News from Africa!

From two recent e mails from our sister Marlene Luartes in Kenya:

"Here is a picture of the Guest House where I'm staying. I'm on the middle level. There are two other buildings, one a residence hall and the other is offices, and an additional building is being constructed. They hope to complete it by December. The space is really needed. They could use more workers! The Africa Area Director is here, as well as the Kenyan Bible Translation & Literacy organization, and folks from other SIL branches where the situation isn't stable...like the Central African Republic and Sudan.

I should be starting work on Monday. Please pray for good relationships with both the Kenyan and expatriate staff. Here in Africa we have many members from Europe, so I have to adapt to more than one new culture. At least within the mission culture we have much in common!

Please also pray that I will get into a small group that will be of good support for me. It's strange being here and not knowing anyone. In my previous new foreign experiences at least I had a husband with me! I'm beginning to really empathize with all our wonderful single ladies in Wycliffe!

The WA volunteer coordinator and his wife had a nice potluck at their home last night. It was good to meet the rest of the volunteers...an eclectic group with many talents! They are constructing a new three-story building here on the center, so several of the volunteers are working on that project."

Pastor Allen's Book Recommendation

At the end of his message Sunday, Pastor Allen recommended (challenged!) that we take a look at The Love Dare, and take the dare! Here is the product description of this book from the Amazon web site:

"Too many marriages end when someone says 'I've fallen out of love with you' or 'I don't love you anymore.' The Love Dare discusses how these statements reveal a lack of understanding about the fundamental nature of true love.
As featured in the popular new movie Fireproof, from the team that brought us the #1 best selling DVD Facing the Giants, The Love Dare is a 40-day guided devotional experience that will lead your heart back to truly loving your spouse while learning more about the design, nature, and source of true love. Each reading includes Scripture, a statement of principle, the day's "dare," and a journaling area and check box to chart progress.

Dare to take The Love Dare, and see your marriage change forever."

On a personal note, I have to mention that the Kendricks, who wrote the book and the movie on which it is based, are pastors at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, located in the same neighborhood in which Dove Mountaineer Linda Askew (yes, my wife!) grew up!

From Self Love to Spouse Love

Ephesians 5:
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Words of wisdom from Pastor Allen's exposition of this passage:

v. 28: No one needs instruction on how to love himself. Our economy is based on self love: L'Oreal says, "Because I'm worth it." McDonald's says, "You deserve a break today."

v. 29: To have empathy means to be "in feeling with." We husbands should respond to our wives' circumstances as though they were own own.

On reading each other's meanings: "Men are digital; women are analog."

On reading moods: "When we think our wife is being picky, critical, ill-tempered, snappish, she's saying, "I feel fat, old, unattractive, useless."

Finally, "Two things wives need to be convinced of:
1. Will you take care of me?"
2. Will you love me and desire me?"

Breaking Bread, Breaking Sin

One of the things I like about the way we observe communion at Dove Mountain is that Pastor Allen visibly breaks the loaf right before our eyes. I am reminded of a communion meditation on this subject written by Pastor Douglas Wilson. Reprinted here from his blog, it is entitled "Breaking, Bread, Breaking Sin." For any of you are reading this before going to church today, may it help you as we prepare for the Lord's Table.

"This bread is the sacrament of the body of the Lord, as He put it. And when He picked it up in the institution of this meal, He took the bread that represented His own body, and He gave thanks, and He broke it. The remarkable grace and love that we see here is striking, but there is something else to be learned from this. Jesus broke the body that was to bear our sins, and in that breaking we see the salvation of the world. What else does God break? When we think about this, we should come to recognize what sorts of things are broken in the world as we commemorate this meal in true evangelical faith.

God breaks the images and idols (2 Kings 23:14). God breaks the houses of the sodomites (2 Kings 23:7). God breaks the weapons of war (Ps. 76:3). God breaks the jaws of the wicked (Ps. 3:7; Job 29:17). In short, God breaks all rebellion and sin.

In this memorial, we can see how He does this in such a way that we are not consumed. God made Him who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21) so that we could be broken with Him, and restored and made whole with Him. Jesus took on the likeness of sinful flesh so that all those corruptions could be placed on Him, and there broken forever (Rom. 8:3). God condemned sin in the flesh, and in that condemnation, in that breaking, you can see your only hope.

In just a moment, I will lift the loaf of bread up and I will break it. Just as surely as you see that bread broken, so you are invited to see your sins, all of them, broken forever.

This is good news indeed. Come, and partake of it."

A Taste of Peru in the Old Pueblo

For those of you who missed it, the Evening in Peru fund raiser for the Peru Dental Missions trip was a spectacular cultural event. In the photo at the left you can see Deb Tilley presiding over the silent auction, which featured many quality Peruvian crafts, homemade items (such as Betty Hill's famous apricot and fig preserves), and some wonderful Christian calendars and journals.

