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Archive for December, 2006
December 27, 2006 at 7:00 am · Filed under Free Methodist Family
I’m so glad that you’ll meet the Willson family this weekend! It’s been my pleasure to know them for six years or so now, 
and to have had the privilege to help them process as Extended Term (career) missionaries to Malawi.
Ryan has been serving as youth pastor at our Free Methodist Church in Tonasket. Before that he was on staff at Tacoma 1st FMC. He and Jen met while attending SPU.
Both Ryan and Jen have some ministry experience outside Washington state: Jennifer spent some time in Zimbabwe, and Ryan did some training with YWAM. He’s been to India two times; one time with me!
During our visit to India, I’ll never forget the train ride Ryan and I took with many of our national pastors. It’s common to find ‘chai walas’ or tea sellers on the train selling tea out of a large dispenser. One point during the trip, I heard a very familiar voice calling out "chai, guram chai" (tea, hot tea) — I looked up and smiled, as Ryan had talked the chai wala into letting him have a turn! It was a fun memory I won’t soon forget. Ryan, Jen, and their children are good friends.
I’m proud of them, very supportive of what they are all about, and so glad that you’ll have an opportunity to hear from them this Sunday. Whether you are able to attend or not, I’d encourage you to check out their website –and commit to pray for them and support them as the Lord leads you! Who knows; perhaps some of us will have an opportunity to visit them in Malawi sometime in the next couple of years!
Blessings, friends!
Their website can be found at: http://www.flamingwaters.org
December 25, 2006 at 8:16 pm · Filed under Spangler Family
What was your Christmas like? We hope it was wonderful! Here’s a photo of Andrew, Sarah, Rebekah, and Bethany near our tree, Christmas night. Our Christmas Eve started at the church we’ve attended here in Indianapolis, Aldersgate Free Methodist. We were to have Christmas brunch with some friends afterward, but one of their sons became sick, so we postponed. Instead, we came home and made our own meal, and relaxed during the afternoon.
Once it was dark, we all piled into our van with honey roasted peanuts and drove around our neighborhood and looked at lights. We returned to watch the "Muppet Christmas Carol." We started watching this 11 or 12 years ago when the kids were much younger, and every year we still enjoy this Christmas Eve tradition. (BTW, my very favorite Christmas Carol is titled "Scrooge" starring Alastair Sim –I think it has the most dramatic transformation and the redemption theme is very clear.) We closed our day with a nice time of prayer.
Christmas morning were were all up to exchange and open gifts after breakfast. Virginia prepared a great Christmas dinner, complete with Turkey and pumpkin pie! Yum! Late Christmas afternoon, we read the Christmas story from Luke 2, sang many Christmas songs as Sarah played the piano, and prayed prayers of thanks for all that this wonderful day has meant.
We prayed for you too. May this week be filled with an ongoing special sense of Jesus’ presence!
December 24, 2006 at 5:07 am · Filed under Being The Church
Sharing life, joining faith, walking together, living in love: these are some of what make ‘being the church’ so wonderful. Joy, hope, peace, and authentic life-giving relationships are made possible because of Christmas! Salvation is made possible because of Christmas!
There’s a familiar story that preachers and Bible teachers have used many times, and one of my favorite authors Max Lucado has recorded it. Though it is a powerful story that illustrates God’s love it is not a complete picture.
It’s the story of the man who was an engineer operating a drawbridge over a mighty river. He took his son to work one day. The boy was fascinated by the control panel of levers and switches and gears that either lifted the bridge for the river traffic or closed the bridge for the coming train. The young boy asked question after question of his father about his dad’s job. It was not until the span had opened to allow the passage of a ship that the father noticed that the questions had stopped and that his son had wandered out of the room. Looking out the window of his cabin, he saw the young boy climbing on the teeth of the gears. As he hurried toward the machinery to get his son, he heard the whistle of an approaching train. His heart began to beat faster. If he closed the bridge, there would be no time to get his son. He had to make a terrible choice. Either his son would be killed or a trainload of innocent passengers would be killed. A horrible dilemma mandated a horrible decision. The engineer knew what he had to do. He reached for the lever.
Max reminds us that the story does a good job of describing the sacrifice of Christ. “…it’s true that God could not save man without killing his son. The heart of God the Father DID twist in grief as he slammed the gears of death down on Jesus. And it’s sad, yet true that the innocent have whizzed by the scene of the crime oblivious to the sacrifice that has just saved them from certain death… .”
But Christmas reminds us of perhaps the most important element missing from this story. The father in the story in no way desired nor planned for his son to experience such a horrible death. Yet our heavenly Father sent His son for just that purpose. In order to make His love clear to you and to me, he “…intentionally planted the tree from which His cross would be carved,” as Max writes. “…he willingly placed the iron ore in the heart of the earth from which the nails would be cast…he willingly placed his Judas in the womb of a woman…he was the One who set in motion the political machinery that would send Pilate to Jerusalem.”
I purpose to realize this Christmas once again that He came with you and with me on His mind; He came knowing that His plan was to die for us; giving His life to demonstrate that we matter incredibly to Him. What extent God has gone to love us! He doesn’t give up on us, even when we’ve given up on ourselves. You are loved. You are cared for. That’s the message of Christmas.
Merry Christmas to our Lakeside Family. 
December 19, 2006 at 8:42 am · Filed under Lakeside Family
Dear Lakeside Family… Thank you for a wonderful welcome and a great weekend! It was so good to worship with you this past Sunday morning. We’re looking forward to the day when we’ll be with you full time! …And, we’re wishing you a joyful Christmas week! –Love from the Spangler Family
December 16, 2006 at 10:46 am · Filed under Spangler Family
It’s Saturday morning, and we’re all at SeaTac airport waiting for our son Andrew to arrive. Virginia, the girls and I arrived Thursday evening just before the big windstorm. (If you’re not from this area, over one million people lost power in a record sized wind and rain storm).
Here’s a photo of Bethany just over my laptop screen (MacBook Pro) about 10:30am while we are waiting for Andrew’s flight… The girls have constantly commented how wonderful it is to be back in the NW, and just how beautiful it is. I agree!
Lakeside family: We can’t wait to greet you tomorrow!!
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