see and savor

a video tour of our house.

2008-11-22T13:21:00.002-06:00

Un descanso, por fin!

2007-07-14T08:52:00.000-05:00

Saludos a todos que leen...

Since I last wrote I’ve been in the pueblo of Incuyo for 3 days, then in Quilcata for a 2 day adventure and now I find myself in Pausa, finally resting. As a side note, a lot of people have been telling me that they can’t figure out where I am because they don’t see these towns on the map. Well, that’s to be expected… they’re all very small. If you want to know in general where I’ve been the last week and a half and where I’ll be the next week, it’s the department of Ayecucho.

Our time in Incuyo was wonderful. This was an unscheduled stop but it was on the way to our next assignment in Pausa. Stopping in Incuyo allowed us to experience a brand new house church meeting and meet six youth who are the new leaders of the church. These guys are meeting together nearly every night. There is one elderly lady who has been a believer since she was 15, but other than that there are only youth. There has been much resistance in this town; the priest and the religion teacher spread the word among all of the children that the gringos (funny because most of the time there’s been one North American and one Peruvian working side by side) are there to take out the eyes from their heads and their hearts from their chests. A little 10 year old boy with ADD at Bible study one night told us that he had been told so by the priest and we asked him what he thought. He responded that we were teaching only the Bible and the truth. Please pray for the pueblo of Incuyo. Pray for the six youth who will stand in the gap for their town amidst much persecution.

Our next stop was the scheduled “down time” we had been awaiting. Now my precious teammate Ally and I have discovered that we experience down time in very different ways. For her a relaxing time was a two day hiking and camping trip up to the volcano Sara Sara, making it to roughly 18,500 feet (try breathing in that altitude), eating chocolate and coca leaves to survive the altitude, sleeping outside in 20 degree weather, being lied to a lot by our guides, stumbling down the last 3 hours in the dark, and several other things that I’m omitting for the sake of my mom’s sanity. ;) For me, a relaxing time is doing nothing in Cindy’s apartment in Pausa, making pancakes and banana nut muffins, drinking Nescafé and having nearly unlimited internet access for a day and a half. I also slept about 10 hours the last two nights so I think I’m well on the way to recovery.

In a day and a half Allison and I will meet up with our teammate Justin who is in Marcabamba with Derek and Jacob. They have a team of 20 something youth and adults from the states coming in with the specific plan to work in the schools. As many of you know, professors and teachers across the entire nation are on a “paro”, a strike, so this team’s plans kind of fell apart. It sounds like we’re going to be playing a lot of soccer and just hanging out with people. Allison and I are preparing for “camp counselor” mode as there will be lots of young girls who’ve never left the U.S. before. I would guess we’ll clean up lots of vomit, too. Fun times ;)

God’s already showing me how these 40 days in Peru will shape the future. Although there is much to say about how this looks, in summary I’d say I’ve been challenged in two areas. One: live simply. I’ve got a list going in my journal as to what this means. More thoughts to come. Two: God is showing me more in his word and in daily life among the people we meet how the body of Christ is supposed to function. I’m convinced I’m not living as a part of the fellowship of believers as I should be – in my official church congregation as well as among my community. During our time in Incuyo God impressed upon me to start a Bible study at the high school where I work. I have a lot of 8th graders from last year who will be freshman next year who I know need some spiritual encouragement to stay strong in the world of high school. Pray that this would not just be a vision but that it would happen according to God’s guidance.

The Lord has blessed me greatly; the totaled car situation is working out much better than we originally thought. Thank you to everyone who is helping me figure it out. I am grateful for everyday here, facil y dificil, in which God challenges me and teaches me and comforts me. Yet I must say that I cannot wait to be back in the states to share with my church body, my family and friends all that the Righteous One is doing to make his name great in this beautiful country of Peru.

Bendiciones y amor en el nombre de nuestro Señor Jesuscristo.

