I just got back tonight from a loooonngg trip to the border and beyond. I had a great time, but I'm glad to be back home (for a few days, at least). Four of us from church went together: Eddie and Kim, Kyle, and me. We intended to visit several churches in Mexico, but ended up visiting more in Texas and only 2 in Mexico itself. Here's a brief rundown of the trip:
We left Paducah Friday, May 25th and drove about 15 hours to Houston. With stops it actually took a bit longer. We got into Houston after midnight and stopped over in a hotel for the night.
We drove about 6 more hours into Brownsville, TX Saturday and attended a graduation banquet for the 7 high school grads from the Brownsville assembly. We ate there and then went for a late snack afterward as well. I was craving some real tacos (barbacoa, made with lengua and cachete; mmmmm).
Sunday morning we had a really good service in Brownsville and a young man received the Holy Ghost who had been seeking it for a long time. He was from the church in Mission, TX--about an hour down the road. What a blessing to be there for a spiritual birth! After service we went out with the Rodriguezes to Taco Palenque and had the best fajitas ever.
Sunday night we went to the church in Mission. As Bro. Hugo later reported, the four of us worked as a great team in that service. Kyle played the piano, I sang, and Eddie and Kim prayed with people. We tried to do our part, but it was truly God who gave the increase! Two more people in Mission were baptized with the Holy Spirit that night! One of them was a young man who had been attending the church for several months and is now helping to interpret during the services. The other was the grandmother of the man who received the Holy Ghost that morning in Brownsville!
Monday we did a bit of sight-seeing. We went to Port Isabel to see the lighthouse on our way to South Padre Island. We met up on the Island with some old friends of Kim's and had lunch with them and visited at their home afterward. They were very nice and had a beatiful home with a great view of the bay. (Next time I go to South Padre, I'm calling ahead to make reservations to go parasailing. It looks like a blast!) That night it was back to Brownsville for the teaching service. Bro. Budd was in town and taught on the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. There were several visitors who really enjoyed the teaching, asking follow-up questions as well. This night was a nice break for us; we got to sit and listen and didn't have to talk!
Tuesday we were invited for lunch at the Gonzalez's house. We ate so much good food on this trip, but this was probably the best meal we had...stuffed peppers, rice, manzanita soda, and 2 different kinds of desserts. Wow. That night we went to San Benito, Texas for a home meeting. It was a small crowd, but the spirit was sweet. A sister has opened up her house to have meetings there every Tuesday night. There was one elderly sister there that was just so sweet and thankful for all of us being there. She kept praying for God to bless us. They normally have just a guitar in these services, but since they heard a piano player was coming, they managed to find a toy keyboard for Kyle to play on. It wasn't a grand piano, but they worshipped just as well. While we were in San Benito, Bro. Budd was in Mission for their weekly teaching service. There was a sister there in Mission who had seen the others receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit 2 days before. She had even asked Kim about it, and said that she didn't know if she could receive the Holy Ghost since she had been raised Catholic. Kim had assured her that God's Spirit is a gift available to all. So Tuesday night she asked Bro. Budd about the Holy Ghost: what it is and how she could receive it. He got very inspired while teaching on this subject, and they prayed for this sister there during the teaching service and she too received the Holy Ghost baptism! So that makes four people from one church that received the Holy Ghost in the same week! What a boost that's sure to be for the Mission assembly.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Minutes from the Des Moines Meeting
Last Friday I got back from a wonderful trip to a four-day international general meeting of the Body of Christ hosted by the assembly in Des Moines, Iowa. This was my first time in Des Moines, and I had a great time! I enjoyed the fellowship with friends on the van there and back as well as at the meeting itself. I stayed in a hotel room with my pastor Bro. Encil Edmonds and had a good time with him too. (Even if he does sleep with the TV on all night and made fun of my skim milk!) ;-)
There were so many good things said by the ministers who spoke at this meeting that I could not hope to convey it all. It would be well worth it to order the DVDs from the meeting. I certainly left the meeting feeling like we had been well fed.
One of the salient features, for me, was the preponderance of international ministers who added so much depth to the services. Nearly half of the preachers were from outside the US, and they had such good things to say. It seems that God has been moving mightily around the world. The gospel message is truly reaching to the ends of the earth. There is much work still to do, no doubt, but thank God for men who have had a burden to labor in God's field abroad as well as here at home!
Here are just some of the highlights from the meeting that I wrote in my notes:
Tuesday night
Bro. Glenn Goodwin (Des Moines) opened the meeting with a message about the direction Christianity in general has been moving over the last 100 years as well as a call to us to be different than the "Wal-mart community church". His point was that churches have often catered to the desires of the community rather than being built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. We are to be a peculiar people! Some quotable quotes: "You don't judge a church by the problems it has, but by the way it handles the problems it has." "You will not ever be fulfilled until you're useful." "His burden is light but it still must be borne."
