Monthly Archives: October 2010

It occurred to me to distinguish between the gathering on Friday and the gathering I will attend today.

Many people who were of really diverse backgrounds gathered to observe and listen (like me). Others gathered to, well, this is a statement of observation, not a judgment… worship. Much like many more did in football stadiums around the nation yesterday.

In the case of Friday night, some ‘worshiped’ a man, a president, and as such, purportedly the most powerful man in the world, at least until Jan. 20, 2013 or perhaps until 2017. But then what? My point is that we are easily caught up in worship of human figures, political, sport and even, ourselves.

But each week across the planet for almost 2000 years, people have gathered, in tiny groups and huge throngs, to worship He who came to bring real Peace and real victory, peace and victory that lasts forever. This peace and victory will last beyond the next election cycle and sports season.

This worship is of the eternal God who came to bring everlasting compassion and love, peace and victory, his name (which was almost mentioned Friday night) is Jesus.

I went to the debate & came out undecided. So, I’m at a rally to hear the president support his candidate. My hope is to hear something one way or another to make me less undecided.
There were two ways in, one for vip list, one for the public. There were folks there since 10am. They say that some UVa girls spent the night to be first. “What hole are you in?” one C’ville supporter said about us undecided voters. A man from Florida, when asked about his expressed support for Obama, said, “People don’t have any patience.” A man from Appomattox, VA said that for the president to get more done, he needs people to work with.
Inside the venue, people moved patiently. From what I saw, there were no protesters nearby. Indeed, one Charlottesville woman was heard to say that “we’re just like are one big happy family.”
The crowd was a real mixture of ethnicities, but those of African-American background were, perhaps, better represented.
The negative advertising that has inundated television was decried as awful, even by their own candidate.
At one point, volunteers tried to start a chant of “Yes, we can!” but they couldn’t. Can Obama make it happen for Perriello?
I took pix on the way in, I’ll put them in order later.

Perhaps I’ll tweet along the way.

I was speaking with someone the other day who was telling me about some problems they were having. They shared with me the fact that they had read this author and that author on the subject and it struck me… what about the Bible?

Which then made me think about this series of posts and previous posts and what-not about what we read and I decided that I must say that The Bible (for me, the ESV is the choice) is my top choice for everything. Thanks God, its all I need to read. Everything else is supplemental.

More posts on meaningful books are coming.

I’ve already posted about this one. Let me just say that I am savoring it as it deepens my understanding of the context of the earliest church which, in turn, gives me a clearer window to the New Testament.

A few days ago a friend with whom I worked a few years back ask what I’ve been reading. That set me to thinking. So over the next few posts, I will briefly mention books that have been meaningful to me in the last year.

The first (pictured here) is one that I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about here before. This book struck me because the author brings an important era to life through her recollections as a child. It is not great but it puts a very human face on the post WW2 Hungarian experience. This story helped me deepen my understanding of the trauma of living in communist Europe in the 20th century and thus deepen my understanding of one of the peoples I feel called to.

The second book is not pictured because it was borrowed and I have yet to acquire my own copy, but it really was valuable to me, _The Autobiography of George Mueller_ is about a life of a man changed who learns to live a life of prayer and trust God to provide for the needs of life. The one thing I learned from Mueller is that we need to “pray like its all up to God and work like its all up to us.” This book I will find and read again.

There, these two make the first installment in my meaningful books of the last year series.

Jesus said to dig deep and lay your foundation on rock.

I think about Budapest (surprise, surprise) and think of the old 19th century neighborhood (now gone) and how it was pulled down for “commie-condos” and the building of on ramps for a new bridge across the Duna (Danube).

As they dug deep, they found Roman ruins that had been covered up by two millennia of sediment as the mighty river flooded each spring (pre-flood control). Upon discovery, the archaeologists, architects, and engineers joined forces to construct the on ramps, roads and pedestrian subway and allow the ruins (at least some of them) to co-exist with modern structures for future generations to see.
They dug deep to lay the foundation on rock. What they found was amazing, indeed historic. It changed their plans, it made them rethink and think about the past as well as the future.
What we find, IF we will dig deep in prayer and the Scripture, is truth in Jesus that should cause us to pause and look back, forward and at the present. He is the great archaeologist, architect and engineer of our soul. We dig and open up, He is the stone, He builds us for future generations to see as a bridge to Him.

we all, including (especially) politicians, need to think deeply about this and God will give us understanding