Lazy Days

 Very quiet here in the park - I believe all of the Winter Texans are gone and the permanent residents are just relaxing and enjoying the quietness. It is quiet warm out (actually hot) so there is no one moving around, except those who walk their pets occasionally.  We know the season is really over when the gates are locked and only opened to residents or visitors who are allowed in. It is a bit of a secure feeling, but hard to believe that it is going to be summer soon. Lots of the trees that were damaged in the freeze are being removed all over the cities, and green prevails everywhere. We took a few hours to regroup yesterday and went to IHOP for an early evening meal (I had a gift certificate). Not a lot of folks there (the Hispanic people eat later) and the food was wonderful. I had a spinach/mushroom omelet with Hollandaise sauce . We enjoyed the quiet time and planned for the up coming week. We had loaded about 500# beans which will be bagged this week. We are going to deliver to Iglesia Bautista Manuel on Tuesday - a church where we  previously delivered. Hopefully, we will again be able to reach more needy people. 

We have our place here for sale in anticipation of returning to Arkansas and other ministries there, and am really disappointed in the rudeness of  people. we have it listed on Facebook Marketplace and have had many inquiries - even appointments made, and only one of the appointments have been kept. Otherwise no apologies, no phone calls to cancel, etc. We understand that they may have have changed their mind, but we waste time sitting at home waiting for them to show up. No concept of common courtesy. As I was volunteering at the thrift store this week, a lady asked to use the restroom. Because of Covid, we keep it locked ( we do not even have a key). I explained it to her and she huffed and puffed and said she was going to spend $20 there that day but decided spend nothing and left. I hope she heard in her heart my prayer for her! Sorry for the rant - but there are times I am disappointed by the human race (just imagine what Jesus thinks of us). 

Bithiah, who is referred to in I Chronicles 4:18, and whose name means "a daughter of Jehovah". She was a woman of position, spoken of as the daughter of Pharaoh. this Pharaoh may have been an Isreaelite (Pharaoh in this case meaning a king rather than being used as a name). Like Ruth, she denounced her country and took an Israelite husband and to have Israel's God as her God. She married Mered, a descendant of the tribe of Judah.

The sermon this morning was not actually a sermon, but answers to questions form the congregation, sent in inline as a continuation to the series on marriage. Youth minister, Matt Tibbet, read the questions right from the computer, not preparing beforehand, but answering those which he felt were important at this time. The first question was is it ok to withhold dark details of your past from your spouse, even though that spouse knows there is a past? If you are  follower of Jesus, you are forgiven. But have you forgave yourself? When a person sins, there are two relationships that become a struggle - a struggle with God and a struggle with your spouse. If you are asking this question, you are answering it yourself. This information is creating a distance from your spouse. Are you struggling with the issue - perhaps you should discuss it with your spouse. Allow your spouse set the level of transparency to proceed. Sometimes this spouse need time to process the information - space to understand it all.   

The second question has to do with the throwaway society of today? How can a spouse defeat the easy divorce society of today?  what control do we have over that society. Years ago people would not divorce because the church was the home team. It was less common than it is now. As a church it is time to stop expecting the world to be like the world! Why are we not surprised that the world is not surrendering to the Lord? who let it get this way? We did - it happened on our watch. We have to show the world how a marriage works - and it does take work. We can control it by looking in the mirror. Is a marriage ever  past the point of reconciliation? Theoretically, no. Marriages are struggling now - if both spouses would humble themselves and do whatever ir it takes to make the marriage work, it will survive. The problem is, both individuals have to be broken and humble. Humility is the beginning of Jesus' love for us - it began when He humbled Himself at birth. If you want your  marriage to work, focus on humility. There were other questions, but those need to be viewed at the website - go to prairie grove  christian church and click on online church and watch both services - different questions at each service. 

