Just a quick note to let everyone know that I'm still alive and that I've been extremely busy with details and preparation for the move to Phoenix. We pack up a 24 foot Budget truck on Dec. 27, in Mesquite, and then will be unloading at our two bedroom apartment in Glendale, Arizona the next day.
Please keep us in prayer as we take this next MAJOR step in the journey that He has prepared for us.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Discontent with deeds alone
Last night I had the unexpected opportunity to teach the Wed. night service at the church we fellowship with here in Mesquite when we're not traveling. It's too long of a story to give details as to why this took place, so I'll summarize: My brother, who pastors the church had to spend the day at a hospital in Las Vegas with a former family member who had been stabbed out in a small Nevada town and then was Life Flighted in to Vegas for treatment. His body will heal, but he is in major need of a spiritual overhaul--pray for Randy if you think about it.
When I found out at 5:00 a.m. that I'd be teaching in just over 13 hours, I immediately sought God's direction on what He would have me share with His people that might be a source of challenge and encouragement considering all that is happening in the world, in the U.S., and in many of their lives.
I settled on an interesting request made by Moses in Exod. 33:13. For him to ask God to "show me Your way," was astounding, based on the depth of relationship Moses already had with God and the incredible deeds he had seen God accomplish. Moses was on a continual pursuit for more and more interactive relationship and thus knowledge about God and it was this desire that prompted his request.
Unlike the majority of the nation of Israel, Moses wasn't content to know God only for His deeds--deeds graciously done on their behalf, deeds that brought them pleasure and comfort and blessing. Their problem was that if God wasn't constantly acting in this way toward them, they immediately questioned His goodness and regularly longed to be back in slavery.
And God did respond to the cry of Moses' heart. Psalm 103:7 makes clear that He did show Moses His ways, but Israel only saw His deeds because in their mind that was all that mattered, God meeting their needs as they understood and defined them.
And so it is with many of His people today. It is so easy for our heart's cry to be for God to act, to do great deeds, to do the things that we think He should do for us so that we can have pleasure, an easy life, more convenience, and so forth.
With Moses, I want to know His ways--His pattern of thinking, His manner of making decisions. I want to have understanding His priorities and to grasp the wisdom behind what He does and what He permits that moves everything towards His ultimate goal. I long to know His ways too, so that regardless of what He permits in to my life, I'll be able to trust that it has come with his permission and in some way, will move me towards being able to glorify Him more effectively.
I closed with Psalm 86:11,12. Check it out.
When I found out at 5:00 a.m. that I'd be teaching in just over 13 hours, I immediately sought God's direction on what He would have me share with His people that might be a source of challenge and encouragement considering all that is happening in the world, in the U.S., and in many of their lives.
I settled on an interesting request made by Moses in Exod. 33:13. For him to ask God to "show me Your way," was astounding, based on the depth of relationship Moses already had with God and the incredible deeds he had seen God accomplish. Moses was on a continual pursuit for more and more interactive relationship and thus knowledge about God and it was this desire that prompted his request.
Unlike the majority of the nation of Israel, Moses wasn't content to know God only for His deeds--deeds graciously done on their behalf, deeds that brought them pleasure and comfort and blessing. Their problem was that if God wasn't constantly acting in this way toward them, they immediately questioned His goodness and regularly longed to be back in slavery.
And God did respond to the cry of Moses' heart. Psalm 103:7 makes clear that He did show Moses His ways, but Israel only saw His deeds because in their mind that was all that mattered, God meeting their needs as they understood and defined them.
And so it is with many of His people today. It is so easy for our heart's cry to be for God to act, to do great deeds, to do the things that we think He should do for us so that we can have pleasure, an easy life, more convenience, and so forth.
With Moses, I want to know His ways--His pattern of thinking, His manner of making decisions. I want to have understanding His priorities and to grasp the wisdom behind what He does and what He permits that moves everything towards His ultimate goal. I long to know His ways too, so that regardless of what He permits in to my life, I'll be able to trust that it has come with his permission and in some way, will move me towards being able to glorify Him more effectively.
I closed with Psalm 86:11,12. Check it out.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Refugee suicide...my first exposure
On Tuesday of this week, one reality of ministry to refugees forced its way into my life for the first time. I received a call informing me that one of the Karen refugees that attends the church in Phoenix--a young man in his early 20's, had taken his own life earlier that day!
He had been in the U.S. for a year already, had been working, had purchased a vehicle, and yet was struggling learning English and adjusting to life in America. He had been in an accident a few days before, an accident that didn't cause any injuries, but which totalled his car. What pushed him over the edge?
It could have been his inability to communicate with those involved in the accident, the police at the scene and his own insurance company. It also could have been the reality that the pay off from the insurance wasn't sufficient to cover what he owned on the loan of the car and he was now looking at owing a few thousand dollars and having nothing to show for it. Ultimately, only God and the young man really know why he did what he did.
But personally, I know one thing for sure. I need His grace to be able to minister to these people so that the abnormally high suicide rate among Southeast Asian refugees isn't reinforced by the Karen or Chin people.
I'd appreciate your prayer for them individually and as a group, and for Helen and I to be able to love them and help them make the huge adjustment to life in America--an adjustment that seems so challenging to some that they would choose death over trying to make it.
He had been in the U.S. for a year already, had been working, had purchased a vehicle, and yet was struggling learning English and adjusting to life in America. He had been in an accident a few days before, an accident that didn't cause any injuries, but which totalled his car. What pushed him over the edge?
It could have been his inability to communicate with those involved in the accident, the police at the scene and his own insurance company. It also could have been the reality that the pay off from the insurance wasn't sufficient to cover what he owned on the loan of the car and he was now looking at owing a few thousand dollars and having nothing to show for it. Ultimately, only God and the young man really know why he did what he did.
But personally, I know one thing for sure. I need His grace to be able to minister to these people so that the abnormally high suicide rate among Southeast Asian refugees isn't reinforced by the Karen or Chin people.
I'd appreciate your prayer for them individually and as a group, and for Helen and I to be able to love them and help them make the huge adjustment to life in America--an adjustment that seems so challenging to some that they would choose death over trying to make it.
LIFE and LIGHT, a summation
As you can probably tell, I've only scratched the surface of what the Lord has shown me regarding LIFE and LIGHT. And to be honest, it would take much more time than I have to give in order to express on this blog even half of it. So I think it's best for me to summarize as succinctly as I can the key points I've learned and then leave it alone.
In John 8:12, Jesus said that He was the LIGHT of the world and that those who follow Him will no longer walk in darkness, but will have the LIGHT of LIFE. To follow Jesus is to no longer walk in darkness, where proper interaction with everything external to us, never actually takes place. Because He is the LIGHT, He brings illumination, He makes it possible to see everything as it really is--as God designed it to be seen. But that's not the key point. The key aspect of His being the LIGHT of the world and illuminating things properly, is that now those things can be interacted with as God intended them to be. This is crucial to understand and it's the thing I had missed for so long.
And in His LIGHT, seeing everything properly, God Himself is also seen in a new and proper way. When He is seen for who He really is, there will be an insatiable desire to interact with Him properly. And when we take that step to interact with Him properly through the death and resurrection of His Son, we actually receive LIFE as He intended us to have it.
For the first time ever, we begin a proper, ongoing interaction and exchange with our Creator--dependent on Him and receiving an "abundance of LIFE" that we had never experienced before. This is a "fullness" of LIFE, where we are alive at every level, as we were originally designed to be. And once He gives us this LIFE--proper interaction and exchange with Him, He then gives us the desire and the ability to interact and exchange with everything else around us in the way He originally designed us to do so. He is in His proper place and everything else in its proper place--all of which magnifies His greatness, His splendor, and His glory, yet also brings satisfaction to us.
If you think about it, one of the things that made the earthly LIFE of Jesus so unique, was the fact that He interacted with everything: God the Father, the Holy Spirit, HIMSELF, the devil, His parents, His siblings, and every other person--He interacted with all of them in a way that no one else ever has--because He did so in the way God designed--for His glory, and their good!
