November 2008
Dear Fellow Servants of Christ,
As fall descends on the valley we are remaining as busy as ever here in the ministry. We’ve settled into a daily routine with our language school and the kids’ home schooling. It’s a difficult schedule, but the Lord is blessing and we are seeing consistent progress. Unfortunately, as I try to speak I now often embarrass myself, as I did the other day when I tried to tell someone that I had a head cold, but instead informed them that I was “sick in the head” (ie mentally disturbed). But, we can’t let our own inabilities get in the way of God’s giving us the ability!
We are continuing to become more active at Iglesia Bautista Betania. We attend all of their services, which adds another 200-miles-a-week to our driving (about 800 total including language school). The kids are also participating in, and enjoying, their “Club de Niños” program, and Melissa has recently begun nursery duty. I’m looking forward to working with their visitation program once I am actually able to communicate (properly) in the Spanish language. On October 23rd I met with Pastor Noé Mendoza at IBB, and we are considering opportunities where we can work together. One such area is in my assisting with the technical end of a ministry to send short video & sound productions to churches here in the U.S. as well as around the world. Pastor Mendoza has many contacts that can provide free airtime both via radio and television, but he needs assistance producing the media to be sent. We are also discussing ways in which we can possibly work together as our family begins the process of starting our first new church here in the valley. This will not happen until after we complete language school, and I do not have any definite details to share with you at this time, but please be in prayer for this matter.
Progress on our property continues to go well. We have removed the bulk of the damaged materials from the flooding back in August. I had to cut out the bottom portion of the drywall throughout the casita, as well as remove the tile flooring. We are waiting to install new drywall/flooring until we are able to put new siding on the outside of the building (since there are places you can see clear through right now). We do not currently have a timeframe for that to be completed. I’ve also removed all of the damaged materials inside of the garage, and have begun to get it organized. I’ve had all of my tools in boxes on the floor, and that is not conducive to productive work. I was recently able to utilize recycled wood from the fencing we had removed, as well as left-over roofing materials, to build two workbenches in the garage, one 3′x8′ and one 4′x8′ (with a full 4′x8′ shelf underneath). They have been a huge blessing, as they’ve enabled me to get everything out, up and organized. I still need to work on the roof of the garage to prevent future leaks should we get torrential rains again, but like the casita, that project is currently on hold. Fortunately, it has not had any leaks in the “normal” rains we have been receiving.
In closing, please be in prayer about two things for 2009. First, pray about whether your church would be able to participate in a mission trip to the valley. We are looking for small groups to perform both physical and spiritual ministries beginning on July 1st. Second, please pray about allowing me the opportunity to present our ministry in you church next fall. I will be traveling for 4-6 weeks sometime during the Oct.-Nov. timeframe to raise the additional support which we still need, and am currently scheduling churches to visit. For more information on either of these matters, or to schedule a meeting, please contact me either by phone or by email.
Thank you again for your continued support, both in prayer and financially. As always, we are excited to see what the Lord has done, is doing and to look forward to what He will do in the future.
Your missionaries to South Texas,
Aaron, Melissa, Braden, August & Addie Grace Freeman
Keep up with us online: www.RGVBaptist.com – up-to-the-minute news, prayer requests, and more!
Thank you for the support of $50.00 received this month!
For a printable copy of our prayer letters, please click here.
This is taken from a book entitled “Ten P’s In A Pod” by Arnold Kent III.
1) The Lord commands it: 1 Timothy 4:15-16–15 “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”
2) I want real life: John 6:63–It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
3) I want to know true doctrine: John 8:31-32–31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
4) I want to be clean: John 15:3–Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
5) I want to be fruitful: John 15:4-5–4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6) I want my prayers answered: John 15:7–If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
7) I want to be prosperous and successful: Joshua 1:8–This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
I don’t want to backslide: Psalms 37:31–The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
9) I want my soul fed: Deut 8:3–And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
10) I want to grow: 1 Peter 2:2–As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
11) I want understanding: Psalms 119:99–I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
12) I want to be thoroughly furnished unto every good work 2 Timothy 3:16-17
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
This is from a blog that I read regularly. This is good perspective as we go into an election.
22 10 2008
By this time, most people have read about the Clinton war room for the 1992 election, where then Governor Clinton’s senior strategists, James Carville and Paul Begala, posted the statement on a whiteboard, “The Economy, Stupid.” This was the first time I had heard the terminology, “talking points,” and probably you heard it by now, but instruction for a winning campaign—”Stay on message.” There was actually a haiku of three phrases on Carville’s whiteboard: Change vs. More of the Same, The Economy Stupid, Don’t Forget Health Care. As much as people make a gigantic deal about the success of these Clinton talking points, some people fail to remember Ross Perot got 17% of the votes out of that election and Clinton himself received way less than 50%. Perhaps they should have written, Ross Perot Stupid, on that board. Them were no geniuses.
