Jim

About Jim

Posts by Jim :

8 November 2005

Warnings from the last generation

Today, not too many people know who Richard Wurmbrand is. But 40 years ago, his name was much more well known. Richard was a Jewish Romanian who came to Christ. Persecuted for his faith, eventually kidnapped, a ransom was paid to get him out from under Communism. Working in England, and then in the USA, Richard’s ministry was to reveal to the world what was happening in closed countries. He became the founder of a ministry you probably have heard of – The Voice of the Martyrs.

I was looking at this little booklet from so many years ago. It was Richard’s attempt to prepare Canadians for something they weren’t ready for – life without freedom to obey and worship God. In his day, he wasn’t aware of any college or seminary that offered practical teaching on how to live under persecution.

Of course today the world has changed a lot. Richard was picturing a Communist Canada – something few born after me consider. Another thing has changed – today there are practical courses on persecution being taught in various parts of the world. Techniques for jumping out of windows, for dealing with kidnapped friends, for showing love in a hostile situation.

I would like to believe that the church in Canada is becoming a little more aware that freedom is being lost around the world. Yes, there are good things happening. Technology has allowed us to reach places more easily. Countries that were closed for years have opened. At least, for now. But as the Word of God has rushed into the vacuum, I believe we’re going to find that the places that still need to be reached are the hardest. They’re the places that will require the most sacrifice. The places that will cost the most money. And the most lives. And perhaps freedom even in Canada isn’t as secure as many believe. Yes, things have changed.

We need to remember what the apostle Paul taught again and again. “We didn’t want any of you to be discouraged by all these troubles. You knew we would have to suffer, because when we were with you, we told you this would happen. And we did suffer, as you well know.” (1Th 3:3-4)

Suffering may be different for all of us. I don’t want to compare my “suffering” with the violence many have experienced. But in Scripture, suffering for the sake of Christ wasn’t presented as something we might run into, depending on the political situation. It was something that would happen. Maybe our attitude that it might happen is keeping us from plunging into what God has called us to. Maybe we’ve blocked off roads in our lives, just because there are easier roads to take. We never even consider that God might be leading us to do that. So we miss out on power and blessing and transformation that God had in store for us.

God, give us the strength to make our lives a sacrifice, to follow where You lead, to trust Your love, to believe in Your power. The world has changed, but it’s still following the wrong path. Jesus, build your Church. Father, let us all be a part.

7 November 2005

There’s no stopping those missionary blogs…

Jim Missions 0

My old list of missionary blogs has been transformed into something new – introducing…

Missionary-Blogs.com (don’t forget the dash) is a great place to meet new missionaries. Everyone there is a blogger. You can find missionaries from various countries, a list of missionary bloggers, even a blog about missionary bloggers. If you go to the bottom of the front page, you can see the latest posts from over 80 missionaries around the world.

For me it’s partly a hobby, and partly a way to give to other missionaries. The site is quite new, but it’s been interesting already to see people meeting some of these missionaries from afar and getting to know them. Some of the missionaries have even started reading some of the blogs of other missionaries. I’ve even been able to surprise a missionary or two.

By the way, I even know of a few from our own mission who are blogging. The Smiths, a family we worked with in Mexico, now have a brand new blog at SmithConnection.com. The new CAM webmaster, Joshua Scott and his family, now have a blog. Finally, Alvin and Laurie Thompson have a blog called The Thompson Times.

Anyway, be sure to check out Missionary-Blogs.com, and if you have a website be sure to include a link (details here).

5 November 2005

Then and now

Jim Devotional and Bible 0

My parents have been going through some of their old papers, and they passed along this picture of me. I have some vague recollection of this, but I couldn’t tell you any more than that!

I actually thought I’d stop by to give you a quick update. There’s good news and bad news. Bad news? We’re all still sick and it looks like our computer monitor is dying.

There’s lots of good news, though. I finished my paper on the relation of science and theology, and mailed it. I’ve ordered the exam, then the course will be done. I think Hannah and Nathanael are starting to feel better. And Hannah’s tooth is ok for now (we paid the dentist $45 to tell us to “keep an eye on it”). I had a chance to talk to my friend Victor from Mexico the other day.

So, as always we have a lot to be thankful for. Tomorrow we get to worship with friends. And we head into another week, by the grace of God…

2 November 2005

Minor disasters continued…

Jim Family 0

It seems like I’ve been blogging a lot lately. Some of you may think that’s a good thing, others may think it’s a bad thing! But I’m stopping by yet again for those of you who pray for us, to give you the latest.

A little over a week ago I wrote about “Those minor disasters” that it seems we’ve been dealing with. I know that many of you have been praying especially for us since then, and we’ve really felt your prayers. Thanks!

It does seem like those minor disasters are continuing, though, so we still need prayer (actually, we need prayer all the time! But perhaps things like this are God’s way of getting us to pray, because there are unseen spiritual realities that we’re so often unaware of).

