Here is the road we drove on Friday night! =) And just so you know, the video doesn't do it justice ;)
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I've read a few. I'm sure you have, too. Romance Novels. From anything as innocent at "Love Comes Softly" to those other books with half-dressed people on the front. (Which I actually haven't ever read... the cover says enough, don't you think? :)
Anyway, I am re-posting an article by Dannah Gresh (my Absolute Favorite Author!! I am re-reading her book "Get Lost" right now!!!) Here is the article (it says it better than I ever could!) I’m not reading Fifty Shades of Grey. I wasn’t planning to announce this, but I can’t help myself. I told my husband, Bob, that I didn’t really want to get involved. But then, I found out my girlfriend’s 70-year-old mom has her name on a long wait list at the library to borrow Fifty Shades of Grey. And then my mom told me that a relative I love and respect for her strong faith had already devoured the book. She regretfully “can’t get the images out of her head.” So, here I am. In an attempt to keep the images out of yours, I’d like to explain to you why I’m not reading Fifty Shades of Grey. Reason #1: Let’s start with the facts. Fifty Shades of Grey is classified as erotic fiction. According to one online dictionary, this genre of literature is defined as that which has “no literary or artistic value other than to stimulate sexual desire.” I’ve been studying what God says about sexuality for fifteen years. According to Him, there is only one who should stimulate sexual desire in me: my husband. Since that’s God’s plan for my sexual desire, anything other than my husband creating arousal in me would be missing the mark of God’s intention. (Translation: it is sin.) Jesus said it this way: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” The same is true of a woman looking at or reading about a man. Reason #1? I believe reading erotica is sinful. I guess I could stop there, but it won’t be enough for some of you. So let’s go to reason number two. Reason #2: The Bible has said for thousands of years that lust is hurtful and harmful. Guess what? Biopsychologists and others are studying the effects of lust, pornography, and erotica on the brain and the body. They are finding that the Bible was, in fact, right. Over time your body becomes conditioned to self-stimulation and gratification. It’s not just a preference. It’s physiological. The lust cuts a literal pathway in your brain tissue that’s kinda like a rut. A rut you better be prepared to get stuck in. While at first a little bit of erotica might give you a taste for your spouse, overtime that rut reminds you how great you are at self-stimulation and how powerful your imagination can be. You’ll become less interested in real sex with your husband. (Both SELF magazine and The New Yorker ran articles on this phenomenon in recent years. They both suggested that if you want to have a great sex life, you better push pause on porn!) The fact is, erotica robs you of real sex. It’s not good for your marriage or future marriage. Reason #3: OK, we’re girls. And, sadly, a few of our guys have looked at porn. How’d that work for ya? How’d it make you feel? Did it cross your mind that you could never compare to the perfection created by lights, camera, and Photoshop? Well, he can’t compare to a plasticized, vanilla interpretation of manhood either. Reason #4: Do you know what BDSM is? Bondage, dominance, sadism, and masochism. If you don’t know what those words mean, be glad. If you do know, you should understand that the most damaging part of Fifty Shades of Grey is that God created sex to be a partnership that’s fueled by love and self-giving, not pain and humiliation. It’s not just that this book misuses sex, it redefines it into something evil and transgressive as the lead character dominates in a hurtful manner. How woman can enjoy that, I can’t understand! But I do have a theory. It seems to me that in our emasculating culture there is a hunger so great for strong men that women will stoop to Bondage, dominance, sadism, and masochism for just a taste. Do yourself a favor, don’t! You might be wondering if I’ve read the book. I haven’t. I don’t need to. There are many things in this world I need not partake in to discern that they are going to be harmful to me. God has given me more than fifty shades of truth in His Word and when just one of them is in conflict with my entertainment choices, I choose to pass! To be clear: I wouldn’t drive my Envoy into the front of an oncoming semi-truck any more than I would open the pages of Fifty Shades of Grey. I love my marriage, my God, and myself too much. If your heart resonates with mine, please take a moment today to post these words on Facebook or twitter: “I’m not reading Fifty Shades of Grey.” If you have friends who need help understanding why, send them to this blog. I’d be happy to explain! What do you think? ... I think, it's true that "we don't need to. There are many things in this world we need not partake in to discern that they are going to be harmful to us..." It's also a distraction. A distraction from pursuing our relationship with Christ. Think about that the next time you go to watch a movie or read a book... because entertainment is not neutral. Ask the question: Does this encourage me or teach me something important? Or does it So Much happened today... I have so many stories to