The Black Friday Irony

So I'm reading my email this morning and all the messages seem to be from stores running Black Friday sales. As I found myself starting to make a mental note of things to purchase, the bitter irony of the day hit me smack in the forehead. I just spent all of yesterday being thankful for what I have. Why am I suddenly tossing all that out the window and experiencing this discontent? Am I crazy? What changed in the last 24 hours? Answer: absolutely nothing except that I paid attention to the advertisements that convince me I will be missing something by not participating in the annual shopping ritual called Black Friday.

Don't get me wrong--in past years I've been out there just like everyone else. It used to be a favorite thing that I would do with my sister and father when I was growing up. I think I enjoyed being part of the crowds and soaking in the holiday atmosphere. Sure there was some window shopping for myself and also taking care of a few items on my Christmas list. But nowadays I find myself experiencing more and more disgust for this push to acquire stuff--stuff for myself, stuff for friends, stuff for family, stuff for co-workers, stuff for the dog...stuff, stuff, STUFF! Ugh! Is this what we've turned Christmas into? When does it end?

Maybe it's because I'm in smaller living quarters. I don't have room for more stuff. Or maybe it's because I'm tired of sorting through stuff. I don't have the energy to keep going through things and deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. I suspect, however, that my growing aversion to stuff has more to do with my perspective on life. It's been changing in the last few years as God has graciously opened my eyes to the reality of eternity. The stuff loses a lot of its shine when it is viewed in terms of its eternal value.

So I find myself asking: Have I had a quality conversation with a friend or family member? Do my niece and nephew know that I love them? Do my co-workers need to hear what Christmas is truly about, that Jesus Christ came to love them and to die for them so that they could have a personal relationship with the God of the universe? Those things would last much longer than the newest phone, the hottest toys, or the office gift exchange. Make no mistake; it will still cost me--conversations, expressions of affection, and sharing the gospel all take me and my time. But if I'm willing to give some of that, I could give the people around me something that will last far beyond Black Friday and December 25th...and they won't have to find a space for it.

Concepts

"Concepts #3"
10X14"
Watercolor

It feels like for-EVER since I last posted something here! I have missed sharing art with others. It's not that I haven't wanted to post anything; I have merely been waiting for God's direction and timing for art projects. I'm not sure that I can say I have returned or that I will be posting regularly again, but for right now I have something that I can share.

God has taken me through quite a process in the last couple of years. In fact, my previous post was shortly after I moved out of my rented art studio and had sold the vast majority of my supplies. I thought it was just a downsizing. Then I felt the Lord directing me to get rid of all my previous artwork. It was a painful purging. Although I was able to give some of it away, most of my paintings and drawings ended up in the trash. I started to wonder if God was calling me to give up the art stuff for good.

See, I had all these nice ideas of how God was going to use my art. The only problem is, they weren't God's ideas. He had to take my nice little box of concepts and smash it to bits. Again, a painful experience, but very necessary. Now I wait for His leading and His inspiration. And that has lead to a much happier, much more successful art venture than would have happened had I pursued my own ideas.

90-Day Challenge: Why do it?

Oops, I guess this is the kind of thing I should have written at the beginning of the challenge, not in the middle. But I've been thinking about it as I have gotten behind in my reading and worked to catch up. Why do it? Why keep it up? Why encourage others to join me?

First off, let me be very clear: I am NOT doing this as some kind of religious exercise. Nor am I encouraging others to do it as a religious exercise. I am not looking to give myself or anyone else a pat on the back at the end of it all and say, "Look what I did! Aren't I great?" Ugh. I hate that tendency in me and am desperately trying to move away from that. That's not the point of this whole thing, and that's not what keeps me going.

