Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - Thanks for stopping by!

Here at our blog you can stop in to see what we are up to here at Hope Baptist in Belo Horizonte.

The purpose of our blog isn't just to keep our supporters informed of what we are up to but to also allow you to get to know us as a family.   The years (good and bad) we have spent in misisons here in Brazil, Patty growing up here, our two year short term from 90 -92 and our time as full-time church planters since 1999 have shaped us into the family that we are.

As I say often, the Christian life is not a life without problems, it is a life with solutions.  We are dedicated the fact that Jesus Christ is the solution to the problems of mankind. 

There is no human pain that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will not fix.  That is the essence of who Jesus is and that is what he offers to bring into your life.

We view this blog as part of our ministry to point you to Him.

Prayer Requests

1. Missionary Co-workers - We don't have any!  We have been "alone" here in Belo Horizonte surrounded by 4 million people for about two years now.  Pray that the Lord would send us a couple.

2.  Our Support Level - We are currently at 80% support due to the fall of the US dollar.  It is very hard to make ends meet currently.  Several people have asked us about giving online, you can do that throught PayPal at ABWE by following this link - Donate Online.

3. Growth for Hope Baptist Church - Hope is a small church with great potential.  We are hoping to grow the church to the point that we can afford to move to a new location.

4.  Our 2008/2009 Meeting Schedule - We will be heading home for furlough in August and need to start right away scheduling meetings in our supporting churches and also with new churches that might be interested in our ministry here.  Please pray for a full schedule!  You could also help by forwarding this blog address to friends in other churches who might be interested in our ministry.

By His Grace,

The McIntyres

Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - The Power of Parables

I love stories.  I don’t think anything has the power to communicate a message like a good story.  Recently I have been leading Hope Baptist in a Wednesday night study on the personality of Jesus and we have rediscovered the power of the parable.

When Nathan confronted David over his sin of adultery and murder he had every right to just walk in and blast the king with the horrible impact of his deeds.  Instead he totally blind-sided David with a story.  You’ve probably heard it before.  He told him about a rich man who stole the only lamb of his poor neighbor and had it slaughtered instead of taking a lamb from his own herds.  Of course David was thinking correctly about such a man and it made him rise up in righteous indignation.

In Luke 15 Jesus tells the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Prodigal Son.

I think it is interesting that He told these to a mixed group of “Sinners” and Pharisees.  This wasn’t the age of the public address system.  Nobody was viewing this sermon from a distance on the big screen off in the church annex.  They were literally rubbing shoulders, at bad breath distance, so to speak.

I picture the Pharisees wanting to hear Jesus speak, maybe to take Him seriously, maybe just to try to trap Him yet again, but having to do so in the company of people they would never associate with, ever.  There, also wanting to hear Jesus, were the down and outers, the cast-offs of first century society.  It offended the Pharisees that they would have to stand in the company of such obvious undesirables.  The down and outers and the up and outers, like oil and water these people just don’t mix.  It is a vivid picture of how the Lord will look both high and low for the lost.

In one series of short parables Jesus identified with the rural man looking for a lost sheep, the urban woman looking for a lost coin, and the rest of us looking for a way back to God.  I imagine the Pharisees just waiting to hear the “Father” figure in the parable blast his irresponsible son upon his return, only to realize that they are not like the Father at all.  At the same time that the parable speaks directly to every person assembled there it also reaches far out into the church age showing that the Gentiles would also be made acceptable to God through His mercy and compassion.

I know of no mere human being who can speak simultaneously on so many levels yet with such simple words.  “And they marveled at His teaching… He spoke as one who had authority…”  Jesus knew us well.  We throw up our guards when we think we are about to be attacked. The power of parable is that it  leads people to a correct conclusion before they realize it requires them to make a change.  It allows our own thoughts to convict us.  What is your story?  What has He been telling you lately?

Mac

Wednesday, April 2, 2008 - We're Heading Home for Furlough

Wednesday, February 20, 2008 - Getting Things Done by David Allen

A few weeks ago my brother-in-law, David Tufts, was here helping Terry and Carole move out of their house.  David works for Radio Bible Class back in Michigan.  Sensing my need for organization and stress reduction (it is obvious) he gave me his copy of Getting Things Done by David Allen.

(LINK TO WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE)

This isn’t the kind of self-help book you read through and think, “Well that was interesting but I could never be that kind of person.”  It’s the kind of book you stop every few pages, apply what you just read and start getting things done and reducing stress right away.

Since I’ve been applying his system to my life I find myself moving multiple projects forward on a broad front.  My mind is free from the constant pestering of odd tasks and “to-do’s” that didn’t happen today.  I still have a long way to go but I am headed in the right direction.

So, thank-you David.  While most people can see what is painfully obvious not many offer timely and practical help.  Life here is getting better.

If you are like me and have way to much to do, no inherent organizational ability, a mind crammed full of “stuff” to “get done”, and an evil chimpanzee throwing wrenches at you all day you really should check out this book.

Mac

Wednesday, February 13, 2008 - Our First Baptism!

Sunday night we had a fantastic time at Hope Baptist!

