Dr. Timothy Keller: "You Must Be Born Again!"

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Think It Over!

The New Testament speaks of the use of our minds everywhere in the process of Christian conversion and growth and obedience. For example, at least ten times in the book of Acts, Luke says that Paul’s strategy was to “reason” with people in his effort to convert them and build them up.1 And Paul said to the Corinthians that he would rather speak five words with his mind to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.2 …

In 2 Timothy 2:7, he says, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” So many people swerve off the road to one side of this verse or the other. Some stress “think over what I say.” They emphasize the indispensable role of reason and thinking. And they often minimize the supernatural role of God in making the mind able to see and embrace the truth. Others stress the second half of the verse: “And the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” They emphasize the futility of reason without God’s illumining work. “The Lord will give you understanding.”

But Paul will not be divided this way. He says: not either-or, but both-and. “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” ... Paul commands us to think about what he says. Use your mind. Engage your reasoning powers when you hear the word of God.

Jesus warned of what happens if we don’t and what blessing may come if we do. In the parable of the soils, he said concerning the seed sown on the path: “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.”3 Understanding with the mind is not optional. Our lives hang on it. And concerning the seed sown on good soil, he says, “This is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”4 …

So yes, we must use our minds. We must exercise our reason in the proclamation and explanation and confirmation of the gospel. We must contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.5… That is indispensable.

But as we use all our renewed mental powers for Christ, we must pray with Paul that the Holy Spirit would attend the preaching of the gospel and that the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” would shine in the hearts of our hearers to give “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Only when that happens will true Christians be created who say, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”—John Piper6

Loving God with our minds

Jesus said that we are to love God “with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind.”7 Notice that He didn’t just refer to our heart and soul, but also to our mind. God gave human beings mental faculties. He created us to be intellectual beings, capable of rational thought, intellectual growth, critical thinking, and reasoning. He also gave us a conscience to guide us in making choices that are morally right.

The apostle Paul said, “One person considers some days to be more sacred than others, while another person considers all days to be the same. Each person must have their own convictions.”8 Paul also said in that same discourse, “If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.”9 The point he was making is that it’s important we each explore our beliefs to determine where our faith lies on various issues. Analyzing, discussing, and debating points of doctrine can be healthy for your faith, as those all require you to research, dig deep, and find the scriptural foundation for your beliefs.

Using our mental faculties and critical, rational thinking is not meant to undermine our faith, of course, but it can. Some people do reason themselves out of their faith. But for others, critical, rational thinking serves to strengthen their faith. It depends on how the person goes about the questioning process. Paul, Saint Augustine, Martin Luther, C. S. Lewis, and many other great Christian thinkers used reasoning and logic to strengthen their and others’ faith and understanding of doctrine, as well as to help shape the faith and intellectual viewpoints of Christianity.

We can use our intellectual abilities to glorify God and to affirm our faith, just as we can use any of the other skills and talents He has given us. We can use our minds to better love God, as Jesus told us to do. We can also use our intellectual abilities to find the place He has for us in this world, to further our education and understanding of the world, and more. As is the case with all gifts from His hand, He expects us to use the mental abilities He has given us, to invest them wisely, and to allow them to benefit ourselves and others.—Maria Fontaine

Why loving God with all your mind matters

The world God created is real and good. We are created in God’s image with a capacity to reason, feel, and act. We are also created to respond to a real God, respond to real people, and exercise dominion over a real creation. We are created to respond to reality. Sin certainly does distort our perception of reality, and we have limits on the extent of our knowledge; but there is nevertheless that which is true, good, and real objectively, and we can know it, at least in part.

The God-given ability to know is for a purpose. In Matthew 22:37, Christ calls us to love God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind. Unfortunately, not only is the mind devalued within the culture but also surprisingly within the church.

Perhaps some think that you can love God too much with your mind. Yet, can you love God too much with your heart or soul? I think not. The problem is not loving God too much with your mind but, perhaps, loving God with your heart and soul too little.

In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we are called to “destroy speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” and “take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” The first part of this verse emphasizes a more negative or critical task of refuting objections to faith or alternative systems of thought. The second part stresses a positive task of taking every thought captive to Christ…

It is important to note that biblical knowing involves more than mere cognition. It involves intimacy and responsibility.

