Whose money is it anyways?

Life in Paris is different than life in Dallas, or probably most cities that I have ever lived in.  The last year that I lived in Dallas, I was not faced much with very poor people, those who would come up to you on the street and beg for money.  It just wasn't done where I went.  But here in Paris, it happens all the time.  On the metro, on the way to the grocery store, and definitely in the city where they know that there are lots of tourists.  And whenever I am asked for money, I always have to ask myself  "Do I give it to them?" and sometimes it's even "Do I give it to them again?  I just gave them some?"  Sadly, I think I too often err on the side of caution and don't give money  I often think "Well, what if they really don't need it but could just go get a job" or "Why are they still asking?  I just gave them something!  I think they are taking advantage of me."  

In reading Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount, I have been convicted of my attitude, specifically the attitude of not wanting to be taken advantage of.  I think that too often, I try to protect myself instead of doing what God asks me to do and letting Him take care of the results.  In Matthew 5 verses 38-42, Jesus speaks about retaliation, or I should say he speaks against retaliation.  It is here that we find the famous concept of "turn the other cheek." It is a difficult idea to put into practice for sure, but I think that most Christians know that they should do this and really do try.  But a few verses later, another concept is linked with the lack of retaliation, that is the idea of giving to beggars.  Directly following the command to turn the other cheek and give your cloak as well when someone just asks for your tunic is the command from Jesus "Give to the one who begs from you."  That's it, no caveats.  But if this isn't enough to convince you, keep reading the next section.  In this section is the famous concept of "love your enemies," but it was something else in this section that hit me.  God tells us to give and not worry about being taken advantage of because he does exactly the same thing.  "For God makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (verse 45)  God doesn't look at where he makes it rain and decide field by field who he will give rain to and who he will not.  The rain falls on the field of the just as well as the unjust.  And when a person does something bad with a good gift that God has given them, it is as if they slap God on the cheek, and yet he still turns the other to them, still gives them good gifts. 

Now I know that there are exceptions to every rule, that in Senegal it would be impossible to give money to everyone who asks because they swarm your car every time you stop at an intersection.  But I do not want my life to focus on the exceptions.  I want to have the attitude of Christ.  I want to give without expecting anything in return, even gratitude.  I want to give in faith, trusting that God will do what he wills with my gifts.  I want to give knowing that I have done what my Father has asked of me, not worrying about the other persons actions.  I want to give not worrying what others around me think, only what my Father in heaven thinks of me.  I want to give, knowing that it is all God's money, and he will do with it as he pleases.

I get it!!!! (only 8 years late)

I remember in seminary my Greek professor say, "It's not a level playing field. Some of you guys who have families are not going to be able to spend the same amount of time on your work and you simply may not be able to get the grades you would like."

I remember hearing that and just thinking, why can't these guys keep up? What's the big problem?

Now I'm in the situation of realizing that I have more than just one goal. Being a good husband and father are 2 of many other goals that rest alongside the goal of learning French. And ultimately, all of these goals are subsumed under one principle goal: becoming like Christ.

A few months back I was reading the book "Sacred Chaos." The author commented how at one stage of her life, her kids with grand kids moved back in with her. All of a sudden, the tranquil time in the morning where she could simply read her Bible and pray in silence was gone! After an episode of mourning the loss of tranquility, she asked herself, which scenario is more likely to make me like Christ?

This not at all to say that we shouldn't look for times of tranquility. However, a little chaos is good if your goal is becoming like Christ. Thus, I probably won't be as good a French student as a I was a Greek student, but I hopefully will become more like Christ.

And it's very possible that I'll also have a little fun too with my added chaos.

Picture of the week - exhaustion

So I was checking on Addie the other night and this is how I found her.  She loves to read at night, but apparently it was just too much for her that night.  I showed Wayne the picture and he said "That's how I feel when I read French too!"  It's true, learning a new language is exhausting.  No matter how many hours of sleep I get, I still haven't really felt rested.  When I finish class every afternoon, the last thing I want to do is to do my homework, I just want to rest!  I sit in a chair all day, but by the end of the day, I am exhausted!  We were wondering when we started why we have a week of vacation after the first 7 weeks of class.  Now we know and we can't wait for our week off! We love what we are doing now, but boy is it hard work.

