Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I just finished a delightfully entertaining book written by Barbara Dahlgren, Christian Odyssey contributor and wife of San Jose, California, pastor Mel Dahlgren, entitled Zorro and Me: Adventures with a Masked Man Wielding a Sword.
Here is a description of the book from Amazon.com:
Real stories about real people, that’s what you get with Zorro and Me. Throw in a sprinkling of humor and you’ll find yourself shamelessly laughing at their predicaments, messes, and sometimes tough situations. Barbara Dahlgren and her wonderful husband, known by many as Zorro, may seem larger-than-life, but they are just real, down-home people like you. Their slap-your-knee, double-over-laughing stories will make you wonder how they’ve survived all these years. One word can sum that up: laughter. Zorro and Me takes a candid and conversational look at how to learn to laugh at yourself through even the toughest times of life. This valuable insight was gleaned by this charming couple while pastoring churches for more than forty years in Florida, West Virginia, Kentucky, Washington, Michigan, and California.
Speaking of books, I am also happy to see that The Shack by William P. Young is #6 on the paperback trade fiction list.
Honduras and El Salvador
Twenty-five leaders from Honduras and El Salvador got together in early April for a three-day seminar on the leadership of Jesus and Trinitarian theology. Hector and Paulina Barrero gave the presentations.
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Church-Next training
On April 8-10, twenty pastors and ministry leaders attended Church-Next training in Tipp City, Ohio, designed to teach basic principles involved in starting a new church or “re-planting” an established church. Attendees included Mary Bacheller, who is in the process of planting a church for the deaf in Staten Island, New York. Mary attended with her ministry coach, Becky Deuel. Church-Next training was conducted by Lorenzo Arroyo and Randy Bloom.
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Prayer Requests and Updates
Dennis Lawrence, pastor of our Montreal (English) congregation, has been diagnosed with a large abdominal mass that might be cancerous. He will undergo exploratory surgery tomorrow, during which they will biopsy the mass and a micro camera will take pictures of it. He will be hospitalized at least three days, and then it will be a month before the full test results are available. If the mass is cancerous, a one- to two-year recovery plan involving surgery and chemotherapy is expected. The Lawrences greatly appreciate all the prayers and support!
Cards may be sent to:
Dennis & Lynn Lawrence
211 De L’ile Blvd
Pincourt PQ J7V 3R6
Canada
Remember that prayer is the battleground where we fight the good fight of faith. Let’s encourage everyone to join together in prayer, for we belong to Christ, and by the Spirit it is in Christ that we pray. Prayer and other spiritual activities help keep our hearts in tune with God and remind us of who we are in Christ. He is our all in all, and in him we are eternally beloved of the Father and blessed to share his good news with others.
Love from my family to yours,
Joseph Tkach
