These are a few of the lessons that my Father has taught me over the past few years.  Nothing is new here, only realized.  They are written on an ongoing basis for my kids.  We all have our "proverbs" or learned lessons; some written, some engraved on our hearts.  Perhaps He will use these to encourage and challenge you, as He has me.  Please forward comments, favorites, disagreements to kubacki6@msn.com.  I would love to hear from you!

We were created to live loved and the wondrous love of God is ever-present, if only we would appreciate its reality.  Living "unloved" is the cause of much pain in many people of every culture.       loosely from, "The Shack"

Missionaries are not worthy of admiration.  People who are surrendered to, and intimate with, Jesus (and humbly like Him) are worthy of admiration regardless of their place of residence or occupation.

Love and affliction both change one's soil, so that planted seeds can grow.

To selflessly care for one suffering is equally as beautiful as it is to suffer well.

Conflict, difficulty and pain are not expected at a party.  All are, however, a given in war.  Jesus said to expect which in this life?

Teaching old dogs new tricks (or languages) is a chore!

To love someone often indifferent, antagonistic, self-centered, insensitive, unaware of their "blind spots", and completely different, is the love of marriage.  This also describes perfectly God's love for me.

It's easier to serve God than to draw close to Him and trust Him.  But it is in the drawing close and the trusting that we do the "work of God" and, in so doing, find that which we seek in serving Him.

A wise child is truly a parent's delight.

Growing older is over-rated.  Cherish your youth!

Suffering is no respecter of persons or cultures.

The work and burden are His.  HE builds His church.  HE heals.  We get to participate.

People who live many hours from any medical help break bones and have asthma, headaches, meningitis, diarrhea, lacerations, strokes ...

Laughter IS good medicine.

I have seen joy in those desperately poor and misery in those with great wealth.

Even when we serve God in a foreign land, "self" is there.

Why, within the church, do we esteem success, charisma, and confidence when the Head of the church honors and delights in humility?

To work for a simple "Thank you!" seems healthy but pleasing people invariably leads to frustration.  Better to work in response to the delight that our Father already has in us.

Maintaining intimacy (love) with God, our wife/husband, our kids, and our friends is a battle against many enemies (none of which are God, our wife/husband, our kids or our friends!). 

A man finds a certain, needed fulfillment in his work.

If here exist luck or fortune, then God is either absent or impotent.

People are very much the same anywhere.  They both reflect the beauty of their Creator and manifest the wounds of lives lived independently of Him.

Communication, through conversation, is the foundation of any relationship (with God, our spouse, our kids, our friends).

The outcome of obedience often looks differently than what one may expect.

Advice is typically responded to neither immediately, nor exactly in the manner advised.

Wise counsel must be owned to benefit the counseled.

Life is the accumulation of many little lessons learned, many little failures, many little joys, many little special moments.  A journey is the accumulation of many small steps toward a destination.

You will not "arrive" in this lifetime.  Appreciate the journey.

The wounds caused by a friend or brother ("friendly fire") hurt more profoundly because of a perceived violation of trust.

I can change no one.

"Should" carries burden not from our Father.  Those loved don't know this word.

Pain and illness are worse without transportation, a soft chair, and some savings.

Needs are opportunities for God's children to approach their Father and inquire if and how they might respond.  Our calling is not to meet needs but rather to walk in intimacy with our Father and, from there, He will likely direct us to a particular need (a place where He is preparing the soil for His seeds of love).

To chase after certain results or outcomes is exhausting.  We are called rather to "delight in the Lord" and "seek first His kingdom".

God, life, love, and people (including me) are beyond my understanding.  Actually, most things are beyond my ability to understand but not beyond my ability to appreciate.

A sense of wonder and a genuine, "Wow!" honor the Creator.  Sincere gratitude honors the Giver.

If we look, we will see God's provision in every situation and we can acknowledge His purposes, though "through a glass dimly".

Trust is gained over time and testing, and can be lost in a moment.

Our enemy frequently whispers suggestions and lies.  Jesus constantly knocks at the door of our heart.  We choose, moment by moment, who we will invite in, embrace and follow.

To forgive is to free the offender, but even more to free the offended.

God takes special pleasure in bringing life to that which is dead, light to darkness, beauty to that which is broken, freedom to one held captive, and joy to those oppressed.

To trust in God's love, goodness and control is to live burden-free.

Passion comes and goes but love endures.

To work hard, and to provide for oneself and one's family, is better than receiving something for nothing.

Encouragement is greatly undervalued and desperately lacking, within the church.

Criticism (speaking ill to another) and slander (speaking ill of another) have more power to harm than physical assault.  Most people would never physically assault another, but ...

To ask questions and listen is to honor and love.

We all are quite screwed up.