If I was going to give myself a pat on the back, I would have already done so, because if the truth be told, I've already read through the Bible in 90 days. That's how I know that it is possible. So if I've already done it, why do it again? One of the reasons is because I believe it's an important principle in leadership. It isn't right to ask someone else to do something that you're not willing to do yourself. So if I'm challenging others to read the Bible in 90 days, I'd better be doing it right along with them. And I am. Are you finding it difficult to keep up? Me, too. You have questions about what you just read? Me, too. If you've read through parts of the Bible before, are you wondering how you missed certain instructions or stories? Yep, me, too.

I must confess: I am absolutely fascinated with the Bible. That wasn't always the case for me. Actually, I became more fascinated with it as I grew in my relationship with its Author. Every time I read it, He speaks to me and shows me things I never noticed before. I've read lots of books multiple times, but the Bible is alive in a way those other books are not. Maybe you're reading this and thinking I'm crazy, or you're questioning my statement about the author part. That's okay--if that's the case, then please leave a comment or contact me with your questions. I am not out to argue or beat anyone over the head with what I believe. I am ever in pursuit of truth and am simply happy to share what I've discovered in my journey.

So why did I choose the 90 days for this reading adventure? One, that is how long it took me the first time I purposed to read the entire Bible cover to cover. Also, cramming a large project into a small deadline was something that I learned to appreciate when I participated in the National Novel Writing Month a few years ago. Writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days doesn't leave you any time to obsess about the details. I figure the same is true with reading through the Bible in a short amount of time--it helps to move things along and to see more of the bigger picture. Now don't get me wrong; I believe it is very important to study the details of the Bible, especially if you claim to be a Christian. But we have this tendency to pull out verses without seeing them in the larger context of the entire Bible. When you read through the entire book, you can start to see the themes and connections between all its various parts.

So there you have it. If you're thinking that it's too late to participate, I say, "No way! Come join me!" You can always go back and read what you've missed. I don't think it's ever too late to read the Bible.

Eight Days In

So the first week of the 90-day Bible-reading challenge has passed. It's a lot of reading in a short amount of time, but I find that this helps me focus on the major themes and the bigger picture. I'm not sure who all has joined me on this little adventure--if you haven't joined yet, why not now? You can always go back and catch up on the books/chapters you missed at the end.

So what caught your attention as you read this week? What surprised you? What did you like? What did you not like? These are the kinds of questions I was hoping to ask the people who joined me in reading, but I don't know who took me up on my challenge (except one). I guess that means I'll share this time. Maybe next week some other readers will come forward and share their own discoveries.

What impressed me as I finished Exodus was how God was fulfilling His part of the covenant with Abraham. Abraham was promised many descendants who would be slaves in Egypt for a time. Then God would bring them out of Egypt and back to the land that Abraham was living in at the time. So at the end of Exodus, we see God guiding hundreds of thousands of Abraham's descendants toward their Promised Land. He has been working for hundreds of years to keep His end of the bargain. And now in Exodus, we also see God instructing the people how to keep their end of the covenant.

There are lots of extra materials out there to explain what covenants are and how they operate. One that I have found extremely helpful is "The Blood Covenant" by E. W. Kenyon. It has an excellent illustration of a "modern" blood covenant, which sheds some light on the covenants in the Bible. I recommend reading it, although if you're pressed for time you may want to wait until the 90-day challenge is over.

That's all for now. Good success to all on week #2 of the challenge!

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."--Heb. 10:24 (NIV)

One of Those Days

You ever have one of THOSE days? Today started as one of THOSE days...

I had difficulty getting up this morning. I was tired, and I was thinking about all the stuff I needed to get done today which made me more tired. Ugh. Then the radio station was having problems. Not just the usual problems, mind you. These were the I'm-not-going-to-cooperate-at-all kind of problems. I felt the heavy sigh of resignation come along with the thought, "Oh, it's going to be one of THOSE days...

Then I felt the Holy Spirit's rebuke. What exactly did I mean, "It's going to be one of those days"? Did I mean that things weren't happening as I expected? (Yes.) Was I sighing because I had to change MY plans? (Yes.) Was that dark cloud descending over my mood because there was a lot of work ahead of me that I hadn't anticipated? (Yes, yes, and yes.) And what does the Word of God have to say about my attitude? (okay, okay, waving the white flag of surrender...)

