A Hole In The World

I just found out that Dwight Hendrick, longtime missionary at FBC Brownsville, has died of cancer. He was scheduled to have hip replacement surgery just 2 weeks ago today, but it wasn't to be.

It would be almost impossible to exaggerate the significance of Dwight's work in the valley and in Mexico for the past 45 years. Only in eternity will we know how many people were housed, fed, clothed, inspired, and saved through the ministry of this one man.

This afternoon I read about a man who, describing life after the death of his father, said "The world has a hole in it, and one that will never be filled in this life". If you can understand that, then you can understand how we all feel tonight.

Happy Anniversary To Me

Today is an anniversary of sorts for me. Last March 24th I (and my Toyota Tacoma) left Seneca, SC on my way to Brownsville, Texas. It has been a whirlwind year, to say the least. But God has blessed our feeble efforts, and I know that I am where I am supposed to be.

1 in 6

Here's an eye-opening article for you. New census data reveals that 1 in 6 Americans is Hispanic. One in 4 children is Hispanic. I suppose the takeaway from this is obvious, but I'll mention it anyway......who would be serious about reaching America must be serious about reaching Hispanics.

Snow Cones and Kidney Stones

Last week a group of 10 from our church went over to Laredo to help with a mission project (you can get more information from my earlier posts). It all turned out great. A productive trip, with lots of great fellowship to boot. From Wednesday afternoon to lunchtime Friday we left materials at about 4,000 houses (and were barked at by about 10,000 dogs!). Throw in a block party, and a bout with kidney stones, and you get a memorable trip indeed.

If God, Why Evil?

The disaster in Japan once again raises what is often called "the problem of evil". In other words, how do we reconcile the existence of a good, all-powerful Creator with all the suffering that exists in the world? If God does exist, why doesn't He do more to stop it? If you are interested in pursuing this issue further I suggest you watch this debate that features Dr. Bart Ehrman and Dr. Michael Brown. It is a very lively, engaging discussion from 2 intellectual heavyweights.

Japan

Whenever there is a natural disaster, such as the one in Japan, Christians often face a dilemma: where should we give our money? The Red Cross? The Salvation Army? Save the Children? While these organizations do great work, I prefer to give to an organization that (1) uses as much of the donation as possible for aid, instead of administrative costs, and (2) is explicitly Christian. For this reason I am giving the link to the website for Baptist Global Response. It's a great way to give if you're looking for a way to help out.

On Mission

There's a nice story here from On Mission magazine about Chuy Avila and his work in Laredo, Texas. (If this is your first visit to my blog, you may not know that our church is taking a small team to Laredo in a couple of weeks, and Chuy is the missionary we will be working with). Pray for us, and the other teams that will be going to Laredo, as we attempt to blanket the whole town (pop. 300,000) with the gospel.