As Far As Sunday's Go

     There was a time when the hardest day of the week for us was Sunday.  After six years of living in Ecuador, Sunday's have become one of our favorite days.  A few things have contributed to our change of heart.  The first is, we now have high speed internet so all through the day we Skype with each of our kids and also with our Dads.  Another thing which has helped our Sunday disposition is we have found a church family that we love to worship with and are challenged by God's word.  Ultimately though it is the community we feel with those who come and go through our lives here at El Refugio.  Yes we have those who are constant, the people who are on staff permanently but we are also blessed by a variety of people who are a part of our lives for just a short time.  

This is the view FROM our porch this Sunday morning.  We had a group of teachers here who had camped last night and were enjoying a team building game.  Howie commented that he loved it when we have groups here because with every single group the sounds of them laughing and sometimes screaming drifts up to our porch which lets us know their time is well spent and a blessing. 

We then attended church in the nearby town of San Antonio.  The name of the church translated means "God is Faithful".  We go to the twelve o'clock service where we enjoy a great time of worship, which has a bit of a Cuban feel.   Some of our favorite Sunday's are when the Pastor leads worship while playing the bass.  

This is the view OF our porch later in the afternoon.  Howie is meeting with Darwin who is here from Uruguay, with the Alturas program.  Howie is Darwin's mentor for the time he is here at El Refugio.  Darwin has a baritone voice and I can hear the murmur of them talking.  Every once in a while I catch a bit of what they are saying, what God is doing and teaching each of them to the various mountains to climb and to what difficulty.  

So that gives you a glimpse into our lives on a given Sunday.  The sun has set, the Christmas lights have been turned on our front porch to commemorate Howie's cousin's son Chase, who is fighting T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

And about this time of the night, Howie and I always look at each other and say, "Where on earth did the day, much less the weekend go?"

And then the new week starts...

This Side of the Cross

     I have heard that phrase from time to time in my life, "this side of the cross", however I never really took time to think about what it meant.  Recently, I participated in a Bible study where the author challenged me to think about what would it have been like to live before Christ died on the cross.  How would I feel knowing that the sacrifices made were not quite enough and God's presence was reserved for the men who were part of the priesthood and even that access was limited.  I know for me, it would only lend for me to live quite helplessly under a cloud of condemnation.  Because I have a propensity to negativity and bitterness, would those two things have taken root and snuffed any hope for joy out of my life, the cold hard truth is, probably yes.  

     As I celebrated Easter this year I was renewed with a sense of sheer and utter gratitude for ALL the things Christ accomplished by dying on the cross, not just my forgiveness.  Hebrews 10:10 says, "we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."  Once for all.

Before the cross the law foreshadowed what was to come, it was not a reality. (Hebrews 10:1)    As well, the shedding of the blood foreshadowed what was needed for forgiveness.  (Hebrews 9:7-10)  The old covenant practices were external.

After the cross, as believers we enjoy the benefits of the new covenant, where now God's law is written on each individual believer's mind and heart.  (Hebrews 8:8-12)  Under the new covenant God's work is internal.

  Finally, I was challenged by Hebrews 10:22-25 where it lists five things:

Let us draw near to God.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess.

Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Let us not give up meeting together.

Let us encourage one another.