Puebla Panorama - A Video Journal

“…Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” Zechariah 4:6

“Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you…Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” Isaiah 64:1,4

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” 2 Corintians 5:18-19

“Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.” Psalm 117

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord; Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” Habukkah 3:2

Christina Hits Double Digits – A Photo Journal

The day starts with cookie crisp

Then off to high flying rides

Ready for takeoff

Splash-down

We’ve waited on this ride for months

Mom gets in on the action

Ready for Indy

KFC for lunch

Just one more ride

Maria at the mall

The day ends with ice cream cake

Dedicated To All You “Rope-Holders”

Call it what you want. I call it the hand of God. A few years ago Diana and I were on our way to Kansas City when in the middle of no- where our van “mysteriously” went out. We nursed it to the next exit and found a garage for the needed repairs. With a few hours to waste we decided to make the trek to a local shopping center where we “discovered” a Christian bookstore. There I “happened” to purchase a book by Bill Thrasher entitled A Journey to Victorious Praying. That book has since offered us much encouragement. Today we dedicate one of its stories to all of you “Rope-Holders” who pray and believe God on our behalf:

The largest and most popular course at the college that Richard Harvey attended was a first-year chemistry class. Dr. Lee, the most renowned professor in the school, taught the class, and every year before Thanksgiving he lectured against prayer. He would conclude the lecture by offering a challenge to anyone who still believed in prayer. Richard Harvey recall the occasion when he writes:

Then [Dr. Lee] would challenge, “Is there anybody here who still believes in prayer?” And he would say, “Before you answer, let me tell you what I am going to do and what I am going to ask you to do. I will turn around take a glass flask and hold it at arm’s length.” Then he would continue, “If you believe God answers prayer, I want you to stand and pray that when I drop this flask, it won’t break. I want you to know that your prayers and the prayers of your parents and Sunday school teachers and even the prayers of your own pastors cannot prevent this flask from breaking. If you wish to have them here, we will put this off until you return after the Thanksgiving recess.”

No one had ever stood up to Dr. Lee’s challenge until a Christian freshman learned about it. He sensed that God had given him the conviction to stand up to Dr. Lee. Finally the day came when the annual challenge would be made. Dr. Lee made it in the same way that he had done for the past twelve years. The only difference was that this time this courageous freshman responded when asked if there was somebody who still believed in prayer. Harvey recalls the events that followed:

“Well,” said the professor, “this is most interesting. Now we will be most reverent while this young man prays.” Then he turned to the young man, “Now you may pray.”

The young man just lifted his countenance toward heaven and prayed, “God, I know that You can hear me. Please honor the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, and honor me, Your servant. Don’t let the flask break. Amen.”

Dr. Lee stretched out his arm as far as he could, opened his hand and let the flask fall. It fell in an arc, hit the toe of Dr. Lee’s shoe rolled over and did not break.

There was no movement of air and there were no open windows. The class whistled, clapped and shouted. And Dr. Lee ceased his annual lectures against prayer.

God’s Spirit gave this young freshman the conviction to believe God…What does the Lord desire you to believe Him for today? Depend on the Spirit to strengthen you to believe Him as you seek Him.

1. Bill Thrasher, Journey to Victorious Praying (Moody Publishers, 2003)
2. Richard Harvey, Seventy Years of Miracles (Horizon House, 1998)

What's Our Part Here?

We were there to help a visiting group better understand Catholicism in Mexico. They seemed to be there to weave into the fabric of their family the beliefs handed down from generation to generation. I imagined them to be grandparents tenderly and lovingly leading their young granddaughter toward a sacred site at the Basilica in Mexico City. This generational ministry, the passing of the torch makes one stop and ponder – How will the cycle be broken and what's our part here? Good question. So, what is our part here?

Loving God: Our primary opportunity, our primary focus, our primary concern is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind. By keeping first things first there is a platform for His work to be done in His way, in His time, for the glory His Son. (Matthew 22:37; 1Corinthians 2:1-5)

Family: In the context of missions our high calling remains to impress God’s Word on the hearts of our children and manage them well. We continue to nurture, train and disciple them through shared life experience and homeschooling. His plan for our lives includes His plan for their lives and for future family generations. (Deuteronomy 6:4-8; 1Timothy 3:12)

Prayer: Our heart remains not only to emphasize prayer in our personal lives but as a ministry focus as well. That means not only praying for others but praying with others both individually and in groups. We turn our attention to prayer believing that all the things that we accomplish He does for us. (Acts 6:4; Isaiah 26:12)

Sowing Seeds: Whether it’s “the verse of the day”, a tract, or an act of kindness in the name of Christ, sowing these seeds provides an opportunity for many to have a personal encounter with God – some for the first time. It’s a work that shows little immediate fruit but gives others a chance to water and to harvest so that God can give the increase. (Matthew 13:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9)

Bible Distribution: God’s Word is living and active...judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Its power surpasses language, culture and religious barriers to bring new birth. It is our desire to get the Bible into the hands of as many people as possible. Whether we give them personally or provide them for fellow believers to give we try to do so out of a relationship and with some salvation verses provided. (Hebrews 4:12; 1Peter 1:23)

Writing: The weekly journal and the Rope-Holders prayer updates are ways that keep others connected to us and God’s working here. Beyond that we have been writing a Bible study in Spanish from the book of Matthew. We confidently expect that after prayer, grammatical, cultural and theological editing this study will be used by the Lord as a compliment to the Bible distribution. (1John 1:3-4; Jude 1:3)

Discipleship: Going into all the world to make disciples is a multifaceted process for us. It includes living our lives before others controlled by the Spirit, showing hospitality, teaching English, loving our neighbors as ourselves, inviting others to study the Bible, or having tea together. The goal is to be able to entrust the deep truths of the faith to those who are reliable to share it with others. (Matthew 28:19; 2Timothy 2:2; 1Timothy 3:9)

Caring for the Poor: While Mexico has an influential upper class and a growing middle class, God has put it into our hearts to also proclaim good news to the poor. We believe that when we spend ourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed our light will rise in the darkness. (Matthew 11:4-5; Isaiah 58:10-11)

Maria’s A Teenager! – A Photo Journal

Enjoying a nice cool fruit drink

Reminiscing with the family photo album

Christina decorates with a balloon bouquet

Lunch at the Angel’s taqueria on the Zócolo

All the way to Mexico for ice skating

Where’s Maria – and Christina?

Christina gets in on the fun

The ice cream cake was very moist

Yep 13 – count’em up