Plurality of Scripture

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone (Genesis 2:18)

Let's take this into the context of the born again Christian who has been breathed upon by God and now lives as a new creation:
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the Christian should be alone

We were created for a shared existence.

We share our existence with God. He permits this.

We share our existence with humans. He designed this.

Why people DON’T get together:
Millions of reasons: unforgiveness, past hurts, selfishness, laziness, low self esteem, prejudice, pride, self pity, poor influences, bad company, corrupted morals.

C.S. Lewis love quote:
Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.

Why people DO get together:
One reason: love

The primary purpose of God is his family.

1. Adam - created to share his existence with Eve

2. Noah - saved to share his existence with his family

3. Abraham - blessed to share his existence with his son

4. Israel - the Old Testament written about the shared existence of a group of people

5. Jesus - God incarnate to share existence as a human, called the Son of God

6. Early church - the New Testament addresses the shared existence of a group of people

7. Revelations – addressed the actions of the shared existence of the churches

It has not been until recent years that “personal savior” has worked its way into our vocabulary. God sees us as a whole, as a generation, as generations.

How would you evaluate your spiritual condition?
Us = standards, checklist, example: club membership
God = relationship, intimacy, example: marriage relationship

When you think about the condition of your spirit what do you evaluate?

Usually it is the observance or practices or disciplines that we use to evaluate ourselves.

I Challenge you to evaluate your spiritual condition based on two things:

Love the Lord you God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength

Love your neighbor as yourself

Comparison: When you evaluate the condition of your marriage you don’t think first in the practices that you maintain. You consider the strength of the bond you have with your spouse. The practices are important – but not the main thing.

Have you ever noticed that much of the bible is written in plural?

We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16)

We are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37)

Our Father which art in Heaven (Matthew 6:9)

You are chosen generation, a holy nation, (1 Peter 2:9)

In Him we live and move a have our being (Acts 17:28)

Lists that require interaction with other people:

Hebrews 11:39 - 40 “Faith heroes”

Galatians 5:22 - 23 “Fruit of the Spirit”

1 Corinthians 12 “Purpose of the gifts of the Spirit”

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Love check list”

2 Peter 1:4-8 “Great and precious promises for us”

Romans 12 “Christian living with a renewed mind”

It is vital that we are purposefully sharing our existence with other believers in the context of a body in a church.

One Chapter More

My wonderful husband bought a book for me about writing fiction called “The Lie that Tells a Truth” by John Dufresne. So I am finally in the last chapter. In his chapter about writing dialogue he addresses the motives behind why we communicate. Do any of these apply to why you post or read blogs?

Now, we all know there is no comfort in small talk, no solace in chitchat, no substance to idle jabber about the weather or mutual acquaintances. So why do we do it? We talk with each other for various reasons: to inform, to compare, to seduce, to clarify, to cloud, to charm, to deceive, to alarm, to evade, to demur, to bedevil, to reassure, to offend, to warn, to befuddle, to flatter, to belittle, to thank, to bluster, to rattle, to arouse, to soothe, to illuminate, to apologize, to inquire, to amuse, to brag, to inspire, to order, to explain, to encourage, to dissuade, to convert, to argue, to process, to instruct, to vent, to accost, to excuse, to call attention to ourselves, to hear the sound of our own voices, to be polite, to pass the time. But when we talk to understand, to understand ourselves and what we’re doing or what we think we’re doing and why we’re doing it, then we tell each other stories. Stories are how we remind ourselves who we are and how we’re connected. Stories are sacred and communal like a burial and the gathering after it.

While we are on the topic of chapters… Thanks to two marvelous women from the church I had four completely uninterrupted hours of time at my home to myself today. I cannot remember the last time that this happened. So I decided to get some heavy work done on the book I am writing. Can you believe I wrote four chapters and have just one left to write? Then the final tweaking and it is done. I am so excited.

Run, Mama, Run

Ringtones are out of my league; but I do know how to assign different ring sounds to individuals on my contacts list from the options in my cell phone. I have one general ring sound for the whole world – except one person: my husband. His ring sound is called bullfighter – it’s that cheesy music that you hear whenever you see some commercial of someone running. Well, I was in my room and the phone was in the dining room. Papa’s ring sounded for all to hear. I rushed out to the dining room and my kids saw me coming. My youngest daughter yells out to me as I whiz by, “Run, Mama, Run!” It sounded just like the famous Forest Gump phrase. It was so funny!

