How Great Is Your Faith? (Inspirational Tightrope Story)

 

    There was a tightrope walker, who did incredible aerial feats. All over Paris, he would do tightrope acts at tremendously scary heights. Then he had succeeding acts; he would do it blindfolded, then he would go across the tightrope, blindfolded, pushing a wheelbarrow. An American promoter read about this in the papers and wrote a letter to the tightrope walker, saying, "Mr. Tightrope, I don't believe you can do it, but I'm willing to make you an offer. For a very substantial sum of money, besides all your transportation fees, I would like to challenge you to do your act over Niagara Falls." Now, Mr. Tightrope wrote back, "Sir, although I've never been to America and seen the Falls, I'd love to come." Well, after a lot of promotion and setting the whole thing up, many people came to see the event. Mr. Tightrope was to start on the Canadian side and come to the American side. Drums roll, and he comes across the rope which is suspended over the treacherous part of the falls -- blindfolded!! And he makes it across easily. The crowds go wild, and he comes to the promoter and says, "Well, Mr. Promoter, now do you believe I can do it?"

"Well of course I do. I mean, I just saw you do it."

"No," said Mr. Tightrope, "do you really believe I can do it?"

"Well of course I do, you just did it."

"No, no, no," said Mr. Tightrope, "do you believe I can do it?"

"Yes," said Mr. Promoter, "I believe you can do it."

 "Good," said Mr. Tightrope, "then you get in the wheel barrow and we'll go back across..."

The word 'believe', in Greek means "to live by". This is a nice story...makes you ask, how often do we say that we believe Christ can do it, but refuse to get in the wheelbarrow?

  -Unknown
submitted by K.Litwiller

Don't Die This Way

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. 1 Peter 1:24-25

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment 

Heb 9:27

The quotes below are quite well published abroad and you probably have heard them before. Some people would challenge them and that is their business. 

I merely record them here as a thought provoker that there is life after death. I would rather the reader to entertain those thoughts now than before it is too late for it to do much good.
 Tomorrow we will hear a different side of the story.

Karl Marx, born in a Christian Jewish family, originator of Communism. On his deathbed surrounded by candles burning to Lucifer, screamed at his nurse who asked him if he had any last words:
"Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said enough."

Cesare Borgia, statesman:"I have taken care of everything in the course of my life, only not for death, and now I have to die completely unprepared."

David Hume, the Atheist, He cried: "I am in flames!" His desperation was a horrible scene.

Henry the Eighth:When his turn came:
"So, now all is gone—Empire, Body and Soul!"

Napoleon Bonaparte, 

About Napoleon, Count Montholon wrote: "The Emperor died forsaken by all, on this horrible rock. (St. Helena) His death struggle was awful!"

Niccolo Machiavelli:
Florentine diplomat and political philosopher, died in 1527
"I desire to go to Hell and not to Heaven. In the former I shall enjoy the company of popes, kings and princes, while in the latter are only beggars, monks and apostles"

Voltaire, the famous skeptic, 
Voltaire died a terrible death. His nurse said: "For all the money in Europe I wouldn’t want to see another unbeliever die! All night long he cried for forgiveness."

Sir Thomas Scott,
Scott, once president of the English Lower House said: "Up until this time, I thought that there was no God neither Hell. Now I know and feel that there are both, and I am delivered to perdition by the righteous judgment of the Almighty."

Stalin

About Stalin's death struggle, his daughter Swetlana Allilujewa, who in March 1953 was called to the dying dictator in his dacha in Kunzewo, stated: "Father died terribly and difficult. God gives the righteous an easy death."


 Aleister Crowley – famous occultist

 I am perplexed. Satan Get Out

A few more that I have not heard some can even try to find a lighter side to it but it still remains finale,

James French, a convicted murderer,

 Hey, fellas! How about this for a headline for tomorrow’s paper? ‘French Fries’!   Was sentenced to the electric chair. He shouted these words to members of the press who were to witness his execution.

James Rogers 

When asked for any last requests whilst faced with the firing squad, 

replied,"Why, yes! A bullet proof vest,"

Nostradamus: Tomorrow, I shall no longer be here  

King Herod --Acts 12:23:

"And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost."

