The Paredes and The Spurlings

We are blessed as first term missionaries to work along-side Daniel and Eunice Parades, and their two children Rodrigo and Paula. Together we are ministering in the Alliance church of Asunción.

The Parades have been irreplaceable to us as first term missionaries. They have taught us about the culture, about the people to whom we are ministering, and how to speak better Spanish. They have walked along-side as we've struggled through culture shock. They've helped us out in countless ways, including: processing immigration paperwork, entering the jail to minister, finding stores to purchase guitar strings, party favors, Bibles, ministry resources, and even my parrot. They have been a major part of making our first transition into a new culture possible and most the time enjoyable.

During our transitional time we've watched as Daniel has grown as a leader. We've been able to encourage him, giving him confidence that God has equipped him to do great things. I've been reading 1st Thessalonians during my quiet times this past week, Paul tells us how important encouragement is. The body of Christ is obligated to encourage one another, especially our leaders (1st Thessalonians 5:12-13). I believe that Daniel was in need of this encouragement at the local level. We couldn't do much in the beginning due to our language deficiencies, but we were able to encourage and be Daniels mighty "men" (2 Samuel 23:8-39). Once the encouragement was introduced he was able to exercise the giftings that were already there. Daniel is a gifted teacher and administrator.

These gifts will be a great asset to him as he fulfills his new presidential duties. As of May 15th Daniel took over the responsibilities of president of the Alianza Cristiana y Misionera here in Paraguay. Daniel is the first Paraguayan president of the denomination. Please remember to keep him in your prayers as he will be facing many new challenges, decisions, and opportunities. Pray specifically for Daniel as he will be traveling to Chile in April to attend the Alliance World Fellowship.

[Click on photos to see them in larger format]

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Jeffrey and Jasmine

Here are a couple of photos for those family members looking for their J&J fix.

Yesterday at church a member told me (in English!), "J, you did nothing to make Jasmine. She is all her mother." I had a little something to do with it. However it is true that Jasmine squeezed all the cute from Karen. Jasmine enjoys climbing, running, being out of doors, dancing, clapping, kissing, saying and waving bye-bye.

I asked Jeffrey the other night "Who is Jesus to you?" (It's one of my evangelism questions). Jeffrey without missing a beat said, "Jesus is God." Wow! That's something some people don't come to understand until much later in life. Tomorrow we begin memorizing "There is but one only, living, and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions; immutable, immense, eternal... (I'm just joking).

Jeffrey enjoys running, kicking balls, swimming, screaming, reading books, watching TV, praying, tickles and riding his bike.

Praise God that he has blessed us with two wonderful and adorable children.

[You can double click to view larger photo]

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Resurrection Hope

The other day a friend of mine sent out an e-mail to several friends. He is looking for insight to the following question:

Jesus' death was the sacrifice that the old testament sacrifices could not atone for. So, at the risk of sounding stupid, what was the significance of the resurrection? Why is it important that Jesus came back to life?

My answer is not exhaustive by any means but it is something to which I've given much thought in the past. I would be interested in the responses you receive from the others to whom you sent this question.

I'm assuming that the statement "Jesus' death was the sacrifice that the old testament sacrifices could not atone for" is a declaration that the birds, goats, lambs, rams, and bulls of the Old Testament were not sufficient sacrifices for the eternal forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 8:6-13). We should agree that these sacrifices were not without merit, in that they did serve a purpose of cleansing the people from sin until they sinned again (Leviticus 4-5). However, it is true that this system was insufficient and that a promise of a better covenant was expected (Jeremiah 31:33-34).

"I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me" Jeremiah 32:40.

The resurrection guarantees the eternal aspect of the new covenant. Romans 4:25 tells us that "He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification." It's true that our sin needed a means to be forgiven (atonement), but as well our relationship needed to be made right with God (Justification). There was no eternal guarantee in the Old Testament system. The sacrifice of animals needed to continue year after year to make atonement, however ultimately the people never experienced justification once and forever. They never had the ability to live life consistently in relationship with God. Today not only are our sins paid for with the perfect sacrifice, but because of the resurrection we are justified (because of Christ's mediation) and we also have the ability to live the perfect life. The Holy Spirit's active ministry in our lives was made possible after His ascension (which took place after His resurrection). The Holy Spirit enables us to live righteously.