  

Deja Vu

 Memories of Cheezits! Earlier we had many pounds of bulk cheezits to bag - the orangey, cheesy, messy ones. This past week we again had many more pounds of them - but - they are the white cheddar, not so messy kind. Fred and the amazing man who supplies us with these wonderful items bagged over 500# of them, as well as 500# of the ever present sweetened cereal. We also received boxes of rice krispie treats ( the small, white chocolate ones), and cases of sour Twizzler packages. I am always amazed at the variety and quantity of items we receive. We even had a few crates of some kind of bean pod which the people seem to love. This coming week, Fred and a very helpful lady are going to bag 1000# of beans, as I volunteer at Children's Haven Thrift Store. I would stay and help, But Linda loves to help bag beans and I always seem to be in the way as those two seem to have a system of their own. We have a new sealing machine - it just seals the bag with a bit of red tape and works quite well. I used  it this last week as I bagged and sealed 240# of frozen, breaded chicken breasts. 

The weather was frightful this past couple of days. Friday it was 90 degrees, with a nice breeze. Saturday, it was cold, rainy, and 60 degrees. We spent the afternoon with the wife of one of our chaplains who passed away unexpectedly two months. She seems to be doing well, coping with all that needs to be done. The most difficult area was the legal part of it all - the state where they are from is a community state, while Texas is not. Therefore, all of their vehicles, as well as their new trailer home here in the Valley, had to have title changes, otherwise all their assets would have to be divided up between all of the living blood relatives. It was a long and trying process, but she seemed to have managed it well. Right now she is taking each day as it comes, until she knows for sure the path the Lord had laid out for her. We had a long and wonderful lunch and then relaxed in her new home and reminisced. She is a remarkable woman, with a trust in the Lord.

Bilhah, another one of the Bible's "bad girls" was a slave girl, the handmaiden of Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife, whom Laban gave to his daughter when she married Jacob. Because Rachel had no children for many years, she gave Bilhah to Jacob as a "secondary" wife in order that there would be children of Jacob. This was in accordance to the traditions of the time, totally allowed by law. Bilhah ranked above a mere concubine but did not have the station of a free born mistress. She bore Jacob two son, Dan and Naphtali. Rueben, Jacob's first son with Rachel's sister, was guilty of incest with Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. Therefore, Rueben was deprived of his birthright which was then given to the sons of Joseph. 

We just finished reading through the Book of Deuteronomy, which lists the laws the Jewish people must follow. It made my head swim just to try to understand all of them - no wonder the Jewish people had so much trouble following the laws - over 600 hundred of them, some of them so complicated that it would be difficult for anyone to understand and follow. 

Vance continued with the series on marriage today. I believe he has broken this down into a 3 part series, helping us all to  understand the intricacies of a relationship.  We live and act in freedom in Christ in every aspect of our lives. We are free to say we love God. "For freedom in Christ has set us free, stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery". Galatians 5:1. Religion is I obey and therefore I am accepted. Gospel is I am accepted therefore I obey. We are empowered by Christ because we have the freedom in Christ. Make a covenant in your marriage. Love and faithfulness is what you need to do. Use your freedom in your marriage to make a missional task to accomplish God's purpose. What can you do to serve God and support each other?  Be resilient in the face of adversity. Resilience means to bounce back - we can do that especially in the events of this  past year. We can get discouraged. We have a cultural pressure moving against our families. Men need to step up and fight for the family. Freedom is Christ is to be able to die a little to live for Him. Take up a cross for Him. There is power in dying to live. Die a little to live a lot. God will reward you. Using the power of your freedom in Christ is to resolve resentments quickly before they destroy your intimacy. Satan uses a Trojan horse to slowly destroy your marriage. Growing resentment forms a wedge in marriage. A drop of resentment is a poison that grows and ruins marriages. Unresolved bitterness can destroy a marriage. "Be angry and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil". Ephesians 4:26-27. Unresolved anger builds in a marriage and opens the door for the Devil to get a foothold. Wrong behavior will not bring right results. The Devil is an accuser. If you have gone to bed angry, you have consulted with the Devil. There are better ways to get a hold on resentment. We are free to take responsibility because of our freedom in Christ. Your spouse is not the enemy - Satan is. Satan is a snake that slithers into a marriage. "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:32.     