And a bonus picture this week, just because I love it, and I love them!

Life without a car

We don't have a car here in France, and in some ways it's great...no repairs!  But in other ways, it's tough.  Life is a little less convenient without a car.  For example, let me tell you about my day.  I decided yesterday that I would go to IKEA today with a friend because our mattress is really hard.  We decided to get a mattress pad so that I wouldn't have to sleep in the living room on our spare bed.  I looked online and found what we want and they said online that they came rolled, so I thought "No problem!".  Well, Elise and I hopped on the bus this morning with our little cart and headed off to IKEA.  Well, first of all you should know that IKEA is about 15 minutes away by car, but by bus it takes 45 minutest to an hour.  Well, we were not deterred and even found a way to cut 10 minutes off the trip by walking a bit and making a different connection.  We would have made in less than 45 minutes if the bus we first got on went the whole route instead of going out of service 6 stops into our trip. So we hopped off and waited for the next bus (about a 10 minute wait).  We finally got to IKEA after about 50 minutes.  I found what I wanted, asked the IKEA lady in my best French how much it cost (it still took us a while to communicate even with my best French) and she printed off the receipt for us to pick up our item.  Here's the catch, you don't pick it up downstairs, but 1 km away at the IKEA pick up location.  I almost said "Are you kidding?" but I don't know how to say that in French.  I told her that we took the bus and she sort of gave me a "good luck" smile and we headed off to check out.  I told the check out lady the same thing "I took the bus and walked here" (in my best French) and she drew me a little map and told me how to get to the place.  I recognized enough words that I thought I knew how to get there.  Well, we made it to the other IKEA building, and picked up my mattress pad.  It was rolled into about a foot and a half diameter and was about 5 feet tall.  They put it on a cart I think to take it out to my car, but I just smiled and pointed at my little cart.  I tried to use my best French with the man there too, but as soon as I opened my mouth, he started talking in English to me.  So, we loaded it onto our little pull car and secured it with some packing tape and back out on the street to the bus stop we go.  I'm not quite sure what people thought as we rolled it onto the bus, so I tried not to look at them.  We made a quick stop at ToysRUs on the way home too.  I got some really funny looks as I wheeled my cart and pad and all into the store and asked if I could leave it at the counter.  One man was nice enough to try and understand what I was saying and then even joke with me about the nice gift I brought him.

Soooo...4 hours later, we made it home with my new bed.  I guess Wayne should just be glad that he didn't have to go buy me a whole new mattress, that would have made an even better story.  But the strange thing about the whole morning is that it wasn't even that stressful.  We had a great time chatting, the 45 minute bus ride didn't even seem that long, and I wasn't even that bothered that I had to lug a mattress pad home on the bus.  It's amazing what you get used to!  So while life with a car would be more convenient, God has given us the grace to adjust to life as it is without.

I'm not no account, just ignorant

One of the main struggles right now, is feeling no account. I can no longer do many of the things I could do with a decent degree of competency back home. Back home, if asked to preach a sermon, no problem. I'm not saying it would be anything great, but I could do it. But in French, it's not possible. To express even the simplest of ideas in French right now requires a great deal of effort.

Before this experience of language learning, I don't think I realized how much I relied on my competency to feel important. I found significance in being an engineer, a good student, being able to preach/teach, etc. Now that my competency is gone, I'm needing to find significance in something else. I'm being reminded of a truth that I've known before but had not fully appreciated. The truth is that I am "in Christ." 

The Bible speaks often of the Christian being "in Christ," which is truly a loaded statement. One aspect of being "in Christ" is that my significance is now found in the fact that I'm associated with Christ. The fact that through faith I am associated with Christ and therefore a child of God, I don't need to find significance in my competency. Regardless of how my situation changes, I will always have significance because of my relationship with Christ. 

This truth has proven to be extremely encouraging as I don't see myself becoming very competent again real soon. And finally, pray that as my competency slowly increases, that my feeling of significance does not simultaneously shift back to competency and away from God.

