Quick Course Report (podcast)
Just a little report plus audio clips from the first Old Testament Survey class this past Saturday…
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Just a little report plus audio clips from the first Old Testament Survey class this past Saturday…
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ten years ago today, Shari was serving breakfast to the community affected by the Chalco flood.
It was February 2010 when the sewage canal burst open, pouring water into the valley of Chalco. The water kept pouring out day after day, filling the lower floor of people’s homes, destroying appliances, books, and clothes.
With our brothers and sisters from the church in Santa Bárbara, we began serving breakfast each morning at the edge of the flood, which was only 5 minutes from our home. We also provided water and some other essentials for the community at this time.
So – today’s photo – serving breakfast! Shari is on the right.
This was a few metres from the edge of the flood. Here’s an idea of what it looked like:
I took a lot of video/photos during this time. Some of that footage ended up in in the documentary series “Trashopolis”, which at the moment can be watched on Youtube – here it is: Trashopolis S02 E01: Mexico
On Saturday we had our review and then exam for the last hermeneutics class. I took a little video so that you could see for yourself (see below). 🙂
If we can’t learn how to read, understand, and apply God’s Word to our lives, then we’ve failed at life. It was tremendously encouraging to see people thinking, studying, and being enthusiastic about this important skill! And what an encouragement to see people committed to a 40 hour course – it was a sacrifice they were willing to make.
And thanks to John and Frank, and the many others who were involved in teaching and translating, and for Still Water Community Church for their support of this class. And many of you have added your prayers to support this work – thank you!
Again, four local churches had representatives, and our class had about 50 people attending.
The next class (actually a 60 hour class!) begins in February. It’s an Old Testament survey course. So stay tuned!
Shout with the Shepherds, shake them blues!
Ten years ago today we were doing a Christmas program at the community centre in the community of Jesús MarÃa. It included a pastorela (a Christmas play) (see the actors on the right), some sing-a-long music, presentations to students, and a devotional from Rod. And, of course, some hot ponche for all at the end!
We were actually brand new in Jesús MarÃa at the time. There was no church in the community (that would start in March). So the participants were made up of people from our church planting team, people from the church in Santa Bárbara, and people that we had met through the community centre.
We invited family and friends of our students to attend, and had a great time.
Baking classes and English classes were big, and so the music was intentionally bilingual. Shari and I did some special music, singing “Good News” by our friend Mark Sorell, with one chorus translated into Spanish (one line quoted at the beginning of this post, of course!). So – here we are – ten years ago tonight!
This Thanksgiving we certainly had a lot to be thankful for, as always. Let me catch you up on some of the church related things from October that we’re thankful for.
Here’s a picture from our annual joint service of Bible churches in our area, which was on the 6th of October. Our churches in Ixtapaluca had a high level of participation this year. Pastor MartÃn preached (about angels). Musicians from all three Ixtapaluca churches led the worship music (I played the keyboard). About 330 people attended (for various reasons not all churches could make it this year, so numbers were a little down).
The service was held a 45 minute drive up to a higher altitude toward the volcanoes, out in the forest, as you can see. A generator kept the sound system going.
As always, the service was a great time to worship together, learn together, take communion together, and have a time of fellowship. You can read more about the service on Rod’s blog here: United Service (Culto Unido) 2019
This past Saturday the church in Santa Bárbara hosted our first hermeneutics class of the fall. Men and women from four local churches attended. There will be 40 hours of training over the fall, no small thing. And yet you can see the large numbers of people who came to learn about how to understand the Bible for themselves.
We are tremendously encouraged to see the interest in this course – many people needing to try to find time off work in order to take it. And hearing the interaction and discussion during the class was also encouraging, as local believers really try to apply God’s Word to real life and urgent problems in our own communities.
As with the joint service, many people helped to make this possible, including the teachers John and Frank from Texas (our teachers), the Frys, the church in Santa Barbara, and the people who cooked and cleaned up. The next class is on the 26th, Lord willing!
Many thanks to those of you who prayed for me especially on Sunday. When I started talking for our Sunday school class, my throat did indeed hurt – but thankfully did not get much worse throughout the day.
So, in Sunday school we finally finished our 10 Commandments study, with an overview and a look at how to use God’s Law today. I had a good talk with one brother who is trying to share God’s Word with a friend, who does indeed seem to be confused about Christianity and Judaism and the Law and so on – so it was good to know that these are very relevant topics. At the end of the class we meditated on how our Lord Jesus is the perfect example of loving God and neighbour through the Law.
Rod also recently finished the Defending the Faith Sunday school series (we were switching off, doing both themes over the past few months), which was also a practical help to many, if the discussion was any measure. So, having finished those two themes, we also started a new series with Sunday’s sermon – Spiritual Discernment.
Overall, throughout the month so far, it’s been so encouraging to see people participating, interested. To see people applying God’s Word to their lives. God’s Spirit is working, in spite of many challenges and difficulties. In fact, it is often through those things that we really see God’s supernatural power, right?
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,†has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
2 Corinthians 4:6-10
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.
I keep thinking of something that the author of Hebrews said to a local congregation many centuries ago. “By this time you ought to be teachers”. It’s just a general comment – directed at – everyone!
In one sense, of course, not everyone is or should be a teacher (1 Corinthians 12:29; James 3:1; 1 Timothy 1:6-7). But in another sense, we all should be teachers. It’s simply a matter of sharing the truth with a neighbour, daughter, coworker.
So what would it look like if we had the goal of making everyone in our congregation a capable teacher? What would we teach them?
The first on my list would be helping people to love the Lord. After all, that is the greatest commandment. It’s at the heart of everything we are, everything we do (Deuteronomy 6:5; 1 Timothy 1:5).
After that, maybe the goal would be to help people to know how to handle their Sword – the Word of God. If anyone is going to grow, and help others grow, that’s the starting point.
Of course as leaders in a new church plant, these are things we are trying to do. Hopefully these things permeate our everyday lives and discipleship.
We have been talking about some ideas for the fall. Many of these come from requests that we’ve received from local believers. For example, in our Sunday School class, we have a couple of plans – a study of the gospel, using biblical key words. Rod has an outline planned that we probably will both teach. And I’m planning to teach my five part study on biblical discernment. We’re also talking about the possibility of an evangelism class.
We’ve just recently confirmed that the three churches will be partnering in a 40 hour class on biblical hermeneutics. It will officially be a partnership between the community centre and the Still Water Institute in Texas, a ministry of a church there which will be sending down teachers.
There are a number of exciting things about this. Of course it’s a key component of how to use Scripture properly. But we’re also hoping that it will be the beginning of something larger – an ongoing Bible institute that can train up leaders as a part of planting new churches in this less-reached area of Mexico, and beyond.
We’re in a unique place here. In some ways, this is still very much a “pioneering” area, with very few churches. But the growing young churches mean that there is an emerging leadership and enough resources to go beyond simple one-on-one discipleship.
There are some other exciting things in the works too. Maybe you or your church would like to be a part of this unique opportunity! There is a lot to do here – the work is just beginning!