tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53937001975952213972024-03-13T08:20:26.034-07:00Markham Family MissionsWe have spent the last 2 Januarys working at La Palabra De Vida Christian Academy in San Antonio de Belen, Costa Rica. We are currently living in Lake Jackson, Texas, and will continue our work in November and December 2013. Dios te bendiga!Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-40504073474353016002016-11-24T07:28:00.000-08:002016-11-25T03:57:22.856-08:00The wheelchair was filthy as was her clothing. Read her story here. It's got a good ending.She jerked her head back and forth unnaturally, not to the rhythm of the beat, but to the madness in her mind. On each trip backward, she opened her mouth wide and emitted a wail of nothingness, not anger, sadness, elation, or discouragement.<br />
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The girl was severely handicapped and accompanied by her tired grandmother and a young nephew. The embarrassed lady shushed and quieted her while the boy pushed her wheelchair and goaded her into wailing more loudly and more often. The trio shopped in the little pantry that distributed food to the needy of our county. It was hard to hide their presence.<br />
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The wheelchair was filthy as were her clothing. When her mouth gaped, it revealed teeth that were brown and black and sorely in need of care. Her eyes were unfocused and whatever they were looking for, it certainly was not next to the pork and beans on the back shelf. She sat at an odd angle in the wheelchair, her shoes were untied. The boy was not all that careful about the path on which he pushed, resulting in collisions with the shelves filled with laundry soap, lettuce, and lemons. Her mind did not appear capable of responding to conservation or even obvious details of her surroundings. She just did not understand.<br />
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We helped them through the pantry, but our feeble efforts were really not needed, as they moved quickly through the food available two days before Thanksgiving. The selection was a little different that day, as some holiday staples were added to the usual mix. Towards the end, the family struggled to move around other shoppers waiting to turn the corner, and weariness and impatience lined the face of the grandmother and the faces of the other patrons. We bagged her selection quickly, wished them all a Happy Thanksgiving and God's blessings and helped them on their way.<br />
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I don't know where they live, what they drive, or who they'll go home to. But I can tell you for certain, this young lady will not have a Happy Thanksgiving.<br />
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I wonder why God allows girls and families to suffer. As I've volunteered at this charity, I've talked to addicts from 18 to 75. I've helped the mentally ill and the criminally active. I've shared Jesus Christ with some and prayed with many. I wonder about those who are my age that must depend on charities for sustenance. I wonder.<br />
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Friends of mine are quick to counsel, explaining that God has a plan. It's easy to say that when bank accounts are full, homes are warm, and faces are friendly. It's not as if I don't agree, He does have a plan. But when I'm serving right in the middle of the mess, I wish his plan would be executed quickly and ferociously. I wonder and I wish.<br />
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There is one certainty that I never wonder about, and the awe and humility it gives me was startling that day. This girl with her stringy hair, feeble mind, lack of control, and filthy clothes will one day be transformed. It caused me to pause that day as I've never done before. Do you believe, as scripture tells us, in heaven, the least will be the greatest, and the greatest will be least? Do you believe that it truly is the kingdom upside down? Well, if you do, let me paint a picture for you then.<br />
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On the day when our Lord returns we'll see a wheelchair bound girl with no control, who wears someone else's discarded clothes unwashed, who cannot utter a sentence of her own, who drools incessantly, whose teeth rot in her mouth, who rarely has her hair brushed or combed, and who is shunned by almost everyone she meets. We'll see her all right. But in a wondrous instant, she will be radiant, clothed in splendor, with perfectly fitted white clothing, clean and bright. Her smile will be filled with straight white teeth and it will light up the heavens. She'll have a focused gaze on her Lord, her wails will be replaced with shouts of joy and songs of praise. Her mind will be clear and sharp and precise and full of knowledge. She'll be welcomed by all and loved by everyone. She'll not have to depend on anyone but God. She, finally, will be home. And that...is heaven.<br />
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Enjoy your Thanksgiving, look forward to what awaits you Christ-follower, but serve mightily while you're here, the lowly ones you meet will one day be great in the eyes of God.<br />
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<br />Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-84416190606438955082015-04-21T08:35:00.003-07:002015-04-21T08:35:59.461-07:00I was a state champion (it's the truth and it's a lie)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Embellishment and omission are the presentable cousins of the bald-faced lie. We dress them up and take them out and show them to our friends sometimes. These cousins, if we allow, make us into someone we're not. We're not sure we like who we are, so sometimes we pretend we're someone we're not. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wouldn't it be easier to be comfortable in our own breeches? </span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was a state champion. It happened in 1984 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was a decent racquetball player. I won three university intramural men's singles championships, and one in doubles. The state championship that year was held in Tulsa and I won. I've got the dusty Oklahoma-shaped trophy to prove it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OK. Here's where I'd like to end my post, but if I did, I'd be dragging out a cousin or two myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Truth be told, I did win the state championship, but with the important qualifier that it was in the men's D bracket. Players selected 1 of 5 brackets. The Open bracket was reserved for players of the highest caliber. Not professionals, but any amateur that played at the very highest level nationwide. A, B, C, D were the other brackets. The A players were athletes that</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">played sports collegiately or at least could have. The B, C, and D brackets represented different levels of ability and effort. When I look back at winning the "D" state championship, I believe I gave 95% effort, and had 75% of the skill of other players at my level. I only say this, because the time-honored cliche, "I gave 110%," is just another cousin. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I won a tournament or two at the "C" level, but only when some of the best players did not compete. I played close to the highest level for my ability, but not in a million years could I have ever won an Open, A or B tournament.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So if I was to just tell you, "I won the 1984 Oklahoma racquetball state championship," you would be left to figure out what that meant. You might look at me and wonder how a skinny beanpole could have done that, or you might admire me for what I had done, even if I really hadn't done it at the level you thought. Without the important qualifier, what you conclude established the level of my lying. Yep, that's what it is. The failure to speak accurately is no better than a lie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, all that being said, wouldn't it just be easier to represent ourselves accurately to everyone we meet? Wouldn't it be easier to interview if our resumes didn't embellish what we've actually accomplished? Apart from trusting Christ as Your savior, the most important thing you will ever do is to have a realistic and accurate self appraisal of who you are. Let me give you an example.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lelisa Desisa won the 2015 Boston Marathon.He is a marathoner of the highest order, capable of a world record in the near future. His time was 2:09:17 or about 129 minutes. A marathon is 26 miles, 385 yards, or 26.22 miles. His average pace for the entire marathon held in Boston was 4 minutes, 55 seconds per mile. Other marathons have been run at a pace under 4 minutes, 50 seconds per mile. That should cause mere mortals to pause.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm no athlete. The best mile I've ever run in my life was slightly less than 6 minutes. And that was just one mile. I was exhausted when I was done. I could train until the year 2525 and I could never match Desisa's feat this year at Boston.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have never dunked a basketball, I've never hit a home run over a fence, I've never made tacklers miss. I've never made a hole-in-one, but I have made two or three eagles. I'm aging quickly and my back hurts most the time. But I enjoy competition. I like pickup basketball, I like tennis, soccer, and jogging from time to time. For all these, the key is..<i>I compete with those near or at my own talent level. I don't try to pretend that I'm someone I'm not.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that my friends is the one of the keys to being happy. You certainly don't have to be content with what you've done , but you really need to be content with you are. To be fulfilled in Christ means to trust that He made you exactly like He wanted you to be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So if we're equipped with perspective, sometimes we still may tend towards despair. Your spirals may not be Bradyesque, your jump shot is probably not Jordan-like, and your stride is not worthy of Desisa. Even with the immense distance between ourselves and the very best in these pursuits, I can tell you something very important. You can be the very best at something that matters most.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In our lives, if we pray diligently, God will present moments to us that are divine. Bill Bright used to say, "Thirty seconds alone with anyone is a divine appointment." In His perfect way, you will find yourself in encounters with people you may have just met or may have known for years. In those moments, with his prompting, you are the perfect person to show God's love to them. Better yet, take a risk and explain that the depth of God's love is Jesus Christ. Ask for just a minute to share your story. At this moment, this perfect, beautiful moment, you are the very best in the world to accomplish this task. God has picked you over all the others to communicate His truth. You're a world-class athlete for Jesus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So today, lace up your Asics and get going.</span></div>
Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-60694466392150505002015-03-30T06:53:00.000-07:002015-03-30T06:53:26.850-07:00Multiple choice Christianity - avoiding the wrong answerIn a properly written multiple choice test question, the question must have one choice that is completely correct, and three choices that are completely incorrect, but plausible with a common mistake or misconception in thought. You can't have choices that contradict the question asked, so if you describe a situation and ask what the effect is, a choice cannot state "no effect" unless in the question you use the following phrase, "What is the effect (if any)..." If this is properly done, the "no effect" choice is plausible if the student wrongly assesses key information and decides that nothing needs to be done. Did you get that? The student WRONGLY ASSESSES readily available information and decides that the best course of action is to DO NOTHING. Now in my world, that's OK, because there's more than just one question on an examination. In fact, on examinations written at the end of a course, sometimes there's a hundred questions, and wrong thinking on one alone will not damage the test-taker.<br />
