t rained for a few weeks here on the mountain and it’s been an abnormally hot Summer. Since all of the roads are dirt, and with the lack of rain, it’s been really dusty and the amount of potholes in the road has been ridiculous. It’s been like driving on the surface of the moon (because their’s so many holes in the road, that is.). Well, somebody on the mountain had the awesome idea to add a layer of dirt to the road with a big tractor, to the really bad spots, last week. It really made a difference and it really smoothed-out the road. The only problem is that the dirt they used was a loam-type soil that, when wet, is slicker than snot! And guess what? Yep, it rained yesterday! And getting up and down the mountain was next to impossible because all the hills were so slippery. I had a gut feeling that we should cancel the Thursday Night Meeting because of the treacherous conditions of the roads and I didn’t want to have to leave my car and all of our sound equipment at the bottom of the mountain until the roads dried-out if we got stuck. But we made the decision to go ahead and hold the meeting anyway. So, I went down the mountain, to set-up, about an hour and a half early. It was really slippery and I was really nervous about having to try and come back-up later, twice. (The first time, to pick-up MJ and the kids and the second after service with the kids and sound equipment.)

I set everything up at the school and waited for Brad and Carolyn to arrive so they could watch all our sound and computer stuff. They didn’t arrive until 7:05 (5 minutes after service was suppose to start). As they pulled-up, I was hoping that they had MJ and the kids were in the van with them, but nope... no dice. So I jumped in my car to go get them. I had to back out (in the dark, with no back-up lights, windows all fogged up) because Brad had blocked me in and I couldn’t go forward. As I was backing-up, all of the sudden, I was stopped (after a loud bang). I had just backed into the 20’ cement pole that holds up the structure where we were at. And my prize for backing into the pole was... drum roll please.... “a brand new crease in the back of my car” (said with my announcer voice)! Yep, I have a big ole dent about 3’ long that starts at the bottom of my bumper to the bottom of the rear window. (I’m just glad it didn’t bust the window out too) So, to say the least, I wasn’t happy at this point. But I barreled up the mountain, well, actually I barely made it up at all, because it was so slick on the hills. But I did arrive home and loaded all 9 of us in our little car. But as we were making our way up our long driveway we started slipping and sliding and then we stopped. The wheels were just spinning and spinning. We weren’t moving at all. After numerous attempts I had to kick MJ and the kids out of the car (because they were too heavy) and they had to walk home in the dark while I took Matthew and Marlon with me back down the mountain to get all of our sound stuff. I say, “kick out of the car” because MJ informed me later that’s exactly what I made her feel like... like I had kicked her and the kids out. Ooops. That’s a whole other blog though. ( Bottom line on that is that sometimes I can be an inconsiderate jerk. Sorry, MJ. And thanks for putting up with me. I’m sure I’ll be paying for that one for a while, haha!) Anyway, I took Matthew and Marlon so that they could push our car if we got stuck (smart, huh?). We made it back to the meeting and there were quite a few people there considering the weather. So, we stayed and ministered... business as usual. Actually the Spirit of God really moved. We’ve been speaking on being an authentic follower of Jesus and have really been pressing hard on what that looks like. There’ve been people in the altar each week too. That part has been awesome. To see students coming forward each week to commit their lives to Jesus makes all the garbage we wade through, to make it happen, worth it all.

So after service (about 9:00pm) we load all the equipment in our car and started to drive home. We got to the first hill and you guessed it... we ain’t movin’. Man! That’s exactly what I was worried about... my car, full of sound equipment, being stuck at the bottom of the mountain. But then all my nephews ran up and we ( I say we, it was actually they) literally pushed my car up the steep muddy hill. Yesss! I was so happy. That is, until I got home and had to face MJ and be confronted with the whole “kicking her and the kids out of the car” thing. Man, that was a mistake: ( After 23 years of marriage you’d think I’d be better at this. But I love my wife and I’m still learning: )

