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When I was a little fella, my mother used to read a book to me.  I loved it, and I hated it.  The book was The Giving Tree, and it told the story of a tree that gave, and gave, and gave–her fruit, leaves, branches, her trunk, and finally when she had nothing left, she gave her stump–all for the benefit of a boy she loved.

For years, that book has reminded me of my mother.   She gave, and gave, and gave–sacrificially–and many times when she had even less than I did.

When I was living with the family in Grand Cayman last summer, I updated my status on Fruitiply saying, “Hep me!”  Mother soon came from the other room (I love parents who keep close tabs on their kids’ online activity!), asking what was behind that status.  I told her that we had a wedding date set, and I wasn’t ready to get married…the main reason was that my finances were horrid, and there was no foreseeable improvement happening between then and October 9th.

She left, and was back a minute later with the only money she had–a $5 CI bill.  Trapped on a Caribbean island, with no means of personal income, and she was giving me the last of what she had, doing everything in her power for the boy she loved.  I didn’t spend it–like the widow’s two mites, it wouldn’t have made that much of a dent in my expenses.  Instead, I put it in my wallet as a reminder of a mother who gave, and gave, and gave…and as motivation–inspiring me to be like her.

When I was born, Mother gave up finishing college.  Then she gave up thousands of hours to stay home and teach me–not just “school”, but life.  When she got money, she would give it away or buy something for one of us–rarely spending anything on herself, and she gave me an example of pure love.  Now I’m married and gone, but she’s still giving.  We don’t even live in the same country, but she is our full-time prayer partner–a huge part of some incredible stories of provision and answers to prayer (which you really should hear sometime).

The more time goes by, the more sacrifices I remember, and the more I appreciate how much my mother really gave.  I wish I could do it justice, but I can’t come close.  This much I know: any fruit that may come from my life, my marriage, my children, and those that the Lord has allowed and will allow me to reach is directly attributable to the mother who gave, and gave, and gave, pouring out her life for mine.

Mother, with all of my heart, thank you.

Here’s the original post on 11smiths.com.

My parents, my brothers and sisters, and some exceptional friends have prayed for this day for years. I can never thank each of you enough. I love you all.

Before we left for church this morning, I stepped around the side of the house, and there she was.  It made me sick.

Elisabeth and I were talking… Sandy was unlike any other dog we’ve ever known.  She was actually more conscientious and gracious than a lot of people seem to be.

Sandy appeared to be rather aged when she was dropped in front of our house fifteen years ago.  She had been hit by a car, and came with a disjointed sort of walk.  She followed our family through six moves, in three states, and was as loyal as you could ask a dog to be.  She once stepped in between an aggressive snake and a Corbett kid, blocking a potentially fatal bite, and endeared herself to the family forever.

If you carried meat scraps outside, Sandy would never jump up on you to get them.  She’d never even bark or whine.  She wasn’t demanding.  If you offered some to her, she would delicately and slowly take the very edge or corner- ever so careful not to even touch your fingers.  Sometimes we would take a snack out to her when she wasn’t hungry in the least, and occasionally it would even be something that a dog wouldn’t generally eat, but without fail, she would gratefully (and slowly) eat it- at least until we went back inside.

As far as dogs go, Sandy was a true lady.

Daniel and I noticed before we left for the wedding this weekend that she appeared to be nearing the end.  When we got back, she was gone.  Elisabeth mentioned that she very well may have been waiting for us to leave.  It would’ve been just like Sandy.

I spent a couple of weeks in 2003 with a national pastor and his family in Brazil.  Since he was studying English, and I was very interested in the people, culture, language, etc., of the country that I believed I was to eventually live in, it was helpful to both of us.  During those two weeks, and in the following month or so, the Lord confirmed to me that a future in Brazil was in fact His direction for me.

