Notes
A Better Way to Pray... recommended by Quentin Miller
Posted 09 OCT 08
Andrew Womack Ministries, Inc.
Week 39B - Week 44
First Day On The Job... by Quentin Miller
Posted 02 OCT 08
Hey Sunday 'service' (I use quotes because we seem to be getting farther and farther away from what that used to mean) was really fun for me. Andree literally lowered the glory of God on us by prayer. It was lowered and we were lifted. Then a little later Russell made me squirm quite a bit, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been in squirm mode (one time I had to be the translator for my own 'church trial' and say all sorts of things about myself that weren't true). Besides there is always the happy prospect of revenge.
Personally I am in a season of entering into a greater esteem for doing things God's way. If I were to be told that the president elect wanted a two hour one-on-one with me.....I would probably go read his two books. It would honor him that I spent the effort to 'speak his language'. We honor people when we adjust our pace to theirs, so that we might walk by their side. I believe that when our prayer is petitionary, that we should honor the parameters that were established at an astonishing price. God paid dearly to establish the format for our communion with Him. Are we being honoring when we afford ourselves the luxury of remaining ignorant of His preferences? Yes, He does know our hearts and there is a season of an ignorance that is winked at. We all are amused by the ignorance of small children. However, with the increase in age what once amused us is now a test of patience and ultimately a source of frustration.
For example: Imagine you had invited a family with three children to your house for dinner. You could all expect the two year old to get his hands on everything within reach, even see it as cute. The eight year old might behave the same way but to our slight irritation. If the sixteen old followed suit it would undoubtedly be to our disgust, and bring about the conviction that a repeat invitation was not going to happen.
Yesterday we looked at the portion of scripture in Luke 2 where the 12 year old Jesus states that it was time for him to "be about his Father's business." He was asking questions and hearing those who were in the business. He then returned to Nazareth and was in submission to his parents. BUT he did not stop being about the business. We might say he went back to further his education in preparation for his first day on the job. When God says: my thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways(Is 55.8), He is saying "you're not ready to work in the business."
So......how do we get ready? Two things:
First....study the manual especially the addendum called the New Testament. It's not a New Old Testament of obligations and commands. But it does help us to align our thinking with God thoughts and honor Him by adjusting our pace to His. This is NOT a hint to read the Bible because its one of the Christian disciplines. This is a giant clue in how to enjoy Him more. How to get Him to stop in the middle of something important (like saving China), just to look across the room to meet your gaze and let that little twinkle happen that only lovers understand.
Second.....be 100% in Nazareth. Look at this: 51And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. KJV (Lk 2.51)I also like what a commentary said about this: —If the duties of life must give place to worship, worship in its turn must give place to the responsibilities of life. Jerusalem is good, but Nazareth is also good. Let him who neglects the one on pretext of attending the other consider this scene.
Wow! Thats a two edged sword that will do a mini surgery on all of us if we are honest. I either have lost the desire to go up to the feast, or am blinded to my deep lack of the refinement that comes from Nazareth. Could facing the death of my father, having to take over the family business and be the main provider, teach me some things that soaking in the Temple glory could not? Could it provide some training that would be indispensable for my first day on my Real Job? Here's the short theological answer: yep.
Likewise: could one sacrifice that defies the excuse of "I just don't have time or money right now" and sends you out to that conference or that missionary trip totally reorient your life? Second short theological answer: you betcha'.
Jesus made it clear that the main harvest problem was no good help. Strange, I see untold numbers of Christians wanting to be in on the God business, yet standing idle in the market. But He's not looking for workers that have their own way of doing things. Here's a super shocker scripture if you think about it: Mk 7.13 "....making the word of God of none effect through your tradition..."
I believe tradition can be: the incorrect way we were taught, our experience formed opinion, or just ignorance. Any of these three dominating our actions and decisions will nullify the power of God's word. Would you hire that kind of worker in your business? Especially after having gone through great pains to make sure that they had access to a red letter reference edition of The History and Practice of Father's Business?
