Born this Way

Ever since Lady Ga Ga arrived at the Grammy Awards in a giant womb, propelling her single, "Born this Way" into the Pop Billboard Stratosphere, the internet has been ablaze with enough gay conversation to make Elton John look tame enough to sing with Jerry Falwell Ministries.  Given that a lot of people ask me what I think on the issue (Homosexuality, not Elton John singing for Thomas Road Baptist Church), I thought it was time to start a discussion here.

Growing up in a conservative Christian home meant the issue of homosexuality was something abstract, something that existed only as a political or religious (not a personal) issue.  I didn't know any homosexuals, and the only person I knew who knew one was a woman whose husband left her and her 3 kids to pursue a extramarital homosexual affair.  I can't say that I hated homosexuals, but seeing my friend hurt didn't help me like them.  All I knew was what I had heard the Bible said about homosexuality and the few bad experiences my friends and family had endured.  The issue of homosexuality was easy to either ignore or take a radical stance on, because I had no personal connection to it.

That was going to change.  Will (not real name) served with me in a young men's ministry several years ago.  It's hard to explain how I could tell, but I was pretty sure that Will was gay.  It wasn't that he fit into a lot of the stereotypes, though he had a few of them.  He liked dance and paid attention to style, but a lot of us were into style.  It was the dawn of the "metrosexual" and we were all trying to look nice for the girls.  It wasn't a stereotype thing that gave Will away.  There was something else about him.  It was like being a man didn't come naturally to him.  It wasn't that he didn't fit in.  He just didn't seem comfortable being a guy in the way the rest of us were.  While we all liked him, I think all of us knew he was different.

Regardless of the signs, in a conservative Christian ministry everyone assumes that everyone is straight.  So, everyone assumed Will was straight, no questions asked.  From a social perspective, Will fit in almost perfectly.  In fact, he and I had a lot of good conversations about spiritual matters.  We even had a talk about a hot girl once (This was before I met my wife who is hott with two t's, trumping all others in my eyes).  I remember the conversation about the girl, because it was the one thing that made me think Will might be straight.  The fact that I had to look to find one thing should have told me something.  Over time, it became clearer that Will was struggling, but I don't think everyone noticed.  Not knowing Will's struggle, a well-meaning friend hoping to give a well-meaning jab to what he thought was a heterosexual friend said something like, "Will is like having a woman around."  I think he was talking about Will's caring manner.  He might have even meant it as a compliment (in a tough guy joking kind of way), but I think it cut Will pretty bad.  Time passed and Will pulled away from the group, not because people didn't want him around but because (I believe) he was afraid to tell us what he was going through.  I watched Will dissolve or distance his relationships over the course of a few years before coming out a year or so after he left the ministry.  I still wish I'd sat down with him one day and just said, "Will, I love you no matter what.  What's going on, brother?"  I didn't, and I wish I did. (As soon as I typed this paragraph, I sent a message to will saying this very thing.  Will said that it meant a lot to him.)

Watching a person deal with homosexuality doesn't necessarily change your view of an issue.  It makes the issue less important than the person.  I look back on my friendship with Will and my heart fills with compassion.  Here was a man with plenty of friends who loved him, but was afraid to tell them what was going on.  He struggled alone.  Sometimes I wonder how we would have responded if he told us he was gay. Would we have tried to start him on some program to change?  Would we have freaked out and treated him differently?  Would we have just loved him?  Would we have been at a complete loss?  I think the fact that we all loved him already would have kept anyone from having any extreme reaction, but we would have had no idea how to react.  We probably would have still cared for him, but would have felt awkward and had no idea what to do.

I think as believers, and brothers and sisters in Christ we should know what to do.  We should know how to react when any person opens up to us about something they have been afraid to tell us, especially if it has some social stigma attached to it.

Maybe God had that in mind when He brought me to Open Door.  I remember hosting in our Ralph Neighbour Service when we first started.  A man came up to me and I could almost instantly tell he was gay.  He asked to talk to me and shared the struggle he was in.  I don't know that I was any practical help, but I was able to affirm that God loved him and so did this church.  Somehow, the memory of my friend Will, the love I had for him filled me up and made it easy to love this hurting man who needed to know that God loved him. I had a small ministry to a hurting man, a ministry God had equipped me for years before.