The Hebrew word for knowing is Yatha. When Genesis speaks of Adam knowing his wife, it uses this word. This knowing is certainly more than sexual intimacy. In Psalm 1:6, it says that “the Lord knows the way of the righteous.” … Our knowing is to lead to personal intimacy with God.

It is also interesting that the Greek word for “hear” is Akuo, while the Greek word for “obey” is Hupakuo—which literally means “to hyper hear” or really hear. So, to really hear is to obey. There are those who hear yet fail to understand. There are those who see yet don’t perceive. No wonder the biblical writers often say, “Him who has an ear to hear, let him hear.” It is one thing to allow a truth to go into one ear and out the other. It is another to allow God’s word to go into your ear, down into your heart, and out into your hands and feet.

Let’s dedicate ourselves to the study of intimately knowing God in a way that results in enjoying and glorying him (feeling) and happily laboring in the work of his kingdom (doing).—Art Lindsley10

Published on Anchor January 2020. https://anchor.tfionline.com/post/think-it-over/

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1 Acts 17:2, 4, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8, 9; 20:7, 9; 24:25.

2 1 Corinthians 14:19.

3 Matthew 13:19.

4 Matthew 13:23.

5 Jude 3.

6 https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/faith-and-reason.

7 Matthew 22:37.

8 Romans 14:5 CEB.

9 Romans 14:23 NLT.

10 https://tifwe.org/why-loving-god-with-all-your-mind-matters

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Em Seus Passos, O Que Faria Jesus?

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The Father and the Lost Sons

There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.” And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country.1

This extraordinary request by the younger son would have shocked and scandalized the original listeners. The son was asking to receive the portion of the inheritance that he would normally receive upon his father’s death, while his father was still alive and healthy. By doing this, he was essentially severing ties with his father. The listeners would have most likely expected Jesus’ next words to tell of how the father exploded in anger and disciplined his son.

Instead, the father acquiesced and divided the property between the sons. The younger son wanted to sell his inheritance for cash, and in doing so, he was showing no concern for his father’s future and was depriving him of a portion of the fruit of the land that was his due in his old age.

The older brother, who also received his portion of the inheritance at this time, received possession of the remaining land but not control of it. As the story continues, it becomes clear that the father was still head of the household and the farm, as he says later in the parable to the older son, All that is mine is yours—since the older son would own and control everything when the father died.

The younger son’s misfortunes

Jesus then tells what happens to the younger son: The younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.2

Upon leaving his father’s house, the younger son went on to live a life which can be described as wild and disorderly, resulting in the loss of all that he had. After he had spent all his funds, a famine arose. In times like that, very little work would have been available.

So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.3

The original listeners would have understood to what depths he had sunk by his job of feeding pigs. Pigs were considered unclean according to the law, and later Jewish writings stated that anyone raising swine was cursed. To make matters worse, he was starving and envious of the pigs’ food. It was at this point that he “came to himself.”

But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.’”4

The son came to his senses and decided to return to his father, to confess he was wrong and had sinned. Recalling that his father’s “hired servants” had enough to eat, he planned to ask his father to treat him as a hired servant. As such, he would no longer have the status of a son. The speech the son planned to deliver to his father included a confession of guilt, “I have sinned”; an admission to destroying his relationship with his father, “I am not worthy to be called your son”; and a suggestion of a solution, “treat me as a hired laborer.”

The homecoming

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”5

The son had shamed his father before the whole village. It would only be just and right for the father to let the son come to him, walking through the village facing the disapproving stares of the community. But no, the father, full of compassion, runs to him, something which dignified older men never did in public. To do so, he would have to pull up his robe and expose his legs, which would have been considered shameful in the culture of the day. The father’s first action is to embrace and kiss his son, before he even hears what his son has to say.

And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.”6

The son begins his practiced speech, but the father doesn’t let him finish. The father, hearing the son express that he isn’t worthy to be called a son, doesn’t need to hear any more. He orders his servants to clothe the son in the best robe, to put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet. Through these actions the father conveyed the message that he was reconciled with his son.

