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A Few More Books to Check Out…

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It’s been a while – yikes! A year! – since I posted about some of the books I’ve been reading. So here are a few that you might want to check out:

For the Glory

The Hidden Hand by J. Sidlow Baxter – One of my favourites, and a book I’ve read many times. I enjoyed it once again. It’s a mystery/romance written by a Christian preacher, so if that doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will. A little preachy at times, but overall a great novel by someone who knows his material (see below). I’m always sorry to get to the last page. More about The Hidden Hand here.

J. Sidlow Baxter: A Heart Awake by E. A. Johnston – So here’s the mystery. The Hidden Hand is supposedly loosely based on a true story. So – what is the true story? Well, after quite a bit of research I suspected that it was the story of the author himself. So I finally got my hands on his biography, thanks to some birthday money, and confirmed my suspicions. And also whet my appetite to read more biographies.

For the Glory: The Untold and Inspiring Story of Eric Liddell, Hero of Chariots of Fire by Duncan Hamilton – Of the books on today’s list, I give this one 5 stars along with The Hidden Hand. I don’t think the author is a believer, but he writes with great respect about the life of Eric Liddell, with a special focus on his life as a missionary in China, and the end of his life in a Japanese prison camp. Highly recommended.

The Bible among the Myths: Unique Revelation or Just Ancient Literature? by John N. Oswalt – Quite a variety of books here, I see! This one is a discussion of the Old Testament in the light of what we know of ancient Middle Eastern religion. That might sound rather academic, and in a way it is. But the author presents a compelling case that, despite superficial similarities, the worship of Yahweh in Israel was so drastically different from the religions around it that it’s hard to imagine how it could have (humanly speaking) come into existence. If you’ve read books like The Other Worldview his observations will make even more sense. Although I would have some theological differences with the author, his observations from history and interactions with other scholars are fascinating and insightful.

14.6km

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For his physical education class, Nathanael had to put together an activity using “SMART goals” (goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound). So he decided to do an Ixtapaluca hike.

So, yesterday after our main meal of the day we set out to fulfill the goals. He had mapped out a route (which we ended up adjusting somewhat en route), which included climbing up to two archaeological sites on two sides of town.

I took some pictures as we went, so I thought you might enjoy this mini-tour. I’ve linked to each picture in our Photo Gallery so that you can see the full-resolution version (you will want to actually download the photo from the gallery if you want the full-res version).

Typical Ixtapaluca Street
Typical Street
street market
Street market – socks on the right, makeup on the left, and vegetables ahead.
The stairway of doom
The “Stairway of Doom” (yeah, we just made that up). And when we got to the top, there was another one.
Path in the hills of Ixtapaluca
A path in the hills of Ixtapaluca
A view of Ixtapaluca from above.
A view of Ixtapaluca from the first hill we climbed.
Jim and Nathanael from the hills of Ixtapaluca
On top of an unexcavated pyramid in Ixtapaluca, looking down over the city.
dumped garbage
Dumped garbage
cacti along the road in Ixtapaluca
Cacti along the road
Street and sewer in Ixtapaluca.
Street and sewer, with little bridges over the canal.
Archaeological Zone Tlapacoya
Tlapacoya Archaeological Site, from a culture that flourished hundreds of years before Christ.
Panteon de Tlapacoya
One of Ixtapaluca’s cemeteries.
Cerro del Elephante
A cross on Elephant Hill
Ixtapaluca from Cerro del Elephante
Looking down on Ixtapaluca from Elephant Hill
Another street in Ixtapaluca
Another Ixtapaluca Street
Stats

Retro: Sports Camp

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10 years ago today, a ministry called Uncharted Waters was back in Ixtapaluca to help us train local churches to share the gospel through sports camps.

Several churches were involved, and a lot of continuing ministry grew out of the skills that we learned during that time. Both Hannah and Nathanael attended the sports camp (which was in the community of Jesús María), playing basketball and soccer.

One of the leaders asked me to take photos that they could use in future promotion, so I took a lot of pictures! Here’s just one, during a game of – what do you call it? It’s that one where you steal the bandana or flag from the other person. In this case, you have to keep dribbling the whole time…

Basketball drills at an evangelistic sports camp in Ixtapaluca.