I've been encouraged lately in my personal devotions from the book of Colossians. "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life (because of the resurrection), is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory" Colossians 3:1-4. "Christ in you the hope of glory" Colossians 1:27. This is mostly present tense (have been raised, keep seeking, Christ is, Set your mind, have died, life is, Christ is our life). Therefore I am dead to sin because of Christ (who IS) and I am alive to do what is right. This is all because of the resurrection. He IS, not He was. Without the resurrection I would be dead to sin at the point of the perfect sacrifice, but never having been raised to life I would continue experiencing sin's bondage just as the Old Testament folks did.

Side Note: We will never be perfect until we see Christ face to face (1 Corinthians 13:8-12, 2 Corinthians 1:13-14). But we do have all the tools, provided at the resurrection, to live perfect lives. Our justification was granted at the resurrection, our ability to live perfectly while always reflecting that justification is a process that will never be complete this side of eternity.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1st Peter 1:3-5). We have been given a new heart because of the resurrection, a heart full of hope. In the Old Testament the people did not have the hope as we have today. "God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power" (Acts 2:24). This is why we can proclaim "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1st Corinthians 15:54-57).

This is a personal response to your question. However, there are other significant reasons for the resurrection:

• It proved that Jesus Christ was who He claimed to be
• It was a proof that Jesus Christ had accomplished what He had promised (destroy this temple and in three days rebuild it).
• It was the fulfillment of biblical prophecy
• It was a vindication of Jesus' identity as God
• It declares that Christ's sacrifice was accepted

My friend, please share the other responses that you get.

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My Grumpy Easter Resurrected

Isaiah 40

Even when we fail Him, God gives us strength. We can always go to him for encouragement. To whom can we compare Him? He is beyond our ability to understand. He is more of a friend than our closest friend. He shows us more love than even our family can. He shows us more patience than is humanly possible. Often, we try to comprehend God by human standards. However, this is not possible. He has not comparison.

Today started out pretty "discouraging," but thankfully ended on a good note.

This morning began with Jeffrey being on top of his game... which means full of energy and lacking control. I think it was my mother who always wished upon me a child just like myself (and come to find out Karen's mother did the same... it's the double whammy). Don't get me wrong, I love my son and I believe that one day he will be an incredible leader. He just needs to accept the Lord and be filled with the Holy Spirit (my prayer every night before I go to sleep). This morning started with my unregenerate child being the pagan that we all were (smile). Add to that our pagan tradition of chocolate bunnies and you have the recipe for a day of emotional pain.

We arrived at church to find around 40 kids out for Sunday School (Praise the Lord!). I was mobbed by children, before I could even enter the property, screaming "Pastor, where is the chocolate?" It appeared that these children remembered from the year before that we had a chocolate Easter egg hunt (if I was a good anthropologist I would have never introduced this unsanctified ritual to the culture). So, while everyone was participating in the Sunday morning worship... which I knew would be exceptionally enjoyable as I typed in the PowerPoints and saw that 2 or 3 of my favorite songs would be sung... I was out furthering this chocolaty abomination (I also missed out on communion while standing in the checkout). And while the congregation listened to the Easter message I was "hiding" 200 treats in a 30 foot by 60 foot wide open area (a blind pig would have found his fill of acorns without much effort).

To top it off I had to confront a situation that needed to be corrected... that's bad enough to do in your own language, but can you imagine having to do this in another language. I imagine I sound like the Tanto character from the Lone Ranger: "This is bad. Need to do better. I am not happy. Please make me happy next time. Do you understand me. I go now. Do better when I come again. Thank you. I go."

