By Jon Keehn

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”- Hebrews 12:14

Can you think of the last time that you had to search for something? Maybe you forgot where you left your keys or your hat or your wallet/purse. It’s always annoying when you have take a few extra minutes to look for something that should be right where you “know I left it!” I’m sure that each and every one of us has certain places that we always set things down in so that we don’t have to consciously remember where we put them.

I can remember a time when I was 6 or 7 years old and I had this action figure that I loved. I always had it with me. This action figure was one of my favorite toys as a kid and I wanted to be just like the character that the action figure portrayed, which is kind of odd because this was an action figure of the Boy Wonder, Robin, the sidekick of Batman. Seriously, what kid only wants to be a sidekick?

Anyways, there came a time that I remember very distinctly as one of the worst days of my very short life up to that point. I lost Robin. I have no idea what happened to him. To this day I have no idea where I could have misplaced, set down, or dropped this plastic version of the greatest sidekick to ever live. This absolutely wrecked me. I can’t begin to tell you how long I looked for this action figure. I wanted nothing more than to find him and put him back in his rightful place at Batman’s side. I ended up giving in and calling off the search for Robin and eventually moved on to eventually become a sidekick (planting a church with my best friend) but that’s neither here nor there.

Today in our world there are so many of us who are searching for God and trying to pursue God and it seems as if we never get anywhere. We try to believe the right things, go to the right church, learn all the right words, and vote for the right candidates because we want to see God. We want to experience grace, mercy, forgiveness, and freedom from the pain caused by sin. However, far too often I believe that we (myself included) have not pursued or searched for God with the diligence that we search for other things or experiences in our lives. Hebrews 12 tells us that we are to pursue holiness because without that no one will see God.

The problem is that we become so “accustomed” to God, just like that place where you ALWAYS set your keys, that we start to live the Christian life without even thinking about it and soon we find ourselves asking why we even life a Christian life. The good news is it’s ok if you are there. There is still hope. Jesus is offering us opportunity to repent of our sin, confess and surrender to Him, and be made into new people who will share with the rest of the world what it means to be in right relationship for Christ.

To do this, as followers of the risen Christ, we have to pursue Holiness. I know that simply saying this can be a very vague and non-descriptive exhortation, so I want to leave us with some simple ways to pursue Holiness this year and draw near to God with renewed energy and desire to love, honor, obey, and serve Him and the nations of people around us.

What does your time in prayer look like? If we are to pursue Holiness we must be spending time both talking to and listening to our God.

What does your time in the Bible look like? Are you doing the bare minimum to simply get through a study? If we are to pursue Holiness we must familiarize ourselves with God’s word as that is very often how He reveals Himself to us.

What does your church attendance look like? This life was not made to be lived alone. We have been given friends, family, and the like to come aside us and serve with, just as God the Father has the trinity and is never alone. If we are to pursue Holiness we must be a people who commit to a local church and serving with that particular group of believers.

There are so many more ways that we can pursue Holiness but I want to leave us with these 3 to begin. How are you pursuing Holiness in Christ this year?

A lot of times I don’t have the words to express what I’m feeling.

Often I don’t have the words to express my prayers.

So sometimes I pray through tears.

And at times I pray through silence.

Many times I pray through photography, allowing my pictures to express my prayers.

I’d like to share some of those prayers.

The captions are just part of the prayers that I am trying to express through them.

Will you pray with me.

Lord,

You’re removing things and refining me. Continue to remove but let me know that you are there.

Hold her. Bring her back in here. Show us where there is hope and healing.

You always embrace us with your grace and you give us your promise of hope. And for that, I say thank you.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Amen and Amen

By David Vazquez

Recently I was invited to share at a youth camp that was held at El Faro. The theme of the camp was about surfing and the particular subject they assigned me was dealing with the waves of life.

This wasn’t exactly the type of thing I like to share about. Normally I am very positive and I like to laugh a lot so talking about problems isn’t my favorite thing to do, but this year in particular I have had to stand up against different waves that I haven’t ever dealt with before. Because of this I identified with the particular theme.

Keeping in mind that the theme dealt with surfing I began to investigate what was the least fun part of surfing, maybe even where the surfers suffered a little. It’s the part where you have to break earlier waves to get to the big one where you then use it to propel yourself back to shore.

Breaking waves is not something that’s easy, especially in the oceans that have the biggest waves, so surfers use the “duck diving” method.

