Season of Giving

There is snow somewhere with our name on it.  That's right, folks - meteorologists say that by Christmas night, there might be little tiny flakes of snow delicately falling down from our Texas skies, drifting fleetingly upon a our winter-neglected lone star lands. Wouldn't it be amazing?  Maybe if we're all good for the next few days, our gift will be a winter wonderland.  But hold your icy breath . . . its a big maybe.

But even while Texas might might match up to all those iconic songs about sleigh bells and snow, we still understand the real meaning of Christmas - giving:  how God gave us the birth of His son, Jesus, and how we in turn should be giving to others.  Isn't this what is meant by the saying  "peace on Earth and good will towards men?"  Perhaps this is never needed more than now.

In the wake of the  New Town massacre, the senseless violence towards those that we hold most dear has hit all of us hard.  And with new issues that we'll have to deal with coming up on the horizon, like the overwhelming availability of high-powered weapons and our deficiency as a nation in addressing mental illness, we know that we will have some major challenges ahead.  America will have to change.  And one of the first steps we can take is to make 'peace on Earth and good will towards men' a real thing - to actually do something in the lives of those that we love, and even in the lives of strangers, realizing that we are all connected to and responsible for our brothers.  One kind word, act or deed.    

This Christmas season, I encourage you to do some good deeds for the people in your life, even those you have never met. Below is a link to 26 Acts - a challenge brought forth by Ann Curry of ABC news do 26 acts of kindness for strangers to honor the memory of the 26 victims in the Sandy Hook shooting.  

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/17/15972814-inspired-to-act-26acts-of-kindness-to-honor-those-lost-in-newtown-conn?lite

To all of your families from ours, we wish you blessings and happiness this season - have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Brandon 

LINC North Texas 

Isaiah 61

One of the most powerful realities expressed in Isaiah 61:1-7 is that the poor are the ones who become the new leaders in society.  It is easy to read through the passage and forget that the pronouns later in the passage still refer to the poor and brokenhearted described in the first few verses.  It is not the wealthy or powerful who become oaks of righteousness, rebuilders of ruins, priests, ministers, and joyful owners of land and sheep.  God has chosen the poor and marginalized as His leaders.  Transformational development, like what LINC NT is trying to do in communities in North Texas, helps the poor recover their identity and vocation and empowers them to live it out.  Once people are restored by both the Gospel and community development, they rise up and act.  They begin to reform their societies with ideals of justice and peace in accordance with God’s Word.

As Christians, we must therefore acknowledge that the poor are ultimately the leaders and that they must be allowed to step up to lead the efforts and define the outcomes.  While the non-poor clearly have many of the resources necessary to change the future for the poor, they must carefully live within the boundaries of their roles.  Ultimately, the non-poor must have the humility to set themselves at the feet of the poor to listen and follow.  The poor already have many of the resources they need to accomplish great things, but they are, as Isaiah 61 shows, in captivity and ruined by their shame and disgrace.  The role of the non-poor is to proclaim freedom from captivity and offer the Gospel.  Then the poor will lead.

According to Isaiah 61, proper holistic Christian development seeks out the marginalized, proclaims the good news of the Gospel, and restores marred identity.  Development brings total release from poverty, addresses the systems that contribute to poverty, sees evangelism and social action jointly, transforms people holistically on all levels, and allows the poor to lead.  This passage has been instrumental for us at LINC NT as we allow God's word to guide us!

In Whom Do They Believe?

(scroll down for translation)

Dos días después de nuestra celebración hispana, una señora preocupada me llamó y me dijo: don Beto, llame a Sofía (nombre cambiado) y hable con ella porque está muy confundida. Su hijo le dijo que porque ella como Católica Romana fue a la iglesia evangélica para asistir a la celebración.  Ella le explicó que no estaba cambiando su religión, que era solo un evento y nada más, sin embargo quedó dudando si de verdad ha traicionado su religión. (Sofía, asiste semanalmente a un estudio bíblico en casa de unos amigos también católicos romanos, con Beto y Toña)

Lo hice de inmediato y después de una extensa explicación, quedó más tranquila con mi respuesta.  3 días después me llamó de nuevo la señora y me dijo que el domingo en la misa, el sacerdote estuvo hablando acerca del valor de la religión y dijo que no tenía ninguna importancia, sino en quien debían creer. Estaba feliz por la respuesta de sus oraciones de una manera tan rápida.

