Hebert and I have started working for a new ministry that was founded by a couple of guys who came to Maracaibo last summer from Georgia. They were really impacted by the feeding ministry part of the trip where we make bags of groceries and hand them out in person to families that live near the landfill in Maracaibo. They normally work at the landfill and scourge the trash for their main source of income, selling any scraps they can find, and their food source comes from whatever they can find to eat that day. They hardly ever have food stored up to have for the next day. A lot of older children sneak into garbage trucks, at their own risk, to get first dibs at whatever they can find before the trash gets dumped in the landfill. Some have broken arms and legs in the process. Instead of being available just a certain number of times a year, this ministry will be available year round and we are partnering with local churches to provide for these communities. We would really appreciate your prayers and support as we kick off this ministry on July 4th. We will be providing a homecooked meal as well as handing out several hundred bags of groceries. Please pray for the people in these communities that their lives will receive more than just physical nourishment, but spiritual nourishment as well and that God will always be placed first and foremost. For we know that things of this world cannot save us or satisfy us...these things are only found in Christ. If you would like to find out more information about this organization or if you would like to donate please see http://breadofhope.com/
Thanks so much! Love you all!
Pictures from the trip this June will be posted later.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
You are the salt of the Earth!
We had an awesome week with First Baptist Church of Alpharetta (pics coming soon). God really worked in the hearts and lives of the people in Venezuela, as well as the team. The team came in on Saturday night and on Sunday we had a special mobilization service encouraging the church to particiapte in upcoming trips. Thanks to God and your prayers, a lot of people from our church have signed up to go on those trips. I was really touched by their faith, a lot of them signed up not knowing where the money was going to come from for these trips. Some of them are unemployed, some are students, mothers, fathers, and children. However, their faith is not in what they have, but in the One who provides. I know that they were really inspired by the team that came from Georgia. People in Venezuela are very much aware of the economic hardships in the US and it really meant a lot to them to see how much faith they had to come to Venezuela.
I will share more details about the trip, once I get the pictures up...but I would like to talk about one of the devotionals that Pastor Jason shared with us that week.
Matthew 5:13, says, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men." Jesus used a lot of common, ordinary, everyday things to use as metaphors in his teaching. In this passage he tells his followers that they are the salt of the earth. To really truly understand the meaning behind this passage we have to look back to the cultural and historical significance of salt. Salt was extremely valuable in biblical times. Roman soldiers were paid with salarium, which is the latin root of the word we have today known as salary. Salarium was used as an allowance for Roman soldiers to buy salt. Salt is much more valuable in biblical times than it is today. Salt is important and valuable because of its use and it has four main uses.
1) Salt is an antiseptic. It heals and cleanses wounds. We are to be salt, to be the agents of change, healing and cleansing that this broken world needs.
2) Salt creates thirst. As salt of the Earth, we create thirst for the living water of God.
3) Salt is a preservative and stops corruption. Back in the days before refrigerators, meat was transported and kept fairly fresh through the use of salt. Salt keeps things from rotting, from going bad. In fact, four of Jesus' disciples who were in that crowd knew exactly what this metaphor meant. They were fishermen, they knew that they were the salt of the Earth to keep it from decaying.
4) Salt seasons food. Without salt food is dull, there is a richness that is missing. Our life with God should show a richness that attracts those who do not know him yet and in turn we should fill this world with the richness from God.
So, how do we use salt now-a-days? We put it in a salt shaker. A salt shaker is the perfect metaphor for our churches. A container that holds the salt, a container that also pours it out and distributes it. The salt shaker is only useful if the salt is poured out. Sometimes water or humidity gets inside the salt shaker and what happens? The salt clumps together and is not able to leave. You know one of the ways that salt loses its saltiness is to get diluted in water. A lot of our churches look like this. Instead of going out of our churches and blessing the communities and the world around us, we clump together and stay comfortable in our Christian bubbles. In other words, we lose our saltiness.
So, what do we do to avoid this? In the case of the salt shaker, we add in rice to keep the salt from clumping together. Just like in our churches, we have some people who encourage and challenge others to leave their familiar surroundings and impact the world around them.
Our church is more than just a building to meet on Sundays. We are the salt of the earth, not just the church. We were meant to be poured out, we were meant to take all that we learn from our time in church and pour it out into the people around us. As the salt shaker gets used more and more, it will always be refilled. But the important thing, is that it gets used. So, where are you right now? Are you salt being stored in the salt shaker? or are you being poured out and used in the community and the world around you?