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In the Christian life, this problem is removed. Know why? Because I can say that the best course of action is NEVER to do nothing. There's always something to do, unfortunately, our choices of what to do with our free time frequently lead us to the place of no impact, of impotence in the faith. Let me explain.<br />
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In the lives of most everyone I know, there is dreadful busyness. There's 168 hours in a week, of which most of us sleep 50. With the 118 hours that are left, we work 50, leaving 68. Out of those remaining hours, we brush our teeth (at least I hope we do ), take showers, use the bathroom, eat, watch television, use social media, shop, talk, drive to restaurants, eat meals out, attend movies and concerts, cut grass, wash cars, and who knows what else? For the religious sort, we can throw in church attendance, bible studies, potlucks, and a few other activities.<br />
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There is a problem here, and it's the priorities that we make. If I read my New Testament correctly, the life of the Christ-follower involves the study of scripture, prayer as modeled by Christ and his disciples, fellowship with other believers, and love and care for our families. There's others. With the knowledge and wisdom we have gained, we then are commanded to love, serve, feed, clothe, visit, those who are "the least of these." We are trusted to tell others about the free and life-changing love of Jesus Christ. We show Christ's love to others in all these ways, and as a result, we change lives through His power little by little, one at a time.<br />
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That's the model we're supposed to follow. But we don't. We choose the "if any" option, or worse yet, we are passionate about things of far less importance. Let me give you a few examples.<br />
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Many worry incessantly about the direction of our nation, while neglecting the power within us to help hearts change one at a time.<br />
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Many identify with a cause, a political party, or a ideology, much more frequently than they identify with Christ.<br />
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Many would rather engage a person in an argument over rights, politics, or laws than have a conversation about the One who saved their soul.<br />
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Many would clamor about the potential for their rights being violated rather than stand up and defend someone whose rights who are actually being violated.<br />
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Many try to change the moral values of those far from Christ, without taking the time to become a friend who can introduce them to Christ.<br />
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You see, these behaviors are the results of misplaced priorities, a lack of time, and a skewed direction. No one in their right mind would claim that Jesus Christ fought for His personal rights, battled for the direction of a nation, joined forces with a political party, or eloquently debated laws with others. No one would claim that Jesus told people to clean up their lives before they spoke with Him. Yet, as Christ-followers, some unfortunately spend much of their time doing this. It is fruitless nonsense.<br />
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What little time we have in our weeks can be better spent. Let me give you a few things to try. You won't believe how much your life will change if you start serving others.<br />
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1. Find a single mom or a family suffering hard times and ask them how you can help this week. Do Do they need their car washed or grass cut?<br />
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2. Go to a store, a fast food restaurant, or a mall and find a person who is completely different from you to talk to. Find out five things about them, then ask them if you can pray for them. This may take all of fifteen minutes.<br />
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3. Contact someone in your community who runs a food pantry, a shelter for abused women, or a crisis pregnancy center. Take the necessary steps to become a volunteer.<br />
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4. With your family, do a bible study on the actual activities that Christ and the disciples spent their time doing. Pick one or two of these and actually do them. WARNING: They never watched MSNBC or Fox News and griped about politics. SECOND WARNING: You probably don't have the power to heal with a touch or make food magically appear. You may want to start out with feeding the hungry.<br />
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5. Have a conversation about the weather with someone and see if you can change the direction of the conversation to how you came to know Christ.<br />
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You see, my Christian friends, you only have a short time each day and only a few years on this earth to make a difference for Jesus Christ. Please start today.<br />
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<br />Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-58037932838219972332015-03-24T10:20:00.001-07:002015-03-24T10:23:29.125-07:00The Tragedy of Indifference or the Beauty of Love - Your ChoiceIn the 1993 film, "Groundhog Day," Bill Murray is cast as Phil, an obnoxious, self-absorbed weatherman sent to Punxsutawney, PA, to cover the iconic groundhog and his special day. Unbeknownst to him, he and his crew are caught in an endless loop of Groundhog Day, driving him to bizarre acts and even suicide...none of which have any effect on his stay in this town. Eventually, Phil begins to make changes to his life and to consider the well-being of others, and at the end of the film, the time-loop is broken and life resumes.<br />
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Groundhog Day is a beautifully written and directed film that has had vast audiences and remains popular even today. It reflects a sad life, missed opportunities, shattered dreams, and redemption. Unfortunately, many Christ-followers are stuck in an endless Groundhog Day loop, rendering them ineffective for ministry and for loving others in the world around them.</div>
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The principle is this. The bible says that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. I like to say it like this...Acquiring knowledge without applying its principles results in arrogance. Arrogance for those in your church, those who differ in opinion, and most importantly, those who need Christ so badly. Many who sit in church on Sundays do little more, uninspired by clergy who value fellowship, peace, and consistency in their parish.</div>
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On this topic, two statistics are repeated in Groundhog Day-like fashion in American churches today. I guess they are spoken to kindle guilt, but that guilt and conviction do not last outside the doors of the building. How can I say this with such certainty? Because the same statistic has been read to me for 25 years. Nothing has changed because we still, as a church, do not have a passion for the lost.</div>
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The first is this. 95% of Christians have never shared their faith with anyone. Second, if invited, 75% of those asked would attend church with a friend. So what do pastors expect when they read us these statistics? Do they expect us to bolt from the building and head to the mosque to chat up the adherents? Do they expect us to dress like Jehovah's Witnesses and knock doors? Better yet, should we invite a co-worker we barely know or a neighbor whose house we've driven by for thirty years but never met? A better question of pastors is this. Do they make it a priority to get out of the building and into the prisons, the shelters, and the streets? Do they plead, beg, and cajole their members to invite somebody every Sunday? Do they fear the response of those who have soaked in God's word for decades with hardly a breath of life outside the building?</div>
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The truth is...I don't know. All I can say is, I used to soak it in without much effect on how I lived. A few years ago, thanks to Five Oaks Church, Woodbury, Minnesota, I was challenged to get my hands dirty for Christ. My family and I took the challenge on and blessings have flowed like muddy water down the Brazos ever since.</div>
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Look, there's no need to remind you, but I'm not particularly handsome, smart, or talented. I can list 100 friends all over America who far exceed me in all these categories, and that's just scratching the surface. But the Lord reminded me one day that I'm exactly who He's looking for. There's only one quality required for a soul winner these days. Show up.</div>
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Here's what I would encourage you to do. Get out of your church building and live a life that gives you stories to tell. Great stories aren't made at a potluck, Disney World, or a mall. Stories that give people pause are the ones told about heartbreak and suffering that ends in triumph, prisoners set free, violence ending in peace and a new life begun. You can only participate in these stories if you leave your church building, your home, and probably your neighborhood. Contentment rarely leads to conversion.</div>
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When I recently served at two units in the Texas prison system, I met men hungry for a new beginning. I could talk to them about anything, ask them any question, tell them anything about myself, because they were without judgment. They had sunk to the lowest point in life and were crawling out little by little. They didn't judge me because I didn't judge them. The same thing happens when we volunteer at the soup kitchen, with refugees, or in other countries. There's a reason that Christ tells us to whom we are to go. These are the ones who will listen and respond. The ones wearing rags who need clothing, the hungry who need food, the tired who need rest, the imprisoned who need freedom, the thirsty who need a drink. Nowhere in my Bible does it urge us to spend time on those content and set in their lives. Now I'm not saying ignore your neighbors and your co-workers, but sometimes you need to cut your losses. The ones Christ mentioned are the ones who will respond to what you have to offer, which is a changed life.</div>
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I urge you, not as a leader, a scholar, or a director, but as a friend and fellow servant, to find someone outside of your own circle to love. You will gain a friend and just as important, you will have a story to tell. A story of God's great love that will inspire and impassion others to make a difference.</div>
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Don't wait another minute, people are searching for someone to love them right now.</div>
Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-55186796929545696232015-03-21T19:27:00.001-07:002015-03-21T19:27:28.706-07:00This used to be where Satan lives. He's moved out.Brazoria County, Texas, subtly expands from the barrier islands on the Gulf of Mexico to gently kiss Pearland, TX, which was recently defined in the news as "the most boring city in America." The citizens of the county include bikers and bosses, refinery workers and the refined elite. Pickups pass Porsches as often as Buc-ee's makes a buck. The proud Texans that call Brazoria County home would tell you they do indeed lead a boring life. And boring is good. It's a good life. If you've seen a BMW 750Li blow past a combine, you know you're home. I've spent the better part of three decades in and around this iconic county, which includes the birthplace of Texas and the ruins of a couple of dozen sugar cane and cotton plantations. If you drive Farm-to-Market Road 521 north, you'll cross Highway 288 and then settle into a pleasant drive through ranches and subdivisions, dusty cantinas and convenience stores, flea markets and farmer's markets. Trouble meets boredom soon enough, however, as this road is dotted with several prisons, the most well-known being the Darrington Unit.<br />
