Listening to one another's stories

Of the 50+ one anothers in the New Testament, I am not aware of any that exhort us to listen to one another's stories. Yet, I know of no better way to begin fulfilling the one another passages than by listening to each other's stories.

Listening to one another's stories:

-brings us together
-unites us
-makes us more human
-gives us context for understanding each other better
-reveals our hearts
-corrects misconceptions
-draws us together
-makes us more of a "real" person
-reveals what we have in common
-makes us appreciate others more
-reveals areas we were unaware of before
-reveals how much more we have in common than differences
-fills in gaps about the "why's" of people's actions/behavior
-rids us of false impressions we might have had
-clarifies things we only vaguely knew before
-and a lot more...

The sum total of the above is that we are drawn together to better:

-be of the same mind toward one another
-be devoted to one another
-give greater preference to one another
-help to not judge one another
-build up one another
-accept one another
-bear one another's burdens
-care for one another
-serve one another
-tolerate one another in love
-be kind to one another
-be subject to one another
-consider one another more important than ourselves
-bear with one another
-forgive one another

These and other similar exhortations draw us closer to fulfilling the command of Christ to truly love one another as God loves us.

Sadly, we often define people by a few skewed perceptions. We are quick to label a person based on what someone else has said about them or our own quick conclusions from distorted or partial facts. People seem a lot different when we know their stories.

I am guilty of this in my own life. I tend to define people by a single action, word, attitude, behavior, or impression. It only takes a brief encounter and I unconsciously label people: boring/interesting, liberal/conservative, shallow, uninteresting, creative, crybaby, know-it-all, hick, bad/good, useful, proud, etc. How can we be so quick to define an entire person's life solely on the basis of a quick impression, out-of-context facts, a single incident, appearances, a word spoken, or hasty conclusions?

I don't like it when others define me as something I am not. It hurts to be unfairly labeled by distorted conclusions based on fragments of my story.

Suggestions for telling our story:

-allow time for "small talk" but suggest listening to one another's stories
-break the ice by being the first to share your story
-take the time needed to really hear one another's story
-ask questions allowing for further clarification
-share only what you are comfortable sharing, but enough to allow others to get to know the real you
-share family background and upbringing
-share struggles (people tend to identify more with weaknesses than achievements)
-influences in one's life, key people
-how we got to where we are now
-who I am in my own eyes, how do I see myself?
-key milestones in my spiritual journey
-how I met Jesus
-events/experiences that have helped shape my life
-likes/dislikes
-passions, interests, hobbies
-dreams, goals
-mistakes and what we learned from them
-pray for the person after hearing their story

What is important in all the above is that we get to know each other beyond that which is superficial. What makes people interesting is what is on the inside. The more we know one another, the easier it is to love and accept them for who they are. We want to know the real you, not the masks we hide behind. 

To know is to know.

¿Diezmos al alfolí o al reino de Dios?

Para mí en lo personal, el problema no es tanto si un seguidor de Cristo debería diezmar, sino a dónde llevar los diezmos y ofrendas del Señor. 

En Malaquías dice que debemos llevar los diezmos al alfolí para que haya alimento en la casa del Señor. Desde el año 70 d.C. no existe un templo en Jerusalén dónde podemos depositar nuestros diezmos para que haya alimento en la casa del Señor. Se supone que hoy en día el alfolí ha llegado a ser la iglesia local dónde uno se congrega. Pero antes de saltar a esa conclusión, ¿no deberíamos ver lo que el mismo Jesús dice en cuanto al tema? 

En mi biblia solamente existen dos páginas entre este pasaje de Malaquías 3 y el Evangelio Según San Mateo. Comenzando con Mateo 3, Juan el Bautista aparece en la escena predicando Arrepentíos, porque el reino de los cielos se ha acercado... En los evangelios Jesús menciona a la iglesia dos veces. Pero habla 127 veces en cuanto al reino de Dios, o reino de los cielos. 

