Brasil 2011, day 3, Saturday

Bom Dia, Senhores e Senhoras! It is Saturday, noon, in the beautiful city of Montes Clares of Minas Gerais, Brasil. A gorgeous city situated in the mountains and blessed with crystal clear sky (hence, Montes Clares). It is in the north of the state of Minas, and possesses a population that is booming. Already the city exceeds 400,000 persons - and just a few years ago it was half this size.

So from here - from this city we will base our mission trip this year. A city of a new Baptist seminary supported by our Project 70 mission funds, which supplies pastors being trained to lead the churches being planted. Churches like ours - the ones Parkwayhills supports - which, by the way, is 16 churches now - all in the state of Minas and situated in our adopted region near Salinas.

But now, we have come to work with our newest church plant - a church begun by ParkwayHills and Pastor Jairo, himself, and situated in beautiful Montes Clares. A city dynamically changing, where less than 6% of its population call themselves evangelical, or know what it means to claim Christ as their 'personal' Saviour. So to this place we have come and it is of this place and mission you are praying.

When we arrived here last night, after traveling by plane and bus for some 30 hours, we held an evangelistic concert of contemporary music and preaching. This happened in an open field, near where the new church is meeting. My chosen text was from Luke 8, where Jesus told his disciples that "light" was not to be hid, but, instead, placed on a lamp-stand for all to see. I challenged those who did not know this LIGHT to let Christ - the LIGHT of the world - change their life forever. I asked all our missionaries - both Brasilian and American - to place this light, Jesus Himself, at the very front and center of everything they were about to do. Why? Because our confidence is in Him, I reminded - the 'One' who will bring all things into view and make all things known.

So today we have begun. Early up and early out. Children are everywhere. Our missionaries are working - and working hard. Young and old alike, they are bringing the light of Christ to Montes Clares. One team is here, with yet another just 120 kilometers away, in the village of Fruta de Leche (village of 'milk fruit')

So please - keep us in your prayers! Pray HIS LIGHT may be known, and... that it will shine.

Obrigado,

Pastor Sam

Plano, Missouri, Dallas, Brazil and...

I think ParkwayHills is a great church, for great churches are made up of committed Christians - both to Christ and to His call of sharing the gospel. Truth told, I'm not sure there is such a thing as 'commitment to Christ' without this. For isn't this what He has called us to? This said, the journey of our church has been rich with this story. From our beginning, this has been our objective - and it thrills me to see us still fully engaged in this even now.

This summer - even this week - our trek takes us further into the story of how this is weekly done. Twenty One of our students will travel with youth pastor's, interns and sponsors to Missouri's Camp Barnabas - where the love of Christ and His gospel will be exampled by our students as they serve those often least regarded among us - kids with special needs.

This week I will take a constituency to Southeast Dallas, as we prepare to call upon our church and West Plano Business and Community to share the gospel by exampling 'hands on' help - building a house for a family in the area and impacting this historic Dallas community with the love of Christ, while we engage others to help us with that same love and for the same cause, as well.

Then, next week, I leave with over 30 other missionaries, most of whom are from ParkwayHills, to travel to the Brasilian State of Minas Gerais, and the city of Montes Claros, as we work with Brasilian Baptists in planting and strengthening churches while seeing as many as 500 persons come to faith in Christ there.

But these are not just stories. Not just tales. They are real events, with real people impacting others through the efforts of this great church. Like the story of Kiara, who went with the ParkwayHills Pre-teens to Camp Gap last week, and gave her heart to Jesus Christ as a result. Kiara is a 4th grade student at Centennial Elementary, and lives less than 80o yards from our church. Last week her life was changed forever. Because of a great church, indeed!

So, may our efforts and causes be ever of Him, and increase!

Love,

Pastor Sam Dennis

Today - 5 June 2011

Today our church recognized the Graduating Seniors of Parkwayhills.

Today I saw the little faces on bigger bodies now grown.

Today I knew I might never see some again.

But, today, I was glad to be their pastor.

Today my son was numbered among these, so that...

Today he walked across the stage to take the pastor's gift but shake his dad's hand.

Today I wanted to stop what I was doing - hold him and say, "I love you, son"- but didn't.

So that, today, he took his place among the rest to listen as I preached.

Then from my perch of pulpit to pew, today I understood my son is not mine, but HIS - and watched as he listened & knew ...

Today will be remembered by me... forever!

