Garrett Ministries

Candidates for Office

2012-02-10T16:05:00.001-08:00

We are now well into the election season and, once again, it seems that mud-slinging and one-upping one another are typical fare.

I guess I have a couple of questions for all of the candidates and voters:

1) Does one have to be a politician in order to be a candidate? It seems that all candidates are true politicians which, according to my personal definition, is congruous with phony and integrity-lacking. Once again, it seems that we are forced with voting for the one who is the lesser of the evils.

2) Is the mid-slinging really necessary? No longer are we to vote on someone because of their personal merits; instead we are to vote for the person with the least amount of dirt on his face and/or skeletons in his closet.

3) Some want us to take religion out of the voting process. I think this really interprets to mean that “one’s ‘religion-less’ religion is more important and more capable of producing a good candidate than is one’s Christianity.” It doesn’t work that way my friend. God MUST be at the center of our voting process.

and finally,

4) Can God really save this nation, either because of or instead of our particular government official? I believe He can.

2 Chronicles 7:14-15- “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place. “

This is so important, I had to re-post.

2011-10-10T14:42:00.001-07:00

Please read the following letter. It reveals much of the mis-information being propogated concerning the country of Israel. While I may not be in agreement with all of his assessments, I am in agreement with those clearly expressed in this letter.

by Denis MacEoin

An eloquent letter written by a non-Jewish Scottish professor to his students who voted to boycott Israel.

The Edinburgh Student’s Association made a motion to boycott all things Israeli since they claim Israel is under an apartheid regime. Dr. Denis Maceoin is an expert in Middle Eastern affairs. Here is his letter to those students.

Received by e-mail from the author, Dr. Denis MacEoin, a senior editor of the Middle East Quarterly,

TO: The Committee Edinburgh University Student Association.

May I be permitted to say a few words to members of the EUSA? I am an Edinburgh graduate (MA 1975) who studied Persian, Arabic and Islamic History in Buccleuch Place under William Montgomery Watt and Laurence Elwell Sutton, two of Britain's great Middle East experts in their day.

I later went on to do a PhD at Cambridge and to teach Arabic and Islamic Studies at Newcastle University. Naturally, I am the author of several books and hundreds of articles in this field. I say all that to show that I am well informed in Middle Eastern affairs and that, for that reason, I am shocked and disheartened by the EUSA motion and vote.

I am shocked for a simple reason: there is not and has never been a system of apartheid in Israel. That is not my opinion, that is fact that can be tested against reality by any Edinburgh student, should he or she choose to visit Israel to see for themselves. Let me spell this out, since I have the impression that those members of EUSA who voted for this motion are absolutely clueless in matters concerning Israel, and that they are, in all likelihood, the victims of extremely biased propaganda coming from the anti-Israel lobby.

Being anti-Israel is not in itself objectionable. But I’m not talking about ordinary criticism of Israel. I’m speaking of a hatred that permits itself no boundaries in the lies and myths it pours out. Thus, Israel is repeatedly referred to as a “Nazi” state. In what sense is this true, even as a metaphor? Where are the Israeli concentration camps? The einzatsgruppen? The SS? The Nuremberg Laws? The Final Solution? None of these things nor anything remotely resembling them exists in Israel, precisely because the Jews, more than anyone on earth, understand what Nazism stood for.

It is claimed that there has been an Israeli Holocaust in Gaza (or elsewhere). Where? When? No honest historian would treat that claim with anything but the contempt it deserves. But calling Jews Nazis and saying they have committed a Holocaust is as basic a way to subvert historical fact as anything I can think of.

Likewise apartheid. For apartheid to exist, there would have to be a situation that closely resembled how things were in South Africa under the apartheid regime. Unfortunately for those who believe this, a weekend in any part of Israel would be enough to show how ridiculous the claim is.

That a body of university students actually fell for this and voted on it is a sad comment on the state of modern education. The most obvious focus for apartheid would be the country’s 20% Arab population. Under Israeli law, Arab Israelis have exactly the same rights as Jews or anyone else; Muslims have the same rights as Jews or Christians; Baha’is, severely persecuted in Iran, flourish in Israel, where they have their world center; Ahmadi Muslims, severely persecuted in Pakistan and elsewhere, are kept safe by Israel; the holy places of all religions are protected under a specific Israeli law. Arabs form 20% of the university population (an exact echo of their percentage in the general population).

In Iran, the Bahai’s (the largest religious minority) are forbidden to study in any university or to run their own universities: why aren’t your members boycotting Iran? Arabs in Israel can go anywhere they want, unlike blacks in apartheid South Africa. They use public transport, they eat in restaurants, they go to swimming pools, they use libraries, they go to cinemas alongside Jews – something no blacks were able to do in South Africa.

Israeli hospitals not only treat Jews and Arabs, they also treat Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank. On the same wards, in the same operating theaters.

In Israel, women have the same rights as men: there is no gender apartheid. Gay men and women face no restrictions, and Palestinian gays often escape into Israel, knowing they may be killed at home.

University is supposed to be about learning to use your brain, to think rationally, to examine evidence, to reach conclusions based on solid evidence, to compare sources, to weigh up one view against one or more others. If the best Edinburgh can now produce are students who have no idea how to do any of these things, then the future is bleak.

I do not object to well-documented criticism of Israel. I do object when supposedly intelligent people single the Jewish state out above states that are horrific in their treatment of their populations. We are going through the biggest upheaval in the Middle East since the 7th and 8th centuries, and it’s clear that Arabs and Iranians are rebelling against terrifying regimes that fight back by killing their own citizens.

Israeli citizens, Jews and Arabs alike, do not rebel (though they are free to protest). Yet Edinburgh students mount no demonstrations and call for no boycotts against Libya, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Iran . They prefer to make false accusations against one of the world’s freest countries, the only country in the Middle East that has taken in Darfur refugees, the only country in the Middle East that gives refuge to gay men and women, the only country in the Middle East that protects the Bahai’s…. Need I go on?

The imbalance is perceptible, and it sheds no credit on anyone who voted for this boycott. I ask you to show some common sense. Get information from the Israeli embassy. Ask for some speakers. Listen to more than one side. Do not make your minds up until you have given a fair hearing to both parties. You have a duty to your students, and that is to protect them from one-sided argument.

They are not at university to be propagandized. And they are certainly not there to be tricked into anti-Semitism by punishing one country among all the countries of the world, which happens to be the only Jewish state. If there had been a single Jewish state in the 1930′s (which, sadly, there was not), don’t you think Adolf Hitler would have decided to boycott it?

Your generation has a duty to ensure that the perennial racism of anti-Semitism never sets down roots among you. Today, however, there are clear signs that it has done so and is putting down more. You have a chance to avert a very great evil, simply by using reason and a sense of fair play. Please tell me that this makes sense. I have given you some of the evidence. It’s up to you to find out more.

Yours sincerely,
Denis MacEoin

An Objective Review of BibleWorks 9

2011-08-17T18:44:00.001-07:00

I have written this review as a time-conscious fulfillment of a promise I made to a BibleWorks representative. This is a “surface” review because my desktop computer has been in the shop for most of the time I have owned this version of BibleWorks. (Perhaps a review of Acer Desktop computers is waiting in the lurches of my mind.) Hopefully this review will give enough of a “taste” for the program to cause the reader to sense the need for the purchase of the same. I will write a deeper and broader review after I have used BibleWorks 9 more on my main home computer.

In this review of BibleWorks 9, I am delighted to show some of the features of this newest revision, as well as to bring out many reasons why BibleWorks 9 should be on the computers of every serious biblical scholar and learned pastor.

First off, I have owned some version of BibleWorks since 2001; that gives me 10 years experience with the program. I have not, however, always kept the most current edition on my desktop for either financial reasons or because I had become so familiar with the current edition I owned that I did not want to make the change. Further, I do own other Bible programs, including the greatest competition to BibleWorks, and, for the most part, make BibleWorks my tool of choice.

On a daily basis, I am seeking to understand deeper meanings of the Scriptures. The tools of the various versions of English Bibles, accompanied by various Greek and Hebrew editions aid in the quest. Additionally, I keep a couple editions of Latin texts as well as a Spanish translation readily available (although the Spanish edition is for another purpose … which I will explain shortly.)

Using this setup, I now have the availability to observe several key (to me) editions of the English Bible, accompanied by several editions of the Greek/Hebrew texts in order to glean full/deeper meaning. I also have the ability to observe how those Latin translators understood said meanings. (Of course, the Latin does require a fuller understanding of the Latin language because of lack of Latin aides within BibleWorks 9; there are several lexicons and grammars associated with the Greek/Hebrew texts.) From this vantage, I can “see” parsings and meanings of the various words. (As said of the Latin, an understanding of the languages is extremely useful if possible but not necessary to begin to understand what is being said. NOTE: However, never assume that the fact that you can SEE what the words are and what their individual words mean make you a scholar. I have often said in teaching my classes that “a little Greek/Hebrew is a dangerous thing.”) Having said that, there is deeper meaning that is now at any user’s fingertips.

(Note: I also mentioned that I keep a Spanish translation open at all times. I do this because my wife and I often have opportunity to ministry to pastors and leaders in Latin America. While neither of us is fluent in Spanish, the capability of observing the Bible in their language greatly opens our understanding in being able to communicate with Latin Americans.)

Pluses

I love to be able to hover over a word in several of the texts and see its immediate meaning. I find this very useful when I am reading in the original languages and come across a word with which I am unfamiliar. Granted, this CAN become a crutch for students of the languages if improperly used, but it can also be a great asset for such things as a hapax legomenon or other infrequently used term. Further, I am given the option of digging deeper into particular words’ meanings through additional lexicons and tools.

I also love the ability to use parallel versions to see how different teams have translated a particular word or phrase. And having them paralleled with the Greek, Hebrew, and Latin has been a huge plus for me because I can immediately see those various versions alongside the original language. Of useful assistance here is the ability to see textual variants as well. And a new feature in BibleWorks 9 is the utilization of a few of the prominent early texts in both transcribed and scanned formats. I think this is a huge stride forward.

Another new feature of BibleWorks 9 is the ability to format your screen into four columns instead of the normal (for BibleWorks) three columns. I honestly have not used this much because the three-column format has worked for me for quite a while now, I am familiar with it, and my computer sets it as default. However, I do see the capabilities of having four columns because you are given one more possibility of tools there on your screen.

Negatives

I actually can think of only a few negatives to this program. For instance, it has greatly influenced my sermon preparation time in a negative manner. So many “rabbit trails” have appeared that I have effectually doubled (or more) my prep time. In other words, there is so much here, so many cross references, so much additional contexts, and so much in-depth study of the various words that it is difficult to confine oneself to the immediate task at hand. Of course I say all of this tongue-in-cheek because the truth is that I personally need to further discipline myself to NOT get carried away by all of the features.

Additionally, this program may not be as effective in the hands of the non-seminary trained pastor or teacher. It is short on the commentary aspect although it does have some background materials available. Again, this is not a weakness per se; instead it shows that the people at BibleWorks had a narrowed, clarified concept of what they were wanting and they worked toward that end. There are many good tools out there for pastors, but this is probably not on that list for those untrained in the praxis of its specified, particularized tools.

On another note, I was somewhat disappointed to see the removal of A. T. Robertson’s Word Pictures, from BibleWorks 9. It is a tool that I used often and one I will miss although I do have a hard copy of this work.

At the end of the day (and at its beginning for that manner,) BibleWorks is my tool of choice when attempting to glean the maximum understanding from the original languages of the Bible. Even without the ability to recognize and read the Greek/Hebrew texts, a student can and will be assisted through the use of this program … although a deeper understanding of the grammar and vocabulary of these languages will cause the use of BibleWorks 9 to be magnified many-fold. I heartily endorse the acquisition and use of this program by all seminary students, professors, learned pastors, and students of the Word of God. I would not consider such purchase as a burden but instead, an investment … and one which will reap great benefits.

Family

2011-07-25T11:22:00.001-07:00

The word, “family,” means many different things to many different people. For some, the conjured thoughts include sitting around the table with grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings. For others, the thoughts of a mom and a dad and a sibling or two come to mind. And for still others, a giant question mark arises; they simply cannot connect with this thought.

I recently was at the home of the grandparents of one of my sons-in-law in Toledo, OH. There around the house were grandmother, papa, dad, a couple of aunts, and some of the great-grand-children. I was reminded of the times when I was a young boy in SC. We would all gather together on a weekend and sing, play the guitars and fiddles, play games, tell stories, and well, … just enjoy one another’s company.

The Bible reminds us that we, too, are members of a household or family. And this certainly extends beyond our blood-relatives. In fact, it extends beyond filial, racial, cultural, and locational boundaries.

Galatians 6:10 NLT reminds us, “ Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone-- especially to those in the family of faith.”

What this means to us is that we each should be both conscious and mindful to look out for those of our family, both immediate and extended … and Oh, yeah, some of those we may consider unlikely to be family may also be the very ones who are bound to become close to you if given the chance.

So I seek to put a new twist to Galatians 6:10 (Pastor Jim Loose Translation)- “Do good to everyone … because you may never know who is of the family of faith.”

From a Mom’s Heart

2011-06-29T23:38:00.001-07:00

This actually was not written by us; it was written by our oldest daughter. It gives the full story of the miracle we have all been a part of over the past several weeks. Here it is in its entirety:

This Momma's heart has been through a lot over the past two weeks. It all started on a Saturday evening when I wasn't feeling the baby move; I thought maybe he was just having a down day because he had been quite active earlier. The next day, however, I knew that something wasn't right. I called my doctor, and I went to the emergency room. The nurse found his heartbeat right away, and I was immediately relieved, thinking all was well. When I still failed to feel movement, however, the resident came in to do a biophysical profile, which is an ultrasound in which she looks for five specific things. She did four different ultrasounds over the course of several hours, and his score kept going down until at the last one he scored a 2...really bad!

My doctor had come in to check on me and ended up spending the night at the hospital to be sure I was okay. He came into my room around 3:30am and said he was going to do a c-section to get the baby out since there was no way of knowing what was wrong. I called David and began praying like I never have before. I was told that the NICU team from Toledo Hospital would be at the delivery and that the baby would be taken there. My main concern at this point was that I wouldn't see my baby for four days; I had no idea of what lay ahead!

David made it just before the doctor began my surgery. I was so thankful! The baby was up at the top of my uterus, so the doctor and resident were pressing on my belly to get him down so they could pull him out. They were forced to make an additional incision in order to reach him. As the doctor delivered him, he asked what his name was; we hadn't made a decision, but David said, "Aaron."

Every mother expects to hear her baby's cry immediately; I heard silence. The baby was given to the NICU team; David was trying to watch, but they made him sit down. I was later told that Aaron was not breathing nor did he have a heartbeat at birth; his apgar score was a zero. His second one given five minutes later was a two. The neonatologist had to resuscitate him. The NICU team worked on him at the hospital for three hours. Then I was finally able to see him for the first time. He was bundled in an emergency transport incubator with all kinds of machines doing everything for him. One of the nurses wanted to be sure I could see him; she moved my bed and his, and she helped me reach his little hand. He was completely helpless! The neonatologist looked at me and told me that he was very sick and that he might die; she was brutally honest, and I needed her to be. Then he was taken away.

A couple of hours later, the attending physician in the NICU called me and said that someone needed to be with Aaron at the hospital because he was very concerned that he might not make it. He explained to me that he was on an oscillator and that they had given him a paralytic drug to keep him from moving so as not to injure himself. He said Aaron was extremely ill and they hadn't figured out why. I sent David to the other hospital right away. My nurses worked to get me transferred, and I was finally able to go at 2:30 in the afternoon. When I arrived at the hospital and was checked in and settled, my nurse put me in a wheelchair and took me to Aaron's room. I was so unprepared for what I saw...my son attached to all kinds of life support. There were so many things running through my head. He lay there completely motionless, a tube down his throat to help him breathe. He was extremely puffy, his skin pulled tight around his little body. He had multiple medications running through an umbilical line. His entire body was bruised. He was not beautiful by the world's definition by any means, but he was MINE! And I loved him immediately.

The doctor came and talked to me, and I can't even remember what in the world he said. I just cried. I was so afraid that I would lose my baby. Thank God that my sister was there to ask the right questions and to help me understand what was going on. When I saw how scared she was, though, I knew it was horribly bad. When I returned to my room, I told my dad that I trusted God, but the hard part of trusting Him is that it doesn't mean things will work out the way I want them to...it just means that I trust Him, no matter what. So began my journey of trust.

The days were long. The days were hard. The days were emotional! The days were God's! It was amazing to see God begin to work miracles in Aaron's little body. We prayed his name over him...Aaron: mountain of strength...Joseph: Jehovah increases. And we began to see God bring healing. The doctors were astonished. The nurses were floored. God was in control!

Now, two weeks later, Aaron is off of all medications and support other than his feeding tube. He is beginning to learn to eat as we work with him at times he is awake and interested. The nurses have gone from telling me that he would probably be there a couple of weeks past his due date (10 weeks total) to saying that he could be ready to go home in a couple of weeks (4-5 weeks total). Over the past few days, I have gone from not being allowed to hold him (because of his chest tubes) to having to ask a nurse to get him for me (because of his picc line) to being able to get him in and out of his bed as I please at any time. All of his tests have come back with good results. He is extremely responsive which is a good sign developmentally.

Aaron weighs 4 pounds, 6 ounces, and all of the weight he has gained is positive gain, not fluid retention. He is amazing! God is amazing! And I am grateful...forever grateful!

Are You Blessing Your Children on a Regular Basis?

2011-05-23T14:43:00.001-07:00

Usually on Sabbath (Friday evening) before retiring for bed.
This is usually pronounces while the father is laying hands on the forehead of each child and speaking the blessing. In some homes the blessing is followed by a kiss, and in other homes it is followed by personal words of praise.

This will 1) make each child feel loved, significant, and special 2) give each child fond memories of “family-together-time, and 3) enact the blessing of God in each child.
The Blessing for a Son

May the Lord make you like Ephraim and Manasseh

Why?
Just before he dies, Jacob blesses his two grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh . He says they should become role models for the Jewish people in the future.
So Jacob blessed the boys that day with this blessing: “The people of Israel will use your names when they give a blessing. They will say, ‘May God make you as prosperous as Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ” In this way, Jacob put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. ^{^[1]}." (Genesis 48:20)
Ephraim and Manasseh did in fact become role models worthy of emulation. Unlike those before them, including Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, and Joseph and his brothers, Ephraim and Manasseh were not rivals. Rather, Ephraim and Manasseh were brothers united by their drive to perform good deeds.

The Blessing for a Daughter

May the Lord make you like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah.

Why?
Each of the matriarchs has qualities that qualify them to be role models.
The matriarchs were strong and laudable women. They endured difficult home lives, hardships in marriage, infertility, abduction, envy from other woman, and difficult children. Nevertheless, these righteous women, through their individual passion, their partnerships with the patriarchs and their loyalty to God, succeed to build a nation.

The Blessing for Children
May the Lord bless you and protect you.

May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.

May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’ Number 6:24-26

^{^[1]} Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible : New Living Translation., 3rd ed. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2007), Ge 48:20.

The Death of Osama bin Laden

2011-05-09T10:30:00.001-07:00

Friends,

I am concerned about the finality with which most are dealing with the death of Osama bin Laden. It seems that now that justice has been served (somewhat,) many are once again feeling safe and sound. Unfortunately, I believe that these are greatly deceived. You see, we in the West are judging things by our own understanding and culture; but Middle Eastern culture is very different. While we have looked at the governmental structure (or lack thereof) of the Taliban and such, we have looked at that structure through our own, western-civilized lenses … and thus overlooked reality.

Modern US governmental structure is what might be labeled as a centralized system: that is, there is structure (including ranks of command and control) and there are rules. Middle eastern organizations (?) such as the Taliban, Al Qaeida, and others tend to operate in a way that we might label as “decentralized systems.” This means that there is no clear leader, there is no rank of command and control, and instead, there is distributed or shared power, and ambiguity.

We are aware of this in the US but oftentimes, we fail to think of it regarding modern leadership. We are familiar with Wikipedia, where there is no ONE center of authority. We are familiar with the internet; and even though it was invented by Al Gore (GROAN!!!) we understand there is no clear, central authority here.

Two authors have defined such decentralized activities and comparisons in terms of starfish and spiders. Their illustration may be summarized thusly: The Spider is Centralized. It has a Central body with legs. If you cut off its head, it dies. The Starfish might be seen as a Decentralized network. It has no head and its major organs are replicated throughout each arm. If you cut it in half and you get two starfish. (If you would like to read more, check out The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations by Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom. All I just gave you is a summary of the first two chapters.)

This above picture is what I think, even as I write, is taking place among Radical Islam. So, in my opinion, the death of Osama bin Laden does not bring an end to the terror or the uprisings; instead, it gives naïve American citizens a false sense of security.

So then where can we rest and be secure?

Let’s put our trust in the Lord!

Here is my paraphrase of Psalm 91

    1 Those who live in (abide in, dwell in) the shelter of the Most High will find rest (and peace and security) in the shadow of the Almighty.
    2 This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety (not relevant news or public acclamations); He (alone) is my God, and I trust Him (and Him alone.)
    3 For He will rescue you from every trap (including deception and false security) and protect you from deadly disease.
    4 (Like a mother hen) He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter (protect) you with his wings. And His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
    5 Do not be afraid of the terrors (or terrorists) of the night, nor the arrow (bombs, threats, etc.) that flies in the day.
    6 Do not dread the disease (unknown, mysteries) that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster (threats to eradicate the free world) that strikes at midday.
    7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you,
      these evils will not touch you.
    8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.

   14 The LORD says, “I will rescue (all) those who love (and who prove that love by trusting) me. (In fact, and I assure this,) I will protect those who trust in My name.
    15 When they call on Me, I will answer (respond and come to the rescue); I will be with them in (every) trouble. I will rescue and honor them.
    16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation (both here and in eternity.)” Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible : New Living Translation., 3rd ed. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2007), Ps 91.

And finally, as we face uncertain days ahead, I close with the words of Job as he, too, face uncertain days: “Though He may slay me, yet will I still trust in Him …” (Job 13:15 my paraphrase)

As most are, I am glad this phase (bin Laden) has come to an end in our narrative; nonetheless, I choose NOT to place my hope in reports, tales, and celebrations; I put my trust in the Lord.

Where will you put your trust?

Isaiah 49:2- “I am like a polished arrow in His quiver.”

Garrett Ministries is a division of Polished Arrow Christian Endeavors, a Not-for-Profit Corporation licensed in the state of Illinois.

