Looking for a place

Each year, during Holy week or Easter week (for those that are not from Latin countries), we hold a youth camp in the Sierra Madre. There are many special things about this camp both in the physical and in the spiritual aspects. Each year we change the location of the camp, looking for places that have lots of spring water (for drinking and bathing), no electricity, a flat area to camp at and fire wood for cooking and light at night.

On the spiritual side we don't allow the use of electronic equipment (cell phones, radios etc) or any other type of distractions. Each youth that attends comes into a personal encounter with the
Lord Jesus Christ because there is simply nothing else to do.
Looking for a place the fills all of these requisite is not easy and especially now that water is in such high demand. The pumping of deep artisan wells has reduces the flow of water in many natural springs or completely dried them up. Other water holes have been dammed up making the water putrid and only good for agricultural use. As the years go by (this is number 20) we have had to delve deeper into the sierra into areas that are more isolated and as such, more
dangerous. As we have combed the country side these last three months looking for a place for this year's camp I have learned two truths.


The first is that life is full of changes and if we don't change with life we become obsolete. The command that God gave Israel to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles and spend one week in a tent to remember the goodness of God will never become old. How we do that will have to change. The liberties that we had in an open, unpopulated world are quickly being lost. If we don't find a place where we can get alone with the Lord Jesus we will get lost in the preoccupations of this world. Next year our way of doing camp will have to change radically as we look to obtain the same results in a different way. Even outside of the camping experience we need to find places where we can get alone with God.


The second truth is that man is not only destroying the natural environment but also his spiritual environment. Things that we took for granted for many years are being lost. Our spiritual life spring is being contaminated by man-made 'improvements'. The time is measured and the environment now has to be comfortable and perfect. Crying out to God or letting His Spirit move on you for 2 or 3 hours is a thing of the past. Waiting in His presence no longer fits into our schedule. The same difficulty that we are having to find an adequate place for our youth camp is the same problem that many spiritually hungry people are having to find a church that will let them bathe in God's presence.

I know that change is necessary and that it is not easy. The problem is not that we have to change but the reason why we have to change. The destruction of our environment, be it natural or spiritual will eventually catch up with us and what used to exist will only be a memory in books or picture. What we need today are spiritual environmentalist who will fight against the tide and protect our spiritual heritage.

Resigned But Not Down

January 2007

There are lots of circumstances that happen in our lives that we can’t control or change. We can decide to flow with the circumstances or try to fight against them. Some things that happen in our lives are natural while others are caused through spiritual dealings as in the case of Job in the Bible. These past two weeks we had group of situations that taught us resignation without being defeated.
The adventure started actually the end of December when we took our ‘new’ Toyota van (a demonstrator model) into the shop to get the heater and defrost to work as without them it was impossible to use the van in cold weather. To our surprise the van was built without a heater/defrost system and the Toyota agency would not take responsibility for the error. We would have to go to court against Toyota but in the mean time we could not use the van to make a missions trip into Texas as the temperature was below freezing. We readied our old Dodge van that had a newly repaired motor and set out on our trip, Lucy, Simri, Vanessa and myself.
The first day was great and even though we started the trip in the early afternoon we made good time. The next morning, a Friday, we were on the road at dawn, hoping to be in San Antonio Texas by mid afternoon. Two hours down the road an engine valve jammed and the van came to a screeching halt. We managed to limp the van into the next small village where at the side of the highway we lifted the head off of the engine to replace the valve. THE Valve! A three hour bus ride was the closest place to get it and as it turned out the valve stem was too thin but it would have to do. By the time I got back to the van, seven hours later, it was too dark to start putting the engine back together.
By noon the next day we were finally on our way, at least partly. The oil had water in it from the work we had done and the partial engine job was leaking oil terribly. It was after midnight, now Sunday morning when we finally arrived at our destination, grimy and exhausted.
The mission’s conference at our home church, Destiny Church was well worth the effort made to arrive. It was the best conference we have been at because the word that we needed from the Lord was given to us there. We left for home early Friday morning, blessed and refreshed in our spirits. Our adventures were not over. Two hours out of San Antonio one of our rear tires blew to pieces. We had a good spare and in 15 minutes we were back on the road. We stopped at a Walmart up the way to buy a new tire and they said that they could do our work right away as there was no one ahead of us. Well it took them two and a half hours to get the tire on the van. I would of hated to be there when they were busy.
The story continues but I will spare you the details. Our head lights went out and we traveled for two hours with intermittent headlights and a spot light for driving. There was a major accident that closed the highway for three hours. The rad hose started leaking and the oil pressure gage went out. We were 35 km. from home and it didn’t look like we were going to make it back. It was then that we did a very spiritual thing and it wasn’t prayer because that’s what had gotten us this far. We stopped to eat! After a good hearty meal of lamb we got back in the van and it drove like a charm all the way home. Imagine, even the headlights are working again.
After a trip like this it is easy to get down. We could have blamed God for the things that happened but no. We have learned that there are a lot of things in life that we can not change. The important thing is to make sure that the things that you can not change do not change you. Many things can happen in my life that I don’t agree with but not one of them will defeat me or keep me down, I will just learn another lesson from the Lord.

