Clothes Giveaway

Here are a couple of pictures from the Clothes Giveaway at Triumph Church last Saturday. What a day - and to think we almost cancelled it due to bad weather! In fact, I ended up with a sun burn it was so bright out. This event certainly met a need in our community. People were carrying away loads of clothes (many times we had to help them carry bags they were so heavy). But the point was to get these clothes into the hands and onto the backs of those who can use them. Pastor Moses' son announced over the loud speaker several times for people to take as much as they could and to call friends and family to let them know what was going on. Even with all of the clothes we gave away - and we were still pulling out clothes to sort and put on the tables up to the end of the day - we still had some left over. Many people were touched that everything was free - clothes, shoes, toys, and food. There were many smiles from children who may have received their only present they will get this Christmas. Some of the kids (probably adults too) were back several times for burgers and hotdogs.

This is what being the church is all about - two very different churches from different parts of town getting together to give hope and show God's love in a practical way to people who are in need. I'm looking forward to what the Lord has in store for us next (Spring Fling? More than one Back to School Bash? - only He knows).

Happy Christmas

In Mexico and Honduras you will hear “Feliz Navidad”. In India it will be “Shub Naya Baras” while in Japan you may hear “Merii Kurisumasu”. “Maligayang Pasko” is what is said in many parts of the Philippines and in French speaking countries of the world, “Joyeux Noel”.

To me, one of the great things about Christmas is that it is a world-wide celebration. Unlike our other America holidays, Christmas knows no ethnic or geographical boundaries. In North America, most of us celebrate Christmas in a very traditional western style. But let us remember, the very first Christmas was celebrated in a small town in Asia and Christianity wasn't orignially a western religion. Even though Christmas may be observed in other cultures with different traditions and even on other dates, Christmas unifies the world around an astounding event – “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

For followers of Jesus Christ, Christmas should be a reminder of the unity we have in Christ – “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:4-6). The believer in Malawi is part of the same body as the believer in New Zealand. The same Spirit that guides the Christian in Indonesia into all truth is the same one that guides you and me. Our Father in heaven is over all – over the United States, over Croatia, over Africa, and even over those churches in our town that worship so differently than we do.

In light of this truth, this Christmas, let’s pray that we be reminded of our unity in Christ throughout the coming year and that we strive in the power of Jesus not just to live in peace with our Christian brothers and sisters wherever they may be, but that we support them in any way we are able.

Have a Happy Christmas!

Great Expectations

Though I sometimes talk about and pray about having great expectations of how God will reveal Himself during the Sunday morning worship service, this Sunday morning I realized that I've been lulled into low expectations. After "going to church" so often without seeing any real tangible, exciting revelation of Christ at work, I just come with low expectations. I'm not talking about someone speaking in tongues or falling out in the Spirit as a revealing of God's presence. Neither do I think I am looking for better entertainment. But it's the same thing week after week. Enjoy the singing, challenged by the sermons, good to hear praises, etc... but seldom anything new or exciting in the service. The greatest anticipation is whether or not someone will be playing the drums during Praise and Worship. I tend to expect and experience Jesus' presence more "outside of the church".

Probably one reason I don't see any more frequent or greater expression of God at work in our services is there are a whole lot of the congregation that are just like me - low expectations. Everyone should just put in their time Sunday morning, don't disrupt the service in any way, and the Pastors had better not get us out too late. Also, just as bad, when He does show himself I probably overlook Him or squelch the Spirit.

This Sunday, I was in my usual Sunday morning ritual - sitting in the front pew, lack of anticipation in hand, thinking about my part in the service and other church issues - when one of the Deacons brought a young girl to me. He asked me to talk to her and pray with her as she wanted to accept Jesus as her savior. My first reaction was continued low expectations (Are you sure? What makes you think she really wants to do that? She probably doesn't understand what's going on.) But as I talked to her and asked her questions, I realized she knew exactly what she was asking. This was actually going to happen - in church before the service even started! She prayed to receive Jesus and God allowed me to be part of it. I was so excited!

I'm so thankful that God will shake up my world every now and then when I get too complacent. I'm going to start expecting more during the services. Probably just as important, I'm going to look and listen closer for what He is doing. Its not always going to be in the big and obvious things. Sometimes the expressions of His love and grace may be hardly noticeable. Also, I'm going to make myself available to be part of it. Great expectations not for a great church service but of a great God.

Honduras Visit

Just a quick update on the trip to Honduras. I meant to do this right when I got back but with having to make preparations to go to Washington this afternoon for Grandma's funeral, the blog went to the back burner.

Anyway, it was a great time to get away. Quite a small group - just eight of us (nine whenever Ledy was with us). We got a lot accomplished in organizing, storing and distributing medicine and medical supplies. The clinic continues to be improved with each visit. They have new cabinets since the last time I was down and air conditioning in a couple of the treatment pods. Dental equipment (beds, x-rays, etc..) had arrived but we weren't able to set them up yet - probably in January with two dentists coming.