Besides conveying a message to the servants and the community, there was a strong message to the son as well. That message was forgiveness. The welcome of the father was an act of undeserved grace. It was forgiveness. Nothing the son could do would make up for his past. The father didn’t want the lost money; he wanted his lost son.

“And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.”7 Preparing such a large animal for a feast implies that likely most if not all of the village would be invited to the feast. And the father exclaimed his joyous reason for feasting: “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” And they began to celebrate.8

The older son

Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.” But he was angry and refused to go in.9

The older son, at the end of the workday, returned from the field after the festivities had started. On finding out the reason for the feast and that his father had welcomed the younger son back home, he was furious. The custom at such a feast would be for the older son to move among the guests, as part of his responsibilities as joint host with his father. But the older brother breaks with protocol and instead publicly refuses to enter the house and the festivities, and then argues with his father in public.

His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, “Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!”10

Risking humiliation and shame in the eyes of his guests, the father leaves the party in order to plead with his son to join in the celebration. The son’s response is filled with disrespect, bitterness, resentfulness, and the truth of how the older son sees his relationship with his father.

How does the father react? Exactly the same as he did with his other lost son—in love, kindness, and mercy. He says: “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.”11

His older son, like his younger, has a broken relationship with him which the father desires to repair. Both sons need reconciliation and restoration with their father. Both sons receive the same love from the father, love given in humility.

The father’s last statement expresses his joy that the younger son who was lost is now found. “It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.”12 The listener was left to imagine whether the older brother who was also lost would be found and restored, as we are not told the older son’s response.

This parable tells us something beautiful about God, our Father. He is full of compassion, grace, love, and mercy. Like the father in the story, He lets us make our own decisions, and no matter what those decisions are and wherever they may lead us, He loves us. He wants each one who has wandered away, who is lost, who has a broken relationship with Him, to come home. He waits for them and welcomes them with great joy and celebration.

That’s God’s attitude toward every person. He deeply loves and desires an unbroken relationship with each one. He searches out the lost and greatly rejoices when they come home. He welcomes them with open arms, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. He forgives, He loves, He welcomes. As the old hymn says, “Come home, come home, ye who are weary come home.”

Each person is deeply loved by the Father. Jesus laid down His life for every person. We are called to share that news with others. And to do it, we, like Jesus, need to seek them out, make the effort to reach them, and share the message that God loves them and wants to be in relationship with them. God is gracious, full of love and mercy. He loves each person and has called us, as His representatives, to do as Jesus did—to show unconditional love, to love the unlovely, and seek out those who are lost, to help restore them, and to respond with joy and celebration when that which was lost is found.

Originally published January 2015. Excerpted and republished January 2020.

https://anchor.tfionline.com/post/father-and-lost-sons/

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1 Luke 15:11–13. All scriptures are from the ESV.

2 Luke 15:13–14.

3 Luke 15:15–16.

4 Luke 15:17–19.

5 Luke 15:20–21.

6 Luke 15:21–22.

7 Luke 15:23.

8 Luke 15:24.

9 Luke 15:25–28.

10 Luke 15:28–30.

11 Luke 15:31.

12 Luke 15:32.

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Marcou da Besta

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Quase Deuses - Baseados em fatos reais - dublado

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Alcance o seu Potencial -- 2ª Parte

Da série Roadmap

Temos fé no plano de Deus para cada um de nós, no entanto precisamos dispensar qualquer mentalidade que nos limite e impeça de nos tornarmos tudo o que Deus deseja.

Nascido para vencer

Uma mentalidade estreita e uma atitude derrotista podem ser um empecilho para alcançarmos nosso potencial pleno. Algumas dessas mentalidades são:

“Já tentei e não deu certo.”

“Isso nunca foi feito.”

“Tem pessoas mais qualificadas que farão um trabalho melhor.”

“E se eu errar? E se eu falhar?”

“Dá trabalho demais.”

Enquanto pensarmos assim, seremos incapazes de superar obstáculos ou cumprirmos nossa vocação.