Like the name “duck” suggests, this method consists of positioning yourself in front of the wave and when the wave comes near you must push down with your surfboard, paddling with all your strength to pass below the wave and then with the help of the surfboard allow the same movements to push you back up above the water. This requires a large amount of physical strength and it’s here that many people don’t feel strong enough and give up surfing.

The Bible reminds us in various places, Luke 17:1; John 16:33; 1 Peter 4:12; 1 Peter 1:7 that in this world we will have many different problems or waves in our lives. With this is mind it’s important to know how to confront and go through them.

To be able to do this there is one tool that is more important that any other for a surfer, the surfboard. It’s the same with us! We have each been given our equivalent of a surfboard and it’s faith!

Hebrews 11:1 reminds us what faith is. It’s the certainty of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.

Like the surfboard that is attached or connected to the surfer the entire time they’re in the water, in the same way, faith has been given to us to be able to face the different types of waves. It allows us to pass beneath the waves when we use the “duck” method as well bringing us back up and keeping us afloat on the waves, being able to reach a point that seemed inconceivable or impossible.

Looking at the waves that we have gone through in 2016, huge and tumultuous waves, I can understand in those moments when it seemed I would sink, when it made no sense to swim further down, God was with us and by our faith put in Him we could not only resist but rather end up on top of that which wanted to crush us.

I encourage you in 2017 to keep moving forward in spite of the waves that will discourage, through sickness, financial problems, and emotionally draining issues. Remember that we have the best instructor, the Word of God. We have our “surfboard” faith, and the best lifejackets on our side.

We have everything within our reach to keep floating, and I would like to finish by sharing a saying that surfers have amongst themselves, “A man can be measured by the size of the problem that knocks him down,” and I would add, “and by the size of his God.”

Don’t run away from the wave, confront it!

By Zita Vasquez

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…and he shall be called Wonderful Counselor…Prince of Peace.” (Isa 9:6)

I imagine that evening where the night’s silence was interrupted by the cry of a baby. That night, this birth changed the course of our history forever. The heavens erupted in jubilee! All of the angels were singing as one, “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth among this with whom He is pleased!” A star shone with all its intensity to announce the coming of the Light of The World. This wasn’t just another birth. The King of Glory humbled himself to come to the earth to bring salvation to all those who would believe in Him.

“And the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

It’s most likely that Jesus wasn’t born on December 24 and it’s true that we as Christians should celebrate that He was born every day. However, the birth of someone who has had history marked for before and after their birth (b.c.e./a.d.) deserves to be celebrated to the highest. We as His children, those who have experienced His forgiveness and love should not forget that He came in the form of man in the most humble of ways to live among us, understand us, and suffer because of His love for us. This is the best gift that we could ever receive. It’s the gift that is always active in and belongs to our hearts.

Let’s share the reason for this celebration! Jesus was born!!! He was born to give us hope, that our hearts would be filled with joy and we would celebrate. Let us show others what is the motive of this special celebration and let us focus on being thankful to have received the best gift that humanity could receive. Most importantly, this gift is still open to anyone who wants and needs to receive it.

By Jon Keehn

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.” –Luke 2:1 (ESV)

Is there a time that you can think of where you felt like you didn’t matter? A time where you felt like nothing more than a number? I know that this is something that we have all experienced in one form or another at some point in our lives. With Christmas only a couple of weeks away were are in the time of year where everyone is reading Christmas devotions and the account of Jesus’ birth from Luke 2 and I’m no different.

I’ve spent a good amount of time over the last 10 days thinking about the Christmas story and why we celebrate etc…and while doing that I was reading Luke chapter 2 and the story of Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem and something stuck out to me. The very first verse of Luke 2 talks about why Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem. They were going because of a census. This got me thinking about censuses and the reasons for them, (I know, ADD much?) and I couldn’t help but see something there. There are many different reasons that governments take censuses but one of the most basic ones is to get a semi accurate count of how many people live in a given town, county, state, country, etc..

Unfortunately, in the eyes of our governments most of us are simply a number, and it’s in the middle of one of these censuses that the God of the Universe decided to step into human history and be counted among the rest of us as a simple number. Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us at his birth was written down as simply one more person that was a resident of Bethlehem. But when it comes to God, it’s not the same story. We aren’t simply numbers to Him. We have a name. We have a face. We have a story.

I used to be part of a church where every Sunday there would be someone standing in the back of the room and we would count how many people were there for worship. We always knew our monthly average of how many people had come through the doors, and now I can’t help but wonder if there were people that walked into our church as a visitor, as someone completely unknown to everyone else in the building and were never greeted or given the chance to be known by name.

