MONEY MATTERS

 It is not very difficult in our materialistic culture to defend how we spend our money. As Christians we seldom directly connect our spending to the state of our hearts and are often oblivious to how our heart should effect our spending. Should we allow spending and the state of our hearts to harmonize we would be surprised on both fronts. We would find our spending to be more in line with the world's values than God's values, and we would sadly discover that our hearts harbor more of the love of this world than we imagined or would like to admit. Jesus said that we cannot, try as we will, serve God and money. But we still try to serve both God and money, and think we are accomplishing the impossible. To the Pharisees who served money while claiming to serve God, Jesus said "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God." Luke 16.15 esv

How to use "unrighteous wealth" (v9,10) in the service of God is not easy and straight forward. We do not have a legal list of buys and don't buys, of amounts and percentages, of ethics to guide our spending, but we do have a few guidelines given to us.
1) Acknowledge that all you have comes from God and give yourself with a grateful attitude to God. "For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us." (2 Corinthians 2.3-5)

2) Give to God  the first portion. "Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come." (1 Corinthians 16.1-2) "The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.^" (2 Corinthians 9.6-8)

3) Strive to be content with what God has given you and be grateful for it. We don't need all that the world says we need. "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." (Philippians 4.11) "But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content." (1 Timothy 6.8) "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13.5)
4) Seek to fulfill God's purpose for you as you walk filled with hope for the present and God's promised future. "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6.33 [Read 26-34, a wonderful passage]). "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2.10).

Have a Merry Christmas and may God help us to increase in the understanding of our spiritual richness in Christ. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8.9)

TRIP TO TANZANIA

On Wednesday I was approved for a mission trip to Tanzania from February 3-12 2017, with Training Leaders International <http://trainingleadersinternational.org> the same group I worked with in the Philippines in May. Have a look at the website. Here are the trip details ---

Tanzania Feb 2017  –  February 3-12, 2017

Location:  Mwanza, Tanzania
Trip Leader:  Steve Krogh
Synopsis:  We are partnering with East Africa Christian College (EACC) in providing theological training for pastors in the Tarime region along the Tanzania-Kenya border. This newly opened school is strategically located in an area underserved by pastoral training ministries. Recent gospel advances make the need for equipping pastors especially urgent. We currently teach Swahili-speaking pastors (via interpreters) in a Certificate Program and in 2017 we anticipate teaching English-speaking pastors in the new Diploma Program. TLI has also been asked to teach a bi-annual conference for regional church leaders, which has been well-attended. Tanzania is a beautiful country, home of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti National Park, which is located a few hours drive from EACC.
Courses to be taught: Biblical Theology & Attributes of God

Mwanza is circled in red

 Preparation time for this trip is quite short so please pray as I prepare my lessons. It is not too early to pray about good flying weather (leaving from Buffalo), making connections, health and safety before, during and after the trip, the long flight, the preparation of the students, working in Swahili through a translator, the other teachers on the team and the establishment of this new Bible College. I look forward to this trip.

If you would like to support this trip you can donate:
1) By mailing a check to Reach Beyond Canada, Unit 3- 44 Saltsman Dr, Cambridge, ON, N3H 4R7 or online at <http://reachbeyond.ca/> then clicking DONATE button, and then from the drop down menu select - "Donate to a missionary and indicate name below in message", then enter Ron Latulippe in the "Message for Reach Beyond" box below, then fill out remaining information.
3) US citizens can donate directly to TLI at PO Box 310 / Wheaton, IL 60187 and specify that your donation is for Ron Latulippe for the Tanzania trip or through this link <https://trainingleadersinternational.org/support/give?tbl=teams&id=260> select "short term team members" and in step two select "enter unlisted team member" which is at the bottom of the drop down menu and add my name and trip "Ron Latulippe Tanzania Feb" to blank space, then proceed with donor information. Please let me know if donate directly to TLI so I can make sure it gets to my account.

Thank you for your patience.

