For those of you who aren't familiar with the penultimate Trek series "Star Trek: Voyager", let me give you some background information...
Voyager was the first ST series to feature a female captain. A Star Trek fan of several years, the captain's position always held appeal to me as the moral authority for a community of travelers on a mission. In the various series, the captain was always the go-to guy when the going got tough. He was the driving force behind the ship, lending stability, gravitas, and confidence to his crew through ethical conundrums and life-threatening situations. Each captain had his own distinctive personality, but all were unquestionably in command. At times the captain had his doubts about a mission, but he himself couldn't be doubted by his stalwart crew. To this young fan, Star Trek's captains had served as models of masculinity. Then along came Voyager and Captain Katherine Janeway.
I must admit, I had reservations about a woman in the captain's chair. How could a woman manage to be in command and in control, to fill the shoes of the fabled captains Kirk, Picard, and Sisko, and still be, well, womanly? I was afraid that the Janeway character would either not be convincing as the leader of a crew of several hundred people or else would be a mannish woman who was unpleasant to watch from week to week. In short, I was afraid she would be Hillary Clinton.
In early episodes I was a bit concerned, as the writers seemed to confirm my fears by writing the character as a bit wooden, a one-dimensional all-business career woman who wasn't particularly likeable, but as the character evolved and the actress Kate Mulgrew got more comfortable with the role, Captain Janeway let her hair down (literally and figuratively) and became a superb example of an accomplished woman who was every bit as effective as the other captains from previous Treks, and yet distinctively feminine. Captain Janeway became one of my favorite ST captains, right up there with Jean-Luc Picard and Benjamin Sisko. She brought her own personality to the role, just as the other captains had, but she didn't sacrifice her femininity. She was a woman and a captain. She became a mother figure to her crew, who found themselves in need of guidance, stranded on the other side of the galaxy, far from home and isolated from their own families. Captain Janeway was in command, but a nurturer as well. The crew respected her, looked up to her, and could not bear the thought of disappointing her. Just as other ST captains had been emblematic of masculine authority, Janeway developed into a model of the feminine authority figure.
Recently, when John McCain selected Sarah Palin as his choice for Vice President, I experienced a bit of the same reservations that I'd had about Katherine Janeway. I thought that perhaps her selection was more of a gimmick than anything. Then I heard her first speech the day that McCain announced her selection, and I thought, "Maybe she will prove to be better than I thought. I will give her the benefit of the doubt." Then I heard her speech at the Republican National Convention and became a bona fide Palin fan. Here is a woman that I could follow. She is smart, accomplished, persuasive, and comfortable in her own skin. She comes across as authentic, and authentically feminine.
Having read several profiles of her tenure in Alaska politics, she is described as "a mother and a governor". She never tried to build walls between her family and her career. They were simply two aspects of her full life. Her kids and/or husband were often seen around the Alaska Statehouse; she even was known to nurse her baby unseen during conference calls. She would be parenting one minute, then would excuse herself saying, "Mommy's got to go do this press conference." She stands in stark contrast to Hillary Clinton, who entered the national spotlight on her husband's coattails, while Palin has come up through the political ranks from the PTA to the City Commission, Mayor, Governor, and now VP candidate, on her own merits. She seems to be anchored by her values and convictions as opposed to being driven by blind ambition. She provides a real-life example of a powerful woman who has not tried to prove herself to be as tough as any man, but has simply been who she is, which happens to be one tough lady. Tough as she may be, one of my favorite things about her is that she still has the softer, maternal side as well. Her words at the convention about her youngest child were inspiring and heart-felt.
I believe that John McCain exhibited a stroke of genius in choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate. Beyond the political aspect of the choice (she has certainly shaken up the race, and I believe has significantly improved the Republican ticket's chances of winning come November), I truly believe that she would be a refreshing voice in Washington, DC.
Did the character of Captain Janeway help prepare me to accept a woman candidate for high office? Maybe so. I just may have found my real-life Captain Janeway in Sarah Palin. Win or lose this year, Palin's candidacy will no doubt go down in the history books. Perhaps a young Katherine Janeway, some 200 years hence, will read in those history books and be inspired to a life of leadership by a certain 21st-century female leader. :-)
McCain-Palin 2008!