When I got back from Carnival Camp Wednesday afternoon I was promptly informed that our portable baptistery was no longer in condition to hold water.  The wood had degraded to the point that we were due for a sudden flood.

I gave the design to a member of Faith Baptist who lives in the neighborhood and runs a cabinet making shop.  By Saturday afternoon he had assembled a replica of the former baptistery and we set it up after adult Sunday school and started to fill it with a few cubic meters of water.  Mateus, my engineering student was helping with this.  He did some quick calculations of weight and pressure that said “Be afraid, be very afraid.”  I had this mental image of a loud crack and sudden flood washing people out the back door.

As the song service got into full swing people started arriving until almost all of our seats were taken up.  We only seat 65 and ended up with 52 in the service.  Fully 27 of them were first time visitors.

I preached a message on the meaning of believer’s baptism and the gospel from Acts 16. The baptistery held water, no loud crack, no sudden flood.  All went well and the Lord blessed.  Michael and Monica are now members of Hope Baptist.

Monica and her father.  Her dad came right up to watch.  The look on their faces needs no comment.

Monica Dias Santos

Michael Xavier de Araujo

Hugs

Thanks for your prayers,

Mac

Wednesday, February 13, 2008 - Visions of a Deeper Wilderness Ministry

Last month the week before we left for the All-Brazil conference I was able to take three of my young people out to run the wilderness survival course.  It is always a great time, I never know quite what to expect, but it is always greatly used by the Lord to challenge the guys to live on a deeper level.

Wilderness ministry has been effectively used in a great many places and different contexts.  There is something about the wilderness that opens people up and makes them teachable. There is an incredible interpersonal dynamic at work that makes the job of teaching and interacting with others wonderfully efficient.  Jesus Himself often led his disciples off into the wilderness, and He didn’t even have a cell phone.  Life is stripped down to the basics and every decision and action has immediate consequences.  You couldn’t ask for a better learning environment.

At the All-Brazil conference, Bruce McDonald challenged us in his first message about returning to our first love, getting back to our passion in ministry.  The experience of leading three guys through the wilderness course was fresh in my mind.  I hadn’t had time, correction MADE THE TIME, to run the course this year. I had let some of that passion slip away in the flood of the urgent that rules my life.

I decided that passion is important. It is a gift from God to take the drudgery out of life and ministry. It breaks up the routine and allows us to recharge and approach life from a fresh perspective.  I am determined to take the wilderness course to a deeper level and truly understand that dynamic that makes it so effective.

Recently several people I got in contact with via the internet have helped me greatly in this effort.  Ben Wilhite from Pilgrimage sent me a pile of information from their WILD training program.  Marcus Andrusko of the Boundary Waters Experience sent me his masters’ thesis.  Ashley Denton of the Wilderness Ministry Institute showed me where to download his doctoral thesis as well.  I now have a load of information to draw from in rewriting my own curriculum.  I am really excited about this project.  Other people involved in wilderness ministry have also offered to act as a sounding board for me in developing this aspect of my ministry.  There are a lot of people out there who know what they are doing. 

Thank you to all who share in this vision of using God’s general revelation to focus young people on Christ, and have helped me closer to making this happen here in Central Brazil.

Mac

Wednesday, February 13, 2008 - Scenes from Carnival Camp 2008

This years Carnival camp was a great success.  We had a total of 113 campers and staff for four days out at the Living Waters Camp.  This year it was Faith Baptist, our former church that organized the event.  The two weeks before camp were very busy getting everything ready out there.  There was a great deal of maintenance that needed to be done but we had a good crew of volunteers to share the load.  They are the real heroes this year as the effort really was superhuman.  My part in that was to make sure they had all the materials and supplies and shuttle people back and forth.  When I got back from the ABWE All-Brazil conference they called and told me that everything was ready, all I had to do was come and preach. 

Carnival is during rainy season and we got plenty this year.  It is a good time to reconnect with friends and have some good one-on-one talks with kids who really need it.  The theme of the messages was intended to bring them to a realization of who Jesus is and that the facts demand a decision from them as to what role He will play in their lives.  In all we had one decision for salvation and several others who decided to stop playing around with their faith.

Scenes from this years camp

Pretty grim for Futebol

  And the call this "The Beautiful Game"...

  Carnival with so much rain, always provides lots of time for talk.

Chapel

Me doing the part I love best

It wasn’t all rain

Making cordage by hand.  This is a skill I picked up a while back that makes a perfect rainy day activity.  Cordage making is a great object lesson on working together.  I love my new hat.

This fooze-ball table was rescued from a life being wasted in a bar, just like the kids playing it.

Thanks for being a part of our ministry here.

Mac

Wednesday, February 13, 2008 - Out of the mouths of babes...

Recently we went to the ABWE All Brazil conference in Gramado, Rio Grande Do Sul.

During the landing approach to Porto Alegre the wheels on the 737 popped out like they are supposed to but gave that awful bump/noise as they did.

Karina (9), overly dramatic, wide-eyed, and a bit startled shouted “What was THAT!”

Daniel (6), calmly sitting next to her said, “Karina I don’t know what that was, and it was scary.  But God is good, and He loves us, and we don’t have to be afraid.”

