Did you mean…
I typed a phrase into Google translate, and it asked me if I wanted to change it…
No, I didn’t mean that! Thank God, I didn’t mean that!
Jim
About Jim
Posts by Jim :
This past week’s Tweets…
- What I'm reading: Temptation:
This piece called Temptation by Brooklyn based Ian Trask made me chuckle. (He’s d… http://bit.ly/dLcXle # - Shari is sleeping, and Nathanael and I are slugging through a serious day of readin' & writin'. He's picking up steam… #
- Shari feeling a little better today, but still sleeping lots (which is a good thing). I'm working on sermon, study, etc. #
- Heading to Study #2 – "The Four Witnesses". We'll be comparing the four Gospels with some of the "lost gospels"… #
- Shari resting in bed, Nathanael studying "M" with Rod, Hannah at school, and I'm working on tonight's study… #
- What I'm reading: Vision Casting Weekend: I'm posting this because it's been on my mind a lot lately, and I want… http://bit.ly/g5Np45 #
- Shari heading to the doctor w Mayra, hoping to get a more detailed check-up. I'm heading to my 1st 2011 keyboard class. #
- Shari in bed, Hannah doesn't have school today. So Hannah is my assistant teacher with Nathanael, and doing a great job! #
- What I'm reading: Top 10 Most-Searched Bible Verses: What’s Missing? – The Gospel Coalition Blog: http://bit.ly/guTRxB #
- Going to get some rest before the week continues. Shari not feeling much worse, but not much better, so we shall see… #
- Anyone out there have a copy of "From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya" handy? I have a quick question… #
- Reading some of the "lost gospels" in two languages. I think my brain is going to explode. #
- Working on my study for Tuesday, and trying to keep Shari as comfortable as possible. 🙁 #
- Shari got some rest Friday. Hopefully she can get more today. One step at a time… #
Missionary Shot and Killed in Mexico (more on safety in Mexico)
Many of you have heard about the murder of a missionary here in Mexico on Wednesday. I thought this would be a good opportunity to briefly share the facts as I know them, and to talk about safety in Mexico.
Sam and Nancy Davis were shot at while travelling in Mexico, and Nancy was fatally wounded.
We don’t know these missionaries, and were not connected with them. Apparently they were United Methodist missionaries who founded an organization in 1989 with the goal of reaching Mexicans for Christ. They lived in Texas, but frequently travelled across the border.
Our hearts go out to the friends and families of Nancy, and especially her husband. This was an evil act, and a tragedy.
Is it dangerous to be a missionary in Mexico?
There are actually many ways to answer that question. First of all, generally speaking there are dangers, but that very much depends on where you are and what you’re doing.
We, and the Davises, and many of you, are willing to take risks for the Lord. I pray that, if the time came, we as believers would be willing to give our lives.
I have mentioned before that there is persecution of believers in Mexico – in some areas on a very large scale. Some people are risking their lives to gather together with other believers. Others are facing rejection from their families, job loss, and other discrimination. Following Jesus has never been an easy path.
That being said, we don’t feel like we’re in constant danger, dodging bullets and running from gangsters.
What happened?
It’s helpful to get a little background on what happened to this couple. They frequently drove in one of the most dangerous parts of Mexico (knowing the risks, I might add). They were also apparently driving a truck which really stood out in the crowd.
The road they were on was the road from San Fernando to the border town of Reynosa – and area controlled largely by the Los Zetas drug cartel. This is an extremely dangerous area. (there’s some confusion at the moment about exactly where on the road they were)
They drove up to a road block that had been put up illegally by a drug cartel. Sam made the decision to race through it. The criminals opened fire and Nancy was hit.
Sam kept driving, racing to the border to find help. But it was too late for his wife.
From what I heard, this was not a reckless couple. There were times when they did not travel, because the danger was too great.
Frankly, if we want to reach the world in this day and age, the places that are still without the Gospel are some of the hardest places to reach. Expensive, closed, and/or dangerous. Should we then not reach these places?
What about you?
Yes, what about us? And what about you – many of you have talked about coming to visit – is it safe?
Compared to this region where the Davises worked, one of the most dangerous, our area is actually one of the safest (thankfully). Also, thankfully, Mexico remains an extremely safe place by and large for foreigners.
I’ve heard from many of you in the USA and Canada – I’ve heard about the news stories you’ve heard. About foreigners being murdered in Mexico.
