In the big picture of the History of the world, each of us could feasibly consider that we could not possibly play a significant part in the whole scheme of things. A little perspective is required here:
-you are one person alive in a sea of over 7 Billion other people on earth
-since the dawn of recorded mankind science estimates that over 110 Billion people have lived and died since creation, more or less, I am not sure if this is right as it is only an assumption based on the age of fossil discoveries
-our planet is one planet in our solar system that is part of a larger system we call the Milky Way. This system is only a part of a much larger Universe which surrounds our system. The Milky Way in perspective contains millions of stars similar to our sun and likely those stars have planets that rotate around them. This creates a huge potential number of planets in the known Universe. Moreover, other systems of planets exist in our visible Universe besides the Milky Way. This means we are part of a system which contains literally billions of stars and planets, not to mention the uncountable numbers of satellites and moons.
So what is my point?
Science today has tried to speculate as to how everything was formed, in doing so man has also speculated as to how we came to be alive; as in how everything came alive! But folks this is the kicker:
The one thing science and mathematics cannot tell anyone of us is "Why?" anything was created at all.
You see the scientists have formulated many hypothesis over time using visible evidence of the Universe and mathematics and then proposed many theories. The most popular theory today is that our Universe and all that is in it are a result of some cosmic accident over 14 Billion years ago that set in motion the expanding of the known Universe and then the random creation of planets and stars; the "Big Bang". With the then random start of life from lifelessness, and the subsequent expansion of life and progress of the development of higher order species evolving from single cell organisms into humanity and a million different species of life so different from each other it still boggles the mind.
Now if you believe that everything is here around us, on our planet, in our solar system, in our Universe is the result of a cosmic accident you still have no answer as to "Why?" anything happened at all! Think about it, what can cause a giant spark to happen in a big empty space of nothing,(which by the way defies all logic and known laws of physics surrounding fire). Even then after this "Big Bang" happens which was caused by nothing and with nothing for no purpose other than to expand a bunch of nothing into a whole bunch of planets and stars which a spinning around and around each other for millions of years growing farther apart with no end in sight. Really? I mean Really?
Interesting point here, some of these scientists and physicists are beginning to look at the evidence and are also seeing the problem they have created with the theory. I'll explain...The theory states that everything started way back when with some sort of massive explosion, some form of spontaneous combustion of an unbelievably large pile of all the elements needed to create everything. The Big Bang Theory estimates that all the stuff that makes up our Universe existed at some point as a large pile of matter, unformed and non-responsive to any of the known laws of physics (This is just a guess of course) Then something, caused the explosion which forced all the matter in the Universe to expand away from this one central point in space, expanding away, forming into planets and stars, moons and satellites, rivers and oceans, amoebas and elephants, dogs and cats, people and chimps.
I have a headache.
This is what happens when man falls away from the truth, he creates such a complicated lie and continues to build on it so that by the end of the story (I'm sure we are not there yet) it sounds like science fiction instead of truth.
There of course is another theory.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1
The evidence for this is right within each of us, after all, there is no other species running around trying to figure out how all of this came about. Only man has the ability to reason out details which God himself has exposed to us for us to discern. Our fathers all trusted God since the dawn of recorded History. Oh sure, many of our fathers never even walked the path of God trusting Him to guide their lives, this is evidenced by the destructive nature of mankind. Our History is still vibrating with the cataclysmic nature of our wars and battles between ourselves, usually over nothing but pride or greed. Today some of us have continued to stray so far away from God and His truths that we would believe a lie created by ourselves and compound that lie generation after generation with more speculation as to how we came to be. Only to get to discover that your lie has a flaw..."Something had to create all the elements that make up the Universe?"
I like my theory better....much easier, not simple mind you....you should try it.
Go ahead...I dare you.
Michael
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
The Work Continues
Hello everyone Y Dios te Bendigas!
After only a couple of weeks and a flurry of activity around the project of Rio Vista we are now even closer to seeing the reality of the dream come true. In the past month North Coast Missionary Services has received a tremendous blessing which has allowed us to continue with the build of the project. As many of you know Rio Vista Mission House was contrived as an idea more than 5 years ago and Laura and I have been walking out God's plan for our lives with the Mission House in mind.
It was only a year ago that we found a suitable property upon which we could build the facility which would house Mission Teams who come to the island each year to work with the poor.
Previous blog posts have shown the construction of the Mission House from ground breaking until today and we are now even closer than ever to opening the house for Mission Teams.