Palin 2016?
It could happen!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Saturday, July 14, 2007
My handwriting analysis...for what it's worth:
I have recently been endeavoring to improve my penmanship, since my handwriting is sometimes not particularly legible. Anyway, I was researching some handwriting help sites online and ran across a do-it-yourself handwriting analysis. I don't buy into everything that it says about me, but much of it is surprisingly accurate! I would be interested to see what others think about this. To try it out on yourself, check out http://www.handwritingwizard.com/info.phtml . Let me know what you think! Here's what it had to say about me:
Jonathan has a healthy imagination and displays a fair amount of trust. He lets new people into his circle of friends. He uses his imagination to understand new ideas, things, and people.
Jonathan is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect his ego when he feels hurt. He pokes people harder than he gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.
Jonathan is a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. He needs to visualize the end of a project before he starts. he finds joy in anticipation and planning. Notice that I said he plans everything he is going to do, that doesn't necessarily mean things go as planned. Jonathan basically feels good about himself. He has a positive self-esteem which contributes to his success. He feels he has the ability to achieve anything he sets his mind to. However, he sets his goals using practicality-- not too "out of reach". He has enough self-confidence to leave a bad situation, yet, he will not take great risks, as they relate to his goals. A good esteem is one key to a happy life. Although there is room for improvement in the confidence catagery, his self-perception is better than average.
In reference to Jonathan's mental abilities, he has a very investigating and creating mind. He investigates projects rapidly because he is curious about many things. He gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but he soon must slow down and look at all the angles. He probably gets too many things going at once. When Jonathan slows down, then he becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, he must slow down to do it. He then decides what projects he has time to finish. Thus he finishes at a slower pace than when he started the project. He has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. His mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. He can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Jonathan can then switch into his low gear. When he is in the slower mode, he can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. He is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.
Jonathan is secretive. He has secrets which he does not wish to share with others. He intentionally conceals things about himself. He has a private side that he intends to keep that way, especially concerning certain events in his past.
Jonathan will demand respect and will expect others to treat him with honor and dignity. Jonathan believes in his ideas and will expect other people to also respect them. He has a lot of pride.
Jonathan is moderately outgoing. His emotions are stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories. In fact, he can be kind, friendly, affectionate and considerate of others. He has the ability to put himself into the other person's shoes. Jonathan will be somewhat moody, with highs and lows. Sometimes he will be happy, the next day he might be sad. He has the unique ability to get along equally well with what psychology calls introverts and extroverts. This is because he is in between. Psychology calls Jonathan an ambivert. He understands the needs of both types. Although they get along, he will not tolerate anyone that is too "far out." He doesn't sway too far one way or the other. When convincing him to buy a product or an idea, a heart rendering story could mean a great deal to him. He puts himself in the same situation as the person in the story, yet he will not buy anything that seems overly impractical or illogical. Jonathan is an expressive person. He outwardly shows his emotions. He may even show traces of tears when hearing a sad story. Jonathan is a "middle-of-the-roader," politically as well as logically. He weighs both sides of an issue, sits on the fence, and then will decide when he finally has to. He basically doesn't relate to any far out ideas and usually won't go to the extreme on any issue.
People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Jonathan doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.
Jonathan has a healthy imagination and displays a fair amount of trust. He lets new people into his circle of friends. He uses his imagination to understand new ideas, things, and people.
Jonathan is sarcastic. This is a defense mechanism designed to protect his ego when he feels hurt. He pokes people harder than he gets poked. These sarcastic remarks can be very funny. They can also be harsh, bitter, and caustic at the same time.
Jonathan is a practical person whose goals are planned, practical, and down to earth. This is typical of people with normal healthy self-esteem. He needs to visualize the end of a project before he starts. he finds joy in anticipation and planning. Notice that I said he plans everything he is going to do, that doesn't necessarily mean things go as planned. Jonathan basically feels good about himself. He has a positive self-esteem which contributes to his success. He feels he has the ability to achieve anything he sets his mind to. However, he sets his goals using practicality-- not too "out of reach". He has enough self-confidence to leave a bad situation, yet, he will not take great risks, as they relate to his goals. A good esteem is one key to a happy life. Although there is room for improvement in the confidence catagery, his self-perception is better than average.
