Jesus vs Superman

Ever wonder what would happen if Jesus (King of Kings, and Lord of Lords) got into an argument which escalated into a scrap with, say, Superman (the man of steel). Well now you don't have to wonder anymore. (Click on the main title link to see Jesus in other action.)
As you can see, Superman's antics may work well against Lex Luthor, but they are no match for the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

p.s. I got this fight off Shawn Cuthill's website. Some of his guests were rather offended with the portryal of Christ. Are you? Let me know if you are, or aren't. At least this depiction (as portrayed by a non-Christian) gives Jesus His proper place as having dominion over all. Personally, I kind of think it's pretty doce (sweet in portuguese).

Poll of the Week

So, I was the only one who correctly predicted Sweden to win Gold in Men's Hockey at the Olymipics, according to last week's "Poll of the Week".

This week has been rather slow, but I want you all to guess what color shirt I'm wearing right now!!! Take the poll to test out your prophetic abilities!! What can I say? Thats how much stuff is goin on in my head right now; there it is; guess the color of my shirt. Yee-haww!!!

Harvest House update

Managing this Men's Residence is a lesson in perseverance I wasn't really expecting when I signed on for this role. The things I've been learning are mostly on the business side of things. It seems I've been doing minimal ministering, and a majority of trying to wade through all the lies and stories I am told on a daily basis. 95% of the guys that are coming through this transition house seem to not want to have any change in their lives at all. Most of their lives are broken and smashed, yet they seem content to continue to wade through them without taking any necessary steps to change. It's really something!?

Decisions for my own life will have to be made fairly soon. My car lease is up in July, and I have to let WIBI know if they are to save a room for me for September. That is a step into a level of faith I just don't have, which likely means that it is God!! If I don't choose to do WIBI, then I have to make some quick plans for a return to the foreign mission field; most likely Argentina, or, back to Mozambique. Things are picking up. I don't believe God is satisfied with what we have been doing the last years. There is something we must ACTIVATE to walk into a higher state.

American figure skater Sasha Cohen has said,

"If you do what you have always done, you'll get what you have always gotten."

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, ......................good word.

earthquake in Mozambique

Mozambique was struck with a fairly big earthquake this morning. Here are some links so you can read up on it, should you be interested:

CBS News

BBC News

Yahoo News

Brandon Sun News

CTV News

CNEWS

Also here is a cool link to view recent global earthquake activity.

You should be able to enlarge the map of Mozambique by clicking on it once to enlage it, and then again in the bottom right-hand corner when that funny little symbol appears. The earthquake hit about 140 miles southwest of Beira, which is on the coast about halfway up the country.

on and on and on about Mozambique

So I was watching Pilot Guides last night at work, and good ole Ian Wright was travelling around Mozambique. I've seen travel shows of some poor places, but nothing like this one. It really struck a chord with me. It's so hard to express what images are conjured up in my head when the country of Mozambique is mentioned. Anyways, here are some facts on that impoverished country:
- 95% illiteracy rate
- over 50% of the children die by age 5
- 1 doctor for every 40,000 people
- over 1 million landmines unnacounted for after the war
- 95% of Mozambique has no electricity
- 16% of the population has HIV
- average salary is $0.40 per day

And on and on and on........

The statistics are staggering. Working with these people CHANGES your life. It's not a matter of "if" you will be changed, it's a matter of "how much" you will be changed. I recommend everyone go on Iris Ministries website and get yourself over to Mozambique. Realize how blessed we are here in Canada. You will never be the same again.

poll of the week

So, it don't look like Canada will be winning too many Olympic Men's Hockey medals unless they get their heads out of their a***s. I personally do not think they have any chance of winning Gold. But I think the Americans have little chance as well. It's like we are disinterested in the whole ordeal. Oh well, life goes on.

