Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

This verse stood out to me this Sunday, and I thought about it as I bounced along the dusty road in the back of my pickup. I don't usually ride in the back of my truck, but I decided to after church on Sunday. Looking up at the beautiful blue sky contrasted with the brilliant green of the lush greenery on either side of the road gave me a perfect chance to meditate on the truths of Scripture for a while.

Paul understood that people, by nature, are imitators. Oh, they may say they like to be unique, but ultimately, most of the time, people end up doing the same things that others have done. Obviously there are exceptions, but I am speaking in broad, general terms here.

You have heard the saying, "monkey see, monkey do," right? Well, I am not saying us humans are descendants of monkeys, but I do propose that we often practice the same habit! And by the way, photographed this guy last week. Isn't he... ummm... cute? :)

In fact, Sunday night, in church, I brought up this idea of "monkey see, monkey do," because I was in a K'ekchi church. I can communicate in Maya, but not K'ekchi, so when everyone was laughing at what the speaker was saying, I had the choice of keeping a serious face because I had no idea what he was saying, or I could "monkey see, monkey do," and laugh because everyone else was! You see, opportunities to imitate others abound everywhere!

Anyway, Paul understood that we act like monkeys. Oops, I mean that Paul understood human nature tends to imitate, to follow those who somehow we deem worthy of imitating. Often it is not a result of purposeful meditation on who best to follow, but it is a bent in our nature, whether purposeful or subconscious. Paul suggested a model to follow, prompting the minds and spirits of his readers to make a purposeful choice about who they were going to follow, rather than making random, unconscious decisions which could lead them astray.

And this is what struck me... Paul didn't just tell people to imitate Christ, no, he told them to imitate or follow him... as he imitated or followed Christ. Paul was confident of his example to others, confident that if they followed him, they would ultimately be following Christ. As I thought upon this, I realized that Paul was not confident of himself, rather he was confident of Christ at work in Him. He was confident of the priceless treasure held in the earthen vessel of his life: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

We were all given the charge to make disciples... to call others to follow us as we follow Christ. Rather than wasting our time and energies imitating things of no value, may each of us press on toward the prize of the high calling we have in Jesus Christ, and as we do so, may we draw others to follow us in our quest.

What a challenge! What motivation to be, as God commands us to be, holy, as He is holy! Lord, purify our lives so that we might be faithful stewards of the treasure You have placed in our lives!

All in a days work...

A team from the States came down yesterday. I was supposed to go meet them in Belize City with my pickup to carry their luggage...

We headed out at 4:30 in the morning so I could take care of some errands before heading to the airport... got a little ways up the road... and...putter put. The fuel pump went out.

It had been slowly dying, and the team was bringing me a new one, but wouldn't you know it would choose yesterday to go out? So... traveled up on the bus, and was blessed by the District Superintendent loaning us his pickup to get the luggage in. The rest of the day was uneventful :)

I am thankful that God allowed the fuel pump to quit while we were still not far from home! It made towing it to the mechanic so much simpler today than if it had been halfway to Belize City or something! Thank you Lord for your perfect timing!

Giving honor where honor is due.

The day after the thatching event, I had the privilege of seeing a beautiful expression of appreciation. Even though we are to serve the Lord and not men, it is an encouragement to God's weary servants when someone recognizes their labors and shows sincere gratitude!

Bro. Bernaldino, Clifford's father, has been the pastor of the church in San Jose for many years, probably more than 20, although we are still trying to confirm the length. He has often been unwell, especially in the last few years, but he still faithfully goes to hold services. He is a quiet humble man who has won the respect of many.

Bro. Bernaldino has seven sons and one daughter ranging in age from 34 to 12. Clifford got his older brothers together and suggest the idea of a appreciation service for their dad. They all jumped on board the idea and set the date for the 22nd of January, hoping to completely surprise their dad. Bro. Bernaldino ended up inviting several of his sons and some others to help thatch a house on the 22nd, which pushed the service until the 23rd, but actually aided their secrecy: now they all had an excuse to be in the village that weekend.

They each contributed to make the day special, purchasing groceries to feed the entire congregation. I got to help with the work a little, and the whole process was a delight. All the brothers and sisters-in-law worked together to accomplish the task, fixing over 200 plates of food. They even secretly "stole" one of their mom's dresses to use as a pattern for a new dress for the occasion.

In spite of the great difficulty to keep a secret in a village, especially since many invitations were sent out, and in spite of Bro. Bernaldino and his wife wondering why all their kids kept disappearing, and in spite of their grandma almost giving it away, they managed to completely surprise them! It was so fun to see!

The family completely ran the service, sharing testimonies of thanks, singing songs, and inviting others to join as well. Clifford preached his first sermon in honor of the occasion. The joy on their parents' faces was heartwarming. The congregation brought gifts and shared testimonies as well, and everyone went home well fed.

For me, the most touching part was after the service at Bro. Bernaldino's house... hearing the two of them express their surprise and delight over and over, and the sons and daughter excitedly share how they kept the secret, was priceless. So was the excitement of Bro. Bernaldino and his wife over their gifts. They acted like newly weds! They were married before traditions had changed much here, so they didn't have the outpouring of gifts at their wedding that is common now. They really live very humbly with very little. And really, they weren't given LOTS of gifts, but the ones they did receive brought them great joy.

I came away that evening blessed from witnessing the expression of love and the resulting joy. I wish every day could be like that! But... we will have eternity to rejoice in the love of our Savior and rejoice in His presence! I think that will be more than enough to make up for the trials on this earth!

Wouldn't it be nice if something like that could be done for each pastor who has been serving for many years?