December 28, 2010

The Best of 2010

Christmas is over, and though we are still at my folks' house in Upstate NY, it is time to get back into somewhat of a routine. To end the long blogging drought I am presenting this, a list of the top ten Comings Communiqué posts for 2010.

I should mention that these are all entries that were posted this year. There were other, perennial popular posts that got more page views, but that did not make the list. Also, I removed any Missionary Max posts as I will talk about him in the near future.

So, without further comment, the most viewed posts for 2010!

10. Missions, Old Skool A look back at missionary life in Brazil in days gone by.

9. Termite City Interesting termite houses seen on our way to São Luís.

8. São Luís Report I was immensely gratified that this made the top ten. It is a report of our visit to São Luís, and a summary of our plans for ministry there.

7. Burning the Koran, or How Not to Fulfill the Great Commission Some web traffic is "current events driven". This was a "hot" issue at the time.

6. Hellish Prophets After this post nobody should wonder where I stand on the "sign gifts" or the sufficiency of the Scriptures.

5. God's Sovereign Protection A week after arriving home on furlough my wife was involved in an accident. Read this to see how God protected her.

4. Book Review: Wild at Heart I never expected my book reviews to be a popular feature of this site. I started them as a way to force myself to greater comprehension of what I was reading. Yet in our travels in the US this year many have told me how much they appreciate them. Go figure.

3. Houston, We Have a Problem A reader alerted me to the Success in Life church in Houston. Lo and behold, it is none other than the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God--the Brazilian mega-cult that is wreaking havoc all over the world.

2. Oh Please! South Africa and South America are two distinct geographic locations. You know that, and I know that. But apparently a certain Chicago TV station does not know that.

And, the number one post for the year of 2010 is...

...about a stamp?

1. Brazilian Stamp of the Month: Freemasonry Seriously, I have no idea how this made it to the number one spot. Perhaps there are more connoisseurs of Brazilian Freemason philately than I originally thought. Or maybe it's a Freemason plot...

Talk back to the missionary: What was your favorite post (from this blog or another) in 2010? Tell us all about it in the comments section.

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December 24, 2010

A Very Brazilian Feliz Natal (Merry Christmas) from the Comings Family

As we shiver in the snow in Upstate NY, are hearts wander to our beloved Nordeste. We want to share a little Brazilian Christmas cheer by way of this song, Borboleta Pequenina (Tiny Butterfly).

Feliz Natal!

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December 23, 2010

Christ Among the Dragons--Book Review at Sharper Iron

The good folks at Sharper Iron have published yet another one of my book reviews. You can read it here.

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December 13, 2010

Missionary Conference, Latin Style

While we were on deputation one of our favorite events was the annual missionary conference at the Iglesia Bautista Maranatha. This month we got to participate again. A few days ago I posted a video of a special presentation of the National Anthem done by four young ladies from their youth group.

Today I want to share a little more about the conference.

One of the amazing things about this conference is the sheer number of missionaries present. The picture above shows the men at the conference as they visited one of the Sunday School classes.

Another high point of the conference is the participation of the young people. The youth group was large when we last attended this conference in 2004, it is even larger now. Besides their special presentations the young people are involved in every aspect of the conference.

In the picture above each teen is representing a different country.

Here Itacyara and our Brazilian friend Emanuela pose with the young lady who represented Brazil in the tableau.

Speaking of Emanuela, this was her first week of her visit to the US, and the folks at Iglesia Bautista Maranatha made her feel right at home. Can you pick out the Brazilian in the above picture?

We praise God for this ministry. Pastor José Ramires and his congregation have a tangible passion for missions. In the last ten years they have been instrumental in the planting of ten churches in Mexico, the US, and Puerto Rico, and have sent five young men into full time ministry. It was an honor to be able to participate with them.

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Violence in Rio

Because of a couple high-profile cases in the city's history, Rio de Janeiro has the ill-deserved fame of being the place where international criminals go to hide. As it turns out, there is no need for international criminals in Rio, because the homegrown ones are quite up to the task of sowing mayhem and violence in that beautiful city.

