The "How Much More" of Christmas

Christmas is about God sending His Son to earth to inaugurate the Kingdom of God, which will result in the restoration of all things, including me. (And I need it!)

Given the mess that I and the world are in, what more could I/we ask for?

But the amazing thing is that Jesus, and the restoration He both is and brings, is not good enough for many (embarassingly, even me at times). We want more.

The question for me is: How much more?

When I consider Christmas and am honest with myself, there is no more "more." Jesus is enough. Jesus is more than enough.

Now I've just got to live that truth.

Blessed

Genesis 5:2 (NCV) He created them male and female, and on that day he blessed them and named them human beings.

God is good.

God is a blessing machine.

Psalm 118:24 (NCV)
This is the day that the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad today!

It is easy to miss the blessedness of each day. But the larger (perhaps even the largest) truth is that I AM BLESSED.

Sure, life is hard and challenging, painful even. But that does not mean that God is not blessing me, along with creation and every person in it.

Frustratingly, for some, is the fact that God is such a Blesser that He blesses everyone, regardless of whether they acknowledge Him or bless Him back.

Jesus mentioned this when He spoke of the wheat and weeds.

Matthew 13:24-30 (NIV) Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. [25] But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. [26] When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. [27] "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' [28] " 'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' [29] " 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "

So the wheat and weeds grow up together, until the time for sorting comes. That will be the day of justice; the day that our hearts long for, having heard the voice of justice speaking as if from a great distance. Perhaps that voice is heard only as a faint echo, but it is still the voice of Justice that echoes through the ages, telling us of a day that will come when all will be made right. That will be the day when heaven and earth are renewed and conjoined.

God's goodness washes over me every moment of my life--and I stand blessed before God and creation.

That's good news. I don't care who you are.

Heaven & Earth

The spheres at right are in the Map Room of the Doge's Palace in Venice, Italy. The Doge was the ruler of Venice in days gone by.

One sphere is earth, the terrestrial sphere, and the other is the celestial sphere, in other words--heaven.

I did not know that either this room or these spheres existed until I walked into the Map Room this summer. I read the placard describing the room and nearly fell to my knees when I turned around and beheld the spheres.

I had been considering for a while that heaven and earth are similar in many ways--populated by embodied "souls," with trees and most of the other features of nature that delineate our terrestrial orb.

Is it possible that heaven and earth are in close proximity to each other? Jesus said, when he taught about his mission and explained his purpose in preaching and teaching, "The kingdom of God is near."

If heaven is where God is and where His will is perfectly done (and it is: Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV) "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, [10] your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. '") then it is not such a stretch, to my way of thinking, to consider the possibility that heaven is, perhaps, another dimension of human and natural existence.

Sounds like science fiction, doesn't it?

But what if the orbs/spheres that are in the Doge's Palace in Venice are, as near as possible, a close physical approximation of the relationship between heaven and earth?

The Financial Crisis

Much can and probably should be said about the current financial crisis that is enveloping our nation and world. Even though gas prices are going down ($2.99/gallon in Plymouth today) the stock market continues its downward plummet, having already lost about a third of its value, compared to where it was just a few long weeks ago.

Presidential candidates offer solutions that are not solutions. They act as if they alone can lead us out of this mess, when of course it is all rhetoric.

I found a couple of biblical quotes that speak, I think, to the current testimony to greed and irresponsible (at the very least) behavior of those who have "been in charge." But let's not forget that we, the American people, have been more than happy to prop up the economy with credit, living beyond our means and building up our debt rather than our savings. Hardly anyone has clean hands.

Ezekiel 22:12 (NLT) "There are hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners everywhere! They never even think of me and my commands, says the Sovereign Lord."

The pain is going to hit everyone, in one way or another. The chickens have, indeed, come home to roost.

But isn't that the way it's supposed to be? When we make mistakes, whether consciously or not, the consequences are ours to bear.

Ezekiel 23:35 (Living) "Because you have forgotten me and turned your backs on me, therefore you must bear the consequence of all your sin."

But this is also a time of opportunity. It is a time when the values and principles of the church, of followers of Jesus, come to the fore and we have the chance to act out the values of hospitality, generosity and community. We now have a God-given opportunity to help our neighbors.

Perhaps this will be the catalyst for a spiritual awakening in America, perhaps even around the world.

As scripture says: 1 Tim. 6:10 (NIV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Many griefs.

Maybe we will turn from money as our ambition to loving the Lord and following His command to love others.

Maybe we will turn our focus from buying and selling and instead focus on proclaiming the Lord's economy of abundance released through love.

Maybe we will grasp yet another opportunity to live kingdom-focused so that God's will "will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Maybe ...

"Jumping" Cholla

(Sorry the text runs together further on in this post. Couldn't fix it.)