"This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."--Psalm 118:24 (RSV) If the Lord has made today, am I rejoicing when I sigh and call it "one of THOSE days"? (ouch...no) When the Lord crafted today, maybe He was preparing a special lesson in perseverance. Maybe He wants to see if I will seek His wisdom on what I should do today. Maybe He's giving me an opportunity to overcome my selfishness and conquer my dark mood through praising Him. (ah, now I'm beginning to get the picture) It's not "one of those days"...it's one of His days. Time to rejoice and be glad in it, whatever happens.

August 2010

The middle of August has arrived with all of its heat, and I have suddenly realized that it has been way too long since I've sent out any ministry updates!

Where to begin? The Lord recently blessed the ministry with a new roofing job. Back in April of this year, we had our first major rain of the season. We already knew we had a leak in the dining area of the ministry center, but the rainstorm showed us just how bad it was becoming. Then when our "official" monsoon season started, the rain was literally pouring through the crack in the ceiling. The offers we had to fix the roof all fell through, and I began to wonder what the Lord was doing.

Fellow missionaries Joan Wilson and Elfi Register of Crossing Borders Ministries decided to help out. Their ministry hosts all kinds of teams that come down for mission trips during the summer months. With the situation continuing to deteriorate in Mexico, most of these teams now stay and work on the US side of the border. One of these teams from the Pittsburg Baptist Association in Oklahoma had some experienced roofers among them, so Joan and Elfi asked them to help us with our roof. What a blessing! In three days they had fixed the leaky part and put a new coating on the rest.

Speaking of Crossing Borders Ministries, Mom and I took some time out from our regular ministry work to help Joan and Elfi with their school supply drive. I believe this is our second year (maybe third?) helping them out with this project. They receive and distribute a couple of thousand packets to Mexican pastors who in turn pass them out to the children in their congregations. Schools in Mexico do not work like they do in the US, so these packets are vital to help the kids attend school.

The violence in Mexico continues to deteriorate. We have seen reports of a car bomb being used in one attack on the police. Murders are being reported daily. The violence is even starting to spill over onto the US side. Within the last month or so, there was an incident in which stray bullets from a shootout on the Mexican side actually struck the city hall building in downtown El Paso. There was also a homicide in a town about 20 minutes to the north of us that is being linked to the drug cartels. Please continue to pray for God's protection amidst this violence.

Because of the violence across the border and because of the economic situation in the US, the Lord has laid it on the pastors' hearts to concentrate more on a Joseph ministry. This means we are looking to collect donations of items and also money to purchase things that we can give out to people as they have need. Some of the items that we are focusing on right now are bikes, shoes, winter gear, and blankets. If you have any items that you could donate, or if you would like to support this initiative financially, please contact me to make arrangements. We long to be a blessing to our community and to meet some of their physical needs as we share with them the Good News about Jesus.

For more information about the ministry:
Website: www.breakthrough4life.org

or check out our internet radio station:
Radio: www.bbn4jesus.org

To donate through PayPal:

March 2010

Greetings once again from El Paso, TX!

It’s hard to believe that it is March already; so much has been happening in the first three months of this year. The pastor of the ministry had some life-threatening health problems around the first part of January. I have had the awesome privilege of watching him recover miraculously through the power of prayer—God definitely heals! As a ministry team we prayed for him at all hours of the day and night, literally. During this time the Lord also called us to extended times of prayer against the horrific violence that has been going on across the border in Mexico. Not having a television, I’m not sure how much attention this issue is getting in the national news media. Locally there is hardly a day that goes by without murders being reported in the newspaper, and it has been this way for more than a year. But with all this going on, we have continued to go out on the streets when we can to share the Gospel. We did an outreach in our neighborhood for Valentine’s Day, and we were able to hand out Bibles and talk to several of our neighbors. We have also started ministering at a flea market that is closer to our ministry center. I am grateful that the Lord continues to help me to learn Spanish and to communicate with the Spanish-speakers we encounter.