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One man, after spending several years in and around Darrington remarked, "This is where Satan lives." At Darrington in years past, contraband flowed like cheap booze in a juke joint. Gangs dominated the landscape, separated by ethnicity, united by violence, death, and sexual assault. God was pushed to the side like an unwelcome bystander, observing chaos and hate and rape and murder with hardly an objection. Drugs and booze were available...but only for a price. A steep price. I can't say that everything has changed, but I know change has come. From within.</div>
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I've known men and women who've volunteered at Darrington over the years with different organizations. Upon their return, they gave reports of salvations and commitments to Christ, but all-in-all, darkness prevailed.</div>
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What's changed? The men of Darrington have taken the reins from the volunteers, and rightfully so. In 2011, a theological seminary took roots at Darrington thanks to a local foundation and a Baptist Seminary up the road in Ft. Worth. A couple of hundred men from the unit attend daily classes, study diligently, write papers, take tests, and most importantly...begin to change the culture and the lives of the men they're around. Upon completion, they minister at Darrington, or accept assignments</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8u2InEbvC6k/VQ4G6KI3WrI/AAAAAAAAAh4/Ns5su_ihDtE/s1600/darrington.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8u2InEbvC6k/VQ4G6KI3WrI/AAAAAAAAAh4/Ns5su_ihDtE/s1600/darrington.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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at other prisons around the state of Texas. Once there, they walk through solitary confinement (administrative segregation, in prison-speak), through the cell blocks where prisoners rarely leave their cells, and breathe the words of life into the dank quarters these men call home.</div>
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Darrington is where I went today. I've never spent a day in a prison, other than through volunteer efforts, but when I enter the cold, steel gates I am eager with the anticipation of hearing the stories of these men. Because they are true stories of redemption. Let me share just a couple with you.</div>
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Chavez (I never caught his first name), is a former Hispanic gang member with nineteen of his thirty-six years spent in the Texas prison system. He's smoother than a river rock, and his many talents made him a leader in contraband distribution. A businessman of circumstance, he bought and sold drugs, booze, cell phones, weapons, and whatever else was smuggled into the unit on a given day. A gifted artist, he provided tattoos for all his fellow gang members. I got the feeling he could call a Chevy Citation a Rolls Royce and sell it to me for the price of the latter. The crafty con courted a local girl on a contraband cell phone, got married, and looked forward to the day he would be out of prison and into wedded bliss. Christ interrupted his plans four years ago. The man of many talents began to use them all for Christ. He told his wife on the outside about his change on the inside, and she trusted Christ too. "I can't wait to get out and see my family. They'll all come to Christ before I'm done," he told me. I have no doubts he'll be successful. In the meantime, Chavez is sharing Christ left and right, his magnetic personality attracting all races to the Lord. </div>
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Stanley is a man with a conviction also. Not only the criminal type, but one for the Lord as well. Quiet and almost bashful, he loves people not so much with eloquence but persistence. He's not scheduled to be released for a decade, so he's walking the passages at Darrington, quoting scriptures, praying, and holding hands with the men without hope. We were born in the same year and share a military background. "I shoulda stayed in the Army," he told me. "I got into trouble when I got out, and here I am today. I'm a product of my own choices." Stanley is a man without hope, who then gained hope, and now gives hope in Jesus Christ. It was a privilege to meet him as well.</div>
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I volunteered at Darrington with CHARM ministries, which is an acronym for Christ's Hope and Reconciliation Ministries. It was founded by Dave Trickett, a human dynamo, who will not rest until every prisoner in Texas has the hope of Christ in his heart. Our role is simple...play a little basketball, eat a meal, and worship with prisoners. I can't do much more than encourage. I don't know their pain, I haven't lived their life. But I do know this...Christ set me free from a life of sin and death in exactly the same way he's freed many men inside Darrington. Although we're different in background, lifestyle, and appearance, we're the same to Christ. He loves us with an everlasting love.<br />
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I'm proud to join a bunch of suburban guys going in to prison to love a bunch of inner city guys who made mistakes but who now understand redemption as only Christ can explain. I love these guys. I can't explain it, which means that it must be Christ within me. I can't wait to go back to see the work they've done to bring the love of Christ to the lost and the hopeless. Which reminds me once again...I'm wrong. There is always hope, and no one is permanently lost. Jesus saves.</div>
Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-84802665006455086072014-02-16T16:14:00.001-08:002014-02-16T16:14:27.475-08:00If Buc-ee's were a church, I'd be the first in line.There's three kinds of churches. Number one, we're trying real hard to be like Willow Creek. Number two, we closely examine the direction of American culture, and then hone our biblical interpretations to fit the direction. Finally, number three, we maintain law and order and we'll be damned if anybody will change that. Yes, yes, I know that your church is a combination of all three, or maybe a number four, but hang with me for a minute. Let me tell you about Buc-ee's. <div>
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My family and I have lived all over America and we've been to every kind of gas station and convenience store. The absolute worst are the ones in which the customer is made to feel like an inconvenience to the clerks as they status Facebook, drink energy drinks, and chit chat the night away. The average ones try a little, but the filth of the gas pump area and the restrooms make the thought of trying one of those delicious Cheddar-Brats beyond reach. As I said before, let me tell you about Buc-ee's.</div>
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Founded in 1982 in Lake Jackson, Texas, Buc-ee's prides itself on its "customer experience." A lot of other establishments also do this, but the pride leaks like a sieve when the customer smells the bathroom or the clerk's breath.</div>
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I went to the Buc-ee's at Highway 288 and Plantation Drive in Lake Jackson today. Let me tell you what I noticed. The gas pumps are shined with Windex, the trash cans are clean and relatively empty. The receipts come out of the pump station quickly, and the large and shiny car wash is next door. When you go through the car wash, Buc-ee's offers a pre-wash area if you want to get out of your car and put a little soap on the rough spots and brush them down. When you enter your car wash code, you are presented with the following..."Would you like a free vacuum token?" and "Would you like a free tire shine?" Sure, gimme. </div>
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The car wash attendant has a huge smile on his face like he actually wants you to be there. He guides your left front tire to the right spot and reminds you of the requirement to have you car in neutral, foot off the brake and hands off the steering wheel. The car wash is speedy and shines and dries your vehicle brilliantly. There are at least 15 stations for vacuuming your car out and they all actually work!</div>
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Following this great time on a Sunday afternoon, I went inside. Check this out, there was a Buc-ee's employee using Endust and a clean rag to shine the bottles of wine on the shelf. The store was spotless and I was greeted as I came in. Buc-ee's sells Borden milk at $3.59 a gallon or approximately $2.00 a gallon less than Wal-Mart. There is a large deli that is staffed with three workers to fill your order quickly. Buc-ee's sandwiches are delicious, I mean really delicious. You will not use the term "gas station food" here.</div>
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Oh, before I forget to mention it, the store is swarming with customers. All get in and out with little drama, because there are four, yes four, checkout areas. </div>
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Now, let me ask YOU a question. Does your church care for those who walk in off the street like Buc-ee's? Hell no. Why? Because none of us really care that much. We prize our much needed fellowship with people we've known for years much more highly that the recent transplant from another part of the country. We use the standard "greet those around you" time as another excuse to chat up our friends, while the guests that walk in are pretty much left to themselves.</div>
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We're checking our smart phones one last time before worship starts, or sometimes after worship starts, while the ones who are visiting wonder where the love of Christ actually is. It's insane, says Bill Hybels, that a broken-hearted person can sit in a church service and not a single person could reach out to them. Yet it happens every Sunday in churches all across America. Why? Because we don't care. We don't Even when we do care a little, it's not really that much</div>
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Now I love my church. We are friendly, warm, and welcoming. But not nearly enough. If we were, our front doors would be swarming with people like Buc-ee's. We'd be planning new parking lots. </div>
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We should be a LITTLE more like Buc-ee's. We should be a LOT more like Christ.</div>
Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-14598151014533059482014-01-24T10:29:00.000-08:002014-01-24T10:29:10.492-08:00If my children ask about Richard Sherman, this is what I would tell them...<br />
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Being an avid sports fan and sports talk radio listener, I've heard several hours of conversation concerning Richard Sherman and the words he spoke following the Seahawks victory over the 49ers. Much I agreed with, but some I did not. </div>
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My daughters don't know who Richard Sherman is, but my son has inherited my love for sports and follows NFL football with a passion. If my son asks, here is what I would tell him...</div>
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<li style="text-align: left;">Find out who Richard Sherman is. Read his Wikipedia page. This will enable you to put his comments in the perspective of his life. Too often, we judge those around us based on rumor, gossip, or a single bad interaction. How would you like to be judged based on the worst thing you ever did? Do the homework, then draw a conclusion, if necessary.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Avoid name-calling. "Thug" paints a picture in the hearer's mind and may ascribe qualities to the person that are inaccurate or unfair. Have you ever been called a name that labeled you as something you're not? Instead, discuss what occurred and put it into the proper context.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Measure your words carefully. Only about one in a thousand people are skilled at delivering wise speech under pressure. Instead, when put on the spot, pause, collect your thoughts, and say something that conveys how you feel or what you believe without being inflammatory.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Err on the side of kindness. We've all heard that unless we have something nice to say, don't say anything at all. Sometimes we have to deliver tough messages, but even at these times, we can be kind to the one receiving the message.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Deliver words of praise publicly, deliver words of correction privately.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Every word of criticism spoken about someone else should be accompanied by words about the person's strengths. Be fair.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Realize that those in their youth say and do things that those of us with a few more years on our resume find deplorable. Too often we forget our own youth and all the stupid things that we said and did.</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">If you claim Christ as your Savior, then strive to speak and act as He did. Save your strongest and harshest words for self-promoting, self-righteous blowhards.</li>
