September 28, 2009

Calm, Serene, and Tranquil--Vocal Version

At last-week's Seminary Retreat (see pictures here) I got together with three other guys and we did a rendition of the chorus Calm, Serene, and Tranquil. It went OK up until the end, when we had a couple "harmony issues".

Check it out:

Posted by Andrew at 4:39 PM
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September 22, 2009

Standoff in Honduras

So, Honduran elected officials and judges oust a president who is bent on illegally changing the constitution and chumming up to the likes of Hugo Chavez. What do they get in return? Why, the ire of the Obama administration and the world community, of course.

Now ex-President Zelaya is back in town, and holed up in--you guessed it--the Brazilian embassy.

This could get interesting, folks

Update:

Fausta reports that Zelaya has an entourage of roughly 300 people. How in the world did they get into the Brazilian embassy without anybody knowing it? Something fishy there...

Posted by Andrew at 1:24 PM // Comments: 1 //
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September 15, 2009

A Plea to American Pastors

Dear US Pastor,

The next time you are tempted to turn down a request for a meeting from some poor missionary appointee to Brazil with the comment that "Brazil is pretty much evangelized", please check out this article.

Brazil is indeed becoming more "evangelical" as opposed to Roman Catholic, but, as you can see from the article, the evangelicalism in question is quite different from what we would define as biblical Christianity. I refer you to the following quote:

She said more Brazilians were attracted to evangelical churches, or Pentecostalism, for the “flexibility of the religious expression.” They see churches like Reborn as places where they can express themselves more freely, and “not only look for solutions to personal problems, but also find a place to meet and socialize.”

Not exactly a ringing exposition of the Gospel message. Jesus did not die so I could "socialize".

Or check out this scene, from a church called Bola de Neve (Snowball):

In the church basement, their 16-year-old son, Nathan, led a teenage and younger crowd. The spiky-haired pastor-in-training delivered a sermon about Jesus Christ with talk-show-host skill. At one point, he held up a white plastic container and urged the young followers to donate, assuring them that God would “give back twice” whatever they offered.

This is a common thread in all of the "breakout" denominations here in Brazil. "Give us your money, so God will bless you." I still marvel that people do not see through this transparent scam.

In conclusion, while much progress has been made for the Gospel, there is still much to be done. We no longer face overt persecution by the Roman Church. Instead, we face a more serious threat: dilution of the Gospel message by those who claim to be evangelicals.

Remember this: Brazil is in desperate need of those who will preach the true Gospel of Christ.

Posted by Andrew at 10:10 PM // Comments: 4 // TrackBack: 0 //
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September 13, 2009

Book Review: The American Patriot's Bible

The American Patriot's Bible (Thomas Nelson, hardcover, 1,620 pages plus maps) is an attempt to demonstrate how absolutely intertwined American history and culture are with the Word of God. I would not call it a study Bible (although it does contain a decent concordance at the end). Rather, it would probably fit most readily into the category of "novelty Bible". The easy-to-read NKJV text is peppered with callout boxes and glossy-paper articles all having to do with the influence of Scripture on the United States. At the very beginning are maps, lists, and a family-records section. This Bible is very well constructed and quite readable.

I have to admit that I approached this Bible with some degree of ambiguity. I love the Bible, and I love America, but my line of work has pretty much cured me of any vestiges of the so-called "American Exeptionalism". The God of Scripture is not American, and I do not believe that America has any special prerogative in the Divine Plan. Under no circumstances can the promises given to Israel be applied to the US.

Having said that, it takes but a precursory look at history to see the unique role America has played, and continues to play. The US is unparalleled in its foundation on Christian principles, its progress in human rights, its support of Israel, and its support of missionary work around the globe.

And there most definitely is room for the Christian American to be patriotic, so long as he remembers where his true citizenship lies.

The fact that I read The American Patriot's Bible during the 9-11 commemorations--a time when my own patriotism is at a hightened state--may have made me more charitably disposed to this Bible. It has many good features.

The call-out boxes deal with concepts such as "honor", "humility", "defender", ect. and highlight a person, event, or speech from US history. Usually these have something to do with the biblical text at hand. The full-color sections deal with larger themes such as the Civil War or the Great Awakening.

Another cool feature: interspersed throught the Bible are markers showing where the various presidents placed their hands as they were sworn in. (Truly ironic is Bill Clinton's choice of Galatians 6:8. Look it up.)

It is obvious to the reader that Dr. Richard G. Lee--general editor--is trying hard to be bi-partisan. He quotes Republicans and Democrats, and goes so far as to find some glowing things to say about President Obama. Yet, the partisan nature of certain issues cannot be avoided, especially when the Bible is so clear about them (ex. Abortion). To his credit, Dr. Lee does not shy away from these, either.

I was pleasantly surprised with the overall tone of the notes. While there a couple of times where it slips into American Exeptionalism, and at times even seems to hi-jack promises to Israel, the American Patriot's Bible is, on the whole, worthwhile and interesting. It has even given me some material for an English-language Sunday School class I teach here, where we focus on the impact the Bible has had on language and culture.

As a post script to this review, I would like to reproduce a prayer that is found in page 475, as subtext for David's ascension to the throne in I Chronicles. It was written by Josia Gilbert Holland in the 19th century, and I read it on Saturday as I watched video of the events of September 11, 2001, and then saw the thousands of people gathered in protest at the Capitol. It seems to have grown in its relevance:

God, give us men! A time like this demands Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands; men whom the lust of office does not kill; Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy; Men who possess opinions and a will; Men who have honor; men who will not lie; Men who can stand before a demagogue And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking! Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog In public duty, and in private thinking; For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds, Their large professions and their little deeds, Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps, Wrong ruiles the land and waiting Justice sleeps.

