Much of modern missions literature is occupied with anthropology, sociology, strategy, culture and so forth, rather than the Bible.  And there are not a few who say that having a passion for Jesus is much more important than knowing theology.  Not long ago I listened to a message by Paul Washer that really hit the nail on the head when it came to pointing out this imbalance in modern missions.  Although Washer is perhaps a bit too harsh on contextualization, he makes the great point that missionaries need to be messengers of God’s truth - people who know God and his Word and go to tell people God’s truth.You can download Paul Washer’s message, “A Biblical Vision and Strategy for Missions” from the website of Heart Cry Missionary Society.

Joshua is a boy always on the move but we managed to get him to slow down for moment this afternoon to answer some questions.  After dinner, we've been telling him Bible stories and helping him to memorize some questions from the Catechism for Small Children (a simplified version of the the Westminister Shorter Catechism) and some Bible verses.  We also try to sing some songs with him but Joshua usually protests (probably due to our musical incompetence). We try to make it interactive and interesting for him so that not only will great truths about God get into his head but that he will enjoy our times together learning about the big wonderful God who made all things and loves us. 

 

Karl sat Joshua down to test his memory of the things he's been learning. So far, he's memorized catechism questions 1-4, Genesis 1:1, Matthew 22:37, and a simple definition of sin.  Have a listen to the audio file below and see how Joshua did.  Please ignore the fact that Daddy didn't do as well, mistakenly asking Joshua to repeat Matthew 22:38 instead of Matthew 22:37.

 

joshua_catechism1-4

 

(If you don't see an audio player above, click here to download the file)

 

This past month I was testing out a voice recorder program on the computer to use for Thai language study when Joshua came running into the office. Seeing the computer open, he immediately demanded to see pictures. Previously, I had gathered pictures of cars, dogs, airplanes and other fun things off of the Internet for Joshua to look at on the computer so that is the only reference point that Joshua has for what a computer is used for. Seeing an opportunity, I picked him up, put him on my lap, and put the newly downloaded voice recorder program to the test. Here is an MP3 of the results: Joshua requests picturesJoshua had so much fun listening to his own voice, that he keeps requesting to listen to himself on the computer. He especially gets a kick out of the "poo-poo pictures" question. He has requested to hear himself so much, that I decided to make another recording of his voice with some more formal interview questions, including his name, his parents' names, and the first two questions from the Catechism for Young Children (a simplified version of the the Westminister Shorter Catechism). Joshua beat me to the punch on the second question, though and answer before I asked. You can listen to it for yourself though: Joshua interviewed about his name, parents' names, and life & the world

Since we're back in the States for a few months, I've been taking advantage of the much higher internet speed and abundance of good English language books that are available here. Filling my mind with not only Scripture but good solid Biblical books and sermons is always beneficial to me and is a benefit to our ministry at home and abroad. If I am continually thinking upon God, His revealed will, and the application of that in my life and in the church, then I will be build up in my walk in Christ and those whom I interact with will (hopefully) benefit as well. I wanted to post here the links to a series of four sermons on justification that a missionary colleague recommended to me. Justification is one of those core truths of the Christian faith that is necessary to review again and again. It is also a core truth of the Christian faith that is not talked about much these days or if it is, it is often simplified to "Jesus died for your sins." I found these sermons very helpful and hopefully some of you will as well.Edward Donnelly - Justification #1 - Its ImportanceEdward Donnelly - Justification #2 - Its Meaning and GroundEdward Donnelly - Justification #3 - Its Source and InstrumentEdward Donnelly - Justification #4 - Its Implications

It has been about a month and a half since Karl's mom passed away on May 24th and her absence is profoundly felt. She was a wonderful woman and dearly missed. Our family is very thankful that God gave us some time with her after we arrived from Thailand on May 20th and praise Him for strengthening us for the chaotic and emotional time that we stepped into when we got off the plane.I had the unique privilege of leading the memorial service for my Mom and I am posting below the order of service from the church bulletin together with the MP3 audio files for the service. I am doing this both for my own sake and that of my family as we think back about my Mom in years to come, and also for the sake of those who loved and appreciated my Mom but were unable to make it to the memorial service. The six MP3 files, taken together,