Some of you may have seen news items about the recent wave of violence in Rio. What follows is a first-hand account from one of our BMM colleagues who works in the Cidade Maravilhosa, reprinted here with his permission:

The week preceding Thanksgiving was marked by random burning of busses and cars all over the city as drug lords protested the state government´s implantation of pacifying police forces in some favelas (slum areas). Thankfully, people were allowed to leave the vehicles before they were destroyed.

No one expected the governor to take the unprecedented step of ordering a full scale invasion of the drug lord´s main base favela. With support from the Brazilian military, over 2000 policemen stormed the stronghold the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The attack caught the drug lords by surprise and the police were able to gain control with a minimum loss of life.

Though we were not close to the main conflict, we did see the helicopters fly over and still have soldiers in a mini-tank looking everyone over at an intersection not too far away. In moments like these, we are thankful that God is, indeed, our refuge!

Please pray for those who are "on the ground" sowing the Gospel of Peace in the midst of the violence.

Talk back to the missionary: Any of our Brazilian readers have any "on the ground" observations from Rio? Feel free to share them in the comments section.

Related Posts:

Vintage Rio
Rio in the Dark
Rio is Golden

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December 9, 2010

Book Review: The American Patriot's Almanac

Compared with other nations of the world, America's 200+ years of existence is a drop in the bucket. Yet these two centuries have been nothing if not eventful. Proof of this is The American Patriot's Almanac (Thomas Nelson, 550 pages plus index).

Former education secretary William J. Bennett has teamed up with John T.E. Cribb to put together a collection of 365 uplifting and informative stories from America's history. Each story corresponds with the day of the year on which it occurred. For example, the October 27th page contains an article about the publication of the Federalist Papers. Below the article are a list of other important events, like the birth of Theodore Roosevelt. (Inexplicably, they leave out another very important birth that took place on that date in Ithaca, New York in 1972...go figutre!) Some of the events covered are well-known (like Pearl Harbor on December 7th) while others are more obscure (like Peter Zenger's printing press on November 17th).

Each month also includes special essays on different aspects of American history, such as The History of the Stars and Strips (February), Fifty All-American Movies (March), and The Gettysburg Address (August). At the end is a list of all fifty states with their flags and essential data about each one.

Over all this work is very informative, although it does not (nor could it in this format) delve into the details of the many historical events. We have used it in our home as an educational tool for our two boys who, though they are Americans, have spent most of their lives abroad.

Talk back to the missionary: Read a good book lately? Let us know about it in the comments section.

Oblligatory Legalese: I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze program, with the understanding that I would publish a review of it. I am under no obligation to write a positive review.

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Musical Interlude: National Anthem from an Unexpected Source

Last week it was our privilege to participate in the annual missionary conference at the Iglesia Bautista Maranatha here in Lakeland, FL. Every December this ministry to the Hispanic community puts on "the mother of all missionary conferences". All services are in Spanish (except the one I preached at, but even that was translated into Spanish). One of the highlights is hearing their young people sing. These talented kids sing with harmony and passion that is a true delight for the listener.

Before one session their girls ensemble got up to sing, and asked everybody to stand. The video below is what we heard. The image quality is bad (ok...it's wretched). But the sound is divine. And to hear these young ladies,all of Mexican descent, singing our National Anthem...well, it brought tears to my eyes and put a lump in my throat.

The only time The Star Spangled Banner has caused a greater reaction in me was one day in the aftermath of 9-11. I was driving in the greater Tampa area and listening to a popular radio station. The announcer came on and said that they were going play the National Anthem, and asked people who were listening to turn on their headlights in an expression of patriotism. As the opening strains wafted over the airwaves the traffic around me lit up like a Christmas tree. I was so overcome that I had to pull over and wait until the music ended.

Talk back to the missionary: Any "National Anthem" related stories to tell? Wax patriotic in the comments section!

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