A few weeks later I got a card from him saying thanks for the prayers.  "That was one of those rare ministry moments," I thought "probably won't run into many other homosexuals while in ministry."  Ministry naiveté is a funny thing.  Since that day, God has continually brought homosexuals across my path looking for the love of God and spiritual support.  I even hear of word getting around to "Dorothy" that Pastor Dan is the guy to talk to if you have questions about God and homosexuality.

I have to say that I have grown to love the outcasts of our society more than I ever imagined I would.  It is a joy to live Christ's love to people who (often) don't expect to get it from the church.

Now, I can guess what many of you are thinking right now: Does Pastor Dan ever call out their sin?  Has he become so accepting that he doesn't care about what the Word of God says about homosexuality?  

If you know me well, you know that I care deeply about the revealed truth of God in Scripture.  And, all of my homosexual friends know where I stand on the issue.  Here is how the conversation usually goes:

• They ask me what I think.  (Strangely, I don't ever bring it up.  They often want to know where I stand or what the Bible says about the issue.  I see this as God opening the door to conversation.)  
• I tell them that God loves them and I love them, and that is the most important thing they need to know.  Really, the rest is details.  
• I clarify some important points.  Most importantly, I differentiate between their same-sex desire and the action of homosexual sex.  I learned from my gay friends that they aren't bluffing when they say they were "born this way."  Like the rest of us, they see their sexual orientation as a part of their identity.  It is a dangerous thing to say "God hates homosexuality" when a gay man really believes God created him gay.  What he hears is "God hates you."  There needs to be a defining of terms.  
• Specifically, I point to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 which refers to homosexuality as a sin.  In fact, it get's pretty serious and says that homosexuals (among others) will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  That's a scary thing for a gay man to hear when he sees his homosexuality as a part of who he is.  I dig into the passage and talk about how it is referring to continuing in the action, not the orientation.  In other words, having same sex desires is not a sin.  You are not disqualified from heaven because of your desires.  However, God takes it seriously when anyone continues in sin unrepentant, having no concern for how God feels about it.  (This is also the point where I tell them that if I am somehow misinterpreting the passage, I'd love to know.  They know I mean it.) 
• I usually reiterate that this is referring to continuing (unrepentant) in sin.  The idea seems to be that it is a choice to continue in the action that is a problem, not the fact that you sometimes sin or continue to be tempted.  
• I also remind them that homosexuality is not some kind of uber-sin that somehow is worse than all the others.  I often use this as my opportunity to apologize on behalf of a lot of us Christians.  For some reason we all got really upset about this one.  I don't know why.  1 Corinthians 6:9-11 also calls out adultery, greed and slander (among others) and seems to consider them just as bad as homosexuality.  I think I would wager that slander (gossip) is far more prevalent and causes far more damage than homosexuality.  If we scared gossipers enough to stay "in the closet" about that sin, American churches could evangelize the entire continent of Asia with all the extra energy not spent on dealing with church conflicts.  I seriously hate gossip.  
• I often mention that my goal is not to make them straight.  My goal is to see them become like Christ.  I know of some who saw God change their desires.  I know of others that continued to have same-sex attractions.  Orientation change has nothing to do with my goals as a pastor.  My goal is to see people become like Christ.  If their homosexual desires leave them, great.  Their life just got easier.  If not, great.  God is going to use their struggle to make them more like Him.  Either way, it is for their good and His glory (Romans 8:28-30).  I know this is easy for me to say, but it is true.  
• By the way, communicating to a gay man or lesbian woman that God is asking them to surrender their sex life to Him is essentially like asking them to commit to a life of celibacy.  God doesn't promise to change their sexual desires.  He might, but He might not.  I usually point to the fact that we can't overcome sin on our own.  We have to trust the Holy Spirit's work in our lives.  It is an interesting thing.  We can't not sin (regardless of what our personal sin is).  However, we have to act on faith to obey God.  When we do, the Spirit of God empowers us to obey and we don't sin.  It is a terrifying, exciting, wonderful, and painful experience.  This is why we call it an adventure.  
• I also affirm that regardless of how they live their life, they are welcome in this church and will be loved.  
• Usually, they thank me for my openness and stick around the church.  We have a growing number of gay men and women attending regularly.  
• The Holy Spirit continues to do His work.  I avoid doing His work for Him.  