Maybe you have been on a missions trip where at the end of the day you hear the tally of how many people were seen in your medical clinic, how many children showed up to the activity, or you see the photos where you are with a family, yet you don’t know the name of anyone in that picture or the name of anyone that those numbers represent…

You and I are known. Jesus himself knows us by name. This brings me more peace, more comfort, more worth than I could ever explain in words. At the same time I am challenged to slow down and spend more time with the “unknowns”, the “numbers” who I walk by everyday. Will you take the time this Christmas season to be a friend to one of those “numbers”?

By Katie Matthews

My 10 month old daughter, Ashtyn, has learned to crawl. She gets into everything. Drawers, dog food dishes, trash cans, everything. I pick her up to remove her from said area or object and what does she do, crawl back to find out what exactly is in the trash can. She is
persistent. She perseveres. She is relentless and she wears her mom out. However, I admire her spirit and tenacity to keep going. This
persistence has caused me to reflect on my character and my actions. Am I persistent in areas where persistence is needed? Do I keep going when things get hard, when attacks come my way?

In 1 Peter the author, Peter is writing a letter to Christians who are facing major persecution for their faith, Christians who are refusing to rebel against God and are being mocked and opposed for their actions.

Peter writes, “But if you’re treated badly for good behavior and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God,” 1 Peter 2:20 MSG. This year has been difficult. Attacks have come our way, hardships have been had, however have we persisted knowing what we are doing is for His good. But it is hard to press on. Sometimes those personal attacks can take their toll and it is easier to listen to what others say then to hold fast to the truths of His word.

Are you going through a desert season, doubting what you are doing? If God has convicted you to keep going then, you must persist, you must endure. Even if we never see the harvest or the fruit of our labor, we must persist because it is what He has called us to do, for His glory.

By Mayra Duran

What kind of movies or tv shows do you like the most? Drama, comedy, science fiction…What’s your favorite? I have to admit that medieval fantasy is one of my favorite genres. My mind is transported to another place thinking about these stories with swords, castles, armor, and battles. This year, one of my favorite shows aired one of the best episodes in television history. To film 60 of the most intense minutes of the season the producers had a $30 million budget, 25 days to film with a crew of 600 people. As well, besides the regular actors in the show, they needed 500 extras, 80 horses, 25 stunt doubles, and 4 camera crews. Yes, all of this was used to create a fictional, final epic battle on TV.

However, the bible tells us of TRUE stories about battles with huge armies that took place centuries ago. Without a doubt that battle that always surprises me is that of Gideon’s army against the Midianites (You can find the entire story in Judges chapters 6-8).

After reading about Gideon and being reminded about the tv show that I shared about above, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Gideon was able to defeat an army of 135,000 people with only 300 men. How!? It seems impossible but we find the answer in Judges 6:16 where God spoke with Gideon and said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

Today we don’t really encounter real armies like Gideon. The battles that we fight in our lives are different ones. But just like Gideon, who are you trusting to win your battles? I don’t know the battles that you are fighting, or how big the armies are that you are encountering, but I know who is in charge of your army and that God is the one who is with you. It doesn’t matter if you encounter an army the same size as the Midianites. If you trust in God, just as Gideon did, God will fight the battle for you and His strategy is 1,000 times better than yours.

“Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.”                                                                             -2 Chronicles 20:15b

By Karlita Gomez

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”- Philippians 1:6 (ESV)

Have you ever made something using legos or K’nex? If you’ve never had the pleasure of doing this, I strongly encourage you to go to the nearest store and find one of these kits. If you are a child in an adult’s body, like me, you could enjoy hours with this diversion and disconnect from the day to day pressures. With my husband Sammy, we love to make things with Legos. Those that know me know that my cell phone case is a lego case. Those that have visited our house know that we own several lego cars and roller coasters, among other similar items. Every time that we sit down to start a new lego project the first step is to separate all of the pieces and put them in different piles. The second step is to have the instructions ready, which you can find on the internet if you don’t have them. The third step is to put on some good music and begin your adventure. You should definitely have patience because this can take you days to finish, but at the end it’s worth the effort and time that you put into it.

