Home again

After a week long road trip, Donna and I are back home. We went to Arizona to pick up a bus that has been converted to a motorhome. Owning a motorhome is not something we would just go out and do but hey, it was a gift to us. Free comes with some cost, doesn't it always? This bus gets around 6 1/2 miles to the gallon of diesel fuel. We drove approximently 1400 miles, that's 215 plus gallons @ an average cost of $2.25 a gallon. For all you math heads that's $484.62, not so free all of a sudden. Don't get me wrong, it is a very nice gift. It is a 1965 G.M Greyhound bus, converted in 1985. It has a sofa, two swivel chairs, nice kitchen with micro-wave and gas stoves. It also has a dishwasher, refrigerator and two compatment sink. The back of the bus is a bedroom. We have air conditioning as well as satellite tv.
Our future plans include spending some time in Mexico as missionaries. We serve the poor by bringing mostly used donated glasses (we do buy some very inexpensive reader type glasses as well as sunglasses)and doing basic vision testing. Once we determine the vision need of the individual we have them search bags of glasses that we have sorted by prescription. This is all very basic but if you have never been able to read or do needle work etc. then this makes a world of difference. We hope that by giving them a chance to see and giving them a chance to know the gospel, we might change a few lives. Our preaching is pretty basic, do as Jesus would do, share our love for each of them. We usually set up in a local church and encourage the local brothers and sisters to help. So with this bus I believe we will have more opportunities to reach out. One problem I see is the coninuall restocking that we do now, this would be more difficult if we spend much time down there. We usually carry around 1800-2000 glasses on each trip we take.
We are now going full-bore on getting ready to lead a team to San Luis, Chile in January. We will be holding our vision clinic as well as building a schoolroom while we are there. Well, I am done rattling on for now so, chau!

Pray

Pray for your love ones. Pray for your friends. Pray for your Pastors. Pray for those in government, Pray for your missionaries. Pray for your enemies. Today, take time to pray a little extra, put some extra effort into it. As in all prayer, not only say your mind but listen. When you are all done say a little prayer for me!

Heaven and hell

I feel that God revealed something to me Sunday morning just a few minutes after I woke up. I was enjoying a little quiet time before heading out to church when I read about bad things happening to good people.
Before I go any further I need to say, some who read this might say, Duh!
It was a revelation for me, I was the one who needed it at that time.
I believe that God does intervene sometimes, to answer prayer even if it is not the way we might expect (or hope). I also believe that He created all things and has allowed us to have a choice. When giving us, all of us, a choice then sometimes other people might make choices that will affect us. I don't think God allows bad things to happen to good people but I do believe He lets the consequences of others play out. When one looses a child to illness or accident it seems so unfair. When one looses a spouse and they were way to young, it seems so unfair. I believe that life on earth is a training ground for us all. When we loose a loved one, the separation is so hard it feels as if part of our own heart has been torn out. We have been separated from that love, that companionship, that hope for the future. I believe that God is using the situation, not allowing or causing but using, to show us what heaven and hell or like. It is only a limps but think of what an eternity alone would be like. Imagine no hope for the future, alone, not just a piece of our heart torn out but no heart at all. No love, none what so ever.
The flip side is that we spend eternity with God. God, who is love, who is our hope, who is our heart.
I guess death is not the only bad thing that happens to us but I think it is probably the most tragic. We pay for others mistakes or poor choices just as others are affected by our mistakes and poor choices. Some people smoke and it kills a family member or some will drink and drive and kill not only the one sitting next to them but some times others who are total strangers. We make choices every day and have to pay for those that are not good. In the end our mistakes are many but I am so glad that the price was paid by Christ Jesus. The cost to me? Surrender. Surrender my pride, I surrender all.
The difference in Heaven and hell, I believe!!

W.W.J.D.?

I have a fantastic wife who is very good at holding me accountable. Tonight as we discussed my sister-in-laws financial woes, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and asked that dreaded question, What would Jesus do? I say that dreaded question because that is when I have to put aside all my personal thoughts on how someone else should do something and look Christ in the eye honestly addressing the issue at hand. This question is do we help someone Financially who spends foolishly, taking her car payment to get her hair done, or do we give her as sound advice as we might have? She usually rejects verbal help saying we are "not understanding" or butting into her business. Now I face that question, what would Jesus do, with little or no clue as to what He actually would do. How do I remove my personal feelings and actually try to think as He would? Would He enable her Foolishness or would He be compassionate to her need? I feel I know the answer but I also struggle with "what you did for the least of them".
Praying for the answer,
John

Private vote?

Today as always I open my computer to Comcast and I see a picture of people voting and standing in line. My thought is, why do they allow a camera to take pictures in a polling place. This was a security camera, probably in a school. Can that camera be turned to watch someone at the booth? Cameras in the voting place, I don't like the idea. Good thing I vote by absentee ballot.
John

Encouragement

How do I encourage those who encourage me? Those who know me well know that I struggle with self image. I want people to like me. I find it distressing when I offend people even when I speak the truth in love.
Last Sunday (yesterday) Pastor Tim, my friend, told us about pride using "Obadiah". Now I struggle with, the pride that makes me want people to like me. As a team leader of short term missions I need to make choices and decisions that sometimes are unpopular with some members of my team. Others will hear of my decision, through viewing a change or through the mouths of those affected. Being who I am I cannot voice my reasons for the action because it is only between me and that person. Anything else I might say would not be an act of love but an act of retaliation (God will make things right in the end!)
My wife and I are leading yet another trip to all ends of the earth (South America this time), where we hope to encourage and enable our brothers and sisters in Christ to "preach the gospel of the kingdom - in the whole world as a testimony to all nations". My confoundation (is that a word?)is I cut a person from our team for not answering all the questions on our application. No address was given, no bithdate, no phone number, no signature. These are adults and I expected some minimal information yet because of their theology they would not submit a completed application. I believe we have to respect each others theological stands but I also believe if I set the standards for participation with a team that I am responsible for then they should respect my stand or not apply at all. Applying and blatantly refusing to cooperate is an act of confrontation for a confrontation. I believe this is an act of division and not unity so I denied the application. Now this person is angry with me for not giving in to their views and letting them use their skills and talents to serve the Lord on our team. Hum, am I long winded or what? You see, I now have at least two who do not necessarily "like" me and then a few more who have heard of my decision and don't know the whole story. I know that I can not change what has come to pass but I do want to make sure my team is encouraged with who they are and the number of team members that will be going. I can't address the situation and yet keep anonymity for the applicant.
Well, I guess the encouragement is in Christ. All other things I try to do are in vain, vain - pride, so I guess the answer to my original question is to "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and Waite for the Lord".
Thank you Violet for your words of encouragement.