L'avenir

I love having theological and philosophical discussions, and this morning, we had a great one.  We talked about "l'avenir", the future.  We read some quotes by philosophers and writers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Albert Einstein.  We talked about having control over somethings in our lives, but not others.  We talked about the will of God and choice.  We talked about who knows the future and about not worrying about the future.  We talked about the certainty of some things, such as the return of Christ, and the uncertainty of others, such as what will I be doing in 5 years?  

I love having these discussions but they do give my brain a workout.  And this morning not only was it a topic that involved some thinking, it was all in French!  My brain feels like it ran a half marathon.  

I think I need a nap.

Silence...????

We have been told that sometimes, when young kids enter a new culture where a new language is spoken, that they will stop talking altogether for awhile.  It seems like they just need to figure out what is going on, and then they will get back to normal.  So we came to France prepared...but didn't have to worry :)  The only time there is silence around here is when Addie is sleeping.  Just tonight, she had to go to the bathroom and was chatting a little too much to concentrate on what she was doing, so I left her alone.  As soon as I walked out the door, I hear her yell, "Mommy, I need some privacy!" over and over again, followed by "Are you giving me some?"  Hmmm, I'm not sure she quite gets the concept of privacy yet :)

Thanks for praying for her.  Her transition has been going really well.  It has actually helped me in knowing that she likes it here.  She loves our new apartment, her new toys that she received from a little girl who just left here, and is getting to love the nursery that she is in 4 days a week.  God really knew what he was doing when he gave her to us.  She brings so much joy to us every day.  I'm not sure we would survive this without her!

Childhood, Romans 11, and some Election Reflection

I've already heard many Christians bemoaning the election results and the fact that God has now left us. I certainly disagree strongly with Obama on some points but am nowhere near the Chicken Little syndrome that appears to be sweeping through much of the evangelical church. I definitely agree that the U.S. has gone away from God on some important issues, but this election has proved that on one issue God has shown us tremendous mercy.

In Romans 11, Paul presents an extremely quick overview of the history of the world; past, present, and future. The chapter discusses how God in this present age is not working directly through the nation of Israel, but through the church. The warning that Paul gives to the church is this, "Do not become proud (Rom 11:20)." Paul knew that because the church contained a predominantly Gentile (non-Jewish) base, then Gentiles would be tempted to develop ethnic pride. Paul reminds the Gentiles that God will still work with the Jews (11:2). God has constructed the history of the world in order to crush ethnic pride. The predominant Gentile makeup of the church crushes Jewish pride and the mercy that will be shown to Jews in the future will crush Gentile pride. All this to say, the issue of ethnic pride or racism is a fundamental issue of Christianity. God is so concerned that no one forget to see Him as the the center because they're focused on their own ethnicity that He has constructed all of history in order to crush ethnic pride.

So, how has God in this election shown us mercy? For the first 200 years of U.S. history, America failed miserably on this issue of racism that is so central to God's heart. And this incredible failure placed America in a position that we could (should) have been judged. But God has shown mercy.

I remember growing up in North Carolina and hearing and even telling racist jokes. I remember hearing people say they would leave the country if a black man were ever elected president. Not that they would leave if someone pro-abortion got elected or an atheist that scorns God's wisdom, but a black man.

The fact that at the present moment my state of North Carolina is still too close to call means that a black man ran for president and white people cast ballots not based on the color of a man's skin, but on who he was as a candidate. Again, I'm not saying Obama is a perfect candidate or even that he should have been elected. But the fact that he had a fair shot shows me that on at least one issue, God has shown this country mercy. Yes, He has allowed our country to ignore His commands on many other issues and we should mourn that. But on one issue incredibly close to God's heart, we have received mercy for which I am incredibly thankful.

Soul Care

I've recently been very exhausted with the constant travels, presentations, phone calls, etc. and spent some time this morning trying to recharge by reflecting on Hebrews 11 and a sermon from my boy Johnny Edwards.

Here's a great quote from a sermon based on Hebrews 11:13, 14, "And confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things, declare plainly that they seek a country."

Commenting on how all pleasures now are but a foretaste for eternity with God, he writes

"To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the fountain. These are but drops; but God is the ocean."

"Would you be mad at me if I volunteered to die?"