Things I am lovin’ today:
- A well made turkey cold cut sandwich purchased for lunch
- Bugles and Mineragua – a great combo
- Google Reader – I just switched all my subs – it is great
- Lists and charts
- Pilates
- A clean desk top even after a week
- Our 2 cute guinea pigs
- The fact that I remembered how to spell guinea pig
- On line Scrabble
- The book of First John
- Driving
- Hooded sweatshirts with pockets for these drippy days

Books I am reading at this point in time:
- “Mere Christianity” by: C.S. Lewis
- “The Lie that Tells a Truth” by: John Dufresne
- “Sacred Parenting” by: Gary Thomas

Projects I am working on right now:
- A surprise party
- Organizing for this year of home schooling – first week of February we start
- Church leadership get together on Saturday

Did I mention that I like lists and charts?

Pharisaical Pharmaceuticals

My passionate pharmacist uncle Jeff Langdon always says, “Better health through pharmaceuticals.” Next time you are at his pharmacy in the Walmart in St. Joe you can say hi to him.

Sometimes when I am reading the Word of God it feels like medication is being administered to an ailment. At times I am completely oblivious to the malady that would necessitate treatment, but the Great Physician knows and gently applies what is needed so that my spiritual health is no longer compromised.

Have you ever noticed how frequently, especially in the book of Matthew, Jesus addressed the Pharisees? The big deal with this group of people was that they relied on their own actions for the redemption of their souls and imposed on others heavy burdens of duties to achieve the self-righteousness that they enjoyed. The term “bible-thumpers” might be used in today’s vernacular to loathsomely describe them. They majored on the minors of requirements and forgot about what really counts. I believe that Jesus had hope for these people and that is why he took the time and breath to address them so strongly and so regularly.

Last night at church DaRonn ministered on the importance of self-examination. He talked about the importance of looking inward to assess your spiritual state. Both he and I have made it a practice for quite some time to do just that. Quite frankly we often say to each other, “I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know it all.” We have decided that in all our striving we have not yet “arrived”, and the truth is we really never will.

I did not always think that way. I used to portray many of the same characteristics of the Pharisees. I was a Pharisee. Case in point: when I was 10 we attended your typical non-denominational store front church. During praise and worship the leader would instruct the congregation to raise their hands and worship God. I was so very stubborn that I absolutely would not put my hands down until the minister instructed us to. I would look around (unless we were instructed to close our eyes) and see that I was following the rules and become disgusted at all those that were not following the rules. Not until he would say, “You may put your hands down,” did I even think about lowering my arms. And I thought that this was a part of holiness!

God, in all his grace, began to treat this area of Pharisaical tendencies in my life. His treatment has been a gradual dosage of his holy word changing me little by little. I am so grateful to him for it! There are so many, many verses that he has brought to me. This is one of my favorite portions taken from a chapter full of warnings for the Pharisees:

Matthew 23:23-24 (New Living, which by the way I refused to use in my high school years for reasons of sacrilege; God have mercy, sinner that I am!) 23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. 24 Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel!”

Jesus calls this behavior ignorant, blind and hypocritical. Such a strong and vivid admonition is given by the Good Teacher. So, today as I reflect and remember where I have come from I will refocus on where I am going. Today I choose to not swallow any camels. Thank God for his Pharisaical Pharmaceuticals.

2007 Christ Nation Church Toy Give-Away

A father came through the door. His son was on his weary shoulders. I am sure that his son was not the only burden he carried this overcast morning. The shirt on his back was so worn down in places that his sunburned brown skin showed through. His dark head bent down as he was walking past me.

“Feliz Navidad,” I said as I placed my hand on his shoulder. As he raised his head I made sure to make eye contact with him and his child. An identical broad smile broke out on the faces of both. The boy was clutching the present he had received.

This morning we woke to the rich sound of rain on the window panes. Though the rain lulled me and said I could say in bed a few more minutes the excitement pulsing through me prevailed. I whispered an honest yet slightly desperate prayer, “God, the rain is fine for now; but when we start let there be sun.” The cloud cover and drips gradually dissipated as we went about with the final preparations.

Volunteers began showing up asking how they could help. Some, deemed bus captains, climbed on empty busses and were scattered through the city to fill them. Others took posts in the main sanctuary wrapping up the toys. Others then separated them into huge piles; one for the girls one for the boys.

The neighborhood buzzed with anticipation as the street in front of our church building began to fill with children. They had come because of a flyer, a radio announcement or a personal invitation. The busses began to arrive from the orphanages, prisons and needy neighbor hoods brimming over with children of all ages.

