Weather Report

One thing we all have in common is an interest in weather. Yesterday I was the first person to join a Zoom meeting. After greeting the only other person on screen, there was a pause. An uncomfortable and a little too long of a pause. After a few seconds of weird silence, I opted for the old "How's the weather where you are?" icebreaker. I already knew what the weather was in Upstate New York and really wasn’t interested, but I thought I’d throw the ball in his court and let him manage the conversation.

I’m not a conversationalist. In fact, when driving on a trip with my wife, I can go 50 miles without saying a word. If she starts talking, I might throw in an occasional um or oh, but in general, we enjoy being together and companionship without the drama of what's going on with who or how much will it cost to fix such and such.

Where am I going with this? I confess when I started this post, I had no idea what to write. But as I looked out the window on this cloudless, blue, sunny day, I thought “how beautiful is this winter weather.” I’ll write about the weather! (lightbulb). Quickly the weather topic turned to conversation which finally led me to realize how my corny story of riding in a car with my wife relates to our relationship with God. 

Too often our prayers are all drama, they’re all about us. Even though we pray for other people and other interests than our own, we’re still praying for things, about things, because of things—God has become our heavenly Walmart. 

Why not have a nice quiet ride in the car with God today! No drama. No deep questions, but to enjoy His company and contemplate who He is with thanksgiving. You don’t even need a car, just take a slice of your day with God and enjoy His presence. 

Partnership on the Field

Some people say we are all Missionaries.  That’s not really true. A Missionary is someone who is “sent.”  Now, that could be globally or locally, but they are sent out.  However, we all have the same Mission.

Paul was a Missionary.  A Missionary’s job is to proclaim to those that don’t know Jesus, that He is The King.  That was Paul’s job.  

What happened when people heard the news and believed?  They were transformed by the Savior.  They were treated as equals in ethnicity, gender and economic status.  New families were created that would eat together, take care of the poor, and help one another.  They lived like Jesus was actually their King.

I cannot compare myself with someone like Paul.  But for a moment I want to share with you what ALL Missionaries (or effective Missionaries) have in common.

Mainly, they don’t work alone but are in partnership with the body of Christ.  Take someone like Lydia. She lived in Thyatira and was a business woman.  She sold purple dye.  She owned a spacious home, had servants, and the disciples often stayed at her house if they needed lodging along the way.  She housed and took care of Paul and Silas after their brutal beating.

And then there’s John Mark.  He was an official assistant to Paul during some of his journeys, like a business manager.  And Tertius; I know, you’ve never heard of him, but in those days, there were no eye-glasses. So, if you were losing your eye-sight, there were people who would read to you and those who would write for you (Scribes). That was Tertius.  He was a Scribe to Paul.  He actually wrote the entire book of Romans for Paul.  There are 16 chapters in the book of Romans and it isn’t until the 16th chapter, after Paul sends his greetings to this one and that one that Tertius actually says, “And I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.”

A lot of these people helped Paul financially.  In all of his greetings you’ll hear, and greet this one who was my benefactor.

All of these people, and more, had a part in Paul’s Mission. He did not do the work alone.  He had partnership.  For some it was financial, for others running back and forth for him.  There were those who wrote and read for him, and those who housed him during his travels, even a doctor who went along with him (Luke).  

You, the church, play a significant role in the Great Commission.  You may not produce films and other media that reach people with the Gospel around the world, but you do many other things that make us partners.  

This is to say, thank you.

Resolutions

By the time this blog is posted, we’ll be well into 2023. Many have made New Year’s Resolutions they’ve already given up on. The last few years I’ve been vaguely aware of the concept of setting a Word of the Year but this year it seemed to be coming up everywhere, and not just in spiritual circles. It’s touted as being much more effective than making resolutions. I don’t know how true that is, but I decided to give it a try and ended up choosing CONFIDENCE.

“Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and CONFIDENCE is your strength.” Isa 30:15

This verse always reminds me that when I rest in God, I have the confidence I need to accomplish what He desires. Otherwise, I am relying on my own strength, and that only leads to stress, mistakes and losing my way. 

