Posts Tagged ‘testimony of god’

God Has Blessed us with Kingdom Partnerships

photo 1One of the many things that excites me about what God is doing on the border is the wonderful partners that God has given us to work alongside.

On the U.S. side of the border, Dawn and I have a strong and growing relationship with Harbor Presbyterian Church. In Tijuana the Lord has blessed us through our relationship with Daniel Nuñez and his network of churches called, Lo Mejor del Trigo (The Best of the Wheat).

This past Sunday Harbor celebrated its 13th year, since they began. It’s super encouraging to see all the Lord has done through Harbor. The movement started with Dick and Liz Kauffman. Today Harbor has 8 sites, and Redeemer Presbyterian, which used to be Harbor North County.

The celebration this past Sunday was held at Redeemer Presbyterian church in Encinitas.

Praise the Lord for the many good works he has done!

A Testimony of God’s Rich Blessing

Here’s a short video that highlights how Harbor and Lo Mejor del Trigo have come together to see new churches planted South of the Border.

God Bless Your Church

May the Lord continue to bless San Diego – Tijuana through these strategic partnerships. O Lord, we pray that churches will multiply on the border as we work tougher for your glory!

In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org

One of the many things I love about Harbor church is the love for hurting people that is demonstrated from week to week. The church bridges cultures and people from different economic backgrounds. Some of the people in the church are struggling to make a living.

One of the people who has fallen on difficult times is Al. He is a big, loving and caring guy. You might even say he’s like a big teddy bear.

Every year Harbor has an outreach to the city called Christmas in City Heights. Through this ministry low-income families have the opportunity to purchase at a very reduced price gifts for their children. The goal is to allow for the working poor families to have a dignified and financially affordable Christmas. Over 100 families were touched by this outreach. Many non-Christians helped serve, and were served.

My friend Danny Kim put together a video of Al’s testimony. He felt like the church had given him so much that he had to share what he had. God touched him and put it on his heart to give about 20 teddy bears for the Christmas in City Heights outreach. He had collected these for about 20 years. Al was making a big sacrifice in giving up his teddy bear collection. It reminds us of the widow’s mite that Christ said was the greatest gift. An awesome testimony of God’s grace!

Rejoice with me over how God is reaching down and changing lives! Rejoice in the Christ of Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org

Bill Yarbrough Preaching at Lo Mejor Del Trigo

Bill Yarbrough Preaching at Lo Mejor Del Trigo

Despite waiting 5+ hours in line to cross the border on Sunday, we had a wonderful time of ministry in Tijuana!

Bill Yarbrough is a great friend and champion of ours. Did I mention he’s also our boss. Bill along with his wife, Sue and daughter, Elle spent the weekend with us. On Sunday Bill accompanied my son, Jon and me down to Tijuana.

Last year Bill came down and led a Living in Grace conference with Daniel Nuñez and Lo Mejor Del Trigo. The church loved it. Unfortunately, many Mexican Christians struggle with living a moralistic, legalistic Christianity. Of course, this is not a problem in the U.S., ha ha ;).

The Lord used the themes of grace to encourage and strengthen the faith of our Mexican friends. I remember the people laughing as Bill shared some of the things we do in the church to act like we are “good” christians. The focus tends to be on the outward appearance rather than on our heart. The church resonated with this, but Daniel admitted it takes time for people to change.

Good things happened after the conference. Those in the church extended grace to him and his family when they experienced a family crisis. Wow! God’s timing is amazing. I may share more specifics about this testimony of God’s grace in a future post. The fact is we are all growing in grace, and we all desperately need to know and experience the love of God and his redeeming grace.

Here’s one of my favorite quotes that Bill shared that I’ve heard from others as well.

“The good news is that you are worse off than you can ever imagine. The greater good news is you are more loved than you ever dared to imagine.”

Dave addressing the church

Dave addressing the church

God’s grace is greater than all our sin. Live and grow deeply in this truth.

On Sunday Bill followed up on these truths. The Lord is using events like this to strengthen our relationship with Daniel Nuñez and the people in his movement. I’m so encouraged by how the Lord is moving on the border. The gospel does change everything.

In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org

Dave with Brian Peterson

Dave with Brian Peterson

This week Dawn and I saw Brian and Anna Peterson at Sierra View Presbyterian Church. You might remember that Anna’s life hung in the balance due to complications while giving birth. She went into a coma, and it was touch and go for her for a few weeks.

Their testimony is very encouraging. I think when our city, Colorado Springs is burning we need words of encouragement! God is doing some wonderful things!

Dawn and I had coffee with Brian and he shared more about all that the Lord did in saving Anna and caring for their family. He told us that he preached a sermon from Psalm 66 titled, “Come and See What God has Done.”

“Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.’ Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.”

— Psalm 66:3-5 (ESV)

God truly did an awesome deed in sparing the life of Anna!

One of the doctors who is not a believer said, he didn’t know what to do when treating Anna. It was a difficult case. Most people who meet the complications that Anna faced don’t live through it. The doctor in desperation put his hands up in the air and cried out, “God help me.” He later told Brian and Anna that everything began to run smoothly and efficiently. He gave testimony to God answering his prayer.

Anna’s sister-in-law was getting up to 50,000 hits a day on her blog as she posted updates and prayer requests. Many people were pleading to the Lord that he would help the doctors and nurses and heal Anna. God did hear these requests.

It’s such a wonderful testimony of God working through his church, and through the medical staff.

I grew up in Fresno so we have long ties to Sierra View. We are thankful for the many friends that we’ve known over the years. This church is an important partner with us in our ministry. Brian has done a great job leading the church, and we’ve enjoyed getting to know them.

I know God doesn’t always answer in the way he did with Brian and Anna, but it sure is worth celebrating when he does. He obviously doesn’t always heal, but he intervened in their life in a powerful way. People around the globe came together to lift them up in prayer! God answered! Praise be the Lord!

Anna recently shared her testimony at a church. It was recorded and shared on YouTube. The quality of the recording isn’t great, but her story is truly amazing! She shares that there was more than one time she could have died, and that most people with her condition do. Yet God in his mercy rescued her from the valley of the shadow of death.

You can watch it here:

How awesome are your deeds, O Lord!

In His Grip, David

DiasoLifeontheBorder.org