(Disclaimer: This review was done in participation with the Thomas Nelson Book Review program for bloggers. While I do get a free book out of the deal, I am in no way pressured to write a positive review.)

Posted by Andrew at 4:31 PM
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September 11, 2009

What a Great Church

Our sending church, Fellowship Baptist in Lakeland, Florida, is one of the most missions-minded churches I know of. Not only are they 110% behind our ministry here in Brazil, they are intimately involved with other missionary projects around the globe.

Case in point: they recently helped purchase an airplane for use in mission work in Madagascar. My brother recently took a ride on said plane, and I snagged this picture from his Facebook page.

Note: In case you can't tell, the plane is shown here on the main runway of Mulberry International Airport.

Posted by Andrew at 8:47 PM
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September 9, 2009

Photos from Palestina

Palestina is an out of the way village about three hours from here, where a national missionary--Djalma--is putting blood, sweat, and tears into a church plant. Our seminary puppet team was privileged to be able to lend him a hand last weekend. We were able to canvas the city, inviting kids to a childrens' program. We also participated in two evangelistic services, and I got to preach!

Here is the photographic evidence:

Our first adventure involved actually getting there. After driving for two hours over paved roads pockmarked by recent rains, we turned onto a winding dirt road. This proved to be a challenge.

My old pickup could have handled this with no problem. However, the little Volkswagen Gol pulling a trailer complained vociferously when confronted with these roads.

We passed many houses like this one on the way.

Finally, we arrived in Palestina.

Almost imediately upon our arrival the team went door-to-door, inviting people to the weekend's events.

Because taking a puppet along worked so well last week, they did it again this week, with great success. By the time we were done, "Laranjinha" (roughly translated "Little Orange Guy") was a minor celebrity in Palestina.

As we prepared for the service that evening, I had a delightful conversation with this very intense young lady.

Meanwhile the puppet team prepared backstage. Their presentation was excellent, even though lighting conditions were not ideal. Then again, we have almost never performed under ideal conditions.

After the puppet presentation came the message. The theme for the conference was "Who is Your Lord?". It was an excellent theme to work with, as you can see by my enthusiastic gesturing. If one did not know better, one might think I was doing the motions to the song "Y.M.C.A." Rest assured, the only "Village People" there were the people who live in the actual village.

The next day (Sunday morning) we had a special children's session, where we had roughly two hours with the kids. Amazingly, we had their attention the whole time. Puppets are such a novelty in these little towns that we have an amazingly captive audience.

Standing room only.

We did the classic story of Junior and his lost boat...

...and we even brought out Bruno for some improvised riffs with Renata.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the royal treatment we receive everywhere we go, especially in the food department. We are fed so well that we have considered changing the name of our group from "Amiguinhos de Jesus" ("Little Friends of Jesus") to "Amigões de Jesus" ("Big Friends of Jesus").

If you think of it, please pray for Djalma, pictured here with his family. He is doing a hero's work in that little city--steeped as it is in idolatry and superstition. As we were holding our open air meeting, I made a remark in my message as to how Jesus was superior to Mary, after all it was Jesus who created Mary. A lady standing on the outskirts of the crowd snorted and said "He brought Mary into it--he just sinned."

We are grateful for God's protection in our travels, and for the privilege of ministering the Gospel in a place where the Gospel has been absent for generations.

We took many more photos on this trip. If you want to see the best ones, click here.

Posted by Andrew at 8:57 PM // Comments: 3 // TrackBack: 0 //
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September 4, 2009

Puppets in Campos Sales

In 1995 I had the privilege of working in the small interior town of Campos Sales. I was then a student at the Cariri Baptist Seminary, where I now serve as Internship Coordinator. Last weekend I went back to Campos Sales with our seminary puppet team for two days of evangelism.

Here are the pictures:

Our first presentation was in the outlying community of Poço de Pedras (Rock Well). The above picture shows us setting up the stage.

The Poço de Pedras community consists of two rows of houses like this one, all within sight of the church building.

"Laranginha" and I decided to go out and "warm up the crowd".

We certainly got people's attention...

After our presentation we took this picture with some of the brethren from the congregation.

On Sunday morning we did a presentation for the opening of the kid's club at the Campos Sales church.

As usual, we played to a full house.

The church in Campos Sales has a radio program on Sunday afternoons. They invited us to participate.

I was given the opportunity to share a quick devotional on-air. This is me, driving home some particularly important point.

Here our team poses with the radio station staff.

We had an amazing time in Capos Sales, as evidenced by this picture of Eder quite literally "walking on air".

Posted by Andrew at 9:30 AM // Comments: 1 //
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September 2, 2009

German Dirigibles Over Brazil

No, not the title of some "alternative history" novel. Two actual pictures I received as part of a collection of pictures taken by the first BMM missionary in Brazil. The first one shows the airship over a typical northeastern Brazilian home of the time:

This next one leaves no doubt as to the nationality of the lighter-than-air craft:

A closeup:

So what was a German dirigible doing in Brazil in (roughly) 1936? I did a little research and found this site, which answered the question for me:

In 1925, the Allies permitted Germany to resume construction of long-range rigid dirigibles for their own use. Under Dr. Hugo Eckener, the Zeppelin Construction Works completed the Graf Zeppelin, with a capacity of 3,700,000 cubic feet (105,000 m 3 ), in 1928. The airship made many transoceanic flights with a special service between Germany and Brazil. It flew around the world in 1929.

So, pioneer missionary captured the Brazil-Germany dirigible in flight. This is just one of the fascinating things we find in these pictures. I will be sharing more as time goes by.

Posted by Andrew at 1:43 AM
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