Biking with son Peter

A few kilometers in El Pardo

Peter and I enjoyed four bike outings over the Christmas holidays. We didn't really over that many kilometers, but we great discussions about mindfulness and meditation. He vowed to continue biking once he returns to San Francisco.

Christmas 2016

Every blog needs a few Christmas photos, right? This year, the special gift item was Sara Jane's hand blown glass which she made in her class at Centre College. We missed having Marc and John.

December Parties

Everyone knows December is party month, and this past weekend we had a double header. Saturday night we hosted Daniel Castro's birthday party. His wife, Elvira, invited 25 folks to our home. So much fun eating, singing and dancing. This is how you build community!



Then Sunday night we had another gathering, this time for 20 Christmas carolers. Carol really was in her element, demonstrating her choral director's skills before some very capable people (most sing every week in a local choir). We performed at two homes for the elderly in our neighborhood, and then for the residents of our apartment building.

Birthday parties and choral events help us expand our network of people. We are praying that God will call many to Himself, and that they will become a part of the core group of Vida Nueva church. Good things are happening!

Maura became a Christian!

Something very exciting happened this afternoon. Our new Spanish friend, Maura, became a Christ-follower! We met her at a coffee shop at 6:30PM today, talked for about two hours, and as we were finishing she made a clear profession of faith. This doesn't happen very often in Spain!

Maura is a 40 yr old professional woman whom Christ has been drawing to Himself for several years. For example, she told us of an experience she had of God speaking to her when she was little girl--something she had never forgotten. In recent years she attended an evangelical church for a couple of years, but she never became a Christ-follower. In fact, that whole experience ended on a sour note. Nevertheless, God continued to pursue her, and today she finally trusted Jesus as her Lord and Savior.

Carol and I do so much seed-sowing here, with few apparent results. We are so encouraged and thankful to see Maura begin to walk with Jesus!

Telegraph Hill

Despite a cloudy day, José Mari and I had a very enjoyable outing on the mountain bikes this morning. We climbed "El Telégrafo" which is a little demanding but not too hard. I was glad to realize that I still have some conditioning from last summer. I think we did about 21 km.




Later, Ed & Tere, and Adela and Carol joined us for a delicious meal at the Restaurante "El Lutin" in Cerceda. Ministry flows through relationships.

Room to grow!

Today we cleaned windows and scrubbed floors at the locale we have rented for our new church plant. It's great to see a vision become a reality. Most of the credit goes to our co-workers Pete and Sharon McMillan for their perseverance and hard work to find this place and negotiate the rent. We have about 280 square meters, which we'll use for worship, Bible study, social events, offices, English classes, music lessons...anything that helps the new church become a reality.

Chinatown

Based on these photos, you might think I'm in China. But actually, I only drove 18 miles, to the south side of Madrid. "Chinatown" is 15 square blocks of warehouses and congestion where you can find all things Chinese. Chinese immigrants have managed not only to survive, but actually thrive, despite Spain's struggling economy. There are now over 200,000 Chinese in Spain. Missionary friends of ours came here to reach Spaniards, but instead God has given them a ministry amongst the Chinese. And there is a Chinese church not far from where we live. My point? When God calls you to the nations, you never know how it might play out!

Carol bikes too!

Yesterday was a national holiday ("Constitution Day"). Carol and I took advantage of the pretty winter weather to go cycling for 4 hours. The pic is in "El Pardo," where we stopped to enjoy the pretty leaves along the banks of the Manzanares River, very near the home of former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco.

Thanksgiving Celebration

We celebrated Thanksgiving a little early this year, on November 19. About 45 of us gathered in the section of northern Madrid known as "Sanchinarro," where we are currenlty planting a new church. We cooked four turkeys, and our guests brought lots of trimmings. We invited a mix of believers and not-yet believers; Spaniards, Latinos, and Americans. Carol organized a quartet that sang "Now Thank We All Our God," and then led us in country line dancing (just like the first Pilgrims, right?!) To top it off, our special guests Abraham Lincoln and William Bradford wove the gospel into the story of the first Thanksgiving!