I will share more details about the trip, once I get the pictures up...but I would like to talk about one of the devotionals that Pastor Jason shared with us that week.
Matthew 5:13, says, "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men." Jesus used a lot of common, ordinary, everyday things to use as metaphors in his teaching. In this passage he tells his followers that they are the salt of the earth. To really truly understand the meaning behind this passage we have to look back to the cultural and historical significance of salt. Salt was extremely valuable in biblical times. Roman soldiers were paid with salarium, which is the latin root of the word we have today known as salary. Salarium was used as an allowance for Roman soldiers to buy salt. Salt is much more valuable in biblical times than it is today. Salt is important and valuable because of its use and it has four main uses.
1) Salt is an antiseptic. It heals and cleanses wounds. We are to be salt, to be the agents of change, healing and cleansing that this broken world needs.
2) Salt creates thirst. As salt of the Earth, we create thirst for the living water of God.
3) Salt is a preservative and stops corruption. Back in the days before refrigerators, meat was transported and kept fairly fresh through the use of salt. Salt keeps things from rotting, from going bad. In fact, four of Jesus' disciples who were in that crowd knew exactly what this metaphor meant. They were fishermen, they knew that they were the salt of the Earth to keep it from decaying.
4) Salt seasons food. Without salt food is dull, there is a richness that is missing. Our life with God should show a richness that attracts those who do not know him yet and in turn we should fill this world with the richness from God.
So, how do we use salt now-a-days? We put it in a salt shaker. A salt shaker is the perfect metaphor for our churches. A container that holds the salt, a container that also pours it out and distributes it. The salt shaker is only useful if the salt is poured out. Sometimes water or humidity gets inside the salt shaker and what happens? The salt clumps together and is not able to leave. You know one of the ways that salt loses its saltiness is to get diluted in water. A lot of our churches look like this. Instead of going out of our churches and blessing the communities and the world around us, we clump together and stay comfortable in our Christian bubbles. In other words, we lose our saltiness.
So, what do we do to avoid this? In the case of the salt shaker, we add in rice to keep the salt from clumping together. Just like in our churches, we have some people who encourage and challenge others to leave their familiar surroundings and impact the world around them.
Our church is more than just a building to meet on Sundays. We are the salt of the earth, not just the church. We were meant to be poured out, we were meant to take all that we learn from our time in church and pour it out into the people around us. As the salt shaker gets used more and more, it will always be refilled. But the important thing, is that it gets used. So, where are you right now? Are you salt being stored in the salt shaker? or are you being poured out and used in the community and the world around you?
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Arepas and Sweet tea
I've been cooking a lot of arepas lately, so I thought I would attach an article that does a lot better than I ever could at explaining what arepas are and how they are made. I just discovered that the best arepas are arepas dulces. Arepas with a little bit of sugar, a mix of savory with sweet. Its very delicious! Arepas are a staple at any Venezuelan home they are filling and very cheap to make.
http://www.sweetbitesblog.com/journal/2010/2/10/arepas-dulces-sweet-venezuelan-filled-corn-cakes.html
I usually fill ours with ham and cheese or if I want to get a little fancier I'll shred chicken or beef. There's a dish here that tastes just like chopped barbeque back home. They are called arepas de pernil. Pernil is spanish for pork and in these arepas it is shredded and cooked with vinegar and it tastes just like home. However, all that is missing is sweet tea. Which thanks to Sarah, who left us some tea bags, I am able to make sweet tea at home. And you know what my Venezuelan husband makes the best sweet tea ever. It could rival Chick-fil-A and Bojangles. He also makes the best fresh pineapple juice...God knew what he was doing when he put us together...haha :)
http://www.sweetbitesblog.com/journal/2010/2/10/arepas-dulces-sweet-venezuelan-filled-corn-cakes.html
I usually fill ours with ham and cheese or if I want to get a little fancier I'll shred chicken or beef. There's a dish here that tastes just like chopped barbeque back home. They are called arepas de pernil. Pernil is spanish for pork and in these arepas it is shredded and cooked with vinegar and it tastes just like home. However, all that is missing is sweet tea. Which thanks to Sarah, who left us some tea bags, I am able to make sweet tea at home. And you know what my Venezuelan husband makes the best sweet tea ever. It could rival Chick-fil-A and Bojangles. He also makes the best fresh pineapple juice...God knew what he was doing when he put us together...haha :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)