Menu

Jim

About Jim

http://CottrillCompass.com/blog

Posts by Jim :

Tweets 19 October – 6 November 2015

0

Lots of variety this time – a free book, elections in Guatemala, bed bugs, and romantic comedies.

But what strikes me about this list is that a few days are dominated by Hurricane Patricia. Now my prayer was that this would not be a hurricane to remember. And guess what? I had forgotten all about it until I shared this list with you. Yes, God answered our prayers!

  • Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. ~Proverbs 11:25 (19 October 2015)
  • Praying for Stephen Harper & family as they begin a new phase of life, & for Justin Trudeau & family as he leads as Canada’s Prime Minister. (20 October 2015)
  • Look! Free ebook edition of an excellent biography of Martin Luther. Lots of formats, including Kindle. Get it here: ow.ly/TBG7A (20 October 2015)
  • Most definitely something we need to be talking about more — “Self-Harmers In The Church” (and beyond, of course!) ow.ly/RZ0oy (21 October 2015)
  • One of the strongest storms EVER on record is about to hit Mexico. ow.ly/TL8h7 (23 October 2015)
  • Hurricane Patricia: Max winds 322kph/200mph, category 5 with millions of people in its path ow.ly/TLCxA [image – Patricia and Ixtapaluca] (23 October 2015)
  • Hurricane Patricia: Still category 5, expected to make landfall in soon. Pray for Mexico. ow.ly/TMssG [image – Patricia and Ixtapaluca] (23 October 2015)
  • *sigh* Christmas music in Walmart. (Sign says “Walmart TOYLAND” – a building constructed to sell toys this season) [image] (23 October 2015)
  • Hurricane Patricia: Live Updates -> ow.ly/TMxHU (We are not in the storm’s path, but please join with us and pray for Mexico.) (23 October 2015)
  • Mexico spared major damage from Patricia so far, but danger remains throughout Saturday. Thanks for your prayers! ow.ly/TNndd (24 October 2015)
  • Weather report from Ixtapaluca, Mexico City [image] (24 October 2015)
  • This morning… [image] (25 October 2015)
  • Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf. ~Proverbs 11:28~ (26 October 2015)
  • May God’s light spread around the world! 🌄 Reflections from John Marriott… [image] (27 October 2015)
  • *sigh* English class called on account of rain. LOTS of rain!! [image] (27 October 2015)
  • A thought-provoking article about romantic comedies: “Romantic Comedy: No Laughing Matter” by Mary Kassian ow.ly/S0PzD (28 October 2015)
  • 🔨 Happy Reformation Day — “ad fontes” (to the sources) -> Let’s get back to the Source… the Bible! 🔖 (31 October 2015)
  • I would appreciate your prayers as I lead Sunday School (theme: The Sabbath) and preach (theme: The Bible) this morning! (1 November 2015)
  • Thanks for your prayers for Sunday School and the service this morning! (1 November 2015)
  • Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart. ~Proverbs 11:29~ (2 November 2015)
  • The last “English: Inmersión Radical” class. Crokinole! (And an action-phrase-learning game) [image] (4 November 2015)
  • Waterslides in Heaven? Stick this on your preferred mobile device and give it a listen: ow.ly/SJ6Nm (4 November 2015)
  • Check out this article in CT from a Camino Global missionary about the recent elections in Guatemala >> ow.ly/Ugozv (5 November 2015)
  • A report about the senior’s shelter from last month from Rod – check it out >> “Little Animals” ow.ly/UhDCk (6 November 2015)

Bible Book Summaries

, 0

Yesterday we had another adoration service, and the theme was “The Bible”. I know, that’s kind of always the theme, but it was more specific this time. 🙂

I had four short presentations – The Journey of the Bible (some stories about how God preserved His Word and the sacrifices that were made throughout history to bring us the Bible), The Evidence of the Bible (some of the real world results of the Bible being the Word of God), The Authority of the Bible (why it matters to us that the Bible is God’s Word) and The Glory of the Bible (the beauty of God’s Word).

Some of the Bible Book PostersI wanted to have some kind of visual representation of the books of the Bible in the room, so I created 66 mini posters with information about each book, such as length, a keyword, and the first and last words of the book. They were all around the room, in the order that they’re in (in our Spanish Bibles (the same as your English Bible)), but clustered around various sections such as the Pentateuch and Paul’s Epistles.

Anyway, in case you’re interested, I translated a couple of the posters into English and saved them as pdf files, so you can download them and check them out. There’s probably even more information I could have packed into them, so if you ever want to make your own, feel free to modify the idea.

By the way, the length of each book is based on the number of words in the original language. You should be able to figure the rest out:

Jeremiah
John

Last 90 Days Most Popular Posts (31 October 2015)

0

It’s time for a list of the most popular posts at Finding direction from the past three months. Dominating the list is our visit from the Brubachers, no doubt from their many friends who stopped by! If you want to catch up, here’s what’s been going on. The list is in chronological order, with the top three posts in bold.

Pray for our “Returning Missionaries”

2

This post is about those missionaries who are returning “home” from the “field”. Ok, it can be hard to define terms, especially the “home” one. But generally I’m talking about missionaries returning to their “passport country” after a time in another country, involved in cross-cultural missions.

When they come back . . .However you use your terms, the point is, we need to pray for these people.

