OK, so earlier this week I had a guy come in to my office, pull out his bible, and begin to show me from his Bible that Jesus is coming back on Nov. 15, 2008. Although I did not agree with his interpretation of the scriptures on various issues he was nonetheless convinced that he had discovered the secret of the date from the scriptures themselves. He even claims to have found another man on the internet who has arrived at the same date, but by a completely different method.
Although I did not buy his arguments, it once again made me ask myself "Am I ready for Christ's return?"
Spiritually?..... yes.
Personally?..... well I would like to see my kids grow up a little more. I would like to play with grandchildren someday.
In our Ministry?..... Wow! There is so much more that I would like to do. So many more ways that we could tell people about Jesus, especially in this fast moving world of technology and communication.
I have to admit that at first I thought "hooray! Now I don't have to worry anymore about my budgets!" But there is so much more to the ministry than that. What my encounter with this man did for me was put everything back into perspective again. It isn't about budgets. It isn't about meetings. It isn't about employee/employer conflicts. It is about saving the lost and getting them the message in time for them to make a decision for Christ. This was a reminder for me to "Keep the main thing, the main thing".
Doug
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
"Tiroteo"
Defn. "Tiroteo - firing, shooting"
On Monday, a couple of friends and I were on our way to the little town of Shell, Ecuador to visit HCJB's hospital ministry there. On the way, we found ourselves in a little adventure that we would just as soon not experience again in the near future.
As we headed around one of the towns along our way, we noticed two police cars headed down our highway in the opposite direction at high speed and with their lights flashing (no sirens). We thought that a bit odd. Within seconds we discovered another police car, a double cab pick-up truck, parked across our freeway lanes. An officer beside the truck was signalling us to stop our vehicle. We did. But before we could stop, two motorcycles with two men on each passed us at full speed.
One motorcycle tried going around the back of the police truck, the other around the front. There was not enough room around the back of the truck and the first motorcycle slid to a stop, dumpinig its passengers on the road. The next thing we know, the police officer has his gun drawn and pointed right at the two men as they unfolded themselves from around their bike. Their hands went into the air in surrender.
The second bike was able to squeeze around the front of the police vehicle and continue its flight up the freeway. The police truck jumped in to gear and pulled itself around in hot pursuit of the second motorcycle. Relieved that our little adventure was over, and the police had everything in control, we headed on up the highway again. Within seconds we were back in the thick of it.
As we approached an interchange on the highway, we were suddenly surrounded by policeman again, this time on motorcycles. One officier was indicating that we should take the right exit ramp. Another officer indicated that we should stop. We decided to stop. Almost immediately we heard shots from a pistol. Then we saw the second motorcycle race over the overpass in front of us. More shots were heard. A nearby officier instructed us to exit our van and get behind it for protection. At the same instant the other motorcycle policemen disappeared in pursuit of the fleeing motorcycle.
The newspaper yesterday reported that the 4 men had stolen $21,500 from a local businessman as he was taking the previous days earnings to a local bank. All 4 men were eventually apprehended and the money recovered.
I was quite impressed with the police response during our little adventure, even though they were not quite in control of the situation yet. They were well organized and obviously in constant communication with each other. However, this experience is just another example of how quickly we can find ourselves in situations beyond our control. It also highlights the importance of prayer for God's protection over us. So don't forget to pray for God's protection over your missionary friends no matter where in the world they serve, becuase you just don't know what they might be driving in to around the next bend in the road.
On Monday, a couple of friends and I were on our way to the little town of Shell, Ecuador to visit HCJB's hospital ministry there. On the way, we found ourselves in a little adventure that we would just as soon not experience again in the near future.
As we headed around one of the towns along our way, we noticed two police cars headed down our highway in the opposite direction at high speed and with their lights flashing (no sirens). We thought that a bit odd. Within seconds we discovered another police car, a double cab pick-up truck, parked across our freeway lanes. An officer beside the truck was signalling us to stop our vehicle. We did. But before we could stop, two motorcycles with two men on each passed us at full speed.
One motorcycle tried going around the back of the police truck, the other around the front. There was not enough room around the back of the truck and the first motorcycle slid to a stop, dumpinig its passengers on the road. The next thing we know, the police officer has his gun drawn and pointed right at the two men as they unfolded themselves from around their bike. Their hands went into the air in surrender.
The second bike was able to squeeze around the front of the police vehicle and continue its flight up the freeway. The police truck jumped in to gear and pulled itself around in hot pursuit of the second motorcycle. Relieved that our little adventure was over, and the police had everything in control, we headed on up the highway again. Within seconds we were back in the thick of it.
As we approached an interchange on the highway, we were suddenly surrounded by policeman again, this time on motorcycles. One officier was indicating that we should take the right exit ramp. Another officer indicated that we should stop. We decided to stop. Almost immediately we heard shots from a pistol. Then we saw the second motorcycle race over the overpass in front of us. More shots were heard. A nearby officier instructed us to exit our van and get behind it for protection. At the same instant the other motorcycle policemen disappeared in pursuit of the fleeing motorcycle.
The newspaper yesterday reported that the 4 men had stolen $21,500 from a local businessman as he was taking the previous days earnings to a local bank. All 4 men were eventually apprehended and the money recovered.
I was quite impressed with the police response during our little adventure, even though they were not quite in control of the situation yet. They were well organized and obviously in constant communication with each other. However, this experience is just another example of how quickly we can find ourselves in situations beyond our control. It also highlights the importance of prayer for God's protection over us. So don't forget to pray for God's protection over your missionary friends no matter where in the world they serve, becuase you just don't know what they might be driving in to around the next bend in the road.
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