But you need to realize the vast number of foreigners that are here.
In 2010, more Canadians visited Mexico than ever in history – over 1.5 million. And that’s just Canadians. So you need to imagine that this is like a large city of foreigners. Are you surprised when someone in Toronto, or Chicago, or Calgary, or Portland, is murdered? Do you stop visiting those cities? Did you know many Mexicans are afraid to visit the USA because they hear about the violence there?
They say there is more of a chance you’ll get killed in an airplane accident than get killed in Mexico. Some have compared it (assuming you’re visiting the safer places in Mexico, and you’re not dealing drugs) to your chances of getting the bubonic plague.
You’ll notice that, when the news stories are talking about deaths in Mexico, they’re usually mentioning names, and mentioning the same names over and over. That’s because we’re talking about a few isolated cases, not a wholesale slaughter.
Yes, we take precautions, and yes, we appreciate your prayers for our safety. But thankfully we are living and travelling in safe areas. And when we ask you, or a team from your church to come, we are confident that we’re bringing you to a safe place.
Could this change? Of course! That’s why it’s critical that we use this window of opportunity to reach Mexico with the Gospel. That’s why we ask you, if you’re thinking about it, to not put it off – come serve the Lord in Mexico while there is still an opportunity and freedom to do so.
We’re happy to answer your questions in more detail. But please don’t generalize about Mexico and assume it’s not a safe place to go (and obviously many people are seeing through the news stories, since tourism here is on the increase!).
In conclusion
In conclusion, please do pray for the family of Nancy Davis. Please pray that other believers would rise up and take her place. Please pray for all those missionaries and other believers around the world who are living in danger.
At the same time, realize that we’re not dodging bullets here. And although we take ordinary precautions, we’re confident enough to ask you to come and visit us, and join in what God is doing here.
Coming up – A Visit to Canada (AB/SK)
Yes, that’s right – Lord willing we’re going to be visiting Canada! This time it’s going to be the Alberta/Saskatchewan tour.
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I wish we had time to visit everywhere, but we’ll thank the Lord for the opportunities we have.
When? Well, at the moment it looks like we’ll be in Canada in August, September and October of this year (2011).
Why? Well, it’s time to report back to so many people who are a part of this ministry. It’s been five to eight years since we’ve seen many of you in SK and AB, and since we’ve been to many of your churches.
This will also be an opportunity to take care of a variety of practical matters.
We’ll talk more about this in the months to come. There will have to be a lot of planning done ahead of time, so we’ll share more details once we know them. 🙂
We’re looking forward to seeing many of you face to face later this year! Of course, you’re welcome to come visit us before then…. 😉
Study Week 2 – The Four Witnesses
Tonight was part two of the new study – Where did the Bible come from?
So, last week we talked about the resurrection – how these early Christians were obsessed with the real life, real death, and real resurrection of Jesus. For this faith they lived and died during the early years of the Church.
 Symbols for Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; from the Book of Kells |
This week we talked about the four Gospels. We started out talking about the claims made in Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code – that essentially the Christians were trying to choose from thousands of "gospels", and it wasn’t until the 4th century that they finally chose the four we know today – for political reasons, of course.
Well, that’s Dan Brown’s claim…
So, we actually read excerpts from four of these other "gospels" (the so-called gospels of Judas, Thomas, Peter, and Mary), and compared them with the four we know. We talked about how Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were accepted very early as Scripture. They were solidly and more or less universally accepted as the four, very soon after they were written. It sure didn’t take until the 4th century! And why? Well, there were some good reasons. Maybe if you come to the study you can find out what some of those reasons are! 😉
It’s obviously very important to know the real story about this man who claimed to be God – and then who proved it by rising from the dead! What did He teach? What did He do? And what did He have to say about the books of the Bible?
Well, next week we’re going to go back to the Old Testament to find out where it came from. Then… well, then I have a few days off. 🙂
Keyboard Class Begins!
This afternoon (at 5:30pm) we’re starting the first keyboard class of the season at the community centre. Today we’re mostly talking, covering the basics of pianos and keyboards, the basic scale, parts of music, things like that.
Tonight among other things we’re going to talk about Mexican composer Julián Carrillo Trujillo. Carillo was the inventor of "The 13th Sound" (el sonido 13), a microtonal scale used in much of his music.
You can hear the strange results of using a scale very different from what you’re used to in the video below. The picture is an example of his system of notation.