Following the service we had a nice lunch with the congregation. As a family we returned to the house and were able to rest up: Jeffrey and Jasmine were in bed, Karen was napping, and I was able to vedge in front of the T.V. watching a rerun of 24 (BTW, curse the writers' strike. I should not have to watch reruns. It's a sad day when I get excited about watching American Idol... GO DAVID COOK!). Even though these things were not stressful and should have been a source of enjoyment, I never relaxed because of the events of the morning. I felt on edge for the entire afternoon.

The clouds then broke and the sun shined through. I had an opportunity to minister via a discipleship relationship. Many of you know Carlitos through reading the blog. Every week we get together for some one-on-one discipling. We talk about our devotional times (we read Colossians this week), we share our struggles, and we go through a study called Un Llamado al Gozo (A Call to Joy). One of my objectives in this study is that Carlitos will in turn disciple someone else by the time we complete the two book series. Our meeting time alone was a source of encouragement for me. But I was particularly encouraged when Carlitos asked if it would be alright for him to begin a discipleship relationship with Ever (a new person that has begun attending our church). I'm so excited that Carlitos is going to begin this multiplication process. And I'm excited to find the next person I will be discipling. Carlitos and I still have another book to go through, so I'm also encouraged that we will continue our times together for another 4 months.

The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:2

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Devotions #2

Devotional Text
"Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit whcih increases to your account." Philippians 4:17

Perception of Text
A philosophy of ministry that Paul valued was putting others and their benefit before himself.

Application of Text
Trust in the Lord and humble myself in order to exalt others.

Prayer
Father, give me the supernatural ability to be a leader who applies this mandate when presented with the opportunity.

"Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."

— Matthew 23:12

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Today's Devotions

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9

This was this mornings devotional text. I'm finishing up my time in Philippians and the main points I'm taking away from my time with the Lord so that I can apply them to my life are:

• Be Humble
• Be Generous
• Find my value in Christ and not in what I do
• Go forward living my life according to the pattern of Christ

I look forward to getting together with my disciple this weekend to find out what God impressed upon his heart as he read the same Scriptures this week. Usually I'm given more insight as I hear how God is speaking to him.

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MPAA PG Rating System

I was encouraged to find the article below this morning while reading the news.

By RYAN NAKASHIMA, AP Business Writer

LAS VEGAS - A new study by The Nielsen Co. found that the PG-rated movies with the least profanity made the most money at the U.S. box office. Sexuality or violence in those films had less to do with success than the language, the Nielsen PreView group said in a study being released Thursday.

"The reality is that profanity, within PG, is the big demarcation between box office winner and box office loser," research and marketing director Dan O'Toole said at ShoWest, a conference where studios unveil upcoming movie lineups.

"Parents are choosing PG films for their kids that have very, very low levels of profanity. We're talking one-third the level of the average PG film," he said.

Karen and I have limited the movies we watch due to the amount of profanity we've found in the scripts (the use of the Lord's name in vain). Prior to marrying, God impressed upon our hearts that we were carrying His Holy Spirit with us everywhere we went. And as the movies were cursing His name we had a choice to silently accept this abuse or to take a stand against the degradation of a loved one. We made a standard for ourselves and our future family: We will not watch movies with excessive profanity.

It hasn't always been easy as many movies look interesting and we have desired to see them. But prior to viewing a movie we go to www.screenit.com (we pay an annual fee) and see the exact content of any movie. The content categories include such areas as:

Alcohol/Drugs, Blood/Gore, Disrespectful/Bad Attitude, Tense Scenes, Guns/Weapons, Imitative Behavior, Jump Scenes, Music (Scary/Tense), Music (Inappropriate), Profanity, Sex/Nudity, Smoking, Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About, and Violence

You can then link to whatever subheading to get a very detailed description of why the category has the grade that it has. For instance, Profanity in "The Jane Austen Book Club" is listed as heavy because of the following:

At least 1 "f" word (used sexually, as are terms such as "hook up" and "get it on"), 2 slang terms for breasts ("t*tties" and "boobs"), 1 ass, 1 hell, 4 uses of "Oh my God," 2 of "God" and 1 use each of "Jesus" and "Oh God."

