Don't you just want to hold him for always??
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
All in one day
The day started with an ECard for Janna. She's getting so old!! I'm glad that her birthday comes a day after Nolan's--I will never forget it now. Of course, the card featured Hoops and YoYo, perhaps the best Hallmark characters ever created.
Then came lunch, outside, with a student, one whom can use your prayers. I'm so proud of her, as she's desperately wanting to make some changes but doesn't (like all of us) have the strength to change on her own. Pray she believes that God will give her the strength!
Next came ice cream with the staff, again outside because of how beautiful the weather was today. I celebrated by playing the Chase the Sun album by the O.C. Supertones.
And next comes our youth group favorite--ultimate frisbee!! The wind turned our game into rugby/ultimate frisbee. And I brought the juggling balls.. Justin and I had fun stealing back and forth, and then we taught Smiley to join in on the action. Dom was so funny as it was obvious he wanted to play too, but doesn't know how to juggle. So I gave him a few pointers and by the end of a couple tries, he almost had it!
We had a strange cop moment at the park, which made us do a double take. At the end of last summer, some of our students had gotten in trouble by accidentally breaking a tree branch. They love climbing trees. It's okay now, really. But this cop for some reason just started chasing (in his car) after one of our students (in his car) when he had to leave our game early. It was literally the strangest thing. When the student returned, he said that the cop was on his tail for a long time, but then never pulled him over. I don't get it.
Any who, Incognito number two for the year. One student said he saw me about four times, but just thought it was a "regular person." haha. Success!!
Our neighbors were there too, so I found them and they laughed at my disguise. Then I showed off my nephew. Nephew! Such a great word!
Then came lunch, outside, with a student, one whom can use your prayers. I'm so proud of her, as she's desperately wanting to make some changes but doesn't (like all of us) have the strength to change on her own. Pray she believes that God will give her the strength!Next came ice cream with the staff, again outside because of how beautiful the weather was today. I celebrated by playing the Chase the Sun album by the O.C. Supertones.
And next comes our youth group favorite--ultimate frisbee!! The wind turned our game into rugby/ultimate frisbee. And I brought the juggling balls.. Justin and I had fun stealing back and forth, and then we taught Smiley to join in on the action. Dom was so funny as it was obvious he wanted to play too, but doesn't know how to juggle. So I gave him a few pointers and by the end of a couple tries, he almost had it!
We had a strange cop moment at the park, which made us do a double take. At the end of last summer, some of our students had gotten in trouble by accidentally breaking a tree branch. They love climbing trees. It's okay now, really. But this cop for some reason just started chasing (in his car) after one of our students (in his car) when he had to leave our game early. It was literally the strangest thing. When the student returned, he said that the cop was on his tail for a long time, but then never pulled him over. I don't get it.
Any who, Incognito number two for the year. One student said he saw me about four times, but just thought it was a "regular person." haha. Success!!
Our neighbors were there too, so I found them and they laughed at my disguise. Then I showed off my nephew. Nephew! Such a great word!
Monday, March 29, 2010
William Tell Overture
I'm an aunt, i'm an aunt, i'm an aunt aunt aunt!
I'm an aunt, i'm an aunt, i'm an aunt aunt aunt!
I'm an aunt, i'm an aunt, i'm an aunt aunt aunt!
I'm an aunt!!!! I'm an aunt, aunt aunt!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Preparing for the future
I legitimately almost scored a goal last night. I mean, I've had opportunities before, but I've never felt scoring was as close as this was. It made me chuckle on the inside to hear Mark yell behind me, "HOLY CRAP!!"
And the adrenaline of coming that close lasted the rest of the game. I didn't score. I have yet to score. But if I do before I go, I know exactly how I'm going to celebrate.
Phew! To see how far I've come (even though I'm far from being even remotely good) from catching the ball. :P
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Top Five
I still love High Fidelity. So yet another tribute, top 5 moments of the day (that is, Thursday):
1. Zechariah chapter 3. word.
2. lunch with the Harts.
3. proceeding tea break with Kendra.
4. orange chicken + john cusack + great conversation.
5. reading about the Epiphany feast--why haven't I celebrated this yet??
And as an aside, only Liz will appreciate this, but Drake Bell plays younger Rob in H.F.! I couldn't figure it out till I saw the credits. And now he plays in a Nickelodian show and plays guitar with Hawk Nelson for a song. Oh and some background actor named Jack Black is kind of a big deal these days too. psh.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
"God remembers"
I find the more that I study the minor prophets in the OT, the more I realize how great they are. I'm currently reading about Zechariah's ministry and it simply astounds me. Here are some great verses:
"'Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,' declares the LORD, 'and I will be its glory within.'"
