I thought that I had prepared Betty for every aspect of international travel. However, what happened today she was totally
unprepared for. Over the years she has learned to live in bug-infested rooms, with cold showers, using holes in the ground
for toilets, geckos screaming in the middle of the night, moldy beds, & even vipers. Today as we took a walk to town via an
extended bridge, which is also used as a toilet, I spotted a young wannabe sadhu dressed in orange with long ratty hair,
whose claim to fame was 3 pet monkeys. I gave him 10 rupees, 24 cents, to take his photo. He motioned to Betty to come
and sit by the female monkey at his side. All 3 monkeys–the parents and the baby–were staring at her. As Betty walked away,
I noticed the baby and said, “Betty, look at the baby!” That was a long enough pause for the male monkey to lunge at her with
his mouth wide open and attaching himself to her ankle. She let out a scream that was heard at both ends of the bridge! The
sadhu moved quicker than he had most days in his life and reined in the monkey with the chain around its neck. By then the
damage was done; Betty was monkey bit! The sadhu reached into a secret compartment somewhere in his clothing and
extracted a small vial of secret oil, pouring some in my palm to rub on her wound. Beyond that he seemed unconcerned.
We went to the chemist for peroxide and bandaids. The chemist insisted–repeatedly–that we go immediately to the hospital
for an immunization. He was not a stranger to people in India’s being bitten, and we found out that being monkey bitten in
India is akin to being bitten by a vampire in the sense that their bites are associated with rabies. We took an auto rickshaw
down the street to the government hospital. They WERE efficient; we got right in! The doctor highly recommended the shot.
We agreed after his insistence, and then we were told that the serum only comes when there are enough people bitten.
It takes five people! Fortunately, Betty’s being the fifth, meant that they would have the serum there in the morning. So at
8 a.m. tomorrow, we are to go back to the hospital, and I suppose stand in line with those frothing at the mouth who were
bitten earlier! We will keep you posted. Please see associated photos after the article below.
Acknowledged Intelligence and Creativity Is The End Of Intelligence and Creativity!
I Corinthians 3:18, Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a “fool” so that he may become wise.
I must admit that I love the way God works. There is the world and there is God. There is my perception, from my “earth” suit, and then there is His. I probably enjoy this the most in my own life from being an “international speaker.” Can you imagine such folly on the part of God? Michael Wells, a published author! What a joke. That very thought to those who knew me growing up (probably until age 30) would have evoked a justifiable laugh. Add to the mix that it is the support team that makes it possible for me to be like the donkey on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem as I travel from country to country (the singing and palm leaves were not for the donkey). Actually, the donkey has it over me on many counts not worth mentioning. You know me and I see no difference between the believer that published a book and the one that did not, or between the preacher of a “mega church” and the one with five worshippers attending his meetings. This much, despite my stupidity, I have gotten right. What happens is not about man; it is about Jesus. I just wanted to make a point to my friends. I have a witness, and the witness is that I have seen God witness THROUGH me to something He has spent years bringing to the forefront in a believer’s life. I have witnessed the life-changing impact of a witness to the witness of the Holy Spirit. As far as I know, I have not believed that I created anything but merely witnessed to it. This is to say, again, that I (pray for me) will never forget my place in the spiritual “food chain.” In one way, I could say, “support those with larger meetings and more spectacular reports.” But honestly, you support ALMI because we reach the weak and the remote with a witness of hope. The point is that much has been done in the lives of believers that, when looking back, we realize we had very little to do with; we were merely a witness to what God was doing. We know that if He gets all the glory then He does all the work. However, here is what I often see: Recognized creativity and intelligence in one’s self is the end of creativity and intelligence in one’s self, for God is only Creative to the one that does not know what to do and gives wisdom to the foolish. If we truly want to remain wise and creative in our lives, we must constantly acknowledge that we are not wise and creative and we need His wisdom and His creativity. I promise that this will change life, marriage, parenting skills, work ethics, and more. When boasting that WE had a revelation, that WE were wise, and that WE watched lives turned around, WE are done! Period! It is a spiritual absolute. When I see men take credit and copyright a revelation of God, it is the last one they will have; they have proven they are not to be trusted with the talents that are given. They bury their talent.
