kingdom travelin'

this morning I was listening to the BBC and heard an interesting report on the Roma in Hungary… the Roma are a people group who migrated (according to some) from India nearly a millennia ago and they are usually refered to as ‘Gypsies’…

according to the reporter seven percent of Hungary’s population is Roma… once, a friend and I were driving through a large central city and he commented that it had a large enough contingent of Roma that they held two seats in parliment (I never checked this out, it was a decade ago)… the Roma get a hard time from Europeans in general, just type ‘Roma’ in the BBC search engine and look at the headlines you get… in an English camp in Central Europe (CE) once, a student told me that his people looked upon the Roma the way Americans look upon African-Americans, I challenged his gross over-generalization, but unfortunately, his point was taken… sadly, I understood…

so a friend asked me recently about social issues that need to be addressed in CE: I would respond that the problem of homeless kids is really close to my heart… but, getting people to develop world views that are not based on prejudice would be number two… Jesus wanted this, he taught us to cut through the traditions (from which much prejudice originates), and even the Mosaic Law, through the Decalogue to the heart of the Shema, to which he added the love of neighbor… Willard comments this way about that… “But in God’s order nothing can substitute for loving people. And we define who our neighbor is by our love. We make a neighbor of someone by caring for him or her.” (p. 111) last night I saw the recent film about the revenge sought by Israel for the killing of the Olympic athletes… while I do not agree completely with the worldview that some say the maker of the film is putting forth, there is really something to say for looking beyond the racial and historical hatred that makes one group hate another…

all are our neighbors, all are the image bearers of God, all need an introduction to their Image Giver… THEN we will be able to stop acting on stereotypes…

in Seoul last month with my family, we stopped at Nam Dae Mun, an ancient gate, to take some pictures… while looking through the file of pictures on the laptop, i noticed pictures and the contrast they present…

now, many of our pictures of this ancient gate show amazing contrasts with cars zooming by and the surrounding modern office buildings, but this pic really caught my eye…

as you look at the gate you can see behind it a modern building… take a closer look…

the ancient is coexisiting with the modern, carved and painted wood and tile reflected in the glass building which has risen up behind it…

this provides a visual idea that shows the culture I experienced… the old mingling pretty nicely with the new… people in this booming, modern country who retain many customs…

the bow…

to shake hands or hand one something, the gesture is always the right hand which is attended to by the left hand…

the language which, with its confucian connection has levels of class built in so that one addresses others according to their position in relation to one’s own…

even on the fast train, hurtling down the tracks, over amazing bridges and through wide tunnels, the enginering of that rail system is totally modern, but as each crew member leaves the car you are riding in he or she stops, turns and bows in respect to the passengers, the paying customer, who has the respect of the worker, again… an ancient custom, mixed comfortably with the modern…

respect, co-mingling of the old and new… tolerance… this was Paul’s idea in Rom 14 and 1 Cor 8, we would all profit from these texts, for this example…

FIRST: i read a blog by a friend who has some really important ideas, today he posted about faith, I reccomend it.

SECOND: this morning I had an idea about living in God… travelin’ the journey…
it turned into this complicated word picture that I am not finished with but that I want to continue to ponder… here it is:

people are circling the drain…

… imagine a pool with an unending flow of water, where it comes in is unknown… there is this drain, smack dab in the middle of the pool, not left, not right, not either end, in fact this pool doesn’t have sides it just is…

but you do have to get into the pool, and getting in is free! no addmision charge, that’s Grace…

once you’re in, it’s the perfect temperature and is so comfortable… but after a while you see that there is a current in the pool; and you recognize the need to strengthen your swimming muscles…

…everyone in the pool is swimming at different speeds and strengths and some are teaching others and some are helping others, and in this pool there is help and hurt…

