9/20/2021 The unexpected appeal of Russian authors, the 9/11 Memorial Picnic, more divine appointments.....and DMM Bible Study is on fire!Read Now Hello, vineyard workers....... Sadly, we're suspending all activity pertaining to "THE MINISTRY", but hope to resume post-Covid. Most of us are entering new phases (inc. 2 new babies).....& I need to focus on new arrivals from the "A" country. Our group met weekly for nearly a year. We only did 2 kid events, but it was time well spent as a lot of networking happened & community formed. The greatest development was when my friend from the "T" country came to our zoo event w/his 2 kids. I'd been teaching this friend guitar since June. He eventually asked, "Will you teach me Christianity?" So, we began w/Gen. 1 using the DMM method, which I'm learning on the fly. One of the questions is, "W/whom will you share what you learned?" He again said that he'd share w/his book club....where they usually discuss THEIR holy book! Whoahhhh. Goosebumps! He's also been discussing the Word w/others lately. By Mon. night, he'd read to Gen. 41!........(I asked if he'd like a quick guitar lesson before I left. He wanted to proceed w/the Bible!) He & many "T" people in our town are disciples of the man accused of plotting the '16 coup attempt in their home country. This man, who started 1,500 schools around the world, is now exiled in Penn. & probably T's most wanted man. My friend was a journalist there & has visited his home 5x. (Hmmm...wondering how far the Spirit might reach!) Pls pray. He also says that the DMM method resembles the way his mentor teaches their holy book!....Despite being his disciple, my friend seems disillusioned by his faith because the religious leaders lied to him about the Bible. In his quest, he's found much overlap between the Bible & his own holy book. I told him to expect diffs, but to continue. He's also been reading Tolstoy, who's playing a major role in his transformation. Ironically, a friend from the "A country" has also been listening to audiobooks by Dostoyevsky, another Christian Russian author. Could people from their faith reading Christian Russian authors be a trend? Now they have me interested.....because, I, myself, have been curious about Eastern Orthodox thought for a while now. Not because I'd like to convert, but to hear their wisdom. They're ok w/mysteries. I like that. There are many believing refugees in the T country, but merely 8-10k known native believers. Apparently, no T Church exists anywhere in the Americas. Pray that our town gets the honor of the 1st! That momentum got stoked when our Church co-hosted the 9-11 Memorial Picnic w/our T friends. 150 attended in total. 60 of them came. My A friend (the one who loves Dostoyevsky), has also started reading the Word w/me. He also volunteered that he's read a few chapters ahead. Pray for him....6 yrs. ago, he graciously accepted a Bible from me in his language after I explained that his "New World Translation" was heretical. While visiting recently, he apologized because he'd lost it while moving. I told him, "That's ok! I actually now have Bibles in your EXACT dialect. Would you like one?" He humbly received it. I am so glad he spoke up because he's now reading it & was able to experience my grace. (It surely took bunches of humility to confess losing a Holy Book.) By faith, let's start seeing these people as more similar to the Ephesian believers in Acts 19 (who didn't realize there was a Holy Spirit)....& less like lost causes, ok? Deal? Not saying they're Christians yet, but many are closer than most realize......This friendship w/the T community was totally organic & sprung, unplanned, from 1 friendship.....which began when our friend bought something from one of them! ------------------------------------------ A youngster named Tony Daniels is credited w/the "optimistic" & "gratitude filled" phrase "Life's hard & then you die" (That's the sanitized version). It reminds me of a Bruce Springsteen song from a few yrs. ago. Although in a major key, it's sad because he declares that his glory days are all past tense. Even amidst Covid, I'm experiencing my best days now & they're only getting better.......This is the same Bruce who recently got away w/drunk driving. Such is Hollywood. Go figure....It's a very boozy anthem. https://youtu.be/1BneV3MXM_Q Contrast this w/DeGarmo & Key. They're enjoying "Every Moment of their Lives". We're to enjoy God! YAYYYYYY!!!!! There are several mentions of enjoying God in Ps. 119. Although Israel often chose bondage, God indeed designed O.T. Hebrew life to be joyful.....Underneath the vid is a G.K. Chesterton quote that I read w/great passion to our T friends at a recent Friday night discussion club. They only see a somber sovereign to be appeased. But, before He's an angry Deity, our God is a jovial God......And Mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13) https://youtu.be/NBpelAJmuSU “Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce & free, therefore they want things repeated & unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; & the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; & every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that He makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned & grown old, & our Father is younger than we.”
For DMM, having a blast in Kingdom work and the nations, ........Just another witness of His Glory Comments are closed.
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