The Carpenter’s Tree - By Megan Whitley

The Carpenter’s Tree 

I stood tall until I was cut down.

Stood united until cut apart.  

They made two large pieces of lumber from my wood, and stored them for a later date. 

The scraps left over were sold to an innkeeper in a little town called Bethlehem. 

He needed a manger, a place to put hay for his animals. I suppose it was a better fate than becoming firewood. 

I stood like that for a while. Getting older and more mildewy. Then one day, an interesting development occurred. A family of humans stopped by the barn. There was a lot of screaming. Then a loud cry. Then the very fibers of my being shook. The life that remained inside of me cried out praise as a child was laid in my frame. The Son of God. Emmanuel. I could tell because He radiated life. But He was scared, He was cold, He was tired. I was confused. How could God be tired? How could He cry? 

The family did not stay long. They moved on, and took My Lord with them. I still do not understand why God was so small, so fragile. He had to be carried. He had to be bathed. And He had to move on. The manger stayed, remembering the gift of God it had held. 

My two large pieces of lumber were stored away for many years. Until they were pulled out, and nailed together. It felt unnatural, to have my lumber nailed to itself, with the grain running in opposite directions. But I could not deny I felt I had a heavy duty to bear. I was important. 

One day, an interesting development occurred. A group of humans stood outside the palace gates. There was a lot of screaming. And loud cries for “justice”. The very fibers of my being shook. This time in fear.

They nailed a man to my frame. With His arms stretched out in surrender.  The life that remained inside of me cried out praise for the man that hung on my frame. The Son of God. Emmanuel. I could tell because He radiated life. But He was scared, He was cold, He was tired. He was in pain. I was confused. Why would God let Himself be in pain? Why would He cry? And why, oh why in the world would He let them do this to Him?

Emmanuel cried out. Forgiveness. How could He forgive them for this?

His life was finished.

I stood on that hill in shame for three days. Then He returned. Walked past the places they had crucified Him and smiled. Patted me twice as he passed. “Well done.” Maybe I’m hearing things, maybe I’m not. Then He looked out over the hill on which His people had betrayed Him and sang praises to His Father in Heaven. Then quietly, humbly, with almighty power, He walked back down the hill, to those people. 

And I praised God for the blessing it was to carry His Son twice. 

Messiah for the Magi

Psalm 105:1

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;

Make known among the nations what he has done.

This year for Advent I am reading “Good News of Great Joy,” by John Piper.  In the devotional for December 8^th, he focuses on the visit of the magi. 

“Messiah for the Magi”

“Unlike Luke, Matthew does not tell us about the shepherds coming to visit Jesus in the stable.  His focus is immediately on foreigners coming from the east to worship Jesus.  So Matthew portrays Jesus at the beginning and ending of his Gospel as a universal Messiah for the nations….At the end of Matthew, the last words of Jesus are, ‘All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.’

            This not only opened the door for the Gentiles to rejoice in the Messiah, it added proof that he was the Messiah.  Because one of the repeated prophecies was that the nations and kings would, in fact, come to him as the ruler of the world.

            For, example, Isaiah 60:3, ‘Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.’  So Matthew adds proof to the messiahship of Jesus and shows that he is Messiah—a King, and Promise-Fulfiller—for all the nations…”

Then as I was reading Psalm 96, I thought of the different people groups that the Lord has led us to here in southern Spain.  Please continue to pray for…

The Jahanka people from Senegal and Ginea

The Sereer people from Senegal

The Mandinka people from Senegal, Mali, and Ginea

The Wolof people from Senegal

The Fula people from Senegal

The Bambara people from Mali

The Susu Baga people from Ginea

The Susu people from Ginea

The Soninke people from Mauritania

Psalm 96

Sing to the Lord a new song:

Sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, praise his name;

Proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

His marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

He is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols.

But the Lord made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before him;

Strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations,

Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

Bring an offering and come into his courts.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;

Tremble before him, all the earth.

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”

The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;

He will judge the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;

They will sing before the Lord, for he comes,

He comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

And the peoples in his truth.

The Nations

Revelation 5:9 “And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation’.”