57 veces en Mateo 

19 veces en Marcos 

40 veces en Lucas 

4 veces en Juan 

7 veces en Hechos 

Jesús vino predicando el mensaje del reino de Dios. Él mismo manda a sus seguidores, buscad primeramente el reino de Dios y su justicia... (Mat. 6:33). Es un mandato de Jesús, no una sugerencia. Buscar primeramente el reino de Dios abarca mucho más que cumplir con el programa de una iglesia local. 

Por supuesto, la obra de la iglesia local ciertamente cae bajo el dominio del reino de Dios, pero la iglesia local no es sinónimo con el reino de Dios. 

Y será predicado este evangelio del reino en todo el mundo... (Mateo 24:14). Para que todo el mundo pueda responder, nuestros reinos tienen que menguar y Su reino crecer. Invertir menos en nuestros "reinos" y más en el reino de Dios fuera de las cuatro paredes dónde nos congregamos. 

Mi problema no es con el diezmar--siempre lo he practicado desde la primera vez que logré ganar un ingreso. Lo que sí me sorprende de muchos pastores es que enseñan a sus congregaciones que sus diezmos tienen que ser llevados enteramente al alfolí--o sea la iglesia local dónde se congregan. El argumento va enlace a la idea que si uno "come espiritualmente" en una iglesia, ese alimento debería ser "pagado" en forma de diezmos y ofrendas. 

El único problema con este argumento es que ni Jesús o Pablo, o ninguno de los apóstoles, o Cristianos en la iglesia primitiva, ni en las generaciones que les siguieron, interpretaban esta enseñanza que hoy aceptamos como la "norma" en las iglesias evangélicas. 

¿Qué, entonces, fue lo que enseñaron Jesús y Pablo en cuanto al tema? 

Jesús: buscad primeramente el reino de Dios y su justicia (Mat. 6:33)

 

Jesús: Dad, y se os dará; medida buena, apretada, remecida y rebosando darán en vuestro regazo; porque con la misma medida con que medís, os volverán a medir (Lucas 6:38). 

Pablo: El que siembra escasamente, también segará escasamente; y el que siembra generosamente, generosamente también segará. Cada uno dé como propuso en su corazón: ...porque Dios ama al dador alegre (2 Cor. 9:6-7). 

Jesús: ¡Ay de vosotros, escribas y fariseos, hipócritas! porque diezmáis la menta y el eneldo y el comino, y dejáis lo más importante de la ley: la justicia, la misericordia y la fe. Esto era necesario hacer, sin dejar de hacer aquello (Mateo 23:23). 

Este último es el único pasaje que encontramos en el N.T. dónde Jesús--quién era Judío y bajo la Ley de Moisés--afirma que los escribas y fariseos que también estaban bajo la Ley--deberían diezmar al alfolí/templo de Jerusalén. Pero a mi parecer es un claro ejemplo de eisegesis (mala hermanéutica) al insistir en lo que Dios dice en Mal. 3:10 sea interpretado como un mandamiento para que todos los diezmos y ofrendas sean traídos al alfolí de las iglesias locales. Si vamos a usar la ley de Moisés como argumento para que los hermanos traigan todo su diezmo al templo local, ¿no deberíamos también insistir que cumplan los hermanos con toda la ley y no solamente este versículo aislado? 

Creo firmemente que un discípulo de Cristo debería dar más que el 10%. Los primeros cristianos dieron todo lo que tenían para el servicio del Señor (Hechos 2:44-45). Todo lo que tenemos, no nos pertenece, sino que ha sido "prestado" por Dios para sus propósitos. Somos mayordomos de lo que él nos ha confiado para que busquemos su reino. 

Si las iglesias van a continuar exigiendo a sus miembros que diezmen al alfolí, también esas mismas iglesias deberían diezmar. Es hipocrecía insistir que cada miembro diezma cuando la misma iglesia no lo hace. Una iglesia puede "robar a Dios" tanto como sus miembros. Vea el presupuesto de su iglesia local. ¿Aporta con el 10% de lo que ingresa para ser utilizado fuera en el reino de Dios? 