Confidence also encompasses trust and hope, knowing that God is in control and directing my path. This being our first full year with IMM in Spain, I’m strongly feeling the need for God’s guidance in how to most effectively make use of the time He has given me to be here. I still feel like I’m finding my way in a new place, with so much to do and never enough time to do it all.

Further in that same chapter, Isaiah says, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isa 30:21 My goal for 2023 is to have the confidence to listen for His voice and trust in His wisdom and guidance, not relying on my own strength. 

The other two verses to go with my Word of the Year are:

“Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose CONFIDENCE is in him.” Jer 7:17

“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with CONFIDENCE, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Heb 13:5-6

In my last blog of this year, I’ll let you know how I did!

For Those Who Thirst

It’s dry in Madrid. In a way that has us scrambling to buy even bigger humidifiers and water bottles, it’s painfully obvious that Spain is an arid, desert climate in the winter. Most days you can get by with a sweater and hat as protection from the cold, but the dryness is what will cause the most damage if we’re not careful to hydrate, moisturize, and bundle up.

The dryness is an issue all year, but we tend to notice it the most when cold and wind follow. When the sun sets all too early and our bodies protest the hibernation. In the summer, we’ll complain about the heat. In the spring and autumn, allergies. But here, the dryness never changes.

It’s a reminder to me of how often we, as followers of Christ, only notice the spiritual “dryness” of the world around us when it affects us directly or makes us uncomfortable. Family, it’s always been there. Every generation, back to before Noah, has been marked by a dry apathy towards the goodness of God.

We praise God in the New Year for His mercy of letting us get uncomfortable with the thirst of the world around us. Because it shouldn’t be routine to see the hurt and brokenness of the world and brush it off as “how it is” or “how it always will be.”

And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.”

This is our portion as Christians. We not only are promised new, fullness of life, our portion is to hope for our thirsty world. Do we believe God when he promises a free drink of life to the thirsty? Do we believe this for our families, our neighbors, our friends and coworkers? How about those who live a different lifestyle than us? How about Christians who live in sin and compromise? Do we believe these promises for them as well?

I think if we did, if I did, we would all live so differently.

Lord, would you fill us with hope of life for all of those who thirst around us, even ourselves.

Eureka! Christmas isn’t over

Growing up I would have explained to you the meaning of epiphany as a sudden realization. You can tell I wasn’t from a high church background, right? I learned of a celebration called Epiphany that was in January eventually but it wasn’t anything tangible for me. 

Coming to live in Spain, I was delighted to discover that the Christmas season actually culminates here with King’s Day (Epiphany) on January 6. Now this is not simply a service in a church, this is an all out anticipated event. It is not uncommon to hear children asked, “What do you want the Kings to bring you?”

 On January 5th a town of any size will have a parade of the King’s coming to town. These are the King’s bringing gifts to baby Jesus and all the good boys and girls. In Madrid, this is an event with thousands of people - think Macy’s day parade. It’s crowded; it’s dark and cold. All the floats are lit up in a grand display. Children will have their favorite of the Kings and call out the name. Names I didn’t know without looking them up before I got here to Spain. 

I love the connection to God’s story of Christmas that this celebration brings. I love the long season of anticipation that this creates. Often depending on the family, Christmas day can be just a family dinner type holiday with the big day of presents being January 6 when the Kings come. 

With school holidays being from late December to January 7 more and more families have incorporated Santa Claus, Papa Noel, so that the toys come earlier in the vacation time. It is not unusual for Santa to make an appearance in the King’s day parade either. I guess you can have it all for this holiday! 

So as you pack up your holiday decorations, perhaps you too will have an Epiphany - thinking about all the things that happened surrounding the birth of the Christ child and all the gifts He gives with new mercies every day.

Reflections on Advent: John

Although the gospel of John does not recount Jesus’s birth, John’s introduction of Jesus is intriguing nonetheless.

