It's virtually impossible to recount the horror, devastation and "lostness" of the earthquake that recently impacted Haiti. However, if you would like a GREAT first hand account of what it was like to minister in Jesus name in the hours that immediately followed Haiti's national nightmare, PLEASE read this blog: http://totheleastofthese-laura.blogspot.com/
If it does not touch your heart to pray and open your eyes to what God can do in the midst of grief, nothing much will.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Banana Spiders and other delicacies....
As I see it…
Banana spiders and Dominican cockroaches: if you’ve ever traveled to or lived in a tropical climate, such critters are relatively common residents of the land. On the one hand you should not be surprised to encounter this semi-select group of God’s creatures. On the other hand it’s nice to be warned in advance that such encounters can indeed take place. First the good news: banana spiders are only interested in mosquitoes; and their hard-shelled 12th cousins are only interested in night life and crumbs (I think!). Now the not-so-good news: banana spiders (mature ones, that is) are the size of a grown man’s hand; Dominican cockroaches (like some of their Floridian kin-folk) have the ability to fly, coming complete with landing gears and head lights. As the King James folks would put it, “my hap was to light” upon one each at the same time about midnight. I was not startled so much as I was frozen in time. Neither of these critters was concerned at the fact that I had turned on the light: the spider refused to move and the cockroach continued scurrying around as if my presence was inconsequential. I took care of my business, obtained a glass of water, making sure no other critters were in the glass, took my pills and quietly backed out of the kitchen and turned off the light. I did not bother to look over my shoulder to see if either was following me. My midnight encounter has caused me to wonder: Since I wasn’t present at creation, I have no idea why my Heavenly Father chose to make such “living creatures which crawl upon the face of the earth” (I certainly hope it was because of the fall, not before it!). He certainly doesn’t need my permission. But, it is a mild inconvenience to have to share the same continent or even island with the likes of these arthropods. The hymn writer explored the fact and praised our Lord for “all creatures, great and small.” I wonder if he ever came face to insect with a banana spider before he penned such words?
Banana spiders and Dominican cockroaches: if you’ve ever traveled to or lived in a tropical climate, such critters are relatively common residents of the land. On the one hand you should not be surprised to encounter this semi-select group of God’s creatures. On the other hand it’s nice to be warned in advance that such encounters can indeed take place. First the good news: banana spiders are only interested in mosquitoes; and their hard-shelled 12th cousins are only interested in night life and crumbs (I think!). Now the not-so-good news: banana spiders (mature ones, that is) are the size of a grown man’s hand; Dominican cockroaches (like some of their Floridian kin-folk) have the ability to fly, coming complete with landing gears and head lights. As the King James folks would put it, “my hap was to light” upon one each at the same time about midnight. I was not startled so much as I was frozen in time. Neither of these critters was concerned at the fact that I had turned on the light: the spider refused to move and the cockroach continued scurrying around as if my presence was inconsequential. I took care of my business, obtained a glass of water, making sure no other critters were in the glass, took my pills and quietly backed out of the kitchen and turned off the light. I did not bother to look over my shoulder to see if either was following me. My midnight encounter has caused me to wonder: Since I wasn’t present at creation, I have no idea why my Heavenly Father chose to make such “living creatures which crawl upon the face of the earth” (I certainly hope it was because of the fall, not before it!). He certainly doesn’t need my permission. But, it is a mild inconvenience to have to share the same continent or even island with the likes of these arthropods. The hymn writer explored the fact and praised our Lord for “all creatures, great and small.” I wonder if he ever came face to insect with a banana spider before he penned such words?
