The Spirit is Willing - Eric Ludy

Every once in a while I like to share a Youtube video that has ministered to me, so this week I would like to share this message from Eric Ludy, the author of over a dozen books and President of Ellerslie School of Honor

This is not the first time I have shared things from him, but I always am impressed by the quality and the power of the messages from the site and can't resist sharing them. 

This is a strong word about the problem of YOU! Our faith is in Satan when we think that God is not big enough to free us from the control of sin and selfishness. We know failure so well that we have more faith in the power of Satan than in God! 

I am hesitating on the brink of giving my life. Yes, I am admitting that I am hesitating. Yes, I did give all when I said, "Jesus you are Lord," but I am again faced with a decision, will I really cash in on what I said I have given God? The "cost" that is associated with this death to self is no cost at all, but instead, if we measure out with big buckets God will measure back with the same buckets.

I have heard these things now and for a long time... I still need the gospel. I need it today, and today is not enough for tomorrow so I need it tomorrow as well.

I am willing but I am weak. I am willing to be made willing.

If you do not see the youtube video above you can click on the link below or copy and paste it into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viyoljLicqo

 David

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Friends Family and Blog Readers,

 Photo credit

I want to wish you a Very Happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to thank God for as we celebrate this season. Let us not forget the reason for the holiday called "Thanksgiving". My family began a number of years ago to make the focus shift to thanks by having each person write down the things that we were thankful for on colorful strips of paper and then we would read them all. After reading them we would then staple the ends together to make a chain out of our thanks. Often this would stay up until Christmas!

What family traditions do you have that you do at thanksgiving? 

This year I am going to have thanksgiving with the missionaries here in Paraguay and some people from CMA (Christian Motorcyclist Association).

Wings of Hope Chicken Project

Wings of Hope is what we named our project to bring hope to the poor by giving them a way out of poverty through helping them start a micro-enterprise. Micro-enterprise is one of the best ways to bring people out of poverty especially when it is combined with training. We are toying with the idea of a cooperative to train its members and to acquire better prices for the buying of grain and selling of chickens. We could just give them the money to start up, but chances are that after a few weeks the money would be gone, leaving them with no source of income. So we must take care how we give, so that they learn to help themselves after we are gone, and not just to be fed for a day.

"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."
Chinese Proverb

I have come up with and just about finished the prototype for the chicken coop. The idea of the coop is to protect the chickens from the things that can harm them in this area. Dogs will kill the chickens. Many families own a dog. Also, dogs roam the streets, and could come into the often unfenced yards and make off with chickens. Neighbors can also be a problem as they steal the fat juicy chickens that wander into their sight. The birds also need protection from the elements, mostly the sun and the rain. But, on the other hand, they need lots of fresh air so the coop design, in this hot climate, must be as open as possible.

This coop should last ten years; and if a family wants to quit the project, the coop will go to another family.

I am going to give you some of the details so that you can maybe build a similar one of your own. It is about 2 meters (7 feet) wide and 3.25 meters long (11 feet long).

 This is what holds the 3/4 inch pipe (actually the pipe is 3/4 inch on the inside and 1 inch outside). A bolt goes through the black pipe to hold it from coming out and the wood on either side keeps it straight. Bolts on both sides hold the two boards firmly together. The bolt shaft is only a 1/4 inch wide and does not weaken the pipe.

 The volunteers left to right: Me, Norb, and Timmy who just had his fourth birthday!

From above

 Using wire to tie the pipe on the the holder. The corner is good and strong.

I took three pieces of chicken mesh and used a length of wire to sew them together weaving back and forth through them making essentially one out of three. This way I had one piece to cover the whole thing.

 

 

 The three pieces cover it just perfectly, as if they were one, avoiding the need for numerous ties to hold the three together.

The next stage is to make a door on one end and to make a roof out of a tarp. The finished product is coming soon.

Next week we will get a group of people made up of the families that are interested in taking part in the project and have a meeting. Then we will plan what directions we will take. The first set of chickens that we will buy will be a pilot program to see how it goes, and we will go on from there.