Revelation 7:9-10  After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

Pray for us as we learn more about each people group from Africa that we are working with here in southern Spain and the great opportunities that we have to share with these people.  Pray for our friends from the following people groups.  Some of them have no Bible in their language and have few if any known Christians among them.

People group name, country name, (friend’s name)

Fula from Senegal (Umi, Roogiatu, Cherno)

Serer from Senegal (Ami, Fatu, Ndeye, Mamadou, Fabak, Usman, Sidou)

Mandinka from Senegal (Ami, Mariama, Ansu)

Jahanka from Senegal (Maisatta)

Wolof from Senegal (Nguy, Sojna, Aliw, Adama)

Mandinka from Mali (Nassida)

Bambara from Mali (Adama)

Maninka from Ginea (Awa)

Jahanka from Ginea (Mairiamma, Fatu, Dembo, Fatu, Fode, Mamadou)

Susu Baga from Ginea (Jari, Augustina, Devis)

Susu(Malinke) from Ginea (Sona)

Soninke from Mauritania (Mouna, Diary, Hadiatou, Momadou, Lemi, Issa, Fatou)

Three Kings Day

One thing we love about the holidays in Spain is Three Kings Day. After Christmas, and after New Years’ Day, the holidays continue in Spain. On January 6 people in Spain celebrate Three Kings Day. They remember when the three wise men visited baby Jesus bearing gifts. Matthew 2:1-12; verse 11 says, “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”

Gold – gift fit for a king

Incense – used in the temple for worship

Myrrh – used to anoint or prepare for burial

The three wise men gave gifts to reveal Jesus as King, worship him as Lord, and prepare him as Savior.

Regardless of what time of year it is, may we continue to remember and proclaim Jesus – Emmanuel, God with us.

Faith and Earthquakes

This year in Lorca, a Spanish town about 1 and ½ hours from where we live, there was a large earthquake. Several lives were lost. A team from FBC, Blue Springs, Mo. visited this town and one of the Baptist churches there to learn how we could help because the church was greatly damaged and 90 percent of church members were out of their homes at one time. It was amazing to witness the faith of these church members. They spoke of the damage to the church and their homes and reminded others that they had not lost their lives. One lady said, “no pasa nada.” This is a very common Spanish saying that is similar to our, “no problem.” We heard so many of them say that they knew that God would use this situation for good, and for his glory, and to reach others for Christ.

During the church service, the pastor preached about the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they responded with … “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from you hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)

“That is faith.”

The congregation sang the following song …

(rough translation to English)

“My heart trusts in you because I know you

And in the middle of the storm, I am never alone

I can see your silhouette in the middle of the mist

Your grace is sufficient for me even if the world trembles

Every day as I awake your mercy is with me and I can rest

You are the same every day

You teach me to trust in you and your word

My faith increases every morning,

Every day”

Please pray that God will continue to work through this difficult situation to bring people closer to him.

Norma's Story

Norma is from Ecuador. She traveled to Spain many years ago. She is a member of our church in Almeria. When we first came to Spain, she told me how she had felt called to do missions. She wanted to become involved with the work in Roquetas with the African immigrants. She decided to start a class for the African ladies to learn Spanish and some sewing skills. For the first class she had one student. For the second class she had two students. For the third class she had four students. For the fourth class she had eight students. She realized very quickly the need for these ladies to learn to read and write. After a year of Norma’s dedicated work, there are now twelve African ladies who have never been to school, who can read and write. Norma also helps the ladies fill out paperwork to receive food from the Spanish food bank. We give out vegetables, clothes, baby strollers, baby beds and other equipment. The ladies in “ladies class” have also received reading glasses. They are learning to cook Spanish food. Last week they learned how to make Spaghetti carbonera. The week before that they learned how to make American chocolate chip cookies. Norma tells me the story of the day soon after she had arrived in Spain. She was sitting in a bank and praying about her desire to be a missionary. She prayed, “Use me, use me, use me or let me die.” Then she says, “Then I died to myself, and he used me. He is using me with these African women.” Norma is very open in sharing the gospel with the ladies from ladies class. Please pray for her as she continues to allow the Lord to use her. Please pray for the African ladies that they would become interested in having a personal relationship with the Lord through Jesus.

