More Photos

More photos have been put on on the flicker.com site. Check ‘em out!

Observations

Here are some random Sunday evening thoughts after a Sunday where I was priviledged to share from the pulpit what has been happening in Ubaúna and to cast around some vision of what will be happening over the next few months:

• Ephesians 1:19-20 is powerful!
• People can catch the vision if you paint it properly
• We’ve come a long way in three years
• We’re going to see much more in a shorter time
• People care; even if they forget they do, once reminded, they respond
• People who’ve been to Brasil are the best walking advertisement for the work
• Faz Chover, the song we’ve been singing in Ubaúna for 7 months now, is a hit even with non-Portuguese speaking folks
• We need to act like children of the King, not like commoners with no claim on the Kingdom
• Video is powerful
• God opens doors where you don’t expect it
• God is good!

Sermon Prep

Tomorrow I get to walk into a pulpit and share the vision God has buried in my heart.

It is the same pulpit I preached from almost three years ago to the day, sharing the happenings of the first team to go to Ubaúna in July 2004. It was a powerful, emotional service. I still get comments on it to this day.

Much has happened in three years. God has loosed his Spirit in that little village and the unbelievable is on the verge of occuring. Will I be able to share the enthusiasm? Will I be able to be contagious? Will I be able to make a difference?

If the Spirit has anything to do with it, you can count on it! Once you’ve seen Him in action, there’s no turning back…

Living in the trust zone

Don’t you just hate it when you fret over something and someone comes along and shows you how silly it is?

My pastor bro (Jeff) just had to go and do that today!

He noted:

Here’s  the tricky part… Now what/who do you trust?  Do you… function off of what you have or what God is calling you to do? For us, God continually calls us to move out of our comfort zone and into an “OH CRAP MOMENT!” For some reason God doesn’t let us get too comfortable.  He always moves us toward the next step where our TRUST in Him is evident. 

He’s absolutely right, you know.

God has put multiple people in front of me today confirming HIS plan of having Áudrey and Andréia in Ubaúna in the next few weeks. Basically He has said, “Trust me.” Jeff has further reminded me of the very same thing.

Jeff also called to mind this passage:

“The eyes of the Lord search the whole Earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”–2 Chronicles 16:9

I want those eyes to find me!

Oh, sorry Jeff. I guess I just co-oped your blog.

Now it begins…

I got a note late yesterday from our new pastor, Áudrey.

He’d stayed in Fortaleza to preach at the Grace Refuge Church on Sunday and spend some strategic planning time with the leadership there. These folks have caught the vision of what God is doing in the sertão (desert) of Ceará (the state in which Ubaúna is located) and are eager to partner with us to see the work blossom. Pastor Marclei of Grace Refuge has been instrumental in insuring that the work went forward by sending teams every week to Ubaúna from Grace Refuge for over a year.

With Áudrey’s return home, the whole process of him moving to Ubaúna begins in earnest. The goal is for him to make the physical move and be in place around the 10th of August. In order for this to happen, we need help.

God has done, continues to do and will do things that are beyond my imagination in this region of the world. I have never in my life been associated with such a massive undertaking by people so unqualified, going forward with nothing but faith in the God who has called them and a belief that he will provide whatever is needed. It has been a personal struggle on my part to do this “live by faith” thing. I’ve discovered that it is one thing to say it and a completely other thing to live it. Now I find myself consumed with a desire that is incomprehensible but absolutely irresistable — I’m living way out of my comfort zone.

While I currently have no clue where all the funds that are needed will come from, I’m totally confident that God is already opening the doors to make them available. It’s a strange way to live that often leaves you with butterflies in your stomach; fear and excitement coexisting side by side. Yes, I am very afraid. This thing scares the begibbers out of me! Who am I to take on such an undertaking? Why do I think that God will work through these efforts to bring hundreds of thousands of people into the Kingdom in this brutal region? Fear? You’d better believe it! Crazy? I honestly think so. Confident? Absolutely!

You who are reading this are not doing so out of sheer curiosity. You haven’t come to this blog by accident. You have some sort of a connection to what God is doing in this little village in northeastern Brasil. You may be aware of it or you may think that I’m just spouting off nonsense. But, I can assure you, the Living Lord is calling his people to participate.

