February 28, 2008

Be Careful What You Wish For...

True story...

Once upon a time, in a little village in Brazil called Quixeriú, there lived a man who felt that he was somewhat superior to everybody else. This feeling continued to grow, until he came to the conclusion that he didn't even want to be buried with the "common rabble". Being a man of some means, he constructed a large mausoleum right beside his house, with instructions that he be interred there upon his death.

Some time thereafter, he needed to travel to another state. While traveling he took sick and died. As it is necessary for burials to take place shortly following the death here, there was no time to bring him back to Quixeriú.

Hence, as you can see in the picture below, there is a very conspicuous empty mausoleum in the city of Quixeriú.

Apart from Luke 12:20, there has got to be a great moral for this story. Anybody want to contribute one?

Posted by Andrew at 8:51 PM // Comments: 1 //
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February 27, 2008

Monday Filming

If you could not tell from the last entry, I am just getting around to blogging about some of our activities from earlier in the week. On Monday we finally succeeded in having a filming session for the Cidade Feliz TV ministry.

First, we went to the First Baptist Church, where filming was in progress for "Reason to Live", which is the "parent" program that hosts our Cidade Feliz segments. There we did a little promo spot, announcing the return of the Cidade Feliz program.

Nice readies Júnior, and Pastor Francisco readies himself for the camera.

Júnior and Pastor Francisco

Pastor Francisco Fabiano (pictured above) is the host of the "Reason to Live" TV program, which is a ministry of the First Baptist Church. We are very grateful to them for giving us space on their program.

After filming that little spot, it was on to the seminary, where we set up our green screen and filmed one episode of a segment called "Cidade Feliz News".

Setting up the camera

Sound table

Manú and Júnior clowning around

After resolving a few glitches with equipment, we were able to film the episode. Currently the film is in post, scheduled to air a week from Saturday. This first segment tackles the evolutionary concept of a "missing link". Tomorrow we will be filming another couple episodes.

Cicero, our production assistant, took some footage on his digital camera against the green screen. I used it to practice my chroma key technique. Below is my very first attempt.

Posted by Andrew at 6:06 PM // Comments: 1 //
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Weekend in Quixeriú

I really enjoy the part of my ministry that "requires" me to accompany our students as they carry out their weekend ministries. I especially thrive on being able to travel with some of them who work in more remote places of our region.

On Saturday I joined Evaldísio and his new bride, Maria, at their work in the small village of Quexeriú--about three hours from the seminary.

On our way there we stopped by the little settlement of Poço de Pedra.

We also passed this intriguing rock formation.

Upon reaching Quixeriú, this was the site that greeted us.

This is the church where Evaldísio and Maria work. The congregation has no pastor, so they carry the whole burden of responsibility for the ministry.

Maria leads the children's ministry.

Evaldísio does visitation...

And has a preaching and teaching ministry.

Pray for them as they work, because the opposition to their ministry is strong.

The Catholic church (top figure) still wields a lot of influence. There is also a Catholic seminary in nearby Campos Sales (bottom figure) which sends its own students to the city on a regular basis as well.

Evaldísio and Maria are doing a wonderful job in this town. On Sunday night there were five visitors, and one of the people we visited on Saturday was a new convert. Please continue to pray for this hardworking couple.

Posted by Andrew at 5:20 PM // Comments: 2 //
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And the Fall Continues

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February 21, 2008

From the Treasury: Salvation Belongeth to the Lord

When missionaries are tempted to think that they have something to do with people getting saved, we need to be reminded that salvation is "all of God". The following quote from Spurgeon--a commentary on Psalm 3:8, brings home that point:

Search Scripture through, and you must if you read it with a candid mind, be persuaded that the doctrine of salvation by grace alone is the great doctrine of the word of God: "Salvation belongeth unto the Lord." This is a point concerning which we are daily fighting. Our opponents say "Salvation belongeth to the free will of man; if not to man's merit, yet at least to man's will;" but we hold and teach that salvation from first to last, in every iota of it, belongs to the Most HIght God. It is God that choses his people. He calls them by his grace; he quickens them by his Spirit, and keeps them by his power. It is not of man, neither by man; "not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." May we all learn this truth experimentally, for our proud flesh and blood will never permit us to learn it in any other way.

For more on the Sovereignty of God from the Psalms, check out Divine Satisfaction.

Posted by Andrew at 8:32 PM
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February 19, 2008

Note to Miami Police

You might want to put some extra officers on duty today, the partying will be intense.

Posted by Andrew at 10:39 AM
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The Failure of Post Modern Theology--from ER

A friend shared this video on Facebook (thanks Dave--this makes up for you beating me at every single Scraboulous game we have ever played), and I thought it was simply amazing. I did not watch the whole episode, and so I don't know how the screenwriters ended the story. However, in this clip they captured the essence of the bankruptcy of post-modern thought.

"Bring me a real chaplain, who believes in a real God and a real Hell." I wonder how many people who have spent their lives depending on feel-good theology get to the end and find themselves desperate for a little clarity.