And:
"Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling."
The temple walls have no boundaries because God's people, through Jesus, will encompass every tribe, nation and tongue. I also love how the LORD is going to be the wall. And not just any wall. A wall of fire. Take that!
Notice too that livestock are included. Mooooo!!!
Here are a couple comments that I've found:
"The prophet's duty is to quiet the people's apprehensions about the state of the world, to provoke their zeal, give them confidence in their great men, and, above all, assure them that God is returned to them and their sin pardoned." ~George Adam Smith
"As churches we are concerned to protect the truth we presume ourselves to possess by setting up restrictive defenses about it. There are not as many divisions, nor is there as much isolationism, among the nations of the world as are to be found within the church. Men and women are not free to come within the walls which each sect creates unless their passports have received the official stamp of approval by the ecclesiastical authorities of that church body. Whatever makes us think we can fit God into the strait jacket of our narrow ecclesiastical concepts? the suspicion will not down that our man-made walls close God out, not in."
Good stuff. In other news, it was seventy degrees yesterday. Today it rained from 3pm to 5:30pm. By 6:30pm it was a blizzard. We celebrated by going to B-Dubs. I couldn't help but think that this would become a "Remember when.." moment, especially after a few donuts in the church parking lot. I mean.. what?
"'Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of men and livestock in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,' declares the LORD, 'and I will be its glory within.'"
And:
"Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling."
The temple walls have no boundaries because God's people, through Jesus, will encompass every tribe, nation and tongue. I also love how the LORD is going to be the wall. And not just any wall. A wall of fire. Take that!
Notice too that livestock are included. Mooooo!!!
Here are a couple comments that I've found:
"The prophet's duty is to quiet the people's apprehensions about the state of the world, to provoke their zeal, give them confidence in their great men, and, above all, assure them that God is returned to them and their sin pardoned." ~George Adam Smith
"As churches we are concerned to protect the truth we presume ourselves to possess by setting up restrictive defenses about it. There are not as many divisions, nor is there as much isolationism, among the nations of the world as are to be found within the church. Men and women are not free to come within the walls which each sect creates unless their passports have received the official stamp of approval by the ecclesiastical authorities of that church body. Whatever makes us think we can fit God into the strait jacket of our narrow ecclesiastical concepts? the suspicion will not down that our man-made walls close God out, not in."
Good stuff. In other news, it was seventy degrees yesterday. Today it rained from 3pm to 5:30pm. By 6:30pm it was a blizzard. We celebrated by going to B-Dubs. I couldn't help but think that this would become a "Remember when.." moment, especially after a few donuts in the church parking lot. I mean.. what?
Monday, March 22, 2010
Thing one and thing two
In honor of the newly formed blog of a friend, I figured a good ole reference to Dr. Seuss was necessary. Plus, I have two things to talk about.
Thing One:
GROW class continues. I missed last week because of daylight savings time. I appreciate the weather, I loathe the lost hour of sleep!
We are in a series about healing, and yesterday discussed the healing we receive through forgiveness. While next week we will cover the human to human forgiveness, this week we stressed God's forgiveness of our sins. It was beautiful! It is beautiful! So let me explain...
It starts with God naming our sin. We probably have never approached it this way before. But for those of us who understand that we are utterly sinful, it makes sense. But to avoid that cop out, let's revert back to the garden. Eve ate of the fruit while her husband Adam stood by and watched. Then he joined.
We have been cursed ever since. If you don't buy that you can read this verse, or you can try this little experiment and test out whether or not sin is inherent. Put two toddlers in a room with one toy in between them. Or maybe you'd like it better if all of your thoughts were placed on a screen above your head for all to see--that thought about that person of the opposite sex, or the thought to say something hurtful even if you don't say it. We have a natural rebellion toward God.
We've been trying to become God on our own ever since that moment in the garden. See Tower of Babel.
Throughout Scripture, God himself, or sometimes through a mouthpiece called a prophet, will tell us where we've messed up. Over and over, He speaks against the rebellion of Israel. In our own lives it seems we have an internal rule book that helps us to feel guilty when we've done something wrong.
The second part to forgiveness is to agree with God. In simple terms, He says, "You, Sharayah, are a sinner."
I say, "Yep. That's me!"
Enter part three. Though we should pause to say that part two is actually very difficult. We are too proud to admit it. We are too broken to think ourselves worthy of God talking to us at all. Some of us use what is called the Shark approach. Say a shark bites you and then swims off. Well, a shark was doing only what a shark knows to do. We like to call ourselves products of our environment; to say that our sin is a result of others. Yet sin is more than this. For one, no matter how much you'd like to quote Elephant Man, you are not an animal. To a degree, and probably to a greater degree than you are willing to admit, you still have a choice in the sin you commit. I still have a choice in the sin I commit (so as to make sure you know I'm not just pointing fingers here).