Bro. Eddie Gatsi (Zimbabwe) said, "As long as you are in the house of God, the space you are occupying is valuable space. God gives us space to become productive."
Wednesday
Bro. Dowson Meme (Mbale, Uganda) read a couple of scriptures from the old testament, one of which had Elijah seeking the Lord's voice in the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, but finding it in none of these. In the other location, God's voice was heard out of the midst of a fire. He used this to illustrate that we need to be ready to hear the voice of the Lord wherever it is found.
Bro. William Waters (Warren, MI) said that we are to adopt the priorities of Jesus Christ.
Wednesday Night
Bro. Langston Mboneka (Haboroni, Botswana) contrasted a fountain and a cistern. He pointed out that a cistern is something that is made by man. It collects dirt along with the water. A fountain, on the other hand, is natural, springing up from the ground, made by God. We want to be drinking from the fountain of living waters, not collecting tainted waters in our man-made cisterns!
Bro. Norbert Nwokeji (Nigeria) told of the first time that he came to Des Moines in 1985 and heard Bro. Lloyd Goodwin prophesy of the healing of the Body.
Bro. John Githinji (Hartford, CT) was very entertaining. He asked the rhetorical question, "Have you ever stood up to preach, and God sat down?" Other quotable quotes: "When the glory of God departs, man tries to manufacture his own glory." "There is not an African body, an American body, and an Indian body. There is ONE body! This is why I'm not going to start out by saying, 'I'm sorry I'm from Africa; I'm sorry I'm black; I'm sorry I'm white.' I'm your brother! God put me here! I'm not going anywhere!"
Thursday
Bro. Narrain Richards (Elmont, NY): "The image has become reality, and the shadow has become substance." (I just thought that was such a poetic way of expressing Christ's fulfillment of the Old Testament!) "There is an absolute God, but none of us knows Him absolutely. He does know us, though." How comforting to know that He knows me! "Egypt can make you a leader of man, but only the wilderness can make you a true servant of God."
Bro. Steve Wilkinson (Bourbannais, IL): "Grace by no means removes us from our responsibility. It enhances our responsibility because it removes any excuses that we may have in our minds." Particularly when we fail God, we may feel that our failures prevent us from doing His work, but grace removes that excuse. Not only does grace allow forgiveness of sin, it empowers us to serve Him in spite of failure. Bro. Wilkinson went on to point out the similarities between chastening and teaching (indeed, they're often translated from the same word). "Teaching is about showing us how to live a disciplined life and make wise choices." "A pastor comes with a set of strengths and a set of weaknesses. We can't focus on a minister's weaknesses or he won't be able to do a thing to help us." "Some day we'll be looking back at death rather than forward to it."
Bro. Billy Brown (Humble, TX): "We come to church to see what Jesus is doing and we read the morning paper to see what God is doing. God is still in charge of the world." "It takes you and God to get you saved. Phil. 2:13 shows that God helps us to want to do His will." "It's important to preach the gospel, but it's necessary to live it. Phil. 2:16 mentions 'holding forth the word of life.' We do this through our actions, by living that word of life."
Friday
Bro. Rick Moore (Akron, OH): "A teacher's greatest responsibility is to let his student become wiser than him." "Solomon made lots of mistakes, but we don't tear out the Proverbs or Ecclesiastes from the Bible. It wasn't Solomon that wrote those things alone, but God inspired him. We can't help but be marked by the spot of the teachers of our past, but we're seeking to be marked by the 'spot of his children.'(Dt. 32:5)"
This is just a sampling of the great words that I heard. I highly recommend the DVDs or CDs of the meeting. Thanks to my friends Aaron and Gina as well as the rest of the Des Moines assembly for your hospitality last week. I enjoyed hanging out with you and the kids and I definitely plan to return to Des Moines to visit again in the future!
There were so many good things said by the ministers who spoke at this meeting that I could not hope to convey it all. It would be well worth it to order the DVDs from the meeting. I certainly left the meeting feeling like we had been well fed.
One of the salient features, for me, was the preponderance of international ministers who added so much depth to the services. Nearly half of the preachers were from outside the US, and they had such good things to say. It seems that God has been moving mightily around the world. The gospel message is truly reaching to the ends of the earth. There is much work still to do, no doubt, but thank God for men who have had a burden to labor in God's field abroad as well as here at home!
Here are just some of the highlights from the meeting that I wrote in my notes:
Tuesday night
Bro. Glenn Goodwin (Des Moines) opened the meeting with a message about the direction Christianity in general has been moving over the last 100 years as well as a call to us to be different than the "Wal-mart community church". His point was that churches have often catered to the desires of the community rather than being built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. We are to be a peculiar people! Some quotable quotes: "You don't judge a church by the problems it has, but by the way it handles the problems it has." "You will not ever be fulfilled until you're useful." "His burden is light but it still must be borne."