The Twelfth Imam by Joel C. Rosenberg- A Review

2011-04-27T17:16:00.001-07:00

This review WILL give one important but (I feel) necessary spoiler.

I have loved all of Rosenberg’s fact-fictional writings. Some have called him prophetic in his writings because seemingly, he has been able to predict events before they happened … including the massacre of 9/11 and the capture of Saddam Hussein. Yes, both of these events (and more) were actually written about in his fictional writings.

And he IS an exciting Christian writer with a gripping story.

But all of his previous fictional works were clearly, up front, “to-be-continued.”

Not so with the Twelfth Imam. (and thus, the spoiler.)

In the book, we are again taken to the world of the Middle East where we are presented with several believable characters. And Rosenberg takes the time to develop them all well.

He even ventures into a bit of a taboo field (for Christians) that has a critical tie-in toward the end of this story.

He presents a great understanding of various aspects of Islam AND he presents some of the tensions the world and Islam are throwing at one another.

Again, I was SUPER engaged in the Twelfth Imam.

But my recommendation to ALL readers is: wait until the “follow up” book comes out because you will get so wrapped up in this one … and then come to an abrupt NON-ending.

I wanted so much more and I wanted it NOW.

But, we will wait patiently for the next episode.

Isaiah 49:2- “I am like a polished arrow in His quiver.”

Garrett Ministries is a division of Polished Arrow Christian Endeavors, a Not-for-Profit Corporation licensed in the state of Illinois.

Courageous: The Movie- A Review

2011-04-26T20:38:00.001-07:00

Cheri and I just walked in the door from seeing the Pastors’ preview of Courageous: The Movie. It is coming out in theaters on September 30.

May I simply say that it is a MUST SEE movie … especially for all dads. It is serious. It is funny. It is challenging. It is liberating. It is all of those things and more.

While I cannot give you a spoiler, I can say that this movie is for dads what Fireproof is for marriages.

My favorite character is Javier and I have now adopted his title for my Marroquin son: The Snake King. See it; you’ll see what I mean.

Here is an advance trailer and tickets are coming out beginning Father’s Day.

http://courageousthemovie.com/

Isaiah 49:2- “I am like a polished arrow in His quiver.”

Garrett Ministries is a division of Polished Arrow Christian Endeavors, a Not-for-Profit Corporation licensed in the state of Illinois.

Highlight of Our Disney Vacation

2011-04-12T17:53:00.001-07:00

Hi All,

I am really sorry that I haven’t shared this with all of you already since it is probably THE HIGHLIGHT of our Disney Vacation. The night that Jim took Jamie & Crystal to Downtown Disney I brought their kids back to the room after swimming and got them ready for bed. Chloe was out like a light. I was trying unsuccessfully to find a kids’ program for Christian and Carson to watch as they drifted off to sleep. We were talking about the day and all the fun we had … that was the day the boys went on the Pirate Adventure. And I don’t really remember how the conversation turned to Jesus wanting to be our best friend but Christian started asking me questions about it … like, how can He live in our hearts (Carson thought that sounded gross) and what did it mean for Jesus to be our best friend, would he do stuff with us … did it mean He would come play with him? And I shared with Christian that when Jesus comes to be our best friend that He will be with us all the time and He will help us make good choices and love people and treat them good and be kind and loving and He will help us do great things. Christian was really interested and I saw that open door of his heart so I asked him if he would like to pray and ask Jesus to be his best friend and he said yes … so I led him in a prayer and He asked Jesus to forgive him and to be his very best friend and help him live his life for Him.

So awesome!

Carson had some interest but not quite ready at his age … he thought it was gross the Jesus would come and live in our hearts and he already has a best friend at school. I told him that Jesus would be his very best friend when he is ready.

Cheri

Soul Print by Mark Batterson- A Review

2011-04-11T10:41:00.001-07:00

I think for once, I’ve finally gotten it right. Mind you, not everything is always a “do-over.” Nor is much sad or difficult in my life. But I have had a journey of reading that was often met with books that I just could not connect with until I had approached them a third or fourth time.

But I have finally gotten it right (or at least something in that “reading” genre has finally taken ahold of me.)

I just finished reading Soul Print by Pastor Mark Batterson. Keep in mind that I have three other books by Batterson and that I fell absolutely in love with his, In a Pit with a Lion of a Snowy Day. So Soul Print was high on my list of desire-to-reads. And it DID NOT FAIL. In this book, Batterson addresses your uniqueness, as well as God’s unique plan for you. Pastor Mark also encourages and teaches each Christian in the paths of integrity and spirituality.

I think that Batterson brings a fresh breath to the Christian world in the facts that he is relevant and yet, with sufficient Biblical depth. I find his writing engaging as well as thought (and LIFE) provoking and I am always encouraged yet challenged when I read his works. (Plus, it didn’t hurt any that Soul Print drew much of its attention from the stories concerning King David, who happens to be one of the Bible’s most interesting individuals.

I strongly recommend Soul Print and I look forward to using it in my personal life as well in my teachings. I rate it 5 out of 5. I find no fault with it other than I prefer briefer chapters … but with the divisions within each chapter, that was over-lookable.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Isaiah 49:2- “I am like a polished arrow in His quiver.”

Garrett Ministries is a division of Polished Arrow Christian Endeavors, a Not-for-Profit Corporation licensed in the state of Illinois.

Cartagena Day 3 Repost (w/ pics)

2011-03-22T17:53:00.001-07:00

We rested much of the afternoon; this heat and humidity is an energy killer.

Early in the afternoon, Cheri and I walked down to the bay. It was a very nice time squeezing off some photos and just being together in the fresh, salty aired breeze.

Tonight we ministered to couples and had a blast as we spoke life and truth into their lives … All peppered with fun and laughter.

Unfortunately, we did not get to call my grandson Carson for his birthday because of the timing and accessibility of phones. I am sure he had a great day AND we can celebrate with him at Disney in a couple of weeks.

It’s time to shut down for the night.

Hasta luego!

Cartagena Day 3 repost

2011-03-20T20:18:00.001-07:00

We rested much of the afternoon; this heat and humidity is an energy killer.
Early in the afternoon, Cheri and I walked down to the bay. It was a very nice time squeezing off some photos and just being together in the fresh, salty aired breeze.

Cartagena is certainly a beautiful city and we are quickly reminded that we are staying right in the ritzy part of it. We have seen three bedroom apartments worth millions of dollars, live in maids, nannies, and dog walkers.(We're not in Kansas anymore Toto.)
Tonight we ministered to couples and had a blast as we spoke life and truth into their lives ... All was peppered with fun and laughter.

It's time to shut down for the night.

Hasta luego!

Cartagena- Day 2- revised post

2011-03-19T18:52:00.001-07:00

I wanted to repost these that should have pictures accompanying them since … well, I have pictures. Also, Cheri is giving some input in here as well.

Today, we actually begin our conferences. Today's and Tonight's meetings are at the Iglesia de Arbol de Vida hosted by Pastor Luis. Our initial group was small- maybe 75-100 people and was comprised of pastors and wives.
One very interesting thing happened today: we were actually cut off in traffic by a donkey-pulled cart. Again I can say, I've never seen that before.

I spoke in the first service alone BUT Cheri's luggage did get here this am so she was able to speak in the second meeting.
My message re: “What is the Church?” was well received and won the approval of this reserved congregation.
Cheri was able to teach the second session re: “Living on Purpose” (much to my relief.) She spoke for a good hour and won the respect of the people.
After these AM sessions, I shared a Greek thought of the day with the word used in Romans 8:26 concerning the Holy Spirit helping us in out weaknesses. Even the Senior Pastor of the church was moved upon by the Holy Spirit on this one.
We left for the day around lunch time and retired to the apartment for needed lunch and rest.

For the evening service, I spoke concerning the Lord of the Breakthroughs. We had an altar call with over 100 coming up for prayer. (by the way, there were probably about 250 in tonight's service.
It has been a long time since I have seen God's move so obvious. I don't often get hyped up about people falling under God's power because that CAN BE a result of too much emotionalism ... but not so tonight. It was not really an emotional message.

We feel that we are already making some new friends among these precious pastors and their wives ... and we are delighted.
We had a beautiful trip back to the apartment where we were met with supper. Our driver took us through the old city where we saw castles lit up at night, the home (at least one of them) of Julio Iglesias, and many historic sites. then we rode along the beach ... again all I can say is, "BONITA- (Beautiful)."
Around the table, we had God-ordained conversation with Francelina, our hostess. It was truly precious.
I can't wait to see what God is going to do tomorrow.

Yeshua in Context by Derek Leman- a book review

2011-03-19T08:26:00.001-07:00

Derail Leman's new book is definitely a great read. It is one of the newer publications from Messianic Judaism and provides a contextual rendering of the words spoken by Jesus Christ in the Gospels.

I thought the research seemed sound and I thought the writing style was very engaging.

Perhaps the thing I liked most about this book is that is reflective of a growth in Messianic Judaism: it does not build a foundation for Messianic Judaism; it assumes such ... And then produces a helpful understanding of Middle Eastern, Jewish backgrounds of Jesus' teaching.

I think it is one of the best Messianic reads i have had in a long time.

Yeshua in Contet is written by Derek Leman and is published byMount Olive Press in Stone Mountain Georgia.
ISBN 978-0-9747814-4-0

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Medellin to Chicago

2011-03-18T21:35:00.001-07:00

Today started early ... And a lesson to remember is that late nights and early mornings do not mix together well.

Marlen took us to the airport, we checked through exit tax area, checked our bags through and went through 6 stages of security checks (literally) (only to later realize that they had inspected two of our checked bags.)

For some reason, the three hour flight seemed short.

Miami is always interesting.

Our flight from Miami to Chicago seemed much longer although they were about the same.

We're glad to be home.

Hopefully I will reflect more tomorrow but for now, it's time for bed.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Medallion- day 3

2011-03-17T21:05:00.001-07:00

What a fabulous day!

We woke up early this morning for our final day of the Medellin Pastor's Seminar. We were really excited about what God is doing. Our anticipation was well-paid off. Again we had many visiting pastors who had not registered for the conference and we were honored by their presence ... But we were overwhelmed by the attention, reception, and appreciation these registered pastors showed us. One pastor, the president of the Bogota Pastors' Association came all the way to Medellin from Bogota ... And yes, he issued an Invitation to bring these same messages to the pastors in Bogota. We are working on dates for this.

My first message today was concerning Sabbath- being versus doing. It offered very practical recommendations concerning how to transform our performance-oriented lives into Presence-oriented ones.

Cheri then spoke primarily to the ladies concerning the heart of the lioness. A couple of husbands gave her a (fun) hard time afterward. During our break, we were approached by a group of women pastors who invited Cheri to come and speak at their retreat.

For our final presentation, we team-taught Spiritual Disciplines as a way to Spiritual Transformation. Again, we offered practical recommendations from the Word of God concerning spiritual transformation. This is what our hearts have prepared for and this is what we love. As we finished, we had a beautiful time together in the altar. Afterward, we were shown love and appreciation by all in attendance. They presented me with a beautiful, expensive Castiliano shirt (I think I spelled that right) and presented Cheri with beautiful Colombian artifacts jewelry. We were very honored and humbled by their love. We realized that some of these pastors face regular threats from guerilla forces and may not be alive to be at another similar conference, yet they keep serving the Lord.

Marlen then took us to lunch in a quaint Colombian restaurant where Cheri had pescado frijo and I had bandeja paisa ... A meal which should easily feed 3 men. We then went to the historical local village which gave us great scenery of the city.

Then we went and had sweets.

No mas! No mas! No mas! I think i have gained 5 pounds in Colombia this time ... No kidding.

We got back to the room and Pedro and Mabel, Pedro and Marlena, and Adam took us out to ..l you guessed it ... A closing meal.

Leaving good friends is always difficult but we know we shall see these again ... And Pastor Pedro is getting me a custom, hand-crafted Colombian guitar for our next visit.

We are packed and ready to go in the morning. It will be a long day of flights and airports ... But we are glad to be heading home to our family and our church family ... Still, we already miss our Colombian friends.

I will post pictures as soon as we get settled in at home and have the means to do so.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Calle 15A 30,Medellín,Colombia

Medellin Colombia -Day 2

2011-03-16T16:32:00.001-07:00

Wow!!!

Another incredible day of the Pastor's Seminar. They are so hungry for God to move in their midst; we are humbled by their pull on us.

The day started with me alone. Cheri had been so sick through the night and I know she was tired from being sick. So I left her at the hotel room after emailing the church for prayer, praying for Cheri myself, and then downing a great cup of Colombian coffee.

When I got to the church and stepped up into the pulpit, I realized something very crucial: I do not necessarily need Cheri to speak beside me or to speak instead of me; I need Cheri for her love and support. It was different Sunday as we went two different directions to minister out of necessity. We each knew that, even though we were ministering in two different places, we had one another's backs. But this time, i was alone in the pulpit and she was alone in the bed. I had the president of the Pastors' Association call her at 10:30 ... And she Was ready to be picked up so we could team teach. (Thank God Cheri wasn't carrying the whole load; she was drained of energy ... But her heart said preach")

I spoke about avoiding stagnation in ministry at 8:30; Cheri and I spoke together about a healthy me, a healthy family, and a heathy ministry.

After praying with several pastors, we went to lunch at a large charismatic church that is based in the G-12 movement. This was a gathering of prominent business men and political leaders. It was refreshing to brush elbows with these dedicated Christian leaders of the Medellin community. (and their church, btw, is in the midst of Pablo Escabar's neighborhood. We actually saw a couple of buildings he built for the community ... Very interesting.) Lunch was excellent ... And then they asked me to speak. Hmmm, no one told me I would be speaking at this meeting. But I refused to show surprise (i hope) and moved forward with some "now" thoughts God had laid on my heart.

To tell you the truth, we are feeling such an anointing, I think I could recite the ABCs and lives would be changed this week. ;-)

We retired to the room for a late siesta where Cheri can simply regain some more strength; in the meanwhile, I will pray and hone tomorrow's messages.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Calle 15A 30,Medellín,Colombia

Medellin Colombia day one

2011-03-15T20:56:00.001-07:00

Today we opened our Pastors' Conference in Medellin. We woke up ready for this (although I woke up at 4:30 AM to the tune of two teen-aged boys fighting in the hallway on the floor below.)

After breakfast, we went to the church and discovered that they had gone all out on this event. They had eight foot tall banners with Cheri's and my face taking up about one third of it ... And there are no other speakers. And we found out they have flyers all over town ... In full color. Of course, we knew they had tv ads because we actually videotaped those (minus the tag lines) back in Tinley Park. ... But then we got the real shock: all of these pastors are wearing buttons with Cheri's and my pictures on them ... I mean 2" round buttons. We are not used to this kind of attention to say the least. And we're not embarrassed; we're humbled by it all.

Anyway, service started on time with great worship. I was up first and ministered on What is the Church? We took a break and Cheri ministered regarding Guard Your Heart. We were very well received and enjoyed our fellowship aver the services.lunch was with Pastor Andrew, pastor of the host church. I don't know how many they run but they have four services, all mostly full and their sanctuary seats well over two thousand people. He was a delight and spoke to us about coming in for staff consultation next year with his personal staff. (it's good to be recognized for qualities again.)

We spent the afternoon in siesta and then went out with good friends Pedro, Mabel, and Alejandro and Margarita. These accept us as family and provide us an incredible experience. They tells us, "you are not paisa (native country men) but you are familia. Again, this gives us a great feeling.

Well, we barely (literally) make it back to the room and Cheri is violently ill. Afterwards, she feels much better but is still nauseated. She feels as if it is something she ate but that is somewhat strange since food preparation hygiene is at US or above standards. And I feel a little wrest too as I write this.

Oh well, finalize preparation on tomorrow's messages (as we here several gunshots down the street), then we're off to bed.

By the way, we really DO feel absolutely safe and in God's hands here in what was once known as the most dangerous city in the world.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Calle 14,Medellín,Colombia

Cartagena - Medellin Colombia

2011-03-14T21:21:00.001-07:00

Today was a day of transition.

We woke up early and went to the beach in Cartagena.

We had lunch with the administrator and financial secretary of Arbor de Vida church and exchanged gifts and prayers.

We packed and headed to the airport where we were greeted by more members of Arbor de Vida to say good-bye.

Then we flew to Medellin.

We were met by Pastor Marleyn (and I may discover a better way to spell her name)

We are now ready for bed.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Colombia

Cartagena-day 7

2011-03-13T19:13:00.001-07:00

What a marvelous way to end our ministry in Cartagena. I preached two messages at Arbor de Vida. Arbor de Vida is a Multi-site church and Cheri spoke at one of their other campuses. Although Cheri and I conducted these alone, Pedro was with us as the Colombian president of Christ for the City International. He spoke at three churches today ... So three of us spoke at six services today.

Cheri was very well received at her church as she spoke on Freedom and certainly, freedom was in the house.

I, too was well received as I spoke on God using our brokenness. There was a great encouragement among the congregation

After a brief siesta, we toured the city, took many photos, rode a horse drawn carriage on tour, and purchased a few souvenirs.

We then came back to the apartment, ate, and had a marvelous time of prayer with Maria and Francelina.

Tomorrow will be a sad day as we leave a part of our hearts in Cartagena.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena- Day 6

2011-03-13T11:03:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure when this will post; it's been a long day and a late night and I have two services to preach Sunday: one at 7:00 and the other at 9:30.

We closed out the Pastor's Seminar this morning with two great services. The building was relatively full and the people were expectant. I spoke in the first meeting regarding Staying on Task: Finishing the Journey. You could look at the faces and see that many were ready to quit simply out of weariness and frustration. Most every pastor understands this sentiment and primarily needs some encouragement. I gave the encouragement and some needed Scripture regarding how to protect oneself from such happening again.

And Cheri and team-taught to wrap up the series. We taught on spiritual disciplines as a means to renewing our spirits and minds. It was well received and many gave testimony of how their lives had been changed and challenged through our time together.

We went to the apartment for lunch and had a (briefer than normal) siesta. The reason for the shortness was that we had a city wide youth rally to conduct.275-300 teen showed up for the incredible time together. Their worship team did a great job and it was obvious that we were working with a group of kids who (mostly) lived the Lord.

I came up next and led in a crowd surfing race. Because the church was divided into two sections, we simply had two teams whose goal it was to transport one youth leader on each side all the way to the back and then back up front again. All of this was done over their heads ... As in they passed the youth leaders over the students heads from front to back and to front again. (I think one youth leader was briefly dumped on the way back up ... But no one was injured and nothing was broke.)

These kids were hyped. Cheri spoke (masterfully) about being a lion chaser and terrorizing the lions in our lives. Her challenge was that the same energy that went into a brief, frivolous game could by used for Jesus to win a generation and to win a country. We had a tremendous altar call with most students dedicating themselves to use their energies for Christ. We also had at least 13 saved and had many more staying afterwards for prayer, counsel, and photos. I have one really good shot of Cheri in a bunch of kids. We had fun ... And God moved too.

Now to finalize preparation for services tomorrow.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Cartagena, Colombia

Colombia- Day 5

2011-03-11T22:09:00.001-08:00

Today was our first and only free day.

We began the day with breakfast which we all enjoyed. We also noticed on the news that Japan was hit last night by a powerful earthquake and were also reminded that about his time last year, we were in Hawaii awakening to tsunami warnings, which Hawaii is again doing today.

George took us on a guided tour today, beginning at a restaurant on the bay inside the walls of the walled city. I made sone fabulous pictures ... Many of them ... Only to discover that I had not replaced my memory card in my camera after I had imported them into Cheri's net book. Arguing.

Well, I couldn't go back and make up for these but I did have my video camera with me and it takes some decent stills. Cheri also had her camera but it doesn't seem to take crisp photos like my Pentax.

We were in an older part of Cartagena today and I did get to snap a few photos of some of the older homes. They were all very beautiful. We also went up the mountain to an old convent. Here you could see the entire city, both rich and poor. Here too we made many pictures.

Then we went down to the castillo where again we made pictures and where I a was ably to pick up a couple of xxl t-shirts. (They're actually difficult to find here. I guess most men aren't the same size as me here.) We also went to an artisan mercado and viewed their goods. I hope we get to go back here.

We had lunch with the host pastors and the administrative pastors as well as Pedro and Adam. We spoke for a long time about what God has done during this time of ministry and we planned for the future. Who knows what God has in store.

And siesta was wonderful although prior to resting, we all tried to catch up on what's going on about the earthquake.

After our time of siesta, we were picked up at the apartment by Jorge and Dianna. They are such a delightful couple whom God is just beginning to mightily use. They took all four of us out to an incredible meal at a typico Colombian high-end restaurant. Cheri and I both had the most wonderful fish (and they were different from each other.)

Then we had such intimate conversation wherein God was so tangible. It felt good to be used in that way as we counseled and prayed with this couple.

We also sense God changing our messages for tomorrow somewhat so I am sitting up (very) late re-hashing the messages for tomorrow. (Late nights make for long days ... so I am praying for divine rest as we finish up our Cartagena Pastors' Convention Saturday AM.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad.

Location:Cartagena

Colombia - Day 4

2011-03-10T19:46:00.001-08:00

This has been a very exciting, yet very tiring day.

Cheri spoke first to the Pastor's wives today regarding Guarding Your Heart. I then spoke to everyone concerning community and working together. During the break, the pastor proudly showed us his audio, video, and internet equipment. He was so proud of the assets in this area and we were proud for him. While he was showing us these things, I spied a Cartagena poster concerning our ministers' convention. Pedro kept telling me in Spanish, "Pastor Jim, you're famous." apparently, these posters are all over town with Cheri's and my picture on them.

We have won two new friends on this journey. One is a young worship leader named Wilson. I guess he is mid-20s to 30 and is simply a delightful young man that happens to know a little English.

Our other friend is a little girl name Dianna who has really attached to Cheri. (I think Cheri has fallen for her two. She is probably 6 or 7 and is simply adorable (and shy.)

After the break, I was up to speak again. This time i spoke concerning "doing versus being" and it launched that from the commandment to remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.

We broke for lunch and immediately travelled to The Colegio Corporacion Cartagena Latino-americano where I joyously addressed the teachers and staff of this 600+ member school. (he may have even told me 800 but I forget.) my message regarding needing one another was well received. We were also invited to speak at another church Sunday but unfortunately, we are already booked up with Cheri going in one direction and I in other.

After a brief rest, I once again ministered to the pastors and local church attendees where I spoke on the woman with the issue of blood and the need for memorials to remind us from where God has brought us. We had a marvelous time with strong prayer for healing afterwards.