Please pray for us as we’re stuck on the mountain right now. Pray that the roads will dry up. Brad’s mom arrives from the States today. She’s in a wheelchair and Brad and Carolyn’s van is stuck at the bottom of the mountain and they're gonna need to get her up here. Also, I’m suppose to speak at the International Church in Curitiba Sunday Morning and we need to be able to get down the mountain for that... so please pray for us: )

Slip Slidin’ Away,

Jim

PS - Thanks to everyone who’s been praying for us and our discipleship meetings. We’ve really been experiencing the presence of God and it’s amazing to see how the students have been participating during worship, listening intently to the Word and responding at the end of services.

What an Honor

Yesterday was a great day. I was invited to speak to the pastors of the Baptist Convention that’s in Curitiba, Brazil. What an honor. If you would’ve told me last year, at this time, that we would be standing in the Headquarters of the Baptist Convention in Curitiba, casting vision in front of all the pastors about the ministry that God has us doing here, I wouldn’t have believed you for a second. What are the chances that we (American missionaries), that are only in the beginning stages of ministry in this country (and that still don’t speak Portuguese), would be asked to come and tell all these pastors about the vision God has laid on our hearts so that they could partner together with us in ministry? I’ll go ahead and answer that for you... the chances are about 0%! (a.k.a., slim to none). Unless, of course, God is the one orchestrating it all: )

It just blows my mind to think of all the things that God has done (and is doing) to allow us to get the Gospel to the children and teenagers in this part of Brazil. There’s no possible way that any of us could orchestrate any of this. And that’s what makes this so amazing to me. To see the hand of God opening doors that nobody else could possibly open. He gets all the glory and all the credit because it’s definitely not us that are doing all this stuff. He’s just allowing us to be involved in His activity... that’s what’s so cool. And that’s not some type of “false humility” either. It’s straight-up all God.

I was able to share with them (the pastors) what we’re doing and also explained how we wanted to partner with them to help make disciples of the teenagers and children in their villages. (If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, click HERE) They were excited to hear what we’re doing and even began booking dates with us (for camps). At the end of the meeting, the President of the Baptist Convention asked if we could schedule a time for all of the pastors to come out to the camp (for a day) to see and hear more about the camp and the ministry we have going on. Of course we said, “yes!” So, we’ll let you know when this happens. Just think of how many hundreds and thousands of kids live in all of these favelas, cities, villages and towns. And just think of what an impact that the Gospel is going to have in their lives. I’m humbled to think that we’re a part of this whole thing. For real.

And if you’re someone who supports us financially and in prayer... thank you. We wouldn’t (and couldn’t) be here without you partnering with us.

Amazed,

Jim and MJ

PS- the pics up top are in front of the Baptist Convention Center. One of the guys I’m standing with is one of the translators that helps us. His name is Higor and he speaks awesome English. His father was a pastor in Miami for several years (whatup Caines! That’s a shout-out to all my Miami homeboys, haha!) and is a youth pastor in Curitiba. The other guy is Pastor Bart. He’s a close friend of ours that’s been pastoring in Villa Zumbi for the last 4-5 years and has recently been made an overseer of all the church plants of Bachacheri Church in Curitiba. We’ve been partnering with him for the last 3 years with all of our missions work and have seen God do amazing things through him and his family. Both of these guys are huge blessings to us and to the Kingdom. And I also told them I needed to find some bigger friends because they were making me look too fat in my pictures: )

Learning Portuguese

Not being able to speak Portuguese is one of the most difficult things for me here in Brazil. There are so many people I want to talk to but can’t... because I don’t speak Portuguese. And when you’re a communicator that can’t communicate, it’s extremely frustrating. But I’ve got to trust the fact that God knew that when He called us here in spite of my frustration.