tell... actually, it was "yesterday" because right now it's 12:30am as I type this. I didn't get back to the Alcance until 11:45ish, and then Tele and I came home. Then I took a shower, because my feet were muddy (that's one of the stories!) This morning was normal, uneventful. We went to lunch at Alcance, and then I accompanied the ladies from GCC to their last too "Ladies' Teas" as part of outreach. (GCC is here on a short-term mission trip, and they leave tomorrow.) The first "Tea" (where we actually have coffee and brownies! Ahh, I've eaten so many sweets!! ... and it was wonderful ;) Quick fact: ingredients are in Portuguese, so even though I did try to read a few, I am unable. So, I just eat it!;) ANYWAYS, it was at Paudalho that I met Alexandra. She was sweet, and shy. But she smiled largely when we waved good-bye to each other! I asked how old she was, and she said 19. I told Rachel that later and she smiled and said maybe 17... they really don't know. And since they don't know, they can be whatever age they want. Alexandra's story is here, put together by Rachel for this months' newsletter... (sweet Cathy Flink is in a picture in this video! Watch for her! :) The children like Alexandra have no hope if not for Living Stones. So let me challenge you: sponsor a child through Living Stones. Please. Pray for them. For the price of going out to eat you could completely change a child's life for eternity... Which brings me to my next story! I got to meet Camila this evening at Cajueiro Claro, the little girl that my family sponsors through Living Stones!!! =) The above pictures (and meeting Camila!) took place at Pastor Flavio's church. He lives in a small, 2ish (maybe 3, counting the curtained off area) room apartment at the back of the church. Their restrooms are the church's restrooms. They are the sweetest couple ever... caring, adorable, loving, etc. Jeff was telling me how hard they work, day in and day out. Next time you see a missionary, shake their hand and tell them thank you for sticking it out in the tough times... lol That leads me to the next story! Flavio (being the amazing guy that he is!) went to pick up a few people for church who otherwise wouldn't have been able to come. (Life of a pastor... when he married Marcia, his wife, last December, they were able to have 3 of the Living Stones kids come to the wedding! Flavio, the groom, picked them up right before the wedding! This was the first wedding the kids ever saw, and so Rachel said... Well, okay, that's a whole nother story. Back to the one I was on!;) So, being the kind pastor he is, he picked up the people. He also took them home afterwards. The team and I are all at the church, waiting on Flavio to get back so that he can drive the Kombie back down "The Hill" for us (a video of the road we drove is following, hopefully tomorrow. When I get back to the States, I will gladly Silence anyone who has "bad road" complaints.) We are waiting. Flavio, instead of driving up in his car, comes running up in bare feet that are covered in mud. His car is stuck. Really Stuck. This is a bad picture, but it might give you some idea... The tire ruts, thanks to the rain, had sunk so low and filled with water that the car was literally "grounded" on the middle, "raised" section, of the road. The picture above does not do it justice. (Or Flavio justice, as he was covered in mud!;)
Imagine this... we are literally in the middle of no where, the car is stuck, it is 10:30 at night, pitch black, cars are a lot heavier than I thought, mud is sticky, mosquitos are biting, etc. Flavio broke up pieces of brick and wedged them under the wheel, trying to get traction. When they pumped the gas, it sprayed water, mud, and the bricks right out from under it. After about try number 18001 (jk... like after try 4, and each try takes quite some time), Flavio jacked up the car, and Jeff, Flavio, and Paulo lifted/pushed the car backwards about a foot. Then it would be past where the jack was holding it. So Flavio would then jack it up again, the guys would repeat the process. I like to think I helped... I prayed, observed, and encouraged. And actually, I did push. Plus, when Jeff was pushing, I wedged a board under his foot and held it while he pushed the car, because before he just slipped right backwards. Flavio was barefoot and so didn't have as much trouble. Praise the Lord, we got the car out. And we didn't get stuck getting home!! =) What makes a person want to live with these challenges, day in and day out? The Adventure? yeah... maybe for a little while. But not for a life time. Unless you are working for something bigger and more important than yourself. And I don't just mean "helping people." I mean something that matters for eternity: telling people about a personal relationship with Christ. THAT is what counts. Flavio and Marcia, Jeff and Lindsey, Tele and Heather, and so many other pastors here work So Hard. Pray for them. Encourage them. Send them a Thank-You note. And pray for their work... pray that the Holy Spirit would open hearts to receive Salvation, in Brasil and in the States! =) ........ It's not 1:17am and I'm exhausted! Good night! :-) I mentioned in a previous post that people are people, not matter where. The example I used was 1Direction, and how the girls here are just as crazy over them as the girls back home... some people might take my exclamation of "Gracious Sakes" as judgemental... but it's not because goodness, I've been just as boy-crazy before! (Ask Caitlin Lindman!:)...actually, on second thought, don't ask... ;)