And if we can't swallow part two, part three is a doozy!
That is, God does what only God can do. He gives us the gift of Christ. If it weren't for Jesus, we would be utterly hopeless. For the religions that believe that Jesus was not God, let us look to the implications of this. If God allowed for a regular human to die as a sacrifice, that would make for an immoral God--One who is not loving by any means!
Indeed, Jesus was God. His death and resurrection verify not only the truth that He is God, but also that He is completely loving. He is gracious to give us something we could never deserve. The history laid out for us in the Bible makes it clear that we are in need of the Savior Jesus. People wonder why the Old Testament is so long, and I think that it has to do with showing us the depravation of man if left to his own devices. It's not just second and third chances that God gives mankind, but hundreds and thousands and millions! See I and II Kings.
Part four then is accepting the gift. The teacher gave the illustration of how he could give a Rolex to someone, but unless that someone actually took the Rolex home with him, there would have been no gift exchange. God presents us with the gift of complete covering of our sins through Jesus, we just have to accept it!
Again, so easy to say, but putting into practice is also quite difficult for most of us. A lot of us, as was discussed at Merge last night, want to clean up our mess first before inviting Jesus into our lives. But ladies and gentlemen, there is no time to wait! We must accept the gift now, so that the next and final part of the act of forgiveness can take place--reconciliation.
Reconciliation means bringing us back to the way we were. And by way we were I don't mean back to innocent baby stages, but back to the way God meant for us to be. In a personal fellowship with Him. I've referred to it before as walking together in the garden again. It may be a funny picture to some, but I can't help but think of Narnia, of the final book in the sequence, and think of all the creatures running back. They can't wait to get there, because that's where they were supposed to be all along!
Questions arise as to why God wouldn't just let us stay there. Why wouldn't He just keep us from sinning? Again, we must think of the lovingkindness of God, who gives us a choice.
We must remember too, that reconciliation is like forgiveness, a process. This short time on earth is something God wanted. I wrestle with this, because it hardly makes sense. But if we are given the ministry of reconciliation on this earth, then there is even more to this life than we know. How do I explain these things?
Thing One:
GROW class continues. I missed last week because of daylight savings time. I appreciate the weather, I loathe the lost hour of sleep!
We are in a series about healing, and yesterday discussed the healing we receive through forgiveness. While next week we will cover the human to human forgiveness, this week we stressed God's forgiveness of our sins. It was beautiful! It is beautiful! So let me explain...
It starts with God naming our sin. We probably have never approached it this way before. But for those of us who understand that we are utterly sinful, it makes sense. But to avoid that cop out, let's revert back to the garden. Eve ate of the fruit while her husband Adam stood by and watched. Then he joined.
We have been cursed ever since. If you don't buy that you can read this verse, or you can try this little experiment and test out whether or not sin is inherent. Put two toddlers in a room with one toy in between them. Or maybe you'd like it better if all of your thoughts were placed on a screen above your head for all to see--that thought about that person of the opposite sex, or the thought to say something hurtful even if you don't say it. We have a natural rebellion toward God.
We've been trying to become God on our own ever since that moment in the garden. See Tower of Babel.
Throughout Scripture, God himself, or sometimes through a mouthpiece called a prophet, will tell us where we've messed up. Over and over, He speaks against the rebellion of Israel. In our own lives it seems we have an internal rule book that helps us to feel guilty when we've done something wrong.
The second part to forgiveness is to agree with God. In simple terms, He says, "You, Sharayah, are a sinner."
I say, "Yep. That's me!"
Enter part three. Though we should pause to say that part two is actually very difficult. We are too proud to admit it. We are too broken to think ourselves worthy of God talking to us at all. Some of us use what is called the Shark approach. Say a shark bites you and then swims off. Well, a shark was doing only what a shark knows to do. We like to call ourselves products of our environment; to say that our sin is a result of others. Yet sin is more than this. For one, no matter how much you'd like to quote Elephant Man, you are not an animal. To a degree, and probably to a greater degree than you are willing to admit, you still have a choice in the sin you commit. I still have a choice in the sin I commit (so as to make sure you know I'm not just pointing fingers here).
And if we can't swallow part two, part three is a doozy!
That is, God does what only God can do. He gives us the gift of Christ. If it weren't for Jesus, we would be utterly hopeless. For the religions that believe that Jesus was not God, let us look to the implications of this. If God allowed for a regular human to die as a sacrifice, that would make for an immoral God--One who is not loving by any means!
