All About Guatemala By: Jake Burgess

      The unit of currency in Guatemala is the quetzal.  It is named after Guatemala's bird.  About six quetzals equals one U.S. dollar.  Mayan Indians were the first people in Guatemala but today Mayan people make up 53 percent of Guatemala.  About 75 percent of Guatemalan children go to school.  Children attend school from age 7 to 14.  Rural schools stay open from January to October.  The main religion in Guatemala is Roman Catholic. 
        Guatemala is the third largest country in Central America.  Mountains cover three fourths of all Guatemala.  There are 34 volcanoes in Guatemala.  Guatemala's warm weather keeps trees and flowers growing all year.  People in Guatemala call their country the place were it is always spring. 
        Most all Guatemalan people speak Spanish.  The main foods are maize and corn in Guatemala.  The population in Guatemala is over eleven million people.  One of my main reasons I think it will be cool to go to Guatemala is I want to know how the culture is and how it makes me feel to be there. 

Be intoxicated with your spouse... Proverbs 5:15-19

A few noteworthy items from the series on marriage that our church is going through...

How do you stay faithful to your spouse - in your heart?
Proverbs 4:23-27   GUARD YOUR HEART! 

HOW?  Guard the gateways to your heart...
1) Guard your mouth (Proverbs 4:24) - guard what you say; stay away from flirtatious speech.  Do you put bait out just to see if someone is interested...to feed your ego?

2) Guard your eyes (Proverbs 4:25) - guard what you look at.  Be careful of what you read/watch...does it ignite fantasies that could sew discontent in your heart?

3) Guard your feet (Proverbs 4:26) - intentionally plan where you go.  Do you drive by somewhere you shouldn't?  Do you walk past that neighbor's house to perhaps talk with him/her? Do you hang out at work in places that may put you at risk?

Are there any areas of your life in which you are leaving your heart vulnerable to another person by what you are saying, what you are looking at, or where you are going?

We have a very real enemy who would love to seduce us in order to steal anything and everything worth having in our lives.  Proverbs 5:1-14 remind us that the "lips of the forbidden woman (or man) drip honey and her words are smoother than oil..."  The temptation of unfaithfulness is very ALLURING.  God's Word tells us to flee, to stay far away, that we will be burned if we go down the forbidden road.  These verses also tell us that unfaithfulness is dangerous and will lead to poverty (Prov. 7:7-14.)

Proverbs 6:27-29 uses the illustration that it is like scooping burning coals in your lap for the one who plays with unfaithfulness.

So...how can we stay faithful to our spouse in our heart?
Be intoxicated with your spouse.  Be captivated by him/her.  Make your spouse be the standard for everything.  Focus your passion on him/her.  Touch/embrace your spouse before you leave and when you arrive.

Jason and I have had some good laughs together about this whole "intoxicated" thing.  Song of Songs 5:14-16  is part of a love poem and portrays the love a bride has for her groom.  We like to quote verse 14, "His arms are rods of gold..."  And, he left me a voice mail today telling me that he is intoxicated with me and just may get pulled over while driving and receive a DUIP - "Driving Under the Influence of Precious!"  So cheesy!!!  My man is the funniest guy I know.  "His mouth is sweetness.  He is absolutely desirable.  This is my love, and this is my friend..."-Songs of Songs 5:16.  That's the good stuff.

We have two choices... the wisdom of God or folly (Proverbs 9 - Wisdom versus Foolishness.)  Which voice is shaping you?  Whose invitation are you accepting?  Sexual faithfulness flows from a real, growing relationship with God.  He is our only hope. 

John 13

Our pastor is preaching a series on marriage.  I've been going back through his sermon from this past Sunday.  He preached on John 13.  He began with this question...

"If this was your last chance to show someone you loved them, what would you do?"   

The last gift Jesus gave His disciples before His ultimate sacrifice was to take on the role of a servant and wash their feet.  "Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." (John 13:1b)  Our pastor explained that in Jesus's time the type of servant who would wash feet would have been a gentile servant, the lowest of slaves...not one of their own people.  In verse 8 we read Peter's protest, "You will never wash my feet - ever!" 

When it was Jesus's time to show His disciples one last time how much He loved them, He took on the role of the lowest of slaves.  When He was finished He said,

"Do you know what I have done for you?  You call me Teacher and Lord.  This is well said, for I am.  So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.  For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done for you. I assure you: A slave is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.  If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them." (John 13:12b-17)

Foot washing was Jesus's example to us of a humble act of service, an expression of His love.  Some modern day examples our pastor gave in marriage...

volunteer to do the chores your spouse needs, or hates, with a smile

give the gift of forgiveness, or apology...give your best

Anticipate acts of service for your spouse that will be beneath you, inconvenient, and will humble you.  Anticipate it and do it anyway.  Give loving acts of service without merit.

So, as the sermon from Sunday has been marinating in my mind...I received a text from Jason who was upstairs in his office to please get him an outfit ready.  My first annoyed thought, "does he not understand that I am taking care of his three children down here...feeding them.  And, did he just text me from upstairs...are you kidding me?"

Then I remembered King Jesus's words, "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them."  I sent him a text back, "I would love to!"  And, there was joy in that small act of service.  For once I got it right!  



The First Entry

We have been reflecting on the last year as well as planning, dreaming, and making our 2011 goals.  Last year, our family made a HUGE transition as we stepped out in faith and moved to Wake Forest for Jason to attend Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.  God has been so faithful through our journey, and we cannot help but to praise Him for each step of the way. We have learned about our Heavenly Father's provision through this process in our lives.

A couple of years ago, we chose Isaiah 26:8 as our family verse.  It is our desire that God may be made famous through our lives...that we would glorify Him.  We beg God for that.  That His Name & Renown would be seen in our family.  Through our journal entries, we are going to attempt to put in words what God is doing in our lives. Specifically, we would like to journal throughout our trip to Antigua, Guatemala in February.  We are SO excited about this opportunity that our Father is allowing us (Jason, Alicia, & Jake) to journey on.

On a side note...today is our Emily Ann's 4th birthday!  It is amazing to look back over the last four years.  She was our little surprise and she has made our family complete!  Of course, she was no surprise to God - what a fun God He is to surprise us like that!  We had a princess party for her at Pa-pa & De-de's home while we were in Florida for the holidays.  Libby & Logan did makeup and nails and made it so special.  We gave her her first ballerina outfit with real ballerina slippers.  She is napping now with the outfit on...including the slippers!!  The drama of girls has added so much to our family!