Our training at MTI this week as spurred many interesting conversations between us. Let me give you a little background for this question that Wayne asked me. Wednesday morning, the topic on our schedule was You Under Stress. Tuesday afternoon we had talked about different kinds of stress, and so I'm thinking on Wednesday morning, we may talk about how to deal with the stress of shopping in a new culture, or dealing with the stress of learning a new language. It was a little different though. We told we were going to be having a simulation that morning and then they broke us into two groups and took us to the basement. We were then herded into a small space about 8 feet long, 6 feet wide and 5 feet high made out of cardboard boxes. It was then that we were told what the simulation was. "You are hiding from rebels who have taken over the area. Your children have been evacuated to safety, but you must figure out how to survive." We heard the rebels moving around outside our shelter once in a while and had to be quiet, then had to make sure everyone was ok, and then at one point, we were told that 5 of us could evacuate on a plane that was coming in to rescue some and we had to pick who. Later on, the "rebels" found us and were then told we could free 3 people, and finally we had to pick people to be executed. The simulation finally ended with 4 of our group "shot" (complete with real gun sounds) and we were all freed.

Yes, it was just a simulation, but for many of us, it brought images of what could really happen. Even reading the news this week, we are reminded that the world is a very volatile place. We have no guarantees of our future, and though Senegal is a very peaceful country, we never know what the future may hold. I was also reminded very strongly this week though that God is in control and on the throne. To be honest, I was very excited at the end of the simulation to realize the peace that God had given me. If I had done this a few years ago, I think I would have been much more emotional and frightened during this simulation, just thinking about the possibility of this happening. It was amazing to me though the peace that God gave me, because I know it was all from Him.

I have been thinking a lot about persecution lately (this was just one of the many reasons why). I was reading Philippians 3 this week and was struck by the verses 10-11..."that I may know him and the power of his resurrection"... ok, sounds good to me!..."and may share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." This last half is what I have been thinking about. I am glad that God has saved me and that I will be like him in the resurrection, but often I really don't want to share in his sufferings or become like him in his death. But this is what he has called me to do! I was reading in 1 Peter later and it talks about rejoicing in suffering which I share with Christ. Too often that is the last thing I want to do! But then I was thinking about what I often pray, "Father, make me more like your Son." And then I realized that this prayer is not just about being like Christ in his glorification, but in his suffering as well. We often speak of taking up our crosses as just being inconvenienced by people, but what if it really means following Jesus into death, am I willing to do that as well?

So this brings us to Wayne's question, "Would you be mad at me if I volunteered to die?" We were told to pick 3 people who were to be executed. If we didn't pick, they would kill us all. This was a very difficult decision for both groups (we were in separate groups by the way). And my answer to him? "No!" Yes, I would be very sad, but I would not be angry. God is calling both of us to serve him overseas. Our lives are his. And we firmly believe that this means both in life and in death, we are his. We believe that God will redeem any sacrifice that we make, even though he may not save us in this life. We want to know Christ and be like him.

How important are missionaries?

Were my parents wrong? Have I been mislead? From my childhood, I've heard that every Christian should be involved in serving others and also desire to share about Christ with others. This upbringing has impacted my desire to teach about Christ in Senegal. As I reflect on what motivates me, the question arises in my mind, Does God need missionaries?

In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul confronted a group in Athens who worshiped several gods and tried to appease those gods and obligate the gods to show them favor. Paul's responds,

"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything (Acts17:24-25).

So, why does Paul tell this group God doesn't need anything and isn't served by humans, but then write letters to churches emphasizing the need to serve? Or specifically related to myself, if God doesn't need me to serve Him, why am I moving overseas? How important am I?

I think the short answer is, I'm expendable. God doesn't need me. The God who created this entire world could cause the rocks to cry out proclaiming who He is. But praise God that while He doesn't need humans, He still lets us participate. God is not requesting help because His plans require our skill sets. He is freeing us from triviality and allowing us to participate in what truly lasts.

To say it another way, everyone praises something. C.S. Lewis once said, "it's the misfits and malcontents who praise the least." Everyone instinctively praises great books, sunsets, lovers, sports teams, and so much more. We enjoy praising greatness. Now we have the privilege of praising throughout the entire world the essence of greatness, God.