John calls Jesus the Word. We learn early in life how powerful words can be. I can think of many moments where the right affirmation at the right time was like a balm to my soul or a jolt of encouragement. I can also think of moments where hurtful words struck so close to an insecurity that they crippled me. Psalm 18:21 puts it this way: The tongue has the power of life and death.

As I think about words having the power of life, I am also reminded of a scene from The Chronicles of Narnia. In The Magician’s Nephew, C.S. Lewis describes the creation of Narnia. He paints a scene of Aslan the Great Lion singing a melody almost too glorious to be described. As Aslan sings, the world is created: “A voice had begun to sing. Sometimes it seemed to come from all directions at once. There were no words. It was hardly a tune. But it was beyond comparison, the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.”

That scene has stuck with me since I first read it as a child. Frivolous as it may seem, as I read “In the beginning was the Word, and…all things were made through him” (John 1:1,3) I have to wonder if the creation of our own universe was something like Aslan roaring Narnia into existence.

It’s nice to imagine Jesus bringing a piece of encouragement or a spectacle of creation, but what I think Jesus being the Word really means is that he is solid. He is unchanging. He came before me and He will be after me. His character is trustworthy. His love is immovable. Like a binding word, Jesus’s essence demonstrates the unconditional love of God for us.

So as we approach Christmas and the end of the year, may we remember – even in the moments when we feel unraveled or unsure – we can stand securely upon Jesus the Word, confident in who He is and in His love for us.

Reflections on Advent: Luke

The book of Luke is well known for having a beautifully written narrative of the birth of Jesus. Many of the verses in Luke 2 have been used as memory verses and in Christmas plays.

Verses such as Luke 2:12:  “And thus will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

Yet I really enjoy getting to read about what comes before the epic announcement of Christ’s birth. Zacharias has an encounter with the angel Gabriel who tells him that his barren wife, Sarah, will conceive a child. It says that Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous before God, walking in all His commandments. A little while later, Gabriel speaks to Mary and tells her that she has found favour with God and that she will conceive a child and bring forth a Son whose name shall be Jesus. This is our first introduction to Elizabeth and Mary and their stories almost bring me to tears. 

Two faithful women who had no idea that their lives were about to be turned upside down. Both known for their humility and willingness to serve the Lord. One woman advanced in age and barren, the other a virgin, only recently betrothed to her fiancé. Sarah’s son, John, would grow up to be the prophet of the Highest and to prepare the way of the Lord. Mary’s son, Jesus, would be the Son of the Highest and there would be no end to His kingdom. Both men would be persecuted and killed because of their testimony. Jesus would conquer death and sin and proclaim salvation for any who would come to Him. Neither of the women expected to be a part of such a miracle. Yet God chose them because of their humility and because they walked in righteousness before God. 

God has designed each and every one of us and prepared good works for us to walk in. We may not know what those works are, but we do know that the most important thing is to walk in righteousness and find favour with God. To have a disposition to be a part of the miracles that God is doing around us. John’s calling was to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide their feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:79). This holiday season, may our hearts be open to God in complete surrender. May we ask Him to open our eyes to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death so that they can have an encounter with the Light of Life and the Prince of Peace. 

Reflections on Advent: Mark

The birth of Jesus introduced light into the world, like a candle being lit in a dark room, sudden and gloriously bright. It also introduced something else into the world as well, something greater. 

In the Gospel of Mark, he writes about the life of Jesus. We do not get the birth announcement; we don’t read about Mary and her step of faith, the journey to Bethlehem or the angels announcing His arrival. The book itself is short and focuses on Jesus’ miracles and teachings, as well as beginning with John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus to come. The beginning itself goes very quickly through Jesus’ baptism, temptation and then transition into His ministry, and instead focuses on the later portions: His transfiguration, His miracles, His prophecies and ultimately His death, resurrection, and ascension. 

So, what is the something greater that Jesus’ birth introduces to the world? It’s something that Mark writes about in his gospel. Hope. The focus on the gospel is that of the hope we have in Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. This is the salvation that is for all people that was fulfilled in the crucifixion.

