All Good Things Come to an End…

…but not for the Christian. When we look at our lives through God’s eyes, the ending of years is not nostalgic, but almost invisible compared to the continual renewal of life that shows up on God’s radar. Though to us, the year 2013, graduation from school, leaving a job or even dying are big things, I imagine that God watches carefully our constant discoveries of His reality, the maturing of our spirits, the small daily steps we take closer to His Son Jesus. These thrill God more than any Happy New Year’s party. Just as “His mercies are renewed every morning” Lm 3:23, every day is an opportunity to live anew in His Kingdom. So no more need for New Year’s resolutions, let’s live our new day resolutions. Every day wake up excited about reaching new ground for Him, new goals, new ways to serve, new discoveries of His presence. Life is not yesterdays or tomorrows, but a continual succession of todays. 2014 is not guaranteed, but if you are reading this, then you are alive today. Today is the day of salvation, the day to make changes. And if one of us should die in the next year, from one moment to the next the new day will take him or her to new marvelous levels. This life is just practice for the real thing. Thank God for our hope in Christ! And Happy New Day! Today!!!

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Consecration

We know that God can do anything. The question is what will He do? What will the Lord do in the lives of His people when they consecrate themselves to Him? We hope to find out. Friday, May 22 nd , the Luna congregation had an all night vigil of consecration. We went from 9 pm to 5:30 am, and over 50 people participated, from the ages of 10 to 75 years. In the prayer corner, brothers and sisters signed up for time slots so that we would have prayer without ceasing. The vigil focused on Consecrating our Lives, in Gratitude, in Unity, in Service, and in Sharing . Each part consisted of prayer, singing, Bible Reading and Reflection, and practical activities, like in Service, we washed everyone’s feet, and then everybody joined in making breakfast for the group: homemade bread, fruit, tapioca and eggs, juice, and coffee. In Sharing, we ended with a wonderful meal together in family, talking about people with whom we want to share the gospel. Spend

Luna Men

The men of the Luna church of Christ have a weekly meeting for the purpose of edification and planning God's work in the congregation. Some are going strong, others have family problems, and we all want to grew in God's purpose for our lives. Last night's meeting included a discussion of what really happened on the cross, on resting in Lord in the Psalms. We made plans about the upcoming Carnaval (Mardi Gras) retreat, and talked about the need to do some manual labor on our building. Though the group was smaller this week, there is a hunger to serve. Five out of the six committed spending Wednesday ripping up a big wall that needs to be redone. Whether leading, studying, admonishing, evangelizing, or tearing up a wall, let God use us to His glory!

Pentecost in Paraíba

"This is Pentecost in Cajazeiras," Rivaldo Café said, "Almost three thousand were baptized in Jerusalem, almost ten in Cajazeiras." A wild comparison, of course, but the excitement that produced it was legitimate. Six young men gave their lives to Jesus and were baptized on Saturday. I was blessed to be there: the sixteen hours on a bus, going and coming, was worth it. I went to teach a weekend couples' seminar on the theme "God Gave Me You". The couples (around 12) were mostly parents of kids in the Right Step Program. The changes in these boys' lives have made an impression on the families, many of which have started Bible studies too. Saturday morning, after the soccer practice, three of the boys asked to be baptized. We headed to the building. Café began filling the portable swimming pool while I talked to the boys about what it means to come into the Family of God. Franze (15 yrs), Luam (14 yrs), Jorcelam (17 yrs)

McKinney Report

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