Lights, Camera, Action

Marcos Chavez, from Vida Nueva, was the official photographer and videographer for the Managua trip.  Here's the short video that he did for church last Sunday.  Watch carefully and you'll see Stephen in the middle of a group of boys.  The boys came to the evening campaign and asked if the gringo named "Steve" was here this year.  Unbelievably they remember Stephen talking and playing cards with them from our campaign in their neighborhood two years ago.  Here's the video:

On Thursday our apartment was the site of a video recording session.  It was a full house with three of the video guys from the church and then four of us from the women's ministry.  We made a video that featured four different parts of women's ministry:  single moms, small groups, prayer ministry and Hilo, Aguja y Biblia.  Each of us had about 30 seconds to highlight our ministry and issue an invitation for others to join us.  Not sure when it will be ready, but I'll try to remember to post it here, unless, of course, I'm totally embarrassed by my performance.  

The Danger of Forgetting

I mentioned in an earlier post that D. A. Carson's book, "For the Love of God" accompanies the daily Bible reading plan of Robert M. M'Cheyne.  Of course, the scripture itself is inspirational, occasionally difficult to understand (book of Job, for example), challenging and comforting, but I am also incredibly blessed by the daily readings in Carson's book. 

Exodus 1, Job 18, Luke 4 and 1 Corinthians 5 were on the schedule for today.  Carson's particular emphasis was the following:  "One cannot long read  Scripture without pondering the sad role played by forgetting."  He goes on to list specific examples, including how one would think that after the flood, you would expect mankind to behave in a way that would avoid God's wrath or that after God lead the Israelites out of bondage, you would expect it to take more than a few weeks for them relapse into worshiping a golden calf.  

But here is the part of his discourse that is the most chilling to me, and I quote:

"Not far from where I am writing these lines is a church that draws five or six thousand on a Sunday morning.  Its leaders have forgotten that it began as a church plant a mere two decades ago.  They now want to withdraw from the denomination that founded them, not because they disagree theologically with that denomination, not because of some moral flaw in it, but simply because they are so impressed by their own bigness and importance that they are too arrogant to be grateful.  One thinks of seminaries that have abandoned their doctrinal roots within one generation, of individuals, not the least scholars, who are so impressed by novelty that clever originality ranks more highly with them than godly fidelity.  Nations, churches, and individuals change, at each step thinking themselves more "advanced" than all who went before.  To our shame, we forget all the things we should remember."

The specific church is not important, nor is the specific action of the church.  Rather, the chilling part is that it is so easy for ALL of us to forget our roots and to forget that we are "encompassed about by such a great cloud of witnesses" who are, in great part, responsible for providing the opportunity for us to learn about and then understand/accept God's free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Lord, I pray for the Christian church in America today; help it remember it's purpose and not be distracted or drawn away from that purpose by it's own self-importance.  Lord, I ask that you would help me to overcome the sin of pride so that I can remain a humble servant.  Help me to remember that I am nothing more than a poor sinner saved by your marvelous and undeserved grace.