Go and Make Disciples

Celebrating Freedom and Faith

El Salvador Flag

Recently El Salvador celebrated their Independence Day. The national motto is: God, Freedom, Unity. One might wonder what there is to celebrate in a third world country where there is so much poverty, violence and apparent hopelessness. My life here may seem to some as a hardship but you only have to look around and realize hardship and poverty is relative. There are so many around me that live with much, much less than what others consider to be poverty. So where is the freedom in that? I am blessed to able to teach the freedom that comes from knowing our sins have been paid for by the Son of God and that I can be loved unconditionally by the creator of the universe.  Recently one of my students told me that by studying God's word together he has realized he is now eating spiritual meat instead of subsisting solely on spiritual milk. More importantly, he says that it is having a positive impact on his marriage. As Christians we need to remember that with the Spirit of God residing in us we are now free to not be selfish anymore. Free to not return insult for insult. Free to give away and share what we can't keep anyway. Free to rebuild broken marriages and relationships. Free to let go of unforgiveness and bitterness. Free to speak words that bless and not curse. No matter our economic circumstance, we are free to share the truth that truly sets one free.

Values, Virtues and Violence

El Salvador is a country that has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Last year we averaged 13 murders a day with a population of 7 million. That is a rate that is about 15 times higher than what is experienced in the metropolitan Portland, Oregon area. Can you imagine the outrage among politicians and the media if Portland experienced that level of violence? Well, there is outrage here and the government has decided to take drastic steps. Yes, they have stepped up the number of police and increased jail sentences. But, more importantly, they have decided to allow the Christian Churches to have access into the public schools to teach values form the Bible. I have been asked to take part in this process. We will be teaching topics such as self-control, gratitude, respect, civility, integrity, empathy, friendship, discipline, diligence and responsibility. The basis for these virtues will be from the Bible so that we have a solid, unchanging foundation to define what these look like in life. I am excited by this prospect because genuine, long-lasting change will not come from external laws but from an internal change of heart . A life transformation that is initiated by the creator. A transformed life that positively impacts other lives. A life that will be a light that shines in the darkness.

Are there Twinkies in heaven?

Recently I have been modifying my diet to better control my diabetes. Sadly, this means more broccoli. But I have hope that one day I will receive a new body that will function as God intended. Along the theme of hope, I am reading a book entitled "If you want to walk on water you've got to get out of the boat" by John Ortberg. In one of the chapters he shares the following:


"Hope does not just motivate positive action. It actually has healing power. In one study, 122 men who had suffered their first heart attack were evaluated based on their degree of hopefulness and pessimism. Of the 25 most pessimistic men, 21 had died eight years later. Of the 25 most optimistic, only 6 had died! Loss of hope increased the odds of death more than 300 percent; it predicted death more accurately than any medical risk factor including blood pressure, amount of damage to the heart, or cholesterol level. Better to eat Twinkies in hope than to eat broccoli in despair."

AMEN! I see a new diet fad coming...The Hope Diet...Low on broccoli, high on Twinkies!

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:13

Mi nieto (My grandson)!

Congratulations to Matthew & Aleah on the arrival of their son, Max. Born on February 24th he shares his birthday with his Aunt Rachael. Staying true to form as a Pursley male, Matthew sent me a message with as much information as possible: "Long delivery, healthy baby". For those who insist on more information,  Max was 6lbs 10oz and 19 inches long. Mom and baby are both healthy and doing well. Looking forward to seeing them soon!

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward...Happy is the man whose quiver is full of them...  Psalms 127:3,5

Things that make me say...Hmmmm?

• Why does the ferris wheel have a hand crank?
• Why is there a Portland Grill and Bar in Ataco, El Salvador?
• Why don't they serve Tacos in Ataco?
• Why do they put speed bumps on a freeway with a posted speed limit of 90 kmh?
• Why do 3 lane roads have no painted lines to indicate which lane you are in?
• Why do intersections have both stop signs and traffic lights?
• Why do food containers say that they are not to be distributed inside the U.S.?
• Why do billboard advertisements combine both English and Spanish in the same sentence?
• When a bridge is washed out why is a tree branch in the road considered sufficient warning?
• Why are there fire departments when all buildings are constructed only of cement and metal?
• Why is the fire department called Bombero? Shouldn't that be the bomb squad?
• Why do they build a new highway to nowhere but don't fix the pot holes the size of school buses on one of the busiest road in the country?
• When I ask for only black coffee (solo negro) why does it come with a half pound of sugar?

• Last, but not least, why do I wonder about the things I can't change? 

Que será, será!

Rock and Roll

I was sitting at my desk studying to teach the book of Isaiah where, in referring to the end times, it says "the earth is violently shaken, it staggers like a drunken man" when my desk started shaking. The whole house staggered like a drunken house. Christina came in to say that she was sitting on her bed at the time and kind of enjoyed the ride!

We frequently "enjoy" small earthquakes here but this one was the largest yet. It registered as a 6.3 and was centered on the border of Mexico and Guatemala. While that is in a different country it is only about 250 miles away so we felt it in a significant way. To reference San Julian on the map above, we are the second yellow dot from the right. Yes, you are reading it correctly - 6 earthquakes in the last week.

Since I so enjoy learning from and then teaching God's word I thought it was so appropriate that I was reading from Isaiah at the time.

Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. Isaiah 66:1-2

Gifts from the Father

In December we partnered with La Casa De Mi Padre and Union Church in San Salvador to put on a Christmas party for the kids that live in the neighborhood surround the La Casa children's home. La Casa cares for 30+ children that have no no one else to care for them. But they don't stop there. For what has now become an annual event, they reach out to the poor families around them to share the love of Jesus. The day consists of a huge party with games, food, pinatas and ends with a gift for each of the children. For many of them this may be the only gift they will receive. With 250 participants it was wonderful to see so many volunteers taking time out of their weekend to love on these kids. This was a great demonstration of the old adage that it is far better to give than to receive.

Waiting for the games to begin on the "futbol" field

Gift line in process

Santa detained for not having any identification on him