We need our own war room and our message wouldn’t be that much different actually. I’d leave out only the third phrase of the Carville Mantra. The strategists drilled into Clinton the importance of repeating the talking points and staying on message. We should do the same. You already know that we won’t change the nation through political issues and elections. We need change and not more of the same. But how will change happen? It isn’t the economy. Although that’s what most Americans think. It is the gospel, stupid.
I’m not calling you stupid. Carville wasn’t calling Clinton, stupid. He was saying, “You’re stupid if you forget this talking point.” I’m saying, put The Gospel on your whiteboard. We’re all stupid if we forget it. We’re stupid when we even start forgetting the gospel. If Obama wins this election, the answer is the gospel, stupid. If McCain wins, it’s the gospel, stupid. Sometimes it takes an Obama to remember the gospel, stupid. When I catch myself thinking too much about Obama, Ayers, Wright, and Acorn, I need to remember the gospel, stupid. Do you think in a given week that we’re better off thinking and talking and writing more about this election than we do the gospel, stupid? It’s worth some time, just like bodily exercise is worth some time. But it “profiteth little.” The gospel profiteth much.
I believe that Jesus was talking about this election in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6. People worry about the economy. They worry about their own physical needs. The Lord said in verse twenty-five, “Take no thought” of these things. Don’t make those your thinking or talking points. God will take care of you. He’ll meet your needs. Instead, make this your haiku, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” The economy and anything else God wants you to have will be added unto you.
Things Stupid about an Election
- It can’t take away sin, which is man’s real problem.
- It can’t make people do what they’re supposed to do.
- It can’t reconcile man with God.
- It can’t stop people’s greed.
- It can’t create honest leaders.
- It can’t stop men from dying.
- It can’t get anyone to heaven.
- It can’t eliminate the chief reason for crime and war.
- It can’t produce genuine love between people.
- It can’t cause human government to succeed.
- It can’t be the kingdom of God on earth.
- It gives people a false hope and a false sense of security about the future.
Things Stupid about not Elevating the Gospel above Elections
- We can persuade people to vote for our candidate, but they’ll still go to hell.
- When we’re talking about our candidate, we’re not talking about Jesus Christ.
- Even if our candidate does win the election, without preaching the gospel, the numbers of a right type of voter will still shrink.
- Someone for whom we vote will not bring in the kingdom of God on earth, but Jesus will.
- Jesus said, “Let the dead bury the dead,” so surely an election is below following Him.
- Other people might get the idea that elections are more important than gospel preaching.
- While we are spending time on the election, people will not be hearing the gospel.
- God commanded us to preach the gospel and He said nothing about elections.
- The gospel has the power to save someone forever and a politician or the election itself doesn’t have close to that power.
- The change of the gospel is eternal and the change wrought by an election winner is temporal.
- The gospel can transform someone on the inside and an election can’t.
- God’s Word says a lot about the gospel and it says very little about human government.
Conclusion
The election seems like big time. The news media talks about it. For a little bit of time, we share an opinion with millions of other Americans. Maybe we even feel some strength in numbers. But it’s not the way that God chooses to change the world. He chooses the weak things of the world to confound the strength of the mighty. He didn’t choose elections as His way for men to align themselves with Him. He did choose the preaching of the gospel. Let’s not be stupid.
Rebuilding Galveston & New Orleans
First thing I’ve seen that makes sense.
For complete description of materials and how to build it, please refer to Genesis, chapter 5:14-16
This is a post from Albert Mohler’s blog about Robert Schuller and his son’s “schism.”
So Much for Possibility Thinking
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Bad news must be especially hard to bear when you build your world on positive thinking, but the news out of Garden Grover this past Sunday was not happy. Robert H. Schuller, founder of the Crystal Cathedral and the “Hour of Power” television ministry, announced that he had removed his son, Robert A. Schuller, as host of the television ministry.
“It is no secret to any of you that my son, Robert, and I have been struggling as we each have different ideas as to the direction and the vision for this ministry as we move into the future,” the elder Schuller stated in a statement published on the church’s Web site. “For this lack of shared vision and the jeopardy in which this is placing this entire ministry, it has become necessary for Robert and me to part ways in the Hour of Power television ministry to each pursue our own unique God-ordained visions.”
When the father said that the rift with his son was “no secret,” he was presumably referring to the fact that the son had been strangely absent from the broadcast as its main preacher. In 2006, the elder Schuller had announced that Robert A. Schuller would take over as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral and as main preacher for the television program. “I am not retiring,” the father had said, but he was leaving the main role of preacher to his son.
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