Category Archives: experience

February 13, 2014 · 01:19

drowning?

Listening to the radio the other night I heard an interesting interview on Fresh Air, CLICK HERE to listen.

Described in this interview is the training necessary for British Royal Navy pilots who are taught how to survive a sea crash of their helicopter. They are taught to wait for the vehicle to submerge and quiet down before following the counter intuitive instructions that will save their life. They are to wait, then at a certain point, eject the window, and then unbuckle their safety harness. All this, when their instincts tell them to work as hard as they can as fast as they can to get out NOW! But, they are told to wait, to have faith in their instructor who has told them how to survive.

Isn’t is our instinct to flail around, work as hard, as fast as possible? Even when we are told to relax, to wait, to follow the instructor?

What are the ways you need to trust?

And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. (Isaiah 30:20-21, ESV)

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Filed under experience, seeking understanding, spiritual questions/musings/wonderings

February 7, 2014 · 03:51

Hungary troubles #pray

The other day when speaking with my Ukrainian colleague, I mentioned to him that the is some possible for more trouble in Hungary as well. As we talked I described the deal that the Hungarian PM had made with Putin for $13B worth of nuclear power deal. READ HERE. He expressed surprise that an EU country would engage in such a deal. My analysis was this:not many (any?) in the EU are seen as friends nor philosophical colleagues with the policies of the HU PM. So he looks east and finds a soul mate, if you will, in Vladimir Putin.  Indeed, the more I consider their similarities, policy wise, the more sense it make for Victor to seek out help from Vladimir.

I also told my Ukrainian friend about a Russian dissident interviewed by a USA radio network. This young woman had just returned to Moscow from Kyiv and said something like this: We Russians have just as many problems and there is just as much (or more) to protest, be Russians don’t have it in them. I admire the Ukrainians. Wow.

Will she be admiring the Hungarians after the general election in April?

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Filed under culture, experience

Image

Sojourner

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I took this picture yesterday as I walked across this bridge crossing the Danube river from Croatia to Serbia…

Peter talks about our being sojourners in this world. When I travel I am not a tourist, nor am I a “local.” I am not “just passin thru” with no cares or concerns. But I am also not tied to the places I go to and invest in. Indeed, if my heart is right there are things about each place, things that are compelling that are different than the others. Some places are more comfortable than others, some provoke more thought than others. I have to think about the way I relate to people culturally which is different, perhaps from the last place…

This is what Peter means in his first epistle about the way Christians ought to view this world. Being travelers who know and care but are not from there, we are from and belong to another place, yet as we visit, we care and we invest. How are you investing in the place you are visiting and the people therein?

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January 24, 2014 · 07:21
January 15, 2014 · 12:31

waitin on a bus

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I’m online for a few moments thanks to the efforts of a kind man who also pointed me toward a chevapi dinner and even watched one of my bags while I walked to the center from the bus station. This man was on duty on the platform and was incredibly helpful. There are kind and helpful people in this fallen world.

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Filed under experience, photos along the way

January 12, 2014 · 18:10

Retreat

A baker’s dozen of us will go on a retreat tomorrow. It will be a time of rest and reflection.

Here’s our outline:

Don’t look back with regret,

Don’t sit now in fear,

Look forward with hope in God.

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Filed under experience, seeking understanding, spiritual questions/musings/wonderings, travel notes

January 11, 2014 · 19:00

Teaching

Tomorrow I’m privileged to teach the Scripture on two ends of Budapest, the south (Del Pest) and the north (Békásmegyer).

I’m looking forward to looking at what the Bible tells us about the greatness and the model of Jesus. And the fact that without His power IN us, we cannot hope to be like Him. Is He IN you?

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Filed under experience, rest, spiritual questions/musings/wonderings, travel notes