Bro. Eddie Gatsi (Zimbabwe) said, "As long as you are in the house of God, the space you are occupying is valuable space. God gives us space to become productive."
Wednesday
Bro. Dowson Meme (Mbale, Uganda) read a couple of scriptures from the old testament, one of which had Elijah seeking the Lord's voice in the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, but finding it in none of these. In the other location, God's voice was heard out of the midst of a fire. He used this to illustrate that we need to be ready to hear the voice of the Lord wherever it is found.
Bro. William Waters (Warren, MI) said that we are to adopt the priorities of Jesus Christ.
Wednesday Night
Bro. Langston Mboneka (Haboroni, Botswana) contrasted a fountain and a cistern. He pointed out that a cistern is something that is made by man. It collects dirt along with the water. A fountain, on the other hand, is natural, springing up from the ground, made by God. We want to be drinking from the fountain of living waters, not collecting tainted waters in our man-made cisterns!
Bro. Norbert Nwokeji (Nigeria) told of the first time that he came to Des Moines in 1985 and heard Bro. Lloyd Goodwin prophesy of the healing of the Body.
Bro. John Githinji (Hartford, CT) was very entertaining. He asked the rhetorical question, "Have you ever stood up to preach, and God sat down?" Other quotable quotes: "When the glory of God departs, man tries to manufacture his own glory." "There is not an African body, an American body, and an Indian body. There is ONE body! This is why I'm not going to start out by saying, 'I'm sorry I'm from Africa; I'm sorry I'm black; I'm sorry I'm white.' I'm your brother! God put me here! I'm not going anywhere!"
Thursday
Bro. Narrain Richards (Elmont, NY): "The image has become reality, and the shadow has become substance." (I just thought that was such a poetic way of expressing Christ's fulfillment of the Old Testament!) "There is an absolute God, but none of us knows Him absolutely. He does know us, though." How comforting to know that He knows me! "Egypt can make you a leader of man, but only the wilderness can make you a true servant of God."
Bro. Steve Wilkinson (Bourbannais, IL): "Grace by no means removes us from our responsibility. It enhances our responsibility because it removes any excuses that we may have in our minds." Particularly when we fail God, we may feel that our failures prevent us from doing His work, but grace removes that excuse. Not only does grace allow forgiveness of sin, it empowers us to serve Him in spite of failure. Bro. Wilkinson went on to point out the similarities between chastening and teaching (indeed, they're often translated from the same word). "Teaching is about showing us how to live a disciplined life and make wise choices." "A pastor comes with a set of strengths and a set of weaknesses. We can't focus on a minister's weaknesses or he won't be able to do a thing to help us." "Some day we'll be looking back at death rather than forward to it."
Bro. Billy Brown (Humble, TX): "We come to church to see what Jesus is doing and we read the morning paper to see what God is doing. God is still in charge of the world." "It takes you and God to get you saved. Phil. 2:13 shows that God helps us to want to do His will." "It's important to preach the gospel, but it's necessary to live it. Phil. 2:16 mentions 'holding forth the word of life.' We do this through our actions, by living that word of life."
Friday
Bro. Rick Moore (Akron, OH): "A teacher's greatest responsibility is to let his student become wiser than him." "Solomon made lots of mistakes, but we don't tear out the Proverbs or Ecclesiastes from the Bible. It wasn't Solomon that wrote those things alone, but God inspired him. We can't help but be marked by the spot of the teachers of our past, but we're seeking to be marked by the 'spot of his children.'(Dt. 32:5)"
This is just a sampling of the great words that I heard. I highly recommend the DVDs or CDs of the meeting. Thanks to my friends Aaron and Gina as well as the rest of the Des Moines assembly for your hospitality last week. I enjoyed hanging out with you and the kids and I definitely plan to return to Des Moines to visit again in the future!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
I've BeenTagged!
Here are the rules....Copy & Paste them into your own blog entry...
1.) Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2.) People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things as well as post these rules.
3.) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4.) Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog!
Here are my eight, without further ado!
1. I like to watch Fiddler on the Roof at least once a year. I've never seen it live onstage, but I would love to sometime!
2. I go through phases where I play lots of chess for several months followed by phases where I may not play for a year. I am a member of the US Chess Federation, but my membership is about to expire and I haven't played in any tournaments for a LONG time, so I'll probably just let it. I think if I played regularly I could be a contender!
3. I have a weird pause thing that I have in my speech--not exactly a stutter, but more of an oddly-timed pause every once in a while. It must be inherited; my grandfather did it and my father does too. Even though I realize that I do it, I don't seem to be able to stop.