We are really enjoying seeing what God is doing and we are humbled that He would choose us.

We are also excited that He has placed us in such a beautiful place among so many new friends.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Cartagena, Colombia

Colombia-Day three

2011-03-09T20:34:00.001-08:00

In some respects, this has been a relatively uneventful day. We did have one session today with the local ministerial association. We had a good time as I ministered to them about personal integrity and taking care of their personal lives, including their families. You should have seen their faces when i told them that it was ok to turn off their cell phones once in a while. After I spoke, they had their normal business and we had to leave before they were done. I would have liked to have spoken with some of the pastors afterward though.

We rested much of the afternoon; this heat and humidity is an energy killer.

Early in the afternoon, Cheri and I walked down to the bay. It was a very nice time squeezing off some photos and just being together in the fresh, salty aired breeze.

Cartagena is certainly a beautiful city and we are quickly reminded that we are staying right in the ritzy part of it. We have seen three bedroom apartments worth millions of dollars, live in maids, nannies, and dog walkers.(We're not in Kansas anymore Toto.)

Tonight we ministered to couples and had a blast as we spoke life and truth into their lives ... All peppered with fun and laughter.

Unfortunately, we did not get to call my grandson Carson for his birthday because of the timing and accessibility of phones. I am sure he had a great day AND we can celebrate with him at Disney in a couple of weeks.

It's time to shut down for the night and I still have not figured out how to load photos through this iPad onto the blog ... Oh well, we'll just keep trying.

Hasta luego!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Cartagena

Cartagena- Day 2

2011-03-08T20:35:00.001-08:00

Today, we actually begin our conferences. Today's and Tonight's meetings are at the Iglesias de Arbol de Vidal hosted by Pastor Luis. Our initial group was small- maybe 75-100 people and was comprised of pastors and wives.

One very interesting thing happened today: we were actually cut off in traffic by a donkey-pulled cart. Again I can say, I've never seen that before.

I spoke in the first service alone BUT Cheri's luggage did get here this am so she was able to speak in the second meeting.

My message was well received and won the approval of this reserved congregation.

Cheri was able to teach the second session (much to my relief.) She spoke for a good hour and won the respect of the people.

After these AM sessions, I shared a Greek thought of the day with the word used in Romans 8:26 concerning the Holy Spirit helping us in out weaknesses. Even the Senior Pastor of the church was moved upon by the Holy Spirit on this one.

We left for the day around lunch time and retired to the apartment for needed lunch and rest.

For the evening service, I spoke concerning the Lord of the Breakthroughs. We had an altar call with over 100 coming up for prayer. (by the way, there were probably about 250 in tonight's service.

It has been a long time since I have seen God's move so obvious. I don't often get hyped up about people falling under God's power because that CAN BE a result of too much emotionalism ... but not so tonight. It was not really an emotional message.

We feel that we are already making some new friends among these precious pastors and their wives ... and we are delighted.

We had a beautiful trip back to the apartment where we were met with supper. Our driver took us through the old city where we saw castles lit up at night, the home (at least one of them) of Julio Iglesias, and many historic sites. then we rode along the beach ... again all I can say is, "BEAUTIFUL."

Around the table, we had God-ordained conversation with Francelina, our hostess. It was truly precious.

I can't wait to see what God is going to do tomorrow.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad.

Location:Cartagena, Colombia

Cartagena- Day One

2011-03-07T18:47:00.001-08:00

Wow.

This day started with a bang as Cheri woke up at 1:30 AM to begin her preparations for Cartagena.

I woke up at 3:00 AM and we left our hotel shortly after 3:30 to go through security and all that good stuff at CHicago O'Hare.

Pretty uneventful although both of us realize that God really has a plan for us here.

Miami International was even smoother although we had to walk literally from one end of the airport to the other (and it's a long airport.)

After a small layover, we boarded Avianca airlines to Cartagena. It was a very smooth ride ... until we went to baggage and found that Cheri's bag with all of her toiletries and lady-things didn't make the flight with us. (Yes, we are supposed to speak at 9:00 AM and Cheri has almost none of here necessities.)

No panic though; we are in God's hands and all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose and walk according to His will.

Avianca calls and finds her bag ... in Bogota ... several hours away.

We should have it later tonight or tomorrow.

We really have a booked schedule here speaking to pastors, wives, churches, schools, and youth group .... and that's the first set of Pastors' Seminars. I think, when I total it up, that we are speaking 19 times this week.

We also met with Pastor Luis tonight and scheduled the week out. He is a delightful man who has pastored his church for 35 years. I know we are here to teach and mentor, but I also hope to glean some of this man's anointing.

We are delighted to be with Pedro Hernandez and to have Adam Cabeen as our translator again; we really have a connection with these two guys.

We have no pictures yet be we will have plenty over the next few days I'm sure.

OK, I know some of you who read my blog are waiting for this: Tonight's meal was: water, jugo de naranja, braised pollo, ensalada, y arroz, a very typical Colombian meal. I am not sure what the dessert was but I will find out. It was something like dolce leche (and I WILL find out.) Of course this was topped off with a cup of delicioso Colombian cafe con leche.

By the way, our accommodations are great. We are staying in a nice apartment, 5th floor, overlooking the beach here in Cartagena. And our hostess and cook are marvelous.

We are going to have a good time AND enjoy what God is doing.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Cartagena, Colombia

Colombian Pastors' Conference- preparation

2011-03-06T18:03:00.001-08:00

We are about to turn in for the night so we can be on board at 5:30 AM. We are heading Cartagena for a four-day conference as well as Wednesday night and Sunday morning services.

We know that God is going to speak through us and we are ready to be used and changed.

Please pray for us and the pastors there in Colombia.

Pastors Jim and Cheri

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Chicago O'Hare

Book Review- The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons

2011-03-04T16:22:00.001-08:00

This book was a real Hate-Love relationship for me.Lyons is basically a proponent of the post-Christian era … not that he believes that this is as it should be; rather, he seemingly resigns himself in the concept that this is where the world now is. Certainly, he would be joined by many who would offer a similar opinion.

The book started off on a very negative slant (from my perspective) as it delineated the gradual digression of the church since its birth. In this digression, Lyons affirmed that there is a growing disdain for Christianity and the church.

What I failed to grasp at the initial stages, however, was that Lyons was building a foundation to introduce a counter culture similar to the original intent of Christianity (but from which Christianity has moved throughout the years.)

These “next Christians” as he called them are those who mingle among the world’s elite as well as the world’s down-and-outers.

They are those who are confident in their callings and who often choose to use those callings in their various venues.

In other words, these individuals who Lyons introduces are those who have the gifting to move in any circle but who choose to move among those whom many of us would define. as secular; they choose to ignore the lines between the sacred and the secular.

Perhaps this is all OK, but it sits strange with me.

While I have always stated that we need to allow the sacred to invade and influence the secular, what is see here is a “blurring of the lines” in which one can hardly tell the difference (if there is, in fact, such.)

My critique of The Next Christians: although it was a well-written book with many powerful vignettes of Christians participating in their local “worlds,” I felt there was a call for relevance when I would have preferred to have seen a call for difference.

On a scale of 1-5, I rate this book a 3.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Isaiah 49:2- "I am like a polished arrow in His quiver."

Garrett Ministries is a division of Polished Arrow Christian Endeavors, a Not-for-Profit Corporation licensed in the state of Illinois.

2011-03-03T10:19:00.001-08:00

(This review concerns Radical by David Platt. It is published by Multnomah Books and bears ISBN 978-1-60142-221-7)

Wow!

In this day and time when many of our Christian books deal with branding, marketing, and … well, soft-peddling so as not to offend, we are given an in your face, challenging book that is … well, … radical.

Platt takes the reader on a journey where church is not lived within the four-walled entities with said title; instead, church is lived out in the streets, on the field, and where one works.

I think the most astounding challenge for me was to read of a life of simplification and incarnation. In other words, Platt makes a case for Christians having less and doing more with that less by being Jesus to the world … even to the point of selling businesses and going on the foreign mission field, selling the home in the suburbs and moving to the city that one is trying to reach, and in doing so, to alter the Western values we Americans have grown up with into the foundational values as presented by the early Christians in the book of Acts.

To reiterate that I was deeply challenged would be a gross understatement. In fact, I tend to read three or four (or more) books at the same time, and while I was reading this one, I was also reading a book on church growth and another one on unChristian America. Because of these latter two book’s inclination toward branding, relevance, and (IMHO) compromise, I found Radical to be a breath of fresh air.

I give it a 5 out of 5 and challenge all Christians to read and heed.

I am enrolled to receive and review books for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I did not receive this particular book from them but it is one of their books and I gladly post my review.

Polished Arrow Christian Endeavors is a Not-for-Profit Organization licensed in the state of Illinois.

Will you pray for us over the next couple of weeks.

2011-03-01T12:15:00.001-08:00

We are conducting two Pastors’ Conferences: one in Cartagena, Colombia and the other in Medellin, Colombia. we love these Colombian pastors and cannot wait to speak into their lives BUT we only want to speak His thoughts, not ours. So please pray.

Here is a poster of the Medellin Conference (and yes, it is in Spanish.)

Relevance in Ministry

2011-02-26T13:20:00.001-08:00

Wow! I just meandered into a shocker.

Cheri and I are preparing to minister in Cartagena and Medellin Colombia in a little over a week and one of our topics is “Staying Relevant in Ministry.”

So, doing what any individual seeking to BE relevant in our presentation would do, I googled “staying relevant ministry.”

I found out details on how to “re-brand” your ministry, how to make it look relevant to society, and many other innovative means to make the Christian message relevant.

But NONE of them had anything to do with Jesus.

Hmmm!

We are taking a message of encouragement and hope to a group of pastors who need encouragement, direction, and passion for reaching their communities for Christ.

I have a strong feeling (based on past experiences with them) that they care very little (if at all) about “branding” their ministries.

Indeed, I thought the Gospel message WAS/IS about Jesus; yet ALL of my initial finds had more to do with cultural presentation and nothing to do with the REAL essence of ministry.

I believe that we in the 21st Century church MUST seek ways to be relevant in our appointed cultures BUT the message must start with the essence (or Essence) of that message rather than the filter through which it is delivered. (Down south, where I came from, we would say, “Don’t get the cart in front of the horse.”)

In my rant, please ponder this thought, let’s hone the message in our hearts and minds before we hone the presentation.

Let’s not focus so strongly on the delivery and presentation that we cover the message (Message.)

I think for a good, biographical portrait of what I am saying, I recommend reading “Peace Child” by Don Richardson. He had the message, and had to trust God for a presentation that would pierce the culture … but he never compromised that message.

I hope this provides stimuli for your thoughts.

AND

Pray for us as we prepare for and minister to the pastors in Cartagena and Medellin Colombia in the next couple of weeks.

Dr. G

To Parents of Students

2011-02-18T09:40:00.001-08:00

It is such a difficult time for our students to be living in. When I was in school (back in the 60’s and 70’s), we didn’t worry ourselves with shooters entering our schools and taking the lives of fellow students. Even bomb threats were rare and always seemed to be phony threats to get kids out of school early. One thing I often tell my grad students (speaking of today’s teens): “We were never their age.”

Oh, we may all have been teens once, and we may have faced temptations and difficulties. But, we weren’t fearful of fellow students with guns … or worse, angry adults with vendettas. Sure, we faced forced integration and dealt with angry rumors of other races carrying knives but never before has there been a time such as there is now.

My heart was broken a few years back, as I am sure was yours, when a young man in his thirties entered an Amish school house in rural Pennsylvania and shot all of the young girls in that classroom. How tragic this seems; yet, how familiar this scene is to ours. These students were simply going through their daily routine … and then tragedy struck.

My wife and I lived among the Amish for five and a half years in Ashland County, Ohio. They are wonderful people who stay to themselves, seek to harm no one, and fiercely protect their interpretation of the scriptures. They are also highly pacifistic, meaning they typically do not fight back or defend themselves. To see such a crime committed upon such a people is an atrocity. But, it would have been an atrocity upon any group of people.

Such events bring about need for change: change in our means of security, change in our view of others, and change in our outlook on life.

Change comes hard for most of us. Nonetheless, change is one of the few constants in life. In fact, life brings change. We must be willing to accept change and to flow with it. God tells us in His Word that “There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth” (Ecc 3:1, MSG). That means change is inevitable. It also means that God, Himself, implements some of this change.

It is sad that schools have to produce the security that they now do. It is sad that the value of a life is so small to some individuals. It is, however, a wonderful thing that we are once again reminded that God has created all of us and that He has established a plan and purpose for everyone. Let us continue to be patient with means of security that are placed around us. Let us be patient to work together to protect our students and to see God’s purpose accomplished in them.

It is a worthwhile effort.

It is a valuable effort.

It is a necessity.

On that note, I want to impress upon all of us the value of our students … and I want to encourage all of us to work with our students and to see God’s best in all of them (and us.) The following passage came from a little book written in the early 90’s. The quote was also featured in the movie, Akeelah and the Bee, as well as in Stephen R. Covey’s book, The 8^th Habit. It was written by Marianne Williamson in her book, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles. It says:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. (Williamson 1992, 190-191)

Although you may disagree somewhat with Williamson’s theology, it is clear that she is an individual who looks for the human potential. Your student has potential. Let’s bring it out of them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_{Williamson, Marianne. 1992. A return to love: Reflections on the principles of a course in miracles. New York, NY: Harper Collins.}

Right or Wrong

2011-02-16T19:59:00.001-08:00

Is it always a case of “is it right or is it wrong?”

I don’t want to downplay the aspects of right and wrong; certainly there are such. To deny such would be to deny the state of “absolute” as well as that state of “sin.”

So while a negation of those concepts is NOT the intent of this blog, it should be noted that such concepts of “right” and “wrong” can often masks the concepts of personal responsibility.

Huh???

Here’s what I’m getting at: often we look at our actions and declare them as right (usually) or wrong (not often.) But the greater truth is that we use these judgments as excuses and circumventions. (When we work in the field of biblical hermeneutics, we want to avoid “closed” questions: those that answer with a simple “yes” or “no.”

When we judge ourselves (or others) with a simple “right” or “wrong.” we tend to leave things in that situation, often without justice, mercy, grace, or revision.

Perhaps a better judgment than “right” or “wrong” might be that of “what can I learn from this,” “what could I have done differently,” or “what redeeming purpose can be derived from this action.”

Since living is growing … and experiencing is (or at least should be) growing, shouldn’t our goal be to learn from our experiences (as opposed to placing them on a shelf with the label “right” or “wrong”?)

After all, when we shelve them with labels, we often never turn to them again.

“Right” or “Wrong” … I don’t think so.

“What can I learn from this?” or “What could I have done differently?” Now those are questions I can LIVE with.

Polished Arrow Christian Endeavors

“To radically Reach, Teach, Nourish, and Unleash This and Future Generations with the Life-Changing Power of Jesus Christ.

Colombian Pastors’ Conferences 2011

2011-02-13T21:25:00.001-08:00

Friend:

As you probably know, Cheri and I have a desire to make a difference in the lives of others. That desire is prompting us to take a short-term missions trip conducting Pastors’ Conferences in Cartagena and Medellin, Colombia, South America this March. Through ministering to these pastors, we will be influencing much of the country of Colombia for Jesus Christ. It will be a full two weeks, but we are excited!

Colombia is a prime mission-sending nation because there is such a need among the people. Less than 7.5% of the people know Christ as their personal Savior in this predominately Catholic country. Additionally, many US pastors will not go there because of the perceived danger for which Colombia (especially Medellin) was formerly known ... and yet these Colombia pastors are hungry for someone to guide them and encourage them. We have been granted great favor with these pastors and want to take the relational love of Jesus to these pastors and to Colombians.

Although our food, housing, and ground transportation in Colombia are all taken care of, our flights will cost about $2500; we are in need of your help. We especially need your prayer support, since all of this is stretching us beyond our comfort zone! But Jesus commanded us to go into all the world to preach the gospel, and we truly believe He has appointed us for such a time and place as this. Perhaps you don’t similarly feel called to go to a foreign country, but you can be a part of the solution by your intercessory prayers and your financial investment.

If you are able to help financially, your gift is fully tax-deductible if you make it payable to Christian Life Center, 6363 W 183^rd Street, Tinley Park, IL 60477. DO NOT put our name on the check memo. Please send it to us direct (19401 Tramore Lane, Mokena, IL 60448) so that we can submit it, or include a separate note indicating it’s for our Colombia trip if you mail it to the church.

Thank you in advance for anything you can do to help us, and may God bless you!

Sincerely,

Pastors Jim & Cheri Garrett

Musings on the Word of God- 01/25/2011

2011-01-25T19:00:00.001-08:00

One of the interesting things that happens in our desire for and understanding of Scripture is that we THINK we want a literal translation of the Bible … only to find that this is NOT always possible …. nor is it always desirable … especially in the case of idioms.

Idiom is defined as

1. an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket or hang one's head, or from the general grammatical rules of a language, as the table round for the round table, and that is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics.

2. a language, dialect, or style of speaking peculiar to a people.

3. a construction or expression of one language whose parts correspond to elements in another language but whose total structure or meaning is not matched in the same way in the second language.

4. the peculiar character or genius of a language.¹

What this means is that a “word-for-word” translation may (and probably WILL) yield something other than the desired result AND the true meaning.

A great example of this is found in Exodus 34:6 where God reveals characteristics of Himself to Moses.

Read verses 4-7:

So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.

Keep in mind that this passage is God revealing something about Himself.

In verse 6, God literally says of Himself that He is “long of nose.” This idiomatic expression usually gets translated as “slow to anger.” Other versions translated it as “patient” or “longsuffering.”

Yet, in the Hebrew, this expression, (erek appayim), literally means “long of nose” but is an idiom used to refer to someone who is patient and slow to anger.

Proverbs 14:29 uses the same phrase, “A patient man has great understanding…” yet a few verses earlier, in 14:17, the converse of that phrase is used, “A quick-tempered man does foolish things..” stating in the Hebrew that this person is short of nose.

Before we become too amused with these word pictures, we might want to think for a minute that we, in the common vernacular, would refer to this latter type person today as “hot-headed” or as having a “sort fuse.”

The bottom line of the initial funny sounding idiom is this, because God is patient and slow to anger, He has made a way wherein His people do not have to perish. Because God’s “nose is long,” humankind is not treated as it deserves to be treated.

2 Peter 3:15 reminds us, “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation…”

The Psalmist David spoke it another way in Psalm 103:8-10-

“The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”

Perhaps we should remember another idiom, but should do so in light of the Scripture, “God is not fair!”

No God is not fair; instead, He is long- nosed, meaning He is patient, He is long-suffering, and He is slow to anger. Because He is long-nosed, we can experience relationship with Him and eternal life.

… And too, we might be careful in wanting a literal translation … or it least as close to being literal as possible. We might end up finding us missing the true meaning of a passage in our search for literality.

^{1. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/idiom accessed 01/25/2011}

A Tribute to my Mom

2011-01-22T17:39:00.001-08:00

My mom met her Savior face-to-face early in the morning of January 11, 2011. In many ways, this was a difficult day for my family and for me; in other ways, it was a day of rejoicing.

My mom had been sick for quite a while: a couple of years to be exact. I first realized this about three years ago when we met each other in Gatlinburg, TN. It was one of her (and my) favorite places to go and when we met that time, she just couldn’t keep up her regular pace; she got winded very easily from simple walking and I knew that Mom usually could have out-walked any of us there. I actually had to pull the car around to pick her up at one point because she was having so much difficulty.

A short while later, we all rented a large cabin in Pigeon Forge, TN for all of our family to gather in for a week. Cheri’s mom, sister, and brother, we, our three kids, and their mates and children, as well as my mom were to spend the week together. As it turned out, mom couldn’t make it and I spent some of my time as she underwent by-pass surgery. Mom never really recovered from that surgery. From that point forward, she had circulation difficulties.

I always said that mom would die helping other people and that I was OK with that; that was who she was and what she did. From that point on, mom’s ability to get out and help others dwindled. So she would help them from her home with phone calls.

Mom had felt a missionary calling early in her life. She specifically saw her calling as that of a medical missionary … serving Christ through helping others. She prepared for that calling by becoming an RN. In her mind, however, she was unable to fulfill that calling. The greater truth is that she fulfilled that calling every day of her life as a home health nurse, as a county health nurse, as a short-term missionary, and as a disaster relief nurse. She did medical missions in Ecuador, Haiti, and Antigua. She also worked in hurricane disaster relief and flood disaster relief in various state-side opportunities. She just loved helping other people and doing so in the Name of the Lord.

Mom actually went to Antigua in the West Indies with us several years ago as the team nurse for our short-term missions group. Unfortunately, mom was the one who had an illness on that trip: spending three days in (sub-par conditions) hospital with kidney stones. (That hospital was literally a look back to the 1920s.) But she was a trooper and bounced right back.

Mom gave me over to serve God early in my life. My brother stated at Mom’s memorial that she raised two sons: one to keep people out of Hell and the other one to raise Hell. While that’s not entirely accurate (my brother loves God too) it does give the picture of a mom who recognized God’s call on my life and who encouraged me to leave my home area and pursue His will for my life. I had to remind myself of that a few times because it became really easy to want to have regrets for not being with mom more … but she continually reminded that she gave me over to do God’s work.

And she was so proud of me and my family. She was proud when we got our first church in SC. She was proud when we had our first child, then our second, and finally our third. She was proud when I earned my BS, then my MDiv. She was proud of me when I was invited to speak at Oxford University in England. She was proud of me when Cheri and I had our first grandchild, then our second. She was proud when I earned my Doctorate. She was proud when Cheri and I had grandchildren numbers 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. She was even proud one-and-one-half month before her graduation of our announcement of grandchild number 9 being on the way. The truth is, that my Mom loved me and she made sure I always knew that. I loved her too.

About six months ago, I had a very painful conversation with my mom wherein I verbally released her from this earthly existence. I didn’t want to do that but I knew it was necessary because she was in so much pain. It was clear that she appreciated that fact … even though she held on for several more months.

I called my mom almost every night to share with her the things of the day and the week. She loved for me to tell her stories of her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. She would often repeat them to Aunt Margaret who was seated near her. I probably called mom 9 out 10 days on average.

On her graduation day, I knew this was the end … but we had snow on the ground as did SC and every state between here and there. I wasn’t able to be with her in her passing. But I can still hear mom speak her last words to me on the phone the night before she passed into glory. She said, as she said every time we spoke: “I love you very much.” I really can’t think of any better words to say to someone when it’s your last time to speak to them.