Why have they returned? You may think you know, but you may not. Because the reasons are often very complex. Is it a temporary return, or permanent? Retirement? Kids in college? Health problems? Trouble on the field? Personality problems? A completed task? Or that notorious cover-all explanation – they were “called” back?

Even if the reasons are good, understandable and positive, you need to understand that this transition is hard.

Recently I heard from a missionary who had returned home after many years on the field. He was asked,”Which was more difficult? Transitioning to the field, or transitioning back?”

I don’t know what I expected to hear. I wouldn’t be surprised if transitioning back is harder for a lot of people, but I know that both have their challenges.

But I was not expecting the answer I heard.

First, I should explain that this missionary, although now in his home country, is still involved in cross-cultural mission work in his second language. In fact, he’s still doing cross-cultural church planting. So perhaps the change isn’t as great for him as it would be for others.

But his answer was that transitioning back was harder – in every way.

Yes, in every way.

This isn’t intended to scare missionaries on the field, or depress missionaries returning home. This is for family, friends, and most of all, churches, who are receiving missionaries back from the field. We need to pray for and support these people – perhaps just as much as we did when they left, if not more.

In case you’re still skeptical, here are a few things that returning missionaries may face:

  • Grieving: They’ve left home and friends behind to come “home”, even if the reasons are “positive”.
  • Reverse culture shock: This phenomenon is well known, even in non-Christian circles. It can involve a general feeling of confusion and disorientation as you try to adjust to another culture – one that may at first seem familiar, but may have changed drastically, as you have.
  • Practical matters: This is compounded by the last point, but a huge adjustment is simply figuring out where to live, how to live – doing the paperwork, making the contacts, learning the roads.
  • “Shallow” relationships: – or at least it may seem that way. It’s no one’s fault, but the friends and family a missionary has back home may not be as close as they once were. Very few people, if any, may be interested in the whole other world the missionary knew on the field. All the people and situations back on the field remain a critical concern, but there’s no one to really share with.
  • Loss of identity: Depending on the situation, many missionaries may feel like they had a place and a purpose on the field. But back home, they are no one and have no purpose. It takes time to fit back in.
  • Family issues: Some in the family may be happy to be “home”. Others not so much. Others may not even know “home”. Everyone has to adjust together.
  • Emotional baggage: What if there was unresolved conflict on the field – or back home? What if leaving was a deep hurt that will need time to heal? What if there was a health crisis, or other type of crisis?
  • Expectations: “Home” is not how you remember it. It’s also not really the way it appears when you’re “just visiting”.

These are just a few things, off the top of my head. But I think it shows that returning missionaries need support, and maybe even training, as they enter into a new phase of life. Is your church there for your returning missionary? Can you point them to help? Maybe even provide financial support? Maybe given them a chance to share (more than 5 minutes on a Sunday morning when they return after 20 years of service)?

But something we can all to to start with is pray. Let’s pray for our returning missionaries. And maybe even let them know we’re praying.

Tweets 3-17 October

0

Thanksgiving for 120 Days

, , , 1

The end of May and beginning of June was like standing on a precipice, preparing to jump. I was reflecting on the start of a season of insanity when I posted about the anticipated arrival of our first intern of the summer, Abby (see T-minus 13).

From the 11th of June until this past Thursday, the business didn’t let up. 120 days it was, to be exact. Interns, short term teams, special community centre classes, meetings, preaching, community outreach.

August would have been a slow month – which is why why picked it to take a road trip to Canada to complete paperwork that had to be done in person, find a vehicle, and deal with some medical issues. We also had the opportunity to visit family and do some preaching/sharing in the area.

I wondered what would happen – if we would make it through those 120 days! I admit, my body is feeling it, and some rest and recovery is in order.

Thanking God for 120 DaysHowever, more than anything, I look back with thanksgiving to God for all His mercies and blessings during that time. And since today is Thanksgiving, I thought it would be appropriate to pause for a moment (in between checking the turkey and starting on the stuffing) to give thanks.

Here are some of the things that I’m thankful for, either directly related to our family, or related to the wider ministry we’re involved in…

  • We saw cross-cultural relationships built to the glory of God.
  • We saw growth in the believers here in Ixtapaluca, and saw new people coming to the Lord.
  • We served and saw others serving those in serious need.
  • 11 people were baptized in August!
  • Safe travels – for us, the interns and teams, and our coworkers who were travelling.
  • The church property in Jesús María now has WATER!
  • Further progress on the church property – tiling and painting, for example (to help, click here!).
  • New and strengthened contacts in Las Palmas (even last week).
  • For good medical treatment.
  • For time together as a family.
  • New friends!
  • Many opportunities for us and others to share the Good News (even in Canada – here’s a quick sermon for you).
  • God’s provision of a reliable vehicle, which we’ve put to good use already.
  • The completion of needed paperwork in Canada.
  • Relatively good health.
  • Good times of fellowship with other believers in Canada, the USA, and Mexico (and for Jim – Guatemala too!).
  • 120 days – we made it!

Of course those are just a few broad strokes – there are a million details to be thankful for (like when we were five minutes away from buying a lemon of a van), as well as all the ongoing blessings that we have from the Lord.

We pray that God would continue to build His Church – that we would have more to be thankful for, and that more people would be thankful!

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 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. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2Corinthians 4:7-18

«‹ 161 162 163 164›»
Back To Top
All content at CottrillCompass.com is © J. Cottrill 2002-2026. If you quote any material, please be courteous and provide a link.