God does give revelation to man, but I must repeat, GOD gives revelation to man, and if that revelation helped you with your family, do not make a program around yourself. Let me expand on this. Let us say that you are talking to someone that KNOWS about the government, he KNOWS everything that is happening. He KNOWS about the news media and KNOWS about what the world leaders are up to. He KNOWS all about abortion, gay rights, people’s thinking, and more. He KNOWS. Well, how would you have a conversation with someone that KNOWS? I would like to know how he KNOWS so much about things that are hidden from the rest of us. Then based on the “absolute” of what he KNOWS, he has a solution. This is really amazing to watch. Here is a statement that I really marvel at: “It is KNOWN that Christians are a people of hate and bigotry.” My, someone needs to double up on the pink pills the doctor gave him. He KNOWS that Christians are a people of hate? When believers in the U.S. alone gave 500 billion in aid around the world, when believers fight against slavery, when believers fight oppression, when believers want the best for a pregnant fourteen-year-old in Haiti? I could go on, but why? The someone’s of the world “KNOW.” Then when they happen to get trapped in a corner because of the illogic of what they “KNOW,” they really do not KNOW, and my statement is that they have been driveling all along if they do not really KNOW but have been telling me all along how they really FEEL. Jesus KNEW, and I would sit at his feet, but for all these people who KNOW, why in the world would I sit at their feet? Is God telling them each night what is happening around the world? Definitely there is a “knowing” in the spirit. All I “know in the spirit” is that Jesus is the Way and every other way is not the way. However, when talking to someone who “KNOWS” all there is to know about man, I shift to a different topic to keep from going mad. I do not know how shellfish grow. I do not know how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. I do not know why a hippo hates fires. There is so much that I do not know that maybe he will know about!
More shots of India, this time in the big open-air market!
#1 The flower sellers add the most wonderful fragrance and sights
#2 Chili peppers, which figure so mightily in the flavor of Indian cooking
#3 Look like candies? Nah! Macaroni in different shapes!
#4 Hindu saleswoman
#5 Sugar. Yes, sugar! No fine granules of ghostly white in a pretty pink bag here!
#6 What a beautiful array of sights and flavors in these vegetables!
Yes, the streets of India have everything imaginable traveling on them.
#1 Mike with the “engine” of this cart!
#2 Man-powered vehicles galore, like this one . . .
#3 and this one!
#4 Coconut seller on the street
#5 Banana seller on the sidewalk
#1 Betty receives the “blessing” from the elephant
#2 Everything from animals to pedestrians to semis are expected to be on the road at any given time.
These cows were going . . . somewhere!
#3 Ice cream man
#4 This is a very important delivery being transported . . . whatever it is!
#5 Ox-drawn carts in a long procession
#6 This gives a whole new meaning to “Taking the message of Jesus to the streets!”
Hi, all, from warm India! We went for a walk today in the city where Mike is speaking for four days, and we thought you would like to see some of the images.
#1 & #2, Mike believes he would be suited for stardom in India!
#3 Elephants on the street
#4 Hindu “holy man” on cell phone
#5 Mike liked this old mailbox
#6 Mike liked this ditch on a busy street. He says this is the epitome of “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”
Betty and I are plodding along getting through work and enjoying the “winter” here in India; it is actually quite pleasant.
A very small boy delivers our newspapers every morning; his name is Krishna. His father died two years ago, so Krishna
took over his newspaper route to help provide for the family. He always seemed so frightened when I answered the door to
his 7 a.m. doorbell ring. Yesterday I went to the bicycle shop and bought him a brand new bicycle. I had someone come from
the office with him the next morning to explain to him that it was a gift. I think he was quite surprised. He has been seen on
the road riding his new bike, and I believe he is getting from here to school much quicker.
Another interesting thing happened when we were at breakfast the other day. Right at the foot of the stairs leading up to
the open-air dining a raven was attempting to get to a viper from behind a large plant to kill and eat it. They fought back and forth
for several minutes before the snake succumbed to the large bird’s persistence. When both were very tired, Mike stepped in and
killed the snake. The raven watched from above and then happily swooped down to claim his prize! The whole thing was captured
on video, but I cannot send that to the blog.
Please find below a photo of Betty with the kitchen staff and a photo of me with the same staff! You will notice that Betty is
more comfortable with a roomful of women than I am!
Pray for the upcoming seminars in India.
Man, Not Completed On The Sixth Day!
Genesis 1:31, ¶ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Philippians 1:6, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
When God created the world, He concluded his six days by creating man and saying, “He is good.” Yes, he was good, but he was not completed. A tree is a tree, water is water, a cow is a cow, and so on; those will not become something else. Everything was created complete except for the one thing left incomplete! Man was the only thing in all of creation that was still in the process of becoming complete. Cool! All the rest of creation is under compulsion; the caterpillar must become a butterfly. Man is different. Man was in a process moving toward completion. Man can become a vessel of doom or a vessel of blessing. This fallen world will help make that determination.
