Long ago as part of my orientation to Mexico I was required to read a short book about the relationship between the U.S. and Mexico. It was entitled Good Neighbors, by John Conlon. The book talked about the significant differences between the two countries, but in a positive, constructive way. We need a positive, more […]
What dispenses grace? The Roman Catholic church believes that God’s grace is given and received through a number of rites and ceremonies called “sacraments.” We as Christians believe that there is only one way to receive God’s grace…through faith in Jesus and His redemptive work in His death and resurrection. There are two ceremonies, however,
One of the privileges of living between cultures is that we are able to channel resources in strategic and very specific ways. A small gift can make a big difference in the life of someone in Mexico who otherwise may not have access to something potentially life changing. I remember the tears of joy from
Yes, it has been quite a week in the United States. A quick look at social media highlights the divide. Rainbows decorate the White House and Facebook. Christians the likes of Franklin Graham, Albert Mohler and John Piper have all addressed the issue of U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling regarding gay marriage. I sense an undercurrent
Too Fearful to be Sorrowful Read More »
The church. The church is not a building, although it often meets in a building. The church is more like a family, where values are shared and priorities are similar. A group of people that understands the importance of love and humility, of joy and sacrifice…and understands these concepts from the inside out. This is
We Can Afford to be Generous People Read More »
I grew up in Lancaster County, PA, home to some of the most picturesque farming in the world. Contoured farming is practically an art form, with swaths of corn, wheat and soy beans gracefully rising and falling over gentle hills. Winter wheat starts out green, next to tilled fields planted with corn or soybeans. The
The Seed, Soil, and Action Read More »
I think I mentioned on our previous post that the theme for this year’s outreach events and short-term teams is “Going Viral, Living an Infectious Faith.” As always I depend on Samuel for coming up with cool graphics. For those of you who don’t know Sam, he is an elder at the second church and
Going Viral, Living a Contagious Faith–Graphics Read More »
In his book Cross-cultural Servanthood, Duane Elmer cites a study done by the Canadian International Development Agency, seeking for the principal aspects that foster effectiveness in overseas endeavors. The CIDA study, replicated several times, demonstrated that, far and away, the most powerful factor in overseas effectiveness was the ability to initiate and sustain interpersonal relationships
Evangelization via Relationship Read More »
A couple of days ago I wrote about our trip up to the U.S. for a missions conference at Rio Grande Bible Institute. If you missed that, you can click HERE. This is a brief account of our way back. When I posted a quick picture of this, a friend and former missionary to Puebla,
Road Stories and God’s Faithfulness–Part 2 Read More »
Our 2003 Chevrolet Astro has something like 160,000 miles on it now. Not too many, right? But if our van could talk… Maximum capacity…22 young people. Longest trip…around 6,600 miles. Maximum number of wheelchair boxes…23. Freight…everything from sound systems to stages to garbage to trees. A gazillion speed bumps in its checkered past. Just today
Road Stories and God’s Faithfulness-Part 1 Read More »