Most of you will never go to Ubaúna. You will spend your life working in the local church, advancing the Kingdom where you live. That is your primary responsibility. You should be encouraged by what is happening in Ubaúna and become even more involved locally.

You do have a responsibility to broaden your spiritual horizons to include “the uttermost parts of the earth” as well. It is that responsibility that I ask to be able to partner with you in fulfilling. Help us see God do the impossible. We need funds, almost $15,000, quickly. We need significant funds over the next few months. Help us charge the gates of hell with the proverbial watergun in hand! God is moving in this region… be a part of what he is doing!

Remembering…

Hindsight is always 20/20. I wish the present was always so clear.

Looking back over the previous three years in the work in Ubaúna, I can now see the obvious intentionality that was guiding our steps and activities. Arimar and I have been talking about that a lot during the trip back and today. It’s both exciting and humbling.

This trip was a milestone; but, I could say that about every single trip we’ve taken. Maybe a better term would be that this trip was a capstone — it both terminiated a phase of the work and launched a new one.

What is yet to come scares the begibbers out of me and excites me so much I can hardly sit still. I’m pulling my seatbelt tight and holding on with gusto — it’s gonna be a wild ride!

THE Announcement

Ever since we began going to Ubaúna back in 2004, the desire has been to have full-time, Brasilian workers on the ground there. God has used many folks in different ways to help the work get to where it now is, but in order for it to explode, a full-time worker is a must.

For the past six months, many of us have been praying fervently for this to happen. Prayer, fasting, searching the Word, we’ve been making a loud noise, hoping that He would see it as a pleasing aroma.

Our desire has been granted!

As of the 10th of August, Áudrey and Andréia Feitoza from Brasília will be moving to Ubaúna to begin full-time work there.

Áudrey is a pastor originally from the state of Acre and Andréia is a pastor orginally from the state of Rondonia. Both states are in the Amazon jungle basin. Both Áudrey and Andréia have extensive experience working in extremely primative conditions, separately and as a couple. In fact, both stated that Ubaúna was mild compared to the work they were in while serving in Acre.

We had a donor agree to provide funds for their support while we began the process of raising their ongoing support. This was done so they could begin immediately.

Combined with a building and the momentum that has been generated over the last seven months, the Feitozas will bring the catalyst that is needed to electrify this work. We already have as many six other Brasilian workers who are ready to move to Ubaúna to form a team that will quickly begin the process of planting churches in nearby Freicherinha and/or Coreaú.

We are in the most critical stage up to this point in the work in Brasil. This is nothing less that stupendous (is that a word?)! Please celebrate with us for what God is doing in this little village in the northeast of Brasil and join us in asking Him to blow the dam wide open!

Home

Every time I get back to the US after being away, these lyrics come to mind:

Flew in from Miami Beach BOAC
Didn’t get to bed last night
Oh, the way the paper bag was on my knee
Man, I had a dreadful flight
I’m back in the USSR
You don’t know how lucky you are, boy
Back in the USSR, yeah

Been away so long I hardly knew the place
Gee, it’s good to be back home
Leave it till tomorrow to unpack my case
Honey disconnect the phone
I’m back in the USSR
You don’t know how lucky you are, boy
Back in the US
Back in the US
Back in the USSR

I have no idea why these lyrics always pop into my head. But they do. While the lyrics make a lot of sense, I still don’t know why. Now I can’t get the tune out of my head!

But, we’re back in the US and in Wilmington! Everyone’s tired and I’m ready for bed.

Keep checking back over the next day or so for the BIG announcement and tons of photos that will be going up.

BIG announcement on its way

At the risk of being melodramatic, we’ve got a R E A L L Y big announcement about the work in Ubaúna to make.

I told you the other day we had two to make. One was the building. The second will radically change what is happening in that little villa.

Stay tuned…

Not back yet

After a V E R Y long day of delay after delay, we finally made it back to Miami. And there we sit at the moment.

We’re scheduled to arrive back in Raleigh around 1:00 p.m. We’re hoping that this flight works like its supposed to!