Living Lessons: The Energizer Bunny

Living Lessons:  September 30^th, 2011

Jesus the Christ had a marvelous way of conveying deep spiritual truths by using stories and object lessons from the living world around Him. 

The Energizer Bunny:  My mind has been focused on rabbits today.  Someone recently compared my lifestyle to that of the Energizer Bunny.  You know, that cute pink rabbit with a drum and sunglasses?  While I'm not very pink, very fluffy, and rarely where sunglasses, I do enjoy what others seem to think is a heightened energy level for sustained periods of time.  It just keeps going, and going, and going ..... 

Bill Wininger stopped in today and mentioned much of the same about his life.  He's a guy who doesn't seem to slow down.  Some people even call him "hyper".  So why is it that people are frequently telling us "Energizer Bunny" types to slow down, take a break, and rest for a while?  Could it be that they just haven't been given the same energy levels to keep up?  Could it be they have different priorities in life?  Could it be that they are lazy?  Or could we be mistaken and they know something important about rabbits that we don't know?

We have lots of rabbits in our neighborhood.  They frequent our yard daily and one named "Bugs" even lives in a little burrow behind one of our planters.  I watched that Bugs today and I noticed something.  He spent 15 minutes sitting completely still, out in the middle of the yard, doing absolutely nothing.  I've witnessed the madness of my boys chasing him before, so I know "Bugs" is super quick, with plenty of pace, agility, and energy to elude my boys and live his life however he wants.  Yet with all that ability, he spends most of his day sitting out in the open and watching.  Does Bugs, the energizer bunny in are yard, know something that I don't?  Maybe God is trying to tell us something through our little furry friend. 

“Be still, and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10a  

Living Lessons: The Lure of the Golden Arches

Living Lessons:  September 23^rd 2012

Jesus the Christ had a marvelous way of conveying deep spiritual truths by using stories and object lessons from the living world around Him.  We can too.

The Lure of the Golden Arches:  Excitement was crackling in the air from 11:45pm to 12:15am on Wednesday morning as McDonald’s opened its doors to about 170 customers.  Some had endured the “harsh” elements of the day by getting their spot staked in line at 12:30pm in the afternoon.  One lost her claim due to health related complications and was taken away by ambulance at 11:55pm, just shy of the door opening mark.  Some even paid $10 to park their cars at neighboring establishments.  Oh, the sacrifice!  Some of you reading this were there as witnesses to the excitement surrounding the resurrection of Washington’s golden arches. 

     The Times Herald reporter, Nate, my neighbor, Bill, and I all cited the same reason for not joining in the line ourselves.    No matter how they redecorate, how many spotlights they have, how high tech they are, Big Macs are simply bad for our health.  Our McDonald's gave away 52 of those bad boys for the first 100 people who showed up at midnight.  Just to burn away the calories of 52 Big Macs I would have to run an extra 250 miles this year!  We just watched as we tried to be a positive encouragement and healthy-minded witness to the participants. 

     Doesn’t sin work that way in our lives?  How many times have we vowed to quit a specific sin, only to find it repackaged and marketed in a different way, and suddenly we’re sold to soulfully unhealthy actions once again.  How many of us promised God we wouldn’t speak negatively of others or promised we wouldn’t spread gossip about others in our lives, and then along came Facebook.  Spreading gossip and negativity has never been so easy and trendy.  How many of us promised God we’d be responsible with the money He has let us borrow only to find the next great redesigned cell phone that is going to revolutionize our lives?  How many of us have found ourselves waiting in Christmas lines for something we don’t even want just because so many others around us are doing it.

     No matter how you decorate it, repackage it, market it, or how many other people are participating, things that are sin are not from God.  Like the Big Mac, these things slowly add layers of plaque to our spiritual arteries clogging the flow of life giving blood to our hearts.   Brothers and sisters, don’t fall for the gimmicks or peer pressure of sin in our spiritual lives.  Don’t wait in the long lines for something you know isn’t from God.

James 1:14-15 “But each one is tempted by his lusts, being drawn away and seduced by them. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin. And sin, when it is fully formed, brings forth death.”

Now if McDonald’s gave away 52 free salads. . .

Living Lessons: Puddle of Mud - 2012/09/02

Every week I write an article for our local church bulletin called "Living Lessons."   

Living Lessons:  September 2^nd 2012

Jesus the Christ had a marvelous way of conveying deep spiritual truths by using stories and object lessons from the living world around Him.  We can too.

