I thought I'd add a pic of my MUCH better half - wouldn't you rather look at her than me? She's weeding our daughter & son-in-law's front lawn as I write this. Yes, I'm going to help her RIGHT NOW!
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On continual re-entry
15 years ago
19 June 2009
Testing PixelPipe
I'm testing out a program called PixelPipe that enables you to post to several services at one time (ie, Facebook, Blogger, MySpace, Twitter, etc.)
So far, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace have worked flawlessly, but Blogger is giving me trouble.
15 June 2009
Identity challenges
Transitions like this one back to the USA always have a way of stripping away all of the fluff that we often use to identify ourselves.
Fluff like our jobs, ministry positions, clubs, sports teams, even possessions (cars, houses, recreational machines like boats, motorcycles, quads, etc.)
Having left Slovakia just 2 weeks ago, I have been stripped of:
That’s it.
Over 32 years ago, as a new believer in Jesus Christ, I remember coming to a realization: As a child of God, I am simply to know my Savior and daily do what He asks me to do.
At that young age as a follower of Christ, this thought crossed my mind and cemented in my heart the kind of posture I am to have towards my Lord: If He asks me to do nothing but to sit in a puddle on a sidewalk for the rest of my life, that is what I SHOULD do in order to find the deepest fulfillment in my life. The question is, would I do it?
If my identity is truly ONLY in Christ, then it should be no problem for me to do that. If my identity is connected to anything else, I would struggle with that simple and strange request from my Lord. Wouldn’t you?
Thankfully, the Lord has more productive (at least in our eyes it appears more productive) work for us to do. But, really, if that were His command to you, would you be content to do it? I struggle with that myself - and I’m feeling it more now than ever, thanks to the recent transition.
Fluff like our jobs, ministry positions, clubs, sports teams, even possessions (cars, houses, recreational machines like boats, motorcycles, quads, etc.)
Having left Slovakia just 2 weeks ago, I have been stripped of:
- Ministry positions of youth ministry director in our church
- Elder status in our church
- Team leader of GEM-YM (Greater Europe Mission’s Youth Ministries)
- All recreational involvement of any sort - sports, etc.
- Possessions - sold our car, gave away a ton of stuff (camp materials, books, and more)
- Packed all of our remaining goods into a 20-foot container (with room to spare I might add) and sent it on an ocean-going ship. So all we possess is what we brought with us on the plane in 7 suitcases
- And now we are house-sitting for about 5 weeks, then we’ll travel for another 3 or so and finally on August 1st we will move into a house that we’ll call home for at least a year
That’s it.
Over 32 years ago, as a new believer in Jesus Christ, I remember coming to a realization: As a child of God, I am simply to know my Savior and daily do what He asks me to do.
At that young age as a follower of Christ, this thought crossed my mind and cemented in my heart the kind of posture I am to have towards my Lord: If He asks me to do nothing but to sit in a puddle on a sidewalk for the rest of my life, that is what I SHOULD do in order to find the deepest fulfillment in my life. The question is, would I do it?
If my identity is truly ONLY in Christ, then it should be no problem for me to do that. If my identity is connected to anything else, I would struggle with that simple and strange request from my Lord. Wouldn’t you?
Thankfully, the Lord has more productive (at least in our eyes it appears more productive) work for us to do. But, really, if that were His command to you, would you be content to do it? I struggle with that myself - and I’m feeling it more now than ever, thanks to the recent transition.
Back in the USA
“Back in the USSR, you don’t know how lucky you are...”
The old Beatles’ song is reverberating in my head as I sit here, just over 2 weeks after our arrival in the USA (or the USSA as one calls it - the “United Socialist States of America“). I’ll leave the political bantering for others to debate...
What I’ve enjoyed about being back in the States:
The old Beatles’ song is reverberating in my head as I sit here, just over 2 weeks after our arrival in the USA (or the USSA as one calls it - the “United Socialist States of America“). I’ll leave the political bantering for others to debate...
What I’ve enjoyed about being back in the States:
- Seeing old friends and spending time with them
- Meeting new friends (mainly Samantha (Sam), Caleb’s girlfriend)
- The availability of ”stuff“ and the variety of ”stuff“ (more flavors of soda than one can imagine) and the ease of finding a solution to a given problem (ie, finding a dog training setting to help our Labrador get over her fear/aggression issues with other dogs (caused by a German Shepherd’s attack on her as a 6 month old)
- The weather here in Arizona - 90-95 degrees is really a nice summertime temperature!
- Driving 20 minutes to an hour to get to a desired location (car shopping, malls, church, etc.)
- Re-acclimating to the American culture (whatever that means, I just don’t yet know)
- Realizing that just because a friend is just next door in another state, that does not mean that it’s only a 2-3 hour drive
- Realizing that driving is almost a ”have-to“ in this culture and that walking is hardly a means of transportation, but more a mode of exercise
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