Joy results from focusing on God's beauty and goodness, not mine.

God's will for your life has more to do with where you are than where you are to go.

Nothing of value is gained without effort and cost.

Duty and obligation are motivators when love is doubted or unknown.

God prefers to use broken, screwed up people.

I have more than a few regrets.  All of them were the result of walking independently of my Father.

Kingdom thoughts: "Father, what do you think about this?"  and  "Father, what would you have me do (say)?"

Marriage and raising kids are like working a 24 hr shift or living in a hot, bug-infested shack for a week; who you really are is revealed.

I need often to rest and be still.

Facades (the most common: "I have it all together.") are deceptive and harmful.  Humility and transparency are edifying.

Fear (of loss, failure, embarrassment, etc,) motivate many decisions in people of every culture.

Expectation of life, people, and ourselves is inversely related to contentment (more expectation = less contentment // less expectation = more contentment).

To lose a known love (through death, rejection, separation) is to be wounded deeply.  Jesus said, "I will NEVER leave nor forsake you."

A thankful heart is deeply healing.

Religion is one of our enemy's most powerful tools.

All people, in every culture, are wounded, broken, weak, and afraid.  Some realize it.

A healthy rhythm for living: Pour yourself into work and into relationships and take time to recover.

Learn in order to gain appreciation rather than understanding.

Those who wound you don't fully realize what they are doing.

To lead is to initiate - in encouraging, serving, listening, forgiving, supporting, steering, correcting, loving...

To trust is to loosen one's grip.

When we condemn ourselves for our past, we are one person judging another.

Our "illusion of control" excludes God.

God is interested in developing much more in us than ease and prosperity would provide.

Different cultures are fascinating to compare.  It's easy to see our own culture's strengths and another's weaknesses, but all cultures have plenty of both.

To be stewards of God's (and your) resources, to the forgotten river people of the Amazon Basin, is a unique privilege and one that we trust will impact lives and generations.  May we all receive more in 2009 from our Father, and give more back to the Giver of all good things, to be used for His purposes.

"God with us".  He came.  He came to reveal Himself, so that we could know Him.  He came so that we would know that He could relate to our pain and difficulty.  He came to teach.  He came to die and to demonstrate His incomprehensible love in the most powerful manner possible.  He came to beat death to convince us that all of the above is true.  He promised that His love and His presence would remain available for all who would have Him.  God with us!!!

Certainly a reason to celebrate!  Certainly a reason to give of ourselves so that others may know Him!

Please have a most special Christmas, and "enjoy" the cold weather for us!

All the Kubacki's

Our long-time friends from Columbus, Brent and Aaron Long, joined Luke and me for a week-long water filter trip into the interior, west of Porto de Moz, along the Jaruacu River.  We began the trip with 60 filters, each weighing near 300 lb, 60 sacks of fine sand (150 lb), 120 bags of gravel (20 lb), along with the filter accessories.  I took an EMT pack of meds and tools, as well, as this would be the first time we combined attending to the health needs of these remote people with both filters and medicine.  As you've read previously, these filters are quite remarkable.  They will purify river water to close to 100% and kill the parasites and bacteria that cause a host of common diseases among the people of the Amazon Basin.

But they are heavy!  It takes 4 - 6 men to get a filter from the boat, to a canoe, to the shore, up the bank to the house, up the steps or ladder (all river houses are on stilts), and into the house.  We have a great team of young men who work hard making the filters three weeks/month and delivering them one week/month.  After delivery, they brief the family on how the filter works, demonstrate the simple maintenance instructions and pray for the family.  Most families are delighted and grateful to receive a filter.  Those who are currently using the filters are thrilled with the results and word is spreading in this region as to their benefits. 

At each place we stopped, we offered health care assistance.  Many responded, asking for a "consultation".  I saw about 300 people over the course of the week, a pretty typical number.  We stopped at several small villages with 8 - 10 homes (which typically contain 2-3 families each) and I spent several hours at these villages.  We stopped at many single homes, as well.  I prayed for each person for their health care issue, and I asked God to draw close to them and I encouraged them to draw close to Him.  Many people showed obvious signs of encouragement, from tears to smiles to hugs of gratitude.  At one village in particular, we arrived to a cold, hard welcome and left the next evening sensing warmth and gratitude.  Love, without strings, is truly a transforming agent in both people and communities.

The health care was varied and included removing some shrapnel from the arm of a man on his kitchen table as well as treating various infectious, parasitic, traumatic, arthritic and other medical conditions.  We also gave reading glasses to four older adults who were absolutely thrilled to be able to see at close range again. 