Some people might take it as being old-fashioned (which I am... old hymns, old country music, old style dresses, old ways of doing laundry... they all rather fascinate and intrigue me!) But honestly, I mean it as a Friendly Warning. I warning that becoming too obsessed with the things of this world causes consequences. And not just consequences that make "sense". For example, if you are All Hung Up on your appearance (which I can be from time to time), there can be obvious consequences like be poor body image,, depression, anxiety, etc. But not-so-obvious ones would be feeling a strain in your relationship with God, living a hectic life (instead of the peace God offers), and feeling completely unsatisfied and empty. I can become so frustrated with the world. It's so Easy (and some people would say Cliché) to say, "Jesus is the answer... just pray about it." If I was the one struggling, I know I'd get tired of hearing that. But it's the Truth. Then why isn't is "working" in the lives of my friends who hate themselves, are depressed, are frustrated with life, etc?? It IS true that Jesus is the Answer and that Prayer is the Key. No amount of counseling (however good it is) can ever truly, completely, totally FREE you from emotional, mental, physical, and honestly Spiritual, bondage. This is a quote from a survivor of Sex Trafficking: Do you have what it takes to set me free? Can you heal my broken body? Can you bring peace to the mental torment and memories? Can you stop me from having the nightmares? Can you personally protect me from my traffickers finding me and coming after me? Because if you can only physically free someone, but you do not have what it takes to bring them out of the mental and spiritual and even physical torment, then what? ...... For many years, I looked to man – to kind, benevolent, well-meaning, good-hearted people to help free me from the HELL I still lived in for years after escaping. And NONE of them had anything to offer other than human sympathy and friendship at best. While good, these things were NEVER going to have the power to break the chains still wrapped around my heart, mind and body....... I cannot overstate the firm belief I have in prayer to set people free. Prayer to the God who sits enthroned on high. He is the ONLY one with the power to free me from these unseen chains. And it is our humble acknowledgment, through prayer, of His supreme, yet loving power that moves His heart to act. And this is not just simply my opinion; it is my experience. You see, this isn't just a quick "prayer" everyday, saying "Please set me free, Jesus"~while those prayers are necessary, I find they don't always carry me through. Most of the time, I just need to sit at Jesus' feet. Pray about my problems, yes... but also pray for my family and friends, pray and praise Him, read His Words EVERY SINGLE DAY, and pursuing a passionate, vibrant, alive relationship with Him. You can't only need Him when things are tough... you must be in constant communication with Him throughout all of your life! Not that we won't fail... I do. The first several days in Brasil I rather floated on busyness to carry me through. I didn't spend my quiet time like I should have. Praise the Lord, I have gotten back to it! =) Right now I am reading "Get Lost" by Dannah Gresh, and taking the 10-day challenge. OH, I HIGHLY recommend this for each of you ladies! (Sorry, if guys are reading this... you also need to be passionate about your faith walk, but I don't think this book will help you. It's a little girly;) But, it's not a magic cure-all formula. You must apply yourself for a good amount of time each day. And then, you must live the rest of your day in tune with God's Spirit (as we all should every day :) Is it hard work? Yes, but anything (including an amazing relationship with Christ!) is hard work. Don't be lazy. Don't be selfish. Take the challenge of truly loving Jesus, and living for Him. Living for Him in choices... (like getting up 20 minutes earlier in the morning so that First Thing you can spend time with Him, and let Him set the tone for your day) Living for Him in lifestyle... (like choosing to watch movies or listen to songs that honor the Lord and His standards and morals in the Bible, instead of ones that treat sex, modesty, truthfulness, integrity, etc. like trash) Living for Him isn't a feeling (Boy, do I know That truth well!) You cannot base it on feelings. You must base it on choice. What choice will you make? (And it's easy to say "I choose Jesus!" ... very easy. Do you really mean it? Because if you do, and you truly fix your eyes on Him, your life won't magically become perfect, but you will reap what you sow. If you sow peace, joy, contentment, etc, you Will reap it! (Galatians 6:7) And reaping peace, joy, and contentment will mean that there won't be room for depression, anxiety, pride, and selfishness to grow. And if those weeds do spring up, you will be able to up-root them quickly. Don't give up... press on towards the goal!!! (And don't do it in your own strength (Galatians 3:3), but in Christ's! ( Obviously, I am signed up for three months of "mission work." This, honestly, is still not enough time to truly see and KNOW what being a true missionary is... and yet, I have a better idea than people who only come for ten days.