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I'm sure you have a few more to add. Let me hear from you. Have a great weekend! Bill</div>
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Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-47467482105218628622013-12-21T06:36:00.000-08:002013-12-21T06:36:22.704-08:00Do I seek fairness as much for others as I do for myself?<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of my friends believe Phil Robertson has been treated unfairly. Perhaps. Truth be told, when you are a well-known representative of a company, a brand, an idea, or an organization, there is a cost to words that do not reflect the stance of your employer. This is not a "free speech" issue. For example, the chairman of Exxon could not make a public statement calling for a ban on all offshore drilling. That statement is in utter conflict with his company's position. He soon would be on executivejobsearch.com. It is easy to imagine other speech from prominent figures that would not be well accepted. The president of PETA could not make a commercial for Whataburger.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway. Is it sad that biblical principles are not well accepted in our culture? Of course it is. Is this all a big scam to make more money for Duck Commander and for A&E? Perhaps. But I see a more fundamental problem with American Christianity from this episode.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We quickly rush to causes when there is not cost to us. We are alarmed at unfairness...but, many times, only when it affects us personally or only when we can show outrage, but once again, it's when the remedy does not include money. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Others notice our self-centeredness, and the message of Christ is not well received if we act as His representatives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A sense of fairness, researchers say, is peculiar to people. Animals don't make sure smaller animals have enough food. A big dog may hog a whole bowl and leave some of his little ones drooling and hungry. But people, when witnessing unfairness feel something deep inside of them that says...this is wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Biblically, we are told consistently to look out for those who cannot look out for themselves. Isaiah 1:17 says this...L</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">earn to do right;</span><span class="crossreference" style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-NIV-17672A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">seek justice. D</span></span><span class="text Isa-1-17" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; position: relative;">efend the oppressed. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take up the cause of the fatherless; </span><span class="text Isa-1-17" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; position: relative;">plead the case of the widow.</span></div>
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<span class="text Isa-1-17" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; position: relative;">If we examine this list and be honest with its contents, we can conclude several things. One, God's heart is troubled by oppression. We, as Christ-followers are to defend the oppressed. Two, God's heart goes out to the helpless. We are to help those who cannot help themselves. Three, God expects us to LEARN. We won't naturally do right, we have to learn to do right by observing others who do right, and passionately studying God's word.</span></div>
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<span class="text Isa-1-17" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; position: relative;">With all these activities, there is a cost. A cost of money and a cost of time. In fact, there are entire organizations defending these causes with tens of millions of dollars a year. But they can't do that much. It's up to us as Christian individuals to fill the gap. And than means our money, our time, our energy, and our passion.</span></div>
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<span class="text Isa-1-17" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; position: relative;">Here's the test for you. Do I seek fairness as much for others as I do for myself? When I speak of fairness, is it always in the abstract, or is it on a personal level with another human being we know? Is my fairness only on Facebook or is it face-to-face with a person from Isaiah 1:17.</span></div>
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<span class="text Isa-1-17" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; position: relative;">You be the judge. Have a great weekend.</span></div>
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Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-5029232928003736712013-12-14T14:11:00.000-08:002013-12-14T14:11:25.954-08:00<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jidfkk79IC0/UqzTmPzf5pI/AAAAAAAAAXo/WAcpdb4Dehw/s1600/tacobar+markham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jidfkk79IC0/UqzTmPzf5pI/AAAAAAAAAXo/WAcpdb4Dehw/s400/tacobar+markham.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My family is pretty cool. Much more so than me. They love to work for God and they like to play a little bit too. They're not scared to try new things or live outside the country. They eat the local food, drink the local water, and enjoy the scenery. They're always looking for a new adventure for Christ, be it in Costa Rica, Texas, Minnesota, Mexico, or Illinois. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm proud of my family, it gives me great pleasure to spend time with them in this place. We love coming here, we love working with our school, learning more about the language and the Costa Rican people, praying for the lost, and helping those in need.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we take short vacations during our time in Costa Rica, sometimes we shut down a little bit. It's human nature. And that's why I'm writing this today. Let me tell you what happened.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before we snapped this photo, we took to the ziplines at Jaco Canopy Tour where our guide was Patrick. Patrick was a long-time expat who makes his home in Jaco. He inquired of our comings and goings in Costa Rica, and we explained what we do. Patrick then told us of his faith in Christ, and mentioned that he attended Horizon Church. As part of his life, he served homeless people in Jaco on Friday nights. I looked at our bearded, heavily tattooed guide, and thanked God that there were people like him. Because even in what Americans call paradise, there are the hurting, the lonely, the homeless, the addicted, and the suffering.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following our short zipline tour, we stopped for lunch at a famous local place called TacoBar. The kids enjoyed the swings, while Vickie and I did not. As we ate, an aging woman, toothless and limping, came into the restaurant asking for money. The woman appeared to have cognitive issues and had trouble talking. She carried her possessions in two plastic bags from the local grocery store.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the thing. I'm not sure whether she needed money, food, clothes, a bed, or a hug. I'm not sure whether she had an empty purse or a handful of twenties. I am sure of this, however. She needed Jesus Christ in her life.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I'm glad there are Christ-followers like Patrick, who instead of partying away Fridays in paradise, look out for the least of these.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lord, help us always be vigilant to those in need, whether we're in church, at home, on the street, or in a restaurant. Amen.</span>Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-35629414798412364312013-12-12T04:08:00.000-08:002013-12-12T04:08:05.792-08:00To care for others is to live for Christ<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways. - Stephen Vincent Benet</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was taken with this little quote that's repeated by the pastor at the conclusion of the Sunday evening service at Escazu Christian Fellowship. Life can be lost by dying, but for those who have crossed the line of faith and have trusted Christ as their Lord and Savior, that part is settled. It's our eighty or so years we spend here of which we have a choice.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've met many who claim Christ. And I've met many who care deeply about their own families. In fact, it's quite rare that a man or woman does not care about their family. As a society, we still judge that to be sinful. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've met quite a few who care deeply about injustice, hunger, oppression, and violence. Some of those are deeply involved in attempting to right those wrongs.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've met a few who care about lost souls. They suffer internally when they consider the fate of those far from God, and they go and do something about it. In their home, first of all, in their neighborhoods, businesses, restaurants, and parks.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, unfortunately, my friends, the vast majority of those who claim Christ have not seen the beautiful, life changing nature of <i style="font-weight: bold;">caring deeply.</i> The busy nature of an American family's schedule and plans have left little time for caring about anyone except those that are closest to them. Christian families do a wonderful job of letting those closest to them know they are loved. But the subtle trap of a busy schedule deprives most of us from the most fundamental command that Christ gave to us. Love one another. And this love is supposed to break down the walls of the home, the workplace, and the church. It's supposed to reach the community and the world with a love that's never ending and kind.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If we are the hands and feet of Jesus, then we are clearly without callouses and blisters.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, today, read this little quote from Benet, and then begin to care. You will change someone else's life, and you may even change your own, too. Here's a few of my family and friends who care for the lost in Costa Rica.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ufTWzWBBJq8/UqmmGDPslLI/AAAAAAAAAXU/OwMWqH-aV1k/s1600/Pic+Blanco+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ufTWzWBBJq8/UqmmGDPslLI/AAAAAAAAAXU/OwMWqH-aV1k/s400/Pic+Blanco+group.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-59811182846906807362013-12-08T06:29:00.001-08:002013-12-08T06:29:23.744-08:00The fear of heights<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ABsDX9MVwvk/UqR36ga38bI/AAAAAAAAAWo/zBedjaEc51U/s1600/Pico+Blanco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ABsDX9MVwvk/UqR36ga38bI/AAAAAAAAAWo/zBedjaEc51U/s640/Pico+Blanco.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">At Pico Blanco near Escazu, Costa Rica, December 7, 2013. From front to back: Danielle Markham, Katrina Befus, Lynnea Befus, Kristin Markham, Bradley Markham</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1990, as part of an inspection process, I climbed to the top of the South Texas Unit 2 Reactor Containment Building to get a close up look at a ring header containing numerous flow nozzles. The trek to the top of the 225' building included a section of a rung ladder that was not enclosed in a cage. I became a little nervous, but completed the climb up to the very top section which was quite well protected. After we had inspected the header, we made our way down, and once again I experienced the nervousness that had accompanied the climb to the top. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From that moment forward, I developed a rather healthy fear of heights that made it difficult for me to drive over high bridges or climb up exposed stairs or ladders. To sum it up, if I was up high and there was a observable risk of falling, I was had. As an example, when we visited Colorado Springs a few years ago, I could not make the drive up Pike's Peak. I had to cry out "Vickie, take the wheel!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the years, my fear has waned and today it rests at about ten percent of what it used to be. Near San Jose, there are lovely mountains overlooking the city. Pico Blanco, the highest of these peaks, is a common destination for teams visiting La Palabra de Vida. I'm happy to say that we climbed to the top two years ago, and I had little trouble navigating some parts of the path that did pose danger. Two of my children, Bradley and Kristin, accompanied me, along with about twenty others. Danielle, my youngest daughter, twisted her ankle, and was sorely disappointed at the missed opportunity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year, we prayed away injuries, and we all made the trek to the top of the 6700' peak in record time...well, for us, anyway. The younger ones in my family and some teachers from the school led the way, and I lagged a little behind, as my leg strength waned quickly during parts of the climb. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Along the way, I decided that I would not burden my children with assuming they should be petrified of heights also, and this picture is a result. They do not possess a fear of height, and they decided that the danger to climb to the top of this little craggy outcrop was not great. They were right. You will notice, however, that I am nowhere to be found in this photograph.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matt Befus, the director of the La Palabra de Vida foundation, led us in three devotionals during our journey, and each one praised God for the magnificence of his creation, is care and concern for his children, and his lovingkindness when we are at our worst.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would only add this. Acknowledging that you have a fear is the beginning to overcoming it. Like many of you, I suspect, I feared leaving the United States with my family for several weeks, I feared using a large portion of our savings for the Lord's work, and I feared not having a job for over a month. I confessed those fears to the Lord, and He has guided and directed my path and the path of my family each time we have trusted Him. This year, we have trusted Him more than ever, and our time has been well spent. Surprise, surprise. :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a wonderful Lord's day! Bill</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-18838935523628380762013-12-01T06:08:00.000-08:002013-12-01T06:08:43.948-08:00Three crosses in Tamarindo (Christ to the nations)<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next two weeks, our family will be teaching a "leveling class" to several children who are at La Palabra de Vida. It's one part ESL, one part curriculum introduction, and one part Jesus. La Palabra de Vida proudly declares that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and salvation through Him is available for all who ask. While we teach, we cannot help but intertwine our faith with the English language. La Palabra de Vida does a great job at raising up young Christian leaders for Costa Rica.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Following the conclusion of this course, my family, in keeping with our tradition during our three trips to Costa Rica, will take a short vacation to the Pacific Coast. This year we're going to the Guanacaste region, and expect to end up somewhere near the town of Tamarindo. Famous for surfing, sunsets, and secluded beaches, Tamarindo is appealing to us as it's a few minutes away from the nightlife and festive atmosphere of Jaco Beach. We're looking at a nice place at Playa Grande, only a ten minute walk from Tamarindo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of us, in the U.S. and elsewhere, have been saddened in the dramatic deterioration of America culture in the United States and the movement away from Christianity. Although a recent bestseller suggested that 77% of Americans believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, we know by simple observation, that the vast majority of our neighbors and friends do not have a relationship that is meaningful enough to cause them to worship on a Saturday or a Sunday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is especially disheartening, considering the urgency that American Christians have traditionally felt to deliver the gospel to their homeland and many, many points far away. I've even heard that America is the largest area that Brazilian missionaries are sent to, because it qualifies as an "unchurched country."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the midst of the darkness, however, let me provide a glimmer of hope.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Tamarindo, a town of only a few thousand, where people no doubt come to relax, swim, dine, party, and rest, the hope of Jesus is carried by Americans who believe that they are responsible for carrying Jesus Christ to the nations. When we considered Tamarindo, I did a Google search for Tamarindo churches and came up with only three.<b><i> Let me introduce these churches and their leaders to you.</i></b> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tamarindo Church - tamarindochurch.com - Pastor Lyle Watson - From Virginia. Served and was blessed by Young Life in Virginia Beach. Graduated from Princeton.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Salty Chuch - Lead Pastor - Robbie O'Brien from Florida</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Calvary Chapel Villareal - Senior Pastor Phil McKay - Former United States Marine, from Southern California.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Be encouraged, my friends. <i style="font-weight: bold;">And let that encouragement take you to places you have never been before in the name of Jesus Christ. </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Matthew 28:18-20</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-37001565961715020502013-11-27T18:44:00.000-08:002013-11-28T05:21:09.456-08:00The imperfect team functions perfectly with God's help. We honor you.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we traveled to Costa Rica this year, we purchased travel medical insurance. It was about four hundred bucks and covered everything imaginable with a few stipulations...up to two million bucks. In Costa Rica, the national health care system attempts to take care of all Costa Rican citizens with somewhat mixed results. The privileged class can afford the private health care that is now available in Costa Rica, while those less fortunate use the national system. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A friend recently had a surgery but pain medicine was not included in the discharge. We received a call and were able to purchase some mild pain medicine from a pharmacy near our home and deliver them to the homebound patient that evening (almost any drug in Costa Rica is available over the counter, barring opiates and antibiotics). With some of the pain relieved, recovery was enhanced, and today our friend was looking and feeling much better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before you think I'm a self-righteous blowhard, I want to let you know why I told you this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We went to a sick person's home the last two days and delivered medicine and prayers. This is how Jesus instructed us to serve in His kingdom. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were able to do this because of the perfect, beautiful, and lovely functioning of the body of Christ. Let me explain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Several dozen of you provided financial support for our mission activities this year, including visiting the sick and feeding the hungry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of you graciously pray when asked, and several of you committed to pray everyday during our 37 days here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two extremely gracious families have agreed to care for our gregarious Shih-Tzu Katy while we are here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One family is watching our home to ensure safety is maintained.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One family gave us a very early ride to the airport in Houston, and then made special arrangements to store our vehicle for our entire mission trip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A group of teenage Christ-followers enthusiastically agreed to mow and trim our yard twice while we're gone. Yes, my Minnesota and Illinois friends, in Lake Jackson we mow in the winter. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Lord provided employment for me when my family returns from Costa Rica.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our church in Lake Jackson, Hope Fellowship, commissioned us for ministry, laid hands on us in prayer, and continues to pray for us daily.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our church in Minnesota supported us and prays for us regularly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our small groups are praying for us regularly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many people respond to our blog entries and Facebook posts with prayers and encouraging words.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friends from several states where we've lived supported us financially, and pray for us regularly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You see, Christ-followers, this is the body of Christ. Everybody has equally important roles in the eyes of the Lord. We are here, but we would NOT be here without you. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you. Bill and Vickie, Bradley, Kristin, and Danielle</span></div>
Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-43490926818095803972013-11-26T05:20:00.002-08:002013-11-26T05:20:22.508-08:00The simplicity of love<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love a well-conceived and a well-executed plan. It's what I do. I enjoy considering every detail, drawing on other's experiences, thinking through each day, examining logistics and support, and then critiquing the performance at the end. These types of plans have been a significant part of my life at work for the past fifteen years.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But here's the rub. This time in Costa Rica, I have become increasingly aware that my love for "plan the work and work the plan," has slowed my growth as a Christ-follower. The truth in the Christian life that I've missed is this...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flexibility is the key to suitability.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's what I mean. I am, and most of my friends in the U.S are, professional working, suburb living, church attending Christians. We're busy in our lives with our children, our jobs, our hobbies, and our other pursuits. We LIVE by schedules and plans. When someone asks us to deviate from our plan, we absolutely hate to do so. We were a slave to our Blackberries, we ARE a slave to our IPhones. And in doing so, you will find that the truth I've discovered is lurking in the shadows waiting to be found by each one of you reading this today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For you see, flexibility is the key to suitability. If you are inflexible in your life, you will be largely unsuitable for service and personal growth in the Christian life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once you've crossed the line of faith and become a Christ follower, we are commanded to go. Where? That's between you and God. But the command is clear. We need to go. We need to make disciples, we need to baptize, and we need to teach them to obey. This takes time and it takes flexibility.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Making disciples begins with loving those who aren't. In Matthew 25, Jesus reminds us that true Christians have certain characteristics. When people are in prison, we go to visit. When folks are hungry, we feed them. When children need clothes, we make sure they are clothed. When a thirsty soul strolls in our path, we give them a drink. When a man or woman is sick and hurting, we go to comfort them. And the list goes on. It is only as short as your imagination is. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The trouble is...People aren't hungry on your schedule. Prison visits may be the same time as your tee time. A child getting dressed for school on the other side of town may very well coincide with your quiet time. Sickness does not afflict at times when your kids do not have soccer practice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our quest for the perfect life may very well result in an empty life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On our trip this year, we went to Costa Rica with no real plan for service and no projects to manage, participate in, and critique. At the most basic level, it was very difficult for me, the master of inflexibility.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Through prayer and counsel, I have come to learn that we are here to love. We are here to help the helpless, to comfort the afflicted, and to encourage the downtrodden. We are here to pray for the hopeless, to sense discomfort, to notice pain. But in all these things, there is no plan, no project, and no schedule.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>There is a simplicity in love.</i></b> It boils down to this...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are available.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are you available to love?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a great day. Bill</span></div>
