A photovisit to São Paulo

São paulo at night by Massao
By strength of circunstances I have been surfing at photo's sites, I liked very much the ones I found at Flickr, but I have got a pleasable surprise to find some communities of photos from my city: São Paulo, that is why I invite you to start knowing my city at Flickr at São Paulo community and also at Sampa Flick's, a nice way to start.

By faith

JR Woodward posted a message given last sunday about the second aniversary of Kairos Los Angeles, he told their story as Hebrews 11.
I love to see such cases and they are so insightfull and inspire so much as to think that the church is the hope of this world, and to wish to live such adventures here in Sao Paulo.

Hope

Photo by Mariusm
I would like to talk about what we are here for, what takes people to search for a church and what makes us wake up everyday: Hope.
In a midst of lots of discussions about rethinking church and theology, my inbox receive everyday remindings about lackness, about failure, about resposibility not fullfilled, about our need for a new reformation and the likes until going to the point of getting me a feeling of bitterness until to be tempted to think that the worse is happening in our church. I don't want to flee from all good discussions and questions about our faith, they have made us grow a lot. But I want to remember what we are here for.
When I think about what we have done I can think about trouble, but we are here not because of us, but because of God who had loved us first. When I was thinking about hope, it came a verse from Lamentations, when Jeremiah was also remembering about lots of bad thinks were happening to them, but could brilliantly talk about hope:

"I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness
the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed
I remember it all - oh, how well I remember -
the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there's one other thing I rembember,
and remembering, I keep a grip on hope.

God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He's all I've got left..."

Lamentations 3:19-24 (The message)
Hope came ever when we remember who God is in spite of who we are. And I think that remember our hope is the best we can do when we are willing to please Him. He is a God that works for us and in spite of ourselves, makes all evil turn to our good, and this is His nature.
In the midst of all discussions I would like to remember the Hope we have, not for a scape nor for an excuse, but because we can, and if we live in all discussions for themselves away from the hope we got from Jesus ressurrection, we will become the saddest of all other people who also have lots to discuss but don't have this kind of hope.