Discipleship University was a success!

What a GREAT weekend! Many young people descended on Dripping Springs church of Christ this past weekend for "Discipleship University."
It was a weekend of spiritual strengthening for our youth before they went back to school.
There were many great classes taught and Brother Montgomery (pictured) brought several outstanding lessons about what it means to be a true disciple of Christ.
We had over 50 students attending all the classes with many of them coming from several miles away.
God was glorified, His Son exalted, and young lives were spiritually edified. Does it get any better than that?

Stepping back in time

My grandfather used to tell me stories about how he would ride his horse to church and to work everyday when he was younger. I was always fascinated by his stories and wondered what that world must have been like. Well, I saw a place recently where one can get a taste of that era in time. As you can see in this picture, horses are still a common mode of transportation in places like Panama. There is no air-conditioning in the church building, food is cooked over an open fire, and people work from sun up to sun down. I am sure my grand father would have been able to identify with the people in Panama very easily.

The church in the Darien Jungle of Panama

I find it simply amazing that the Lord's church can be found anywhere. When I say anywhere I really mean anywhere. Take the church that is deep in the heart of the Darien Jungle of Panama. There is only one road (partially paved) that dead ends about 50 miles from Colombia. Along this route, one can find several congregations meeting in the various towns along the way.
This picture is of the congregation (and some missionaries) meeting in Sanson.
It is really heart warming to worship with brethren that believe the same thing as you, even though they speak a different language. I can't help but think about how excited Paul must have felt when he would meet various brethren throughout the regions that he traveled.