My continued hard time comes everyday when it is the time I would normally have called her. I grab my cell phone and think, “I need to check in on Mom.” And then I remember she’s not there to check on any more. And while I may shed a tear or two, I am gently reminded that she is truly in a better place … in the presence of Jesus.

So I end this note with this thought: Mom, thank you for loving me without condition. Thank you for imparting yourself into me. Thank you for not only teaching me about Jesus, but for showing me how to live for Him too. I’ll see you again later. … and I love you very much.

An Interesting Proposal

2011-01-09T20:11:00.001-08:00

Why is it that we in the American Church continually attempt to fill the Kingdom of God with American Common Sense and Hard Work. While the two are often mutually beneficial, at other times they are not only diametrically opposed but often detrimental to one another.

Take for instance the new theology/philosophy that says there is no time for retreat among growing Christians: that we are always to be moving ahead and never moving backwards.

While this sounds good and fits with our fast-paced American culture, it is often deadly to ministry, to families, and to individuals.

What happens is that we begin to liken God’s commanded sabbath rest to retreat (and even surrender.)

God designed, practiced, and admonished sabbath rest for His beloved for the purpose of causing them to be whole/complete individuals.

Don’t misunderstand me, I believe in hard work. I believe in pressing forward. But we must also come to understand His rest.

This is how we become whole in Him. This is how we honor Him … not by burning out, not be sacrificing our families. But by trusting Him … and observing His sabbath rest.

It’s not retreat. It’s not surrender. It’s trust. It’s faith. It’s recuperation. It’s His sabbath rest … that He has commanded us.

Receive it. Take some time off. And rest in Him.

My Gift to You … a Personal Translation of the Christmas Story

2010-12-24T23:03:00.001-08:00

Isaiah 9:6 (or 9:5 in the Hebrew)

(translated by Dr. James V. Garrett)

For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us and it will come to pass that the government [will be] upon His shoulders and He will be called Counselor of wonder, mighty God, eternal Father, the Prince of peace.

Matthew 1:18- 2:12

So [is] of the birth of Jesus Christ: Mary, his mother was agreed to be married to Joseph, but before they came together (in marital relationship), she was found to be holding in her womb [a child] by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph, her husband-to-be, being just and not wishing to disgrace her, desired secretly to send away her.

And while he was thinking about this, behold, an angel of Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, “Joseph, Son of David, do not be afraid to take along Mary your wife-to-be, for in her [That] which is being caused to be born is from the Holy Spirit. And she will give birth to a Son and you will call His Name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

Now Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod. And behold, magi (wise men and astrologers) from the east arrived in Jerusalem saying, “Where is the One being born [as] the King of the Jews. We saw His star near the east and we came to worship Him.”

[Upon] hearing [this] King Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the high priests and scribes of the people, he enquired [of them] where the Christ [was] to be born.

And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophets:

“And you Bethlehem, land of Judea, by no means are you smallest of the rulers of Judah, for from you will go forth One characterized by leading My people, Israel, Who will tend [them] like a shepherd.”

Then Herod quietly (or privately) called the magi. He found out from them the time the star appeared. Then, as he sent them into Bethlehem, he said, “While traveling, search with care for the child. And when you might find [Him], inform me [so] that I also might come to worship Him.”

Then, after hearing the king, they proceeded and, behold! the star that they saw in the east proceeded them until it came and was positioned over [the place] where the Child was. And beholding the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great gladness.

Then, coming into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother. Next, falling to their knees, they worshipped Him. And [upon] opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. Then, being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went away to their country by means of another route.

Luke 2:1-20

And it happened in those days [that] there came an order from Caesar Augustus for all the Roman Empire to be registered. This registration first took place while Quirinius was ruling the Syrians. And every citizen went to be registered, each into his own city

And Joseph came up from the Galilee, from the city of Nazareth in Judea, into the city of David which called Bethlehem, because he [was] from the house and ancestry of David. [He came] to enroll for himself, together with Mary the one both being engaged to him and pregnant.

And it happened while they were there that the days for her Child to be born were fulfilled. And she gave birth to her firstborn Son and she wrapped Him in baby clothes and placed Him in a feeding trough because there was not a place [for them] in the guest room.

And there were shepherds in the same region living out doors and keeping guard by night over their flock. And an angel of Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shined around them and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them,

“Do not fear! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be to all people. For today there is born to you in the city of David, a Savior Who is Christ the Lord and this is a sign to you: you will find a Baby being wrapped in baby clothes and lying in a feeding trough.”

And suddenly, it happened that a number of the host of heaven appeared with the angel praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace among men.”

And it happened as the angels departed into heaven, [that] the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go indeed to Bethlehem so that we might see this event that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

So they left in haste and found both Mary and Joseph, and [they found] the Baby lying in a feed trough. And after observing [Him], they made known [around them] concerning the matter that had been told them concerning this Child. And all, upon hearing [this], marveled concerning the proclamation that had come through the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things and considered them in her heart.

Then, the shepherds returned honoring and praising God because of all the things they heard and saw, just as it was said to them.

Christmas Blessings from the Garrett Family to Yours

2010-12-11T13:32:00.001-08:00

We hope this letter finds you celebrating this joyous Christmas season. 2010 has been another year of excitement, learning, and growth for us and we want to bring you an update on a little of what has taken place in our lives during this past year.

Cheri was ordained this past year as a recognized Minister of the Gospel. Her ministry has been strong as she has led Children’s ministry here at our church in the south suburbs of Chicago. She has also ministered faithfully in Bogota and Medellin, Colombia as well as in Bethlehem, Israel this past year. Through her teaching and leadership, her area of ministries in the church is growing stronger on a consistent basis. Keeping our ever growing family connected and encouraged and motivated is one of Cheri’s greatest passions.

As we reported last year, we are now Pastors of Family Ministries at Christian Life Center in Tinley Park, IL. After Amber & Ed graciously opened their home to us for the first 7 months we lived here, God opened an awesome door for us to purchase a home in Mokena, IL (which we absolutely love.) God continues to teach us new things as we faithfully minister for Him.

Crystal, David, and Isaac continue to live in Maumee, OH. Crystal is teaching English at Monclova Christian School in Monclova, OH where she enjoys teaching and ministering to her students. Isaac continues to be a “Papa’s Boy” for sure. David has again been promoted at his job with Brush Wellman in Elmore, OH, and Isaac just continues to grow in stature, and in every other way. He is such a delight to the entire family with his little clownishness and loving spirit.

Amber, Ed, Aubrianna, Annaliese, Lillianna, and Eddie continue to live in Bolingbrook, IL. Amber is a neo-natal nurse at Edwards Hospital in Naperville, and Eddie is the Media Director at Christian Life Church in Tinley Park, IL. Aubrianna, our big five year old continues to be in love with swimming and dancing. She is also an excellent big sister. Annaliese continues to make her place in this world. She, too, loves to swim and dance and be a great, big sister. Lillianna continues to grow … and climb … and crawl into the shower/tub fully clothed; she is a delight to all of us. And finally, little Eddie arrived on Thanksgiving morning (2010) weighing in at 8 lbs. 15 ounces and once again, evening out the boy girl ratio of grandchildren at 4 boys and 4 girls.

Jamie, Crystal, Christian, Carson, and Chloe live in Ashland, OH where Jamie works with a consulting company and where he continues to participate on the worship team at his church. Their family is not so little anymore and our big six year old Christian leads the way with his loving, gentle, and inquisitive spirit. And he is doing great in Kindergarten by the way, Carson follows suit with a heartwarming smile and a tenderness, yet mischievousness that cannot be beat. Chloe continues to simply light up a room with her gorgeous smile. The younger two are also doing great in their local pre-school. Crystal is a stay-at-home mom raising her babies for Christ.

Jim continues to stay (too) busy in ministry. Serving as Pastor of Family Ministries at Christian Life Center in Tinley Park, IL, he is delighted to work alongside Cheri in ministry every day. He is also teaching Foundation of Bible Study (Hermeneutics) at Ashland Theological Seminary-Detroit as an Adjunct Professor. Both Jim’s & Cheri’s hearts’ calling is to teach pastors, and youth and children’s pastors/leaders in a seminary, university, and/or church level and in doing so, to impart knowledge, vision, and passion to reach this generation. They have been able to do that broadly this past year in Bogota, Medellin, Israel, and in the Chicago and Detroit areas.

Highlights this year were three great family vacations: one to Honolulu, Hawaii, one to the Outer Banks of NC (with Crystal and Isaac), and the other to San Juan, Puerto Rico. A highlight of all of these was waking up on our first day in Hawaii to the unfamiliar sounds of Tsunami warnings. And yes, we survived the Hawaiian Tsunami of 2010. We love to travel … and doing so together makes it even more special.

Our family has done well this year. We have gloried, and we have struggled, but God has brought us through all of these things with the intent of growing us in Him … to complete us. We are ever thankful that He who began a good work in us will complete it! It is our desire for you and your family to know His hand and grace and mercy in your life as He truly brings you through things … with the intent of growing you … and completing you so that you become everything He created you to be and you will live in the fullness of His destiny and purpose for you!

May God richly bless you this Christmas Season and in 2011! It promises to be a year of God’s destiny and purpose for us!

Jim & Cheri Garrett

Hanukkah or Christmas?

2010-12-08T14:25:00.001-08:00

Hmmm.

An interesting question.

A friend, colleague, and professor recently posed the question whether we as Christians should defend Christmas or not. His basis for discussion is that Jesus certainly does not need our defense and further, that most Christians who would defend Christmas probably would do so for the retail aspect. Hmmm. Interesting observation.

Personally, I think we SHOULD defend it … but simply for the reason of NOT giving up ground (as in a “slippery slope” where the enemy continues to take and take and take until there’s nothing left to take.)

You see, I really can’t defend Christmas as being the birth of Christ because all evidence points to the fact that it is NOT; instead it is a “carry-over” or loan from the ancient Romans and their Saturnalia Festivals … marked by all kinds of tomfoolery and reversals of social roles, in which even slaves and masters switched places.

Rome was notorious for assimilating various customs and holidays of conquered peoples with their (Rome’s) own customs and holidays.

In fact, Christmas has nothing to do with Christ other than sharing His name.

Hanukkah, on the other hand, is an eight-day celebration of God miraculously providing ceremonially pure oil when the Jews worked to restore and rededicate their temple after it was desecrated by Antiochus IV, King of Syria in the 2nd Century BC. According to Jewish religious writings, there was only enough consecrated oil to fuel the Menorrah flames in the Temple for one day. The oil, however, burned for eight days, which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil. (This story is recorded also in 1 and 2 Maccabees in the Apocrypha … which by the way is good historical contextual reading.)

Jesus Himself observed the celebration of Hanukkah (or the Festival of Lights as it is also known as) in the Temple as recorded in John 10:22-39. There are also many who feel that Hanukkah makes the “time of conception” of Jesus within Mary’s womb. This would certainly coincide with similar thought that would place the actual birth of Jesus during the Festival of Tabernacles or Sukkot. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus may have been born during the “Feast of Tabernacles?” (And the Word became flesh, and dwelt [tabernacled] among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 NAS)

I am not ready to release Christmas to secularist/atheist who would dare to attempt to take one more thing from the Christian world.

Also, in 50 plus years, I have gotten familiar with my own personal traditions connected with Christmas (and I’m pretty sure I’m not ready to give those up.)

But I did make my own feeble attempts to observe and respect Hanukkah this year. (And besides, 8 days of Gift giving/receiving beats that daylights out of one day of such.)

And I’m pretty convinced that Jesus was born sometime in our near Sukkot.

So I guess I’ll do it like this: I will celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah … and even though Christ wasn’t born on the day we celebrate as Christmas … and even though He really ISN’T the reason for the season, I will continue to honor Him, love Him, and share Him … on December 25 and every other day of the year.

Merry Christmas … and Happy Hanukkah!

Christmas Challenge

2010-12-07T09:28:00.001-08:00

I want to challenge each of you reading this.

So often at Christmas we end up focusing on giving and receiving … so much so that we often forget Christ in the process.

So here’s my challenge.

What if we wrapped our giving … at least part of it … in giving outside of ourselves and our immediate families.

Our church has, in cooperation with several missionaries with who we have relationship, put together a catalog of needs and prices where you can give to a need somewhere around the world.

Honestly, its kind of hard to describe.

Here at the church, w actually have a physical catalog where we can choose the item(s) we want to give to these needs. But for you, we have also put this catalog online where you can choose and give online.

Will you check it out … and give outside yourself this Christmas season.

Here’s the link: http://www.clcchristianresources.com/Christmas-Missions-Catalog/

Thanks.

Israel 2010- Final Thoughts (Maybe)

2010-12-04T18:49:00.001-08:00

We’ve tried to put some time between our last posting from Israel; we wanted to think through the things we have seen, heard, touched, tasted, and experienced.

So what did we walk away with?

I (j) had an experience that actually began in Bethlehem. There I saw that Palestinians could go back and forth into Jewish Israel with little difficulty BUT Jews were not allowed to enter Palestinian controlled areas. I was angry with the Palestinians, even though our guide there was a Palestinian Christian. But God has a wonderful way of speaking to my heart when I am walking in personal headiness and sin; He gently reminded me that He loves the Palestinians too … even having a plan for them. I was ashamed, humbled, and changed with this thought.

I also was touched by the devotion many people had to different relics of Christianity. We noticed in Cana how dedicated (superstitious) some were to an actual place (even though we know that it WAS NOT the actual building where the wedding of Cana had taken place); it was built much later. You can call this what you will but the best thing I can think of is simple blindness … We MUST maintain that our faith is in Jesus Christ and not in places or events.

I also fell more deeply in love with the Jewish people. I know that many of them have not yet put their trust in Jesus Christ as the Messiah but I am readily assured that the Church HAS NOT replaced them and is, in fact, to be used to jealously draw them into a proper relationship with God. Please understand, they too must come to the Father through Jesus the Son BUT, they are still God’s chosen people and He definitely has a plan for them. (And cool-ly, you and I get to be a part of that plan.)

Did we experience an earth-shattering change? I don’t think so (but I am still chewing on it.) Instead, I think I (j) received a deepening of that which He was already working in me … but the jury is still out on that one.

Hanukkah 2010

2010-11-24T11:20:00.001-08:00

Many have been asking me if we as Christians should celebrate Hanukkah. This blog is in response to those questions and will hopefully whet your appetite to begin this observance for yourself and you family. Those of you with children will find that your kids can especially appreciate it: they get eight days of gift-giving instead on one.

History

In 167 BCE the Syrian-Greek emperor, Antiochus, set out to destroy Judaism by imposing a ban on three of their recognized laws and customs. All three maintain Jewish cultural integrity and were thus threats to the Greek culture.

An Israeli leader named Matityahu and his five sons, known as the Maccabees, started a revolt against Antiochus and succeeded in evicting their oppressors. The victory was a miracle on the scale of Israel defeating the combined super-powers of today. Having regained control of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Jews wanted to immediately sanctify and rededicate it. In order to do so, they needed ritually pure olive oil to re-light the Menorah in the Temple. Only a single cruse of oil was found however; this was enough to burn for just one day. For ritual purification laws, they needed oil sufficient for eight days until new, ritually pure olive oil could be produced. A miracle occurred and the one-days-worth of oil burned for eight days.

Jesus and Hanukkah

Also known as the Holiday of Lights, Hanukkah provides a wonderful time of the year to remember and commemorate the great miracle that God has done for all of us, by giving us new light and life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And because Jesus celebrated Hanukkah at the Temple, as Christians we can celebrate Hanukkah, the “Festival of Lights”, as we rededicate our lives to Christ and acknowledge Him as the perfect and true light of this world.

In fact, Jesus preached three sermons in which He declared Himself the “light of the world,” and all three could have been during Hanukkah.

Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” (John 12:35-36).

Just before Jesus announced that He was the Light of the world, He had shed His light upon the consciences of those who accused the adulteress (John 8.) John also records Jesus healing a blind man (9:1-12) at about the same time that Jesus declared Himself to be the Light of the world (8:12 and 9:5).

But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes.He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!^{^[1]} (John 9:5-7)

Christians and Hanukkah

Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable and even suggested that we as Christians celebrate Hanukkah as well. For 2010, Hanukkah is observed from December 1-9. Below is a suggested “first” observance of Hanukkah that each of us can follow.

Observance of Hanukkah

I suggest that you read the story of Hanukkah so that everyone will have some understanding of it. It is found in 1 Mac. 4:52–59 which is an apocryphal book found in Catholic and Orthodox Bibles. You can also find it online. (By the way, these apocryphal books are not dangerous to read; they are simply non-God-inspired books but they DO bring great historical information … especially concerning times between the Old Testament and the New Testament.)

1 Mac. 4:52–59 – “Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-eighth year, they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built. At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them. So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they offered a sacrifice of well-being and a thanksgiving offering. They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and fitted them with doors. There was very great joy among the people, and the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed.
Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev” (NRSV).

In observance, we will light Hanukkah candles for eight days. These are held in a special Hanukkah menorah that has nine candles spaces instead of the typical menorah that has seven. Eight of these spaces are of identical height. The ninth space is probably of a different height and is reserved for the “helper” candle that is use to light all others.

Two blessings (three on the first night) will be said each night prior to (but during the time of) lighting the candle(s).

The first blessing thanks God for the commandment to “kindle the Hanukkah lights.” We therefore recite the blessing before lighting the candles, and then proceed to carry out the commandment.

The second blessing praises God for the miracle the candles publicize, and is therefore said as the candles are being lit.

Hold the lit “helper” candle in your right hand and say:

1. On the first night of Hanukkah, this blessing is added signifying that it is the first time that the Hanukkah lights have been lit this season:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who gave us life and kept us and delivered us to this time.

2. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us by Your commandments and has commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah.

3. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who performed miracles for Your chosen people at this season, in days past.

Lighting the Menorah

On the first night of Hanukkah, a single candle (or oil wick) is lit, on the far right side of the menorah. On each successive night an additional candle is added, from right to left (two candles lit on the second night, three on the third…) until finally, on the eighth night, all eight candles are lit. It is customary to light from left to right, with the newest candle lit first. You should allow the candles to burn themselves out.

The candles are lit by a “shamash” or helper candle, which after being used to light the other candles, takes its own special place on the menorah – usually in a place slightly set apart and/or higher from the rest.

· While lighting the candles themselves, Hanerot Halalu is traditionally recited.

· Once the candles have been lit, Maoz Tzur is traditionally sung.

When To Light

The candles are lit starting at nightfall, and should burn for at least half an hour. On Friday afternoon, the candles are traditionally lit before sunset, to avoid lighting on the Sabbath. By putting longer candles in the menorah (or thick Shabbat candles on tin foil), the lights will still be burning after it grows dark.

Where To Light

The glowing Hanukkah candles are meant to advertise the holiday’s miracles. At home, place the lit menorah in the window where passers-by can see its light.

While lighting the candles themselves, Hanerot Halalu is traditionally recited.

We light these lights
For the miracles and the wonders,
For the redemption and the battles
That you made for our forefathers
In those days at this season,
Through your holy priests.
During all eight days of Chanukah
These lights are sacred
And we are not permitted to make
Ordinary use of them,
But only to look at them;
In order to express thanks
And praise to Your great Name
For your miracles, Your wonders
And your salvations.

Once the candles have been lit, Maoz Tzur is traditionally sung. Maybe you would like to read them instead, at least for your first observances.

· O mighty stronghold of my salvation,
to praise You is a delight.
Restore my House of Prayer
and there we will bring a thanksgiving offering.
When You will have prepared the slaughter
for the blaspheming foe,
Then I shall complete with a song of hymn
the dedication of the Altar.

· My soul had been sated with troubles,
my strength has been consumed with grief.
They had embittered my life with hardship,
with the calf-like kingdom's bondage.
But with His great power
He brought forth the treasured ones,
Pharaoh's army and all his offspring
Went down like a stone into the deep.

· To the holy abode of His Word He brought me.
But there, too, I had no rest
And an oppressor came and exiled me.
For I had served aliens,
And had drunk benumbing wine.
Scarcely had I departed
At Babylon's end Zerubabel came.
At the end of seventy years I was saved.

· To sever the towering cypress
sought the Aggagite, son of Hammedatha,
But it became [a snare and] a stumbling block to him
and his arrogance was stilled.
The head of the Benjaminite You lifted
and the enemy, his name You obliterated
His numerous progeny - his possessions -
on the gallows You hanged.

· Greeks gathered against me
then in Hasmonean days.
They breached the walls of my towers
and they defiled all the oils;
And from the one remnant of the flasks
a miracle was wrought for the roses.
Men of insight - eight days
established for song and jubilation

· Bare Your holy arm
and hasten the End for salvation -
Avenge the vengeance of Your servants' blood
from the wicked nation.
For the triumph is too long delayed for us,
and there is no end to days of evil,
Repel the Red One in the nethermost shadow
and establish for us the seven shepherds.

If you would like more information, Google “Hanukkah Messianic” or try this site: http://bethhamashiach.com/Hanakah.htm

^{^[1]} Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible : New Living Translation., 2nd ed. (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004), Jn 9:1–8.

Israel- Day Nine

2010-11-19T18:47:00.000-08:00

As I begin, allow me to lay out a plan. I know that it will take days and perhaps even weeks to assimilate what all we have seen, felt, tasted, heard, and experienced. With this post, we hope to show the scenes and brief snippets of our last day in Israel, 2010, but we also understand that these are mere snippets; they do not share what God is doing in us through this marvelous experience.

We started off the day by a trip to the ancient City of David. Here is the former home/ palace of King David himself. This is the place where so much happened, including the spying of Bathsheba as she appeared on her rooftop to bathe. Of course, as you look around this place, it becomes very easy to see how this could have happened because the entire place is built on the side of a mountain.

From here we headed over to the Southern Wall of Jerusalem. This is another of my favorite places here because you can see actual bedrock where Jesus actually walked up to the Temple. You are truly walking where Jesus walked. Too, you can see the irregular steps leading into the Temple. These mean that one had to cautiously and thoughtfully enter His presence. (See Cheri placing her foot on the bedrock where Jesus could have very possibly place his own foot!)

The Tomb of David (that we visited) was probably not the actual place of his burial, Instead, it is a place of reverence and honor. It is also a very beautiful place where you can truly think and hear God.

The Via Dolorosa (Latin meaning Way of Sorrows) is a large portion of the street upon which Jesus carried His cross on the way to Calvary, (It was a little disappointing how commercialized it is here with all of the shops.) There are portions here also of actual stones upon which Jesus walked. This, too, was an exciting find for us as again, we walked where He walked … this time on the way to His crucifixion. We did have an interesting altercation with a shop owner/street vendor (which caused difficulty in remembering WHY we were here) but were quickly reminded of God’s forgiveness and His mercy.