2007-07-07T12:23:00.000-05:00

After spending six days in Bella Union, I am back in Nazca. In a few hours we will leave for Pausa. The weather in Bella was incredible, but now we´re approaching a 16 hour bus ride into the ¨cerros¨where we will be in sub-zero temperatures at night... oh boy! I had trouble with some sickness when I first got here, but am much better now, gracias a Dios. Our time in Bella Union was simply precious; we had an amazing time encouraging and instructing and learning from the Bella Union team. I got to play Allison´s guitar as we sang together every day; I´ve also had several opportunities to do some translating and I think I just might be getting better at my Spanish... poco a poco. I also had an interesting week when I learned that a tree fell on my car and totaled it! Imagine my surprise at that phone call! The same day my i-pod broke. Oh well, no pasa nada. I´m glad to leave the heavy food of the costal areas...lots of rice with every meal! I was starting to put on the pounds! I hear they eat lighter in the mountains.

Our team has an interesting role in stepping in, addressing strategy, forming relationships for less than a week and then leaving again. Last night I said goodbye to many precious lives in Bella Union... to Katia and Roxcela, two pre-teen girls we spent time with every afternoon who are learning English through Bible stories and memorizing verses.... and to Celia, the old Quechua lady who adopted me and Allison as her daughters for the week and stroked our hair and rubbed our hands with her precious, warm hands that are tough and smooth like old leather from years of hard work; I nicknamed her ¨Consuelo¨- comfort ... and to Alicia, the 18 year old who works in the restaraunt beside our hostal who was there every meal with a sweet smile and curiosity in who these 6 gringos are... and to Maria, a girl my age with a husband and 6-year-old daughter who works at our hostal. I invited her to have lunch with us one day and we learned that when she was 16 she left the Jehovah´s Witnesses because she started to see the truth in that they preach extra-Biblical commands. Then her husband became sick and she prayed to the Virgen de Chapi (the patron saint of this region) to heal him and he was better. Now she is devoted to the Catholic faith which in this area is sometimes nothing more than praying to saints and not understanding why ( I could write a separate blog just on what I´m learning of the Catholic church in Peru but just don´t have the time) ... and to Max and his family who run the restaraunt and hostal and in whose life family time is sacred; a present and active father is a rare thing in some of these pueblos as it is in the United States.

I am at the point on my journey that I knew would come where I begin to question this concept of ¨foreign missions¨ ... that which I say I´m called to for the rest of my life. Even now it´s difficult for me to put into words what I´ve learned and soaked up from the Peruvian Christians with whom I´ve come into contact. I don´t question why we do foreign missions. I don´t question scripturally the great commission - go and make disciples. What I question is should we be in Peru? When I first came with REAP North and now with REAP South, I believed that the research had been done and that no other evangelistic work was being done in the pueblos of the mountains and jungles of Peru. I believed this to be an unreached people group - the ends of the earth. Allow me to give just one example of how this is currently being challenged for me. Last night on our 2 hour bus ride from Bella Union to Nazca we met an older Baptist Pastor from a church in Ica, not far from here. He invited us to have dinner with him when we arrived in Nazca and from 9 until 11 last night I learned the mission strategy of an amazing Peruvian Baptist church. I took in too much information to be able to write all of it here, but basically their vision that is already being played out is to send out missionaries, begin churches, find leaders among those believers, send them back to Ica for training, and then back to their own people. He desires to still work with American churches, taking American missionaries who are accountable both to their home church and to his church. This pastor asked me the name of my fiance; he wants Ashley and ¨Cristobal¨ ;) to come back to Peru and work with him.