The other day, I was out in the next town up from ours, and I was trying to speak Portuguese to the person at the store that I was at. When I spoke (believe me, it wasn’t anything profound... something like, “can I have 2 kilos of sausage” or something to that effect) they looked at me with a bewildered look on their face like I was speaking a foreign language or something (which actually, to me, I was... Portuguese!). So I said it slower and they said, “ohhhh” as the lightbulb went off. That’s happened several times too. It’s so aggravating. I’m a foreigner, so I’m gonna say it a little different, so cut me some slack! When I was in the US I had several people I worked with over the years that were from other countries and I realized they were from somewhere different so I looked past their accent and just knew they were saying it a little different because they weren’t from the US. No big deal. So what if they pronounce Jim as Geem. And so what if they don’t use the correct verb tense... no big deal. I didn’t stop and act like I didn’t understand them until they said it “perfect.” But not here. If I don’t pronounce it perfectly they stop everything and say, “huh? As they just stare at me.

Come on man, really? Have some compassion on a brutha!

When I told MJ about it she told me what she thought was really happening. You see, we live in the mountains/jungles of Campina Grande do Sul. In the town of Terra Boa. It’s way out in the middle of nowhere. And that’s where we’re learning Portuguese. They speak Portuguese here but it’s sounds different than the Portuguese they speak in the city. MJ said, “it’s like going to Alabama to learn English.” When she said it I was less than excited. I thought, “great, I’m speaking redneck Portuguese!”

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t have anything against Alabama or the way people from Alabama speak. I’ve got friends who either have lived or are currently living there. But, when I think of Alabama, the first thing that comes to mind is NOT “hey, I wish I could talk like that because they’re such great orators.” (Actually, I can talk like that, but only when I’m trying to be funny.) And, when it comes to speaking Portuguese, I just don’t want to speak it with a Brazilian southern-country-hillbilly-style accent. Is that bad? I think it’s God’s way of messin’ with me. He probably looked at Jesus one day and said, “you want to see something funny? Watch this, I’m gonna let Jim learn Portuguese but when he speaks it he’s gonna sound like a hick.” Haha God... real funny!

Some of our ministry supporters from the US sent us the Portuguese version of Rossetta Stone several months ago but it never arrived. We think they were confiscated by Customs or something. But this couple actually went out and purchased a second set and there’s a mission team bringing it to us in a few weeks. (Thanks Dave and Vivian Cornett! You guys are awesome!) I can’t wait to get them so I can get going on this whole language thing. And in addition to that there are 2 teachers from the high school who are giving me and Brad private Portuguese lessons every Monday in exchange for us teaching them English. We’ve only done it a couple of weeks but it’s definitely helping. So, please continue to pray for us as we learn the language here. But be more specific with your prayers... no Alabama Portuguese, please!

Yee Haw,

Jim

PS - the pictures at the top are of a church I spoke at the other night. At the end of service I felt pretty good about my message until I looked over and noticed that my youngest son, Robert, was totally knocked out! Now one of 2 things went through my mind:

1) Either my message was so powerful and anointed that people were literally collapsing under the tremendous anointing that dripped from every word I had just spoken.

Or

2) I had bored my son (and possibly everyone else) so much that the only escape from having to hear me speak any longer was to take a nap.

Hey, even Paul put people to sleep during sermons (see Acts 20:9) so if it was option 2, then I’m still in good company, right? lol!

The other picture was after service and some of the people we ate with. That’s one thing I like about the Brazilian culture. They always eat together after service. Now I know what you’re thinking. And, NO, it’s not just because of the food that I like it. It’s the fellowship. The fellowship aspect of it is something I think we miss out on in the American church.

The other pictures are of a lightning storm that was way out in the distance the other night that we snapped a few shots of.

