Bud Simon

Getting Back on Track

The front of the Maranatha 2 - one of our mission boats.

I have had a wonderful time here over the last couple of weeks, although extremely busy. 

So, I am hoping that in the next week or two, I can get back on track and also get my blog back on track:)

We had a wonderful group of visitors here from Illinois.  We had a great time and some great experiences together.  It was a blast to tell them some of our stories and also to make some of our our stories together.   So, hopefully in the next couple of days I will get back in the groove.

Dawn over the Xingu River

The Team

Some of our visitors in the morning during a devotional time.  Anna has found a new friend in Angie.

We had friends from Illinois arrive this week and we are having a great time.  Also, our friend Angie arrived from Ohio, and she has been a wonderful addition to our household.  And they all seem to be enjoying themselves too:)

It has been great to have them around, visiting and sharing some of our lives with them.  It has been a tremendous help and encouragement to have them here.  And, it has kept us busy!! 

We have had alot of good times, getting to know the group.  We are looking forward to another good week together.  One thing, the time just flies by and really keep rolling on.

Showing off for the camera!

Books

I changed most of the selections on my sidebar of "recently read books".  Take a look there to see some of what I have been reading.  Let me highlight a few.

Two books stayed on, Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels.  I find this is a book that I refer to time and time again.  Great book.

The other book is more unique - Flabbergasted by Ray Blackston.  This is probably the funniest story I have ever read on being single and the struggles and desires that are faced AND wanting to be a missionary.  Totally unique.  The first of a trilogy, I recommend all three of these books.

Another book, not on the list, is "Band of Brothers" an excellent book.  I also watched the DVD movie series with my wife and it was wonderful.

I have been listening to some CDs, "Church Planting, God's Heart for Expansion".  This is a series of teaching by John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard movement.  He lays out clear principles for church planting and church growth.  The material is relevant and practical.  Great stuff. 

The one book I have read these last six months that has most impacted my life is Eat This Book by Eugene Peterson.  It is a life changer.  It is a book that has transformed the way I think of the Bible, the way I read the Bible, and the way I communicate the Bible. 

Eugene Peterson wrote the Bible paraphrase, "The Message".  He also discussed his approach and the birth of that project. 

I recommend this book for a better perspective and understanding of the Bible.  I will be reading this again in the near future. 

5 Principles of Missionary Living - Part 2

 The landscape near Altamira being lit by lighting

A couple of weeks ago, I shared the first principle of missionary living, Calling.  It would be good to check that out as a prequel to this post.  Because of some changes in the server where I store my blog, I was delayed a bit in post the second part.
 
Convenience

Convenience – There is NOTHING convenient about being a missionary.  Nothing.  The weather stinks.  The bugs bug you.  The culture and language will mess with your mind.  You will be cranky, irate, and agitated.  You will have mysterious sicknesses and pains.  You will miss people, places, foods, things, and the order of society.  Mold grows where you never thought possible.  The people you came to help will steal from you. 

Nope, there is nothing convenient about missions, and even less so here in Altamira.  Here, you are just one step away from the ends of the earth and you notice it.  The cars break constantly.  The electricity goes out.  Computers burn up.  It is a struggle, and don’t be fooled, there will surely be troubles and difficulties.  Going to Brazil isn’t the same as going to heaven.  In heaven, everything is great.  On the mission field, it is tough and you must be resilient in all areas of your life to stand up to the challenge.  

Our American society is deluded and deluged with convenience.  When something is tough or difficult, we seek an easier, less painful way.  There are very few things that are easy or convenient out here.   

And it is never a convenient time to be a missionary.  There are always legitimate reasons to put off missions work.   

• We want to finish school.
• We want to start a family.
• We just want a few years of job experience.
• We want to save a bit more money before we go.
• We want to see Europe first (or travel more).
• We want to first get married.

You get the idea.  There is a large list of good reasons that stand in the way of doing that which God is calling us to do.  These are not wrong things, but they quickly become convenient reasons to avoid the mission field.