Indeed, Jesus was God. His death and resurrection verify not only the truth that He is God, but also that He is completely loving. He is gracious to give us something we could never deserve. The history laid out for us in the Bible makes it clear that we are in need of the Savior Jesus. People wonder why the Old Testament is so long, and I think that it has to do with showing us the depravation of man if left to his own devices. It's not just second and third chances that God gives mankind, but hundreds and thousands and millions! See I and II Kings.
Part four then is accepting the gift. The teacher gave the illustration of how he could give a Rolex to someone, but unless that someone actually took the Rolex home with him, there would have been no gift exchange. God presents us with the gift of complete covering of our sins through Jesus, we just have to accept it!
Again, so easy to say, but putting into practice is also quite difficult for most of us. A lot of us, as was discussed at Merge last night, want to clean up our mess first before inviting Jesus into our lives. But ladies and gentlemen, there is no time to wait! We must accept the gift now, so that the next and final part of the act of forgiveness can take place--reconciliation.
Reconciliation means bringing us back to the way we were. And by way we were I don't mean back to innocent baby stages, but back to the way God meant for us to be. In a personal fellowship with Him. I've referred to it before as walking together in the garden again. It may be a funny picture to some, but I can't help but think of Narnia, of the final book in the sequence, and think of all the creatures running back. They can't wait to get there, because that's where they were supposed to be all along!
Questions arise as to why God wouldn't just let us stay there. Why wouldn't He just keep us from sinning? Again, we must think of the lovingkindness of God, who gives us a choice.
We must remember too, that reconciliation is like forgiveness, a process. This short time on earth is something God wanted. I wrestle with this, because it hardly makes sense. But if we are given the ministry of reconciliation on this earth, then there is even more to this life than we know. How do I explain these things?
I can (for the most part. I still have questions), but I won't. You'll just have to discover some answers for yourself. Trust me, it's better that way. I do encourage going to a class like GROW though, a place to talk about these things and better understand them for yourselves.
Thing Two:
I attended Iglesia Vida Nueva yesterday. I figured it was an opportunity to invest more time in hearing Spanish, and to be able to hear in church language. I'll put it this way, it was like when we did Bible translations when I was in college. I had a better grasp on the language when I already knew the subject matter.
Thing Two:
I attended Iglesia Vida Nueva yesterday. I figured it was an opportunity to invest more time in hearing Spanish, and to be able to hear in church language. I'll put it this way, it was like when we did Bible translations when I was in college. I had a better grasp on the language when I already knew the subject matter.
A really cool gal named Maria sat next to me. She helped me when I had questions, though I tried just to soak it all in this time. I loved the singing part, and getting to use my Spanish Bible.
How interesting to realize more what full emersion might be like. I mean, it's one thing to go somewhere for two, almost three weeks (like Russia), and to be on a team of English speakers. It's quite another for two years, and to be on a team where we only speak Spanish! Estoy muy entusiasmada! (<--thanks to my Argentina team leader, I've learned this new adjective)
Perhaps going to Spanish speaking church every week, and listening to noventa y seis punto cinco en la radio will help. But there will be nothing quite like only Spanish all the time.
Prayers are more than welcome.
Friday, March 19, 2010
More photo booth fun
This time with our lovely neighbors, the Anholds! Jenny had come over to make some brownies, and then after all four of us played a couple games that led to dancing. Don't ask me how it happened, it just is uncontrollable!! lol
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Today's quotes of the day comes from Josh Crain's favorite (or at least he mentions him a lot), Greg Boyd. I finally picked up one of his books, which turns out to be letters written between him and his father. His father, for about 70 years of his life, was an agnostic, and the letters are a discussion between father and son about why Jesus works. I'm only forty-four pages in, but it's a quote like this that makes me think this book is a gold mine:
"We are all in the process of solidifying our identities by the decisions we make."
..and along the same lines..
"The more we choose something, the harder it is to choose otherwise, until we are finally solidified--eternalized--in our decision. The momentum of our character becomes unstoppable."
Discuss.
It's already one?
I have only stayed up this late twice in this month. The first time was last weekend, playing some cards with a friend, and now well.. I'll get to it.
Primero, I got to play the sax again, but you can just read the other blog if you care about that. I also finished one of my books, played a couple rounds of Mario Kart with Noah, and jammed to Kris Allen's "Live Like We're Dyin." First American Idol song I own. And mind you it is NOT country, as someone had mistaken earlier. gag.