Warmed Up Sunday Leftovers Gospel... by Quentin Miller
Posted 02 OCT 08
There is a hell. People will go there. God does have a temper. There will be a reckoning. All of these are true....BUT...they are not the Gospel. As you are probably aware, the word Gospel means good news. But, when viewed alongside the contemporary usage it really meant "too good to be true". It was shockingly, head shaking, "say whaaa?" good news. So good, that Paul had to continually address the complaints that it was really licentiousness in disguise. His critics were saying: "Are you saying that we can do what we want?", "Oh I see, eat, drink, be merry" , "Oh I see, the more I sin, the more the gospel works, eh?" For some, freedom goes no deeper than a 'get out of jail free' card. For us, it is the open door that gives the unhindered opportunity to link into destiny.
The Gospel has a unique quality: its true. BUT, its the "forever" kind of truth. I gratefully confess to being a Truth Hog. Not truth for the sake of knowing more, but truth for knowing Him. Truth comes in the ambidextrous format. The left hook rattles us out of accepting the imposter/squatter that had laid claim to Truth's proper dwelling place. The right hand reaches down, lifts us, and "plants our feet on higher ground".
Truth has the following ingredients: Solution (the incomparable aroma and indescribable deliciousness of discovering that there REALLY is an answer to that historic dilemma), hope (that critter can die on us without making a sound), boldness, and confidence. Truth has such an "otherness" compared to the ice world of Narnia that we live in.
We are inundated with the hollow claims and glitz that support the tireless spew of Madison Avenue, and desensitize us to the brutalized remains of marriage, birth, and all that is unselfish. Sadly, most of what takes place under the God banner is: So much church, so little gospel.
Okay....no more complaining because this IS about Good News. So, voila!
Rom 5:17 "If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ."
First: this is not about Peace. History is stuffed with Peace... IF.... The Price is Right! No, we are talking about Reigning. A king has peace but always through victory, never through tribute. If our goal is just peace, we will fall way short of the Gospel.
Look at Gen 49:14 “Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. 15 He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.
There are a lot of Issachars today: Hanging around the folds, one foot in--one foot out, in a non-commitment posture, avoiding relationship. He enjoys the PEACE, and the drive-by pleasantries of the God thing, and is willing to carry burdens to earn Acceptance (note: let the record read: unchallenged acceptance). This is not Reigning.
In contrast to Issachar, take a look at Jesus: the Reigner of Reigners.
Lk 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Notice He is not putting salve on problems so the sufferers will have peace.
> For the poor there is only One kind of good news: money. > When behind bars, good news takes on the solitary form of: release.
> Good News has a very narrow definition in the blind man's glossary: sight.
> The yoke bruised shoulders of the slave are only healed through: liberty.
> The sucking drain of rejection is only sealed and paved over with a king's highway by: Unconditional Acceptance.Jesus brought the victorious life of a King who reigns.
So, the obvious "put up or shut up" question is HOW?
Again in Rom 5.17: the answer only has Step one and Step two. So, to keep you at your peek readiness a la Inspector Clousseau, we will attack these two in reverse order.
The Gift of Righteousness
The kind of righteousness we are looking at here is an Alien Life Form. On planet earth we have what we think to be a wide range on the righteousness scale. At the bottom, in the lowest chasm on the ocean floor, we have the monsters of history--dictators, serial killers etc. At the top, the airless peak of Everest, are the Mother Theresas and the Schweitzers. Most of us take up our dwelling at some respectable sea level righteousness, doing service clubs--volunteer hospital duty--feed the poor--rescue the environment, and feel fairly decent about ourselves. God picks up the whole world in His hand (remember the song?) and the difference between the deep hole and the lofty peak is not even as apparent as a light scratch on a bowling ball. So much for righteousness human style.His righteousness does not get us from the red to zero. Its not just putting a muzzle on the negative. Its a novel, unprecedented, never heard of before life form. Like trying to describe an entirely new primary color, we have no vocabulary nor point of reference... EXCEPT.... the one who came to model it before our very eyes. That's why John almost shouted: I SAW IT, I TOUCHED IT, I HEARD IT...THE WORD OF LIFE!
Because this unique goodness is totally 'out of our league', God made it a Gift. In a world of earn-it/deserve-it/achieve-it, He sovereignly made it a receive-it. AND it is FREELY given. There is no "cancel in two months if not entirely satisfied" (though you do have that option). Its not a "nothing down, no interest, no payments until the millenneum. Its an unashamed, unhidden, unreserved, totally vulnerable all-cards-on the-table love offering, with the only appropriate response being: thank you so much. Why can that kind of gift make us uneasy? Why would we like pay it back, or at least say "I owe you one"? Because we are vaguely aware that it leaves us with an open invitation to a deeper relationship. It is a smile that welcomes a return.