One time I had the opportunity to watch Sammy put a car back together that had already been put together once, but for some reason he had take it apart. While watching this, I feel like God was teaching me something. We are able to see in the photo on the box the finished product, but inside there are only pieces. We know that all of these pieces will go together to make the finished product that you bought. IN the same way, God, who knows our future, has the knowledge of the finished product that we are. He is the one that is taking us apart and putting us back together with all that is happening around us…Every situation, event, opportunity. Nothing happens by accident. God has the control of every thing. He has never lost it, though at times it may feel like things don’t make sense. He is still in control and he know that finsihed product.

You may run into different pieces of different sizes, colors, and textures. Some are beautiful, others not so much. Many times you have no idea where it goes or really why it’s necessary, but in the process you are surprised at how every piece has its place. In the same way every situation in our lives fits perfectly with God’s design. Sometimes the situation is happy, other times it’s painful, but it’s always necessary for the final design that God has in mind for us. It’s not about the pieces, rather it’s about the designer. Us with our human minds can’t understand nor imagine the finished product that we will be when we meet Jesus, but we are able to have confidence and constantly remember that it’s Him who has control and knows our future. It’s Him who is working in our lives. We won’t always be an unfinished product, imperfect and weak. The design that God has had in mind for us since the beginning will come to be. He will continue until His work is completely finished. It’s not about us…It’s about HIM!

By Katey Erickson

The past three weeks we have had a “summer” camp for the kids in the village as they are on vacation from school. The purpose of each activity that we planned for them during camp has been to encourage critical and creative thinking. Some of the activities also encourage teamwork. It’s been amazing to watch the kids think and learn as they are playing, cooking, or creating art.

I wanted to use camp to encourage critical and creative thinking for two reasons.

Number 1 – because these are not things that are normally taught in the public school in the village. Most of the work they do is rote memorization, copying and pasting basically, and some of the kids really struggle with thinking for themselves.

Number 2 – because when someone learns to think critically and creatively they can begin to do so in all areas of their life, including their spiritual life. If I want to encourage kids to truly interact on a deep level with God and His word but they don’t know how to think critically or creatively then it’s going to be a struggle. I don’t want their interaction with the Bible and God to be rote memorization and repetition of what their pastor says. I want them to truly think through their faith and have conversations with God and His word.

As I’ve been interacting with the kids as they learn to think more critically and creatively I’ve been challenged to think more critically and creatively myself. Not just in the camp activities but in all areas of my life. I’ve been more motivated to create art, read, analyze, etc. And it’s impacted my spiritual life too. I’ve had more of a desire to creatively connect with God, to draw my prayers, and to use photography to capture what He is teaching me. I’ve also had more of a desire to study God’s word and to really go deep and struggle through the questions I have about certain texts.

Do you think creatively and critically throughout the day? Do you have creative and critical thinking outlets in your life? Do you creatively and critically interact with God and His word?

If not, how could you start?

By Jon Keehn

Late last week I had the opportunity to go with a short term missions group that we were hosting on their travel/tourist day. These types of days are usually pretty relaxing and full of fun, as was this one. However as we were getting onto one of our boats our driver asked me if I would stand at the front of the boat and help watch out for trash and debris that might be in our path and direct him to turn if we needed to maneuver away from debris. I gladly said yes as this was something that he has asked me to do several other times when we are going on longer boat trips.

As we were about and hour or so into the trip I had the thought that it was funny that we needed someone to look out for debris because most of the things we encountered were small pieces of trash that were of no significance. But then I thought that it was rather interesting that it was the larger pieces of debris that we had to be on the lookout for and how the larger debris would sometimes “hide” itself among the small and insignificant pieces of trash. This means that no matter the size of the trash/debris it was all significant.

At this point I couldn’t help but think about my life as a follower of Jesus and how this was a portrait of how I should look at the sin in my life. There may be some little or small stuff here and there that doesn’t seem important but when I let those small things go unchecked for any amount of time it’s almost a sure thing that some larger piece of debris is going to hide itself among the “insignificant” junk in my life. Even more, as I was standing at the front of the boat diligently on the lookout for debris, I couldn’t just ignore the small stuff because there could have been something bigger hiding amongst it.

You may not be responsible for being on the lookout for other people, but you most definitely are responsible for looking for the junk and sin in your own life. How do you guard yourself from letting the small “stuff” become large pieces of debris that can wreck you? The amazing part is that when it comes the finding the sin in our lives we aren’t alone. Just as I was helping our boat driver watch for debris, we have been promised that the Holy Spirit will help us see our sin so that we may repent and turn away from it back to Jesus. How are you asking the Holy Spirit to help you see and convict you of the sin in your life?