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Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-796872605146497092013-11-25T04:46:00.001-08:002013-11-25T04:46:45.785-08:00The Christian life - Pray specifically, work doggedly, venture willingly, love passionately<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As has been our tradition during our three family missions in Costa Rica, we usually end our day with a reading of a chapter from a missionary biography. This year, Vickie brought "Hudson Taylor."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We've done a night-time family devotional since Bradley was very little, and we've continued up to the present day. During these years, I can't say that all the devotionals have been listened to intently. Drowsiness, a late hour, a grumpy leader (me) :), and bad attitudes from time to time have diminished their effectiveness. However, I can say that all our family members have enjoyed these missionary stories, and have gained inspiration for what we're doing with the life of our family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the three chapters we've read so far, Hudson Taylor has crossed the line of faith and become a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. He has learned the importance of having a friend in ministry (his sister). He has received his mission (inland China) through a consistent prayer life. He has come to understand the difficulty of what he has been given (the Opium Wars has left the Chinese filled with hate against the "white barbarians" as they called the British. He has begun to prepare himself for his mission by working passionately to a) learn Chinese, b) improve his physical fitness for the journey to China and the terrain in China, c) learn the Chinese culture by voraciously reading everything he could get his hands on, d) praying regularly for God to lead Him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What can my family and I learn from Hudson Taylor?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Amazing is defined as causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing. Our family is not amazing. We are generally speaking, an average family. We must work doggedly to accomplish anything of value for the Lord.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) We are to be grateful for the opportunity to be involved in ministry with family. To have partners in ministry is one thing, to be with family is a rich blessing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) We must understand that the world despises the Christian message. This manifests itself in dismissal, denial, and sometimes, hate. We must respond to dismissal, denial, and hate, with love, love, and love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) We must pray regularly for God's leading in Costa Rica and also back home in the United States. God has a plan for our lives, but we must make ourselves ready to carry out that plan.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KBVgmQFq7yI/UpNFLnmrwYI/AAAAAAAAAWU/qIXEsVdAM3M/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KBVgmQFq7yI/UpNFLnmrwYI/AAAAAAAAAWU/qIXEsVdAM3M/s320/photo.JPG" width="238" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5) We must be fit, alert, and well-studied to accomplish what we need to in God's kingdom. Laziness and ignorance only bring shame to the Lord.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, I pose the question to you? What can you learn, <i>not from me, </i>but from Hudson Taylor?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a great week! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Here is a picture of my children having some agua de coco with a friend in a fruit and vegetable market in San Antonio de Belen, Costa Rica.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-15398584734363342472013-11-23T05:32:00.001-08:002013-11-23T05:32:41.262-08:00Served, heard, and helped - the context changes everything<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Christians, at least where I have lived, our distorted view of our importance and our worth has dramatically altered the purpose of churches and missions.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Bible is very clear about <i>our value to the Lord. </i> We are treasured above all creation, we are loved so highly that the Lord Himself laid down His life for us. We have a Father who is intimately involved in our coming and going. Most importantly, that value <i>is not earned</i>. It is a free gift through Jesus Christ. To receive the gift, we must humble ourselves, admit our sinfulness, and receive His everlasting love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grace and mercy aside, in this world, we all must learn to make our own way, to become responsible contributors to whatever is in store for us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">somewhere along the way, schools and organizations decided that the finest way to help a child become a responsible adult was to praise them highly, to affirm them in who they are, rather than in what they do. I know this is a vague generalization, but I have seen the results in the organizations in which I've worked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In families, this is appropriate and right. Our children are special to us because, they are ours. They are part of our family. We're interested in them and we love them because of <i>who they are NOT what they do.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't tell you how discouraging it is to meet young people in the workplace who have a mistaken notion of their value to the organization. They believe that if they show up for work they should be rewarded, when in actuality, the organization is looking for performance. Companies are cruel teachers to those who have led coddled existences.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In religious circles, many churches are designed around the needs that are felt by the members and attenders. I don't see how a church whose growth depends upon attracting people by providing programs for their needs, can then turn around and ask these same people to be humble servants. I'm sure there's a small percentage that leaps this chasm, but many will sit back and soak in the attention and never make the transition from "served" to "servant."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which leads me to my thought for today...mission trips. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are going to go on a mission trip, please think on these things. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You are going to serve, not to be served. Purpose yourself never to whine about your room, the bathrooms, your food, your schedule, your team, or your leaders.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You are going to hear, not to be heard. You have little to offer the ones who have dedicated their lives to the local people and the local church. However, they might want to be heard. Hear their words, encourage them, and pray mightily for the Lord to use your prayers to aid their mission.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You are going to help, not be helped. Don't act in such a way, that attention is drawn to you and not to those who work in the area full time. Behave responsibly so that when you leave, the missionaries say "That man or woman was such a blessing."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For some, this might be the first time that you are not close to the center of attention. Relish the experience, it is pleasing to the Lord, and will be helpful to you as you grow in your life.</span></div>
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Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-70847227711875865242013-11-21T17:35:00.002-08:002013-11-21T17:35:59.276-08:00Would you like some whine with that cheese? Not at this place.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My friend Matt has every right to be angry. Or sad, or maybe clinically depressed. Why? Because the property that they've dedicated their lives to is shrinking. But before I tell you that story, let me introduce my friends, Matt and Lisa.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They both come from missionary traditions. Matt's wife Lisa grew up in Columbia, where her parents served with bible translation teams for decades. Matt's father blended a missions background with business smarts and purchases a beautiful little fruit farm near San Jose, Costa Rica about thirty years ago. From this property came another kind of fruit, a bible college that has slowly grown into a Christian bilingual institute called La Palabra de Vida. This school churns out kids ready to lead companies, ministries, and families in their country, equipped with smarts, languages, and principles of scripture. My family has been privileged to serve at this school for the last three years, and the blessing has been all ours. We've painted, sorted, filed, hammered and nailed, wheelbarrowed, cooked and cleaned. But mostly we've been enriched by being around Matt and Lisa, their family, and their love for this ministry.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which leads me to the whine and cheese. You see, my friend Matt has a Wisconsin background. Yes, he's a Packer fan, and sort of an honorary cheesehead. In fact, we went to PriceMart (the local version of Costco) yesterday, and we bought some Wisconsin Cheddar and Colby-Jack just to impress him. :) So, as I said earlier, with Matt, there's a lot of cheese, maybe even a few bratwursts, if you can find them, but there's not an ounce of whine anywhere with this couple. And if anyone has the right to whine from time to time, it would be them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently, Matt was notified that the Costa Rican government was planning to expropriate a sizable portion of their property to construct a new road between the road the school is on, and the highway near the airport. If you look at the picture below, you can see an orange stake in the foreground and one near the little tree near the top of the photograph. These stakes represent the new property line, which is perilously close to both the school and the family home. </span></div>