[Just Info] Ever since I was first inclined toward missions in Brazil, I never felt that I was intended to go the traditional route, with a missions board, deputation, etc.  Not that I believe they are inherently wrong, but I’ve always sensed that the Lord wanted something different for me.  Not special, just different.

I thought I’d share a few photos from my time there.  Even though it’s been quite a while, and none of the photos are particularly impressive, I get a thrill every single time I look through them.

One of the larger churches we visited.

We spent a Sunday afternoon with the pastor of the above church.  The ladies in this picture are his wife and daughter.  If you look back at the previous photo, you can see the top floor of the church building, which is where this pastor and his family lived.

We visited quite a few “favellas” (slums), and in one location, a mother begged me to take her young teenage daughter back with me to the United States.  She knew that there was no hope of her ever living a life free from the fear and poverty that surrounded them.  When I snapped this shot in some favellas, one of the inhabitants warned (with hand motions) that I might get shot for it.

This was from the edge of the city.  Can you begin to comprehend the number of souls represented here, whose trust in good works and dedicated adherance to the Catholic faith will soon earn them Hell for eternity?

This girl was extremely shy, but she desperately wanted to tell me something.  She tried- quietly- over and over again, but I couldn’t understand Portuguese, and will never know what it was that she was so concerned about.

Of course, I’m above such things, so it wasn’t even a temptation… right?  Wrong.  :-\

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18

Very familiar verse.  But have you ever really noticed the one before it?  Even in the Proverbs, context can be meaningful:

“The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.” – Proverbs 16:17

He that keeps his way preserves his soul.  So many times we feel like we can handle temptation.  But that kind of prideful attitude indicates that we aren’t walking in the Spirit, which is how we are to avoid fulfilling the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).  We don’t even realize the deceitfulness of our own heart (Jeremiah 17:9), and the weakness of our flesh (Matthew 26:41).

Look at this, from Romans 13:

“…make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”

Making provision for the flesh is the exact opposite of keeping your way.  Jesus taught the disciples to avoid even the entering into of temptation.

James said, blessed is the man that endures temptation, not blessed is the man that subjects himself to it.  Many Christians claim the promise that God will not allow us to be tempted above that we are able, and then become disillusioned when they succumb time and time again- never stopping to realize that they are actually working against God Himself as they put themselves in the way of temptation.

So what does “keeping your way” look like for me at the airport?

• When I have a choice,  facing the “safest” direction.
• Purposely making my eyes visible to Daniel.
• Reading all of the directional signs as I walk.
• Dwelling on a particular lovely, pure, virtuous, praiseworthy thing (well, person).

How can you keep your way?

“…let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” – I Corinthians 10:12

The audio is horrible, and the video is worse, but it’s fun just the same!  :)

What I soon (re)discovered was that I could exert the necessary willpower and stifle a smart remark if I had to, but somehow, that just frustrated me, and I couldn’t bring myself to keep it up for very long.  Ever felt that way?

“…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” – Matthew 12:34

One of the principles that has been most helpful to me in the past few years is found in Proverbs 4:23.  And it doesn’t just apply to what we say- it’s all-inclusive:

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” – Proverbs 4:23

Yesterday, when my heart finally softened, the words became more gracious.  And not because I ran out of quips and comebacks- they were just no longer coming from my heart.

Everything that you do comes from your heart- even your instinctive, thoughtless reactions are very telling glimpses into the real state of your heart.  Keep your heart, and the life that proceeds from it will be beautiful and pleasing to God.  Focus only on the issues of life, letting your heart run wild, and you’ll become a hypocrite, eventually exposed- bringing shame and reproach on the Lord.

“…ye are not your own… ye are bought with a price” – I Corinthians 6:19-20

Pardon the glaring omission of a flowery introduction, and let’s cut to it: if you’re not yours, you have no rights.  That means that you don’t have the right to make your own decisions!  It’s your responsibility to seek to know what your owner wants, and to allow Him to make the decisions.  This applies to everything!

