Monday, June 30, 2008

Women's Retreat


Pastor Edel and a group of 100 ladies were spiritually charged this past weekend during a weekend women's retreat. They joined us back the church at the close of the evening service for a time of celebration and testimonies.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Board's Final Decision

Monday night the Metanoia Missions Int. board had a conference call regarding the purchase of the two churches we were interested in purchasing. As much as everyone thought that it could be a great opportunity for Metanoia, we still decided that this wasn't the timing for us and that we need to focus on raising more funds for the orphanage and the medical aspect of Metanoia, which we hope to launch some time in 2009.

The conference call was very encouraging and I could really feel that the board was together as a board. It is comforting to know that we have a board that not only cares about the business aspect of Metanoia, but also cares about our well being too! We are truly blessed to have the depth of wisdom and insight that we have on our board.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

4 Days Without H2O and Counting


Yep, that's right. It has been 4 days now that we have been without water and we're still not sure that things are being resolved. Shanna keeps calling the water company and they keep promising us that the water will be on by the evening. Sure it will, but what evening are they referring to? Because here we are entering into another evening and I still haven't received a call from my wife stating that the water is back on. You know, to go without electricity really isn't too, too bad. Sure, I would prefer not to be without it, but one can live a semi-normal life by planning your day out and knowing what needs to be done before the sun goes down. However, going without water just stinks. (No pun intended either). You can't shower, you can't clean the dishes, you can only cook certain foods, you can't flush the toilet, you can't rinse your tooth brush, you can't even give your dogs something to drink! But like I've said so many other times, this too shall pass.
I guess one positive thing out of this is that I feel like a real missionary now!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Saturday's Crusade

This picture is what it felt like preaching on Saturday night. Where is everyone?


I wasn't going to post anything about the crusade in Jinotega because I really wasn't sure what to write. To be completely honest, I was very disappointed on how things turned out. Sure, the door to door evangelism during the day went well, with over 400 houses being visited and 101 people receiving Christ as their Savior. However, the actual crusade in the evening didn't quite go over like we had planned. Even though both leadership teams (Hosanna Central y Hosanna Jinotega) worked hard and planned well, people just didn't show up for the crusade. In fact, of the 300 or so people that were there on Saturday evening, only about 30 of them were NOT part of our leadership team. So, as you can imagine, we were all a little bit shocked at the turn out and a bit disappointed at the outcome, but praise God there was one man that did come forward for salvation. AND YES, EVEN FOR ONE, IT IS STILL WORTH IT!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Da Boy's First TKD tournament



Spencer and Alec did awesome today at their first Tae Kwon Do tourament. Spencer won the GOLD in his category and Alec brought home the BRONZE in his. Way to go boys, we are very proud of you.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Taking Jesus at His Word

The past two times that I have taught something (church staff & our discipleship group), I taught on "Taking Jesus at His Word."  In John 4 we find a story of a royal official whose son was close to death, so he went to Jesus and begged Him to go to his house and heal his son.  However, Jesus tells the man to go home because his son had been healed.  Here's the interesting point; In v.50 the text says, he took Jesus at His word and departed.  This royal official, who was not a follower of Christ, took Jesus at His word and departed.  This man accepted the word of Jesus. This unbeliever received Jesus' word as truth and went home believing that his son was healed.  

How many of us take Jesus at His word?  How many of us accept the Word of God as the Truth and go in faith believing it to be so?  Unfortunately a lot of us know what the Word says, but we don't always take it as the Truth for our lives and/or circumstances.   However, there are 7,874 promises given to man in the Bible and when God makes a promise, history shows us that His promises always come to pass.  So let's start taking God at His Word and let's start believing that what He says is true and will come to pass in our lives.

Let's follow this man's example and see what God will do in and through our lives!



Shaving the Mohawk












I am preaching a crusade tomorrow in Jinotega, Nicaragua, so I think it's time to shave off the mohawk.  Even though I have only had it for two days now, I've actually grown accustomed to it.  I think the strangest part about it is, is that it was just for a joke, but I think I may actually like having it now!  Hmm, what next, a Harley  and leather?  

Thursday, June 19, 2008

You Should Have Seen Their Faces!!!!



It was a little odd wearing a baseball cap to the office today, in fact, it had people wondering what was up, but they still had no idea what was going on. But man, I wish I had a picture of everyone's face when I took off my hat and they saw my MOHAWK! Their expressions were awesome! Even though it is now a few hours later, it's still hilarious to see people's reactions when they walk into my office and forget that I have a MOHAWK. Who would have ever imagined that cutting my hair could be so shocking and exciting?