Another disheartening thing I´ve seen among some Peruvians and Americans, that I´ve come across don´t view salvation as a process.... they view it as a prayer. They focus on conversions and not transformations. This is not the majority but a minority who don´t have a Biblical view of a life in Christ. This blog may sound like a downer, and I hope that´s not how it comes across. I´m seeing some amazing things here, but blogging about the problems I see is a way of processing new information for me ( as well as asking for wisdom if anyone has resources to guide me to!) I think our team has pinpointed several areas in which the volunteer process can improve. All is not disheartening. Bible studies are being started and simple church is beginning in some areas. Young Christians are being discipled and God´s name is beind declared as beautiful and holy among the nations! I pray for wisdom for strategy coordinators to work with national believers in a more fruitful way for the glory of our precious Savior.

in Nazca

2007-06-27T22:42:00.001-05:00

Have you ever heard of the Nazca lines? That´s where I am right now... in Nazca, Peru. We arrived yesterday from Lima and on the way stopped in Paracas (near Pisco) to go sand surfing! Oh we had such a blast on a dune buggy in the desert; I´ve never seen sand dunes like this. You take a skateboard without wheels and ride (fly!) down the dunes. Then today I went to see the Nazca lines... maybe it would have been different had I paid for the airplane ride, but I only climbed a tower to see two of the symbols ( a tree and a hand) and they were much smaller than I had originally thought. Interesting but a bit anticlimactic.

I met my new teammates Allison and Justin today. Allison and I bonded instantly and had a sweet time of prayer and singing this morning and encouraging each other with scripture. Both my new teammates are both strong in their faith and will be amazing travel buddies; I can´t wait to hit the road with them! Next stop after Nazca... Bella Union. For now we are in Nazca for a mid-summer briefing of all the volunteers who are in the village teams. In total we are about 75 people here in Nazca and we´re staying in a nice hotel and holding meetings in a local baptist church. The next two days I will be doing one on one and group interviews to check up on everyone and see how it´s been going so far, to encourage and pray with them, and to see if any conflict has risen among the teams. I really enjoy this type of informal counseling... I pray that it will be beneficial for all.

I´m starting to remember some of the cultural differences that I learned when I spent time in Chile that change life for me when I´m in Latin America. Time is more relaxed and people actually take time to talk. When I´m in the states I have my own schedule which is my top priority... everything else comes second. Here if someone wants to talk to get to know me, I don´t stop them and say that I have to go make a phone call or something; I talk to them. This mindset seems to have infiltrated all the gringos on our team and those with the IMB here and I absolutely love it. I love being in a culture where relationships and conversation come before schedule and self. It truly opens the doors for conversations of a spiritual nature.

I am ashamed to say that I am a different type of believer in God here. My prayers are more often, my time in study sweeter, and my conversations more intentional. Even my moment by moment thoughts are more God-centered. I am so grateful for this time in Peru. Many more updates to come; thank you for your sweet emails and especially for your prayers.

Life in Lima

2007-06-23T13:44:00.000-05:00

I have three days left in Lima and plenty of internet access, so I thought I'd write again. I did end up going surfing yesterday; I'm not so good at it when it's wintertime here and the coast is rocky. I'd like to try again on a sunny, sandy beach. I rode three waves and never really stood up. Oh well, I can still check it off on my life "to do" list.

My engagement ring has moved to my right ring finger because apparently that's where you wear it here. And I want everyone to know I'm "taken." :) I've been eating out quite a bit... don't know what food will be like when I leave Lima. I've also had just a few lattes from Starbucks. Awww yeah. Good stuff. I've enjoyed getting to know the other missionaries here - volunteer and career. I've been especially blessed and excited about a possible missions career in watching one family - the Austins. They have three pre-teen/teenage kids and have been in Peru a few months. They seem to have such joy in their ministry here in Peru and their kids have adjusted well. The entire REAP South gang is a pretty fun group to be around.

Some of the down time here these last few days has been very nice. And thank God for free downloads from Desiring God and an ipod! It seemed very cushy when I bought it, but I am grateful for sermons and music right now. This morning I was reminded of our hope in future glory... I can't wait to be glorified and finally display Christ's perfections. It's not very often that I ponder eternity in this way, but it's a great time to have a renewed joy in this. It's brought me to prayer for the work among REAP South and reminded me what this is all about. Spent some time praying for you guys at home. I'm excited about what God is doing in our church and community with Adventure Camp. To God be the glory!