And the sun came out! The program started with fun songs about Jesus. The animated voice of our church’s children leader pumped out over the speakers telling the children about Jesus. Another song was about to start so she invited a few children up on the make shift stage, the flat back of a large truck, to dance with her and do the simple motions.

Then came the thing everyone had been waiting for: the toy give-away. In all 2,207 toys were given to the children of Cochabamba, Bolivia today. Our church, Christ Nation Church, of about 200 members collected some 2,700 toys to give away. We have worked together for the last 7 weeks to be sure we had enough toys. And this was without corporate sponsors; just the members giving of themselves to bless this city. The left over toys will be used for other events and to stock our prize bin in children’s church.

Two years ago we launched this great annual event and gathered together 400 kids and gave them each a toy for Christmas. Last year we raised the bar and challenged the congregation to gather together 1,000. They did it! This year we told them that we were going to bless 2,500 kids with toys. The goal was met and exceeded.

We have coupled this toy give-away with a faith project for the church. These toys were sown as a seed towards having 300 people attending church on a weekly basis in 2008. (Personally, I think that we will exceed this goal too as we work together.) This number will put us in a strategic position for beginning the process of buying property and building. Pastor DaRonn, my husband, is so good about challenging us to grow and reach out to people with the love of Jesus. He says, “If the church is doing what it should be doing the world will take notice.” I wonder what he will tell us is our goal for toy collection in 2008. Whatever it is I know that with God we will reach it.

Here are some pictures from this morning:

Some of the toys collected for the boys.

Some of the toys collected for the girls.

This member of our church is 91 years old. She is helping prepare the toys.

Our children's leader on a truck on the street in front of our church, Christ Nation Church.

Some of the 2,207 children that received a toy for Christmas.

DaRonn and I handing out toys along with the other 20 some volunteers.

Merry Christmas!!!

Dear Danny’s Dilemma

Extenuating circumstances contributed to a fatigued climb this bright clear morning. Last night’s rain had unforeseen effects beyond complicating the cold my climbing partner is trying to fight off. Who could have known that the doom of Danny’s messages would come with the downpour?

Only muddy puddles remained on the steps. The anonymous yet encouraging author had made a slight oversight by using a non-permanent marker to inscribe the passages of hope to our mysterious Danny. Left was unintelligible graffiti sure to disappear completely with the impending rains.

Waxing nostalgic we desperately searched for the messages; mostly because they would have served as a great aid in our journey today. This came to no avail.

Reaching the end of the ascent our ears perked up as we heard a voice call out, “Vamos Danny. Vamos.” [Let’s go Danny. Let’s go.] We looked around. A mother was encouraging her young boy of 5 or 6 to catch up. Could this be our infamous Danny? We glanced at each other with raised eyebrows and shook our head in doubt. Simultaneously we reassumed our hike in the same dubious fashion regarding the hope of finding the final message: Danny te quiero [Danny I love you].

Yes! It was there, faded yet readable! And what is to become of the messages?

I wonder about the message of the gospel. It has miraculously survived millennia. The Author was not foolish in the choosing of his writing instrument. He chose a crimson ink that would endure for eternity. And though the stone we tread upon today is strong, it still is corruptible and will wear away. The Author of the eternal love story wrote his message on the hearts of humans. He did this so that the generations to come will know the truth that will pull them through the hardest of climbs in the journey of life.

What has he carefully written on your heart that has encouraged you to continue? Are these impenetrable messages neatly locked away? Or are you letting them be seen by other journeyers along the path? Even through torrential storms you can be assured that the messages of hope written on your heart will never fade.

Messages to Danny

Though I have walked those hundreds of stairs to the statue of Christ more times than I can count we saw something we have never seen before on our climb last week. Today I took my camera. These messages were found written on the steps spaced all the way going up. The author is anonymous.

Danny: Every effort has it's reward
Take it easy
Don't give up
Danny I love you

This final one was a part of another series numbering the steps, but I thought it was nice continuation to the encouraging messages.

Children’s Literature

I have always been fascinated by children’s fantasy literature. Just recently I finished reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Also this year I read Peter Pan and I am currently reading aloud to my children Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tales. My collection of Oz books is extensive, yet not complete. And who can’t love stepping into Narnia for the afternoon?

I could go on. But I wanted to share a quote by G.K. Chesterton taken from his essay “The Dragon’s Grandmother” in his book Tremendous Trifles about the topic of children’s fantasy literature. I would like to read that book; alas I do not own it. I found this as only part of an article I read.

