Who do you Admire?

From time to time I look at the blogs of the people I know, trying to keep up with them and what is happening in their lives. Recently I was reading the blog of a young person that Teresa and I have grown to love and I was somewhat concerned with a statement made there, “I admire him”. The “him” was a person who was active in helping others, which is a great thing to do. Paul says in Romans:

If our gift is to speak God's message, we should do it according to the faith that we have; if it is to serve, we should serve; if it is to teach, we should teach; if it is to encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it generously; whoever has authority should work hard; whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully. Romans 12:6-8


What concerns me is people admiring people. That is like one painting admiring another painting. How many people admire of the painting of Mona Lisa but rarely admire the talent of Leonardo Da Vinci. And if they do admire Da Vinci do they ever admire the creator who gave Da Vinci those talents?

Rom 1:25 They exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever! Amen

Worshiping and serving created things leads to other sins (see Romans chapter 1) and some religions are basic on this sin:

Deu 5:7 " 'Worship no god but Me.

Know any tree huggers? Know anyone who trusts the stars instead of God? How about devil worshipers? Anyone who puts other people ahead of God?

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Mat 6:19-21

Where do you spend your time? A girl friend, or a boy friend?
Where do you spend your money? A boat, traveling, or shopping?
We all should get serious about what we do with our resources:
And He said to them, Watch and keep yourselves from covetousness. For a man's life is not in the abundance of the things which he possesses. Luke 12:15
"But God said to him, 'You fool! I will demand your life from you tonight! Now who will get what you've accumulated?' That's how it is when a person has material riches but is not rich in his relationship with God." Luke 12:20-21

Admiration of other people and physical things, should never be given priority in our lives. Even in our prayer life:
"So do not start worrying: 'Where will my food come from? or my drink? or my clothes?' (These are the things the pagans are always concerned about.) Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things. Mat 6:31-33

John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey my commandments.
John 15:14 And you are my friends if you do what I command you.
John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not have life, but will remain under God's punishment.
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Da Mario

Act 1:8 But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Ristorante Da Mario is approximately a 3 minute walk from our apartment. You will not find it in Jerusalem, Judea or Samaria. Ristorante Da Mario is located in Bucuresti, Romania; practically a stone's throw from the entrance of our block.

Last evening Randy and Dawn Nicholas came over for a visit and to give Randy N. the opportunity to work on our computers. Dawn and I spent the evening watching an old movie and visiting, while the men took care of the technology problems at hand. On completion of the repair work, the four of us headed to Da Mario for pizza.

Randy and I have been looking for a local establishment to start visiting and setting a pattern or routine for people to become familiar with our faces. Da Mario has become our destination to meet at least once weekly for dinner and follow immediately with Bible study. Randy and Dawn Nicholas joined us last night for the initial study. The service was good and the pizza was great. As in any restaurant, when we had finished our meal, the waiter cleared our table. We opened our Bibles and began reading from Colossians.

Col 3:16 Christ's message in all its richness must live in your hearts. Teach and instruct one another with all wisdom. Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts.
Col 3:17 Everything you do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks through him to God the Father.

From Colossians we went to many other chapters and verses as we continued our study for an hour. On three different occasions, our waiter and a waitress came by our table to see what we were doing. That's what this tool is all about, to get someone's attention, someone's curiosity stirred up, someone interested in who and what we are talking about. In today's busy society, you have to reach the lost where they are, even if it means when they take time from their schedule to stop for a meal.

Please be in prayer for Randy and me as we continue to search for new avenues to reach out to and witness to the lost in Bucuresti, our Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.

Give Thanks

Emma Marie

Vivy, Daniela and Flori

Psa 95:2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and sing joyful songs of praise.

Last Thursday Randy and I joined 7 other Missionary couples to celebrate Thanksgiving. One couple joined us from Moldova and another couple will soon be moving to Braila. We had a wonderful time of fellowship and a great thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings!

As I reflect on our blessings from God, quickly I realize how impossible it would be to count them all. My salvation, my marriage, health, family....on and on and on. The pictures I have attached to this blog are just 2 blessings that I chose to expound upon. In January we were truly blessed to become Grandparents to a precious little girl named Emma Marie. Instantly she won our hearts. What a pleasure and absolute joy it has been to be Grandparents, even at long distance. Randy and I are so thankful God has given man the knowledge to develop computer technology and skype which allows us to interact with Emma very frequently. It is our desire to have a spiritual influence upon her life as well as her 8 year old sister Kimber's. As Grandparents, we want to see our Grandchildren accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. Please pray for Randy and me that God will help us to be the Godly Grandparents that Emma and Kimber deserve. We are indeed so very thankful for Emma Marie and Kimber to be a part of our lives.

Vivy, Daniela and Flori are only 3 of the young ladies from Galati who were in the weekly Bible study group at my apartment in Galati. They came to Bucuresti and spent the night with Randy and me. What a joy to have them in our home. I miss this group of young ladies, as well as Katie, Gabby, Andrea and Larisa who aren't shown in the picture. All of these young ladies are very special, they have grown and matured in their walk with the Lord in the nearly 2 years that I have known them. I am very proud of them and their love for God and their willingness to serve him. They have been a blessing to my life. God richly blessed me when He brought them into my home each week, I will be forever thankful.

I am truly blessed and so thankful, God is so good. I hope each of you took time out of your busy schedule to ponder over all your many blessings.