Me gusta soñar de lo que podría ser. Imagine como sería si haríamos solamente dos cambios: 

1) DUPLICAR de un día a otro los sueldos de todos los obreros (misioneros/pastores/líderes quienes se dedican al evangelio), e 2) INVERTIR los demás dineros directamente en las causas que apoyan al reino de Dios--o sea, todo lo que busca primeramente el reino de Dios y su justicia en el cielo y aquí en la tierra. 

Así hubiera más que suficiente para cumplir con la última palabra de Jesús de hacer discípulos a todas las naciones... (Mateo 28:18-20)

Our return to the USA - Guy and Linda Muse PrayerNewsletter (June 2021)

IIn our April/May PrayerNewsletter Update we shared of our return to the U.S.A. in June. For the past 35 years, we have lived and served God as missionaries in Ecuador. We feel the time has come to leave Ecuador and return to the United States. Though we both turn 65 this year, we are not retiring, but transitioning into a new phase of work and ministry. For more than a year now Linda and I have been talking, praying and seeking the Lord’s will as to what he would have us do next.

There is a strong sense of God leading us to continue the mission we have been on for many years now but to pursue it from a mobilization focus.

What is mobilization? Our friend, Donya Kesler once explained it this way,

“Mobilization… involves helping a person focus their vision, and get what it is they need, to go where that call is leading them. Mobilization involves everything from training to counseling, to help with finding sources of funding and everything in between.”

This definition fits our gifting and vision for reaching Ecuador and the nations. As a couple we can do only so much as field missionaries. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few…We need more workers serving not only in Ecuador, but everywhere God would lead.

The way we envision this happening and our own personal involvement is to set up a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called “Mobilizing E2A” (Mobilizing Everywhere To Anywhere). Mobilizing God’s people everywhere to go anywhere God is calling them.

Our role in mobilizing “everywhere to anywhere” involves two fronts:

1) Mobilizing U.S.A. partners to engage the yet unreached regions, towns, cities in Ecuador; and

2) Mobilizing God-called Ecuadorians to wherever in the world the Lord is leading them.

The recent house purchase here in El Matal fits perfectly with facilitating these two objectives. Besides serving local needs and a center for evangelistic outreach on the north coast, we now have the space and resources for training missionary candidates headed to the nations. Our years of partnering with Impacto Mundial (Ecuador’s global missions sending agency) have led to a strong alliance built around the conviction that we must do whatever it takes to get those God is calling to where He is leading them.

Once we are back in the States we will begin the process of setting up the new non-profit 501c3 “Mobilizing E2A”. When this has been accomplished, we would invite any who feel led of the Lord to do so, to begin sending gifts and donations to the new non-profit. We will continue as missionaries with Shepherd’s Staff through December 31, 2021 at which time our relationship with this wonderful missions organization will come to an end and we will fully transition over to the new non-profit.

Finally, we do ask you to pray for us. It is not easy for us to leave “home” to return to the U.S.A. Guy has lived a total of 46 years overseas. Moving back to the States is a step of faith for us. When we moved to El Matal three years ago, we had no idea all the Father had in store in bringing us here. We now again take a new step of faith trusting Him to lead step by step in this new chapter of our lives.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your faithful support over the years through your praying and giving, making it possible for us to live out our call in this beautiful country. We believe God is not yet through with us in our work in Ecuador, but it is time for a change.

Our departure date from Ecuador back to Texas is June 15. We hope to see many of you in the weeks and months ahead!

In Christ,

Guy and Linda Muse

Nuestra Salida del País - Carta abierta a todos nuestros amigos y hermanos en Cristo en el Ecuador

Saludos de Guido y Linda Muse en El Matal, Cantón Jama, Provincia de Manabí. Después de 35 años de servicio misionero en el Ecuador, mi esposa Linda y yo estamos a pocos días de nuestra salida del país para volver a Texas.