“Can you not see that fairy tales in their essence are quite solid and straightforward; but this everlasting fiction about modern life is in its nature essentially incredible? Folk-lore means that the soul is sane, but that the universe is wild and full of marvels. Realism means that the world is dull and full of routine, but that the soul is sick and screaming. The problem of the fairy tale is – what will a healthy man do with a fantastic world? The problem of the modern novel is – what will a madman do with a dull world? In the fairy tales the cosmos goes mad; but the hero does not go mad. In the modern novels the hero is mad before the book begins, and suffers from the harsh steadiness and cruel sanity of the cosmos.”

Belly Button Gazers

Getting the kids ready for bed last night DaRonn says, “What would it be like if the world did not rotate around Gabrielle?” A hypothetical question not necessarily directed at our six year old. Nevertheless she did not miss a beat and explained, “It would be like everything would be stuck in their place and not moving; like freezed.”

How often do we have the attitude of my precious little girl? We think that if it were not for us then the world would go into a catatonic state of shock. It would be ‘freezed’ if it were not for us, and our brilliance, and our work, and our ideas, and our whatever.

I believe that everyone is special and important. I believe that everybody should feel free to express themselves in all their creativity as they love their Maker. I also believe that we need to look at the way we are viewing ourselves.

Eastman Curtis calls selfish people “Belly Button Gazers”. They incline their heads at such and angle that the singular view they have is that of their own belly button. What a sad song these people drone out, either in self-pity or in puffed up pride.

Let’s lift up our heads and look around today. You might just be the answer that God has provided to ease someone else’s misery. (But don’t let that go to you head now; smile!)

To Do List

“I am good at what I do because I do what I do well.”
- DaRonn Washington

“Saint Augustine (1600 years ago) coined this maxim: “Love; and do what you will.” Brilliant!”
- Pastor Brian Zahnd

I feel loved!

Three people found the lyrics I was loking for; I feel loved!

Larnelle Harris:The Strength Of The Lord
From LyricWiki

Sometimes life seems like words and music
That can't quite become a song.
So we cry inside, and we try it again
And wonder what could be wrong.
But, when we turn to the Lord at the end of ourselves
Like we've done a time or two before
We find His truth is the same
As it has always been
We'll never need more

Chorus:It's not in trying But in trusting
It's not in running But in resting
Not in wondering But in praying
That we find the strength of the Lord
(2 times)

He's all we need
For our every need
We never need be alone
Still He'll let us go if we choose to
To live life on our own
Then the only good
That will ever be said
Of the pains we find ourselves in
There are places to gain
The wisdom to say
I'll never leave Him again

Chorus (2 times)

Not in wondering
But in praying
That we find the strength of the Lord

Another Attitude Adjustment

This was good day. If you would have asked me at breakfast if this as a good day I would have told you it didn’t look like it would be. If you would have asked me at lunch if this is a good day I would have grumbled an emphatic no. It was just one of those get under your skin days… at least it started out that way.

So after lunch I was exhausted because of my crummy attitude and decided to do something about it. First measure: sleep. Finally the baby went down for a nap so I thought that I could get some shut eye too. Fifteen minutes later he was up, and so was I. Nap didn’t work; so I tried snacking. After I worked some unwise sugary morsels down my throat I found that I didn’t feel any better. So I tried pop-corn. To no avail either. Third attempt was my email. I thought maybe someone felt the urge to write their dear suffering friend an encouraging message. (Insert pathetic violin music here.) Nope.

I knew that we were going to have church in the evening so I was going to have to get rid of this stinky ‘tude before service. It was time to take Raimy to art class. So I set my frustration on the back burner to simmer and headed out the door.

I had put off doing one of the things that I don’t like doing: phone calls. But I had to do them. So I put on my happy voice and made the calls. By the time I was done it was time to get Raimy. As we were coming back I remembered a testimony from a friend about a time she was walking around the back of a hospital and ran into some one that she hadn’t seen in a long while. I could hear my friend telling the whole story about a restored friendship. I thought it was odd that I had remembered it. But just then something similar happened to me.

As I was walking to my apartment, sure enough one of the church members crossed paths with me. I struck up a conversation with her and she began to describe to me what her day had been like. And wouldn’t you know, but she was describing exactly how I had felt all day long. Knowing that commiserating with her would not help the situation I began to speak to her about how this will look like nothing when you are on the other side. I told her to remember what her life was like two years ago and how far she had come. I told her that this hard time would strengthen her relationship with the Lord and she should be grateful for all the good things that were happening in her life at the moment. Her eyes began to light up. She began to speak more positively and remember the goodness of God.