Abundance of Grace
We can find a mother lode of grace in2Cor 5.17-Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. ◙ The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Wow! Too good to be true! It would have been undeserved favor just to pull me out of the mud hole and run me through a car wash. But no, God the Father laid all of me and my stuff on Jesus, crucified it, and turns to me and says "how about if I make you a branch in a new family tree I'm planting?" He makes the righteous one to be sin, and makes the sinful one to be righteous. And then sends us out with the same invite to others.
Important: read before operating
All sin was laid on Jesus. All, as far back as Adam. Every sin of today is on Jesus. And...all sin of the future is on Jesus. All punishment fell on Jesus. All of the hatred that God has towards sin, fell on Jesus. The country is not under the wrath of God for abortion, going Democrat, gays or anything else. The country is under the acceptable year of the Lord until He say differently. And then there is A day of judgment. This day will be characterized by: every knee on the planet kissing ground, every tongue speaking eternal truth: He is Lord. Its a good day for the God kids. Benjamin felt no emotion except joy at the revealing of his brother Joseph. Benjamin was clean as he was not in on the foul play of the other ten. If any man be in Christ, he is a Benjamin. Judgment day was a day of great joy for the little brother.
Lets end with this: when a man brought a sacrifice to the priest to atone for his sin, the emphasis was on the acceptability of the sacrifice NOT the offerer. Obviously the offerer had issues, thats WHY he was coming to sacrifice. But the success of the operation depended on the suitability of the offering. AHHH! more good news. Jesus is my PERFECT sacrifice. God looks at him, not me. The priest is not asking about my morality record, my marriage, my tithe ledger, my honesty, or my tongue activities. He's only looking at the sacrifice and he like what he sees. I walk away free, new, healed, prosperous and safe. Now that sounds "too good to be true."
Not Crying for,
but laughing with Argentina!... by Quentin Miller Posted 02 OCT 08
I believe all four of us who went to Argentina could say that it was a fresh encounter with practical joy. We en-joyed each other, and all those we crossed paths with.
It definitely was a 'smell the flowers' time. Ask Meghan. We all took a refreshing dip into a different culture. It has its woes, but it also has its whoas. We focused on the whoa! Our format was different as well, as it became obvious that God was the only one who held the script. We basically spent ten days in a love feast with good friends.
The Lord moved in whenever He saw fit and did salvations, infillings, liberations with a healthy slathering of encouragement. We received just as much as they poured out to us so liberally, and even gave us some things they didn't realize. I think we all returned home with a new vision for family. Their 'natural care' for one another and closeness was inspiring to me personally.
I also came away with a new appreciation for what God has been doing with us here in JAX. Progress can be hidden in the shadow of process. Watching my fellow adventurers function in the fray was inspiring to me. Each of them had the clear mandate to equip saints, and they went about it with undiluted hearts. Having that posture allowed God to freely drop anyone on the doorstep at any time for a life tune-up. It's so fun to see a word of knowledge rock someone right into the presence of Jesus.
The young folks in Salta are an ammo dump ready to ignite. Most of them I have known since early childhood, and I have watched how God has kept them for Himself.
They have of course had their waxing and waning phases, but they carry a wealth within that the nations unknowingly seek. They stand in stark contrast to the typical youth model being cranked out on the assembly line of religion. God was in Object Lesson Mode one evening during a youth meeting. He brought in some great kids to a "Sandy/Meghan Blitz" youth encounter, from a church we had ministered in that night. The subject of having a live identifiable encounter with God vs. a vague religious exposure to the Bible, became the hot topic. I'm not down playing the desire or lives of these visitors, but it was obvious that Daddy was saying something to our 12-15 twenty year olds: "See, I have been with you. See, I have done wonderful things in your life. See, you are blessed, blessed, blessed. See, you're not wasting your life, you're finding it!"
Thanks to all who were with us in prayer, and those of you who weren't...what the heck were you doing? The trip was a little spendy but, I think all of us felt that the benefits far outweighed the cost. A solid investment. And, yes.....we will be doing it again.
Rant... by Quentin Miller Posted 10 SEP 08
Things are so clear on Monday (well, after coffee I mean). Unless, of course, your team happens to be Monday Night Football that week, in which case we must wait until Tuesday for the angel of Clarity to arrive silently by means of the football portal to our poor foggy perceptions. But then!....ah hah! razor laser taser sharp are we! Do they give Honorary Doctorates in Wisdom?
