"What would the church be like if we erred from an excess of compassion rather than from a stingy and legalistic lack of it?"
Brennan Manning
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Amazing Goal
I know I talk about our soccer team on this blog as well as the Brasilian national team and rightfully so. They are both pretty awesome.
Brasil also has the best team in the world in futsal. Futsal is soccer played indoors on a court that is close to the size of a basketball court. The best player in the world is named Falcão and he is Brasilian. He's kind of the Michael Jordan of futsal.
Here is a goal he recently made for the national team.
Brasil also has the best team in the world in futsal. Futsal is soccer played indoors on a court that is close to the size of a basketball court. The best player in the world is named Falcão and he is Brasilian. He's kind of the Michael Jordan of futsal.
Here is a goal he recently made for the national team.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Aggies Blog
Our visitors have a blog.
They are trying to update the blog daily as they share, over the next few weeks, about their mission trip here in Brasil. Go here if you want to keep up with what they are doing and read their thoughts while they minister to their Brasilian family.
They are trying to update the blog daily as they share, over the next few weeks, about their mission trip here in Brasil. Go here if you want to keep up with what they are doing and read their thoughts while they minister to their Brasilian family.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Aggies for Christ
On Tuesday of this week we welcomed a group from Texas A&M University. It's a group of college students who are all part of a bigger group called Aggies for Christ. This campus group literally sends teams of college kids around the world every year to help in any way they can with different church families. Their trips usually last a few weeks and they visit more than one place.
This is the second time we've had a group from A&M here. In 2007 there was a big group that came. That group went to the chácara and helped build a dormitory for the men.
This week we have 7 of these guys here. They've already jumped right in and have worked two days in helping families that are a part of this house church network.
They will be here for about a week and then go to Rio, Natal and Recife in the northern parts of Brasil. They have already been a blessing to this ministry.
Like our brother Everton said yesterday, "These guys like to work."
One negative to having these college kids is they make me realize that time is passing by.
In our minds (mine and Benay's) we still think we aren't too far removed from our college years. I mean besides a lot of gray hairs, we both feel young. I know we have an 18 year old in our house and that should tell our brains that we aren't 20 anymore but we still feel like we are in our 20's.
These guys woke me up yesterday (in a laughing kind of way..........believe me they will pay for that part) to the fact that we are older than our minds and bodies believe.
A couple of these guys started singing the old "Frito Bandito" song. Garrett started smiling because he has heard me sing it for years. I smiled back and said, "see buddy, lots of people know that song." If you have no idea who this little guy is or have forgotten him and his song then you can check it out here.
Political correctness killed him off but you have to admit, it is a catchy tune.
Then it got ugly. The three that we were talking with all said that they heard their parents singing that song. Then the line was crossed when someone said, "that song is old."
I fought it and said the song wasn't old. I began to ask each of them how old their parents were. They're parents are, within a couple of years, the ages of Benay and myself.
Even though I was called old yesterday, these guys have been a blessing to have around. They are already blessing their Brasilian brothers and sisters here.
And besides, age is just a number. Right? Like Satchel Paige said, "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?"
This is the second time we've had a group from A&M here. In 2007 there was a big group that came. That group went to the chácara and helped build a dormitory for the men.
This week we have 7 of these guys here. They've already jumped right in and have worked two days in helping families that are a part of this house church network.
They will be here for about a week and then go to Rio, Natal and Recife in the northern parts of Brasil. They have already been a blessing to this ministry.
Like our brother Everton said yesterday, "These guys like to work."
One negative to having these college kids is they make me realize that time is passing by.
In our minds (mine and Benay's) we still think we aren't too far removed from our college years. I mean besides a lot of gray hairs, we both feel young. I know we have an 18 year old in our house and that should tell our brains that we aren't 20 anymore but we still feel like we are in our 20's.
These guys woke me up yesterday (in a laughing kind of way..........believe me they will pay for that part) to the fact that we are older than our minds and bodies believe.
A couple of these guys started singing the old "Frito Bandito" song. Garrett started smiling because he has heard me sing it for years. I smiled back and said, "see buddy, lots of people know that song." If you have no idea who this little guy is or have forgotten him and his song then you can check it out here.
Political correctness killed him off but you have to admit, it is a catchy tune.