The Realization

We’ve started our Thursday Night Discipleship Meetings again. We had taken a break over the Summer (remember, the seasons are opposite from the US here) but we’ve been going again for 3 weeks now. We’ve re-vamped the whole structure of what and how we minister to the students that come too. We’ve added AWANA style games up front, we’ve added video elements to our pre-service and worship time, we’re doing more updated worship in Portuguese and changed the teaching so that it’s more intentional (from a discipleship standpoint). It’s definitely taken something that was good to something “mo betta” (for all my white friends, that means it’s better than before. haha!). To see the students (and the handful of adults) worshipping and listening to the Word in this little schoolhouse in the middle of the jungle is an amazing sight.

After service last week we were all just hanging-out and fellowshipping, the music was playing and the kids were all out in front of the school laughing and playing, and it hit me... if we weren’t here, there would be “zero” Gospel being presented here on the mountain and in these kid’s lives. They would have no chance to hear about Christ and what it looks like to follow Him. They’d be lost. And, as much as we try not to think about it, there is a Hell and without Jesus that’s where all these kids would be headed. That’s a pretty overwhelming thought. And what an honor and a privilege to be the ones called to be here. To think that God (The God of the universe) chose us to be the ones to move a continent away to tell these people about Him... wow. It still blows my mind. If you could hear these kids all singing and see them lifting their hands in worship... man, it’s hard not to cry. The altar was full last night as we challenged them to wholeheartedly follow Jesus too. To see kids in the altar crying and going after God made all the difficulties we’ve been facing as a family seem so insignificant. God is so good.

So, every time I have one of those “what the heck are we doing here” moments, those are the things I need to recall. The memory of all these kids getting a chance. A chance to experience and know Jesus! I want that to always be a realization to me. Because it’s one thing to sacrifice everything for God but it’s another thing to be able to realize and be focused on what it’s for, right?

Thanks again to everyone who supports us so that we can be here fulfilling the Great Commission and for all the lives that are being impacted. We couldn’t do it without you.

Love Ya!

Jim and MJ

PS - The pics up top are of the meeting last week. The one with students dancing up front was during a worship song that we started doing that has a lot of hand motions with it. The one with the boys in glasses were of our kids performing a drama that went along with the message and the other one is of me and my nephew (Shepard) who was translating for me during the sermon.

Really? Do We Really Need That?

The other day MJ and I went into Curitiba to a store called Makro. (You may remember our first visit there last year and the whole thing with us trying to leave the store. If not click HERE) It’s a bulk-membership-discount-kinda place where we go to buy food and cleaning supplies. We usually go about once a month and stock-up on basic stuff. When we’re there I just trail behind MJ pushing her cart while I’m pushing my cart (it takes 2 carts for our family). She picks out what we need and I just help haul the stuff up and down the aisles and up to the register for her. Well, we were there the other day and as I was standing there, waiting for MJ to put the next thing in the cart, I looked over on the shelf and noticed something that I’ve never seen before... shrimp flavored potato chips! That’s right shrimp flavored. OK. Really? Is there really a big public outcry that’s demanding chips that taste like shrimp? Is there really that many people who would actually eat these things that you would need to even produce them? I love fried shrimp, shrimp gumbo, boiled shrimp, shrimp-on-the-barbie (that’s a shout out to all our Australian friends, haha!), shrimp scampi and my great grandmother made this stuff called shrimp pearlo that was amazing... but I can never recall eating a bag of chips and then all of the sudden think, “Hmm... you know what would make these things even better? A little shrimp flavoring!” lol! Seriously. It’s almost like a gag gift you’d buy at Spencer’s ( a novelty shop in America ) in the mall. It would be right on the shelf next to the plastic dog poop and the air freshener that’s scented like rotten eggs. And, what if I bought these, and I accidentally left an open bag in my car because I couldn't eat them all at once? Can you imagine the smell? And speaking of smell, “what’s my breath gonna smell like after I munch on them things?”
So my question is, “do we really need chips flavored like fish... I mean, shrimp? Seriously...
That’s a perfect segue into a pet peeve of mine that relates to the church... secular music that’s used in the worship set. That’s right, taking a song that wasn’t written by somebody with the intent on bringing glory to God and using it as part of the setlist in a Sunday worship service. Some churches do it a change a few of the words so that it supposedly “makes it a christian song.” But my thought is, “do we really need that?” Just like the shrimp flavored chips, I think it’s unnecessary. I mean, there’s tons of great songs and song writers out there now (it’s not like it used to be when we only had Michael W Smith and Amy Grant to choose from because everything else was either horribly cheesy or written in the 1800’s). And when I’m sitting there worshipping God, with my eyes closed, I don’t need to be doing it to a song that I used to listen to while I was making out with my 16 year old girlfriend... just sayin’.
I know some people have strong opinions about this too. Some pastors (who I respect greatly, by-the-way) say they’re doing it to build a bridge to people who are lost. As great as that sounds, I remember, when I wasn’t following Jesus, when I would go to church I was looking for something different... not the same! Or even similar to what I already had, if you want to get technical. I needed something that was radically different. I didn’t need to sing a song that I had just listened to in my car as I was “burnin’ one” before I came inside either. I didn’t need to hear a song that I already knew so I would think “the church understood me” or that “the church was cool.” It wasn’t necessary. I needed something different. I needed Jesus.
And don’t get me started on the whole “what makes a song secular” and “what makes a song christian,” debate. I’ve got friends (close friends) in ministry who’ll debate over this issue until their hoarse. But for me, if the song was written with the intention of bringing glory to God then it sing it in church. Everything else is unnecessary... just like those shrimp flavored chips: )

