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The Choco mission, part 03

So, how did I get involved personally in the Choco mission? Well, it was all because of Fr. Alejandro. He went the first time, and he also went a follow up time. My assumption and encouragement was that he would be the one to keep going out there. After all, he speaks Quechua; he had members in his congregation from Choco; he had grown up in the altiplano and so had better lungs than I, and so on.... [Read more]

The Choco mission, part 02

Fr. Alejandro Mesco I mentioned the last post that the 1998 El Niño rains in Peru caused a massive landslide that blocked one of the streams going by Choco, a stream that had become a raging river. As a result, the river swept over part of the small bluff that houses Choco, killing 34 persons and wiping out part of the town. The news made it to Arequipa, where our family lived, and to the pueblo... [Read more]

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The Choco mission, part 01

If you notice, on the previous post there is a photographs of some Quechua farmers with ancient-design farming equipment and a couple of ladies, one carrying her child in a blanket on her back. That photograph was taken while I was visiting Choco, Perú, the title was Photoshopped on later. The Choco mission was a very successful church plant that began as an emergency relief mission and developed... [Read more]

Mission minded congregations are not necessarily nice

Continuing on with some of my comments on missions and fund-raising, I recently posted the note below on another blog. After I posted it, I thought that it might be worth reposting here. Since I am no longer an overseas missionaries, it may be that my memories of how it really was will be helful to both churches and organizations involved in missionary support. I have done a couple of minor edits to... [Read more]

Multiple Missionary Support by Local Congregations

Have you ever been to a local congregation that has a missions board up with multiple missionaries? I do not mean a large congregation with multiple missionaries. I mean a typical size medium congregation, one with an attendance around a couple of hundred people. Sometimes their missions board will proudly display ten or more different missionaries scattered around the world. They may even have some... [Read more]

Paradosis, an important Greek word, part 02

OK, reread the verses from yesterday. What differentiates a good tradition from a bad tradition? Well, just going by the verses from Scripture, the only difference was whether the tradition was taught by the Apostles or whether the tradition was taught by the Pharisees. Yes, I am oversimplifying but not as much as you may think. Look again at the verses. I have heard too many sermons that speak as... [Read more]

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Paradosis, an important Greek word, part 01

It is sometimes worthwhile to do a word study, where one sees how a word is used in different contexts in Scripture. One such word is the Greek word paradosis, which the King James always translates as “tradition,” with one exception. And, that one exception was corrected in the New King James. So, why is it important to know how this word is used? Well, precisely because in the discussions... [Read more]

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Not all tradition is Holy Tradition, paradosis ahead

From the movie Fiddler on the Roof (1971) [TEVYE] Tradition, tradition! Tradition! Tradition, tradition! Tradition! [TEVYE & PAPAS] Who, day and night, must scramble for a living, Feed a wife and children, say his daily prayers? And who has the right, as master of the house, To have the final word at home? The Papa, the Papa! Tradition. The Papa, the Papa! Tradition. [GOLDE & MAMAS] Who... [Read more]

The King James and Holy Tradition

1. Though I speake with the tongues of men & of Angels, and haue not charity, I am become as sounding brasse or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I haue the gift of prophesie, and vnderstand all mysteries and all knowledge: and though I haue all faith, so that I could remooue mountaines, and haue no charitie, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestowe all my goods to feede the poore, and though I giue... [Read more]

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To invoke or not to invoke, it is all a Revelation

OK, so it is a bad pun. But, there are two ideas that make me go towards believing in the invocation of the saints. I have already mentioned that invoking the saints is found very early in Church history and is found universally. I will mention that one of the principles that many scholars follow is that the earlier a practice is found in Church history, the wider its geographical dispersion,... [Read more]