Alter Anno Domini

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I have no idea if I have my Latin right, but alter anno domini should be “another year of the Lord”, and that is, of course, what 2021 is, just like 2020 was.

Saturn

The actual phrase, which we sometimes shorten to A.D., is anno Domini Nostri Jesu Christi – The year of the Lord Jesus Christ. The phrase recognizes that the coming of the Lord Jesus changed everything. And, of course, it reminds us that every year is His – even the ones before His birth. (Colossians 1:16-17)

This past December was a month full of big astronomical events – especially the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, the so-called “Christmas Star”. I kept seeing articles before the event, and I was amazed at how much they emphasized, over and over, that this was just “chance”. Of course, they were referring to the fact that it was not an event that necessarily happens only in December, something someone might have thought because of the “Christmas Star” moniker.

But it seemed like there was something going on above and beyond that. As if everyone was rushing to say that this all just happened by chance – the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter had no purpose, no planning behind it.

But, of course, it did.

Oh, I’m not suggesting that we can now start the countdown to the Second Coming or anything like that. But as believers, we all know that nothing in the heavens is by chance. In fact, “The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.” (Psalm 97:6) God placed wonders in the heavens that we would be able to see in December of 2020, so that we would look up and realize that there is Someone glorious, Someone righteous, who is far above every ruler and false god.

And so the world rushed to suppress this truth, while still drinking in the wonder of God’s Creation. (Romans 1:18-19)

And so we ended 2020 with some wonderful reminders of Who is really in control. We ended 2020 with some wonderful reminders that we are responsible to Him for our actions on this tiny planet.

I hope you were able to spend some time meditating on the coming of the Lord. On Sunday mornings, we took time to meditate on Luke 1, in four parts, as we prepared for the year ahead:

  • Prepare for the Judge! (Repentance)
  • Prepare for the King! (Obedience)
  • Prepare for the Saviour! (Thankfulness)
  • Prepare for the Liberator! (Hope)

…and because of that Person, Jesus Christ, I pray that the words of Zechariah will be true for you: “…that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” (Luke 1:74-75)

Now that we’re emerging from the holiday season (which ends tomorrow with Three Kings Day), we’re looking ahead to activities and studies and outreach in the year ahead, so we would appreciate your prayers.

And I’ll leave you with these words from the end of the Psalm I quoted above – another fitting text as we enter into the year of the Lord 2021:

O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

Psalm 97:10-12

Jim’s Recent Tweets…

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The Most Popular Finding Direction Posts of 2020

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It’s time to take a look back at 2020. So I’m sure it’s no surprise to you that many of the most popular posts of the year included the word “COVID-19” in the title.

Yes, I did write about other things! But anyway, for better or for worse, here are the most popular posts of the year! I’ll put them in chronological order:

  • Back from Colombia – Yes, believe it or not, Hannah went to Columbia this year! Here is a link to their video, as well as some blog posts (including one that Hannah wrote).
  • COVID-19: Here in Mexico – All right, so you have to remember that these posts are in the context of what was happening at the time. This is from March, when Mexico was in the news because of COVID-19 – even though official cases were still quite low.
  • COVID-19: Closer to Home – As in, our personal experiences in the middle of March, as things began to shut down in Mexico.
  • The Impossible COVID-19 Forecast (and why Mexico is not Canada or the USA) – Now we’re in early April. Although things were a lot different then, this is still a valid explanation of why Mexico cannot be compared to what people were/are experiencing in the USA and Canada. What I explained then did play out in the months ahead.
  • Frustration, Sorrow, and Thanksgiving – Some thoughts from June, including prayer requests. Please continue for Blanca and her family.
  • COVID-19: So Where is Mexico At? – Mid-June, and getting a little more sophisticated with the stats. The State of Mexico was about to move to the Orange alert level, where we would stay for several months.
  • Baptisms 2020! (video) – Yes, real live baptisms! Praise the Lord!
  • Flying to Canada (in 2020) – A report on what it was like flying to Canada in mid-August, 2020.
  • More to be Thankful For… – Some news after a few days “out of quarantine” in Canada in September.
  • Anniversary Service – In Person! – Back in Mexico, we enjoyed the 4th anniversary of the latest church plant!
  • Random Thoughts on Church Closures… – Yes, so I’ve had some time to think about the closing of so many essential services – that is, essential Sunday services.

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