Posted by Andrew at 8:47 AM // Comments: 2 //
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February 17, 2008

We've Got Your Podcasts Right Here

A friend on Facebook recently pointed me to the Podcasts application, and I have enjoyed it so much I thought I would spread the word. It allows me to listed to my favorite preachers/theologians (John MacArthur, Mark Driscol, Steve Brown, etc.) right from the Facebook page, without having to open my iTunes or any other program. Of course, there are many other podcasts available. For example, as I write this I am listening to the Henson.com podcast--keeping up to date with the latest in puppetry.

Posted by Andrew at 3:49 PM // Comments: 1 //
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February 16, 2008

From the Treasury--Delighting in the Law

In what has been an ongoing attempt to familiarize myself more with the classics of Christian writing, I am now going through Spurgeon's "Treasury of David" (all seven volumes!). I have found it to be aptly named. There is a true gold mine to be found within its pages. From time to time I hope to share with you some of the more inspiring passages, with the hope that in so doing I will whet your appetite to treat yourself to this spiritual treasure trove.

Today, from Spurgeon's notes on Psalm One:

And now mark his positive character. "His delight is in the law of the Lord." He is not under the law as a curse and condemnation, but he is in it, and he delights to be in it as his rule of life; he delights, moreover, to meditate in it, to read it by day, and think upon it by night. He takes a text and carries it with him all day long; and in the night-watches, when sleep forsakes his eyelids, he museth upon the Word of God. In the day of his prosperity he sings psalms out of the Word of God, and in the night of his affliction he comforts himself with promises out of the same book. "The law of the Lord" is the daily bread of the true believer. And yet, in David's day, how small was the volume of inspiration, for they had scarcely anything save the first five books of Moses! How much more, then, should we prize the whole written Word which it is our privilege to have in all our houses! But alas, ill-treatment is given to this angel from heaven! We are not all Berean searchers of the Scriptures. How few among us can lay claim to the benediction of the text! Perhaps some of you can claim a sort of negative purity, because you do not walk in the way of the ungodly; but let me ask you--Is your delight in the law of God? Do you study God's Word? Do you make it the man of your right hand--your best companion and hourly guide? If not, this blessing belongeth not to you.

A couple things stood out to me in this commentary:

1) I thought the application Spurgeon makes to day and night, referring to them as seasons of prosperity and affliction, to be quite interesting. I don't know if that was the original intent of the psalmist, but there is certainly a lesson to be learned there.

2) Being in the law and not under it--that is profound.

3) Spurgeon makes an outstanding point as to how much of the Law was actually available to the psalmist--as compared to how much is available to us now. And yet how much more he seemed to long for it and treasure it than do we.

Posted by Andrew at 4:59 PM // Comments: 1 //
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February 14, 2008

My Li'l Brother Is Blogging

No doubt inspired by his time here in Brazil and his contact with his older, wiser (ahem) brother, my brother Daniel has started blogging.

Check out the new blog, Divine Satisfaction!

Posted by Andrew at 4:59 PM // Comments: 3 //
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February 9, 2008

The Sounds of Camp

If you are interested in hearing some of the sounds of the Carnaval retreat, I have posted some mp3 files of the song services. You can check them out here (right click and save).

Posted by Andrew at 8:20 PM
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February 8, 2008

What God Did

Just before the Carnaval retreat, I posted an entry that contained various prayer requests. Today I would like to share with you what God did.

Two weeks before the retreat was scheduled to start Pastor Ricardo (the program director), Washington (assistant program director) and myself went out to look things over. The situation at that point looked bleak. The water level of the lake was very low. A total of three people had signed up for camp. We had to decide whether or not to cancel the retreat.

This is what the lake looked like two weeks before camp started. Notice--no water under the bridge.

Together we made the decision to go ahead. We stood there on top of the dam that day and prayed that God would bring the campers He wanted and do a mighty work in their midst.

When I got home that day I posted an entry in which I recalled how God had worked in other situations where the circumstances had been less than ideal. Now it was time for me to trust God to do the same thing with the Carnaval retreat. We asked God's people--both here and in the US--to pray. Many of you reading this participated in that way, and God responded.

Almost from the time we left the camp on that Monday it began to rain. It rained and did not stop for almost the entire time. Rain here in our valley, however, does not always translate into rain in Iguatu--about two hours from here. We heard rumors that the lake was rising, but had no idea if it would rise enough.

Meanwhile I was concerned about registrations. Everybody who asked me about camp asked me how many people were going--with the idea that if there were not going to be a lot of people, they were not going to go either. Of course this kind of thing snowballs. By the time camp rolled around there were several people actively giving the camp "negative propaganda", convinced that it was going to be a bomb. They weren't going to go, and didn't think anybody else should either.

I did all I could to counter this. I mounted my own propaganda blitz in the churches, on Orkut pages, and on the camp website. I also did a lot of praying, asking God for at least 100 people. It seemed, however, that for every person who had decided to go, another two had decided not to.