Permítanme este espacio y su amable atención una última vez para compartirles lo que llevamos en el corazón.

Podría llenar este espacio con recuerdos, agradecimientos, y un resumen de nuestros años de servicio, pero la verdad es que a estas alturas nos identificamos más con las palabras de Jesús, "...cuando hayáis hecho todo lo que os ha sido ordenado, decid: Siervos inútiles somos, pues o que debíamos hacer, hicimos" (Lucas 17:7-10).

Salimos no con una satisfacción por nuestra pequeña parte en la tarea, sino con gran gratitud al Señor por su gracia y fidelidad a través de los años. Nuestra copa rebosa de tantos gratos recuerdos de ustedes nuestros queridos hermanos con quienes hemos servido lado a lado en la viña del Señor.  

Pero también salimos con una carga en el corazón por las almas esparcidos a lo largo del Ecuador que aún no han tenido la oportunidad de oír y conocer a nuestro amado Señor y Salvador en tantos pueblos, cantones, y regiones aún no-alcanzados con el evangelio.

Desde el 16 abril 2016 hasta el presente nuestro enfoque ha sido sobre una de las zonas del país menos alcanzados: el norte de Manabí. Me refiero a las aproximadamente 230.000 almas en viven en y alrededor de Bahía de Caráquez, San Vicente, Jama, El Matal, Tosagua, Chone, Pedernales y Canoa. Estudios realizados en esta zona cuentan con menos de 20 iglesias evangélicas conocidas y menos de 500 creyentes bautizados.

Nuestro regreso a Texas no es para jubilarnos. Sino para movilizar a iglesias y grupos en USA para venir a ayudarnos cumplir la tarea que aún falta hacerse en el Ecuador. Especialmente queremos compromisos que adopten estos cantones, pueblos, y ciudades pequeñas que no cuentan con una presencia evangélica. Por ejemplo, entre San Vicente y Chone hay más de diez pueblos no-alcanzados sin presencia evangélica. ¿Quién se compromete ir y adoptar uno de estos lugares?

Por muchos años creía que el Ecuador ya no necesitaba la ayuda de misioneros del exterior ya que la iglesia nacional era suficientemente fuerte y desarrollada para así solas terminar lo que falta hacer.

Pero en los últimos años he cambiado de parecer. Aunque la iglesia ecuatoriana sí es fuerte--aún falta visión misionera.

La gran mayoría de iglesias Bautistas (y evangélicas en general) no salen de su Jerusalén para abarcar Judea y Samaria. No piensan, no oran, y no dan por las naciones del mundo aún no alcanzadas. Es por eso que sentimos de parte del Señor volver a USA, y con la ayuda de Dios, levantar fondos para las misiones, movilizar a más grupos e iglesias de seguir viniendo para obrar en una de estas regiones no-alcanzadas. ¡Por supuesto la invitación queda abierta también a todas las iglesias del Ecuador unirse a la gran tarea encomendada por nuestro Señor hace 2000 años!

Los Bautistas del ataño tenían un dicho: "Una iglesia Bautista que no hace misiones no tiene derecho de utilizar Bautista como parte de su nombre."

Hoy en día todo el mundo Cristiano habla de las misiones pero pocas son las iglesias que realmente hacen misiones. O sea, la mayoría somos como dice Santiago 1:22, oidores y no hacedores de la palabra engañándoos a nosotros mismos.

Como Bautistas sabemos cuidarnos en tener una sana doctrina. Tenemos buenos programas. Un liderazgo maduro. Somos organizados y con estructuras y excelentes materiales. Pero en medio de nuestro orgullo espiritual olvidamos las palabras de Santiago "...la fe, si no tiene obras, es muerta en sí misma…Muéstrame tu fe sin tus obras, y yo te mostraré mi fe por mis obras." (Santiago 2:17-18) Y de todo lo que hacemos como Bautistas,  ¿qué obras superan a las que fueron dadas por Jesús de amar a Dios, amar a otros, y hacer discípulos? Estas tres deberían ser nuestro enfoque principal sin dejar de hacer todo lo demás que hacemos.

