If you have any Spanish speaking friends, please invite them to tune into my husband's (Rev. Ruben Sernas) new radio show about the Protestant Reformation called La Nueva Reforma. It will air every Thursday night on radio station Nueva Vida KEZY 1230 AM at 6:30PM. He will be talking about the Belgic Confession, a document written by Guido de Bres in 1561 for the Protestant churches in what was then called the Belgic states (now known as the Netherlands and Belgium) as a response to cruel persecution by the Roman Catholic rulers under King Philip II of Spain who believed that the Protestant church was rebellious and unbiblical.
Many adherents of the Protestant faith were murdered for their leaving for the Protestant church because they were thought to be heretics. This document thus defends the fundamental tenets of the Protestant faith as being grounded and defined by the Word and nothing/ no one else (Popes, traditions, etc). You can read about it more here or aqui.
Listeners can meet and speak with Rev. Sernas this Friday night, when a new bible study in Spanish will also begin at our church at 7PM. Our church is located at the NE corner of Euclid and Philadelphia (off the 60 freeway and the Euclid exit) Visit: www.ontariourc.org for a map.
En Espanol: Revdo. Ruben Sernas va ensenar manana (el 15 de octubre) acerca de la Confesion Belga en la estacion de radio KEZY 1240 AM (Radio Nueva Vida) a las 6:30 PM. Habra un estudio biblico cada viernes a las 7 PM a nuestra iglesia.
Silence Trying to fathom the distance Looking out 'cross the canyon carved By my hands God is gracious Sin would still separate us Were it not for the bridge His grace Has made us His love will carry me
(Chorus) There's a bridge to cross the great divide A way was made to reach the other side The mercy of the Father, cost His son His life His love is deep, His love is wide There's a cross to bridge the great divide
God is faithful On my own I'm unable He found me hopeless, alone and Sent a Savior He's provided a path a promised To guide us Safely past all the sin that would divide us His love delivers me
(Repeat Chorus)
The cross that cost my Lord His life Has given me mine There's a bridge to cross the great divide There's a cross to bridge the great divide
~~ Granted, there are some theological nuances that need to be emended in this song. The mercy of the Father did not cost His Son his life per se, as if our sin necessitated the Son's death unconditionally. The Son was not made to suffer for us; rather, Jesus chose to offer Himself--the shedding of His own blood--as payment for the sins of His people, bearing the mortal curse resulting from Adam's (and our) violation of the covenant of works. In other words, He was not forced to die; rather, He chose to die. His death was voluntary: the Father did not subject Him forcibly as if He were abusing his child as some liberal theologians assert. The Son out of love for His Bride (the church), laid down His life for Her in love, which makes His sacrifice all the more glorious and undeserved.
And sin does not separate us from God, as if unpaid sin would actually lead us to eternal separation from God in hell as many Evangelicals believe. God is ominpresent and there is no place in heaven, earth or hell where He does not reside. Rather, in hell, people suffer His eternal wrath and anger justly, as their sins deserve. And this is where we all would be had it not been for the sacrifice of the Son which turned away and appeased the wrath of the Father. Atonement and propitiation are indeed sweet to a sinner's ear!
Nonethless, the harmonics in this song are unbeatable and the praising of God's mercy and love so heartwarming and uplifting. Christ as a bridge is a wonderful metaphor that helps us to understand that the only way to reach the Father is through His Son. A bridge is an engineering marvel that conveys the sense of people and vehicles trampling and exhausting its length to make it to the other side. And our sins exacted from Christ a life of poverty and suffering most acutely experienced in His being nailed to the Cross. But such a "trampling" of His life, the pouring out of His own blood into death brought us life and God. His death rendered the Holy Curtain asunder and brought us freely into the Holiest place of God. It is a sweet (however imperfect) blend of form and substance. I love this song!
We do not live on a farm but there are a lot of critters that board this house. Hence our following morning routine with husband, 2 children, 1 dog (the newest member, a border collie named Ike), and several seedlings and plants (and the occasional mice and local drunk vagrants):
6:30 AM: Let Ike go potty
6: 40 AM: Morning walk with Ike
7:10 AM: Water the seedlings (parsley, onion, green onion, cilantro and lettuce) in our indoor greenhouse.
