Tuesday, June 1, 1999
Perhaps you haven’t noticed. The ‘Rapture’ or ‘the Second Coming of Jesus Christ’ is not a hot topic in the church today even though it was the central theme of the early church. Strange, isn’t it? Somehow, 2000 years later, we have managed to lull ourselves into a humanistic existence and self-dependence that makes little time for God. When was the last time you heard a sermon on the ‘Rapture’ or even a mere mention of it. When was the last time you saw it in Sunday School curriculum? Perhaps you hadn’t noticed…
It is possible that all of the prophecies of the Bible could be fulfilled almost overnight setting the stage for the return of Christ. Jesus is coming again! R-U-READY?
Wednesday, June 2, 1999
Yesterday I met with a former pastor for a business discussion. Early in the conversation he brought up the ChurchMouse Chronicles. He asked how it was going. I told him that we were steadily adding people to the daily inspirational email list and that the website has increased by about 1/3 in the last month. He said, “But you don’t make any money doing that do you?” I sidestepped his question and went on with the conversation.
A while later he brought the ChurchMouse Chronicles up again and said, “Why do you put all that time into it when you don’t make any money?” I simply answered, “I never intended on making money doing it.” He quickly responded, “I don’t do anything for free!”
What a shame. He, along with much of the rest of the church world, has no clue what he is missing. Until we bring the joy of servanthood and sacrifice back into the church, we will continue to have chaos, discord and an unholy spirit.
Thursday, June 3, 1999
Overreaction seems to be a natural response for human beings. When someone does something to us or says something about us that slice into our “no trespassing zone,” we overreact!
Everyone has their “no trespassing zone” that gives them pain when people enter it. This special pain zone can be reached very quickly in some people while others seem to put theirs in a harder to find location. But everyone has a “no trespassing zone” that causes them to react to the actions or criticisms, perceived or real, of others. The question is, “How do we handle the intrusion?”
In the church we have been taught to respond out of love. For some that means ‘no response!’ This is almost worse than overreaction responses. So what is a proper response?
A Godly response is a proper response. God always sees the big picture without losing site of the finest detail. People must respond with a larger view of the circumstances and not just the spec of momentary emotional pain guiding their behavior. And of course, God is love!
Friday, June 4, 1999
If forgiveness for yourself is determined by how you forgive others, what standard are you measured at today?
Forgiveness is not an available option for believers. It’s standard equipment!
Saturday, June 5, 1999
If people knew more about God they would find that they would know more about themselves!
Sunday, June 6, 1999
The pastor who said he only does things for money fulfills the scripture:
“Verily, they have their reward.”
-contributed by Martin Wishnatsky
Monday, June 7, 1999
Last Saturday I attended the state track meet. I am not typically a track fan and I personally did not enjoy the sport when I was in high school. But my nephew and another young man from the church were running so I thought I’d take it in.
I watched a variety of events but the one I remember the most was the girls 300 hurdles. They were all running pretty close. They rounded the final turn and headed toward the finish line when suddenly one of the girls tripped over the last hurdle. She fell straightforward. It was a vicious fall and she didn’t get up for sometime after the race was over.
Moments after she fell another girl fell heading to the finish line. Within a fraction of a second a third girl fell heading to the finish line. The third girl got up and continued to run across the line. The second girl got up and collapsed again and then crawled the final 15 or 20 feet across the finish line. It was as a dramatic as I have ever seen a sporting event… and I’ve seen a lot of them.
But the nudging that took place in my spirit overshadowed the drama. A small voice inside of me said; “That’s the problem we have today the church. People don’t make the effort to finish the race!”
First, the ‘ministry’ of the church needs to become a passion for the congregation. Secondly, about the time people get old enough to ‘get it,’ they coast the rest of their lives. In the race for the lost souls of man, nobody gets to coast! Thirdly, when we fall we need to get back up and finish the race with just as much effort or perhaps more effort than we put out before we fell. And finally, remember, if you haven’t got what it takes to finish the race… GOD DOES!