Cuando mis padres, Jaime y Patricia de Muse, llegaron al Ecuador en 1962 habían 5-6 pequeñas iglesias Bautistas en el país. Hoy, 71 años después del inicio de la obra Bautista en 1950, ciertamente hay más iglesias, gloria a Dios. Pero la visión misionera de esos primeros pioneros fue de plantar sus vidas en llevar el evangelio a TODA LA NACIÓN, a cada rincón, cantón, provincia, y pueblo. Esa visión tristemente aún no forma parte del ADN de la mayoría de nuestras iglesias de la C.B.E. 

Pregunto, ¿Dónde están las obras misioneras de nuestras iglesias? ¿Podemos seguir llamándonos bautistas sin hacer misiones? ¿Cómo podemos justificar delante del Señor que nuestra visión se limita en solamente llevar el evangelio a nuestra comunidad dónde vivimos?  

En vez de hacer discípulos en Jerusalén, Judea, Samaria y el mundo, hoy lo hemos sustituido con conferencias en Zoom, intercambios de videos interesantes, información sobre el Covid, devocionales y meditaciones en Facebook y WhatsApp, y la nueva modalidad de cultos online. Todos son actividades vistas como legítimas pero, ¿Estamos usando la pandemia como una excusa para olvidarnos que hay siervos en el campo que necesiten más que nunca nuestras oraciones, nuestro apoyo económico, y palabras de ánimo?

Por ejemplo, la hermana misionera nacional con quién trabajamos acá en El Matal ha vivido y ministrado aquí por cinco años bautizando más de 70 hermanos y abriendo seis iglesias en casa. Gracias al apoyo de Impacto Mundial, está por abrirse un nuevo centro comunitario para llegar a las madres solteras, adolescentes y niños.  Ha hecho una hermosa labor. Pero en estos cinco años de labor intensa ninguna iglesia le ha enviado una ofrenda.  Ella ha vivido por fe durante todo este tiempo de las oraciones y ofrendas de hermanos quienes la conocen.

Pregunto Hno. Pastor, ¿Usted serviría cinco años en el lugar dónde el Señor le ha puesto sin apoyo económico? Creo que no, pero así somos con los siervos quienes dejan todo para ir a lugares donde nadie más quiere ir. Ciertamente lo hacemos por amor al Señor y su llamado, pero ya es tiempo que la iglesia asume su responsabilidad de abarcar no solo en palabra, sino con hechos nuestra Judea, Samaria, y lo último de la tierra. Si nosotros no podemos ir a estos lugares aislados y difíciles, por lo menos podemos apoyar a los misioneros que sí están dispuestos hacerlo.

En los tres años que hemos estado obrando en El Matal, además de la ayuda continua e incondicional de los hermanos de Impacto Mundial, han llegado exactamente DOS grupos de hermanos de iglesias bautistas para ayudarnos con la obra en esta zona.  Hemos tenido algunos grupos e individuos de otros países, pero casi cero ayuda de las iglesias del Ecuador.  Una excepción es la Iglesia Bautista Nueva Jerusalén de Guayaquil que sí están trabajando en la zona desde el 16A en Jama y hoy tienen una linda misión en Jama. Como he compartido muchas veces con el Pstr. Freddy Jara, ojalá las otras iglesia ven su ejemplo y empiecen a hacer lo mismo en los tantos lugares donde no hay obra Bautista, ni evangélica. Pero hasta la fecha, desconozco de otras iglesias bautistas obrando en esta vasta región poblada. En verdad me extraña que las iglesias bautistas de Manabí quienes han recibido obra misionera por décadas, no toman en serio hacer lo mismo en su propia provincia.

En verdad vamos a extrañar inmensamente al Ecuador con nuestra salida. Yo he vivido 46 años de mi vida en este bello país. ¡Me siento más ecuatoriano que estadounidense!  Al escribir lo anterior varias veces me salieron lágrimas por nuestra salida y aún tanto por hacerse en ver a un Ecuador para Cristo.  Nuestro corazón está con ustedes y con una pasión que aún arde por los pueblos y gente desde “el Carchi al Macará” que aún no conocen del Salvador.

