Serving Christ in México
The ending of the gospel of Mark can be surprising – a group of women, close friends and family of Jesus, get up early in the morning to visit the tomb where Jesus lay so they can give him a proper burial. Instead of finding Jesus wrapped in burial clothes, they see an angel in white robes who explains that Jesus has been resurrected and can be found in the region of Galilee.
Continue reading “The Terrible Awesome Resurrecting Power of God”
Sin is like a snowball rolling down a hill. I admit that’s a bit of an odd comparison, but I think it gets the point across well. Sin is never content to remain small, and if it is allowed the space and time it will gain momentum and eventually morph into a giant ball of evil. The farther down the hill sin rolls, the harder it is to stop, and when it finally reaches the bottom we can’t quite believe what it has transformed itself into.
Continue reading “Sin is Like a Snowball”
Less than three weeks and we will, if the Lord wills, be in Canada! The plan is to spend two months there and return to Mexico in October. There is a lot to look forward to; seeing family being at the top of the list. We look forward to getting out into nature and doing some day trips with the kids. We look forward to worshipping in our home church. We look forward to a road trip to Alberta. We look forward to sharing about our life and ministry work in Mexico.
Continue reading “Looking Forward”
When reading a Scripture passage it is often helpful to look for how the characters of the story are contrasted. The contrast highlights important aspects of who the characters are and what they do. We see this in the case of Cain and Abel, David and Saul, Mordecai and Haman, and others throughout the history of God’s people.
Continue reading “Contrasts”
As the four disciples sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple they pondered what Jesus had told them moments before. He had just prophesied the complete destruction of the temple, and the disciples were a bit troubled by the news. So Peter, James, John, and Andrew got up and asked Jesus directly: “When will these things happen?”
Continue reading “No Surprises!”
The kids were kicking up the dust as they ran around the monkey bars and swings in front of the señora’s house whom we were visiting. Several locals walked by, making discreet comments about the little blonde-haired visitors. One young girl even took out her phone to take a not-so-discreet video of the güeros.
Continue reading “I Can’t Read”
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law of Jesus’ day are notorious for their hypocrisy and misplaced religious zeal. But we shouldn’t paint them all with the same brush. In chapter twelve of Mark’s gospel we meet one of the teachers of the law who came to Jesus not to trap him in his words, but to seek out his wisdom.
Continue reading “The Most Important”
We are currently in the city of Tepic and our time here is reaching its conclusion. To give you an idea of what we have been up to I’ll tell you about some of the activities we have been involved with.
Sunday Services
We have been very thankful that we are able to attend the Sunday worship services here, something not to be taken for granted these days. Over the course of the internship we have been able to be part of: voting and installation of an elder and deacon, a wedding, Lord’s Supper, a fellowship in the park, and a worship service in the park. The last three Sundays, Scott has led the Sunday school service and taught from some of the minor prophets. It definitely takes a lot longer to study for, write, and deliver a message when it is Spanish!
Continue reading “Update from Tepic”
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of Passover week is one of the most iconic images in all his ministry. The picture presented to us in Scripture is rich with meaning and challenges our understanding of who Jesus is. It certainly was challenging for the Jews of Jesus’ day, especially as they followed their newly hailed king into the royal city and witnessed what he did next.
Continue reading “The King We Need”
Jesus loves the little children. His love and concern for even the littlest ones of society is demonstrated in the fact that people were eager to bring their children to him. It’s obvious that they saw Jesus, powerful a figure as he was, as someone who would receive babies and toddlers into his arms. And Jesus encouraged them to come.
Continue reading “Do Not Hinder Them”