The rest of today was so cool. Literally--64 degrees when I decided to go for a little walk to meet with Steph at Steamer's. I decided to try walking and juggling at the same time. The pathway to Steamer's doesn't have many people that can watch, so whenever I dropped I wasn't too embarrassed. It helped a lot, as now I have a couple tricks I've been working on down. And since I got there early, I also just practiced outside the building. When Steph came, she joined me and said she had some juggling balls too. We're gonna make a party out of it! haha.
Primero, I got to play the sax again, but you can just read the other blog if you care about that. I also finished one of my books, played a couple rounds of Mario Kart with Noah, and jammed to Kris Allen's "Live Like We're Dyin." First American Idol song I own. And mind you it is NOT country, as someone had mistaken earlier. gag.
The rest of today was so cool. Literally--64 degrees when I decided to go for a little walk to meet with Steph at Steamer's. I decided to try walking and juggling at the same time. The pathway to Steamer's doesn't have many people that can watch, so whenever I dropped I wasn't too embarrassed. It helped a lot, as now I have a couple tricks I've been working on down. And since I got there early, I also just practiced outside the building. When Steph came, she joined me and said she had some juggling balls too. We're gonna make a party out of it! haha.
Oh, and on the way was so funny. There are gnats at certain sections of this path. At first it was working to just juggle through them because they would scatter within the half second before I crossed. But then there was this moment where I started to just hold and avoid them (Note: it's always funny to watch people at a distance avoiding gnats. They look a little mad, as I'm sure I did!). At one point I watched them, and quite literally, they were following me!! I aimed my gaze at a good crowd and as I walked, they swooped forward in conjunction with every step.
Swooped!
When I stopped, they stopped. It was unreal.
But pressing on, it was wonderful getting to discuss the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Steph and I looked at a lot of the New Testament scriptures about the Spirit of truth: John 14:15-31; Acts 2; Acts 19:1-12; 1 Corinthians 12-14; 1 John 4:1-6. To name a few. I am reminded of how much of the spiritual realm I don't understand. As I left, returning to the juggling, I thought about the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians and started a rhythm with each throw/step. Hmm.. I just tried typing out what I mean and I don't think it translates well. Perhaps I should pray for an interpreter (rim shot!). The point is it was cool.
Then I walked to church. About a 3.28 mile total walk according to Google maps. So great! And church was community night, so just a chill hang out time with plenty of mega four square.
After that, I went to Target with Raychel to look for a wrist brace for her. We ended up having to find the right one at Walmart (sad, I know), but then also took a glance at the hair dye section...
I'm back to a reddish color (sorry it's hard to see here), as I've been thinking of doing one last time before my trip. I mean, it was kind of hard to resist when it was only $3.27! Maybe I'm crazy. I got to watch Newsies in the process, and have some fun hang out time with Raych. So really, it was worth it.
A great way to spend my momma's birthday if you ask me!
Swooped!
When I stopped, they stopped. It was unreal.
But pressing on, it was wonderful getting to discuss the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Steph and I looked at a lot of the New Testament scriptures about the Spirit of truth: John 14:15-31; Acts 2; Acts 19:1-12; 1 Corinthians 12-14; 1 John 4:1-6. To name a few. I am reminded of how much of the spiritual realm I don't understand. As I left, returning to the juggling, I thought about the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians and started a rhythm with each throw/step. Hmm.. I just tried typing out what I mean and I don't think it translates well. Perhaps I should pray for an interpreter (rim shot!). The point is it was cool.
Then I walked to church. About a 3.28 mile total walk according to Google maps. So great! And church was community night, so just a chill hang out time with plenty of mega four square.
After that, I went to Target with Raychel to look for a wrist brace for her. We ended up having to find the right one at Walmart (sad, I know), but then also took a glance at the hair dye section...
I'm back to a reddish color (sorry it's hard to see here), as I've been thinking of doing one last time before my trip. I mean, it was kind of hard to resist when it was only $3.27! Maybe I'm crazy. I got to watch Newsies in the process, and have some fun hang out time with Raych. So really, it was worth it.A great way to spend my momma's birthday if you ask me!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Just a thought
"The extent to which we know God is the limit to how much we can make Him known."
I don't feel like I can say it better than that. So thanks to whoever said that, because it's got me rememberin' how patient He is with me.
Also--thankful to start filling out my bracket. MARCH MADNESS BABY!!!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Lessons in Cinema part 4
After the Oscars, I realized there were a few movies I wanted to see. Mostly, I haven't been able to afford seeing many movies, but there is also a desire to not want to be sucked in too much by this sort of entertainment. This year however, seems different. If I were to make a very basic correlation between historical events and Oscar-contending films, I would say that having an African American President directly relates to how much our nominated films cover the race issue:
The Blind Side
Avatar
Invictus
Precious
Inglourious Basterds (you're allowed to laugh, but I'm at least a little serious about this one)
and well..