As I continued on up the stairs I realized that I was no longer grumpy and that I was actually feeling very good. Then I felt like God just highlighted moments in my afternoon. My first attempts to resolve a negative attitude were selfish and inward focused (naps, candy, pop-corn, emails). But then as I forced myself to serve and give (by helping my daughter, making the phone calls and then encouraging the gal close to my home) I had an outward focus. And it was like I was impressed to realize that the better solution was found in pushing myself not in pleasing myself.

Another attitude adjustment… grace really truly is amazing.

"Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the night." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Romans 12:11 "Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality." (Message)

The Smell

“The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.”
Rudyard Kipling

That is so true!

Upon returning to Bolivia after 6 weeks in the States we have been experiencing culture shock. There is no better way to explain it. In fact we were going through a form of culture shock when we were in the States. My kiddos are 9, 7, 5 and 8 months. Five and a half years (straight through) of our lives have been lived in Bolivia. We took one trip back to the States for about a month with all the kids over two years ago. And this spring we were in the States for about a month.

My kids are bi-lingual (Spanish and English). It is so easy for them to flip the switch and speak either language like a native. The Bolivians say that our kids have no accent at all. When you hear them speak English they have no accent at all either. This is the true definition of bi-lingual. My husband and I are English speakers who have learned Spanish. We have an accent when we speak Spanish.

So, I am thinking about the culture. Are my children bi-cultural? I would say that they are. They are exposed to the Bolivian culture on a daily basis. It is unavoidable that they would not adopt this culture due to the choice we have made to live where the people live, rather than on a mission base per se. So Bolivia is one culture that they do know. The second culture that they know is that of a Washington kid, not necessarily of an American. You would assume that the second culture I would mention would be American. But it isn’t. Granted, some of the aspects of the culture of the Washington house overlap with a general American culture. But they live in a way so distinct from those in the United States that their only tie to that great nation is their passport and whatever bit they glean from the fact that their parents are both Americans. It has been intriguing to watch my kids interact with the American culture.

On one of the plane rides back to Bolivia my 7 year old son struck up a conversation with a business man. He said, “Hi! I’m Timothy. We’re the Washington kids and we’re missionaries in Bolivia. What’s your name?” The gentleman grinned and said his name was, “Greg.” Timothy chatted with him during the ride. Then during our layover in Chicago we were hanging out at a terminal munching on a snack. All of a sudden my 5 year old points and says, “Hey, there is Timothy’s friend Greg!”

Some may argue that the American culture is diverse in its very definition. That there is such a wide range and so many intricate details in the culture of the United States it is hard to put your finger on just what it means to be an American. While I can understand (and to a degree agree with) that point of view I would still say that much of what my kids experienced in the States was foreign to them. Because they are so accustomed to managing two languages and two cultures (that of Bolivia and that of our home) they were able to successfully immerse themselves into life in the States. But essentially their experience could be compared to that of someone from United States visiting Australia for an extended vacation. Some things are similar – but the culture is distinct and separate.

We are not your typical anything. We are missionaries. We home school. We are a mixed race family (black and white). We are citizens of the United States. We are residents of Bolivia. What a richly diverse upbringing my kids are getting.

As my children are making observations about the differences between the United States and Bolivia they often ask the question, “Why is it this way?” Thinking I could just get off easy I say, “That is the culture.” Well, you know what the next question is, “What is culture?” How do you explain culture to a child?

… what would you say?

Quotes

This blog is dedicated to all my dear comrades that may have recently messed up big time. Chin up and press on! May these quotes be a breath of fresh air.

“Your failures won't hurt you until you start blaming them on others.”
(Source Unknown)

“Never let the sense of failure corrupt your new action.”
Oswald Chambers

“My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.”
Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865, Sixteenth President of the USA

From time to time, life as a leader can look hopeless. To help you, consider a man who lived through this: Failed in business at age 31. Defeated for the legislature at 32. Again failed in business at 34. Sweetheart died at 35. Had a nervous breakdown at 36. Defeated in election at 38. Defeated for Congress at 43. Defeated for Congress at 46. Defeated for Congress at 48. Defeated for Senate at 55. Defeated for Vice President at 56. Defeated for Senate at 58. Elected President at age 60. This man was Abraham Lincoln

Proverbs 24:16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.