Why Missionary Max?
Missionary Max | Writings

Why Missionary Max?

Beginning tomorrow you will be able to follow the adventures of Missionary Max here on this blog. Several years ago I made a brief foray into fiction, trying to write the chapters of the story as I went. After a short period of time I abandoned this as impractical. For the last two years I…

Worth the Fare
Short Stories | Writings

Worth the Fare

I have mixed emotions about taxis. My tight-fisted Scottish nature recoils at the high fares. Yet the writer and conversationalist in me enjoys hearing stories – and few people have better stories to tell than Brazilian cabbies. Of course, once the cabbie finds out I am American, the subject turns to the US, and suddenly…

“That’s Why We Have The Holy Spirit…”, or Why Sound Doctrine (and Good Grammar) is Important
Writings

“That’s Why We Have The Holy Spirit…”, or Why Sound Doctrine (and Good Grammar) is Important

One of my students was talking about biblical interpretation on his blog. As an illustration, he posted the following video. My jaw dropped open as I watched. The video is from a popular Brazilian TV show called “Fantástico”. The announcer begins by saying that the next story involves an Evangelical pastor, his neighbor, and his…

Your Very Own Mission Field
Writings

Your Very Own Mission Field

For those of you who have been following our Twitter feed, we have arrived safe and sound in Campinas, São Paulo, and are now thoroughly enjoying the BMM do Brasil family conference. Tomorrow I will begin putting up some pictures and observations. For today, however, I wanted to leave you with something to contemplate. I…

A Plea to American Pastors
Writings

A Plea to American Pastors

Dear US Pastor, The next time you are tempted to turn down a request for a meeting from some poor missionary appointee to Brazil with the comment that “Brazil is pretty much evangelized”, please check out this article. Brazil is indeed becoming more “evangelical” as opposed to Roman Catholic, but, as you can see from…

Tancredo Neves, Cazuza, and a Crate of Eggs
Writings

Tancredo Neves, Cazuza, and a Crate of Eggs

A good friend in the US once sent me an e-mail he had received. It is highly likely that most of you have received this e-mail as well. It details several people who made flippant or disrespectful comments about God, and died horrible, untimely deaths. My friend was especially interested in the fact that three…

Advice to New Missionaries…
Writings

Advice to New Missionaries…

…from one who still fits into that category. Jim over at Missionary Blog Watch recently challenged us missionary bloggers to give some advice to new missionaries on the field. What follows is my own humble contribution. The first two are about work with nationals, and the second two are about relations with supporters. 1. Learn…

God Chooses Losers (and that’s a good thing for me)
Writings

God Chooses Losers (and that’s a good thing for me)

The other day I was having a conversation with an area pastor, in which he lightheartedly disparaged my choice of Brazilian soccer teams. To be honest, I really don’t follow the Brazilian leagues that much, but everybody has to have a team, so I picked Palmeiras. It just so happens that the Palmeiras team is…

The “White Shirt” Incident
Funny | Writings

The “White Shirt” Incident

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…

High Adventure in Brazil–Part Two
Writings

High Adventure in Brazil–Part Two

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…