Tonight's Random Ramblings...

Today, I just want to write. I'm not even sure what about. I just do. So here we go...

      Well, tonight's service was soothingly simple. One guitar, one leader, and a church house full of sincere worshipers. It doesn't get more honest than that. The worship tonight was beautiful. Sometimes I think that today's church can become sidetracked by everything that we feel we must "do." Not that there is anything wrong with doing or keeping up with the times, just that we don't have constantly "do" in order to be what God wants us to be. The praise band is great, I love it and I love being a part of it. But we do not have to do it all the time. Like Chris said today, sometimes we need to just "keep it simple." My Ecuadorian friends worship in a cement-block house. Our Chinese brothers and sisters are persecuted, so they simply worship behind closed doors. And windows. And curtains. Peter, Paul, and others throughout the history of the church- they simply worshiped in prison. Even the chains slowly peeling the skin off of their wrists didn't stop them from lifting up God's name in thanksgiving and in praise. And we like complain because the church is too cold, too hot, or the songs aren't our style or the music isn't fast enough. I wonder if God ever gets sick of any American "worshiping." Mind you, I'm not just out bashing every church in America. I believe that for the most part our spiritual leaders are truly seeking to please God and glorify His name, and that the congregations are generally sincere. I'm just out to point out that sometimes conveniences can be more of a hindrance than a catalyst for worship. But praise God that we have a grace that covers all, and that He can work in spite of our sometimes less than perfect attitudes. He truly is in control.

It seems that my body is informing my mind that I should get some rest now. With my evening rambling done and the hour getting late, I end with a simple prayer. God, thank You for being You!

Cachos

(Just as a preface, this has been typed very fast, so please ignore any typos. Thanks!)

            

         Today was an amazing, exciting, and miraculous day, because God once again proved that He really does answer prayer! For months, our team members and prayer partners have been praying that the villages would be receptive to the Gospel, and that God would be glorified. Well in the small village of Cochas, God is waging a heavenly war against the forces of spiritual darkness. And soon, I believe, He is going to bring the victory.

                Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” The people of Cochas have been enslaved to darkness for so long that Satan probably believes the place invincible. For God, however, nothing is impossible. Our visit today started at the community school, a small place teeming with teeming with laughing, excited children. And from there, our groups went out, and the results are encouraging and exciting!

                On particular group had a wonderful experience, so I’ll nickname it group 1. Group 1 included: Jill Dowling, Mom, Maria,  andPablo.

                                Together, Mrs. Jill and Mom were able (With the help of Pablo the translator) to spend the time before lunch engaging all of the children of the school. They played duck-duck goose, sang songs, and built up relationships so that they could share the light of Jesus Christ. After gaining the children’s trust and endearment, group 1 was able to give every child a bible and a tract and explain the Word of God. Many had never seen a non-Catholic bible before, and most were very interested and excited. From that point on, children could be seen throughout the community reading the bibles or analyzing the tracts. Hopefully seeds have been planted, and God will give the growth!

                After lunch, group 1 went prayer-walking throughout the community, and the results were amazing. God answered three distinct, independent prayers through that one time of ministry. Group 1 had decided to go to a cluster of houses in one direction, but a girl was walking home from school in a different direction. They decided to ask if they could go visit her house and she agreed. Once they arrived there, they found out that the girl’s grandmother had been saved for 5 years, and the mother had been saved for 1 year but just got baptized last week. Together, they had been praying that God would make them and their household a light for God in the community of 218 families, but they did not know how to be that light. So recently, they had been waking up at midnight (YES, 12:00 AM) to prayer-walk their village. Praise the Lord! So once the group arrived and shared with them Gabriel’s (the local missionary we are working with) desire to start a bible study, they eagerly desired their home to be the host. So right there, that’s two prayers answered: the native’s prayer to be a light and our team and prayer partners’ prayers that a person of peace willing to host a bible study would be found. Glory be to God, for through those women God may be bringing a revival to the village of Cochas! The third prayer is that Mom and Mrs. Jill have been praying that they would be able to experience another worship service with a group of local believers. Near the end of the time of visit, the people wanted to sing songs and worship God together. So group 1 and the local believers sang ‘Open the eyes of my heart’ together in Spanish, and the believers there were so excited that they ran and got a notepad and wrote down the lyrics. God is so good, and He brings together believers of every nation, tribe, and tongue! Please pray for those women specifically, because they will need much strength in the coming days to carry God’s word to people who are possibly hostile or resistant to it. Pray that God will work and guide them, and that He will receive the Glory!