In reference to Jonathan's mental abilities, he has a very investigating and creating mind. He investigates projects rapidly because he is curious about many things. He gets involved in many projects that seem good at the beginning, but he soon must slow down and look at all the angles. He probably gets too many things going at once. When Jonathan slows down, then he becomes more creative than before. Since it takes time to be creative, he must slow down to do it. He then decides what projects he has time to finish. Thus he finishes at a slower pace than when he started the project. He has the best of two kinds of minds. One is the quick investigating mind. The other is the creative mind. His mind thinks quick and rapidly in the investigative mode. He can learn quicker, investigate more, and think faster. Jonathan can then switch into his low gear. When he is in the slower mode, he can be creative, remember longer and stack facts in a logical manner. He is more logical this way and can climb mental mountains with a much better grip.
Jonathan is secretive. He has secrets which he does not wish to share with others. He intentionally conceals things about himself. He has a private side that he intends to keep that way, especially concerning certain events in his past.
Jonathan will demand respect and will expect others to treat him with honor and dignity. Jonathan believes in his ideas and will expect other people to also respect them. He has a lot of pride.
Jonathan is moderately outgoing. His emotions are stirred by sympathy and heart rendering stories. In fact, he can be kind, friendly, affectionate and considerate of others. He has the ability to put himself into the other person's shoes. Jonathan will be somewhat moody, with highs and lows. Sometimes he will be happy, the next day he might be sad. He has the unique ability to get along equally well with what psychology calls introverts and extroverts. This is because he is in between. Psychology calls Jonathan an ambivert. He understands the needs of both types. Although they get along, he will not tolerate anyone that is too "far out." He doesn't sway too far one way or the other. When convincing him to buy a product or an idea, a heart rendering story could mean a great deal to him. He puts himself in the same situation as the person in the story, yet he will not buy anything that seems overly impractical or illogical. Jonathan is an expressive person. He outwardly shows his emotions. He may even show traces of tears when hearing a sad story. Jonathan is a "middle-of-the-roader," politically as well as logically. He weighs both sides of an issue, sits on the fence, and then will decide when he finally has to. He basically doesn't relate to any far out ideas and usually won't go to the extreme on any issue.
People that write their letters in an average height and average size are moderate in their ability to interact socially. According to the data input, Jonathan doesn't write too large or too small, indicating a balanced ability to be social and interact with others.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Balancing Act
Sunday night's service was my 31st church service in 31 days. I am sure that is a personal record! I have really enjoyed my time "off" and being able to visit several churches and go to several meetings. I never did really conclude my historia of the Texas trip from my previous 2 blogs, but now I've already been to the "Campvention" as well. There is so much to tell...I couldn't possibly get it all in! So just order the DVDs! ;-) I plan to watch them again myself...I was helping in the video department at the Campground, and it is difficult to really process what's being said in a meeting when you're working during the service.
One thing is for sure...my scale is way out of balance. God is calling on me to respond appropriately to the good things that I have received. Bro. Wilkinson used this illustration to explain how the grace of God works. He said that when John the Baptist told the Pharisees to bring forth fruit meet for repentance that the word "meet" is the same one translated "worthy" in many locations, and that it was a common market term used to refer to the process of weighing out the proper payment to buy a certain commodity. He calls us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. We are constantly indebted to God for His grace. We can never truly get the scale balanced, because as soon as we respond appropriately and get the scale moving in the right direction, He piles on more grace! I thought that this was a wonderful illustration of how God's grace doesn't give us license to sin; on the contrary, it obligates us to good works!
I thought of the scripture that says "To whom much is given, much is required." He's done so much for me, surely I am required to live for Him! We can't outgive God, but we can sure try to do as much as we can for Him. I remember what it meant to me as a child to hear my father say "I'm proud of you, son." It still means so much today to know that my dad is pleased with me. Just imagine what it would be like to hear our Heavenly Father say "Well done, my child." I want to make it!
