The first quarter of 2023 has been both amazing and challenging. I’ve been amazed by our Father as his Holy Spirt has been active among our churches. The new year has been a wonderful reminder of God’s faithfulness to his children. He has honored the work and commitment of his church and has grown us in so many ways.
Because of some personal struggles during Easter week, I was personally able to focus on what Paul said in Philippians 3:7-14 –
“But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ -the righteousness from God based on faith. My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.”
For me this Easter, the Lord brought clarity to this passage. I must be aligned with Christ and die to the old sin nature and be resurrected by his spirit to walk in light of His truth. I am so very grateful that CHRIST is merciful and full us grace towards me.
Faith Community Apoyo Lagoon 1st anniversary’s
In February, the church at Apoyo Lagoon baptized nine new believers, and I had the great pleasure to participate with them. I will always remember the joy on the face of one of the older men who came to know Jesus as Lord in his fifties. He was so overwhelmed by the joy of his salvation, and he inspired me to return to the joy of my salvation and glory in the work of our Lord.
