The Third Generation

In 1978, Joe McKinney decided to leave electrical engineering to go to the Sunset School of Preaching. A decision like that is made thinking: what does God want me to do with my life right now? Little thought is given to the question: how is this decision going to affect my grandkids?

Now in 2015, with the kids married and living on different continents, grand-kids bilingual with dual nationalities and in some cases three citizenships, all involved in missions, Grampaw can clearly see his decision has taken the family down a completely different road, one that makes family get-togethers a rarity.

Yesterday, Samuel (15 years old) preached his first full sermon to the church that meets at Luna in Joao Pessoa (over sixty present). He preached the last chapter of Acts, finishing up a seven month sermon series. He spoke of the five most poisonous snakes in the world, and when Paul was bitten by one like these, he should have died, but the Holy Spirit nullified the poison's power. Likewise, we are constantly assaulted and bitten by a much more dangerous snake: Satan. We hurt, but his poison, death, is nullified by the cross of Jesus.

Thirty-seven years ago, Joe McKinney decided to be a preacher, and now the third generation is still feeling the influence of that decision. How many decisions do we blithely make without thought to how they affect our kids, our grand-kids, and one day, our great grand-kids?

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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

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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