The furious belching from the keyboard-spawned Heralds on The Errors of Odd Bentley (the latest Koontz novel), seem endless. So.....being the case that this will be read by a vast throng of four (maybe five if Docia indulges me) I'll try my hand.
It occurred to me as 'odd' that Father knew every detail of Lakeland history, before the first intercessor started. Beginning to end (which has not yet been reached). And yet, knowing the end from the beginning, He proceeded to breathe out life on the multitudes who attended. It didn't seem to bother Him in the least, that when the bases were loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, Casey would pound the plate, point to the right field fence, give a toothy grin to the crowd (in this case a tattooey grin) and then......strike out. Its almost like "we gotta get points on the board" was NOT Father's overriding sports philosophy. Okay, we'll drop the sports and get religious.
Jesus was having a Bible study when the Pharisees burst into the little circle with a first time visitor who just happened to be naked, at best scantily clad. There was, in all likelihood, a slight ambiance shift in the Bible study. Here was Eve, pre-fig leaves or animal skins, in the one outfit that made Adam forget every other critter on the planet. Even Jesus decided to look at the ground, marveling how Father could make something so beautiful out of dirt. He began poking around in that dust looking for the Beauty molecules. Even the Accusers were having a rough time focusing on finding stones. Then Father's voice spoke above the demands of the Seminary Swat team: "I just brought you another of our precious ones; set her free and send the Swat team home with their thoughts as the designated drivers."
So, after a brief comment from the pages of STONE THROWING FOR DUMMIES, the Bible study was able to continue, with the first time visitor a little late, but present. The Kingdom was now one soul richer thanks to Pharisees. The Angels went berserk with joy. Another one saved! Break out the good stuff!
Do we need to make apologies, and learn our lessons, announce/denounce/pronounce and generally pounce on everything about Lakeland in hopes that the world will begin to respect us? Well, you might want to think that one over a little. The only one who ever presented a spotless bio before the world, was still REJECTED NOT RESPECTED. So....we're going to top that?
Another thought: every one I have talked to who was touched by Lakeland, still seems
on "GO". To them the issue seems to be God not Todd. Like: "I don't remember...someone planted, someone watered...but I really can't remember their names." As it should be.
And so, it turns out in this case that the naked one was the 'teacher'. Does Grace not function with teachers? There are no benefits and coverage for that job? James warned us that if you want to 'teach' you will get to know condemnation intimately. Hint: he didn't mean from Father.
Okay, I've already exceeded the number of lines most people will read. So now I'm probably down to two readers. So to you I say: In heaven the Lakeland celebration of gratitude continues full swing.
Pray for the Tattoo boy who had the courage to try.
Pray for his children that they be not scarred.
Pray for his marriage that they find happiness.
Pray for us when we blindly throw stones, not knowing that we are killing our own family.
To the best of my knowledge, none of us has yet been proclaimed by Heaven as Protector of Righteousness (PR) for his bride.
Note: Do I not believe in accountability? Of course, but everyone is playing that melody and no one is harmonizing. Boring!
Ding Dong The Witch is Dead... by Quentin Miller Posted 05 AUG 08
...but it's not time to go home yet Dorothy.
Yes, the little house from Kansas landed on that gal in such a way that the residents of 1692 Salem would have been downright proud. So.....why can't we just go back to Kansas and the good life? Why stay here in Oz?
All we are given is some shoes (they are the GOP brand: gospel of peace) and a journey. And yes, it does have to do with a brain, a heart, and courage.
I woke up this morning thinking back on something we talked about on Sunday.
The Gospel means good news. I LOVE good news. The good news of Jesus is huge and you can't tell it all in one sitting. But, here's part: the evil spider is dead and gone. There are no hungry jaws waiting to wrap me up in silk, put me in storage, and pull me out for the family get together when I have sufficiently cured. I belong to another and I am guaranteed that no matter what twists the journey takes me through, I will through life or death, come face to face with the Lover of my soul.So, why do we encounter sticky situations all the way through the journey? It's the Web. No, I'm not heading towards another diatribe on internet porn, though real enough. It's the left over infrastructure of a sinful, satanic, world system. It's to that mess that we come and apply THE KINGDOM.
