Ciudad Juarez, Mexico is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It was also recently (2009) named the most violent city outside a war zone and the murder capital of the world. Federal police and military arrived in the town by the thousands over the last few years and have improved things a little. But there is still a lot of violence, sadness, poverty, and need. A Marine buddy of mine calls it "a shoot your way in, stab your way out" kind of city...second only to Damascus!
My church started going down there in the midst of the chaos in 2009 to a church called Amigo Fiel to hand out Christmas Shoeboxes. I was immediately intrigued and wanted to go help. But I did not make the time or save the money to do so. I silently prayed each year that time and money would become available...and this year they did! Thank you Lord!
So, in a bit I head off to Juarez for a few days of making kids smile. Churches call it a "short-term mission trip". I am a little embarrassed and uncomfortable calling it a "mission trip" at all...playing with kids and handing out toys hardly compares to years of shipwrecks, beatings, snake-bites, starvation, exposure, and isolation that real missionaries face. But, like long-term missionaries, I am handing this time over to God and the coordinators He has entrusted with this endeavor. I have made myself available to serve His good purposes...whatever they may be.
Please pray for me and the team I will be serving with. Make mention of our families who remain behind to keep the home fires burning. And may God's will be done in our lives. Amen.
Monday, January 7, 2013
She did it again!!
My wife has, once again, found a show on TV, watched it for a few years, and then (despite my sustained efforts) hooked and reeled me in. I instinctively set up barriers to any shows she watches and tries to get me to watch with her. Years of watching her be entertained by reality (FAKE) shows, melodramatics Lifetime movies, Hallmark yawners, etc have left me scarred. But every once in a while her persistence pays off. After many years she got me watching ER.(post-Clooney), sucked me into Lost midway through the first season, pulled me towards Grey's Anatomy after about season 4, twisted the knife with Friday Night Lights the year it ended, pummeled me with CSI about season 3, and really blindsided me with NCIS (which I fought hard because the lead character was a Marine and TV always messes that up and she had been wildly unsuccessful with JAG!).
Well, she has struck again!! For two years she has watched Downton Abbey. Tonight I was ambushed and watched my willpower melt away. Blimey, I'm knackered! Ta-ta mates.
Well, she has struck again!! For two years she has watched Downton Abbey. Tonight I was ambushed and watched my willpower melt away. Blimey, I'm knackered! Ta-ta mates.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Fantastical Faith
The event that followed Jesus' sermon on the mount (the Beatitudes) was divinely appointed to, I believe, provide the people with an example of how to carry out some of Jesus' radical commands given during that message. This event was the healing of the centurion's servant (Mark 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10) Here are some things I have observed. If I have misinterpreted (or just plain missed) anything concerning this event, please let me know.
Jesus doesn't seem to have had any major interaction with Gentiles yet. He has just started His ministry in the region of Galilee and was hanging out in what would be His central headquarters, Capernuam. His twelve disciples have been selected and He has already had a few run-ins with the Jewish religious leaders. He has also started healing everything from fevers to leprosy. And He has taught the people with an authority they have never seen before.
A Roman centurion, via the local Jewish elders, sends a request to Jesus that He heal his servant. There are several weird and strange things going on here:
1--the centurion seems to care about his slave...not normal since slaves were commonly considered property not people.
2--the centurion cares for the Jews...the Romans had conquered the Jews...they were not normally friends.
3--the Jews care for the centurion!
4--the centurion had the respect of the Jewish elders...no easy task since the Jews themselves had very little dealings with anyone outside their race. This man was a direct representation of the empire that had conquered them and was holding them in submission.
5--the Jewish elders were helping the centurion...again, the man was a Gentile and as such he was normally to be avoided, despised, and even hated...and he was a military soldier and as such was a dealer of death and torture to all of Rome's enemies. The Jews were enemies of Rome. The Maccabean Revolt and the later destruction of Jerusalem, among other events, testify to this.
6--the elders seem to believe that Jesus could do the deed; otherwise they probably would have talked the centurion into another course of action.
