I dont know why the post from later in the week did not add but anyway, we made it home safely and it was a wonderful trip. To God be the Glory for all that was done while we were in Mexico.
You can see a better summary of the trip through pictures by CLICKING HERE!
The trip is going very well and everyone is doing fine.
Yesterday we laid block for some walls in the church. Many of the teens learned to lay block for the very first time. We got there this morning and they were still standing!!!!
Last night after dinner, we went to one of the high points of elevation in Monterrey and got to see the view from the top of the whole city. It was a beautiful site especially since the city is surrounded by 5 mountains and the sun was going down.
Today we finally poured the roof and continued to lay block. Many of us got to help with making lunch which was fun. Now we are back at the hotel and getting ready to eat and have a devo.
Tomorrow is our last day of work and then we are heading back to the states. Please continue to keep us in your prayers….
Sorry for the lack of update yesterday. Things were busy and I wasn’t able to post.
Sunday we got across the border and into Monterrey with no problem. We got here about noon. We had lunch and then had some time to relax and goof around in the pool and go to the market. After that we had a devotional and communion time. We talked about the example of Jesus washing his disciples feet and how that is what we were called to be this week and in our lives in general.
This morning we got up and met Rick and others and first went to breakfast to experience as Rick put “a real Mexican breakfast” and then he took us over the city’s school of preaching. It was neat to see how much the church has been built up in this area. After that we went to the work site and we were preparing part of the building to pour the roof of the first floor/floor of the 2nd. This took all day. The plan was to pour the floor tomorrow however we didnt get it ready. So the plan is to finish the prep tomorrow and pour on Wednesday.
Right now we are getting ready for dinner and then we’ll have a devo and call it a day.
Thanks for your support and prayers….
We got into San Antonio safely. We missed the thunderstorms out of Baltimore which made for a smoother flight. We drove to Laredo (with an hour and a half detour that took us right back to the airport thanks to a mess up with a GPS)….as we say….its an adventure!!!
We had dinner and enjoyed the afternoon of relaxing and swimming. We had our first devo where we talked about the idea of a Blessing and how we are called to be a blessing because of our blessings.
We are heading across the border early in the morning. We are looking forward to what God has in store for us.
Keep us in your prayers…
The 2009 Mexico Mission Team will be leaving on Saturday June 20th and will be returning on June 27th. We will be working on a church building in the city of Monterrey.
Check back for updates throughout our week about our travels and experiences.
Also, just for a “COMING ATTRACTION”: On Sunday June 28th, the morning worship service will be focused on the experience of the mission team. So make plans to join us to hear the stories and celebrate what God is doing in Mexico…
Last Sunday Matt spoke to us about the importance of a lasting legacy. Unfortunately the message was not recorded, but I made a few notes and invite your comments.
Matt began by talking about the impact older men had on his life. One particular man, John Swonger, influenced Matt through his encouraging words. Matt quoted Proverbs 13:22, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children” as a verse that applies from a family and a ministry perspective.
Matt quoted three leaders and their perspectives on leaving a legacy:
Robert Reich observed that Americans spend too much time making a living and not enough time making a life. Martin Luther King wanted to be remembered not for all the awards he received, but that he loved and served others. Martin Luther, when asked what he would do if he knew he were to die tomorrow, said “I would go out and plant a tree.” Effective leaders have a vision that lasts beyond themselves.
Matt then read from 1 and 2 Timothy to show an “up close and personal” mentoring relationship between Paul and Timothy. Matt observed that a mentoring relationship involves words and actions – mentors do stuff with their proteges.
In 2009, twenty-one Newark church/Blue Hens for Christ students graduated from high school or college. Through our ministry to these students we are shaping future generations. There is a need to invest in our young people, both individually and corporately.
Finally Matt challenged each of us to find two people to mentor. I hope you will take his challenge seriously and consider the legacy you will leave.
One Mother’s Day many years ago, I commented on Paul’s reminder to Timothy about the source of his faith:
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also” (2 Timothy 1:5).