"Grateful" in Evergreen

A quiet morning today as our hosts, Bill and Rita Starkey, left early to make an appointment in town. As well, Trey and his friend, Hayden, are not skiing - so that B and I are left to do as we please. The result? A trip to the local bagel shoppe for bagels and coffee then back to this glorious home for a quiet morning - each with our Bibles, books, pen and pad.

The area here (Evergreen, CO) is absolutely gorgeous. On our drive this morning B and I saw a herd of Elk as we motored past a preserve and park known as "Elk Meadow." There must have been well over 200 of these amazing creatures - which was a marvelous sight to behold. Reminiscent, I thought, of the natural order and God's original design.

So today our plan is to 'lay low' and stay in the area. A hike, I am sure, as well as a local drive dotted with shopping. But, whatever the day might hold, it will be wonderful. Nothing short of a good and timely rest for this pastor with a full and grateful heart. And how else might it be in a setting such as this? For out every window that I peer I see nothing less than the glory of God.

Pastor Sam

Buffalo Gap, Abilene & Celina Texas

Celina Texas is not Buffalo Gap nor is it Abilene - but it is about as close as you will get to it here in Collin County Texas - and that's where DeLynn and her boys have decided to lay to rest our ParkwayHills deacon chair, David Shaw Parker, tomorrow.

My great grandfather, Charles Lane Dennis, came to this area in the 1870s - sometime after the Civil War. He and many other's from northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky came too. In fact, a passel of early settlers to this region hail from the same area and time. They came in search of land - a place to call their own and make their way, and the vast, young state of Texas held wonderful promise for what they sought.

Mr. Dennis farmed his entire life in this county and is buried in Melissa, TX. His eldest son, Thomas Van Dennis, or TV as he was called (long before those initials would mean anything electronic) married and followed suit, farming near a community known by old Doc Hubbard's country school - one named after his daughter - the 'Allah Hubbard School', and situated about 5 miles north east of Celina. TV was buried in the Old Celina Cemetery south and west of the town - and his wife, preceding him in death by 3 years, is buried beside him - but from here my story takes a twist.

My Dad, Delmer, was TV and Mattie's youngest child - number 13 of 14 - with the last child dying at birth. Dad's mother died when he was 5 and his father died 3 years later, when my Dad was 8. That was in 1933, and TV, Mattie and their baby girl lay in the family plot alone for many years, or until, 1989. That's when my Dad, at his request, was buried there.

Now B and I don't like to talk about death, but roots are roots, so that we've said that this is where we'll be laid to rest when our times comes. Till that times comes we've been know to occasionally pay the cemetery a visit. So that when the Parker's (as I drove them about looking for a place to bury their father and husband) were saying things to me like, "Dad wouldn't like this," and "Pastor, David was really a misplaced country boy at heart," the Old Celina Cemetery came to mind. When we pulled onto the cemetery grounds, walked across my ancestors graves, and west up a little rise to the newer part of the cemetery, the family sighed and said, 'this is it!"

Of course those of us in Christ know that David is already with Jesus. His salvation has been made - and he is with the LORD - for to be 'absent from the body' is to be 'present with the LORD.' But the Bible also teaches that one day the graves of all believers will open - and those who are 'asleep and remain' (the bodies of those passed on) will rise up out of their graves clothed with "new bodies' to live forever with Christ (1st Cor, 15 and 1st Thess 4). And, oh my! What a grand day that will be!

So my deacon chair and I, one Mr. David Shaw Parker, should the LORD tarry, will one day rise up from that spot in Collin County Texas - along with all the other saints in Christ from around the world - and "so shall we ever be with the LORD."

So that, "Yes, the place is not quite Buffalo Gap, nor is it Abilene" but it is Celina, Texas. And from this place in Celina, God will one day call him finally home.

Till then we shall remain

Pastor Sam

An update to my 'David Parker' post, from Delynn Parker

Delynn Parker, the precious wife of David, of whom I wrote about yesterday, sent me this email just after my blog post about her husband. For those of you reading this as a means of prayer and support for the family - this update will help with those natural questions.

Love to you all,

Pastor Sam

From Delynn:

Word from coroner just now. It was Sudden Cardiac Death. Not heart attack. Plaque buildup and scar tissue, enlarged heart. Altitude and heart trying to work hard to get more oxygen caused it to stop. There was a slight flutter, but with AED there was never another heartbeat. It was instantaneous. If he had had a stress test he would have probably failed, thus been sent to hospital for treatment. I believe he learned to overcome any signs of stress emotionally through his complete faith in God, yet he never thought about what those signs could mean physically (flutter, dizziness, etc.) They were never bad enough for him to feel he should go to the Doctor. If he had exercised more regularly he would have had more symptoms, thus gone for stress tests, most likely leading to Angioplasty. I can only find peace knowing that NOTHING could have been done on the mt.. They had the AED machine on him immediately.

