Today is Briana's first birthday, and we had friends and family over to celebrate with a party.  Here she is, being held by her grandmother preparing for an attempt to blow out the candle on her cake. 

Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD
does not count against him
--Psalm 32:1-2

           Imagine you're being given the opportunity to have everything you want for the rest of your life  -- to just snap your fingers and see your wishes granted.  But imagine there is one catch: in return, you must forfeit God's forgiveness of just one of your sins.  Would you take the offer?
          Not if you were wise.  Because if we did not have salvation, the forgiveness of sins, and the eternal life it brings, there would be no gift or blessing that could be of any real value.
          We tend to put a lot of things on our "wish lists," convincing ourselves that if we just had that certain something, or if that certain circumstance changed, or if that certain thing would happen, then we would be satisfied.  But the truth is, if we know Jesus, we already have the greatest blessing we could ever receive:  Our sins have been punished on the cross, and God will never hold us responsible for them.  Even though our sins were innumerable -- "more than the hairs of my head," as Psalm 40 describes them -- when we stand before Christ, our sins will number absolute zero.  Even though our hearts were deceitful and above all things wicked, we shall stand before Him clothed in the spotless garments of the redeemed.
          "My sin (oh the bliss of this glorious thought) my sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more.  Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Oh, my soul!"  We've not been partially forgiven, but completely forgiven.  Our sin debt hasn't been decreased, but cancelled.
          Truly that is the greatest blessing.  That's why throughout the ages more songs than can be counted have been written of the wonders of God's grace and mercy and the miracle of His salvation.  Millionaires don't write ballads in praise of the joy their money brings.  But even men in utter poverty can cry out in irrepressible joy at the knowledge that God has forgiven them of their every transgression.
          "Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free; for God the Just is satisfied, to look on Him and pardon me."
          If just one sin remained unwashed by Christ's blood, we would be eternally doomed.  But every wrong thing we've ever done, said, or thought has been erased by the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary.  Rejoice brothers and sisters!  That which you already have is the most wonderful thing anyone could ever receive.  Do not withhold your rejoicing until the temporal things of this life improve for you; rejoice now, and rejoice forever.  If you have the Son of God and the life He brings, then nothing more do you need to have reason to praise Him.

Here's the forecast for this weekend in Buzau.  More like the weather we would have expected in Texas where we used to live.  Almost unheard of levels of heat for this country that is as far north as the state of Maine.  Praise God we have air conditioning now.   

Friday
Sunny. Extremely hot, Dry. Temperature of 99°F. Winds 4mph SE. Humidity will be 19% with a dewpoint of 48° and comfort level of 95°F. There is a 0% chance of precipitation.
High:  99°F    Low:  68°F

Saturday
Sunny. Extremely hot, Dry. Temperature of 102°F. Winds 5mph SW. Humidity will be 18% with a dewpoint of 50° and comfort level of 99°F. There is a 0% chance of precipitation.
High:  102°F    Low:  70°F

Sunday
Sunny. Extremely hot, Dry. Temperature of 106°F. Winds 7mph SSW. Humidity will be 18% with a dewpoint of 52° and comfort level of 104°F. There is a 0% chance of precipitation.
High:  106°F    Low:  73°F

Monday
Morning clouds. Extremely hot, Dry. Temperature of 102°F. Winds 12mph WSW. Humidity will be 19% with a dewpoint of 50° and comfort level of 99°F. There is a 0% chance of precipitation.
High:  102°F    Low:  75°F

Today we received a package with balloons for making balloon animals from a friend in the US, so that we now have a supply to begin doing more of the children's outreach this week.  Our plan is to go Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to each of the three main city parks where we had our campaign ministry last month, to share the gospel with new people, as well as get conversations started with people we saw before. 

Please pray with us that Briana's health will improve, making this ministry plan possible.  She has been sick, and not sleeping much at all.  Also pray for my foot (Dave).  Something is injured in some way in my right foot that is making it very difficult and painful to walk, and lots of walking is required of us in our daily lives and ministry here. 

This month is the orthodox holiday celebrating the "falling asleep of the mother of the Lord" -- a time of fasting and various religious rituals worshiping Mary.  The local priest is also taking advantage of the event as an opportunity to collect money.  A notice posted on our building's door says that he wants to come "bless our home" and then instructs that we will be expected to make our "2006 contribution" when he arrives Friday evening.  You may post your suggestions in the comments field about what you think we should do when he knocks on our door. 

Here's a picture of the cathedral construction he expects every resident to help fund: 

Briana may be only 11 months old, but she seems here to be pretty good at art.  Her Dad posed for her to draw this evening, and I think she got the likeness pretty good. 

Well, okay, in all honesty, she had a tiny bit of help with the drawing, but she does sometimes amaze us with other things.  For example, she's the only baby I know who can whistle, and when you tell her, "clap, clap, clap" she starts clapping and says, "Bravo."  That part is no joke. 

This afternoon, a reporter from TVR1, a national TV station in Romania, realized I was a foreigner and stopped, wanting to interview me.  She wanted me to talk about Romanian drivers and say how I felt about them being aggressive and perhaps unsafe, etc., and to compare men and women drivers here from a Western perspective.  As she was asking me to do the interview, all I was thinking is, "The last thing I need is to be seen on television criticizing Romania or saying things that could offend people here with nothing to gain."  So I just politely declined a few times, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. 

That is, until I said, "I have come to Romania to share with people how to have eternal life in heaven through faith in Jesus Christ, and that is really the only message I have to share."

Hearing that, she couldn't get away from me fast enough. 

Here are four more passages added to the list by my Dad, showing that salvation is through faith and grace alone, and cannot ever be obtained by good works.  As my list of such passages grows, I think I might make a publication of the passages in Romanian just to hand out to people I'm talking to who are struggling with this issue because of the orthodox teaching they've received that counters the gospel with another gospel, which is really not another, as Galatians 1 says.  Perhaps that could help some people hear directly from the voice of God on this important matter.  Then maybe it will tip the scales in favor of their salvation by solving their internal struggle about whether to believe the truth or believe the priests who have lied to them all their lives.     

"yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ.  And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified.  But if, while seeking to be justified by Christ, we ourselves are also found to be sinners, is Christ then a promoter of sin? Absolutely not!   If I rebuild those things that I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker.  For through the law I have died to the law,  that I might live to God.  I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.   The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing." (Gal. 2:16-21)

"More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith." (Phil. 3:8-9)

"For God loved so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  Anyone who believes in Him is not judged, but anyone who does not believe is already judged, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God….  The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him." (John 3:16-18, 36)

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  The one who has the Son has life.  The one who doesn't have the Son of God does not have life.  I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5;11-13)