I think I am headed to an orphanage in the outskirts of Lima today and then to an evangelical church tonight. Thank you for your prayers. Les extrano!

Estoy en Lima!

2007-06-21T22:09:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update to say that I'm here in Lima. God blessed me with incredibly easy travel. Smooth sailing. I walked up to my team just as they had lifted the "Ashley" sign at the end of the tunnel of people at the Lima airport. They had gotten there just in time to meet me.

I sat in on a REAP South team meeting with two career missionary couples and a few other volunteers. I will stay here in Lima just helping out with things/learning/SURFING for a few more days. I know there's a movie night tomorrow night with an ESL class here, church on Saturday and Sunday, etc. Then on Tuesday or Wednesdsay I will head to Nazca where all college volunteers who are all over south Peru will meet up for a mid-summer briefing. I'm very excited about this time of worship and story-telling. During most of the free time there will be individual and team interviews. My first real role will be as an interviewer to give the students a chance to share what is going on with their village team. I hope to be an encourager as well as have wisdom should any conflict management or intervention arise.

After Nazca my team of one other girl and guy (who have already been traveling with a third, but I will take her place) will begin the Barnabas team role and we will spend the next month traveling from village to village. As far as I understand the travel plans are sort of in our hands, so that is one thing to pray for. I also forgot a towel... oops. Other than that, all is well and I will keep you updated as I can.

Thank you for your prayers! Bendiciones de Peru!

T Minus 8 Hours & Counting...

2007-06-20T08:34:00.000-05:00

Hi friends & family!

As of tonight at 11pm I am in Peru for the next 40 days. I'll be using this blog to keep you all updated on my travels (as internet is available). I'm working with the IMB through REAP South Peru (REAP stands for Rapid Entry Advance Plan), a church planting movement among the indigenous population of the southern region of Peru. I'll be serving on what's called the Barnabas team traveling from village to village checking on U.S. college students who have volunteered for the summer. The original plan was to be in Lima for a week working with English classes, go to a mid-summer briefing for all of the REAP teams, and then travel for about a month. I've recently heard that some of these plans may have changed so I'll just have to see when I get there tonight.

Please pray that I would be open to God's voice during this trip; that I would learn and be comforted through his word; that I would learn selflessness and be able to minister to my team, to the volunteers I am visiting, and to the nationals. I'm excited about learning more about church planting and how God may guide mine & Chris' future through these experiences.

"Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of Heaven." -Acts 14:22

2007-04-23T17:09:00.000-05:00

"There is a mindset in the prosperous West that we deserve a pain-free, trouble-free existence . . . [It] gives a trajectory to life that is almost universal - namely, away from stress and toward comfort and safety and relief. Then withing that very natural trajectory some people begin to think of ministry and find ways of serving God inside the boundaries set by the aims of self-protection. Then churches grow up in this mindset, and it never occurs to anyone in such a community of believers that choosing discomfort, stress, and danger might be the right thing - even the normal, biblical thing - to do." The Roots of Endurance, John Piper

Recently I've been in a season of "spiritual victory" (for lack of a better phrase), meaning I've been finding much joy in God's mercy and grace. His recent work in my heart to see new beauty in Scripture and to take delight in prayer. There has been joy through conviction of sin, repentance, and (hallelujah!) a changed heart/behavior. I'm excited about God's leading for the future and my trip to Peru over the summer.

It's not my first time to entertain such radical thoughts as presented in Piper's introduction to a book in his biography series "The Swans Are Not Silent." But this morning as I read these thoughts seemed to be the perfectly-worded version of so many of my recently jumbled thoughts on suffering. The harsh and obvious reality is that the majority of Christians (... ME ...) are not living biblical, Christ-centered lives - we are not risking all in a radical nature. We are deciding which ministries are safe and comfortable to fill up our meaningless lives. We are not called to run from persecution and danger - but rather to run toward it! AND WITH JOY!!!