If you would like to support similar projects, check out the M.V Gift Catalog. This present project already has funding but may in the future need more funding to expand.  However, there are many worthy projects like this going on around the world.

As it is written:
    “ He has dispersed abroad,
      He has given to the poor;
      His righteousness endures forever.”
 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 2 Corinthians 9:9-11 (NKJV)

Shalom in Yeshua,

A Chicken Project

I am enjoying my new life in Paraguay. I like the no-rush Latin culture here.... Let me explain why. Have you ever been in an airport and hopped on one of those conveyor belts? You know, you just walk along while zooming past everyone else who did not have the foresight to get on the belt. Well this is what it is like here. I am just walking along and feeling like I am zooming past everyone, because they are in Latin time.

This weekend however I had to learn to live on Latin time when there was no power due to the storms and also no Internet.

Isn't God so powerful to create this?

The floods came up and the rains came down

The internet is really useful, but you only realize how useful it is, when you do not have it. This weekend there was no internet due to some pretty nasty weather, but you know what? I kind of liked how it forced me get a book and start reading, something I had not done for a while. So I started reading The Google Story and found it quite captivating and would still be reading it now if it had not inspired me to use some innovation in my own life as I write this blog on Google Blogger. But it is hard sometimes when you can't check your Gmail and you can't Google the answers you need to your questions. I feel kind of lost without Google. 

So I have this "Chicken Project" that I have to do and I googled around and got some ideas, that was before I lost internet. I have to come up with a coop design for about 20 chickens which will not cost too much, and will not be too heavy and which will not let the "chooks" die from the rain or the hunters by night or day and will be easily replicated a number of times. Please pray that I would receive wisdom from God as I do this project. If you have any ideas please let me know.

This is what I have so far. I used a program called Google Sketch Up which is a free graphic design software that I recommend getting a hold of. Here is my sketch of a coop for the Chickens.

 

Blessings,

A Few Photos

So this was in Posadas Argentina jut before I crossed the border. I discovered the Law of God or the Ten Commandments in the City Plaza. I wonder how long that will stay there. I thought it was worth a photo. And here is the radio station. I got the photo as soon as my battery was charged.

I am in Paraguay Praise God!

I am sorry I do not have photos yet but my battery died on me. My trip from Cordoba on Sunday went really well especially the lovely videos they show of the best from America They must buy the cheapest movies that people in the US refuse to watch, and show them on the bus, or maybe they dig them out of the trash somewhere. It is sad to leave your family behind but I know it is for the best and I probably would have gotten all the way without a tear, if I was not so vexed by the movies. After the movies, I had an alright sleep on the bus until about 9 AM Monday morning when I arrived in Posadas (At the border of Argentina). I took my bags to a hotel, and then went to see if I could get my visa that day, but it turned out that I had to wait until the next, but they gave me things to do so that on the next day I would be ready. That night began a huge storm and I was concerned that some windows would break. A branch of a tree did fall over and broke one of the lamp-posts. On Tuesday morning I got up early and it was still raining but I still walked the two blocks to the Consulate office. They were nice to me and It was not more than an hour later they gave me my Visa. Then I went back to the Hotel and checked out of my room and walked around town trying to stay under cover as much as possible until I found a shop kind of like a dollar store and bought an umbrella for 12 pesos or about three dollars. I found a coffee shop with WIFI internet and used my computer until lunch when I ate a small pizza. It is not too hard to be alone I think until you have to eat and then you feel really alone. Not too many hours later Norberto came and picked me up and we went to a Bible school where Norberto and his mom taught. Then finally at 11:00pm we started across the border into Paraguay. Things here are much different then Argentina but I will tell more in my next blog post. But for now Praise God I am in Paraguay!

An Urgent Message to God's Elect by B.H. Clendennen

Everyone should listen and take action on this. PRAY and draw near to God.

