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This is Junior and Dani. They are the newest couple in our church. What... they are the Only couple in our church. Other than Dawn and me. We are praising the Lord for their recent Salvation. Both of these kids, I say kids because Junior is 19 and Dani is 17, were born and raised in another religion. It wasn't until just a few months ago, because of a set of “circumstances”, that Junior left that religion. Dani continued for awhile after Juniors exit but then she too began to see that it was time for her to leave. Not long after that Junior became interested in our coworker Alexandre's ministry in the Habiteto. A friendship and a Bible study began. Just two or three weeks into that study both Junior and Dani made professions of faith in Christ as their Savior. So, why are they our “ Wonder couple ?” Well, they both are very talented. Junior is a musical genius, at least from my perspective. There doesn't seem to be an instrument that he cannot play. He can sing. Which

Wellington Yesterday our team split up. That sounds sad doesn’t it. It was actually for a good cause. We had more than one job to do and so we split to conquer. In the morning we were together for the seventh of our eight week Sunday school campaign, “Run Well”. My Juniors have done a good job and we’ve averaged 12 for the last three weeks but we are in a tie for second place. I don’t think that any of them are worried, however, because there will be a pizza party at our house in two weeks. The overall winner in my class with get something that they probably have never had in their lives, a trip to McDonald’s for a burger, fries and Coke. All of that and they get to take a friend or family member with them! Man, talk about fun. Yesterday morning we had a visitor in my Sunday school class. He looked like a little Hood when he came into class. He was dirty, had a stocking cap on and didn’t say anything throughout the whole class. His name is Johnny. After our class had been dism

Why is it that I always think that I need some super-fantastic news in order to update my blog? I just went for a solid twenty-two days with out a single word. When I did update yesterday I put up a picture that I thought that I’d used two updates ago. It was then that I realized that I had used the same picture two updates in a row separated by twenty-two days of blogish silence. A blogger has to blog in order to keep a following. Since I don’t know if anyone is following my blog that makes an update even more imperative. I have stuff to tell and I need to keep that stuff coming in a thought provoking and interesting way. Blogs are fun that way, you can express your thoughts and ideas if for no other reason that to vent those thoughts and ideas. Question for the day : What makes a kid come to church and leave a church? A few weeks a youngster came to church and fell in love with it. He  couldn’t get enough. He was always wanting to be at church, Sunday school or our house. This att

… I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary Isaiah 50.4 I just discovered the coolest thing. I've been quoted on other blogs! I can't believe it! I knew that my blog was one of the best on the Net I just didn't think that anyone else knew it. I also realize, as one of my “wise” coworkers from GM told me years ago that, “Opinions are like arm-pits. Everyone has em and for the most part they all STINK!” O that paint shop wisdom. Back to the important stuff. My blog was quoted two or three times on someone else's blog! Does that make me famous? Not necessarily but it has stroked my ego a tad. It's funny what excites the average-Joe type person like me. Two or three admiring quotes and I'm a happy camper. In reality, blogs these days are a “dime a dozen”. So a simple quote in someone's blog shouldn't stoke my pride. But it did. It was fun to see my words on someone else's blog. As mom used to say, “Simple minds simple ple

I love to see the Lord work His Salvation miracles. His works are Master Pieces of sweet music. They are arrangements that only He can make happen. Two weeks ago I began my second attempt at cello lessons. I had tried the instrument about five years ago and found my fingers so rusty and decrepit that I had given up after just a few months. So, why my second go? Here’s one short and sweet story. There is a youg man that works with Alexandre at school. He teaches music and is a musical genius. At sixteen he began a city wide music program to train young musicians in Sorocaba. Recently he has worked with two deaf children and has been able to teach them to play violin using a method that he developed. There doesn’t seem to be an instrument that he cannot play. His seventeen year old wife also plays the flute and is studying nursing. They are a very young but very sharp couple. In a conversation after the recent Recital Junior convinced me that it would be a good idea for me to take up

We had a good group out to prayer meeting last night. We sang with recorder accompaniment as the twenty of us crammed into a ten foot by ten foot kitchen. After the singing came the challenge from the Word. This week brought by pastor Samuel. He challenged us from Proverbs 6.6-11 which has the classic text Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. It was a great lesson on how we need to properly use our time. During prayer time our first round was to pray for a request of the person to our right. To my right was one of our teen girls. As I turned to her her simple request was given with wide-eyes, “Pastor, pray that my mother will let me eat at home.” She then bowed her head. ZING! It was as if an arrow had shot through my heart. Here was one of our kids, a fifteen year old, who hadn’t eaten in a couple of days. Why? Because her mom had insisted, “NO WORK NO EAT!” Pray as we help.

A raised sword, a Patrick Henry type shout of “Liberty or Death” on the beach of an obscure river near São Paulo on September 7, 1822, earned Dom Pedro a place in the history books. It was the beginning of independence from Portuguese domination and a good excuse for a picnic. Well, it took 188 years for the picnic to happen but it was worth the wait. We had thirty-five from our own Faith Baptist Church with several unsaved visitors which was very exciting. There were also about thirty from host Calvary Baptist Church which made a great turnout on our first rainy day in about fifty days. When I awoke to thunder this morning I couldn’t believe it! We needed the rain SO bad but as usual we were wanting the Lord to hold off for just one more day. Though He didn’t the rain didn’t dampen our spirits and we had a great time. We started in the morning with breakfast at our house. That was interesting. There were twenty-six of us. Dawn spent yesterday preparing and the coffee and cake we

Since the Recital update was the email that wouldn’t die, I’ll just say that the actual event was a real blessing. Several parents were present and even emotional as their son or daughter played God honoring music on their instruments. Adults on the Horizon - We may soon have our first “Real Live Adults” as church members! For months now we have had adults attend. However, they don’t stick. They will visit or come with their child to a special event but that’s it. On our recent horizon, however, are several possibilities. One young couple has come out of the blue. The husband is just nineteen and his wife is seventeen but they are both extremely talented and seem to be a solid couple. He in the area of music and she in nursing. I am withholding their names for the time being just to be sure that they really do stick. We are extremely excited by the possibility. Here’s why. A few years ago at our home church our pastor wanted to start a music program. He began talking with musici