Upright in Heart~ Psalm 32

"Rejoice in the LORD, and be glad, you righteous. Sing all you who are upright in heart."

Just a thought today after reading Psalm 32~

(The Psalm is included at the bottom of this comment)

We can be "upright" in so many areas of our lives...

"upright" in our families

"upright" in our communities

"upright" where we work

"upright" among friends

"upright" in our churches

"upright" in our religiosity

and still not be upright in heart~

The hidden places we keep for ourselves...

Why do we choose ,as though we have no understanding, to be as the horse or the mule, needing the bit and bridle, to come to the LORD with our weaknesses and short comings?

And this, in light of His promise when we come to Him with our sin & strivings~

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you."

May we come to the LORD and trust in Him~

Trust enough to acknowledge our sin and lay bare our iniquities before Him.

In doing this, we are blessed ... not cursed -

Our hearts will cry out with praise and joy ...naturally.

What freedom we have in our grip that we so casually ignore!

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered..."

"Sing, all you who are upright in heart..."

Not only has He covered our sins and forgiven our transgressions... He has

"forgiven the guilt of my sin"!!

"...The LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him..."

Rejoice in the LORD today!

How easy, when I think on these things, to sing Him a new song~

"for it is fitting for the upright in heart to praise Him".

Psalm 32~

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"-

and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found;

surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Selah.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you.

Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.

Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;

Sing all you who are upright in heart!

After the rain...

Volcan Misti,
After the rain...



This is the view from our front steps...
Aren't we lucky!

It's Raining...It's Pouring (well, sort of!)

It's raining here in Arequipa.

That doesn't happen much-

That wet stuff doesn't smell quite right-

Rain, rain go away!

A Thought on Discipleship

"...His yoke is easy, and His burden is light... To go one's way under the sign of the cross is not misery and desperation, but peace and refreshment for the soul, it is the highest joy. Then we do not walk under our self-made laws and burdens, but under the yoke of Him who knows us and who walks under the yoke with us. Under His yoke we are certain of His nearness and communion. It is He whom the disciple finds as he lifts up his cross."

~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Artwork by Carol Barber

"The friend who attends the bridegroom waits & listens for Him,

and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice..."

~John 3:29

Year In Pictures....

A Beautiful Arequipa Sunset !!

Living the abundant life together~

Lake Titicaca- Puno, Peru

"Manos Unidos" work day~

We were the "padrinos" for this kindergarten graduation...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS...HAPPY HOLIDAYS...HAPPY HOLIDAYS...

What do you do when the turkey comes with ALL of it's parts? Take a picture of course!

Gotta love the clean-up crew !!

Alex & Dori are EXCITED about baking Christmas cookies!

Julber (and Tico) after Julber's graduation from his first year of school in the city!! Yeah Julber!!!

HAPPY New Year! And...our happy new casita!

Happy New Year!

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. "
~Jeremiah 17:7-8


2007
For those of you we most recently have come to know, we count you among the great blessings that the LORD has given us this past year. It has been a very full year. We thank you all for your loving support of our work here and thought you might like to think on the fruit borne this year in the LORD.

~We have had the great joy of baptizing new believers into the Family and living as the Body of Christ together. This is abundant life!
~We were joined by brothers & sisters from many parts of the world this year, to bring encouragement, teaching, and unity in Christ, to the Church here in Peru and in Chile. We spent nearly a month traveling all over Peru and into northern Chile...What an adventure!
~We laboured with local churches in Arequipa- preaching the Kingdom of God and teaching about Jesus Christ.
~We were blessed to be a part of the life of a young man who came to intern with us for 6 months. He has gone back to the States now, but God is being glorified in his life and by his testimony that he has left here!
~The Lord allowed that we might be a part of bringing relief and hope to the people of Peru after the devastating earthquake in August. This work was heart-wrenching and rewarding at the same time... we felt blessed to be able to be here during that time (and continue to work toward rebuilding- on a smaller scale).
~Julber has overcome a huge challenge and completed his first year of school here in Arequipa. He is still suffering a lot from his illness & we all continue to pray for his healing. You can read more about Julber & how you might pray for him at: www.luke109.blogspot.com
~We were able to work on some local projects in our community- such as helping a local school for handicapped children (next door to Lee's old house) with a clean-up of the school, fresh paint, yard work, and a new fence. These were some great kids and very dedicated teachers! Everyone pitched in & we had a great time!
~We were honored to be a part of the marriage of Lee & Dori. This was a beautiful example of God's great love & faithfulness.
~We spent our first Christmas here in Peru- though we missed our friends and families, it was a great experience. We drank hot chocolate and ate Panatone (even though it was summer here)... and we shared our traditions with our friends here. We baked Christmas cookies together (something totally new for them- thanks for the cookie decorating goodies Val!), tried cranberry sauce (not a Peruvian favorite :), taught everyone how to cut out paper snowflakes, made gingerbread houses, sung "Let It Snow" and "Deck the Halls"- (doesn't translate so well!), and decorated our tree!
~And for those of you who don't know, we began the NEW year with a NEW home. Yes! The Styron's have once again moved during Christmas! We were able to find (definately a gift from God!) the cutest little house ever (with the cutest little rent ever)! We believe that there will be a lot of traveling this year, and this change will undoubtedly allow us the freedom to travel together more.

And so, we stretch out our "roots" toward the Stream, the Living Water, as we trust the LORD for the next year....

2008
And so begins a NEW Year!
We are very excited to be able to see already some of the work that has been set before us this year...

~We continue to pastor among God's people here in Arequipa from day to day... we are all studying and learning and growing together in grace & knowledge. The Lord has added to His Church & we are rejoicing to see the lasting fruit being borne within the Body.
~We are excited to have the opportunity to spend a focused time of discipleship with a young lady, a friend of Lee & Dori's, from North Carolina. She will be coming to spend 3 months with our group this spring.
~We are planning to travel again during the month of June... hopefully, as doors open, through southern Peru, northern Chile, and Argentina, "Proclaiming the year of the LORD's favor and the day of the vengence of our God" ~Isaiah 61:2.
~We also have an opportunity to travel to Israel... we are REALLY praying seriously about this & would appreciate your prayers as well.

AND...

"2008- New Wine, New Wineskin Retreat"
This is a very exciting time for all of us. The last retreat we held in October 2006 was an amazing time. The Lord provoked, equipped, and edified His Church during this time and we believe that He has set this time apart again to minister to the Church here in South America. We are expecting around 100 people from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and the USA. Among this gathering will be 15-20 brothers and sisters from Chincha, Peru (this is the town where we ministered to many people after the earthquake).
The retreat will be held February 13-16. We appreciate your prayers and any contributions you would like to make toward this work.

Wishing you & your family a fruitful New Year!
We covet your prayers and appreciate your friendship. As always, we would love to hear from you anytime!

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. " ~Jeremiah 17:7-8