One thing is for sure...my scale is way out of balance. God is calling on me to respond appropriately to the good things that I have received. Bro. Wilkinson used this illustration to explain how the grace of God works. He said that when John the Baptist told the Pharisees to bring forth fruit meet for repentance that the word "meet" is the same one translated "worthy" in many locations, and that it was a common market term used to refer to the process of weighing out the proper payment to buy a certain commodity. He calls us to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called. We are constantly indebted to God for His grace. We can never truly get the scale balanced, because as soon as we respond appropriately and get the scale moving in the right direction, He piles on more grace! I thought that this was a wonderful illustration of how God's grace doesn't give us license to sin; on the contrary, it obligates us to good works!
I thought of the scripture that says "To whom much is given, much is required." He's done so much for me, surely I am required to live for Him! We can't outgive God, but we can sure try to do as much as we can for Him. I remember what it meant to me as a child to hear my father say "I'm proud of you, son." It still means so much today to know that my dad is pleased with me. Just imagine what it would be like to hear our Heavenly Father say "Well done, my child." I want to make it!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Tex-Mex Trip Report (Part 2)
We got up extremely early Wednesday morning and got a ride across the border with Bro. Memo to get on a bus in Matamoros to go to Monterrey. It was about a 4-hour bus ride and they showed a couple of movies along the way. Of course, the movies were in Spanish so the rest of the crew couldn't get much out of it, and it was hard for me to follow as well! (It's much easier to understand someone speaking directly to you than a movie where you can't ask them to repeat something or to slow down!)
We arrived at the bus station in Monterrey and Bro. Jose Luis Medrano, the pastor of one of our three churches in the city, met us and served as chaffeur for the rest of our time in Mexico. Monterrey is a city of about 6 million people if you include the metro area, so as you can imagine, traffic is quite thick. Add to that the Mexican daredevil driving philosophy and we had several whiteknuckle near misses. (I was accustomed to Mexican driving since I'd been there before, but the others were definitely prayed up by the time we got to church that night! LOL) Bro. Jose Luis speaks a little English, but I served as translator the majority of the time. When he heard Eddie praying out loud and saw his expression of terror when a taxi stopped within inches of the van we were in, he did manage the English phrase "It's no problem, brother." I'm not sure that Eddie was particularly comforted. ;-)
We went to eat at Los Generales, a very nice buffet-style restaurant with LOTS of food. We all ate our fill (and probably more). I think that between the 4 of us, we probably gained 20+ pounds on this trip... It's definitely time to get back on my bike! After eating, we did a bit of shopping in the Artisan's Plaza in the downtown business district before getting to where we were staying for the night and getting ready for church.
Kyle and I stayed in Bro. Jose Luis's home. The air conditioning wasn't working in our room, and it was very hot while we were getting ready for church. Thankfully, we had a fan and the windows open during the night, and we slept quite comfortably.
The church that Bro. Jose Luis pastors is the newest body work in Mexico. It was quite an experience to visit there. The city of Monterrey is surrounded by mountains, and being so large, has some neighborhoods of great wealth as well as some of extreme poverty. All of the mountains have houses that are built right up the side, extending up perhaps a third of the way to the top. On some mountains, the houses are mansions and the wealthiest of the city live there. The views of the city are breathtaking.
On other mountains, the poorest people live up the mountain, and the neighborhoods are very poorly developed, with no roads wide enough to drive on leading up to the houses--only paths for people to walk up the mountainside to their homes. This church is in a very poor area of town, a few blocks from the base of one of the "poor mountains". Many of the people in the church have very little. Some of them live up the side of the mountain and have to walk some distance to get to church.
One brother in the church had a real desire to serve in the music department. He played the guitar but he wanted to learn the piano as well. The church had a little electronic keyboard, and Sis. Cora (the pastor's wife) showed him some of the basics and gave him some sheet music to practice with. He didn't have the money for a keyboard, so he actually drew out a piano keyboard on a peice of cardboard and practiced with the sheet music at home every week on his cardboard "piano". He came early for services and practiced on the actual keyboard some more. Finally, the church was able to purchase a nicer keyboard, and they gave the old keyboard to this brother so that he could practice at home with something better than his cardboard drawing of the keys. He played for some of the songs during the service and did quite well. What an example of dedication!