Daniel on the bus

Several times since the conference those words have echoed through my head at times when things have happened that are truly not able to be processed on a rational level.  “God is good, He loves me, and I don’t have to be afraid.”  There is a lot to be said for the power of simple faith in the big facts that control our lives.  Mac

Monday, January 21, 2008 - Lessons from the Wilderness

This year has been too hectic for me to get out and do any real camping.  I have a waiting list of about 30 guys who want to do the wilderness survival course but I keep putting them off.  After all that has happened recently with Carole and Terry moving out of their house, my Mom’s visit, the Southwell’s visit, problems at church, camp, the sport’s center etc; Patty (very lovingly) told me to go camping.  She didn’t actually pack for me but I was given no choice in the matter.

I had planned to head out for two nights alone and made the mistake of mentioning it.  Weverton and Valcione begged me to take them with me.  I had promised to take them out as soon as I could find the time so I reluctantly agreed.  I normally run the course with four and two is half the work.  By church time Wednesday night I had all our packs packed and the excess gear stowed away.  The phone rang, Andre had heard we were heading out and wanted to go too.  He has been out with me before.  He is very enthusiastic and squared away.  I hemmed and hawed a second or two and decided to let him come too.  After church I tore down all the gear and made up a pack for him.

I picked them up at 6AM Thursday morning and we arrived at the Uaimíí Forest (pronounced why-me) before 9.  About two years ago Weverton had been run over by a car.  His left leg had been crushed. Over the last two years he has had several surgeries and extensive physical therapy to recover the use of his leg. This was to be the first time he has done anything like this since the accident.  Taking that into account I didn’t want to push him too hard the first day so I selected a campsite I had used before about 1 km in on the backside of a ridge.

The location includes a small forest of decent sized trees for hanging hammocks and a huge, overhanging shelter rock for making camp fires.  I have used this place before several times.  With Weverton’s leg being a big unknown I wanted a campsite that was a sure thing.

At the start of the adventure I have them spread out and find a place to sit quietly for a half hour.  This in itself is a challenge as none of them are used to solitude or the bush.  I ask them the question “What do we really need in life?”  In the bush we are stripped down to the basics.  The course covers our need for Shelter, Water, Fire, Navigation, and Emergency Signals.  They live on a Spartan diet of instant oatmeal and Ramen noodles, food is not a 72 hour survival consideration.

One of the main premises of the adventure is that everything we need to survive is already out there in the bush, we just have to apply ourselves and make it happen.  God has blessed us abundantly but those blessings are often secured through hard work.

I find that this wait at the start puts them in the right frame of mind.  When they came back we had a little talk about what I expected out of them, what they could expect out of me, and the question we were trying to answer, “How do you survive out here?”

Much of the course material is taught as we meet each need during the course of the day and by necessity it is unstructured to account for the unpredictable nature of nature.  I have attempted to organize it here in an orderly fashion and give an idea of the greater life lessons each component of wilderness survival can teach.

SHELTER – Mankind is essentially a tropical mammal.  We need two things, warm and dry.  God has loaded the wilderness of Minas Gerais with places easily adaptable to create those conditions.  The giant rock overhang in our campsite is a perfect example.

I asked them, “Forget about our big shelter rock for a minute. If you had to build a shelter right here in the forest with just your basic equipment how would you do it?”  They all came up with some form of ground shelter idea.  I turned up the six inches of rotting leaves on the ground to reveal a mass of ants and assorted creepy crawlies. 

“Do you really want to sleep in all of that?”

“NO WAY!”

“We need to sleep up above it somehow.”

This shelter was created from what the Lord provided.  The only man made materials used were a machete, a poncho, and a liberal portion of elbow grease.  Andre spent the night in this shelter.

WATER – A human being needs close to a gallon of water per day.  Here in Minas Gerais at this time of year we drink at least 3 liters of water.  The campsite I selected had no water nearby and I hiked them in with dry canteens to emphasize a point.  God has provided for our needs but that doesn’t mean that provision is always within easy reach.

On the hike in we dug out a sandy seep that filled with muddy water.  This water is perfectly palatable once filtered and treated and there was easily enough to keep a person alive for days.  We decided to hike about a kilometer to a creek to fill our canteens.

For more lessons on wilderness water see the blog post The Rule of Threes.

FIRE – We use fire every day, it is the one of our most basic needs to cook food, heat our living space, and provide light for the multitude of small tasks we couldn’t get done during the day.  Naturally it is the focal point of human community and has been for our entire history on earth.  Fire equals fellowship.   Almost every natural shelter space in Minas Gerais shows evidence of past campfires going back centuries in some places.  Fire, like fellowship is essential but it doesn’t happen by itself (at least not the way we want!)

NAVIGATION – Getting lost in the wilderness is no fun.  Valcione had been part of a day-hike gone bad a number of years ago. The experience of being lost in the wilderness left a deep impression on him.  Getting lost in life is even worse. Compass navigation renders up more teaching opportunities about life than can be recorded here.  It is a simple process of using a fixed point of reference and long term goals reached through a series of short term objectives that take you closer to where you want to be.