I am Glad in the Lord

I preached Sunday about Revival and God gave the people a heart to pray. Today I helped a ministry called Jewish voice which is doing a concert of Messianic Jewish music to reach the Jews in this city. Paul Wilbur is going to sing. I have the sense of God's pleasure. My time is drawing to a close here in Argentina and I will soon be going to Paraguay. I have improved in my Spanish greatly and I am really pleased with how God is working in my life. To God be all the glory and honor and praise. Pa is in Israel right now and doing his drama "The Rabbi From Tarsus." As you can see we are busy but that happily. May God be pleased with you all in Jesus.

Donations

The missionary will say, “But if you will not go yourself you can help me go by giving me a monthly or one time donation….” please do not use this as a cop-out that will keep you from doing something more. You can share in my reward by giving to me as I go, but maybe you have a reward planed in heaven for you if you go? Do not despise the harvest. In this economy it can be hard to spend the money to go, but go, and as you go God will provide. Is not the laborer worthy of his hire? The impact is huge when people inspired by God step out and get involved.

In fact please tell me if you are going on a short term trip or longer as a missionary and I will give you what I can to help you go. The offer is open so please let me know. I would be glad to hear of any of you going on a trip and I would like to help any as the Lord provides so that you can go.

There are two ways to send me support.

Online Donation
You may send gifts automatically from a credit card by filling out the form on the Missionary Ventures “Donations” page: (You should check the box in the "* Donation Area" that says "[X] Missionary Support" and write "David Bendele" then fill in the rest as marked.)
https://www.mvi.org/donations

Check
You may send a check to Missionary Ventures Headquarters to this address:
Missionary Ventures, P.O. Box 593550, Orlando, FL 328593550

Please make checks payable to Missionary Ventures but attach a note on a separate piece of paper indicating that your donation is to be used for my support.

Checks sent to me or sent in my name I can not use due to IRS regulations.

Disclaimer: Notwithstanding any other statements in this communication, please remember that any contributions to MVI are under MVI's full discretion and control as required by IRS regulations.

I Am Insufficient

I am come to the point of insufficiency. I am not able to do what I will need to do on my own, but I hope that I stay that way. I will speak on Saturday in the youth group here and I have nothing to tell them... nothing at least I feel that way. All my thoughts seem dried up. All my thoughts seem to come to a dead end. I am called to be a pastor but will there come a day when I go before men to speak about God without fear and trembling? Will there come a day when I come to a pulpit confident that I have what it takes to speak to them about God without His help? I hope I never even once speak before men like that. 2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said unto me "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. I am weak guys. I fail often and I fall often and I have nothing to share on Saturday but I gladly tell you about my weakness so that Christ's power might rest on me. I have discovered the secret to power. It is humility, it is weakness. How can this be? When I seek not my glory but Christ's then God eagerly desires to demonstrate the glory of his Son. This then is the secret, when I can not boast except in Christ God moves his hand powerfully. Paul was humble and that is the secret to what God did with him. Paul means small or humble. Paul lived up to his name. May I live up to mine as well. I said I was insufficient, but the truth is I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me because without Him I can do nothing. I fell into a trap of the enemy that said if you pray hard that is the secret to doing great things for God. I prayed hard and long and fell on my back in the mud. Why? I had it all wrong. We do not do great things FOR God. No, when we seek the glory of the Son GOD does great things FOR Christ through us. We get no glory, all glory goes to God alone. We can not pray hard or long enough to move God's hand. We can however seek Christ and His glory and God will move heaven and earth to answer our prayers if we trust Him. But we can be confident that if we seek the glory of the Son that our prayers will be answered, so we will receive everything we ask in Jesus' name. Why don't you pray now? Pray seeking the glory of the Son. Not that his glory would be your own, but that He would receive all the glory. You will receive all you ask if you believe the word of God who is Jesus who said, "I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." John 16:23

Learning Spanish in Argentina

I have found a home to stay in to learn Spanish and they only speak Spanish. I am learning lots of things from the pastor of the Church El Renuevo about how a Church works and I am going to nearly all services in that Church including during the week. The pastor is David Saint (nephew of the late Nate Saint who was a martyr in Ecuador.) I plan on going on to Paraguay in November and staying on for eight months in Obligado to learn and to work in the Church and to work with the Christian Radio Station there. Until November I will keep myself busy learning Spanish, visiting churches, and helping my Mom when my Dad is gone to Israel in October. Today (Sunday) in the evening I will be going with my family to a church in which last week my Dad gave a gospel message and a good number came forward and turned to their Savior. Please pray that the new Christians would grow from strength to strength.