We probably would have gone to see this movie had we not looked at this review. We are limited in what we can see now. We don't usually have to worry about seeing something too violent or sexual, because the taking of the Lord's name in vain goes hand in hand with the other categories' tendencies towards negativity. Some people probably think we are prudish, but when people ask why, we explain and we are typically respected for our stand.

I am encouraged to see that to some degree we do not stand alone in our convictions. This article was a pleasant surprise. It would appear that our culture in the States desires a level of decency that is not shared with the Hollywood community that tends to aim for the negative extremes.

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them" (Ephesians 5:1-7).

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Jeffrey's First Day of Play Dough

Today was Jeffrey's first day of school (preschool). He arrived at 7:30 and stayed until noon. He is in a class with 9 other students and two teachers. The school is a ministry of Centro Familiar de Adoracion an evangelical church here in Asuncion.


I wasn't sure how to introduce Jeffrey to school. The night before we talked about it and showed him the uniform he would be wearing. This morning we got up early and I gave him a shower, all the while talking about the new exciting school he would be attending. But as we arrived I still don't think he had a real concept of what was taking place. The element that excited Jeffrey wasn't the building, teachers nor the other students... Jeffrey was excited to play with play dough. I used that moment to sneak out the door and I hoped for the best.

The morning must have been enjoyable for Jeffrey because when Karen and I returned to take him home he did not want to go. He had a Popsicle stick wrapped with a hunk of play dough that he insisted was an airplane... he still was showing no interest in the teacher nor the other students. He cried as we left, but was encouraged to know that he would be returning tomorrow to school. I'm sure he is equating school with play dough.

Jeffrey's time in school will be an investment in his development intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. And it will also afford Karen and I (more-so Karen) more time to invest in ministry.

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Seminary Visit

Suny, Romina, April, and myself were driving to the seminary where Carlitos is now attending. It was the first time that Suny was seeing the setting where her son would begin his missionary calling. As we were entering the gate I noticed a cow off to the side and I commented that it might be Carlitos' cow, the one that he milks. His mother laughed and gave me a look like "I'm-laughing-because-he-is-a-foreigner-and-a-pastor-but-really-that-was-not-funny."

Suny's first thoughts were: 1) Juan Manuel (her other son) would not like it here, it's too quiet, 2) it is very tranquil here, 3) this seems like a good place to get close to God. As she shared her thoughts I was thinking that she wasn't "sold" on the place just yet.

The seminary seemed a little deserted. When we found the director he went off to find Carlitos as he was busy doing his daily chores. One of the reasons that I like this seminary is because it is holistic in that the students are not only studying theology, but as well are learning practical discipline. Everyone must be "up and at 'em" at 6 o'clock in the morning to begin the day. The schedule is packed with activity up until 10 o'clock in the evening. During the day the students only have two 1 hour periods off for free-time, not including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Part of their time is filled with chores (taking care of animals, cleaning and upkeep of the facilities, cooking, etc.). As well they are given time to develop discipleship relationships in the community which is a mandatory part of their academic program. I really like this seminary!

Carlitos entered the room and immediately told the four of us "I really like this seminary. They are strict here. I'm really glad to be here." I left him with his family as I went to pay the bill for our two students who are attending there.

When we were leaving the Seminary, Suny said "Pastor, I thought you were joking when you told me that the cow might be the one Carlitos is milking. But, he told us that he was in the middle of taking care of the cows when we arrived. I was able to give him some tips on how to best milk a cow. That was something I did as a young girl."

I was encouraged to hear how Suny had accepted the seminary as God's perfect place for Carlitos after having visited. Suny later told me that she was at peace with Carlitos' decision to study theology at Betania. "Pastor, he told me that he is happy because he knows what he is doing is for eternity. Once I realized that Carlitos was happy I became happy for him." It is such a privilege to help our Alliance students reach their goals/dreams of serving Christ and making a difference for eternity.

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