Someone commented to me recently that “The church looks half empty.” From up front I can see some empty rows. (One solution would be to set up fewer chairs so the place looks more full!) Actually our attendance has been pretty good given the flu bug that’s going around — from a low of 160 to a high of 192 over the past couple of months.

What is interesting to me is to try to get a handle on how the church is doing other than the usual things we tend to measure — “noses and nickels.” One of the things I love about our church is our emphasis on serving in the community. The big one is our bread ministry. Four men work the “bread run” every Tuesday morning. They estimate that they serve six hundred people every week. In four hours they deliver bread and other food items to needy people in several challenging neighborhoods, the Newark Senior Center, Meals on Wheels, Aletheia School, and individuals along the way.

Also on Tuesday our members, along with members of the Cedars church, are busy preparing meals for the Blue Hens for Christ Campus Ministry. On a typical Tuesday over fifty students will gather for a meal and Bible study.

If you’ve ever been by our building during the week, the halls echo with the voices of children being educated through Aletheia Christian School and Child Care. Also in a typical week our People’s House, located behind the church building, serves three families with a loved one in an area hospital, although at times all five rooms are full.

On the first Thursday of the month members serve a meal at Hope Dining Room. And several times a week someone will stop in needing groceries, which are supplied by our members through their donations to the food pantry.

So how is our church doing? In terms of our commitment to minister to “the least of these” — things could hardly be better!

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!

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…

Next comes a gentle whisper or, as the King James Version translated it, a still, small voice. The voice draws Elijah out of his cave and asks him a question: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” After he Elijah explained his discouraging circumstances that led him to this point in his life, the Lord gives him a mission.

Rather than thundering through wind, earthquake, or fire, the Lord speaks in a quiet, small voice to Elijah and gives him specific direction about the future of his ministry. This is one of dozens, if not hundreds, of passages in which the Lord directly speaks to someone. Should Christians expect this to be normative for our day? Should we expect that the Lord would speak to us in a still, small voice? Does God continue to speak in a still, small voice, or has he chosen another way to communicate with his people?

I believe that the still, small voice is one of several ways in which God communicates his will to his people today. In the language of the New Testament, we might say that the still, small voice is the speaking of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. I find it interesting that some translations of this verse used the phrase: a gentle blowing (NAS) or a little, gentle breeze (DeVries, Word Biblical Commentary). The Greek word for spirit is pneuma, which is sometimes translated, “wind.”

So what might it be like to hear the still small voice? Is it an audible voice? How can we distinguish it from competing voices, or even our own desires? This last question is extremely important, because as humans we tend to try to justify the things we do, and it certainly would be convenient if God would tell me to do exactly what I want to do.

Last week, my son Chris bought an electric guitar. We took it out of the box, set it up, and Chris asked me to tune it. I went upstairs, played an E on the piano, and told him to tune to it. I kept striking the node as he tuned the guitar up, and then he said, “I can’t hear the piano anymore.” At that point, I knew the string was in tune. If my life is in tune with God, if I’m seeking his guidance in my life through listening for his voice, reading his word, and seeking the wisdom of others, then God’s voice and my voice are largely indistinguishable. God doesn’t need to send a dramatic vision or knock me off a horse (in the case of Saul) to get my attention.

I believe that the greatest challenge we face in hearing God’s voice is the multitude of voices competing for our attention. There are so many images, so many voices calling for our attention that it seems to me that God’s voice is muffled or drowned out.

This week I want to encourage you to spend ten minutes per day in silence. Once you’ve finished, reflect on how it went. If you’re not accustomed to quiet time, you will probably have a thousand thoughts running through your head. You will start to remember all the things you have to do. Old songs will come into your mind. Ten minutes of nothing will seem like forever. But stick with it – try at least ten minutes a day this week. Let me know how it went for you.

“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). I believe that’s how he knew the will of God for his life. It’s an example worth emulating.

We are starting a series called “God-Guided People.” Each week I will post a summary of the lesson along with the goals we have for each week. If you were not able to hear the lesson live, you can go to our website and listen to or watch the lesson.

We hope the series will help you live a God-guided life, and look forward to hearing your comments.