The Rich Man and Lazerus-- A story from the Bible on this topic Luke 16:19-31

 ¹⁹There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

 ²⁰And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

 ²¹And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

 ²²And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

 ²³And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

 ²⁴And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

 ²⁵But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

 ²⁶And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

 ²⁷Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

 ²⁸For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

 ²⁹Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

 ³⁰And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

 ³¹And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

What are Endless Genealogies 1 Tim 1:4, Titus 3:9

We had a interesting talk last Sunday that mentioned briefly the verse in Timothy and about King Herod  burning the records causing consternation amongst the Jews who were trying to make sure of their public genealogy record.


But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. Titus 3:9


Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. 1 Tim1:4


       In Judea in the time of Jesus it was very important for well placed Jews to know their purity of lineage. Especially if they were priests from the tribe of Levi. That is why it is impressive to see that Jesus lineage goes to Abraham in the beginning of Matthew. That was Joesph's pedigree. Mary, Jesus' mother is found in Luke which was written for the gentiles.
      Somewhere in the reign of King Herod, the King  had the official registers burnt. He was half Edomite and did not appreciate the Jews looking down on him because of his lineage. So he had them destroyed so no one could prove purer blood then his own. Years later destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD and the unrest surrounding that event destroyed what records that remained. Today it is impossible to establish the Levitical lineage to continue the priesthood to continue the sacrifice. Which is not needed because Jesus was the final sacrifice that atoned for our sins and filled those demands of the Law. Today whosoever will believe in the message of Jesus Christ can be a son of Abraham.