Date night...conversation topic - genocide.

Last week, Wayne's mom and sister were in town for a visit. We decided to take advantage of some free babysitting and go on a date. Nothing better than dinner using a gift card and a movie at the dollar theater for a nice evening together! Well, that afternoon as I was driving to meet my friend at our weekly Starbucks meeting, I had the radio on NPR and heard Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service, talking about the genocide in Sudan. It intrigued me and as I kept listening, I found out she was going to be speaking that night on the topic. So instead of dinner and a movie, it was dinner and a slide show depicting the horrors happening in Sudan. Not the most relaxing or romantic date, but definitely worth our time.

Apparently, this is the first time that the American government (as well as several others) has actually called something a genocide while it was happening. Usually that declaration comes after the fact. Wayne and I were both heartbroken about the evil atrocities which are happening right now in Darfur, and convicted that we are not doing anything about it. To be honest, I really didn't even know much about it until last week. I knew bad things were happening, but I didn't know how bad they really were. I am ashamed that I have not paid more attention and have not done anything about it.



Probably the most beneficial thing of the night was when the speaker gave suggestions of how we can do something.

• Let your representatives know you care. You can call 1-800-GENOCIDE and they will tell you if important legislation is upcoming that you can talk to your representatives about. Most representatives also make it real easy to contact them if you just go to their website. If you go to www.darfurscores.org, you can enter your zip code and find who your representatives are and how they've voted on Darfur related legislation.
• Check your investments, 401k's, etc. The genocide in Sudan continues because the Sudanese government gives weapons to the Janjaweed who carry out the violence. The Sudanese government gets weapons in exchange for the oil they sell to China (70% of Sudan's oil exports go to China). Many 401k's are investing in PetroChina and other oil companies that are funding the genocide. Here's a website that can help you investigate and make sure your 401k isn't funding the genocide.

A helpful website in general is www.savedarfur.org and an easy to read book on the topic is "Not on our watch."

After hearing about the genocide and what we could do (and haven't done up until now), it reminded me of "Hotel Rwanda" (a very difficult movie to watch) in which a genocide was taking place. One man in Rwanda who was trying to save people, found out that a CNN crew was there and said "Now people will do something when they see how bad it really is here!" The reporter replied "No, people will see it on the evening news, say 'How awful', and return to their dinner". How awful that I can sit safe and comfortable in my home and not do anything about the terrible suffering happening in Sudan. Although it hurts to learn about it and see it, I don't ever want to be that ignorant or complacent again.

Home...where is that?

This past week we housesat for some friends of ours from church. Addie really enjoyed being there because she had another dog to "take care of". It was probably good that Blackie is deaf and couldn't hear Addie calling for her constantly! Wayne and I enjoyed staying there because of the nice hot tub in the back yard! When we came home yesterday and Addie woke up from her nap, she immediately started calling for Blackie again. I tried to explain to her that Blackie wasn't here and she just looked at me knowingly and said "Blackie home." I wondered if I should try to explain to her this was our home and we were just visiting the other house last week and that now we were home. But at that point I was too tired to explain anything and she is only 18 months, so I guess I shouldn't try and explain too much! After thinking about if for a while though, I am glad that Addie can call wherever mommy and daddy and blankie are home. And that is probably what the most of her life and the rest of our life will be like (minus the blankie I hope!) Soon, Senegal will be our home, and yet I'm sure our home here will always tug at our hearts. I am glad that our home can be wherever we are together serving the Lord.

I was reminded of this fact again last weekend as we attended the mission conference at PBC (see my most recent blog). I had only been to PBC a few times since I graduated from high school almost 7 years ago, yet God used that place in such a big way in my life that it was like going home. God used PBC to mold me and shape me and He blessed me by brining me back there to encourage the church. Last weekend was incredibly encouraging for us as there is such an excitement for missions among the body right now. We also were told that we were an encouragment to the church as they were able to see that God is still raising up people to go to the mission field. Our mutual desire to see God's name spread though all the world by His church brought us together once again.