District 9. I will not neglect the fact that Crash won a few years ago, nor can I neglect how there have been plenty of films in the past that have addressed racism. I am just surprised at the plethora of films grabbing the Academy's attention this first full year in Obama's term.
Any way..
I thoroughly enjoyed D9's half-documentary, half-cinematic presentation, as it flows well with the theme of conversion as a human (spoiler alert!) is turned into an alien by an unfortunate accident. The style flows with the transformation taking place in Wikus' life, as shots become more raw and story driven rather than documentary driven--a style associated with truth.
What a movie to reveal in us our own presuppositions about those we don't understand, even if we are put in their shoes. This is also realized in the second film of the day (which actually came first chronologically):
If you know me, then you know the initial reason for watching this movie :) I will say even for Matt alone, this movie is worth it. Funny enough though, there is a time or two when I thought to myself, 'You know, Jason Bourne would have handled that better.' It must be hard for him to separate that character from the rest of his roles at times.
But onto more important matters. As I'm learning a little more about Middle Eastern culture, I've become a bit more aware of what they view as important. Honor is what makes a person, and shame can bring disgrace to the whole family, not just you. America, on the other hand, is much more of a guilt and innocence culture. We're more concerned with being treated fairly than for caring about what is expected of us. And if one of the family sins, the person is often shoved in the corner (say, sent to rehab?) and forgotten as opposed to the whole family dealing with the repercussions. The Iraqi character Freddy in particular seems to hold true to the mindset that I'm understanding for his culture. I was impressed at how well it was conveyed.
Maybe it's not so much of a surprise to find that Green Zone was more of a political film than I knew it would be, sometimes even feeling a little over the top. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the message to get me thinking again about the war. To think about why we're fighting, who we're dealing with, and the number of human beings involved in it all.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Make 'em laugh
You know those people for whom it is difficult to get them to guffaw? You'll hear a chuckle out of 'em every now and then, but a good, hearty laugh is hard to come by.
Let me just say, mission accomplished today.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Thoughts on mission work
When you look up basic facts about Argentina, you find that it is the 8th largest country in the world. You find that it is a country working toward a democracy, and was even flourishing before World War II (well except for a small period that coincides with the US' Great Depression). However, corrupt government officials, as well as periods of military rule, have caused the economy as well as the people to suffer greatly. It is a country that covers almost every major climate and land mass possible. From desert to coast to mountain to subantartic regions (PENGUINS!!) to swamps: it's all there. You find that the people enjoy tea, specifically a kind called mate (mah TAY), and staying up to the wee hours of the morning conversing and dancing the tango.
Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion, but stemming from that, particularly when looking to some of the festivals held in the cities, a Spiritist movement is apparent. Amidst all of this, you also find that Argentina is one of the top missionary sending countries in the world.
For some of us, we think "missionary" as Western people going to a jungle or desert and reaching a people who have never heard of Jesus before. That's definitely part of it, but it's not the only way.
Being part of a very strong college ministry, you start to think that "missionary" means giving up a couple years of your life to reach people in another country, perhaps in a city, and specifically people your age with whom you can relate. That's definitely part of it, but it's not the only way.
Other visions of this M-word appear, most likely stressing "un-reached people groups" and Third World countries who lack water or suffer from HIV. This is a great and necessary beginning, however the reality is our scope needs to be much broader than this. We start of with the Acts 1:8:
Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion, but stemming from that, particularly when looking to some of the festivals held in the cities, a Spiritist movement is apparent. Amidst all of this, you also find that Argentina is one of the top missionary sending countries in the world.
For some of us, we think "missionary" as Western people going to a jungle or desert and reaching a people who have never heard of Jesus before. That's definitely part of it, but it's not the only way.
Being part of a very strong college ministry, you start to think that "missionary" means giving up a couple years of your life to reach people in another country, perhaps in a city, and specifically people your age with whom you can relate. That's definitely part of it, but it's not the only way.
Other visions of this M-word appear, most likely stressing "un-reached people groups" and Third World countries who lack water or suffer from HIV. This is a great and necessary beginning, however the reality is our scope needs to be much broader than this. We start of with the Acts 1:8:
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
We must note that the call to witness starts in Jerusalem, where the disciples were already making their home. Some churches have the sign when you leave the parking lot, "Welcome to your mission field"--to which, I've always felt was a little cheesy, but is nonetheless true.
Before any of this witnessing can even begin to take place, we must additionally remember where the source of power begins. The Holy Spirit will lead you, whether while you are ordering a burger at Wendy's or flying across the pond to serve the tribes in North Africa.