Here are a few examples. Since I last wrote, we’ve had some computer problems. Nothing major, I don’t think, but nagging, time consuming things. We took the van in, and that cost us over $250. It looks like more may need to be done, such as a couple of new tires, in the near future. We had another month of low donations (one of the lowest in a year). Yesterday Hannah hurt her lip, and today she hurt her tooth. She’s going to the dentist tomorrow to deal with that. We’ve been trying to get medical insurance set up for the children, but it’s not there yet, so whatever we do we’ll be spending money.

We’re all sick, too, which makes things difficult as I’m sure most of you know. Hannah and Nathanael are starting to get better, but they have a way to go yet. Shari and I are still getting worse.

Don’t worry, I’m not as depressed as all that may make it sound! But I just wanted to give you an idea of what’s been going on around here. November is shaping up to be a very busy month for us. Good-busy, for the most part, things we’re looking forward to. But with all these other things going on, it’s going to be a real challenge.

This is why we continue to ask for your prayers – that we may have wisdom, patience and strength to continue sharing the vision. That God would bring along those who believe in this ministry, who can be a part of it. That through all the challenges of life, we would be able to better relate to those in Mexico who have challenges far beyond ours. Thanks for your prayers!

2 November 2005

Beyond the Gates of Splendor

Jim Missions 0

A couple of nights ago we finally watched the documentary, Beyond the Gates of Splendor. It tells the story of 5 missionaries who were speared to death in Ecuador.

The event took place almost 50 years ago, in January of 1956. The missionaries were Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, Nate Saint, and Roger Youderian, who were at the time all just a little younger than Shari and I. They were making contact with a the Waodani tribe.

This was one of the most publicized missionary stories of the last century, making worldwide news. But it’s the aftermath of the spearings themselves that is the most astounding part of the story. It was only two years later that the wife and the sister of one of the murdered missionaries went to live with the tribe.

I couldn’t help thinking that someone who didn’t know God’s power would be completely confused about how everyone involved acted. And there’s more that the documentary didn’t even get into. When the missionaries were murdered, including pilot Nate Saint, more than 20 fliers promptly volunteered to take his place. More than 1000 college students volunteered for missions in response to the massacre.

A couple of years ago I saw the son of Nate (Nathanael) Saint speak. Beside him was one of the men that had been involved in the spearings. The two were serving the Lord side by side.

If you’d like to know more about the story, order the DVD. It’s not gory, although you’ll certainly hear a lot about spearings. It’s also well done because it simply tells the story – it’s not preachy, and leaves yuo to draw your own conclusions. You’ll hear interviews with people involved, and see photos and footage. There are good reasons why this story should not be forgotten.

The documentary won two film festival awards, including the audience award for best documentary feature at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. A feature film about the missionaries is scheduled to be released in January.

A few years before he was murdered, as a college student, Jim Elliot wrote:

“[He makes] His ministers a flame of fire.” Am I ignitable? God deliver me from the dread asbestos of ‘other things.’ Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be aflame. But flame is transient, often short-lived. Canst thou bear this my soul-short life? In me there dwells the spirit of the Great Short-Lived, whose zeal for God’s house consumed Him.

31 October 2005

Day(s) of the Dead – an introduction

Jim Mexico 3

It’s time again for one of the biggest holidays of the year in Mexico – The Day(s) of the Dead (Día de los Muertos). It’s celebrated between the 31st of October and the 2nd of November, primarily the last two days.

So what’s it all about? Well, the Day of the Dead goes back thousands of years. Today, the celebration is a mixture of the many religions from prehispanic Mexico (from cultures such as the Aztecs, Mayas, and Toltecs), as well as the Christian symbolism that was brought with the conquest.

The Day of the Dead is celebrated differently depending on where you are in Mexico, but here are some fairly common elements. During the Day of the Dead, spirits of deceased relatives are invited back into the home. Generally the children are said to return on the 1st, with the adults following on the 2nd. The spirits are invited to join the party, in a sense. An alter is erected in each house, containing objects such as bones and skulls, candles, icons of the saints, flowers (marigolds in particular are believed to attract the spirits), and photos of the dead. Things that the dead person liked are often included for them to enjoy. Some simply honour the grave of the dead or visit it. In some areas, a vigil is held by the side of the grave all night.

Traditional foods and decorations can be seen everywhere. There are candy skulls, popular with the children, skeletons as decorations, and the Bread of the Dead, and essential part of the celebration. Gifts are given that have a death theme. Prayers are made for the dead during this time as well, and people go to mass.

Around this time the popularity of “Saint Death” becomes apparent, as statues and pictures are sold. Devotion to this female spirit in Mexico is on the rise, though officially the belief is condemned by the Roman Catholic Church. Alters are built in worship of Saint Death, in the hopes that she will protect a home or business.

In spite of how it may all sound, this is a big party in Mexico of a very upbeat kind. It’s about children, music and celebration. Often big pilgrimages are made, with friends and drinking and camp outs. It’s not a sad day of mourning. It’s a time that people want to connect again with those that are gone, in hopes of connecting in eternity as well. It’s not morbid in tone, but festive.

Again, the celebration differs from area to area. In some areas, the celebration is very religious, and ancestors are even worshiped. In other areas, the celebration is quite secular. So it’s very hard to generalize. But hopefully that will give you a brief introduction into what is a very important part of Mexican culture.

«‹ 441 442 443 444 ›»