These guys did a fantastic job the second day of navigating many miles over rough terrain that included open country as well as short visibility, dense jungle thickets that literally had to be chopped through, steep ravines, and a large dose of the unexpected. Just like life.

 (Yes that is a "pungi stake" sticking out of my boot!  Fortunately it only left a decent bruise on my foot and didn't break the skin.  One more hole in a jungle boot makes little difference.)

SIGNALS – Knowing when you are in over your head is a lesson in humility.  We all wind up in situations beyond our capability and have to let others know we need help, now!  During the course I cover emergency signals such as the cell phone, whistle, signal mirror, and fire/smoke.  Letting others know where you are going and when you will be back (accountability), prayer, asking for advice and help with life’s problems are all things we need but avoid doing at times.

Here the guys are approaching my location after I called them back from a distant ridge using the signal mirror.

Life is a Wilderness

There are a multitude of subtle lessons the bush can teach as well, working together, working hard, looking after each other, taking the initiative, understanding your needs as opposed to your wants, valuing the things you have, etc.  The list could go on for pages.

Aside from learning how to manage a wilderness emergency they came back knowing a little more of how to manage the challenges of life. 

For Weverton (standing) the trip marked the end of his exile from life limping around trying to recover.  He covered a great deal of broken ground and did everything everyone else did.  It was hard on him but he did well.  Weverton has told me he has seen the Lord’s purpose for his accident and the growth it caused in his life.  This adventure was a huge milestone and gave him confidence that he is physically capable of far more than he thought.

Andre (right) jumps into life with both feet and told me that soon he will be inviting me to head out to the bush.  I look forward to that; he is a strong, natural leader and someone I want to invest more time in.

Valcione (left) is dedicated to the vision of a church that truly reflects the character and personality of Jesus.  It was great to spend time with him as he hasn’t yet committed to membership at Hope Baptist.  He told me on the phone today that he can’t live the rest of his life without a plan and the navigation course showed him that.  He said, “Pastor Mac, I fail because I don’t have a clearly defined objective and a route mapped out to get there.  I also have to know how to get back to the last place I was sure of and start again on the right course.”  Can somebody say AMEN!

Me?  The Lord knew just what I needed…

Mac

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - Walling in Hope

By law we have to have our property closed off by a wall or fence.  This past week my two building committee guys, Ramon and Mateus, got the job done.  It wasn’t easy as we had to solve the problem of getting electricity to the site, we ended up renting a generator so they could do the welding.

Yesterday I went to the city government to see if I could get our fine annulled.  The guy I was supposed to see was on vacation (how does that always happen?).  They gave me some forms to fill out but little hope of getting it removed.  Keep praying!

Ramon and Mateus.  These guys are in the right place at Hope using the skills and talents God gave them to serve the Lord.  Both of them are hard working and efficient at what they do.  It is great to have guys like this on our side!  Mac

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - Missions and the Falling Dollar

(Note: I decided to bump this post back up to the top of the blog because the situation hasn't changed and I feel it is important)

Missionaries all over the world go through the same daily ritual; we check the local exchange rate like folks back home check the weather.

None of us are in this work for the money, it is a rewarding life, but we are always conscious that we are asking people back home to sacrifice financially to make it happen. We ask people to pray and to give because the cause is more than worthy. The Lord has blessed us with a great support network of churches and individuals and you are a part of all that happens here. We are privileged to be the agents here on this end of world missions.

Many of us can quote Paul in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.  The direct context of that statement was in regard to his financial support as a missionary. 

Philippians 4:10-13  “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before but you lacked opportunity.  Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in all and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of abundance and suffering need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

There is a great deal in that passage that only hard times can teach a person.  Which is the greater challenge, to live for Christ in prosperity or in want?  A Romanian pastor I once heard said that most Christians will pass the test of persecution but fail at the test of prosperity.  Paul said that he had learned to live in either which means he had a solid daily focus on Christ and his values reflected the values of the Kingdom and not of the world.

The fact that the US dollar is trading at historic lows compared to other currencies has a direct impact on world missions.   Speaking about this with my administrator at ABWE and my home church pastor they both told me that they don’t have any missionaries at full support.  Our situation is far from unique, it is almost universal.

The following chart records the fall of the US dollar relative to the Brazilian Real over the past five years.

We have fallen from a high of R$3.6 to $1 to a low now of R$1.73 to $1.  This scene is repeated with almost all of the major currencies that US dollars get converted into to make the Great Commission a reality.

What Can You Do About It?

1.       Understand your missionaries are not talking about lifestyle expansion; this is affecting the very basics of life such as groceries and gasoline.  The money that they projected they would need and raised to fund their particular mission is worth far less now than when they left for the field.  Giving to missions is critical right now.

2.       New missionaries leaving for the field are forced to raise far more support than missionaries have in the past.  It used to be that places like Brazil were rather inexpensive countries to serve in.  That is no longer the case.  Your pre-field missionaries are going to need your support and understanding.  Schedule meetings with them anyway, they are developing a network of people not just financial supporters.   Don’t be afraid to schedule meetings because you can’t offer financial support at this time.   Pre-field missionaries have a positive impact on churches.

