September 29, 2008
Time Travel
A friend who was a counselor at Lamoka Baptist Camp back in the days when I was a camper has been posting a lot of pictures on Facebook. Among them was this gem:
Posted by Andrew at 1:11 PM
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Videos from Camp
Our seminary retreat ended yesterday, and I am gradually getting back into the "normal" rhythm of life. Speaking of rhythm, we were blessed with some great musical numbers by our seminary students this last week. Below are some videos, beginning with a Ron Hamilton number done by our ladies' quartet.
Not to be outdone, the newly-formed guy's quartet tackled an Acapella number.
Next up, the seminary choir singing "Great is the Lord."
Finally, we have this year's graduating class singing a Brazilian chorus, the title of which is "I Want to Do Your Will, Lord." The guy blowing his own horn in the background is yours truly.
Posted by Andrew at 11:00 AM
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September 25, 2008
Incommunicado
I will not be around a computer until late Sunday...we are on our way to the seminary retreat at Iguatu. Updates when we get back.
Posted by Andrew at 1:31 PM
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September 24, 2008
Creative Advertizing in Northeast Brazil
I saw these during my futile search for an ATM machine back during my Jaguaribe adventures.
This is above a motorcycle repair shop in the city of Icó. About a block down the road I found this...
The name of the establishment--fittingly--is "The Big Mug".
Posted by Andrew at 12:45 PM
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September 23, 2008
Puppetry School Promotional Video
As mentioned before, last weekend we held another seminar on puppetry for Christian workers here at the seminary. About 15 people participated, and it was our best course yet. Below is a promotional video put together by my puppetry partner in crime, Cicero.
Posted by Andrew at 6:08 PM
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Joe and the Maverick
My brother Joe is a TV reporter for WBNG, a CBS affiliate in Binghamton, NY. He recently covered a campaign stop John McCain made in Scranton, PA. You can see the video here. (The voice is Joe's)
Posted by Andrew at 11:29 AM
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September 21, 2008
Cool Nathan
I was uploading some pictures of our puppet school (which I will try to post tomorrow) and I found this. It was too good to pass up.
Posted by Andrew at 7:10 PM
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Newest Puppet Videos
Finally I am able to post our latest puppet videos. We have had them edited for about three weeks, but they only went on the air (on our local TV station) yesterday.
Chocolate
This one was just a "warm up" gag sketch, no particular spiritual lesson--that I can think of. It is based on one of my favorite Smothers Brothers routines. As it is in Portuguese, here is the dialogue in English:
(Junior is on our left, Max on our right)
Junior: Hey Max.
Max: Hey Junior
Junior: Is it my imagination, or do I smell chocolate.
Max: It's not your imagination, it is really chocolate. I fell into a bucket of chocolate this morning.
Junior: You fell into a bucket of chocolate?
Max: Yes, an enormous bucket, full of chocolate. It was terrible.
Junior: I can imagine. And what did you do?
Max: I yelled "FIRE!"
Junior: Hang on...you fell into a bucket of chocolate and yelled "fire"?
Max: That's right.
Junior: And why did you do that?
Max: Because nobody would have helped me if I had yelled "CHOCOLATE"!
(rim shot)
Buga Buga: Rock and Hole
This is the first of a little series we are doing. It features a tribe of jungle-dwellers called the Buga Buga. That is not only their name, it is their entire vocabulary. The series aims to teach biblical principles in a memorable way. No translation is needed here. If there is any doubt as to what they are doing, check out the reference that appears at the end.
Posted by Andrew at 5:30 PM
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September 18, 2008
Book Review: Love and Respect
Having read many books on marriage and learned about love languages, purpose driven relationships, and numerous steps to healthy matrimony, I expected this book to be more of the same.
I was pleasantly surprised. Dr. Eggerichs takes a refreshing (if sometimes overstated) approach. Many marriage counseling books emphasize the need for men to love their wives unconditionally. This is the first one I have read, however, that puts equal emphasis on the need (and scriptural mandate) for wives to respect their husbands unconditionally.
The author breaks biblical concepts down into bite-sized pieces ("pink and blue", C.O.U.P.L.E., C.H.A.I.R.S.) and consistently drives home his point.
There is a lot of Bible, a lot of common sense, and a lot of passion in this book. It pointed out areas of growth and areas of need in my own marriage, and I will be making great use of it in the future in counseling other couples.
Posted by Andrew at 4:48 PM
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September 16, 2008
"Martian" Ant Found In Brazilian Rainforest
The picture, however, is very cool.
Scientists have dubbed this newly-discovered ant Martialis heureka, implying that it's so weird it could have come from Mars. Found in the Brazliian rainforest, it has no eyes, and its "mouth" is like a pair of long forceps. According to University of Texas at Austin evolutionary biologist Christian Rabeling, Martialis heureka is from the oldest ant lineage still living. From Science News:
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Posted by Andrew at 5:59 PM
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September 15, 2008
Book Review: Knowing God
Last week I finished reading (for the second time) Knowing God by J.I Packer.
This work presents God to an increasingly godless populace as one introduces a good friend to someone who does not know him. It should be in the library of every believer.
No mere textbook for theological eggheads, Knowing God makes you think about your understanding of God, your relationship with him, and the effect that relationship should have on your life.
More than once in the reading of this book I found myself convicted of creeping idolatry, spiritual complacency, and apathy.
God used this book to make himself more real to me. I would encourage you to read it and let him do the same for you.
This is going to be required reading for my students next year.
This and other books worth reading can be obtained by visiting our Amazon Store.
Posted by Andrew at 12:34 PM
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New Puppets
Nice just put together three new puppets for our filming project.
