GoSpeak 2023-12-05

November recap, site comments, 40th year

YEAR 40 · 2023-12-05 · SÃO JOSÉ DOS CAMPOS (SP) BRAZIL

(Vicki and I are now in Huntsville, Ala, in the midst of our American trek. We arrived stateside Oct. 30 and will leave the US Dec. 24. Later this week we head back toward Orlando, Fla.)

During November I kept up our websites with new content. Thirty articles were posted to cristaos.org. The columnists and I posted 29 items to forthright.net.

The Brazilian website often gets comments, both on the site, via email, or on social media. Here are some examples:

“Excellent message. Direct, current and objective.” ─R. Santos.

“Excellent summary of the book of Revelation. A text that awakens the desire to read again this letter that brings hope to the faithful.” ─R. Viera.

“Congratulations on your work. … the articles are very edifying and instructive.” ─I. Arantes.

The Forthright site has been inundated with spam comments, so for now, at least, we have turned off the option to comment.

What are my Now goals for December? Check out four of them here:

https://jar.tiddlyhost.com/#Now

A number of people have shown interest in our evangelistic studies, done on 3x5 cards. I taught the first part of the first study in Finch, Ark., and have mentioned them in my messages on the “Four Principles of Work.” So that has motivated me to work on putting these studies into English. If you’d like to see what I have so far, send me a request.

I cite the studies as an example of simplicity that can be quickly replicated.

Last Sunday, Dec. 3, after the meeting with Chase Park congregation, Vicki and I had lunch with Pablo and Taciane and their two daughters. They are a Brazilian family living in Huntsville, Ala. Our son Micah and his wife Valerie have worked with them. The two-hour visit was done all in Portuguese.

https://pixelfed.social/i/web/post/637745407566868353

As of Nov. 28, our 39th anniversary of arrival in Brazil, Vicki and I are now officially in Year 40 of our life and work in Brazil. We wonder where all the years went.

Yours in Him,

Randal & Vicki Matheny

#gospeak #USA #writing

GoSpeak: 2023-11-24

I started this outline for a newsletter weeks ago. Our trip to the USA Oct. 31 caused it to fall into a black hole. I add it here with few updates, just to catch up.

Recent teaching trips

• São João da Boa Vista, in São Paulo state (3 hr drive): Restoration.
• Belo Horizonte (8 hrs away) to teach the Total Transformation course.
• Pimentas congregation in Guarulhos, on “The Church Without Limits.”
• Salvador in Bahia state, taught what I called Total Transformation II.
• São Domingos congregation in Campinas, the night before we traveled to the USA, on “The Church in the Mind of Christ.”

Recent books

• A multi-author book on training men to lead in worship.
• Total Transformation.

Upcoming books

• Reflections on the book of Job by Valdir José da Silva.
• 400-500 page book of evangelistic studies by Nilton Barretto.
• Gary Hampton, God’s Unseen Hand.
• My book on Psalm 119.

Edification Magazine

• This has been hard to keep up with this year.
• Several issues for 2023 remain to be finished.

Online work

• cristaos.org
  • We've kept up well with posting articles during our trip.
• Hymnal, “Riquezas de Cristo” (Riches of Christ).
• English: forthright.net
  • Mike Brooks retired from writing for Forthright after 20 years.
  • We've missed few days without articles during our trip.

The Festival for the Family of God

• Now an annual event during Easter weekend for families.
• Held in our city in a high quality camp setting.
• Men and women (and children) have had separate tracks.
• Themes: Death of Christ (2022); Resurrection of Christ (2023); Second Coming of Christ (2024).

Training

• Regular meetings for personal training with Paulo César and Pedro.
• Group event – two actually, for men and women – Aug. 19 with over 100 people.
• Goal: 2Tm 2.2. Teach, step back, let them fill the space.

Principles of work

• Prayer: “Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send more workers in his vineyard” Mt 9.38.
• Modeling and Delegation: “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” 2Tm 2.2 CSB.
  • Paul → Timothy → faithful men → others
• Simplicity: “This is all that I have learned: God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated” Eccl 7.29 GNB.
  • Do only what can be reproduced by others – taking into account, of course, that each one has his own gifts from God.

#gospeak #principles #teaching