Even in the beginning, John speaks of Jesus as one

“…After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1:8-7 ESV. 

As we celebrate Christmas, we not only celebrate the light that was brought, but hope of salvation for all.

Reflections on Advent: Matthew

And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Matthew 1:21-23 NLT

And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:9-11

When the question is asked, “why do we give gifts at Christmas?” the answer is often, “because the Wise Men brought gifts to Jesus.” This is our first year to experience Christmas in Spain. It was interesting to learn that January 6 (Epiphany, the twelve days after Christmas that tradition says it took the Wise Men to arrive in Bethlehem), is the big gift giving day for the children of Spain. Santa Claus doesn’t bring their presents on Christmas Day, the Wise Men do on Epiphany. 

The dictionary definition of Epiphany is “the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi” or “a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.” The baby Jesus was revealed to the Wise Men as the Messiah and King and their gifts reflected that. And that realization caused them to bow down and worship Him.

The other answer to “why do we give gifts at Christmas?” is to celebrate the greatest gift ever given, the gift of God’s Son, who came to save us from our sins; to be Immanuel, God with us. When we open this gift, we receive not only eternal life for the future, but also love, hope, peace and joy for today. Advent is the time to prepare our hearts to celebrate His arrival: historically in the past, in our lives today, and when He will come again. It is the time to remember to keep our focus on God’s most precious gift to us, and to share that gift with everyone we can.

“Joy to the World, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare Him room!”

Honoring a Legacy of Training

Henry was a great visionary and had great foresight of the significance of the Media in the Kingdom of God.

He was a pioneer in mobilizing the media in the Church in South Asia.

We had the great privilege of having him in Sri Lanka to conduct Media seminars and train many people in this ministry. He was instrumental in producing Open the Bible in our languages in South Asia.

We praise God for his humble and exemplary life and ministry.

Michael Dissanayeke; Former Superintendent of Assemblies of God Sri Lanka

We honor Henry and his legacy by continuing the vision of training and multiplying the gospel in media to every nation, tribe, and tongue. Throughout his years of ministry, Henry Marsh devoted countless hours to growing relationships cross-culturally: many times for the purpose of training in media ministry, but mostly out of his heart for connecting with all people in a personal way. 

As a team, we carry the mantle passed to us by training not just the next generation in media ministry, but also reaching into the unreached places, planting seeds, and meeting the needs of the local church and community. Pray with us that the Lord would use IMM and our team to multiply his gospel in places missionaries can’t reach through the strategic tool of media ministry. In this way, we honor Henry’s legacy and build upon the foundation he left us: a platform for reaching the lost through genuine, Christlike relationships.

Henry Marsh (right)

No One Expects the Spanish Inquisition

The year was 1680. King Charles II of Spain, his court, and the cream of Madrid society were gathered that hot day in June to bear witness to one of the many trials of faith that occurred during the 350 years of the Spanish Inquisition. That particular day, Inquisitor General Diego Sarmiento de Valladares had gathered the many inmates held in different inquisitorial courts of the region and decided to showcase the zeal of the Crown in the defense of the faith in carrying out the pronouncements and executions of sentences.

The plaza was transformed into a splendid outdoor courtroom. Royal tapestries woven with religious symbolism hung from the plaza walls. Ornamental seating in the stands for the ecclesiastical authorities, relatives of the Holy Office, commissioners and notaries of the court were all filled. It was standing room only. Earlier, 250 soldiers in their ceremonial finery had collected large bundles of firewood to be used in the public burner just outside the Gate of Fuencarral. Now the soldiers stood in lines, ready to enforce decorum, awaiting their next task.

The 120 prisoners, up at 3am to be dressed in their carefully marked gowns to signify their respective crimes, were given a light breakfast in preparation for the holy procession and ceremony of the long day ahead. The prisoners represented a variety of threats to the True Faith. Some were former Jew and Muslim converts that had lapsed, others were bigamists, adulterers, Protestants, Anglicans, Freemasons, forgers, witches and sodomites. Some had confessed and were allowed to be strangled before their bodies were burned. Some were to only receive flogging, or a life spent rowing a galley in one of the many wars, others sentenced to burn were spiteful, impatient, and defiant. But first, there was to be a Mass.  (facts chronicled by Joseph del Olmo and published in that same year.)

