Thursday, November 30, 2006

French speaking Christians needed





Guadeloupe and Martinique are departments (think states) of France. They both have over 300,000 people and there is no sound church on either one of them. There is an institutional church on Guadeloupe that I know of, but I don't know of anything at all on Martinique.

Since they are still part of France there are more facilities, and therefore more work, on these two islands than on the surrounding, now independent islands, like Dominica and St. Lucia. Marie Galante can be seen from the northside of Dominica on a clear day and people from Vielle Case go there occasionally.

If anyone out there would like to correspond with one of the brethren in Guadeloupe, I have an e-mail address. He speaks some English, but I'm sure is more comfortable in French. I'm bilingual, but it's English & Spanish, not French, so I'm limited in what I can do personally, but I can put you in touch with someone there.


Tol

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

6 baptized in Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela

With the 6 recently baptized in Puerto Ordaz the number of brethren has doubled to 11. Brother Jose Barros and Carmelo Fricano are working here and have been working here for close to 3 years.

They worked one full year before any were baptized, but that is not surprising as the church of Christ is unknown in this city. People must first see that a preacher is serious about not only starting a church there, but also in staying to keep it going. How foolish you will look if you join some brand new church that no one has ever heard of, only for it to fold up and disappear within a couple of years. For the first couple of years we lived in St. Croix (before we got “crucianized”) we were frequently asked “how long are you staying?”

Please pray for the church in Puerto Ordaz. Carmelo is in his late 20’s, so is still young and Jose is 5-6 years younger so these young men need wisdom in teaching the Gospel. Both of them have been Christians less than 10 years, but they are seasoned veterans compared to the other brethren in Puerto Ordaz, 3 of whom have been Christians for a little over a year and then the 6 who were baptized last month. The nearest church is over an hour away, so they are really alone in many ways and need your prayers.

Tol

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Help with VBS in Dominica

In July of this year we did our 3rd vacation Bible school in Vielle Case (at the top of the map). The average number of kids this year was 67, most of which are from the community. We had 8 teachers/helpers, which was not enough, as we had 5 classes. We had so many that we had to "rent" the school this year. It is rewarding to see some of the same kids that we began with 3 years ago growing in their knowledge of God's Word. The photo below is of one of the sessions together that we begin and end each day with.

We expect as many kids, perhaps a few more, so this year we would like to have 10-12 people. The guest house we use will accomodate 12, so that's not a problem. We will do VBS from around 9-11:30 each morning and will not be preaching at night this year, as the church has a Gospel meeting planned for the next week. We will tour a little bit a couple of afternoons, but will still have time to invite people for the Gospel meeting, have Bible studies, etc.















The dates for next years VBS (2007) are the 16-20th of July in Vielle Case. The cost of the guest house should be $15 a person a night, which apart from your airfare will be the biggest expense. I will rent a vehicle, so you don't need to worry about that. To get an idea of the price of airfare go on aa.com and check the airfare from your city to Dominica (DOM is the airport code). We will also ask you to bring some of the food with you, as we have a place to cook there. If you're interested, contact me at tdburk@cpws.net or tolburk@gmail.com.

In 2007 we will also be doing a second week of VBS in La Plaine (on the map find Rosalie--it is about 5 miles south of there). It will begin the 23rd and run through the 27th of July. We will also have preaching each night, so it will be a busy week. This will be the first effort like this, so I'm expecting 25-35 kids this year. Since the church doesn't have a building, we will also meet in the school building here. We really need 8-10 here as well. The costs will be similar: the airfare will be the same, housing will be 3-5 in a house, which will cost $100 for the week, so each persons' share will be about $35 for the week.

Dominica is very safe, they speak English, and we are always well received, so if you are willing to take 10 days or so to help us with this effort please let me know.

Tol

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

"What does Jesus look like?"

With the approach of the Christmas season more emphasis is put on Jesus, particularly His birth. I was listening to a christmas song the other day titled "Some children see Him", of which the main idea is that children see Jesus as they look--white, brown, black, etc. and having lived in the Caribbean I've seen many "black" Jesus pictures. I suspect if I traveled in Asia I might see pictures of an "asiatic" Jesus. So what did Jesus really look like?

Fortunately the Bible tells us very little about His appearance. I say fortunately because the worship of His image would undoubtedly be even greater if we had a picture or photo of Jesus. The Scriptures emphasis is not on Jesus' outward appearance, but rather on who He was (and is)--the Son of God, God made flesh who dwelt among men and was tempted in all points as we are.

