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 WARTS, WITNESS AND WITH-NESS April 2008 The story is told of how, when Abraham Lincoln sat for his presidential portrait, the painter asked if Lincoln would prefer that he paint out the president's facial warts. In a reply which has become almost a proverb, he replied simply, "Leave the warts in." THE DRY GROUND FROM WHICH THE ROOT COMES FORTH February 2008 Mount Sinai is also called in the Scripture by another name: Horeb. Though the two names - Sinai and Horeb - refer to the same place, the etymology of the word Sinai is unknown, while Horeb means "dry ground". As I looked at those words in a Bible dictionary the other day, they seemed to leap from the page... FAITH AND FAITHFULNESS December 2007 "Increase our faith," the disciples pleaded. Their petition is echoed by a multitude of believers today that desire to become either Great Men or Great Women of Faith. The disciples saw the stunning works the Lord Jesus was doing and wanted to do the same. WORDS AND THE WORD September 2007 Words mean things, and words put together in sentences and paragraphs mean things. The supreme evidence and argument of this is that God has communicated to us in words. A DIFFERENT TABERNACLE June 2007 A crucial gathering was taking place in Jerusalem. Teachers had arrived in Antioch saying that the Gentiles had to be circumcised. Paul and Barnabas strongly opposed their teaching, resulting in what the Bible calls, "no small dissension." Now Paul, Barnabas, Titus and others had traveled to Jerusalem to clarify this essential doctrine. CAMPAIGN IN PAJACUARAN!! April 2007
DECISIONS OR DISCIPLES? February 2007 The group of young Christians had prepared well. They were to proclaim the Gospel in a town where there was no church and where the Good News of Jesus Christ had only recently been presented for the first time, so they were aware how serious this presentation was... THE LAZARUS FACTOR January 2007 Martha had stood at her brother's bedside as he tossed and turned, became increasingly sick and weak. She had talked with the doctors, tried the remedies and prayed... THE BIRTH OF A CHURCH June 2006 Santa Maria del Valle is almost exactly in the geographic center of the Jalisco Highlands. It is 40 minutes from Atotonilco and has a population of approximately 7000. It is in the municipality of Arandas, and is identified on Arandas' webpage as one of the communities most known for its devotion to Roman Catholicism. According to the census of 2000, this town was one of many in the Highlands with no testimony to Christ. However, with Highland cities of 25 and 30,000 people with no Christian church, Santa Maria seems like an unlikely first-level target... DA VINCI, BROWN AND THE BIBLE May 2006 You are probably thinking, "Brown's book, The Da Vinci Code, and its spin-offs are everywhere, the bookstores, newspapers, television, theaters, and now I even find an article about it in a magazine dedicated to missions!"... PRAYER LETTER April 2006 The Lord has opened doors for the church here in a number of areas in the past weeks... THE INCREASE OF HIS GOVERNMENT March 2006 Isaiah 9:7 states "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end…" This verse, of course, is part of a longer section that speaks prophetically of the Lord Jesus. What catches the attention here is that the author is not saying that Christ's government will have no end, though that is true. He is stating that there will be no end to the increase of His government. His rule, His dominion will increase forever. Whatever implications this may have for eternity, its application to us now is one of great encouragement... LIFTED UP OR CAST DOWN? February 2006 An interesting insight comes out when one reads this verse in Spanish. In place of "ground" as the final word, Spanish says, "earth". The words "ground" and "earth" are the same in Spanish, but as I read, I was struck with the thought of the devastating limitation of those that don't know Christ. All the work, all the impact, all the significance they can ever have is limited to this planet, to this life. They are cast down to the Earth, limited to the finite and passing, so that the wealthiest man, the greatest statesman, the most dynamic speaker, the most accomplished performer or sports figure can never have the fruit that the lowliest believer can have... OUTREACH IN ATOTONILCO January 2006 a historic day for Atotonilco El Alto. Juan Monzon, a believer from Paraguay and friend of the Montgomery's for many years, was here for a brief visit. Juan is the director of Open Air Campaigners in Paraguay and a talented singer and musician. Taking advantage of his stay, the church here obtained permission to present a concert in the main plaza of downtown Atotonilco. The city agreed to put up a stage, a sound system was rented and announcement was made of the event via a sound car that traversed the streets announcing the "free concert by Paraguayan folk singer Juan Monzon"... NEW YEAR IN NEW LIFE January 2006 The beautiful wooded setting mirrored the beautiful fellowship as we ate together and talked among ourselves, the children running in and out among us. Then it was time for the skit. The young children (8-12) had prepared their own drama, an original work reflecting their idea of walking with Christ... A YEAR-END REPORT December 2005 When my fourth grade teacher saw me at the beginning of sixth grade, she commented how much I had grown. Surprised, I stated my own parents never seemed to notice my growth. She responded with an observation that comes to my mind now: "Your parents don't see your growth as clearly, because they see you every day." "standing in the gap" October 2005 In a previous article, I made a reference to "standing in the gap" for the Jalisco Highlands. As I thought about that phrase, I was provoked to look again at Ezekiel 22, the chapter from which this expression comes... "I feel like a blindfold has been taken off my eyes" September 2005 That was the way one believer here expressed his impression of the conference which the congregation in Atotonilco sponsored this September, in cooperation with the Brise_o church in Guadalajara and the group of believers in Arandas... IDENTITY-THEFT RELIGION September 2005 So another year has gone by and we are again into the celebration that honors the patron saint of Atotonilco. In the end, though, that saint, Saint Michael the Archangel, is overshadowed - as is everyone else - by the cult to Mary... KNOCKING ON THE DOOR July 2005 FIRST KNOCK: The knock on the door was a surprise, considering the lateness of the hour. I opened to find the smiling face of a woman in her mid-forties. I invited her in. She identified herself as a believer and asked if we were born-again. When we answered affirmatively, she, Maria Eugenia, began to rejoice, telling us that she had been born and raised in Atotonilco, moving with her family to Guadalajara when she was in high school. Years later, she and her husband came to Christ. Since that time they have been praying for this city... "...knock and it shall be opened unto you." June 2005 The theme here is, of course, prayer: "Ask…seek…knock…", and the context is confidence. Ask in the full confidence that your Father hears and will answer... News from within the Circle of Silence April 2005 "It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law." Ps. 119:126 THE GOD OF VENGEANCE November 2004 David, in Ps. 94, calls on the Lord, the God of vengeance, asking him to show Himself. As judge of all the Earth, give the proud their due. David is grieved because the wicked, instead of being fearful or experiencing God's judgment, seem to be rejoicing, succeeding, enjoying themselves... NEWS FROM WITHIN THE CIRCLE OF SILENCE April 2004 In October of last year, Bibles for the World provided us with 15,000 New Testaments to distribute to all the homes of Atotonilco. We named the outreach Proyecto T.N.T. ("Project The New Testament" in english). We began the work with a week-long campaign... |
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Pajacuaran, (pah-hah-kwah-RON) in the state of Michoacan, is a county seat on the edge of Jalisco, not far from La Barca. The first week of April is the time the town celebrates Holy Week with a local passion play mixed with prehispanic traditions. Because of all the town celebration, the local government has denied us any permits for any outdoor activities. No preaching, no mime, no concerts, no public events of any sort outdoors...
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