These are all appropriate things in the context of when God tells us to do them and in the order which He tells us.  But, too often we grab onto them (and other reasons) to prop up our “reasonable arguments”.  Sometimes doing the unreasonable thing is what God is putting before us.

The idea of convenience is contrary to the reality of missionary living.  This realization that missions takes us into areas out side of our comfort zone and outside of our normal routines is one of the main principles in a realistic perspective on missionary life.

A few of my favorite photos

Here are some of my favorite photos from the last month...

Actually, my server here, Typepad, has been upgrading a bunch of their stuff and I haven't been able to get on to post for the last few days.  So, here are some bits of news and photos from the last month...

I have been running pretty hard, I hope to take some time to write a bit more reflectively next week!

InterVinha

Suzanne translating during the Leadership Conference

Worship, with some of our local leaders as well as "Manga" from Rio de Janeiro and Randy Larson from Long Island, NY.

Last week we enjoyed hosting the InterVinha Leadership conference for all of Brazil.  It was great to be able to have leaders from several different places here in Brazil as well as the United States. 

There was a three day event with well over 100 pastors and church planters present.  It was great to see how the number of participants has grown, even in just the last year. 

It is always an encouragement to be able to see the continued growth of the churches here in Brazil.  The fellowship was great - It was great to hear the different speakers and testimonies of what the Lord is doing in different places.

And it was a blast to be able to host some of the different guests that were participating from the States.  We were delighted to rub shoulders with pastors from different churches and were thankful for the presence of Danny Meyer from Ohio, John Rasz from West Virginia, Randy Larson from New York, Roger Williams from California, and Janis Balda from Oregon. 

What a great time to get to know them a bit better.  It was great, because it did feel like the Lord was confirming and preparing things for a new stage of ministry. 

We were able to take a trip on the boat and share some of the river ministry with the different visiting pastors.  What fun to see them just blending in!

An outside church service at a small river community

 
John Rasz and Danny Meyer in front of one of the new church construction projects

Worship Conference

We just had a worship and dance conference at the church and it was fantastic. 

It was awesome to see the church packed out, exceeding capacity.  And it was awesome to see the passion and desire of the people the people to serve our Lord. 

What a blast to be in the middle of what God is doing.

More later...

I am on my way out the door for a short river trip - but just wanted to share this thought.

5 Principles of Missionary Living

I have had it on my heart to share some principles involved in “being a missionary” and specifically as it applies to work overseas and in third world countries.  I want to share these views and principles that have served me (and others) well through the years. 

From time to time people contact me wondering what it means to be a missionary or interested in aspects of missionary life.  So, over the next few weeks I will share five principles that apply to missionary life.  And while I am applying these principles specifically to missions, they apply in many ways in a wider context to other areas also.

Calling

First and foremost, being a missionary is a calling.  It is not a job, it is not an employment alternative, it is not one more option or possibility to consider.  It is a calling.  A calling is defined as a clear conviction that this is what God wants you to do.  With that clear conviction there is the ability to act in confidence, with authority, and with assurance, focused on the reality that things will work out.  They may not work out exactly in the way we think or in the way that we want, but they will work out in the way that God thinks is best and that is ultimately best for us.  And a calling keeps us on track when our emotions, our circumstances, or our finances want to derail us.  This is typical in the life of the disciples, when Christ turns to them and says, “Hey, are you going to leave me also?” And Peter replies, “Well, where would we go?  What would we do?  We are gonna stick it out no matter what!!”  (Bud Simon revised version). 

That is conviction.  Peter was committed to Christ, yes, but he was also committed to a calling, being a disciple, being a leader, being a church planter and builder.  He was committed until the end. 

One significant key in the area of calling is to pursue the calling passionately.  That is, we should not be easily put off nor distracted.  But, we need to think in terms of the overall big picture that God has placed before us and the calling that He is putting on our hearts. 

This is the first principle that will help see a person through many trials, troubles and difficulties.

Photos

Here are some of my favorite photos from the last month.  And I thought I would share a few concepts  about photos and photography that help shape my thinking. 

