Superficial houses and people

You know, I never knew how superficial houses were until Tracey and I bought one. What I mean is that we have so many ways of covering and concealing those internal, underneath things we don’t want to show. If you lift up the shingles, you can see the bare frame of the house! The brick on the outside is simply a veneer. We cover the concrete foundation with carpet, hardwood floors or wood laminate. We cover the frame with sheet rock and then we cover the sheet rock with paint...LOTS AND LOTS OF PAINT! Then we cover the holes we cut with outlet covers and vent covers. We put frames around windows and doors. It seems like a necessary thing for us to do to our houses, but it seems like we are obsessed with it.
It also seems like this carries over to our bodies and our spiritual lives. Do we see how we are concerned with covering our bodies and faces? Our Oxford culture is very concerned with externals. Do we see how we hide what’s really going on internally with fake smiles and superficial words? Do we see that we struggle to have quality relationships when we cover up who we really are as God created us? Let’s go deeper and reveal what God created rather than what we created.

Adopted Sons and Daughters

It was neat to hear the responses I got after our discussion last night about our upcoming adoption ministry. I was a little surprised at how little discussion I got during my talk, but then afterwards I discovered that many just have trouble speaking up in a big group. I needed reminding of that and I totally understand. It was great to hear of new people commiting to it and I heard that it was challenging to some who used to adopt but do so no longer.
I just want our adoption ministry to be a hospitable invitation into the kingdom of God. I'm so thankful for those who have helped and I pray God is growing the seed that was planted last night so that this year's servants will be ready to bless college students. Graduate students and maybe even older undergrads should consider adopting this year. Will you?

Star Wars: Silence or Applause?

I am always fascinated by cultural differences in the world. Our LST team noticed in Buenos Aires how little money was put into externals of a given structure but that they were almost always surprised by the beauty and cleanliness inside the building. Ann Davis recalled similar memories from the Ukraine. I recently watched a documentary on the Star Wars movies. The marketers of the first movie described their initial fear when they showed Episode IV in Japan. At the conclusion of the movie, the Japanese people sat in complete silence. Only later did the marketers discover that this was actually the highest form of a compliment to a movie! In the USA, we are very concerned with external appearances and if we do anything in a movie to acknowledge its greatness, we do something with sound!
Now I could talk about the stereotypical superficiality of Americans or our reckless loudness...but I won’t! *grin* Instead, I want you to consider how unique and wonderful and challenging other cultures are. Ask and answer these two questions for yourself: Have you shown a willingness to learn about other cultures? Do I really live like the gospel is for all or just people like me? Let’s humbly answer these together.

Risky movies, risky God

Last night I watched behind-the-scenes footage of Star Wars. I was floored by how hopeless Lucas' vision seemed at the very beginning. Studios would not pick it up, the one that did hardly gave it enough money. Props didn't work, technology was inadequate and slow, shooting was delayed and prolonged way past deadlines. Even Lucas checked himself in to the ER because he was having chest pains from all the stress. HOW DID THIS MOVIE EVER MAKE IT? Well, we know it did and it did because just enough people risked their money, their time and themselves to make it work.
A very similar thing happened with Lord of the Rings, but I will let you watch the appendices for yourself.
These are two of the biggest movie epics ever made and yet it seemed like they would never make it to the screen. But because Lucas and Jackson risked themselves completely and kept their vision, it somehow still got done.

I like to think and am fairly convinced that God risked much and continues to risk much on our behalf. Do you think of God as one who risks? Certainly not every human experience should be imposed on God, but don't you think there is an eternal thread in this idea of risk? We are amazed and in awe of those humans who would risk beyond belief and somehow come out of the valley victorious. Could not God do the same? Surely God didn't plan on killing the creation he created with a flood? If he had planned it, why is he so grieved by his creation. Wouldn't he have expected it? He risked much and failed...yet he decided to start again with Noah. This was and still is a hard concept to fully get my mind around. I would love to talk about it if anybody wants too though.

Struggling to pray

If you know me at all, you know I love routine.  It gives my daily life rhythm and helps me organize and plan and prepare.  You may think routine is bad.  You may think you hate structure and that you live every moment "by the seat of your pants."  (Whatever that really means!)  I think most of us have some kind of routine.  I am always amazed at how my prayer life suffers when I lose my routine.  We just took some vacation with Tracey's family and I was constantly struggling to pray.  The good thing is, I was aware of it and was wanting to make time to pray.  The bad thing is, it really didn't happen. 

Two things that may help you and me.

1.  I want to be more Christlike and connected to God in prayer even when I don't have my routine.

2.  Routine is okay and it may be in the midst of that ordinary day that God does something extraordinary (i.e. Peter and Cornelius!). 

 

 

Like a child

It was so neat this past week to have Tracey's family come and stay with us.  One of the most memorable parts for me was how we celebrated July 5th!  We had so much fun on the 4th with the kids that we decided to have a little more fun.  But this time instead of 3 kids, we had 4.  Tracey's dad gave her some money to use however she wanted.  Well, like a child, Tracey's eyes lit up at the fireworks stand with this new found money.  She went around everywhere finding little things that she wanted to blow up or let the other kids help her blow up!  It was special to see that excitement in her eyes, that God-given part of us that loves to receive surprising little gifts from our fathers and share them with others.  So the best part for me was not the bright lights of the fireworks but the light in her eyes.  Happy July 5th to me!   

Family Gone but Lingering

We had a lot of Tracey’s family with us last weekend through Wednesday. It was quite an experience to go from a house of 2 to a house of 8! We had a lot of fun together and I even got to have more fun than I usually allow myself! *grin* But one of the most amazing emotional transitions always occurs when some part of our family comes and goes...I feel like I lost something. When I saw their van drive off, this small sadness and emptiness crept into my heart. A place in my heart that was filled by their presence was left empty by their absence. It reminded me that we are all on a journey. Our lives intersect other lives for a short but precious amount of time and then we keep going. I am thankful for the memories and will, Lord willing, see them again fairly soon. But I long for the day when my earthly family and spiritual family will all be in one place forever. The bonds God created us to have will be complete and final and perfect. Absence will be swallowed up by sweet and eternal presence. Come, Lord Jesus!