The rain didn’t seem to stop people from coming to the cross, though! Many were still wanting to stop and talk and pray! I had the privilege of sharing and praying with many, many precious people!

It’s always more challenging to share in another language! I get by in Spanish, but the accent here is very different so it’s a little challenging to understand well. I feel that I do more talking than listening. I don’t like that as much. I want to be able to hear the hearts of the people, then speak to those needs, not just preach to them! I’m so thankful that the Holy Spirit already knows their heart and that ultimately it is He who speaks to their heart! What a privilege to have to totally depend on God! May Jesus increase and I decrease; may He be glorified in every way! May every person who comes to the cross know that they are precious and loved!!

Greetings from beautiful and hot Uruguay!

So far, it’s been quite a journey! With God’s help, I’m finally here in South America, but it’s been one challenge after another! I’ve had flight delays and cancellations, then this morning, as I opened the bag for the cross I saw that the cross had been badly broken, again … in the same place as last year! Nearly a year ago, someone had taken an axe to the cross and had splintered it. Because it had been so badly damaged last year, the wood was significantly weakened. I spent most of today finding materials (quite an experience in another language!) and repairing the cross – wood glue, clamps and duct tape! I wasn’t able to use nails or screws because of last year’s repairs. I pray that it’s ready to go! It’s as good as it can get till I return home.

Along the way, I got to meet all kinds of wonderful people who offered kindness and assistance. What a privilege to be able to share about the One who was broken for us on a cross so that our broken lives could be forgiven and made whole again! Such an honor to pray with some of them!

God truly redeems our situations! As I was told that my flight was cancelled, the gate agent suggested that I talk with my Boss and tell him that I wasn’t happy with what He had given me to work with. I smiled and reminded her that I work for Him; He doesn’t work for me! Then, she asked if we could talk more! Since I now had plenty of time, we sat there and talked for nearly an hour as she poured out her heart and then we prayed!

As I have walked around the world for the last 27 years, I have learned and become confident that struggles do not mean that God is not with us. God does not promise to deliver us FROM our struggles, but does promise to be WITH us!! He has not called us OUT of difficulties, but to be victorious IN the midst of them THROUGH Him! It is far too easy to REACT to circumstances and quit what God has called us to, instead of RESPOND to His Spirit and triumph through His power and bring glory and honor to Him!  So many have been called to (fill in the blank), but ran into challenges and quit. The thinking goes, “it must not have been God’s will or it would have been easy!” No! As we look at Jesus, we see that He struggled. God did not call Jesus to escape, but TRIUMPH!!

If God brings me to your mind these next few weeks, I would be honored if you would cover me in prayer while I’m away.  Please pray that, as I go, I will see with Jesus’ eyes and feel what He does as He looks at these precious, precious people. I want my heart to break with what breaks His heart!!  May God help me lift up Jesus and the cross in a pure and humble, clear and simple way so that He will draw many, many close to His heart and that they will choose to follow and walk with and truly come to know and love Jesus!! May Jesus be glorified in every way!

God willing, I begin walking in the morning!

Happy New Year!!  May this year be full of the beauty and glory of the presence of Jesus and His amazing love, peace and overflowing with joy!  

I wrote this a little while ago. I thought it might be appropriate to post it at this “time” of year.

We are told that time is a commodity, “Time is money” — We can spend time, waste time, budget time, invest time, save time, or squander time. We can even run out of time! But we can’t put time in our pockets, take back time spent or given, or store time in a bank.

Even though we have more time-saving devices to help us gain time, somehow we have lost time and now have even less time or live life at a speed that is double-time! We take time management courses (even though they are time-consuming!) so we can learn to budget our time in order to have quality time.

We use DayTimers to help us redeem the time so that we can be on time, but almost always find that we are, somehow, out of time. While we are on the job, it seems that we are often marking time, or killing time, all the while finishing our work all in due time, and most usually only in the nick of time!

We have pastimes to pass the time. And from time to time, when we find that we have time on our hands, or time off, it always seems that we waste our time, or that time flies when we’re having fun. 

We have had people who have had too much time; these are the ones that sometimes end up doing time!

I think that it’s high time that we realize that there is no time like the present to take the time-honored approach of taking our time so that we stop living on borrowed time and, instead, have the time of our life!

Finally, the Bible tells us that Jesus came “in the fullness of time”, and will return in the “end times” and then, at that time there will be no more time!!!

So what time is it?

And what do we do with this thing called time?

The Bible has a very simple answer. 2 Corinthians 6:2 “I tell you, NOW is the time of God’s favor, NOW is the day of salvation.”

What time is it? It is right now. The importance of each day is the day itself

What time is it? Not 2011. Not 2012. The time is always NOW!! Now is all we ever have! Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. Now is the time!

What time is it? NOW is the time to love, bless, share, witness, & care! NOW is the time to love and follow Jesus, and love those He loves!!

Copyright © Keith Wheeler 2012

You can view these pictures in a slideshow by clicking the first picture.