First Impressions

It may be accented by the fact that it's a Sunday but the pace in Ecuador today was nice and slow.  Several times Jamie caught me wanting to move faster than we needed to, or even wanted to.  I found it difficult to relax sitting on a bench or stopping to watch children play and interact.  The speed of life is slow...and I like that. It's good to remind ourselves that we can slow down; we don't have to rush to the next thing.

Jamie and I are here to get to know the culture, learn the language, and follow Jesus.  We’ll see what that looks like the longer we’re here, but for now, we are wait. Psalm 33:20-22:

           

            We wait in hope for the LORD;

            he is our help and our shield.

            In him our hears rejoice,

for we trust in his holy name.

           

            May your unfailing love be with us, LORD,

            even as we put our hope in you.

Nomads

I suppose the journey always continues, and such is the case for Jamie and I as we let the world know that we are moving away.

We have mixed emotions about this kind of move.  On one hand, we are VERY excited about what the Lord will do through us, but on the other hand, we are saddened by the loss we have felt and will continue to feel when leaving the ones we love.

It reminds me of the call of Abram in Genesis 12.  He left his homeland, his job, his friends - everything - to follow G-D's call.  I feel that maybe G-D has laid this upon us for a season.  Jamie and I are nomads - sojourners on this earth.  The beauty and difficulty of this kind of life is that we have homes in many places, and we have homes in none.  We are caught in this desire to follow Jesus no matter where He leads, but we struggle (or I should say that I struggle) with wanting to "settle down."  It's not a life I would necessarily choose - going from one place to another, moving from one house to another - but G-D has called us forward.  He is moving us beyond our comforts, beyond our expectations, beyond our ability to see, and He asks us to trust Him.

Buckle up blog readers.  The journey continues...in Ecuador!

White Rock Marathon

We did it!  Jamie completed 13.1 miles and I 26.2, and we are both exhausted!  The rewards, however, far outweigh the pain and rain we suffered through to achieve our goal of finishing our respective races.  So sit down, relax, and let me take you through our Sunday race....

The weather was cold and wet, with highs in the mid-40s and lows in the high 30s.  Jamie, Justin (our brother-in-law), and I woke up at 5:15am, put on all of our clothing - including rain gear strategically purchased at Goodwill, and were out the door and at the park by 7:15am.  We dropped off our stuff at the World Vision tent (more on that later), and headed for the starting line.

We joined 25,000 other runners at the beginning of the race and before we knew it the race had started!  Justin and I ran our first mile in approximately 11 mins (2 mins off of our target pace), and so we spent the next 12 miles or so getting back on pace.  This was somewhat easy to accomplish because both of us had plenty of adrenaline and desire to pass fellow runners.  We ran into family members at 1.5 and 8.5 miles who spurred us on to conquer the 26.2 mile jaunt through Dallas.

I must say that the first 11 miles were an absolute BLAST!  Justin and I danced around puddles and people as we plunged through the course.  We weaved between cars and dodged obstacles as we meandered from water stop to water stop.  We laughed, told jokes, gave high-fives to spectators and made sure that everyone new we were going to dominate this race with style and humor.

It was at mile 8.5 that we took off some of our rain gear, which proved to be a terrible mistake come mile 17 or so as we ran around the lake.  Though we finished the 13.1 miles in 2:05 - only five minutes behind our target pace, mile 17 became our undoing as the wind tore at our already cold, damp bodies causing cramps - first for Justin, then for me.  All rhythm was lost, and we never really regained it.  The Dolly Parton Hills came up from miles 20-23, and they were absolutely grueling.  Picture yourself standing at the base of Mt. Everest knowing you have to hike up every single step of the way to get to the top in that freezing snow and no oxygen.  OK, so it wasn't that bad, but it was close.  I wish I could say we coasted to the finish line after this, but nothing could be farther from the truth.  Every step for me was an act of discipline - placing one foot in front of the other, pumping my arms, telling my back to quit slouching.  At 25.9 miles, Jamie, Jana (her sister and Justin's wife), and Randy (my other Dad) met us and ran with us for a tenth of a mile or so as we neared the finish.

This act meant so much to me.  I was ready to walk the rest of the way, but when I saw Jamie cheering me on and then joining me...I could not have asked for anything more.  Justin and I said goodbye to our brides and dad, continued the rest of the race, and crossed that finish line at 4:43.05.  Yes, we were off of my goal of under four hours, but we finished!

