Bud Simon

Where We Need to Go

I like C.S. Lewis.  I always have.  From the first time I picked "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" back in Middle School to this present moment. 

I always amazed at how relevant and thought provoking his books are. 

 

"A Year With C.S. Lewis" is mind stretching and spirit stretching.  It takes me where I need to go.  After getting there, I am glad that Lewis provoked my thoughts to travel in a new direction or reexamine a half forgotten line of thinking.  The book is a 365 day devotion, with snippets from most of Lewis' books.  The readings are short and concise, but this is the way Lewis wrote. 

Profoundness is the ability to concisely say what needs to be said.  Lewis understood this clearly.  Many mistakenly believe that by say more and saying it loudly, that we strengthen our arguments.  Quite the contrary. 

There are books that make us uncomfortable because we do not like the way an author treats a subject.  And there are other books that make us uncomfortable because we need to think, ponder and reconsider some of the ideas and images we have in our head.  Lewis' writings clearly fall into the second category. 

Lewis' book is a wonderful challenge on a daily basis.  It is a delightful departure from most of the easy reading that is so common.  And the relevance transcends cultures and eras.  This is a mark of a great writer. 

Take the time to enjoy this book.  The pleasure is that there is a morsel of insight every day.  The book just may turn into a long term companion on your bookshelf. 

Family Photos

Time just keeps marching on...

So, with out further ado, here are some updated photos of my children, with a few comments...

Daniel is nine years old and enjoys reading and home school.  He is maturing from a little boy into a young man.  He enjoys games, pretty much any type of card game, board game, or computer game!  He has a great imagination and can spend hours playing, drawing, and being creative. 

Caleb is seven years old and is active, really active.  he likes to be the boss and likes to be right and enjoys competing when he wins ( I wonder where he got those characteristics).  He has a tender streak of compassion that springs out and he loves being social.  He is sharing and easy going. 

Anna is four years old.  She is all girl, loving playing with the dolls and babies.  She delights in being in the company of the other little girls from around the mission.  She really enjoys having someone read to her. 

Samuel is 19 months old.  His hair usually isn't this wild, but "they" like to mousse it and make it all wild.  Samuel is ready with a smile and is mischievous as any kid his age, actually probably a bit more.  He keeps us smiling.

So, our "quiver" is full and keeps us busy.  we have a great time with our family. 

Here are a couple more photos from the soccer school where Daniel and Caleb attend.

Daniel with his soccer team and coaches. 

Caleb, getting ready for scrimmaging. 

A final note...

I now have an account at FLICKR, which is a photo posting website.  So, there are more photos there from our work here.  take a look at the files and leave some comments.  Comments are good!

Also, my most recent photos from FLICKR are posted on the sidebar now and you can link to the site there also. 

Thanks.

Sawing & Faith

Sawing, originally uploaded by Bud Simon.

This is Alderico, a master carpenter and member of our church here in Altamira.

He went out into the bush to help build a church in a community. Several people have come to the Lord over the last couple of years and one of the new believers donated some land for a church building.

Alderico went along to help out. He has been out of work for the last few weeks.

The night he got back to Altamira, he went into his room and prayed, "Lord, you know I need some work. Help me find something so I can feed my family."

That night he had a dream that a man gave him so much work that it never ran out!!!

And, the very next morning, he had several people seek him out for doing jobs for them. Alderico was delighted to see how the Lord provides for all of our needs.

I am thankful that faith is the same all over the world!

Assurini

Senor Antonio looks on as Pastor Clenildo serves himself some " Abacaba".  Abacaba is a regional fruit that is made into a juice.  Antonio is a new believer. 

I returned from a short trip yesterday - hot, muddy, sweaty, tired - it was great. 

Let me share a personal reflections about my trip...

I had some time to think and ponder during my short time in the Assurini.  First, a note of clarification.  The " Assurini"  is a region across the river from Altamira.  Assurini is the name of an Indian tribe that had inhabited the area years ago.  Today, it is a region of jungle, interlaced with miles and miles of trails and roads.  There are thousands of settlers that live alone and in small communities in these backwoods.  It is reached by crossing the river on a ferry. 

There is also a tremendous need for the Gospel.  After spending part of the afternoon helping build a church in a local community, I sat in the meeting in the evening.  I was moved by simple thoughts.  30 months ago, there were no Christians in this community.  There was no sense of God, of His presence, of His plan, or of His purpose. 

And there has been a change that has an eternal impact.  It is wonderful to observe men and women undergo a transformation, a softening of hard edges and hard hearts. 

And I thought to myself, this is why I keep going back.  Things aren't easy, things aren't always going well or right, but when they do, like they are in this place, it is a charge of electricity that brightens my day and lightens my load. 

And that is what makes it worth the time. 

Working on building a church out in the bush.  I am the guy behind the camera:)

"It" & Kindle

Craig Groeschel, founder and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv in Oklahoma, wrote a great book called "It" .

The book is addresses the ability and lack of ability of churches (as well as other institutions) to get " it" , keep " it"  or lose " it" .

The guy knows what he is talking about, both from experience and from the contacts that he has.  He uses many practical examples and illustrations as well as making them relevant to those that want to apply them in their lives and ministry. 

He moves through a series of characteristics that help contribute to " it" , that intangible benefit of growth.  He speaks about vision, divine focus, camaraderie, innovation, risk taking, outward focus, & Kingdom mindedness. 

He also speaks about the ability to gain, produce, transfer, and maintain " it" . 

So, bottom line?

A little hard to read because of the abstract sense.  If you can deal with that and make it work for you, it is an excellent and practical book on putting into place things that will help your ministry grow and multiply. 

I highly recommend this book.  I recommend the book because it is a different perspective on a common subject and the writer is a productive practitioner of that which he writes about.

ABOUT KINDLE...

I am curious if anyone uses the Kindle reader from Amazon.com?  How does it work?  Are you happy with it?

I am wondering if it is worth trying.  Give me your feed back, I would love to hear what you think.