One highlight of the trip was spending an hour with a husband and wife who are grieving a still-born baby, born 10 days prior.  It was a sober joy to be able to listen to them share their hearts and hurts and to speak encouragement and freedom to grieve.  I discouraged any sense of fault or blame and encouraged them to see God's provision for them in the midst of a situation that challenges their understanding.  I was able to pray with each individually and with them together, encouraging them to seek the comfort of the only One who can truly comfort.

Another highlight involved Brent, Aaron, Luke and me and 6-7 locals loading 20,000 bricks from ground to truck and from truck to boat.  It was a long day and one we all will not soon forget!

It was such a pleasure to work alongside Brent and to share with each other our struggles and joys with family, work, and our walks with Jesus.  It was nice for Luke to be able to do the same with Aaron, as Luke's adjustment to Porto de Moz is taking some time, and spending some time with an old friend was therapeutic.

The group of Brasilians working with us was hard-working, gracious with our language deficiencies, and a lot of fun.  We were able to fish in the evenings and early mornings and caught many very nice fish (which we ate at about every meal).

Between the filters and the medicine, it was a tiring, though quite satisfying, trip.  It is so nice to be able to be used for others' benefit and for the kingdom.  It's nice to be in a position to distribute resources provided by so many caring people in the States.  The work that Thirst Relief International is doing in providing these filters to remote river people is beautiful.  The health care that I can provide by purchasing medicine with the money that you send is making such a difference in these people who lead truly difficult lives.  The  eternal seeds that we are able to plant all over this region will mature in His time.  We trust in our Father's ability and desire to use us and to use you, to bring people into an everlasting, intimate, love relationship with Him.

Our good friends Bill and Barb Herzog were coming.  I was full of anticipation of spending long hours talking, sharing and going deep.  They are people who fill me, and have been for a long time.  Whenever I'm with them, I am encouraged and my burdens become lighter.  I remember my purpose, I remember God's affection and grace towards me.  Do you have people like this in your life?  God wants us to.  Perhaps it was my neediness that caused me to so look forward to their visit.  Perhaps I was looking forward to their presence; perhaps to the blessing they always leave in me.  My relationship with Jesus is similar.  I often seek what He can give me rather than simply seeking the presence of my King, my Maker, the Lover of my soul.  Jesus knows we are thus wired. 

Whatever the state of my heart, my anticipation for Bill and Barb's visit was true.  Then they arrived.  They arrived during a time when I was unexpectedly pulled in many directions and I was left with little time to spend with them.  My heart and my time was full of distractions.  The brief moments we had together were special, filling and fun.  Their hearts rubbed off on me a little.  I was encouraged, but ...  there was so little time and so many distractions.  Now they are gone.  I won't see them again for at least a year.  As I write, I feel as one feels when something of value is broken or wasted.  Regret, sadness...

And yet, their hearts challenged me just by being with them a short time.  Their trip was quite unique.  They were mugged by men with knives in Belem during their first days in Brasil.  They came during a time when we faced unexpected circumstances that forced us to disrupt their plans, making their time here much different than they had hoped.

But how they handled the curve balls thrown at them really spoke to my heart.  They were so honest in how they struggled with the mugging, which resulted in loss of a camera, credit cards, cash, and, for Barb, a broken wrist.  We were able to worship together several times (far fewer times than we had hoped) and their heart for worshipping Jesus rubbed off on me.  Their significant dependence on the Holy Spirit for everything in their life and ministry made me take another look at my own.  The flexibility they had when faced with many (almost daily) changes of schedule was downright heavenly.  In this, they so communicated their love for us.  They made it so obvious that it was us that they loved and not the Amazon, a particular list of "to do's", or even ministry opportunities.  Their attitudes were so Jesus-like and left me wanting more of Jesus in me.  They trusted in God's control of even the interruptions.  They focused on loving us, in the midst of our chaos, instead of "getting things done".  We joked with them that the theme of their trip was, "Welcome to our world!"  However, they demonstrated trust that God would accomplish His purposes during their trip even though their agenda was altered from how they thought God would best be glorified through them.  Their focus remained unchanged.  Their hearts continued to worship Jesus, to surrender to His will, to love us, and to remain joyful, in all the human confusion.  What an example for one who seems to lose his kingdom focus and his joy so easily.

God does His work through His people.  He communicates His heart predominantly through His kids.  He challenges, corrects, teaches, heals, and loves through His body.  How much more this morning, I want to be a vessel that He can use in whatever circumstance ... like Bill and Barb.

I'm learning, again, that having a thankful heart is an attitude of remarkable value in this life.  It is a heart attitude cherished by our Father.  It is the result of humility appropriate for a created being, one given this priceless gift of life.  It is the fruit of one who recognizes his place in the world, where every moment of awareness is a gift and control over this life has much to do with forces outside of our control and less to do with us.  The control over our circumstances are in the hands of a God we understand but a little but one who has demonstrated profoundly that His care for us can be trusted.  This perspective, this humility, yields a heart of gratitude directed toward its Maker, its Provider, and toward the One who's blessings are evident to the heart with eyes to see.