 

Yards of Blossoms

 After the freezing cold of a few weeks ago, most of the trees seem to be coming back and greening out. The fruit trees for the most part look good, but I am sure there will be no grapefruit or orange crop this year. We still buy grapefruit from a few street vendors and it is very good. Perhaps it comes out of Mexico. As we were loading produce last Friday, I noticed the yard beside the warehouse - full of those beautiful little pink blossoms that abound everywhere. The grass was covered with them reminding us of a new beginning after the storm.

                                                              carpets of beauty

The Rio Grande Bible Institute is here in the Valley, and is a college for those going into ministry who come from Central America and Mexico or those wanting to learn Spanish language. Study here involve a person to be totally immersed in learning. They have just built a beautiful new administration building where a truly remarkable work of art hangs. Artist Chris DeJong painted this huge mural (27 x 7) in 6 panels, originally intended for a museum in Washington, D.C. For some reason, it never was destined for there. Chris packed it away for awhile, never imagining that it would end up in the Rio Grande Valley at the Bible College. Through a series of God planned circumstances, Chris found out about Rio Grande Bible Institute and realized that was where her mural was destined to be. Her amazing work of art, "The Promise",  takes you on a journey with Abraham and God from Creation to Revelation, and shows a connection between Abraham, Angels, and Airplanes. I have seen it twice already and still stare at it's awesomeness and see something new each time. It is truly breathtaking. You can go online to www.thePromiseStory.com and read more about it and see the mural for yourself. I think you could probably purchase a gorgeous full color book explaining each panel and showing in detail the amazing work of this self taught artist. It will truly take your breath away.  

                                      

                                              Perhaps you can enlarge this to really appreciate the beauty of it

We are still keeping very busy with large amounts of produce and other items for the colonias. The number of families we serve continues to grow, but the Lord always seems to provide enough for everyone. Along with our regular items, we also had Rice Krispies Treats. We were also donated Wal-Mart bags full of "goodies" - chips, drinks, energy bars, etc. to be handed out. We used to just unload and stay a bit and then leave to reload, but we have been staying through the whole distribution as we have so much to hand out. God is good.

Back to the women of the Bible, we see a woman guilt of incestuous conduct, Bernice. She was the eldest daughter of Herod Agrippa I (ad 38-4) and is described as the one who "vexed the church". She was forst married to Marcs, then she married her Uncle Herod, king of Chalcis. After he died, she had evil relations with her brother, Agrippa. She left him, and married Poleman, king of Cilicia. She then left him to go back to her relationship with her brother. She became the mistress of Vespasian and then his son, Titus. When Titus became emperor, he cast her aside. Bernice and her sister, Drusilla, were the most corrupt and shameless women of their times. 

Pastor Vance started a 3 weeks sermon series concerning marriage, called Love and Respect. The attitudes towards marriage in these times are changing. Ideas that marriage is not such a great idea - it is God's idea. When we become Christians, God has a goal for our lives and relationships. "Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children." Ephesians 5:1. This verse was a challenge form Paul to use the power of the Holy Spirit in you to live your life for Christ. We have to settle our relationships with Christ. "Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." Ephesians5:21. Because we are follower of Christ we become imitators of Him. We have to submit to others by putting the other one first. Selfishness is the root of all relationships. You have to  live your life for your spouse and not for yourself. Put each other first. The first step in a good marriage is to act like Jesus - don't try to work on the other person but work on yourself. Are you living as a Christian? Are you doing things the right way (God's way)? God put rules in place for men and women  complementary and not competitive. He designed these roles to promote fulfillment of these roles. Let God transform your attitude in God's designed role. He is the Creator and Designer. Quit competing and start complementing each other. We have to recognize the difference in men and women to avoid conflict. Let the response that you give in a relationship empower them and not tear them down. "However, let each one of you love your wife as himself and let the wife see that she respects her husband". Ephesians 5:33. A women has a basic need to beloved and respected. In order to feel good about each other, a wife feels to beloved and a husband needs to feel respected. women need to have security in their husbands. When she does not feel that, she feels resentment and then the husband feels disrespect. What is most important in a marriage is how we treat one another. Men and women are different but still become one in marriage. When you get into a confrontation slow it down. You are both on the same team. Your response is your responsibility. Be imitators of Christ. Focus on being a better person.  

