Volume 6, No. 1, April 2000
You will, however, get a long-awaited update on the church planting effort, below. Please remember me in your prayers for the next few days, especially, as I try to choose between several different rental properties on my limited budget. I will not describe the circumstances at this time, because I am a firm believer that one's own opinions often get in the way of hearing from God. Knowing too much yields thinking too much, and thus trying to formulate your own solutions. May we all learn to "Let go and let God!"
The Lord bless you all with spiritual blessings,
Paul Hughes
West Loop Church Update
It has been months since the last Insight newsletter because I have been busy. While getting the church started is behind the (optimistic) original schedule, and some specific plans have had to be changed, nevertheless there have been several important developments necessary to propel the effort forward.
Since joining TSB, I have gained the confidence of my superiors to be considered their main computer instructor, and have been entrusted with publishing the school newsletter. Besides public contact and a measure of respectability, the position provides a livable salary and fairly short hours, leaving some time for other endeavors.
I have discovered a fascinating mix of features in this neighborhood. Just to the north on Long Point Road are numerous ethnic businesses and a bus route. People seem to be walking up and down the street at all times of the day and night. This is a good area to get authentic Tex-Mex cuisine. A few blocks east on Long Point is an Assemblies of God church affiliated with the Gulf Latin District, reaching out to Hispanics in the area. Not far to the west, on a side street, is a Korean Assemblies of God church.
Within walking distance to the south are several private schools, a school of dance, and at least one restaurant which requires formal dress. Within earshot, an upscale strip center operates an authentic clock/bell tower with carillon. Not much farther south, on Memorial Drive, is St. Mary's Seminary / St. Thomas Graduate School of Theology. Also nearby is Fuzzy's Pizza, where former president George Bush gets his favorite pizza made for him. I have eaten there, and can vouch for its quality.
Unfortunately, my current residence is small, so I cannot as yet house other ministers. Lack of housing is probably my biggest handicap thus far. If I had extra room, I could put up visiting ministers who might be considering joining the work, temporarily house ministers while they look for a job and their own residence, take in young ministers and interns to mentor, etc. Pets over 15 pounds are not allowed, so I must leave my border-collie mix Al, my loyal companion for almost 12 years, with my parents. I still hope to find a house to rent with extra bedrooms and a yard, but the rental market is high of late, and I would have trouble affording one without a roommate to share expenses. I attempted to rent a suitable house recently, but the owner chose another tenant.
I am presently looking at several other types of rental property, but am as yet undecided.
Less than 3 years ago, I began to be impressed with the idea that I could take up the trumpet. I happened to be driving home from church one day when I noticed a sign at a pawn shop advertising new trumpets for only $170. I eventually decided to stop to take a look, and ended up buying one. Now I had learned trumpet fingering by playing a baritone in high school for fun. But I could never handle the tiny trumpet mouthpiece. In fact, it is almost unheard-of for anyone to switch between the two. In this fairly short time, however, the Lord has blessed, and I have thus been able to add to my musical repertoire. I would rather play in worship than sing, but more importantly, I hope my musical gifts will be helpful in planting the church.
I might assume that somehow I had failed to share my vision for a new kind of church and for reaching the unchurched of Houston, or that it simply has not been the Lord’s will. However, I know that this is not strictly true, since a number of ministers and workers have informed me that they were moved by this vision. Some have declared that they already felt the Lord leading them here. Unfortunately, with few exceptions, enthusiasm immediately cooled when I informed them the church would be entirely self-supporting, so they would have to work for their own support for the time being, until the church gets on its feet. Some inquirers have cited their need for constant support of wife and children, but most simply begged off.
I will not judge them, because that is not my job, nor perhaps my right. Needless to say, what I need are tough, indomitable workers who know they are supposed to be here, doggedly determined to serve the Lord with a whole heart, and fully committed to doing whatever it takes, in good times or bad. Ministry is inherently sacrificial in nature, or it is not true spiritual ministry. Those who want an easy and secure career position would not stick it out with me. I need such who, like the disciples, have "left all" to follow the Lord (Luke 18:28). No one can fulfil spiritual leadership ministry who, "having put [their] hand to the plow, look back" (Luke 9:62). Only those who are tough as nails and determined to fulfil the Lord’s will can succeed in pioneer ministry.
In this era of glitz, personality-based ministries, "Christianized" entertainment, grand building programs and fund-raising schemes, I believe that the Church must learn again to forsake the flesh, and "revival" which appeals to the flesh, before true revival will come.
Please send up some prayers for the church effort, if you feel so moved. Pioneering is lonely work, much more so for a single man. In addition, the big city has many pressures and distractions, and is not altogether a comfortable place for this small town boy.
May the Lord perform His will through me and those He sends me.