Pass the Chips (unless they taste fishy),
Jim


PS - And no I’m not a prude that only listens to hymns either. Actually, I really don’t even like most hymns. To me, most hymns sing “about God” as opposed to most contemporary worship songs, that sing “to God.” But that’s just me.
As I re-read this blog before I posted it I realized that I potentially offended a wide range of people. The ‘secular songs in service people’ and ‘the hymns folks’... sorry, but to quote Bobby Brown, “It’s My Prerogative.” See, I can use secular song references too! haha!

Some Words of Advice: 4 years later

If you’re considering adopting a child/children, this blog is for you. Today just so happens to be the 4 Year Anniversary of when we adopted a sibling group or 5 children from Brazil. Wow! 4 Years... a lot has happened since then. Good and bad. There have been things that have been amazing as well as things that have been extremely difficult. Some things that have given us the feeling of accomplishment and others that have made us wonder if it’s even been worth it. Would I change anything though? No.
But before I go any furher, let me just say that, “I’ve been sitting on this particular blog for several months now and was kinda hesitant to even post it. I didn’t want anyone to be offended or to make anyone think that I was “un-spiritual” or something. But today I really felt like it was time. So, here it goes...

***WARNING***- if you think that once you adopt everything is going to be rainbows, sunshine, puppy dogs and gumdrops, and that the child/children you’re adopting will probably have these little hidden angel wings under their shirt because they’re gonna be perfect... just stop reading right now, turn back over, close your eyes and keep dreaming. It’s not gonna happen... sorry. It could possibly be different with newborns but with children who are older, you’ve got to expect that there’s gonna be some baggage. Just think of all the baggage you and I have and we weren’t even orphaned: )