  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Gal. 3:29

Following Through With Our Commitment

This essay is written for those that have asked that heart anguishing question, “What can I do to be saved”, and have received the answer to repent and believe, and then they acted upon it. To find true repentance is to realize that standing alone before God’s law and righteousness ---our case would be utterly lost with any sense of justice. We would be absolutely doomed. Rightly so, we are contaminated at birth by a selfish nature that does not  willingly seek God’s will. We need to find a godly sorrow for this sin and repent. God is a God of love and cannot bear to cast us out into the abyss without a chance of any sort of redemption. He gave His Son as a sacrifice for our sin. His blood would and will cover us if we will accept Him as our Savior. This is where the “believe” comes in. To describe what happens next is too hard for one to scribe on paper. We enter a new territory; a new vision -- we become a new creature and all things become as new.  All the past hurts, hurdles, and hills are leveled. We become baptized with the Holy Spirit of God. The water baptism is the outward form of what happened to us on the inside. It also shows and tells the world that we have made a commitment. It is a responsibility because we are now not our own. “Being then made from free from sin ye became the servants of righteousness“ Romans 6:19. A living sacrifice to God which is our only reasonable service. (Romans 12:1)
This brings us to the point of our discussion. We have entered this new territory and want to follow through with our commitment. This territory has brought us a rest and ---most important--- it gives us a guiding Spirit - the Holy Spirit - the voice of God that communes in our heart. At the first we treasure this relationship so highly that we cannot imagine it could end or that we ever could willingly give it up. Yet we still have our old natures to deal with, and we also have an adversary that is furious that we have escaped his grasp. With six thousands years of practice on human nature, he will do his best to trip us up from our commitment. 
Christ has taken up His cross for our behalf, and promises us that to follow him we must take up our own cross, and that we will suffer persecution. However, victory will be ours because God grants us a grace to overcome as long as we are obedient. 
To illustrate our subject I would like the reader to take a journey into a different time and setting  so that he can see the same thing I see, a seventeen year old lad walking down a dusty trail. He has purpose in his stride--he’s a man on a mission. He is out to find his brothers herding their family’s sheep.  After you have studied his attractive face and demeanor, you can’t help but notice his coat. It is full of color. It is a masterpiece of craftsmanship; it was weaved by hand. If you would ask him he would tell you it was given him by his father. It would also not take much talking to find out that this lad has a loving relationship with his father. For us we can relate with this coat because the Word tells us in Isa. 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he hath clothed me with the garments of Salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.”
As you have guessed we are talking of Joseph in the Bible. Most of us know the story well, and I will focus on only a few points rather than the details. We know that when he finds his brothers his reception will be fearful and rather frightening for Joseph as they argue whether they shall kill him or not. This is dreadful to think of your own flesh and blood calling out for your blood, but the Word says that they “hateth him”. Jealousy and plain old malice were working in the heart of his brothers. Joseph had been favored of the father and as they looked at his coat with envious stares it was a ghastly reminder.  Not only that, but they called him a “Dreamer,” as he had told them of his visions.  Christ tells us that we “shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.  Evil hates the light because the light reproves its deeds. When men see the light of Christ in us and hear the visions revealed to us from the Holy Spirit, it will eventually bring the sinner into conflict. That is the reason that the prophets and even the Son of God were persecuted. Now, as we are willing to bear our commitment and carry the light, we, too, will come into conflict with the men of the world. They are like our brothers because we used to be one of them.
Poor Joesph was cast into a pit and then sold into slavery by his own kinsmen. Would not the thought that your own kinsmen were willing to do this to you shake you up alone? As we see by Joesph’s life this was not going to shake his resolve. The Bible does not give us many details about what his emotions or actions were at this time, but by the pattern of his life story we can see that he had a vision that maintained him. It was a godly vision. A vision that helped him embrace righteousness and allowed him to be obedient to God and the faith of his fathers in times of much adversity. If we are going to be successful in our commitment, we will also need to have this kind of vision. Where there is no vision the people perish. We are told to in all ways acknowledge Him (God) and he shall direct our paths. If we do not have this vision we need to pray for it.
As Joesph was sold to Potiphar’s house he truly found out he was in a different land. He was in the land of Egypt, a hot delta country of plenty. A country that worshipped foreign gods. A place where God’s righteousness and vision was not heeded. A place of immorality. Where is the fear of God? Today we find ourselves in Egypt. The spirit within us longs for home, to a place where there is no sin, and where we can rest. However, God chose for us to spend time down here to be tried and tested. In Egypt we are in enemy territory. We must proceed with caution as we are to keep our commitment. 
As we see Joesph in Potiphar’s house, we notice that he was “a goodly person and well favored,” and that the Lord blessed him in all that he did. Why did God bless him so? Was it because he had personal merits that warranted it? No; he was blessed because he had the fear of God in his heart, and he was obedient.  This portion of his character we see in Genesis 39:9. In his hour of temptation he cries out, “ How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” This goes back to that vision we mentioned before. He is not in Egypt to outwardly please men. Physically it would seem he is far from the sight of Jacob his Father and his brethren. However, he knows God has a plan for his life, and he has a commitment to keep to be faithful to God.
That brings us to the hour of temptation. The Devil goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  In this case he wants to thwart God’s plan with Joesph by encouraging Potiphar’s wife to seduce him. Joesph answered with truth. He stated that his master allowed him to manage every thing in his master’s possession, only withholding from him his wife. He also did not want to sin against God. Jesus, in his days of temptation, also shows us that we need to fight the questions and suggestions of the evil one with truth. He gave us the Word full of promises and Truth to combat anything that can be thrown at us in this life. We need to study the Word if we are to keep our commitment. We are told we are never tempted more than we are able. We are told to resist the devil and he will flee from us
"But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."  1Tim 6:11. The Word opens our eyes to what God’s righteousness is and what sin is. We walk blindly in this world of temptation without the Word in our hearts. . In following through with our commitment we need to be serious with filling our hearts with the good. Especially after we have had an experience of repentence or reconsecreation we cannot afford to leave the room of our hearts swept and garnished and then empty. We need to fill it with Truth and hymns to arm us when the devil comes to probe our weaknesses.  
In Joesph’s case we see the next phase of temptation being used. “And it came to pass, as she spake to Joesph day by day.  Can we relate with that numbing, grinding siege of sin that tries your soul? What plagues you day by day trying to draw your mind and heart away from God?  Is it a pride or idol in your life or is it a root of unbelief? Whatever that sin may be, it relentlessly follows us through the day, through the week, through the year. Yet Joseph answered in this way: He refused and “he harkened not unto her ..to be with her. He fought back by a grace given by God to resist and also  avoid the temptation. God has always promised us a way out of temptation.(1 Cor. 10:13) As Christians we need to know our weaknesses and avoid those things that compromise our commitment. So we can be faithful in those areas. “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Matt. 5:30”
The other temptation the devil uses is one of force. He uses the wind, the earthquake, and fire to try to move us to disobey, or even to destroy our commitment. Potiphar’s wife waited for the opportune time and caught hold of Joesph. He fled leaving his coat behind. She screamed and falsely accused him. She caused the master’s wrath to be kindled to the point of throwing Joesph into prison. 