Rachel posted "30 Tips for Short-Term Missionaries" and I thought they were good (and many applied to me, as well, as I am adjusting!:) Take some time to read them... http://www.rachelsnewday.blogspot.com.br/2013/06/30-tips-for-short-term-mission-trippers.html I am Totally Terrible at coming up with titles for articles, so I just named them for the pants I have on at the moment. I have on beautiful coral-colored pants, and I've never worn them before! lol ;) It rained yesterday, covering the entire valley with a mist. It was gorgeous. I sat on the porch and watched the wind blow... it was blowing the palm trees, and other odd-looking-trees for which I do not know the name! ;) School (at Alcance) is out for July... so things are slower right now. But speaking of the school, what a WONDERFUL ministry it is! While church is excellent (and what Jesus commanded us to plant!), when we have church once or twice a week, and all of these students are going back into the world every other day of the week, and they have disconnected parents, and all they've ever known is sinful ways, we are fighting a battle uphill. But when these same students come to church, and also come to school in a loving, highly moral, Christian environment, it gives us more opportunity to Speak Truth into their lives! This school has been a blessing to the church plants, and Jesus has used it to reach those who might not otherwise have been reached. 10 children accepted Christ at the English Camp last week!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Okay, that is reason enough to have a school and throw a party!!! 10 eternal souls ~ saved!) This is a wonderful ministry, and they could always use more good teachers! Any takers? ;) The school is lovely ~ God has provided for it be re-modled from it's original, gray dumpiness, to a beautiful building! (Though it's probably not "beautiful" by American standards, it is by Brasilian and I like that type of beauty!:) Here are some pics...
This is a view from the other side... the dining hall is off to the lef
So yesterday was the national holiday of Saint John, and so today starts our new "work week". Last night Tele and Heather had the missionary families over for dinner and a little "party". So Pastor Ricardo and family (I had their little boy, Eric, in class!), Jeff and Lindsey and little Melody, Pastor Matt and Jacob, Roy and Irene (they are staying from America for two months), Emily Taylor, etc. It was quite a fun evening!
Today, Miss Heather and I are helping with the "Ladies' Tea's" (where we shall actually have coffee and brownies!;) as part of the women's ministry that the group that came down is doing. It's an outreach, and they will share the gospel with them. ... Now, I have to figure out... how exactly does one dress for a Ladies' Tea, in Brasil, w I just started a load of laundry... we fill the washer with a water hose, which is interesting! :) There is no dryer, so in a little while I'll put my clothes on the line. As I am getting videos to upload, I am posting them. So here is one of me attempting to chop open a coconut... there is more videos on the video blog page! :) Rachel posted about the Kombie, and she says things so much better than I do!
“It has really happened.” Andrea turned to see the Kombi and tears filled her eyes. It is just such a visible mark of God providing. She knows me. She knows the ministry and struggles and yet here it was: God provided. It is hard to explain just how powerful this encouragement is to our brothers and sisters in Brazil. There are not enough words. “I don’t believe it.” Shrugged Paulo, from Cajueiro Claro. Two years ago, he remembers drawing a picture of a Kombi that I took to the USA when we were working to raise money for the first Trek for Transportation. This year, he remembers making the video for the second Trek for Transportation. But he put on his hard face; it was just too much to believe God would work through strangers to send a Kombi to his little area of rural Brazil. “We will see.” Is all that Pastor Flavio responded. For the children in the Living Stones program, having a vehicle is unheard of. None of the families do. Cars are a luxury. You walk, you get a ride, you do without. With a yearly income of $4000USD or less (for a whole family), the high price of cars (about double USA prices), and horrible roads that tear up vehicles for breakfast, it adds up to a possibility. A house? Perhaps. You can build a simple one in rural areas for about $5000USD. But a vehicle? A good one is going to be closer to $8,000USD—a Kombi much more. Read Rachel's whole article at: http://www.rachelsnewday.blogspot.com.br/ I got a video to upload! SO, yesterday I posted about the vehicle that was finally able to be gotten and what an answer to prayer it was! It was so fun to surprise Pastor Flavio!!! |
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