7:20 AM: Feed Ike
7:45 AM: Water the plants, especially the pasote herb, Papi's new herb garden (R's dad planted some seeds recently outdoors), the boysenberry vine and the bougainvillea plants.
8:00 AM: Breakfast time with R and the girls; call Jesse for pests in the parsonage, the cops for the human pests on the front lawn or backyard!
Feeding, weeding, and sun-- this is the order of the day. The children complicate the process just a little bit if you know what I mean. But sometimes the plants give them a run for the money when they're overrun with weeds. That can just as much consume my time and energy. The dog is the sweetest thing since Twinkies was invented, so he has simply been a pleasure to care for. But I do try to avoid the common mistake of giving him affection more than the children. It is a temptation when the dog lives up to its title as "Man's Best Friend."
We may live in an urban jungle out here, our house being situated by 4 gasoline stations, 2 drugstores, 1 liquorstore and a daycare center. But walk north 1/2 a block, there's a rose farm teeming with ducks and chickens and a couple of goats. Drive 1 mile south, and you will see hundreds of cows grazing on pasture or feed. And come to our house and you will get to meet our little critters Sukipaki, Kikok, Ike (do we have an obsession with the letter K or what?), and the plants.
We just returned from a week of vacation. My in-laws live 1-2 miles off the beach, so we went to the beach twice. Our first beach excursion included a reunion with 2 high school friends Audrey and Joanna. Audrey brought her husband and son. They flew in from Oregon and filled me with stories of wine, blueberries, overgrown bushes, and cooler weather. I am lusting to go up and hole myself up there for a month next summer. With the children of course (and adopted baby too?). And maybe R, if he gets the time off. This friend I'd be visiting is so much like a sister, that I have no hesitation making myself at home in her nifty little Craftsman. Bring on the wine and food mateys!
Audrey, Joshua and R from Oregon
Joanna with R (child's name is protected)
Another day was spent looking at Grecian antiquities at the Getty Villa in Malibu. Both Getty museums are kid-friendly with a lot of hands-on exhibits and even herbs to pick and eat. The Villa, in particular, is nestled in the Malibu hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean. There is a cool ocean breeze and a surprising quietness to the villa as a result of being enfolded by the landscape. But as it always is with children, the stillness was sweet but ephemeral. Soon, my hobbit children were hungry for 2nd lunch and their afternoon nap.
Sukipaki offering libations. How about giving me a drink?
A frieze depicting something I should know about but have forgotten...
Confession of a Southern CA brat: I wish it were the Mediterranean Sea but alas, it is the Pacific
Another day, we did the one thing which immigrants aspire to do when they enter our North American promise land: shop. We drove about an hour away to Camarillo outlets and indulged in milk and honey. Me fue bien as the saying goes as I got 4 pairs of shoes. My in-laws bought me a pair of crosstrainers while my husband, not to be out-done by his generous parents, bought me 2 flats and a pair of black pumps, altogether for less than $50. It's been a very long time since I've bought shoes, having just transitioned out of our mildly impoverished seminary life. Thank you God for such rare luxuries and happy 10 year wedding anniversary to me (err, us )!
Yup, a cute gold mine baby!
Later that evening we got to go on a double-date with an old highschool friend Isabelle with her hubby Gerardo. It's interesting how 15 years has not changed us for one bit. Isabelle and I retold our dating and marriage stories and recalled some highschool experiences (swimming, Mr. Francisco, and Ruth). Both of us being parents, we also got to do the typical picture exchange of our bundles of love-- but the 2000 millenium way, through our cellphones with built-in cameras. And of course, we got to commiserate with each other's parenting woes. What's a common family field trip? Sam's club (or Costco in my case). And our personal entertainment vices? whatever we like on t.v. (as you should know what mine are by now: American Idol and Lie to Me). Oh for cheap thrills. We each were very grateful just to get out without the children!
We returned to the inland heat and scorch on Monday (we went to Sunday services at the URC in Torrance if you were wondering). But upon our arrival, we were notified our electricity was shut off due to scheduled maintenance. We packed off again to air conditioning at my parents. The girls and R spent daddy daughter day annoying R. But providentially, I had agreed with some girlfriends to pamper ourselves at Glen Ivy Hot Springs. A little bit of splashing in the pool, napping in the chaise lounge, doing water aerobics, rubbing some mud and rinsing off in a cave like shower--all of this made for some sweet relaxation on Tuesday. Wednesday was a return to reality. I don't even care to remember what happened that day.