Pedimos sus oraciones por nosotros durante este tiempo de transición.

Les amamos en Cristo.

-Guido y Linda Muse

Mayo 2021

C. H. Spurgeon on house churches

 

An excerpt from a C. H. Spurgeon message entitled, "Building the Church: Additions to the Church" April 5, 1874.  

I want you to notice this, that they were breaking bread from house to house, and ate their food with gladness and singleness of heart. They did not think that religion was meant only for Sundays, and for what men now-a-days call the House of God. Their own houses were houses of God, and their own meals were so mixed and mingled with the Lord's Supper that to this day the most cautious student of the Bible cannot tell when they stopped eating their common meals, and when they began eating the Supper of the Lord. They elevated their meals into diets for worship: they so consecrated everything with prayer and praise that all around them was holiness to the Lord. I wish our houses were, in this way, dedicated to the Lord, so that we worshipped God all day long, and made our homes temples for the living God...

Does God need a house? He who made the heavens and the earth, does he dwell in temples made with hands? What crass ignorance this is! No house beneath the sky is more holy than the place where a Christian lives, and eats, and drinks, and sleeps, and praises the Lord in all that he does, and there is no worship more heavenly than that which is presented by holy families, devoted to the fear of the Lord.

To sacrifice home worship to public worship is a most evil course of action. Morning and evening devotion in a little home is infinitely more pleasing in the sight of God than all the cathedral pomp which delights the carnal eye and ear. Every truly Christian household is a church, and as such it is competent for the discharge of any function of divine worship, whatever it may be. Are we not all priests? Why do we need to call in others to make devotion a performance? Let every man be a priest in his own house. Are you not all kings if you love the Lord? Then make your houses palaces of joy and temples of holiness. One reason why the early church had such a blessing was because her members had such homes. When we are like them we will have “added to the church those who were being saved.”

--C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

Mi dependencia en el Señor en medio del caos

Bendeciré a Jehová que me aconseja;

Aún en las noches me enseña mi conciencia. Salmo 16:7

Amados hermanos en Cristo, escribo de El Matal esta carta de noticia para abril 2021 a ustedes con un corazón lleno de gozo y de agradecimiento al Señor. Que la gracia y el amor de nuestro amado Padre Celestial esté sobre cada uno de ustedes.

Bueno, de verdad que esta carta es de buenas noticias a pesar del caos que estamos viviendo no sólo aquí en nuestro país sino en todas las naciones por ese virus feo, por la crisis financiera, por la degradación inmoral que cada día el hombre se sumerge y el aumento de la apostasía.

En este mes de abril el Señor me enseñó que cuando sus hijos creemos de corazón que para Él todo es posible, que no existe nada que el enemigo pueda evitar, Él puede obrar a nuestro favor, conforme a Su voluntad y ver Su gloria. 

In My Name They Will Cast Out Demons (Mark 16:17)

Sunday evenings we meet at Angel and Katty’s house for church. Our normal crowd is usually 8-9 adults, several youth and children, along with an assortment of dogs who wander in and out entertaining themselves by barking at every passing vehicle on the nearby street. Due to Covid restrictions, we space ourselves in a circle of plastic chairs out under the stars.  Little did we know how bizarre the evening would end up being.

Maritza, our fellow Ecuadorian missionary partner, shared an evangelistic message. There were a number of first-time visitors who received Christ as Savior. Two of the couples present asked forgiveness of their spouses and children for the way they had acted. It was a beautiful time of reconciliation and healing. A visitor asked a question about baptism. An offering was collected for a sick member who could not afford medication. Our meeting ended about 10:15 pm.