3.       Pray for “tent-making” opportunities.  We have received authorization to work on a limited basis as coming home to raise support is not an option given the fragile condition of Hope Baptist and where our kids are in their schooling.  Many missionaries are turning to secular employment on the field as the only short term solution.  From a missions perspective the right job could create opportunities for the gospel as well as keep your missionaries on the field.  It does create a strain on our time both for the work and for our families.

4.       Missionary special projects such as building churches and other works are suffering greatly.  Many of us have been forced to call a halt to building projects indefinitely.  One-time gifts or special missionary fund raising projects from Sunday School classes or youth groups can have a great impact on keeping building projects alive.

The bottom line is that while missionary giving has remained steady or even increased the actual effect of that giving has nearly been cut in half over the past few years.  The need for the gospel has never been greater and a casual glance at any newspaper will tell you time is short and the world is in deep trouble.  The battle will not be won without the participation of the home front.  We ask that you prayerfully consider this situation and do whatever the Lord leads you to do.

Philippians 4:17-19 “Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.  And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

By His Grace,

Dave McIntyre

Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - Hope Baptist January Update

Sunday night we had a good crowd out to Hope, it was encouraging that we had five first time visitors.

This past week Tim Moody (ABWE São Paulo) called me and made my whole week!  He runs mission trips with Brazilian believers from his churches in São Paulo.  He offered to come up here to Belo with a group of 20 – 30 Brazilian young people, trained in evangelism, to help train our young people and lead them in two weeks of survey evangelism in our neighborhood.  We still have to work out the details but we are planning to do this during the mid-July winter break.

My youth group is excited about it.  This week I got into a conversation with two guys at a local building supply shop in the neighborhood.  I asked them about what type of church we need there in Santa Amelia. They were enthusiastic, “Pastor, there are so many young people in this area with nothing to do other than party; their lives are just being wasted.”  The median age of the Brazilian population is only 24 years old.  I think that statistic holds true for the median age of the congregation at Hope Baptist as well.

We had a good visit with Dave and Ev Southwell.  It was a few days of heavy conversations about our future here in Belo, our financial situation, Patty’s health, and the fact that we have no co-workers.  I know many of you have been praying about these situations and we are confident that the Lord is going to work them all out in His timing.  Dave said we could evaluate all of these things in one year and see where we are.

Another positive development this week was that I got in contact with a group of Americans working here in Belo with Campus Outreach.  They are involved with evangelism and discipleship of college students at the Federal University and they are also doing a team church plant across town.  It is nice to know that we are not “alone” here in Belo.  They want to meet us sometime, so please pray for this as well.

We are really looking forward to this year and are excited about the direction the Lord is moving things already.  I finished our Sunday School unit on personal evangelism and now I’m starting Romans 1 – 8.  On Wednesday nights we are going to study the personality of Jesus.  I fear sometimes that we aren’t excited about the Gospel in our own lives because we don’t understand the impact it had and we have no idea of who Jesus is.  It is impossible to have a personal relationship with a list of doctrinal points about the second person of the Godhead.  Sometimes I think we only know Him from reading His resumé rather than interacting with the real person.

On the 26^th we will be traveling to the ABWE All-Brazil conference down south.  We are looking forward to this as a much needed break from the routine tyranny of the urgent here in Belo.  They have lots of meetings scheduled for us but rumor has it there will be some free time as well.  The hotel is up in the mountains, so I’m looking forward to that.

Please keep us in your prayer.  Sometime it all seems a bit overwhelming but we serve and all-powerful God.

By His Grace,

Dave, Patty, Erin, Karina, and Daniel Luke McIntyre

Friday, January 11, 2008 - Reaching the Unchurched

At Hope Baptist we have been focusing on personal evangelism in the adult/teen Sunday school.  I’m just now wrapping up the material I planned to teach and now it is time to start talking!

This morning I came across a great article in USA Today, a survey on attitudes towards christianity among the “unchurched”.

Survey: Non-attendees find faith outside church  (Link to full USA Today article)

Here´s a quote from the article with my added boldface…

“But despite respondents' critical views of organized religion, Stetzer is optimistic. He cites the finding that 78% would "be willing to listen" to someone tell "what he or she believed about Christianity."

They already know believers — 89% of the unchurched have at least one close friend who is Christian, Stetzer noted.

And 71% agreed that "believing in Jesus makes a positive difference in a person's life."

"What surprised me is the openness of the hard-core unchurched to the message of God and Christianity — just not as expressed in church," Stetzer says.

"It's a personal thing, not an institutional thing. It's a matter of starting conversations."

Now if I read that right it means that 89% of us have a close friendship with someone who doesn’t know Christ… 71% of us have a positive testimony with our non-believer friends…

BUT 78% of us are keeping it to ourselves!  Seven out of ten people think your faith in Christ is a positive influence and nearly eight out of ten will be willing to hear you out!

At Hope Baptist we have been focusing on one giant aspect of personal evangelism more than any other, the POSITIVE CONFESSION OF CHRIST.  It is important to know what you believe and be able to back it up with scripture.  Above all we must live it openly before a watching world and be vocal about it.   

