New Study @ MCC

Surprised by Hope

Every now and then we start a study at MCC that seems to be much more helpful than the average study.  This month, we started one of those studies.

N.T. Wright’s Surprised by Hope is one of those books that everyone kept recommending, and which I have sitting on my shelf, but which I haven’t quite got around to cracking open just yet.  I wish I had read it sooner.  The DVD study is wonderful, and I highly recommend it if you’re leading a small group or Bible study.  It’s available at a few places, but Amazon and CBD: Reformed seem to have the best prices on the resources.  (And I think only CBD carries the DVD.)

The study centers on the questions, (1) What is our hope? and (2) What are we doing about it in the meantime?  Wright has done a great job so far, and I’ll probably post a follow-up after we’re done with this study.  In any case, the study has already opened up some good discussion at our church about bringing hope (specifically, bringing the hope found only in Jesus Christ) to the children in our drug-riddled, abuse-filled area.

I’ll post in a video below the break in which N.T. Wright does a good job of laying some groundwork for the content of the rest of the study. Read more >>

Blank Bible Project (Updated)

One Thinline became five thick volumes.

As I mentioned yesterday, I have had a small project in the works.  I thought I’d post some photos and a brief explanation of the project today.  I’ve been working on a “blank Bible”–so named not because the Bible had all it’s words removed, but because it has many additional blank pages inserted for note-taking and outlining.  The idea is an old one, and there are plenty of Bibles available that do a better job of providing a quality-bound, wide-margin, note-taker’s Bible, but I thought it would still be a good use of an ESV I’ve had sitting on the shelf for a couple of years.  This particular ESV is the Thinline, and I picked it up at Costco for about $10 on a whim (which is a good deal considering its current price on Amazon).

If you want, you can click past the break for the pictures & project description.

Update: I added an electronic copy of the cover I created in Word.  The link is at the bottom of the article.

Read more >>

Hmmm…

So, this is teaser post Tuesday or something.  Keep an eye on the site as I’ll be putting up a posting detailing a recent project of mine: a blank Bible!  I saw a similar project over at Tony Reinke’s blog and decided it would be a good way to put a no-longer-used ESV to better use.

In the meantime, wonder with me at the reality of this Masonic Bible, discovered during a recent visit to Half-Price Books.

This really exists. I'm not sure how or why.

At least it had some excellent drawings of Solomon’s Temple.

Grace & Peace,
Dan J.

JA Update #1 (January, 2011)

Scripture at La Sagrada Familia

Dear Friends & Family,

To the left is a picture of the doorway to La Sagrada Familia, a cathedral which has been under construction since 1882, and which is projected to be completed in 2026.  It is significant that some of the most visible words on the entrance to a building which is dedicated to the worship of God by Spain–and which is expected to take 144 years to build–read simply, “What is truth?” (John 18:38).  Without a doubt, this is the question that Spain has been asking for the last several centuries, and the question we hope to help them answer.

In July, we submitted our long-form applications and our doctrinal statements to the US sending section of European Christian Mission International.  Over the course of the next couple of months, we went through the various medical, criminal, financial, and professional background checks, and in October, we had the chance to interview with the candidate selection committee.  This interview went well, and in November, we received word that we were formally accepted as candidates with ECMI-USA.

We are excited to be on board with this agency for a number of reasons:

1. The agency started in 1904.  This means that the agency has been in Europe during both World Wars, the Spanish Civil War, the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the disintegration of Russia, the establishment of the European Union, and the recent decimation of their financial markets–and we believe that this long history of service in Eastern & Western Europe has given the agency keen insight into the needs and mindsets of the European people.
2. Their Spanish team is strong and well-established.  They have a team of over 50 missionaries serving in Spain, which first entered the country before the Spanish Civil War, and then re-entered with the death of Franco and the reintroduction of democracy.  This history in Spain has served the Spanish ministry well, and the team has participated in planting a number of churches as well as establishing a state-recognized, gospel-centered drug rehabilitation clinic.
3. They are an international agency.  ECMI has sending sections in many different countries–for instance, the missionaries in Spain come from Australia, Brazil, England, France, Guatemala, Ireland, Germany, North America, Peru, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Spain, and Wales.  And in this same spirit, they partner with other agencies for effective ministry in the field.  We like this broad, international perspective, and we think it works well in Europe.  It will enable us to minister as missionaries of Christ, rather than as citizens of the US (or some other nation).
4. They have an appealing vision for future ministry.  ECMI’s most recent 5 year plan strikes us as wise, forward-thinking, and energetic.
5. They are committed to evaluating themselves regularly, to implementing methods that work, and to setting aside methods that don’t.
6. They’ll take us.  This is important!
7. We like them.  In getting to know the agency, we’ve been very happy with the shared spirit and mindset that we sense with many of their workers.

Spanish Windmill (Let's pray there's nothing "quixotic" about our ministry!)

We would be grateful for your prayers in the following areas:

1. That God would provide us both with good health, energy, and wisdom as we begin the process of raising support and transitioning from our current positions.
2. That God would give us good favor with many potential supporters and that we would raise the needed support very quickly.
3. That God would be glorified in our efforts and grant us many decades of fruitful, effective ministry in Spain.

We’ll continue to post these updates on our website, but you’re interested in becoming a prayer partner in our ministry, fill in the yellow box to the right, and you’ll be added to our official mailing list (these mailings will include our updates, as well as timely prayer requests).  If you are interested in becoming a financial partner in our ministry, check out the options on our “Become a Partner” page (see the top of this page).

Thank you for your prayers and your support.

Grace & Peace,
Dan & Anna Julian