7--the centurion believed that Jesus could heal...how he came to such faith is what I would like to know most!
8-- the centurion humbly respected Jesus, a person whom he had apparently never met...and of whom he had such faith in and such understanding of.
So why all the funny business? Part of the answer, I am sure, is right there in the text. The Jew's devotion to the centurion can start to be easily explained by their avarice. The centurion has faith in Jesus as the great Authority (Creator, Lord, Master) of this world...he behaves like any Jesus-freak!
But the most important observations are of Jesus. I love watching Him in action.
--He readily agrees to help the centurion.
--He acquiesces to the centurion's humble desire to bother Him as little as possible.
--He recognizes the centurion's faith.
And what faith it is. Talk to you soon.
Jesus doesn't seem to have had any major interaction with Gentiles yet. He has just started His ministry in the region of Galilee and was hanging out in what would be His central headquarters, Capernuam. His twelve disciples have been selected and He has already had a few run-ins with the Jewish religious leaders. He has also started healing everything from fevers to leprosy. And He has taught the people with an authority they have never seen before.
A Roman centurion, via the local Jewish elders, sends a request to Jesus that He heal his servant. There are several weird and strange things going on here:
1--the centurion seems to care about his slave...not normal since slaves were commonly considered property not people.
2--the centurion cares for the Jews...the Romans had conquered the Jews...they were not normally friends.
3--the Jews care for the centurion!
4--the centurion had the respect of the Jewish elders...no easy task since the Jews themselves had very little dealings with anyone outside their race. This man was a direct representation of the empire that had conquered them and was holding them in submission.
5--the Jewish elders were helping the centurion...again, the man was a Gentile and as such he was normally to be avoided, despised, and even hated...and he was a military soldier and as such was a dealer of death and torture to all of Rome's enemies. The Jews were enemies of Rome. The Maccabean Revolt and the later destruction of Jerusalem, among other events, testify to this.
6--the elders seem to believe that Jesus could do the deed; otherwise they probably would have talked the centurion into another course of action.
7--the centurion believed that Jesus could heal...how he came to such faith is what I would like to know most!
8-- the centurion humbly respected Jesus, a person whom he had apparently never met...and of whom he had such faith in and such understanding of.
So why all the funny business? Part of the answer, I am sure, is right there in the text. The Jew's devotion to the centurion can start to be easily explained by their avarice. The centurion has faith in Jesus as the great Authority (Creator, Lord, Master) of this world...he behaves like any Jesus-freak!
But the most important observations are of Jesus. I love watching Him in action.
--He readily agrees to help the centurion.
--He acquiesces to the centurion's humble desire to bother Him as little as possible.
--He recognizes the centurion's faith.
And what faith it is. Talk to you soon.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Coca-Cola, Noah, and a Busy Day
I really like Coke in a glass bottle...a lot.
Russell Crowe will be playing Noah in an upcoming epic film about the Flood. Kinda curious to see how they handle it...especially the God parts. Anthony Hopkins plays Methusalah.
There is a national movement called "preppers". Spent a large portion of the day with one of their members, an old friend and former-Marine. Check out prepper.org. Their views of where our nation is headed jive really close with where the Bible says its headed. Perfect segway for a discussion of end times and then the Gospel. Seeds planted...please pray for my friend.
2 bible studies today...awesome! 1Peter and 1John. Both these guys experienced Jesus in powerful ways. Yet they didn't truly seem to grasp His will for their lives until they received the Holy Spirit. Hmmmmm.
Got to watch my son send over 300 rounds of 22-caliber liberty loving protection down range today. Those targets were holey.
Kid's Bible story tonight involved John the Baptist's call to repent. I have the habit of crying out "repent!" in a loud, prophet-like voice. Tonight was no exception...except I temporarily forgot the baby was in my lap. Oops...
Good night. Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.
Russell Crowe will be playing Noah in an upcoming epic film about the Flood. Kinda curious to see how they handle it...especially the God parts. Anthony Hopkins plays Methusalah.