Friday, January 15, 2010
Spice and your devotional time
As I see it…
How would like to spice up your devotional life? I know, it doesn’t sound very spiritual to speak about our time with the Lord as “spicy.” However, my intent isn’t to cheapen, it’s to enliven. I try to read a mixture of godly sources with my Bible reading each day. Nothing, and I mean nothing, exceeds or replaces my Bible reading; but it’s good to hear other voices speak of our mutual journey with the Lord. I have read men like Tozer, O. Chambers, Vance Havner, DA Carson, CS Lewis, Chuck Swindoll and others down through the years. I have even waded into the sometimes unusual waters of those who have been called church mystics. But recently, I’ve expanded devotional borders even further. It’s at this point that I would like to encourage my fundamentalist friends to take a deep breath, elevate your feet higher than your head and then continue. Recently I’ve explored the writings of men (and a few women) who have established their Christian renown in Roman Catholic (and other denominational) circles. There are those, for example, who have argued that CS Lewis was a little too “catholic” for their liking. Wherever you land on that argument, you cannot deny his Christian apologetic genius. In turn, his heritage included men like GK Chesterton, Augustine, Athanasius, Ambrose and the like. You can get a taste of these contributors and many others in the book, From the Library of C. S. Lewis. Some of the content is philosophical drivel, but just some. Much of the content exposes the fountains from which Lewis drank. Interestingly enough, the title of Lewis’s own spiritual journal is derived from his reading of Richard Baxter (a Puritan giant of letters in his own right), Mere Christianity. I have found that many of these writers/authors have contributed much to my Christian and apologetic thinking. But then, discernment is always the key when reading anyone. (By contrast, I have a few fundamentalist-authored books whose content hasn’t really done all that much to raise my spiritual thermometer. This is said not to pronounce judgment, just an opinion from a country preacher.) The proof, they say, is in the pudding. In this case, looking beyond the labels and into a person’s soul certainly will affect the impact of their contribution to your life. So, are you ready for a little spice?
How would like to spice up your devotional life? I know, it doesn’t sound very spiritual to speak about our time with the Lord as “spicy.” However, my intent isn’t to cheapen, it’s to enliven. I try to read a mixture of godly sources with my Bible reading each day. Nothing, and I mean nothing, exceeds or replaces my Bible reading; but it’s good to hear other voices speak of our mutual journey with the Lord. I have read men like Tozer, O. Chambers, Vance Havner, DA Carson, CS Lewis, Chuck Swindoll and others down through the years. I have even waded into the sometimes unusual waters of those who have been called church mystics. But recently, I’ve expanded devotional borders even further. It’s at this point that I would like to encourage my fundamentalist friends to take a deep breath, elevate your feet higher than your head and then continue. Recently I’ve explored the writings of men (and a few women) who have established their Christian renown in Roman Catholic (and other denominational) circles. There are those, for example, who have argued that CS Lewis was a little too “catholic” for their liking. Wherever you land on that argument, you cannot deny his Christian apologetic genius. In turn, his heritage included men like GK Chesterton, Augustine, Athanasius, Ambrose and the like. You can get a taste of these contributors and many others in the book, From the Library of C. S. Lewis. Some of the content is philosophical drivel, but just some. Much of the content exposes the fountains from which Lewis drank. Interestingly enough, the title of Lewis’s own spiritual journal is derived from his reading of Richard Baxter (a Puritan giant of letters in his own right), Mere Christianity. I have found that many of these writers/authors have contributed much to my Christian and apologetic thinking. But then, discernment is always the key when reading anyone. (By contrast, I have a few fundamentalist-authored books whose content hasn’t really done all that much to raise my spiritual thermometer. This is said not to pronounce judgment, just an opinion from a country preacher.) The proof, they say, is in the pudding. In this case, looking beyond the labels and into a person’s soul certainly will affect the impact of their contribution to your life. So, are you ready for a little spice?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Haiti
Our daughter has a ministry next door to Haiti. The Dominican Republic and Haiti share an island but their existence is worlds apart. There is a mountain range that essentially serves as a natural border between the two countries. The DR side is lush and green. It's towns and villages are populated by a medium-class to a poor but vibrant people. The Haitian side manifests a poverty that defies description. The land is barren and the government, for much of its history has been plagued with corruption. Several years ago, the nation declared Voodoo as its national religion. Tonight, the country marks its second night of a meager yet mass survival. Sadly, their worse days may not as yet have happened. As we met for our midweek prayer time tonight, we started by reading emails and blogs of various Christians who tried to describe the devastation that now marks their land. My thoughts went to Jonah and Nineveh. Prayer is sprinkled throughout that brief little OT book. The prophet prays, the pagan sailors pray, and the inhabitants of Nineveh even learn to humble themselves before the Lord. No matter their background, each and every one in this small book lift their voices in prayer. As Port-au-Prince cries out tonight for help, many have cried out to the God of creation on their behalf to grant them comfort and aid. My prayer for Haiti is that the God of Scripture will show them a benevolence and redemption that their practice of Voodoo could never comprehend let alone display.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Newspapers and other old fashioned stuff...