As followers of Jesus, we now have and live in His LIGHT--which makes true LIFE with our Creator possible. And because we now have LIFE as He intended us to have, we then can function as LIGHT in the day to day world in which we live, interacting with everything in the way He designed, and having the blessing of perhaps being a vehicle of providing LIFE to others.
In John 8:12, Jesus said that He was the LIGHT of the world and that those who follow Him will no longer walk in darkness, but will have the LIGHT of LIFE. To follow Jesus is to no longer walk in darkness, where proper interaction with everything external to us, never actually takes place. Because He is the LIGHT, He brings illumination, He makes it possible to see everything as it really is--as God designed it to be seen. But that's not the key point. The key aspect of His being the LIGHT of the world and illuminating things properly, is that now those things can be interacted with as God intended them to be. This is crucial to understand and it's the thing I had missed for so long.
And in His LIGHT, seeing everything properly, God Himself is also seen in a new and proper way. When He is seen for who He really is, there will be an insatiable desire to interact with Him properly. And when we take that step to interact with Him properly through the death and resurrection of His Son, we actually receive LIFE as He intended us to have it.
For the first time ever, we begin a proper, ongoing interaction and exchange with our Creator--dependent on Him and receiving an "abundance of LIFE" that we had never experienced before. This is a "fullness" of LIFE, where we are alive at every level, as we were originally designed to be. And once He gives us this LIFE--proper interaction and exchange with Him, He then gives us the desire and the ability to interact and exchange with everything else around us in the way He originally designed us to do so. He is in His proper place and everything else in its proper place--all of which magnifies His greatness, His splendor, and His glory, yet also brings satisfaction to us.
If you think about it, one of the things that made the earthly LIFE of Jesus so unique, was the fact that He interacted with everything: God the Father, the Holy Spirit, HIMSELF, the devil, His parents, His siblings, and every other person--He interacted with all of them in a way that no one else ever has--because He did so in the way God designed--for His glory, and their good!
As followers of Jesus, we now have and live in His LIGHT--which makes true LIFE with our Creator possible. And because we now have LIFE as He intended us to have, we then can function as LIGHT in the day to day world in which we live, interacting with everything in the way He designed, and having the blessing of perhaps being a vehicle of providing LIFE to others.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Another ALS connection...prayer needed
Earlier today I spent about twenty minutes on the phone with a woman named Jan, a woman in her mid-50's that is very successful in business and was recently diagnosed with ALS. Through a good friend of mine who met a good friend of hers, I was made aware of her situation and her friend cared enough about her to call me and ask me to give her a call.
Her legs have weakened to the point where she is now in a wheel chair and it has only been about 8 months since she first noticed her foot was acting strangely while she was exercising.
Although I don't have ALS, (but do have something similar: SBMA,) I've been down the path she is just beginning and I sense that God gave me a special ability to encourage her and challenge her during our conversation.
Please keep Jan in prayer. Her business was expanding and life was in many ways better than it had ever been--and now this! It was clear in talking to her that she needs the life that can come from knowing her creator and I'm convinced that she is open to considering Him at a level she never has in the past. Pray that Helen and I will be able to meet with her and her husband and be an expression of His love and truth.
And of course, continue to keep the situation in Myanmar, (Burma) in prayer.
Her legs have weakened to the point where she is now in a wheel chair and it has only been about 8 months since she first noticed her foot was acting strangely while she was exercising.
Although I don't have ALS, (but do have something similar: SBMA,) I've been down the path she is just beginning and I sense that God gave me a special ability to encourage her and challenge her during our conversation.
Please keep Jan in prayer. Her business was expanding and life was in many ways better than it had ever been--and now this! It was clear in talking to her that she needs the life that can come from knowing her creator and I'm convinced that she is open to considering Him at a level she never has in the past. Pray that Helen and I will be able to meet with her and her husband and be an expression of His love and truth.
And of course, continue to keep the situation in Myanmar, (Burma) in prayer.
"Eternal" LIFE pondered and defined
With the fresh understanding God gave me of what LIFE and LIGHT mean, so much more of the bible and my own life began to be more understandable. The common understanding of "eternal" LIFE never did sit well with me. Limiting the concept to a LIFE that never ends, that goes on forever and ever, although true, just doesn't express what it's really all about. Jesus had much to say about LIFE, and as the very essence of it and creator of all living things, it's definitely worth the effort to really try and understand what He was talking about.
As sort of a study "geek", I'm big on trying to find the real definition of things and then expressing them in a simple way. And I've learned over the years that it's valuable to listen to those whom most people would consider experts on any given subject--those people who actually work within a certain field as their primary vocation. What would their definition be? So, it makes perfect sense to me to look at what Jesus Himself had to say about "eternal" LIFE and to discover whether He Himself may have given His definition of the concept. And sure enough, He did, in John 17:3. According to Jesus Himself, "eternal" life is: knowing God the Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom God the Father has sent into our world.
According to Jesus, the primary meaning of "eternal" LIFE isn't living forever, although that is an aspect of it that is brought out in other places. No, the key thing to understand is that "eternal" LIFE is "knowing" God the Father and His Son. The word "knowing" in the original language was the word that expressed experiential knowledge of something. In other words, the knowledge that is the result of constant/regular, interaction with something--not just intellectually but also emotionally, physically, and so forth. It's not just mentally acknowledging facts as true, but actually having a personal interaction with that which is external to us. Just a life itself is interacting with and exchanging with that which is external, so "eternal" LIFE is interacting with and exchanging with that which is external to us: God the Father and His Son! It's an interaction and exchange in the context of relationship.
With what I've written so far as a bit of a backdrop, I'll try to bring this all together next time by sharing what I now understand Jesus to mean in John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world, he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the ligh of life."
Until then...
As sort of a study "geek", I'm big on trying to find the real definition of things and then expressing them in a simple way. And I've learned over the years that it's valuable to listen to those whom most people would consider experts on any given subject--those people who actually work within a certain field as their primary vocation. What would their definition be? So, it makes perfect sense to me to look at what Jesus Himself had to say about "eternal" LIFE and to discover whether He Himself may have given His definition of the concept. And sure enough, He did, in John 17:3. According to Jesus Himself, "eternal" life is: knowing God the Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom God the Father has sent into our world.
According to Jesus, the primary meaning of "eternal" LIFE isn't living forever, although that is an aspect of it that is brought out in other places. No, the key thing to understand is that "eternal" LIFE is "knowing" God the Father and His Son. The word "knowing" in the original language was the word that expressed experiential knowledge of something. In other words, the knowledge that is the result of constant/regular, interaction with something--not just intellectually but also emotionally, physically, and so forth. It's not just mentally acknowledging facts as true, but actually having a personal interaction with that which is external to us. Just a life itself is interacting with and exchanging with that which is external, so "eternal" LIFE is interacting with and exchanging with that which is external to us: God the Father and His Son! It's an interaction and exchange in the context of relationship.
With what I've written so far as a bit of a backdrop, I'll try to bring this all together next time by sharing what I now understand Jesus to mean in John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world, he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the ligh of life."
Until then...
Thursday, September 27, 2007
A breather for an update...
I've been on the run again the past few weeks. I was in Phoenix last week and I'm actually writing this from my hotel room in Farmington, New York. I'm representing Shepherd's Staff at the pastor's conference held here at CC Finger Lakes. I head back to Philly tomorrow afternoon and then back to Vegas on Saturday morning.
God has revealed what He would have us do regarding the incredible need of the Karen refugees now living in Phoenix--we'll be moving to Phoenix a couple of days after Christmas. If you've been seeing the news at all about what's happening in Myanmar, (which is the country of Burma,) you're seeing why the Karen are now refugees in our country. The Karen's homeland is Burma, (Myanmar,) and the same government that you're now seeing deal with protesters is the government that has been trying to exterminate the Karen and other minorities for many years. Please keep the situation there in prayer.