Those of you that understand what God is doing here will see the fruit of His labor through our hands and know that He has truly blessed the project with support and gifts from many of His children. We continue to give thanks to those of you who have been a support to this important Mission and encourage others to partner with us to see the fulfillment of His plans for the many lives which will be affected by this Mission in the years to come.
The pictures show the work continuing with the installation of wiring and light fixtures as well as the construction of the pump-house and kitchen to which we will later attach the open-air dining area. (needs funding)
We have also begun the build of the perimeter security fence which will surround the compound of Rio Vista. The pictures show the foundations of twelve columns which surround the property; each column has a solid concrete foundation with a stone laid in the concrete. As you can see from the pictures each stone has upon it the name of each of the twelve Apostles. Later the columns will also be adorned with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; three plaques on each side facing North, South, East and West.
Taking this right from Revelations 21:12-13 I believe we are doing the most we can to bring protection to the Mission House and all those who stay at the facility.
After the columns have been poured we can place a six foot wall between them which will fully enclose the compound. We still require funding for the fencing between the columns; about $4,000 still to be raised.
Rio Vista Mission House will soon be ready for the first team to come and stay. The Lord has surely seen the need for this facility as we have many groups now that are interested in staying at this facility. It was the wife of renowned writer/minister Norman Vincent Peale who wrote "The Power of Positive Thinking" who gave him the quote "Find a need and fill it"
With respect to Mission Field necessities we have witnessed here in the Dominican Republic, Rio Vista Mission House fills this objective. quite nicely.
Moreover, because Rio Vista generates revenue on an annual basis the Mission will also be able to provide funding for many projects that still need to be completed in so many poor villages it boggles the mind. This of course solves a tremendous problem of funding these many projects.
We are now taking bookings for teams for 2013 on a first come first serve basis. Churches and Mission Organizations can contact us through this blog or through our website.
We still require funding to complete the first stage before teams can stay, after-all, we still need to buy the beds! In total each room requires funding to completion of about $800.00 This means we need about 5,000 to buy beds, build closets, provide fans (For the hot nights!) and finish the bathrooms.
All in all less than 10,000 is all that stands between now and the first team to enjoy the all-inclusive comfort of Rio Vista Mission House. Well maybe a little money for grass around the building; it will surely keep the mud out of the rooms!
I pray that you are blessed in your day and we look forward to seeing each of you soon as our guests at the Rio Vista Mission House!
To donate directly to the project through our Canadian Partner in Missions please click the link:
http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/index.php?p=International_Projects
For information on team booking or the work of North Coast Missionary Services and Rio Vista Guest House please follow the link:
http://ncmission.com/
Bendiciones a Todos
Michael
After only a couple of weeks and a flurry of activity around the project of Rio Vista we are now even closer to seeing the reality of the dream come true. In the past month North Coast Missionary Services has received a tremendous blessing which has allowed us to continue with the build of the project. As many of you know Rio Vista Mission House was contrived as an idea more than 5 years ago and Laura and I have been walking out God's plan for our lives with the Mission House in mind.
It was only a year ago that we found a suitable property upon which we could build the facility which would house Mission Teams who come to the island each year to work with the poor.
Previous blog posts have shown the construction of the Mission House from ground breaking until today and we are now even closer than ever to opening the house for Mission Teams.
Those of you that understand what God is doing here will see the fruit of His labor through our hands and know that He has truly blessed the project with support and gifts from many of His children. We continue to give thanks to those of you who have been a support to this important Mission and encourage others to partner with us to see the fulfillment of His plans for the many lives which will be affected by this Mission in the years to come.
The pictures show the work continuing with the installation of wiring and light fixtures as well as the construction of the pump-house and kitchen to which we will later attach the open-air dining area. (needs funding)
We have also begun the build of the perimeter security fence which will surround the compound of Rio Vista. The pictures show the foundations of twelve columns which surround the property; each column has a solid concrete foundation with a stone laid in the concrete. As you can see from the pictures each stone has upon it the name of each of the twelve Apostles. Later the columns will also be adorned with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; three plaques on each side facing North, South, East and West. 
Rio Vista Mission House will soon be ready for the first team to come and stay. The Lord has surely seen the need for this facility as we have many groups now that are interested in staying at this facility. It was the wife of renowned writer/minister Norman Vincent Peale who wrote "The Power of Positive Thinking" who gave him the quote "Find a need and fill it"
With respect to Mission Field necessities we have witnessed here in the Dominican Republic, Rio Vista Mission House fills this objective. quite nicely.
Moreover, because Rio Vista generates revenue on an annual basis the Mission will also be able to provide funding for many projects that still need to be completed in so many poor villages it boggles the mind. This of course solves a tremendous problem of funding these many projects.