The text resonated with our church family, because so many of us were influenced in our faith by godly mothers and grandmothers. Some of my earliest memories of church were of my great-grandmother, Margaret Miller, playing organ in a small church near Fair Hill, MD. I also treasure the influence of my grandmother, Elizabeth Logan, and the early nurture my parents gave me by taking me to church as a young child. Our parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents exert a powerful influence on who we become, for good or bad.
As we observed Sunday, a “bad” grandparent can become a “good” grandparent if he or she admits error and in humility seeks the Lord. A changed life is a powerful testimony!
I was surprised by the comment our song leader, Brian Bailey, made after the sermon I preached many years ago. “My grandmother’s name was Lois and my mother’s name was Eunice.”
Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite wrote a very thought-provoking article on the recent murder of George Tiller, an abortion provider in Kansas. You can read the article and dozens of comments at http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/susan_brooks_thistlethwaite/2009/05/the_killing_of_george_tiller_a_pro-life_murder.html.
I would like to comment on her attribution of violence to the pro-life movement:
“‘Pro-life’ as the self-description of the anti-abortion movement has a fundamental flaw at its heart. The moral absolute of “life” is not applied consistently, in my view, by the majority of those in this movement. Many in the “pro-life” anti-abortion movement seem to me to only be pro-life in the case of abortion — unlike those who hold an ethic of life across a range of moral issues, not only abortion but also war and the death penalty, This makes “pro-life” in regard to abortion not only an inconsistent ethic, but an unstable one.
“Nothing exposes this fundamental inconsistency and instability in the ethic of life as a description of the anti-abortion movement more than “pro-life” murder.
“Violence has been a part of the anti-abortion movement from the beginning, from the overt violence of the murder of other abortion providers to the covert violence of harassing women trying to get to clinics for reproductive services.”
Her general statements about the violence of the pro-life movement are reflected in a sweeping generalization made by the National Abortion Federation: “Since the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal, there has been an organized campaign by anti-abortion extremists which has resulted in escalating levels of violence against women’s health care providers.”
The irony is not lost on anyone: pro-life murderers. But is it true? Here are the results of statistics compiled in the US from 1965-2008 and reported by Human Life International:
Individual murders, manslaughters, and infanticides committed by pro-abortionists (not counting women killed by “safe and legal” abortion procedures – 941.
Women killed by “safe and legal” abortion procedures – 365
Total number of people killed by pro-abortionists – 1,306
Number of people killed by pro-lifers – 7
I am pro-life, and while I recognize the nuances between killing and murder as reflected in the Christian tradition (thus I am “pro-life” when it comes to the innocent, but “pro-judgment” when it comes to the guilty), I believe that it is wrong for an individual to take the law into his or her own hands and murder a fellow human being, as the murderer of George Tiller did. The above numbers, however, strengthen the case that the vast majority of those who call themselves pro-life do indeed value all lives.
The Christians I know believe the same things. In fact, many of my Christian friends are so strongly pro-life that they give freely of their means to support a ministry that provides free pregnancy screenings and promotes alternatives to abortion. A number of Christian friends have adopted children as an alternative to abortion. (They also minister to those in prison and to their families who are dealing with the incarceration of a loved one.) Lest one think I live in a Christian vacuum, the small number of murders by pro-life people over 33 years leads me to believe that the pro-life movement is strongly oriented to the sacredness of all life, even those with whom they disagree.
Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia issued this statement in response to Tiller’s murder: “Our bishops’ conference and all its members have repeatedly and publicly denounced all forms of violence in our society, including abortion as well as the misguided resort to violence by anyone opposed to abortion. Such killing is the opposite of everything we stand for, and everything we want our culture to stand for: respect for the life of each and every human being from its beginning to its natural end. We pray for Dr. Tiller and his family.”
Ms. Thistlethwaite has stained the pro-life movement with too broad a brush. George Tiller’s murderer is not in the mainstream of pro-life people. The statistics bear out that the vast majority of pro-life people are, as Cardinal Rigali states, respectful of all human life.
