Spanish Win for Tour de France

Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre of Spain cycling past the Arc de Triomph in Paris on Sunday.

Photos taken from: The International Herald Tribune

Self-denial

Christ Crucified Between the Virgin and Nicodemus, drawing by Michelangelo (ca. 1552-1554)

“Yes, there is a doctrine of self-denial in the Bible. We must deny ourselves sand so we can build on rock; we must deny ourselves the praise of men so we can enjoy the approval of God; we must deny ourselves moth-eaten treasures so we can have eternal wealth; we must deny ourselves safety among men so we can enjoy security in God; we must deny ourselves drunkenness and gluttony so we can be guests at the biggest, longest banquet of the universe; we must deny self-reliance so that we can say, "The Lord is my shepherd, I have no wants." Never, NEVER does God ask you to deny yourself a greater value for a lesser value. That's what sin is. On the contrary, always, ALWAYS God calls us to surrender second-rate, fleeting, unsatisfying pleasures in order to obtain first-rate, eternal, satisfying pleasures.”

- John Piper

A picture is worth a thousand words

In cities all over Spain this past week, people celebrated the festival of San Fermin.

Things you may be interested to know...

• Since 1914, 14 people have been killed during the running of the bulls.
• The Spanish American Red Cross reports that more Americans are injured than any other nationality (the multiple points of irony in this statement are funny!).
  
• The most common injuries obtained (to humans) during running are: fractures to the wrist and ribs.
  
• The running of the bulls takes place in cities all over Spain, but the most famous is in Pamplona.
  
• The running of the bulls is an event during the festival of San Fermin. There are actually several runnings during the week and then the most popular is on the weekend.
  
• Traditionally, women are not allowed to run. If they do, it is frowned upon.
  
• The cardinal rule of running is, "If you go down, stay down".

Visa Application Part II

I drove to Houston Monday evening, and went to the Spanish Consulate on Tuesday! I got back to Denton Wednesday afternoon. It went relatively smoothly and they said it could take anywhere from 1-4 months! Just wanted to update you!

Thanks for your prayers! Please continue to pray for the Lord to provide supporters.

Thank you for sending me! I count it as no small thing to think of the sacrifices of time, money, etc. that you make in being a part of sending me. I like thinking of the bigger picture though; considering that we are aligning ourselves with the Lord's will for our lives in seeking first His Kingdom!