Serving the City

Carol volunteered with Spaniards and Americans in one of the projects of"Serve the City" Madrid. They had a lot of fun befriending and entertaining the elderly at "Residencia Mi Casa." Madrid has many lonely residents who desperately need love and attention.

Neighborhood Evangelism

Another evangelistic opportunity tonight, this time with one of our neighbors. Actually, it was a friend of Carol's whom we have known for years. She told Carol that she wanted to talk to us about the U.S. elections. Turn out, she was very worried about the future, now that Trump has been elected. She's convinced he's crazy and will send the world into WWIII.

I tried to console her with Scripture (Proverbs 21:1, Psalm 9:17-20). Then, when she told me God had dictated some poetry to her which she will publish, I told her God's fullest revelation came through his Son (Hebrews 1). Though she didn't agree (she trusts instead in reincarnation and karma), my goal was just to get her thinking. I am learning that in evangelism, it is enough to "put a stone in their shoe."

Bar Evangelism

Last night I went to a crowded bar to watch the election returns. I struck up a conversation with a couple from Australia. After telling me how much they don't like Trump, the wife, knowing I was a pastor, began to tell me all the things wrong with the church. She voiced the usual complaints: hypocrisy, pedophilia, financial corruption, immorality, restricting women, etc. Then she turned on the teachings of Jesus, particularly that she no longer believes he ascended bodily into heaven. I was well-versed in the topic, having recently preached on the Ascension. I responded by saying, "If Christ was born of a virgin, then he should have no problem ascending to heaven." When she said she didn't believe in the divinity of Christ either, I told her that actually she is a deist, not a Christian. She was a little offended, but it got her thinking. My goal was just to "put a stone in her shoe,"* rather than win the argument. I'm getting better at this, and it's fun!

* See George Koukl, Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, p. 38

Cycling

We seek to include unbelievers in our normal activities, and thus build bridges of trust while looking for opportunities to share Christ. My favorite form of exercise is cycling, and it's also a great way to befriend men. When we stop for coffee, there are often opportunities to share my faith. Evangelism is Spain is no different than anywhere else: you have to sow many seeds, pray, and watch to see which ones begin to sprout.

Locating the New Church

I know this is a boring picture, but it represents something that's pretty exciting. Every church plant needs a good location, so one of our tasks is to find space for meetings and worship. A location will give us an identity and momentum to our church plant. Today Peter, Jorge, Ana, Vladimir and I looked at a great potential location. It's very big, with 5 meeting rooms and space for a kitchen. If we rent it, Jorge and Ana would use part of it for their property management company, and Vladimir would use it for his tutoring business. We began to dream about other possibilities: an English Academy, co-working space, line dancing, and training pastors.

Culture and Evangelism

Last night I felt the impact of how ones cultural background affects receptivity to the gospel. As is my custom on Wednesday nights, I went to a local bar where people gather for language exchange. Spaniards are attracted by the opportunity to practice English, and internationals come to practice Spanish.

I found myself in a very pleasant conversation with three young people: a Brazilian, a Syrian and a Brit. When one of them asked me what I do in Spain, I replied, "I'm a pastor, and I'm starting a new church." It was fascinating to note how each person's reaction to that statement was almost stereotypically predictable, according to their cultural background. The Brazilian said, "Really!? Cool! Awesome! That's great!" The Syrian said, "What's a pastor?" And the Brit only looked at me scornfully, as if she hoped I would leave the table.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but it was almost as if each response represented the climate in their country towards Christianity. Many Latinos love the gospel and respond positively. Muslims (like the young Syrian) have almost so little knowledge about Christianity and they cannot respond. And Brits, and other Europeans, can be militantly anti-Christian and atheistic. It is our privilege (and challenge!) to navigate the diverse world views of this very cosmopolitan city and present the claims of Christ.

Passion for the Gospel

Over the weekended we participated in "Pasión por el Evangelio," a conference sponsored by the ministry of IX Marks. Excellent preaching by Sugel Michellin from the Dominican Republic reminded us that Jesus transforms us as we keep our eyes on him.