He is Risen

                                                             He Is Risen

There are no other words to describe Easter Sunday. Because God sent His Son to  die for us, we are wiped as clean as snow, forgiven of our sins, and guaranteed life with Him in eternity if we confess that He is indeed our Savior and take Him into our hearts forever. We rejoice because He is alive. 

Surprising, this mornings sermon by Pastor Vance Eubanks was not about the resurrection of Jesus, but of another person - Lazarus. Jesus says, "I am" as a statement of His deity.  John 11 is the the story of an encounter with Jesus just as we should have an encounter with Him. At this pint in the story, the disciples have not yet figured out where Jesus was going - they still thought He was going to be an earthly king. This is a story of a family - Lazarus who is the strong, silent one, his sister Martha, who pays strict attention to details and organization, is the perfect hostess, and always concerned about order, and his other sister, Mary, who was the fun one who was busy living life, walking through and feeling everything. They all lived together in Bethany. Jesus and hid disciples stayed with them often in their travels and were good friends. Lazarus was sick and the sisters sent for Jesus who was nearby to come and heal their brother. Mary and Martha expected Him to respond immediately. Jesus loved the family and stayed  two more days where He was. God loved them but waited so that they would learn something. It was a slow and grow situation so that they and we too, could grow in Him. Jesus had the final word about death. We need to have this active waiting on the Lord. We need to let God grow us in that in-between time. God had a perfecting plan for us - one to allow us to grow. What have we learned from this in-between COVID year? We have to let go and let God. We need to die in self in order to live. When Jesus finally showed up in Bethany, Lazarus was already dead and buried. Martha confronted Jesus and said that if He been there her brother would not have died. Jesus then told her that Lazarus would live again. He knew Martha needed someone to speak the truth to her - "I am the resurrection and the life". Jesus meets us where we are to calm us down and tell us the truth. Jesus then sent for Mary who cam to Him immediately and feel at Hs feet. She too, told Jesus that if He had been there, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus comforted her . He then went to the tomb of Lazarus and asked for the stone to be moved away. He called for Lazarus to come out. Jesus proved that He is indeed the resurrection and the life. He can exceed your expectations. Remember, Jesus may seem slow to answer your prayers, but He will never be late. He knows you and will meet you where you are. If you trust Him, He will exceed your expectations. 

I do not express my political views which I try to keep to myself or sometimes share with my family. This is not a political statement,  but whatever reports you hear on the news regarding the border crisis, it is worse. This picture is of the bus depot nearby, where tent cities have been setup (right in downtown) to house either refugees or the children. There is indeed a huge influx of people that must be addressed. I can understand the need for folks to want to come to the land where they feel they can be free and have a chance at a good life, but I beg of them to do it legally. America is indeed the melting pot - my relatives came from Europe - my grandfather was born in Rome and migrated, as well as the other relatives from Italy and even Germany. All have the right to want a better way of life, but doing so illegally is really not a good beginning of that life.  

We had an amazing week for Caring Hearts Ministry - not only being blessed with an abundance of food and other items, but with the company of two wonderful missionaries - Dennis and Paula Key. We met them at the last chaplains meeting as they attended to "check out" CRM and possibly joining our organization. They are great servants of the Lord and serve in many different areas of missionary work. Friday was not a "normal" distribution day (as if there is such a thing) as  it was Good Friday. We had to load produce on Thursday as our distribution point was closed on Friday (luckily the weather was cooler). As a result, we packaged donuts here at home for a change so that job was already done. We did not have to leave as early as usual, so the Keys joined us. It was a great day with lots of boxes filled, lots of folks picking them up, and many people blessed. The Keys were troopers and pitched right in, doing whatever was necessary, including packaging those prickly cacti! After all was almost done we had lunch together (thank you again Dennis and Paula) and spent time fellowshipping together. I sincerely hope they do join CRM and we get to see them again.

We hope your Easter was blessed and that you remember to wait on the Lord - your time, too will come.