From there, we went to the Church of the Last Supper/ Upper Room. We know that this structure was not here but we are for sure in the proximity where these events happened. It was here that Jesus had some of His final words to His disciples. It was here that Judas left to betray Christ. And it was here that the church was birthed in the day of Pentecost. We even wanted to hear the sound of a rushing mighty wind while we were here.

The area known as the Cardo was another 1st Century spot where we were able to see streets as they were at the time of Jesus. This was a very beautiful area and was situated in the Jewish Quarter of the city. As far as sheer manmade beauty, this was as good as they come.

Our next stop was the Antonia Fortress. We actually sat among the steps where Jesus was tried and perhaps even beaten. This was a great place of remembrance and introspection. It was also a very beautiful place.

The Pools of Bethesda are ancient ruins where healing took place and where Jesus Himself performed healings. The area was very beautiful and the understandings that Jesus ministered here caused this place to have great attraction to us.

The Garden Tomb is one of the sites that many feel is the actual place of Christ’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. It certainly has many of the necessary ingredients to be the right place. Our guide here was marvelous and convincing. Everyone was thrilled to see the empty tomb and I was thrilled to minister communion to all present. I had everyone give their communion to someone else (among us) as a symbolic giving of the Gospel to those around us. One missiologist has said that everyone should hear the Gospel once before anyone has heard it twice. What better way to remember this than in the midst of God’s chosen people, in the midst of His empty tomb, and among those we love and care for.

Our closing banquet featured a small, intimate buffet where we got to appreciate our guide and our driver and where we were able to present Pastors Jerry and Chris as well as Melva with tokens of our appreciation for them.

Our last day had some intimate and powerful times of worship…in the place where Jesus was beaten for us…in the darkness of the Arab quarter as we declared Him as Lord and King….and in the Garden Tomb where He was crucified, buried and rose again. We are so thankful to God and changed by God through this amazing experience in Israel.

Then we went to Tel Aviv to go through a lengthy security process. (It is a pain in the backside but I am thankful for the protection it gives us.) Now to settle in for a loooooooooong flight from here to New Jersey, then Chicago. We are glad to head home but do so with sadness in our departure.

Israel- Day Seven

2010-11-16T11:27:00.001-08:00

Today was a great day of ministry, information, and shopping. In fact, when we walked to the bus this morning, we were accosted by vendors selling bags 5 for $10. After all the clamoring to make purchases and of course the fact that we have shopped EVERY day Pastor Jerry asked us if we still had “Financial Peace”. Great reminder Pastor! We started things off by heading to a Jewish village south of Jerusalem that reflected the Jewish struggle in their own land. This kibbutz now turned settlement stands modernly much as Masada does historically as a stand by the Jews for their right to live in their own land. It also stands in opposition and argument to the modern push to get Israel to divide its land and give part of it away.

The living memorial of this kibbutz is a solitary tree that has stood throughout the life if this settlement, including the seeing of many defenders’ deaths as they stood for what they owned and what they believed in.

Even more beautiful were the living memorials to the efforts of these men and women; these are their beautiful and playful children.

From here, we traveled over into Bethlehem. It was interesting because we entered into Palestinian territory and therefore had to transfer both buses and drivers because the PA will not allow Jews into their territory. (I don’t understand why Palestinians can travel freely back and forth but Jews cannot … in their own land.) One beauty of this, however, was that our Palestinian guide was also a Christian and gave me great insight into the events and emotions of the tumultuous land.

We went into one of the Shepherds’ fields (behind the YMCA) where we spent some time in one of the caves. Abraham, our guide, shared with us the thoughts that the shepherds who received the announcement of the birth of Christ were probably watching the special sheep: the ones being prepared for the Passover sacrifice. This was a great perspective in relation to Christ’s incarnation.

Cheri also taught here regarding the truths of Bethlehem: the fact of its smallness and obscurity (as well as others) and how we could each expect Christ to use us no matter how insignificant we may feel. (I (J) love to hear my wife teach.)

Then we went shopping in a Palestinian Christian store where they specialized in olive carvings. We were able to pick up a small nativity piece which I think is very beautiful.

After transferring back to our normal bus, we headed over to a Jerusalem Prayer Center where we were all briefed in the political scene in Jerusalem and where we prayed for a couple of hours for the government, the land, and the people. This was an awesome time where I especially sensed the move of the Spirit in a Chinese pastor. I did not understand a word she said but I could tell she reached Heaven.

From here, we went over to the Knesset, the Israeli government center where we observed and revered the large menorah. I then led the pray for the peace of Jerusalem as we surrounded that menorah.

Finally, after a long day, we ate supper and called it a night. At this point in the trip we are on sensory overload,..,trying to take in sooo much in such a little amount of time. What I do know is that God is bringing new revelations to our hearts about Israel and the Jewish people that is forever changing us.

Israel- Day Six

2010-11-15T12:49:00.001-08:00

This morning we left the Dead Sea and headed for Jerusalem. I genuinely love the Dead Sea area and its exotic-ness but I dislike the one night at the hotel and then pack up and leave. But such is life.

Our first stop today was another of my favorites, Masada. I have realized that if you love God AND you love the Jewish roots of your faith, that you are apt to fall in love with His chosen people as well. So it is that we love the Jews and all things that cause us to be reminded of their heroism and destiny. The story of Masada is a beautiful (tragic) story of a group of people’s determination to die in freedom rather than live in slavery. Their story is beautifully told through the geography of Masada.

It was also cool that while we were visiting the ancient synagogue, some of our team had the privilege of witnessing a sofer as he was copying the Scriptures.

We also saw some very cool school kids who were visiting Masada as a field trip.

From there we headed to Ein Gedi, the oasis where Saul was chasing David and where David cut off a portion of Saul’s cloak. We had visited this place before as an archaeological dig but neither of us had witnessed the beauty of this desert oasis- including the wildlife, the acacia trees, and the spring … and yes, Cheri had to dip her toes in the spring of Ein Gedi.

Finally, we headed to Jerusalem and I could not have been more excited about our crowds response upon entering the city. They were ecstatic.

In Jerusalem, we visited the Temple Institute where I (disappointingly) did not get to take any pictures BUT we did get to learn a great amount about the temples past as well as the temple future. It is amazing when you begin to realize how much preparation has already gone into the Third Temple. Everything except the building of the Temple and the finding of the Ark of the Covenant is in place.

We then went to the Western Wall where we all got to pray and sense God’s Spirit. All of our people were in total thrill mode at getting to pray at the kotel, Judaism’s holiest place of prayer (because of its proximity to the site of the ancient Holy of Holies.) I know that many of them even tucked prayer notes in the wall for others to pray over.

We were also surrounded by soldiers as this day marked their vow/oath of allegiance to the nation of Israel … all in front of the Wailing Wall.

From here we headed to the Garden of Gethsemane where we meditated and prayed for the Jews. We also got to witness Ellis’ and Donna’s passion and history with/for this place. We were really proud of them.

Israel- Day Five

2010-11-14T11:57:00.001-08:00

Today, we have departed from the area of the Galilee. If you have been to Israel, you probably understand my sadness on a couple of levels. On the one hand, we have left the place of the early ministry and even childhood of Jesus Himself. Second, we have departed the “comfort zone” of the Gospel: that area where growing took place and, although sometimes confronted with argument and difficulty, the place where many of our familiar New Testament stories of healing and deliverance occurred. On a much more worldly level, however, we have also had to pack our bags in the area where we have slept for four nights and now move on to an area where we will be for ONE night- Arghhh!

We are south of the Galilee and have actually visited some of my (J) favorite archaeological places today.

Our first stop was Beit Shean, an ancient city that saw much occupation although none of it Hebrew occupation. Biblically, it figures in with the story of King Saul as this is the place where his head was displayed after it had been severed from his body. It was definitely a place of much occupation however because there is a huge Tel here (which I (J) climbed this time.) It was well worth the journey (although my hips and knees were throbbing afterwards.)

Atop the Tel was an ancient home of an Egyptian leader and, as fascinating as all of that was and is, the best part for me was found in seeing the recorded cylinder in that home and its recording of the name of King David. In this day of scoffers among the scholars who are telling the world that the Davidic and Solomonic reigns were Hebrew myths, evidences such as this one provide a little excitement (although such IS NOT necessary for my faith.)

Cheri wandered around the “spa” and theatre just sharing, viewing the ruins and sharing. It was a nice time.

Our next stop was one of my two all time-favorite non-religious Israeli stops and that was Qumran. Of course, this is the place of the initial finds of the Dead Sea Scrolls and good-old Cave 4 provided a great backdrop for teaching from Melva and me (J.) I taught briefly three things: 1) that it does take “mad-men” to follow God into such a desert wilderness as this. But 2) God mightily used those madmen and the desert’s harsh conditions to preserve His Word and to illustrate to the world His ability to faithfully preserve what He has inspired. He brought it back to us in His perfect timing. (In fact, I shared that the same God who inspired the writing of His Words preserved those words … and the same God who inspired the writing and the protection of those Words, inspires our reading and doing of those Words. Selah.)

3) I shared regarding the mikvahs that are found throughout the Qumran community. It is probable that John the Baptist had served there in Qumran (or at least among its residents.) These individuals practiced ritual cleansings (mikvaot) probably twice per day: each time as a cleansing before undertaking a holy deed. It then becomes important that John the Baptist then went to baptize (Mikvah- ritually cleanse) Jesus in order to “launch” His ministry. Now, baptism can be seen as a “launching of our next undertakings for Christ.”

Finally, I shared that we were truly standing upon Holy Ground itself because of the great preservation and launching that God had done … and for this people’s stand for righteousness.

We left Qumran and headed to our evening destination, Le Meriden on the Dead Sea. I am so exhausted, I simply want to take a shower, eat, and sleep … but we will see what happens while Cheri gets her well-needed and well-deserved spa treatment.

Israel- Day Four

2010-11-13T11:38:00.001-08:00

Today we celebrated Shabbat in Haifa, Israel with Ohalei Rachamim and Rabbi Eitan. Thankfully, we had headphones with translations in English as this service was conducted entirely in Hebrew. (I was even more thankful when I traded in my Russian translation headphones for English ones.)

Rabbi Eitan is a jewel of a man who grew up out of the 60s Hippy movement, came to Christ at the time, and eventually sensed the call to preach and surrendered. A lot of the congregation were Russian Jews who have received the revelations of who Jesus is and they follow Him. They are precious people.

Not only did we worship in Hebrew (and it was a wonderful time of worship!) and hear the Word translated but we also celebrated communion together. One of the most awesome times of communion we have experienced in quite some time. Many came for prayer in this service and God gave me a word of encouragement for Rabbi Eitan.

Shabbat is a gift from God to His people. A time to rest from our labors and the stresses of life, a time of worship, a time to hear from His Word and be reminded of His promises and His blessings, a time to fellowship with friends and a time to enjoy our family. I truly believe this is a practice that we as Gentile Christians should make a part of our weekly lives. We would be healthier, happier and more in tune with our God.

We then travelled to another Druze village where we (again) had falafel and Cheri had schnitzel in a pita. It was all marvelous and the vegetables surrounding it made it even better.

We travelled from there through some hill country and wound up in one of my favorite digs, Tel Megiddo. Much is to be seen here including marvelous city gates, stables, and a water system cut through the earth. Biblically, this Tel dates back to Solomon and Rehaboam (and even earlier.) Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we were unable to see most of it. (again thankfully, I had already been there and had seen most of it several years ago. Additionally, I am able to read updates about Tel Megiddo on a consistent basis.)

As we headed in for the night, we passed through Nazareth (which is a MUCH larger town than I expected.)

Our last stop for the evening was the church of the Wedding of Cana. I was deeply bothered there because of all of the obvious superstition that was rampant, including throwing money into some of the ancient ruins and being remarried in the church itself. As a surprise, each couple (who desired so) were treated to a renewal of vows and the gifting of roses to the wife. I additionally purchased a ketubah, a Jewish certificate of marriage, for our marriage.

Tomorrow we head out for the Dead Sea and Masada. I anxiously await this time.

Israel- Day Three

2010-11-12T12:37:00.001-08:00

Today I started my day by sitting out on the balcony at 5 AM, Bible and Journal in hand, and camera on tripod in order to observe one of the most incredible sun-rises I have ever seen. I caught it in a pretty much stop-motion fashion and, as beautiful as my pictures are, they in no way give justice to what I saw.

Then, after breakfast, we went north in Israel to see some of the sites of the Northern Kingdom.

Our first stop was Tel Dan which is both an ancient site from the time of Abraham where he had followed the captors of his people (from way down in southern Israel, around the southern end of the Dead Sea) and where he had given tithe to King Melchizidek … on to the time of King Jeroboam where he had set up strange altars to Yahweh and to foreign gods. It is actually very sad that the King had strayed so far away from the laws and plans of God … and they he drew the entire Northern Kingdom with him.

It is also sad that his chosen place of doing such acts was in the midst of such beauty. In fact, Tel Dan sits at one of the main source streams for the Jordan River and surrounding it is lush foliage including many figs and olives.

Our next destination was Caesarea Philippi/ Banias, where Peter uttered his famous profession, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” One of the incredible aspects of this site is that it was a huge cultic worship area. All along the face of the cliff are niches where sacred idols were placed and worshiped. Even more important, however, is the large cave where water emerges as it flows from various mountains. This cave was known as a “mouth” of Sheol and was thusly the site of many sacrifices, including animals and humans, in order to appease the gods. Because it was know as the “mouth of Sheol,” it also became known as “the gateway to Hell.”

Now place in perspective Christ’s words to Peter after his great confession … “and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” When those words were delivered in that physical context, the fruit would have to have been highly effectual.

This area, too, was very beautiful and the contrast between the ugliness and sinfulness of the worship there and the beauty both of God’s creation and of His recognition of inspired mankind’s confession was astounding. Added to that was the depth of Melva Lea Beecham’s teaching on the revelation of the Messiah to his chosen people through the prophetic words of the Old Testament prophets made this encounter and memorable and life-changing event.

From there, we travelled toward the Golan Heights where we saw the both the Lebanon and Syrian borders and were made aware of the need to Israel to keep the land for, if nothing else, self-preservation. Especially telling was our visit to Mount Bental which allowed us to see miles and miles into Lebanon and Syria.

Lunch time brought us to a Druze village where we again had falafel and a new item (for us), lebneh. It was a delightful experience and the Druze people were a wonderful people. They are an Arabic people who do not worship Allah, but also have a peculiar manner of practicing Judaism, Jethro-worship, and reincarnation. They are also fiercely loyal to Israel, even serving in the IDF military forces. (Cheri and I had our picture made with this beautiful Druze lady … whom I later embarrassed by kissing her on top of the head.)

We spent the rest of the day by travelling to a live Olive press and observing the mechanisms and fruit of such.

It made for a nice end of the day … until we saw this over the Sea of Galilee.

Finally, we all celebrated Shabbat together.

We ended the evening with a time of sharing among the group. There is not any way we could put into words on this blog the AWESOME, INCREDIBLE work God is doing in the hearts of every member of this team!

Israel- Day Two

2010-11-11T13:18:00.001-08:00

This day really could not have been any better. (BTW, it is amazing what a shower and a good night’s sleep can do for the body and mind.)

We woke up to an amazing view from our room looking directly out over the Sea of Galilee. The Jesus boats were already out and I this we counted five at one time.

After typical Israeli breakfast fare (including pickled fish, cheeses, bread, coffee, and juice) we left headed out for a Kibbutz housing the famed “Jesus boat” was located. This boat, found in the muck and mire of the Sea of Galilee, is scientifically dated as 2,000 years old and is of the type of boat used by fishermen of that time. In other words, Jesus may have actually used this boat at some time with His disciples.

From that point, our entire team sailed on the Sea of Galilee on a boat, all they while singing songs, praising the Lord, reading Scripture and praying for God’s people to come to know Jesus and to return to their home, Israel. Our blessing on this ride was the worship singing of our boat captain, a Messianic Jew.

Next stop was the area known as Peter of the Primacy where Peter is thought to have uttered many of his famous statements, including his discourse with Jesus regarding whether Peter loved Him or not.

We traveled from there to the fishing village of Capernaum, home of Peter’s mother and ancient city, including the remains of both that city and its synagogue (which is built on top of another synagogue that was probably visited and taught in by Jesus Himself. I especially enjoyed the old synagogue and its fascinating structure.

We then went back to the kibbutz where we enjoyed lunch and a little shopping. Again, Cheri and I had falafel and schwarma. Additionally, I had Turkish coffee which is tremendously strong and grainy (thus causing one to need to brush his teeth afterwards.)

After lunch we went the Church of the Beatitudes where Jesus preached and taught His Sermon on the Mount. Here Pastor Jerry, Pastor Chris, and I read the sermon on the Mount to our group. This was a great time of introspection as we each sought God’s particular word for us.

From there, we headed for the River Jordan where Pastor Jerry and I baptized 17 members (of our 23 member team.) this was an awe-filled moment for me as I participated with men and women who are my friends and as I saw the Holy Spirit strum the strings of their hearts.

We capped off the day with typical Israeli Dinner fare and a casual ten-minute stroll to Tiberius and a street bazaar there.

I was met with one thing that I did not particularly want to hear: God reminded me that it is not His desire for me to live in Israel; it is His desire for me to love His people, see the come into His Kingdom, and see them return to Israel.

Israel- Day One

2010-11-10T11:21:00.001-08:00

Wow. What a whirlwind. If I calculate correctly, Cheri and I have been up for 44+ hours straight without sleep. I know she caught a few winks on the plane but I simply could not. Yesterday (or whatever day it really was) we flew from Chicago O’Hare to Newark and from Newark to Tel Aviv Israel.

We are part of a great group with Pastors Jerry and Chris and Melva Lea Beacham leading us (plus our tour guide Naphtali Cohen and the bus driver).

Today, we visited Joppa, Caesarea Maritima, and Mount Carmel (as well as a local mall where we ate falafels and shwarma.)

Joppa is probably best known for two biblical stories: one being that of Jonah as he received his calling to Nineveh from God, and the other being Peter having the vision/dream on the top of the house with the sheet coming down. It is actually is a quaint little town with a lot of history and a lot of beauty. I think the greatest thing we positioned ourselves with here was the thought of Jonah running from his calling ; let us be mindful to follow ours.

Caesarea Maritima is one of these beautiful places that you wish you could have seen in its glory days. It was a home/port/center built along the Mediterranean Sea in upper Israel by King Herod. He built it in honor of the Caesar of that time. Seen on-site, it is a marvel of old buildings, statues, and other aspects of history. Seen from above, it is a marvel of Roman engineering as you can clearly see an outline of the former harbor as it now appears under the sea. This is the biblical place where, among other things, Paul was brought to produce testimony before Felix. I stood in awe at the coliseum, the hippodrome, the aqueduct, and the various buildings of antiquity. What did I take away from there spiritually? I’m not sure of anything per se but I do know that I was awed by the potential work of human hands.

We also visited Mount Carmel, which too, is well know for several things. It oversees the Jezreel/Megiddo valley and accordingly has witnessed many battles. It is most well-known, however, because it is the site of Elijah’s battle with the 850 prophets of Ba’al and the woods. Here we focused on being strong and trusting in God and His might … to really KNOW Him. I am challenged with that thought because I mentally know a lot of things about God … but I want to always be sure that knowledge is ALWAYS translated into an intimate knowledge and trust of Him.

Watch tomorrow for Day 2 updates.

Israel- The Night Before

2010-11-08T20:29:00.001-08:00

We are ready!

We have called all the kids and spoken with most of the grandkids too. We have even spoken with both of our mothers.

And we are ready to head out tomorrow AM for Israel.

Crystal said, “How is it that two people get to go on the trip of a lifetime twice.” My only answer is that it must be Jesus.

We hope to blog daily about this trip … and to share a few pictures.

If you know us and you know people who know us, pass this link along to them so that they to can know what’s going on and so they can pray for us too.

Tuesday is a day of travel so you probably won’t see too much from us though.

Keep the entire trip and team in prayer.

Jim & Cheri

June 2010 Vacation Day 1

2010-06-05T20:59:00.001-07:00

This has been a really great day. We got into SC early this AM and I was really tired BUT while I slept, Cheri, Crystal, and Isaac swam in the pool … so it was not a huge waste.

I go to see my mom, my aunt, and my brother and sister-in-law. Mom looked really good although her right leg was probably twice the size of the left. She stood a little and walked a little. It is clear that she is still deeply ill and, at her age, her recovery can be questionable.

But she is my mom and I love her dearly. It was really good to see her today.

Cheri’s mom looked good but her mind is really going. She wasn’t sure who I was, connected me with Crystal as husband and wife instead of father and daughter. I am not sure who she thought Isaac was but she sure enjoyed him.

Tomorrow, we are heading to church in Anderson, SC which should proved to be quite an experience.

Medellin Colombia April 2010- Final Post

2010-04-18T21:51:00.001-07:00

I guess a few closing thoughts are in order here … and I am sure I will have many more as days go by.

God has knit Cheri’s and my hearts with the people of Colombia. We have been to Bogota twice and to Medellin twice … plus Pastor Pedro has spoken to us about coming and ministering in some more Pastor’s Conference throughout the country (with the proposed next one being in Cartagena … which excites us to no end.)

We did not plan on falling in love with the people of Colombia but God had other thoughts … in fact, according to most in the US, we should be scared to be in Colombia … but, my goodness, we live in Chicago, a city was recently known as the murder capital of the US … and we lived in Detroit for several years. It’s not time to be getting scared now.

I said on several occasions that we love the beauty of the land of Colombia … and we love the beautiful birds of Colombia … and we love the flowers and the scenery of Colombia … but more than anything, we love the people of Colombia. We have been with some of the most hungry pastors that we know of from anywhere in the world.

And the congregations of the churches are no different … they too are extremely hungry.

Each of our preaching/teaching encounters witnessed the people "drawing” God’s anointing through us … we loved it and we can’t wait to go back.

Neither can we wait to hear the great things that God will continue to do through the ministries we sewed into this past several days/

And Cheri and I got to minister in power together … that is always so awesome to me. In fact, I am so glad God has placed the two of us together for these few, past 33 years. Cheri is an amazing speaker who carries a heavy anointing. She is well advanced beyond what she may think. I am proud to be her husband.

Anyway, we don’t have dates … but we have our vision set for our next journey to Colombia … probably to Cartagena.

I can’t wait to see what God has in store.

Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Nine- the return home

2010-04-18T21:40:00.001-07:00

Last days are always sad … but we did get to sleep in just a little. Our plan was to have breakfast, then meet with Pedro to debrief, then head to the airport. All went according plan … except Adam called real early to tell us that he had to run to the emergency room with his son … that would have left us with no interpreter … but he did make it back on time to work us through that.

Pedro settled the hotel account, and I paid for my laundry services, we loaded up, and then headed to the airport.

The trip there was pretty uneventful, although it was very nice to see even more of the beauty of Medellin.

We got to the airport. Adam helped us get our exit tax exemption (which you only pay if you have been in the country for more than 60 days) and then Pedro and Adam bid us farewell so that they could return to their daily duties. This was a sad departure because they have been our constant companions the whole time we have been here … especially Adam.

This is all great … except we find out we have a two hour delay leaving Medellin … which is going to make us miss our connection in Miami … which means American Airlines is going to put us up for the night and feed us in Miami. I have to admit that I am not too excited about this for fear of staying in a dumpy room AND I am ready to finish getting moved in to our new house in Chicago.

We all order lunch in Medellin (which was very interesting because the restaurant workers spoke NO English.) The question now becomes “do we speak enough Spanish to order food?” And the answer is “YES!!!” although it took a little trouble to do so. I had a salad, Cheri had a sandwich, and we split a Coke Zero.

The flight again is uneventful and we wind up in Miami. Again, as has been in all trips to Colombia, getting into the US is an absolute breeze.

We get our luggage and go to recheck, and find out that they have put us in a MAJORLY GORGEOUS hotel. This is a huge surprise. In fact, its kind of like God is really giving us favor … and the bed is soft and cuddly…yeah!!!

Cheri and I are so tired, we basically have a Coke and an appetizer plate and we call it a night. This ends part One of the two part exodus from Medellin.

We are very tired … but content.

2010-04-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

April 16

Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Eight (Last full day)

This has been an exhausting yet fulfilling final full day of ministry in Medellin Colombia. I started the day off by myself having breakfast (which simply consisted of watermelon, cantaloupe, rice and beans, and sausages accompanied by a simple glass of orange juice.

Doug was running late because he was trying to finish with the barrels he is staining for Mi Casa Azul (and he did finish and met us at the theater at 10:30.) Cheri is running late because … well, I don’t know why because, nonetheless, she is running a little late and asks me to bring her a bottle of water and a couple of bread rolls for the journey.

Adam and Pedro meet us on time and Cheri and I head to the theater to present our final messages to the local pastors.

We have been thrilled with the response we have gotten from all of them; this is a fine group of pastors who really seem hungry for God and who seem to want true unity among themselves.

After a brief time of praise and worship, I spoke the first half of my message regarding the rebuilding of the temple by Ezra and Nehemiah … and I related it to stewardship and integrity. (I am not sure how I came up with that other than to say that it was purely the Holy Spirit.) After an hour, I was exhausted and gave everyone a 15 minute break. (The truth is that I had a sinus headache all day long and it just simply did not seem to want to go away. This greatly affected my ability to focus yet I think that the message came across very well [in spite of the pain.]) When we came back, I finished this almost 2 hour long message and was met with great acceptance to the challenges I presented. In fact, there were pastors in this meeting publicly asking other pastors if they could help them by supplying them with teachers and worship leaders. I was overwhelmed by these responses … as well as the ones to commit to one another to trust one another and to continue to recognize the need for one another.

Cheri then wrapped up the meetings with her encouraging words to submit to God’s process(es) so that proper and healthy growth could come according to God’s plan and purpose. It was wonderful that she and I prepared our messages independent of one another and yet our primary focus scriptures were identical. She gave her illustration of a mariposa that comes out of the cocoon too soon and lives out its existence malformed because it had not allowed the development process to come to completion. She then compared this with pastors that want too much too quickly.

When we prayed over the pastors, Pastor Pedro took a few comments from the pastors and they were all overwhelmingly positive and showed signs that the messages had been received and that the challenges would be received as well.

I made sure that Cheri and I got our pictures made with one of the secretaries. She is a beautiful native Amer-Indian woman named Elis who is a prayer warrior. She seemed delighted to have her picture made with us and I am delighted because she is the epitome (in my mind) of what a Colombian looks like.

We then had lunch where I had a grilled cerdo, a pile of brown rice, and an ensalada accompanied by a glass of jugo de lulo. Cheri and I then changed shoes and sent our backpacks to the car with Adam. We then went to a pay toilet. I have to admit that this is somewhat of a novelty to me so I had to go just for the novelty. Of course, the package of individual toilet paper that we were each given was an added bonus. Boy, I must really live a sheltered life to be amused by such.

We then embarked upon the Metra system where we got to see most of Medellin. It was heart breaking to be standing on the staging area and see a homeless man below rifling through the garbage can and taking drinks out of cups that he found there. Then, while riding the Metra beside the Medellin River, we saw shacks that homeless individuals and families had set up from the nearby garbage. (Oh Lord, continue to break my heart.)

I did get to see an iguana sitting on the concrete shoulders of the river bank. Although I was too far away to accurately tell his size, I can imagine that he was 3-4 feet long. That was kind of cool although we have seen iguanas out in the wild in parts of the Caribbean.

As part of our Metra tour, we also took the cable car Metra that goes on the south side of Medellin up through and over the mountains. There were some spectacular and awesome sights on this part of the tour. For instance, we saw the homes of the very rich as well as the shacks of the poor. The mountains are beautiful in and of themselves but the colors that people painted their houses made the tour even more stunning. ( I really can’t imagine how these people got to town and back prior to the Metra cable system.

We then went to the local Exito store (which is like a Colombian Wal-mart) where we bought some candy to take home as well as some pain medicine for our hips and knees.

We then went to Pastor Pedro and Mabel’s home where a beautiful and lovingly prepared supper awaited us. Again, they made us feel “at home.” We have come to love the Hernandez family and even took the time to bless their son, Alejandro, who was in bed battling Dengue Fever. We also blessed them and their home for their Colombian hospitality. Of course, being the gracious hosts they are, they also blessed us.

We then came back to the hotel where we both are sitting with our computers in our laps as we type up notes from the day and answer e-mails.

Then, a knock comes to our door and we open it to find Erika and her husband, Ellery, who are here to tell us “Chao” and to give us “Mi Casa Azul” ornaments to take back home and raise funds for Palabra Pan y Paz.

We love our Colombian families and we are already dreaming of our return trip here. We, in fact, have already been invited to speak in several local churches and in their youth groups. We actually hope to do another pastor’s seminar like the one we have just completed; but this time in Cartagena.

Hopefully, tomorrow I will have time to give some closing thoughts to this trip as we fly back into Chicago.

Until then, know that this has been one awesome time in Medellin, Colombia

2010-04-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

April 15

Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Seven

There are now words to adequately express our feeling for this day. I guess to start, however, I might try “phenomenal,” “Extraordinary,” or “WOW!!!”

Of course we started the day off with breakfast which consisted of a cup of cafe con leche, a glass of orange juice, some sausage, and some beans and rice.

Then, Cheri, Doug, and I headed to the Foursquare Church's sanctuary in the former cinema downtown for round two of our three days of Pastors’ Conferences. After having gotten off to a good start yesterday, the crowd more than tripled today with about 150 in attendance. While more were expected, I must say that this was one hungry and responsive group of pastors and wives. What is truly wonderful is that Cheri and I are ministering to them regarding integrity and ethics … and they are eating this stuff up. What else is really cool is that these men and women are just from Medellin and the surrounding area … and they are seeking unity and anointing for their city and for the Kingdom of God.

I spoke in the first session regarding the importance of trusting the Holy Spirit in our defense of the Gospel … that we should prepare and that we should know of that which we speak … but that we must allow for the power of the Holy Spirit to guide us and to speak through us.

The second session, I also spoke regarding “What Kind of King are You” as I unveiled three biblical Kings, Saul, David, and Absalom, then presented characteristics of each, then challenged the pastors to see which traits of these kings most closely resembled those personal traits of their own. It was a very moving time together as these men and women were deeply challenged and were noticeably moved with introspection and repentance.

After a brief break, Cheri spoke regarding “10 things Pastors’ wives most need from their husbands.” She started off with a brief game similar to the Newlywed Game and immediately gained the attention of her audience by doing so. Again, many were deeply challenged and even asked for copies of her notes and for tapes so that they could share with their congregations in a modified form.

The last session witnessed me teaching this congregation regarding the power and necessity of personal forgiveness. One of my main thrusts was that while forgiveness DOES liberate the one whom we are forgiving, it even more so liberates us who are the forgivers. The challenge went forth to the pastors that they needed to have a place for forgiveness in the own hearts, perhaps even toward another pastor in the room. A great move took place as that very thing took place before our very eyes.

I think that I am most amazed at the receptivity of our audiences. They are simply soaking in everything we are saying. While I take great joy in that fact, I also am deeply challenged with the importance of delivering the pure Word of God to them.

After these sessions, we all gathered in the lobby and had great fellowship. It was wonderful to be there with our friends from Palabra, Pan, y Paz as they had opportunity to share their new project at Mi Casa Azul with all of these pastors.

We then went to a restaurant which specializes in Columbian Coastal Cuisine. I am not sure what kind of fish I had but it was absolutely delicious. (And yes, it still had the head and the eyes on it. Hopefully as I update these blogs a little when we get home, I will post a picture of my fish.) We also had this delicious coconut rice and a smashed banana-bread mixture called a patacone. And of course, the ensalada was fantastic as well as it featured finely cut greens and cantaloupe, papaya, and other fruits. This was all accompanied by a wonderful glass of guanabana con leche and cafe con leche.

Here we ate with the Medellin board of Christ for the City International. We loved seeing their spirits and witnessing their welcome. WE were made to feel at home. In fact, Pastor Pedro shared his dessert with me. He will never know the significance of that to me BUT, at home, only family shares food together (and yes, I mean eating after one another.) And when Pedro shared his dessert with me, I felt like family. I was awed.

We rested on this hot afternoon in our hotel room for a couple of hours as we also prepared for service tonight.

And this is where it really got good.

The church was a Centre de Fey in Ballo and was awesome. There must have been close to 1,000 people in attendance. (In fact, it was really hard to tell because the congregation poured out into the streets and people were standing all over the place … so I am suggesting 1,000 in the building and I have no idea how many were standing outside and listening.) I do know that there were people taking pictures of Cheri and me and that some were standing and recording us on their cell phones and cameras. Wow, there was such an awesome hunger for God’s Word. I spoke in Offering our Talents back to God and using them for His service and you again could physically see that hunger, the challenge, and the acceptance among the people. In fact, I was amazed at how many came to me afterwards and, in their broken English and in Spanish were telling me how this message was just for them. Another WOW moment was when more than 80 people gave their lives to Christ tonight. I gave the altar call and led them in a sinner’s prayer, and then turned them over the the pastor who prayed with them and sent them to a follow-up room with counselors. WOW.

But perhaps even more WOWing to me was the overflow into the streets of this congregation. You literally could not drive a car through the streets after church because the people were partying and singing the praises of God IN THE STREETS of Ballo. It was awesome. And they all had to have their picture made with these white people. Even little girls would come up to Cheri and me just to touch us, have us pray for them, and to kiss them on the cheek (and them kiss us.) I don’t know when I last felt so loved.

I reminded the congregation … and I reminded myself: we love Colombia. We love the land; we love the flora, and we love the fauna … but most of all, we love the people. This was an awesome night and we are overjoyed at what we have seen God do.

2010-04-13T20:48:00.001-07:00

April 14
Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Six
Today included a full morning of teaching ministry for Cheri and me. We started of with a quick bite of breakfast because the laundry services did not iron my clothes in time; that meant that I had to ironed a very wrinkled shirt and pair of pants to wear today. So after grabbing our quick bite of beans and rice and sausage as well as a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice, we headed out at 8:10 for the firs day of our Pastors’ Conference. It was held downtown in a former theatre that the Foursquare church uses weekly for their sanctuary. Here were men and women for all different denominations coming together to learn how they can be in unity and to learn how they can be better pastors.

I spoke first regarding a foundation of Covenant with God and with one another. My goal was to provide some foundational teaching to set the pace of good ministerial ethics and good familial ethics.

Cheri then came up after a brief break to minister of returning to one’s first love. She expressed the dangers of ministry as a pastor can become so involved in the work of the ministry that s/he neglects private, personal devotion and familial devotion.

I then came back up and completed the session regarding the God of Covenant. Some of the applicable subjects included the benefits of walking in covenant/ the curses of walking outside of covenant, the Holy Spirit who helps us in our infirmities and weaknesses, as well as the mutual need for one another among the Body of Christ.

Tomorrow should be a much larger group as many could not attend today because of prior ministerial commitments.

The rest of the day was very quiet for us: we went and had lunch and then took a much needed nap. (This heat and humidity is zapping our strength on a daily basis.)

One interesting side note for today: Our house in Sylvania, OH is no longer ours; we closed on it today via POA with my daughter Crystal acting as our attorney. This caused a little emotion because this was the first home we ever owned. However, we fully realize that we have fully closed one important chapter in the book of our lives … only to open a new chapter. For this, we are so thankful for our CLC family in the Chicago area.

Also, I spoke with my Mom today as she is recovering from a near death experience of surgery and mis-administration of medicines. She is now in a physical rehab center in Anderson SC where she is building up her strength and getting better every day … in fact, I can hear a renewed strength in her voice.

Tonight we went out with Pedro, Adam, Libia, and David (seen below) and had what is purported to be Medellin’s best hamburger … it was great as was the hotdog (which instead of chili or peppers had crumpled potato sticks across the top.)
We are now in the room preparing for three teaching sessions with the pastors as well as a Wednesday evening service tomorrow night. God always has a right now word for His people.

2010-04-12T20:02:00.001-07:00

April 13
Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Five
Today has been a wonderful relaxing day for Cheri and me; unfortunately, it has been a day of hard work for Doug. He has begun the process of building wooden banks for the moms up at La Cruz to “finish” so that they can begin earning some additional monies. I think he has hit a few frustration points with such things as “soft” wood and unfamiliar tools … yet, he continues to trust God for all of his needs.

Today was a tour day for Cheri and me as we met with Pastor Pedro and Mabel Hernandez, Pastor Pedro and Marlena and Elizabeth Soto, and Adam and headed outside of Medellin through Guarne, Penol, and Guatape where we saw the Piedra del Penol and where we ate in a beautiful little village the in some ways is similar to every other little pueblo in Colombia with its central park, central church, and surrounding shops. What was different about it was the fact that all of the homes and shops in the village painted square designs all throughout their village on the outside of their buildings. It is a beautiful place.

We ate lunch at a great little restaurant where I had smothered trucha and chicharonnes with jugo de guanabana con leche. Cheri had their beef flank. The food was delicious but the company and atmosphere was even better.

One unusual feature: Both the restaurant and the restaurant at Piedra del Penol had men’s restrooms that everyone and their brother could see what you were doing. It was a urinal inside a short wall and covered by a swinging door. You could see the man’s legs from the knees down and you could see his upper body from the mid chest up … for all the world to see … and the restaurant in town did not even have the swinging door … just the short wall. Well, the old adage is: “When is Rome, do as the Romans.” I guess the same thing applies in this situation. FLUSHHHHHHH!

There was not a whole lot of ministry for us today other than the simple encouragement of a YWAM missionary (Elizabeth) who is preparing to go back to Switzerland to further pursue her dream of media for Christ.

Well. it’s time to log off for now. I must prepare for tomorrow’s conference.

Ciao!

2010-04-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

April 12
Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Four
What an absolutely outstanding day.

I began early by getting up for breakfast at 6 AM, (which btw was huevos, sausages, frutas, jugo de naranja, and cafe con leche.)

Adam picked up Doug and me for the 7 AM service at Centro de Fe y Esperanza de Pedregal. I was to preach in all three services and they are each about 2 hours.

First service had around 1,000 people and they were very interested in the Word that I preached. Their worship was somewhat laid back but I found out later that this was intentional in order to NOT disturb the neighborhood too much that early in the AM. Nonetheless, the worship was very good and very intimate … very enjoyable and engaging. Again, the Word from 1 Peter 2:9-12 was received very well and about 1/2 of the audience responded to the altar call.

The pastors ushered us to a Green Room for frutas and jugos afterward (and these were very much welcomed.) Cheri, Pedro, and Mabel came in at this time. And then we were ready for service number two at 9 AM.

Again, there were about 1,000 people (different) and they all warmly received Cheri’s greeting and exhortation. They also laughed when I sat down while she greeted everyone (as if I was going to let her have the whole service … which I would have if she had felt that she had the Word.)

Again, the Word was well received and a great response was given to the altar call again … this time about 250-300.

Afterwards, we had women who wanted to receive a special word, young girls who wanted us to sign their Bibles and others who simply wanted to greet the US pastors. Of course, Cheri and I were overwhelmed by all the attention.

Again we retreated to the Green Room (which they moved down two flights of stairs so we did not have to climb the spiral staircases. Here we met the ailing Senior Pastor and prayed for him.

Now we have moved to the third service which started at 11 AM. Worship was very lively as was that of the 2nd service. We knew most of the songs and it was wonderful to see them on the overhead and to sing them in Spanish. (Our Spanish is definitely getting better … maybe we are on a second grade level by now. I have learned that I can get around and order food with the sparse amount of Spanish I know.) Service once again ran about 1,000 people and the Word was well received. The congregation, Adam (My interpreter) and I all started getting hot about 12:20 and I knew it was time to wind service down before I lost too many people. Heat can be tolerated only so long. The altar call was very different as I think I was distracted by the heat and the weariness … yet we had a great prayer time at the end of service.

Again, I was really proud of my wife as she faithfully ministered words of encouragement.

We left the church after being again overwhelmed by those wanting to acknowledge us.

We love the food in Colombia; we love the animals and the plants in Colombia … but most of all, we love the people of Colombia. We were not disappointed today.

We then went as a large group to Crepes and Waffles where I had a simple Banana and Chocolate Crepe with a cafe latte con vainilla. It was marvelous. We also ate with both Pastor’s Pedro as well as two other pastors and their wives. We were especially delighted to sit with Elizabeth Soto, one of the Pastor’s daughters who is a missionary and speaks very good English.

We then came home … took a nap … ate supper here at the hotel (where I had some type of smothered steak and a glass of lulu [which was deliciosa.])

It now is near bedtime, I have turned on TV for the first time since being here, Cheri is ironing, and I am about to turn off TV in order to prepare for the pastors’ convention which begins Tuesday.

Adios. Hasta Manana.

2010-04-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

Blog

April 11
Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Three
Today was a fabulous day as we started out together with a brief breakfast and as Doug and I got to talk about some personal issues. We knew today would be special so we ate our usual huevos, sausages, orozo y frijoles, and on accompanied by a glass of jugo de naranja and cafe con leche.

Then we loaded up and headed to the offices of Christ for the City International- Medellin where we would meet more of our team and load up the bus to head to La Cruz to minister to the mothers and children … as well as the workers of palabra pan y pez.

La Cruz is located WAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY up in the Andes Mountains overlooking Medellin and is among the poorest of the poor of all of Colombia. Cheri and I have adopted some new heroes among these volunteers who take their own time and their own monies to minister to the wonderful individuals. They are truly our super heroes and I want to cheer them on and accompany them every step of the way.

Of course, the journey there was up a steep one-way road (on which we had to back our bus up when we met on on-coming downward descending bus. As we reached the top of the trail, we then had to walk further up a steeper trail. But it was worth it as we encountered many of the 500+ children as they were being taught by local volunteers. Without desiring to interrupt their normal teaching, we greet the volunteers and further ascended the trail to visit Mi Casa Azul and to visit the future Mi Casa Azul. Because our team was decimated by the pull out of some of the carpenters, the Blue House project was put on hold … but God knew what He was doing because an opportunity has arisen to purchase the house beside the current Mi Casa Azul for a trade of the current building and approximately $4,700 US. So we took the tour and took many pictures.

We then went to the current Mi Casa Azul for the purpose of greeting and encouraging the volunteers there for about an hour. Cheri, Doug, and I all three brought words of “well done” and “Keep steady the course” to these heroes. All of us were in tears as God moved among us.

We had to break quickly because there was a service that had to take place among the mothers there. It was marvelous as Cheri was able to bring the Word of God to about 100 mothers. She ministered wonderfully concerning their beauty and destiny. She spoke well of the mariposa and how God used often difficult situations to bring that butterfly to maturity and destiny. She then encouraged the ladies to daily look in the mirror and to tell that image looking back at them how they were fearfully and wonderfully made. A humorous moment occurred when Cheri was having her audience repeat words after her … and her translator got confused and was having the ladies repeat in English. All chuckled for the moment. Afterwards, Pastor Mabel told the ladies and Cheri that they had just heard a word form God that was a right on word for a right now moment. Of course I was very proud of my wife as she was faithful to minister His Word.

We left all of these heroes with many giant hugs and kisses and look forward to being with them again in the not too distant future.

For lunch, I had a grilled pollo breast, Coke Zero, ensalada, and papas de francesa.

WE rested for a bit and then went to a local church youth service where there were around 1,000 in attendance. It was loud. It was rowdy … and we all loved it. I am not sure how many youth gave their hearts to Christ but there were easily 75-100.

WE then met back up with Doug and headed to Adam’s home where we had some delicious pasta and Ginger Ale gaseosa with his family including little 19 month old David who was the entertainment for the evening.

Now we are back at the hotel where I am preparing to preach three morning service (7, 9, and 11) and again, waiting to see what God is going to do.

2010-04-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

April 10
Medellin Colombia April 2010 Day Two
Today has been a marvelous day.

On the one hand, it has not seemed as if we have done a lot on ministry today … but on the other hand, I am well aware of much that HAS taken place (and probably unaware of other things that have happened.)

Cheri, Doug, and I met with Pastor Pedro, Mabel, and Adam this morning for a brief (2 hours long) Orientation Meeting.

{Now I do need to stop here for a moment. Doug says that I always feature in my missions blogs the foods I have eaten for the day. Not wanting to break that habit, I do want to include that for breakfast, I had huevos, sausage, ham y queso accompanied by cafe con leche y jugo de sandia. Now, back to the other important stuff … }

At this meeting, we were briefed on the plans for the next several days. There was a visible disappointment in Doug’s face as we discovered that we would be unable to do physical labor at Mi Casa Azul … but that was quickly taken care of when Pastor Pedro announced to us that Mi Casa Azul was being used for leverage in order to purchase a newer and larger (almost twice the size) blue house for the ministry purposes. With the leverage, this newer, larger house is only going to cost the ministry foundation about $4,700 USD. So a little bit of excitement ensued as I told Pastor Pedro that we had brought $1,000 USD with us for the Blue House project.