Here's where things get tricky.  Gay men and women love our church!  I think this is great.  However, it puts me in a position to make a hard decision.  What does a person do when they love their church?  They want to serve.  Homosexuals are no different.  Many of them have not repented of homosexuality, but may be working through other sins.  They love God and the church and want to serve.

So, what should I do?  If I allow them to serve, am I condoning their life choices?  Are there certain things I should allow them to do and certain things I shouldn't?  If I tell them "no" do I need to go about asking gossipers and adulterers to step down? (By the way, historically we have done that.  We don't allow gossip to continue unrepentant without being dealt with.)   What do I do about the new Christian or pre-Christian who is in a heterosexual relationship outside the bonds of marriage and wants to serve?  The reality is that God doesn't deal with all of our sin at once.  He seems to convict us of just a few at a time.  What do I do about the person who continues to repent of sin and grow, but God hasn't dealt with their gossip or homosexuality yet?  They are moving toward God, should I tell them they have to wait until they are fully clear before they can serve?  Serving is how many of us grow and are convicted of sins in the first place?  Should I let gossipers and thieves serve in hopes God will use their service to convict them?  There is a lot to figure out here.

Here is my open invitation to anyone who feels like an outcast from the Church:  I love you, and you are welcome at my church.  There is a lot to untangle here, and I'm sure we will have plenty of misunderstandings and offenses.  But, let's walk through this together.  We are an imperfect church that is here to love imperfect people as we all become like Christ together.

Empty

I must confess that I have experienced envy recently.  My friend Micah Hasty has a blog called The Common Cup where he posts a constant array of art, quotes and thoughts for his readers.  While there is plenty to envy (the beautiful design of his blog, his miraculous ability to find and post an array of content daily, etc.), I have found myself most envious of Micah's devotional postings.  Being a gifted photographer, he posts a picture of the coffee he is drinking, the music he is enjoying and the text he is reading, along with thoughts from the study.  As strange as it sounds, I have devotional envy.

I feel alive when I have been alone with a substantive book and a cup of coffee.  There is an aligning of body mind and spirit that occurs when I am at the coffee house reading or planning or studying the Word.  It is a simultaneous filling and pouring out that I cannot explain any other way than to say that it is a Holy Spirit work (In this way, pouring and drinking coffee is a liturgical act of worship).  I'm envious of my friend, because it has been at least a few weeks since I have been in that place.  It's not that I haven't read the Word or been in prayer.  I just haven't had one of those rich moments of time alone with God, the ones where everything else in the world seems simple and insignificant in the presence of God, the ones where He allows His presence to be made known more than usual.

Today, I came to a realization that has been haunting me for the last few weeks: my spirit is dry.  Don't get the wrong idea.  I'm not in sin. and I'm not far from God.  I feel connected.  I just haven't had one of those moments of closeness in while.  They don't come every day, even in the best of times (at least not for me), but I think I'm due for one.  For me, these last few weeks have been full of people in crisis.  I feel like I've been hearing a lot of sad stories about sin, loss, and brokenness.  I'm honored and privileged to have a job that allows me to be there for people in their suffering.  But since the only hope I have to give is from the Spirit, I have to get refilled often.  I haven't been filling up as much as I have been pouring out.

I had a friend tell me once that it must be great to be a pastor and get to study and pray all the time.  I wanted to punch him right there just to prove that his assumption isn't true (otherwise I would have remembered the whole "slow to anger" thing).   I think I have less time for devotions now than ever.  My days are filled with e-mails, meetings, documents, crisis phone calls from hurting people, strange requests from people needing help, missed meals and unexpected tasks, not to mention planning for upcoming projects.  Just when I think I'm getting all my work under control, I realize I've forgotten something huge that should have been dealt with months ago.  So, I scramble to get it back on track and pray God keeps it from falling apart.  Is this familiar?