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

And What Do you Want to Be When U Grow Up?



Bring on Tito! Bring on Forrest! Bring on Rich or Spencer or whoever you want. I'm ready. Let's get ready to rumble. Okay, maybe not. Oh sure, the mohawk's real. And yep, the sweatshirt is real too. It was a gift straight from the UFC Web Site. But the body, well, that's another story. Too many fasts, too much work, and not enough time to exercise. So I guess I will just keep on being a poser. Well, I guess that is until some real fighter comes along and kicks my skinny, white butt. Actually, they may need to wait in line because my wife is about to take the first shot!

What Would You Do?


For some reason I've been thinking a lot about various situations that happen to us in life and I've been asking myself, "What would I do?"
Here are a few examples: 1) I just found out that a friend's father just passed away. 2) We found out that a friend of ours is terminally ill. 3) I just learned that a friend of mine, who is a missionary in a closed country, is now on the government's list as a pastor in the underground church. 4) We found out that a friend of our's husband has not been paying their mortgage and they have to pay $5,000 in fines and back payments. 5) We found out that a friend of ours will never be able to have children. 6) We heard that our friend's parents are swingers.
Okay, the list could go on and on and on...but the question still remains "What would I do in these situations?" Makes ya really think about things, doesn't it?

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Hosanna and Hurricane Relief




Just wanted to post a few pictures that the mission's team took when they went out to distribute some of the supplies that the church collected for those that were "hit" by the hurricane.

Monday, June 16, 2008

My Best Friend



I have a few minutes before my next meeting, so I figured I would do a quick blog and introduce the cyber-world to my very best friend! This was a picture we took from my phone on Prince and Faith's deck in Henderson, Kentucky about a week and a half ago.


Let's see if you can follow me on this one? This is my Pretty Woman. From the moment I met her, my mind was Gone in 60 Seconds. Honestly, I think it actually took about 9 1/2 Weeks to come back to my senses. In fact, over the past 14 years, I have Notebook after Notebook full of stories about her. Even though our lives are Too Fast, Too Furious, every once-in-a-while she surprises me with an Indecent Proposal....Can I say that on my blog?? Hey, it might not be something you would hear on 101 Dalmations, but I think that it is a good thing. Sure, there are times I feel like I live in a Glass House because we have 3 Spy Kids (one is the Karate Kid, the other is the Kungfu Panda, and then there is our little Ice Princess) running around our house and my in-law's house (who I love dearly) is in my front yard or maybe my house is in their backyard, either way, you get the picture.  Okay, I will stop with this paragraph for now, because I am walking A Thin Red Line.  Hope I didn't leave you with a real Cliffhanger.

Anyway, back to telling you about my queen of the Little Women.  She is the one with all The Passion for life.  Like I said, when I met her for the first time, it turned into One Crazy Summer.  Then low and behold, I set out on a Mission Impossible, to try to have 50 First Dates with her.  However, she was too busy trying To Loose a Guy in 10 Days.... and it almost worked too! Then, I decided that it was time to be Facing The Giants.  I turned into the Hulk, got into Herbie, and set-out on a Cannonball Run all over Dallas until she finally realized that I am Legend!  Yep, that's right she discovered that this isn't another Bob the Builder story, but that is a true Knight's Tale! 

Friday, June 13, 2008

And What Kind of Week Are You Having?


Okay, let's see if you can guess what kind of week I have been having by viewing these pictures.  

Let's just say that our trip to the US went great and we received, in pledges,  about 60 percent of what Metanoia needs to launch into our 3-year medical missions project, which, by the way,  will be directed by Will and Jill Krost.  

However, since we've been back in Nicaragua, things have been crazy.  Nothing like a little extra stress in one's life:) But hey, this too shall pass.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

No Mom, It's not a real Tattoo!