"La evangelización no es un asalto hostil a las creencias de alguien, sino una búsqueda de la persona total por la verdad y la realidad de Dios. Es posible hallar puntos de identificación y terreno común incluso en personas cuyas creencias acerca de Dios difieran completamente de las nuestras. Si edificamos sobre este fundamento, podemos presentarles progresivamente a Cristo."

Escrito por Beto Alzate

Two days after our Hispanic celebration, a worried lady called me and said, “Mr. Beto, call Sophia (name changed) and talk to her because she is very confused.”  Her son had said that because she was a Roman Catholic and was at an evangelical church to attend the celebration, he was wondering if she had betrayed her religion.  She explained that she was not changing her religion, that it was just an event and nothing else.  (Sofia attends weekly Bible study at the home of friends who are also Roman Catholics, with Beto and Toña)

I called her immediately, and after a lengthy explanation, she was calmer with my answer.  Three days later, I called again, and Sophia told me that on Sunday at Mass, the priest was talking about the worth of religion and said that religion did not matter, but only in whom they believe.  I was delighted that their prayers were answered so quickly.

Evangelization is not a hostile assault on someone's beliefs, but a search of the whole person for the truth and reality of God.  It is possible to find points of identification and common ground even in people whose beliefs about God completely differ from ours. If we build on this foundation, we can present Christ progressively.

Written by Beto Alzate

Spreading It

Is there anything like a screaming group of middle schoolers running around a gym playing 'foxes and chickens' on a cool November night to make it feel more like fall?   Last night at Blalack's Parent Night, autumn was in full force and it was a great feeling.  

If you've never heard about our parent nights, allow me to tell you about it.  LINC partners up with 14 schools around the metroplex and Ft. Worth to connect kids with their parents in a meaningful way - giving both the opportunity to grow closer over pizza, classes that teach parent how to reach their kids, and group games that focus on teamwork and goofiness for all.  Our focus is the promotion of healthy families and healthy relationships. 

I'm in charge of running the games, and let me tell you, it gets crazy.  There's everything here: toilet paper, bananas, a great human-chain snake that tries to catch its tail . . . the list goes on.  But the best part is when the parents get to come back into the gym and engage with their student in teamwork and goofiness. They get really into it, and that makes me get really into it.    I might be having a lousy day or be bogged down with school work, but when I'm in the midst of all those students and their energy, and when I see their parents let their guard down and let themselves look silly with their kids,  it just makes me feel better.  I genuinely fell like I'm making someone's life a little better than it was.  

If you've never gotten the chance to experience this, then just go out and do something nice for somebody and you'll see; or better yet, come out and volunteer at one of our parent nights -we're always looking for new people to come and make a difference in the lives of these kids, even if its just one night running one game.  So, until next time - if you've been blessed, then go out and bless others more.  Maybe I'll even see you sometime at one of our parent nights, who knows?  I hope so!  

God bless,

Brandon 

Whose Ways?

God is good at reminding us that He is higher than we are.  He repeatedly tells us throughout Scripture that He is not like us - from saying that He looks at the heart (1 Sam 16), to saying that He is outside of time (2 Pet 3), to simply saying that His ways are not our ways (Is 55).  There is a way that seems right to men....but God's ways lead to good things.  I get the "privilege" of writing a blog post the week before the election, and I think there's something relevant in it for us.  We've been discussing the issue as a staff.  What do we, as Christians, have to do about the political process?

In case you've missed it, there's a lot of fear and consternation about the election.  Each side feels like disaster is imminent if the other candidate wins, and both sides are sick of the caustic bickering and fighting.  Jesus, in the Gospels, has a great reminder to us about the government.  Don't go looking for it, however - He made a strong statement by not talking about it.  As much as his disciples and his detractors prodded Him, he would only say, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's."  Of course Jesus was concerned about earthly governments, He just tried to encourage His disciples not to be.  His Kingdom had nothing to do with it.  His thoughts are not our thoughts.