On my best days, I'm like a hero in a stylized action movie.  Everything is running a mile a minute, and I'm thinking on the spot, making things happen in sync with the Spirit.  Its like I'm shooting from the hip and slaying the enemy at every turn.  Bullets whiz past me as I dodge in Neo-like fashion.  Amazing things happen.  I love it.  But, if I'm not filled up, I'm more like nameless character who steps in the quicksand and is forgotten by Scene 3.

Pastors are just like everybody else.  Time with God doesn't count as part of the work week.  We have to make it fit somewhere.  Right now, I'm making mine at 10:59 on a Saturday night.  I'm getting up early tomorrow, but I need this more than the extra sleep.

So, here I am.  It's quite.  There is no crisis to deal with.  I'm not opening my e-mails.  My family is asleep.  I'm going to re-connect with the Creator of the universe by the light of my computer screen.

I'm writing tonight to let you know that this time doesn't come naturally for anybody (not even pastors).  We really aren't superheroes (though I like to pretend I am John McClane from Die Hard).  So if you are reading this and feeling empty, do whatever it takes to make time today.  Cancel something you thought was important.  Stay up late.  Skip a meal.  Do whatever it takes, but connect.  Nothing of any value will happen until you do.

"Evangeveto"

Many of you remember when we added "Cludging" to the Roaring Shepherd dictionary of terms.    The time has come to add another word.  Let the lexical entrepreneurship begin!.  

Evangeveto (verb) 

--To forbid the evangelistic endeavors of another: The man evangevetoed the gospel presentation.

--To hinder or stop the evangelistic efforts of another: You shouldn't evangeveto evangevultures. 

Evangevetoer (noun)

--One who evangevetoes: The evangevetoer told the evangelist to quit feeding the hungry.  

Recently, I received the most affirming accusation of my life.  In what I thought was an unrelated discussion, someone told me that our church is too evangelistic!  That's right.  Too evangelistic.  Open Door has been evangevetoed.   I was taken aback.

I did my best to explain what I thought was obvious about Jesus' command to spread the gospel (Matthew 28:19-20).  I even tried to argue that we haven't been as effective as we need to be in the "soul-winning" department, but to no avail.  Flat disagreement.  It was like asking a baptist to speak in tongues.

I can hardly imagine someone not wanting to do everything possible to make sure that as many people as possible are given the opportunity to have the relationship with God they were created for.  Isn't that why we are here?  My initial response to the comment came before I had the time to react.  That's good news.  Had I been given the time to think about it, my responses would have been cutting.  So, here is what I'm glad I didn't say:

"I am so glad that this grave error has been brought to my attention.  Apparently we have exceeded our quota for redeemed souls and must now 'throw some back'.  I will not begin the process of deciding who we will go about revoking Kingdom of Heaven citizenship from.  Would you like to go first?"  

"Perhaps we should protest evangelism and all outreach, especially to the poor.  There's already a chant for that: Us four! No more!  Close the door! (This even works to contrast the name of our church.)"

"Did hell start an affirmative action initiative?" 

"We should probably give out evangelism hunting tags and have a limited season.  Maybe we could break up the season like with deer.  We could have tract season, street preaching season, relational season, etc.  We have to keep up the population of lost souls so that we can keep the sport going."  

"When exactly did we become too evangelistic?  Was it when we obeyed Matthew 25:31-46 by giving food to the hungry or when we obeyed James 1:27 when we helped children and single parents at the Family Fair?"

