March 29, 2010
The Most Dangerous Place in the World
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Talk back to the missionary: When I tell my son about this place, it will immediately shoot to number two on his list of places to visit. What about you? Give us your favorite or least-favorite places to visit in the comments section.
Posted by Andrew at 9:25 AM
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March 23, 2010
Brazilian Musical Interlude: Asa Branca
Since we had a novelty version of Asa Branca a couple weeks ago, I thought I would include the original, sung by the inimitable Luíz Gonzaga, O Gonzagão.
The song expresses the sadness of the rural northeasterner as he is forced to leave his homeland (sertão) because of the drought. Here is my rough translation of the lyrics:
When I saw the land burning
Like a St. John's Day bonfire,
I asked God in Heaven, Oh,
Why so much judgement?
What a stove, what an oven,
You can't even put one foot down without burning it.
Because of lack of water I lost my cattle,
And my stallion died of thirst.
Even the white wing,
Flapped it's wings and left the hinterland.
And so I said "Goodbye, Rosinha,
Keep my heart with you."
"When the green of your eyes
Spreads across the plantation
I assure you, don't cry,
That I will return, my heart."
Today many leagues away,
In a sad loneliness
I wait for rain to fall again,
So I can return to the hinterlands.
Talk back to the missionary: This song has become somewhat of an anthem for this region of Brazil. What song reflects the area you live, and why? Share the music in the comments section.
Posted by Andrew at 3:05 PM
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March 22, 2010
Brazilian Stamp of the Week: 450 Years of São Paulo
In 2004 São Paulo, Brazil's (and Latin America's) largest city, celebrated 450 years of existence. The following colorful stamp was issued to commemorate the event.
Based on my recent visit, I think the artist did an admirable job limning (my word for the day...thanks Matthew S) the diversity and human mosaic of the city. He also captured its chaotic nature.
Talk back to the missionary: If you had to make a stamp that represented your city, what would it look like. Limn away in the comments section.
Posted by Andrew at 6:58 PM
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March 20, 2010
Aventura Brazil!
During our first term as missionaries in Brazil it was our privilege to host four church groups as they visited Brazil. But what to do if your church youth-group is not planning a missions trip?
Three of my esteemed colleagues have come up with the answer: Aventura Brasil!
From July 21 to August 10 of this year they will host a group of young people from the US as they learn Brazilian culture, experience missions first-hand, and participate in a host of exciting activities.
Their purpose, as stated on their website:
To give young people a mission adventure by immersing them into a foreign culture and language under the careful guidance of experienced missionaries. The ultimate purpose is to challenge them to consider career missions.
If this sounds like the adventure you have been waiting for, meander on over to the site and check it out.
Talk back to the missionary: Ever been on a missions trip? Tell us about it in the comments section.
Posted by Andrew at 12:01 PM
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March 19, 2010
Book Review: Tithing by Douglas LeBlanc
It was with great interest that I chose Tithing
The title of the book leaves no mystery as to it's subject. The subtitle--"test me in this"--lets us know right up front that the author thinks tithing is for today. Rather than a detailed biblical exposition, however, LeBlanc opts to go the "personal testimony" route. Thus the book is divided into eleven chapters (and an epilogue), each featuring a different person or group of people telling about how they were blessed by the practice of tithing.
As I opened the book, the first thing that caught my eye was that the forward was by Phyllis Tickle, madre superior of the Emergent Church. Then my attention was drawn to the fact that Tithing is part of a series called The Ancient Practices. Other authors for the series include Brian McLaren and Scot McKnight. At this point I had very low expectations for the book.
With all of that, it was better than I supposed. LeBlanc includes stories like that of Randy Alcorn, who can only make minimum wage because he was sued by an abortion clinic, and anything he makes above that would go to fund abortions. A couple of the interviewees even expressed my own position on tithing.
Yet there is one huge elephant in the room. Several of the people LeBlanc cites as examples are either from extremely liberal wings of the church, or out-and-out unbelievers. So...who does the Orthodox Jewish Rabbi tithe to? Am I to believe that God is going to bless money given to a false religion?
Tithing
Talk back to the missionary: What do you think about tithing? Wade into the percentage fray in the comments section.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Posted by Andrew at 4:12 PM
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March 17, 2010
Shall We Gather At the River...To Open a Checking Account
Brazilians are a very creative, inventive people, and this creativity and inventiveness does not apply just to biblical interpretation. From the always informed and oft-linked Rio Gringa comes this video, which appeared on her Portuguese Language blog. (If you are learning Portuguese, this is a good blog to subscribe to).