The "Best" Photos From the Salta Mission Trip

The Bravehearted Gospel

I really love this page because of the Videos that are here. The words are so powerful and they were instrumental in bringing me here to Argentina. I pray that they bless you too. And do not forget to visit the page thebraveheartedgospel.com And the brave hearted thoughts are really good, I have listened to them again and again and still I get more out of them each time.

God Lives in Salta

By the way my brother also has a blog about our time in Salta. Check it out aquest4thecalling.blogspot.com This week I discovered why people do missions. When we had finished building the roof on the Church in Salta in "la Vina." The pastor shared his story of faith in God and how God had told him that help would come and how we came out of nowhere and built his roof. When he finished sharing we all felt Gods pleasure and I realized that this was the reason we do missions. It is for the pleasure of God! God was pleased with our work and that is all that counts. And like this teenager I say with him.

When I do my missionary work...it reminds me of what Eric Liddell says in the movie Chariots of Fire: "When I run, I feel God's pleasure." Well, when I do missionary work...I sense God's pleasure and feel like I am doing his will....... And for me that's what it means to live a full and fun life as a teenager. - Brantley Gunn, age 16 From the book Do Hard Things

In Argentina

I am now in Argentina and am having a great time. We have been going through a conference called, "Encuentro Con Dios." In English that is, "Encounter with God." I am somewhat beyond what they are talking about; Open doors of sin, occult, bitterness, and unforgiveness, and those things that happened as children to cause a snare. But even though I have dealt with all these basics in the past I have been ministered to by the Lord at this time. I felt Him say in my heart, "Reach up and take my hands." I reached up with my hands in faith and I looked up and in my minds eye I saw a crown of thorns on the head of Jesus, and it was now a crown of glory. I felt Him say that when I have suffered for Him, that crown of suffering will be made into a crown of glory, just as when He suffered for us that crown of suffering was made into a crown of glory on his head. One thing that has bothered me recently, as I have been getting ready to minister to others on this trip is the accusations of the devil. He says, "You can't minister to others. You are no good. You can't get right in this aria and that particular thing you did, you sinner!" But God says to me, "I love you despite your failings. Do not listen to the lies of the evil one. I will deal with your failings of character in my time and in the order that I choose. Do not get ahead of me. I want to teach you right now about my love for you so that you can love others the same. I love you despite your character flaws and sins. You may not be able to change others who do you wrong but you can forgive them and love them regardless of whether they change their ways or not because this is how I love you." This is what I have felt God saying to me at this time. I believe that God speaks to our hearts today if we will listen. Sometimes I have heard more clearly than others but God speaks today if we will stop to listen.

More thoughts on God's love

I was meditating on the passage in Luke 19 Luke 19 (NLT) Jesus and Zacchaeus Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” If you notice Jesus did not treat this man the way everyone else treated him. Jesus loved this man purposely because he was unloved by others. Instead of judging him for his sin Jesus loved him and what happened? Zacchaeus unasked repented of his sin due to the love of God demonstrated to him by Jesus.