As I think of all these slice and dice responses, I'm struck by how much easier it is to come up with clever jabs than it is to speak the truth simply and plainly.  I can be funny.  I can be cruel.  Often, I can do both at the same time.  How painfully ironic that cruelty come out in my defense of evangelism.  Isn't that like "purity by way of fornication"? (Derek Webb Quote)

I think it would do me well to spend less time thinking of the best clever response and more time considering the character of Christ in such matters.  I've also included a few good quotes from Jesus:

Matthew 5:3-9
 ³"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
      for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 ⁴Blessed are those who mourn,
      for they will be comforted.
 ⁵Blessed are the meek,
      for they will inherit the earth.
 ⁶Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
      for they will be filled.
 ⁷Blessed are the merciful,
      for they will be shown mercy.
 ⁸Blessed are the pure in heart,
      for they will see God.
 ⁹Blessed are the peacemakers,
      for they will be called sons of God. 

When it's between Jesus' perfect law of love and my sarcastic slices, Jesus wins every time.  

Help me out.  Can you think of a specific time when someone tried to discourage Jesus from sharing the good news?  What did he do? (I am really asking)

Just Listen

"Unless he obeys, a man cannot believe."--Dietrich Bonhoeffer  


Lately, I have been thinking a lot about how to live surrendered, completely dependent on the Holy Spirit.  Put simply, there are two very distinct schools of thought on surrender: Static and Radical.  (I'm intentionally using polarizing terms language to highlight their differences.)  I'd like to take some time to discuss them today:


Static--"I'm surrendering to Jesus in my heart, and attendance record shows it."  These are your standard church-goers.  The classic cases are the people who have no relationships outside of their church friends.  They generally sit in the same pew every Sunday and usually volunteer for ministries to other Christians.  They will make coffee for their Sunday School class, but will not volunteer at the Salvation Army food kitchen.  They are faithful attenders to Worship Services and to classes where they can learn about the Bible, but they do not go forward for altar calls. They do not usually join Life Groups unless the Life Group is made up exclusively of people from their Sunday School class.  They can be dull, because the most exciting stories they have involve realizing pork and beans is 5 cents cheaper at Aldi than at Giant Eagle.  However, they can also be refreshing, because they are always there on Sunday, often with a smile and a very genuine "good to see you."  They are steady givers and really care about the church.  


Radical--"I'm surrendering to Jesus in my heart, and I burned down my house so that I would have to depend on God for a place to sleep."  They believe church is a purely man-centered religious institution and that they will somehow be assimilated into Borg-like drones if they attend regularly.  They are the first people to sign up for local outreach projects and the first to resign, because the event isn't "dependent enough."  They see planning ministry as a slap in the face to the Holy Spirit's leading.  If they are associated with any assembly of believers, it is a Life Group or house church.  They are really exciting to fellowship with, because they inspire you to step out in faith with amazing stories of angels flying them out of burning buildings that God told them to enter, because He wanted them to save a litter of puppies in room 2A that just happened to be named "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego".  However, they can also be exhausting, because they unintentionally make you feel like less of a Christian for attending a big church that only has 20 people getting saved every Sunday instead of a house church that is making "true disciples."  They are willing to do anything for the Kingdom of God.  They go out of their way to help people in need, and you can always depend on them to get behind you when the risk is great and God-dependence is high.  Pre-Christians see them and say, "That guy knows Jesus."  


I'm caught somewhere in the middle. I genuinely see surrender in both groups.  At times I have felt guilty, because I have a comfortable house and I know that my next paycheck will cover my bills.  Other times, I look at how busy I am with things at church and feel like I really need to spend more time with my pre-Christian friends.  However, I have many times offered up my home and belongings to God, and I'm genuinely willing to let them go at His request.  Also, when God brings my pre-Christian friends to mind, I make it a point to call or text and get together.  Every time this happens, God does something big.  


I'm starting to think that we have become way too concerned about what surrender needs to "look like."  I've heard this phrase a lot:  "What does a Christ-centered church look like?"  "What does a missional ministry look like?"  "What does a life of surrender look like?"  A lot of times (not always) I turn this into comparing myself with others.  I hear about my friend who gave away his belongings to obey God and I wonder if I should do the same.  The difference is that God didn't ask me to sell everything.  In fact, he could be asking me to do something else, but I am busy worrying about whether or not I should surrender in the exact same way my friend has.  


