Manifold Redemption

We are all saved from sin by the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. But that does not mean our salvation stories are all the same. Sin leads us into all sorts of damning situations, and God’s steadfast love is always there to redeem us.

Psalm 107 is a good example of this; urging the redeemed of the Lord to praise their Redeemer for his manifold redemption. In this Psalm we encounter four different scenarios that allude to Israel’s past, but are not identified with any one specific event. These four places of deep trouble offer us a glimpse into the varied and wonderful ways in which God redeems his people. 

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Pozole

I imagine that if I asked you to name a traditional Mexican dish, pozole wouldn’t be the first to come to mind. And yet, it is a dish that enjoys widespread popularity in Mexico and which boasts ancient, albeit disturbing, roots in the pre-Hispanic civilizations. You can expect to see it in restaurants and on dinner tables in September, around Mexico’s independence day, and during the Christmas holiday season.

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Unto to Us a Light Has Dawned

For my morning devotions I have been meditating on Isaiah’s famous “to us a child is born” prophecy. I wanted to read the prophecy in its context and see what fresh light might be cast over these well-trodden verses. So often we take the familiar words of the Old Testament and transplant them directly into their New Testament application without giving thought to the context in which they first applied. Our application of the words may be correct, but we miss something of their full meaning by pulling them out of the soil in which they existed. 

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Moving Plans

The last couple weeks we were in Canada we spent a lot of time looking at houses to rent, or even buy, here in Queretaro. Our rental lease for our current house was coming up and we were not sure we wanted to sign for another half a year, so finding a place to rent became top priority. Together with the Mission Board we had decided that we would move into a community closer to Pan de Vida and focus our outreach efforts there. We felt that it was important to maintain the relationships and community that we have at Pan de Vida and that it would be easier to do that if we lived closer. We wanted to move forward with that plan as soon as possible, thus we were considering moving as soon as we returned from Canada. 

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The Lord Is My Portion

What do you do when you lose everything?

That’s what ran through my mind recently as I watched footage of the floods in southern British Columbia. The rising waters forced hundreds to evacuate the area, leaving behind homes, farms, and businesses. And the rain continues. For those hardest hit by the floods, what they had spent years building was gone in a moment. They experienced not just a loss of home or business, but a loss of a life’s work, a dream, perhaps even a loss of hope. 

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Don’t Love The World

In his first epistle the apostle John gives us the familiar command, “Do not love the world or anything in the world”. But what exactly does it mean to “not love the world”? 

Some Christians have taken it to mean that we ought to shun earthly delights and goods and focus our lives on heaven above instead. They do their best to not participate in culture and remain separate from the heathen world. 

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10 Things We Love about Mexico

After being in Canada for the past two month we are back in Mexico. Our time up North reminded us of some of the things we miss about Canada – the parks, the outdoor activities, the diversity of people and food, etc. It is easy to be constantly comparing life in Mexico with life in Canada, and while that is inevitable to a point, it is not a good habit to fall into. It is a good practice to learn to love what you can about the place you are in. That doesn’t mean ignoring the hard or ugly parts, but it is best not to dwell on them and slip into discontentment. So, with that being said allow me to list ten things we love about living in Queretaro, Mexico.

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“I’m Sad”

One night at the supper table our kids were taking turns praying before we started the meal. Moments earlier our second youngest daughter had been kicking and screaming because she didn’t get to sit beside her sister. Consequently, she didn’t feel like praying so I attempted to convince her that God still wanted to hear from her even if she was angry. Through sniffles and snobs she prayed: “Father Heaven, I’m sad. Amen.” 

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