About Praise and Suffering

Today I wanted to post about something my dad said Sunday. For those of you who didn't know, he had gone to the States for a bit and had got back in Saturday night. He shared some thign that had impressed him while he was at Northland. He had met some missionaries to China, but beacause of tyranny's rule there, they cannot preach the Gospel openly, or even lift up their voices to praise God during their secret services. This made me think of a verse in Acts, telling of the joy the early Christians felt to be counted wotrhy to suffer for Christ. WOW! All I can say is that we should never cease praising and thanking the Lord for allowing us to preach Jesus, and to praise Him aloud.

YESSSS!!!!!!

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The Hidden Path

The Hidden Path
There is a shining path-
Somewhere beyond earthly limits;
Leading to eternal, hea'enly bliss,
And away from hell's terrible swath.

That path of sacred sacrifice,
Marked by the Love of he who reigns all;
Nailed upon the cruellest device-
Spent to save we who are so small.

Yet that lovely way is hidden,
To we who this wicked world have ridden:
Sons, or slaves, of the fallen light,
To whom we gave all our might.

The choice to every man is present,
The Father's Love to embrace or resent;
Live in peace beside golden roads,
Or heavily burdened by unshakeable loads.

So to you falls the choice, dear friend,
Where your soul eternity will spend-
Err not, but believe in God's only Son,
Whose work of love for you was done.
Ethan Sanders

Literary Quiz

This is just a little something I cooked up sittin' around today to prove just how book-savvy you people are. After all, bloggers are writers, aren't they?
1- In what literary work do you find the quote"What's in a name"?
2- Name three Dickens books.
3- Who wrote the Canterbury Tales?
4- In what work do you find the quote"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"?
5- Who wrote Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
6- Who wrote Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea?
7- Name the two most famous works of Homer.
8- Who wrote Paradise Lost?
9- Which author wrote the famous line"A thing of beauty is a joy forever"?
10(trick question)- Who wrote The Confessions of St. Augustine?

Two Prayer Requests

This is Junior Espinoza. He is ten years old and a budding Christian who recieved the Lord in the evangelistic conference we had in La Victoria two months ago. Please pray for him, since his parents are not Christians and it is up to him to want to serve the Lord. Please pray that God will place in his heart a burning desire to serve Him. The other request is for a teenager named Nikolay that recieved the Lord last Monday when I was given the opportunity to share the gospel with him. He(along with 99.9% of Venezuela) was raised a Catholic, which poses an obstruction to his growth. But with a lot of prayer and spending time with him in the Word, he will grow in the Lord. Please pray for these future servants of the Lord.

Where Would You Go If You Died Today?

You've probably arrived here because you read the small section on the side bar. Here, using only what is within the holy Word of God, we will try to answer that question.
So you've stopped for a second and wondered just what will happen to you after you die. It's not a pleasant subject for most people, because death is painful and full of sorrow. The Bible says everyone is included in two groups- those who are going to heaven, and those who are going to hell. In Revelation 20:15 the Bible says this,"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." This passage is talking about the end of those who have not trusted in Christ as their Savior, and the Book of Life is where God writes down the name of all who have trusted in Him. Hell is a terrible place, my friend, a place you would never, never want to go. In Mark 9:44 the Bible says,"Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.", describing hell. But why, you may ask, should we have to go to hell? Why, if God is Love, should we have to go to such a terrible place? let me answer this by way of a simple illustration. It is like my shirt is Sin, and God,who hates sin, takes hold of my shirt and throws it into hell, carrying me along with it. God does not hate you my friend, no, He loves you so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for you! But what is sin? Sin is any errors we make in life, wrongdoing, in other words. It is missing the mark of perfection God has set in His laws that we can never attain because of the sinful seed we have inherited from Adam. Romans 5:12 says,"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned..." We are all sinners because of that decision taken by the first man. Therefore, we are condemned to an eternity in hell.Romans 6:23a says "For the wages of sin is death..." which is not only talking about physical death, but also about a spiritual death, in hell. So what are we to do? There is only one thing to do. That is, to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in Him to clean you of your sins, and set you an definite course for heaven.Romans 10:9 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
That is all! Many think that in place of, or in addition to, praying to be saved, you must live a good life, and then God might let you go to heaven. My friend, the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9 that "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." This means that the only way you can recieve salvation is by grace, which means recieving something you don't deserve, that you cannot earn your way to heaven. Why? So that no mad should boast. God does not want you to get to heaven on your own, and say,"Look at me! I made it!" Salvation cannot be earned, no matter how saintly you may be.
So, in light of what you have just read, are you willing to ask Jesus into your heart, to pardon your sins, and save you from hell/ If you are, please close your eyes, and repeat this prayer in your heart, for real.
"Lord, I know I'm a sinner, and that I'm on my way to hell. I know I cannot earn my way to heaven, but only by trusing in you for salvation. Please cleanse me of my sins, and save me from, putting me on the pathway to heaven. Amen."
If you have prayed this prayer in your heart, the Bible says that you are now saved. You have assurance of heaven, and joy in the Lord! Please comment on this post if you have prayed this prayer, so that I may pray for you, and that we can fellowship together. God bless you.