As we were loading the car to go home, an unknown man arrived. Angel introduced the man as "Pedro" reminding us that he was the same Pedro he had asked the church to pray for.  Pedro arrived in a state of visible anxiety and tension.  He looked physically exhausted and said he had come for us to pray for him in that he could no longer bear the load of his troubled life.

Though we were very tired and ready to get back home, Maritza, Linda, and I walked him out to the street and began ministering to him. Maritza, the evangelist, began witnessing to Pedro asking him if he had ever had a personal encounter with Christ.

Pedro seemed confused and unresponsive. There seemed to be some kind of invisible barrier. As we continued to talk I noticed another man headed towards us from down the street. As soon as Pedro saw this person approaching, he pulled a foot-long knife out of his sleeve. In an instant Pedro's countenance transformed into what was clearly a demon-possessed person.  He was filled with hate and rage as he tightly gripped the knife in his hand.

Linda, Maritza and I were only steps away from Pedro who then turned his attention from the other man and directly faced us. We began shouting at Pedro en el Nombre de Jesús to drop the knife!  After a minute or so of him glaring and hissing obscenities, he dropped the knife. I quickly scooped it out of the street and threw it into the back of our car.

For the next 30-minutes, we were in an all-out spiritual battle casting out the demons who were clearly in control of Pedro at that moment. I have never heard such hatred and vitriol coming out of anyone's mouth. Mercifully the Lord blocked our ears from the horrid things the demons were saying. Maritza began to read aloud a Psalm. Other church members including Angel gathered around us to pray. Some began to sing praise songs, but still, nothing was happening with Pedro.  

By then a small crowd of bystanders had gathered out on the street to watch at a distance. Neighbors peered from their windows.  The small band of new believers gathered around us and began singing all the praise songs they knew from our green songbook. The three of us continued to pray over Pedro casting out the demons in Jesus’ Name.  

After some 15-minutes of praying out loud, Scripture reading, and back-to-back songs, Pedro began heaving—as if throwing up—as the demons were expelled from his body. This happened over and over for several more minutes.  When he finally stopped heaving, Martiza asked if he wanted Christ to come into his life. Pedro said yes, and we asked him to pray aloud inviting Christ in and confessing Jesus as Lord. We prayed again over Pedro asking the Lord to forgive his sins, cleanse him, and rid him of any remaining demons that still might be refusing to leave.

Pedro seemed soothed by the singing and kept asking us to “sing another song.”  Not knowing what else to do, we continued to sing and pray as he stood there with his eyes closed soaking in the Spirit’s presence. By this time Pedro was very weak.  Angel and I had to physically hold him upright. 

Finally, though, he collapsed into my arms like a dead man. We gently laid him down in a dry spot on the muddy road. He appeared to be in a deep sleep. After a few more minutes Pedro again opened his eyes but had NO IDEA where he was, or what had happened. It was surreal. He looked all around him and asked who we were and why was he lying in the middle of the road. We calmly explained to him everything he had been through. Everyone was amazed at what they had witnessed—as were we!

I asked two of the men to accompany me in our car to take Pedro home. We set up a time for the following day to visit and follow up on his decision to follow Christ. What transpired during that first visit and other visits is another bizarre story altogether. Suffice it to say, we have seen a dramatic change come over Pedro from that Sunday night to the present! He sleeps with his new Bible and goes out fishing with a new partner who is also a believer.

Last Sunday Angel and I baptized Pedro along with seven others in the ocean a few feet from our back porch. To God be the Glory; great things He hath done!  Please pray for Pedro. He still has many serious issues to deal with in his life and very much needs our prayers.

Personal Book Survey

1. What author do you own the most books by? Fiction: Jeffrey Archer. Non-Fiction: Elisabeth Elliot. I was surprised to find I owned so many titles by Watchman Nee and Amy Carmichael.

2. What book do you own the most copies of? The Bible. I also collect hymnals and just counted 37 sitting on my bookshelf. My favorite is a facsimile of the original 1779 “Olney Hymns” by John Newton and William Cowper.

3. Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions? No--I end sentences all the time with prepositions and don't even realize when I do it.

