.: Wake Up Already!!! (Reflections on Romans 13:8-14) \\

Today I recieved a message from Michelle Leong from Maylasia. She was just encouraging me that I should trust God that his plans for me will come to fruition. Thanks Michelle.

Her blog introduced me to Brooke Fraser’s, song, “Albertine.” While I had heard Brooke Fraser sing songs that she had done with Hillsong United (like “Lord of lords”), I did not know this side of her. I was both excited and felt a sense of companionship, and yet challenged by the words. Even though my heart is for the people of Africa, I am challenged by the words…

“Now that I have seen, I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
now that I have held you in my own arms, I cannot let go till you are”

I weren’t expecting no rainbows…(meditations on noah)

Noah’s Ark

by Jeff Black

“I weren’t expecting no rainbows.”
Noah told them cackling hens.

…and longing…”HOW LONG?”…

Praying:

I dreamed of Africa;

I saw her rise up out of the ashes.

As I looked into her bright white eyes

she spoke to me with dry, cracked lips

“How long brother? How long?”

And I said,

God, for the sake of your faithfulness you have called us into your marvelous light and opened our eyes to these things that our blinded hearts once could not see. How long, oh Lord? How long?

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Creation’s longing…

Just an update on what is going on with me this summer…

• Yesterday: Hiked a 9 mile loop at Cave Run (thought about 1 Corinthians and how much creation must really be waiting for us to let God restore us) and tried to imagine how much more beautiful creation might be in the new creation. Wow! Hard to imagine it being better.
• Reading: I just finished “A Peculiar People” by Rodney Clapp. Almost finished now with N. T. Wright’s new book, “Surprised by Hope” (great!)

• Thinking: I have been thinking a lot about studying Economics. Today, with so much of my heart and attention on problems in Energy, on the struggles of the people in Eastern Kentucky, on the Medical needs (along with so many others) of Africa, I wonder if God might have me serve in the future as an Economic researcher of adviser in government somewhere/somehow. Recently I heard part of a lecture and read a little of a book by Jeremy Rifkin on the future of energy. Perhaps I will move more in that direction in the future. Maybe a class on Economics in the fall.

• My classes at MSU are going great. The Summer Success Academy (the program I am teaching a math class as a part of this summer) seems to be off to a great start.
• Books I have read this summer so far:

(only the first few chapters – had to finish other books instead)

• Listening: I just bought an album by an acoustic guitarist named Andy McKee. It is great! A bit of smooth jazz…though there seems to be a bit of traditional folk melody that makes its way in sometimes (or maybe it is just that I like it so much it seems that way). 4 stars.

You can check it out for yourself…

• Articles of Interest: A few of the things that I have read that have really caught my attention.

TIME: The Great Wall of America

(This photo comes from Time Magazine’s news article about border crossing.)

I wonder what God’s take is on nation-states. As we change and reshape the borders of the world to keep people out and keep others in, I wonder if God is pleased or disgusted with the way we seek to build up our own economy at the cost of keeping out others who are just as willing to work. I wonder how much of these immigration problems are really problems with immigration rather than the immigrants.

Read the article here:http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1816488,00.html

National Geographic: Who Murdered the Virunga Gorillas?

Brent Stirton Photography

See images of life in a war zone in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

In a recent article on the Virunga Gorilla murdering of last year, it is amazing to see how much the conservation of wildlife, the poor of Africa, the racism and hate that is so prevalent among the people groups of that part of Africa, corruption and violence are all so interrelated. It seems the murdering of one of the greatest and most prized of the world’s animals is due to the greed of (and confusion too) those involved in the illegal transporting of charcoal – outlawed because it of conservation of the jungle there.

See more here: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/07/virunga/jenkins-text

: – : – :What comes out of the mouth…

Then Jesus called to the crowds and said “Listen to what I say and try to understand. You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do (i.e. what comes out of the mouth defiles you.)” (Matthew 15:10-11, NLT)

Far too often this passage has been misunderstood and interpreted to mean that Jesus may have in someway by it denied the Kosher dietary laws. This is clearly not the case, as can be seen by looking at it in context. Yet, surely too often we ‘religious’ put our religious actions (being zealous for the law, for the Church, in “worship,” etc.) in a place that we assume by it we have done our religious duties and are sure we have our place with God in his coming Kingdom. When Jesus says, “You are not defiled by what you eat,” there is a much heavier weight to it than at first appears. If by simply following the list of legal codes developed by the religious elite in a system of “traditional” and acceptable behavior gives us the right to think we are somehow of the hook religiously, it seems to be a good assumption that those who do not follow these codes are still in danger of fail.

Reggie McNeal Videos

I’m not sure who has yet to find my new blog. Perhaps there are some who would have seen these Reggie McNeal vidoes from the “One Thing” conference either on the blogs of missional leaders like Alan Hirsch or David Phillips, but it is worth posting just incase you haven’t seen them yet.

Soon, hopefully, I will be able to post a reading list and a little summary (and soon even a blogroll) so that those who would like to join in on the missional conversation will have somewhere to begin. 

Without further delay, here is Reggie McNeal…

 

.:conquering the volcanoe

 We finally conquered Halla Mountain on this trip to Korea. As may not be completely apparent from our picture on the left, the hike completely knocked my wife and I out. The 9.6 Km (6 miles) hike up the mountain was both exciting and exhausting. While visiting the island, I realized how much my reading and thinking over the past year (mainly reading books on theology, philosophy, anthropology, missiology, etc. and thinking about peoples, cultures, and their religions) have really impacted my awareness factor. I was able to see and get a deeper glimpse into the life and beliefs that shape the people of Jeju, from the way their farming and fishing techniques are influenced by the geological makeup of the island, to the way it influences their belief structures. While I can by no means claim that I actually know much about the people of Jeju, I can nonetheless see how much more aware I have become of how culture and beliefs shape and are shaped by their contexts – both their cultural perspectives and the physical situations that people find themselves in.

The image on the left is the huge volcanic mountain (Hallasan – Halla Mountain) that stands in the center of the island. The hike took a total of about 8 hours, leaving us all with blisters on our feet (as well as our arms, necks and faces - note to self: Don’t forget the sunscreen next time.)

This trip I also was able to get a chance to learn a bit more about the shape of Buddhism and Shamanism in South Korea. In some places you can see a clear overlap, where shamanistic practices have made their way into the major Buddhist culture. Perhaps later I can post a bit more in depth on the folk religion in Korea and the differences that I have noticed in comparing the farming and fishing communities.

Since this is my first post, I can only mention that eventually I plan to set this blog-site up into a multi-layered blog, with blogs separated based on life, travels and experiences; personal growth and ministry; and finally, a blog on random anthropology notes I want to share about the places and people I have encountered throughout the world. For now, shall I simply say stay tuned…