James 1:15 – A Fateful Wrong Turn
James Series

James 1:15 – A Fateful Wrong Turn

Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. The day was sunny, and the prospects bright. Itacyara and I were beginning a long-awaited, much-needed vacation in the company of very good friends. It was our first day in the beautiful Chapada das Mesas region…

Snapshots of Missionary Life: Vacation in Carolina
Family News

Snapshots of Missionary Life: Vacation in Carolina

Usually these “Snapshots” posts are collections of random images culled from our Instagram account. Today will be different, however. Since we have so many beautiful pictures to share, I decided to post them directly to this page. Last week we were able to get away for a long-anticipated, much-needed, vacation. Officially, it was in celebration…

James 1:14 – The Steve Urkel Syndrome
James Series

James 1:14 – The Steve Urkel Syndrome

But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. If you by any chanced happen to have reached this point in your life without ever having watched the TV show Family Matters, an introduction to Steve Urkel is in order. Steve was a nerdy kid who was always…

James 1:13 – God and the Blame Game
James Series

James 1:13 – God and the Blame Game

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. James 1:13 While in Bible College, I spent a couple semesters as the president of the Student Missions Fellowship. Among my responsibilities was the scheduling of speakers for our…

The Beautiful Decaying Mansions of São Luís
São Luís

The Beautiful Decaying Mansions of São Luís

This video is in Portuguese, and from 1996. Nevertheless, watching it will give you a good feel for the decadent majesty of the old Portuguese mansions of São Luís. I’m happy to report that since this video a good number of these ancient structures have been restored and are now in use by either private…

A Different Kind of Father’s Day
Church Plant

A Different Kind of Father’s Day

Here in Brazil, Father’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of August – not in June as in the US. So as we gradually worked back into having in-person services, plans were being made to celebrate the occasion at Ebenezer, and I was looking forward to some additional time with our church family around…

That Time Tom Hanks Almost Solved Racism
Writings

That Time Tom Hanks Almost Solved Racism

There’s a Saturday Night Live sketch that I saw in 2016 and have never forgotten. I remember commenting at the time to a friend of mine…words to the effect of “if Americans get a hold on what that sketch really means, it will change the political landscape of this country.” I have no idea if…