First, digital photography has made photography available to everyone.  This is a huge advantage for everyone.  That means anyone can snap photos, snap away at will, and the expense is basically zero.  Instead of examining a role of 24 for one or two "keepers", each of us now can examine 200 or 300 or many more.  Then you can print the images off that you want. 

Second, digital photography has made photo sharing a way of life.  We click and post them and share our images with hundreds of other people.  The ability to share them around the world, almost instantly, has made it more enjoyable to take pictures.  This is because part of the joy of an image is sharing it with others. 

Third, a picture is still worth a thousand words.  One photo can communicate so much more than mere words.  And there is something about a photo that freezes that one second in time forever that is so easy for us to grasp and understand.  Some photos we just do not get tired of examining.

Fourth, photography is one area in which, for whatever reason, we are willing to invest hundreds of dollars, or even thousands of dollars into equipment.  And, we invest no time nor any money in education ourselves in taking decent photos.  Most of us have access to libraries where we can get books for free on the subject.  Applying the basic principles of photography will give you better photos, alot better photos.  It is well worth the time and money to educate yourself in this area if you want to take better photos. 

So, here are some of my favorite images from the past month. 
Samuel and my hand... I love that little, tender hand.
Daniel, taking  a photo of himself. 
Two of my four favorite kids, laughing it up with me on a boat trip. 
Suzanne, with Samuel and Caleb.  It seems like at this point in life, it is tough getting everyone to smile at the same time.

Both of these images are scenes that I have seen a hundred times or more, played out in different places and different ways.  Always similar, but never the same.

Church, Church, Church

A way of life - like this boy, there are many people living on the rivers of the Amazon.  This was taken in front of Porto de Moz, a town where the Xingu River joins the Amazon River

I want to look at the bride.  When I go to the wedding, I want to see the bride.  She is the star of the show.  Don't get distracted by all the bridesmaids.  They are all right.  But, that bride.  She is the reason for the wedding feast.

This is the way I feel about ministry.  There are 101 or 1001 or even 1,000,001 good things.  But there is only one church.  We gotta believe that God will use the church as His redemptive agent here on the earth and that the best way to change this world is to help the church grow, help her to "look good", and help her to maintain her purity.  You want to change the world?  Invest in your church.  Invest your time, your energy, your money.

The disconnect is that many of us go to church out of habit, out of tradition, for our family, or for many other reasons.  And we do not believe that the church is God's chosen instrument for making a difference.  We belittle the church and her efforts. 

That is the draw to our work here.  Share the Gospel.  Tell people that have never heard.  Help them tell others.  Help them gather together in communities of believers.  Empower them to share their lives together.  Form a body.  Build a building.  Help a bride. 

If in the long run, I want to change a place, I need to change the people in that place.  And that change comes from the inside out. 

God brings his change through the church.  That is what makes the difference.  I have seen the orphans gathered into families, the addicts given release, the possessed freed, the irresponsible become faithful, and the broken made whole again through the life of the church. 

That is the difference maker.  Our churches need to touch lives and make the changes that will touch our communities.  Help us continue to realize the dream of planting churches in remote areas of Brazil.

The only church this girl knows is 15 foot by 25 foot with a thatched roof in the middle of a jungle clearing.  The life it has brought has made a difference in her life and the life of her family.

The Xingu River stretches to the limits of the horizon

Love and Respect

Normally, I share material that I read or other thoughts on the ministry here in Brazil. Today, I want to share a couple of insights about the Love and Respect DVD Series.  I recently had the pleasure of sharing this material with our missionary team here in Altamira. 

Dr Emerson & Sarah Eggerichs have put together a seven hour conference on DVD that is just an amazing resource for every marriage. 

They discuss the marriage relationship in a relevant way, integrating the reality of our society  and focusing on the marriage couple as being equally responsible for the success of the relationship. 