I have said it before, but bear with me. The angels in the book of Jude are under judgment for going after strange flesh. Genesis 6 explains that angels were after earthly women. Then Paul makes it clear in I Corinthians that those of different “flesh” are not to mingle. God wanted a bride for His Son but could neither pick something in heaven or on the earth without going after something “strange.” He did what angels longed to look into: He became a man, like Adam outwardly but inwardly with the very life of God. The world had so defeated the Adam inner life, but the proposal comes that Christ (the second Adam) has an inner life that wins, and the vessels that exchange lives at the cross become at that moment vessels of blessing; they also become complete men. “It is finished” means many things, but one thing is this: Man is finished and can become complete; he can now have an outer life of the world and an inner life from heaven, the Life that wins. He can become exactly like the Groom, and the wedding in heaven will go on. After thousands of years wherein all of creation was complete, man can now be complete. Beautiful, wonderful, beyond imagination? Yes, and more!
The homeowners look happy; we’re sure they have a lot to be grateful for. Plus, at least the drought broke! :)
The note below and the photos just came from Wendy Bell, Mt. Alford, Australia. Any donations we receive earmarked for the flood victims in NE Australia will go through Wendy and co. at Mt. Alford.
Good Morning The past few days have been busy, and muddy! We had a huge day handing out sandwiches, cakes, fruit and cold drinks to those cleaning up from the floods. We then returned the following day to help with that daunting task! It's heartbreaking for the homeowners, but the local communities are rallying together to do all they can to support them. Please continue to pray for these people.
Hello from India
The New Year finds Betty and me in India. I will spend some time in the hospital for treatment and evaluation and then move on for a full year of travel, beginning right here in India. I first came to this hospital for exhaustion. Two years ago nearly everything on my blood workup was out of sync. Today, everything is within the range of “normal.” I still will receive treatments and a strict diet, because weight loss is a must.
Starting in March I will be ministering from the South of Argentina to Mexico City and many places in between. We will post the schedule as soon as it is finalized. There is much afoot in the Kingdom and things are getting more and more exciting. I will be reporting along the way. For now, just a quick thought. Your friend, Mike
In the photo are some friends that I first stayed with in 1986. Varghese, Susan, and their son, Vijay (He was much smaller the last time I saw him!)
The Unbeliever’s Sin vs. The Believer’s Sin
II Corinthians 2:7, Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
James 1:13 ¶ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; “God is not the author of evil.”
It must be said from the beginning that sin is a result of man’s action and therefore not something created by God. God is the author of man and man is the author of sin. Now I want to look at this thing called sin. A Christian cannot sin in the same way that a non-Christian does, and here is why. Sin and punishment are one, since when we invite sin into our life, the LIFE that holds us together (Colossians 1:1-15) withdraws, and the absence of LIFE is death. If the punishment is taken out of sin, is there still sin? The unbeliever will sin and experience punishment (death where there once was LIFE), but Christ has taken the punishment out of sin for the believer. The believer merely must confess, for the blood of Jesus has cleansed and will continue to cleanse him. Therefore the believer will sin and not be punished, for Christ became his and every other believer’s punishment on the cross. This gives sin a new meaning and a different purpose in the believer’s life as opposed to the unbeliever’s. If sin brings punishment to the unbeliever, what does sin do for the believer? Imagine sin like cars with no steering wheels, headed for instantaneous wrecks. People are on the wrong road in out-of-control vehicles, and each day the trips are repeated, ending in constant punishment and death. Sin is also like a train, but unlike a car without a steering wheel, it has tracks leading to a sure destination at the end. We are not to be traveling in sin, either the car or the train. However, only the believer can crawl aboard the sin train, which does not go out of control but heads on tracks to its destination determined by God. The Bible is the greatest encyclopedia of failures in the world. We see over and over again how saints, riding the sin train, ended up understanding the grace, love, mercy, forgiveness, and goodness of God. Most of the Bible would never have been written if the people of God had not been on the sin train and God had his own destination that He used the track to get them to. I am working on a book called, “Why This Place?” Why earth? Why man? Why sin, why failure? Well, it all puts us on the sin train, but there is a God-determined destination for the believer that is redemptive; the unbeliever does not have this, because he is not allowing God to be redemptive.
Another example is the caterpillar and the butterfly. Both have the same DNA, but they are not the same. The Caterpillar is trapped in a tomb of his own making and lives in darkness. The butterfly is free and yet tossed back and forth by the smallest breeze. Again, the unbeliever is like the caterpillar; sin has trapped him in complete darkness, and he is easily captured or crushed. The believer is like the butterfly, and when he sins he is tossed back and forth by every little move in the atmosphere, and yet somehow he can travel across a continent. The wind that the butterfly fights against is actually taking him to a God-determined destination.
God is using sin in the believers’ lives to take them to a revelation of Him. To echo Paul, we are not teaching that we should sin so grace will abound. However, “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20). If this is not true and God cannot use our failures and be redemptive, then what is the option? We can look at our own lives for the witness and test it. It was sin that brought us to Christ; as unbelievers we got sick of the car wrecks! Then it has been sin that was used by Him to reveal who He really is and the “why” of obedience: to make us happy. God is fighting nothing and using everything.
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