Pepe & Lili de Diego

A wonderful surprise visit from our old friends Pepe and Lili Diego from Mexico City. This dear couple and their two girls were active members of the church we planted in Mexico City in the 1990s. Also, Pepe was our family doctor and pediatrician for all of four of our children. Ironically, now our son Marc (24) has moved back to Mexico City!

A visit from Aunt Marcia

Marcia Millikan, Charles' aunt from Boulder, Colorado, stayed with us for four days before beginning her "Roads Scholar" tour of southern Spain. We enjoyed a day trip to Toledo, several nice meals together, and some walks in the park. What a treat to get to know one of our distant relatives better and show them our country!

Centralia Presbyterian Church from Richmond, VA

Today we enjoyed a visit from six members of Centralia Presbyterian Church of Richmond, VA. Pastor Dan Lipford and his wife Glendine, along with four other women, came for a week to encourage us and help with outreach. Dan preached, and the ladies befriended Spanish women through patchwork quilting. We had a pleasant day trip to Toledo to show them a little of medieval Spain--castles, swords, paintings and churches--and of course, tourists!.

Carol turns 60!

Lots of laughs!

Today my sweet wife reached a milestone-she turned 60! After church, we drove to the mountains for lunch and a hike. Meanwhile, 30 of our friends secretly arrived to our apartment with food and decorations. You should have seen the look on her face when she walked in the door. What a fun day!

Discipleship

"Merely because we are busy, or even skilled, doing something does not necessarily mean that we are getting anything accomplished."* How true this is of the ministry! It's not hard to stay busy; it is hard to stay busy doing the right things--that really help people move forward in their walk with God. I'm convinced one of the most effective things I can do is invest in men, so I look for opportunities to disciple them, trusting that through prayer and study of God's Word they will grow towards maturity in Christ.

* Robert Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism, p. 19.

Biblical Theology for Pastors

Today we celebrated with Ulises and Raquel Vallín as Ulises was installed as pastor of a church in the small town of Aldeahermosa, in the province of Jaén, in southern Spain. I have mentored Ulises for the last 4 years, helping him with his online seminary studies. Carol and I gave him a copy of R.C. Sproul's book Essential Truths of the Christian Faith to help him in his preaching and teaching. Thanks to servants like Ulises the gospel is going forth even to the small towns of Spain.

New Pastor Ordained

Eight years ago Aloysi Busquets arrived in Madrid from Cuba, where life was hard due to his opposition to Castro's government. Once in Spain he began work for the Anglican Church, overseeing a large food distribution program serving the poor. He also joined a class I taught on 1&2 Timothy as part of his training to be a pastor. It has been a long road for Aloysi, and I am happy today to see him ordained as a pastor in the Anglican church.

Jet-lagging

Jet-lagging is no fun. Though we’ve been back in Madrid for 4 days, we still can't sleep at night. We fight it by tiring ourselves with lots of exercise–mainly brisk-walking in the park in front of our apartment. We also try to go to bed at “regular” hours, which means about 1:00AM (that’s normal in summer). Because of the heat at mid-day, children playing in the park till well past midnight, keeping the tired jet-laggers awake. Life in Madrid!

Hazim Has Wheels!

This spring we have had a lot of fun helping with a new church plant, called Flatrock Community Church, which meets in the Nolensville Rd corridor of Nashville. My routine has been to pick up my Iraqi friend, Hazim, to take him to our Sunday afternoon Bible study. As a 66 year-old refugee, Hazim has lived through more than his share of persecution and personal tragedy. But now, God's Word is helping him face suffering with new found faith and courage.

One problem has been that Hazim doesn't know how to cook. Therefore, every day he has to walk several miles to a restaurant. This includes going down a very steep hill, eating a non-nutritious meal at McDonalds, shopping at Goodwill, and then returning by that same steep hill. Very difficult, especially at his age! 

But now, no more! A generous friend of Flatrock Church has donated a car to him; and now Hazim has wheels--to take him to McDonalds--and to Bible study. 

Hazim shares his experience of God's love and mercy with all of his unbelieving Arabic friends scattered around Nashville. Thank you so much Flatrock Church! Through many small acts of kindness God's kingdom grows.