While working on my website today I noticed I hadn’t entered an update since 2020! I guess I need to update my updates!
The reason I haven’t done this lately is that I do email updates for some folks who pray for me regularly, so I guess that made me forget about updating others.
In case you didn’t know, I stepped down from my role as a transitional pastor at Beverly Hills Community Church as the leadership there decided they wanted to go in some directions I probably wouldn’t agree with. I agreed that I wouldn’t agree, and recognized (again) that I’d never really been the pastoral leader of the church. I was just holding services for them. Others were actually leading.
Be that as it may, it was a good experience for me and I hope for the folks there at that church. But as you also know, I was simultaneously preaching and teaching in Spanish at a church called Pan de Vida (Bread of Life), right up the street from BHCC. And I have now moved over to focusing on this congregation solely. This is a very small congregation with folks from Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia and probably some other countries I’m not aware of yet.
It was a rather unusual path that led to my being called pastor at Pan de Vida. I wasn’t the founder of the church and don’t yet feel I am really “leading” it, per se. I am helping there with preaching and teaching and with prayer and influence. Because of Covid, all churches seem to be going through strange times with far less attendance and income that the norm. So there are only about 5-10 people at my weekly studies and prayer meetings, and maybe the same number or a few more on Sundays. Of course, the income I receive from Pan de Vida is not at all enough for me and Lynn. I’m blessed they can give anything at all to me. But we now receive Social Security, and various people have helped us with offerings, some on a regular basis, others from time to time. Everything helps!
My car threw its timing chain, so for weeks now I’ve been working with a mechanically skilled Baptist pastor at his sawmill, where we have the car parked and the engine in pieces. It has been difficult and slow, and of course, without his help and his tools, I could never even attempt this. But we’ve gotten it all apart and are about to start (next week) with the reassembly. Pastor Tex assures me he’s always been able to reassemble what he’s taken apart, but for me, this is a big test of my faith! I’m trying to believe that with his guidance and help, the reassembly will in fact be accomplished someday! (That sounds like what we must do with life in Christ, doesn’t it?!) You might pray for us in this endeavor.
Meanwhile, I ride my motorcycle to everything, even in the cold. But of course, that’s not new. I’ve ridden this bike in snowstorms before!
I recently tore my meniscus and have been in a lot of pain, but am going through the process of x-rays, then an MRI, am taking steroids now, may get an injection next Tuesday, and then, if necessary, another knee surgery.
Working at Pan de Vida has been good for me, but it always makes me more aware that I’m not as capable in Spanish as in English. Of course, I think it probably keeps my mind sharp to keep working on it. I constantly go to Google Translate to check on things. Plus my daughter is taking a course for Army majors with officers from many Latin-American countries, and the course is taught in Spanish, so we compare notes. We’re both learning new words all the time. When I was recently helping her study, I had to learn how to say “bolt-action, magazine-fed rifle”! Never had to say that in Spanish before! All the years I’ve spoken Spanish, yet I’m still not as far along as I wish I were!
It’s good for me to continue working on sermons and teachings in both languages. I go through as much stress preparing for five people as for 500, strangely enough. Someday we may be able to add an English service to Pan de Vida’s Spanish services. I’d really like to see that happen. But so far, I don’t have a nucleus of English speakers to work with and bring that about. I live 20 miles from the church too, which is a definite drawback.
I continue to post things here at the website. I’ve done some teachings on Facebook Live, and been surprised to discover some views from California and other states. There’s so much potential online. A friend who is a pastor in California actually used my teachings on evangelism for his Wednesday night services for several weeks and sent me offerings. That was a great blessing I hope can be repeated.
At the same time, of course, these big tech companies could restrict Christian outreach at any time, and I really hate to depend upon them. Also, it’s hard to get much of a hearing when the very best in the world are online, competing with anything I might do. Still, I just feel I’m to do what I can and leave the results to God.
We are not sure at all what our future holds. Of course, our whole country is like that now – completely unsure of the future. It often looks pretty bleak, to be honest. We know God will take care of us, but we don’t know what we may have to go through while He does!
I always feel that there must be more I could do, and I want to do more. I’d like to receive a higher salary (or any kind of salary!) I’d like to teach and preach to more people, like I used to. I don’t know if something else will just open up for that to happen someday, or if I really have to figure out how to make it happen myself. But I’d appreciate your prayers for me to fulfill the will of God.
Lynn and I are content, don’t get me wrong. We have a nice home. We’ve been enjoying outdoor fires most nights, sitting out under the stars while I tend the fire with lots of firewood we have all around us. Our kids are doing well, scattered as they are in Georgia, Florida, and Oregon. All are married. Sarah and her husband Jon have a big and stressful business in Lakeland. Our son Tim is about to have his first child with his wife Maddie out in Portland. Allison and her husband German have four kids and she’s a major in the Army. She’ll soon be studying for her doctorate as a dietician. Our other daughter Rachel and son-in-law Ben live in Lakeland too. He’s works for the school board to care for homeless children, and she works at a video studio that makes advertising videos. We’re proud of all of them.
So now you know what we’ve been up to. Please keep us in your prayers, and let us know how we can pray for you. Also, always feel free to contact me if you have questions about the Bible, spiritual life, or issues we face nowadays. I always want to know what Christians (and non-Christians) are thinking, wondering about, and what they see as issues or obstacles to faith. Sometimes what people ask me prompts my next teaching or sermon.
Till, next time, may the Lord richly bless you all!