No seu livro Power of the Plus Factor, Norman Vincent Peale relata a seguinte história:

Certa vez, caminhando pelas ruas tortuosas de Hong Kong, passei por um estúdio de tatuagem. Na vitrine havia um display dos desenhos disponíveis, como por exemplo, de uma âncora, bandeira ou sereia. Mas uma opção que me deixou chocado eram três palavras que poderiam ser tatuadas na pele de alguém: Nascido para perder.

Entrei no estúdio impressionado e apontei para as palavras. Perguntei ao tatuador chinês se alguém realmente pedia para tatuar aquela frase terrível, Nascido para perder no seu corpo. Ele respondeu que algumas pessoas escolhiam a frase.

Retruquei não acreditar que alguém em sã consciência faria isso.

O tatuador simplesmente colocou a mão na testa e disse em um inglês macarrônico: “Antes tatuar no corpo, tatuar na mente”.

“Tatuar” nossa mente com pensamentos negativos reduz a probabilidade de sucesso no longo prazo. Se não acreditamos verdadeiramente em algo a nosso respeito, é impossível agirmos de tal mesma maneira. Muitas vezes vejo pessoas sabotarem suas próprias vidas devido a uma mentalidade errada.

Precisamos nos perguntar: “Qual opinião acerca de mim mesmo me limita? Estou em uma caixa?” Quando você pensa ou diz: “Eu nunca conseguiria fazer isso”, não estará limitando o Senhor? E se Ele quiser expandir você e fazê-lo crescer em um determinado aspecto? Você poderia estar retardando o seu próprio crescimento com um modo de pensar que o limite e impeça de avançar.

“Como pensa no seu coração, assim é.”[1] A maneira como você se vê, o que espera de si mesmo, a imagem que tem de si mesmo e o que pensa de si tem muito poder.

“Todas as coisas são possíveis com Deus.”[2] Precisamos ter fé e lutar por aquilo que acreditamos que o Senhor deseja que realizemos.

George Bernard Shaw disse:“As pessoas sempre culpam as circunstâncias pela sua condição. Eu não acredito em circunstâncias.  Aqueles que avançam no mundo são os que procuram as circunstâncias que desejam, e, se não as encontram, as criam”.

Para progredir é preciso ter um plano pessoal de crescimento. Segue-se algo que o Senhor disse a respeito do assunto:

Para chegar a qualquer lugar é preciso um mapa, um plano, uma visão ou meta quanto ao tipo de pessoa que você sabe que Eu desejo que se torne. Depois é preciso se empenhar em adquirir as virtudes necessárias e retirar os vícios para poder alcançar a meta. Busque-Me para saber o que desejo que faça com a sua vida. Pense em alguém que admira, em uma carreira que gostaria de seguir no serviço a outros. Pergunte-Me o que é necessário para se tornar esse tipo de pessoa, ter um desempenho excelente nessa carreira, e permanecer na sua vocação, e Eu o orientarei. Dessa forma terá um propósito a seguir.   

Alcançar o seu potencial significa se tornar o que Eu desejo que você seja. Você tem talentos especiais e também um propósito especial para estar na terra. Mas para encontrá-lo, não pode ficar parado esperando que Eu ou outros o desloquemos até à porta e digamos: “É por aqui. Entre”. Você deve fazer todo o possível para desenvolver o seu potencial e se preparar para o plano e desígnio que lhe tenho reservado.

Eu o desafio a crescer, a fazer as difíceis escolhas de abrir mão de certas coisas e acrescentar outras à sua vida, mesmo não sendo fácil.—Jesus falando em profecia

Seguem-se mais conselhos sobre desenvolver um plano de crescimento pessoal, do livro Desenvolvendo Líderes na sua Equipe de Trabalho, de John Maxwell:

As pessoas acham que crescimento pessoal é o resultado automático de estar vivo. Sabe, não é. O crescimento não é automático nem forçosamente vem com a experiência ou coleta de informações. O crescimento pessoal deve ser deliberado, planejado e consistente… Quero enfatizar que exige um plano. É preciso criar um plano e segui-lo.

