Ephesians 1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
En Español:Efesios 1
Pablo, apóstol de Cristo Jesús por la voluntad de Dios, a los santos y fieles en Cristo Jesús que están en Éfeso: Que Dios nuestro Padre y el Señor Jesucristo les concedan gracia y paz.
Alabado sea Dios, Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, que nos ha bendecido en las regiones celestiales con toda bendición espiritual en Cristo. Dios nos escogió en él antes de la creación del mundo, para que seamos santos y sin mancha delante de él. En amor nos predestinó para ser adoptados como hijos suyos por medio de Jesucristo, según el buen propósito de su voluntad, para alabanza de su gloriosa gracia, que nos concedió en su Amado. En él tenemos la redención mediante su sangre, el perdón de nuestros pecados, conforme a las riquezas de la gracia que Dios nos dio en abundancia con toda sabiduría y entendimiento. Él nos hizo conocer el misterio de su voluntad conforme al buen propósito que de antemano estableció en Cristo, para llevarlo a cabo cuando se cumpliera el tiempo: reunir en él todas las cosas, tanto las del cielo como las de la tierra.
En Cristo también fuimos hechos herederos, pues fuimos predestinados según el plan de aquel que hace todas las cosas conforme al designio de su voluntad, a fin de que nosotros, que ya hemos puesto nuestra esperanza en Cristo, seamos para alabanza de su gloria. En él también ustedes, cuando oyeron el mensaje de la verdad, el evangelio que les trajo la salvación, y lo creyeron, fueron marcados con el sello que es el Espíritu Santo prometido. Éste garantiza nuestra herencia hasta que llegue la redención final del pueblo adquirido por Dios, para alabanza de su gloria.
Por eso yo, por mi parte, desde que me enteré de la fe que tienen en el Señor Jesús y del amor que demuestran por todos los santos, no he dejado de dar gracias por ustedes al recordarlos en mis oraciones. Pido que el Dios de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, el Padre glorioso, les dé el Espíritu de sabiduría y de revelación, para que lo conozcan mejor. Pido también que les sean iluminados los ojos del corazón para que sepan a qué esperanza él los ha llamado, cuál es la riqueza de su gloriosa herencia entre los santos, y cuán incomparable es la grandeza de su poder a favor de los que creemos. Ese poder es la fuerza grandiosa y eficaz que Dios ejerció en Cristo cuando lo resucitó de entre los muertos y lo sentó a su derecha en las regiones celestiales, muy por encima de todo gobierno y autoridad, poder y dominio, y de cualquier otro nombre que se invoque, no sólo en este mundo sino también en el venidero. Dios sometió todas las cosas al dominio de Cristo, y lo dio como cabeza de todo a la iglesia. Ésta, que es su cuerpo, es la plenitud de aquel que lo llena todo por completo.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
We are Chosen!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
A Church is More than a Building
Didn't the people in Bluefields show us that! Even after a full week of work with 50+ workers, the church 'building" was not even close to completion, but 250+ villagers came to worship God under the Nicaraguan sky the Saturday night after we left. Did the lack of building matter to these folks? Apparently not! We look forward to our return in late April to share with our brothers and sisters in Christ about how God has changed our lives!
I love this passage of Paul's to the Roman church in Chapter 12...
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Supply Pipeline for Non-Profits
The organization that donated the sewing machines offers a variety of goods to non-profit organizations is called NAEIR. This is not a pyramid... and I do
not benefit one iota from your participation!
Friday, March 16, 2007
Team is Assembling - Back to Bluefields!
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
En español... 2 Tesalonicenses 2:1-4
Ahora bien, hermanos, en cuanto a la venida de nuestro Señor Jesucristo y a nuestra reunión con él, les pedimos que no pierdan la cabeza ni se alarmen por ciertas profecías, ni por mensajes orales o escritos supuestamente nuestros, que digan: "¡Ya llegó el día del Señor!" No se dejen engañar de ninguna manera, porque primero tiene que llegar la rebelión contra Dios y manifestarse el hombre de maldad, el destructor por naturaleza. Éste se opone y se levanta contra todo lo que lleva el nombre de Dios o es objeto de adoración, hasta el punto de adueñarse del templo de Dios y pretender ser Dios.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Actions Steps - Now What Are We Going to Do?