I'll share much more detail later, but for now, please keep us in prayer as we need to step into "missionary status" to take this step. More on that later too. And I will continue sharing my thoughts on life and light once I'm back to a normal schedule next week.
God has revealed what He would have us do regarding the incredible need of the Karen refugees now living in Phoenix--we'll be moving to Phoenix a couple of days after Christmas. If you've been seeing the news at all about what's happening in Myanmar, (which is the country of Burma,) you're seeing why the Karen are now refugees in our country. The Karen's homeland is Burma, (Myanmar,) and the same government that you're now seeing deal with protesters is the government that has been trying to exterminate the Karen and other minorities for many years. Please keep the situation there in prayer.
I'll share much more detail later, but for now, please keep us in prayer as we need to step into "missionary status" to take this step. More on that later too. And I will continue sharing my thoughts on life and light once I'm back to a normal schedule next week.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Meanderings on LIFE, part 4
I concluded last time with John 1:4, where the apostle John says that in Jesus "was life". He's already said in the previous verse that everything that was created was created by Jesus--or to say it another way, without Him, nothing was made that was made...which would include all LIVING things. And now in verse 4, He makes clear that LIFE itself is in JESUS...implying that Jesus IS LIFE--has it as part of His essence and that He is then the source or originator of everything else that is alive.
Now think of the burning bush incident recorded in Exodus 3:1-14. What caught Moses attention wasn't just a bush on fire, it was the fact that the fire was burning, but the bush was not being consumed. For fire to exist--to be alive--as with every other thing that's alive, it must have an interaction and exchange with something outside of itself. In other words, fire must consume fuel, just like everything other living thing. This bush was on fire, but the fire wasn't consuming it. It gave off light, it surely did illuminate it's surroundings, but the main issue was: it didn't need anything external to itself to be what it was...sort of like it...had LIFE in itself.
From the midst of that fire, God begins a conversation with Moses. A few verses later, Moses asks God what he should say to Israel when they ask him what the name of the God of their fathers is. When they ask, "What is His name?" Moses wants to know what he should say.
God's response is: "I AM WHO I AM" and then God summarizes by telling Moses that he should say to them "I AM" is the one who sent him to them. What does "I AM" declare? That He is the one who exists, who has always existed, who has LIFE in Himself. The fire that Moses stands before, a fire that needs nothing outside of itself for its continued existence, is a visual proclamation of the reality that God has LIFE in Himself, that He is self-existent. What the Creator has permitted us to discover about LIFE apparently doesn't apply to Him. We were certainly created in His image and according to His likeness--like Him in so many ways, yet clearly unlike Him in others.
Enough for now....
Now think of the burning bush incident recorded in Exodus 3:1-14. What caught Moses attention wasn't just a bush on fire, it was the fact that the fire was burning, but the bush was not being consumed. For fire to exist--to be alive--as with every other thing that's alive, it must have an interaction and exchange with something outside of itself. In other words, fire must consume fuel, just like everything other living thing. This bush was on fire, but the fire wasn't consuming it. It gave off light, it surely did illuminate it's surroundings, but the main issue was: it didn't need anything external to itself to be what it was...sort of like it...had LIFE in itself.
From the midst of that fire, God begins a conversation with Moses. A few verses later, Moses asks God what he should say to Israel when they ask him what the name of the God of their fathers is. When they ask, "What is His name?" Moses wants to know what he should say.
God's response is: "I AM WHO I AM" and then God summarizes by telling Moses that he should say to them "I AM" is the one who sent him to them. What does "I AM" declare? That He is the one who exists, who has always existed, who has LIFE in Himself. The fire that Moses stands before, a fire that needs nothing outside of itself for its continued existence, is a visual proclamation of the reality that God has LIFE in Himself, that He is self-existent. What the Creator has permitted us to discover about LIFE apparently doesn't apply to Him. We were certainly created in His image and according to His likeness--like Him in so many ways, yet clearly unlike Him in others.
Enough for now....
Friday, September 7, 2007
Meanderings on LIFE part 3 (LIGHT)
In pursuit of obtaining a biblical definition of LIFE, you inevitably run into an obvious connection with LIGHT. From the description of creation in Gen. 1 forward, LIGHT and LIFE seem to intersect regularly. In fact, LIGHT is created first and it appears to be almost a pre-requisite to LIFE...like without LIGHT there really can't be LIFE. And guess what? That is true. In the realm of physical LIFE alone, LIGHT is crucial in a myriad of ways.
So I studied LIGHT. Here's the mind-boggling conclusion I came to that was so obvious I had never seen it before: Yes--LIGHT does illuminate, reveal, manifest, make known--it does those things for sure. But is that the ultimate purpose of light? I had never forced myself to think it through further than that. This time I did. And I discovered that the main purpose of LIGHT is to MAKE PROPER INTERACTION AND EXCHANGE POSSIBLE!
LIGHT provides the possibility of proper interaction with that which is external to us...which is why it is so tightly connected with LIFE! Without LIGHT, that which is really there, outside of ourselves, although perhaps needful, is potentially dangerous to us. If there is no LIGHT, we can't see it for what it really is or where it's really at and so our interaction with it can be dangerous, (think of walking through the woods with no flashlight on a moon-less night--holes, trees branches, bushes--the external environment is dangerous in ways it isn't in daylight or if you have a light.) Proper interaction and exchange are made possible by LIGHT.
The Apostle John says of Jesus in: John 1:4 In Him was life and the life was the light of men.
To be continued....
So I studied LIGHT. Here's the mind-boggling conclusion I came to that was so obvious I had never seen it before: Yes--LIGHT does illuminate, reveal, manifest, make known--it does those things for sure. But is that the ultimate purpose of light? I had never forced myself to think it through further than that. This time I did. And I discovered that the main purpose of LIGHT is to MAKE PROPER INTERACTION AND EXCHANGE POSSIBLE!
LIGHT provides the possibility of proper interaction with that which is external to us...which is why it is so tightly connected with LIFE! Without LIGHT, that which is really there, outside of ourselves, although perhaps needful, is potentially dangerous to us. If there is no LIGHT, we can't see it for what it really is or where it's really at and so our interaction with it can be dangerous, (think of walking through the woods with no flashlight on a moon-less night--holes, trees branches, bushes--the external environment is dangerous in ways it isn't in daylight or if you have a light.) Proper interaction and exchange are made possible by LIGHT.
The Apostle John says of Jesus in: John 1:4 In Him was life and the life was the light of men.
To be continued....
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Please pray regarding Phoenix
As I write, it's 112 degrees here in lovely Mesquite, NV. I saw that Phoenix broke a record this summer by having 32 days where the mercury was over 110--and I'm guessing that we have had even more than that. Needless to say, I'm ready for some cool weather.
And speaking of Phoenix, Helen and I are now in the midst of serious prayer regarding actually making a move to Phoenix in order to serve the Karen refugee community and the church they are attending. These are the brothers and sisters I mentioned a while back--the ones who have suffered so much at the hands of the Burmese military and who have spent many years living in refugee camps inside Thailand. There are now close to 200 of them, most having arrived from the camps within the last year, that are attending a small baptist church and trying to learn how to live life here in America.
I'll write more later, but I'd appreciate your prayer for the meetings we'll have with the Karen leaders and the church leaders on September 20.
And speaking of Phoenix, Helen and I are now in the midst of serious prayer regarding actually making a move to Phoenix in order to serve the Karen refugee community and the church they are attending. These are the brothers and sisters I mentioned a while back--the ones who have suffered so much at the hands of the Burmese military and who have spent many years living in refugee camps inside Thailand. There are now close to 200 of them, most having arrived from the camps within the last year, that are attending a small baptist church and trying to learn how to live life here in America.
I'll write more later, but I'd appreciate your prayer for the meetings we'll have with the Karen leaders and the church leaders on September 20.