Ray arranged for some local workers to start on the dining porch at the Farm. This is really needed as the current eating area cannot hold the large teams that have and will be coming. God provided us a builder who is a Christian and very enthusiastic about his work.

One of the things that caught my attention was the total contrasts you see in technology and wealth. For example, seeing two men driving down the road in an ox cart - very primitive. But one of them was talking on a cell phone! Actually, cell phones are everywhere, even with the youth. I'm told they buy cards with minutes on them when they can afford. It was also incredible to me to see some of the beautiful new homes being built in some of the small towns. Money must be coming in from somewhere (USA?) or business must be really good (smuggling people into the US?).

Crystal and I left last Monday with the rest of the Team staying through until Thursday. The day after I left they were to hold a clinic day for women. Only dealing with women's' health issues (pregnancy, etc...). David V. had set up appointments with a few dozen women so that it wouldn't be a crazy mess the day of the clinic. I understand that they have gone to this appointment system and that the locals are catching on and cooperating. It doesn't mean that they won't treat someone who has a serious problem who walks in. Several were seen over the week I was there and several more had their medications refilled. Pat H. and Jan were the nurses for this trip and are the ones that will examine/treat the women patients.

One of the items that I'm excitedly waiting to hear about was a visit the Team was to make after dropping me and Crystal at the airport. They were to visit a home in San Pedro Sula for young pregnant girls (12-15 years). These girls have been kicked out of their homes for getting pregnant and have nowhere else to go. Some may even be victims of incest or rape. The Team had prenatal vitamins to provide plus other supplies. Pat says this is really on her heart so hopefully they were able to find the home. Definitely a chance to show God's love and mercy.

The January trip to Honduras is full (33 scheduled for week two) so if someone would like to go it will have to be the April or July trip. I can help make the connection so let me know.

In the Heat of the Night

Just when you think nothing more could go wrong, think again. Yesterday I came home in the afternoon after making some visits with Logan and Robert H. The first thing I noticed when I entered the house was that the temperature was warm and the humidity was up. The thermostat showed a temperature of about 82+ degrees.

My indoor unit was humming, not running. Outside, the line had frozen up. I let it all thaw and then tried running the system again but it immediately started to freeze again. Time to call the AC service people. Fortunately many advertise 24-hour service, seven days a week. I called my normal company first and got their answering service - she would pass the message. After about two hours, I determined that she really hadn't or whoever got the message didn't want to come out on a Sunday evening. The second number I called said it was out of service. With the third company, I got a message saying that he was on another line or with a customer. I kind of doubt he was since he never called me back. Well, it got to be late so I decided that I would try again in the morning. So much for 24-hour service!

Following a rather warm and humid evening in the house, I did get someone to come out in the morning. I have a bad "card" in my unit. However, as I have been aware, my unit is about 14 years old so putting a bunch of money in replacing electronics didn't seem a wise investment. So we have opted to replace our air handler. Its not like we have something better to spend money on...

So Laura and I spent a warm day painting in the bathroom - part of the repairs following our broken pipe.

I love, errr... like my house, I like my house...

High School Update

Andrew is finally out of AP English Literature – yes! I had to go to the top – the school principal - to get it accomplished but he is out. Reading Oedipus and sitting around discussing it was not a good fit for Andrew – nothing against the class or the instructor. He is now in regular English IV and he is happy about it.

I was concerned about his schedule from the time he first received it. Actually, before he received his schedule, they had given him a 9th grade schedule. A computer glitch I was told. Plus they lost all of his transcripts. His classes prior to the change were: Physics, Chemistry, Pre-Calculus, AP Human Geography, AP English Literature, Spanish III, World Religion, and PE. That is quite a heavy schedule – one I wouldn’t have attempted when I was in high school. The thing is, he will have more than enough credits to graduate, he doesn’t need all of that science and math for graduation, and he is working half time. I don’t want him to be overwhelmed or discouraged with school. I tried to get him out of some of the classes before the school term began. I called the councilor twice and left voice mails with my concerns and requesting a return call. Laura left a note at the office – but we never received any response. School started and Andrew wanted to let it alone.

But it became clear that AP English Literature was not for Andrew so last week I started trying to get in touch with the councilor again - three phone calls with voice mail messages asking for a call back. I probably made about 12 calls to her number but it became very clear that she never answers her phone. After three days of no response, I called other councilor numbers and the office with no answer. Finally I found the principal’s number and he actually answered. He was very professional and polite and said he would look into it for me. A day later, Andrew was called in and told they were trying to work something out and within a week he was in his new class. I still haven’t heard from the councilor.