Individually and collectively, we must now begin to process how God will use this experience to glorify Himself. We have been blessed by our team preparations, the journey itself and also by the daily interaction with the people of Bluefields.We all have our own story to tell... how we were affected by the trip... I pray that we continue to have the opportunities now and and in the future to share with others hat we have learned.
I also pray that God continues to influence our daily thoughts and deeds to conform our ways with His.
Maybe a little review would be good for all of us... from my February 6th entry...
What DID I learn about myself?
What DID I learn about God?
What DID I learn about the people of God, about the church, about community?
What DID I learn about how culture affects the way we live and understand the Gospel?
What DID I learn about justice, economics, poverty and politics?
What DID I learn about discipleship?
What DID I learn about a globally appropriate lifestyle?
What DID I learn about my own vocation?
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Bluefields SubZero is Calling Us!
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Well, we have a chance to do just that. Hermano Dave Leahy has challenged us to offer the same enthusiasm and energy we freely offered in Bluefields to the Doring family just outside of Treadwell. The day we left brought the snowstorm of the decade... we all remember the harrowing travel adventure we had... this family was devastated by this storm... their main dairy barn was destroyed and many of their cows were killed. They need our help, so Hermano Dave who is their veterinarian, has asked if we have time rally and lend a hand to our neighbors! Next Saturday will be the biggest day to help - be prepared for 
rubble removal and dress for the cold! Maybe we can get a line like the "Bucket Brigade" to move out the mess.
This morning it was -10, just about 100 degree difference from Bluefields... this and next weekend will be better, but bundle up anyway!
Interested? Can you give a couple hours? Give Dave a call! May God Bless your efforts to lend a helping hand to this neighbor in need!Short and sweet... the need is there... no airfare required... no malaria medication... no amoebas... and when you are done a warm shower awaits and you can be home sleeping with your favorite pillow!
Thursday, March 8, 2007
The Children's Programs
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' "
The children of Bluefields are about at the bottom of the list when it comes to earthly status or importance, but Jesus tells us that this perception could be not further from the truth. Amongst all the hard work on the church building, we dedicated three afternoons to serve the children. The real blessing came as a result of giving of our time and talents! One thing is for sure, kids are kids, no matter where you go or whatever circumstance they come from. Their laughter, enthusiasm and desire to play and interact with us will remain in our hearts for a long time! The only sad faces we noticed were on our last day as we said our "goodbyes" - and that was not exclusive to the children.
In the valley just below our work site was a rodeo with grandstands - to Rigo, this was a perfect opportunity to introduce himself to the owner. Along with Dave Leahy, a veterinarian back home, Rigo offered to have Dave check out his stable of horses... all were AOK per Dr. Leahy! Rigo then asked if it would be OK to use the rodeo for three days for the children's programs during the week. Not a problem, he said, so there e had a wonderful setting - in the shade from the intense Nicaraguan sun!
Led by Pastor William, Lesly and Carla, our teams began with music and interactive songs with the kids to prepare them for the Bible lesson. The music filled the valley and seemed to call children from all over - each day's total was different, but there ere no less than 90 and as many as 200 in attendance. The Bible lesson were taught by the use of puppets, or titares en español - the common chant by the kids in anticipation would be "¡titares! ¡titares! ¡titares!". Between Pastor William's musical talents and Lesly's zeal to reach these children, the program was a complete success! The team members would act out their parts once prompted by Lesly with a tap on the shoulder... all this was behind a "stage curtain" made of a bed sheet. It was fun to watch the "behind the scenes" action and to hear the excitement of the children as the Bible lesson unfolded.