My parents moved to "The Valley of the Sun" in Arizona in 1979, when Arizona was still "The Wild, Wild West." Most pickups had a gun rack in the rear window, and it was filled with a rifle or two. Just about every weekend saw a shootout in the back parking lot of some bar somewhere in the valley. Bodies were found out in the desert all the time (still are), usually there as a result of foul play. It was a good place to keep your door locked and the shades drawn.

The Valley of the Sun is the huge valley that has Phoenix in the center and is ringed by majestic mountains (purple mountain majesties). Nestled at the base of the mountains to the north is Luke Air Force Base, where they train pilots both foreign and domestic. When the U.S. sells a plane to one of our allies, we also sell the training so the other country's pilots can then fly the thing. Sounds like a sound idea to me. We used to be able (before 9/11) to go out to the end of the runway at Luke and watch the fighter jets do "touch and goes." That is when the planes glide in like they are going to land and, just before they would touch the ground, they hit the afterburners and catapult themselves up, up and away. The sound is deafening. Power, sheer power. You hear the sound ... and you feel it, too.

One of the first things my father did when I visited them in December of 1980 was point out the "Jumping" Cholla (pronounced "choya") cactus (there is one pictured at the top). These innocuous-looking desert plants are really just called cholla cactus. But it's the "jumping" part of the name that makes these things really interesting.

As you can see, this cactus is located in an area that gets a lot of foot traffic ... literally. That red section in the background that shows up about halfway up the cactus is a walking/running track that is located right next to the parking lot of the Johnson Recreation Center. The Rec Center includes a pool, weight room, saunas, tennis courts, bowling lanes, pool and billiards, arts and crafts and a whole bunch of other venues. In back of the walking/running track ( a 1/4 mile loop) is the bacci (pronounced "bochi") courts.

Lots of people hang out in this area, especially during the winter. The photo above was taken in late September, when it was 100 degrees. Not a lot of people on the walking/running track in 100 degree heat.

But the "Jumping" Cholla is there.

It's called "jumping" because little pieces will break off this kind of cactus and roll around, pushed by the wind. And invariably, these little clusters of pernicious cactus needles will end up on a pants leg, a shoe, or even directly on the skin of someone's leg (because they're wearing shorts).

The needles of the cholla are like the needles of a porcupine, then "worm" their way in, the spines enabling the needle to drill into whatever it attaches to. The stories are told of desert travelers getting a cluster of cholla needles on their boots and then finding one of the needles worming its way into a toe. The needle drilled through the boot leather and continued to work its way in, eventually hitting flesh. Ouch! Makes for a nasty infection, sometimes life-threatening when off the beaten path and far from medical help.

Needless to say, it's best to steer clear of these bad boys of the desert. They intend to hurt you. They might look harmless, but they are nasty when it comes to self-defense.

Here's the thought, or question: Why do people put nasty plants like these in places where there are lots of people? Do they have a video camera nearby that catches the moment when a cluster of cholla needles "jumps" onto someone, and then they laugh with sick joy as it happens, rubbing their hands together as they cackle a hideous laugh? Makes me wonder.

And "Jumping" Chollas make for a good perimeter security fence. Plant a bunch of these around your house and you won't have to worry about intruders. They will steer clear of these traveling infection needles. You can't find a more effective "Do Not Enter" sign.

The "Jumping" Cholla is a pretty-looking plant, almost benign in appearance. But cactus-huggers beware! There's danger in them-there needles!

And ... knowing all of this, what kind of person would put one of these in their front yard, next to the sidewalk, where a passerby could inadvertently brush his/her arm/sleeve and drag a needle cluster along for the rest of the walk, totally unaware they've got some real danger aboard?

Chollas are an inexpensive cactus for landscaping. But, really. Go out and buy a real cactus, you sicko!

(What was God thinking when He made these?! Amusement? Just creative? Needed something to go with the "Praying Mantis" or the Venus Fly Trap?)

Desert Wanderings

Deserts are arid, minimal water, and they can be either hot or cold (like a lot of arid people I know!).

But it's in deserts that much is learned, if we're willing to listen and "enter the experience." The Israelites wandered in the desert wilderness. Jesus was in the desert wilderness during his temptation. The desert is the place where we learn to do without, where we are stripped of our "support system" and make our stand in a place of scarcity, rather than the abundance we prefer.

But it's the abundance, especially of physical/material things that blind us from our spiritual poverty, or even our emotional, relational, and societal poverty. If it's in being poor that our wealth is proclaimed, then the desert is a place where we become rich. Know what I mean?

I'm in the desert this week; in Arizona, in the Valley of the Sun. And there is plenty of sun.

At the pool yesterday, while it was 100 degrees, I heard one man exclaim that he was going to go inside because, "I'm cold. The wind is blowing too hard." My mouth became parched, it was open so long in astonishment! (And with the wind blowing hot, arid air.) I was sitting there in the heat and I would have been sweating if it hadn't been so dry. The humidity is around 15-17%, which is like almost totally dry air. Not many clouds in the sky.

So I wasn't sweating. But I was hot, sitting there in the sun, letting the heat warm my joints and soak into me. Winter in Indiana will come soon enough and heat will be welcome.