When it comes to Paul’s teaching on the return of Christ, it seems to me that the key word is “hope.” ‘We do not grieve like those who have no hope” (1 Thess 4:15). The pagan culture of the first century did not have much hope. Sophocles represents the Greek view: “Not to be born at all, that is by far the best fortune.” A popular Roman grave inscription said: “I was not, I was, I am not, I care not.”
It is against this backdrop that Paul’s words are so powerful: “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.” This last line pretty well summarizes the culture in which Paul lived.
He goes on: “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” It is the resurrection of Jesus that is the ground of our hope for resurrection.
I am an avid reader of Touchstone, a journal of Mere Christianity (I’m a big C.S. Lewis fan). The cover of a recent issue stated: “Without remembrance there is no eternal life.” I did not disagree with the author’s premise, but it seems from my perspective that the opposite is true: without eternal life there is no remembrance.
Thirty years ago in a college class on death education, I heard a religious teacher proclaim his view on eternal life. He asserted that we live on in the memory and influence of those we were close to. For most of us this means that “eternal life” lasts a generation or two or three, maybe longer if we are famous. After while all memory of our lives dies out. Just visit a cemetery during a holiday season and see how many graves are untouched. This may be a step above Sophocles or the Romans, but it’s not very hopeful.
In contrast, with eternal life there is remembrance, in fact everyone is remembered, not just the famous or noteworthy. Not necessarily by us but by God. Every deed counts.
A recent article by John Clayton had a big impact on me (I’ve mentioned it in a couple of sermons). In it John contrasted his parent’s fear of death with his wife’s attitude up to the time she died. John’s parents taught him nothing about death. They shielded him from it. They were upset when the parent of a schoolmate took John to a funeral. When John’s wife died many years later, he said this in response to her death: “Right up to our last breath we have purpose, love, direction, and hope.”
Paul goes on to talk about the kind of people we ought to be in light of our future resurrection. He talks about behavior change, but to me an important takeaway is the difference in attitude that precedes the difference in action. Hope in the future, through Jesus’ resurrection, is the key to purposeful existence throughout our lives. Eternal life means we are not forgotten, it means that everything we do matters.
Yesterday we began a new sermon series on the return of Christ. I thought it would be interesting to focus on this topic for a few weeks because (1) it’s not something I focus on very often, and when I speak on a specific topic it forces me to study it in more detail, and (2) Christ’s promised return should be a source of encouragement to get us through difficult times.
Rather than a systematic study, though, I’m approaching the subject textually, looking at three main texts from the New Testament. Our text yesterday was Matthew 24. I think the primary focus of this text is the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. It was Jesus’ prediction that “not one stone would be left on another” that prompted the disciples’ question to begin with. Jesus addresses this question in verses 4-34. He answers the second question (or questions: “What will be a sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”) in verses 36-51, and illustrates his point with the stories in chapter 25. The reason I picked verse 34 as the demarkation point is that up to this point Jesus has been telling them to look for specific signs regarding the event, and in this verse he gives a time (”this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened”). Jesus gives seven things to look for regarding the destruction of the temple, and then beginning in verse 36 he emphatically argues against looking for signs.
Studying this stuff is like studying “Women’s Role in the Church” or “Divorce and Remarriage.” There is so much material out there it boggles the mind. Christians agree that Christ is returning, but after that there is a lot of disagreement, especially around the interpretation of Matthew 24 (and Mark 13 and Luke 21), along with 1 Thessalonians 4-5 and Revelation 20 (the other texts for the series).
The point I made yesterday, though, is the point Jesus makes in the stories at the end of Matt. 24 and all of Matt 25. We are called to be servants who are about the master’s business, no matter where we are in relationship to our Lord’s return. “The Parable of the Sheep and Goats” (Matt 25:31-46) is instructive (and tremendously challenging to me). I cannot read this story without hearing Mother Teresa’s voice. “We are a contemplative order. We contemplate Jesus and go out into the streets and look for him.” As a church, we ought not be so busy contemplating the second coming of Christ that we miss opportunities to serve him by serving “the least of these.”
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