Here’s a simple example of how it affects me: when I want to stop and spend $1.29 for a cup of coffee, I have to discern whether that cup of coffee is God’s desire, or just mine.  Sound extreme?  It is.

But either I am bought with a price, and not my own, or I am my own, and I am not His.  It’s one way or the other.  I can’t serve two masters, and I can’t have two owners.  It’s that simple, and that extreme.

What do you think- is this approach too radical?  Is it going a little overboard?  If not, where does it hit you?

Since the move to the Cayman Islands, I am seriously missing this little girl, and her brothers, and her parents….

Funny, the way we humans are.  It’s painful, but it’s a good kind of pain.  The kind that makes you long to be awakened by little feet an hour before you had planned to get up… wish you could help clean up a dumped bag of flour in the kitchen floor, or waste half an hour on the big rug in the living room playing with matchbox cars.  It makes me cherish- retroactively- every hug, laugh, and cry that I can remember, however faintly.

Reminds me of another move, another time, and a song…

In this video, Tim Conway, pastor of Grace Community Church in San Antonio, emphasizes the weighty nature of this type of sin, and the legitimate questions that should be raised by those who are caught in its grasp.  It’s a powerful wakeup call to any man who has been lulled into complacency toward lust and immorality of any kind.

In the unlikely case that you were wondering, this is also the source of the random quotes that you see in the left sidebar on all of my pages.  :)

• “Missionary zeal does not grow out of intellectual beliefs, nor out of theological arguments, but out of love.”
  
  - Roland Allen
• “We want Paul's theology and his results but not his methods.”
  
  - Roland Allen
• “Don’t send a lamp to the mission field that will not burn at home.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “God saves us for more than to escape Hell, He has saved us to share Christ worldwide.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “Without a vision the people perish; and without the people, the vision perishes.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “God alone has a world vision, we have a limited vision, the more we resemble Him, the greater our vision.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “Man’s greatest discovery is to discover the will of God. Man’s greatest achievement is to do the will of God.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “Giving is not a matter of can or cannot; it is a matter of will or will not.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “The worst crime of the desert is knowing where the water is and not telling.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “The reason some folks don't believe in missions is that the brand of religion they have isn't worth propagating.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “Only as the church fulfills her missionary obligation does she justify her existence.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “Missions is not the 'ministry of choice' for a few hyperactive Christians in the church.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “The average pastor views his church as a local church with a missions program; while he ought to realize that if he is in fact pastoring a church, it is to be a global church with a missions purpose.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “We are not over-loaded, we are under-burdened.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “As soon as we cease to bleed we cease to bless.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “World Missions is not an elective for the local church, it is a 'required course'.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “Not one person in the world needs Jesus Christ less than you do.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “I couldn't say that my church is alive and I wouldn't want to call it dead. I guess it's just walking in its sleep!”
  
  - Anonymous
• “Live simply so that others can simply live.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “God is not limited to a fixed income.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “We are willing to give to world missions, if it doesn’t affect our lifestyle.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “Give to world missions while your hand is warm.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “We can give less to missions this year if the world is getting smaller.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “Do in your mission giving what will bring you joy at the Judgment Seat of Christ.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “If we have not enough in our religion to drive us to share it with all the world, it is doomed here at home.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “You are either a missionary or a mission field.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “God does not put an age limit on fulfilling the Great Commission.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “Mission giving must be more than surplus giving - it must become both sacrificial and faith giving.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “God does not choose people who are qualified for His work, He does the choosing and when they are willing, He will qualify them.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “A missions conference is a church in a business meeting deciding the fate of the heathen.”
  
  - Anonymous
• “When he landed in 1848 there were no Christians here; when he left in 1872 there were no heathen.”
  
  - said of John Geddie
• “... if God has called you to China or any other place and you are sure in your own heart, let nothing deter you... remember it is God who has called you and it is the same as when He called Moses or Samuel.”
  