4. I try to eat oatmeal every day due to high cholesterol :-( . Good thing I like the stuff.
5. I would like to go skydiving, hanggliding, ride in a hot balloon, and go into space someday. Guess I've always had a thing about flying!
6. I love to sing in the car on trips to pass the time, and I really like for others to join in! I love to sing all the time, but especially when I'm travelling.
7. My grandmother was a Kentucky Colonel (just like Colonel Sanders of KFC fame!)
8. I once rolled a Geo Metro over several times, through the oncoming lane of traffic. It came to rest on its side on the opposite shoulder of the highway. Thank God I walked away without a scratch! (Hint: never look for something in the glove compartment while trying to drive!)
The lucky ones I'm going to tag are: Kyle D., Jennifer R., Ted R., Rachel H., Eddie W., Aaron W., Brad M., Mikey D.
1.) Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2.) People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things as well as post these rules.
3.) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4.) Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog!
Here are my eight, without further ado!
1. I like to watch Fiddler on the Roof at least once a year. I've never seen it live onstage, but I would love to sometime!
2. I go through phases where I play lots of chess for several months followed by phases where I may not play for a year. I am a member of the US Chess Federation, but my membership is about to expire and I haven't played in any tournaments for a LONG time, so I'll probably just let it. I think if I played regularly I could be a contender!
3. I have a weird pause thing that I have in my speech--not exactly a stutter, but more of an oddly-timed pause every once in a while. It must be inherited; my grandfather did it and my father does too. Even though I realize that I do it, I don't seem to be able to stop.
4. I try to eat oatmeal every day due to high cholesterol :-( . Good thing I like the stuff.
5. I would like to go skydiving, hanggliding, ride in a hot balloon, and go into space someday. Guess I've always had a thing about flying!
6. I love to sing in the car on trips to pass the time, and I really like for others to join in! I love to sing all the time, but especially when I'm travelling.
7. My grandmother was a Kentucky Colonel (just like Colonel Sanders of KFC fame!)
8. I once rolled a Geo Metro over several times, through the oncoming lane of traffic. It came to rest on its side on the opposite shoulder of the highway. Thank God I walked away without a scratch! (Hint: never look for something in the glove compartment while trying to drive!)
The lucky ones I'm going to tag are: Kyle D., Jennifer R., Ted R., Rachel H., Eddie W., Aaron W., Brad M., Mikey D.
Monday, April 16, 2007
4/16/07: When My Brother Falls
There have been a few times in my life when someone that I was close to or that I looked up to and respected failed. Bro. Encil reminds us from time to time that we are all someone's "joint". (See Eph. 4:16.) When someone you have confidence in fails, you lose some of your support. We need one another, and we must draw strength from many people so that if one fails we still stand. I was thinking on some of these things today and I sat down and wrote the poem below. For me at least, it pretty well captures the grief I have felt when I've been let down and the desire to restore a brother or sister who has fallen.
When my brother falls,
It brings me to my knees.
How shall we escape, Oh God?
And not end up like these?
My brother was a strength to me.
He helped me on my way.
When I saw him choose this path,
How dark became my day!
Without him I will carry on;
I'll find a way somehow.
For others may gain strength from me;
I cannot let them down.
How can I prevent
The failure of a friend?
What can I do to stop someone
From rushing to his end?
We've prayed and preached;
We've prophesied.
Stood strong through storms;
Held standards high.
Perhaps if we'll keep praying
Knowing where we could have been,
The love we show may draw them back,
Restore them once again.
We must fight on who here remain!
We can't concede the fight!
Rely on one another
To make it through the night!
But as we go, we can't forget
Those lost along the path.
To be like Him we must show love
And mercy more than wrath.
When my brother falls,
It brings me to my knees.
How shall we escape, Oh God?
And not end up like these?
My brother was a strength to me.
He helped me on my way.
When I saw him choose this path,
How dark became my day!
Without him I will carry on;
I'll find a way somehow.
For others may gain strength from me;
I cannot let them down.
How can I prevent
The failure of a friend?
What can I do to stop someone
From rushing to his end?
We've prayed and preached;
We've prophesied.
Stood strong through storms;
Held standards high.
Perhaps if we'll keep praying
Knowing where we could have been,
The love we show may draw them back,
Restore them once again.
We must fight on who here remain!
We can't concede the fight!
Rely on one another
To make it through the night!
But as we go, we can't forget
Those lost along the path.
