Chesterton

G. K. Chesterton was a colossal figure in our Christian history. Among other things, his book "The Everlasting Man" was the determinative factor in C. S. Lewis' conversion. Like Lewis, Chesterton had to come a long way spiritually to overcome his disbelief in Christ.

The beauty of our Christian story, especially the Bethlehem event, wowed Chesterton. He went from being a hardened unbeliever to being a sold-out believer due to the sheer beauty of Jesus.

G. K. grew up in an irreligious home. Raised by unbelieving parents, he was brought up on fairy tales, myths, and legends. His formative years were filled with wonder. His unbelief never offered him an adequate explanation for the world's marvels. To Chesterton, the whole creation was magic. When he met Jesus, Chesterton said he met the Magician.

G. K. always felt something personal was in the world, like a work of intentional artistry. For instance, he all along believed lovely red roses had to have been planned. When he met Jesus, Chesterton said he met the Artist.

         

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Bell Prayer Requests

In a recent blog I mentioned several praise reports from our unreached people group, the Bells of the Big Country. In this post, I highlight prayer requests that have come to us from believers serving among the Bells.

A young male village music teacher, a young female believer, an older woman who leads a group in her village, and an older male who has been blind since his teens participated in a recent Christian Bell songwriting workshop.

Pray God will continue to use their gifts to write worship songs in the Bell language. Pray the songs they write will draw other Bells to Jesus.

Two Bell couples are experiencing significant pressure from their parents to return to participating in superstitious practices. Pray for them to have wisdom as to how they can honor their parents without compromising their faith. Also pray the parents will have receptive hearts as the couples share God's love and truth with their family.

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Epic San Francisco

I used my prior blog to celebrate what is happening in our unreached people group, the Bells of the Big Country. This blog highlights victories enjoyed in 2013 by our church plant in San Francisco. Ben and Shauna Pilgreen continue to set the pace. They are always careful to send their thanks for Second's continued involvement with them.

Here are some high points Epic is celebrating from this year. Forty people went public with their faith through baptism. Epic now collectively sponsors over 70 kids in Uganda through Compassion International.

Epic saw over 300 adults sign up for small groups this fall, had over 200 people participate in their "Serve the City" day in April, and averaged right at 300 people each Sunday for the year. They plan to begin a third morning service soon. Nearly 300 adults serve as volunteers at Epic. Ben says his favorite victories are the stories of so much life change among his people.

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Good News From The Bells

We adopted the Bells of the Big Country (name changed) in 1997 as our unreached people group. I have often been reminded of the phrase, "There are reasons why the last groups to be reached are the last groups." I have watched Second labor tirelessly for 16 years over the Bells. I have been discouraged often. but recently received heartening news from a conference held to discuss the Bells. Enjoy.

Over 500 have become Christ-followers. This includes both young and old believers. Second paid for the Jesus Film to be translated into their language, and 26 books of the Bible are now available in their language. Among the majority people in the country, house churches are being mobilized to help reach the Bells, a minority group in their country.

Organizations working with the Bells are cooperating better, and have persevered through many trials. At least three Bell churches are meeting regularly. As the Bells become more literate, they are more open to the outside world. My dream is to have a Bell on the platform at Second Baptist someday. We'll see.

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Don't Say It

Ruth and I enjoy being Salvation Army Christmas bell-ringers every year. One thing we like to do is to pretend things we might like to say but never would.

For instance, "Merry Christmas, Jerk!!". "Tell your Uncle Scrooge Merry Christmas. Oh! You are Scrooge. Sorry about the mix-up."

"Thank you for the nickel; enjoy your flat screen." "Merry Christmas. Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you."

Oh well. I think that's enough to get my point across. Every time you see a Salvation Army bell-ringer, put some money in the bucket, smile, and say with enthusiasm, "Merry Christmas!!"

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A Tale of Two Cities

If you ever go to the Holy Land, two cities are a must see. The first is Capernaum, where Jesus headquartered His public ministry. Some of His most famous miracles were performed there.

The main city to see, of course, is Jerusalem. As our bus approached Jerusalem for the first time, a holy hush fell over our group. You could tell it was a special moment for everyone.

Going to Jerusalem is like going home. Even if you've never been there before, you like it is where you were always meant to be.

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