Brazil is more than a pluralistic society, the personal belief systems of many people here are pluralistic in nature.  To pin most people down to what they actually believe and practice it sounds like Roman-Cathlospiritulaistic-New-Age-Hedonistic (but if you say it really fast you might become a mystic).  Deep down, people are not happy and they know that there has to be more to life than what they are living.  We have the most positive message on the planet – JESUS.  Lets get out there and talk to someone!

Friday, January 4, 2008 - New Years Photos

New Years Eve in Brazil looks and feels so much like the Fourth of July that the casual observer would have a hard time telling them apart.  In fact at the rooftop, midnight cookout the other night my mom said, “This is great!  Why don’t WE (as in Americans) celebrate New Years like this?”  I said, “Because it’s January and about 15 degrees outside!” Oh, yeah, middle of winter, right.

I was able to figure out the right camera settings and got some interesting shots.

We all had a great time, lots of stuff on the grill.  I gave a short devotional about our hope that maybe this year the Lord would return.  It sure seems like the best of our options.  We had about forty people out and several first time visitors to a church event.

Feliz Ano Novo, 

Mac

Tuesday, January 1, 2008 - Guilt, Fear, and Anxiety

There are very few things that can rob us of genuine life like these three enemies, guilt, fear, and anxiety.  Medicating these emotions is a billion dollar a year industry.  I think it is easier to bear with physical pain than to bear up under a load of guilt, fear, and anxiety. How often do we get trapped into unbiblical thinking and wind up mired in these three?  How often do we get roped into some unbiblical solution to deal with them? They are the wasting disease of a life lived with a wrong focus.  I think we need a little Romans chapter eight.

The first thing you have to notice about chapter eight of Romans is that it isn’t chapter one!  There is a whole lot of good news in between the condemnation of sinful man in chapter’s one through three and the promises of chapter eight.  You can read it all in one sitting but to live, experience, and understand what is being said here takes years.  Most critically there is an encounter with the living Christ that is necessary before the promises of chapter eight will belong to you.  If you think you might be there then please see chapter 3:21 through chapter seven.

Let’s think this through.  In order to feel guilt we have to focus on the sins of our past.  We all have stuff back there in the past that we aren’t proud of but so far I haven’t been able to go back and do anything about them, have you?  Focusing on the wrongs of the past won’t change them, but focusing on Christ will.

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1-4)

Are you thinking correctly or are you buying into a lie that somehow, after what Christ did for you that the stain and shame of sin remains upon you? He has paid the price in full; He has atoned for your guilt.  So yes, you were guilty, but that “you” was condemned to death with Him.  The requirement of the law has been fulfilled.  I am convinced that we cannot wallow in guilt without first slathering ourselves in unbelief.

Fear robs us of our present.  Do you face challenges today that are beyond your ability to bear?  Isn’t life sometimes just a bit much?  Things don’t run along smoothly like we want them to.  We look at the challenges we face and we look at ourselves and who wouldn’t feel fear?  That fear stems from the fact that we all want to be our own small “g” god and we know we aren’t.  We want to be in control of our lives to make them run smoothly and we know we can’t do it.

“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”  (Romans 8:15-17)

It is OK to admit it… you’re not God!  However it is not OK to forget that your God is not next to you, nor behind you, nor slightly above, or holding you up.  He is within you and He has received you as an adopted child, dearly loved.  I do some crazy stuff with my kids like take them out into the wilderness.  Often they come up against their natural fear and I tell them, “Hey, I’m right here.  Karina, you have a dad!  There’s nothing going on here that I can’t handle.”  That cuts to the heart with me every time I say it because my own unbelief gets the best of me at times and I forget that my “Abba, Father” is right here (Mac tapping on chest).  There is nothing going on that He can’t handle.  You cannot feel fear and focus on Christ at the same time.

Anxiety robs us of our future and I think of all this has to be the worst.  This is the ultimate unbelief because it reflects a profound distrust of God.  How can He possibly know what He is doing?  This thing isn’t going to work, how could it? I can’t pull this off!  The sky is falling and our little wings are too weak to push it back up.

If there is one characteristic of Jesus that we see repeatedly in the gospels it is that He knew nothing of pessimism.  At His worst moment, Gethsemane, He said not my will but thine be done.  That is confidence in the Living God.  That is total trust and overriding faith in the goodness of a loving, omnipotent, and all-wise God.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”  (Romans 8:28-32)

Did you just skip over the bible verse above because you already know it?  Seriously, do you really think that I am going to say something here more life altering than what God Himself is telling you in those words?  Is that passage some dusty, dry bit of doctrine or is it the anchor of your soul when faced with an uncertain future?  Do you choose today by faith to depend fully on God’s unmerited goodness towards you, goodness purchased for you by the blood of His Son?  He has declared you righteous, who are you to contradict Him?  His plan for your future is to show you forever the riches of His grace and faithfulness towards you.  Examine unchecked anxiety in that light for a moment, is it really something you want to keep around or does it start to look like that thing you found in the corner of the refrigerator?

Guilt, fear, and anxiety are powerless in the face of truth but if your face isn’t turned towards the truth they will loom larger and larger until they fill your vision.  When climbing a cliff you have to use the three point rule.  You stay anchored at three points at all times and only move one hand or foot at a time.  My guilt has been atoned for, my God resides within, and He is in control of my future.  Don’t look down, look up and fix your eyes on Him.