To be like Him we must show love
And mercy more than wrath.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
4/11/2007: A whale of a long time to hold your breath
I just found this information interesting and thought I'd post it. We humans are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made, but it is so amazing to look at the rest of creation as well! What wonderful works God has made! The article pasted below doesn't mention evolution specifically, but does frequently use the term "adaptation". Not a problem if you simply realize that God made the adaptations! ;-) You can find much more information about whales and other marine animals at the following site:
http://www.whalesonline.com/eng/FSC.html?sct=forum&pag=msglst.asp
Diving adaptations
Champion breath holders
Whales can remain underwater for long periods of time. How much time? A human can hold its breath for an average of a minute or a minute and a half; the world record is over 7 minutes. The record for whales belongs to the beaked whales and male sperm whales that can dive in excess of 120 minutes.
How is this possible? Some may believe that it is because their lungs are immense. However, all things considered, humans’ lungs are comparatively larger! A human’s lung represents approximately 1.75% of its total mass, while for the blue whale, this ratio falls to 0.73%. Curiously, it appears that small lungs are an adaptation for diving. In fact, water pressure, which increases with depth, compresses air filled lungs causing stress for lung tissue and the rib cage. A marine mammal that minimizes the volume of air that it carries with it while diving minimizes this stress. Some marine mammals actually expulse air contained in their lungs before diving.
Obviously whales must store their oxygen reserves elsewhere; namely in their blood and muscles. As with us, breathing oxygenates their blood. A whale exchanges 85% to 90% of the air in its lungs with each breath. Land mammals, by comparison, renew only 15% of the volume of air in their lungs with each breath. Whale blood is therefore oxygenated more efficiently, especially when one takes into account the fact that it is very rich in red blood cells, the cells responsible for the transportation of oxygen.
Whales also store oxygen in their muscles. Oxygen-fixing molecules similar to those found in red blood cells are present in great quantities in their muscles. This also explains why whale meat is so dark, almost black in the case of the sperm whale.
Yet, it is not enough to have good oxygen supplies when diving, it is also important to be frugal. Whales have several ways of doing this. While diving, they slow down their heart rate and their blood is used to supply oxygen to only the brain and vital organs. As well, they have the ability to adjust their behaviour and lower their temperature in order to save energy, which, of course, conserves even more oxygen. They can also use mechanisms that do not require oxygen. These are called anaerobic mechanisms, and they are the same as those that our tired muscles revert to when our lungs and heart can no longer supply enough oxygen to sustain their work.
All of these adaptations allow whales to efficiently live in the underwater world where they spend over 80% of their time, foraging, travelling and socialising. Whales are still tied to the surface and must come up periodically to breathe… to the great pleasure of whale watchers!
http://www.whalesonline.com/eng/FSC.html?sct=forum&pag=msglst.asp
Diving adaptations
Champion breath holders
Whales can remain underwater for long periods of time. How much time? A human can hold its breath for an average of a minute or a minute and a half; the world record is over 7 minutes. The record for whales belongs to the beaked whales and male sperm whales that can dive in excess of 120 minutes.
How is this possible? Some may believe that it is because their lungs are immense. However, all things considered, humans’ lungs are comparatively larger! A human’s lung represents approximately 1.75% of its total mass, while for the blue whale, this ratio falls to 0.73%. Curiously, it appears that small lungs are an adaptation for diving. In fact, water pressure, which increases with depth, compresses air filled lungs causing stress for lung tissue and the rib cage. A marine mammal that minimizes the volume of air that it carries with it while diving minimizes this stress. Some marine mammals actually expulse air contained in their lungs before diving.
Obviously whales must store their oxygen reserves elsewhere; namely in their blood and muscles. As with us, breathing oxygenates their blood. A whale exchanges 85% to 90% of the air in its lungs with each breath. Land mammals, by comparison, renew only 15% of the volume of air in their lungs with each breath. Whale blood is therefore oxygenated more efficiently, especially when one takes into account the fact that it is very rich in red blood cells, the cells responsible for the transportation of oxygen.
Whales also store oxygen in their muscles. Oxygen-fixing molecules similar to those found in red blood cells are present in great quantities in their muscles. This also explains why whale meat is so dark, almost black in the case of the sperm whale.
Yet, it is not enough to have good oxygen supplies when diving, it is also important to be frugal. Whales have several ways of doing this. While diving, they slow down their heart rate and their blood is used to supply oxygen to only the brain and vital organs. As well, they have the ability to adjust their behaviour and lower their temperature in order to save energy, which, of course, conserves even more oxygen. They can also use mechanisms that do not require oxygen. These are called anaerobic mechanisms, and they are the same as those that our tired muscles revert to when our lungs and heart can no longer supply enough oxygen to sustain their work.