Meanderings about LIFE, part 2
Once I wrapped my mind around the basic idea of life being "interaction and exchange with that which is external", it forced me to look a little deeper at what God said to Adam regarding the consequence of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, (Gen. 2:17.) Before that act of disobedience, Adam and Eve were certainly alive physically, but they were also interacting and exchanging with God relationally through communication and intimacy as He designed it to be. He said they would "die" the day they disobeyed and ate and obviously, many things at many levels changed as a result of their disobedience. But I believe the KEY consequence was that they no longer were interacting and exchanging, (through intimate communication,) with their Creator as they were designed to do and as they were doing previous to their disobedience. They no longer had LIFE at all the levels they were designed to have it--the most crucial level of LIFE ceased, they really did die.
And so, as is obvious to anyone even fairly observant, from then until today, the majority of mankind has LIFE at the basic physical and emotional level, but no true life at the most crucial level--no intimate interaction and exchange with the one who created them.
And this is where Jesus comes in.
And so, as is obvious to anyone even fairly observant, from then until today, the majority of mankind has LIFE at the basic physical and emotional level, but no true life at the most crucial level--no intimate interaction and exchange with the one who created them.
And this is where Jesus comes in.
Friday, August 24, 2007
A breather to update you
I've been moving at warp speed the past week and a half and that has kept me from getting to the next point regarding what I've discovered about "life". I've been North of the San Fransisco bay area for meetings, then in Phoenix for a few days of further ministry to the Karen people from refugee camps in Thailand that are now living here in the U.S. And I then spent the last two days in Las Vegas.
Lots happening which I'll fill you in on, along with continuing to share what I've learned....but it'll be a few more days. I'm off to a men's overnight retreat tonight, then on to San Diego on Sunday. While in that area, I'll be attending a Padres game with my pastor, (Pat Kenney) and Dr. Nick--I'm really looking forward to it. Then on Tuesday I'll be in the LA area for Shepherd's Staff related meetings.
I'll be back......in a few days
Lots happening which I'll fill you in on, along with continuing to share what I've learned....but it'll be a few more days. I'm off to a men's overnight retreat tonight, then on to San Diego on Sunday. While in that area, I'll be attending a Padres game with my pastor, (Pat Kenney) and Dr. Nick--I'm really looking forward to it. Then on Tuesday I'll be in the LA area for Shepherd's Staff related meetings.
I'll be back......in a few days
Monday, August 13, 2007
Physical LIFE--a "bare bones" definition
With the responses I've received, I believe I'll go ahead and meander down the path of sharing what I've discovered regarding what "life" actually is and the place that understanding should have as we continue to sojourn on this planet in what my brother refers to as our "earth suits."
What I'm about to try and summarize may sound a bit philosophical or even "heady" to some of you. Others may think that what I'm trying to describe is beyond my intellect and that I really have no business trying to delve into things that I don't have the academic backround to understand or express. If you're in either group, please be patient with me because I believe that what I've learned just might be a blessing to you as it has been to me. With that disclaimer, here we go:
Making a decision to disconnect or discontinue using a machine that has been doing for a person what they are unable to do themselves, (like breathing,) is to decide that the "life" that person has had up to that moment, will cease. At the most basic, physical level, breathing is so tightly connected with "life" itself, that it wouldn't be improper at times to use the words interchangeably. As every person on this planet knows intuitively and by experience, life cannot continue without breath. Cease breathing and in minutes, life as we know it will end.
But what is really taking place when we breath? We are having an interaction and exchange with that which is external to us. If we breath, we have the capacity to take in air from outside of ourselves, have it fill our lungs and then have an exchange with it. We take from it what we need, (like oxygen, nitrogen, and so forth,) and then place back into that air what we no longer need, like carbon dioxide. We then exhale, or launch that air back into the space that is outside of our physical bodies. This whole process of intake, exchange, and exhalation usually takes place in less than a second.
There are two other key abilities that are also tightly linked with life itself, EATING and DRINKING. Ceasing either of those things will also cause life to end, but after a much longer period of time. If you stop taking in liquids, you'll only continue to live a few more days. Stop eating and after a certain amount of weeks and months your body won't be able to function properly and life will end.
With those basic observations understood, here is the simplest definition of life that I can come up with. This is what physical life is--which is what we ALL have:
The key concept is interaction and exchange with that which is EXTERNAL to itself. Without taking in from that which is external to us, there will no longer be life. In other words, life, by its very nature and at its essence is DEPENDENT on something other than itself. Life is not independent, self-existence.
I'll bring this to a close right here by pointing out that if the bible really is God's word and it is what it claims to be--the Creator's self revelation, the story of His creation and the saga of His interaction with his creation, then it's not suprising that it refers to something called the "breath of life." (Gen. 2:7 6:17 7:13)
Physical life isn't all there is though. More on that next time.
What I'm about to try and summarize may sound a bit philosophical or even "heady" to some of you. Others may think that what I'm trying to describe is beyond my intellect and that I really have no business trying to delve into things that I don't have the academic backround to understand or express. If you're in either group, please be patient with me because I believe that what I've learned just might be a blessing to you as it has been to me. With that disclaimer, here we go:
Making a decision to disconnect or discontinue using a machine that has been doing for a person what they are unable to do themselves, (like breathing,) is to decide that the "life" that person has had up to that moment, will cease. At the most basic, physical level, breathing is so tightly connected with "life" itself, that it wouldn't be improper at times to use the words interchangeably. As every person on this planet knows intuitively and by experience, life cannot continue without breath. Cease breathing and in minutes, life as we know it will end.
But what is really taking place when we breath? We are having an interaction and exchange with that which is external to us. If we breath, we have the capacity to take in air from outside of ourselves, have it fill our lungs and then have an exchange with it. We take from it what we need, (like oxygen, nitrogen, and so forth,) and then place back into that air what we no longer need, like carbon dioxide. We then exhale, or launch that air back into the space that is outside of our physical bodies. This whole process of intake, exchange, and exhalation usually takes place in less than a second.
There are two other key abilities that are also tightly linked with life itself, EATING and DRINKING. Ceasing either of those things will also cause life to end, but after a much longer period of time. If you stop taking in liquids, you'll only continue to live a few more days. Stop eating and after a certain amount of weeks and months your body won't be able to function properly and life will end.
With those basic observations understood, here is the simplest definition of life that I can come up with. This is what physical life is--which is what we ALL have:
Life is the capability of an entity to interact with and have an exchange with that which is external to itself in order to continue existing as it does.
The key concept is interaction and exchange with that which is EXTERNAL to itself. Without taking in from that which is external to us, there will no longer be life. In other words, life, by its very nature and at its essence is DEPENDENT on something other than itself. Life is not independent, self-existence.
I'll bring this to a close right here by pointing out that if the bible really is God's word and it is what it claims to be--the Creator's self revelation, the story of His creation and the saga of His interaction with his creation, then it's not suprising that it refers to something called the "breath of life." (Gen. 2:7 6:17 7:13)
Physical life isn't all there is though. More on that next time.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Advanced Directives--provoked to think!
Because of the things that the Lord has permitted me to face over the last few years, I've learned to look at the important issues of life with a little more intensity, thought, and from angles that I had never viewed things from before. Additionally, I'm no longer satisfied with assuming that those I communicate with understand key words the same way that I do. I now strongly believe that because people really do pour their own definitions into certain words, if at least one person in a conversation doesn't actually provide their understanding of the definition of a key word, it's incredibly easy for the two of them to move forward thinking they're on the same page when in reality, they're not.
Not many months after my diagnosis with Lou Gehrig's disease, (ALS) in 2004, a very abrupt neurologist that examined me told me in a very frank manner that I needed to create an Advanced Directive, (AD) because of what I would be facing ahead. There was no emotion visible, no hesitation, no change of inflection in her voice. She said it with the same demeanor that she probably used when she told someone that she had to work late. At that time, I wasn't totally sure what an AD was, but I was sure that I didn't want to let THIS doctor know that I didn't know.