The other amazing story from this church is how it came to be in fellowship with us. This church had been a Pentecostal church pastored by Bro. Sergio and not affiliated with us. He was a pastor for 30 years. He started to fellowship with one of the other body churches in Monterrey and began to realize that there was a greater truth there than what he had.
After some time, he asked for a pastor to come and take over his church, and said that he wanted to just sit in the congregation under this ministry so that he could receive the truths that he lacked. What humility! Bro. Jose Luis was sent to pastor the church, and Bro. Sergio sat out in the congregation for some time, refusing to take a seat on the platform. After 2 or 3 months, Bro. Jose Luis urged him to sit on the platform as well, so he now works with him in the ministry again. No doubt God will richly bless Bro. Sergio for his willingness to submit to a younger man and his desire for greater truth.
Before service Wednesday night in Monterrey, we all stood to pray together. In Paducah, when we pray at the beginning of service, Bro. Encil says that we are standing to invite God in and to ask him to accept our sacrifice of praise. I began to pray to that effect in Monterrery that night, and when I asked God to accept our sacrifice, my heart was smitten within me. I thought, "My God, what sacrifice do I make compared with these people here?" We are blessed with such abundance in the American assemblies; I would encourage everyone to go into a mission field at least once and see the hunger that the people have for the Lord, notwithstanding their lack of material means. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. In our society which is so centered on material things, we must take care not to hunger and thirst after stuff. We cannot serve God and mammon. We must keep our priorities straight.
We had a wonderful service in Monterrey that night. I was the translator for the service, so I got plenty of practice with my Spanish! I had to translate both ways, depending on who was speaking. Then, after talking all night long interpreting for others, Bro. Jose Luis asked me to have something to say myself. He smiled and said "He's been preaching all night long, but I'd like him to preach some more!" I actually tried to translate for myself, but after a few minutes, I just told my 3 fellow Americans that they already knew a lot of what I was saying anyway and that I was just going to speak in Spanish. It was much easier that way!
After service we went to find somewhere to eat. Some of us were craving American food and they told Bro. Jose Luis that while we really loved it, we were actually getting a bit tired of Mexican food. It was late, so we had a bit of trouble finding an American-stlye restaurant that was still open. After perhaps 30-45 minutes of driving around, Bro. Jose Luis (who is constantly joking around or teasing someone) said "I'm getting worried that if I don't find something soon, you all will eat me!" As soon as I had translated this, Kyle replied, "No no, you don't have to worry. We already said we're getting tired of Mexican food!" LOL Kyle is quick! I think he really earned Bro. Jose Luis's respect after that! ;-)
We arrived at the bus station in Monterrey and Bro. Jose Luis Medrano, the pastor of one of our three churches in the city, met us and served as chaffeur for the rest of our time in Mexico. Monterrey is a city of about 6 million people if you include the metro area, so as you can imagine, traffic is quite thick. Add to that the Mexican daredevil driving philosophy and we had several whiteknuckle near misses. (I was accustomed to Mexican driving since I'd been there before, but the others were definitely prayed up by the time we got to church that night! LOL) Bro. Jose Luis speaks a little English, but I served as translator the majority of the time. When he heard Eddie praying out loud and saw his expression of terror when a taxi stopped within inches of the van we were in, he did manage the English phrase "It's no problem, brother." I'm not sure that Eddie was particularly comforted. ;-)
We went to eat at Los Generales, a very nice buffet-style restaurant with LOTS of food. We all ate our fill (and probably more). I think that between the 4 of us, we probably gained 20+ pounds on this trip... It's definitely time to get back on my bike! After eating, we did a bit of shopping in the Artisan's Plaza in the downtown business district before getting to where we were staying for the night and getting ready for church.
Kyle and I stayed in Bro. Jose Luis's home. The air conditioning wasn't working in our room, and it was very hot while we were getting ready for church. Thankfully, we had a fan and the windows open during the night, and we slept quite comfortably.