I was just wondering, would all of you who regularly subscribe to and read a newspaper please raise your hand? Hmmm, I was afraid of that. This last decade I've watched as one old rag after another slowly bit the dust or tried to prevent it from happening. Our local paper, Philly Inq, is fighting chapter 13 as I write. I must agree with CS Lewis who said, if I may paraphrase him, "You ought to read the old with the new." He was speaking of books, mind you, but the principle is still the same. I try to demonstrate my multi-tasking ability to this generation by adjusting my glasses, walking down my driveway to pick up my newspaper each morning while thumbing through my Pre for my emails all at the same time. Does that qualify me as a member of the now/current generation of x'ers, y-ers and other alphabet chromosome possessors? If not, I'm fine with it. I can still use my newspaper to sop up wet carbon footprints, line appropriate facilities and help start the wood burner in my fireplace with old copies of the Inq. Let's see you gen-exers do that with your iphones/pods/apples ad nausea. I know, I know, if Windows 95 was good enough for my father, than it ought to be ancient history to me. And so it is; I tried apple vicariously through my wife for a while, wasn't impressed. Nonetheless, I'll keep googling uncertain terms and unknown people in the mean time (by the way, when did we first start to use "google" as a verb form...?). When the Lord returns, I'll be leaving my laptop and pre behind. I have a feeling there won't be cell towers in heaven...
Church Mouse's View of Leadership
As I see it…
I received a renewed reminder last night of the importance of the body of Christ – the whole body! The leadership (church council, i.e. deacons and elders and pastoral staff) met for one of those “free for all” sessions. It probably isn’t as bloody as it sounds. Our men just have the ability to close the meeting room door, bang the gates of heaven for Spirit-led discussion as we all prepared ourselves with a season of prayer and then have it at. A no holds barred and no defenses allowed session. It’s a great y-chromosome experience! No touchy, feely stuff allowed. When everything is said and done, I straitened my virtual clerical collar, swallowed my differences and joined the fray. The men were gracious enough to give me the first volley and then they took off! I listened for at least an hour before I spoke again. These men love the Lord, love his church and want to make sure that, as best as they can discern it, they want to do church right! While talks of visionary concepts are allowed, ignoring present tense needs is not tolerated. What are we doing now to plug the holes, fill the gaps, staff the needs, address the issues and make ourselves more acceptable to visitors and regular attendees? There was little hand wringing, it was more: tell-it-like-it-is and rejoice-where-we’ve-gotten-it-right but don’t pat yourself on the back too much because there’s-much-to-be-done-yet. If anyone got bruised, too bad; if anyone got it right, thanks, but there are still things to accomplish. It’s okay to admit that any one person can’t do it all. But, it’s not okay to say that the status is quo (that’s Latin for “the mess we’re in”) and pretend that it doesn’t matter. Malaise (spiritual, emotional or any other kind) is no longer tolerated. We want Christ honored, but not at the cost of overlooking the obvious; not without planning to equip the saints, disciple the younger and needy Christians and generally look to cover each other’s back in the process. The atmosphere was electric; the points of view were just that, pointed; and the genuine loving attitude demonstrated for the body of believers (and others) was palpable. After the “free for all” we assessed the damage, took roll call and gave out assignments. We’re not looking back; we are moving forward. And by God’s grace, starting now, we want to do church right, for the glory of God. Since accountability is the proof of the pudding, in a few months we’ll let you know who made the cut and who didn’t! Stay tuned because the rest of the body of Christ and heavenly hosts are watching to see if we get it right!