We are now taking bookings for teams for 2013 on a first come first serve basis. Churches and Mission Organizations can contact us through this blog or through our website.
We still require funding to complete the first stage before teams can stay, after-all, we still need to buy the beds! In total each room requires funding to completion of about $800.00 This means we need about 5,000 to buy beds, build closets, provide fans (For the hot nights!) and finish the bathrooms.
All in all less than 10,000 is all that stands between now and the first team to enjoy the all-inclusive comfort of Rio Vista Mission House. Well maybe a little money for grass around the building; it will surely keep the mud out of the rooms!
I pray that you are blessed in your day and we look forward to seeing each of you soon as our guests at the Rio Vista Mission House!
To donate directly to the project through our Canadian Partner in Missions please click the link:
http://www.bridgesofhope.ca/index.php?p=International_Projects
For information on team booking or the work of North Coast Missionary Services and Rio Vista Guest House please follow the link:
http://ncmission.com/
Bendiciones a Todos
Michael
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
What am I doing here?
A few weeks ago I posted a blog that detailed some of the people we are helping as we continue to build our Mission Guest House in Sosua. Last night it happened again.
While working at 3 Amigos, a good customer of ours came in again after a brief time away. Most of our customers are transient as they may live in other countries but travel back and forth to the D.R. for work.
In this case this man is Canadian but was born in Haiti 50 years ago to the parents of Missionaries who worked with the poor for over 30 years in that country. Turns out this fellow is also a Christian having been raised up to trust God with his life. For the past few years he and his wife have been bringing teams down to the island to work in a big city on the North Coast of Haiti. Cap Haitien is not far from us, about 6 hours by car and is almost 200,000 people; most of whom are extremely poor.
But this is not the story I want to tell you about. Although the work he and his wife are doing is good and provides better standards of life for many, the story today is about a more personal sacrifice he and his family have made.
Last night, this man whom I hardly know other than our kindred Spirit of God, shared with me the events of the past six weeks. His son of only 27 years suddenly passed away in Canada late in July. After a police investigation and subsequent autopsy it was determined a "natural" death. Meanwhile the parents had now buried their son, and without answers from the authorities as to what happened, tried to pick up their lives.
As I listened to this man share his story about his son, I was overwhelmed with the sense of love and concern he had for all of those affected by this seemingly senseless death of a young man. His concern was stated emphatically that he cared only for his immediate family; his wife, ex-wife, other sons and relatives who did not all have a solid footing in God.
I have also experienced close death in my family but I have never lost my son, which I would feel would be extremely close and absolutely unfair. So what grounds a person into accepting this tragedy? How is it that some can cope and others flee towards medication or worse yet; place the blame entirely on God?
The fact is more than 250,000 people die each and every day all over the world. These statistics are real, most of them dying from natural causes, but many die with question marks attached to them.
Too many people have queried, "Why did you take my son God?" "Why my wife Lord?" "Why me?"
This is probably the toughest subject to deal with from a perspective of Faith, but I have to give it a go because I do not believe in coincidence. God places people in your path for a reason, either they are there to feed into your life or you are there to feed into their's. One or the other.
This is probably one of the most debated topics about God ever since man began dying.
It is very difficult to put in perspective if you do not know God, if you do not have a foundation in how He operates with us as His children. Because we know this truth, "And we know that God makes all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose." (Rom 8:28) NKJV
I fully realize the difficulty of losing a loved family member, having lost my father last year. I do understand that losing your first-born son could be worse, that just maybe it might hurt a bit more. I propose to you that although it seems unfair to you at the time, you should not blame God for "taking" what you loved, the son you raised or the daughter you cherished. This is a truth for each of us who is born; we will live, then we will die.
The real tragedy occurs when people do not accept this axiom of truth about our lives and begin to destroy their own lives as a result of losing a loved one.
You may not all believe in God today, but I would suggest to you that if you find yourself in the same shoes as this man who shared with me about his loss, look at the life that was in your son or daughter. Celebrate the life that was, mourn for a time, for Jesus tells us we will be comforted. (Matt 5:4) NIV
I hope and pray that none of you who read this would ever have to endure the loss of your son or daughter. As the saying goes, There except by the grace of God go I.
I pray that your foundations are grounded in the Faith of the truth, that you would trust Him to live your lives to the fullest so that when the inevitable end comes for the flesh to die you might be ready to see.