Just be dead

I was doing a missions week at a college during our off field assignment (formally known as furlough.) During one panel session, a student asked, “What do we need to do to prepare for mission work?” Different missionaries on the panel gave different answers. I said that we need to be obedient in everything. The gentlemen next to me paused for a while, and then he said, “You just need to be dead.”

Later during the conference I caught up to this gentleman to thank him for his words. He helped me remember that I just need to be dead; dead to myself. If we are dead to ourselves and alive in Christ, then often all of the little insecurities or things that bother us in life are not as important as simply living life for Christ.

Luke 9:23-24: "Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.'"

Reconcilers!

Second Annual Missions Conference in Spain

Samuel Escobar, missions Professor in Spain, spoke on the 1^st of May, 2011, at the second annual missions conference in Spain. He spoke on “Las Iglesias y su mission en el mundo,” (churches and their mission in the world.) He spoke on how we need to “learn to see the world with the eyes of God. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21: “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Are we continuing to be reconcilers for God?

Do we see the world as Jesus did? Matthew 9: 35-38, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’ “

Are we continuing to “ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field?” Are we continuing to pray, give, and go for the harvest, for the reconciliation of His world unto Him?

Castles, Cathedrals, and the Kingdom of God

We enjoy visiting different castles and cathedrals here in Spain and other parts of Europe. Our favorite cathedral is Notre Dame in Paris, but the cathedrals in Sevilla, and Barcelona, Spain are also really interesting. We have seen castles in Ireland, Scotland, France, Belgium, and Spain, varying from different times in history. Some of the castles in Spain date back to Moorish times.Our favorite castles usually consist of only the ruins from the past and we can picture in our imaginations how they might have been at one time. Lately visiting castles and cathedrals has caused me to think about the kingdom of God. We don’t need to live in a castle to recognize God’s enormous blessings for each of us. (Besides – most castles seem to be a bit drafty.J) We don’t need to worship in a beautiful cathedral to really be able to worship God in spirit and in truth.We do need to set our minds on things above and put His kingdom first in our lives.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Luke 12:31 “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

The “things” that will be given is a reference to food and clothing and basic needs that God will provide for us. These verses follow others that are encouraging us not to worry, but to focus on His kingdom.

Daniel 4:3b “His kingdom is an eternal kingdom…”

We are told to pray as in Matthew 6:10 “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

We humankind often focus on the “castles and cathedrals” of this world, but these verses are reminding us that the kingdom of God is worth far more than we could ever have. Are we willing to “sell everything we have” in order to be focused on what is most important?

The Lord is My Shepherd

The Lord is my Shepherd

We have been thinking about sheep a lot lately, because of our sheep ministry, and in our churches, we have been hearing about how the Shepherd cares for his sheep.

Last Sunday in our Spanish church we sang this Chorus of a Spanish hymn. Here is my rough translation:

The Lord is my Shepherd

I lack nothing here

I walk with Him in His way

In His arms I trust

Nothing will separate me from the love of God.

This morning I am listening online to a sermon by Jason Martin, my families’ pastor at FBC, Breckenridge, Texas. His text is Psalm 23:5-6. He is talking about how shepherds care for their sheep; how they “prepare the tableland” by pulling up the beautiful flowers, “the white camma,” that the sheep love to eat, but that would kill them. “The shepherd goes before his sheep.” Our God takes care of us in the same way; He is preparing the way for us.

__________________________________________________________

My mother sent me the following devotional from the book Day by Day: A Daily Praise Offering by Gwen R. Shaw.

“THE NATIONS FOR YOUR INHERITANCE

Scripture Reading Psalm 2:1-8

‘Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.’ Psalm 2:8

That is My truth to you. All you need to do in order to be mighty in the nations, is to ‘ask Me.’

But first you need a vision and a desire for the nations. Many of My children are very self-centered. They have no burden nor concern, nor love, nor interest in the nations. They live their lives around themselves and their immediate families.