Finally camp day rolled around. The counselors set off in a van we had rented for them, and my own truck was packed with food and other supplies. It had rained the whole morning, and as we started out for camp at about 2pm I looked apprehensively at the threatening clouds, and at all the perishable items in the back of the pickup. As we drove along, clouds gathered to the left of us, to the right of us, in front of us, and behind us. We saw rain in the distance. Yet never once did a drop of rain fall on the truck. When we pulled into the camp we were met by the cooks.

"How wet did the food get?" they asked.

"It's all perfectly dry" was our response.

"How is that possible? It has been raining here all day. In fact, it just stopped!"

"It's possible because God controls the weather" I replied.

As we were praising God for his protection of the food, we looked at the lake, and had another motive for praise. The rain of the previous week had raised the level of the lake by over a meter and a half--making it usable for swimming. God raised the level of the lake--and kept our supplies dry. God is awesome.

The level of the lake during the retreat.

Notice the water under the bridge.

The next morning the counselors and staff gathered in the chapel to await the campers. And they waited. And waited some more. Finally a group of around 20 arrived shortly after lunch. The a couple other smaller groups. And that was it.

Campers gathered in the tabernacle

Oh how I battled discouragement. Oh how I wanted to just send everybody home, and go home myself. God used Pastor Ricardo, however, to encourage me. He reminded me that God was more interested in quality than quantity. We made the decision to invest everything in those campers who had arrived.

At 2pm we gathered everybody (campers and counselors and musicians--the total came to just over 50) in the chapel. I could sense the disappointment and gloom on the faces of all present. Their (and my) worse fears were being realized. We held a camp, and nobody came.

Well, not quite nobody. There were fifty of us, and by that time I was determined to make the best of it and see what God would do. Instead of starting off with my welcome speech, I had the praise group get up and lead everybody in some of their more "rousing" choruses. That got everybody involved. While they were singing, my mind raced for something to say. Finally, it came time for me to give the official camp welcome. What I said went something like this:

"Of all the people that were alive at the time of the flood, God chose eight to save the human race. Of the twelve spies that Joshua sent out, only two were reliable. Of the thirty-two thousand men who volunteered to help Gideon fight the Midianites, God chose three hundred. Of the thousands of people who followed Christ in his ministry, He chose twelve to be his inner circle of disciples.

"The point of all of this is that God seems to like to work with small numbers. And what we have here is a small number. God has made it very clear to us that we should have this camp. He has confirmed it in a number of ways, including raising the level of the lake to where it can be used. And He has brought you here for a purpose. We are a small group, but we are expecting God to do great things."

After going over a few of the camp rules I turned the podium over to Pastor Ricardo and excused myself because I had some errands to run in town. I returned later that evening, and was amazed by the attitude I saw among campers and staff. In all the activities I have run, I have never witnessed more unity, more enthusiasm, more excitement. After the first message, all the campers gathered in the dining hall to present their team cheers and battle cries. The atmosphere was electric. After the competitions of the evening--which were a blast--everybody gathered 'round for some group activities.

Campers gathered in the dining hall for activities

One of my duties as camp director is to get up at five each morning (!) and get bread from the bakery in town. When I got up the next morning, there was a note plastered on my window saying I needed to pick up another camper who had arrived from Fortaleza. Tiago was waiting for me at the bus station, and I appreciated the company on the way back from town. It turned out that he had decided at the last minute to come to camp, at the urging of some friends who were there. He had never been there before.

As camp progressed it became evident that the campers were having the time of their lives. This is always gratifying, but I remember on Sunday asking God whether He didn't have anything bigger in mind for that week.

That night, Tiago accepted Christ.

When Pastor Ricardo--who had stayed up all night talking to him--gave me the news the next morning, I looked at him and said "So...it has all been worth it".

But God was not done. On Monday evening we had a bonfire in place of the evening service. Pastor Dan (my brother, who was our speaker for the week) spoke on being completely satisfied in God. We had a testimony time, and several young people opened up about areas where God had been working on them during the retreat. A couple were in tears.

Pastor Dan at the bonfire

The next evening--Tuesday--was the last. That night after the message, Pastor Ricardo gave an invitation. Two more young people stood to indicate that they had trusted Christ. Then almost the entire group stood to indicate that they had made a decision to put their future in God's hands (the theme of the week). As I stood and looked at the group, I realized that God had indeed made it rain. Even as I write this, I have trouble keeping back the tears.

I remember that Monday two weeks before the retreat, as we stood at the camp and prayed, one thing we all asked for was that God would be glorified through the retreat. The following is a note I received not to long ago from one of the young ladies who was there as a camper:

Thank you very much for the camp. It was truly unforgettable. God took care of everything, even the smallest details.

Sunset over the lake at the Iguatu Camp.

I would like to be able to say that after this, I will never doubt God again. However, I know myself too well. Even now I am trying to figure out how we are going to make ends meet given low registration--and finding myself having to fight off the panic. However, if last week is any indication, God will take care of that just in a way that will bring honor and glory to his name--and leave me open-mouthed in wonder.

Below is a little photo montage that Washington, our assistant program director, put together.

Posted by Andrew at 4:04 PM // Comments: 10 //
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