Passos práticos para o crescimento pessoal

Separe um tempo cada dia para o crescimento. Este passo tem dois conceitos importantes. Desviar-se é uma das coisas mais fáceis. Tempo de crescimento sem planejamento estratégico no dia não dá em nada, porque somos muito ocupados. É preciso encontrar um horário que funciona e incluir na sua agenda. E então cumprir como faria com qualquer outro compromisso. E é preciso que seja diariamente, no mínimo cinco dias por semana. Educadores relatam que as pessoas aprendem melhor com aulas mais breves e regulares do que em períodos menos frequentes.

Além de um plano diário, recomendo também estudar diferentes materiais em momentos que outros considerariam uma perda de tempo. Por exemplo, sempre que viajo levo livros com bom conteúdo, mas talvez não tão substanciais como as leituras diárias que faço. 

Coloque em prática o mais rápido possível o que aprende

Apenas ter conhecimento de algo não significa que absorveu. Para isso é preciso colocar em prática. Toda vez que aprender algo, é bom se perguntar: “Onde, quando, e como posso usar este conhecimento?”

Cresça com alguém

Diversas pessoas da minha convivência compartilham coisas comigo e eu com elas. Dividir o seu aprendizado aumenta seu insight, melhora seu relacionamento com a outra pessoa, lhes dá uma visão comum e você terá que prestar contas daquilo. Cria também uma conversa com substância.

Ajuda bastante pensar em como pode fazer mudanças na sua vida para ter maior realização, ser mais produtivo no trabalho e serviço ao Senhor, e progredir para a glória de Deus!

Roadmap foi uma série de vídeos produzido pela AFI para jovens adultos. Publicado originalmente em 2010. Adaptado e republicado no Âncora em janeiro de 2020.

Original link found here:

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[1] Provérbios 23:7.

[2] Mateus 19:26.

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Be All You Can Be! - Part 2

Besides having faith in God’s plan for each of us, we need to rid ourselves of mindsets that limit us and keep us from becoming all God wants us to be.

Born to win

Limiting mindsets and defeatist attitudes can hold us back from reaching our full potential. Some of these mindsets are:

“I’ve tried it in the past, but it didn’t work.”

“It’s never been done before.”

“There are others who are more qualified and who can do a better job.”

“What if I make a mistake? What if I fail?”

“It’s too much work.”

As long as we think like this, we won’t be able to overcome obstacles to fulfill our calling.

Norman Vincent Peale relates this story in his book, Power of the Plus Factor:

Once, walking through the twisted streets of Hong Kong, I came upon a tattoo studio. In the window were displayed samples of the tattoos available. You could have a tattoo of an anchor or flag or mermaid or whatever. But what struck me with force were three words that could be tattooed on one’s flesh: Born to lose.

I entered the shop in astonishment and, pointing to those words, asked the Chinese tattoo artist, “Does anybody really have that terrible phrase, Born to lose, tattooed on his body?”

He replied, “Yes, sometimes.”

“But,” I said, “I just can’t believe that anyone in his right mind would do that.”

“The Chinese man simply tapped his forehead and in broken English said, “Before tattoo on body, tattoo on mind.”

Once our minds are “tattooed” with negative thinking, our chances for long-term success diminish. We cannot continue to function in a manner that we do not truly believe about ourselves. Often I see people sabotage themselves because of wrong thinking.

We need to ask ourselves, “What limiting mindsets do I have about myself? Have I put myself in a box?” When you think or say, “I could never do that,” are you limiting the Lord? What if the Lord wants to stretch you and make you grow in that area? You could be stunting your own growth through mindsets that limit you and hold you back from going further than you have gone before.

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”1 How you see yourself, what you expect of yourself, your own self-image and self-talk have great power.

“With God, all things are possible.”2 We need faith, and then we have to fight for what we believe the Lord wants us to accomplish.

George Bernard Shaw said:“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I do not believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they cannot find them, they make them.”

If we want to progress, we need a personal plan for growth. Here’s a word from the Lord on this point:

To get anywhere you need a map, a plan, and a vision or a goal of the kind of person you know I want you to become, and then work toward gaining the virtues and removing the vices that will help you to get there. Seek Me about what I want you to do with your life. Think of someone you admire, or a career in service to others that you would like to have. Ask Me what it takes to be that kind of person, to excel in that career, to abide in that calling, and I’ll lead you. Then you’ll have something to strive toward.