  - Gladys Aylward
• “I wasn't God's first choice for what I've done for China, I don't know who it was. It must have been a man, well-educated man. I don't know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn't willing, and God looked down and saw Gladys Aylward and God said - 'Well, she's willing.'”
  
  - Gladys Aylward
• “Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you are alive, it isn't.”
  
  - Richard Bach
• “It is a tragedy when a man has no invisible means of support.”
  
  - T.J. Bach
• “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
  
  - John the Baptist
• “No sacrifice is too great for the King of kings and Lord of lords.”
  
  - Jack Baskin
• “Lord, bring honor to thy Son at my expense, whatever the cost, and send me the bill. It is my reasonable service — He paid mine.”
  
  - Carl Baugh
• “Come and die, the Master calleth, come and die.”
  
  - David Bennett
• “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, including those that are lost. It is the job of the church to explore the uttermost, to raise His banner, and to claim those lost souls of men for the Lord.”
  
  - David Bennett
• “Where there is God’s will, there is God’s way.”
  
  - David Bennett
• “There is the constant invisible warfare that has to be waged against the powers of darkness... It is fashionable in the Western world to relegate belief in demons and devils to the realm of mythology, and when mentioned at all it is a matter of jest. But it is no jest in West Africa or any other mission field for that matter.”
  
  - Rowland Bingham
• “God's part is to put forth power; our part is to put forth faith.”
  
  - Andrew Bonar
• “'Not called!' did you say? 'Not heard the call,' I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters, and servants and masters not to come there. And then look Christ in the face, whose mercy you have professed to obey, and tell him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish his mercy to the world.”
  
  - William Booth
• “Oh, that I could dedicate my all to God. This is all the return I can make Him.”
  
  - David Brainerd
• “It is impossible for any rational creature to be happy without acting all for God. God Himself could not make him happy any other way... There is nothing in the world worth living for but doing good and finishing God's work, doing the work that Christ did. I see nothing else in the world that can yield any satisfaction besides living to God, pleasing Him, and doing his whole will.”
  
  - David Brainerd
• “Here am I, send me; send me to the ends of the earth; send me to the rough, the savage pagans of the wilderness; send me from all that is called comfort on earth; send me even to death itself, if it be but in Thy service, and to promote Thy kingdom.”
  
  - David Brainerd
• “My desires seem especially to be after weanedness from the world, perfect deadness to it, and that I may be crucified to all its allurements. My soul desires to feel itself more of a pilgrim and a stranger here below, that nothing may divert me from pressing through the lonely desert, till I arrive at my Father's house.”
  
  - David Brainerd
• “This morning about nine I withdrew to the woods for prayer. I was in such anguish that when I arose from my knees I felt extremely weak and overcome. ...I cared not how or where I lived, or what hardships I went through, so that I could but gain souls for Christ.”
  
  - David Brainerd
• “Oh, that I could spend every moment of my life to God's glory!”
  
  - David Brainerd

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“I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” – Psalm 101:3

Have you ever watched a movie and thought, “What a great movie!  That’s a keeper!”?  Then a friend comes over (or your parents walk in) and you decide to show the movie to them.  Suddenly you begin to notice little things that you didn’t realize were in there!  ”Oh no- I forgot about that!”  You’re slightly embarrassed, and you find yourself making little disclaimers…

Why does this kind of thing happen?  It’s because we tend to feel more comfortable making small compromises in our own home, behind closed doors, when we think that no one else will be affected by what we see and do.

Take a look at this, from Psalm 101: “I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” Wow.  You probably can’t honestly say that.  I can’t either.

What if you decided to actually be the person that you want people to think you are?  Can you even imagine that?  Will you begin- right now- to aim for that?  Seriously- that’s a question that you need to answer!