We finished.  We got our medals and t-shirts, our hot coffee and pancakes, our sore muscles and fatigued minds, and headed to the car, hot showers, and some Pei Wei dinner.

All being said, it was a full day, and it was worth every moment!

Worry

It's a word that can be preached on all day long, and people would still go home unsettled.  We worry about everything - food, clothing, stock market, sports' teams, deadlines, quotas, and family members.


As a minister, I get bombarded with different kinds of worries: is so-and-so still coming?  Who will teach?  Or preach? Or lead worship?  How many were in class?  How much money was collected?  The worry engine never quits.


Our adult class has been going through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 on Sunday mornings, and the pinnacle of the sermon centers on three self-giving disciplines that alleviate worry: giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting.  When one practices these three things, worrying seems to be placed on the back-burner because the focus shifts from oneself to others and to G-D.


So, to us worry-warts out there (yes, I am one of you), let's practice giving, praying, and fasting, and then step back and let G-D worry about the rest.  After all, each day has enough trouble of it's own; why add our worries to the list?

No TV

Since it's been nearly a year (ok, 361 days), I thought it would be appropriate to blog...something. And so, I am.

My wife and I have been married for 5 years, 1 month and 7 days - not that anyone else is counting - and in that span we have had cable for approx 6 months (and it was free). Now, understand that we enjoy many things on television - Food Network, DIY Network, HGTV, and of course the finals in any major sporting event (with the exception of ice hockey and croquet). We know, too, that television offers wonderful information on traveling, history, science, art, and news, and all of these things ALMOST make it worth it to fit the bill for some dish network. Almost, but not quite.

You see, we aren't bombarded with 1000s of commercials every single day. We aren't tempted to watch the next show after the one we wanted to see is over. We have time to watch shows that we really like, over and over and over again.  (Can you really get enough of "I Love Lucy" or the "Cosby Show"?)  The TV is not the focal point of our living room. Or bedroom. Or Kitchen. We can play games like Scrabble or Battleship - both of which my wife KILLS me - and not worry about when to catch the latest game.

And for nights like tonight when Monday Night Football looms and I still have to run 14 miles, we can go up to Anytime Fitness and for 2 hours and 2o minutes, I can watch the game from the treadmill.

So you see, it's not that we don't watch television - we do. It's that we control our intake of it and don't let it control us. Are we better than others who have TV? Not at all! There are moments when we are downright jealous of you! But for us, going without it has worked. We like not having it around.

And I hope it stays this way for the next 5 years, 1 month and 7 days.

Mark 5:24b-29

Last Sunday in Bible class the subject of our physical posture in prayer was brought up. Everyone agreed that we can talk to G-D at any time, but many were slightly uncomfortable with the idea of kneeling.

Which is cause for concern.

Notice the posture of the three people Jesus encounters in Mark 5 - the demoniac, the synagogue ruler, and the bleeding woman. Every one of them falls at Jesus' feet. Now, this was not some proper, take a knee kind of thing; this was desperation. Demons needed exercising, a dad needed resurrection, and a woman needed healing.

Darkness reigned in their lives - hope almost depleted. And they fall at the feet of Jesus.

As we pray, let's practice this kind of posture. This kind of desperation. This kind of hope!

Diversity Sunday

George Pendergrass brings with him several ACU students from all over the world to be with us at Early Church of Christ this week. I'm excited to hear the Bible read in French and a prayer said in Chinese. I'm excited to see so many different cultures and ethnicities converging on our small hamlet and expanding our sight to different parts of this earth.

It's a shame that we so many times remain content to stay in our churches with the same views, the same messages, the same color, the same socio-economic status. Life in the early church (not the Early Church) was a collection of peoples from all over the world who in many ways had only two things in common: they were human and they knew Jesus.

I hope this next Sunday opens our eyes to what G-D is doing in the world; I hope G-D shares a glimpse of His goodness that He gives to ALL humanity. I dream of a day when we will all be ONE in Jesus - a day in which differences (black/white, female/male, rich/poor, free/slave) are appreciated and not condemned, cherished and not diminished. That day arrives as we witness G-D's incredible creation displayed in so many unique ways.

Fantasy Football

Fantasy. Football.