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ALL WEATHER CONFESSORS

How easy it is to confess Jesus as Lord when the sun is warming your face and a slight  breeze makes you feel just right, and the bright blue sky is inviting you to a picnic or a walk or to read your favorite book in the shade of the back porch. What joy there is in being a fair weather confessor. But those days are not common days but special days, days to be enjoyed and remembered and hoped for. These are days which point to our eternal hope and destiny in the presence of Jesus. Eternal days that are yet ahead of us. For now we live in this present evil world, in these mortal bodies of sin, in the consequences of our own sin and the sin of others around us compounded into an anti-Jesus world atmosphere. And in this unholy atmosphere we are called to confess Jesus as Lord by deed and word and attitude not by compulsion but in love that we are to renew in the presence of our beloved Jesus each day. And this we must do on the peril of not being an all weather confessor of Jesus our Lord.
Peter is an example to us in this respect. "Peter answered him, 'Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away'". (Matthew 26.32) Peter had just shared in a wonderful communion with Jesus and the disciples. The future looked bright and promising. The weather was fair for confessing allegiance to Jesus. But that soon changed with the happenings in Gethsemane, the betrayal of Jesus, his arrest, and the trial before Caiaphas and the Council. A servant girl came up to Peter and said to him, "You were with Jesus the Galilean". And Peter denied it before them all saying, "I do not know what you mean". And then a second time, "I do not know the man". And then finally invoking a curse on himself and swearing, "I do not know the man". (Matthew 26.69-75)

Before we condemn Peter too harshly we need to see that we too can easily be fair weather confessors, not so much by deliberate denial but by convenient conformity to our circumstances. Peter would have been happy to sit and watch the proceedings on the trial of Jesus but when called out, deliberately denied his Lord. We too are too often content to watch and hope we are not challenged to confess, content to live in avoidance in our workplaces and playplaces and errandplaces. God calls us to be witnesses of Christ in deed, attitude, and word like lights shining in a dark world. (Philippians 2.14-16) Choose to be an all weather confessor of Jesus as Lord.

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BRUCE MOWAT

I went to Bruce's funeral on Saturday. Bruce was diagnosed with ALS a few months ago. He took his illness in stride and died glorifying God. When first diagnosed with ALS Bruce wrote in the front of his Bible,"I must accept God's view of my circumstances and rest in His love and power to see me through".
Bruce was an easy man to love. Bruce had a booming loud voice, a captivating smile, and a warm handshake, he was tall and carried an authority about him. Bruce was also very opinionated. But Bruce was easy guy to love because two particular characteristics came through very quickly. Bruce was humble and teachable and willing to learn, and Bruce was compassionate. Bruce often said he was a young, learning and growing Christian. I was surprised to learn at the funeral that Bruce came to know Christ 25 years ago. But that is how Bruce saw himself, a babe in Christ, a learner, a growing follower. That should be true about all of us. Bruce could easily have been in a higher social circle than most of us at Rosedale but was humbly and lovingly one of us.
I loved Bruce. Bruce made a great impact on me and on others during his short stay with us at Rosedale Baptist Church. Bruce also loved us and loved Rosedale. He looked forward to the Tuesday morning men's Bible study and the men loved him in spite of his strong opinions. I remember one day Bruce saying to me, "I love this place because there is no ego here" and he was right. We are glad that Gail, his wife, will continue with us, we hope she will be with us for many years to come.
I will miss Bruce's big smile and warm handshake and humble spirit, and look forward to meeting him in heaven. Oh! what a day that will be, a day made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for those who like Bruce have bowed and will bow their minds and hearts to God in Jesus Christ. Glory to God.

WEEK 4 UPDATE

I am heading home Monday, leaving from here by taxi at 2:30 am so please pray for my trip home. And please pray for a busy week when I get home preparing for my mom's funeral on Saturday as I recover from jet lag.
It is time to head for home. My shoes tell the story of a great month of work, reading, prayer, and personal and public ministry. I am returning home spiritually renewed, more appreciative of the Master's dedicated workers in the field, and wanting to do more for and in the needy and neglected fields of our Lord.

Time to say goodbye to these faithful soles

One of my jobs this week was to paint the large concrete overhang of the main lobby of the hospital, first with a sponge roller and paint that leaves a textured surface and then the next day with a final coat of white paint. This work was done from the existing flat roof surrounding this overhang. The painting required that for about 1/3 of the job I be on my knees or sitting with my legs stretched out in a four foot space between the overhang and lower flat roof of the hospital. The point here is that it was in direct sunlight and movement was  limited. Enter the pesky Jordanian fly.