I am here visiting my mother, who transitioned from the nursing home back to her own house. It has been a week of challenges, as my weakened mom struggles to regain her strength. Breathing is her main problem, and it's a big one. There have been times when the breath of life has been in short supply, not able to make it through her constricted airways and make it to her bloodstream because of damaged and congested lungs. Not a pretty picture. Breaks your heart to hear someone struggling to take every single breath. Makes you thankful for the ability to breath.

When the breath of life escapes you, you are in a desert. A place of scarcity.

It gets your attention!

And God says, "Now that I've got your attention, while you're here, wandering around wondering if your 'lostness' will ever end, let's do business. Let me be your life, even though all you want is your next breath."

And then ... and then ... God blesses us with His presence. And that's enough.

He meets us in the tabernacle of our bodies, that holy place where His Spirit comforts us and fills us with Life, Life we cannot give ourselves. That Spirit whose very name is "breath" fills us with Life.

I return to Bremen tomorrow.

Flying on air.

Faster than the wind.

(Really?)

Out of the desert ... or so I think.

God is laughing.

The Music In the River

A few weeks ago I led a retreat in Landgrove, Vermont. Landgrove is an isolated town in the southern part of the Green Mountain State that has no paved roads. All the roads are gravel--and that's the way they like it!


We stayed in the "Lower Barn," which is a barn that was converted to housing livestock to housing human beings sometime in the 1930's or so. It is called the Lower Barn because the family that owns it also, at one time, owned the other barn associated with it, which is further up the hill.


Hence, the one further up the hill is called the "Upper Barn." It is now owned by the woman who played the normal cousin, Marilyn, on "The Munsters" television show.


Behind both the Lower Barn and the Upper Barn runs the West River, a rock-strewn stretch of mountain river that has a constant murmur and gurgle. When it rains and the level of the river rises, the sound becomes more than a lullaby; it is a real presence.


A photo looking off the back deck of the Lower Barn is included with this post. It shows just how close the river is and what it looks like, rocks and all.


There have been reports that people can hear music when the doors that lead to the deck are open. It is faint, not easily heard, and if the truth be told, rather eerie. Even disconcerting.


I have heard the music for years, mostly because I've spent considerable time at the Lower Barn--alone.


But my wife Jan heard the music a couple of years ago when she, too, spent some time alone at the Lower Barn.


This summer, Clella heard the music when she was at the Lower Barn--alone--while the rest of us were off on a nighttime jaunt on Sheep Hill. When we returned I went in to check on Clella to see how she was. When I entered the room, Clella sat up in bed, her face literally as white as a sheet. Her eyes were wide and a look of terror was there.


Clella had heard the music. It didn't bring peace to her.


Why? Probably because it is disconcerting to hear music when none is playing, especially when no one else is there. Just a guess.


What's up with the music?


Here is my guess: it is the music of the earth, of creation, that seeps into our conscious minds once in a while. In a sense, it is God talking through His creation, which cannot help but sing praise to the One who is the Creator of all things.


Here's how Isaiah describes it: Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their sorrow. Isaiah 49:13 (NLT)


When Jesus was riding into Jerusalem and the people were shouting, "Hosanna!," the religious leaders told Jesus to silence the crowd. He responded, "I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out." Luke 19:40 (NIV)


Perhaps, just perhaps, the river is singing and even shouting praise to the One who is the Maker and who is sovereign over all things.


Perhaps, just perhaps, we, when we are still enough, will hear, beneath the deafening cacophony of our worries and anxieties, the music of creation singing praise to its Creator.


To make it what it really is--perhaps, just perhaps, we are hearing the stones and the water cry out their praise to Jesus. He did say, didn't he, that you can silence the praises of people, but when you do, creation will pick up the tune and continue giving praise and worship to God--just because He is who He is and because He deserves it.


Is it really all about Jesus, though? Yes.


He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15-17 (NIV)


Read that passage over carefully. "By him all things were created." "All things were created by him and for him." "In him all things hold together."


The music of the river gives evidence to the sinew of the world, the universe, all creation--Jesus.

It all has been created by Him, through Him and for Him. It's His.


And His creation does what it wants to do: Sing back to Him.


It's really cool when you get the chance to listen in.

What Color Are Christians?

Sounds like a silly question, doesn't it?

But those who follow Jesus know that God's mission in Christ is the restoration of all things and that, in the meantime, we are to be stewards (let's just call ourselves gardeners) of God's good creation. (It must be good if the Lord was embodied here, being so physical/material/natural and all.)

Such an understanding and vocation (from the Latin vox, which means "voice; so we are to be the "voice" of God speaking to and into a world that groans to be made right again) makes all of us artists of a sort.

We create (Or is it re-create? No, I think it's create.) an ecosystem/environment that reflects the wholeness and goodness intended by God. As creators (co-creators), we reflect accurately the reality that we are made in the image of God, who is inherently creative (being "the Creator" and all).