We are to honor and glorify Him, but what His temporary, earthly body looked like is of no importance to us--He lived in it even less than most people do. New Testament religion puts the emphasis on the inward, not the outward. So what did Jesus look like? Does it matter?

Tol

Sunday, November 05, 2006

"Get out of the boat"

You probably remember the occasion when Jesus walked on the water and approached the boat where the apostles were. Upon seeing Jesus they were afraid, assuming it must be a ghost. At some point Peter said, "Lord if it's really you, command me to come walk on the water." Jesus told him to come and Peter got out of the boat and started toward Jesus. You also remember that as Peter looked around at the waves and the wind he began to sink and cried out for help. Jesus took his hand and saved him. But today I want us to think about Jesus command to get out of the boat.

Peter had lots of reasons NOT to obey Jesus--we all know men can't walk on water, it was really stormy, maybe it wasn't Jesus at all, etc. But Peter was willing to get out of the boat and begin walking on the water--it didn't last all that long, but at least he got out of the boat. Frequently the point made is Peter's lack of faith, but obviously Peter had enough faith to get out of the boat. No, I think the problem was when he took his eyes of Jesus, not his lack of faith. But what about you?

When the Lord tells you to do something you find difficult, or that seems impossible, what is your reaction? Do you start listing all the reasons you can't or do you get out of the boat? Some years ago we moved our family to St. Croix almost blindly. We made a number of mistakes in the moving process and stumbled our way through what little we did. We did it on a shoestring because the amount needed was so large. We could have given all the reasons not to leave Texas but we got out of the boat and the Lord took care of us. You can do the same--"if God be for us, who can be against us?" He also says, "The cattle on a 1000 hills are mine"--do you really think He can't provide the money you need to do His work?

Are you willing to get out of the boat?

Tol

"Did I get all that's coming to me?"

The story is told a little boy who had the only bag of marbles in the neighborhood. There was in the same neighborhood one little girl who had a bag of candy and one day they decided they would exchange them the next morning. That night the little boy was looking through his marbles and found the "best" one, his very, very favorite. After a little while he took it out and hid it under his pillow--after all, she would never notice. The next morning the exchange took place as agreed, but that night the little boy tossed and turned all night--he just couldn't get something out of his mind. No, it wasn't the withheld marble he thought about--his thought was "How do I know she didn't keep some of the candy?"

Aren't some Christians just like this little boy? They sing heartily "All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give." but there is that pet sin that they just can't give up. Or there is football, Nascar, work, etc. that always comes before G0d. Yet they are always wondering, fretting, and worrying about whether God or the brethren are giving them everything they "deserve".

God has promised to provide everything His children need, but we don't become Christians only to receive. As Jesus sacrificed everything to purchase our salvation we must be willing to sacrifice everything for Him. That includes the comforts and conveniences of the States, a big church, etc. if necessary.

What about you?

Tol

Friday, November 03, 2006

Those "dirty politicians"

It is about this time in the campaign cycle that I've had it up to the eyeballs with slimy politicians and their mudslinging. As a group politicians are one of the least trusted groups in the nation, and with good reason. The last few years have been filled with scandals involving so many politicians it is disgusting. I think I speak for all of us when I say how turned off I am when a person in a position of trust is involved in blatant immorality or even criminal activity--we expect better of them, after all, they are our leaders.

Brethren, is it any different when a Christian sins publicly? Don't misunderstand me, I know Christians sin (I know I do) and many times such sins are public. We are weak and sometimes slip up. But such slip ups give not only our reputation, but the reputation of the other Christians, the church, and even religion a bad name. Whether we realize it or not, the abuse of young boys by Catholic priests, at least in the eyes of some, besmirches gospel preachers too--after all, a preacher/priest is a preacher is a preacher, they're all the same (in their eyes).

The church in some communities has been sorely wounded by the sins of some members. I know a man who was studying and began attending services until one Sunday he saw a fist fight at the church house door. That was more than 20 years ago and he just began attending again a week ago. In one town I preached in there were more Christians out of the church than there were in it, because of the ungodly attitudes and actions of some brethren.

Non-Christians have enough excuses not to serve the Lord already. Let us not live in a way that gives them more. So the next time you are condemning the politicians examine yourself as well. We really don't expect much more from politicians, but we do expect more from Christians.

Tol