Lord you have purchased our guilt and given us a Spirit of boldness.  Your plans for us are glorious but we are blind and unbelieving.  Lord, draw our attention away from ourselves and our circumstances to gaze upon You and trust You fully.

In the Name of Jesus, our Friend, Brother, and Savior.  Amen

Mac

Tuesday, December 25, 2007 - Several Prayer Requests

I have several urgent prayer requests to make.

Before I was called to Hope Baptist they had started construction on the lot where we plan to move the church.  The foundation of the church was laid and the wall, required by law, was started.  All of the brickwork for the wall is complete but the metal tubing fence that actually closes the lot off was not completed.  This resulted in a fine (about $500) from the city for not closing off the lot in the required time.  This was one of several problems that I inherited with the pastorate of Hope.

On the 13th I had a meeting with the city government division that takes care of such things.  They gave us 30 days to finish the project.  The man I was dealing with was also a Christian and said that as soon as we finish the fence that I am to give him a call and he will see what he can do about getting the fine removed.  Our building fund could use a little grace and mercy at this point.

Out at camp I am in a real bind.  José (Zé), the man who lives out at camp, is at retirement age and really needs to be in his own place.  This month he is leaving to do a month long course of physical therapy here in Belo.  The camp will be stripped bare if I don’t have someone living there full time.

This week I was able to recruit a few of my young people to go out there and work on minor repairs as volunteers.  It is vacation month and many of my young people are either unemployed or they have a break from school.  As long as I can find someone to be there for the weekends and keep my volunteer workers fed I will be alright for a while. 

I need a permanent solution for the “Zé Factor” in the form of a couple who will live out there and take care of maintenance and rental of the camp property.  My dream is to have someone out there who will also do missions work in the surrounding villages.  Many details beyond my control have to come together for this to be a reality and for this I need lots of prayer.  In faith I choose to believe that these “problems” will move this project forward with the Lord’s guidance.

The children’s program at Hope Baptist is weak.  We would like to target young families but without a well done children’s ministry I’m afraid we will have a hard time attracting and keeping families.  Patty and I seem to do well with children from voting age and up so we’re not much help in this area.  Vânia, our recently graduated seminary student, has returned and volunteered to work up a children’s program and train a few volunteers.  Please pray for her efforts in this area as it is critical to the growth of Hope Baptist.

 If you could remember to keep these things in prayer in the coming weeks I would greatly appreciate it.

By His Grace,

Mac

Monday, December 24, 2007 - Merry Christmas from Hope Baptist

Heat, humidity, thundershowers, and overcast skies…  Fireworks in the evening punctuate the air filled with the smell of backyard barbeques and freshly cut grass, yes, it’s Christmas in Brazil when once again we get to carve the traditional yuletide watermelon. 

Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere falls in mid summer just as rainy season is getting into full swing.  Here the big moment falls on Christmas Eve.  Most churches have a midnight service that ends in a huge meal in the wee hours of the night.  At midnight often the neighborhood erupts in fireworks.

Last night at Hope Baptist we had our Christmas service.  The kids were planning to sing by candlelight and afterwards the ladies had prepared a party complete with a birthday cake.

As we arrived at church the skies were dark and low.  At the beginning of the service the rain started to pour and lightening sounded off like artillery.  At one point the sound system even buzzed with a power surge.  You know what happened next.  Right in the middle of the song service Ka-BAM!  Direct Hit!  Our neighborhood was knocked off the power grid and the lights went out.

The kids had all made candleholders out of cut-off bottle tops so we lit them all up and found an extra box of candles in a drawer.  Soon the church was aglow again.  The singing was cut short as our instruments, sound system, and overhead projector were out of commission.  I preached my Christmas message by candlelight, we had the Lord’s Supper, and the kids sang their special music. 

Afterwards we set up the candles in the next room and had our Christmas party.

It seems every year during rainy season we end up doing at least one service in the dark.  I have preached in the glare of car headlights, sputtering gas lanterns, dim flashlights, and now the soft glow of candles.  A Christmas service by candlelight does add a touch of class.  We really can’t complain, some people do such things on purpose.

Merry Christmas,

Dave, Patty, Erin, Karina, and Daniel Luke McIntyre

Friday, December 21, 2007 - A Minor Philosophical Point

It is a minor point of philosophy – “Windshield wipers only break when it is raining.”

Of course it becomes a major point if you are driving down a muddy "dirt" road in the middle of nowhere during a tropical downpour.

This is why I never go out to camp without my Leatherman tool.  I had my rain gear in the car with me and I was able to get it fixed.  

Somewhere there’s a sermon illustration in this.  Mac

Thursday, December 20, 2007 - The Gift of Mercy

Patty went to the hospital to spend the day with Erin and take care of her post-op.  The doctor arrived late, the surgery took longer than expected, and Erin slept a long time in the recovery room.  It worked out that Patty spent the greater part of the day just hanging out at Saint Ivo Hospital with nothing but time on her hands.