So......who do YOU think will take home the Gold Medal. Does Canada still have a chance? Let me know in the Poll of The Week. I don't give the Canadian's any chance anymore. I am defecting to Sweden. Forsberg will help that country take home the Gold. Take that Canada.

longing for simpler times

I find myself lately longing for simpler times. The simple things where things aren't so complex or multi-faceted. Life here in the Western world drains me. I think of all that we have and all we preoccupy ourselves with, and then I think about what it gets us. I think about how little, people in 3rd World countries have, but how they seem to cope with that reality in ways we can't imagine. We (in the West) have so much "stuff" but have an insanely high rate of depression, anxiety, and other mental/emotional infirmities. The inventions we create to make our life easier (microwaves, washing machines, stoves, dishwashers, etc etc etc) end up contributing to the overall disaray inside our overstimulated minds. A break occurs.

They on the other hand, have none of these luxuries. But you sit with them and talk to them, and you end up envying their outlook on life. They are much more emotionally stable. It makes you wonder about things. Well, it don't make me wonder, cause I believe I have my alloted course in life. But one of the girls who came back from Pemba, Mozambique this summer penned this in a mass email to all of us HoGi's,

"I kept imagining myself back in Mozambique, in the dirt and with the poor where I had nothing, owned nothing, but was truly ecstatic in Him."

This quote sums up what I feel. "Having nothing, yet possessing everything" (2Corinthians 6:10) in Jesus. There it is; it's freedom. It's an amazing mindset.

Yeah, sometimes, less is more. (1 Timothy 6:8)

Happy Valentine's Day.......thanks God.

Valentine's Day. It's not that I hate it.......but it's not that I particularily like it either. Another day to "make us" show affection to the ones whom we love. There is something intrinsically wrong with that picture. Also, the human race has twisted the idea and true meaning of LOVE into something which can best be described as a selfish lust. Now I know that there are many exceptions to this rule, but let's face it, love in today's world has gotten so far off track that I constantly end up asking God, "What is real love?"

The answer can be found in the Bible, of course. 1 John 4:8,16 tells us clearly that "God is love." And a more fuller definition of love cannot be found outside of the Apostle Paul's description of it in 1 Corinthians 13. And the greatest demonstration of love the world has ever known was when Jesus was born into this world, mocked, forsaken, beaten, crucified, and raised from the dead; for all of us. All because of God's love for us. So really, if we want to think about it. Jesus was God's valentine to YOU. Pretty cool, eh?

For God so loVed

the world thAt

He gave His onLy begotten Son

so that who Ever

believes iN Him,

they shall noT

PerIsh, but

have everlastiNg

lifE

(John 3:16)

Lets keep things in perspective this Valentine's Day.

poll of the week starts early

O.K. so the Olympics have started and Canada is talking bout big things. They have been saying that they'll reach Top 3 status in medals claiming at least 25. Thats quite a number for us Canucks!! Which brings me to the new Poll of the Week (scroll down and look to the right, you can't miss it). Do you think Canada will accomplish it's goals, or will we fall miserably short? Do you even know what Canada is?

On another note, might the actual lighting of the Olympic Torch have been a tad bit dramatic. I mean, hey, I know they've to put on a show, but come on. That was crazy!

And New American Standard Bible won the Poll last week. Way to go NASB!!

Oh, and by the way, GO Canada; even if I don't think you'll get your 25 medals and place in the Top 3.

February Madness/O loucura em Fevereiro

Back in November I wrote a post in my 360 called "November Madness."

Well, it seems that now I've a touch of the February Madness. Things haven't changed much since November. I still have the priorities that God gave me regarding my staying here on PEI; and I have seen progression in taking care of those priorities. But the hunger and desire I have to return to the foreign field eat away at me in (what I think is) an unhealthy way. The Apostle Paul said that he "learned" to be content in whatever situation he was in. (See my 360 entry on that). Which is what I am still trying to do. People talk of Job's patience, but I am really thankful for God's patience...........with us!!!

It's not that it has been a hard winter either. On the contrary, this may be the most amazing winter we've ever seen in PEI. And I have had lots of ministry opportunity, and I'm learning lots of great stuff through my corrospondance. But.......I still long for the day (which shouldn't be too long away) when God says,"O.K. It's time. Let's go!!"