                Group 1’s experience is extremely exciting, and my group (Myself, Sarah, Mr. Greg, and Alfredo) had an experience that demonstrates that God is working in Cachos, although the situation needs a lot of specific prayer. We met a woman named Margarita who was very interested in the Gospel. She has been pondering and yearning, and she said that she wants to become a Christian. However, there is a hindrance. Margarita owns a small store, and it provides enough income for her to live. Unfortunately, one of the main sources of income in the store is the alcohol. Although she knows that she could become a Christian, she also knows that entering into that relationship with Christ means that she will be changed and could no longer sell the alcohol with a clear heart. She is scared. Scared, because turning to God means giving up her security and her livelihood. Our group was able to pray with/for her, and Mr. Greg explained that, like Abraham, she may have to take the step of faith before God shows her the blessing of His provision. Please join with us in prayer for Margarita, that God will soften her heart and show her that He will be her protector and provider. Oh God, be with her!

     The last group (Scotty and Jadison Hayes, Patricia, and Gabriel) also had a number of good visits. Although the spiritual darkness has caused confusion (One person refused to take the bible because it wasn’t catholic, another thought they were Jehova’s Witnesses), God is beginning to shed His light on the place. Gabriel was able to connect with several families, and there was a definite openness to the Gospel and the possibility of a bible study beginning soon. In fact, Gabriel has said that one day he would like to build a church in the village. So please, remember the village of Cochas in your prayers. God is moving their, and I am excited to see the growth that He will bring!

Christ in Yera Cruz

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, ² keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.”

Today was an awesome day in the Andes Mountains. Our team traveled about an hour up to a little village nested on top of a mountain 10,600 feet above sea level: Yera Cruz. From there, our team split up into groups to prayer-walk the village and offer bibles to anyone who would accept one. And man, God is working in that place! The first time the local missionaries tried to reach the village for Christ, they were driven away with sticks and stones. Literally. But through Gabriel’s work with plants and animals, a door was opened so that the Gospel could be shared. However, the cultural catholic influence is strong. There is one man in Yera Cruz who was a believer before today, and he faces persecution. One of our groups encountered an old woman who explained that the villagers believe that the Virgin Mary is punishing the entire village because the one man turned away from Catholicism. (This belief stems from a high level of rain this year that is causing minor mud slides). Our group, though, was able to explain that Mary is not God and should not be worshiped. Nevertheless, Satan still is trying to prevent the people of Yera Cruz from hearing the true Word of God. However, Christ will not be stopped. Soon, a bible study is to begin in the village, and there is a great interest. Please pray that our brother in Christ will be able to effectively teach the Word of God to the people there, and that salvation will come to that place.

                Today, as the team prayerwalked, 4 people accepted Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Amen! Also, because a bible study is soon to begin, those 4 people may very well be able to reach those around them for Christ, and He will be glorified. Gloria! There are other team members who had awesome experiences, but I will relate just a couple of mine. Before lunch, we were prayer-walking on the very top of the mountain, and after a couple of house visits my group came to the house of the first believer in Yera Cruz. There we were able to fellowship with him, encourage him, and pray for him. He is a man of such faith and strength, and I pray that God will use him in a mighty way. After lunch, my group came upon several children, and Mrs. Jill and I were able to share Christ with them using a Gospel-color soccer ball and a translator. It was very exciting and nerve-wracking, all at the same time! Finally, we came up to a house, and while Gabriel spoke to the adults I engaged (or tried to) the children in conversation. They all wanted bibles, and I was very excited that they understood most of what I was trying to tell them. They were curious and interested, but there was one girl who was particularly attentive. I pray that God will speak to her heart through His word, and that she will come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal lord and savior. The hearts of children are amazing, Oh God shine in them!