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Trouble is, it's not just the property that's the issue, it's the classrooms, the offices, and the activities that will occur very near the new line. The highway will be below the school property with an embankment leading down to the road. Directly below the classrooms will be the incessant roar of large trucks, taxicabs, limousines, and thousand of cars and motorcycles. The noise, without extensive soundproofing, would be deafening during certain times of the day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Matt told me the story, he lamented the fact that changes would have to be considered, but also expressed great hope for the future. The actual construction could be years away, other concessions could be granted, or the current plan could be shelved for one more beneficial for the school property. While nothing is certain, the ominous orange stake serves as a reminder each day to this family, their home, and the school, that change is afoot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If this was my front door that I walked out of each day, I'm sure the stake would cause me a great deal of anger as I traipsed by it each day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why do Matt and Lisa remain calm and hopeful and place their trust in the Lord? You might say, it's because they don't have any other choice. But I don't think that's the case. I think it's because they choose to trust. They choose to be like Job, who said in Job 1:21, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">"When I was born into this world, I was naked and had nothing. When I die and leave this world, I will be naked and have nothing. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!</span></span></div>
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<span class="text Job-1-21" style="position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Lord gave the property, their home, and the school to them. It's His to do with as He pleases. His plan is perfect, His plan is holy, and His plan is right. Many of us say these words, and know them well, but rare are the ones who live it.</span></span></div>
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<span class="text Job-1-21" style="position: relative;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm glad to have seen the little orange stake and to know the story behind it. I'll be anxious to see what the future holds.</span></span></div>
Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-62608587245320947592013-11-21T05:10:00.001-08:002013-11-21T05:10:08.203-08:00Fight hard each day for the minds of your children.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The battle has already been won through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, of this there is no doubt. The battle of the mind, no doubt, is raging every day. In the mind of the Christ-follower, there can be clarity of thought as we discern the world's advances and setbacks. However, for our children, and the children of those around us, their worldview is being carefully and powerfully shaped by culture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Outside the context of Sunday School or your child's bedroom, how do you feel your children would answer this question..."What do you think is our world's biggest problem?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For Christ-followers, we'd like to think that our children would answer "sin." In my opinion, in America, Costa Rica, and elsewhere, I'm afraid we'd be sadly mistaken. The culture is winning, even with churched kids with generations of Christ-followers standing behind them. As a result, the answer is often "pollution," or "poverty," or "discrimination."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now you might say that middle school and high school children have not yet developed the depth in thinking skills that would take them to where they need to be, and this may be true. But it's up to us as Christian parents to help our kids think about THEIR world in terms of THEIR faith.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The world frames problems and defines solutions in a completely secular sense. Pollution is a problem, it's solution is policy enacted by government to punish those who pollute and reward those who don't. Poverty is a problem, it's solution is policy enacted by government to transfer wealth to those who don't have it. Now these solutions may be distasteful to you, but that's not the point. The problem is, they exist at the surface and they are incomplete.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our world is a decaying mess, and it's our responsibility to steward its resources and care for its people. However, the greatest care you can show the people of our world is to carefully, considerately, and consistently showing them the love of Jesus Christ. Only with this foundation, can a person understand why our world is filled with horrible problems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I like to tell my children about the "why staircase." Never ask why only one, ask it at least three times. This will help them more accurately frame and define problems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is a problem in our world? Poverty? Why is their poverty? Because people don't have money? Why don't people have money? There may be many reasons such as corruption, greed, laziness, and deceit. Why does corruption exist? Because the hearts of the world's people are filled with sin and they are far from God.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's up to you, Mom and Dad. The world is filling your children's heads with messages that are incomplete and devoid of the Almighty. Fight hard for your children's minds every day.</span>Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-54989072416608573802013-11-19T04:24:00.002-08:002013-11-19T04:24:49.444-08:00Hemos llegado in Costa Rica (We have arrived in Costa Rica) Hooray!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friendly faces, snarled traffic, opportunistic vendors surrounding us at the airport, shoppers walking with grocery bags across highways, large trucks engine braking during our dinner, and a new McDonald's (ugh) only a block away from our location.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, we've arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica, safe and sound. God is so good to us! Thank you so much for ALL your prayers. We have never been blanketed in so many prayers. We were prayed over in Lake Jackson this Sunday numerous times, and received notes and e-mails from you that encouraged us so much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everything went so well yesterday and we arrived ready to greet our friends and begin our adventure in 2013. Matt and Lisa Befus, and their daughters, Natalia, Linnea, Katrina, and Lindsey, are missionaries with Latin American Missions here. (www.lam.org/missionaries/matt-and-lisa-befus). They enthusiastically greeted us along with their extremely large Great Dane (pictures to follow). The Befuses and their dog are gentle souls, which is especially good for the dog, since he is Marmadukian in size!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are starting a little later tomorrow due to our long day yesterday. We will be conducting interview with 7th grade students to determine proficiency in subjects at the school. Our children will complete their home school assignments in the morning at the Befus home, then we will regroup for the afternoon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We love you all and are so appreciative of your prayers and support of our mission. Because of your generosity, we will be able to bless Matt and Lisa, La Palabra de Vida, and other families during our time here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a great day, Bill</span>Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-16056797171712278602013-11-12T15:42:00.002-08:002013-11-12T15:42:46.393-08:00Time flies. We will be in San Antonio de Belen, Costa Rica next Monday<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are very excited! Monday the 18th we are driving to George W. Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, boarding a United Airlines flight for San Jose, Costa Rica (only after breakfast at Pappasito's) and beginning Markham Family Missions 2013. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our children are anxious to see their friends and we are anxious to get busy supporting Matt and Lisa as they do, direct, and decide so many things at La Palabra de Vida.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three large boxes of pre-K classroom school supplies, purchased with donations from our loyal supporters, came a few days ago, and we are transporting it to Costa Rica in a few extra suitcases. It's really the cheapest way to ship, United only charges $40 for each extra bag.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My last day of work is this Thursday, and from then until December 23 we will make our new, temporary home in Costa Rica. This will be our third time to do this, and we have grown so fond of our Costa Rican friends and teammates.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God is richly gracious and so good to us. My work schedule, our home school activities, and our trip aligned perfectly. Our supporters have been so gracious and generous to us this year, and 100% of their donations will go to support the ministries we work with. Only because of Jesus are we able to go, and only because of Jesus do we have a passion to serve in a small piece of His Great Commission. We give all the glory and honor to Jesus Christ and God the Father. To them be all the glory!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you so much! We will blog regularly from Costa Rica and we are looking forward to seeing you when we return.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bill</span>Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-71361502390404494562013-11-02T06:14:00.002-07:002013-11-02T06:14:46.677-07:0016 days until we leave for Costa Rica!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am happy to report that God has once again blessed our ministry in a big way! Why should I be surprised? </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are so excited to be nearly ready for our 6 week mission in San Antonio de Belen, Costa Rica starting November 18. A few blessings that have come our way:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. A couple from our church has graciously volunteered to look after our little dog, Katy, while we are gone. This is a huge blessing to know that she is in great hands.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Our home in Minnesota is now the home of missionaries on furlough from France. We are excited that they have a place to live and work from during their year in the United States! We made sure they had a snowblower also!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. In great generosity, we have received over $10,000 towards our goal of $17,000 to bless our ministries in Costa Rica and in the United States. Your money will provide supplies for pre-K children at La Palabra de Vida school, financial support for a family at the school who is without income after a devastating illness, needed repairs and improvements to the school, support to missionaries Matt and Lisa Befus as they prepare for furlough next year in Wheaton, Illinois, and support to other missionaries on furlough in the United States. La Palabra de Vida is a K-12 Christian Academy in San Antonio de Belen, Costa Rica. It ranks among the finest academic schools in Costa Rica, and prepares that nation's children for Christian service and leadership at home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Friends in Houston have graciously volunteered to provide transportation to the airport and take care of our car for the 6 weeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. Friends in Lake Jackson have graciously volunteered to keep an eye on our home while we're gone.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't tell you how blessed we are to be able to continue God's Great Adventure as a family. We will never forget your prayers, support, and blessing to us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you would like to support us financially, there is still time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make checks out to: Sieben Family Ministries</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mail checks to: Markham Family Missions, 113 Frostwood Drive, Lake Jackson, TX 77566</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Contribute at www.paypal.com: Send money to siebenfamily@yahoo.com</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All contributions are fully tax deductible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a great weekend. Bill</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-74172495393795240152013-10-14T20:27:00.000-07:002013-10-14T20:27:13.261-07:0036 days until we leave for Costa Rica<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A short update on our Costa Rica 2013. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our travel plans are made, here's a few details.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) We're flying United, extra bags are $40! This is good news since we have some pre-K supplies and an office machine to transport to the school.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) We are staying at Apartotel Obelisco, a wonderful place in Costa Rica, that our family loves. I can already taste the gallo pinto each morning for breakfast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) We even have a car with a GPS and a cell phone this time! For those of you familiar with Costa Rica, since the roads have no names, it's always an adventure getting anywhere. I can say I will miss directions like "drive down the big four lane road past the Burger King and turn left where you see a stand that sells yellow piggie banks. Follow the road up the hill by the big Jesus statue."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) We will be assisting the school with interviews and other activities to help improve curriculum. Additionally, we will be working in the after-school program for the little ones.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5) We will be helping to arrange and take field trips with other LPDV families.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6) Our missionary friends have moved into our home in Cottage Grove and are enjoying their time there. Please pray for them as this will be a busy year of furlough activities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7) We will be seeking the will of the Lord each day of our adventure, asking the Holy Spirit to use us in a mighty way to bless these folks who have dedicated their lives to furthering Christ in Costa Rica.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have a great week!</span></div>