The take away for every couple is well worth the investment.  Both speakers are engaging, dramatic, funny and pertinent.  For myself, the biggest take away is the fact that we need to focus on God in our relationship, not ourselves and not our spouse.  I am to seek to honor God, just as in every relationship.  I know, it doesn't sound either profound nor like I would need seven hours of DVD to know that.  Reality is that I constantly need tune-ups in every area of my life. 

The paradigm of focusing on glorifying God in the marriage relationship, of honor Him in each situation, is a powerful concept for the Christian couple.  The practicality of what is taught is amazing, regardless of belief systems.

I appreciate my friends, Steve & Jill, for making this resource available to us.  I also appreciate my friend, Dennis, for his endorsement of the material.  I strongly encourage this material for every couple that wants to improve their relationship.  The applications and examples are challenging. 

The Long Road

The long road - although the photo doesn't do it justice, the "puddle"in the image is a running river, about 3 feet deep.  We took a detour.

The ritual of packing up "farinha", a product from the mantioc root.  This was being shipped out for sale.

90 miles, 6 hours.  Many  bumps.  2 traffic jams due to vehicles stuck in the mud.  One ferry ride.  One detour.  One muddy hill we finally got the truck up on the third try.  Flooded roads. 

That was my trip to KM 120.  It is a long haul, anyway you slice it.  The work in this remote location has been going on for about two years.  A couple from one of our churches moved out there and asked for help in starting a church.  Since then, there have been regular visits ever month.  Keith Wilson, a missionary from Ohio for four years, has been heading up the work. 

For myself, it was the first time that I had the privilege of visiting this specific location.  I really enjoyed it.  I took along three Brazilian friends from the church and we had a good time there together with the local people. 

The church is simple, open sides, a thatched roof.  The people are simple.  The Word and the Spirit are the same. 

That is the sweetest thing.  I love the simplicity of it all.  Love God.  Love your neighbor as yourself.  The stuff is the same.  People need to know that God can make a difference. 

The Good News is good to those that will receive it and apply it.  Anywhere in the world.  We appreciate your prayers as we continue to reach out to new places.

Praying for some needs during the local church service
Keith Wilson, with a couple of friends.  This is the host home where we stayed during our visit.  Yes, the walls are leaning, not the photo...

The Man in the Arena

The front of the boat slices through the smooth water during a recent trip

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919), "Man in the Arena" Speech given April 23, 1910

I bumped into this quote again recently while doing some personal development research.  This time, it struck me in a different way.  I think I was impressed by it because recently I had read the book The Path Between the Seas (which I highly recommend) about the construction of the Panama Canal and Roosevelt's work to make the project happen.  His immense involvement and dedication to "doing" and "getting his hands dirty" is fascinating.  Another great book, The River of Doubt, also chronicles Roosevelt's passion to be a man of action. 

It rang the similar concept that springs from Scripture, "Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only..."(James 1:22)  There is a desire on the part of our Lord to see us as a people of action.  God is stirring us to be practitioners, to be initiators, to be doers.  To me, this is the essence of faith, to put into practice the things we believe and to "dare" to try the principles that we have heard and studied. 

Here are a few more photos from a recent trip...

Fading to Blue, the sky and the water merge as the daylight fades

One of the many children that live along the rivers.  We were in this community to show the "Jesus" film recently. 

I had the pleasure to met this man on a recent trip and he was glad to have his picture taken. 

Keep Them in the Loop

Daniel, jumping off the top of the boat into the Xingu River

Caleb in front of the house where we had a church service.  He is looking over my shoulder as they quartered a cow that was BBQ'ed.

One thing I enjoy about my work is that I can take my kids along pretty much any where and any time I want.  Every day is kind of like "take your child to work" day.

So, it was alot of fun on a recent trip when I was able to take Daniel and Caleb along with me.  We had a good time together.  We just kind of hung our hammocks together on the boat, set up camp, and literally "hung out" for four days. 