It would appear that Bradesco (one of the largest Brazilian banks) has inaugurated a floating bank that navigates the Amazon.
I can't think of a better place to go to "float" a loan.
Talk back to the missionary: That's all I've got. Anybody else have any puns inspired by the video? Share your groaners in the comments section.
Posted by Andrew at 8:38 PM
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"That's Why We Have The Holy Spirit..."
One of my students was talking about biblical interpretation on his blog. As an illustration, he posted the following video. My jaw dropped open as I watched.
The video is from a popular Brazilian TV show called "Fantástico". The announcer begins by saying that the next story involves an Evangelical pastor, his neighbor, and his neighbor's wife. Then it cuts to two people from the community who say that it is "really strange" and that "they have never heard of a pastor having this kind of privilege."
The "privilege", as it turns out, is being able to sleep with other people's wives. It seems that the man in question, one Justino, who divides his time between being a pastor and being a stonemason, is convinced that the Bible gives him the right to have more than one woman.
As the video progresses, we learn that a woman in his "congregation" had a dream where she learned that she would have children by Pastor Justino. The minor detail that she is married with four children of her own doesn't seem to matter. At 1:31 in the video she says "God made me do this. I had no other option." Her husband, incredibly, was OK with the whole thing.
What follows, beginning at 1:43, is the Pastor's own justification of their actions. He says that they prayed about it because this was the most difficult thing he had ever done. Then, at 2:04, begins the most amazing part of this video. Even if you do not speak Portuguese, you should watch this.
The pastor justifies his actions by appealing to Hosea 3:1. The Portuguese translation of this verse reads as follows:
Disse-me o Senhor: Vai outra vez, ama uma mulher, amada de seu amigo, e adúltera, como o Senhor ama os filhos de Israel...
A literal translation from the Portuguese would read "The Lord said to me: Go again, love a woman, loved by her friend, and adulterous, as the Lord loves the children of Israel."
However, in the course of the interview, it becomes obvious that "Pastor" Justino is not reading the little accent above the "u" in adúltera. This changes the emphasis of the word, and thus, it's meaning. According to him, the text reads thus: "The Lord said to me: Go again, love a woman, loved by her friend, and commit adultery..."
The golden part of this video is when the reporter points this out from him. Watch from 2:12 as the reporter challenges his "interpretation". Justino passes the Bible to the reporter, the camera focuses on the text (and then on the word adúltera), then the reporter hands the Bible back to Justino. There is a long pause. One needs understand no Portuguese to read the expression of utter disbelief on the face of "Pastor" Justino as he realizes that he has based a terrible, life-altering, sinful decision on his failure to notice an accent above the letter "u".
Desperate to save face, he finally looks up and says weakly, "It was good for you to point this out, because one thing leads to the other, right? This is why we need the direction of the Spirit." And, one might add, a Portuguese dictionary.
I was pleased that the video ends with a Baptist pastor explaining how our friend Justino is completely out to lunch. He comes off as lucid, sane and reasonable. Of course, next to Justino, anybody would come off as lucid, sane and reasonable.
Talk back to the missionary: This is of course an extreme case. What doctrinal aberrations or heresies have you heard that are based on wrong understandings of scripture? Bring your wood, torches and lighter fluid to the comments section.
Posted by Andrew at 6:09 PM
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March 14, 2010
Book Review: American Caesar
What do you do when you have a subordinate who has a list of military decorations as long as your arm? Has led troops into battle with little or no regard for his own life? Has been a faithful if sometimes controversial public servant for over forty years? Is a tactical genius? Has protected Australia from invasion? Has turned a retreating army into an attacking one? Has reconquered the Philippines? Has defeated a ruthless enemy? Has transformed said ruthless enemy from a warlike totalitarian state into a peaceful democratic society? Has held Communism at bay in the face of conflicting and confused foreign policy on the home front?
If you are Harry Truman, you fire him, of course--in the most humiliating way imaginable, designed to bring him the most personal pain possible.
William Manchester's American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880 - 1964
brings the epic personality of Douglas MacArthur to life. In his detailed, even-handed style Manchester examines the circumstances that made MacArthur what he was (Union war-hero father, Confederate belle mother, etc.). He then follows the General's unique career.