She wandered around a bit and passed an elderly woman sitting alone in her room.  In her wanderings she passed the same woman sitting alone several times.  Here’s where it gets interesting.  Patty doesn’t like to talk to strangers, Jesus apparently does.

For some reason that God created before the foundation of the world, Patty stopped in to see how she was doing.  The woman, Solange, was paralyzed from the waist down and recovering from her 13^th surgery to correct her problem.  Patty had nothing else to do so she stayed and had a long visit.  Towards the end of their conversation Solange asked if she could ask Patty a personal question. She prefaced it by saying that Patty didn’t have to answer if it made her uncomfortable.

“Are you an Evangelical Christian?”

She went on to say that she had been there for an entire week and that many people stop by and look in but the only people that had entered her room or spoken to her were the doctors and nurses and that they were all business.  She had been there for a week as a medical case but nobody had paid any attention to her as a person.  She said that she has noticed something different about some Evangelicals over the years and that she recognized it in Patty as well.  Solange didn’t personally know Christ as her Savior but she recognized Him in Patty right away.

As I say in the introduction to the blog, “There is no human pain that love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will not fix.  That is the essence of who Jesus is and that is what He offers to bring into your life.”  I don’t know why it surprises us to see Him in action, after all, He indwells the believer.

The gift of mercy is a subtle gift, not one that will grab the limelight or ever be handed a microphone.  The untapped potential to turn the world upside down dwells within each of us who have come to peace with Him.  The living expression of that is a beautiful thing.  I don’t think I am far from the mark to say that the exercise of the gift of mercy stems from a personal brokenness and heartfelt need of it in our own lives.  It is the essence of miracle that flows out through those cracks.

Please remember to pray for Solange, Patty has her e-mail address and will remain in contact with her.

Mac

Thursday, December 13, 2007 - The Rule of Threes

The Rule of Threes

In the realm of wilderness survival instructors often talk about the Rule of Threes.

You can survive…

Three Minutes without AIR.

Three Hours without SHELTER

Three Days without WATER

Three Weeks without FOOD

Of course these times are relative to many factors.  People have survived longer than “3” in each of the categories, but essentially after these times you will be in dire straits and need additional assistance to overcome the threat.  The rule of threes helps a survivor to organize his priorities and determine his next course of action based on his needs and limited resources.  In other words, you don’t worry about food no matter how hungry you are if you don’t have adequate shelter and water.

One phenomenon I have observed leading groups of both Brazilians and Americans here in tropical Brazil is what I call “Gag Reflex Dehydration”.   This happens when people refuse to drink because they don’t trust the water.  Americans are especially prone to this as we are filled with a cultural resistance to drinking water from third world sources.

Finding and treating water is an essential survival skill.  Serious dehydration is sheer misery and rapidly degrades your ability to function.  Creating and maintaining the ability to hydrate in the bush is a foundational skill that allows you to enjoy the back country with a wider margin of safety.

One of the ways I overcome this with the groups I lead into the wilderness is to hike them in with no water in their canteens. I learned early on that if I allow people to enter the bush with squeaky clean bottled water that they will attempt to drink only that water for the duration of the course!  Now we hike in dry.  After explaining the rule of threes to them we sit down and evaluate what we need.  Of course water is on all of their minds as we haven’t had a drink in many kilometers. (They don’t know it but I’ve been hiking them directly to a steady source of water)

We then filter and fill our water carriers from a creek or waterhole and treat it chemically with 2% Tincture of Iodine, 5 drops per liter/quart, wait a half hour before drinking.  This treated water tastes like band-aids with a slightly earthy aftertaste.  We also discuss boiling, and chlorine as additional methods of treating water.

Each pair of guys is responsible to carry and maintain a heavy duty 5-liter water bag for the duration for the trip.  This reinforces the quantity of water you should expect to need in order to stay hydrated.  Countless times I have encountered groups in the bush with a few half liter bottles scattered among the group and they think their needs are covered.

Once the group learns the system and gets into the habit of fending for themselves regarding their water supply it just becomes one more task in the daily routine of taking care in the bush.  I get a kick out of how much attention to detail they demonstrate from start to finish.  There is a period of a few hours it seems that they will pay close attention to any rumble of the stomach, but when nothing bad happens they start to drink freely and the lesson was a success.

This is all preparation for setting the hook so to speak.

“You guys spend so much time taking care not to put anything impure in your stomachs but you give very little attention to what you put into your minds. You will walk far out of the way to get to cleaner water, and only put the very best you can find through your filter.  You carefully treat it to kill anything harmful in it and wait, thirsty, while the bad stuff is dying off.  You pay close attention after the fact to make sure it isn’t having a negative impact on your health.  Your stomach has far less of an impact on your life than your mind yet you will allow anything to flood into your heads with little or no consideration or forethought.  If you won’t check your sources, if you don’t have any concept of purity in the first place, and don’t use discrimination and discernment, then how do you plan to survive in life?”

It generally gets kind of quiet after that for a while.  It often leads to some frank discussions.  The bush is a great classroom, a distillation of the basics of life.  Fire, water, shelter, compass navigation, emergency signaling, etc. all have wider applications to surviving out of the bush as well.  I am so glad that I don’t golf.  Mac