It has been a distinct pleasure to serve the Kerux this academic year. This year I joined the editing team as the Formatting Specialist. The what? Basically, I am the person in charge of the photos, graphics and the artistic direction of this magazine. One of our goals this year has been to put an attractive, quality product in your hands. I do not often get the opportunity to put my marketing background to good use. But with the Kerux I have found a meaningful way to share my gifts with you. I hope you have enjoyed the new look and feel of the Kerux that has been developed this year.
This year each volume of the Kerux has had a theme. The theme of this volume is “Testimony.” When Christians talk about testimonies, it commonly involves stories related to becoming a believer in Jesus Christ. When I think of testimonies I cannot help but think of a visit I made to a “holiness church” several years ago. At the time, this church still exercised an old-school practice—testimony service. Essentially, there was an open mic set up in the sanctuary before the formal Sunday worship would take place. It was at this time that the saints of the church were welcome to come to the mic and share whatever testimony the Holy Spirit laid on their hearts to share. There were heard testimonies of God’s faithfulness to the saints in all sorts of circumstances—the good, the bad and the ugly. With each testimony, the speaker praised God and encouraged the gathered to trust in the Lord, no matter what they were going through. This volume collects both conversion stories and encouragement.
Every testimony of God’s work in our lives is unique. The Holy Spirit is active, reaching us in the mysterious ways, matching the most bizarre of circumstances into which we have wandered. God knows what it takes to reach us. And the testimonies that unfold as God makes Himself known to us… Well, you just can’t make these stories up!
In the following pages you will discover how the Holy Spirit has been building His church through Calvin College’s Project Neighborhood. You are bound to be inspired by the power of prayer, reading how it transcends barriers of time and space. If you are a seminarian still wondering how on Earth you ended up where you are now, you will be reminded that you are not alone. And if you are a preacher, you might identify with the strange stock that share their stories here, including my own.
Our hope is that you will be encouraged by the testimonies shared in the pages of this edition of the Kerux. Take time to pause and reflect on the way God has moved in your own life and drawn you closer to Him. Then, take the time to share that testimony with someone else.
In Revelation 12:11 we read, “They (brothers and sisters) triumphed over him (the accuser) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” My friends, doubt and death face us all day long. But, certainly, God’s grace abounds. Let us share with one another how that grace has met us.
Bendiciones / Bênçãos / Blessings,
R.R. Tavárez