After the puppets' third or fourth return to sing, the children began the craft of the day - day one was a paper plate Noah's Ark. Day 2's craft was vests made from Kraft paper shopping bags and day 3's was a salvation bracelet made out of string and colored beads signifying how Jesus is the savior of the world. 
On the third of the children's programs was a special treat - we presented every child with a "grab bag"of treats... including toothbrushes (thanks for Butler Gum for their donation of over 200 pairs of toothbrushes), graph paper notebooks (special thanks to MeadWestvaco for this kind donation - some of the kids used them as autograph books... it as fun!) to crayons, pencils and stuffed animals - all very simple gifts, but it meant a lot to the kids! 
I will leave you today with more photos and the lyrics from a song that caps off our experiences with the people we met in Bluefields. The song is In My Life, made famous by The Beatles, then so beautifully sung by Selah - it was re-composed with the song, If We Never Meet Again, by Albert Brumley...
In My Life/If We Never Meet Again
In My Life (John Lennon, Paul McCartney)
If We Never Meet Again (Albert E. Brumley)
All these places have their moments
But of all these friends and loved ones
Though I know I'll never lose affection
Soon we'll come to the end of life's journey
If we never meet again this side of heaven
Where the charming roses bloom forever
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
A Church is Built on a Hill
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Ustedes son la sal de la tierra. Pero si la sal se vuelve insípida, ¿cómo recobrará su sabor? Ya no sirve para nada, sino para que la gente la deseche y la pisotee. Ustedes son la luz del mundo. Una ciudad en lo alto de una colina no puede esconderse. Ni se enciende una lámpara para cubrirla con un cajón. Por el contrario, se pone en la repisa para que alumbre a todos los que están en la casa. Hagan brillar su luz delante de todos, para que ellos puedan ver las buenas obras de ustedes y alaben al Padre que está en el cielo.
Friday February 16th, the team officially checked in for duty - ready for a good week of honest work! Just a short bus ride from our hotel in town, the Caribbean Dream, along a variety of roads up a long hill lies the home for the new church in Bluefields. From the street a narrow path leads us to the site... one would never know this church was there as about 1/4 mile down, the road heads downward... I did mention that this church is being built on a hill... and quite a hill it is! Rigo says the church will get its name from the congregation... it will not be known necessarily as the Conservative Baptist Church of Bluefields. For those of us who worked on the Llanos and Altos de Santa Maria sites just outside of Guatemala City, you might remember that Llanos was called Oasis de Alabanza, or Oasis of Praise... I imagine that the congregation of this community of believers will come up with something appropriate!
We arrived just in time for lunch and we spent a bit of time scoping out the lay of the land. Tucked underneath the racks for rebar, plumbing and lumber were hammocks - this is where the men stayed every night -they along with the women who cooked for us every day! We were humbled by their accommodations while they served us! 
The amount of time and effort it took to prepare meals for our team and other workers which totaled close to 60 at one time is staggering. I will be forever humbled by the gift of service rendered by "las hermanas de lac cocina", led by Claudia Reyes, Rigo's wife! We also want to thank Marta, Marta's mother Yolanda and also Carla... we ate like kings all week and we deeply appreciated it! As soon as we were served breakfast, they diligently cleaned up and began preparations for the lunch. Same thing for dinner for those left at the work site.
Claudia and her sisters in Christ (hermanas en Cristo) also were introduced to a sewing ministry opportunity by a team led by Rusty Turrell. The women found time and space to begin their projects - we brought "kits" for pillows and bags for the women to make... eventually, they will teach pastor's wives to make to sell to support their ministries... awesome stuff!
We quickly found out that Rigo's vision of the church was a grand one. This photo shows Rigo at the beginning of the week praying and pondering over this work site. The building will house Pastor William alongside the sanctuary which is followed by another section that can be multi purpose - classrooms or maybe an area for home industry commerce to support the ministry of the church. Rigo says that the largest church so far in Chinandega only receives $ 50.00 per month - hardly enough to keep the electricity going, let alone a pastor, so any alternative means to create some positive cash flow is going to be encouraged.
