Thursday, June 25, 2009

Thought for Today

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 1:27

 

 

Sometimes I get all caught up in not doing quite enough for Christ and His Kingdom. “What?”, you say, “you are a missionary and serve in another country.”  Sure, I do, but like many living, breathing Christians, we listen to the subtle whispers of the enemy, and accept some of these whispers as truth.

 

This morning, I began my day in James, a familiar passage, as I had memorized some of it as a new believer. I guess back then(about 30 years ago) I wasn’t mature enough to take care of myself(in the throes of adolescence) to worry about caring for widows, orphans, or the helpless and hopeless.  Yesterday was Anna’s 9th birthday. A little over nine years ago today, God whispered to us and led us to adopt one of his children-our Anna. Every waking moment we love her, encourage her, nurture her and raise her according to the way she is to go  we are fulfilling such counsel.

 

This Tuesday I spent several hours getting a test done that would take less than 20 minutes in the States. Our single,  sixty-something, house-helper(but she is more than that-our kids’ Tica abuelita (grandma)) needed a test that could be performed at the same clinic as she was unable to get an appointment with the free clinic for many months.   Not only did she accompany me to this private clinic, but the time spent with her was sweet Christian fellowship. And no, she doesn’t speak English, at least not in my presence.  Her gratitude in our obedience to providing for the test was evident, but being present in the hours with her did much more for my soul that I could ever imagine.

 

Listen for those whispers, act, and reap more than you’ve sown.  Peterson says it even more beautifully in The Message-

 

Act on what you hear….but whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God – even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it is no scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action…reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight , and guard against corruption from the godless world. James 1:22-27 (The Message)

  

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Nearly a month?...it's been busy!

Time flies when you are trying to tie up more than one loose end! Sorry to have been incommunicado for so long, but celebrating our 25th anniversary, getting college forms filled in(still more of those to do), minors permissions to leave Costa Rica(we were traveling separately and have residency visas approved), and figuring out how to navigate the health care system to get the required tests for Keri, Ben and myself, necessary for college and camp and performing ministry duties have kept me busy these last three weeks!

 

We’ve had opportunities to use donated craft supplies in Rio Azul, and look forward to sharing a piƱata and treats with the children there-in celebration of Anna’s ninth birthday (it’s tomorrow as Ben and I will attest to -the countdown is now down to less than 8 hours)!  Happy Birthday, Anna girl!