OK. I’m gonna try and say this as gently as possible without sounding too negative. I can remember reading some blogs when we were going through the adoption process that were soooo negative. They were full of horror stories of things that were happening in these adoptive families that were kinda freaking us out a little and we had to stop reading them. This isn’t that type of blog and I don’t want to freak anyone out but I do want to be real with you. Are you ready? OK... here we go.
If you’re thinking about adopting (a sibling group or a single child) ... pray! And I don’t mean pray a little, pray a lot! Make sure that you’re hearing from God before you do it. (and If you’re not a christian I don’t even know what advice to give you... because without God’s strength/guidance, etc. we couldn’t make it!”) Because your life is going to change (I know that’s stating the obvious) and it’s not in the way you think either. So, if you’re not sure that you’re hearing from God then don’t pull the trigger and adopt until you do. Now let me give this disclaimer... if you’ve been known to procrastinate and you can’t ever make a decision, this doesn’t really apply to you because you’ll probably find an excuse not to adopt anyway. But for those of you who know the voice of God and the leading of the Spirit, I’m speaking to you. Because as nice as it sounds to rescue a child or a group of children (from a life on the streets or from a foster home or an orphanage) it’s not easy, it’s tough and you need to be prepared for the work it’s gonna take to be the godly parent you were called to be. It’s been 4 years since we adopted and we’re still having “issues” and some of them (the issues, that is) have just started kicking-in.
The reason I say, “pray a lot before you adopt” is because on some days that will be the only thing that gets you through... knowing that you heard from God to adopt in the first place. Seriously, it is. And it’s the single thing that allows us to maintain our sanity. A lot of the time we struggle and doubt that what we’ve done is even worth it. When the children/or child you adopt destroys pretty much every earthly possession you have, they lie to you, they steal from you, you find out (years later) about all the issues they have and they’re not appreciative of the sacrifice that you made to adopt them... when all that hits you square in the face, you’ve got to be able to rely on the fact that “you heard from God”, period. End of story. Some days it won’t even make sense to you (where your life is because of your adopted child/children) because there are gonna be days when you don’t even like them or where your life is because of them. I didn’t say, “you wouldn’t love them” I said, “you wouldn’t like them.” But you can always fall back on the fact that you were obedient to God and He knew you would be walking through the junk you’re walking through. And when you get to that point, just keep walking, because it’s just part of following Jesus. And whether you feel like it or not, “you ARE making a difference in that child/children’s life.” I know that sounds harsh and there’s somebody out there probably saying, “that’s not the case with my adopted child because they haven’t been any problem at all.” If that’s you then praise God... you’re the exception to the rule. But that’s the problem. The only people (for the most part) who are speaking about their lives after adoption are the ones who’s lives are either perfect or the ones who aren’t being honest. Nobody wants to talk (publicly) about how tough it is because they feel like they’re not doing a good job parenting because their child DOES have issues, so they just keep it to themselves and never reach out for help. But we’ve got to change that by being honest about what it’s like so people will know it’s OK that everything’s not OK. We’ve spoken to so many parents of adopted children and 99% of them have some type of issues that they’re navigating through. So, expect it. And know that you're not alone.

Anyway, if you’re planning on adopting you need to pray a lot beforehand (You probably won’t find that in any adoption brochure... I’m pretty sure of that) because chances are that at some point you’re gonna doubt what you’ve done is even worth it. And to know that God asked you to do it could be the thing that helps you keep going. Or you may have already adopted and you’re really struggling right now... if that’s you, keep pressing-in harder to God. He’s got the strength you need to make it through and He knew that you had what it was going to take to be the parent for that child... don’t doubt that. And if nobody’s said this to you lately, “thank you for undertaking one of the hardest/selfless things anyone could ever do (adopt a child).” You’re amazing: )

But even if you’re not adopting but you’re struggling with finishing your course and what God has asked you to do, this principle will still work. If what you’re doing is in direct response to something God asked of you and it’s tough... just keep going and hold on to the fact that He asked you to do it. He knew that it was going to be difficult ahead of time. And He’s a good God who’s not trying to set you up for failure so keep going... keep following Him. You’re gonna make it, for real: )

Celebrating 4 Years,
Jim and MJ

PS- I love all my kids (biological and adopted) and I wouldn’t trade any of them... unless of course you have one who does have little angel wings and never does anything wrong. Then call me. We’ll talk.

PSS- The pics up top are ones that we received from the orphanage when we were adopting. The older family picture is our first day that we actually met them in the orphanage. The older family picture is one that we had made last year before we moved here to Brazil and the rest are some more recent pictures of the kids now: )

Somebody, Please Feed Me!