Two words that should never be placed in the same sentence as Heaven, Hell, Easter, wedding anniversary, or a child's birthday. In the midst of all the excitement down here in Texas over football, don't forget that story is so small compared to ours as followers of Jesus. Our excitement, our passion, our enthusiasm for G-D should be evident to all with whom we come into contact. We're G-D's biggest fans!!

It's game time!

Mark 5:21-24a

I love the picture we're presented here. Desperate times call for desperate measures. A dad is about to loose his daughter and is looking for someone - ANYONE - who can help.

So he falls at the feet of Jesus.

Are we ever that desperate? Those of us who have grown up with Jesus as our best friend, do we have that kind of humility and do we recognize our need for Jesus to go with us. Because Jesus' response to desperation is walking with the person. He went with Jairus.

Jesus is someone who enters into the fray, dives into the mess and walks with people. We are called to do the same.

And it doesn't matter who the person is. We have a demon-possessed man doing it right before Jairus - a chazan. (Jairus functioned as the worship leader in one of the synagogues. He was probably an important person and well thought of in his community.)

At Jesus' feet is a great place to be. It hurts, but it is good.

Mark 5:14-20, Take Two

One thing that initially bothered me about this passage is how Jesus says, "No."

Look at it in verse 18-19. The formerly demon-possessed guy wants to follow Jesus. Who wouldn't want that guy around as a walking testament to Jesus' power?! Yet Jesus sends him home and tells him to let his family and friends know how much the L-RD has done for him and how He has had mercy on him.

And the guy does it.

The next time we see Jesus on that side of the lake, the crowds are not pleading with Him to leave, but begging Him to heal!

I wonder if I have that same kind of passion that this demon-possessed guy had. He left Jesus not disappointed that he couldn't follow the L-RD around, but infused with life for what Jesus had done for him. He couldn't contain himself!

How about you? Do you have that same drive? When G-D says, "No" to your idea, do you say, "YES!" to His? This demon-possessed guy changed his whole area by saying "Yes" to Jesus and telling everyone he could about how the L-RD had mercy on him.

I want to be like that.

Standing

Before class Wednesday night, I had people stand up and recite the Sh'ma from Deut 6 and Lev 19, and I asked everyone why I had them stand.

"Out of reverence," was the response.

"Then why do we not stand the entire time?" I asked.

Orthodox congregations stand during the entire 2-3 hour liturgy. We stand up and cheer for our favorites teams at games. As we come before our most holy L-RD, should we not in our own meager ways offer Him our physical all?

Thoughts?

Mosques

There have been many musings floating around on the Internet regarding the building of a mosque near Ground Zero. Here are a few of my thoughts regarding Islam:

First, it amazes me the level of fear expressed by America in general, and specifically Christians. I received an email just this week which spoke of different percentages of Muslims in different countries and what different percentages mean for that country. (For example, France with 8% has Muslims pushing for clean food in Supermarkets - called halal; while a place like Ethiopia with a 32.8% Muslim population has rioting, jihad militia formations and sporadic killings.) Have we forgotten already that perfect love drives out fear? I know several muslims (not so devout) who would give me the shirt off their back. Just like in Christianity, 80% do 20% of the work and 20% do 80%. In other words, just as all Christians are called out to be passionate followers of Jesus does not mean that all are. Same in Islam.

Second, what would happen if they took over the world? Does that mean Jesus will not continue to shine His light through underground Christians? So what if they kill us as believers in Jesus? There are few greater privileges than this: dying for your Friend! What an honor!

Third, Jesus did not seem very interested in politics. If He had been, He would have ousted the Romans from Israel and the world! Don't forget that the people wanted to make Him king, and He declined the offer.

Fourth, retaliating with violence and bigotry does not seem to be the answer. So we boycott our dealings with Muslims? We kill them? Sounds like we are doing the same thing to them that they are doing to us. This is not the way of Jesus.

Anyway, these are a couple of my thoughts.

What do you think?

Gone but not Forgotten

I apologize for my absence. Jamie and I have been enjoying family and friends in beautiful (and cool) Colorado this past week. I am still recuperating from the exhaustion (emotional, spiritual, and physical) we experienced, but know that it was exhaustion of a good kind.

