Jim
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Orientation and Disorientation
Today I went to visit Julian and Malu here in Calgary to continue their information orientation (or is that disorientation?) as new appointees with CAM International of Canada (yes, soon the be Camino Global).
We had a good time – Julian and Malu love the Lord, love His Word, and love Mexican food. So guess what we ended up talking about for a lot of the time? That’s right – the Lord, His Word, and Mexican food. Which does rather lead me to believe that Mexican food will still feature prominently in the new heavens and new earth. 😉
Seriously, do pray for this couple as they start out preparing for ministry in Ixtapaluca. They have been involved in ministry in Mexico before in various ways, and because he is Canadian and she is Mexican they’re used to living in two (or more!) worlds. So we appreciate their experience an insight, and also realize that in many ways this will be another new journey for them.
Malu and Julian were very gracious as I was in a LOT of pain today – the migraine meter hitting a higher point than it has for a while. It’s been a difficult week, and we as a family have been short on sleep (for various reasons – mostly kids up in the night!), so we would appreciate your prayers that we can get some rest and be feeling better.
And tomorrow – we’re off to Innisfail and looking forward to serving in the worship service and seeing old friends and new. 🙂
This past week’s Tweets…
- If you're in the area – please join us at Innisfail Baptist Church at 10:30am this Sunday (the 23rd)! 🙂 #
- What I'm reading: Airlines Nickel and Dime Their Way to Profitability – Daniel Indiviglio – Business – The Atlan… http://t.co/H3xOh9L4 #
- Sharing about Mexico and preaching in Innisfail Alberta this Sunday – right here: http://t.co/0b5YAkK7 #
- Could this be van day? We're driving south to find out… #
- What I'm reading: DADs 1:11 — Using Halloween to Teach Church History: In the year 844, Pope Gregory IV ordered … http://t.co/rtuM6Hvk #
- This Sunday we're at Innisfail Baptist Church – 10:30am. Please, come and join us! We would love to see you there. 🙂 #
- What I'm reading: Awkward: Commemorating the War of 1812: Next year marks the 200th anniversary of the War of 18… http://t.co/uWrRMcAP #
- What I'm reading: Mexico City considers fixed-term marriage licences | World news | The Guardian: Politicians pr… http://t.co/xrYex9t0 #
- What I'm reading: Volviendo – Pursuit: In Dependence wanted to capture Latin America’s beauty
through th… http://t.co/gYjuQqFh # - Had a really good time with people in Mirror yesterday. Van should be repaired today. And the vehicle hunt continues. #
- Mirror Alliance Church – tomorrow! am: preaching, singing, sharing about Mexico. pm: Maximizing Your Short Term Mission Trip. #
- We're doing some orientation today with new CAM missionaries who, Lord willing, will be joining us in Ixtapaluca! 🙂 #
- Didn't make it all the way to Airdrie. Tow truck…taxi…rental car…repair shop… now finally going to see friends! #
- Going to spend money we don't have to rent a car to continue van-hunt and other commitments. BRUTAL. OUCH. #
What exactly is a CAM? (as in CAM International)
So you’re with CAM International – is that a new mission? (Well, newish – long after the apostles…. only about 121 years old….) And does "CAM" stand for something? (Well… it used to stand for Central America Mission. These days it’s just "CAM".)
CAM CAM CAM… for the last 8 years or so, we’ve been "CAMers". My family has been involved with CAM. My parents were married by CAM missionaries. Uncle Cam, founder of Wycliff Bible Translators (Cameron Townsend) started out as a CAM missionary.
We own a CAMera. CAM missionaries enjoy a lot of CAMaraderie. In Mexico, CAM is involved in a CAMp.
In the essentials, CAM has never changed all that much – CAMers have always focused on the Spanish speaking parts of the world, and have always been passionate about discipleship.
But … every once in a while … there’s a bit of confusion about the name. CAM.
So – we’re going to try to make things a little clearer. Give it a Spanish feel. Yes, CAM International is going to change its name.
Not yet – not until Spring 2012.
But the announcement has been made… the new name has been chosen… it will be…
Camino Global.
Camino (that’s CAM with an ino) is a Spanish word meaning "way" or "road". It’s pronounced caw-ME-no. Sort of.
