The Conchshell Chronicles - Our Newsletter

 Next month we celebrate 250 years of America! On July 4, 1776, our founders declared:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the  pursuit of Happiness.”

This is a bold statement unprecedented in human history. Rights come from God, not a king, not from a government.

How did our Founders arrive at this conclusion?

Perhaps because these Bible believing scholars understood the ramifications of a statement found in Chapter 1 of John:

He (Jesus) came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. ¹¹ He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. ¹² But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. ¹³ They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. John 1:10-13

Our culture has been bombarded by a philosophy that is centered on Self, where mankind became the source and standard of morality, where truth is fluid for the situation, that each individual should decide what is best for themselves and pursue it regardless of familial or societal consequences, and that personal ‘happiness’ should be the goal of life.

Many portions of the Bible that tell us what God thinks about us, what He says we are, how He says we should live for Him and others around us, and how we should protect the family unit have been disregarded by many so called Christians as being out of date, not applicable to our modern times, and culturally irrelevant.

As a result, there is often confusion among us in regard to the question “How do we followers of Christ think about our life, who we are, what path leads to peace and joy, and where our road ends?”

This search had taken many to the mountaintops of experience, the depths of knowledge, and the latitudes of freedoms which often fall outside of the counsel given to us by the most published book in history that claims to be written by God’s Spirit through men, which has a solid historical basis and has been shown through our history to have valid    answers to the questions of life. These other paths lead to despair.

Where will we go for direction in these years of our lives? 

What our culture and inner-self tells us?

Or where God’s Word leads us?”

How do we measure our success in the mission to reach out to the international community there? Did we serve the best coffee on the island? Were our baked good the most delicious? Were our quiches, avocado-egg toast and other menu items the most nutritious as well as delicious?

I think if we took a survey, we could say a definite “YES!”

But here is the real measure of our success which was sent to me a few minutes ago by our team leader Jake:

“Last night I was having a conversation at the pub with Andres, a loyal customer who comes in everyday to get a cortado. He is always raving about our coffee, but yesterday he shared something much more meaningful. He started our  conversation by asking

 ‘Do the owners of Rio Coco have any idea how much of an impact they have on this island?

Seriously, people love you guys. I don’t know what we’re going to do now that you’re closed. Everyone over at Utila Dive Center loves Rio Coco because it’s the perfect spot to come study and hang out. It feels like its own little place away from Utila. And the thing that makes it so great is you guys.

Sure the coffee is the best and the views are great, but you guys are all so thoughtful and you ask questions and care about your customers and it really makes such a difference.

I really don’t know what we’re going to do without you.’ ”

It’s a unique time in history to be alive! All the events and circumstances of this past decade have created in many a sense of searching for the meaning of life. Wealth, prestige, and societal status have proven to be NOT the answer to life’s purpose. Many who have spent thousands on education and dedicated years toward professional goals are discovering a “Bridge Out Ahead- Do Not Proceed” sign on their road. Others who grew up in a culture that allowed mindless self-pleasure have discovered that they can never get their fill of such an egocentric lifestyle- there must be the ultimate high somewhere else.

Now we are dealing with an invasion of sargasso, a seaweed that blooms and creates huge patches in the ocean that houses crabs, sea horses, and other marine life. It has covered our shoreline here, as well as our dock and the dive schools around us. It is itchy, as I discovered earlier this week when I dove through it and swam underwater to get past it into open water.

Needless to say, our expectations of beautiful water and warm temperatures have not yet been met, but at least it is getting warmer each day.

This is a common life experience, not having our expectations met.

What I am experiencing with the Sargasso is minor compared to what many in the world are currently experiencing- especially our brothers and sisters in Iran and Nigeria, where many have been killed in the past months. Yet the lesson is there for me.

The Rolling Stones had a song a few years ago titled “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

Yes, Mick Jagger sang the truth.

2026 has just begun.

How it will be depends much on our choices we will make.

What job should I take? Who should I marry.

Where should I live? Where do I invest my savings?

How do I reply to this insult just spoken to me.

What do I say when my spouse becomes angry?

How do I handle rowdy neighbors?

What is the best way to end this conversation?

These choices will frame your year 2026. We need Wisdom!

“Wisdom is competence with regard to the realities of life.”

                             Gerhard von Rad   ‘The Wisdom of Israel’

Wisdom is skill in understanding how life really works.

Wisdom assumes knowledge. 

Wisdom is knowing what to do with knowledge.

Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.

Wisdom is not putting a tomato into a fruit salad.

“Wisdom is knowing what the right thing is to do in the 80% of life situations which the moral rules don’t directly apply.”   Tim Keller

Giving thanks to God is important in our relationship with God. It is an expression of ultimate faith in Him to provide, protect, and prosper us.  Jesus says not to worry, because He already knows your needs. If we follow Him, life our lives for Him and those around us, we will have all that we need. In my experience, He often gives us more than we need, so that we can become the givers that God uses to meet the needs of others.

November is the month that we dedicate a day to giving thanks. It is an American tradition that began in 1621, when 50 survivors of the Mayflower colonists celebrated an abundant harvest with 100 Native Americans who assisted them in their cultivation of crops, and literally saved their lives. There was a lot to give thanks to God about that year.

Our first president George Washington proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national celebration in 1789. The experience of the Revolutionary War, and subsequent quest for a workable form of government cause many of our founding fathers to beseech God for direction, and many credit those prayers as the catalyst for the principles formulated in our Constitution.

Regardless of our current circumstances, we all have some basic things to be thankful for. If giving thanks becomes a priority in our lives, and trusting God to guide us and provide for us, then life will become less anxious, and more peaceful.

Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
For the LORD is a great God,
a great King above all gods. Psalms 95:2-3

  These ancient words are very significant and applicable to our lives now. Let’s make this a month, and year of constantly giving thanks to our Lord.