We not only add to the beauty of creation, we also preserve the natural environment and shape our habitats in such a way as to prepare them and ourselves for the day when God will re-inhabit the renewed earth. Yes, we will go back to the garden, in a sense. It will be the New Garden, called Heaven.

So, back to the question.

What color are Christians?

To borrow the eco-slang of the day: Christians are green.

San Marco

A lot has happened since cavorting in the realm of Mad King Ludwig II.

Visit to Oberammergau, the site of the famous, every-ten-years Passion Play that has been going on for a long time, the result of a promise to God made by the townspeople when they were spared the ravaging effects of the Plague. Quiet and quaint this time of year. Had dinner at a restaurant owned by a local who, some years back now, was a famous magician in Las Vegas. He was great! Walked to the restaurant in the rain. God thoroughly soaked. Walk back to the Gasthof was dry.

Cut through Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Innsbruck on the way to Salzburg, the home of Mozart. Got to Salzburg, couldn't find our way around to a place to stay, but did drive by Mozart's home and birthplace. Moved on south to Kuchl, a small town with a great view of the Alps.

Got word the next morning that Jan's dad had died. Tears. What to do? After prayer, we were content to continue this journey, which was being done in honor of Jan's dad anyway. We could hear him scolding us if we came back to U.S. Memorial Mass for Pepere on June 27.

The Alps in Austria were awesome, meaning they struck awe in Jan and me throughout two days. Spent two days and nights in Austria. Alps and Alps and Alps. Saw a glacier. Took hundreds of photos. Saw a waterfall that was probably a half mile long. With a lot of water cascading down the mountainside. Spent 28 euros to drive the road. Worth every European cent!

Finally arrived in Venice, after getting that old (new) Mercedes humming and up to 100 mph on the Autobahn. Had to do it once. Jan didn't even get nervous! Smooth.

Venice is a walking-only city, unless you want to take a water taxi, water bus, or a gondola. Bridges and canals all over the place. The streets, if you can call them that, are narrow, sometimes only two people wide. Everything is brought into the city via water and handcart. Labor-intensive.

Viewed the tomb of Mark the Evangelist, the writer of the gospel of Mark, in the church of San Marco. I'm reading Mark in my devotions right now, a coincidence--or not. I was moved, to be so close to the remains of one of Jesus' eyewitnesses. Holy moment.

Mark is symbolized by a lion (looking much like Aslan in the Narnia movies!) with one paw resting on a book/Bible. You see many of those representations throughout Venice.

Visited the palace of the Doges, who were the representative rulers of Venice for hundreds of years. Ceremonial primarily. Held prisoner, in a way, in the palace, because he was not allowed to leave without permission or chaperones, and even then not very far and for not very long. Other than living in the palace, which also had all of the government rooms and a couple of prisons in the building(s)--all attached, it was a prestigious job for those who liked to stick close to home.

Off to Balzano, Italy, today, to see the Iceman, and then on north through Innsbruck and into Germany. Hope to get to Munich, but that might be a stretch.

Jan has shed her tears, as have both of us. The shock of Mr. D's death is still fresh. We will limp along through the final days of this trip, knowing that he is at rest. Thanks for prayers and kind thoughts.

The "Mad" King

"Mad" King Ludwig II of Bavaria was an interesting guy. He is da man! Even though he was an extreme introvert, avoiding the public and crowds at all costs, which was why he avoided Munich, where the capital" of Bavaria was located, he built these fabulous retreats/castles in the south, the alps, that are remarkable.

Neuschwanstein is the "Disney/Cinderella" castle that is located in the mountains above the castle he spent time in as a child, of his parents, Maximillian and Mary, called Hohenschwangau. Neuschwanstein is a dream castle. Ludwig II didn't get to enjoy much time there, after 174 days he was declared mentally unfit to be king and was dethroned. He was found dead in a lake two days later. To this day, no one is sure just how he died. A mystery.

He had ruled for 23 years, it's just that he didn't have a long stay at his still-unfished castle in the south.

But he did spend quite a bit at his smaller, more private castle located near Oberammergau, the site every ten years of a town-wide Passion Play, called Linderhof. Linderhof is small and very private (for a king). But the gardens are great, as is the castle itself. Ludwig valued privacy so much that, when he ate in his private dining room, the table would be raised and lowered so that not even servants would have to be in his company! We saw the table elevator system. Mui cool!

We drove over to Oberammergau from Reutte, Austria, which is south of Fussen (which is "castle town" in Bavaria). What a ride! Alps all around, climbing into the sky, with landslides scarring the sides and lakes at the bottom. The river is a raging torrent in the spring, but now is just a dry bed of gravel and barkless trees.

We spent the night near the castles in an inn (gasthof) on the road to where the ticket booth is located. Hohenschwangau was behind us and we could see Neuschwanstein from our balcony!

The places we've stayed on our trip all include breakfast with the room. A good way to travel. We snack or catch a very light lunch during the day and then have a decent meal in the evening.