Then it got ugly. The three that we were talking with all said that they heard their parents singing that song. Then the line was crossed when someone said, "that song is old."
I fought it and said the song wasn't old. I began to ask each of them how old their parents were. They're parents are, within a couple of years, the ages of Benay and myself.
Even though I was called old yesterday, these guys have been a blessing to have around. They are already blessing their Brasilian brothers and sisters here.
And besides, age is just a number. Right? Like Satchel Paige said, "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?"
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
We're Back
Not sure if anyone missed us but we are back in the blogging world.
Why the gap between our latest blog and today? Well, after 5 and a half years of living in this house.......
......we moved last week to this house.
Our house is still pretty messy and we continue to repaint our old house but we are almost done with everything.
We will share more about how God worked to get us in this house on a later blog.
As we get more settled in our new house we hope to become regular bloggers again. We've gots lots of things to share.
Why the gap between our latest blog and today? Well, after 5 and a half years of living in this house.......
......we moved last week to this house.
Our house is still pretty messy and we continue to repaint our old house but we are almost done with everything.We will share more about how God worked to get us in this house on a later blog.
As we get more settled in our new house we hope to become regular bloggers again. We've gots lots of things to share.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Random Comments
Anderson is a pretty typical 5 year old. He makes lots of funny, random comments. I think what makes it even funnier with him is that he talks. A lot. We have never had a child or met a child that talks as much as he does. I'm sure part of his large vocabulary and love of talking comes from the fact that he has grown up in a big English speaking family and every day he is surrounded by many Portuguese speaking friends. Whatever the reason he is always saying some funny stuff.
Some examples just from the last couple of days while going to/from school:
Anderson: "My hands are SOOO slobbery."
Benay: "They are? Why?"
Anderson: "Because I've pushed them together for about the last 6 minutes."
Anderson: "Dad, does garlic tomato exist?"
Me: (seeing Anderson with his cowboy hat on) "Hey cowboy."
Anderson: "I'm not a cowboy. I'm a gaúcho (Brasilian cowboy).
Me: "Right. Sorry."
Anderson: "Cowboys are not gaúchos they're Texastes."
Anderson: (he spells every word that he sees as we are driving and then asks what it spells) "What does EG spell dad?"
Me: "Nothing."
Anderson: "Dad, seriously what does EG spell?"
Me: "Seriously. It doesn't spell anything. It's not a word." (this lead into a 5 minute discussion)
Anderson: "Dad, okay then can you spell all the words that don't spell nothing."
Anderson: (looking at Giovanni in the backseat)"Me and Giovanni are the cutest in the family because Bronwyn "EH" (didn't really know how to spell this-so just think what a wrong answer buzzer might sound like on a game show), Ansley "EH", Garrett "EH" and Carys "EH"
Anderson: "Dad if you die I don't ever want mom to get married again because no one can resist you."
Dad: "Thanks buddy."
Anderson: "Do you know what resist means?"
Dad: "Don't think so."
Anderson: "It means no one can take your spot."
Anderson: "Dad, does garlic tomato exist?"
Me: (seeing Anderson with his cowboy hat on) "Hey cowboy."
Anderson: "I'm not a cowboy. I'm a gaúcho (Brasilian cowboy).
Me: "Right. Sorry."
Anderson: "Cowboys are not gaúchos they're Texastes."
Anderson: (he spells every word that he sees as we are driving and then asks what it spells) "What does EG spell dad?"
Me: "Nothing."
Anderson: "Dad, seriously what does EG spell?"
Me: "Seriously. It doesn't spell anything. It's not a word." (this lead into a 5 minute discussion)
Anderson: "Dad, okay then can you spell all the words that don't spell nothing."
Anderson: (looking at Giovanni in the backseat)"Me and Giovanni are the cutest in the family because Bronwyn "EH" (didn't really know how to spell this-so just think what a wrong answer buzzer might sound like on a game show), Ansley "EH", Garrett "EH" and Carys "EH"
Anderson: "Dad if you die I don't ever want mom to get married again because no one can resist you."
Dad: "Thanks buddy."
Anderson: "Do you know what resist means?"
Dad: "Don't think so."
Anderson: "It means no one can take your spot."