Today, we see the Kingdom of God flourishing in places where the government is most hostile to it.  The stories of the church flourishing under persecution are everywhere, including throughout history.  We needn't fear that the government will crush the Church - the Bible says that all authority is established by God (Rom 13)!  Both parties seem to want the government to do the Church's job - either by establishing morality or by caring for the oppressed and marginalized - but we as a Church can step up and reclaim our identity and role in society.  This should all give us some peace and comfort, that no matter what happens our citizenship is in Heaven and Jesus is still on the throne.  His ways are higher than our ways!

So what should we do?  The law tells us, as a charitable organization, that we can advocate for various issues but we cannot endorse a candidate.  I think that this is actually a helpful line for Christians.  We can, and in fact we must, stand up for what the Bible says about various issues.  The Bible commands care for the poor.  Since both parties believe that they are caring for the poor, it's up to you to decide which one will be more successful.  It's only by adopting this sort of posture that we can live up to our calling of being "salt and light" in the world (Matt 5), rather than antagonists.  Go vote and be the Church!  Just remember, His thoughts are not our thoughts!

Be ready!

I wanted to share a brief prayer request with you today.  At one of the schools we are working in, Creekview High School, they have experienced the deaths of two current students and one who graduated just last year.  Many of the students have written about one of those students in their journal time and shared their struggles.  School has only been in session for two months, and this is a lot to process for them.  All of the circumstances were unexpected and traumatic.  Please be praying for the students to have peace.  Pray the teachers, counselors, and administrators can continue to help guide the students.  Pray for the families to be supportive and aware if their child is struggling.  Lastly, pray for the SALI teachers there who are trying to build trust and security about the students.

Todo Comienza en el Hogar (Everything Begins in the Home)

(Scroll down for English translation)

Todo lo bueno en una nación comienza en el hogar. Todos los problemas de una nación comienzan en el hogar. Cuando consideramos los problemas que enfrentan nuestras naciones, podemos encontrar tranquilidad y esperanza porque el remedio a esos problemas también se encuentra dentro de las paredes de nuestros hogares.

Con mucha frecuencia se dice que la familia es la primera institución de la sociedad, pero ¿realmente comprendemos, valoramos e invertimos en la familia con miras a proteger nuestra sociedad? ¡Lo dudo! O por lo menos no estamos haciendo todo lo que deberíamos; porque si fuese así, no estaríamos enfrentando los problemas de robo, inseguridad, deshonestidad, insensibilidad, irresponsabilidad, agresividad, deslealtad, etc.

Veamos algunos puntos que pueden ayudarnos a valorar y asumir la responsabilidad y hacer la parte que nos corresponde para contribuir a la cura de nuestra nación.

Primero, debemos comprender que el matrimonio es el fundamento del hogar y los ladrillos de este fundamento son: el amor y el respeto mutuo. Papá y mamá están modelando con su ejemplo a sus hijos, lo que significa amar y respetar en toda su magnitud, estas dos condiciones son necesarias y sobre ellas construimos otras conductas  resultantes como la tolerancia, la solidaridad, la amistad, la honestidad, la puntualidad, la responsabilidad y otros que se derivan de estos ladrillos fundamentales.

En segundo lugar, el hogar es un lugar de entrenamiento, su hogar es la primera iglesia de sus hijos, porque es el lugar donde ellos primero aprenden acerca de Dios y Sus caminos. Su hogar es el lugar donde sus hijos aprenden primero a amar a Dios, amar Su palabra -la Biblia, aprenden acerca de la salvación y a adorar a Dios.

En tercer lugar, su hogar es la primera escuela de sus hijos. La educación de los hijos es la responsabilidad de los padres. La educación comprende toda una serie de instrucciones y disciplina la cual tiene como fin iluminar el entendimiento dando una visión clara para comprender y diferenciar entre la verdad y la mentira, entre lo correcto de lo incorrecto, entre lo legal de lo ilegal, etc.

La educación debe incluir corregir el temperamento, debe animar a hacer lo correcto, lo justo, a seguir  las buenas costumbres y a formar los buenos modales y hábitos de la juventud; y ¿qué significa formar? es modelar mediante la instrucción y la disciplina, modelar por influencia; por entrenamiento.

Los hábitos empiezan con un pensamiento, ese pensamiento nos lleva a una acción, las acciones repetidas forman el hábito y los hábitos determinan el carácter, y nuestro carácter determina nuestro destino. Hábitos y modales y, en última instancia el carácter proviene de decisiones diarias. Decisiones son el resultado de la forma en que una persona se gobierna o rige a si misma.