Tuesday, June 8, 1999
Have you ever noticed all the things we need to repeat in life? We eat meals over and over again. We do the usual daily personal care items…over and over again. We go to work over and over again. We really do a lot of things over and over again. Most of the things we do in life we repeat. Yet, when it comes to saying “I Love You,” we repeat it sparingly. Today, say I love you to your loved ones. Then try it everyday for a week and see what happens. It might become a “lovely” habit!
Wednesday, June 9, 1999
A Rare Request
On Friday, June 11 I will be leaving for Monterrey, Mexico with approximately 30 teens and 8 adults. We will be traveling by coach bus to McAllen, TX. There a bus from Mexico that will bring us to Monterrey will pick us up.
We will be staying on a ranch in the country outside of Monterrey. From there we will be going into the villages going door-to-door passing out Bibles. We have also raised money to pass out bags of food in poor neighborhoods.
We will also be helping a church that is being built in another poor neighborhood with a building project. Believe it or not, we will be building them an outdoor toilet. Our carpenter skills are very limited so this could use some prayer!
In the evenings we will be conducting outside street meetings. The teens have prepared drama skits, puppet programs, personal testimonies, clown ministry and basketball drills, all with a gospel message. We are bringing our instruments and having our own praise band singing in the street. The teens have prepared some of the songs in Spanish. And then there will be a sermon given through an interpreter. What an exciting week we have in store for us.
Throughout the trip I am going to try to continue the daily emails to you via Mexico. However, considering that the ranch has no phone it will be somewhat of a challenge to get to someplace to a phone and hook up to email to you. But I am determined to try to make this work.
I will also update the website http://www.churchmouse.net as often as I am able to email… hopefully every day. We will be taking pictures each day and also loading them unto the site. Look for the Mexico update on the first page. I will try to give you an overview of our daily activities through script and digital photo.
The request I have is for you to pray for us daily now and during these 10 days. Pray that God will…
…protect us while we are there.
…give us safe traveling down and back.
…prepare the hearts of the people who hear the gospel message.
…instill within each of us a deeper love for the people of the world.
…bless us and make us a blessing.
…that I am able to share the days with you via the internet.
…that we will not get sick.
…that our teens will take another step with God in the walk of faith.
…lead you to pray according to our needs.
Please do not be neglectful in your prayer for us. We need you!
Thursday, June 10, 1999
What would life be like if we had GTH Playoffs. By the way, GTH means “Go To Heaven!” So what would happen is that each person would live with the whole idea of going to heaven.
The playoffs would be like a giant game of “Who could be the most Christ-like.” Those who were the kindest, who loved the most, who were the most obedient, who had the greatest servants’ attitude, had compassion, and a whole list of other attributes of God would get to go to heaven. Then the losers would get to go back and start all over again for another season of life. So, getting to heaven would not be by faith or works but rather attitude and behavior!
Although the concept of a GTH Playoff may sound ridiculous, the idea of Christians having a Christ-like attitude and behavior is certainly sound doctrinally. Somewhere in the practice of the modern church we must realize that when people are saved by faith in Christ, Christ-like attitude and behavior should follow close behind. And in time, this should also produce good works.
Friday, June 11, 1999
When God calls a person to change the world in which they live, He always changes the person He calls first!
In a little over four hours from the time I have written this we will be meeting our bus to leave for Mexico. The earliest time that you may hear from me again will be on Saturday around 6:00 PM CDT. If everything goes right I hope to also upload the website for the first two days at that time. If you don’t hear from me or don’t find the update on the site, don’t be alarmed. It just means we have not been able to line up a phone and local Internet connection. The ranch we are staying has no phone.
You may also email us in Mexico or email someone on the trip as they will have access to email as I will. Email chmouse@churchmouse.net or goodnews@churchmouse.net. The website address is http://www.churchmouse.net
Please pray for us as we seek God divine leadership and intervention on this trip. Especially pray for the safety of the kids and the leaders. Don’t forget the bus drivers. They also have a big job ahead of them.