I received a renewed reminder last night of the importance of the body of Christ – the whole body! The leadership (church council, i.e. deacons and elders and pastoral staff) met for one of those “free for all” sessions. It probably isn’t as bloody as it sounds. Our men just have the ability to close the meeting room door, bang the gates of heaven for Spirit-led discussion as we all prepared ourselves with a season of prayer and then have it at. A no holds barred and no defenses allowed session. It’s a great y-chromosome experience! No touchy, feely stuff allowed. When everything is said and done, I straitened my virtual clerical collar, swallowed my differences and joined the fray. The men were gracious enough to give me the first volley and then they took off! I listened for at least an hour before I spoke again. These men love the Lord, love his church and want to make sure that, as best as they can discern it, they want to do church right! While talks of visionary concepts are allowed, ignoring present tense needs is not tolerated. What are we doing now to plug the holes, fill the gaps, staff the needs, address the issues and make ourselves more acceptable to visitors and regular attendees? There was little hand wringing, it was more: tell-it-like-it-is and rejoice-where-we’ve-gotten-it-right but don’t pat yourself on the back too much because there’s-much-to-be-done-yet. If anyone got bruised, too bad; if anyone got it right, thanks, but there are still things to accomplish. It’s okay to admit that any one person can’t do it all. But, it’s not okay to say that the status is quo (that’s Latin for “the mess we’re in”) and pretend that it doesn’t matter. Malaise (spiritual, emotional or any other kind) is no longer tolerated. We want Christ honored, but not at the cost of overlooking the obvious; not without planning to equip the saints, disciple the younger and needy Christians and generally look to cover each other’s back in the process. The atmosphere was electric; the points of view were just that, pointed; and the genuine loving attitude demonstrated for the body of believers (and others) was palpable. After the “free for all” we assessed the damage, took roll call and gave out assignments. We’re not looking back; we are moving forward. And by God’s grace, starting now, we want to do church right, for the glory of God. Since accountability is the proof of the pudding, in a few months we’ll let you know who made the cut and who didn’t! Stay tuned because the rest of the body of Christ and heavenly hosts are watching to see if we get it right!
Monday, January 4, 2010
More Bible reading
My daughter-in-law discovered for her family and reminded me of yet another good resource of through the Bible reading.
Please check this out:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12349985/Professor-Grant-Horners-Bible-Reading-System
Of all the "systems" that are out there, this is one of the best.
Please check this out:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/12349985/Professor-Grant-Horners-Bible-Reading-System
Of all the "systems" that are out there, this is one of the best.
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Years...Bible reading?
I was impressed the other day in our local newspaper (yes, I still read it!) that a reporter went into center city Philly and interviewed several people about resolutions for the new year. My amazement was that two young women, independent of each other, responded by saying they were going to read their Bible more or entirely during the new year. I was pleasantly surprised at their responses, even more surprised that the reported recorded it, the editor passed it and it got published! My heartfelt congrats go these young women, may their tribe increase. (My then 10 year old grandson informed me last year that he had a goal of reading through the Bible as well. I check with him from time to time: his response is, "It's hard work!) Along a similar line, our church elders have discussed what it would mean to have a new (renewed) emphasis on Bible reading and study. After prayerful consideration, we're going to take a break in the Gospel of John and take a few months to review the Bible. Set some goals about reading, memorizing and studying it. I look forward to seeing what our congregation's response may be. As I read the biography's of various saints of church history, I'm impressed with number who not only emphasized the importance of the reading of the Word of God, many gave their lives to scholarship and defense of it's maintenance and preservation. So, whatever else you might have planned for this new year, gave some healthy thought to renewing your quest of reading the Bible. It wouldn't hoit!
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