How does the Holy Spirit indwell and gift a believer? Read about it in Christ Within You! The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit
"We need some English teachers ... people who would be willing to come down to Arequipa Peru and teach English in our Christian School. If you are interested, or know of anyone who might be interested, could you please give them a copy of this email. You do not need a teaching degree, nor do you have to speak good Spanish. We are looking for mature Christians who want an experience on the mission field and are willing to work."You will need the recommendation of your Pastor. This is a Spanish speaking mission field where the ministry and services are in Spanish and for that reason we are stressing the need for spiritually mature Christians. (There will not be a lot of spiritual food in English.)
"School starts the 20th of March and continues until the 18th of December. As for support, your room and board is $125 per month, and then you would need any extra spending money that you might want to use. You will need a passport, but the visa you will receive here upon your arrival. At first you would come in on a tourist visa. You will fly into Lima and from there fly to Arequipa. You would stay with us and also be involved in the church. Our church is growing rapidly. We have over 50 youth, and every week we are seeing new people saved. You could be involved in the Church as much as you want. It is an excellent opportunity and really not a very expensive experience. If you want more information, or know of anyone who might be interested, please email me asap."
Thank you and may God bless you,
Ronnie & Joyce Mask
Missionaries to Peru
tel. from the states: 011-51-54-27-1376.
Corporate use of surveillance technology is on the rise, with hidden cameras being placed in malls, stores, elevators, etc. According to one report, some hotels have begun to place cameras in guest rooms.
Most people with an email account have already received advertisements and are familiar with the existence of "voyeur" or invasion-of-privacy websites. Scurrilous characters plant tiny cameras in college dorms, showers, and dressing rooms, then sell the photos and videos over the Internet. One retail product, the XCam2, is a small, cordless video camera said to broadcast its signal to a TV or VCR up to 100 feet away.
Here in Houston, most vehicles must now have emissions tested during inspection. Owners of older cars suspect they will soon have to give up their cars as a consequence. State agencies have proposed using a radar-like gun to detect emission levels of cars passing on the roadways. Owners would be sent a notice, and possibly a fine, in the mail, giving them a limited time to make necessary repairs. Due to a number of recent tractor-trailer mishaps, law enforcement agencies are placing speed detectors in the pavement of various freeway interchanges. Many of Houston's streets and freeways already have surveillance cameras in place.
With the increased use and public acceptance of direct deposit and withdrawal, and credit and debit cards in lieu of cash or check, the public appears to be becoming prepared and conditioned for a new cashless society. When transactions appear as numbers on a computer, unfortunately, errors or breakdowns can wipe or freeze entire bank accounts. Worse still, accounts can be confiscated or frozen at will by government or powerful business interests at the flip of a switch -- or rather, a few clicks on a keyboard.
Look for an integrated entertainment/communications system, in which telephone, cell phones, television, and the Internet all enter the home or office through one source, probably by satellite or cellular system. When this system is in place, any power interruption could cripple and panic the entire nation.
Look for the government to increasingly use the environment, global warming, and other crises as an excuse to further restrict and control the public.
"It is a serious mistake not to distinguish between sin and self. . . . Take, for example, the soul in relation to Bible reading, certainly a most commendable activity. Attempting to understand the Holy Bible with one's native talent or ability is not considered sinful; yet approaching the Bible in this way is undeniably the work of self. Soul-winning, too, if accompanied by methods that accord merely with one's own thought, will be full of self. And how often pursuit after spiritual growth originates in the natural self perhaps only because we cannot bear the thought of falling behind or because we seek some personal gain. Bluntly stated, the doing of good is not sin but the manner, methods, or motive in such good-doing may be surfeited with our self. Its source is man's NATURAL goodness, not the supernatural kind given by the Holy Spirit through regeneration. . . . These acts are performed not by complete reliance upon God's Spirit but by trusting in self-strength."
--Watchman Nee in The Spiritual Man, vol. 1, pp. 145-46.
These videos reveal the connection Adolf Hitler and the founders of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party had to spiritualists ("mystics") and eugenicists such as Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Guido von List, Karl Haushofer, Fritz Leutz, Houston Stewart Chamberlain, and Alistair Crowley. The Nazi Party grew out of the Thule Society and its later manifestation, the German Worker's Party.
True Nazis ascribed to the doctrine of the Aryan race, an ancient Norse myth of a superior race with godlike powers, which were believed to have been corrupted and fallen due to intermarriage with inferior "mongrel" races. Only through purification of the race could these godlike qualities be regained. Members of the elite SS were required to exemplify Aryan traits. Thus every SS marriage had to receive official Nazi approval.
One volume describes the Nazi's adoption of a number of occult symbols, including the Swastika and various Norse runes.
At just under $20, this 3-DVD set is a bargain, and provides an excellent introduction to the history of Nazi and Aryan ideology. One discovers, for example, an ideological connection between Aryanism and the eugenics of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger. The principle of ascending to godhood is also a principle tenet of New Age religion.
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