Throughout the Bible, in times like these, God has promised:  “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Duet. 31:6” Our prison today could be depression, fear, or grief, but God can deliver us. We do know that Joesph must have rebounded from this set back because it wasn’t long until he won the favor of the keeper of the prison. In all this, Joseph is also about to exhibit something that should be observed in committed Christians. When Pharaoh’s cup bearer and baker were put under his care, he noticed that they were sad and asked them about their troubles. Not only that, but he offered to help them with a gift given to him by God when he asked, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me them, I pray to you.” If we are true to our commitment  we will still be ready, by the grace of God, to lift the loads of others, even when we have been cast down. “Love covers a multitude of sins. 1Peter 4:8”


We will not take the time to go through the whole story, but we know that Joseph came to be chief adviser and officer under Pharaoh. In this elevated position he did not become too inflated or covetous to forget his commitment to God. With the little that we have as Christians, it seems that we so often times get choked with the cares of life. The seed is the Word and we allow so many weeds to choke out its fruitfulness in our lives. As a weed control specialist needs to know the difference between a weed and the plant, we need to study the Word and listen to the Spirit of God to help us identify those needs in our life. Many times an aerial view from another brother is needed as well to help us with what we can‘t see at ground level.
  As we think over the 13 years God blessed Joseph from slave boy to chief officer under pharaoh, we can only wonder at this promise of God: “ Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." Psalm 50:15”  
After 20 years he finally met his brothers. This time the roles were reversed. However, the story does not end on a revengeful note. Joseph reveals that God’s righteousness and vision in his life that been planted in his youth still remains, and had even flourished despite the wrongs and hurts that life threw at him. He forgives and embraces his brethren, recognizing that “God did send me before you to preserve life”. When we go through struggles and tests of the moment, we cannot see the plan of God because his ways are higher and mightier than our ways. If we but keep our commitment in obedience, he can use us in ways we cannot see. To me, one of the greatest finales of the story of Joesph is the reunion of father and son. 
The brothers told him Joseph was alive and was governor over all of Egypt. Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not. Israel was an old man of 130 yrs at the time, and God came to him in a vision to comfort him on his trip to Egypt. And he was not to be disappointed. When he arrived in Goshen the Word says
“ Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. Genesis 46:29”
What will our reunion be like when we meet our Saviour and Father when our journey has come to its end? Will we have fought a good fight and kept the Faith? Will we be true and follow through with our commitment? 

The Fable of the Porcupine

Fable of the Porcupine

It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. 
The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions. 
After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. 
Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the heat that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.

The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.
The moral of the story is: 

Just learn to live with the Pricks in your life!

story was submitted by KT 

Wiebe Quote: Salted Sacrifice

A Christian is as consecrated and sanctified, or as casual and luke­warm, as 


he or she has chosen to be. We probably

are not aware of mak­ing such a conscious decision, but our consecration is 


also the sum of what we choose to think and do. We spend as much time in 


prayer and with God's Word, being fed and strengthened, as we have 


chosen.

Lesson 12 - A Salted Sacrifice

Adult & Youth Sunday School Lessons

December 2011 - February 2012

Israel Fire Power

And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord GOD. Ezek 25:14


Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. Ezekiel 11:17

Thoughts
With all the storms brewing in the Middle East over Iran and Israel, my thoughts have been turning to the question, "Is Israel still blessed of God". For awhile it seemed that I had an indifference set in or even an apathy to what was happening in the Middle East in relation to Israel. I was more worried about how the oil prices due to threats of conflict was going to affect my billfold.