All of these adaptations allow whales to efficiently live in the underwater world where they spend over 80% of their time, foraging, travelling and socialising. Whales are still tied to the surface and must come up periodically to breathe… to the great pleasure of whale watchers!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
3/13/07: March/April/May Factoids
May 2, 2007
Someone recently pointed out that my "quasi-daily" factoid is fast becoming "quasi-monthly". Sorry about that. Chalk it up to the last few weeks of the semester! I'm almost finished though: 3 more finals is it--last one on Monday, May 7th. Oh well, 2 factoids for the month of April...I'll try to do better in May. (Although I'm not making any promises. I'm planning to be out of town nearly half the month!) So you may just have to do without. :-)
April 9, 2007
I have jury duty this month. I know most people complain about the pitiful daily pay of $12.50, but when you aren't working anyway, that's not too bad! lol
I went for orientation Friday (that's $12.50 for about 45 minutes), then had to report again today. Someone in our ever-efficient local government called us in even though the court is on "spring break" this week, so I get another $12.50 for about 15 minutes today! That's a total of $25 for about an hour of "work". Wonder if they're looking for someone full-time?
April 1, 2007
So I've been thinking about it for the last few weeks, and after this semester is over I'm going to move down to Guatemala. Bro. Dale Hughes has been there for several months and (as you may have read in my last factoid) I recently met the pastor of a church down there. Bro. Medardo Guerra is his name, and he seems like a good man. I should be able to get a job there teaching English without any problem, and I'm sure Bro. Dale would love to have the company for the rest of the time he's down there. I don't know how long I'll stay...probably a year or two until I'm ready to come back to the states. By the way, if you've read this far and you actually believe this, happy April Fool's Day! ;-)
March 25, 2007
My Spanish skills got a good workout yesterday! I went to the fellowship meeting at Bro. Tim Hughes' in Elkton, KY and Bro. Dale was there with the pastor of the church he's currently attending in Guatemala. He introduced me to Bro. Guerra and asked if I would translate for him. I said I'd do my best (sore throat and all!) but I was SO relieved when I saw Bro. Rudy come in. He's a native of Guatemala himself (who recently became a naturalized citizen--Congratulations!) and is obviously much more fluent than I am. So he did most of the translating until he got tired. You don't realize how exhausting it is to speak non-stop for 3 or more! I took over for the last hour or so, then they asked Bro. Guerra to get up and speak at the end of the service. I tried to get Bro. Rudy to translate for him, but he pointed out that it would be easier for me since English is my native language. (It's always easier to translate from your second language TO your native language than vice versa.) So I stood and translated in front of everyone. It was just the 3rd or 4th time I've translated like that publicly, and it is nerve-wracking! He wasn't used to speaking with a translator, so he didn't pause to give me a chance to catch up! I had to really concentrate in order to try to listen and speak simultaneously! I was told afterward that at least once, I repeated something that he said in Spanish rather than translating to English! But I enjoyed it and was glad I could help.
March 21, 2007
I'm thinking about re-entering the work force. You know, not having a paycheck isn't all it's cracked up to be. LOL Seriously, though, I needed a break from work, but I think it's been long enough. I was going to start part-time asap, but then I started my new class and thought I'd wait. Also, I have lots of places I want to go out of town during May and June and it might be difficult to get off with a new job, so I think I'll wait till after camp meeting. Then it's back to the real world. (sigh...)
March 18, 2007
I have a new class starting this week. It's an accelerated Microeconomics class. Originally it was supposed to meet once a week for 3 hours on Tuesday nights for 5 weeks, but they changed it at the last minute to an all online course. (If they'd done this at the beginning of the semester we could have been working on the class all along.) So I've got to pack a semester's worth of work into the next 5 weeks. We've got to read at least 3 chapters every week and take 3 tests for a total of 15 tests plus the comprehensive final over the next 5 weeks. I'm gonna be busy!
March 15, 2007
I thought I'd made an 81 on my first test for my online stats class, but I was reviewing the test the other day and found a mistake: the computer counted my answer "5,340" wrong because it had a comma, which didn't exactly match the stored correct answer of "5340", so I emailed the professor and he corrected it, which brought my grade up to an 86 on the test, and my average in there is now (just barely) an A! So I'm straight A's again! I've just gotta keep it up for the second half of the semester now!
March 13, 2007
Well, since I took the pressure off by renaming this section Quasi-Daily, it's become more of a weekly feature. Hmmm, I'll try to be better about updating regularly, or, failing that, I'll be more truthful by renaming it the "Weekly Jonathan Factoid"! (Of course then I'll probably be even worse about posting regularly!) Ah well, an update to my last factoid: I did indeed set a new personal speed record on the hill I mentioned: 41.1 mph! (I can probably better that speed as well, but I may not push it until I find a straight line hill. On that one, I have to make 2 turns during the descent!)
