I have learned!

I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. This was Paul's exortation to the believers in Philippi. Interestingly enough he wrote it from a Roman prison, probably chained to a Roman soldier. It wouldn't have been the easiest place to be content. The English sentence, as you can see, is only twelve words long but this tiny lesson speaks volumes.

I have learned It goes without saying (though here I go) that Paul had an intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. That relationship had not kept him from sadness, hurt, danger, or death. But it had helped him to understand that dealing with difficulties was a learned skill. We have all heard of the school of hard knocks. Paul understood that those knocks came from a divine source, the hand of his all loving Father.

Discovering the mind of Christ will take eternity. Learning how to deal with difficulty in my own walk is a daily application of the knocks that He sends my way. I cannot always understand why God does what He does but I can determine to allow what He does to teach me to walk closer to Him.

In whatsoever state I am... No matter where I am physically or spiritually I must look at my situation as a God ordained classroom. Learning is not always fun. In fact it is often painful drudgery. But I must remember that God is in it and He is always teaching me.

Therewith to be content This is where Paul leaves many of us in the dust. He decided to be content. My tendency is to grumble, complain, cry and moan. My situation is always worse than anyone else's! This attitude is a decision. It happens because I decide to grumble rather than be content in Christ's work in my life situation. Deciding is mental. Deciding comes before action. I have to make up my mind before it shows in what I do.

So, do I have to go to prison in order to come to this conclusion? Hope not!

Car SOLD

Just a few days ago I posted our 2005 Nissan Quest for sale. I want to thank those of you who prayed for that sale. It was completed on Sunday. The story of this car is one of God's willingness to bless us. I shared it with a friend so I thought that I should share it here. So, here it is.

The car story is just a "simple" story of God's care for people like me. About a year ago when I sent a prayer request to my e-mailing list about our need for a car, my sister responded and wondered if we would like to use her husband Bruno's Quest. He had passed away and the car was setting unused in her driveway. I quickly accepted her offer.

Because of our need to insure it here in Michigan she had to sell it to us (she "sold" it for a token amount of $1.07 with the seven cents being New Jersey state sales tax). We have driven it for nearly a year and loved it. It was the best car that I have ever owned.

When the economy went sour I wondered (doubted) if we would ever sell it. I put it on Facebook and one of my friends saw it.

As it turns out she and her husband had been praying for a car for a year and a half. I thought that it was interesting how that they had started praying and looking about six months before we got the car to use for the year!

I told the couple on Sunday, "That is why it has taken you so long to find this car. The Lord knew that we needed to use it for a year!" They ended up getting a deal and we were blessed to be able to present my sister with a check for the sale.

So, again my story about the car is one of God's care, direction and timing for each of His children. I know that it doesn't seem to always work out that way and that there are many times when God's timing seems to be a bit (or a long way) off. But I know that His timing is always right. That is comforting and has helped me to trust in Him even when things seem to be going SO wrong!

And as a postscript to this story of God's care, another of our friends is allowing us to use their Chevy Suburban for the rest of our time in Michigan. Thank you Father!

Tottering!

I was watching my one year old grandson, Brandon, today. He had on some baggy little shorts, weird flip-flops over his socks, and he was tottering. It made me think about how I often feel these days. Funny how that when we are little and "innocent" and tottering in our baggy pants, with our little potbelly sticking out from under our t-shirt we look precious. When we are older and tottering in our low slung trousers and the same potbelly, we looks pathetic! I guess that the two drastically opposite points of view are based on the viewer's chronological perspective.

Brandon is growing and I'm dying. He is cute because the little guy has a lot to learn and we love to see him progress. The old guy has already had his chance at learning and what he is progressing toward is not quite so much fun to ponder. When I have these weird thoughts I praise my God because He never lets go of my hand whether a tottering little guy or an old one. And I found this verse to prove my point. For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Isa 41:13

Prayers Answered

Have you ever prayed for something and kind of hoped that it didn't get answered? We did that with the sale of our 2005 Nissan Quest. It is actually my sister's car and we promised to try and sell it before we left for the field.

Well, here it is just weeks before our departure and God has answered our prayer and the car will be leaving in the next few days. We are getting a fair price for it and this will be a blessing to my sister. Thank You Father!

Now we have another prayer request, "We need a car." We will need it for just a little over a month and a half (June 20 to August 6 just 48 days).

However, another problem (or seeming problem from my perspective) is that we will be going to Florida with this car and will not be coming back! So, how will the Lord help us with this request? I don't know just yet but will be sure and share when He does.

On Again, Off Again, On Again

The PEW project has been revived! I think. About a month or so ago I put out a plea for help to build some pews for Hope Baptist Church in Sorocaba, SP, Brazil. It wasn't long before a friend of mine offered to pay for all of the materials necessary to build twenty pews. I was ecstatic to say the least.

I began to scour the countryside looking for willing participants to help with the project and found six! All was going well until one by one they began to fall by the wayside for various reasons.

I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to hire the job done by a Brazilian. Not necessarily a bad option but not the one that I wanted. I like showing Americans our work in Sorocaba. Having them participate helps them to know how to pray for us and also might lead to them coming back to Brazil as missionaries!

A week ago a young man approached me at church asking about the project. I told him that it had been canceled. But with his interest I began to think that maybe I shouldn't be so hasty. So I began to beat the bushes again for help. So far I have five people interested. So, let's see how the on again, off again, trip turns out this time! If interested the trip is going to take place at the end of September, first part of October. Drop me a note.

Nissan Quest for Sale

Our 2005 Nissan Quest (like the one pictured here) is for sale.

It has just over 62000 miles on it and runs great. It also has:Power windows, steering, breaks, trunk lid, and side door. It is a V6. We have used it this year during our furlough and have had zero problems with it. If anyone is interested please drop me a note at jewellmichael@yahoo.com. We would like $8,900 for it but that is negotiable.