Last Monday night I was suffering from a headache and insomnia, and so, while everybody else was sleeping, I was in the living room intermittently reading and watching TV. Presently I heard a banging sound coming from outside, indicating that our gate had not been properly shut. A light breeze was causing one metal door…
This is the continuation of the previous post. As I sat rested comfortably in the front seat of Jim Leonard’s SUV, I breathed a sigh of relief. The adventure was over. Boy was I wrong. Back at the car, Daniel had taken his job of protecting the women and Mikey very seriously. Fortunately, they received…
Anybody who is tempted to think that missionary work is boring needs to read this article. My trips with our students to visit their practical ministries have typically been anything but boring. I have crossed precarious bridges, had encounters with exotic wildlife, and met a host of interesting people. None of this, however, came close…
Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with…
What do Christians do when “civilization” is overrun by the “barbarians”? A week ago I read two articles, both of them in August’s “Tabletalk” devotional, that have greatly influenced my thinking. The first, by R.C. Sproul Jr., is called Bread and Circuses. In it, Sproul goes back to the fall of Rome, and shows how…
I have noticed that every time I walk into a bookstore down here, a book entitled “O Monge e o Executivo” (The Monk and the Executive) is featured prominently. I had no idea, however, that it had such an interesting background. Check out this story from the Washington Post: SAO PAULO, Brazil, Aug. 11 —…
Recently a young lady wrote to me with the following questions: When you first found out you were being called to be a missionary? What are some steps you took to get there? What did you have to go through to become a missionary? Below is my response: 1. After I surrendered my life to…
1. The basis for the Great Commission is Christ’s authority, not man’s compassion, the vast need, or any of the other emotional tugs we get at missionary conferences. Of course we are to have compassion on the lost, but based on Christ’s compassion–because His authority is the basis for our mission. 2. The goal of…
The subtitle of this weblog informs that these are the “musings of a missionary to Brazil.” It occured to me that up until now precious little had been said about Brazil. I would therefore like to use today’s space to share several reasons why I am in love with Brazil. Reason #1: Brazilians Brazilians are…
After you read the title for this entry, you probably have the sneaking suspicion that I am crazy. I will make no effort here to dispute that suspicion. After all, who enjoys flat tires? They are the bane of the traveller’s existence, inconveniencing the otherwise smooth transit by automobile from one point to another. Yet,…