Of course, I researched it later that day and discovered what an AD was and determined that although I'm fairly confident that I wouldn't encourage a person to create one using the same sort of people skills that this doctor did, I do recognize that putting one together is a wise thing to do.
And one of the issues that must be addressed in creating an AD for an ALS patient is: Under what conditions will the respirator be disconnected, or unplugged? To come to a reasonable conclusion about that decision, you, and your intimate loved ones, must come to a consensus regarding the definition of LIFE itself.
Now having been involved with the pro-life movement and ministry to the disabled and elderly for many years, I had some awareness of the various ways people refer to life issues, and I was familiar with the term "quality of life" to a degree. But even in that phrase, there is an assumption that people are understanding the word "life" in the same way. Here's a newsflash: They're not!
So, I set out on a journey to find out what the bible had to say about "life", because after all, who would know more about it than the one who IS life and who gives it to everything and everyone else that has it? I also stumbled down the scientific, non-spiritual path to discover what those headed in that direction had to say about it.
And I have come to some conclusions. Anyone out there interested in what I've discovered? If so, I'll meander that direction for a while. If not....well... I may meander that direction anyway, just not as soon.
Not many months after my diagnosis with Lou Gehrig's disease, (ALS) in 2004, a very abrupt neurologist that examined me told me in a very frank manner that I needed to create an Advanced Directive, (AD) because of what I would be facing ahead. There was no emotion visible, no hesitation, no change of inflection in her voice. She said it with the same demeanor that she probably used when she told someone that she had to work late. At that time, I wasn't totally sure what an AD was, but I was sure that I didn't want to let THIS doctor know that I didn't know.
Of course, I researched it later that day and discovered what an AD was and determined that although I'm fairly confident that I wouldn't encourage a person to create one using the same sort of people skills that this doctor did, I do recognize that putting one together is a wise thing to do.
And one of the issues that must be addressed in creating an AD for an ALS patient is: Under what conditions will the respirator be disconnected, or unplugged? To come to a reasonable conclusion about that decision, you, and your intimate loved ones, must come to a consensus regarding the definition of LIFE itself.
Now having been involved with the pro-life movement and ministry to the disabled and elderly for many years, I had some awareness of the various ways people refer to life issues, and I was familiar with the term "quality of life" to a degree. But even in that phrase, there is an assumption that people are understanding the word "life" in the same way. Here's a newsflash: They're not!
So, I set out on a journey to find out what the bible had to say about "life", because after all, who would know more about it than the one who IS life and who gives it to everything and everyone else that has it? I also stumbled down the scientific, non-spiritual path to discover what those headed in that direction had to say about it.
And I have come to some conclusions. Anyone out there interested in what I've discovered? If so, I'll meander that direction for a while. If not....well... I may meander that direction anyway, just not as soon.
Friday, August 3, 2007
A glimpse outside the "bubble"
If any of you have spent any time in a developing nation then you have had a glimpse outside of the "bubble" that we live in as Americans. The reality of that bubble was brought home to me afresh during our time on the cruise.
As I mentioned before, the crew of the ship, (I believe the crew is more than 1,000 people,) was made up of folks from 57 different countries. The vast majority of them were from developing nations. If you know me at all, you know that I love people from other countries and cultures and I absolutely love to ask them questions about their backrounds, families, and so forth. So of course, I did exactly that with many of the crew members. And, for someone who does so on a regular basis, I wasn't surprised at how eager they were to tell their stories. I also wasn't surprised to learn from many of them that very few of the passengers, the people they serve, ever take the time to really ask them about themselves and their countries.
What stands out though, at least to me, is how many of them are married and have husbands/wives and children back in their own countries, and how "normal" it has become for them to be separated from their loved ones for a minimum of six months at a time. The majority of them spend less than three months of any one year period at home with their families and their people! And what's even more astounding is that they are incredibly THANKFUL for the job that causes it to be so.
You see, as difficult as the job itself is, (and these guys work 7 days per week for 6 straight months,) what the job makes possible for their loved ones back home, at least to them, makes it a worthwhile trade-off. The better life that they can afford for their families because of the cruise ship work they have, they themselves aren't able to experience with their families the majority of the time.
With the jobs available to them in their own countries, incredible dilemmas are faced everyday and decisions need to be made that honestly, we're never forced to make here in America. For example, with a 4 dollar per day salary, there are times when they literally have to decide whether they will feed their 3 children dinner that night, or, purchase the medicine/prescription that their other, hospitalized child needs in order to get better. They can't do both, so which do they do?
Those are the kinds of decisions they no longer have to make when they have a job that pays what the cruise ship job pays, (which is quite a bit less than minimum wage in any of the 50 states.) And of course, because of what they're making on the ship, now they can even consider purchasing all of the materials necessary for their children to go to school, or even sending them to a private, rather than public school.
I thank God for those occasional glimpses "outside the bubble" of life here in America.
As I mentioned before, the crew of the ship, (I believe the crew is more than 1,000 people,) was made up of folks from 57 different countries. The vast majority of them were from developing nations. If you know me at all, you know that I love people from other countries and cultures and I absolutely love to ask them questions about their backrounds, families, and so forth. So of course, I did exactly that with many of the crew members. And, for someone who does so on a regular basis, I wasn't surprised at how eager they were to tell their stories. I also wasn't surprised to learn from many of them that very few of the passengers, the people they serve, ever take the time to really ask them about themselves and their countries.
What stands out though, at least to me, is how many of them are married and have husbands/wives and children back in their own countries, and how "normal" it has become for them to be separated from their loved ones for a minimum of six months at a time. The majority of them spend less than three months of any one year period at home with their families and their people! And what's even more astounding is that they are incredibly THANKFUL for the job that causes it to be so.
You see, as difficult as the job itself is, (and these guys work 7 days per week for 6 straight months,) what the job makes possible for their loved ones back home, at least to them, makes it a worthwhile trade-off. The better life that they can afford for their families because of the cruise ship work they have, they themselves aren't able to experience with their families the majority of the time.
With the jobs available to them in their own countries, incredible dilemmas are faced everyday and decisions need to be made that honestly, we're never forced to make here in America. For example, with a 4 dollar per day salary, there are times when they literally have to decide whether they will feed their 3 children dinner that night, or, purchase the medicine/prescription that their other, hospitalized child needs in order to get better. They can't do both, so which do they do?
Those are the kinds of decisions they no longer have to make when they have a job that pays what the cruise ship job pays, (which is quite a bit less than minimum wage in any of the 50 states.) And of course, because of what they're making on the ship, now they can even consider purchasing all of the materials necessary for their children to go to school, or even sending them to a private, rather than public school.
I thank God for those occasional glimpses "outside the bubble" of life here in America.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
What a trip?
We had an awesome time on the cruise. Seven days was just right...long enough to really relax yet short enough to not go bonkers spending too much time on a floating resort. All three stops, (Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas,) were awesome and the weather was great the whole time. And yes the adage you've heard regarding cruise ships is true: You get on as a passenger and you get off as cargo! There is just way too much food accessible too many hours of the day.
I LOVE the international crews that these ships have--this one had people working on it from 57 different countries! I meet as many of them as I can and look for opportunities to connect with them. Our final night I met the Filipino guy who was singing in the restaurant and it turns out that he was in college in Cebu City during the same years we were in Cebu--and it was the college less than one block from where our church met at that time, (University of the Visayas.)
He wasn't a believer at the time, but he did come to the Lord a few years later. It looks like I'll be able to correspond with him by e-mail. I also met a girl named Alesia from Belarus. When I greeted her with a Russian word and told her I had been to her country, she almost dropped the tray she was holding. Turns out she's from Minsk, the very city I visited back in 1995. She said I was the first one she's met on the ship that knew anything about her country or had ever visited it.
