Mr. Tall

Isaiah

This is one of my most favoritest (I know it's not a word) passage in the Bible. I just took several sections of this passage.

Isaiah 53
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief… Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

Church Building

My Parent's church (Iglesia Biblica de Parque Battle) in Uruguay is going to be celebrating it's 12th anniversary this coming month.

After many years of prayer and saving money, the Lord has provided a more permanent building in which the church can gather. We originally started meeting in our house, then garage, and then a rental property. It's really cool to see God provide in a miraculous way. My parents and co-workers had been looking into the possibility of buying land and then building, but the cost for land alone would be about $145,000. Not long ago, we got a call from a real estate agent saying that he had a old Roman Catholic building for sale for only about $70,000! As you can see below, the building needs lots of love and upgrading, but it's exactly what the church needs.

God's timing is perfect, and His provision is perfect according to our needs!

Photography

So, I'm really getting into photography. I think that I've always liked the idea of capturing a moment in time on a little piece of film. I bought a camera about 5 months ago and I've been slowing learning how to use it.

I'm going to be taking a intro photography course at Greenville Tech this fall. Class times are Saturday from 9am to 2pm. And it actually starts tomorrow!!!

Here are some pictures that I've taken so far. They are ok, but I know that I can do way better. I've only been using the automatic setting on the camera. I really look forward to the intense learn times... Ha! (I say 3 years after graduating from college).

Trip

Taking a road trip tomorrow. There is a group from my church headed up to Washington, D.C. to attend a Worship Conference at Covenant Life Church. I'm really excited about spending these few days with some awesome people just worship God and learning some techincal skills.

Then Friday afternoon, I'm headed to NJ to take part in my friend Adam Wall's marriage to Jessica Erter. I'm one of the groomsmen. It's cool to be a witness to their unity.

Then... after the wedding on Saturday, I'm going into New York to see the big apple and visit with my friend Katie P. that is a middle-school teacher there.

Sunday - home again, home again, jiggity jog.

Mission Trip Report part 2

Here is part 1 if you're coming in midway.

Two months ago... (has it been two months!) I returned from a mission trip to Mexico. It was a great time of serving missionaries with New Tribes Mission.

As promised - Pictures!! Finally... Click here to see a picture album from the trip. These are not my pictures, I didn't take a camera. So I got to pick and choose from everyone else's pictures.

God came...

I love learning more and more about Salvation. The excerpt below is from "Humilty" by C.J. Mahaney. It shows that God is not idle in His response to His people. Salvation is not a reactive response from God. God didn't find out that He created sinners and then have to scramble to come up with a plan to redeem us. Salvation is proactive. Salvation is all about God and it begins with God coming to us. Check this out:

"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15).
"The Son of Man came... to give life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28).
"The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10).
And Jesus said: "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17).
"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
"I came from the Father and have come into the world" (John 16:28).
"I have come into the world as light" (John 12:46).
"For this purpose I have come into the world - to bear witness to the truth" (John 18:37).
"Behold, I have come to do your will, O God" (Hebrews 10:7).

God came to us! Our Savior came!

Habakuk 3:13 "You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one."