I just returned from a very productive day spent in Morros, overseeing the progress of on the construction of the camp kitchen. Overall I’m very pleased with the results. As you can see from the pictures, the wall has been raised up to the second “belt”, and the walls for the middle room – which…
People and societies act on presuppositions – basic facts that are held to be self-evident and thus immune to questioning. And while presuppositions vary from culture to culture, there seems to be at least one universal, foundational principle in this modern world: that God, if He exists, is not at all interested in what we…
The following story is an embellished retelling of something that actually happened to me. Enjoy! “Never walk the streets of old São Luís alone at night.” This piece of advice, frequently given, came to my mind late one Friday as I walked the streets of old São Luís. Alone. At night. I had been invited…
Like thousands of other churches around the globe, the Corona Virus forced the members of the Ebenezer church to stay at home and listen to the Sunday School lessons and message via Facebook Live. Here are some pictures. Blogger and author Tim Challies has posted an excellent article full of pictures of believers gathering in…
Rebecca is a sweet ten-year-old girl in our church who was so looking forward to her birthday party, scheduled for last Saturday. Unfortunately, the Corona Virus stepped in and changed those plans. Needless to say, she was very disappointed. Unable to visit, I decided to send this letter instead. Perhaps it will help others dealing…
In Brazil’s large cities there is an honored tradition called the panelaço. Basically, what happens is people disgruntled with one particular politician or other will stand at the windows of their high-rise apartments and bang on pots and pans. Here is one recent example: In the wake of the mass confusion and fear surrounding the…
Back in July of 2019 we hosted the F.O.C.U.S. team, young people from our sending church, led by my brother, Pastor Daniel Comings. Part of their time here was spent in the city of Barreirinhas, famous for its vast dunes (where the Black Widow came to her untimely end, see number 4 here), beautiful river,…
I got to read some really great books this month. Check them out! 1066: The Year that Changed Everything by Jennifer Paxton First up: everything you wanted to know about the Battle of Hastings, its antecedents, and its outcomes. Shorter than the other “Great Courses” I have listened to, but very informative and enjoyable. The…
The first week of this month we were privileged to attend the annual meeting of the Baptist Mid-Missions Northeastern Brazil field council. Besides taking care of regional business, these times are always opportunities for fellowship with co-laborers and encouragement in the Word. This year that encouragement was brought by pastor Dan Mielke, who, together with…
As a missionary with a vital stake in the trends that periodically sweep the Western theological and ecclesiastical landscape, I have been following with interest the growth of a “woke” or “diversity” or “critical race” discussion that has taken place over the past several years. If I can be allowed to summarize a very complex…