Feliz Navidad

I Watch My Heart

They are taking our liberties away
This seems to be the worry of the day
Christmas is now Happy Holidays
And marriages now can be gay

Is it really important the day that baby Jesus was born
In the bible we don’t know the time, evening, night or morn
If it really were so important the time would be spoken
So that the celebration of His birth would never be broken

The time, the day, the hour, or the season
Really don’t change what truly is the reason
His birth and his death, are really quite a story
Impossible to believe if you’ve never been sorry

It’s the sin that I have left that makes the old man die
Not the Christmas time story that many think is a lie
What the world needs to celebrate is not another familyget together
Rather on our knees we really need to get our act together

Let them make Christmas a holiday and Easter a spring break
That won’t make the least little change in what really it takes
To make the new birth come true, right down in your heart
Soon you will know that this is more than a story made for art

It’s Christmas, it’s Noel, Navidad or Bonart
It’s not a name that places it down in my heart
It’s an experience that only a Savior can bring
In knowing that my life is now fresher than spring

The birth of my Jesus isn’t really my worry
It’s my new birth that day that I really, really was sorry
Now every day I have to die, to make it really worthwhile
Knowing that Jesus can bring me much more that a smile

The day that they take this belief from my heart
Is the day when the worrying really should start
All the laws in the land and the police there could be
Will never let the Christmas story be lost to me

It’s not a story, a play or a special holiday
Not a tree or a manger where the little Jesus lay
It’s my belief, it’s an experience, it’s really my life
Though they change it all, I still know that my Jesus is alive

Philip Tolman
12-21-06

I Work Because I Serve - Nov/Dec 2006 newsletter

The other day a young man came to one of our outdoor meetings and when asked if he was serving Jesus, he said: “I am really close to God”. As we continued to talk, I found out that he didn’t know the Lord Jesus nor was he serving Him. In his mind he was O.K. but as he saw that what he was doing - his works, were not in accordance with true Christianity, he had to admit that he wasn’t serving Jesus. It is easy to see errors in others but as we turn the microscope around we must ask ourselves the question: Are my works a sign that I am serving our Lord and Savior?
This last month we have focused on promoting special activities to help each sector of the church family to focus on their areas of service and to analysis the areas of their lives that need attention.
 In the month of October, 13 men from two of our churches traveled 10 hours to participate in a Promise Keeper’s (Hombre a Hombre) conference that had over 4,000 men in attendance. We were not only edified by the teaching and the testimonies, but we also had a good time together to talk, form friendships, and even share hotel rooms together.
The women had to work harder. Lucy did an excellent job in organizing and carrying out a great Ladies Conference, with the help of Destiny Church, our home church, sending two ladies to minister at the conference. Friday evening through Sunday proved to be a short time to answer all the needs that were presented.
On the 18th’ of November we had our church get together or what we call a ‘convivio’ in one of the ranch churches. After many years of following the same format for the activities we made major changes in this one and it worked out really well. Normally our convivios have been an all day activity with praise and worship, teachings and preaching. This time we started in the early afternoon, taking into account that many people have to work Saturday morning. Instead of our times of teaching we created a time of sharing with special questions
The people responded well and we all had a really edifying time. The only problem we had was on the way home our old Dodge van that we are trying to sell blew it’s engine and it finally arrived home on a tow truck at 3 AM .
As Christmas time approaches we want to make sure that Christ is the center of this holiday time. Each church has a Christmas party and a time of fellowship. Without the birth and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, Christmas wouldn’t exist. We tell the church family that this is the most important time to be together because this is our opportunity to exalt the Lord.
Also on the 23rd of December we will be celebrating Damara and Agustin’s wedding that` is a first in our family. We will also have a time together as an extended family as some of my brothers and their families will be here for the wedding. Please remember Damara and Agustin in your prayers as they start this new stage of their lives together.
Again we thank you for standing with us so faithfully in prayer and giving during 2006. If you would like to send a special offering at this time to help us to give each child in the different churches a few candies and a small gift, please designate your offering to this cause. For many of the children it is the only gift they will receive.
May you and your families enjoying all the blessings of this season and may you continue to serve with us in the ministry here in 2007 is our prayer.