After I heard this, I prayed with a large group that was gathered at my house - and thanked our Lord for the peace that this answer brings to us.

Love,

De (Delynn)

______________________

PS. We shall continue to lift in prayer Delynn and her sons, Austin, Travis, Sam and Bo.

Services for David will be held at ParkwayHills Baptist Church, 2700 Dallas Parkway, Plano TX. 75093 - at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 5. Additionally, there will be a viewing those from 6-8 pm on Friday, March 4 - also at ParkwayHills Baptist Church.

In lieu of flowers, Delynn requests donations be made to two ministries David loved and supported - Coaches Outreach and Need Him Ministries.

Also, friends of David have established an Education Fund for those feel led to give financial support to any future or remaining education funding needs of his sons. Checks for this may be sent to:

Parker Children’s Education Fund

c/o Liberty Capital Bank

5055 Keller Springs Road, Suite 120

Addison, Texas 75001

David Parker - 12 March 1962 - 28 February 2011

Dear Church family & friends in Christ,

Yesterday was a very difficult day for our church and for this community. David Parker, longtime ParkwayHills member and current chairman of our deacons, passed away while skiing in Beaver Creek, CO. David, who was on holiday enjoying the Trinity Christian Academy "Winter Break", was with his wife Delynn and their youngest son Bo. Also with them were several other families from the TCA community, so that David was doing what he liked to do - skiing with family and friends.

As told to me, he was on the mountain with two friends, Matt Miller and Scott Dennis. Although Matt and Scott did not see him go down, those nearest to David when he died said that it was as if he just slumped over then went down. Observers have reported "he had no accident, there were no moguls and he seemed to experience no trauma - as if the LORD reached down and just took him home." The mountain paramedics were at his side quickly, however David could not be revived - either on the mountain or at the hospital.

Our church was first contacted by Vail Social Services - just after 2:00 pm central standard time. My assistant interrupted me in meeting with our church's Executive Staff and I called Delynn on her cell phone immediately. Delynn answered the phone and said to me, "Pastor, David is gone," then crying she said, 'he died." And we began crying together. She asked me if I would locate the other boys and tell them the news. I said I would.

The next hours were a whirlwind of phone calls, prayers, tears and each of us holding one another tightly. Delynn's aunt and uncle, Jim and Cheryl Crain, were in my office within minutes of my phone call with Delynn. Together we mapped out how we might get word to David and Delynn's other sons - Austin, Travis and Sam. Going immediately to the Parker home, we made this our base of operation for talking to the boys. Sam, 16, was at baseball practice at Trinity. Austin, 22, was at work in Las Colinas and Travis, 19 and a student at Baylor, was in Waco. Over the next hours the boys were informed - Sam being the last one.

David's friend and owner of the company he worked for, arranged to fly me and the boys to Vail, to pick up Delynn and Bo and bring them home. This we did - leaving Love Field just after 6:30 pm. Travis was driven by a caravan entourage of friends and fraternity brothers from Waco directly to the area of Love Field from which we were to depart. Together, these young men and other's surrounded the Parker brothers, praying for them on the tarmac before we boarded the plane. Just short of 2 hours after take off, we landed in Vail and met with Delynn, Bo, and the Miller and Dennis family. Scott and Matt then told the boys of their Dad's last moments, reiterating to them that David experienced no pain, and that the "LORD just took him home." We cried some more, prayed, then asked God to comfort us all and to remind the boys of everything that their Dad had taught them - confident God would do just this.

On the flight home, Delynn and I talked softly as the boys, one by one, fell asleep. She said to me, "Pastor Sam, he loved me so much - and I loved him." "He called me Princess." I said, "Delynn, I know he loved you. When he talked about you and the boys, his eyes would light up." "You will always have that. No one will ever take that away."

Please pray for this wonderful family. David is not dead. Though not with us now, he is very much alive. In fact, he is more alive today than ever he has been. Because David knew Christ as his Savior, because David had put his trust for life and all eternity in HIm, he is with his LORD. (Jn. 3:16, 1st Cor. 15)

On the front door of the Parker home the words from Psalm 121 are posted. They read,

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From where shall my help come?

My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade on your right hand.

The sun will not smite you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The LORD will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.

To this end, then, we wait upon Him.

Pastor Sam Dennis

PS Once arrangements are made and the service time has been set, our church will make the information available.