Half done

Ok yes my time here is over half done, but I am officially half done with my preaching. I did number three last night and three more to go before I can turn it over to Ron and retire from the pulpit. Last nights sermon has been the most difficult for me so far. I was working through Ephesians 5:6-10 and trying my best to stick with just the text and the implications of it with out adding too much outside information. That is alot tougher than it sounds, or at least it is for me. Expository preaching is much harder than just being able to tell a story from the Bible and tell people how it should impact their lives. Jeff if you are reading this I think you would have been pleased with me. With translation the timing was just about 45 minutes and I stayed on topic for most of the time I think ;).

This week I do not have to prepare a lesson for the Youth Group as the are doing a beach excursion and bonfire so I will have a bit more time to relax and think this week. I have really been enjoying the time in study but the time behind the pulpit still scares me. I always feel like I am not communicating well my intent and am afraid that people are not understanding and then I feel like I am just wasting their time. James 3:1 "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment." And this does not help ease my feelings of inadequacy to teach the word of God. Like trying to handle the word of God with reverence was not hard enough but those that are called to do so are placed under stricter guidelines for judgment. Wow thanks I wasn't already worried enough that what I was capable of doing was not worthy now I have to deal with a heavier burden. I guess sometimes ignorance can be bliss, as long as knowledge is never needed.

Well, as I sit and think about my time running down here past the half way point in many aspects two things strike me. One that I am again struck by how unqualified I am to be a teacher or preacher of the word of God, yet for some crazy reason I am given opportunity time and again to be just that. And while I believe that it is not for some heavenly gag reel that god places me in this positions I can only claim as Paul did that it is through my weakness that His power is displayed fully. It is only when in my flesh I can not carry the burden that He becomes evident in my life to be seen by those around me. I can only hope and pray that I am not trying to strive beyond my own strength and therefore hindering the view of others of the Light that is God shining forth. and Second that no matter where I go people are not that different at heart. Yes we may all speak different languages, have different customs, and even look different, but inside we are all struggling with the same issues, tempted by the same things and all fall into the same sins. Solomon said that there is nothing new under the sun. And if it was true in his day it is certainly still true in our. Though the times have changed there is nothing new and all people are the same. Though we are separated by culture, language, ideals, and many other things we are all the same inside and there is no division among us that can not be overcome if we look to what unites us and not to what it is that divides us. 1 Corinthians 1:10 "I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought." While I do believe it is important to hold fast to the truth of scripture the things of this world that separate us are only man made divisions and can be done away with. May God bless us all with a mind towards unity and fellowship and not division and hate.

Hey sorry for the absence

I know it has been several weeks since I posted on here, and there is no excuse but I have been busy. For some of you you might want to sit down for this, but I have been preaching here the last couple weeks. One of the families here went on furlough and they needed someone to full in for a couple weeks and I was asked. I agreed. Now for the real shocker I even volunteered for a few extra weeks. Yes I know. I do not enjoy being behind the pulpit, but there was a need to be filled and that is why I came here so I filled it. I just hope that it is adequate and I do not bring their church crumbling down as the rush for the door proceeds ;) . It has been interesting having to preach through a translator, because if I even thought about preaching in Portuguese I would probably choke on my own tongue trying to pronounce everything. The one bad part about preaching is that I no longer have as much time to study Portuguese so I have noticed a considerable decline in my learning curve. :( but it is only for another 4 weeks and then hopefully I can get back to learning the language in full swing. I actually made it out to the beach two weeks ago and it was beautiful except for the fact that under the amazingly peaceful surface of the ocean tides coming in are these horrendously sharp rocks scattered around in the nice soft sand and ended up with a slice in between my big two and next toe on my left foot and several small scrapes and puncture wounds on my right foot. But other than that it was a pretty amazing time. the scenery was beautiful and even got to see a few dolphins playing in the ocean. I also celebrated my 33 birthday a little early last night with about 25 people from the school and church I have been helping with. It was a fun night that I would not mind repeating angain with maybe just a little more help next time. I got shrimp to grill but unlike the nice supermarkets in the states they come whole here. So the process of cutting off the heads, shelling them, and cleaning them took quite a bit of time. not to mention that these lived up to their name as shrimp. But I grilled them just the same. Also got a hunk of loin and butchered it and cleaned it up then cut it into steaks and marinated them along with some chicken and sausages. I made German potato salad, fruit salad, and cheese cake. All in all it was a good time had by all, and come to find out that smoke behaves the same south of the equator as it does north of it. It finds you no matter where you try to run from it. So as soon as my non-smokers smokers cough quits all will be better. OH and I really miss my Kingsford Hickory Wood Charcoal :(. Well hope you aer all doing well and see you in another 2 months back in the states. Tchau.

Facing fears

Ok now I know we all have fears, and then there are just things that we don't like, well I am not really sure which this is, but starting Sunday May 16th I get to preach at the Christ is Life Baptist Church down here in Brazil. I agreed to do it because there is a need for it and my purpose in coming was to help meet needs that the mission has while I am here and to lend assistance in what ever way that I can. So I am going to start preaching. I have had some experience with preaching and enjoy the study and digging into the Word to make sure that what I am teaching is as close to the truth that is contained within the Word as I can get to. I even really enjoy teaching and helping people with understanding scripture, but what I do not like about preaching is two things. The first is that I have always felt like I am just talking at people and not interacting with them. It has always felt like a cold and impersonal way in which to disseminate the Word of God, but I do understand the good it can have in the lives of people that do not get the Word in any other form; and even for those that do it is a different way of getting it which can also be beneficial. And I am so thankful that God has gifted people with a heart for His Word that enjoy that part of spreading His Word. The second is, yes I am scared of standing in front of groups of people and being the center of attention (which is one of the other reasons I accepted this opportunity and even offered to go beyond the limits of the initial request to preach for more weeks than they asked. I do not like having fear and am hoping to use this opportunity to begin to overcome one of mine. I believe that fear is one of two things. The first is that it is a God given feeling to help us avoid activities and situations that are harmful to us, and second is that it is a weakness in us that we are unwilling to face and overcome. I know that this fear is the second and I do not like having something in my life that is hindering me in becoming something that I could be. I am not saying that I aspire to be a Billy Graham in the future, but I do not want to have my stomach turn in knots whenever there is the mention of public speaking. I want to be able to step up to the plate secure in the power of Christ to meet any opportunity that comes my way to spread and teach His Word no matter what the venue may be. I do not want to have to stand before the White throne and have to explain that the reason a soul was lost is because I was too afraid to stand up for His Word and speak the Truth to someone willing to listen because it was from a pulpit or in a public area. I do not want to continue to have the regrets that I might have missed an opportunity to encourage someone along their walk towards God because I did not want to deal with shaking knees because there are going to be people looking at me. So I am giving myself over into His hands and taking the steps to be free of this fear and I know that even though now fear overcomes me when i think about it, all things are possible with Him and if it is His will for me I will be able to meet this challenge as David before Goliath and I will not be one of the other soldiers quaking in my Armor before him.