… the drain keeps a current going… those who don’t develop their ability to swim well are drawn to the center where the water is lukewarm, not as comfortable

on the surface above the drain, there is a circle of water created by the downward pull of the water into the drain, on the bottom of the pool there is a screen to protect people from being pulled in, but there are people who didn’t learn to swim and they just sort of float, they don’t get stronger, they just float and circle the drain…

why are people satisfied with circling the drain?

i read Spurgeon every morning (link on my website) and there are some friends who i think will be encouraged by these words, perhaps you too…

Morning Reading
“The Lord our God hath shewed us His glory.”—Deuteronomy 5:24
God’s great design in all His works is the manifestation of His own glory. Any aim less than this were unworthy of Himself. But how shall the glory of God be manifested to such fallen creatures as we are? Man’s eye is not single, he has ever a side glance towards his own honour, has too high an estimate of his own powers, and so is not qualified to behold the glory of the Lord. It is clear, then, that self must stand out of the way, that there may be room for God to be exalted; and this is the reason why He bringeth His people ofttimes into straits and difficulties, that, being made conscious of their own folly and weakness, they may be fitted to behold the majesty of God when He comes forth to work their deliverance. He whose life is one even and smooth path, will see but little of the glory of the Lord, for he has few occasions of self-emptying, and hence, but little fitness for being filled with the revelation of God. They who navigate little streams and shallow creeks, know but little of the God of tempests; but they who “do business in great waters,” these see His “wonders in the deep.” Among the huge Atlantic-waves of bereavement, poverty, temptation, and reproach, we learn the power of Jehovah, because we feel the littleness of man. Thank God, then, if you have been led by a rough road: it is this which has given you your experience of God’s greatness and lovingkindness. Your troubles have enriched you with a wealth of knowledge to be gained by no other means: your trials have been the cleft of the rock in which Jehovah has set you, as He did His servant Moses, that you might behold His glory as it passed by. Praise God that you have not been left to the darkness and ignorance which continued prosperity might have involved, but that in the great fight of affliction, you have been capacitated for the outshinings of His glory in His wonderful dealings with you.

in Korea i was excited to ride the Ko-rail KtX fast train which hurdles along at 186mph/299kph… almost as fast as flying, speaking of flying…as you fly long distance you might notice, as i have, the emphasis that the airlines place on informing you on how to “be well” on long flights. There is emphasis placed on diet, amount of alcohol one consumes, excercises you are supposed to do in your seat (ha-ha), etc. … the idea is to arrive fresh and well. While in Korea i noticed shops with ‘well being’ as a theme, it seemed to me that many companies there used English phrases as marketing techniques… well being, living well… a marketing theme, but it’s more than marketing… Willard says this in Divine…

First there is the question of which life is the good life. What is genuinely in my interest, and how may I enter true well being? (p. 97)
Williard goes on to talk about Real well being as rooted in following Jesus. But there is great misunderstanding of what that means today, in fact he continues… “I personally have become convinced that many people who believe in Jesus do not actually believe in God. By saying this I do not mean to condemn anyone but to cast light on why the lives of professed believers go as they do, and often quite contrary even to what they sincererly intend.” (p. 91)

so “well being” is “being Real, being IN the Real with God”

have you ever had lingering jet lag? its very interesting, and can be very productive… that is if you don’t mind trying to accomplish x, y or z at 5 in the morning ‘cuz ‘ur tired of tryin to stay asleep. as I look out my study window and see that the sky is finally beginning to become blue I am reminded of the song “By and By” by Jennifer Knapp

see those shoulder bend all weighted by the thought
one more day to carry on, now carry on
trouble she cannot take
dreams she would like to take her away, away…

i’ll be waiting for the sun to rise
so i can start again by and by
i’ll be looking o’er my head to the sky
see the clouds open wide reveal my faith…

As I look at the dawn this early morning, let me realize that this day is a gift and that I should make the most of… pehaps making the most doesn’t mean a lot of activity as much as it does approaching it with intentions to have a meaningful day so that in the afternoon I can look back and make sure the day counted….