Para tener verdadera libertad, el hombre debe gobernarse  internamente por el Espíritu de Dios y no por fuerzas externas. El gobierno es primero individual, luego se extiende al hogar, la iglesia, y la comunidad. Este principio de autogobierno es Dios gobernando internamente desde el corazón del individuo.

La educación en el hogar debe equipar a los hijos para que sean personas de bien, aptas y útiles, de provecho para si mismos y para la sociedad. Como dijo John Whitehead – “Los hijos son el mensaje vivo que enviamos a un tiempo que no veremos”. 

Por último el hogar es también el primer lugar donde nuestros hijos aprenden acerca de gobierno, es dentro de nuestras casas donde aprenden acerca de la ley y las consecuencias, la obediencia o la desobediencia; y  es en el hogar donde sus hijos primero aprenden acerca de la autoridad, si los padres ejercen su autoridad con amor, entonces los hijos transmitirán con facilidad su obediencia de los padres a Dios, porque el uso de la autoridad amorosa inspira obediencia y respeto por ella.

Podemos concluir que, ¡todo comienza en el hogar! Reproducimos lo que somos y esto se revela mayormente en el hogar, es allí donde se aprende a amar, a respetar y a vivir en armonía y verdadera libertad. No esperes más. Ahora es el tiempo de empezar a usar el remedio para sanar los problemas que enfrenta nuestra nación.

Escrito por, Antonia Ocampo Alzate

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Everything good in a nation begins in the home. All the problems of a nation begins in the home. When we consider the problems facing our nation, we can find peace and hope because the remedy to these problems is also found within the walls of our homes.

Frequently it is said that the family is the first institution of society, but do we really understand, value and invest in the family with the goal of protecting our society? I doubt it. Or at least we are not doing everything we should; because if we were, we would not be facing the problems of theft, insecurity, insensibility, irresponsibility, aggression, disloyalty, etc.

Let’s look at some topics that can help us value and assume the responsibility of doing our part to contribute to the cure for our nation.  

First, we must understand that marriage is the foundation of the home and the bricks of this foundation are: mutual love and respect. Dad and mom are molding their children through their example, and what it means to love and respect in all its magnitude. These two conditions are necessary because we build upon them our behavior such as tolerance, loving-kindness, friendship, honesty, punctuality, responsibility and more that develop from these fundamental bricks.

Second, the home is a place of training. Your home is the first church for your children, because it is the place where they first learn about God and His ways. Your home is the place where your children first learn to love and love God, love His word – The Bible, learn about salvation, and to worship God.

In the third place, your home is the first school for your kids. The education of the children is the responsibility of the parents. Education comprehends a whole series of instructions and discipline which has as an end to illuminate understanding, giving a clear vision to differentiate between truths and lies, between right and wrong, between legal and illegal, etc.

The education must include correcting the temper. It must encourage to do what is right, just, to follow good customs and form the good manners and habits of youth. What does it mean to form? It is to model through instruction and discipline, influence and training.

The habits begin with a thought, that thought then takes us to an action, our actions repeated form the habit, and the habits determine our character, and our character will determine our destiny. Habits and manners and at last our character comes from our daily choices. Decisions are the result of the form a person chooses to govern him/herself.

In order to have true liberty, man must govern himself internally through the spirit of God and not through external forces. The government exist first in the individual, then it extends in the home, the church and the community. This principle of self-government is God ruling internally from the heart of the individual.

The education of the home must equip the children so they can be people of good, skilled and useful for themselves and for society. As John Whitehead said  - “Children are the living message we send to a time we won’t see”.

Lastly the home is also the first place where our children learn about government. It is inside our homes where they learn about law and its consequences, obedience and disobedience. And it’s in the home where your children will first learn about authority. If the parents exercise their authority with love, then their children will easily transmit their obedience from their parents to God. The use of loving authority inspires obedience and respect.

We can then conclude that, everything begins in the home! We reproduce what we are and this is revealed largely in the home. It is there where we learn to love, respect, and live in harmony and true freedom. Don’t wait any longer - now is the time to use the remedy to heal the problems that face our nation.

Written by, Antonia Ocampo Alzate