None of knows how long we are given to live for this is also a truth of God,
James 4:14
14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
NKJV
Laura and I are nothing special to what we believe we have been called to do here in the D.R. We have simply come as we are, trusting that we might be used mightily to give some people any reason to see the good of God for our lives. It is almost daily that someone new comes into our lives and all we do is listen to them as they pour out their hearts and hurts in front of perfect strangers.
But are we really strangers? Are we so far apart from each other that many do not have someone to share our hurts and concerns with?
The community of mankind is supposed to be like this, the Kingdom of God is bearing one another's burdens when we can. But the greatest truth to Faith is trusting Jesus as He tells us,
Matt 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
NIV
While working at 3 Amigos, a good customer of ours came in again after a brief time away. Most of our customers are transient as they may live in other countries but travel back and forth to the D.R. for work.
In this case this man is Canadian but was born in Haiti 50 years ago to the parents of Missionaries who worked with the poor for over 30 years in that country. Turns out this fellow is also a Christian having been raised up to trust God with his life. For the past few years he and his wife have been bringing teams down to the island to work in a big city on the North Coast of Haiti. Cap Haitien is not far from us, about 6 hours by car and is almost 200,000 people; most of whom are extremely poor.
But this is not the story I want to tell you about. Although the work he and his wife are doing is good and provides better standards of life for many, the story today is about a more personal sacrifice he and his family have made.
Last night, this man whom I hardly know other than our kindred Spirit of God, shared with me the events of the past six weeks. His son of only 27 years suddenly passed away in Canada late in July. After a police investigation and subsequent autopsy it was determined a "natural" death. Meanwhile the parents had now buried their son, and without answers from the authorities as to what happened, tried to pick up their lives.
As I listened to this man share his story about his son, I was overwhelmed with the sense of love and concern he had for all of those affected by this seemingly senseless death of a young man. His concern was stated emphatically that he cared only for his immediate family; his wife, ex-wife, other sons and relatives who did not all have a solid footing in God.
I have also experienced close death in my family but I have never lost my son, which I would feel would be extremely close and absolutely unfair. So what grounds a person into accepting this tragedy? How is it that some can cope and others flee towards medication or worse yet; place the blame entirely on God?
The fact is more than 250,000 people die each and every day all over the world. These statistics are real, most of them dying from natural causes, but many die with question marks attached to them.
Too many people have queried, "Why did you take my son God?" "Why my wife Lord?" "Why me?"
This is probably the toughest subject to deal with from a perspective of Faith, but I have to give it a go because I do not believe in coincidence. God places people in your path for a reason, either they are there to feed into your life or you are there to feed into their's. One or the other.
This is probably one of the most debated topics about God ever since man began dying.
It is very difficult to put in perspective if you do not know God, if you do not have a foundation in how He operates with us as His children. Because we know this truth, "And we know that God makes all things work together for good for those who love God, for those who are called according to His purpose." (Rom 8:28) NKJV
I fully realize the difficulty of losing a loved family member, having lost my father last year. I do understand that losing your first-born son could be worse, that just maybe it might hurt a bit more. I propose to you that although it seems unfair to you at the time, you should not blame God for "taking" what you loved, the son you raised or the daughter you cherished. This is a truth for each of us who is born; we will live, then we will die.
The real tragedy occurs when people do not accept this axiom of truth about our lives and begin to destroy their own lives as a result of losing a loved one.
You may not all believe in God today, but I would suggest to you that if you find yourself in the same shoes as this man who shared with me about his loss, look at the life that was in your son or daughter. Celebrate the life that was, mourn for a time, for Jesus tells us we will be comforted. (Matt 5:4) NIV
I hope and pray that none of you who read this would ever have to endure the loss of your son or daughter. As the saying goes, There except by the grace of God go I.
I pray that your foundations are grounded in the Faith of the truth, that you would trust Him to live your lives to the fullest so that when the inevitable end comes for the flesh to die you might be ready to see.
None of knows how long we are given to live for this is also a truth of God,
James 4:14
14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
NKJV
Laura and I are nothing special to what we believe we have been called to do here in the D.R. We have simply come as we are, trusting that we might be used mightily to give some people any reason to see the good of God for our lives. It is almost daily that someone new comes into our lives and all we do is listen to them as they pour out their hearts and hurts in front of perfect strangers.
But are we really strangers? Are we so far apart from each other that many do not have someone to share our hurts and concerns with?
The community of mankind is supposed to be like this, the Kingdom of God is bearing one another's burdens when we can. But the greatest truth to Faith is trusting Jesus as He tells us,
Matt 11:28-30
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
NIV
Bless you all
Michael
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)