Time for Tennis

Today was the first day of a tennis tournament we've been waiting a month to start.
The coach had told us then that he would have everything ready(referees, drinks, and trophies)for that Saturday! PAAAAH!!!! Anyway, we started today, and it was great fun. I must admit, though, that if we had played then, we wouldn't have had a chance at all. Watching Nadal vs. Federer still makes me realize I haven't advanced hardly at all, though!

Light and Darkness

Light and Darkness
Some walls taken, some battles won-
Some trophies lost, some races run;
And Darkness creeps in, as a robber thru the shadows,
As slowly fades the finished light.

The heavens are blazing with searing flames
The work of the heavenly smiths;
And though we know not their names-
Their anvil in the skies tells us they are no myths.

But when their glorious display is finished
Darkness falls over the face of the deep,
And it seems to all their joys are vanquished,
As all the earth gives way to sleep.

But why despair? For beyond that ghoulish night,
Past the facade of evil and woe-
There shines, in the distance, a light,
Defeated not, but once again aglow.

So, as in the cycle of Time on Earth,
The sun comes down, yet rises again-
As we should faint not when sin gives birth,
But trust still, in the Eternal Light and Hope of Men.

Christian Pros?

How many of y'all out there saw the Masters last Sunday? We were at Caracas at the time, and since my grandparents are super-duper Tiger fans, they taped most of the rounds. We even got to see it at a restaurant when we went out that Sunday afternoon. There was nowhere we could run from stiff guys in freshly ironed suits and just looking incessantly at a tiny little white ball and a ridiculously small hole. But anyway, Tiger didn't win, but a relatively new golfer(according to Granna, I sure wouldn't know) called Zach Johnson. After he won, he went into the clubhouse for an interview, that was televised by the way. I was really impressed when he was asked who he wanted to thank for his victory. He answered with a small list of friends and family, but to end his answer, he wanted to thank his "Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Now, there really is no way to know if he IS a Christian,(Grandaddy noted that he coudn't have gone to church that day) and he could be saying it just to say it, but nonetheless is IS encouraging. At the Super Bowl in January, Tony Dungy,
the coach of the champion Colts, also mentioned his thanks to his Lord Jesus Christ for the victory, and mentioned that not only was that Super Bowl to have two African-American coaches competing, but also two Christians. Though professional sports have many temptations for a Christian, it is encouraging to know that not everybody out there is of the world. however, we must keep 1 John 2:15-17 in our minds constantly, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

Movie Night at the Sanders'

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. That is probably the best way to describe this blogging habit of mine. I always get on the Internet with a firm intention to FINALLY blog, but I always find something a bit more interesting. Does anyone out there know what I'm talking about? But if anyone wants to read what I'm really more interested in, check out www.knutcuyler.blogspot.com. Much more intriguing. HMMM.... last night we watched Spiderman 2

(again),all of us, except for Mom, who resumed her usual movietime nap. You can set a watch by her falling asleep, which is 3 minutes and 42 seconds after the TV is turned on(trust me, it never fails.) For those movie junkies out there(like me) who have seen it, there is a scene about a fifth of the way through the movie which is about the maniacal scientist hacking his way out of the hospital. It is not exactly gory, but not the best entertainment for Aaron and Sophie. The reason I am mentioning this is Mom Dad's reaction. Their eyes were as big as saucers, and Dad kept repeating in a rather dazed fashion, "I've never seen this, no, I'm SURE I haven't!" I was literally ROTFOLing!!! We went to bed way too late, the result being we got up(at least we kids did) around 8 in the morning. Nice and lazy. 'Til next time(who KNOWS when that will be), this is Old Glory, proud and brave.