This fly taught me a lot about our enemy the Devil. In the Bible one of the many names for the Devil is Beelzebul which means "Lord of the flies". What an appropriate dishonoring name for the Devil. To me flies are useless annoying pests who love to hang out around garbage and waste. Here I was at my most vulnerable, crouched in the hot sun, working with this sloppy textured paint dripping all over my skin and clothes, using both hands, and along comes this useless annoying pest to bother me. Isn't that like our enemy the Devil who has no useful purpose in himself, (Praise God by His Grace even the Devil is used to make us like Christ), and comes around when we are most vulnerable and are hands are tied to annoy us and to tempt us to anger, and frustration, and criticism and bitterness and complaining, and quitting. But I have to admit the Devil is persistent in his attacks. Mr pesky Jordanian fly showed up on the second day to continue his ministry of spoiling the day. The Devil is also territorial. This fly was claiming this rooftop as his territory not realizing that it already belonged to someone else who bought it and built it. This fly, did not realize his days were numbered as cold and rain are on the near horizon. Jesus thank you for reminding me again this week that I live in a fallen world and for a time the Devil and his fallen angels have been allowed to cause much unneeded evil and suffering and pain in this world with persistence for a short time until you bring to pass the full victory you won at the cross and in the resurrection. Beelzebul's time is short. Help us as your people to work with greater praise and thanksgiving and to give all that we have to the building of your kingdom with this bright future in sight. Beelzebul is the lord of lies and deceit and waste and death but YOU are lord of all creation and all humanity, YOU give life and love and hope, and one day every knee will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord while the Devil suffers in pain and shame for ever in the Lake of fire. YOU are Lord.
Had a great day on Saturday with my friend as he took me to visit some old church ruins in Al-Jimal (click for link to Wikipedia).

I am looking forward to getting home and seeing all of you again. ron 

WEEK 3 UPDATE

Someone has to do it! At this non-smoking facility cigarette butts multiply rather quickly and someone has to pick them up to keep the property looking clean to the glory of God. I spent a day and a half doing that. Also scraped a flat roof for re-taring and some plumbing work. It was a great week.

I love the guys I am working with here. My boss is Swiss and married to a local and has been here for many years, two other Swiss volunteers (a painter who has been here for many years who originally worked in Yemen and a carpenter who is fulfilling his military service through charitable work). Then the regular work crew who are Egyptian mostly Orthodox Christians from Upper Egypt. They are hard workers. The work day for them starts early, sometimes at 6 depending on what needs to be done. Then at 7:45 we meet with all other staff and workers in the main lobby of the hospital for a song, reading of the Daily Light, and a prayer, so my work day starts around 8. At 10 the maintenance staff meet for breakfast break and in the afternoon for a Pepsi break, finishing the day around 4. No lunch is needed with a fine morning break/breakfast.

 Most evenings at 5 there is a good news meeting for the patients, one for the men and one for the women, which is well attended and sometimes features passionate debate between religious beliefs. We sing a few songs in Arabic and then a study is given by different staff members and workers. I love the direct words to their rather unmelodious songs. Here is a sample. We also were accompanied one evening by this odd 12 string instrument.

Last night I was invited out to a local Yemeni restaurant. What a feast. I did not enjoy eating while sitting on the floor but the food was delicious. Three bowls of different meat served boiling hot, another meat dish served cold, a plate of rice with two half chickens on top, eggs with cream on top, yogurt, various dipping sauces, a large pita for the four of us to rip apart, and two delicious bread pudding type desserts, one with white bread, dates and honey and the other with brown bread, banana and honey, water, pop, and finishing off the meal with a hot Indian style chai tea. The foot in the picture is not part of the meal.

I has been spiritually refreshing to meet with my friend and talk, pray and share scripture together. I am glad to be part of the great work of God here.
Well I hope to see you all soon. Remember Jesus is Lord and you are called to serve him with a loving, godly attitude, in good works and words, to the glory of God the Father.

WEEK 2 UPDATE

Last Saturday I went to the local city which is supposed to be about 60,000 population but has doubled with Syrian refugees coming in. My friend took me to see his barber which came from Syria four years ago as a refugee but now owns his own barber shop and has one employee. As we talked he noticed that I needed a beard trim and so I put myself under the hands of a Syrian Muslim refugee who held a straight razor to my throat. He asked my friend if I was afraid that I would have my throat cut? I thought about it but rested in my Lord for whatever outcome and the outcome was refreshing.

I was satisfactorily trimmed and shaved and pampered and cologned and dusted and blown. I hope to head back for a visit before returning home.

Also went shopping for fruits, and nuts, canned goods and chicken and fries. To pack the chicken the plate is placed on a giant single walled pita at least two feet in diameter, then the chicken (not shown here), then fries poured on top, then a couple of toppings in small plastic cups and then the whole thing is wrapped up in the super-pita and put in a bag. Chicken and fries with bread.

On Sunday we went to the Alliance church and the service was in Arabic and English. I was asked by the Pastor to preach there next Sunday or the following Sunday. So pray for that. The church is building a new sanctuary. Here are some pictures.

Sanctuary under construction

New baptistry

Wednesday I went to the capital city of Amman. We were trying to get a vehicle out of customs which was an adventure and was not accomplished on this second day of working on it. Yesterday (Thursday) paperwork and permission were finally given. I will tell you that story later on. We enjoyed a coffee at the Caribou Cafe and picked up a medical student at the airport who will be here for a month of training.

Love the amazing construction of this city.

Build out of the rocks