Skip to main content
Our Youth Retreat was a blast! We spent quality time in Psalm 119 learning about the importance and indespesibility of the Word of God. Our teens (and at least one old guy, me) will be memorizing 120 verses of this Master piece in the coming months.

We again went to Peruibe for our retreat and had a lovely time. The trip started out rather rough when a normal three hour voyage turned into a seven and a half hour trial because of the holiday rush! The time together was worth that rough start. We saw each of our teens make important decisions for Christ.

This retreat came just a week after our move to the neighborhood and several days of painting our former house. Here when you rent a place you have to paint it when you move. We went on the trip needing a rest! Dawn, however, has kitchen duty cooking for twelve during the four day outing. She worked her wonders and everyone was thrilled with her new recipes.

We are still trying to downsize and dig out of our quick move. Its one step forward and five back but we are slowly making progress. This note is coming from a cyber because we still don't have phone nor Internet.

This is Birthday month here at Faith. Wellington turned 13 and is no longer in my Juniors class. Tais turned 12. Her sisters, Amanda and Graziele (left) turned 16 and 14. Alexandre turns 29 Saturday! His sister Cris turns 15 on Friday! That is a lot of cake.

I made the one in the photo. It was a huge chocolate heart and was really good. At least that is what the girls said!

Thank you all for praying for our team here in Sorocaba, Brazil!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Caught up to Paradise - 2 Corinthians 12

Residing in Michigan for over half my life, I had heard about Paradise. Because Paradise is a small town in the Upper Peninsula, you may have never visited there in your life, but you knew it existed. It was WAY up there next to Tahquamenon Falls and nothing else. Where's Tahquamenon Falls? Next to Paradise and nothing else. It's a long way from home.  Why all of the talk about Paradise? Because Paul talks about it in 2 Corinthians 12. There was this guy who had been caught up to Paradise. Not in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but into the REAL Paradise. While there, he'd heard things that he was unable to repeat. What on earth was this? Who was this guy? Here's what was going on. Paul defended his position of Apostleship in chapter eleven and gave the Corinthians an idea of what Apostleship looked like in chapter twelve. It came with great wonders, like seeing or instead hearing unimaginable things. But, too, that position came with a terrible cost. God gave Paul a &q

What to get God for Christmas

Jesus left perfect surroundings, relationships and glory to be born into squalor. He was homeless before birth. His father was a carpenter in a culture where carpentry was a despised trade. His, mother though young and giving birth to her firstborn, had no attendant nurses, helpers or friends. Rather than a pristine hospital, birth was given in the filthy stench of a stable. Romantic? Hardly. This sacrifice brought a life of hardship. Why? Why this odd story? Obedience. God's gift to humanity was His son. Jesus' gift was obedience to the Father. He paid the greatest price. Not because we are special but because he loves His Father. His gift was the perfect gift. Our Father wants obedience for Christmas and every other day for that matter. In Brazil Christmas is becoming commercialized. A phenomenon familiar for years in the United States tickles a growing economy. There is little time for meditation on God's Gift. There are no chestnuts roasting or Jack Frost nippin

Stop Trusting

Isaiah 2:22 says Isaiah 2:22 Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? The Prophet is saying that we shouldn't put our trust in humankind because they are so finite. They are not like God, who is infinite. People are fickle. They change their minds. They love you and then hate you in moments.  God invites us to trust him completely with everything that we have. He doesn't show himself to us physically or as a spirit. He demands that we have faith. However, he also gives us the faith to trust him.  The universe shouts "Creator!" and yet we often ignore the proclamation. This ignorance does not make God's creation any less a physical demonstration of his grandeur. God's boundless being becomes more amazing in his presence within us. How can the infinite God dwell in the mortals he commands us not to trust?  Jesus said, "with man it is impossible but with God, all things are possible."