The church that Bro. Jose Luis pastors is the newest body work in Mexico. It was quite an experience to visit there. The city of Monterrey is surrounded by mountains, and being so large, has some neighborhoods of great wealth as well as some of extreme poverty. All of the mountains have houses that are built right up the side, extending up perhaps a third of the way to the top. On some mountains, the houses are mansions and the wealthiest of the city live there. The views of the city are breathtaking.
On other mountains, the poorest people live up the mountain, and the neighborhoods are very poorly developed, with no roads wide enough to drive on leading up to the houses--only paths for people to walk up the mountainside to their homes. This church is in a very poor area of town, a few blocks from the base of one of the "poor mountains". Many of the people in the church have very little. Some of them live up the side of the mountain and have to walk some distance to get to church.
One brother in the church had a real desire to serve in the music department. He played the guitar but he wanted to learn the piano as well. The church had a little electronic keyboard, and Sis. Cora (the pastor's wife) showed him some of the basics and gave him some sheet music to practice with. He didn't have the money for a keyboard, so he actually drew out a piano keyboard on a peice of cardboard and practiced with the sheet music at home every week on his cardboard "piano". He came early for services and practiced on the actual keyboard some more. Finally, the church was able to purchase a nicer keyboard, and they gave the old keyboard to this brother so that he could practice at home with something better than his cardboard drawing of the keys. He played for some of the songs during the service and did quite well. What an example of dedication!
The other amazing story from this church is how it came to be in fellowship with us. This church had been a Pentecostal church pastored by Bro. Sergio and not affiliated with us. He was a pastor for 30 years. He started to fellowship with one of the other body churches in Monterrey and began to realize that there was a greater truth there than what he had.
After some time, he asked for a pastor to come and take over his church, and said that he wanted to just sit in the congregation under this ministry so that he could receive the truths that he lacked. What humility! Bro. Jose Luis was sent to pastor the church, and Bro. Sergio sat out in the congregation for some time, refusing to take a seat on the platform. After 2 or 3 months, Bro. Jose Luis urged him to sit on the platform as well, so he now works with him in the ministry again. No doubt God will richly bless Bro. Sergio for his willingness to submit to a younger man and his desire for greater truth.
Before service Wednesday night in Monterrey, we all stood to pray together. In Paducah, when we pray at the beginning of service, Bro. Encil says that we are standing to invite God in and to ask him to accept our sacrifice of praise. I began to pray to that effect in Monterrery that night, and when I asked God to accept our sacrifice, my heart was smitten within me. I thought, "My God, what sacrifice do I make compared with these people here?" We are blessed with such abundance in the American assemblies; I would encourage everyone to go into a mission field at least once and see the hunger that the people have for the Lord, notwithstanding their lack of material means. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. In our society which is so centered on material things, we must take care not to hunger and thirst after stuff. We cannot serve God and mammon. We must keep our priorities straight.
We had a wonderful service in Monterrey that night. I was the translator for the service, so I got plenty of practice with my Spanish! I had to translate both ways, depending on who was speaking. Then, after talking all night long interpreting for others, Bro. Jose Luis asked me to have something to say myself. He smiled and said "He's been preaching all night long, but I'd like him to preach some more!" I actually tried to translate for myself, but after a few minutes, I just told my 3 fellow Americans that they already knew a lot of what I was saying anyway and that I was just going to speak in Spanish. It was much easier that way!
After service we went to find somewhere to eat. Some of us were craving American food and they told Bro. Jose Luis that while we really loved it, we were actually getting a bit tired of Mexican food. It was late, so we had a bit of trouble finding an American-stlye restaurant that was still open. After perhaps 30-45 minutes of driving around, Bro. Jose Luis (who is constantly joking around or teasing someone) said "I'm getting worried that if I don't find something soon, you all will eat me!" As soon as I had translated this, Kyle replied, "No no, you don't have to worry. We already said we're getting tired of Mexican food!" LOL Kyle is quick! I think he really earned Bro. Jose Luis's respect after that! ;-)
Monday, June 4, 2007
Tex-Mex Trip Report (Part 1)
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.
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.
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.
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