Last night in Oberammergau, the restaurant was owned by a man who used to be a magician in Las Vegas! He did magic tricks all night long. Whenever someone paid their bill, he would bring the bill to the table, take their money, and do at least a couple of magic tricks. He also did a "show" before the football game that was on last night. Football = soccer. Germany was playing Poland for the European Cup. Big deal, as you can imagine, here in Germany. The game was being played in Austria.

Here's the deal: As we were driving through the alps, after seeing these incredible castles that were the brainchildren of a king who was called "mad," I thought: "What was Jesus thinking when He created all of this?"

I mean, Ludwig was a creative genius. He put some pretty incredible stuff together, more than I've been able to share here. But compared to the Alps?

In Colossians it tells us that all of "this" is for Jesus. It finds its source of being in Him. It has been created by Him. And it is all for Him. It is His.

Sure, there is a lot of testimony to Jesus here. You see paintings of Him. Statues of Him. Coming into Oberammergau, high on a pointed escarpment a couple of thousand feet high is a crucifix so big you can make out the corpus Christi on the cross.

And there are churches everywhere. The Passion Play in Oberammergau.

It is said that Ludwig was a very religious man.

But you get the feeling that Jesus is thought of as more like a relic than as a real Lord and Savior. Quaint, but not to be differentiated from a myriad of other legends. (In fact, the legend of the Quest for the Holy Grail is depicted in the Singer's Hall at Neuschwanstein.)

But one day, when the Kingdom of Heaven and the renewed earth are one, joining hands as the result of the completed and fulfilled work of Christ, it will awesome! All that was right and good will be displayed with no defects and no doubt as to who is King.

Kloster Andechs

Opening note: if you are trying to get in touch with me, please use my new yahoo email address. I can't get onto the web site that has my church email address. My yahoo address is jimmorse52@yahoo.com I'm able to get mail from that address. Love to hear from you!

Yesterday we traveled from Rothenburg to Andechs, going through Augsburg (on the fly), heading south. Hard to find the Romantic Road much of the time--poorly signed and easy to get turned around. Finally just got on 17 south (even though you wouldn't know you are going south from the signs, because their route signs don't have north and south (S & N) on them.

Took the autobahn (with some driving in the left lane!) in Lansberg to the Amersee exit and headed south in search of Andechs. Jan said that every big church we could see was the Andechs monastery because, "It's big; you can see it from miles away." However, Andechs was about 20 km down the road and we couldn't see the monastery until we had climbed the mountain to Andechs.

Went directly to the Kloster, exploring, and found things that looked like they fit with Jan's dad's descriptions of the Kloster when he was stationed here at the end of the WW II. He stayed at an inn not far from the monastery and would bring used coffee grounds to the monastery, giving them to a woman through a portal in a door of the church, then getting some schnapps in return! This was a daily ritual.

We found a door that fit the description, but were not sure. Jan had a photo of her father standing in front of the inn he slept in while in Andechs. Once we located that inn, we would be sure we were in the right spot.

How to do that? Ask some locals.

Where find some locals? At the biergarten at the monastery!

Jan and I sat at a table that happened to be next to a table filled with older gentlemen who looked "local." After about five minutes, I took Jan's photo of her dad, approached the men and asked if they recognized the inn in the picture. Long story short--they did! It was at the bottom of the hill! Not more than 300 meters from the parking lot at the bottom of the hill.

Herman, one of the locals offered to go with us to what is now the Ehrlinger Inn, having been the Seefelder Gasthof in Jan's dad's days. We went and showed the photo to the innkeeper, and he pointed to old photos on the wall. We had definitely found the spot!

We booked a room for the next couple of nights, went back to the biergarten and had a roaring good time with Herman, Rudi (really Rudolph), and Michael. Michael speaks some English and is the nephew of Rudi. We are scheduled to meet them back at their special, reserved after 3 p.m. daily, table at 5 p.m. today, Friday, June 6.

Side note: had a pork knuckle for dinner last night at the biergarten. Great!

Another side note: Our room is a triple, which means it has a "double," which is like two twin mattresses together in one wooden frame. So it's like a kingsize bed. We also have a couch that folds out into another bed. Very spacious and comfortable. The bathroom is huge, compared to the ones in the first two inns we inhabited.

This is being posted in an internet cafe right by the Amersee (Lake Amer). Found it last night and wanted to make some posts today and check email.

Weather is overcast and in the low- to mid-70s. Comfortable. In pants and a shortsleeve shirt. Shorts would be great, but wearing them marks you as a TOURIST as if you had a neon sign blinking above your head!

More tomorrow.

Email me! I'm feeling out of touch! :)

Germany Musings

I promised that I would post a blog as soon as I got to Germany, but it was not that easy!

First, the keyboards in Germany are not the same as in the U.S. The y is not where it usually is and the z is not in it's usual location. From here on out, I'm going to let my fingers do the walking and let zou figure out where the y and the z have gotten crossed!

