More About Jesus
RANDAL & VICKI MATHENY | SÃO JOSÉ DOS CAMPOS (SP) BRAZIL | YEAR 42
Dateline 2026-11-11: Some 30 people, including some five non-Christians, gathered Oct. 17 in the Army officer’s club in the city of Taubaté for an all-day study of the theme, “More About Jesus.”
From a list of 24 possibilities, I put together a special 20-page booklet for the seven topics to be covered:
- The Kingdom of Christ
- The Gospel of Christ
- The Commandments of Christ
- The Presence of Christ
- The Knowledge of Christ
- The Name of Christ
- The Judgment Seat of Christ
This material represents a wider effort to encourage the continuing restoration of God’s plan, complete obedience to his will, and deepening relationship with the Lord in one’s daily walk and work. The book, From Amor to Zeal, falls under this umbrella. Or, as one article puts it, we want more communion with Christ, more fruit in the Kingdom, more joy in his Word, and more wisdom in his service. (See photos here.)
The theme is taken from the song, “More About Jesus.” The Portuguese version had only two verses, so I had added a third. For this new effort, I added yet a fourth. You can see them on our online hymnal here.
On Oct. 31 I taught in the city of Guarulhos, about an hour away, in the Jardim Presidente Dutra congregation. The topic was “The Justice of God,” from the new study book, “God Gives All.” I supplemented the material with a good amount of information about Bible versions.
About 15 people were present. It was a holiday weekend, so a number were traveling. (See photos here.)
I inserted this theme into the overall approach of “More About Jesus.”
In other news
- Vicki finished up her third round of physical therapy the Friday before we left for the USA.
- On Nov. 11th I posted a retrospective of our Forthright work, which began in the late 1990s.
- In a matter of weeks, the Taubaté congregation will lose three families who are moving away. Two are military officers being transferred. This will hurt the congregation’s efforts. (One family came to visit us last month before their move, photo below.)
- Seven more words and the book, From Love to Zeal, will be complete. In Portuguese.
- We extend our sympathies to the family of Gary Hampton, columnist for Forthright, whose wife Teresa passed away on Monday.
- This USA trip we flew to Savannah GA via Miami Nov. 9-10. Quite a different experience, it saved us a four-hour drive from Orlando. This may become our new itinerary for the next few trips.
- Heavy rains have hampered the house renovation, but it’s moving forward. (See photo before and during below.)
Please pray
- For the growth of the congregations and increasing evangelism, especially the Northside saints, with whom we currently meet. Below is a partial view of one of our meetings.
- For the next edition of the Festival of the Family of God, coming up at the end of March in 2027.
- For our house renovation, as it continues apace.
Contact and stuff
- Wiki: https://jar.tiddlyhost.com/
- Personal: https://randalmatheny.com/
- Poetry Empire: https://randal.us/
- Christians, in Portuguese: https://cristaos.org/