I'm reminded of the value of gratitude because I've gotten to know two people who have entered my life and consistently demonstrated such humble gratitude, while walking through difficult, unexpected circumstances.  Dan, who suffered through the injuries of a serious motorcycle accident while on a trip to the interior to help those in need, and his wife, Laura.

I had the privilege of getting to know Dan while spending many hours at his side in the hospital.  He endured much pain, could not communicate at all with his caregivers, was forced to spend 11 days in this condition away from those who know him and love him.  He faced all of this unknown, all the humility and pain, without one word of complaint!  He expressed gratitude for every little thing, over and over, through each day.  He expressed gratitude for his family, his good memories, each email, each visit, each "meal" of weak broth, each bath and shave.  His gratitude was strikingly beautiful, especially in light of his circumstances.  His attitude challenged me and caused me to realize that I desire a more thankful heart, especially when things are tough.

I also had the opportunity to spend much time on the phone with Laura, Dan's wife, who was taking it all in from her home in British Columbia.  She had much to complain about, facing delay after delay in Dan's returning home and dealing with an insurance company whose decisions were difficult to understand.  But...  Her attitude was one of gratitude, for every call, every email, every bit of good news, every effort given for Dan and for her.  Her attitude made interacting with her such a pleasure.  It made my burden light.  Gratitude is so honoring, so uplifting to the receiver.  I understand better why our Father loves a grateful heart.  It honors Him appropriately.  It recognizes the truth.  It brings light to dark circumstances.

There is so much that I don't understand about life.  But, through Dan and Laura, I recognize the beauty and value of a thankful heart, even when faced with what you don't understand.  I'm sure that Dan and Laura hoped that God would use this sacrificial, expensive trip in various ways.  I'm sure that they never thought that God would use them to minister to my heart in this way!  I'm so grateful for them, for their hearts, and for the One who is always instructing and guiding me.

I'm writing from a hospital room in Altamira.  One of the men (Dan Sawatzky) visiting us from Canada to help with the church building was in a serious motorbike accident.  While returning from the boat to Altamira, he asked to ride one of our motor bikes.  He missed a curve and hit a solid dirt wall at about 60 km/hr.  He was unconscious at the scene and in and out of consciousness for about 24 hr.  He suffered six broken ribs, a fractured shoulder blade, collar bone and jaw.  He had cuts and abrasions everywhere.  He had a 8-10" laceration over his inner elbow with lacerated tendons which needed surgery the first day.  He was on a ventilator for about 36 hr, having a bruised lung, as well.  Altamira has a brand new, state of the art hospital where Dan has received first rate care.  Dan remembers very little of the day of the accident but has handled the pain and the trauma of it all quite courageously.  Even today (about a week after the accident) he said to me, "It was all worth helping these people, even this."

Dan "shouldn't have" survived this wreck.  A much lesser impact has killed many.  The fact that his neck remained whole, hitting this wall, helmeted head first, at that speed, is beyond my understanding.  In the critical "golden hour" after the wreck, we could do little for him for lack of equipment, even with quite a bit of experience in treating similar traumas.

It's been a blessing getting to know Dan while sitting many hours with him in this room.  It's also been quite cool seeing God's many provisions for Dan since the accident.  This hospital, for example, and its specialists, wasn't here a year ago.  The other hospitals in Altamira are quite "third world".  I don't understand why things like this happen but I also don't understand completely why we are blessed with many miracles inside of us and around us, each moment.  But God's provision remains quite evident to eyes that will see, just as His love for us was demonstrated quite plainly in His humbly invading earth to reveal Himself to us, to suffer, and to die for our benefit.

I've been personally challenged in several ways while walking through this with Dan.  1) Life is truly but a vapor (Linda - this means that life is so short).  2) Tomorrow may look quite different than today.  3) Are my eyes open to God's provisions?  4)  The value of love, support and grace, especially in difficulty, is truly beautiful.

This has caused me to stop, to reevaluate myself in relation to God, my family, my friends, my work.  Just how precious (and fragile, painful and challenging) is this life that we have so graciously been given?  Just how precious is the moment by moment provision of our Creator?  How precious and needed is demonstrated love between people?  In my ever so brief life, what do I want to spend myself on?

Dan has a long road of recovery ahead but will completely heal.  His life still has great value to the One in control, as does any life with a beating heart.  If you are reading this, please remember the value you have to your Maker.  He cherishes you dearly.  Jesus, please open our eyes so that we can see your love and provision for us today.  We need reminded, Lord, that you are so for us.

Dan(r) with friend, Phil, during the boat trip