March 7, 2007
Some more cycling stats for the last couple weeks if you're interested--2/28/07: 2 hrs 29 min, 32.46 miles; 3/2/07: 1 hr 33 min, 20.07 mi; 3/5/07: 1 hr 2 min, 14.92 mi; 3/7/07: 2 hrs 15 min, 31.68 mi, maximum speed-38.8mph!!! That was on a new hill that I just discovered today! It snuck up on me and I wasn't in the right gear, so I didn't even pedal down it at all; I'm sure to set a new record there soon! :)
Someone recently pointed out that my "quasi-daily" factoid is fast becoming "quasi-monthly". Sorry about that. Chalk it up to the last few weeks of the semester! I'm almost finished though: 3 more finals is it--last one on Monday, May 7th. Oh well, 2 factoids for the month of April...I'll try to do better in May. (Although I'm not making any promises. I'm planning to be out of town nearly half the month!) So you may just have to do without. :-)
April 9, 2007
I have jury duty this month. I know most people complain about the pitiful daily pay of $12.50, but when you aren't working anyway, that's not too bad! lol
I went for orientation Friday (that's $12.50 for about 45 minutes), then had to report again today. Someone in our ever-efficient local government called us in even though the court is on "spring break" this week, so I get another $12.50 for about 15 minutes today! That's a total of $25 for about an hour of "work". Wonder if they're looking for someone full-time?
April 1, 2007
So I've been thinking about it for the last few weeks, and after this semester is over I'm going to move down to Guatemala. Bro. Dale Hughes has been there for several months and (as you may have read in my last factoid) I recently met the pastor of a church down there. Bro. Medardo Guerra is his name, and he seems like a good man. I should be able to get a job there teaching English without any problem, and I'm sure Bro. Dale would love to have the company for the rest of the time he's down there. I don't know how long I'll stay...probably a year or two until I'm ready to come back to the states. By the way, if you've read this far and you actually believe this, happy April Fool's Day! ;-)
March 25, 2007
My Spanish skills got a good workout yesterday! I went to the fellowship meeting at Bro. Tim Hughes' in Elkton, KY and Bro. Dale was there with the pastor of the church he's currently attending in Guatemala. He introduced me to Bro. Guerra and asked if I would translate for him. I said I'd do my best (sore throat and all!) but I was SO relieved when I saw Bro. Rudy come in. He's a native of Guatemala himself (who recently became a naturalized citizen--Congratulations!) and is obviously much more fluent than I am. So he did most of the translating until he got tired. You don't realize how exhausting it is to speak non-stop for 3 or more! I took over for the last hour or so, then they asked Bro. Guerra to get up and speak at the end of the service. I tried to get Bro. Rudy to translate for him, but he pointed out that it would be easier for me since English is my native language. (It's always easier to translate from your second language TO your native language than vice versa.) So I stood and translated in front of everyone. It was just the 3rd or 4th time I've translated like that publicly, and it is nerve-wracking! He wasn't used to speaking with a translator, so he didn't pause to give me a chance to catch up! I had to really concentrate in order to try to listen and speak simultaneously! I was told afterward that at least once, I repeated something that he said in Spanish rather than translating to English! But I enjoyed it and was glad I could help.
March 21, 2007
I'm thinking about re-entering the work force. You know, not having a paycheck isn't all it's cracked up to be. LOL Seriously, though, I needed a break from work, but I think it's been long enough. I was going to start part-time asap, but then I started my new class and thought I'd wait. Also, I have lots of places I want to go out of town during May and June and it might be difficult to get off with a new job, so I think I'll wait till after camp meeting. Then it's back to the real world. (sigh...)
March 18, 2007
I have a new class starting this week. It's an accelerated Microeconomics class. Originally it was supposed to meet once a week for 3 hours on Tuesday nights for 5 weeks, but they changed it at the last minute to an all online course. (If they'd done this at the beginning of the semester we could have been working on the class all along.) So I've got to pack a semester's worth of work into the next 5 weeks. We've got to read at least 3 chapters every week and take 3 tests for a total of 15 tests plus the comprehensive final over the next 5 weeks. I'm gonna be busy!
March 15, 2007
I thought I'd made an 81 on my first test for my online stats class, but I was reviewing the test the other day and found a mistake: the computer counted my answer "5,340" wrong because it had a comma, which didn't exactly match the stored correct answer of "5340", so I emailed the professor and he corrected it, which brought my grade up to an 86 on the test, and my average in there is now (just barely) an A! So I'm straight A's again! I've just gotta keep it up for the second half of the semester now!
March 13, 2007
Well, since I took the pressure off by renaming this section Quasi-Daily, it's become more of a weekly feature. Hmmm, I'll try to be better about updating regularly, or, failing that, I'll be more truthful by renaming it the "Weekly Jonathan Factoid"! (Of course then I'll probably be even worse about posting regularly!) Ah well, an update to my last factoid: I did indeed set a new personal speed record on the hill I mentioned: 41.1 mph! (I can probably better that speed as well, but I may not push it until I find a straight line hill. On that one, I have to make 2 turns during the descent!)