Endowed with a brilliant mind and enormous (if fragile) ego, MacArthur was a product of the 19th century who saw far into the 20th and 21st. He was at once flamboyant and practical, generous and vindictive. He was a master of the craft of war, and longed to see it abolished. He is regarded as a hero in the nation he rescued (the Philippines) and the nation he defeated (Japan).
All of this Manchester, in his inimitable style, brings to life without attempting to reconcile the stark contrasts. Indeed, the contrasts made MacArthur who he was. The consummate biographer, Manchester details how MacArthur's own pettiness during the Korean conflict was resulted in disaster for him. He also shows how Truman's pettiness (not to mention underhandedness) resulted in disaster for the nation. The policies set for for Korea (the ones MacArthur opposed with every fiber of his being) set in motion the unspeakable horrors, not only of that war, but of Vietnam.
I personally learned much from this volume, and not just of a historical nature. Those who are in positions of leadership--be they pastors, missionaries, or executives--have much to gain by studying the brilliant successes and tragic failures of General Douglas MacArthur. Many men become larger-than-life after history has garnished their image. MacArthur truly lived larger-than-life.
It has been a long time since the United States has produced a gigantic personality like MacArthur, and the world is the poorer for it.
Talk back to the missionary: What lessons have you learned from historical figures? Share the wealth in the comments section.
Posted by Andrew at 4:03 PM
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March 10, 2010
Congratulations Are In Order...
...to the lovely and talented Itacyara Bezerra Comings, on the successful defense of her graduate thesis. The subject was "Bilingual Children", and she had two "guinea pigs" at home to help her.
I know I already mentioned this on Twitter and Facebook, but I am just tickled pink and bursting with pride over this.
Talk back to the missionary: If you leave a congratulatory note for Itacyara in the comments section, I will see that it gets to her.
Posted by Andrew at 5:33 PM
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March 8, 2010
Train Up a Child...
We went to the BMMB Family Conference expecting to be blessed by the preaching, the fellowship, and the change of pace. We were not disappointed. But for me there was one feature that added immense value to the week, like the caramel covering that takes vanilla ice cream to a whole new level.
There was a train!
First, a little background. Our conference was located at the Solar das Andorinhas hotel. This lovely facility is home to many scenes of natural beauty...
Scene of natural beauty
And amazing wildlife...
Amazing wildlife
But for me the most fascinating aspect of the visit stems from the fact that the hotel began life almost two centuries ago as a coffee plantation. Thus we were surrounded by ancient buildings, like this old mill with a water wheel...
Water wheel
...or the "big house", where the office is now.
The sign above the office door is original, as evidenced by the fact that it uses the archaic escriptrorio instead of the modern escritório.
But the coolest thing about this place is that the original owner had his own private railroad line! It connected his plantation to the main lines, thus allowing him to ship coffee to the national and international markets. So, while I dream of someday having space to set up a model railroad, this guy had his own, full-sized train!
And, to make things even better, there is a Brazilian Society for the Preservation of Railroads, and it has made this spur into a working rail museum.
On the second day of the conference we all went down to the train station (pictured above--it apparently now doubles as an Assembly of God church)...
...and boarded the beautifully preserved cars.
As the ride began and the conductor began to give us the history of this particular train, I looked at the beautiful furnishings around me. I really felt under-dressed. This particular car was manufactured in 1923.
Upon our arrival at the next station the train stopped and we were treated to an explanation of how a steam engine works. This time also afforded me the opportunity to climb into the cabin. I must admit, I was like a little boy at Christmas.
I don't want to give the impression that the conference was all about the train. Indeed, if you were to ask how the conference went, I would have to say that the messages were "on track", the fellowship was "tender", and now I feel refreshed and ready to go "full steam ahead".
Talk back to the missionary: Did I miss any train puns in that last paragraph? If so, make a "whistle-stop" in the comments section and complete the list.
Posted by Andrew at 8:38 PM
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March 7, 2010
BMM do Brasil Missionary Family, 2010
Behold the Baptist Mid Missions of Brazil missionary family for 2010!
Talk back to the missionary: See anybody you know?
Posted by Andrew at 9:43 AM
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March 4, 2010
The Missionary and Social Media
Here is a summary of the talk I gave to my missionary colleagues this morning, entitled "Facebook is Your Friend!"
When the internet was in its infancy, surfing the web was a spectator sport. You looked at a website, said "that's nice", and moved on. With the advent of weblogs, however, it became much more participatory, and the social web (some call it "web 2.0") was born.