I was able to read a few books on the trip, the most enjoyable one being the latest by Bruce Olson, called: "Bruce Olson and the Motilone Miracle." It's a follow up to his classic book, "Bruchko" and gives the history of what's happened with him and the Motilone indians from the mid 70's through 2006. If you're at all questioning the reality of the gospel and whether God is making a measurable impact in people lives, you need to read this book. Thank God for giants of the faith like Bruce Olson.
So, it's back to the regular life and ministry groove. I'll be speaking at CC Cedar City in Utah this weekend so if you think about it, pray for me.
I LOVE the international crews that these ships have--this one had people working on it from 57 different countries! I meet as many of them as I can and look for opportunities to connect with them. Our final night I met the Filipino guy who was singing in the restaurant and it turns out that he was in college in Cebu City during the same years we were in Cebu--and it was the college less than one block from where our church met at that time, (University of the Visayas.)
He wasn't a believer at the time, but he did come to the Lord a few years later. It looks like I'll be able to correspond with him by e-mail. I also met a girl named Alesia from Belarus. When I greeted her with a Russian word and told her I had been to her country, she almost dropped the tray she was holding. Turns out she's from Minsk, the very city I visited back in 1995. She said I was the first one she's met on the ship that knew anything about her country or had ever visited it.
I was able to read a few books on the trip, the most enjoyable one being the latest by Bruce Olson, called: "Bruce Olson and the Motilone Miracle." It's a follow up to his classic book, "Bruchko" and gives the history of what's happened with him and the Motilone indians from the mid 70's through 2006. If you're at all questioning the reality of the gospel and whether God is making a measurable impact in people lives, you need to read this book. Thank God for giants of the faith like Bruce Olson.
So, it's back to the regular life and ministry groove. I'll be speaking at CC Cedar City in Utah this weekend so if you think about it, pray for me.
Friday, July 20, 2007
30 years...and counting
This Sunday, July 22nd, Helen and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary. The Lord has blessed us with the opportunity to go on a 7 day cruise out of Long Beach, California, to Puerta Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas--what's called the Mexican Riviera. We're going with some close friends from our church in Mesquite and we're really looking forward to it. (Even more so, now that we've had our grandkids here the past five days--we're exhausted and ready for some R&R.)
I was in the Army and stationed in Japan when we got married. I flew back to Southern California, our wedding ceremony took place on Friday and we left for Japan on Sunday. Looking back at it, the grace of God was SO evident towards us before we ever came to know Him in a personal way. Considering I was 18 and Helen was 16 on the day we married, the deck was really stacked against us. Of course, unbeknownst to us, our Merciful God was the dealer and although some of the hands He has dealt us over the years were incredibly challenging, He was definitely the one that kept us in the game.
When the bible talks about rejoicing with the "wife of your youth" in Prov. 5:18, my story is succinctly summarized.
Not sure if I'll have time to post from the boat, but if not, I'll be back with more meanderings upon our return on the 29th.
I was in the Army and stationed in Japan when we got married. I flew back to Southern California, our wedding ceremony took place on Friday and we left for Japan on Sunday. Looking back at it, the grace of God was SO evident towards us before we ever came to know Him in a personal way. Considering I was 18 and Helen was 16 on the day we married, the deck was really stacked against us. Of course, unbeknownst to us, our Merciful God was the dealer and although some of the hands He has dealt us over the years were incredibly challenging, He was definitely the one that kept us in the game.
When the bible talks about rejoicing with the "wife of your youth" in Prov. 5:18, my story is succinctly summarized.
Not sure if I'll have time to post from the boat, but if not, I'll be back with more meanderings upon our return on the 29th.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
And the hits just keep on comin.....
The memorial service on Saturday for my pastor's wife was one of the most incredible events I've ever been a part of. It was truly a fitting tribute to a woman, daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, dear friend, and example to many. Joyce Kenney absolutely magnified Christ in her body both by her life and now by her death and her memorial not only honored her, it glorified her Lord. Please keep Pastor Pat in prayer as he is now facing the difficult time of things returning to normal for everyone else--while his new "normal" will at times seem to be absolutely impossible for him to adjust to. The next few days, weeks, and couple of months will be crushing. Your prayer for Pat and Joyce's kids, Noelle and Jordan, are also much appreciated.
About 2:30 a.m. on the morning of the memorial I was actually wondering if I'd be able to be a part of the service. My oldest daughter Jody had to be taken by the paramedics to a hospital near her house because of the pain and effects of a tubal pregnancy. She went in to surgery around 4:00 a.m. and by God's grace, the doctors were able to repair the damage done and keep her tube and ovary intact. She remained in the hospital until Monday afternoon and in order to make her first few days back home a little easier, Helen and I brought our five year old grandson Anthony and his almost one year old sister Kristen, back to Mesquite with us. Suffice it to say that Helen in particular is exhausted after two and a half days of riding herd on our adorable grandchildren, (I try to help in between trying to get some work done in my office in our house.) Kristen just learned to walk and you have to watch her pretty much every minute she's awake or she'll eat whatever she can fit in her mouth. Needless to say, we're not accustomed to this kind of thing anymore...and it's hard to remember that there ever was a time in our past when we did it everyday.
And then, in the wee hours of this morning, (Wednesday,) our youngest daughter Katie called and told us she had been in accident around 10:30 last night. Her and a girlfriend were returning home from a concert on Interstate 15 when a drunk driver lost control of his car, ran into two other cars, and then spun into the driver's side rear end of Katie's car! Katie and her friend and none of the other drivers sustained any injuries, only the drunk driver wound up having minor injuries that warranted a trip to the hospital, (sort of the way it should be for a change...right?) So, the first steps of the trail of dealing with our insurance company began today--a trail that I'm fairly sure will put a large portion of my patience to the test.
As always though, God's fingerprints were visible again as the "hits just kept on coming."
Because we were down in the San Diego area for the memorial service we were able to help with the grandchildren so Michael could be with Jody at the hospital and as I mentioned, bring the grandkids back to Mesquite with us. And to do that, we needed to use Michael and Jody's larger vehicle, which meant our car was at their house so that now Katie can use it while her car is in the shop.
I've seen His hand engaged in my affairs again. Any sightings of His workings in your life the past few days?
About 2:30 a.m. on the morning of the memorial I was actually wondering if I'd be able to be a part of the service. My oldest daughter Jody had to be taken by the paramedics to a hospital near her house because of the pain and effects of a tubal pregnancy. She went in to surgery around 4:00 a.m. and by God's grace, the doctors were able to repair the damage done and keep her tube and ovary intact. She remained in the hospital until Monday afternoon and in order to make her first few days back home a little easier, Helen and I brought our five year old grandson Anthony and his almost one year old sister Kristen, back to Mesquite with us. Suffice it to say that Helen in particular is exhausted after two and a half days of riding herd on our adorable grandchildren, (I try to help in between trying to get some work done in my office in our house.) Kristen just learned to walk and you have to watch her pretty much every minute she's awake or she'll eat whatever she can fit in her mouth. Needless to say, we're not accustomed to this kind of thing anymore...and it's hard to remember that there ever was a time in our past when we did it everyday.
And then, in the wee hours of this morning, (Wednesday,) our youngest daughter Katie called and told us she had been in accident around 10:30 last night. Her and a girlfriend were returning home from a concert on Interstate 15 when a drunk driver lost control of his car, ran into two other cars, and then spun into the driver's side rear end of Katie's car! Katie and her friend and none of the other drivers sustained any injuries, only the drunk driver wound up having minor injuries that warranted a trip to the hospital, (sort of the way it should be for a change...right?) So, the first steps of the trail of dealing with our insurance company began today--a trail that I'm fairly sure will put a large portion of my patience to the test.
As always though, God's fingerprints were visible again as the "hits just kept on coming."