How strange that in a conversation about obedience to the Spirit, I start to think I have to do what everybody else is doing!  My job as a disciple of Christ is to listen to the Holy Spirit, not to copy my friends who are listening to Him.  


What is God asking you to do?  How are you depending on Him?


As you think about surrender, I can recommend The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.    

Forgetting God in Scripture

Search Amazon.com for forgotten god francis chan
Have you ever been upset about something but couldn't identify exactly why you were upset? What does it feel like when you finally realize why? For me, it means dealing with only one emotion instead of two. I can say that I have recently identified something that has bothered me for years.

While in college, I would run into people with various theological viewpoints. I can remember very brilliant men and women arguing about some important and not so important topics of faith. Some debates were heated, some were seasoned with respect. I would often observe or take part in debates, sometimes leaving at peace and other times leaving frustrated. Interestingly, it wasn't just the mood of the debates that left me unsettled. I could hear someone support a belief I had and still be unsettled. I could also hear someone disagree with me and of course be unsettled. I couldn't put my finger on what bothered me till now.

I have been listening to Forgotten God by Francis Chan. The book is about our neglect of the Holy Spirit. The book points out how the Holy Spirit came the empower us to spread the gospel. He is the source of power for the Great Commission. Shamefully, the contemporary Church has misrepresented Him and quenched him, often seeking to do ministry by our own strength.

In the book, Chan talks about how we read our own opinions into Scripture. He talks about how a face value reading of the New Testament would cause a new believer to expect much more from the Holy Spirit than we give Him credit for. An honest approach to the New Testament would leave us all depending more, hoping for more, seeing more. This includes Holy Spirit action in witnessing, worshiping, and even miraculous events (Does this make you nervous?).

I think Chan is right. In fact, I think the problem is cyclical. We have ignored the Holy Spirit's role in illuminating the Word of God to us as we read. The result is that we have downplayed His role in everything. We ignore him as we read about His work, and thus interpret the Word of God through our own lenses instead of His. This is tragic.

I would imagine that right now, everyone reading this is saying, "Yeah, Dan. Stick it to those [insert theological viewpoint of your choice here]." However, I think the problem finds its way into every position. The truth is, I have charismatic friends who ignore Scriptural teaching about order in worship services (1 Corinthians 14:26-40). I have even more non-charismatic friends who ignore teachings about the Holy Spirit's role in miraculous gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1-25).

Do you ever wonder how many things in Scripture we bend to fit our own interpretations? Can you really tell me that a face value reading of Scripture gives us the idea that the miraculous gifts have ceased when the New Testament is full of the miraculous action of God? Can you tell me that a face value reading of Scripture gives you the idea that God is not in control of the future (Open Theism) when He clearly gives and fulfills prophecy again and again? Can you really tell me that a face value reading of Scripture leaves everything to fate when God consistently hears and responds to the prayers of His people? Do you ever wonder if we try to hard to explain our own positions instead of just trusting the revelation of Scripture for what it is? I do.

I know now what always bothered me about those debates in college. It was the way someone could debate so well, the way some of us could argue a point using Scripture when we know the verses we were using really weren't saying what we were making them say. Shame on us for bending the Truth of God. I would like to see a revolution of honesty. I want to read Scripture and let it speak truth as the Holy Spirit illuminates. Imagine what the Holy Spirit could do if we just trusted the Word of God.

What about the Bible have we tried to re-interpret to fit our practices or our beliefs?

What are you going to do to change that?

I'm really asking. Give me your thoughts.

Home

Today we visited some Mayan ruins and spent some time with our El Salvadorian hosts. It was a good day of reflections and "thank you." It has been a nice way to relax and praise God for the work he did this week. A lot of great things happened:

• A house was built for a family.


• The gospel was preached.


• Friends were made with brothers and sisters in Christ.


• A young man was able to recieve needed surgery.


• Another boy was given much needed new crutches.


• Scores of people were able to recieve medical assistance.


• I miraculously avoided migraines, despite the heat.


• Many grew in Christlikeness.


• God was glorified.