And through all this I am reminded where my real home is, that I am only a temporary sojourner on this earth and eagerly look forward to my home in heaven. While God gives us good gifts such as family, church family, and homes, it is only a reflection of the perfect home we will one day have with Him.

(All she needs is blankie!)

You must be kidding...

Do we really need to come back to Denver again for more training? This is what we were thinking in January. On our recent trip to our mission board (WorldVenture) in Denver, we had 3 days of training, which once again made us thankful for WV. We weren't very excited about going and weren't sure why we needed to go, but after being there, we were reminded that we still need some help.

We looked at some extremely practical ideas about transitioning and the stress that comes with it. We discussed how raising Addie overseas presents huge blessings and challenges. One insightful story during our time came from anther missionary in our group who grew up overseas and attended a U.S. military elementary school. He mentioned to our group about an assignment where the class was to write a paper on, "Why I love my country." This missionary kid didn't realize until half way through the paper that it was supposed to be about America; not the country he was growing up in.

The term that describes a challenge MK's face is a third culture kid. This is a kid who grows up in a country where they are definitely different from those in that country. However, their parent's home country isn't necessarily "home" because they simply haven't grown up there. It's obvious to see where the challenge lies, but God has been also reminding us of the benefits that come with being a third culture kid. Our God is so great that any one set of cultural values is not able to fully appreciate Him. We know this to be true as our culture does not always treasure the justice of God, and yet we know this aspect of God is true. So, we do value God's justice. But the more I am influenced by American culture, the more I feel like I need to apologize for His justice. And yet I don't apologize for His love because we do value that.

No single culture fully appreciates all aspects of God and each culture will not be inclined to appreciate the same aspect. Growing up in the south, I was not always inclined to appreciate the diversity of ethnicities in God's creation; and yet Revelation 5:8 tells me it's important. I'm very excited that Addie will grow up appreciating God through different cultural lenses. Will there be challenges, yes! But most certainly there are benefits also and we look forward to seeing how God continues to work in all of us through our journeys.

Confession #2...

I am a worrier. Some say that it comes from being a woman (ok, maybe that has something to do with it), but that is not all it is. Know what it is? SIN. I have been really convicted lately about my worry, especially as we are transitioning in many aspects of our life and although we know what we want to do in our future, it is out of our control!

One area that I have been worrying a lot about lately is "when are we going to be able to go overseas?" Our hoped for departure date is September of this year, and while we are working hard to share our vision with people and challenge them to support the ministry, it is ultimately up to God to bring in our support. I have been challenged this week with the idea that even Jesus had to trust the Father with His future. When He was in the garden praying, Jesus specifically prayed that there would be another way, other than death. But God said no. And in this, Jesus trusted the Father that death would not be the end. I worry that we may not be able to leave in September, but if God says no (and He definitely hasn't said that yet!), I am trusting Him that His timing is perfect and that He will allow us to go when we are ready.

So please pray for us. Pray that we would have our support raised and be able to leave for language school in September. We still believe that God has opened doors for us right now to be able to do this! Most of all though, pray that our faith will be strengthened in every circumstance, no matter when we depart.

I'm glad he had a dream...

Why do so few churches do anything special the weekend of MLK's birthday? OK, I agree, celebrating Christmas and Easter is more important, and some churches don't even do much on those days. But I'm curious how many churches celebrate America's Independence Day, and say nothing on MLK's birthday.

Which day should we be more excited about? On Independence Day, whether in a church or at a cookout, Christians celebrate the religious freedoms that we have in America. Even though, many freedoms we celebrate, have often been dispensed in accordance with skin color.

I believe a major aspect of missions is that God desires, not just a quantity of people, but a diversity of people. That's why the church is told to not just go to nations that are responsive; but all nations. The song that is sung in Rev. 5:9 is not that a specified quantify of people have been bought by the blood of Christ, but that people from every tribe, language, people and nation have been bought by the blood of Christ.

Diversity matters!

We should all be thankful to Dr. King because he fought for diversity, and also, the way he fought. Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech includes the line, "Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force."

So, on this day, I am thankful for ones like Dr. King who have taught me the value of diversity, the value of having dreams, and pursuing dreams the right way. If you've never watched his "I have a Dream" speech, it's worth it.