Puddle of Mud:  Have you ever holstered your mudding knife and sanding block so you can go head to head with a pock-marked newly constructed or damaged wall?  Then we’ve joined ranks together in the fight against holey walls with our mudslinging skills!  For a few moments in the early mornings and late evenings this week I’ve been mudding a new bathroom wall and filling in holes all over the house.  Here’s a few of my meditations while smearing, wiping, sanding, smearing, wiping, sanding, smearing, wiping, sanding…

God gives us all a nice smooth piece of wall to work with when we start life, just like the drywall we get from our favorite hardware suppliers.  Yet our wall quickly gets holes, gaps in the joints, and rips from the difficulty of growing up in this world and the mistakes we make during construction and use.  Sometimes we make big mistakes that mar the wall like trying to take a big couch down to the lower level of the house (how many of you remember that excitement a year ago?) or missing the stud with your screw not one but three times.  All of these holes caused by life circumstances and sin are unsightly and nasty reminders of our mistakes.  I long for no more holes.

But the Great Contractor, God, doesn’t desire to leave our walls in this unsightly condition.  So He sent his best carpenter and finishing man, Jesus Christ, to patch things up utilizing the best mud, the Spirit.  Unfortunately it isn’t a quick process to remove all of those holes and indentations in our once-smooth surface.  Jesus takes a little mud like He did with the blind man in John 9 and begins to smear it on.  His mudding knife is a little sharp and scary to some, but as a skilled and experienced tradesman, He smears his healing mud deep into all the right places.  He then takes an abrasive instrument and sands off all the high spots, only to have to repeat the process with the knife and sander several times.  After multiple applications of the perfect mud mixture with the utmost patience, the wall is perfected again.  The holes are no more.

Pulling from His toolbox called “Love”, God is patiently but persistently using different tools such as grace, faith, obedience, and accountability to smooth out the blemishes in my life.  Some of those tools are a little scary and abrasive,  but they are all part of His plan to make us a perfect and complete structure.  Praise the Contractor, God, for persevering in sending His best Carpenter, Jesus, and in using the best medium, the Spirit, to perfect us.  The holes are no more.  Let’s keep it that way. 

James 1:4 “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Honduras Missions Report

I'm at that place in the trip where I don't know what to say.  Have you ever been there?  Have you ever experienced something so wonderful and yet so taxing that you can't begin to describe it?  If you have, then you know how I feel right now.

I'm at Cafe El Gringo now, drinking a "sombra" (fruit smoothie).  Libby says the brownie here is to die for and that I have to have one before we leave.

We're taking Sunday as sort of a Sabbath today.  We've pushed hard for many days now and we're starting to feel it.  So far we've completed 4 houses by ourselves.  Our Mitchell/Washington Crew can really knock out a house!  For those of you in Washington, you would not believe what Drew, Elmer, and Steven can do when they set their minds to it.  Add B.A. from Mitchell and you've got 4 large men who dwarf all the Hondurans.  Those 4 guys have been working their tales off and garnering a lot of respect from many different peoples.

Don't let my comments fool you, the ladies in our group are no slouches either!  Midge sure can sharpen a chainsaw.  Laura Barlow is a beast at anything she does.  Jalayna and Libby's biceps have grown 4 inches from pounding who knows how many nails.  Teresa is a marvel with the kids and is a great nurse for us on the trip.  While we've had no major injuries, we've had some blisters, smashed fingers, scrapes and the like that have made us grateful for Teresa.  


Something exciting that we experienced was the spending of two days and nights in Guajire.  Mitchell COC has been working hard over the years to develop relationships in this little village.  It's hard to describe Guajire.  Ox carts, huts, and a plethora of mosquitoes were some of the distinguishing characteristics.  We stayed the night in the church buildings and classrooms.  Before you begin equating this to the 5 star church buildings that we worship in today, let me tell you that the Mitchell group built this box building a year ago.  We locked ourselves in and between the roosters crowing and dogs barking our group of about 25 people put in a few zzz's.  Allen and I were blessed to sleep at the door of the girls cabin since we don't snore.  What was also interesting is that the closest porcelain to the church building was about 5 minutes walk away, which really made the trip exciting for the girls.  Oh yeah, there wasn't running water or electricity in this area so I gained a lot of respect for the ladies who toughed that one out.  We were the first missions group to ever "camp out" with the locals.  As we were staring at the estrayas (stars) and the shooting stars at night, we felt very connected to you at home, knowing that you were possibly looking out at the very same stars as us.  