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Prayer
Benay and I grew up in churches that didn't necessarily encourage God's grace. Our lives were filled with good Christian people but, honestly, we were taught a skewed doctrine. Neither one of us can ever remember hearing our parents sharing this doctrine but we both went to churches where the theme was the same......."God's grace is good and we are thankful for it but we also have to do our part and be good enough to go to heaven." It wasn't a "God did everything for us" mentality. It was more of a "God did his part now we need to do our part and together that might be enough to get us to heaven". Benay can even remember hearing a lesson from a man who showed, using scales, how God's grace needed our good works to finish the salvation plan. What an incredible burden! It has taken a few years for us to release that baggage and be 100% grace sharers.
Anyway, I needed to share the above to put in context what I really wanted to share today. It's relevant I promise.
A few years ago our church family had a prayer vigil. We planned the night before a holiday so as many people as possible could come. If I remember correctly, I think our group consisted of 7-8 people. We committed to pray through the night. Our brother João Spencer had done prayer vigils before and he volunteered to guide our prayer time through the night. At the top of every hour we would pray for 45 minutes for a specific topic and then take a 15 minute break. We started at 10-11 and went until 5-6 the next morning. As the night became morning I found myself catching little quick naps during our prayer time. With these quick naps came those old feelings of guilt that there was something wrong with me because I wasn't strong enough to go the entire night without sleeping. Somehow this was a testimony to my lack of spirituality. Those feelings led me to apologize to João. He had the most interesting, loving, encouraging and, quite frankly, Christian response. He told me not to apologize because he could think of no better place than on the Father's lap to fall asleep as I shared my requests.
I was reminded of João's inredibly loving, Spirit led response to me as I read these words this week from Trappist monk Basil Pennington in the book A Glimpse of Jesus by Brennan Manning:
A father is delighted when his little one, leaving off his toys and friends, runs to him and climbs into his arms. As he holds his little one close to him, he cares little whether the child is looking around, his attention flitting from one thing to another, or if he is intent upon his father, or just settling down to sleep. Essentially the child is choosing to be with his father, confident of the love, care, the security, that is his in those arms. Our Centering Prayer is much like that. We settle down in our Father's arms, in his loving hands. Our mind, our thoughts, our imagination may flit about here and there; we may even fall asleep, but essentially we are choosing to remain for this time intimately with our Father, giving ourselves to him, receiving his love and care, letting him enjoy us as he will. It is very simple prayer. It is very childlike prayer. It is prayer that opens out to us all the delights of the Kingdom.
Anyway, I needed to share the above to put in context what I really wanted to share today. It's relevant I promise.
A few years ago our church family had a prayer vigil. We planned the night before a holiday so as many people as possible could come. If I remember correctly, I think our group consisted of 7-8 people. We committed to pray through the night. Our brother João Spencer had done prayer vigils before and he volunteered to guide our prayer time through the night. At the top of every hour we would pray for 45 minutes for a specific topic and then take a 15 minute break. We started at 10-11 and went until 5-6 the next morning. As the night became morning I found myself catching little quick naps during our prayer time. With these quick naps came those old feelings of guilt that there was something wrong with me because I wasn't strong enough to go the entire night without sleeping. Somehow this was a testimony to my lack of spirituality. Those feelings led me to apologize to João. He had the most interesting, loving, encouraging and, quite frankly, Christian response. He told me not to apologize because he could think of no better place than on the Father's lap to fall asleep as I shared my requests.
I was reminded of João's inredibly loving, Spirit led response to me as I read these words this week from Trappist monk Basil Pennington in the book A Glimpse of Jesus by Brennan Manning:
A father is delighted when his little one, leaving off his toys and friends, runs to him and climbs into his arms. As he holds his little one close to him, he cares little whether the child is looking around, his attention flitting from one thing to another, or if he is intent upon his father, or just settling down to sleep. Essentially the child is choosing to be with his father, confident of the love, care, the security, that is his in those arms. Our Centering Prayer is much like that. We settle down in our Father's arms, in his loving hands. Our mind, our thoughts, our imagination may flit about here and there; we may even fall asleep, but essentially we are choosing to remain for this time intimately with our Father, giving ourselves to him, receiving his love and care, letting him enjoy us as he will. It is very simple prayer. It is very childlike prayer. It is prayer that opens out to us all the delights of the Kingdom.
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