God is Love

אלהים אהבה God is love (Elohim ahavah) Romans 2:4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? (NLT) Saturday night God let me feel his love like liquid love, like oil over me. The reason this love means so much to me is that I had been feeling like I was such a sinner and that I had to get it right before God would love me like that. I could not believe that God would love me like that when I could not get this thing right with Him. But God let His love flow over me. I said, "God I do not deserve this" and more love He gave me. "I can't understand this," More love flowed over me. This is pure love with no strings attached. I was seeing God's Agape love for me. I felt like God said to my heart, "I love you like this you should love others the same way. "I have loved you to repentance you should love others to repentance. I have loved you when you did not deserve it, you should love others when they do not deserve it." I understood something I never understood in my heart before though I knew it in my head. Instead of judging others we should show them undeserved love and that will lead them to repentance.

One Month to the Day!

In exactly one month from today I will be on my way with my family to South America. Please pray for me as I go!

God is Power

"God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this, that power belongeth unto God" (Ps. 62:11) God’s power is like Himself, self-existent, self-sustained. The mightiest of men cannot add so much as a shadow of increased power to the Omnipotent One. He sits on no buttressed throne and leans on no assisting arm. His court is not maintained by His courtiers, nor does it borrow its splendor from His creatures. He is Himself the great central source and Originator of all power (C. H. Spurgeon).

God's power is beyond comprehension. It really is God's power that makes God's love mean anything. If God only loved, but did not have the power to show that love where would that love be? This is amazing to me to think that God so loved the world that He gave his only son! God gave His son! That is POWER. The Gospel = Love + Power.

Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes Matthew 21:41-43

This is marvelous in my eyes what about yours?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:15-17

If God's love was manifested powerfully in the sufferings of Christ we also should be willing to manifest God's love in our sufferings demonstrating God's power in us. To be honest with you I have not suffered much in my life but I admire the lives of those who have suffered because they are so full of the love of God.

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 2 Timothy 1:7-9

Why am I afraid to suffer? Paul was glad to be counted worthy to suffer. Why do I not want to be counted WORTHY to suffer?

This is War - Paul Washer

Click here to see video in Youtube We were made to fight. We live in a fallen world. What are we called to do? We were called to advance a kingdom. Listen to the words of Paul Washer talking to men of God, men of war.

Empower God Through Faith

"I am a worthless student." "I could never get into that College." "If you climb trees you will fall and I will have to take you to the hospital." "If you drive in that weather you are going to kill yourself." I can't do that." All these statements empower the things they speak about. What about this? "We are under the attack of Satan." "Satan is at work in our church." "I am afraid that the devil with deceive me." Should we speak like this? All of our fears spoken or unspoken come from the father of fear and lies, the devil. You give invitation by your faith in bad things happening to you. Are you afraid of cancer? Are you afraid you will get in a car accident? Are you afraid you will drown? Are you afraid you will die young? All of these fears are not from God. If you empower these things you will be delivered over to them by faith in them through ungrace. If on the other hand you believe God will keep you and help you, you will be saved by grace through faith.

This is a picture of the central Chapel of the Jesuit ruins near where I will be going in Paraguay. When I went to Paraguay a few years ago to visit the Kurrles we met a Consulate of Paraguay and he became our friend. We had a real struggle to enter Paraguay because it was late but he helped us so that we got through the border in time to have lunch which he payed for and he took us for a peek at the Jesuit ruins. We got access to arias that were normally closed off.

Argentina and Paraguay

I will be going to Argentina for a short time and then to Paraguay to work with the Kurrles I am looking forward to a wonderful year in South America! You will be able to follow my journey here on dbendele.blogspot.com I get on the Airplane this August Fifth! The photo is a picture of the Radio Station that the Kurrles have established in Paraguay.

Whats up?

That question, "Whats up?" always has been strange to me. You really do not hear it in Australia where I lived for nine years. It is just America. You know, God really is what is up. God is doing great things for us right now. God is up and doing lots of things. We the Bendele family are growing in prayer. We all were praying on our own last month but this month we began to pray together in a way that we have not done before. We used to pray together but this is different, we are winning battles together now. God is removing the vale from the eyes of unsaved friends. You should pray for God to remove the vale from the eyes of those who seem to be unable to understand what Christ and Christianity is REALLY about. When we started to pray this way we saw a leap of understanding in one of our friends.