Jack and Jill Hauschildt's spacious back yard and patio were festively decorated with many Peruvian artifacts, colored lights, and table centerpieces of crafts, colorful flowers, and Peruvian flags. Oscar Infante provided live South American background music during both the auction and dinner, and Amy Hauschildt showed an informative and inspiring power point presentation of the work of International Dental Ministries.

The Peruvian menu included an appetizer of Papas a la Huancaina (potatoes with a spicy cheese sauce) and an entree of Aji con Gallina (creamy chicken stew) served on a mound of rice with hard boiled egg garnish and a choice of several spicy sauces. For dessert, diners enjoyed Arroz con Leche y Mazamorra Morada Combinado, a rice pudding accompanied by purple corn compote.

After-dinner entertainment featured Jorge and Alicia Zapata in a demonstration of traditional Peruvian dances. Wade Remer emceed the evening, giving a thoughtful challenge for Dove Mountaineers to support this worthy project. His remarks and the generosity of those present netted over $1400 toward the cost of this mission trip. Pastor Allen Cooney brought up team members Amy Hauschildt, Jill Hauschildt, Allison McCurdy, and Jared Grinney for a dedicatory prayer at the conclusion of the evening.

An entertaining Peru quiz game informed attendees that there are there are 92 languages in Peru, and also provided a useful map of Peru to take home. Beautiful Spanish language bookmarks from "Women Who Change the World" were another "take home" souvenir of the evening.

I am impressed that so many Dove Mountaineer hands played a part in making this a memorable evening. The next time you hear of a mission event at DMC, you can be sure that it is a quality event, and well worth your time in attending!

Aesthetics to the glory of God!

Okay, this is not extremely pertinent to Dove Mountaineers, but I'm sharing it here on the excuse that (1) it's about folks with whom we share our building, and (2) it's about some folks whose have Dove Mountaineer last names, like Remer, Vos, and Melvin/Strong.

Pictured here are the members of the 2009-2010 Pusch Ridge Academy Fighting Lion Marching Band. It has been my joy to write their drill for the fall show this year, and I have also been engaged in their rehearsals, teaching the drill to them. First of all, I would like to say that they are a delightful group of covenant kids, and it has been a huge joy to be around them and work with them for the last six weeks. The culmination of their hard work will take place tomorrow at the annual University of Arizona Band Day. They take the field at about 8:45, and are a joy to behold.

The music for their show is from Grease, which was first a Broadway play and later a movie. The three selections are "Summer Nights," "Born to Hand Jive," and "We Go Together." Originally, there were to have been four selections, but their director, Mrs. Pam Reed, was approached by some of the band members who reminded her that the lyrics (which, of course, are not heard in a marching band performance) to the fourth selection contain some offensive language. So first of all, I give props to these responsible teenagers for having the conviction not to bring such language into the minds and memories of those listening, and secondly for the courage to speak up about it to adults (Mrs. Reed and me). For those who sometimes doubt that Christian teenagers are any different from the prevailing youth culture, may such a testimony as this put such doubts to rest.

While Grease may not seem a very spiritual theme for a Christian academy band to perform, it has nevertheless afforded the opportunity for some great spiritual lessons and discussions with the students. First of all, these are songs of great joy, and learning to perform them with good expression, both musically and on their countenances, has been an opportunity for the band to learn to think of performing as their gift to others, the audience.

Secondly, the process of tackling much more complex and challenging marching maneuvers and patterns than they had ever before attempted has afforded occasions to discuss such Christian concepts as orderliness, attention (devotion) to detail, submission to authority, and bearing their testimony, not to mention perseverance in keepng with a diffcult task until it is completed. Our opening prayers each morning have frequently spoken of doing this "to the glory of God," very fitting since PRCA's motto is Soli Deo Gloria (to God alone, glory!).

Like any group of young people about to perform on a gigantic stage (in this case, Arizona Stadium), they might have some nervousness about getting through the morning without embarrassing mistakes. If God brings it to your remembrance, would you pray for these young ambassadors of Christ tomorrow morning? Or better yet, come and see them youself! If that's not possible, you can still se the show repeated at the next two home football games, October 9 and 16 at...well, you know - the stadium right outside where our church meets!

More resources for husbands

As a follow up to Pastor Allen's message on Ephesians 5:25-27, I did an internet search and came up with this rich site listing no less than fifteen current books for men on this topic. Of the book pictured above, the description reads:

"Men need models. Some men have grown up with dads who were not good role models for how to love their wives. Sadly, most have not. From the crucible of real-life experience and study of God's Word, Larry McCall delivers a powerful message that there is a model of perfect husband-wife love. Here is help for any husband or band of brothers who desire to grow as husbands. It is Bible-based, Christ-centered, and grace-promoting. The key is to start at Ephesians 5:25."

Sounds like it's worth taking a look at!