We began our "vacation" on Saturday night with a wedding, traveled all night to baptize 3 young guys and their mother Sunday morning (in a VERY cold river), met and stayed in the homes of many people we hold dear, taught an adult class on Wednesday night, cut enough dead aspen trees to make loads of furniture, met a new "niece" (what is the daughter of your wife's first cousin called?) and spent time with great family, and then culminated the weekend with a funeral for Jamie's great-granddad on Saturday morning (he was 97!). Are you now tired for us?

A near perfect way to celebrate life (only Sabbath was missing).

To those out there in blog-sphere whom we encountered, thank you for all you do to make Jamie and my life so full of G-D's rich blessings.

And thank you, Father, for all the blessings we have in and through Jesus!!!

Mark 5:14-20, Take One

So many things jump out of this passage that I will actually have two posts for it.

The aspect I wish to address here regards fear. We noticed at the end of chapter four that after Jesus calms the storm the disciples are terrified. Their worst fears were probably confirmed at the beginning of chapter 5 when after they cross over to the other side they are immediately confronted by a possessed, wild, crazy, strong, naked guy who is shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High G-d?! (Welcome to the other side, disciples.)

After Jesus drives out the legion of demons, people come from the town and countryside. And suddenly, the fear transfers to them. So much so, that they PLEAD with Jesus to leave! They beg the Son of G-D to leave their homeland.

It actually reminds me of another story we find in the Tanakh (Old Testament): Exodus 20:18-19. This one regards the Israelites who stand at Mt. Sinai and are consumed with dread. They are so terrified that they ask Moses to stand as mediator and speak with G-D on their behalf.

And thus, we have two peoples who, when they encounter the L-RD, plead in some way to have Him remove Himself from their presence. First the Israelites; now the foreigners.

That same fear plagues us today. We don't want an encounter with G-D - our comfort zones stretched, our assumptions about life challenged, our lives changed. We like things the way they are. We have our freedom, our things, our friends. What more do we need?

Yet G-D continues to come. Jesus shows up where we least expect Him, and we get scared. But we cannot allow our fear to consume us. We must give room for G-D to come in and change us.

So, how has fear kept you from encountering G-D? What have you done to combat those fears?

Mark 5:4-13

Let's talk about this encounter.

The first thing that should be noted is that this is a spiritual encounter as much as physical. We in the Western world have resigned ourselves to the here and now physical part of our universe, and even as Christians we fail to recognize the spiritual forces that continue to wage war in and around us.

We have a man here imbued with supernatural strength, who cries out at night among tombs, and is probably naked (Luke 8:27). From the disciples' perspective, the whole scene sums up for them the terrible idea of going over to an evil part of the country. It's what happens when you enter inner-city LA or New Orleans during Mardi Gras; you go to a place that you perceive as evil and low-and-behold evil presents itself in its worst forms.

Notice that this demon knows who Jesus is. Notice that Jesus told the spirit(s) to come of the guy (which the spirits consider torture). Notice that Jesus told them to come out, and they didn't. Then they ask for permission to go elsewhere (pigs), Jesus gives them permission, and they leave. Notice how the pronouns switch from singular to plural (me, them). This guy is a walking bomb; nobody knows when he'll blow up!

And they go into the herd of PIGS - the sacrificial animal in that society which also happens to be the mascot for the Roman Legion! And I love the fact that the pigs end up in the lake/abyss.

But why does Jesus do this? What motivates Him to go to the OTHER (dark) side of the lake? Why does He challenge the evil forces present in Sin City, when He has plenty of demon possessed people in His synagogue and hometown?

Thoughts?

Mark 5:1-3

Right after the storm on the abyss/sea, what would a person expect except to be confronted by a demon, or in this case, a slew of demons. As soon as Jesus steps out of the boat along comes a crazy man who could not be bound even with chains. (I think the disciples' fear only compounded at this sight.) We will talk more about this spiritual encounter next time.

If you hold an NIV in your hands, you can see a footnote in verse 1 regarding the location of this event. Gerasenes, Gadarenes, and Gergesenes are all options. The city of Gadara lies over 5 miles away from the Sea of Galilee, though excavations have located a harbor for the area. It is on the southeastern side. Gerasa (present-day Jerash lies many miles away from the Sea of Galilee, but was a major city in the Decapolis. The geography points to Gergesa as the city in which this encounter took place. Located along the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Gergesa is really the only place in which a herd of pigs can rush down a steep bank into the water. I should note, however, that all of these cities represented the Gentile world to Jesus and His disciples. Though close geographically, the two cultures of Jews and Gentiles did not mix at all. The very fact that Jesus wanted to go over there was remarkable because that was where evil dwells in the minds of the disciples. Once again, no wonder they were so terrified!