Now the question as to why he was put in all of these advanced courses, especially AP courses, when it wasn’t requested and they don’t know anything about him is another issue. It seems to me from talking to others that either Ed White High School or the Duval County Public Schools is trying to pad their statistics by putting as many students in these classes as possible. It’s good for the school or the District but not necessarily for the student. Maybe I’m just being too cynical though.

Like the Sound of Rushing Water

I had just turned out the lights when I heard a bang and then like the sound of rushing water or was it Laura's fan - maybe it had tipped over. So I followed the sound back into the bathroom, turned on the light and behold...it was rushing water, coming out of the wall behind the toilet! We had a painting on the wall above the toilet. It had fallen to the floor, snapping off the supply line to the toilet. The toilet shut off valve was on the wrong side of the break so I had to turn off the water outside. Of course, making my way in the dark out to the front door was quite a challenge in itself - I had forgotten about the two plastic tubs that I had set out last night - right in the way. Once the water was off, we had to clean up a couple of inches of water in the bathroom. Only a little had come through the bathroom door onto our bedroom carpet. With the water to the house off, the water cleaned off of the floor and all the hardware stores closed, we decided to go to sleep and get an early start on the repair when Lowes openned in the morning. All was well.

Or so we thought. Laura got up in the night - about 3:30 a.m. - and the carpet from the bed to the bathroom was soaked. As we discovered, even though the water supply valve to the house was closed down as far as it would go; and even though water would not come out of any other faucet in the house, it was still dribbling out of the broken pipe. Though the trickle was hard to see, it actually was flowing at a pretty good rate - enough to flood our bedroom carpet. More clean up, cutting out of soaked carpet and pad - its turning into quite the morning.

I made it to Lowes when it opened at 6:00 a.m. Of course at that time of the morning, the Lowes employees are right there to help you - not! So I fumbled with getting what I needed, picked Laura up a coffee at Dunkin Donuts and headed home. The actual repair only took about ten minutes - if only I had had the valve last night.

So here I sit waiting for the CPVC glue to dry before turning back on the water supply for a pressure test. Laura is napping until then. We are debating what to do with our bedroom carpet with a third of it cut out. Plus the bathroom linoleum is ruined - I guess I'll be tiling that this week even though Laura had promised a break from home repair projects.

I love my home...I love my home...

Cultural Relevance - In the Church of All Places...

The Christian comic joked that all you have to do to become a Christian is tithe, buy a gun, and join the Republican Party. This drew laughter from the congregation due to the absurdity of the misconception by many non-believers about what the Christian “culture” is all about. Many on the outside of the Church see Christians as a mono-culture – conservative and driven by a few select moral issues. Part of the problem is that the Church contributes to the misconception in many cases by insisting, whether overtly or not, that those who join with us must become like us. They must act like us, dress like us, talk like us and certainly worship like us.

One of the reasons I believe that the Body of Christ is currently growing so fast in third world areas such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America is because, for the most part, the Church there is culturally relevant. Believers in these areas are able to incorporate their own culture and customs into the way they live their Christian lives and in the way they worship. Mission organizations learned a long time ago that they can’t successfully export the North American church to other parts of the world, though at times it has been tried. We would never try to force North American attire on believers in other parts of the world. Nor would we expect worshippers in Africa or Latin America to sit quietly and reverently through a worship service.

If we don’t try to push our North American church culture on believers in other lands, why then do we push it on seekers in our own country? To many non-believers in North America, the church has become irrelevant. Many Christian authors have written about the decline of the North American church – both in numbers and in significance to our society. We are in danger of losing a whole generation and it isn’t because they aren’t interested in spiritual matters, it’s because they don’t see anything relevant to their “culture” from within the church. When Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:22 that he became “all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some”, what he is talking about is being culturally relevant. In a lesson from the mission field, we must study the culture outside of the church and connect to seekers through their customs and needs. Then the Church will once again be relevant to those in our community.

This Old House

Why is it that my parent's home that was built 25 years before mine seems to have aged so much better? It seems like the list of things needing replacement continues to grow at an ever increasing speed. Flooring, door knobs, appliances, windows and furnature. Maybe its just that I didn't notice all the work and repairs that my parents did over the years. Sometimes Condo living seems so inviting but after having lived in dorms/apartments while I was in college and condos when we were first married, I don't know if I would want some other family living on the otherside of the wall.

I just finished an almost three month project to redo the boy's bathroom which was in really bad shape. Of course if I wasn't learning as I go, it probably should have only taken me a couple of weeks. Hopefully the boys won't destroy this one before they move out. Now we are on to replacing living room and dining room carpet with wood laminate flooring. Seemed simple when I took the do-it-yourself class - I estimated three days. We'll see how long it really takes me to get it right. However, the carpet in the family room, as bad as it looks, stays until the kids and the pets are gone.