We are getting ready for a party to celebrate the week with the people from Iglesia Gran Comision (the church). Right now, I´m just ready to get on the plane and fly back into the arms of my wife. Call me what you want, but I don´t do well away from my wife. This week, the hardest thing for me hasn´t been whether or not God would provide, but how I would make it without my wife and son. The truth is, it was very difficult for me. I missed my family all week. However, God sustained me in unique ways. My brothers and sisters in Christ lifted me up on more than one occasion, little notes my wife had left in my suitcase for me lifted my spirits. Even an old voice mail from Christy on my phone helped me feel close to her.

In this strange place, far from the person who makes me feel safe and at home I was forced to cling to my Savior. He reminded me that He is the one who sustains me, that He is the one who keeps me safe and at home, that He is God no matter where I am. Tomorrow I´m going home, and I can´t wait. However, I´m going home different. I´m going home more dependant on my King. I put myself in a position where I had to rely more deeply on the Spirit, and He came through. I can´t wait to see what He will do when I depend on Him more at home.

When was the last time you put yourself in a position where you couldn´t make it without the Holy Spirit?

Universal Language

The love of Christ is universally understood. Today we visited one of the neighborhoods near Church of the Great Commission. Being a group of gingos (americans) we turned a lot of heads. People were eager to hear anything we had to say, so we told thelm why we were there (the love of Christ) and intived them to a fiesta at the church. We were able to pray with a woman who´s family was shovelling silt out of her house. When we drove in last night, we were met with torrential rain. The homes near the church that had just been flooded earlier this year were flooded again. Love is translating very well here.

At the fiesta, I was able to hit a ballon around with a small child here. Balloons and gringos were everywhere. Apearantly, that´s all you need around here for a serious party. This place was rockin.

Today is my first Fathers Day, and I´m away from my son. I had a little bit of a hard time today, but was able to wake up to a card with my son´s voice recorded on it. On this Father´s Day away from my family, I am comforted by the fact that the people of El Salvador and I share the same heavenly Father. Language remains a barrier, but some things are understood very well. Praise God for greatness that goes beyond our human borders.

Pray for me. I´m giving my first sermon through a translator in about an hour and 45 minutes. I can´t tell jokes or talk fast becasue of the translation, which means all the things that if this sermon is going to be good, it will have to be totally becasue of the Holy Spirit. Pray He shows up as I preach about preparing for Him to show up in Acts 1.

Work Glove Sermon

(Upper: This is a picture we took of one of the streets near us that has been washed out. Many of the streets have some degree of erosion. Lower:This is not a picture we took. We haven´t uploaded all the pictures yet. However, this looks a lot like the homes we are working near.)


So, the sermon Sunday night went well. There is something about speaking to a group of people through a translator that forces you to remove jokes and fancy words (they don´t translate). The only thing that is left to make something interesting in the sermon is the Holy Spirit. Praise God! He showed up Sunday night. I spoke from Acts 1 about the need for the Holy Spirit to empower us to fulfill the Great Commission. Our El Salvadorian brothers and sisters in Christ understoond well. My translator, Ricky became a fellow teacher, not just a translator. It was a great experience! God is advancing His Kingdom in El Salvador!


Continuing the theme of Holy Spirit ministry, we have been working very hard. We helped dig out a hillside for a house we are building. Many of the people here live in homes with dirt floors. We hope to provide a home for this family through some good old fashioned hard work. The work isn´t easy. We are in mud. It sticks to the shovels and makes for very hard work. I am experiencing the strenghtening of the Holy Spirit in new ways. The temeprature is hot, which usually causes me to have migraines. Not this week. I haven´t had any problems! In fact, we have all been feeling very well. God has His hands on us. Keep praying that he keeps protecting and using us!



I´m starting to think that the reason He brought me here was to show me that He is as faithful and powerful in El Salvador as He is in Elyria, OH. Praise God!

I have a few things for you to pray for.

• Continued strengthening as we work and minister.


• Continued sustenance of our families at home.


• Protection and health


• Continued advancement of the Gospel


• God would be glorified as much as possible.

Thank you for your support! What questions do you have about El Salvador (can´t find question mark on this spanish computer).