CAM International and CAM International of Canada have an official announcement up where you can read all the details. Read about Camino Global here.
To clarify, the name hasn’t changed yet. But stay tuned for more.
And remember, it’s still all about reaching and sending Spanish speakers – discipleship – and serving the Lord Jesus. It’s a name change, not a direction change.
The New Testament God – All Love and Compassion?
Yesterday we started to attack this old myth that the "God of the Old Testament" is perpetually grumpy and angry, and that Jesus in the New Testament is all love and compassion.
We read a few sample verses about the love, compassion, kindness, and faithfulness of God in the OT.
Now we’re going in the opposite direction – is there any wrath in the NT? Yes – in fact, it could be argued that the wrath in the OT pales next to this…
(Again, remember that these all have a context of their own. The point is not that there is no love in the NT – even in the passages below – but that there is love and wrath in both the OT and NT.)
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:41-42)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! …you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? (Matthew 23:29-33)
But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:48-51)
There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:1-3)
‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’ (Luke 19:26-27)
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:18)
(So far, these are all the words of Jesus Himself. Often He used parables to explain God’s dealings with people, and many of the above quotes come from His parables.)
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Romans 1:18)
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (1Thessalonians 5:2-3)
God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you … when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might… (2Thessalonians 1:5-9)
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31)
But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (2Peter 3:7)
Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?" (Revelation 6:15-17)
And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." (Revelation 14:9-11)
Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God." So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. (Revelation 16:1-2)
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war … He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God … From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. (Revelation 19:11-15)
Notice, by the way, that many of these passages are either quotes from Jesus, or they’re talking about Jesus.
Now, we can discuss what these passages mean and how they fit into the rest of Scripture. And you might like it, or you might not. But please, can we set aside this silly notion that the OT is all anger and wrath, and the NT is all love and compassion? God’s attributes are complex and interwoven throughout Scripture.
And He’s the same God that He always has been, whatever we may think.
Van Bought.
Today we bought a used van to (Lord willing) take us back to Mexico!
We traded in our Chevy Astro for a Dodge Grand Caravan. Here they are, together for the one and only time:
Why?
We really appreciated our Astro – and if they ever make them again, I might just line up to get one. However, the last Astro was made in May 2005.
Then came new restrictions in Mexico City – on vehicles over 8 years old (our Astro was a 2003). In fact, you can’t drive foreign vehicles in Mexico City that are over 8 years old. You can nationalize them, but then you have other restrictions. The Grand Caravan is a 2007, which gives us some time.
In addition – well, we do a lot of driving, and it helps to have a reliable vehicle.
The Astro wasn’t as reliable as it used to be – although I admit we were fudging in the last few months. Was it because of the fudging that we spent hundreds … er … thousands of dollars due to Astro repairs on this trip alone? Including… hate to say it… a repair a few days ago which we didn’t feel we could avoid.
The day we bought the Astro we started saving up for the next vehicle.
Ok, maybe I didn’t save quite enough. There wasn’t really enough of what we wanted in our price range. And even lowering our expectations, we still went over the budget a bit. But I think the Grand Caravan will be a good compromise. And it’s hard to not spend a little extra if you seem to be getting something a lot more reliable.
By the way, some friends have also donated towards this van, which was a help. We’ll still be doing some maintenance on it before heading back. Some things I haven’t yet been able to have done reliably in Mexico, so I really need to get it done before we go. (If you’d like to donate, you can simply give to our support – no special notation is needed. Instructions here.) Thanks so much!
So . . . we have some maintenance to do (although it’s in very good shape), and we have to put our Mexico flag license plate on the front because we are cool. Meanwhile we’re going to drive it around and let everything settle. 😉
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Thanks to those who have prayed and helped in other ways as we’ve searched for a van. Thanks to our friend Earl who went looking with me and gave lots of advice. And thanks to many of you who recommended High Country Chevrolet Buik GMC (where we eventually purchased the van) and to Doug and Larry and others there who were so helpful.
May this van be another tool to be used in the Lord’s service in Canada, the USA, and Mexico! In some way it’s a small thing, but it’s also something we use most days of the week and something that uses up a lot of time and money if anything goes wrong! 🙂
So – praise the Lord! The search is over. For now.
Now, time to start saving up for the next one . . .