But if you will be My true follower, you will see your neighbour through My eyes, and you will take pleasure in learning to know your generation, even though it is of another colour or creed.”…

“Lift up your eyes upon the nations. The treasures of Heaven are the beautiful peoples of the nations….So go to them now. Pray for them now. Ask Me to give you the treasures of the nations.”

He came not to a throne,

but to a manger.

He lived not as a king,

but as a servant.

He chose not a kingdom,

but a cross.

He gave not just a little,

but everything.

by Holley Gerth

This year the children will be doing a Christmas program for FBC, Roquetas, a Nigerian church here in Spain. They will be saying this famous Christmas poem…

What Can I Give Him?

By Christina Rossetti

What can I give Him,

Poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd,

I would bring a lamb.

If I were a Wise Man,

I would do my part,

Yet what can I give Him?

Give my heart.

Welcome to Our World

At Christmas time we remember the birth of Christ. This profound song by Chris Rice helps me to focus on, and worship the King who came as a baby to save the nations.

Welcome to Our World

by Chris Rice

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking

How we need to hear from God

You’ve been promised

We’ve been waiting

Welcome holy child

Welcome holy child

Hope that you don’t mind our manger

How I wish we would have known

The long awaited holy stranger

Make yourself at home

Please make yourself at home

Bring your peace into our violence

Bid our hungry souls be feed

Word now breaking heaven’s silence

Welcome to our world

Welcome to our world

Fragile fingers sent to heal us

Tender brow prepared for thorn

Tiny heart whose blood will save us

Unto us is born

Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around you

Breathe our air and walk our sod

Rob our sin and make us holy

Perfect son of God

Perfect son of God

Welcome to our world

Abandon & Surrender

In our church in Almeria Spain, our Pastor, Isabel M. Sanchez, preached from Joshua chapter 6 on Sunday, September 13, 2009. Following are some thoughts from the sermon…

Abandon your own will.

Surrender to God’s will.

At Jericho the Israelites didn’t depend on their own will or strength; they depended on God’s will and strength. Hebrews 11:30 says, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.” By faith, in Spanish is, por la fe.

The well known verses Proverbs 3:5-6; “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not in your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Our pastor said, “Does God have the right to change my plans? There mine. But we have given our hearts to him.” She explained to me after the service that the word ‘trust’ in this verse in the Spanish version means to put our trust and confidence in God and to want what God wants more than what we want. The all powerful God is in us; it is not for us, but for God.

In the story in Joshua, the Israelites walked around Jericho for 6 days. On the seventh day they came together again, and verse 16b says, “Joshua commanded the people, ‘Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!’” Each day we “walk around” our cities and towns. We come together on the 7^th day, Sunday, and with one voice we ask the Lord to tear down the walls of our cities, to tear down the walls in the hearts of people who don’t know Him – for Him – that they may know Him.

Facedown in Reverence

In our church here in Spain, our Pastor, Isabel M. Sanchez, has been speaking from the book of Joshua. On August 30, 2009, the text was Joshua 5:13-15. “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does the Lord have for his servant?’ The commander of the Lord’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so.” In the Spanish version, the last phrase says “Y Josué le obedeció. (And Joshua obeyed.)

Our pastor went on to talk about how people of the Muslim faith whose God is not a personal God bow facedown 5 times a day to pray. They pray "Allah is great. Allah is the only God. There is none worthy of worship except Allah." Yet we as Christians who have a personal God who died for our sins, how often everyday do we pray? How often do we praise God and tell him that we want to do His will and not ours, that we are His servant?

Standing in the Gap

Ezekiel 22:30, 31- “’I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none… declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

Ezekiel is prophesying about God’s wrath on Israel because of their many sins and idolatry. God was looking for someone to stand in the gap on behalf of the people. God is still looking for someone to stand in the gap. Who will stand in the gap for the people around the world who do not know the Lord? Who will stand in the gap for the immigrants around them who need help and do not know the Lord? Who will stand in the gap for people of different religions? People whose faith is Islam do not have a personal God; they do not have a God who is their refuge and strength or ever present help in times of trouble. Who will stand in the gap with their prayers for these people? God is calling men and women to stand in the gap. Some are answering His call only to be told that there is not enough funding to send them to their place of service. Who will stand in the gap with their giving to support ministries around the world and at home? Who will stand in the gap with their time to reach out to those around them who need to know a personal God?