So, how do we deal with left over web? Faith. I get to enroll in Abraham 101. Believing what Father says instead of what I see. That's a wonderful story, but not for now.
There is another aspect of good news that fits in here. Let's do a scenario:
You are walking down the street one bright morning and run into God. He is out in His front yard putting up a sign that says: "Don't Spit On The Sidewalk". You have this uncontrollable urge to spit. Here's the thing: if I spit right in front of the sign or spit before the sign was up....it's still spit and it's nasty. BUT, it will dry up and be virtually eliminated by time. Better not to do it, if at all possible. BUT (again), if I spit right there in front of the sign, I'm really spitting in the face of He who put the sign there. Yeah?
That's a different kind of problem from hocking a luge. You're not worrying about dry time in that situation. It's not going to help the problem. It won't do anything to blunt the edge of that 12 gauge and the twitchy divine trigger finger.And the good news? He took down the sign. The relationship between us and the sign is over. Why? Just because God does not want there to be offense between us.
It's still just as unsanitary and nasty to spit ie please don't. But it's good news to know, that as I journey through life, IF I should happen to hit one of those unbearable moments of saliva overload, it doesn't separate me from His Love. That's good news.Thirsty? by Quentin Miller Posted 19 JUL 08
A man finds a piece of ground that catches his heart. It has a high price, but there is something in that land that calls to him and pulls on him.
After many arrangements and commitments are finalized, he is able to make the purchase. With the deed in his hand, he stands on the high ground gazing at the length and breadth of that which is now his. It was worth the effort. BUT.....Now he sets to clear his land from rock and root. It is an arduous process, involving hours of sweat, pain, scrapes, and exhaustion. For days from sunup to sundown he lives bent over. At last he has the extreme pleasure of looking across a landscape that now invites the plow to come do its work. The hindrances are removed.... SO..
Early the next day, while dawn is barely a suggestion across the eastern sky, the man and his oxen are setting the plow for the first furrow. The smell, the sound, the feel are incomparable. The strength of the ox draws the plow deep into virgin soil. The husbandman is coaxing his bride into receptivity. The tilling finally leaves a rich soft bed for seed. BUT....
There is no time to bask in this accomplishment, ....for the collecting and selecting of vine cuttings for seed is now the priority.
Without the right vine, all could have been in vain. It is a surprisingly long process with many opportunities to compromise on quality for the purpose of haste. And then hauling load after load of enriching dung so that each cutting will have the best chance of survival and prospering in a new environment. All it knew before was how to be a branch and make leaves and now, it must reach deep within itself and make Roots. Its never gone this way before. At last there is new growth above ground reflecting the new that is also below the surface. This is cause to rejoice, BUT.....There still remains the infinitely long process of building a support system around this new life. So much under girding for such a small beginning. It does end up with a beauty that escapes most artists' brushes....an aroma in the air that mesmerizes passers-by. The cameras of tourists clack at each other as they go by trying to sequester some of the beauty to far away lands. BUT...
There still is no moment to stop and savor until there is...FRUIT.
Then it happens. Its birth escaped his anxious eyes. But one day there they are. Buds and flowers announcing the arrival of embryonic bunches. He finds one and is amazed that he didn't see it the day before, only to discover there are already several more. How did he not see them? Now like a nursemaid he checks them out every day; sometimes more than once. If the husbandman's presence is medicinal to the vine, he has overdosed it several times over. He is now so close BUT...He enters a period during which he can do nothing, except housekeeping. A weed here and there. Worry about enough/too much rain. Scare off a few birds. Wait. Let the light and rain of heaven adorn the earth once more with miracles. BUT..
He now knows he is a wealthy man. His future now has shape and form. His past decisions and investments now smell more like wisdom than foolishness. Long lost friends re-appear. Disciples want to know his great secret. BUT..
There is still some journey ahead...
Watching, watching, watching....NOW! Let the harvest begin. He must deal with laborers. Those who have no idea of what he has been through. Each bunch is like a child to him; to them, only more weight in the basket. Something to nibble on, something to cash in on at(lot of preps there: ending a sentence with a preposition, is something up with which I will not put) the end of a day's labor. BUT...Then the almost unfitting unbecoming end to such a glorious history. The violence of the vat and trampling out of the vintage. Under the foot of man, the glory and beauty so longed for and cared for, is morphed into a mammoth roadkill pulp. The blood of this necessary massacre quietly runs to the lowest point where it is collected and stored in cool darkness and the quiet of the cellar. BUT....