Steelers Win!! / poll of the week

So the Steelers won the Super Bowl. I believe the calls made during the game were incredibly biased and the game left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I think the Seahawks got robbed and cheated out of at least a more competitive game. But, I will give props to the Steelers. I sure didn't pick them to win before the playoffs started.

And now to the business at hand. The "Poll of the Week." This weeks poll asks what your preferred translation of the Bible is. In my crazy head, the only genuinely God inspired scriptures are the original Hebrew and Greek. But seeing as I only speak english, I have to work with the lesser accurate english translations. I personally read a Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB). It is probably the best Bible I've ever owned. Anyway, take the poll. Support your translation, even if it is the NIV.

stories from the field #2: Xai Xai, Mozambique

Team Xai Xai (Katrine, Horst, Marieke, & Me)

There are many great stories that came out of Xai Xai (pronounced Shy Shy) but I will focus on one I call "James 5:17."

Through the efforts of a dear friendie of mine, I was able to travel north 3 hrs from Maputo to a smaller town called Xai Xai to help put on a Pastor's Conference. Our kitchen was totally outdoors (as you can see) and we were havin a little problem with the rain for days before the conference was to start. So the group wanted Horst and I to take this tarp and (with little or no equipment) tie it up through the branches of these trees and across to the roof of a little shed (where I was takin the picture; and, NO, the shed couldn't have housed the kitchen). After surmising the situation I looked at Horst and said,"Well, what do u think?"

He said, in very broken english (he was German, by the way),"It's not gonna be easy."

THAT......was an understatement. So I sized up the situation again and said,"Well, we could do that. Orrrr....we could gather round and pray like Elijah did that it wouldn't rain?"

We liked that idea better so we gathered round and prayed the James 5:17 deal. It did not take as much faith as Elijah needed cause we only needed 3.5 days, whereas he got 3.5 years. And for the next 3.5 days it certainly DID NOT rain upon Xai Xai. Pretty sweet. The conference went off well. The Word was proclaimed, and God confirmed it with signs and wonders following. And on the way back to Maputo......."the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit".

Poll results

So last weeks poll on whether you thought the Pre-Adamic race was real or not has closed. The result was that you thought.....................YES, the majority of you did think there was a Pre-Adamic race. But feel free to keep digging in to this subject and let me know if you find out anything interesting. I closed the poll early and put up one to see who you thought was gonna take home the Super Bowl tomorrow. I know there's not much time, but vote anyway!! There will be a brand new poll on monday, I think. Come back and check it out. Have a great weekend.

stories from the field #1: White River, RSA

So here's Pastor Supresa's church in White River, South Africa. A lovely little church pastored by a man who has planted probably a couple hundred other churches, he's been to heaven a couple hundred times, he knows about 15 languages (God divinely downloaded a dozen or so of them). In short, this man is a living epistle, an anointed sevant of Christ, a powerful witness to the Almighty. And this is his church.


And this is me. A drummer from PEI who had been saved all but 2.5 yrs when I stumbled into his church on my 4th day on the mission field.

We landed at the church sunday morning and Pastor Supresa came up to Jack (my team leader) and said,"O.K. Which one of your team is speaking today?"

Jack responded, " I think Josh is speaking today." (We had been praying in the truck on the way there who it was to speak and I had argued with God that it was definitely NOT me). Supresa looks at me and says,"O.K. The worship has started, you speak after the music is over."

So I had like 40 or so minutes to prepare my first ever sermon. When the time came, (if I wasn't nervous enough) a man got up and anounced,"And now the Man of God will give the Word for the day."

WHAT?!!! Are u joking!!, I thought. But I got up (stepped out) and preached on "hearing God's voice." It was a TERRIBLE sermon but 80% of the church responded to the invitation to come up for prayer based on what I had taught. Humbling?........um, yeah. Then I was praying for one young girl and God spoke to me. "Nehemiah 8:12", He said. I thought it was the Joy Of The Lord scripture, but I went afterwards and looked it up and for those of you who don't know, here is Nehemiah 8:12. All the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them. What made this real funny though was that when God gave me this scripture, we were wrapping up the prayer time to eat, and drink, and live it up!

God is crazy sometimes.