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Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-84718691317536513062013-10-03T16:50:00.001-07:002013-10-03T16:50:11.968-07:00Ten things you might not know about beautiful Costa Rica1. Costa Rica's constitution states "human life is inviolable." The Costa Rican Civil Code interprets this and enforces the meaning as "to 300 days before birth."<br />
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2. Costa Rica eliminated all military forces in 1948.<br />
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3. In one of Costa Rica's only significant military victories, the Costa Rican army defeated William Walker's men, who had taken control of Nicaragua in the 1850's. William Walker was a Tennessean who had the misguided notion that he could self-direct military expansionism into Central America. Juan Santamaria, the general whose forces defeated Walker's, is a Costa Rican national hero today.<br />
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4. Today, there are six active volcanoes in Costa Rica. Poas, Arenal, Tenorio, Turrialba, Irazu, Rincon de la Vieja.<br />
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5. The national food of Costa Rica is "gallo pinto," a delicious rice and black bean dish served at every meal, but best for breakfast.<br />
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6. Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, Costa Rica's national soccer stadium in San Jose, was financed and completely constructed by the Chinese government.<br />
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7. Although Costa Rica guarantees freedom of religion, and one can see churches of many different types, Roman Catholicism is the state religion. It is written into the Costa Rican Constitution as follows, "The Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Religion is the official religion of the Republic."<br />
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8. Auto insurance in Costa Rica is a government monopoly. Rental car companies in Costa Rica make the collision damage waiver mandatory.<br />
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9. Many Americans settled in Costa Rica 10 to 20 years ago as cheap real estate was plentiful and health care was cheap. This is no longer the case. Belize is the new Costa Rica.<br />
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10. Jesus Christ is alive and well and known in the country thanks to dedicated missionaries like our friends Matt and Lisa Befus. Look them up on Latin American Missions (www.lam.org).<br />
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11. And one for the road. A popular breakfast beverage in Costa Rica for children is "jugo de naranja y zanahoria (carrot and orange juice). Cheers!<br />
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Have a great weekend! BillMarkham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-70780072296619717202013-09-30T17:39:00.000-07:002013-09-30T17:39:10.675-07:00If foreign missionaries came to your church...<span style="background-color: white; color: #40464b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">"Imagine a team from France calls your church and says they want to visit. They want to put on VBS (which you have done for years), but the material is in French. They have heard about how the U.S. church has struggled and want to help you fix it. They want to send twenty people, half of them youth. Only two of them speak English. They need a place to stay for free, with cheap food and warm showers if possible. During the trip half of the group's energy will be spent on resolving tension between team members. Two people will get sick. They'd like you to arrange some sightseeing for them on their free day. Do you want them to come?"</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #40464b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> - Darren Carlson</span><br />
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<span style="color: #40464b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">During my short-term missionary trips to Mexico, I got an earful from the local missionary about American behaviors. Bottom line is this: The questions posed by Carlson are worth considering, because I heard the same ones posed by missionaries in Mexico. But really? Are most short term missions teams like this? Well, it depends a lot upon the leaders, the sending organization, the goals, and the relationships with the local missionaries.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #40464b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">I would say this. If you want to serve in the mission field, then GO TO SERVE. Ask the missionaries what they would like you to do. Stop checking out TripAdvisor to plan your missionary excursions in your country of choice, and start reading your bible about what sacrifice really means.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #40464b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">When we decided to be a repeating, short-term missionary family, we had no idea what we were doing, but here's one thing we did right. We asked our missionaries this question: How can we help? We did not expect them to arrange outings, accompany us to meals to speak the language for us, or change their daily schedule. We simply were quiet and did what we were told to do. The result? A wonderful relationship with many Costa Ricans, because through prayer and the Holy Spirit, we were able to set aside our human desires, and perform useful services to those who were there for the long haul.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #40464b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">This year's no different. We had a long Skype conversation with Matt and Lisa Befus were they outlined what they would like us to do. It's an adventure as always, we're trying things we've never tried before, but we love, we absolutely love to serve with these folks at this school.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #40464b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">We're exactly where God wants us to be. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #40464b; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">So, as Jesus said...GO. But when you do go, leave your electronics in your backpack, leave your American entitlement at home, and be prepared to experience the adventure of a lifetime. Why? Because when you come back home, the missionaries you served will say, "I'm glad they we're here."</span></span>Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5393700197595221397.post-41780654883010881342013-09-27T06:19:00.002-07:002013-09-27T06:20:21.302-07:00We're heading south. Costa Rica 2013!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear friends and family:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're heading south. And Costa Rica's not a bad place to be in the winter. But you may want to know why we're doing what we're doing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's a great question. This will be our third lengthy mission trip to Costa Rica. We have always considered it a true privilege to go to another country on behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ as an entire family, not piecemeal.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So why? </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vickie and I have been very active in every church we've attended. Sometimes hyperactive. We like teaching, helping, cleaning, preaching, moving furniture, blowing up balloons, praying, singing, and loving on the those far from God. In the middle of everything, we've always felt a yearning to go overseas to further the gospel of Jesus Christ.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We really believe there are three things that are compelling us to serve in Costa Rica, and then consider further overseas ministry in the coming years.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, we believe that God has specifically called our entire family to minister in this way. Not just one of us going to Mexico, or all of us working with kids in our church, but also "going unto all nations." We take Jesus literally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Second, we feel God has given us an opportunity to serve Him in an educational setting. Vickie and I both have taught in various settings for over 25 years and we are excited about putting our experience to use at La Palabra de Vida.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Third, we believe that going and serving is the best way for our children to understand the sacrifice that the Lord speaks so prominently about in scripture. We want to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus, even if it is only for a short time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, on November 18, we'll board our flight and head south. We'll be working to restore a missionary house, developing curriculum to broaden the school's ability to make the Bible come to life, teaching ESL classes, and financing and helping to install improvements in the school's infrastructure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We can't wait.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We would like to ask you to partner with us. Please commit to pray for this year's adventure, and consider supporting this worthy work financially. We need to raise $17,000 to help offset the costs of the mission activities. Here's how:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">·<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i><span style="line-height: 18px;">Make</span></i><span style="line-height: 18px;"> checks payable to <b><i>Sieben Family Ministries</i></b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5393700197595221397" name="_GoBack"></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">·<span style="line-height: normal;"> </span></span><i><span style="line-height: 18px;">Mail</span></i><span style="line-height: 18px;"> checks to Markham Family, 113 Frostwood Drive, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">·<span style="line-height: normal;"> D</span></span><i><span style="line-height: 18px;">onate via PayPal (credit card or checking account) </span></i><a href="http://www.paypal.com/"><i><span style="line-height: 18px;">www.paypal.com</span></i></a><i><span style="line-height: 18px;">. Send money directly via PayPal to <b>siebenfamily@yahoo.com</b></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">God's richest blessings,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bill</span>Markham Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10020432868705476704noreply@blogger.com0