The son of the husbandman is to be married. The feast is announced, and blessed are those who are invited to the supper. Now housed in a beautiful pitcher, instead of the dark musty barrel, the distilled essence of years of sacrifice, patience, fears and sweat is served up to the husbandman and his guests. In their mouths it has an unprecedented richness; in their throats the fire of life; in their hearts the spell of joy.
AND now there is the bliss and rest only gained from fruitfulness.Before you or I were born, long before, the Father began pursuing his dream. While we were yet generations away from seeing sunlight, He was working. We have the privilege of being in the time in which His extended hand holds out a cup that contains the concentrated essence of all his cost and efforts. The summation of all His desire is reduced to a loving offer to drink. It is none less than the blood and very life of his son Jesus.
Rev 19.8 "And to her it was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints."
2Cor 5.21 "For He has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
Hungry? by Quentin Miller Posted 20 JUL 08
I've known Alfredo and Marisa since about 1995 when I visited Salta Argentina for the first time. I was with an older preacher named Frank Lopez. I got to go along because traveling alone is not the best nor most prudent thing, and I, like Frank, had the ability to put congregations asleep in either Spanish or English. It was a long trip, and I had a different flight than Frank. I got there a few hours later, after spending 8 hours sitting on a park bench by the La Plata river in Buenos Aires.
Salta was beautiful. It was nestled in the lap of the Andes foothills, sporting a great climate, and Europeon atmosphere. It is the birth place of Steve Green the Christian singer; I never saw him there, however.
Alfredo and Marisa were attending one of the churches where Frank and I were ministering. Alfredo worked in his father's trophy shop at the time. He had an auto and a house all paid for, because when he was twenty-ish he won the lottery. He used his winnings to fulfill his then current ambitions: fly in a plane to Buenos Aires and back twice, get married to Marisa, buy a house and a car.
His car was a little (hobbit style) Renault. All you needed was a decent size suitcase and a strong right arm, and you could have stolen that thing. My friend Frank was uhh...uhh... expanding his borders. Getting him in that thing was a challenge. Getting him out once he was in was a snap. We just had to squeeze the sides and Frank just sort of oozed out like Mexican toothpaste.The next time I visited, Alfredo had gotten a slightly larger car. The operative adverb here is 'slightly'. No matter, Frank had lost some weight, so we felt like we were in a stretch limo in comparison.
I have continued to visit Salta until this present day, and even into the future (see travel link...I hope). As Alfredo and Marisa grew in God, they eventually bought the store from his dad, increased its business several times over, and now are able to give good paying work to several of God's kids there.
I think Alfredo is on his fourth or fifth vehicle since that first visit. He now has a variety of what we would call an extended cab pick up. Very adequate and accommodates his business needs admirably. Its one of his dreams to have this vehicle. I know because I've heard him mention it more than once on prior occasions.
God has been doing a special work in Salta with the group we know there. Its not a church, it really is a family. They care for each other and have a history of doing so, rain or shine. They're in it together, for better or worse. Hold that thought...
Here's another: I have had a desire to do a Pastor's Advance in Redding with several of my Spanish speaking compadres. I want them to SEE what the Lord is doing there. I want them to TASTE the same. Looks like it will happen, as there are several from Madrid, Mexico, and yes,Argentina. When I told Alfredo and Marisa about this, I could hear a sucking sound on the other end of the phone. I knew they WANTED to do this thing. I also knew that the expenses for them would be higher than the mountains that surround their city. A month ago, Alfredo told me to count them in for it. I knew it was 'by faith' that he committed to the trip. I knew they would have to (as they say in the UK) "sort out the finances" ie they didn't have the money.
The leadership team in our church decided to cover their expenses to the conference if they could make it to the States. I don't usually take a loaded pistol to the leadership meeting, but it worked (it just had blanks anyway). When I phoned Alfredo and Marisa with this news, they lost it. After a burst of Spanish exuberance coated in an Italian heritage of half singing the language, he told me something that touched me. They are selling their vehicle to make the trip. This is his dream car...remember that thought you're holding? The fact of the matter is, after talking the thing over between them, they just decided that the priority was being at that conference. That's hunger.
I feel awed.
Are we hungry?