We left that meeting to have lunch with the foundation board members of Palabra, Pan, y Pez who are those who work directly with the Mi Casa Azul project there in La Cruz. Erika and Margarita were visibly moved when I presented the $1,000 US to them. They realized that I had basically 1/5 of the project purchase monies that they needed. They were in tears … which brought us to tears as we witnessed these two beautiful women’s love and devotion for these children and mothers in La Cruz.

Cheri will be teaching these mothers of La Cruz tomorrow morning and I cannot wait to see what God does in and through her. I do know that Pastor Mabel is giving up her time with the moms because she so much feels what Cheri is to give.

{OK, time for a food break here … for lunch I had jugo de guanabana con leche and the famous local lunch plate, bandeja paisa, which has quickly become one of my favorite plates. (I know that I can never fully become “paisa” here , but it doesn’t hurt to try to as much as possible … I love these people.) I finished up this meal with a cup of cafe negro … Mmmmmmm good!}

Doug was also visibly moved in this meeting because he saw the ladies’ hearts for La Cruz and the children and moms there. He was also deeply moved … to the point of being choked up and almost in tears … in fact he couldn’t eat all of his lunch … because God revealed a new purpose for Doug to be here … it, in part, is to do some manual labor with woodwork in order to help funds for Mi Casa Azul and Palabra Pan y Pez. (Doug was also moved as he felt led to give his lunch to a local homeless person and found one immediately outside the door to the restaurant.)

I will have to say that it was with some difficulty that I had to tell the ladies why our team was so diminished from what we had originally planned (That’s two school groups and a group of carpenters who backed out because of perceived danger levels.) But by the same token, we all realized … sitting right there around the table … that God’s plans are much greater than ours and that He had a different idea all along. Wow.

Erika shared with us the committees ideas to raise monies for Mi Casa Azul project and we all began to realize that this was something we all could wrap our hearts and hands around … even involving children … because they could participate for as little as fifty cents each.)

After this profound meeting, we all came to our rooms for a bit. Doug went to login to the hotel computer, I laid across the bed to pray about Sunday's services, and Cheri went and had a Colombian pedicure/manicure … and yes, I did make fun of her because I really didn’t know how that would go … she speaks no Spanish and the ladies caring for her spoke no English … but all went very well and she came back with beautiful hands and beautiful feet. Shame on me … but God has blessed me with a beautiful wife.

Now for the wrap up. We were picked up for supper by Raphael who took us to meet Pastor Pedro. We ate at one of my favorite Colombian restaurants, Crepes and Waffles where I had jugo de fresa and some camarónes con rojo curry. Then Cheri and I split an ice cream sundae with Caramel, Pedro shared his passion fruit sundae with me, and Raphael shared his tiramisu ice cream with me. ( I am REALLY going to have to work on this weight thing when we get back home.) And of course, I had some more wonderful Colombian cafe, this time as cafe latte con vainilla, What an excellent night.

Tomorrow’s clothes are ironed, I am getting prayed up, and words are coming to our hearts as we prepare for ministry tomorrow morning in La Cruz and for the possibility of speaking at a youth service tomorrow afternoon … then three services Sunday AM.

2010-04-08T21:43:00.001-07:00

Medellin Colombia 2010 Day One
Wow, the events leading up to this date have been phenomenal (and some of them difficult.) And because of that, Cheri and I are fully confident that God is up to something wonderful.

Just to bring you up to speed, we have been planning this excursion pretty much since we were here last August (2009) because we fell in love with the people and with the ministries here. In that planning process, there have been many evolutions, glitches, praises, obstacles, and victories.

We have seen our team change drastically as initially we were hosting a group of High School students with us, which quickly dropped out when parents began to realize that this trip might me dangerous. Then, another group of high school teens fell through the same “danger” cracks (which totally amazes me … I mean, hey … we DO live in the Chicagoland area … you know the one that a few years ago was known as the murder capital of the world. I want preach that message but I have lived in Detroit (where I also currently teach) and I do live in Chicago and I dearly love both of those places … and yes, they can be dangerous … yet so can Ashland OH if you go into the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, I feel perfectly secure in God’s arms here in Medellin … as I do when I am in Chicago and Detroit, and Ashland, and Toledo and … well, you get the picture.

We also had a group of carpenters and contractors drop out when their wives caught wind of the possible dangers of being here. But you know what, God DOES KNOW what He is doing and whom He is assembling for these tasks.

And the time leading up to this. Wow, it would have been easy to stop and consider not coming becasue of the intense hours that have taken place in the past two weeks (including moving, preparing, having a mom (whom I love dearly) in the hospital … at death’s door.

Yet here we are … and I know God is up to something good.

There are three of us: Cheri, Doug Bell, and me. We arrived here in Medellin early this afternoon and we were warmly greeted by Adam Cabeen, Pastor Pedro, and Pastor Pedro. (I love it: One Pastor Pedro told us this: Remember, you can always tell us apart: I’m black and he’s not.) These men are truly brothers.

Adam will be our interpreter for the journey and I will be preaching/teaching at least 13 sessions/sermons here … as well as all the other tasks we will perform but God is so good.

When Adam isn’t with us, we are having to use or (very) limited Spanish, including using our electronic translators and hand gestures … but so far today, we have been able to refresh with snacks (empanadas, guanabana juice (con leche), gatorade, agua, cafe con leche, coca cola, robalo (which was delicious) with salada, papas de francesa, baby beef, and the absolutely most delicious creme of mushroom (championones) soup I have ever put in my mouth. And we did most of this on our own with our Spanish (limited) and our waiter’s English (non-existent.) We also got him to put all of this on our room bill. (I am beeming with pleasure right now … I wonder if we will wake up in the morning and realize we just put everyone’s food tab on our room bill …hmmmn.

Anyway, It is time for a wonderful night’s sleep so that we can be rested for orientation tomorrow.

2010-02-28T23:50:00.001-08:00

I am awake at 5 AM (Honolulu time) and read a little and then decide to go out and walk along the beach for a bit. Of course, I have my Pentax in hand. There are already people out surfing and doing this unusual (to me) thing where they stand in a broad boat and then paddle it. It is very interesting to watch as is the surfing.

I am very interested in the birds around here. There are many pigeons and most of them are white as a base color. I am not here to “bird watch” but I did snap a few pics of these beautiful birds.

Also, Diamond Head volcano is so beautiful from here and I have been able to get quite a few pics of it although this AM it is a little misty/rainy. You know, that may actually work for me photographic good though.

We went to a beachside service today but also enjoyed a service from our church back in Chicago via streaming video. The beachside service featured a mix of worship and hula. The worship leader wore long hair, shorts, and barefeet. The pastor was neatly dressed (and barefoot.) It was a good message but the music was WAY laid back. (You can probably tell that I am writing much of this throughout the day as we experience some of the things; that’s just my way of trying to remain fresh with what we experience.)

I also spent a little time of relaxation this AM reading about Egyptian King Tutankhamen. Although my read in fiction, it is based upon historical data. It is very relaxing.

For lunch, we went down to the Tropics Bar and Grille where Cheri had a pulled pork sandwich and I had a salad with Ahi Tuna and a bowl of unique tomato soup. (I don’t think I’ve ever seen a $5 glass of tea before.)

The day at the poolside was really nice as Cheri and I sat out there for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I was mostly people watching today but I was totally fascinated at this gentleman who was learning to “stand up Paddle”. He was clearly doing this for the first time but he had a tenacity that I absolutely loved. He would not accept defeat; instead, he would fall off and get right back up again. I was impressed. When he made it around the lagoon the first time, I wanted to stand up and cheer for him.

Tonight is the luau and we are excited about it. In fact, this was a highlight (OK we’ve only been here two days and one of those was locked up awaiting the tsunami.) But it was good. The food was good, especially the ahi tuna sashimi. (And I hope that pina colada was virgin … it tasted so but I DID NOT see it get mixed up.)

The show was incredible with beautiful women and extremely handsome (and built) men. (I used to be built like that … but then I woke up and realized reality.) They twirled fire, shook hips and just did an incredible job in their particular arts. I was well please.

Also, we three different leis today … one of orchids, one of some kind of nuts, and one of sea shells.

I think it was an incredible day.

2010-02-27T22:18:00.000-08:00

What an exciting day. We arrived in Honolulu around midnight, got to the room and I am sure it was at least 2 AM before we got settled in bed … no problem because we had decided to sleep in late to help from having jetlag. Fat chance. Instead, the alarm went off at 6 AM … but I didn’t set an alarm clock, and it would NOT shut off. What is this all about. Then, I get a message from my daughter Amber saying, are ya’ll getting the Tsunami warnings yet? What Tsunami warnings. I turn on TV and the internet and find out that Chile has just suffered an 8,8 earthquake and that Tsunami warnings are out all over the Pacific Rim … including Honolulu. Then we start getting announcements that the Tsunami WILL hit Oahu around 11:37 AM and that we are to stay put above the 3rd floor of our complex. (We are on the 21st floor.)

All the roads were soon deserted as people fled to higher ground. Our complex sits overlooking a marina and many of the boats left to head at least two miles out. (Apparently they were safe out that far.) By 11:00 AM, even safety personnel were evacuated. … and warnings were sounding off on the hour. (Oh yeah, the siren is directly below our hotel in plain view … boy was it loud.)

Even Pearl Harbor evacuated 6 navy ships.

We prayed, communicated briefly via cell phone, texting, and face book. We didn’t do too much because the alert systems were telling everyone to be brief so that communications channels/bandwidth would be open for safety reasons.

Because we had just gotten in, we had nothing … except a bottle of water, and bag of candy, and a bag of popcorn we had brought with us.

So this is what we looked like: Cheri and I are sitting out on the deck with our water, candy, popcorn, 2 cameras, video camera, binoculars, and ipod/radio. The roads are silent. We have drawn water in every available container in the apartment including the tub, and both sinks. We did not know if we would have electricity or running water so we wanted to be prepared.

We contacted close family and close church family and let them know we were OK and that God was with us.

Friends were constantly checking in via texts.

We never did receive the big stuff that was headed our way. We did see a really strange phenomenon where the water would go out (like low tide) and then surge back in but there was never any danger shown to us.

I did know if God diverted it according to our requests or what.

I do know that God was with us and Cheri and I were prepared to help anyone we could however we cold when this thing hit.

Somehow, that never had to happen.

So we did what Jesus would do in a good storm … we slept.

Only to wake up to 4 (count the … FOUR) more warnings followed by announcements to the effect of “This is a false alarm … you do not have to leave the area.” Yeah, thanks a lot for those.

Anyway, we have made another memory. I’m sorry my mom had to worry about us through all of this … but I am told that’s what moms do.

God is good … all the time … and all the time … God is good.

2010-01-18T19:17:00.001-08:00

January 19

Bogota- Day 6

We are now facing our last day here in Bogota.

We knew it was going to be a rushed day but had no idea how rushed.

One lady wanted to take us out because I had brought her son into the US to go to school. She was to meet us at 9:30 after a 9 AM breakfast of cafe, juice of some origin I do not remember, huevos, pan y kiwi and papaya. Breakfast was delayed by 15 minutes, and she, too, was delayed by 15 minutes.

Then we got in a taxi and headed for the Bogota museum of Gold. (Note to self- Jim, you do not fit in Bogota taxis … just deal with it.) Come to find out, the taxi driver did not know where the museum of gold was located and ended up dropping us off at the national museum … where we went Tuesday.

So we had to take another taxi to the museum of gold. What was really fascinating is how proud the Colombian people are of their heritage. This lady, and another with her, proudly showed us artifacts of their heritage, even taking the time to explain much of it to us. Even when watching them, you could tell they were very proud of their heritage.

We needed to be back at the house by 11:30 so we could be at the airport on time. We were actually purchasing souvenirs at 11:30, or should I say they were purchasing souvenirs were being purchased for us. correspondingly, we left the house at the same time we were to be in the airport.

Well, lunch was not to be on this day, because they set up another security check inside the gate. Still, the exit from the country was relatively smooth; we still had God’s favor on us.

We had a smooth ride into Ft. Lauderdale but then it got chaotic. Our luggage was the last off the plane, we were the last to go through customs, and then, we had some serious security checks, including both of us having to go through the line twice and Cheri even a third time. I am not sure what the full deal was, we were well-experienced at this. I guess God was examining our patience. (I failed again.)

We refused to run to the gate becasue I am simply getting to old to run through airports anymore. As we approached the gate, the anouncer was proclaiming “this is the last and final call for flight 400 to Chicago O’Hare. Cheri and I almost missed it.

Funny, we were 49 minutes early getting into Colombia.

That concludes our trip; it was simply fabulous.

I cannot come close to describing what all God did in us and through us in this journey.

But I can’t wait to do it again.

2010-01-17T20:36:00.000-08:00

As I posted last, we got a one hour reprieve in that this day will begin one hour later … and the sleep was much needed and desired.

Breakfast began with a huge plate of mandarina and papaya … way more than we needed. Then there was Colombian chocolat, which is not one of my favorites because it seems a little thin/weak. There was also a glass of some wonderful juice and I really wish I remembered the name of it because it was incredible. I thought that was it and that we were through … then they brought around tamale which in Bogota is wrapped in Banana leaves and contains corn meal, meats (chicken and pork for this one) and lots of vegetables. I was made to understand that this type of tamale was particular to this local area and that they differ all throughout Bogota.

I go to spend some time with the school’s English teach and we had a great conversation; he basically asked me to teach him some things and because of my love for languages, I was delighted. (BTW, I even had to help our interpreters a couple of times with their Spanish vocabulary not because I know Spanish, which I don’t (Yo hablo Espanol une poquito)… but because I know Latin … which I do.

Session 5 was about to begin and I was ready for it. I was first able to share with these teachers regarding how to deal with post-modernism on their teaching situations. This was not planned but was one of the recurring questions that was prevalent throughout individual discussions throughout the day before and this particular morning. (I used this time to encourage these teachers NOT to despair about their students desiring to take away all of the foundations, but rather to tell their own personal stories. It is true that part of post-modernism is the concept of situational ethics and relativism, but we can get so “bugged” by these concepts that we end up doing nothing. The object instead is to take advantage of what DOES work, and that is the telling of the story … so I encouraged the teachers to “tell their story” about life in Christ.

For session five’s teaching, I taught on Christian stewardship in the working life, including finances, skills, etc. I taught from Ezra about the concept that the people had become lazy in their work of repairing the temple, and instead, had been working on their own homes and neglecting the temple, and how God had taken His blessing from them because of this switch. I then reminded my hearers that God had called them to a particular task and not to become lazy or overly content in their performance of that task. This was well received and opened up the service for a great time of God-empowerment upon the people. There were also some prophetic words given over individual leaders. (Many testified later that their lives were really changed through this time of ministry.)

After a 15 minute break, Cheri and I co-taught the final session. Man. was it powerful? We taught on the promises of God. (Remember that the theme was “Ministers of the New Covenant.) Because there had been so much stress on the reality of covenant and the qualifications on our part as covenant-keepers, it also became important to review God’s part as He is the perfect Covenant Keeper. Cheri’s part of this session was very prophetic as she simply ministered in the prophetic word over the teachers. I moved in with a prophetic word over the school as a whole; God is clearly enlarging the Bogota school in an awesome and powerful way and the administration was deeply moved by the things God was showing them.

After we finished teaching, there were more activities among the staff, including the annual initiation of all new staff into the swimming pool. (We viewed this from a distance.)

At the close of the day, after loading the bus, we were treated to a wonderful mixture of chopped fruits in their natural juices; it was absolutely phenomenal.

Then we rode back to Bogota on the grueling road trip over the Andes Mountains and their hairpin turns.

When we got in, we were exhausted and ready for a good nights sleep before our last morning in Bogota.

2010-01-16T23:18:00.001-08:00

Bogota- Day 4

Thursday kicked off our actual teaching for the preparation of the teachers and staff. Of course, we began the day with devotions at 7 AM. Today‘s devotion would be from Ephesians 2 and would deal with the actuality of who we are in the flesh and who we are in Christ Jesus. After about 15 minutes of worship, 15 minutes of direction and teaching, each person was instructed to get alone for 20 minutes or so and seek some guided truths from Ephesians 2. This time of introspection was a critical beginning for the retreat. Our theme for the weekend was “Ministers of the New Covenant” and this launching pad was the simple understanding of who we were/are.

Then, of course, came breakfast at 8 AM. This morning saw some of that delicious Colombian cafe and I had to have mine con leche just because that is the way I am used to it there at the retreat center. I Must admit that they produce some of the finest coffee I have had; even Cheri likes their coffee and she is not even remotely a coffee-lover. We also had some delicious fruit juice, jugo de mandarina. Then there was pan y huevos. Then there was a lot of fruit, including passion fruit, mango, and mandarinas. (I need to say upfront that every meal was probably twice as much, if not more, than Cheri and I are used to eating. But its so good and we get it so rarely, why not jump in and take advantage of it.)

My first teaching was at 9 AM. (BTW, each teaching session was to last 90 minutes, including praise and worship.) I taught on the actuality and power of a covenant and entitled it “God’s Relationship: A Relationship of Covenant.” My translator was Diana and she did a marvelous job. It was as if her spirit connected with mine; she had all the voice inflections and animations. I was so proud of her … and she is only the same age as my son, Jamie. I had forgotten how seemingly cold this Colombian bunch was in the first two services and felt somewhat disappointed that I did not get a greater response than I did. (It is a good thing that I am not used to relying on responses during my teachings to enable my forward progress.

Cheri and I mixed the program up a little; I was also supposed to conduct the second section, but to give me a break, she took session number two. Her interpreter was Daniella Orozco. Dani did a good job but did not connect with Cheri like Diana did with me. This left Cheri a little frustrated but she pressed on. Her session was entitled, “Pure Heart” and dealt with getting and keeping a healthy and pure heart through forgiveness and corresponding freedom, etc. She, too, forgot that Colombians, at least those from Bogota, do not connect immediately, even if most knew us from last year. She, again, was frustrated but knew that God had brought us there for a great purpose.

Then came lunch. Lunch consisted of much more than either of us should have eaten all of but it came with guanabana leche which is probably our favorite drink in Colombia. Sopa (which is traditional with most meals in Bogota) consisted of a chicken broth, along with huge chucks of chicken, and about every vegetable one can think of. Of course, there were chunks of queso to eat as well. Oh yes, then there was a delicious carrot salad. (They had another name for that too but I can’t remember it … Hey, did I mention that we love Colombian food?)

We did get about 30 minutes to take a break before starting up again.

About 2:30, I led session 3. My message was entitled “Integrity” and dealt with Integrity as the highest quality in the minister of God. I used Dani this time to see if there was a better connection with her and me than there was with her and Cheri. There did seem to be some connection. I did print up all of my scriptures for her in Spanish so that she would not have to struggle to come up with some of those words in a fashion that seemed familiar to our audience. That seemed to be the needed ingredient. The response I received was much greater than earlier as I basically presented three Biblical leaders to them: Saul, David, and Absalom, along with their corresponding character traits. I then asked them which type of leader they wanted to be: one who started out well but left God and thus, was rejected by God; one who started out well, messed up but repented and thus, became known as a person after God’s own heart; or one who started out badly and ended up worse. This produced a great time of introspection as much deep prayer and cleansing, repenting tears were observed.

After a 15 minute break, Cheri was back up for session 4. In that 15 minute break, I was able to type up her scriptures in Spanish. (OK, copied and pasted.) She used Diana as her interpreter and there was a powerful connection between them. Diana was so moved by the message that Cheri was speaking that she she was visibly shaken (through both tears and other emotions.) Although we only had planned for 90 minutes, this session went for about 130-140 minutes. It wasn’t all speaking either; there were prophetic words going forth, people were dropping to their knees in repentance, and others were simply receiving their blessings for the day. It was a super service. Oh yeah, Cheri spoke on “First Love” and touched on Developing a life of intimacy with God in order to bless others. Her primary passage was that from Revelation regarding leaving your first love. I cannot say enough regarding how strong the anointing was in those last two services/sessions.

Of course the day is running long by now, but there is enough time factored in for this very kind of thing.

We are through speaking for the day.

We rested a little and then it was time for a BIG supper. This time our meal was another traditional Colombian meal with arepa (type of bread) and beans and rice with beef flank steak and again, much fruit. One thing I failed to mention in earlier posts, most of the fruit we ate at the retreat was raised there on the grounds of the retreat center. Again, we ate way too much … and then they bring out some custard-like dessert made out of Guanabana and drizzled with a leche-based glaze. I didn’t have room for it … but I ate it anyway and boy, am I glad I did.

After a few late night activities, we headed to bed for some much needed rest. After all, Day 5 starts at 7 AM again. But Julio knocks on our door and says, we can sleep in and that the day will begin at 8 AM. Praise the Lord!

2010-01-15T20:32:00.000-08:00

What a great but tiring day this has been.

After spending much of yesterday getting to know our two translators, we found ourselves worn completely out. So we went to the church today and walked around the campus, then turned our attention to a small town name Sopo. It is a typical little Colombian town so we walked around a little and took a lot of pictures. Cheri and I love our Colombian family so we made sure to take pictures with them and of them. The we had lunch at an Argentine restaurant where I had Porkkys which is bar-be-qued Pork loin (and I rarely eat pork) accompanied by papas with sour cream. Additionally, I had another wonderful fruit juice from Colombia, mango, while Cheri had a jugo de Pina. She also had a filet minon which was absolutely delicious. On the way out, we stopped at the milk factory store named Alpin and purchased a few snacks for the road. Wow, the pastries and custard stuff was incredible. I have no idea what we ordered but I do know that it was delicious. (BTW, we had eaten breakfast at Julio’s and had mandarina juice, chocolat, huevos y pan. Is it starting to sound like all we did was eat? We did eat a lot but Colombian food is so good.) We also got to see Raphael again. He is a good guy and I look forward to seeing him at the retreat.

When we got back home, we re-packed to head to the retreat. It is about a 2 1/2-3 hour ride from the school (depending upon the traffic) and we had to take a bus to get there. The bus was packed and the driving was night-mare-ish. (How do you drive 5 vehicles side-by-side in a 3-lane road. I don’t know but I saw it more times than I care to remember.) We went over the mountains along long windy roads to the small village of Sasaima. (I did notice some military activity along the side of the road. It was dark but I could see 20-30 soldiers seated along the road. I have no idea what forces they served with but I was reassured of God’s presence with me when I noticed that I still had no fear.) The retreat center we travelled to once belonged to Jimmy Swaggart Ministries 20 or so years ago and it is absolutely beautiful. It is teeming with natural fruit trees of every kind you can imagine. It also has some of the most beautiful birds living naturally on the grounds. I fell in love with the wild, yellow canaries that love to sit in the ceiling of the worship center when Cheri is speaking. I didn’t notice them with me, but then again, I was preaching.