The Accuser of the Brethren drapes himself in theater and pageantry, using the very Law brought down from heaven to drive us into hopelessness and despair. We are guilty. We stand in chains facing the holy courts of justice, hearing the list of heresies and crimes we have committed. We are the transgressors of the law. Our punishment is death.

But we have an Advocate. “And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by His grace through redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3: 22-24).  We have a worthy Redeemer who has paid the price for our crimes. We are to go free because of His merciful love towards us. However, Jesus says, “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.” (John. 12:48).

It is Jesus Christ who has stood before the court in our place, was flogged, humiliated and killed. He paid our ransom. Our future is secure. “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, “The victory and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah have now come. These things have come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown out. He is the one who accused them day and night before our God” (Rev. 12:10).

Our desire at IMM is to see the advocate, Jesus Christ, on every screen. That can be a very large screen (we future-proof by shooting in the highest resolution our cameras will allow), or a small screen. In the last few months, one of our projects was to translate the stories of the People Who Met Jesus into Dari for Afghanistan. It was a challenge IMM has met before - working with a people group who would be brought before a religious court in their country and charged with Apostasy. In some cases, the pageantry of a religious trial would be absent, but a swift execution would still be carried out.

The story of Perpetua, who was killed in an arena for being a Christian, is part of our Heritage series, which is still being translated into many languages. One of the completed languages is Farsi, which is spoken in Iran. A dear friend of IMM, a Christian from Iran, spent time in our studio, fearless, in front of a camera, in order to get the Good News of Jesus to her country. She was no longer afraid for her life, as she had already spent long months in solitary confinement in Tehran for her apostasy. Our broadcast partners into the areas of Iran will reach into millions of homes via satellite.

Our target audience at IMM are those being accused by the enemy of their souls. They may not know that Jesus Christ has paid their price in full. We tell them this Good News, so they may have hope and joy, as they face trials in this fallen world. And despite the headlines, know that God’s Kingdom is growing daily as the gospel is proclaimed. “Then the Lord answered me: ‘Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed” (Habakkuk 2:2-3).

What Changed?

This week at IMM, we hosted two pastors in Spain to help lead our staff retreat. Unlike last year where we went to a monastery for the retreat, this year we stayed in our building, at IMM. An internal staff retreat. 

At this time last year, I had just arrived on the field and was still incredibly jet lagged. I remember roaming the halls of an ancient monastery and reverently touching the stone, breathing in the Spanish mountain air, and convinced it was all part of a dream I had yet to wake from. 

This year, I just finished a 10 day long vacation with a close friend across the Iberian peninsula. I felt confident navigating multi-cultural situations and treating Spain like the home I’ve begun to consider it as. But it’s taken almost a year to get there. For months, I felt as though I was drowning in culture-shock, unable to even walk down the street and buy snacks at the convenience store.

So what changed? It certainly wasn’t the Lord’s faithfulness, favor, or presence. Those remained the same through the whole process. I’d love to say my own skill and endurance gave me the strength to grow under this pressure, but that’s simply not true. The only difference between healthy living and drowning is the power of Christ. It’s only been by his hand upon me that I’ve been able to grow and adapt and heal while in Spain, in a foreign country surrounded by complete strangers.

IMM is being refined in so many ways. Our team is being strengthened. Vision is being awakened. Distraction and death is being conquered, and new life is springing forth. Even so, God, in His infinite goodness, has given us the time to touch every stone, breathe in the Spanish air, and live out the dream He’s given us since the beginning.

Psalm 27:

Verse 4: One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.

Verse 8: My heart says of you, “Seek His face!” Your face, Oh Lord, will I seek.

Verse 13-14: I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.