Being all you can be means becoming what I know you can be. You have special talents, and beyond that, a special purpose for being on this earth. But to find it, you don’t sit and wait for Me or others to put you in front of the door and say, “Here, walk in,” but rather you do all you can to develop your potential and prepare for the plan and purpose I have for you.

I challenge you to grow. I challenge you to make the difficult choices of forsaking certain things, and adding other things to your life, even if it’s difficult.—Jesus, speaking in prophecy

Here’s more on developing a plan for personal growth. This is from the book Developing the Leaders Around You. Author John Maxwell says:

People think personal growth is a natural result of being alive. Well, it’s not. Growth is not automatic; it does not necessarily come with experience, nor simply as a result of gathering information. Personal growth must be deliberate, planned, and consistent… I want to emphasize that personal growth requires a plan. You have to create a plan and follow it. 

Practical steps for personal growth

Set aside time daily for growth. There are two important concepts in this step. First, time for growth must be planned. Getting sidetracked is one of the easiest things in the world to do. Growth time that is not strategically planned into the day soon disappears because our lives are busy. People must find a time that works for them and schedule it into their calendar. Then they must guard that time as they would any other appointment. Second, the time set aside must be set aside daily—for no fewer than five days a week. Educators report that people learn more effectively in shorter regular sessions than long, infrequent blocks of time.

Besides having a daily plan, I also recommend going through materials during times that other people normally consider wasted time. For instance, whenever I travel I take along books that may not be as meaty as my daily reading but that have good material.

Apply quickly what you learn

Simply knowing a thing will not make it part of you. To do that, you must apply it. Each time you learn something new, it’s good to ask yourself, “Where, when, and how can I use this?”

Grow with someone

I have a number of people around me who share things with me and whom I deliberately share things with. When you share what you are learning with others, it increases your insight, builds your relationship with them, gives you a common vision, and holds you accountable. It also creates worthwhile conversation.

It is helpful to think about how you can change things in your life to bring greater fulfillment, fruitfulness in your work and service to the Lord, and progress for God’s glory!

Roadmap was a video series created by tfi for young adults. Originally published in 2010. Adapted and republished on Anchor January 2020

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1 Proverbs 23:7.

2 Matthew 19:26.

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Another step to the Cashless Society

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Update on Angola Mission 2020

In the month of January 2020 the industrial stove promised by the local government arrived. The owner of the company that installed the stove was very impressed with the project, which helps school and feed up to 80 young Angolans a day  He promised to help bi-monthly. Little by little the Lord is answering our prayers and progress is being made. Here are some other photos from the recent months of 2019.

We will be finishing the cupboards to have a fine area for cooking and serving the food to the children.

Here is the kitchen area from the outside. Things are looking a little better.

The new guard we have hired to live on the property and help with the projects is here teaching the children. The children are very attentive as they have little or no intellectual input other than what they learn from adults. They have no electricity at home, so no television, no books, no mobile phones, no radio, which makes them very attentive to whatever the teacher is teaching. Adults are a fountain of information to many of Africa's youth.

The children following their teacher during exercise time.

Life is still quite simple in some parts of the world.

Don't you think it is worth it to invest in the lives of these children who have so little? With $100 we can pay the salary of the guard/teacher. With $100 we can buy the food we need to feed the children.

With a little help from those of us in richer countries projects like this can grow and progress and we can fulfill God's commandment to help the poor and needy. By doing so, we can bring God's blessing into our lives and have the assurance He will help us in our moments of affliction because we have heard His cry and have attended to the needs of the poor.

With a small monthly donation you can help make a difference in the lives of these children. But you may think, "What difference does it make, there are so many. We will never be able to eliminate poverty. So why bother?" My friend, at least we can try and our efforts will bring meaning into our own lives as a result.

Please consider becoming part of this project. Together we can make a difference. Contact me by WhatsApp at +0351 915016534. Thank you, Dennis, for Project Benguela / Association Nova Dimensão and-pt.org

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