Saturday, June 12, 1999
It is refreshing to have the time with young people to experience their fresh, yet serious approach to the things of the Lord. As we crossed the Mexican border their was a sense of mission that seemed to be a sense of mission that took over the atmosphere on the bus. Like soldiers going to battle… the time had come.
The kids (and me) were pleasantly surprised at the ranch setting that God has provided for the groups coming to Monterrey. We are the first group to use this facility.
My prayer today is that the spirit of these will spread through the churches they attend. It is this quite restraint of youth in the church that has caused the decline and death of many churches. YWAM stands for YOUTH WITH A MISSION. This week it is Mexico. Next week it is East Central Minnesota!
Sunday, June 13, 1999
Today we worshiped with a three year old congregation that averages over 1000 in attendance on Sunday morning. About 20 people went forward to accept Christ. I couldn’t help but think how badly we needed to learn from them.
The praise and worship was in Spanish. Amazingly, it didn’t matter that we couldn’t understand the words. The Spirit of the Lord swept through the place and we were all in one accord.
There is much in my heart about this matter but I do not have the time to write it. I would just like to say that there is something very wrong when churches understand all the words but can’t sense the presence of the or feel free to praise him. Praise is as much part of the church as breach is to the life of man. He is worthy of our praise.
Monday, June 14, 1999
Today we are training to go door to door this afternoon for Bible distribution. Each one of our young people must do this and they must do it in Spanish. By now they have realized that this is a serious matter of eternal life. Last night as we knelt in prayer the Lord the Lord began to touch the lives our these kids in ways that I cannot write about tears.
There was a sudden outpouring of broken hearts and sense of grieving over personal sin. A personal cleansing and preparation of each person’s soul brought a wave of tears from the depth of hearts like I have not witnessed for a long, long time. Truly, they met with God!
These kids will not come home the same. They are finding something greater than silver or gold.
Pray for us now as we take to the streets.
Also pray for the two youth pastors, Nathan and Tim. They don’t know it yet, but they are doing the preaching tonight and tomorrow night at the open-air services. It is part of the continued training they need as God continues to prepare them for the future. I did not want them to be prepared but rather to share their hearts. AND THEY HAVE GREAT HEARTS!
Tuesday, June 15, 1999
When we bring our needs to God, I suspect that we see them through the eyes of those who have more but God sees them through the eyes of those who have less!
We held a service in the street on Monday and literally dozens of children came forward and accepted Christ. I estimate attendance at about 200. Most of them were children. Their excitement was beyond words.
Wednesday, June 16, 1999
One of my favorite sayings is that “wealth is measured by what you have left after you lose everything.” After what I saw yesterday, I am now convinced that “wealth is what you have when you’ve never had anything!”
Today we went into a neighborhood where people live in little wooden and cardboard houses. To be honest with you, we wouldn’t use these for anything… not even to house animals. This whole community has no addresses because it doesn’t officially exist. The people make their living by collecting garbage and selling what they can. We bought groceries and gave away sacks to about 50 families. I could write for days and still not be able to explain what I saw… not so much by the neighborhood but by their faces.
Thursday, June 17, 1999
When God calls people to ministry, and He still does, they always answer. The problem is the answer is not always yes!
This week our teenagers have seen a need so great that it instantaneously became clear that no individual could meet the need. It is also clear that, even though their poverty is indescribable, God and God alone is clearly the biggest need these people have. There have been well in excess of 100 decisions for Christ during the two days our kids were on the streets. Has there ever been another time in the history of our churches that 100 people were lead to Christ in two years? How many years would we have to add together to have a total of 100 conversions? God has allowed these teens to, not only witness, but be part of the act of His hand that many of our adult have never experienced.
Friday, June 18, 1999
The love of God can be communicated whether you can speak another person’s language or not. The language of love is always understood.