 Lately in my personal life I have had a growing desire as a Christian to turn to the promises of God in fighting my battle to live victoriously for God. He has so many promises for the Christian and he never goes back on His Word! As I was doing this it also brought my mind back to the current state of affairs in Israel. How can a small sliver of land ---I think less then 1 % of the land mass of the Middle East---cause such a stir on the world scene? How can it exist when so many of the surrounding millions around it hate it religiously? Through all this it has one of the highest standards of living, education, and technological development. It has the biggest air force after China and United States. In all this it is wanting to threaten a attack on a larger country with millions more people whether or not the world will help it. Then I have to think of the End of the world and what roll is going to be played by the "Physical nation of Israel". Are there not many Jews that are to be brought to believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah? I do not have definite conclusions on how this is all going to come to place, but I am interested to see a revival of people interested in what the Bible has to say in regards to the Promises of God and what effect they can have on the scene today. I really doubt Iran is going to succeed to nuke Israel off the face of the map and I hope Israel will not have to attack Iran. I love all Jewish and Arabs and as a Christian can only wish peace to them alike instead of war.

 In my weekend studies here are some scripture in the Bible and also some stats about Israel that I found very interesting.

Some of the Stats:

Israel has the fourth largest air force in the world (after the U.S, Russia and China), including an aerial arsenal of over 250 F-16′s.

 Israel has the 24th largest economy in the world

 Israel’s US $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.

Israel has been at the forefront of some of the major technological advances in recent years, including: some of the development for the very first cell phone

 Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce with 145 per 

10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U.S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 

25% of its workforce employed in technical professions, Israel places first in this category as 

well

 Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number 

of trees, a remarkable feat because this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert.

Think desert: Israel is one of the world's leading greenhouse-food-exporting countries.

God to Isaac:

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

 ⁴And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Genesis 26:3-4

Isaac's Blessing on Jacob:

Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

 ²⁹Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. Genesis 27:28-29

In studying the Promises of God toward Israel as a nation blessed by God read the two passages. Though we know God used the Israel nation as the vessel that brought about our redemption through Jesus Christ, we still wonder  about the phenomena we see surrounding the Jewish state today. Take the time to read these two passages in Psalms and Jeremiah:

If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;

 ³¹If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;

 ³²Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.

 ³³Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.

 ³⁴My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

 ³⁵Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.

 ³⁶His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.

 ³⁷It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah. Psalms 89:30-37

 ³⁵Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:

 ³⁶If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Jeremiah 31:35-36

Congregational Staff is Doubled in One Afternoon

Our congregation has been recently been blessed with two ministers and a deacon drawn from the laity. Very clearly a blessing for our congregation. Ordination is tonight at 7pm. Rejoice with us. Joesph Johnson, Jodie Nichols are our new ministers and Tim Wenger is our new deacon. 


Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Luke 10:2

Wrapping Up Lasstic Haiti Project

The Lasstic project is a irrigation dam and pipeline that runs from a canal into a dry plain in Haiti not far from Port-au-Prince. It has been worked on since the 1960's. Our Church group's program CSI has been working on it on and off. A few years ago it got plugged and failed and CSI tried to give the system a major overhaul since the dam was buried underneath erosion and rocks. It proved to be costly and in need of professional skills that would cost more money. I had lived with Kevin Bronsons at the time when I first saw the project. He is a surveyor and at the time that is what they really needed to help plot out the details. It worked out later that his daughter went down there to work on the orphanage and he got introduced to the project. CSI offered the project to him to complete as it would take more money and time than CSI had to offer to the project. To get it completed Good News International was created to raise monies and organization to finish the project. Different brethren from all over from professional miners, welders, and construction workers offered their services to complete the project. The overall effort was to irrigate 1,500 acres and provide 1500 families with irrigation to feed their families. The number of people benefiting with wash and drinking water is hard to calculate. The bottom line is doing humanitarian work of its self is not going to get you to heaven, but James 4:17 says

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. 

and it should be a joy to help others when so little can do so much. (not meaning to belittle the efforts and sacrifices of the volunteers)

Kevin Bronson Reports from Haiti:

1st Update
Saturday morning in Fond Parisien -

Our construction work here is about done. The canal and gates are completed. We have flow tested the pipe, and it is clear. We have installed fountains in two villages and made the locals very happy. One of those villages has previously had a two hour walk each way for water that included about a 2000' elevation gain empty, and back down with a full five gallon bucket.

