This past week was encouraging in various ways. The week before last, I would not have believed the forecast of warm weather as I looked out at the snow-covered ground and felt the sub-freezing air flow through an open door. But to my delight, the thermometer peaked in the 70s on Thursday, so we celebrated with shorts and t-shirts, walking in the park with flip flops, and playing field soccer. I hate the cold and being cooped up inside, so any break from it is enthusiastically embraced. Another encouraging thing is our Romans 5-8 class, where we have been discussing some of the practical concepts set forth in those chapters. The instructor is more of a facilitator and asks many intriguing questions to make us think. Today we have no classes, so we will relax and prepare our minds for another week of learning.
"What do you believe?" he asked. His long hair and tattooed arms give him a rough look. We'll call him J. With a few interruptions, I managed to tell him an extremely brief overview of God's story as contained in the Bible. The interruptions were perpetrated by a guy with weird ideas, but with the common thread of Nostradamus and the destruction of the world in 2012. So many people talk about this that I should probably study it so I have better answers. I moved over next to J and asked him about his story and beliefs. He had not been raised in a church, but realized that his life was a mess. He prayed for 'enlightenment' and the next day ended up in jail. At some point, a Mormon had come to his door, but he didn't go that route. Over the past couple of months he has been learning what he can from believers he runs into, and has been reading the Bible some. He told me that He reads at a 3rd grade level, so it has been difficult. We read Psalm 144 together and I summarized the first few chapters of Romans, which was new to him. So if you think of it, remember to pray for J at the substance abuse treatment center.
This past week was encouraging in various ways. The week before last, I would not have believed the forecast of warm weather as I looked out at the snow-covered ground and felt the sub-freezing air flow through an open door. But to my delight, the thermometer peaked in the 70s on Thursday, so we celebrated with shorts and t-shirts, walking in the park with flip flops, and playing field soccer. I hate the cold and being cooped up inside, so any break from it is enthusiastically embraced. Another encouraging thing is our Romans 5-8 class, where we have been discussing some of the practical concepts set forth in those chapters. The instructor is more of a facilitator and asks many intriguing questions to make us think. Today we have no classes, so we will relax and prepare our minds for another week of learning.
2 Comments
2/21/2011 01:26:11 am
Hey Brian...
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Lori Wikum
2/21/2011 02:05:47 am
i would love to get a look at the Romans 5-8 class! alot of important concepts in that section of scripture!
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AuthorWe are normal people who believe that God would have us serve Him in Brazil. We are saddened by the existence of people who do not have access to the gospel due to their location and language. We want to live among such a people group and plant a church among them, shepherding the believers as they grow to maturity. Archives
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