We arrived in Frankfort okazs, after getting bumped up to business class because we were willing to get bumped from our flight and take the next one out. If that had happend, we would have each been $600 euros to the good (that's about about $950 US). A little extra spending monez. But business class was so sweet! More later.

Arrived and sent to Worzburg. Nice citz. Verz historic. Found our waz down the the Romantic Road the next daz, and ended up in Rothenburg for two nights. Wonderful place. Walled citz. Walked the wall, under a covered roof on a wooden walkwaz, like the one from the >Harrz Potter movies!

Traveled south to Andechs todaz, to the Kloster (abbtz) where Jan's dad was stationed in WW II. Found the inn where Jan's dad slept (we're sleeping there tonight). Verz happz. We've accomplished the two main objectives of our trip (to find where Jan's dad lived at the Babenhausen base and where he stazed while in Andechs). We'll see where we go from here. We will spend tomorrow exploring the Andechs area, and then move on from there.

We found this internet cafe in the next town down the mountain, in Hersching, so we could post on our blogs.

Let it be said, without getting anz more info, God is good! He directed our steps to the exact people who could tell us where the Seefelder Gasthof was, so we could find where Jan's dad spent his dazs in Andechs. The storz is fabulous, and it will get told here soon, when more time allows.

Just let it be said that God watches over us/you and directs your steps.

I'm tingling!

Fear of Flying

Jan and I are leaving for Germany today.

Getting ready to go is always harder than just staying home! But it is good to get out and see this world that has been created by our good God.

The photo to the right was taken this spring, when Jan and I traveled to the Dominican Republic with Steve and Amy Kiefer. That's Steve, all excited about the trip, in the terminal for American Airlines at O'Hare International in Chicago.

It's not right to publish photos like this, but I've always seen and experienced the most interesting things/people in airports. You never know what you're going to run across.

But I thought the sign and the image go together. I just wish it had been me caught napping at pre-6:00 in the morning, waiting for the terminal to open so we could check in.

Some people are nervous about flying, including Jan. Me, I figure there's not much I can do when it comes to planes and flying. My fate is in the hands of the pilots and equipment. It's a trust exercise. And if trust is a good synonym for faith, then I guess flying is also a faith exercise. I just have to sit back and have faith that a steel tube will fly, if only it has enough forward thrust!

Jan gets nervous when we fly. She says she doesn't mind flying--so long as she can drive! There's a thought! Now I'm nervous about flying.

We arrive in Frankfort, Germany, around one in the morning our time. It will be seven in the morning over there. Monday is going to be a long day. They say it takes as many days to adjust to the change in time zones as the number of times zones you've crossed. We'll be six hours different from Bremen, so it will take us six days to adjust to the change in time. Of so they say. I'll let you know.

Check back for updates. I'll be posting as often as I can.

Guten tag!

Jonah Christians

With apologies to the fellow to the left, I humbly submit that a lot of Christians are "Jonahesque" in their attitudes both toward fellow believers and "others."

What do I mean?

Remember Jonah? Not just the fish part, but the reason he was sent to Ninevah in the first place?

Jonah was sent as a bearer of some good/bad news. He was told by God that his mission was to announce to the people of Ninevah that they would get a serious hurt put on them by THE LORD if they did not do an about-face and put their lives in order.

Jonah, of course, tried to get out of the job. Why? We find out at the end of the book. But let's not go there just yet.

Johan ends up in Ninevah after being belched up onto the beach by a God-used fish. He calls the folks to repentance. AND THEY REPENT!

Jonah goes immediately from being a reluctant prophet to being a disgruntled, complaining prophet. He's not happy.

Push pause.

I think a lot of Christians are like Jonah.

First, they don't really want to go where God sends them. (Always into messy situations)

Second, they find ways to justify their disobedience.

Third, they are always complaining, never satisfied, EVEN IF THINGS GO WELL!

Fourth, they are in the "faith" business for themselves and are not that pleased that others would join them.

Summary, how do you think most Christians would feel if the people of the world turned to Jesus in faith and aligned their hearts, minds, bodies, spirits and lives with His purposes?

My answer: They would still be unhappy, judgmental and the complaining wouldn't stop!

Why?

Look at Jonah.

Jonah pulled off a very successful mission. That would/should be cause for rejoicing.

Instead we read:

Jonah 3:10-4:3 (NIV) When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened. [4:1] But Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry. [2] He prayed to the Lord, "O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. [3] Now, O Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live."

WHAT?!

Jonah is "displeased and angry" because the people repented (changed their heart-orientation) and his mission was successful.

Jonah's so bent out of shape that he says, "It is better for me to die than to live."

Now there's someone who is on God's side!

Why was Jonah so upset (that's a mild description of his condition and attitude!)?

Because God was gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in love, and relented from sending calamity.

I get the feeling, don't you, that Jonah would prefer that the Ninevites had not repented and that God had destroyed them (or at least made them suffer--a lot!).

