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Chuck

Charles (Chuck) and Rachel Keim (Dan Thiessen’s son-in-law and daughter)My friend Chuck passed to the other side, and we attended his celebration service in Edmonton. 1989. Chuck, Henry, and I are on an epic road trip, checking out the Joshua trees with Henry’s propane-fueled Cadillac in the background. 1989. Rick and Chuck at an orange

Baptism

Lucy and Paul’s people showed up in force at the Anglican Church last Sunday for their baptism. While we dedicate our babies to God, and they get baptized when they are old enough to understand, the Anglicans baptize the babies of willing parents, and then the children, when they can understand, confirm that they want

Natan, Rick, and Yuri

 This week’s newsletter explores the profound idea that God has plans for us even before we are born, as illustrated in a recent dream. We’ll also extend a heartfelt invitation to our Brazil Night event, some prison-ministry memories, and highlight key moments from the past week that continue to shape our journey. Powered by WPeMatico

An Ancient Book

I dreamed about an ancient manuscript that included the names of those who helped in this church-planting initiative in Northern Brazil. The dream included a fellow leader named Clenildo. I shared the details with him and obtained his permission before publishing this video. “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were

A High Point

My friend’s baptism remains one of the great highlights of my life. The feeling of that moment still overwhelms me. I ministered to him in jail about five years ago. As you can see, he was a tough guy, and a leader. He has a Christian dad and sister, as best as I remember. I

Natán’s Story

Yuri, Rick, Gil, Natán, Yurí’s Christian grandma. When Gil got out of jail, the guard called me to come and pick him up. We had been talking about going on a missionary trip together. I contacted another ex-inmate, Natán, who invited his friend, Yuri. They lived in a village near our city. Gil and I

Deanna’s Birthday

Last week, I wrote, “Happy Birthday, Deanna.” It was on the morning of her birthday. Here are some photos of the special day. Bella’s birthday gift to Deanna was to come to church with us, where we could show the twins to many people who prayed for them through their 66 days in the NICU

The Good Gold

Watch a two-minute video to explore the idea of the “good gold” outside the Garden of Eden.Genesis 2 describes how the River of God flowed out of the Garden to the chaos land.And in those rivers, good gold, rare perfume, and onyx stones exist.”The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there” (NIV, Ge 2:12).Outside of the

Tips to Read the Bible Through Each Year

1. Start Your Day with the Word: Begin each morning by prioritizing your Bible reading. Let it be the first thing that welcomes you into a new day. 2. Seek Nuggets of Wisdom: Approach your reading as a search for gold nuggets. You’re not trying to mine the whole creek or process every word. Look for one

Naches, Washington State

Our families rented a log house AirBnB in Naches, Washington State, between Christmas and New Year. Now that our clan is more balanced between men and women, from 1:6 to 5:7, we are expanding our daily activities. The daybreak view from the livingroom window as I had my quiet time. Quiet Time – Via and