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Have you ever had to start a new job, or begin a new career?  Maybe move from one city to another, or one school to another?  Is'nt it true that in these times when everything that was comfortable has vanished that is can bring out the best and sometimes the worst in us???

Change...it is a word that makes some hyperventilate, sweat, and shiver all over; and still for others change causes them to wait in anticipation for some great event to take place.  Change for these people means that everything is going to at least be new...

I was reminded this weekend by one of our leaders here in Estonia that if you never change then nothing will ever change...kind of a play on words but you get the point.

The lastest and greatest news is that our church, which has been located in an industrial area for just about 4 years, is moving its location to the heart of downtown Tallinn, Estonia in the Radisson SAS hotel conference area.

This really is a great move for our community which will give us the kind of exposure we need in the city.  It will be easy for everyone to get to, for those who drive and especially for those who take public transportation.

Our church community continues to grow but because of our location it has made it difficult for us to effectively continue where we are so about 6 months ago the process of massive change for our community began to take place.

Personally I love change...Mai has said that every couple of years or so I get very bored when things are not changing so I want to paint the walls of our home a different color, or get new blinds or buy something that will give the appearance to change just so I can keep my sanity...I told her that this is ok because I will never change her!!!! 

Seriously, it is funny to watch how people react to change.  In this process I have watched some get angry that we are moving, talk to others to make some kind of coupe to stop this move, but still others look at this change with the kind of expectation that believes that we are on a move that will cause our church to really touch the entire city in a unique way.

In either case it has drawn me to understand our humanity and in some sense why even in our spiritual journey some people get stuck without moving ahead.

Change although scary and intimidating is a big part of our spiritual journey.  We are all the time changing. 

It is like when Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:11 "When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that I am an adult, I have no more use for childish ways."

Change is inevitable for all of us, but it is how we appreciate and accept change that makes the difference.

Even in Jesus' own inner circle of 12 it seemed change was something they had to get used to...remember when the disciples came to Jesus to ask who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?  What was his response to their ambitions to become top dog in heaven...Jesus said that, "If you don't change and become like a child you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven."  Ouch...tough words for these "spiritual giants.. ;)"

Their ambitions and selfish desired had to change to become innocent again, free from selfish ambition...

And in one of my favourite sessions when Jesus shut up the Chief Priests and teachers of the law, Jesus told them a story of two sons, one son did what his father asked him to do, even though at first he did not want to...the other son did not do what he was instructed to do even though he said Yes he would do it...Jesus asked the question...Which son obeyed his father?  They answered of course the one who did what his father asked...Jesus had just trapped them with their own words...

Jesus said, that they had been shown what is right and yet they would not believe and because they did not CHANGE the Kingdom of Heaven did not belong to them but instead to those who saw and heard and CHANGED!

I wonder what is God saying to you?  Is there anything that He is talking to you about that you know will bring change to your ways of doing things but because of fear or intimidation you struggle to obey?

I am not perfect...but I try my best to keep in step with God in my life with my actions and with my willingness to do what He asks me to do.

Will you do the same? 

Take a step toward change today and watch God do amazing things!

Bless you

Miguel

Hello All,

Did you notice that it is 6 days till Christmas...of course you did.  If you have kids ( Mai and I have 4) then of course you know its only 6 days till Christmas, because if you are like most of the known world you are still trying to get all your shopping done.

Even gas stations are trying to get in on the last minute shopping by offering all kinds of junk just for you!

Why is it that each year we go out of our minds and even sometimes into debt trying to to find that perfect gift?  Maybe I am just getting older, 37 on January 4th, but I am starting to think that maybe this season is more about doing something that money cannot buy.

In Estonia there is a kind of tradition around Christmas that in order for you to get a gift you must first recite a poem, or sing a Christmas song, then Joulu Vana (Santa Claus) can give you a package to open...yeah!  Even with this seemingly pleasant tradition comes the pressure and stress if you don't recite a poem, well you just won't get a gift...I personally do not like this one.

I am kind of beginning to think that Christmas is more about doing something for people whom you love and for people who need to experience love.

This Christmas at our church here in Estonia we are putting out a huge challenge for everyone, to find a family in need and do something unexpected.  At the moment we have heard of a family with 6 children...wow more than ours...who could use a helping hand of kindness.  We are mobilizing ourselves with money, gifts, and other things for this family.

CRAZY VALUES...not CRAZY DAYS.

Instead of only going nuts shopping for the Extras...lets try living out the value of LOVE and KINDNESS for others.

What do you think> 

So here you are in a boat in the middle of the sea, a storm is raging all around you and all you can do is row as hard as you can and with all your efforts all you do is stay in the same place or better yet you are rowing in circles...Just then a rescue ship is closing in and you notice that the rescuers are just about to pass you by...