                So the first day was awesome. Thank you all for your prayers, and God Bless! Keep the prayer coming! Gloria a Dios!  

Another quicky...

It's been a hectic week.

Graduation. Followed by a steady string of things to do, including: baseball games, jam sessions, fixing (or trying to) a car, a graduation celebration, bowling, a movie date, canoing, and work. And to top it all off, I have to be packed for Ecuador by tomorrow. By 6:00 AM.

All of this is fun of course, but exhausting. I already feel like I need a break from vacation. There is one lesson, though, that stuck out to me from my experiences this week. I'm glad all of this is not what I live for. Bowling with friends, movies, hanging out- it's all great, but I don't see how anybody finds any true peace in it. If I based my life on what I was going to do next, I wouldn't be a very happy person at all. I love to do stuff and have adventures, but only through/with the peace of Jesus Christ. In Him I find true contentment, and in Him I find my rest. And thank God for that!

I should probably be packing, so I'm soon to go. And I'm ready to go, because Ecuador is a place teeming with the movement of the Spirit, and I'm eager to see how God is working in the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Praise the Lord, because He is the ultimate peace and comfort!

Wandering Thoughts...

Today was the last Friday that I'll ever spend in a classroom at PCHS. Can you say weird?

Driving home from school, I was pondering about all that's happened. All I've learned. The life lessons that I'll never forget. The friends I made. The trips I took. The failures I survived. The successes that I celebrated.

I haven't graduated yet, but it won't be long now. And when that day comes, A whole new chapter of my life will begin. I'm excited and nervous, and I'm confident and frightened. Whatever happens, wherever I end up, I know that my life will be forever safe in the arms of Christ.  \

When I look back over my high school career, I often wonder if I really made an impact. I wasn't perfect, and I made many mistakes. But then, I know that I have to trust God with whatever happened. Worrying won't do any good, and I know that I have striven to live in a way that points others to Christ. I can only hope that one day, maybe the seeds that were planted will be watered and will grow into a living, freed-by-grace soul. To live a life with Christ is the greatest adventure ever, and I truly hope that one day my life will be spent somehow teaching others about the God of love. I trust, and I hang on for the ride. The ride of my life.

Disappointments

     If life stands or if it falls, Christ is Lord of all.

     Disappointments seem to be part of life. Haunting us like an diabolic shadow, disappointments often tear down our carefully constructed walls of confidence and comfort. Exposed and vulnerable, we are tempted to lay down and hide, but we should instead rally together and fight. Whenever the battle turns against us, fleeing will only result in failure and death.  However, instead of vainly ignoring the reality, it is at our weakest that we rely on the genious of the greatest general who has ever lived. Satan is scheming, scheming against our lives and souls, but alas! Our God is a step ahead of him, warning and preparing us to meet our foes. Paul instructs us in Ephesians 6 to "Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. ¹² For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. ¹³ This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand."
      Rely on God, and the Light will drive back the dark. Hold onto Christ, and nothing will shred your soul. You may be torn apart, confused, and helpless, but God will come out on top. It will be no other way. Have faith in the Spirit, and the truth will guide you; in it you will be made free. Life is hard to combat sometimes. But faith will hold us through the fray.

A Quick Thought...

      "And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive with Him and forgave us all trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the cross."
     Why do I find myself so often dwelling in my sins? Of course I can't get past them. It's humanly impossible. But God has made a way by nailing our debt to the cross- right through the very hands of Christ. We are covered by His blood, set free by His perfect sacrifice. Give up, and find that life with Christ is truly worth the living.