Why Saturday Nights R Cool.
Saturday nights. They’re great.
Some tacos of various kinds…
(tongue taco)
Talking about the Bible (tonight it was 1 Thessalonians)…
…good times with friends!
Ministry glimpses
Another week begins!
I’m at the pool for Nathanael’s swimming lesson. He’s the only student today, so he’s getting lots of one-on-one attention. 😉
We survived the weekend after the kid’s party. I led the service on Sunday, and I admit I wad actually shaking (but caffeine-free, really!). 🙂
All right, so I was tired. But it was a good service. I started 15 minutes late, and there was hardly anyone there, but it filled up eventually. David led worship, and Rod spoke on Romans 14 (and thus every controversial issue he could think of!).
After the service, Jose led a class for those wanting to be baptized, and did a good job (I’ve been baptized – I was there for support). 🙂
Today Shari has been translating recipes for her baking class – a LOT of work. I’ve been Nathanael’s teacher (ALSO a lot of work). 😉
Crammed in around that we’re cleaning up from the party, preparing for upcoming events, taking the kids places, and the list goes on. Another week in full swing! May God be glorified.
Zumba Sunday
No, we weren’t doing Zumba this Sunday – sorry to disappoint you. (For those who don’t know, "Zumba" is a Columbian exercise program that has spread to something like 125 countries around the world. But that’s not important for this post.)
As you know, the building where we have been meeting on Sunday mornings does not have a lot of space. All right, it doesn’t have enough space – meaning people have been standing outside – they can offer great moral support, but they can’t actually hear what’s going on in the service.
We’re praying for a larger space, and we’ve started raising money for one.
In the mean time, we had to do something temporary.
So – there’s this "Zumba" place in Jesús María… a kind of a studio above a store. We have been able to rent it – at least for the month of May, and maybe longer.
So – this is good! Why? Well, we actually have some breathing room. There were plenty of people there on Sunday, but we could pack in quite a few more people without making things uncomfortable. So we’re very thankful.
However, the need for another place is more urgent than ever. Having this place just for Sunday mornings means that we still get packed like sardines during other events (you remember how packed Bible studies can get!). We have to move everything back and forth, which means a lot of extra wear and tear on instruments, etc – and a lot of extra work. For Sundays when we have Sunday school, our youth and kids will be walking to other locations (or they’ll be driven to other locations). And, of course, we’re paying rent each Sunday – money that could go to something more permanent. (And the acoustics are pretty depressing – but who knows if the next place will be better!)
So we thank the Lord for a little breathing room! But please pray with us for a more permanent place. To find out more about the fundraising that’s going on for this purpose, visit ixtapalu.ca and click on Making Space.
By the way, on Sunday we had a special service with communion, special music, testimonies, and more! Here are a few pictures…
Easter Weekend: Freedom in Prison and Out
We enjoyed a great weekend remembering the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. But over the past few days I have also been hearing a lot about believers around the world, and in other parts of Mexico, who are being persecuted. As we’re thankful for the freedom we enjoy, we also need to remember and pray for our brothers and sisters who don’t have that freedom.
On Friday, our friend David led us in a meal to remember the Last Supper of Jesus and the disciples (foot washing and all). We held it out on the street, and although people looked at us funny, no one threw grenades.
On Sunday morning we were up at the Valtierra’s home for a sunrise service, celebrating the resurrection.
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José led the service, Rod led the music, and Samuel shared from Luke 24. His focus was on the peace that we have in Christ.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the peace and freedom that we have because of what happened those many centuries ago outside of Jerusalem. The wonderful thing is, whether we’re living in safety or not, whether we’re free or in prison, whether we’re loved or ridiculed (or both), in Christ we can still have that peace and freedom.
I’ve been reading about the life of John Bunyon, who was imprisoned for preaching God’s Word. Having left behind a young wife and children, he lived in filthy conditions with constant uncertainty about his future. Still, he refused to do what possibly could have set him free – promise not to preach. In fact, he preached in prison, and also wrote.
One of the things he wrote was a poem called Prison Meditations. It was written in 1665, five years after his arrest. Here are a few stanzas. Together with our persecuted brothers and sisters, let’s remember the freedom that we have in Christ…
Prison Meditations,
A Poem
by John Bunyan
I am indeed in prison now
In body, but my mind
Is free to study Christ, and how
Unto me he is kind.
Their fetters cannot spirits tame,
Nor tie up God from me;
My faith and hope they cannot lame;
Above them I shall be.
Though they say then that we are fools
Because we here do lie,
I answer, Jails are Christ his schools,
In them we learn to die.
God sometimes visits prisoners more
Than lordly palaces;
He often knocketh at the door
When he their houses miss.
This jail to us is as a hill,
From whence we plainly see
Beyond this world, and take our fill
Of things that lasting be.
From hence we see the emptiness
Of all the world contains;
And here we feel the blessedness
That for us yet remains.
You can read the full poem, Prison Meditations (all 70 stanzas!) here.
Community Centre Event (April 2011) (video)
Here’s a quick look back at the special event we had at the community centre a week and a half ago. The event came at the end of another series of classes, which began in January.
We don’t have video of the whole event, just a few clips. But it will give you an idea of some of the eclectic activities that go on there.
The parts that concern us especially: first, you’ll see Jim during a keyboard class presentation, which was a take off of the Mexican version of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?. You’ll also see Shari making a presentation to the women that have come to the baking/desserts class (Amigas del Alma), which, as you can see, is very popular.
Tonight – Closing Event
Tonight is our twice-yearly closing event for this set of classes at the community centre. Lord willing, I’ll be doing a bit of a contest with the keyboardists, and Shari will be doing a presentation for the Amigas del Alma baking class.
Nathanael caught some kind of a bug yesterday, so he’s sick still. We’re hoping that we’ll both be able to go tonight; if not, one of us may need a replacement (that would be Shari, since the "Amigas" are many but the keyboard teacher is one.) 😉
He seems to be a little better than yesterday, but just a little. So we’re just taking it one step at a time!
We’re hoping this will be a fun event, where we can get to know some people better. I’ll let you know how it goes! It starts at 6:30pm tonight (check the right sidebar for the local time).