Today is definitely a mixed emotion day.  Our compadres from Baton Rouge left us this morning, which has left a void that's tough to fill.  They are one exciting and fun youth group that we look forward to connecting to back in the States.  


Church service with the Hondurans was a challenge as it was all in Spanish!  I think even Allen Burris may have dozed off a little bit.  Is it worse when a preacher falls asleep during a sermon?  The Ojohana Church of Christ was very grateful for our presence and there was a lot of gratitude and welcoming attitude displayed.  Ricardo preached his sermon today on the nature of the heart when giving coming primarily out of 1 Corinthians 16.  It was a lot of fun to have so much in common with people whose lifestyles, language, and traditions are so different from ours!  Yet we've found that the bonds of Christian love stretch well beyond these boundaries.  


I thank you so much for reading this and praying for us.  We ask that you continue to pray for us.  We've still got 1 more house to go and a lot of other good work to do.  Please pray for our safety and for openness in the people so that we can share about Christ in words as well as in action.  Everyone here says "Hi."  We look forward to our time with all of you soon.


Dios le beningdad (God bless you),
Christopher


If you'd like to catch up more on what's been going on, please see Allen Burris's blog at 
http://allenburris.blogspot.com

Presentation and Prayer for Rosa's new home.  Steven is about to hang the plaque.

House construction.  Steven looks to be one of the locals he's so dark!

Guys working on the house!

Our group before we walked to a waterfall!

I would like to upload so many more photos, but it takes so long.  I want to put up more of the Mitchell group as well. I'll work on more for tomorrow!

Love from Honduras, Post #2

Hey my friends and family!  I only have 18 minutes until Cafe El Gringo closes and I lose my internet access so this will be quick!  If you want a bit more, check out http://allenburris.blogspot.com

We had a successful day today as we finished off all the three houses we started yesterday.  Families were so grateful and praising the name of God!  (In Spanish of course!).

We're learning a lot of Spanish here being immersed in the culture.  Believe it or not, Steven and Elmer have started speaking simple phrases to me in Spanish rather than English.  (Muy Bueno) It's been so fun!

Every day we have had a different fruit of the spirit to focus on.  We begin thinking about it during the day and wrap every evening devotional up with a thought on it.  Today was focusing on and increasing the "Goodness" in our lives and in the lives in the Hondurans.

To catch you up on things we've done, We've visited the city in the dump, a children's home for the blind, a children's home for the homeless, some really rural communities, and some in the middle of the city (Ask Steven, Drew, and Elmer about the drive to that one!)  We've built 4 houses since being here.  Not much of a break, but it's been great!  I'm going to include a few pictures for you now from Day 2 and Day 3 of our trip.



Ok, I take that back, I can't put up any pictures where I am, I spent all 18 minutes trying to upload one picture!  I'll try hard to get some time in the city where the internet is stronger soon.  We love you all and miss you!  See you soon!
Dios Le Benigdad!
Christopher

Hola from Honduras! Report 1!

Wow what a culture difference!

Things are so different here some in good ways, some in bad.  From driving, dress styles, and food it is so very different.  And yet some things are the same as well.  A smile, and hand shake, and a hug can still convey so much needed communication that we are still very effective in our mission.

We apologize for not being able to communicate with you more.  We have a lack of internet connection at our compound and in most of the places we work.  Right now I'm sitting in a PopEye's Chicken restaurant sending you this message!

Day 1, Airport day.
This day was great as we bonded together more with friends from Mitchell and met our accompanying group from Baton Rouge Lousiana.  The airplane landing was something else!  We cheered for our pilot when it was all said and done!

Day 2, First workday.
Did you know that running, working, and playing at a high altitude is tough?  I ran 3 miles at 6:30am and thought I wasn't gonna make it!  If you guys didn't know we're way up in the mountains.  About the same height as the top of the Smokeys in Tennessee.  Amazing part of the day?  We built a 3 bedroom has for a family of 6 in about 4.5 hours!  It was 18x18 feet, so the whole thing was smaller than some of our bedrooms in America.  During the build we took time to make balloon animals, color, and sing "Jesus Loves Me" in Spanish with the locals.  While very difficult and taxing, it was wonderful!

Day 3, Dump Day
We visited the Dump today, or rather the city in the Dump.  In a few minutes we're heading to the school of the blind.  I'll have to write more later because I'm almost out of time, but wow, what a shocker.  I have never heard of the poorest in America living and surviving like these people do.  There's a whole city in the dump itself.