Philip, Lucy, Damara, Simri & Vanessa Tolman

Seedtime & Harvest Ministries

8635 Callaghan Rd, San Antonio TX 78230 or
APDO 351, 63000 Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico
E-mail: philip@s-h-ministries.org

Volume 1, Issue 1

Convivio

Yesterday we had our quarterly “Convivio”, a reunion of all of the churches that have been begun through the church arm of our Mexican association, the Christian Churches of Mexico.The location was in El Ahualamo, about 50 km from Tepic. We arrived in the small village about 3 PM and turned off the highway on a cobblestone road a little way from the church.
The church people had wet down the earthen floor to control dust and the sun was brightly shining through the large space between the roof and the partly completed walls. As the 2 vanloads of people from our immediate area arrived, we set up the musical instruments as other groups came in from neighbouring towns and villages.There was an excellent turnout and soon we were singing and worshiping God. Instead of afternoon messages many of the people were glad to participate in answering one of three questions.

What is your favorite verse in the Bible and why?
How did you come to know Jesus Christ as your Saviour?
What promise have you received from God and how was it completed?

After another time of worship we moved the chairs around and lined up for the supper they had prepared. It was so good and was typical what the poorer people are able to serve. It was ‘pozole’ boiled parched corn with chicken, vegetables and mild seasonings. It is served in a bowl with chopped raw onions and raw cabbage on top. They also had a fruit drink. The large cooking pots were brought from the homes close to the church as there are no cooking facilities there. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and soon all were really full. We gathered together for more singing and a message from the Word. An invitation was given to those who had special needs and Jesus met so many as they were prayed for.This reunion was a real encouragement to the people of the village for they are used to just a few people rather than the large crowd that gathered. Their pastor was in hospital very ill but they also prayed in the service for him and he returned to his home early the next morning. It was a wonderful time and all look forward to the next gathering of the churches in three more months..

Flowers...beauty and purpose

The other day a welder was working at my home and we were talking about some of the different fruit trees that are on the property (we have over 100 different types) and I showed him a passion fruit (maricuayo)which is not a tree but a vine. After trying the fruit he said “ In my 53 years I have never tasted anything as good as this”. Then we got looking at the exotic flowers that are on the giant passion fruit plants we have (each fruit weighs over 1 kg) and commenting on how wonderfully God made all things. I have seen the perfection of small wild flowers in the fields, and in the strange orchids that hang out of trees. I know that we have a God who likes beauty and detail. All of nature gives us the opportunity to see God in His creative beauty and gives us an idea of what He wants to do in our lives. This welder, even though he’s not a professing Christian, couldn’t help but see the hand of God in the flowers.God wants to make our lives just like these flowers, each with it’s own particular beauty and uniqueness. This passion fruit is one of the most exotic flowers thatI have seen, while a banana flower is of the most productive, with one flower giving up to 20kg of fruit. In our own lives it is the same... some are more breathtaking while others are more productive. What God wants more than anything is that we can show His beauty in our lives and bring people’s attention to God. If a single flower can make as man think in God how much more should our lives be a sweet smelling fragrance to our Lord Jesus.

Upcoming Women's Conference in Tepic

This week has been a typical week in Nayarit. The secondary school Xecora has classes every day from 7 AM to 2:30 PM of which I give an average of 4 hours of classes a day.Church night is every night of the week except Fridays for us even though there are Friday services.This weekend we are hosting a women's conference called "una mesa para dos, mi amado y yo" ( a table for 2, my love and I). We are programmed to have between 60 to 90 ladies in attendance. On the Monday following the conference (November 6th) we have a special wedding. A couple that have lived together for 27 years are getting married, the reason is to obey God and give an example for their children. It will be an interesting wedding. They seem to be the only Christian couple in the town of Santa Maria del Oro where they live.