I love the chance to include my children in the work that I do.  It is as much responsibility as it is enjoyment.  It is tough enough sometimes to keep from getting sunburned, keep the bugs off and out of the stuff, get enough rest, eat proper meals, drink enough water, keeping safe, and be culturally sensitive, relevant, and impactful.  Much less making sure my kids are doing all of that also (or that I am doing it for them.)  BTW, I often fail on keeping enough sunscreen on the kids and keeping them feed properly.  Sigh. 

The upside is that we share alot of experiences that are absolutely unique in their nature.  And we get to talk about things.   There is an element of happiness in being able to share it together. 

Things like that are some of the most delightful ways in which to include the family  in the work that is happening.

Some prayer requests for the family:

• Health and safety
• Entering a "busy" time of the year with lots of traveling
• Consistent schedules for the kids
• Enough rest for the parents
• Wise and effective parenting

Sharing a laugh together on the boat - Daniel's teeth are a bit wonky as he has two or three loose teeth

It Keeps Happening

Looking towards the distant shore of  the Xingu River at sunset

It keeps happening.  People keep showing up and wanting a church in their village.  And we keep going!

Let me explain quickly about what a church start is. 

• It is a place where people can hear the Gospel. 
• It is a place of change. 
• It is light and salt. 
• It is a family to those that have no family or want more family. 
• It is a school for those that want to learn more about God, the Bible, the spiritual life and how it connects with everything else. 

When we start a church in one of these communities, the thing that really counts is to have a local leader that can nurture these attributes.  Developing local leadership is the key relationship and the most difficult relationship to grow.  It is an extreme challenge to help someone move from no faith to a reproducing faith. 

In this work, there are just as many failures as successes, sometimes even more.  It is worth it to see people that embrace the Gospel and make a decision for life change.  There is an immense satisfaction in being  a small part of what God is doing. 

So next time someone comes asking for a new church, we will be there.

An Emerging Missional Church

This book is funny.  But the humor flows from a transparent heart and a man who isn't afraid to talk about his mistakes. 

This is the first book in a long time that made me laugh out loud.  I mean really laugh (the last was a Dave Barry book).  I can totally relate as a former youth pastor, as someone who plants churches, and as a guy. 

Driscoll talks openly about his life, his struggles and his successes.  He is direct and clear and has some great insights into what God is doing and why. 

He also clearly delineates some of the thoughts and strategies that he discerns from Scripture. 

He is also a man who is polarizing.  There is not alot of room for middle ground.  It is all black and white. 

A quick and easy read.  If you are interested in church planting, church growth, strategies, and contemporary issues, I recommend this book. 

Copywrite, written consent, etc, etc

A unique perspective on a big smile

From time to time, some people ask for permission to use images or something that has been posted in this blog.  So, here is how I deal with that.

Go right ahead.  It is free.

With these considerations.

Please give credit where credit is due.  Note where you found the information (www.budsimon.blogs.com) and on photos, note that the image is copywrited by Bud Simon.

Please do not use any written words or any images from this blog to misrepresent or mislead.

Please let me know via e-mail if you find something useful and are using it in another context or format.

Please do not repackage anything to sell.

This is summed up in the CREATIVE COMMONS license.  You can get into trouble by using images of people without the subject's permission.  That is governed by different laws. 

BIG thanks to my friend Ben Geyer who pointed this out in his comment.  (Hey, you can also check out some of Ben's photos on Flickr).

I hope that you find this blog a place to encourage and inform.

Still and Quiet Soul

Choices

A still and quiet soul.  A rare thing in the world today.  The choice always lies before us.

"My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore."  Psalm 131

What are we trying so hard to figure out?  What is really bothering us?  How many questions are unknowable and how many things are beyond our control?  Who or what is bothering you?  We let so many different types of things "steal our peace". 

And we should not.  I enjoy the phrase here - "I do not concern myself with great matters".  We allow ourselves to get "stuck" on things that are beyond us.  Things that are outside of our control. 

The statement, "I have stilled and quieted my soul" is stunning.  It is a wakeup call.  Because it places the responsibility squarely on our shoulders.  It makes it clear that we have a choice.  Stillness and quietness are things that are before us, either there for us to select or neglect. 