We're all doing well, and we feel very confident that God is using us to share and spread good things.  I will share more later in the week when I have a little more time with the internet!

One phrase for you to learn,

"Dios le benigdad!" means "God bless you!"

Oh, for more pictures, go look at Allen Burris's blog at:
http://allenburris.blogspot.com

Dios Le Benigdad!
Christopher

Hunky Dory in Houston!

The view was tremendous as we flew into our Texas airport. We've landed safely in Houston.

But before we left Indiana we ran into some stragglers!

Now, after a great meal at Ruby's Diner we're waiting out the tail end of our layover together.

We just met up with our "quince" Casey Marshall! She came in on a different flight. Our group is complete!

Oh, and by the way, check out the new hat styles in Houston!

Honduras Devotional Book

Here's a quick link to our devotional book.  Read, Pray, and Meditate along with us!  : https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B_8I1Za4d06bWXppQW43WXNIRzQ

Pre-Honduras Trip - Who are we?

At 1:30am on Sunday July 8th, the 2012 Honduras Missions team from Washington Church of Christ will embark on a journey that will take them through 10 days, much sweat, many tears, and beaming smiles.  As we join our brothers and sisters from Mitchell Church of Christ, let us join hands in unity is sharing the love and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

Thanks to our God who, through our church family especially, has given us so much support!

To see more about what we're doing, join the MCOC Honduras Facebook page here: 
http://www.facebook.com/groups/220460477975658/

Our Team

We're being led by our fearless leader, elder, and friend, Drew Myers.  I believe this is Drew's third trip to Honduras.  He brings a wealth of experience, wisdom, and handy talent to this crew.


Christopher Wiles has been overseas on missions going through Russia, England, and Germany.  This is his first trip to a Central American country.


While for many this is not their first trip out of the country, but is a first mission trip abroad.  We've got several who bring a variety of skills, talents, and experiences to the group.  The rest of our servants from our church family include:

Elmer Graber


Steven Walden


Jalayna Page


Libby Myers


and Tyler Seibert.

Special Urgent Mission

Alrighty Men, I've got a special urgent mission that you might be able to help me with.

Preface Story:  On Friday morning, two teenage boys from our local high school died in a tragic car accident.  Both loved by the community.  One of the boys was worried before he died that so many of his friends didn't know Christ.  So his mom asked last night if our area could locate and donate enough Bibles to give to the expected 500-1000 teens that will come to the visitation on Monday at noon.  They would like the Bible to have Derek's (the faithful Christian kid who died) favorite Bible verse highlighted in it before given out to the kids. Here's the link to the story.


http://tristatehomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=496832

Here's the kicker, how do we get that many Bibles located over a weekend and up here in Indiana?  Where do we get that kind of money?

Just tonight, I located over 500 New Testaments that I can get for FREE, that's right, FREE!  The only problem is, they are in Florence, Alabama at Heritage Christian University.  They are in storage.  Do you remember the Challenge Youth Conference Bible from 2 years ago?  The navy blue one that has the plan of salvation in the front?  Yup, there are about 500 sitting in storage, and Larry Davenport, head honcho at CYC will give them to me if I will just come get them. 

So if I leave church tomorrow morning after I preach and drive 7 hours to pick them up, then 7 hours to get back, that puts me back somewhere around 2 am on Monday morning.  Then the groups here couldn't start highlighting verses till after they wake up.

Here's where someone down there might be able to help me.  What if a couple of you guys, took off on a road trip and drove to Florence Alabama and picked them up for me.  They will all fit in the back seat of a car.  Then bring them back to Franklin TN.  You could be back to Franklin around the time I arrive there.  Then I would pay for your gas, buy you a quick meal, and then I could be home by 9 or 10 pm, enough time for us to start on them the night before the funeral visitation.

And what do you have?  500 Bibles that would retail for $4000, being given out for free to teenagers who are hurting and seeking answers here in Washington Indiana. 

Let me know if you have any thoughts or ideas or if I'm just absolutely nuts.

Call Me if you're game or you have an idea:  615-668-6343.

Love you guys!

Christopher (Topher) Wiles - Pulpit Minister
Washington Church of Christ     -   311   Hillside Drive

Washington, IN  47501  -  812.254.0508 (office)  812.610.2484 (cell)

www.washingtoncoc.org              washington@facebook

christopher@washingtoncoc.org                        topher@twitter