Will you stand in the gap?

Prayer

The power of prayer
Prayer is the key.
Prayer puts the power with God and not with man.
Prayer helps us get out of the way and puts God in the forefront of the ministry.
Prayer helps us focus not on ourselves, or the ministry, or the people we are ministering to.
Prayer helps us focus on God and His will for us, the ministry, and the people we are ministering to.
Prayer: the essential element!

A long time ago I heard this story of a missionary and the power of prayer…

This missionary lived and ministered in a country that was divided by a large river. He lived and ministered on one side of the river. One day he felt that God was leading him to begin to pray for the people on the other side of the river. So he began to spend the mornings ministering on his side of the river, and the afternoons he spent praying for the people on the other side of the river. After about 20 years of ministry he had only visited the other side of the river a few times and other missionaries had only visited a few times as well, but he had continued to pray for the people to come to know the Lord. After these 20 years he was amazed to find on the side of the river where he lived and ministered quite a few people had come to know the Lord, but on the side of the river where he only visited a few times but spent each afternoon praying for the people, many, many more people had come to know the Lord. It is amazing what God can do through the prayers of his people!


James 5:16b: “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

Thank you for praying for the ministry to African immigrants in southern Spain.

An African Church Service

Christ Movement Ministries in Roquetas del Mar, Spain is an African church that we visited one Sunday morning.

Pastor Nathaneil Ikeh from Nigeria spoke on Godly Rejection with a text from Judges chapter 11.

The pastor preached about how many people in Africa are rejected by their friends and family because they became Christians. “The reason we must be rejected by our families is because of the divine deposit of Jesus in our lives.” He also said, “Do not allow the rejection you receive from your family, your friends and others to weigh you down.” “You are a divine child of God.” “There is a divine touch of God in your life.” “Let them [family, friends, etc.] know that you are a divine child of God.” You are a divine instrument.” Pator Ikeh read from Judges 11 the story of Jephthah the Gileadite warrior. He was rejected by his family and then later they asked him to be their commander so that they could fight the Ammonites. Pastor Ikeh encouraged the African congregation that maybe one day their families will say they are the leader of their family or the commander in chief.

Worship Song:

“I know that I can make it
I know that I can stand it
No matter what may come my way
My life is in His Hands.

“With Jesus I can make it
With Jesus I can stand it
No matter what may come my way
My life is in His Hands.”

Closing Prayer:
“When men and women reject us may it be for your glory, let them reject us that your mission may be completed.”

It was an amazing experience to hear these people who have experienced rejection like most Americans cannot even fathom, encourage one another in continuing to serve the Lord. We prayed, along with them, that one day they would have the opportunity to lead the very people who rejected them because of their relationship with Christ, to a personal relationship with Christ for themselves.


King of the Jungle

Recently we took what Megan calls “a home school field trip.” We went to what one might consider a “Spanish zoo.” We had a great time seeing lots of different animals. On the way there we listened to an appropriate song by Steven Curtis Chapman. I hadn’t heard this song in a long time and the words seem to jump out at me. I am so thankful that we know who is King of this jungle!

King of the Jungle by Steven Curtis Chapman

“Well, the day is just begun and I’m already running late
With two many irons in the fire and too much on my plate
I’d be pulling out my hair if I could just get one hand free
And I’d stop this world if I could find the key.

Chorus:
“What I feel is telling me I’m going crazy,
But what is real, says God’s still on His throne
What I need is to remember one thing
That the Lord of the gentle breeze is Lord of the rough and tumble
And He is the King of the jungle

“People say this world’s a jungle and sometimes I must admit
I’d be scared to death if I did not know who was King of it
But the truth is God created this whole world with his own hand
So everything is under His command

Chorus:
“What I see is telling me this world’s gone crazy
But what is real says God’s still on His throne
What I need is to remember one thing
That the Lord of the gentle breeze is Lord of the rough and tumble
And He is the King of the jungle

Reprise:
“He’s King of creation,
Ruler of earth and the sky and the sea
He’s always in control
He is the King of kings
He’s sitting on the throne
He is the King of kings!