My father-in-law (a.k.a. Papa) helped Robert (our youngest son, who’s 6) build a bird house. Papa had one at his house and Robert kept pestering him to build him one until finally one day he (Papa) broke-down and did it: ) They worked on it together over a couple of days until it was finally complete. Robert was so proud. He got the posthole diggers and dug a hole for the post and then we helped him put it in the ground. Then we went and bought some birdseed for it and waited for the birds to come... and we waited... and waited... and waited. We actually waited a couple of weeks before the first bird showed-up. And when it did, Robert was so excited! He yelled for everyone to come look. Then over the next few weeks birds started frequenting the feeder more often.

But then something really weird happened. This bigger black bird showed-up and started squawking as it sat on the feeder, standing right in the middle of all the seed. Then this much smaller bird (that looked totally different, they obviously weren’t related) flew over and started eating the seed right next to it. Then (this is where it gets weird) as the bigger bird continued to squawk the little bird started picking up the seed and putting it into the mouth of the bigger bird. The little bird was feeding the bigger bird! What’s up with that? This other bird was twice the size of the little bird and was fully capable of eating on his own but rather than doing that (eating on his own), he just sat there squawking with his mouth wide open while the little bird fed him. It was bizarre.

They come to the feeder every day and they go through the same process. The big bird sits and squawks (while he’s standing in a pile of bird feed), and the little bird feeds the bigger bird. Every day this happens. As a matter of fact, they’re doing it outside my window as I write this blog. It was cute at first, but now I think it’s kinda pathetic, really. Their nothing wrong with the bigger bird so why is he relying solely on the other bird to feed it? Maybe the smaller bird lost some type of “bird bet” or something...

Small bird- “I bet you that I can fly to that tree faster than you!”

Big bird- “No way, my wings are bigger!”

Small bird - “Bigger’s not always better.”

Big bird - “Yes it is.”

Small bird - “No it’s not! I’m more aerodynamic than you because I’m smaller!”

Big bird - “What? You callin’ me fat?”

Small bird - “Maybe. If the feather fits, then... I’m just sayin’.

Big bird - “OK. Let’s do this thing! If I win then you have to feed me whenever I’m

hungry.”

Small bird - “You’re on!”

Big bird - “OK. 1-2-3- Go”

And the rest is history. The little bird lost and has become a slave to the bigger bird.

At least in my mind, anyway: )

OK, obviously that’s not what happened and I obviously I have too much time on my hands to actually be able to think that up, but it’s just weird. For a larger bird, that isn’t even the offspring of the smaller bird, to have to feed him isn’t natural.

Now, if you’re a pastor, you probably saw this illustration coming a mile away, sorry. But that’s a perfect example of most people who say they’re followers of Christ. They show-up at church and sit there with their mouths open while the pastor feeds them, then they go home and they don’t eat again (spiritually, that is) until the next time they come to church. Then, they sit there while the pastor feeds them, then they leave and the process continues. That’s not the way it (our spiritual growth) was designed to work. We were designed to be self-feeders. Sure, when we’re new to Christ, there’s a period of time when we need someone to feed us, but that’s only temporary. The eventual goal should and is to be able to open the Word of God and get something for ourselves. Sure, people can still add to our growth (through sermons, podcast, books, etc.) but our primary growth should come in our own personal times of study and prayer.

So, I guess the question is... “are we sittin’ there squawking with our mouths open waiting for someone to drop something in or are we eating all by ourselves?” Just something to think about: )

Love Ya,

Jim

PS - the pictures up top are of the birds this morning. I tried uploading a video of it but it would work!??.

I’ve been told that the story behind this is that the smaller bird laid eggs and something pushed them out of the nest and replaced them with the egg/eggs of another species of bird (the black one). When they hatched neither one knew that it wasn’t her offspring so she just raised it as her own.?? At least that’s what I was told.

I don’t know, but if I’m the daddy bird, momma bird’s got some explaining to do! lol!