And on Thursday--today--, we hit the dirt, literally. The girls and I spent a couple of hours digging up soil and weeds. Well-meaning people--friends, Romans, countrymen-- decided not to lend me their ears but give me their plants instead. Who knew that plants are like children needing a lot of water, attention, and weeding? I am coming to terms with that truth in a hard and fast way.
The before picture. And still working on the after picture.
Finally, tomorrow is D-day as Sukipaki prepares for another dental surgery. It turns out that 2 of 4 pulpotomies performed earlier this year failed. The 2 lower molars which had been crowned decayed anyway. C'est la vie, mes amies! So here's to another $600 down the drain, which the Lord in His kind providence provided after R sustained his ministry exam and received a 15% raise. Whenever something goes as the laws of Murphy planned, I guess I can always blame it on the children. No sleep? The children. No money? The children. No privacy? The children. But the good Lord did make very cute little scapegoats who are worth all the hassle and misery. To be sure, they are the source of our joy, hope and happiness too (after God, of course). I just can't quite figure out the specifics of how such joy, hope and happiness have been derived but I feel them. Once I get more sleep, I will let you know.
I've been busy praying for missionaries in Bundibugyo, Uganda who were recently affected by the Ebola outbreak. Some of them work in the medical field; of those working at the local Bundibugyo hospital, Dr. Jonah Kule along with clinical officer Joshua Kule, and nurse matron Rose (last name unknown) have died. Dr. Jonah Kule was a firm believer and worked with the World Harvest Mission team in reaching the people in Bundibugyo for the Lord.
I had learned of World Harvest Mission in my final year of college when a good friend of mine, Matt, was considering doing missions work with South Asians living in the Southall section of London, England. The mission agency's founder, C. John Miller (aka "Jack" Miller), was a professor at Westminster East of practical theology, and had planted New Life Presbyterian Church in Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. He had written some very edifying works including "Outgrowing the Ingrown Church" and "Evangelism for the Powerless." Both of these books we used to guide our prayers at the prayer meetings R and I held at church when we were still courting. I would literally cut and paste his thoughts on the church to verbalize our prayers. He was a man so gripped with the depth of his own sinfulness and the contrasting beauty and mercy of God in answering our sin with His Son.
When I myself visited the missions work in London, I met with a missionary who just had completed her time in Bundibugyo, Uganda and was visiting London en route to the US. After having spent time with her in London for a week or so, my connection with Uganda felt so much more palpable. And now learning of their suffering and devastation, I cannot help but continually lift them up to the Lord in prayer. Would you please join with me too?
Please visit Drs. Scott and Jennifer Myhre's site and physician assistant Scott Will's, all three of whom, after having been exposed to the virus and not succumbed to infection, are continuing their medical work along with other major international agencies (MSF, WHO, something like African Epidemiology Network, Ministry of Health, and CDC) in containing the epidemic and caring for its victims. Their detailed blogs will help you to specify your prayers.
Pray for the rest of the World Harvest Mission team, most of whom have evacuated, including the Drs. Myhre's own 4 children. Pray also for the suffering victims and the families of these victims, many now widowed and orphaned, like Dr. Jonah Kule's 5 children and unborn baby still growing in his widow's womb.
Pray finally for God to be glorified in all of this and His Kingdom advanced.
What do
you understand by the providence of God?
The almighty,
everywhere present power of God,1 whereby, as it were
by His hand, He upholds heaven and earth with all creatures,2
and so governs them that herbs and grass, rain and drought,
fruitful and barren years, meat and drink,3 health
and sickness, 4 riches and poverty,5 indeed, all things come not
by chance, but by His Fatherly hand.
1
Acts 17:25, 26. 2 Heb 1:3. 3 Jer 5:24. * Acts 14:17.
4 John 9:3. 5 Prov 22:2. * Ps 103:19. * Rom
5:3-5a.
What does
it profit us to know that God created, and by His providence
upholds all things?
That we may
be patient in adversity,1 thankful in prosperity,2
and for what is future have good confidence in our faithful God
and Father, that no creature shall separate us from His love,3
since all creatures are so in His hand, that without His will
they cannot so much as move.4
)! 