Frankly, I find some Christians to be a lot like Jonah.

They've got their "me-and-Jesus" thing going, but they surely don't want to share the wealth. Even more, they wouldn't be satisfied if people did turn their lives over to Jesus. A gracious, compassionate, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in love God doesn't fit in with their agenda of always being dissatisfied and angry about all that's going on.

God may let people off the hook, but Jonah Christians would never do so. Grace is fine for them, but let's not get too carried away and give grace to just anyone.

The book of Jonah ends up with Jonah with these words:

Jonah 4:10-11 (NIV) But the Lord said, "You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. [11] But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

Don't those words just slay you? "Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

How about: "Should I not be concerned about that neighbor/fellow citizen/brother/co-worker/fellow student/enemy?"

We know that our answer and God's answer to that question should line up.

Does our answer line up?

Does yours?

Jonah Christians.

Not looking good for the Kingdom.

Visioneering

It's one thing to have a grand idea--a vision.

It's another thing to achieve the vision.

Most of the time, the "vision thing" is the work of God in and through one individual. In my experience, visions are not given to groups. Visions are communicated to groups (who then either buy-in or don't) but they are not given to groups (except through the communication of the vision by the one who has received it).

The achieving of the vision, making the vision concrete, is usually God working through a team made up of people who are either captured by the vision or are willing to follow the person to whom the vision has been given.

Those who are given a vision and then effectively communicate it to others so it can become reality, engage in the practice I call visioneering.

The church building above is located in Hato Mayor, a barrio outside Santiago in the Dominican Republic (which is a very interesting name when you stop and think about it!).

It is the concrete expression of a vision that was given to a man named Pedrito Marmolejos, who lives in the barrio of Hato Mayor and would not live anywhere else. Pedrito has a ministry, as well as a vision. He has a burden, placed on his heart by the Lord, for the people of his community--that they would have a place that represents the Good News of Jesus right in their midst.

The vision is for a place where children learn that they are valued and valuable; where adults experience the restoration that comes through Jesus; where songs are sung and lives are changed; and where hope abounds.

The photo above shows some of the work that was done since last July, when some Horizonites (along with some other -ites) joined Pedrito's visioneering efforts. He spoke of the walkway that would bring people to the door of the building. When he told me about it last summer, I could only see it in my mind, sure that my vision was not the same as the one Pedrito was trying to communicate. Now that I've seen his vision literally expressed in concrete, all of the pieces have fallen into place and Pedrito's words make so much more sense.

Last summer I walked by faith. Now I walk by sight, with my faith strengthened.

Because we are made in the image of our Creator and wired with creativity that springs from His Spirit, I believe every person is called to engage, to some degree, in visioneering--taking a God-given idea and finding a way to birth it, bring it into being. Every one of us is called to a unique visioneering task, contributing to the mosaic of life that sings in worship to our Creator.

Now that's a vision, too.

It's time to do some visioneering, don't you think?

We are all fellow visioneers. May our visioneering honor the Visioneer who makes it all possible.

Producing Fruit

That's my daughter, Jordan, on the right, standing next to a trunk full of grapefruit we had picked from the trees behind my mother's house in Sun City West, Arizona, in mid-March. Maybe 200+ pounds of grapefruit that we brought to the local food bank in Surprise. There were 5-6 bins like the one on the right, filled with grapefruit, oranges and other kinds of tree-fruit.

Jordan's smile and T-shirt are sending a mixed message--don't you think? But it's hard to frown when it's in the 80s and you've just flown from northern Indiana at a time when the temperature is in the 30s. Trading snow for sand, bare-branched trees for cacti.

My mother's two trees produced a banner crop this spring. Might have had something to do with the box of fertilizer I sprinkled under each tree a year ago! And to think that I spread another box under each tree this year. We'll have to make two trips to the food bank next spring.

Jesus spoke about being a fruit-producer. He said that you can tell the nature and health of a tree by the fruit it produces. Of course, Jesus wasn't just talking about fruit. He was making the point that who we are on the inside is going to be revealed by the "fruit" we produce on the outside. That fruit will include the nature of our relationships, our deeds and the motives that drive them, and the "aroma" we leave behind us, both while living and after we have drawn our last breath.

In the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7), Jesus threw out a lot of clues about what it means to be a fruit producer in His kingdom. He talked about forgiveness, being blessed even when we don't think we are, judging others, holding grudges, loving others, being in the center of God's will, and much more.

The important thing for me is this: that these "marks" of kingdom-living reveal the whole "what it's all about" of Christianity. If Christianity is all about following Jesus, then we, as His disciples, ought to be leaving a wake that looks a lot like His. After encountering us, others should say they have rubbed up against someone who has "the eternal kind of life" (Jn. 3:16). The glow of glory ought to warm their face and gladden their heart. The glimpse of the holy in us should create, at the least, a mini-defining moment for them, a decision-point where they know that the "more" of being a human being goes beyond good and all the way to holy.