In order to make cement and wash dishes, you need water - which comes from a manual well which is about 1/4 mile away from the site. Not sure of the exact amount used, but it was in the 1,000's of gallons... hoisted from earthen wells by the bucket full and transported in either 5 gallon jugs and 2 gallon buckets. You could see any combination of adults and kids and little children fetching water during most of the day... when the call for "¡mas agua!" came, we responded!
The housing conditions around the well we used humbled me tremendously... the space that large family would live in was so far removed from the comfort where I am typing this blog. This was a typical home near the well site... it was hard to tell, but it seemed like at least 4 children lived there... dirt floors and hammocks for beds. I cannot imagine what this must be like in the rainy season - which begins in late April.
Right next to the well was a thatched roof hut that was use to wash laundry - this was better than the conditions far below the work site, where women washed clothes on rocks next to a small water hole fed by a spring. 
A real marvel started to emerge right there in the trenches... the engineering necessary for constructing such a building on such a site. Many thanks to Dave Leahy and Jim Odell (aka "Pinky" and "The Brain") for their experience, insights and abilities to translate Rigo's vision into reality. To the left are the "blueprints" for the building... the rest remained safe and intact in Dave & Jim's minds! The sanctuary will hold 200 people in a stadium seating set up - fully utilizing the natural slope of the land to create a wonderful place to worship God! The Nicarguan believers however showed us that the church is much more than the building, didn't they? That story will remain with us forever!
The many work site tasks... 
Excavating a 12' deep x 13' wide septic system cauldron hole - all by hand in thick red Nicaraguan clay - quite a feat for the first part of the week. 
The process of digging trenches and column footers was another mammoth undertaking - good thing we had many strong folks to handle this as the site got a nickname "Blue Rocks" because of the abundance of boulders just below the surface! When a pick axe handle would break... just a short trot to a nearby tree with a machete would solve the dilemma... however, after going through 4-5 saplings, the new handles were made of steel pipe welded to the pick axe! Not sure if it was a Binford, but it along with youthful muscle proved to be a worthy opponent to the Bluefields terrain!
The building was very large - 125' x 45' with two "super columns, made of 6 rods of 1/2" rebar in the middle that would hold a 55' welded steel truss that will eventually hold the roof of the sanctuary. The truss was totally fabricated on site by hermanos David and Lester... and painted by many but the most famous group was "Equipo Verde"... buen trabjao on that project! 
Rebar had to be formed and tied into columns and supports - aside from the super columns, there were three sizes of these - Mike Najjar, our fearless leader on site finally admitted that there was no end to how many columns and supports we needed - his last request was, "make them until you leave - you will not make too many!"
Laying block was a daily routine for many Nicaraguan brothers... these men worked all day long for meals and the equivalent of $ 10.00 per day... humbling isn't it? Real progress was noted by the amount of new walls going up - new walls meant many loads of cement... the cry for "la mezcla es listo" meant "mas baldes"... meaning more buckets! The only way to efficiently transport cement around the site was to respond to call for "bucket brigade!" and leave what you were doing to assist in this effort... sometimes the distance required to transport the cement used just about everyone on the site... including kids to transport the empties to keep things moving. It was quite a sight to see! There still remains a crew of Nicaraguans that are working towards completion of Pastor William's home so there is a safe, rain-proof dwelling for him... praise God!
One burning questions was floating around the site from the beginning.... "How will we install this truss that hermanos David and Lester are welding? Many theories were discussed during breaks and back at the hotel... but the real answer emerged the last day... down the hill came a crane that saved the day - the best investment we could have made... special thanks for Eric Wilson for being the driving force - as we watched the truss being laid into position, we all realized this was too large a task for our team... thank God no one was hurt in the process!
When the truss was secured, we sat on the hillside and worshipped our Lord and Savior with our brothers and sisters in Christ - Aleleuia! ¡Él Señor es digno de nuestra alabanza!