I have had a few conversations lately, with people that I respect I might add, that have disturbed me. There is this notion among many Christians, that because they are Christians and are saved by grace, that they can pretty much do as they please. There is this idea that as long as they "love" Jesus everything else is pretty much irrelavent. During these conversations, I heard numerous times that the "older" Christians just need to stop being legalistic and that they need to be delivered from their "Religious Spirit." Why were such comments made? Because many "younger generation" Christians listen to a different style of praise and worship than their parents do, they do not sport a coat and tie in church, and they are into body piercing and tattoos. And I might add here, that this isn't just a trend with the "younger generation of Christians," but I know of many ministers that fit in this category as well. Now please do not get me wrong. There's not necessarily anything wrong with listening to a different style of praise and worship, ditching the coat and tie, and getting a few "I LOVE MOM" tattoos. However, the thing that I find disturbing is the attitude that the younger generation of Christians has toward the older generations. They themselves are developing the exact same spirit that they are so much against: A RELIGIOUS SPIRIT. This younger generation of Christians do not want to worship in the same manner as their parents and grandparents, they certainly do not want to wear the clothes their parents wore to church (remember your Sunday best?), and they certainly do not want to hear anything against body piercing and tattoos. The problem is though, and this is what I find disturbing, is that if you do not do the things the way they think it should be done, or if you think in a manner a little different than them (old school) you are legalistic or have a religious spirit.
Hmmm, if they aren't accepting the older generation of Christians because their style of worship is different, and they tend to dress a little more conservative, and claim that Leviticus 19:28 still holds true today, then who is being legalistic and who has a religious spirit? The one who is a little hesitant to change because they are set-in-their-ways, or the one that thinks their "new" way is the right way and won't accept the older way of doing things? Now of course I could be totally missing it here, but it seems to me like both groups are struggling with the same issue. Our way is the right way = religious spirit!
Look, I am part of the younger generation of Christians, even though my wife keeps telling me we aren't as young as I think we are, but I am afraid that many of us "youngins" are missing out on an inheritance of wisdom and knowledge that the older generation of Christians has to offer us because we are too stubborn and "in love with Jesus" to accept it and receive it. We'd rather keep doing our own thing, in our own way, thus putting even a greater chasm between our generations. Instead, we should embrace the best of both worlds and find a way to grow together and encourage one another. Remember, we are all in this together. It's not about us (young guns) verses them (old farts), it's about sons finding spiritual fathers, and fathers investing in the lives of spiritual sons. However, these relationships will never exist if both generations continue to allow those religious spirits to cause division and strife in the Body of Christ.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

WHAT IN THE WORLD??????

My wife and I were traveling to Cleveland this weekend for a few meetings and happened to come across these interesting looking animals.  I was so amazed by what we saw, that I turned the car around and asked my wife to take a few pictures.  Thank God for Blackberry technology, because who would believe that such an animal could even exist, especially close to Cleveland, Ohio?

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

I'VE FINALLY GIVEN IN

After years of not wanting to conform, I have finally succumbed to the peer pressure....I finally bought a MAC! Yes, it is true,  I've traded in the ACER and joined the MAC family.   As much as I have prided myself in using $400 to $500 laptops for the past 4-years, I just couldn't handle it any more.  The 5- minutes to boot-up and an extra 5-minutes to close down windows two or three times a day just wasn't working for me any longer, so I made an executive decision and entered the Big League.  I mean really, look at this picture, a MAC, a Blackberry, and a Starbucks Coffee.  Now I feel like I am part of corporate America......well, that is until I get back to Nicaragua and can't buy a Starbucks and can't find a WiFi connection, but until then, I will make a pretty good poser!

Much Needed R & R



This quick preaching trip to the States has been a much needed "break" for me. I didn't realize how driven and wired I am until these past few days.  I've had two whole days with absolutely nothing planned.  In fact, I have even limited emails, chats, and phone calls, simply because I am trying to rest and relax.  Honestly, it has been great.  I've been able to pray without interruptions, I've read two more books, and I've been able to just sit and read the Bible.  Unfortunately though, I've discovered something about myself:  I have a very difficult time "doing nothing." As much as I know that this time to myself has been a God thing, I have been having a hard time not doing or accomplishing something.  I've never realized just how driven I really am.  Sure, this can be a great attribute, because I do get things done and tend to make things happen, but at the same time, I do need to learn to "just be."  Wow, the story of Mary and Martha keeps coming to my mind!  Lord, teach me to rest in your presence and to be still and know that You are God.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Big Dog


The service today at the Praise and Worship Center in Lebanon, Ohio went great. We really connected with the church and I felt lreceived like part of their church family. Thanks everyone at PWC for your friendliness and generosity.
This evening I went out to eat with Joel and Kristy Mathews. Kristy is now Metanoia's stateside administrator since Evie went on as the full-time business administrator at their church. We had an interesting dinner (it's a long story), then a cup of joe from Barnes and Noble. Then we stopped off at their house to see their two beautiful daughters and their very BIG DOG! Who, by the way, is only 9-months old. He actually makes my 80-plus pound boxer look like a chiwawa.