So, what will we decide today?

Do not let anything or anyone steal your peace.

Make the choice for stillness and quietness.

So, what did you do last night?

A long look down the flooded road - that is a flash light headed towards the camera

Background... it has been raining for 40 days and 40 nights - well, not quite.  But, it is in the rainiest week of the rainy season.

3am, the phone was ringing.

"Hello?

Hey, how are you doing?

Ummm, all right.

Listen, some Brazilians went to do outreach at the village called Pé de Galinha (translation, and I am not making this up, "chicken foot") .  They are stuck.  The motorbikes are waterlogged, they are stranded on the road.  Do you think you can go pick them up?

(Pause, throat clearing).  Sure.  Why not?

Great.  Swing by my house."

So, at 3:15am, we were heading out of town to a location I know well.  It is about 7 miles from my house.  We come to the first bridge.  The bridge is not visible.  The water is flowing over the bridge.  I slow the vehicle down.  My passenger urges me on.  I see newsreel reruns of vehicles being swept away in flash floods.  But, we pass through the waters safely... after some hesitation.  We repeat this scene three times. 

The road is torn up by the intense erosion.  We get stuck in swamped spot in the road for 10 minutes.  Finally, after an hour (60 minutes), we get there.  7 miles, one hour.  This is not rush hour.  In fact, we had the road to ourselves, except for some wild life. 

Here is the delightful thing.  We shared some hot coffee together and these guys were laughing and happy to be picked up. They had been out, pushing stalled motorbikes through the mud, soaked to the skin, waiting for hours, but just they are glad to be a small part in moving the Kingdom of God ahead.  It was impressive to see the desire that existed in their hearts.

Who knew that doing the Kingdom work could be so fun?

Sharing coffee together during the pre-dawn hours

Leadership Training

Three of the leaders from different communities

Sharing some time playing soccer together

Once a month, I invite all of the  church leaders, pastors, and church planters to share a short day together.

Our meeting runs from Friday evening at 6pm until Saturday afternoon at 4pm.  The time together is intentionally directed towards spiritual refreshment.

Why?

Because for those that are normally "in front" and responsible, there is rarely a time when someone else is caring for the leader.  And this is the time set aside for building up.  Normally a pastor or leader goes to church and he is concerned about the preaching, the offering, the worship, who's there, who isn't, the audio/visual, etc, etc, etc.  It is important to develop a time of refreshment based around a community of leaders, people that share similar concerns and experiences. 

Here are some of the areas that to focus on.  These are adapted from Acts 2:42+.

Eating together - There is something powerful in sharing a meal together.  Eating together is a sign of brotherhood and friendship.  It nurtures openness and transparency.  It is a sign of celebration.  North American culture tends to eat in a rush and has lost the value and impact of eating together. 

Worshiping together - Worship brings us into God's presence and invites His presence into us.  It is a moment of exchange.  We give up the burdens that weigh us down and take on a "light & easy burden".  Leaders often miss out on the worship because they are thinking of "the next thing" in the meeting.  But, for this one day, they are unfettered with those concerns.

Praying together - It is often difficult to share the concerns of the heart and being in a group of peers nurtures openness.  There are things that are hard to share, especially about the life of the church or family.  But this provides a safe environment for meeting those needs in prayer.  This is also a time to hear what God is saying, sharing together in listening prayer to help each other connect with our Lord. 

Learning together - It is a time of instruction and learning from God's Word.  It is a time to minister on topics that pertain to leadership and other topics that are unique to church leaders. It is a moment when the teachers are being taught. 

Fellowship together - Building in time for visiting and sharing what's going on in each other's lives.  Also building in time to play together, games and activities, and build a base of shared experiences.  An important part of any relationship is to have times that are just fun and relaxed.

Organizing together - Finally, we also share a bit of time to organize our schedules and planning, especially for those events that impact the movement.

Leadership training is not only about the transfer of knowledge, it is about the transfer of life.  And that is what we work to focus on and see happen on a regular basis.
Leaders worshiping together at our Training Center