Bridge Builders International
We build living bridges to Latvia...in Latvia...and from Latvia
Bridge Builders International
We build living bridges to Latvia...in Latvia...and from Latvia

RIGA, Latvia – I thoroughly enjoy accepting invitations to preach in Latvian churches when I am in Latvia, so I was pleased when Pastor Elmars Plavins invited me to preach at Trinity Baptist Church in Ogre. Elmers picked me up in Riga about an hour and a half before the service. We had a good conversation in which he told me about the good things that have been happening in his church in recent months. Ten or twelve people have come to know the Lord. On a personal level, after many years of service, this is Elmars’ last year as the chief chaplain for the Latvian army. He is looking forward to when he will be able to devote his full attention to his church and the churches they would like to start.

After heart felt worship and a children’s blessing, I was invited to preach. At first I told the congregation a little bit about what we do in Latvia. I also shared about the importance of Baltic Pastoral Institute where I done a lot of teaching the last few weeks. Two of my students, Dainis Pandars and Janis Rencis, come from this church.


Ever since that day it has been the goal of my preaching to show people a real Jesus. One way to do that is to preach his parables.
The emphasis of the message is that the younger son and the older son in Jesus’ story were not all that different. The younger son wanted the Father’s money, but not the Father; the older son wanted the Father’s work, bu also not the Father. The tragedy is that only one of them came to his senses to go to the Father and say “I have sinned against heaven and before you.” It wasn’t the self righteous son.

As Elmars drove me back to Riga we both rejoiced in the wonderful way the Lord has blessed this Valentine’s Day.

A Wonderful Valentine’s Morning
21 February 2010
“I love preaching from the parables, so I selected a message on the prodigal, ‘Surprised by the Father’s Love.’”
Ministering in Ogre, Latvia
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