I feel blessed to be where I’m at and doing what I’m doing, and I am grateful to be able to share how the Lord is working out the vision that He has given to this ministry. That is something that He spoke to us as a team back in the middle of January: Share the vision! So in order to give a little clearer picture of what the vision is, I have included an outline at the end of this newsletter. It is a progressive vision, meaning that we work toward each goal as the Lord provides the people and resources. We are only four people at the moment—Pastors Don and Alana Randall, my mother Linda, and myself. We are an interdenominational work, and we don’t get any salary or wages from a larger organization. We do everything that we can by faith with the resources that we are given. It is amazing, humbling, and challenging to see how God keeps expanding the ministry even with the limitations that this brings. I would ask as you look at the vision to consider partnering with me in this work both in prayer and financially. If you would like to know more about any area of the ministry, please feel free to contact me at KidderMail@yahoo.com. I would love to hear from you! God bless you!

--Lisa

Vision of Breakthrough 4 Life Ministries

Our progressing vision in the church:

Media Ministries (2 Tim. 4:5; Ps. 68:11; 1 Cor. 9:22)

• Radio
  To broadcast the Good News in both English and Spanish 24 hours a day, seven days a week through our Internet radio station www.bbn4jesus.org.


• Video
  To record teachings, messages, and services to broadcast over the Internet through our website www.breakthrough4life.org.

Ministry of Prayer

• Worship (Jn. 4:23)
  To have regular times of worship as a ministry and to facilitate personal worship time.


• Praise (Ps. 50:23; Ps. 22:3)
  To have regular times of praising God as a ministry and to encourage personal times of praising God.


• Warfare (Eph. 6:11-18; 1 Tim. 2:3-6)
  To engage the spiritual forces of darkness as the Spirit of God leads.


• Intercession (Ro. 8:26, 27)
  To pray and intercede for lost, dying, and broken souls as the Spirit of God leads.

Ministry of Evangelism (2 Tim. 4:5; Isa. 58; 1 Cor. 9:22)

• Jesus Bread Company
  Jesus Bread Company is the name of our street outreach. The vision includes acquiring a large vehicle (bus/van) to equip for some of the following activities:


• Streets Ministry
  Share the Gospel, conduct street meetings, hand out tracts, and pray for people out on the streets.


• Feeding the Poor
  A mobile kitchen to serve simple meals to the poor and hungry out on the streets.


• Puppets
  Equipment and a mobile stage for presenting skits that share the Gospel with children.


• Music
  A mobile stage and equipment to share the Gospel through music and concerts.

Ministry of Healings (Isa. 58)

• Praying and Ministering to Brokenness of Spirit, Soul, and Body
  To minister to those who call our prayer line as well as those who come to the ministry center seeking healing.

Ministry of the Word

• Discipleship (Eph. 4:11-16)
  The vision includes the facilities and staff to offer discipleship through the following:


• Word (2 Tim. 2:15)
  Daily study and teaching of the Word of God


• Worship (Jn. 4:23)
  Regular times of worship both personally and together as a ministry.


• Work (Titus 2:7)
  Sharing the burden of ministry tasks and upkeep of ministry property and facilities.


• Publishing (Mk. 13:10; Ps. 68:11; Ac. 13:49; 1 Cor. 9:22)
  To publish tracts, testimonies, and teachings to use in our ministry and to share with the Body of Christ.


• Ranch (Isa. 58)
  To acquire property and facilities to offer a place of refuge, rest, and refreshing to other ministries as well as to expand the capacity for discipleship.

Statement of Faith
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, authoritative Word of God. God is eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His personal return in power and glory. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful men, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in Christ.