March 7, 2007
Some more cycling stats for the last couple weeks if you're interested--2/28/07: 2 hrs 29 min, 32.46 miles; 3/2/07: 1 hr 33 min, 20.07 mi; 3/5/07: 1 hr 2 min, 14.92 mi; 3/7/07: 2 hrs 15 min, 31.68 mi, maximum speed-38.8mph!!! That was on a new hill that I just discovered today! It snuck up on me and I wasn't in the right gear, so I didn't even pedal down it at all; I'm sure to set a new record there soon! :)
Friday, March 9, 2007
3/9/07: How God is like a tree. (From the Deep Thoughts department)
I was riding my bike today and saw a large tree that had been cut down. I do some of my best meditating while on my bike, and I'd been thinking about God, so I came up with this comparison between God and a tree. I'm not sure how truly valuable this thought is, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway!
A tree is quite different from a human being, to state the obvious. We tend to anthropomorphize God, to conceive of Him as similar to a human. And rightly so! After all, the Bible tells us we are created in His image. But here's where He is more like a tree than like you or me: if we were to separate a part of our bodies--say a finger--from our bodies, then that part of our body would die; it would cease to have life. Not so with a tree: when a part of a tree is separated from the larger organism, the part that is separated retains life in itself. At least with most trees, if you take a cutting from it and plant it in the right kind of soil with the right nutrients etc., it will flourish and become a tree in its own right.
Similarly, when we receive the Holy Ghost, it is as if God separates a piece of Himself and plants it in us. If we provide the right kind of soil, that Spirit (the very life of God in us!) will flourish and grow in our lives and bear fruit. On the other hand, if we do not nurture this life that God has given us, it can die. I have heard it said that someone's Holy Ghost can't die, because the life of God cannot die. However, the way I conceive of this personally is like the tree. The fact that a piece has been removed from the original tree does absolutely nothing to diminish the life in the original tree. Even if that new tree that came from the original becomes diseased and dies it in no way makes the original tree any less alive.
So is the life of God. When He plants His life in us by baptizing us with His Spirit, we can nurture it so that the Spirit thrives within us, or we can starve it, mistreat it, not water it--or maybe even uproot it by actions that are displeasing to God--until it dies within us. Though that planting of the Spirit in us may die, it in NO way diminishes the life that exists independently in God.
No wonder the Psalmist compares the righteous man to a tree in 1:3--"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
God's life is a precious gift that keeps on giving. It will bear fruit in our own lives, and in turn we can use that Spirit to water others that they may yield fruit as well!
Jn. 5:26 says "As the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself." I believe that, ultimately, overcomers will be given that kind of life as well. Then men will truly be trees of life in God's garden! What a goal to strive for!
A tree is quite different from a human being, to state the obvious. We tend to anthropomorphize God, to conceive of Him as similar to a human. And rightly so! After all, the Bible tells us we are created in His image. But here's where He is more like a tree than like you or me: if we were to separate a part of our bodies--say a finger--from our bodies, then that part of our body would die; it would cease to have life. Not so with a tree: when a part of a tree is separated from the larger organism, the part that is separated retains life in itself. At least with most trees, if you take a cutting from it and plant it in the right kind of soil with the right nutrients etc., it will flourish and become a tree in its own right.
Similarly, when we receive the Holy Ghost, it is as if God separates a piece of Himself and plants it in us. If we provide the right kind of soil, that Spirit (the very life of God in us!) will flourish and grow in our lives and bear fruit. On the other hand, if we do not nurture this life that God has given us, it can die. I have heard it said that someone's Holy Ghost can't die, because the life of God cannot die. However, the way I conceive of this personally is like the tree. The fact that a piece has been removed from the original tree does absolutely nothing to diminish the life in the original tree. Even if that new tree that came from the original becomes diseased and dies it in no way makes the original tree any less alive.
So is the life of God. When He plants His life in us by baptizing us with His Spirit, we can nurture it so that the Spirit thrives within us, or we can starve it, mistreat it, not water it--or maybe even uproot it by actions that are displeasing to God--until it dies within us. Though that planting of the Spirit in us may die, it in NO way diminishes the life that exists independently in God.
No wonder the Psalmist compares the righteous man to a tree in 1:3--"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
God's life is a precious gift that keeps on giving. It will bear fruit in our own lives, and in turn we can use that Spirit to water others that they may yield fruit as well!
Jn. 5:26 says "As the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself." I believe that, ultimately, overcomers will be given that kind of life as well. Then men will truly be trees of life in God's garden! What a goal to strive for!
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