4. What fictional character are you secretly in love with? I have read hundreds of books in my life time but can't recall any characters that I am secretly in love with.

5. What book have you read the most times in your life? The Bible.

6. Favorite book as a ten year old? I loved any book I could get my hands on about the Civil War. If there were pictures, that was even better!

7. What is the worst book you’ve read in the past year? My rule of thumb is if a book doesn't capture my interest in the first 100 pages I will simply stop reading and usually never pick it up again. However, it has now been a couple of years since I last failed to finish a book that I have started reading.

8. What is one of the best books you’ve ever read? I don't know if it was the best but definitely one of the most helpful to me personally was “Walking With God” by John Eldredge. I highly recommend this book.

9. If you could force everyone you know to read one book, what would that book be? Of all the questions, this is the hardest for me to answer. There are just too many good books out there that I would like everyone to read. 

OK...here are some I'd like to "force" on certain people I know: “Love Does” by Bob Goff, “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell, "The Sacred Romance" by Eldredge and Curtis, "Blue Like Jazz" by Don Miller. All of these express for me the essence of what Christianity is all about without all the religion that distracts from Jesus’ teachings.

10. What book would you most like to see made into a movie? I understand William P. Young's "The Shack" is being made into a movie. If done well, I think it could have a profound impact on its viewing audience. Other possibilities would be “Bruchko” by Bruce Olson, or maybe Barbara Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible."

11. What is the most difficult book you’ve ever read? Miguel de Cervantes “Don Quijote de la Mancha” in the original 1615 version for an advanced Spanish class I took in Costa Rica (I understood only about 20% and guessed at the rest!)

12. What is your favorite devotional book? A tie between Oswald Chambers “My Utmost for His Highest” and “Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen” by Charles Ringma.

13. What is your favorite play? “The Mouse Trap” by Agatha Christie, the longest run of any play in the world. My wife and I saw this classic in London and count the evening as one of our most memorable.

14. Poem? “The World Is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth

15. Essay? “On Church Music” by C.S. Lewis.

16. Who is the most overrated writer alive today? The lady who writes all the Harry Potter books.

17. What is your desert island book? The Message.

18. What are you reading right now? “Biblical Foundations of Freedom” by Art Mathias, “Psychology” by David Myers and Nathan DeWall, “The Book of Mysteries” by Jonathan Cahn, and “The Gospels” by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

19. The “Top Ten” books that personally impacted your life? (You don’t have to necessarily agree with everything they write.)

1.     “Love Does” – Bob Goff

2.     “Walking With God” – John Eldredge

3.     “Shadow Of The Almighty” – Elisabeth Elliot

4.     “Houses That Change The World” – Wolfgang Simson

5.     “Blue Like Jazz” – Donald Miller

6.     “Hind’s Feet On High Places” – Hannah Hurnard

7.     “Organic Church” – Neil Cole

8.     “Velvet Elvis” – Rob Bell

9.     “The Sacred Romance” – Brent Curtis and John Eldredge

10. “The Shack” – William Paul Young

[Honorable mentions: “Prayer” by O. Hallesby, “Heaven on Earth” by R. Alan Streett, “Heaven” by Randy Alcorn, “Pagan Christianity” and “Reimagining Church” by Frank Viola, “The Present Future” by Reggie McNeal, “Love Wins” by Rob Bell, “The Shaping Of Things To Come” by Michael Frost & Alan Hirsch—all of these are books that have greatly impacted my thinking.]

20. Five authors who have most influenced your thinking (again, one does not have to agree with everything they write.)

1.     John Eldredge

2.     Philip Yancey

3.     Elisabeth Elliot

4.     Neil Cole

5.     Rob Bell

Honorable mentions: Watchman Nee, Frank Viola, Wolfgang Simson, Tony & Felicity Dale, A.W. Tozer, and Henri Nouwen.

Feel free to copy the questions and fill in your own answers. If you do so, please leave a comment below so we can check out some of your favorite books.