I am thankful...

...for so great a salvation.

...that God is worthy to be praised.

...that God chooses to use us in His plan.

...that God has given us a clear vision and plan for our future.

...for my husband who loves me and cares for me.

...that I have a husband whom I can respect and follow.

...for my baby girl.

...for my education.

...for my heritage.

...that God is not done changing me yet.

...for the Holy Spirit, the helper that Jesus promised.

...for technology.

...that we have people in Iowa, North Carolina, and Texas who get excited to watch Addie.

...for books.

...did I mention Wayne and Addie?



Leave me a comment and let me know what you are thankful for!

I'm looking forward to Muslim culture

The latest issue of Time magazine has an article about the differences between Western cultures and Muslim cultures. The writer, Carla Power, quoted a Muslim scholar who once wittily remarked about the differences, "You Westerners make love in public and pray in private. We Muslims do exactly the reverse." Carla Power summarized the differences like this:

"What's decent to do in public? The French have no problem with bare breasts on billboards and TV but big problems with hijab-covered heads in public schools and government offices. . . In the Islamic world, religion is out of the closet: on the streets, chanted five times daily from minarets, enshrined in constitutions, party platforms and penal codes. Sexual matters are kept discreet."

What I found incredibly interesting and revealing about our Western culture is that after the article identifies the difference, it says nothing about why religion is private in the West. The article proceeds to discuss how Muslim cultures have responded to sexual issues made public, but ignores why we have such trouble discussing religion.

While I am painfully sorrowful that Muslims have not embraced Jesus for who is really is but just acknowledge Him as a prophet, I look forward to the fact that Muslims at least believe it's an important issue. So much is wrong with our culture when discussions about whether or not someone has come and truly conquered sin, or even what is sin are taboo. Religion is taboo but Paris Hilton remains newsworthy. I'm going on record right now as saying, I look forward to more news about religion than Paris Hilton.

Train up a child in the way she should go...

Today at noon, the Wolfpack will take on the Tarheels in football. Very few people in the country care about this game, but two out of three in this home do.

Please pray for the other member of this family.

Ever heard a sermon on Isaiah 63?

I haven’t. The first 6 verses present God judging the nations as if He were stomping grapes (i.e. the nations) in a winepress. The metaphor portrays the garments of God as stained with blood from this judgment. Why do these verses often make us uneasy? Why are countless sermons on the love of God as portrayed in the parable of the prodigal son to be found; yet very few on this portrayal of God’s justice?

A few weeks back, I was listening to a 3 part series on the book of Romans by N.T. Wright. As the justice of God surfaces in the book of Romans, Wright made a passing comment about how in Western countries, the justice of God is often spoken of with unease, but in many countries in the world, God’s justice is cherished. The justice of God is not an attribute in competition with His love, but an extension of it. The reason Wright states this is so is because in so many countries justice is not the norm but the exception.

Think about it, what if you lived your life expecting injustice? What if you expected every cop to be dirty? Sure, some are, but not all. What if you expected every public project to never be finished but simply fill the pockets of a government official? I think what struck me the most about Wright’s comment was how out of touch I am with injustices that occur in the world. If Myanmar was not just a headline on my homepage, but something I regularly thought about, would I not long more for the day of God’s justice instead of being uneasy about it?

Longing for justice is not foreign to us. We don’t watch Die Hard With a Vengeance and hope that the terrorists are caught, but then simply let go. Come on, can’t the judicial system just let em go? I mean, this is only the first time they’ve tried to tear apart the country. As I thought about how much I long for justice while watching movies yet find it rarely passes my mind while reading the news, I was struck by a challenge from the great theologian Bono in the song Sunday, bloody, Sunday:

And the truth is we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die
And the battle is just begun
To claim the victory Jesus won
On Sunday, bloody Sunday

This post doesn’t isn’t geared at a specific aspect of our ministry in Senegal, just some thoughts about God’s justice. I’d love to hear some of your thoughts also on why God’s justice makes us uneasy when many parts of the world cherish that attribute. Also, why do we cheer for justice in movies but scan news headlines as if we just want to be up to date with everyday conversations or internet current event quizzes (or at least answer why I do that)?