We settled into our rooms and ate again. And then we went and had about an hour of praise and worship and prayer. It was an awesome time and let everyone know what we were there for.

I meant to write this journal entry Wednesday evening, but by the time me head hit the pillow, I was gone. CHeri was too.

Day 4 we will begin our times of teaching and preaching.

2010-01-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

Grandmother Mackey
“My Hero”

I so much wanted to be at Grandmother‘s funeral to honor her today. I am in Bogota, Columbia in South America, instead, serving the people of this country. I learned serving others from Grandmother so I guess there is really no better way to honor her in her death than to let her live through me.
See, when Grandmother was old enough to retire and sit back and let others do for her she was still delivering meals-on-wheels and nursing those who were sick … she was still serving. When she could have just gone home and accepted disability, she went back to school and became a licensed practical nurse and served others.
Grandmother never stopped learning … she was a life-long student. And , she was one of the wisest women I’ve ever known.
Grandmother was an adventurer at heart! Some of my greatest memories are trips with her or just being at her house. It was always an adventure! She traveled all over the United States and I loved hearing about her trips. The walks she took us on thru the cemetery and the stories of the horse’s head and the like …. I loved all her stories of growing up … such as the hand coming thru the window to get her. My adventuresome spirit came from her … thus I am in South America today training Christian leaders and , just maybe, I will transfer some of her spirit to them.
One of my greatest gifts is the rocking chair she gave me. See, when I was a small baby, I developed whooping cough. Papa and Grandmother Mackey didn’t have a rocking chair so she bought one to rock me in. She told my mother that if I lived that the rocking chair would be mine. When I look at that rocker I remember my Grandmother and her giving and loving spirit that gave me life.
I will miss her so but I am determined that she will live on thru me and that I will pass her spirit on to my children and my grandchildren so that she keeps living!
The spirit of Grandmother Mackey should never die. She was an awesome woman and she leaves a great legacy and a challenging example to each of us.
Grandmother … I love you and I’m so glad you are in Heaven now and you can be the “adventuresome you”again. Thank you for the love, the adventure, and the example you left behind. You definitely did not live in vain. I can truly say “you really lived” and I’m so proud to have your blood running thru my veins.
Have fun in your new adventure and one day I’ll see you again!
Cheri Fricks Garrett

2010-01-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

Bogota- Day 2

Today was another great day in our South American Journey. We began the day by meeting Pastor Pedro from Medellin for breakfast. (For all of my CLC family, we are fasting 21 days with you, but we began last week because we knew we would be guests of the Orozco family here in Bogota. So we took a 7 day fast, took 7 days off, and will continue with you on days 8-21.) For breakfast we had scrambled eggs with ham, a delicious homemade bread filled with nuetella spread, papaya, cafe con leche, and jugo de naranja. Then we met with Pastor Pedro with Julio as our interpreter for about an hour and a half to discuss our plans for our upcoming Medellin missions journey in April 2010.

Afterwards, we went to the local Christian school and reacquainted ourselves with old friends, as well as met new friends. (It was especially good to see school pastor Juan Carlos who was so vital to last year;s retreat.) Additionally, we met our interpreter for the week who took us to the Colombian Botanical gardens and the Museo Nacional de Colombia. We also had lunch together and a cup of cafe leche together. It was a good experience to meet Dianna and to learn each other’s nuances of speech. (She did help Cheri and me with our Spanish but much more is needed.) We were also accompanied by our new “little sister” Daniella who promised to be our interpreter in Medellin in April … at least for Cheri as she ministers to the mothers there. (Btw, for lunch, we ate at La Cucharita Columbiana where Cheri had a traditional Columbian meal, Bandeju Paisa with limonada natural and I had Pechga de Pollo con light frutas [melon y papaya], ensalada, y papas accomanied also with limonada natural. Of course, we both had to have some chicarron y zarapitas.

It seemed awkward, but afterwards, we gave our left-overs to three homeless gentlemen across the street; they were so thankful. (I have never done this before but found that many Christians there do that very thing and it seemed very right to follow suit.

I did get cussed out in Spanish from a local street vendor who wanted to sell me his wares; I was tired and not buying … so he was angry with this Rolex-wearing man from the USA. (btw, I don’t own a Rolex; I wear a $89.99 Fossil watch my daughter gave me one Father’s Day.)

In the evening, Dianna’s husband Andres, drove us back to the house. On the way, we participated in the carnage that is traffic in Bogota. (We missed all of that yesterday because it was a holiday.) I can’t believe they actually drive like this … and all of those motor cycles, wow!

We spent a quiet evening at the house resting, checking emails, and further preparing for the retreat.

We are very excited with what God has brought us here to do and we anticipate His ministry through us to these wonderful leaders and teachers of Latin American Christian Schools.

I am not sure we will be able to blog Wednesday evening because I do not know what internet accessibility looks like at the Conference Center … but I will be sure to write the blog, even if I cannot post until later.

Pastor Jim & Cheri

2010-01-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

What a great day. It actually started last night when we got to the hotel in Chicago by the airport. We worked on our teachings for the retreat and then went to bed … around 11 PM … only for Cheri to wake up at 2 so we could be out to the airport by 3:30. (And, yes, you are correct, that’s only two hours of sleep.)

It was very interesting at the Chicago O'Hare airport as several homeless people were sleeping in the chairs by check-in. I did not mind because it was EXTREMELY COLD outside with numbers hovering around 0.

I had fussed and grumbled about paying extra to pre-book our seats but, on both flights, we had side-by-side exit row seats that were three to a section, and the third person didn’t show up. We had leg room and side space to stretch out in.) Talk about the favor of God!

We had two great flights from Chicago O’Hare and Fort Lauderdale. Did I mention that Chicago was hovering around 0 when we left; Ft. Lauderdale was 38, but Bogota was 82 …wow! Again, I feel as if we’re walking in God’s favor.

We were met at the airport by Leila Oroszco, the Julio picked us up. We got to the house around 4 PM and went and ate at Crepe’s and Waffles. Cheri has langastinos and guanabana leche while I had pollo de curry and jugo de mandarina. We ate with our Bogota family which includes JUlio, Leila, Laura, Carolina and Carlos, and Daniella. They are such a wonderful family and friends.

WE are often asked when we come here if we feel in danger and the honest answer is “no.” we are so well taken care of and watched over that danger is never even considered.

Anyway, not much else has happened but, on a tragic note, we have discovered that Cheri’s Grandmother Mackey passed away early this evening and we found out that my dear friend Rick lost his 5-day old granddaughter Riker today due to complications at birth. I know that God is with both families during this difficult time.

I am going to turn in for the evening. Sleep seems precious right now. We look forward to having Breakfast with Pastor Pedro from Medellin tomorrow AM. I don;t know fully what God has in store but I do know it’s good.

2010-01-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

Last night we drove through the Great Smokey Mountains National Park … in the dark … and in the snow, ice, and fog … and less than 30 mph. It was treacherous … and wearing on the nerves . In fact, I found myself getting very anxious and uptight. That’s a lot for someone who prides himself for being Mr. Calm, cool, and collected. So I have discovered some new stuff in me to work on this year. And you know, I can’t accomplish the task alone; I need God’s help. But with His help, I can break this thing.

We had a difficult day all around yesterday. We visited Cheri’s mom in the nursing home and she is really seeming;y going downhill rapidly … at least her mind. That is never a beautiful observation.

Then Cheri fell as we loaded some furniture in a storage building … so she is now experiencing soreness from that.

But God is with us and guiding us and I know all WILL BE well.

2009-07-31T14:56:00.000-07:00

A Brand New Chapter

We have exciting news to share about God's favor and faithfulness in our lives! We were not actively looking for this change in our lives but God knew the desires of our hearts!

Just a few weeks ago, we received a phone call that we in no way expected. We were informed of a couple of positions opening and really didn't know exactly what they entailed but they captivated our interest. We were asked if we would be interested in submitting our resumes, etc. We both sensed a definite desire to see if this was a door God was opening for us. This desire has sent the past few weeks of our life in a whirlwind ... a good thing!

Jim did a couple of phone interviews. And from all involved, we felt we should continue to explore the possibilities and see if this was a God-thing. We then scheduled a trip to the Chicago, IL area. Interestingly, the week we were to leave, we had a water problem in our kitchen which flowed into our dining room and living room. In fact, the day we were leaving for Chicago our insurance company sent over a clean up company and I (Cheri) came home to pack the car while half of the kitchen/dining room/living room floor was being pulled up and all the bottom kitchen cabinets being removed and kitchen stuff packed up. Mind you, my (Cheri's) mother was staying with us at this time (visiting from SC) and has dementia. All our plans for her and the weekend had to be changed! It was a crazy afternoon. We got it figured out, got packed in the car and off we went ... much later than planned

What a weekend! We met with people from the church all day on Friday ... ALL DAY! ... the directors of the youth/children's ministry, we had a tour of the facility, we had an interview/meeting with the leadership team (staff), we had a meeting with children's/youth leaders, and we had supper with the senior pastors. It was such an awesome and exhausting day ! We discovered more what they were looking for and felt like God had come down and created this position just for us. Everything we wanted, hoped for, and dreamed for was being laid out before us. I think we wanted to pinch ourselves to see if we woke up!

The position is multi-faceted and we will both be working at the church ... a dream come true! On Saturday, Jim spent the day with the senior pastor. If Jim and I had sat down together and listed what our hearts' desires are we would have had what was offered to us. By the evening on Saturday, we had accepted the position. The plan was then announced to the church that Sunday morning.

Although we leave behind people we hold dear and jobs we have grown in, we know that this is a God-thing ... a door He (and only He) opened ... a position He created for us ... and the position He has been preparing us for. About 9 years ago, as we left youth ministry kicking and screaming, God opened a door for Jim to pursue his Master's and then his Doctorate degrees at Ashland Theological Seminary. If it had been up to us, we would have stayed youth/children's pastor for our entire lives. But God spoke to Jim during his kicking and screaming and told him that if we would submit to what He was doing, we would not just reach 100's or 1000's of young people but He would use us to reach 10,000's and 100,000's. This was bigger than we could ever see happening but we trusted God and submitted to His work to prepare us.

Jim completed his studies and graduated with his doctorate in June 2007. We have been back in Sylvania, Ohio for 4 years doing our best to be faithful with where God placed us and waiting for what God had planned. We really believe this is it!

We accepted the position of Pastor's of Family Ministries at Christian Life Center (CLC) in Tinley Park, IL (suburb of Chicago). The cool thing about this is that it is not a youth or children's pastor position at a church. Right now CLC has 4 locations ... Tinley Park, IL; Shorewood, IL, South Bend, IN and the Philippines. (They are about to open a brand new campus also in the Chicago area.) The vision is to continue to add sites for a total of 12 locations. We will be overseeing the family ministries for all locations ... mentoring and training youth pastors and leaders and children's pastors and leaders and leading all aspects of family ministries. We can see God's word to us about reaching 10,000's and 100,000's of young people being fulfilled as we mentor and train others to reach young people and they, in turn, do the same ... as we pass the passion for young people that God has put in our hearts on to others who will pass it on! We will be working out of the Tinley Park location as that is the "mother" church, for lack of a better word ... and will travel to the other locations. Missions will also be involved in what we do as CLC is heavily involved in missions ... another one of our hearts desires! Additionally, Jim will be able to continue teaching in adjunct roles from time to time in several colleges, universities, and seminaries (of course, modestly!)

We will begin our relocation the middle of August. We are so excited about what God in doing in our lives and yet very humbled at the trust He is putting in us.

I (Cheri) will be leaving my position as Office/Billing Supervisor for Fallen Timbers Family Physicians. It has been a great 4 years and I have grown in many ways and know that this was part of my preparation for our next adventure. Jim will be leaving his position as Administrator of Fountain City Christian School (FCCS), where he has put in a lot of blood, sweat, tears and prayers; and as pastor of New Life Assembly of God in Napoleon. Both places will be held dear in our hearts. Jim will stay a part of Fountain City Christian School as a board member.

Keep us in your prayers. We need to sell our home (after the kitchen is completed ... a whole brand new kitchen and new flooring for the kitchen, dining room and living room) ... find a home and orientate ourselves to the Chicago area and our new church and responsibilities. We also will be leaving Crystal and her family here in Maumee. Crystal will stay on as a high school teacher and missions director for FCCS ... she is a phenomenal teacher! We will be leaving Jamie and his family in Bryan. Jamie is doing an awesome job with worship at New Life in Bryan and we are very proud of him. We have another dream in our heart about all that ... we'll just have to wait and see what God says about it! We know this transition will be hard in some respects but we also know that God is working all things together for the best of everyone involved. We will be blessed to be close to Amber and her family ... actually staying with them for the transition period ... and working along side them as they are a part of the same ministry.

Our emails will stay the same and our cell phones for now. If you are coming to the Chicago area or passing thru we would love to see you and have you visit our new church home ... get a bite to eat and fellowship! Please stay in touch ... and remember God is always faithful and He gives us the desires of our hearts we just have to stay faithful and obedient and patient!

Imagine! Dream! Believe!

I love what our new senior pastor, Pastor Jerry, says ... "It'll be fun!"

And we plan to enjoy the ride!

Blessings!

Jim & Cheri Garrett

2009-07-11T12:04:00.000-07:00

PC Study Bible Data

Living Large

Mark 14:1-11

It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 "But not during the Passover celebration," they agreed, "or the people may riot."

3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.

4 Some of those at the table were indignant. "Why waste such expensive perfume?" they asked. 5 "It could have been sold for a year's wages and the money given to the poor!" So they scolded her harshly.

6 But Jesus replied, "Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? 7 You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be remembered and discussed."

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard why he had come, and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

· We all have illusions

· One theologian has suggested that the key movement of the spiritual life is a movement from illusion to reality

· The four primary illusions that all of us deal with are: self, God, Work, and the world

· As we look at this text, we are dealing with the illusion of success.

· What is success spiritually?

o Whether we go to church?

o How often we go to church?

o How many Bible studies we attend?

o A theology we ascribe to?

What Jesus thought of success?

I. Three are three characters in this text.

A. Simon

1. Simon was probably a leper who had been healed.

2. Simon the Pharisee invited Jesus to his house.

· Having Jesus in his home would raise Simon’s status among his friends

3. The custom was for the host to give Jesus a kiss upon entering his home

4. Simon also did not wash Jesus’ feet, nor did he offer Jesus a towel and a bowl to wash his feet.

5. He also did not offer Jesus fragrant oil to place upon his feet.

6. Eastern culture tells us that Simon was showing insult to Jesus.

· He had invited Jesus to his table but was not willing to sit down with Him

B. The people watched our second character, Jesus, to see how He would respond to this obvious insult.

C. Our third character, a woman enters from the crowd.

1. Mark does not identify the woman who anointed Jesus, but we know from John 12:3 that she was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.

2. Mary seems to have no knowledge of social ethics.

a. She sits in front of Jesus.

b. She starts to wash His feet, again a task that should have been performed by Simon.

3. She is moved emotionally, probably crying uncontrollably.

a. Her tears fall upon His feet.

b. She is probably embarrassed.

4. She seeks a towel but finds none.

5. Finding no towel, she does the unthinkable, she lets down her hair.

a. It was taboo for a woman to let her hair down in public.

b. The law said that a man could divorce his wife for letting down her hair in public.

c. She wasn’t thinking about the consequences.

6. She used a fragrant oil upon the head of Jesus.

a. The “alabaster jar” that contained the perfume was a “vessel with a rather long neck which was broken off when the contents were used”.

b. The “nard” (perfume) was made from the root of a plant found chiefly in India and was very expensive.

c. Mary took the bottle and broke the neck so that she could pour the ointment profusely over Jesus’ head.

II. Living large is about experiencing the unconditional love of Jesus Christ

A. Mary’s act of love shows her realization of forgiveness.

B. Unconditional love leads to radical generosity.

1. The perfume had a value of more than three hundred denarii.

2. A denarius was what a man received for a day’s work.

3. The NIV says this was “more than a year’s [worth of] wage[s].”

C. Mary was willing to give her most expensive thing to Jesus even though others would ridicule her for this.

D. Her action of anointing Jesus with a bottle of expensive perfume was a beautiful expression of her love and devotion to him.

III Living large is a response to God’s love toward you.

A. Brokenness leads to outrageous giving.

· Mary’s brokenness was shown in kissing His feet and the drying of his feet with her hair.

B. Luke 7:44-50

44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn't offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn't greet me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume.

47 "I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love." 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven."

49 The men at the table said among themselves, "Who is this man, that he goes around forgiving sins?"

50 And Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

C. The statement of Jesus

1. Words and inflections make up about 30% of our conversation, the other 70% is from the body language.

2. Jesus was speaking to Simon but turned toward the woman.

3. Jesus was demonstrating an important principle of success.

a. The body actions of Jesus indicate Jesus was about hanging out with the outcasts and the ordinary, not the rich and famous.

b. It was about aligning yourself with those who are weak, hurt, and broken.

D. Illustration.

· In the 1^st Century, many communities were decimated by pandemics.

· These were so bad that people would usually leave.

· But interestingly, the Christians would stay.

· People say that this is why many people became Christians, because of what they had seen portrayed in these.

· The Christians would stay and help the outcasts . . . even at physical costs to themselves

Conclusion:

A. God is enough for us

1. He will be our shepherd.

2. God will take care of everyone of our needs

B. The reason we can be extravagantly generous in our giving is because God is been generous to us.

C. What is your alabaster jar?

D. Who are the people you need to touch today?

2009-06-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 6:1-4- Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”*
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

A small boy said, "Father’s Day is just like Mother’s Day, only you don’t spend as much on the gift."And I say, "What gift?"

Mark Twain said, "When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to 21, I was astonished at how much the old man learned in 7 years."

Someone wrote these humorous words entitled, "The World According to Dad." These are words that most dads have said at some time or another to their children.
This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you.
Quiet. I’m watching the ball game.
Don’t forget to check the oil.
Bring back all the change.
How should I know? Ask your mother.
I’m not made out of money!
When I was your age I walked 5 miles to and from school each day and it was uphill both ways.
You ARE going and you WILL have fun!
Who’s paying the bills around here, anyway?
If you break your leg, don’t come running to me.
Don’t put your feet on the furniture. Your mother will kill you.
Get down before you kill yourself. On second thought, go ahead.
Quit playing with your food.
Be quiet! Can’t you see I’m trying to think!
Why? Because I said so!
If you don’t quit that I’m going to call your mother.
You better get that junk picked up before your mother comes in here.
Just wait till you have kids of your own.
I was not asleep. I was just resting my eyes.

We could all add a couple of quotes to this list.Being a parent and a father can be an interesting and trying experience.It is said of parents that they spend the first part of their child’s life urging him to talk and walk, and the rest of his childhood telling him to sit down and keep quiet."

A son once wrote home from college to his dad. He said, "Dear Dad, Please let me hear from you more often, even if it’s only a five or a ten."Fatherhood can be a real trial. And yet, it is also a real blessing.

Proposition:
A Father should be thanked for the efforts he has made at being a father

Thanks for provision

Thanks for instruction

Thanks for illustration

Thanks for material provision

1 Timothy 5:8- “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

A. It is expected of a man that he is to provide for his family.

B. The family extends beyond the household

C. Even unbelievers provide for their families!

Thank God! And thank God for all the fathers who provide as best they can for their families! Thank you, Fathers!

Thanks For Faithful Instruction
Ephesians 6:4 "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

A. Fathers instruct their children about many things.

A man by the name of Jim Burton said these words about being a father. "When I was young, baseball was my life. You can imagine the excitement I felt when my oldest son began playing. This game would be one of our main bonding mechanisms. If my son would just listen, I could help him be a great baseball player. Learning to read curve balls, shift his body weight with the swing, steal bases, turn double plays … these things separate the amateurs from the pros."Burton said, "A pattern developed in our relationship. Because of my familiarity with the game, I saw every mistake my son made. In addition, I knew how to correct them."So post game drives home became a critique of how to improve his game. It soon got old for my son. One night he finally said, ’Dad, could you not start by telling me everything I did wrong. Tell me what I did right first.’"

B. Faithful instruction is important, but we have to be careful how we deliver it. All criticism and no praise is not good.

C. Are you a coach or a critic? Ephesians 6:4- “Paul said, "Don’t keep on scolding and nagging your children, making them angry and resentful...."

Thanks for Godly illustrationI Corinthians 11:1- “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

One man said of his father, “Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me. There were 8 children, all probably under the age of 12. You could tell they didn’t have a lot of money. Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean.The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, elephants, and other acts they would see that night. One could sense they had never been to a circus before. It promised to be a highlight of their young lives. The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. “The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, ’You’re my knight in shining armor.’ He was smiling and basking in pride, looking at her."The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly said, ’Please, let me buy 8 children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.’
The ticket lady quoted the price.
The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped and the man’s lip began to quiver. The father leaned a little closer and asked, ’How much did you say?’
The ticket lady again quoted the price."The man didn’t have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his 8 kids that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus? Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground. (And we were not wealthy in any sense of the word) My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, ’Excuse me, sir, I believe this fell out of your pocket.’"The man knew what was going on. He wasn’t begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad’s eye, took my dad’s hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with quivering lips and a tear streaming down his cheek, replied, ’Thank you, thank you. This really means a lot to me and my family.’"The man telling the story about his father, said, "My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We didn’t go to the circus that night, but we didn’t go without."What a father that man was! What a godly illustration of Christ! Thank God for all fathers who have been godly illustrations, godly examples to follow!

A LETTER TO DAD
There are so many things I’d likeTo tell you face to face;I either lack the words or failTo find the time and place.But in this special letter, Dad,You’ll find, at least in part,The feelings that the passing yearsHave left within my heart.The memories of childhood daysAnd all that you have done,To make our home a happy placeAnd growing up such fun!I still recall the walks we took,The games we often played;Those confidential chats we hadWhile resting in the shade.This letter comes to thank you, and,For needed words of praise;The counsel and the guidance, too,That shaped my grownup days.No words of mine can tell you, Dad,The things I really feel;But you must know my love for youIs lasting, warm and real.You made my world a better place,And through the coming years;I’ll keep these memories of youAs cherished souvenirs. ...
* Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16.