This actually happened you know...The story is recorded in Mark 6:45-52.

Jesus had asked his disciples to take their boat and row it across the sea while He stayed behind to pray.  It was evening and the guys in the boat had made little progress they were just trying to stay in place rowing with everything they had in them.

It was late in the evening when Jesus began to walk out to his followers...except that Jesus was walking on the water...pretty cool!

The Bible records a pretty amazing detail that I have found great meaning in over the years while doing our best to serve God and the people in Estonia.  It says that as Jesus was walking on the lake...pretty cool!  "He was about to pass by them."  What do you mean that Jesus even while seeing the struggle of his followers on the sea that He has sent them on was just going to walk pass them...that seems kind of cruel, at least at first glance.

It was at this moment that the disciples noticed someone walking on the water...Pretty cool!; and decided to cry out to Jesus and only then did Jesus stop, change his direction and go toward his friends.

You know, God knows exactly where you are because He is the one who sent you on the journey that you are on.  Its His journey, His boat, His sea and He knows exactly where you on and what kind of storm or challenge you are facing.

It amazes me just how merciful God is.  He calls us to Himself, then He call us to others and in the journey God knows that we will all face the temptation to quit, to stop rowing and just go back to where we are comfortable.  His mercy is so amazing because its in the moments when things seem to toughest that Jesus is sent to rescue us but His rescue mission is one that will test our faith and our trust in Him because just as with His friends and followers in the boat He will walk toward us in our pain and discomfort but will wait for us to call out to Him.

So what are we to do?

Pretty simple really...Notice if you are in a struggle that Jesus is always there walking toward you, and cry out to Him for His mercy to stop in your storm.  Ask Him in your boat and He will calm the storm that is raging around you.

Let me know what you think about this, if you are experiencing a tough time let me know how we can pray for you!

Chat soon!

You know one of the things I absolutely love to do is sit back in a comfortable environment with a coffee in hand and dream impossible dreams.  The kind of dream that make you feel like Superman, you know faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound kind of feeling.

So one day I had this crazy idea to just go ahead and contact the new Estonia MTV director so see if there were ways that Christians (Christ Followers to say it better) and MTV could partner in areas where our values and common causes intersect.

That's right  MTV and Church doing things together...Why not?!

The director of MTV in Estonia and I have mutual friends so making the initial contact was kind of easy...I was not sure how things would go but we met for lunch to talk shop.  It was really a great encounter...there we were what seemed to be people from completely opposite ends of the spectrum talking about how Christians and MTV could work together.

There are actually lots of areas where partnership makes sense...First of all, Mai and I have always been heavily engaged in student issues, and Second no matter how old you are students make you feel younger...

MTV happens to be quite active in many social issues relating to youth issues...whether its HIV / AIDS or DRUG and ALCOHOL abuse to Teen Violence and even Globalization MTV does its best to speak into youth culture.

And lets face it...MTV has the church beat hands down in just about every area to attract youth to its viewing audience...except the one issue that could revolutionize every student, heal every wound, and transform ordinary people into Super Heroes...and that Person is JESUS.

As we sat down I realized that we had similar concerns about youth in Estonia.  When we compared our notes we came up with similar conclusions. 

Estonia Youth have the highest rate of new cases of HIV among students in all of Europe.

Estonia Youth have one of the highest drug and alcohol abuses among all Europe.

Estonia Youth have the highest suicide rate among students in all of Europe.

And best or worst of all...Estonia Youth are the most NON religious people in all Europe.

As we sat there talking about these chilling figures I could see that this dream I had to meet with person at MTV was truly a God moment.   Sure there are going to be things that we cannot work together on, but hey wouldn't it be great to work together on the things we can!

Please Pray for MTV Estonia...pray that we can work together on issues to help Estonia's youth. 

Pray for the director of MTV Estonia

And please pray for the opportunities to bring Jesus into the world of MTV.

Hello brave new world!  We have just rolled out our latest design for MZM which will make updating info, pics and blogs so much easier...Thank God for teckies!!!!  Please take some time to browse around and tell us what you think...also don't forget to [ sign up ] to receive regular updates from Mai and I both by email and in regular post...

I am looking forward to connecting with you regularly online...

What do you call 2 adults and 4 children traveling around the world together?  A whirlwind event...

It has been just about 3 years since our entire family has been in America together and we think it is time to make it happen.  Because of the generosity of our friends at Harmony Vineyard in Kansas City we are making this long awaited trip come true! 

We fly out on the 23rd at 7 AM, which means we have to be at the airport at 5:30 AM...which means we have to get our kids up and ready to leave by 5 AM...should be fun...

This trip will take us to New Jersey, Kansas City, New York, North Carolina and Massachusetts all the time visiting friends and family along the way.

I hope we get to see some of you while on the road...