Next comes a pretty familiar statement: “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes.” What’s especially interesting here is that the word wicked is a little more inclusive than the application we generally assign to it.  It actually means “without profit”.  That sets the standard a good bit higher, doesn’t it?  Do you watch things that don’t make a difference in eternity?

Now we come to the part I like (or don’t like).  “I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.” So, the work of those who turn aside (from what is right) will not cleave (or “stick”) to me.  Hmm… one thing that absolutely does cleave/stick to you, is what you watch.  It is imperative that we watch only those things that we want- or rather, that God wants to cling to us.

Now is decision time.  You know as well as I that when you’re in the situation, you’ll give.  So choose now, right now, that you will not watch the unprofitable work of those who turn aside from what is right.

“Be…fervent in spirit” -Romans 12:10-11

It’s almost funny- but not quite. Most people don’t even realize that this is a Biblical command. We categorize others by their personalities, and seem to forget that every part of us, including our personality, is to be placed under the complete control of the Holy Spirit. If you grasp this concept, it will affect everything that you do. To be fervent in spirit is to be filled with an intensity, an enthusiasm, even a passion, in everything. It requires accepting and treating every task- of every size- as a direct assignment from the Lord (which, by the way, it is).

Peter said, “…above all things have fervent charity.” James pointed out that it is fervent prayer that avails much. Paul spoke of laboring fervently. If you have a fervent spirit, you will have fervent charity. If you are fervent in spirit, your prayer will be fervent. If you are fervent in spirit, you will labor fervently.

This fervency demands a higher level of energy- emotional, spiritual, and many times physical. It’s not for those who love their laziness and lethargy. It’s for those who want to experience an increased effectiveness in influencing those around them, more efficient productivity, and a substantially greater amount of responsibility and opportunity to serve the Lord in real ways.

Are you willing to give up the comfort of apathetic ease? It’s a sacrifice, but it’s a life-changing and ministry-changing decision. And it’s either obedience or direct disobedience to the specific command in Romans 12. We are told, plainly, to be fervent in spirit. Period.

Please do it. Embrace a life of fervor. Be enthusiastic, passionate, intensely serious in every situation with which you are entrusted.

1. Most “Christians” are hypocrites.
   The majority of the “Christians” I see use the name when and only when it’s convenient. When it comes down to actually changing the way they live to fit the model found in their own Bible, they back off with remarkable consistency.
2. Too many Christians want to impose their beliefs on everyone.
   For some reason, “Christians” expect everyone to live by their standards. This is completely illogical and unfortunate. Christians should be more concerned with enforcing their standards among their own ranks, and realize that non-Christians have no reason to conform to their system.

3. The majority of Christians don’t take their faith seriously.
   If Christians really believed what they said they believed, they would go all-out, no-holds-barred, in trying to “convert the heathen”. In a nutshell, here’s what Christians claim to believe, based on the Bible:
   • Every person has at some point done something wrong, or “sin”.
   • Regardless of the magnitude, the penalty for that sin is eternity in a literal place called “Hell”.
   • The son of God, Jesus, came to earth, lived with no sin, and died to pay for our sin.
   • To get to Heaven (instead of Hell), we must each “repent” of our sin, and accept, by faith, Jesus’ death as substitution for our penalty.

   If Christians saw this as imminent reality, I sincerely hope that they would be compelled to action by the love that they claim to possess.

It’s worth noting, though, that the insincerity and hypocrisy of millions of “Christians” does nothing to excuse anyone else from taking responsibility for their sin. According to the Bible, each individual will be held accountable for his/her own actions- regardless of whether he/she was turned off by less-than-exemplary Christians.

But don’t worry- “Christians” will be judged, too.

Part of the reason that I haven’t kept up with things is that I’m extremely busy (like you), and the static layout just took too much time to manage.  Switching to a CMS (WordPress [what else?]) was the logical solution, so here it is.  Enhanced by the fantastic Ikarus theme.

I’m always looking for new ideas and potential improvements, so if there’s something you’d like to see, let me know!