New Wine Vs. Old Wine Skins

A recurring theme throughout our meetings with the Missions Advisory Committee this week relates to the verse (Luke 5:37) in which Jesus says "...no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined." (NIV). That verse confused me for many years as to what it is referring to but I think I'm beginning to understand it now. I think that in many ways, it is referring to the gospel (good news) that Jesus was bringing, it just didn't fit into the box that the religious people of his time had built as to who God is and how He relates to us.

In the same way, no one can box in the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will move where it wishes and the way in which the Spirit works tomorrow may be very different than how the Spirit worked yesterday.

One report this week is that the Christian church in one Asian country had gone from approximately 1% of the population 20 years ago to approximately 0.5%. Our established churches in that country are characterized as good people but very much caught up in tradition and protocol. They are having a hard time relating to or accepting many of the new ways of reaching people for Christ that are beginning to be successful.

I think there is a lesson here for the Church of North America - and me specifically. May I never try to set walls in which the Holy Spirit can only work. How ridiculous; God must see that and laugh.

I don't want to be negative about the meetings. There were so many wonderful examples of the Holy Spirit at work throughout the world. People being served, healed, and saved in amazing ways!

You Know You're From Washington...

Washington State that is! I stole this from a Sonic's blog from someone named "sea dawg" and shortened it.

1. You know the state flower (Mildew)
2. You feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash.
3. Use the statement “sun break” and know what it means.
4. You have never visited the Space Needle.
5. You buy your seafood from a grocery store and not Pike Place Market.
6. You know what Wa Mu stands for.
7. You know more than 10 ways to order coffee.
8. You know more people who own boats than air conditioners.
9. You stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the “Walk” signal.
10. You consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain.
11. You freak out when it snows less than an inch and call in sick.
12. You have yet to visit Underground Seattle.
13. You make fun of tourists who ride the duck.
14. You know there's no such thing as sasquatch.
15. You refuse to sell your house to someone moving from California.
16. You can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, Tulley's and Folgers.
17. You know the difference between Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye Salmon.
18. You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Issaquah, Bremerton, Oregon, Yakima, and Willamette. Also…Snohomish, Fall City, Skykomish, Swinomish, Squamish, Squaxim, Steilacoom, and Skookumchuck.
19. You are not fazed by “Today’s forecast: showers followed by rain,” and “Tomorrow’s forecast: rain followed by showers.”
20. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.
21. You notice “the mountain is out” when it is a pretty day and you can actually see it.
22. You put on your shorts when the temperature gets above 50, but still wear your hiking boots and parka. You switch to your sandals when it gets about 60, but keep the socks on.
23. You think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists.
24. You know all the important seasons: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Raining (Spring), Road Construction (Summer), Deer & Elk Season (Fall)
25. You use "pop" and not "soda" or worse yet, "coke" to order a beverage.

I pass on everything other than the coffee items. Laura is much more a Washington native when it comes to knowing about that. I haven't been to the Seattle Underground and the one and only time I ever went up in the Space Needle was with people from out of town.

Baptisms

I love this picture that John G. took of a woman being baptized near Ensenada, Mexico. That day 19 people were baptized from three different churches. I know these churches and pastors and they are all about reaching out to the hurting people of their city. It just reminds me of what baptism is all about - a demonstration of death to sin and the celebration of new life in Christ. And celebrate they did, swimming, eating, singing, spending time together, etc... not just a few minutes tacked on to the end of a service. The picture makes me imagine what baptism might have been like in the early church - crowds of joyful believers out in the open where the whole world can see. Of course if we tried it around here, a gator might get you...

Eight Things

Okay, so the only reason I'm doing this is because Allison tagged me - so I'd look like a wimp if I don't respond - or could it be that I've been waiting for years for someone to ask me about myself?

Anyway, here goes...

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (if you don't have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read their blog.

My eight random facts - in no particular order of importance:

1. I think I was born without smile muscles...
2. My greatest fears are speaking in public, heights (especially in elevators), and tight enclosed spaces (very claustrophobic).
3. I want a red-haired granddaughter - though none of my children have red hair.
4. I believe that lemon, garlic, butter and salt are the basis of the best recipes.
5. I hate chain emails and the stories and urban myths that get passed on that way.
6. I only sleep with one leg in bed at all times (you might could guess why).
7. Fried Oysters are my favorite food - though see item 4 above to see what I like on them.
8. I would like to live somewhere where the average summer temperature is about 72 degrees and I can see mountains out my window (guess that kind of excludes where I live now!).

Okay, now I'm supposed to list eight people who I've tagged to repeat this process. Believe me, I entirely understand if any of those listed do not wish to follow through. Remember, this is Allison's doing not mine...

Tagged are: Robert and Joene; Josh; Katie; Kathy B.; Steve E.; Marcia T.; and Elishia W.

Hope you have fun with it - maybe we'll learn a little about each other.