There is a national movement called "preppers". Spent a large portion of the day with one of their members, an old friend and former-Marine. Check out prepper.org. Their views of where our nation is headed jive really close with where the Bible says its headed. Perfect segway for a discussion of end times and then the Gospel. Seeds planted...please pray for my friend.
2 bible studies today...awesome! 1Peter and 1John. Both these guys experienced Jesus in powerful ways. Yet they didn't truly seem to grasp His will for their lives until they received the Holy Spirit. Hmmmmm.
Got to watch my son send over 300 rounds of 22-caliber liberty loving protection down range today. Those targets were holey.
Kid's Bible story tonight involved John the Baptist's call to repent. I have the habit of crying out "repent!" in a loud, prophet-like voice. Tonight was no exception...except I temporarily forgot the baby was in my lap. Oops...
Good night. Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Splish Splash
There used to be a time when spiritual analogies annoyed me. The people I spent a lot of time around we're ALWAYS coming up with them. (I have a memory of the Gospel being compared to cotton candy...I leave the rest to your imagination.)
Things have changed a little bit. For one, I mostly hang out with my children at home and unbelievers at work...so I really don't ever hear spiritual analogies! And secondly, I have realized that many of those people who were forever spouting out metaphors and parallelisms were simply bringing forth from the abundance of their hearts. Their hearts and minds were centered on Jesus. They were not just residing in the physical world; they were spending time on the spiritual plane as well.
This is all by way of an introduction to an analogy I would like to share. You may leave the premises if you so desire. I understand.
My almost ten-month old son loves the water. He was in the pool all summer and swimming is part of his DNA (his mother and I both swam competitively in high school). Well, this evening it was shower time with Daddy. I told him what we were going to do, took him into the bathroom, and started to get him ready for the shower. He was displeased. Once I actually got him in the running water he was happy...for a moment. Soon, though, he started wiggling around while he tried to exit my arms for destinations abroad. I held him firm, soaped him, rinsed him, and waited for the hot water and thick steam to work their powers. Eventually he relaxed into my arms and even started to doze for a minute before his mother whisked him off into a whirlwind of rough towel drying, slapping Desitin, speedy diapers, and zipping sleepcoats.
Now for the analogy (run now if you must).
I spoke to my son and told him everything we were going to do. He did not understand. God does the same thing to us. He gives us His Word and we don't understand it. This is mostly because we refuse to listen to it (that is, READ it). And then we are displeased when we perceive our lives going awry. Of course, every once in a while, we see how good The Lord is. But we then get antsy. How much better would it be for us to relax into His arms from the very beginning?! And then to just stay there.
Things have changed a little bit. For one, I mostly hang out with my children at home and unbelievers at work...so I really don't ever hear spiritual analogies! And secondly, I have realized that many of those people who were forever spouting out metaphors and parallelisms were simply bringing forth from the abundance of their hearts. Their hearts and minds were centered on Jesus. They were not just residing in the physical world; they were spending time on the spiritual plane as well.
This is all by way of an introduction to an analogy I would like to share. You may leave the premises if you so desire. I understand.
My almost ten-month old son loves the water. He was in the pool all summer and swimming is part of his DNA (his mother and I both swam competitively in high school). Well, this evening it was shower time with Daddy. I told him what we were going to do, took him into the bathroom, and started to get him ready for the shower. He was displeased. Once I actually got him in the running water he was happy...for a moment. Soon, though, he started wiggling around while he tried to exit my arms for destinations abroad. I held him firm, soaped him, rinsed him, and waited for the hot water and thick steam to work their powers. Eventually he relaxed into my arms and even started to doze for a minute before his mother whisked him off into a whirlwind of rough towel drying, slapping Desitin, speedy diapers, and zipping sleepcoats.
Now for the analogy (run now if you must).
I spoke to my son and told him everything we were going to do. He did not understand. God does the same thing to us. He gives us His Word and we don't understand it. This is mostly because we refuse to listen to it (that is, READ it). And then we are displeased when we perceive our lives going awry. Of course, every once in a while, we see how good The Lord is. But we then get antsy. How much better would it be for us to relax into His arms from the very beginning?! And then to just stay there.
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