Philippines Mission Letter: August 2021
Click/tap for full PDF health. There has been an alarming surge in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in our municipality within the past few weeks. Currently, our town has now the highest number of cases in the entire province. Due to this, our local government has implemented more intense COVID-19 protocols and guidelines to limit movement and transportation, regulate the operation of all establishments, and enhance the presence of uniformed personnel to prevent higher numbers of positive COVID-19 cases.…
“Tell them I Said Hi”
Have you ever been on a phone call when you are interrupted by a curious family member? “Who are you talking to?” “Nana.” “Oh! Tell her I said hi!” Or perhaps you know someone who is on a trip visiting a congregation so you ask them to, “Say hi for me” to someone you know. These kind greetings take only a moment but always come from a place of love and affection. They let a person know that they are…
Forgetfulness
Ever forget something? Sure you have. If it is any consolation, you are not alone. All of us can forget and often do. Some years ago, a researcher from Johns Hopkins University compiled a list of what we forget most often. At the top of the list was names (83%), followed by where something is (60%), words (53%) and faces (42%. Any of those a problem for you? It is obvious that the researcher forgot to check on spiritual forgetfulness.…
Honor to Whom Honor is Due
It is amazing how quickly things change! Even in the congregation here, the past two years have seen a number of changes that few could have anticipated. Sometimes we are tempted to think that things will just keep going like always and when notable milestones are achieved, they leave us wondering where the time went! Such is the milestone to which I bring your attention. Marjorie Vickers and Betty Hathorn have faithfully taught together for fifteen years. There is an…
God’s Plan for an Eternal Kingdom
God ’s plan through the Messiah was to establish a “kingdom that would never be destroyed” (Dan. 2:44). Here are some hopes, promises, and implications of the Kingdom prophecies in the Old Testament and how they relate to Christians today: The Legitimacy of the Kingdom Stands or Falls with the Legitimacy of Jesus (Luke 24:44 -48). Peter preached the first gospel sermon and quoted the Kingdom prophecy of Joel 2:28 -32. He ties it to the death, burial, and resurrection…
“My Preciousss…”
Gollum/Smeagol is one of my favorite literary characters in Tolkien ’s Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Gollum talks to himself obsessively over the One Ring —even after he loses it in the deep caverns of the Misty Mountains. He constantly seeks his “precious” ring which Baggins finds. While Peter writes some two -thousand years before Tolkien, he talks about the spiritual things that Christians ought to see as precious. In Peter ’s letters, he writes as we journey…
Philippines Mission Letter: July 2021
Click/tap for full PDF May the loving and caring Father in heaven continue to provide your needs and keep you safe. The COVID-19 cases are surging again in the different parts of our country, especially in the thickly populated areas. Strict border control has been reimposed in different provinces including ours to prevent the spread of the virus, particularly the highly transmissible Delta variant, even as the province remains under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), which is the lowest restriction…
On COVID, Camp, and Certainties
Despite several staff members and campers getting COVID at Peach Valley, I am glad that camp happened and that I was able to attend. It was a blessing my heart badly needed! The risk of illness was not greater than the blessing God provides by His people coming together. Here are some things I gleaned from the week that may help you as you live by faith: “Blessed, blessed, blessed are we!” We learned a new song at camp by…
A Worthy Mission
If Luke, guided by inspiration, included three separate looks at what happened to Paul on the road to Damascus and his subsequent obedience to Christ, you would be inclined to believe it was important. From the actual events (Acts 9) to Paul ’s retelling of them before hostile Jews (Acts 22) to the apostle explaining it again to King Agrippa (Acts 26), we see what many consider the most dramatic conversion recorded in the New Testament. The fierce persecutor became…
Taking the Big Top Down
Vacation Bible School for 2021 is in the books and what a great week it has been. Along with the numerous “thank you ’ s” I offer for all those who were a part, I offer that I have learned so much more than our kids have! I am reminded about what wonderfully, sacrificial people we have who are able to meet needs, anticipate needs, and to communicate needs in the family. So much of what we do as the…
Philippines Mission Letter: June 2021
Click/tap for full PDF Dear Brethren, May the goodness and blessings of God continue to abound in you. The Lord continues to open up opportunities for us in meeting and teaching new people who are willing and interested in knowing God’s way of eternal salvation for man. The members of our congregation are continuously doing their part for the growth of the Lord’s family by showing and sharing with their loved ones, relatives, neighbors, and friends their life experiences in…
“Things for Which We Must Pray”
It ’s a simple enough title and concept, but for each season and busy opportunity in our lives, there ought to be a reminder, “this is something for which I MUST pray” (Ps. 55:7; Zech. 8:21; 1 Thess. 5:17). Here are some things God ’s people need to be lifting up and praying about NOW: Pray for our country (1 Tim. 2:1 -2). Our nation is in rapid decline. As a whole, our rulers, leaders, and educators are invested in…