I love how Jesus already begins to live out His words, "...And the gates of Hades will not prevail against it!" Jesus is on the move; He wants the world to know of His message!

How are we when it comes to going out into dark places? Do we live like Jesus - going to people that are far beyond our comfort zones?

Mark 4:35-41

Storms can be scary things. We have several examples of people who have been caught in a storm while at sea, and here is no exception. Several Old Testament parallels immediately present themselves: Jonah 1 and Psalm 107.

In these passages we see terror turned to praise, or fear of the elements turned into a fear of G-D. Notice that the sailors cry out for help, and when G-D calms the storm, all begin to worship.

In Mark, we immediately notice the fear of the storm within the disciples; and what do we see Jesus doing? Like Jonah, He is asleep.

Jesus gets up, calms the storm and then asks His disciples why they were so scared. OK, I must interject at this point. How many of you have been in a serious storm when out at sea? How comfortable were you with that? But for the disciples, not only do they fear the elements, they believe that the sea is the Abyss. This only compounds their fear. (We will explore this idea further in the very next story.)

So, be honest, would you not have been terrified?

And I find this almost amusing if it was not so sad: the disciples remained terrified AFTER the miracle of calming the wind and the waves. (Their response should have been praise.) Jesus has just acted like G-D in the story. I believe they are beginning to see who Jesus really is, and that is what terrifies them even more than the storm. Perhaps they begin to wonder if they are in the very Presence of G-D, and we all know how scary that was for anyone who encountered an angel or G-D Himself in the Bible. Somewhat like a storm.

Mark 4:33-34

So why does Jesus speak to people in parables? It's to help them understand His teaching. He spoke in agrarian terms to an agrarian society in order that they may hear and obey.

And He gave as much as people could understand.

That phrase bothers me a little, not because I question Jesus' teaching or judgment, but because I wonder how similar I am to the crowds. How much do I not receive from G-D because I do not understand or take the time to listen and obey. Do I "limit" G-D by my lack of faith, knowledge, or passion?

"Whoever has will be given more. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him" 4:25.

I want to be the former - one who has and wants MORE!!!

That does not mean life will be smooth sailing, however. We see what happens to the disciples right after this while they are on the sea....

Mark 4:30-32

The mustard seed - certainly not the smallest seed on earth, but one that resonates with the agrarian crowd. Powerful words, right? The Kingdom is like a grain of sand. Is that what you expect Jesus to say? It seems more appropriate to use much larger imagery: the Kingdom of G-D is like the kingdom of Solomon, the Roman Empire, or the United States of America. G-D's Kingdom is liken to that of world empires. Soldiers of Christ arise and put your armor on. Vote for the right people in office, speak out against political opponents, conquer the world through terror and warfare.

But G-D's Kingdom is much more organic in nature. It starts off as a tiny seed, and then grows into a plant than can provide much needed shade for birds. (It's interesting that in several of the prophets (Ezekiel and Daniel in particular) we see birds symbolize other nations.) And notice who gets the glory and who does the work; it's G-D. Just as we learned in the previous parable, G-D spreads His rule on His own terms, not ours. We can line up for battle at the ballot box, but it is G-D who grows His Kingdom.

So, are you growing your own kingdom or G-D's?

For an interesting parallel to this parable, look at Ezekiel 17:22-24.

Mark 4:26-29

Jesus moves from admonition to the Kingdom. The people who hear/do now receive from Jesus parables concerning the Kingdom. What is the Kingdom like? It is like wheat that grows and no one knows how. It's a mystery. The farmer waters it, but somehow G-D makes it grow.

The irony/twist in the parable is that Jesus has just expressed the need for His disciples to hear/do, and the parable He then tells relates to the fact that G-D alone makes the seed grow. G-D provides the action/growth, not the person.

So as you continue to prepare your soil (hear/obey), remember that G-D ultimately produces the crop and spreads His Kingdom. It's HIS Kingdom, and the forces of evil will not prevail against it.