Because we were down in the San Diego area for the memorial service we were able to help with the grandchildren so Michael could be with Jody at the hospital and as I mentioned, bring the grandkids back to Mesquite with us. And to do that, we needed to use Michael and Jody's larger vehicle, which meant our car was at their house so that now Katie can use it while her car is in the shop.
I've seen His hand engaged in my affairs again. Any sightings of His workings in your life the past few days?
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Because I take what God has revealed about Himself and His relationship to all of His creation seriously, I've been making continual progress in viewing all things through that truth. To help myself do so, I've developed a "grid" through which I filter what is taking place in my life. This "grid" looks like this:
1. Since the God of the scripture claims that He is in control of all things and He is trustworthy
2. Then whatever just happened to me, He has permitted
3. And even though I may not understand it right now
4. The fact that He permitted it to happen means that it serves a purpose in my life
5. And that in some way, it provides an opportunity for me to glorify Him
7. And what my role is in bringing glory to Him in response to what's happened
I've found that when I use this "grid" as the lens through which I perceive things taking place in my life, I'm able to see the bigger picture much more easily and His fingerprints on all things are much more visible.
1. Since the God of the scripture claims that He is in control of all things and He is trustworthy
2. Then whatever just happened to me, He has permitted
3. And even though I may not understand it right now
4. The fact that He permitted it to happen means that it serves a purpose in my life
5. And that in some way, it provides an opportunity for me to glorify Him
--I define glorifying Him as reflecting and revealing or unveiling in some way His character, nature, worth and value.
6. So I consistently ask Him to reveal to me how or in what way this can glorify Him
7. And what my role is in bringing glory to Him in response to what's happened
I've found that when I use this "grid" as the lens through which I perceive things taking place in my life, I'm able to see the bigger picture much more easily and His fingerprints on all things are much more visible.
Monday, July 9, 2007
I was in Indianapolis from Thursday through Saturday and as always, His fingerprints were all over the trip. From the hospitality, love, and encouragment lavished on Ron and I at the home of Dave and Ginger, to great conversation with Pastor Bill and Jed over awesome food at P.F. Changs, and then having an incredible time of fellowship with friends who serve in Central Asia and others who have served in and love the Ukraine, the time there was exceedingly abundantly above all that I could have asked or even planned.
Helen and I head to Escondido on Wednesday. I'll be sharing at the memorial service on Saturday for Joyce Kenney, the wife of my beloved Pastor Pat. Joyce's battle with various versions of cancer that began with breast cancer, ended last Thursday morning while I was on the plane from Vegas to Indy. Please keep Pastor Pat, his daughter Noelle, his son Jordan, and his grandchildren in prayer as they begin the "process" that is grief. Pat has already been a living demonstration of the truth that walking with Him in this world includes being "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." (2 Cor. 6:10)
By His grace alone,
Jeff
Helen and I head to Escondido on Wednesday. I'll be sharing at the memorial service on Saturday for Joyce Kenney, the wife of my beloved Pastor Pat. Joyce's battle with various versions of cancer that began with breast cancer, ended last Thursday morning while I was on the plane from Vegas to Indy. Please keep Pastor Pat, his daughter Noelle, his son Jordan, and his grandchildren in prayer as they begin the "process" that is grief. Pat has already been a living demonstration of the truth that walking with Him in this world includes being "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." (2 Cor. 6:10)
By His grace alone,
Jeff
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Paul and James...sight through the right filter
As I shared in my last post, the reality of the true and living God sitting at the controls of the universe He created is something most Christians say they believe in, at least intellectually. But the fact is, most of us don't perceive our day to day, moment to moment lives through that truth--we don't screen everything we see and experience through that lens, that filter.
The apostle Paul was obviously someone who did see things the proper way, as is clearly evident from what he communicated in his letter to the Philippians, particularly chapter 1, verses 12-26.
It's because of this truth and His understanding of the sovereignty of God that he could write with confidence what he expressed in Romans 8:28. Without God's absolute sovereignty over all things it would be impossible for ALL things to produce a good end for those that have a personal, interactive relationship with their Creator.
But what does perceiving things through that filter look like moment to moment for those today that know Him and trust in His control of all things?
I'll try and share a few things that I've learned, but that will have to wait until I have some further time. For now, I must proceed with doing things and meeting with people that I have been planning for the past month or so. I'll let you know in a few days how things unfolded.
James had a handle on this truth too. I'll close with what he had to say in James 4:13-16.
Seen any "God-connects" lately? If so, let me know.
Blessings,
Jeff
The apostle Paul was obviously someone who did see things the proper way, as is clearly evident from what he communicated in his letter to the Philippians, particularly chapter 1, verses 12-26.
It's because of this truth and His understanding of the sovereignty of God that he could write with confidence what he expressed in Romans 8:28. Without God's absolute sovereignty over all things it would be impossible for ALL things to produce a good end for those that have a personal, interactive relationship with their Creator.
But what does perceiving things through that filter look like moment to moment for those today that know Him and trust in His control of all things?
I'll try and share a few things that I've learned, but that will have to wait until I have some further time. For now, I must proceed with doing things and meeting with people that I have been planning for the past month or so. I'll let you know in a few days how things unfolded.
James had a handle on this truth too. I'll close with what he had to say in James 4:13-16.
Seen any "God-connects" lately? If so, let me know.
Blessings,
Jeff
Monday, July 2, 2007
Why a surprise?
It was incredibly surreal. As we were nearing the church where I was scheduled to speak yesterday morning, something familiar but totally out of place caught my attention. A group of Karen, (pronounced Kuh-Rin) were walking down the sidewalk in the 103 degree temperature at around 8:30 in the morning, headed toward the church that I would speaking at. How did I know they were Karen? They had on their colorful and very distinctive native dress and they walked as a group and with a posture that declared they were'nt from these parts! I had already been pondering how radical it was that some of them were in the U.S. and now I saw them in my environment for the first time and it was just one of those moments that you know you'll never forget. They were walking on concrete sidewalks with apartment complex after apartment complex on their left and a very busy 6 lane road to their right, on the other side of the curb. Was this for real?
A half an hour later I was speaking to a group of about 75 Karen people with Adam, one of the key leaders of the Karen congregation translating my message into their language. Then, the Karen pastor that led the service invited me to help distribute the communion elements as we celebrated the death and resurrection of the Lord.
The pastor had been in a refugee camp in Thailand up until 10 months ago and as the service unfolded the reality of what he's facing hit me. Talk about a challenge. Pastoring alone is a huge challenge, how much greater is the task when you and everyone in your congregation have been dropped into a location on the other side of the world that not only doesn't speak your language or navigate according to your cultural norms, but is in many ways the exact opposite of everything you've ever been exposed to. Your young people are going to public schools with more than a thousand other students and the adults are traveling far away to work in factories which are the only jobs available because of the language barrier everyone is trying to overcome. He's trying to improve his English at the same time everyone in his congregation is doing the same. Talk about a daunting task.
But oh, what a beautifully familiar taste the whole service had. From the incredible harmonies of Karen worship to the report on how the Karen youth helped their local soccer league team reach the championship game, and the truth filled song the teenage boys sang in English as a "special number", I was overwhelmed with God's goodness the whole morning.
As if that wasn't enough, right before the service I was introduced to a family that has been serving in Mongolia for the past 9 years. Why is that significant? The previous Wednesday I had met in Las Vegas with a couple who are being led by the Lord to serve in Mongolia and had questions that I just didn't have answers for. (Sounds like it might be a God-connect moment, heh?)
Michael, the missionary from Mongolia had just arrived with his family in the Phoenix area so that his six month old daughter could have heart surgery. It's a very long story, but suffice it to say that months ago, before they knew they'd be leaving Mongolia to go to Phoenix for surgery for his daughter, his two brothers and his parents had planned to be in Phoenix THIS WEEK for a little get away, (they were all from out of state.) And not only that, his older daughter who lives in a different state and is a professional dance instructor just happens to be in Phoenix THIS WEEK for a big dance event. He didn't know he was even leaving Mongolia a month ago, they planned their trips many months ago, and now as his daughter goes in for surgery this Thursday, basically his whole family is in the area.
