So far, I am blessed to have safely moved through 7 border crossings, visited 10 cities, spoken to 6 groups, had countless cups of coffee, ridden 6 trains, 4 buses (a new record) and all along the way I’ve gotten to speak with many people (translated into four languages) where I have been able, like the Psalmist, to give glory to God for His faithfulness. I have been able to speak via Skype to my Sweet Anna almost every day and am grateful for technology that allows us to do what we do for God’s glory and the living and speaking of His Gospel… I am a blessed man indeed.
Category Archives: spiritual questions/musings/wonderings
answered prayers
click here and read down column e to see how faithful God has been along this journey!
life is not just a napi menü
Current dire circumstances that are caused by past decisions were a topic of discussion the other day. I was visiting a friend conversing about how past decisions had created some tough issues they were dealing with.
Up in Hungary (I’m writing from Croatia) at lunchtime in many/most restaurants a set menu is offered for a less expensive price, its called the napi menü (daily menu – anybody remember the blue pate special? no? oh well).
If one needs to eat out often, this is the way to go. You save money. But, there is another advantage – you get to try all kinds of genuine Hungarian dishes that you might not order from a several page menu. When faced with a menu full of choices, many people go to what they know and can afford. This is safe – humans like safe. Going with the set menu (napi menü) means you don’t have to choose, you just go with the choice of the restaurant, you take the risk to eat what they have prepared. As one who leans toward the adventurous side, I love taking the risk. Sometimes I don’t even look at the sign or ask, I just order and eat.
So, the other day, when discussing how our choices often have long lasting impact… I said “Life is not a napi menü.” Lots of choices lay before is… we require wisdom to make good ones. I have found that God gives and builds wisdom in us. He uses experiences to teach us wisdom, but he will also just give us wisdom (James talked about this) in making decisions and then living with them and learning from them.
So, where will you eat lunch today? Will you order from the menu from choices you know and are safe? Or will you take the risk of the napi menü?
or just eat the burek…
what are you afraid of?
I asked the crowd at church “what are you afraid of” Yesterday was a great first full day, I taught at one of my favorite churches on the planet (admittedly, there are several of them) at South Budapest (click here to see their website) and had some good catch up conversations with folks there after which, Will and Joanna took me out to lunch and then a quiet afternoon. At 17:00, the whole northern Hungary gang gathered for pizza where I asked Laci to brief us on his trip to Bosnia. This made me pretty excited about my trip there in a couple of weeks and hopeful for deeper partnership there… even English teachers??? We’ll see. Now there’s a place where you might ought to fear talking about the Gospel out loud, but they are not. So the answer to our fear about “gospeling” (proclaiming the news about Jesus as coined by Scot McKnight in King Jesus Gospel.
This is a talk I am taking around with me that is a reminder about what the Gospel actually is and what we are to do with it, why we don’t and how to fix the why. So there is the question… as far as proclaiming the news about Jesus, what are you afraid of?
4 questions
Here are four questions I use to think about my life in light of the Greatest Commandment…
What does my mouth tell me about the condition of my heart?
What do my fears tell me about what I really believe? Trusting God – Jer 17.5-8 & Hab. 3.17-19
What am I doing to renew my mind that I may deepen my understanding of God? Rom. 12.1-2, Eph. 4.17-24
What are the things in my life which take my strength away from God’s use.
Busy-ness
How do I answer these with following the practice of Sabbath
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kingdom travelin' 