If the Spirit isn't in it, then it is nothing. It's like action without love (and if God is our source of love, the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to love boldly), mere clanging on pots and pans.
A note on those who are called to a specific ministry; a requirement of knowing our roots:
We must note that the call to witness starts in Jerusalem, where the disciples were already making their home. Some churches have the sign when you leave the parking lot, "Welcome to your mission field"--to which, I've always felt was a little cheesy, but is nonetheless true.
Before any of this witnessing can even begin to take place, we must additionally remember where the source of power begins. The Holy Spirit will lead you, whether while you are ordering a burger at Wendy's or flying across the pond to serve the tribes in North Africa.
If the Spirit isn't in it, then it is nothing. It's like action without love (and if God is our source of love, the power of the Holy Spirit enables us to love boldly), mere clanging on pots and pans.
A note on those who are called to a specific ministry; a requirement of knowing our roots:
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus who has become for us wisdom from God--that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption." 1Corinthians 1:26-30
Those who follow Christ are called bond servants (thanks to reading from Calvary Road am I reminded of this truth!). Bond servants have no salary, deserve nothing, and are obligated to serve their masters. Not the prettiest picture given to us, but if you couple this with the story of the master over his vineyard, you find that our Master is most gracious. Those who have worked before us will receive just as much as those who come after. We are more concerned about our pay, when we should instead be focused on the great love Christ has shown us!
Where am I going with all of this? Perhaps it threw me (and you?) off to hear that Argentina is sending out plenty of missionaries. Perhaps my own scope needed widening to believe that God put this particular country on my heart for a reason. To believe that all those prayers, the dream, and the other very clear evidences that lead me to going to Argentina was no accident.
This quote struck me from my last book:
Those who follow Christ are called bond servants (thanks to reading from Calvary Road am I reminded of this truth!). Bond servants have no salary, deserve nothing, and are obligated to serve their masters. Not the prettiest picture given to us, but if you couple this with the story of the master over his vineyard, you find that our Master is most gracious. Those who have worked before us will receive just as much as those who come after. We are more concerned about our pay, when we should instead be focused on the great love Christ has shown us!
Where am I going with all of this? Perhaps it threw me (and you?) off to hear that Argentina is sending out plenty of missionaries. Perhaps my own scope needed widening to believe that God put this particular country on my heart for a reason. To believe that all those prayers, the dream, and the other very clear evidences that lead me to going to Argentina was no accident.
This quote struck me from my last book:
"Missionaries should flow ever more freely from and to all six continents in a spirit of humble service. The goal should be, by all available means and at the earliest possible time, that every person will have the opportunity to hear, understand, and receive the good news."
Yes, it is beneficial for countries to have their own workers and missionaries. Yet I look at our own, and I can not help but think that a pair of fresh eyes from a Latin American country or a Southeast Asian one might help the good news of Jesus be more attractive to Americans. Kenya is another country dishing out plenty of missionaries, but extra hands in orphanages will never be a bad thing.
Argentina also happens to be on the rise economically speaking (though I'm currently a fan of the exchange rate). Should I be worried that I won't be getting to serve the poor as much as I had hoped? The books I've read explaining the overall situation for Argentines has only a couple paragraphs and one picture of the slums outside the city. The poor you will always have, I once read, and I actually have a feeling that it's much worse off than it appears.
Then I was again reminded of the caste system in India. There is a great mass of missionaries aimed at the Dalits or Untouchables. Do not the Brahmas and upper classes not need the same grace from God? Admittedly, it is harder, as hard as getting a camel through the eye of the needle. But Jesus soon after says what is impossible with men is possible with God!
I do not feel the need to defend myself, I seek only to address what some people, as well as myself, may be thinking about my next journey. I'm looking forward to more of what God has to show me about this trip. I'm thankful for the time beforehand too, as a chance for more listening and prayer for what He wants to change in me.
Yes, it is beneficial for countries to have their own workers and missionaries. Yet I look at our own, and I can not help but think that a pair of fresh eyes from a Latin American country or a Southeast Asian one might help the good news of Jesus be more attractive to Americans. Kenya is another country dishing out plenty of missionaries, but extra hands in orphanages will never be a bad thing.
Argentina also happens to be on the rise economically speaking (though I'm currently a fan of the exchange rate). Should I be worried that I won't be getting to serve the poor as much as I had hoped? The books I've read explaining the overall situation for Argentines has only a couple paragraphs and one picture of the slums outside the city. The poor you will always have, I once read, and I actually have a feeling that it's much worse off than it appears.
Then I was again reminded of the caste system in India. There is a great mass of missionaries aimed at the Dalits or Untouchables. Do not the Brahmas and upper classes not need the same grace from God? Admittedly, it is harder, as hard as getting a camel through the eye of the needle. But Jesus soon after says what is impossible with men is possible with God!