It would take way too long to explain to you the number of ways that God showed His sovereignty afresh over the last few days, but He certainly has. There are no accidents or coincidences if the God of the scripture is who He claims to be. Why then are we continually surpised when we see Him orchestrating things like this? Why is it so difficult to consistently believe what His word says about His being at the controls of the universe He has created and sustains? Especially when He has revealed truths like that contained in Psalm 135:6? I haven't gotten it all figured out, at least not yet.
I think over the next few weeks I'll begin meandering down the path of what I've learned about seeing Him in the day to day, moment to moment, warp and woof of life, with "God-connects" abounding. Until next time, keep in mind that He is at the helm of the ship that is our universe.
Blessings,
Jeff
A half an hour later I was speaking to a group of about 75 Karen people with Adam, one of the key leaders of the Karen congregation translating my message into their language. Then, the Karen pastor that led the service invited me to help distribute the communion elements as we celebrated the death and resurrection of the Lord.
The pastor had been in a refugee camp in Thailand up until 10 months ago and as the service unfolded the reality of what he's facing hit me. Talk about a challenge. Pastoring alone is a huge challenge, how much greater is the task when you and everyone in your congregation have been dropped into a location on the other side of the world that not only doesn't speak your language or navigate according to your cultural norms, but is in many ways the exact opposite of everything you've ever been exposed to. Your young people are going to public schools with more than a thousand other students and the adults are traveling far away to work in factories which are the only jobs available because of the language barrier everyone is trying to overcome. He's trying to improve his English at the same time everyone in his congregation is doing the same. Talk about a daunting task.
But oh, what a beautifully familiar taste the whole service had. From the incredible harmonies of Karen worship to the report on how the Karen youth helped their local soccer league team reach the championship game, and the truth filled song the teenage boys sang in English as a "special number", I was overwhelmed with God's goodness the whole morning.
As if that wasn't enough, right before the service I was introduced to a family that has been serving in Mongolia for the past 9 years. Why is that significant? The previous Wednesday I had met in Las Vegas with a couple who are being led by the Lord to serve in Mongolia and had questions that I just didn't have answers for. (Sounds like it might be a God-connect moment, heh?)
Michael, the missionary from Mongolia had just arrived with his family in the Phoenix area so that his six month old daughter could have heart surgery. It's a very long story, but suffice it to say that months ago, before they knew they'd be leaving Mongolia to go to Phoenix for surgery for his daughter, his two brothers and his parents had planned to be in Phoenix THIS WEEK for a little get away, (they were all from out of state.) And not only that, his older daughter who lives in a different state and is a professional dance instructor just happens to be in Phoenix THIS WEEK for a big dance event. He didn't know he was even leaving Mongolia a month ago, they planned their trips many months ago, and now as his daughter goes in for surgery this Thursday, basically his whole family is in the area.
It would take way too long to explain to you the number of ways that God showed His sovereignty afresh over the last few days, but He certainly has. There are no accidents or coincidences if the God of the scripture is who He claims to be. Why then are we continually surpised when we see Him orchestrating things like this? Why is it so difficult to consistently believe what His word says about His being at the controls of the universe He has created and sustains? Especially when He has revealed truths like that contained in Psalm 135:6? I haven't gotten it all figured out, at least not yet.
I think over the next few weeks I'll begin meandering down the path of what I've learned about seeing Him in the day to day, moment to moment, warp and woof of life, with "God-connects" abounding. Until next time, keep in mind that He is at the helm of the ship that is our universe.
Blessings,
Jeff
Sunday, July 1, 2007
A unique opportunity
I'm in Phoenix right now at the home of some very close friends. In less than three hours I'll be speaking at a local church here that houses a small church made up of refugees from a country in Southeast Asia. The vast majority of these precious people have spent at least the last 10 to 15 years or more living in refugee camps inside Thailand--and now they live in America!
I've spent time with many of the Karen people in the largest of those refugee camps in Thailand and there is a possibility that I may be given the blessing of actually meeting some of the ones I met over there. It's incredibily surreal.
Since I discovered a few days ago that I would have this opportunity, I've been begging the Lord for just the right words from Him to share with them. Having factored in some of the huge challenges they are facing with their transition to life in this country and the reality that they may be here the rest of their lives, I've concluded that He would have me speak to them from that letter that the prophet Jeremiah wrote to his own people who had been taken from their land and were then living in exile in a very foreign and strange country.
One of the verses from God's word that is commonly used as a word of encouragement is Jeremiah 29:11, (check it out.) That particular verse is actually just a portion of the letter that I mentioned above. I'm going to share with my Karen brothers and sisters what Jeremiah had written to these people regarding the attitude they should have, what they should be doing, and what they should be seeking and praying for as they were forced to adjust to life in a place that they never dreamed they'd be living in. The world has come up with a summary phrase for what Jeremiah instructs them to do: "Bloom where you're planted."
If the world gets the concept and the Word of God certainly teaches the concept, have we gotten a handle on it yet? Just wondering.
Blessings,
Jeff
I've spent time with many of the Karen people in the largest of those refugee camps in Thailand and there is a possibility that I may be given the blessing of actually meeting some of the ones I met over there. It's incredibily surreal.
Since I discovered a few days ago that I would have this opportunity, I've been begging the Lord for just the right words from Him to share with them. Having factored in some of the huge challenges they are facing with their transition to life in this country and the reality that they may be here the rest of their lives, I've concluded that He would have me speak to them from that letter that the prophet Jeremiah wrote to his own people who had been taken from their land and were then living in exile in a very foreign and strange country.
One of the verses from God's word that is commonly used as a word of encouragement is Jeremiah 29:11, (check it out.) That particular verse is actually just a portion of the letter that I mentioned above. I'm going to share with my Karen brothers and sisters what Jeremiah had written to these people regarding the attitude they should have, what they should be doing, and what they should be seeking and praying for as they were forced to adjust to life in a place that they never dreamed they'd be living in. The world has come up with a summary phrase for what Jeremiah instructs them to do: "Bloom where you're planted."
If the world gets the concept and the Word of God certainly teaches the concept, have we gotten a handle on it yet? Just wondering.
Blessings,
Jeff
Monday, June 25, 2007
Up and running...finally
Okay, so it's obvious I wasn't ready back in February to really get this thing going! But, the time has come and I believe that this is the real launch, the "real McCoy" of my meanderings.
If you're reading this in response to the update that I just sent out and you'd like to throw a blessing my way, please take the time to try and understand how to reply using the blog.
C-ya
Jeff
If you're reading this in response to the update that I just sent out and you'd like to throw a blessing my way, please take the time to try and understand how to reply using the blog.
C-ya
Jeff
Monday, February 19, 2007
First post...
Greetings everyone.
The response to my latest was a bit overwhelming. More than 40 of the folks on my update list wrote to me within the first 36 hours and made clear that they value what many of them referred to as my "unique and honest" reflections on life as God is permitting me to live it.
Quite a few of them recommended that I set up a "blog" and even though I'm basically a techno-lamer, I've figured out how to set one up and now I'm beginning to learn how to actually use it.
Your patience will be much appreciated as I learn how to navigate in what I've heard referred to as the "blogosphere."
In His grip for His glory among the nations.
Jeff
The response to my latest was a bit overwhelming. More than 40 of the folks on my update list wrote to me within the first 36 hours and made clear that they value what many of them referred to as my "unique and honest" reflections on life as God is permitting me to live it.
Quite a few of them recommended that I set up a "blog" and even though I'm basically a techno-lamer, I've figured out how to set one up and now I'm beginning to learn how to actually use it.
Your patience will be much appreciated as I learn how to navigate in what I've heard referred to as the "blogosphere."
In His grip for His glory among the nations.
Jeff
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