Whew! Who knew so much was going on?! Who knew so much was at stake?

All this from grapefuit in Arizona?

Yes, as followers of Jesus we live with joy-filled smiles on our faces while living in a "Bah humbug" world. All because of the "life of the Eternal" who lives in us, making all of the difference.

By the way, the grapefruit was delicious!

Weighty Matters

That's my friend Mike in the weight room at Bremen High School. He's contemplating whether or not to continue the "sweat fest" this morning, March 31, 2008. He did. He liked it. A lot. His smile is bigger now.

This photo was taken at 6:30 in the morning. Not the time to be half awake when handling the weight plates. Sore toes. Broken toes.

If this is your first time to this blog, then welcome. As you'll find, I can be on the serious side more often than not as I offer my takes on what's going on around me as I try to follow Jesus as best as I can. Not an easy task. Lots of struggles along the Way.

I've got two friends whose blogs also deserve your attention--Todd Huff and Trent Miles. I will need their help setting things up so you can go directly from here to their blogs--not something I can do right now. Technologically-challenged. On the way, however. It won't be long.

Even though the title of this entry said it would be about "weighty matters," it was really just a way to connect the title to the photo. Nothing more, nothing less.

Check back. I should have new stuff to share regularly.

Politicians, War and Generosity

I had a conversation this morning about a friend of our family who is a soldier and just left for a stint in Iraq. I can't remember why, but I related our conversation to the discourse that is coming out of the mouths of the frontrunners in the race for President of the United States.

The pervasive self-interest of our leading politicians disturbs me. Why? Because, while our country is often viewed as an oddity when it comes to our generosity and charitable giving, we are a people who hold dear the value of giving to others in need, often sacrificially.

It is my hope that this spirit of generosity and sacrifice reflects our orientation and a deeply-held value as a nation toward helping those in need.

I see our soldiers, as representatives of our country, as helping the Iraqi people. Sure, it's dangerous. It is absolutely risky. But it is indicative of a societal value (I hope) that we will give to others and offer ourselves and our resources where and when needed.

So, what do I find disturbing in the political talk?

Those vying for the Democratic candidacy frame the war as something that is wrong and distasteful, appealing to the loss of life and the pain that gives the families and loved ones of those who have given their lives in Iraq. When they do this, they imply that such an impetus is morally wrong and misguided. They say that our young men and women should be fighting and dying in Iraq and that they will do everything they can to get them home as soon as possible.

I don't have a problem with our soldiers coming home. But I do have a problem with rhetoric that is blatantly self-interested and implies that generosity of spirit and giving to/for others is wrong-headed and wrong-hearted. When did it become wrong for Americans to send soldiers to aid people and countries around the world? It has always been painful to lose loved ones in conflict-ridden zones. But does the value of helping those who cannot help themselves trump such sacrifice any more?

Turning to the Republican frontrunner; he proposes the same self-interest, but with a different twist. He says our troops are in Iraq so the terrorists are not on our soil here in America. Again, to me, that is also self-interested and has little to indicate that he is really interested in the well-being of the Iraqi people and other people of that region.

The bottom line for me is this: As a follower of Jesus, there come times when the value of giving, generosity and offering oneself and one's resources for the sake of others trumps self-interest.

I realize that we could leave Iraq, whether it is next month, next year or 20 years from now, and they might say something like: "Glad to see you go. Didn't want you here in the first place. Good riddance!"

As much as such an attitude would stick in my throat and the throat of the American people, it merely indicates the risk you take when you give yourself for someone else's sake. Jesus asked, when only one healed leper returned to thank him, "Were not ten healed? Where are the other nine?"

The French are an example of a nation we helped and who then didn't want anything to do with us as a nation and as a people. Try traveling to France and see what happens when you speak English or are identified as an American. Same in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Not pretty.

When politicians appeal to our self-interest in order to get us vote for them, they call us to our worst places, not our best. The value of generosity is worth keeping alive. We lose sight of that value at our own peril.

As Christians, we should listen closely to what aspect of our collective character our politicians are appealing--and then decide if they truly represent what's best for us, and for our nation.

This is prayer?

Believe it or not, this is me at prayer--praying that I will have both the energy and the expertise to float this newly laid concrete floor in the church in Hato Major, which is located on the outskirts of Santiago, the Dominican Republic.

The temperature was about 95 degrees that day and my knees are not too receptive to being knelt upon much anymore, due to putting in sidewalks 30 years before. But, strengthened by the Lord, I made it to the end--and the floor came out great!

It underscores the point that the Lord is both good and will indeed strengthen us when necessary (Phil. 4:13).

This is my first time back to my blog is a long time. But, along with Trent and some others, we are going to make a foray into this realm--all in the hope that we can tell as many people as possible about the One who makes all things real, unbelievably real and relevant.

We want to explore ways Jesus can be known and followed, all with the hope that others will also endeavor to get the dust of Rabbi Jesus on their robes.