I do not feel the need to defend myself, I seek only to address what some people, as well as myself, may be thinking about my next journey. I'm looking forward to more of what God has to show me about this trip. I'm thankful for the time beforehand too, as a chance for more listening and prayer for what He wants to change in me.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Le checklist
- Deactivate and reactivate Rosetta Stone on new computer
- Return library books
- Breakfast with Chelsea and Rachel
- Deposit check
- Recycle paper at work (from the mess previously made at home)
- Recycle old cell phone
- Read 4 chapters in book for staff meeting
- Email placement advisor about questions concerning Argentina and support raising
- Plan Fusion
- Finish "Out of the Comfort Zone"
- Finish details for Denver Mission Trip
Pause. Received letter from a new friend in India! Way cool to see the Devangali script again.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Portatil inauguration
What is a new Mac without playing with Photo Booth?
Noah's best friend David is in town for the week. As his dad Mike says, "Those two are a hoot!" Add me, and it's sorta ridiculous. I don't mind though, it's been hilarious playing some Mario Bros and ping pong with these guys.
Noah's best friend David is in town for the week. As his dad Mike says, "Those two are a hoot!" Add me, and it's sorta ridiculous. I don't mind though, it's been hilarious playing some Mario Bros and ping pong with these guys.
How old am I?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Jesus calmed the storm
Read the story by clicking here.
So Jesus calmed a storm. I immediately go to a reading I had in Jesus-centered Youth Ministry back when I worked in Virginia. There was a section about a man reading this story with some indigenous people who had never even heard of Jesus before. As soon as he finished reading the story, he said, "So.. what are some storms in your life that you would like Jesus to calm?"
But the people just looked at him, jaw-dropped. "Wait a minute!" they said. "Your telling me this man just controlled nature?!"
Yolanda told me that it was understood at the time of the storm that only God could control natural events. All acts of the Old Testament (parting of the Red Sea, or the rain that came after a long period of drought in 1 Kings, etc. etc.) were clearly associated with the work of God.
So here was Jesus, a man, and he calmed a storm. Just by thinking logically (don't we love logic, Sharon?), we can figure that the disciples of Jesus were getting a hint. He really was/is the God he claimed/claims to be!! No wonder they were terrified--perhaps even more terrified than if the furious squall had continued!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
You're so vain
It's Velma from Scooby Doo!!
Sincerest apologies for how many pictures of me there are here. You see, we played Incognito tonight, and I straight up loved my wig, in case you couldn't tell :P And I like the thicker frames for their nerdiness. Just being myself, I suppose.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Learning to trust
As I talk with more friends and family about the upcoming adventure, I'm also learning about that which is going on in their lives.
The common theme.. er.. prayer request.. is learning to trust in the Good Father. Trust Him with health, with the salvation of others, with the provision of daily needs, with wisdom in making important decisions coming up, with bringing justice.. the list is unending.
And now that a second major earthquake has hit the western hemisphere, learning to trust that He will take care of His people.
For some reason, these verses come to mind:
Learning to trust that suffering is not the result of an evil dictator of a God, but is a result of an already suffering and broken world (most things are much more complicated as I'm finding out).
We have a really great Father who desires for us to know Him and make Him known. Somehow, we who know this beautiful truth are placed where we are (or are sent out) to heal and give the good gifts and provide relief as a way to personify Jesus. We don't just act out the Golden Rule. We are the Golden Rule.
I feel a bit scatterbrained here. What I'm hoping to say is I'm learning to trust that He even wants to use me. That's overwhelming. Sobering. Scary.
That's all I got for now. Still wrestling with it all.
The common theme.. er.. prayer request.. is learning to trust in the Good Father. Trust Him with health, with the salvation of others, with the provision of daily needs, with wisdom in making important decisions coming up, with bringing justice.. the list is unending.
And now that a second major earthquake has hit the western hemisphere, learning to trust that He will take care of His people.
For some reason, these verses come to mind:
Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:9-12)
Learning to trust that suffering is not the result of an evil dictator of a God, but is a result of an already suffering and broken world (most things are much more complicated as I'm finding out).
We have a really great Father who desires for us to know Him and make Him known. Somehow, we who know this beautiful truth are placed where we are (or are sent out) to heal and give the good gifts and provide relief as a way to personify Jesus. We don't just act out the Golden Rule. We are the Golden Rule.
I feel a bit scatterbrained here. What I'm hoping to say is I'm learning to trust that He even wants to use me. That's overwhelming. Sobering. Scary.
That's all I got for now. Still wrestling with it all.
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