This is Coronel Baltazar. He is a greedy landowner bent on owning the entire Cidade Feliz.
And these are his two equally evil (if not overly bright) henchmen, Cronos and Cairos.
Posted by Andrew at 11:06 AM
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September 10, 2008
A Blast from the Past
While staying with friends from "way back" in Fortaleza last week, I was shown this picture.
In case you were wondering, that is Yours Truly on the far left, hat stylishly on backwards, empty Coke can in hand. The picture was taken on Treasure Island in December of 1995. The white-haired gentleman second from the right is missionary Harold Reiner.
Posted by Andrew at 12:44 PM
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The Jaguaribe Adventure Ends...New Adventures Begin
On Monday morning I was at the Jaguaribe post office almost the moment it opened. There I was able to withdraw the $400 necessary to pay the mechanic, and soon Bradley and I were on our way. We made it home at about 1 pm.
The best part was when I pulled into the driveway, and Mikey was there to playing in the "yard". When he saw the truck he jumped up and threw both arms into the air like a referee announcing a field goal. A huge smile was on his face.
That made my day.
Posted by Andrew at 12:25 PM
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September 7, 2008
Jaguaribe...The Adventure Continues
A fully repaired transmission: $400.
Two nights in a hotel: $50
Discovering that there is not a single ATM machine that accepts Visa in a two-hundred mile radius: Priceless.
Visa, it's everywhere you want to be...except for the interior of Ceará.
Posted by Andrew at 5:29 PM
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Jaguaribe Adventure Update
It appears that the mechanic got the car fixed. Now I have to figure out how to get R$700 to him. I will probably have to make a trip to a city about an hour away where they have ATM machines. Fun stuff.
Posted by Andrew at 8:33 AM
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Holed Up in Jaguaribe
If you follow us on Twitter or Facebook, you may be wondering about some recent updates. Here are the details:
So I was about three hours away from home this evening and the transmission went in the truck. We managed to limp to a large-ish city called Jaguaribe (which is South American Indian for "we do not believe in ATM machines") and get the truck to a mechanic. Now Brad (an American teen who is here to learn firsthand about missionary life--boy is he getting a quick education) and I are holed up in a hotel awaiting a verdict on the truck. Most likely we will be going home by bus tomorrow and I will come back on Wednesday for the vehicle.
Thanks in advance for your prayers...
Posted by Andrew at 12:29 AM
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September 5, 2008
Pray for Pete Brooks
Regular readers might remember that a couple months ago Itacyara and I went to visit one of our veteran missionaries, Pete Brooks.
We just received word that Pete has suffered a stroke and is in the hospital. Here is an excerpt of the e-mail that just came from one of our colleagues:
Pete is out of Intensive Care, but [a missionary who called him] couldn't understand him when he spoke. Pete is in St. Lukes in Natal. His blood pressure is under control but he is paralized on one side.
Pete is one of the guys who came here when missions here was much more risky then it is now. In our talks while we were visiting him, he talked about several times when his life was in danger because he preached the gospel.
Posted by Andrew at 1:16 PM
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September 3, 2008
Prayer Letter
I just sent out one of our regular Comings and Goings prayer letters. Recently several people have e-mailed me saying that they have not been getting them. If you are one of those people, and did not get the one I just sent out, please let me know.
One common denominator seems to be that the people who are no longer receiving the prayer letters are Juno users. One solution may be to check in your "junk" file to see if Juno is automatically sending them there.
If you do not get our prayer letters but would like to start, leave a comment with your e-mail address and we will add you to the list!
Posted by Andrew at 6:27 PM
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Book Review: Twelve Ordinary Men
For the past few months I have been reading several books, and finishing none of them. I am currently in Fortaleza for meetings and to pick up an American student who will be visiting us--but with some "free time" on my hands. One of my projects for this free time is to finish all of these books that I have about half read. I finished the first one this morning.
Several years ago the adult Sunday School class at our church did a study on the twelve disciples which the teacher loosely based on this book by John MacArthur. Since then I have been anxious to read it, and finally got my chance.
It most certainly lived up to my expectations. MacArthur is characteristically thorough in his treatment of the lives of the twelve men who accompanied Christ. I particularly enjoyed his insights into the lives and personalities of Andrew, Nathanael, and Thomas. Concerning the latter, this quote jumped off the page:
Thomas was devoted to Christ. He may have been the equal to John in this regard. When we think about someone who loved Jesus and was intimate with HIm, we usually think of John, because he was always near Jesus. But it is clear from this account that Thomas did not want to live without Jesus. If Jesus was going to die, Thomas was prepared to die with him. In essence he says, "Guys, suck it up; let's go and die. Better to die and be with Christ than to be left behind."
When referring to the same disciple's famous "unless I see the hands" quote from whence comes his nickname, MacArthur makes the following observation:
When Jesus showed up in the room where the disciples are gathered, '"He showed them His hands and side" (John 20:20). Then they believed. So they were all slow to believe. What set Thomas apart from the other ten was not that his doubt was greater, but that his sorrow was greater.
Awesome!
MacArthur's treatment of Judas Iscariot is especially interesting. He brought out a point that I had never noticed before: Christ only celebrated the Last Supper (which was also the first Communion Service) after he had sent Judas away. That should enter into the thinking of us all as we prepare our hearts for the Lord's table.
"Twelve Ordinary Men" is a great read for ordinary men like me. It is encouraging, engaging, and challenging.
For more reviews of books in my library, check out my Library Thing page. This book and many others I have reviewed and recommended are also available at our Amazon Store.
Posted by Andrew at 12:19 PM
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