Yesterday our teens amazed the staff and leadership here by their great work ethic. We dug two holes, one for a small septic system here at the Quinta and an outdoor toilet for a small neighborhood church. Some also painted at the Quinta and a group of boys built and sheet rocked stalls in the men’s bathroom. When they guys came back from digging the 9’ deep hole for the toilet one of them came up to me, put his arm around me and said; “This has best the best day yet. I made a friend today.” He had spent the day working alongside the pastor’s son and they had felt a certain kinship. I would guess the language of love took over.
TO THE PARENTS OF THESE PRECIOUS YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN: Don’t expect your son or daughter to come back the same as they left. God has done something in their lives this week beyond description. He has marked them with His love forever!
Saturday, June 19, 1999
To be filled with the presence and the blessings of God, we must truly empty ourselves of the cheap imitations of this world to make room for His holy presence.
As we waited for the bus to pick us up from the ‘Quinta,’ there was a sense of accomplishment in the air. Perhaps it is similar to soldiers who have just one a great battle. For now it was clear that this week was not about what we had accomplished in Mexico but rather what God had accomplished in us!
Sunday, June 20, 1999
A young Mexican in training was invited, along with others, to dine with Mother Theresa upon her visit. Near the end of dining, he approached her to introduce himself and make conversation about ministry. As they chatted, she casually tore off a piece of her bread and handed it to him.
As the evening progressed she approached him and asked, “What did you do with the bread I gave you?”
He replied, “I ate it.”
She said, “You’re not ready yet. You should have torn what I gave you in half and shared it with someone else.”
I believe that the young people who were on this mission trip this week learned the value of that lesson. So did the young Mexican man. His name is Augustine. He is the director of “Outreach Adventures” for YWAM Monterrey. As he shared this story with us it was as if a spiritual blindness has been removed from the eyes of all of us. The next day our hearts were revealed to each of us individually as guilt and shame of our own greed flooded our souls as we looked into the faces of the Mexican children who had so little yet so much. In the middle of poverty… they expressed joy with genuine smiles reflecting something money can’t buy, happiness!
Monday, June 21, 1999
If you want to lift up Jesus higher in your life, start from a kneeling position!
Tuesday, June 22, 1999
If you want to evaluate the effectiveness of the church, one should start with the fact that we have over 35,000,000 laws to enforce the 10 commandments!
Wednesday, June 23, 1999
It’s not always easy to do a self-evaluation of our own spiritual progress, but it is always necessary. A little less time in searching the souls of others and a lot more time searching the soul of ones self usually brings each of us to the reality that we are all sinners saved by grace, fellow strugglers if you will.
Thursday, June 24, 1999
Seeking God’s will can be a very confusing adventure. We say we are seeking Him but we continue in our daily busyness while we seek. I am of the opinion that God is seeking us to place His will on our hearts. Unfortunately, we are often hard to find!
Friday, June 25, 1999
I recently overheard someone say that they wished their church had enough Sunday School teachers. This seems to be a rather common problem, regardless of the numerical size of a congregation.
Wishing is something that comes very naturally for people. For many, life is like constantly viewing a “sale catalog.” I wish yes, a wish no… where it ends nobody knows.
One of the great needs in the church today is a “vocabulary miracle!” Instead of saying “I wish” we need God to supernaturally change the uttering of the saints to “I will!”
Saturday, June 26, 1999
A present day truth.
This is very insightful, as it is scary! It was written by a Columbine student.
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years.
We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space; we’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We have higher incomes, but lower morals; we’ve become long on quantity, but short on quality.
These are the times of tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to make a difference, …..or to just hit delete!
-contributed by Ralph Fischer
Sunday, June 27, 1999
If I could catch a rainbow,
I would do it just for you.
And share with you its beauty,
On the days you’re feeling blue.
If I could build a mountain,
You could call your very own.
A place to find serenity,
A place to be alone.
If I could take your troubles,
I would toss them in the sea.
But all these things I’m finding,
Are impossible for me.
I cannot build a mountain,
Or catch a rainbow fair.
But let me be what I know best,
A friend that’s always there.
-contributed by Sandi Moser