There are two sand settling rooms along the pipeline called desable. They have an interior dimension of about 30'x12'x8', and they were completely filled with sand and silt. They are buried at the same depth as the pipeline (down about 20') and are accessed thru a manhole type hole that goes down about 10' to the top of the desable. We provided a rope and pail, and the  locals are taken responsibility for cleaning them out. They  have been working diligently, but it is very slow with a bucket lowered by hand, somebody shoveling it full, hand over hand back up, and finally shaking it out away from the hole.

One of our guys thought up a rig built from a 55 gallon steel drum that we hang from the wrist pin on the excavator on a hinge system. We lower the bucket down to the bottom, six men are waiting with their five gallon buckets filled with silt. A few extra buckets and up comes the barrel. The guys rigged it so it dumps by curling the bucket. Our best production is about seven min cycle times.

Yesterday the guys got dug down about 4', and there is about 2.5' left to go for today. As soon as the silt is cleaned out, the concrete lid we cast earlier in the week will be swung into place, and that desable will be ready for service. We expect to run the water all weekend, and then resume with cleaning out the other desable on Monday.

We have made arrangements for a big community meeting for February 17, the first date all parties could agree to. We expect to have a committee elected at that meeting, and then will probably have a short training time after that.

Monday - this didn't get sent over the weekend. This morning word came down that one of the fountains isn't running, so we probably have another plug to figure out.

Second Update

We are officially done the construction of the Lastic Project! Last night the last desable was cleaned out and sealed shut, and the water is running!

Now we are looking ahead to the water use, and to turning the system over to the water committee, which we are in the process of helping to form. The water will serve about five existing Zones (sub areas within the community). Each Zone is in the process of forming a water committee to handle the day to day distribution within the Zone. Each committee will also nominate two members to an oversight committee, which will be in charge of the system maintenance, determining the amount to charge per acre for water, and the canal operation and security in the canyon. Neil has turned politician because he is the only one with the necessary culture and language skills. Its not a job he enjoys, but he's doing what he can.

This process will culminate with the arrival of our Animator (something between an ambassador and a master of ceremonies) on Feb 14. Sometime on the 15th we will have a meeting with the entire community in which the nominees will be presented, and the entire group will select one nominee from each Zone to be on the Master Committee. Then we get down to the task of writing the by laws, and training the committee in the system operation.

All the farmers are hard at work watering their fields. On Sunday Neil was trying to get folks to commit to working in the desable on Monday, but everyone said they wanted to be irritating and couldn't come! We solved that problem by turning off the water to work in the desable, and we had plenty of hands available, because they knew the water was off until it was cleaned out.

Between now and the meeting we will be helping with some maintenance on the distribution system, and with wrapping up our affairs. I have committed to making a map of the Zones for area calculations and general management use, and I have some survey work to do for Raymond on a road and bridge project he has going near Miragoane, about 3.5 hours to the west. If things continue to work out, we anticipate returning the last full week of February.

Van der Sloot gets Gospel Tracts: Gospel Tract in Peru

This Janurary three brethren flew down to Lima Peru in South America to investigate the tract work. Millions of Gospel tracts have been distributed by the Peru Police force. They visited a few of the police outposts and met a number of contacts and preached a few messages. It is amazing how the Lord works! During the trip and visiting the police officers in some of the upper rooms they requested for the officers to deliver some Dutch tracts to Joran Van der Sloot who had just been sentanced to 28 years in prison for murdering a young Peruvian woman. The officer said that getting the tracts to him would not be a problem. May the mercy and peace of God find a way into his heart. 
 A few snatchets from the report....
 In Peru there are 110,000 policemen. In Lima there are 25,000. 5,000 are Christian.
An interesting man named Orlando had come to Montreal, Canada as a refugee in 2006 and met two sisters in the metro and went to church a couple of times. He went home and for his own reason got rid of his television and radio and has not had them since. They went to his house and met with twelve other people and had a service. They also had a long period of questions and answers about topics like the Holy Spirit.
The next day they listened to the experiences of two ladies and seven men.
If I understood the report, they went back to the headquarters of the Cristopol project in Lima that has been responsible for passing out tracts for a service. They watched a twenty minute slideshow on where all the work has gone. It made the tract man emotional to see how far the distribution was going. The tracts had been even introduced to other South American countries. In that meeting they asked all those that had recieved tracts to stand up and 22 people stood. 