What follows are the categories of social media, as I see them:
Blogs: Online journals where posts are archive (usually chronologically) and where readers can make comments and interract with the author and other readers. This was the first form of social media I participated in, and it continues to be my favorite. I currently have to blogs: this one in English, and the Caderno Teológico in Portuguese.
Networking Sites: Facebook, MySpace, and (here in Brazil) Orkut are all designed to create networks of people. "Connecting" is the goal. While these can be tremendous wastes of time (sorry all you Farmville players out there...) they can also be valuable means of communication.
Microblogging: A recent addition to the social media spectrum, microblogs (of which Twitter is the most popular) limit posts to small blurbs. The idea is to get as many "followers" as possible in hopes that they will read, respond to, and even "retweet" what you have "tweeted". The content of posts can range from the profundity of John Piper's theological musings to someone who feels it important that you know what he had form breakfast this morning.
Media Sites: Services such as Flickr and YouTube allow you to post visual and audio content online. These can be subscribed to (as in podcasts) or embedded on a blog.
Of course the question remains: why should missionaries blog? The next slide gives a few of the reasons.
In short, social media--rightly used--can be a powerful tool in enhancing the ministry of a missionary, both in the field and on the "home front".
If you are convinced that this is something you should try, here are three steps you can take to get started today.
The final point deserves a little explanation. It comes from a philosophy I first read on Michael Hyatt's excellent blog (in a post titled, ironically, 25 Things I Hate About Facebook). He sets for the idea of considering your blog as your "homebase" and using the other elements of social media as "outposts" to drive traffic to it. I have adopted this practice, with great results.
In my mind, my online presence looks something like this:
In closing, I leave you with this, something a friend posted on Facebook today on the subject of missionaries and social media:
You're a Baptist, so this analogy may not work too well for you [editor's note: this made me smile], but it seems to me the difference between hearing a quarterly update and reading regular FB updates from a missionary is like the difference between knowing that some friends are playing a card game across town and walking by the table and someone handing me some cards and saying "sit down and play, we just dealt you in." It brings a different level of involvement.
Talk back to the missionary: This article is, of necessity, incomplete. What else should missionaries know about social media? How can we best use it? Make your voice heard in the comments section.
Posted by Andrew at 4:06 PM
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March 3, 2010
Your Very Own Mission Field
For those of you who have been following our Twitter feed, we have arrived safe and sound in Campinas, São Paulo, and are now thoroughly enjoying the BMM do Brasil family conference. Tomorrow I will begin putting up some pictures and observations.
For today, however, I wanted to leave you with something to contemplate. I recently received an e-mail from one of our outstanding supporting churches (they are all outstanding!). The e-mail was from the missionary committee, and they posed me the following question:
Our Committee at [name of church withheld] has chosen to concentrate on approaching [name of city withheld] as our mission field. We are looking for wisdom as to how we might effectively begin this approach. In light of your experience, would you please take the time to list a few of the most important things that you feel we should consider in preparing to approach to this "new" field.
After a good deal of thought, I answered in this way:
Greetings!
First let me say that it is refreshing, encouraging, and motivating to get a letter like this. Would that all US churches had the same kind of vision.
Here are some of my thoughts as to what the "most important things" are:
1. We must be very clear as to what our message is.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but I am finding it to be increasingly important, and, conversely, increasingly in doubt. Simply put, our message is the Gospel: the historical fact (narrative, story, whatever you want to call it) of the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross which completely satisfies the righteous requirements of God. Other things (social work, community building, etc) can be outgrowths of this, but should always take a back seat to the faithful proclamation of the Gospel.
One of the big hindrances to the Gospel in our circles is lifestyle. We try to change people on the outside (dress, music, marriage, etc) before they have been regenerated on the inside. Conversely, when someone conforms to the outward standards we assume they are saved--which can be a tragic assumption.
2. We must figure out who needs the message.
Any missionary or church that undertakes to reach its community should look for groups of people that are not being reached (ex. university students, bikers, stamp collectors, etc). It is very easy for a group of believers to become insulated--focusing on fellowship with people "like us" and avoiding contact with "different" people. As you survey your city, try to find groups of people who live completely apart from the Gospel. This will probably not be too hard.
3. Look for ways to communicate the gospel to these groups of people.
This is the tricky part. Getting an audience with people who are different than you, who speak a different "language", who have a totally different worldview, is not an easy task. One solution is to find people in your church who already have an "in" with the target group and get behind their efforts. If there is nobody, then the "trick" is to be genuinely interested in people without pandering or compromising your message. This can be disconcerting at first.