New Church!!!

Been out of the loop lately, but I'm gonna try, really I will! Last week we witnessed a spiritual battle fought and won. Iglesia Bautista Cristo Jehovah was begun, and the inauguration service was amazing! Seventy people showed up, and there was a decision for the Lord, too! Brother White from Japan and really the entire world praeched the first sermon through my dad's interpreting, and the Lord worked! It was amiracle we got the church ready for the 25th in the first place, with many complications popping up. This week we got the air conditioner up and running, and we were not being cooked like last Sunday today. Today we had about thirty people, because last week lots of people came from other churches. In two weeks the people from the C.E.F.I.B. will be coming to stage a weeklong confernce, so please pray for that. Hold me to this- If I have not posted again by Wednesday, put a ton of mean comments on here, okay? Just kidding; have a great day!

Church Beginnings

How is everybody? Sorry I haven't written in a while. Lately I have,yes, been on the computer a lot lately, but (I'm whispering this), I got lazy. I couldn't really think of anything to write about(I have a rather uneventful life.)
Our first service in La Victoria is tomorrow! Please pray for it, because lately the "team" has met quite strong opposition from the Enemy. On our way back from Caracas Monday, after about a half-hour, the car broke down. Mom, the babies, Seth, and I rode home in a taxi, but Dad and Morgan waited for three hours after we left for the grua, so it was a LOOOng day. So it has been hard for Dad to get things for the service, such as the air conditioner and other things. Also, the seats that had been planned for did not arrive, but we did get some seats for the meantime. So, please pray that the Lord will bless the people tomorrow, because the Devil is fighting hard. Thanks a ton.

I'm BAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!

I'm Baaaaaaack!! Today was a literal killer. In my Bible reading today(Matthew 24), I noticed a key verse in the midst of Jesus' warnings to the disciples of the End Times. Matthew 24:46-"Blessed is that servant,whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." Though HHH and EL GOBIERNO SOCIALISTA DE VENEZUELA continue their steady decline and things worsen, may we continue serving and not despair. I got up at the usual time(5:45) and went on my daily walk with Mom. Except that today was a test day, which means i had to walk around the park 8 times(the equivalent of 2 miles) in a set time. Oh boy, am I whipped after that! School went well, with nothing worth mentioning. At 2:15, after scrumptious grilled cheese sandwiches and the following dishes, I packed up and went to music school. Little did I know what was in store for me there. The teacher arrived at the usual time, adout a quarter 'til 3, and we began our practice. It eventually lasted until a quarter 'til 7, and then the tenors, of which I am a participant, had to stay a whole half-hour more!! I can honestly say that the"old man" within me wanted to scream out and stomp out of the classroom. I'm home now, and just downed a delicious dinner of chicken legs and great strawberry juice. Hope u all have a wonderful day, and may the Lord continue to bless!

Weekend, Feb.2-3

Ok, here I go. I am attempting to resume all the events of my life in the last day or two. This may end up like a season of 24, but here goes. Yesterday I went to music school, that is, choir, which lasts about 3 hours, and got a GREAT new announcement. The teacher wants us to begin going 4 days a week, instead of just 2. HOOORAY!!(ya right). After music school we headed over to the Schag's house for my dad and Uncle Joe to work on a video presentation they're going to show at the missions conference in Caracas in two weeks. Anyway, on the way over, I revieved some terrific news. Abot a month ago, I took my semester exams; Mom packaged them and sent them to A-Beka to be graded. Up until Friday, we STILL did not know if they had gotten them, and that morning Mom said that if they didn't get them, they would send some more, and I would have to take them all over again. YIKES!! I definitely didn't want to do that, because it would mean re-studying ALL of what I had learned up until then. But as Mom picked us up, she told me that she had gotten an e-mail that afternoon saying they had recieved the exams. GLORY HALLELUJAH!! We had a great time at the Schag's, and we watched CARS, which is a totally AWESOME movie, with AMAZING graphics!

Getting Back Into "The Blogosphere"

Sorry I've been out of it for so long. I'll try to be on here more consistently. But for now all I want to say is to ask for prayer of a brother in La Victoria, Dilson, whos e father was murdered a few days ago. He is a relatively new Christian, and he is a great asset in the work in La Victoria, so we are praying that he will continue strong in the Lord. Thanks.