They also wanted to travel to a city named Sullana to meet some contacts, but everyone from the ticket counter and others asked them rather to have their contacts meet them in another city. They visited with a school teacher for two hours as she shared her Christian experience.
A Peruvian minister in that same meeting told them a story about a farmer that was burning a pile chaff. He noticed a worm trying to climb out and away from the fire. The farmer held out a stick to him for the worm to escape. That was for a comparison to the Compassion of Christ is that he is there to make for us a way of escape.


And so that is a little about the spreading of Gospel Tracts to a world that needs a way of escape into the arms of a loving Savior.


  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.   Isaiah 61:1

Drilling for Lake Vostock: Proof of Eden?

Russian scientists are presently drilling deep (12,366 ft.) 3769 metres for an underground lake in the Antarctica. At that depth, geo-thermal temperatures insulated by that mammoth ice pack are high enough to keep the water from freezing. The lake is about the size of Lake Ontario 180 by 30 mi. They are hoping the water will be pure and untouched for the last 20 million years. They are counting on finding primitive life forms from looooong ago, etc.
My personal hope--if not prayer-- is that they will find evidences of Eden and pre-flood civilization say a ship or other evidences of ancient man. Of course such evidence would probably destroyed or ignored for the sake of studying some blind fairy shrimp that has been dead for 10 million years. None-the-less I have been very interested in following what they may find in the light of Creation. Is it not a mystery what could be buried under all that ice? Perhaps there is major fossils or perhaps a city from warmer times. 
Three verses come to mind. 


But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty 1 Cor. 1:27


Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, Romans 1:21-22

Truth about the Mayan Apocalypse

The Mayans were a prosperous civilization of pyramids, temples, and astronomy centered in Southern Mexico and upper Central America. They had a time system based on 364 day year to help them plant there precious corn. My wife and I hit alot of Maya sites when we taught school in Belize. The mystical quietness of stone centers tucked away in the jungle intrigued me. It was not hard to tell that there was at one time alot of activity and industry to build the massive stone temples. The civilization flourished around 300-900 AD and then suddenly declined. The big cities became abandoned to be overgrown by jungle. Aviators and explorers around the early 1900's started the exciting search of uncovering the cities and trying to piece together the mysteries of the Mayas. It is thought that poor soils, drought, over farming, and war could have brought about the downfall and disappearance of many of these cities. As for the Mayas themselves they migrated to new centers in Guatemala and S. Mexico. After the coming of the Spanish they became slaves and farm laborers. When Mexico became independent they fought a little known Caste War for their freedom in the Yucatan. There is about 10 million descendants of the Ancient Mayas today.


As for there scientific discoveries and this latest Apocalypse craze, the mysteries of the Mayas tap into our imagination. The things that fascinated me was that nobody really could tell you exactly what was what despite the fact that there was no shortage of tour guides. I did piece together that they used certain pyramids to cast shadows or create shadows to help them keep track of time and seasons. Others were tombs or memorials to great leaders. (My personal opinion is that they used the pyramids for communication as they may have mirrored a code or used smoke signals. The reason I think this is because you can just about see another Maya ruin just on the horizon.) I don't think it was quite like internet,though. 
They were time keepers. Many stella rocks in their squares told the timelines of kingdoms and reigns. They definitively studied the sky, sun  and stars. The end of their year ends on Dec. 21. They calculated there time up to Dec. 21, 2012. It must have seemed like a good time to stop. They believed in yearly cycles and they decided 2012 for some reason was a good time to figure to, Perhaps it will be the end----If it is the end are you ready for it?? The Foundation of Truth is the Bible and if you will take the "time" lets see what it has to say about the Time of the Apocalypse.

But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matt. 24:36-39


For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matt. 24:27


The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them....... and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  1 Thess. 5:2-6

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Rev. 22:12

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.....Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Matt 24:42,44