Are the people in your church prepared to demonstrate love to the guy who is wearing lipstick and nail polish? Or to the girl who has had multiple abortions? Or to the young person whose arms are full of scars from needles?
The first part of an effective communication is demonstrating a sincere interest in people. This cannot be faked. It must be borne out of a conviction that God loves people and therefore I must love people too.
4. Re-educate the church to have a "missional" mentality.
"Missional" is a word that is both greatly overused and grossly misunderstood. Let me see if I can explain the concept, as I understand it.
Christ designed the church to be an aggressively evangelical organization. At the very beginning we were told to "go into all the world and make disciples". Yet it is easy for us to fall into a "bunker" mentality (especially those of us with a dispensational eschatology). We huddle in our little groups waiting for the rapture and feeling grateful that we are not on the outside. This "bunker" culture, more than any other factor, has hindered the work of missions in our day. The church is the army of Christ, not the hideout of Christians. We are not under siege, we are on the attack--or at least we should be.
Thus, for the church to get behind an effort like the one you are describing, it becomes important for them to understand that this will require much more than dedication to a new project: it will require a complete change in how they see themselves as related to the world around them.
A quote from General Douglas MacArthur might be helpful here. During WWII there was constant tension between the General and the Navy, largely stemming from the fact that the Navy was unwilling to commit ships to conflict on the fear that they might be lost. At one point a frustrated MacArthur asked "Why do we have all that hardware if not to hurl it at the enemy."
This is the question you should ask the "rank and file" of the church. God has saved them, empowered them with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, put them in a body called "the Church", and given them unprecedented access to resources and communication technology. What are we supposed to do with all of this if not hurl it at the enemy?
Once a church as a whole understands this, it will be easier to make the strategic changes necessary to insure greater effectiveness in presenting the Gospel.
As I write, Ed Stetzer (who is a great missionary thinker and writer who you should really become familiar with if you are serious about this process) posted the following quote on his Twitter page:
"Christian leaders are often more in love with the way they do church than they are in love with people in their community."
I would add that it is not just Christian leaders, but entire congregations.
I hope what I have written will be of help to you in this process. There is much more that could be said. Keep me posted on how things are going!
Talk back to the missionary: What about you? Would you have added or subtracted anything from that answer? Contribute to missional thought in the comments section.
Posted by Andrew at 9:27 PM
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March 1, 2010
Baptist Mid-Missions in Chile
While my biggest concern right now is whether or not I will be able to fly to São Paulo tomorrow, there are many people with much bigger "fish to fry". Take, for example, the BMM missionaries currently working in Chile, or neighbor to the southwest.
Here is an excerpt of a letter from John and Laura Niemeyer:
We woke up to a strong shaking of the sliding glass doors, floors, and everything around us. We jumped up to make sure the children were safe and found it difficult to walk through the house. It felt like walking on deck of a ship in the midst of a storm, or maybe you can relate by imagining yourself trying to balance on a surfboard. It was very strange when things that are normally steady and secure were rolling beneath our feet...Our car slid a foot forward even with the emergency brake engaged...The airport expects to be closed for the next several days, and we have seen minor damage around town. We have been feeling tremors all day and are told that we can expect those to last for several more days.
The entire letter can be read here. Praise God that the damage was not greater. Today I heard from friends of mine--missionaries in another part of Chile--that they survived the quakes as well with no significant problems. Certainly our prayers go out to the thousands who have been directly affected.
Talk back to the missionary: Do you have an example of God's faithfulness in the midst of this tragedy? Share it with us in the comments section.
Posted by Andrew at 9:23 PM
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Making Lemonade
If you have been following our Twitter updates, you know that we were unable to travel to São Paulo today, due to lack of a document. As we left our house yesterday we thought we had in hand Nathanael's birth certificate. As it turned out, we had Itacyara's.
Sooo, we are in Fortaleza for the day while the correct birth certificate is cedexed to us. It should arrive by 10am tomorrow. Thankfully we were able to reschedule our flight with no additional cost to us.
But hey, if it had not been for this complication, I would never have seen this:
Its a train car parked in the middle of the city. Here's another view:
A quick inquiry revealed that it once served as a public library, but is now "in repairs".
And to think, if I were relaxing right now in a heated pool in the conference center in Campinas, carbonated beverage of my choice in my hand, I would have missed this!
Talk back to the missionary: What interesting detours have you taken as a result of "plan changes"? Make lemonade in the comments section.
Posted by Andrew at 6:28 PM
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