Deuteronomy 4:39 “Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.”
Deuteronomy 10:17a “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome”


Does Your Donkey Talk?

Balaam was an interesting guy – even before his donkey started talking. When he was first asked to visit King Balak, his response was one I want to learn: “’Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God,’” Numbers 22:18. Oh, that we might live our lives in absolute surrender to each and every plan that God has for our daily lives, that we might not do or say anything great or small that would go beyond the commands or even desires of our God.
Later in the story, Balaam goes with the men to visit King Balak riding on his faithful donkey. Many know the story of how the donkey sees the angel of the Lord three times and tries to stray from the path, each time suffering a beating from his master, until finally in verse 28 the Lord opens the donkey’s mouth and she speaks to Balaam – finally getting his attention. Then in verse 32, “The angle of the Lord asked him, ‘Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.’” As I read these words, I wonder how many times we continue down a reckless path, not heading or being sensitive to the gently nudging of our Lord. I want to pay attention to what the Lord wants me to do each day in such a way that he does not need to cause my donkey to talk to get my attention. As we strive to live the abundant life that comes through absolute surrender to each and every plan that the Lord has for our lives, I pray that we will seek His will in such a way, but if we miss even the smallest direction, I hope that the donkey will talk to get us back on track.

"It Takes a Child"

Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Our co-worker, Dr. Robert (Bob) Newel, who serves in Athens Greece, has recently written a series of Advent sermons. In the first sermon he refers to the “African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’” He goes on to say that he would like to turn that saying around and look at it in a different way for the theme of his sermons: “It takes a child.”

“Indeed, the heavenly perspective, as revealed most keenly in the Bethlehem event, affirms the power of this reality. Advent and Christmas stand as stark reminders that ‘It takes a child’ to raise the hopes of humankind; ‘It takes a child’ to raise the awareness of a decimated and discouraged world of God's faithful compassion! ‘It takes a child’ to raise the desperately damaged vision of what each of us was intended to be; ‘It takes a child’ to raise, anew, the possibility of destinations where the Almighty has dreamed that we should go. ‘It takes a child!’” (Taken from the 1^st sermon in Dr. Newel’s Advent series.)

It is amazing to me that God chose to send His Son to us as a baby.

This Christmas season may we be ever thoughtful and thankful “for unto us a child is born!”

"May it be to me as He has said"

Luke 1, 26-38

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendent of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’

“Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.’

“’How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’

“The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.’

“’I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.”

One might wonder what it was about Mary, a young girl that “found favor with God.” Quite possibly it was her attitude of absolute surrender which is obvious in her statement that she is the Lord’s servant. In the Beginner’s Bible for children, Mary’s response to the angel and thus to the Lord is simply, “’I believe you,’ said Mary. ‘I will do whatever God wants.’”(p. 271.) God desires each of us to come to the place of absolute surrender in our lives in which we will do whatever He wants. Then He can bless us with the abundant life. During this Christmas season, may our hearts be more like Mary’s.

Thanksgiving

Often when I wake up in the morning, I find myself thanking God for the many blessings in my life. I am thankful for the home that God has provided for my family – our terrace apartment in southern Spain. I am thankful for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. I am thankful that God has used CBF to send us here to minister to people from West Africa. We have had the opportunities to become friends with people from the places in Africa where we previously lived and learned the languages. It is so much fun to greet these precious people in their language from home. We have had the opportunities to meet people from Senegal, the Gambia, Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Cameroon, Mauritania, Morocco, and Algeria, as well as people from Latin America and Romania. I Chronicles 16:8 “Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.”

I am very thankful for my three precious children and my husband.

I Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I am even thankful for the times when I am really missing my extended family back home in Texas. A friend once reminded me that if I didn’t have such a great, encouraging, and supportive extended family, I wouldn’t miss them so much.

The key to happiness…might simply be found in being thankful to God for the blessings He has already given us.