So Great Salvation

The movie "POEMA DE SALVACIÓN" will be running for yet another week at Sunrise Mall in Brownsville. This is remarkable for a Christian film (see my other posts for a description). Let's not let this opportunity pass.

Deadline

A couple of updates about our trip to Laredo: first, we are now going to leave Wednesday morning (March 16) instead of Tuesday afternoon. Second, there will be several other groups there the same week we are, so it should be fun. We will likely be involved in a block party on Thursday, besides our door-to-door ministry. If you are interested, you need to act fast! Contact me at fbcbmissions@yahoo.com.

3 Years Later

In 2008 I was involved in a mission trip to Jamaica. One of the things we did was to help with the construction of a church. We were working on the walls of the church, so it was a long way from finished when we left. Several other teams have gone to work on it since. The pictures that you see were taken inside that church, now completed. I can tell you that it's satisfying to know that this church has a new building, and that our team had a small part in it. Now, isn't that what's great about mission work? To be able to look back on past labor and see buildings built, projects completed, and lives changed? Mission work is usually hard, and often frustrating, but there is nothing else like it.

Salvation Poem Update

Just got an e-mail saying that the movie "POEMA DE SALVACIÓN" will be held over for at least one more week at Sunrise Mall. Word is that it has gotten a good reception, and that several folks have made professions of faith after seeing it. If you have Spanish speaking friends in the valley, why not encourage them to give it a shot?

And Then There's This

Valentines Day is coming up Monday. If the whole candy and flowers thing has grown a little stale to you, check out this article that I stumbled across today.

The Big Red Button

No matter how noble our motives, or how worthy our cause, it's always a little difficult to ask others for money. But in this case I think the cause really is worthy, so here goes....in April I will be going to the Dominican Republic to do mission work. I'll post more details soon, but for now I'll just mention that, if you feel so inclined, you can contribute to the cause. Any amount (really!) would be appreciated. Just click on the big red button to get started. It's quick and secure (we are using an online payment system called Webconnex, so neither I, nor anyone at the church, ever has access to your financial information).

Let's Pretend

If you'll look closely at this picture you'll notice something rather strange....ice in the Rio Grande Valley. This happy event took place last week, with temperatures dipping down into the 20's. More cold weather is forecast for tonight.
Now, pretend that this weather is happening where you live. And instead of your comfortable home, you live in a shack. There are no floors, and your walls, if we can call them that, are made of tin, plastic, or scraps of wood. Of course, there is no heat in this house of yours, and when the wind blows, you feel the cold right down to your bones. Now, pretend that your spouse, and your small children, live in this house. All you can do is bundle up with all the clothes you can find, and pray that the cold front passes by quickly.
If you can imagine this, then you can imagine what daily life is like for 1,000s of Mexican families every winter. And you'll know why every summer First Baptist Church, and the teams we work with, builds houses for poor Mexican families. For about $3,000 we can build a modest, 2-room house, complete with insulation and electricity. If you would like to help put together a trip to build such a house, send me an e-mail and we'll get started.

B.B.I. Part 2

Last night I taught the book of Acts in a New Testament survey course at the Baptist Bible Institute (see the post below). Teaching 28 chapters in 2 hours (including translation) is well nigh impossible, but we gave it the old college try. Abraham has already made some plans for the next series of classes. For starters, he'll be offering Christian Apologetics, and I plan to teach the session on why we believe in the resurrection of Christ. And this will take place just before......Easter.

Baptist Bible Institute

If you know a lot about Mexico then you know that a quality, Biblical education can be hard to come by for many pastors. Some of them don't read well, some don't have the time, and many others don't have the money. The problem is serious, and I have long wanted to do something about it. On Tuesday evening I had the privilege of teaching the Gospel of John at the Instituto Biblico Sola Scriptura in Matamoros, Mexico. You can read about the institute here. It is led by my friend Abraham, who is fulfulling his vision of providing a Bible education to church leaders who could never attend a traditional college or seminary. There were about 40 or so people present, and they were eager to learn. God willing, I will be teaching the Book of Acts next Tuesday evening, and perhaps other subjects in months to come. Please join me in prayer for this important ministry.