Most of the time my life is 180 turn from the model of the Christian life presented in the gospels and the letters to the early church. My life - while it should consist of studying a biblical theology and taking joy in truth revealed and having victory over personal sin, etc. - should be so much more. I thank God for even the slightest realization of this, knowing it is not of me. I am lazy and naturally live life on "autopilot." I am young and have so many decisions still ahead of me; what am I called to risk for the sake of the gospel today? My job? My bank account? My car or home? My emotional stability? Sleep? My family? My future? I beg Him to show me quickly, that the days would be redeemed for his glory and my good. The model for suffering is for all of us . . . we should not stop pursuing it until we see our Savior's face.

how sweet the sound

2007-01-13T14:29:00.000-06:00

It just so happens that on February 23rd, the 200th anniversary of the day British Parliament voted to ban the slave trade, Hollywood will release Amazing Grace. What a coincidence. The film is about the life of William Wilberforce. Not only was his career in British parliament marked by an unwavering stance for justice found in the slave trade, but his conversion story also an incredible testament to a God who pursues his children. I read his biography a few years ago and am excited to see his life depicted on the big screen.

Goodbye 2006

2007-01-03T19:30:00.000-06:00

I’d like to jump back into the blogworld full force but I am leery of making any promises… let’s just say the survey Meredith and Aaron did sparked my ‘reflections’ on the last year; all the changes I’ve endured / enjoyed. I thought it might be enjoyable to return to blogging with an update on the last year of my life.

I’ve lived in four different cities this year: Cleveland, Dothan, Auburn/Opelika, and Chattanooga. I traveled with my church to Peru and never imagined I could learn so much from 7 days in a pickup truck. I taught Spanish to approximately 175 different students. I learned a lot from the book of Hebrews. I learned to trust. I broke up with four roommates and got a new one. I graduated college. I fell in love. I learned more about who I am and found talents God had placed in me that I didn’t know were there. I saw some things that make me mad. Mononucleosis tried to kill me. I was reminded that even if I’m paying my own bills now I will always need my family.

I don’t know why people seem to dislike making resolutions for the upcoming year. I happen to be one who does it every year and love it. Do I always keep my resolutions? Well, no. But sometimes I do and particularly for my lazy and undisciplined self, it’s a good thing.

Here we go . . .

1) Rather than doing a “read through in a year” plan I am going to focus on one book per month. I’m starting with Isaiah.

2) Write lesson plans one week in advance.

3) Keep in touch with the people I love.

4) Go back to Peru.

5) Blog more!

enjoy the sunset

2006-07-24T15:19:00.000-05:00

“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”

Psalm 90:14

Go ahead, read my blog. You will say, duh, Ash, didn’t you learn all these things when you were twelve years old like the rest of us? Some weeks ago I came to the realization that I was only living for the next phase of life. Well the next phase of life is here: the transition from Auburn to Chattanooga happened quite smoothly thanks to the help of my parents. I am sitting here in my apartment this morning kicking and screaming against the changes… even good changes require adjustments and I have never dealt well with this part of life.

The unknown always seems more glamorous than the present moment… oh I can’t wait until I have a family of my own, I can’t wait until I’m finally on the mission field, I can’t wait until… What a horrible attitude toward life! A life that is meant to revel in the beauty of this day, in the glory and holiness of the God of the universe this day. A life that is meant to see the beauty of creation in the fight for joy ( I am currently reading Piper’s When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy).

I met a man yesterday. An older man that had quite a bit of joy in his life. He had recently survived cancer and a heart attack, was with his adorable wife, and was teaching his grandson about boats down at Harrison Bay. He stopped for a moment to share his joy and said "Enjoy every day of this life, it will go by quickly." I don't know if this man was a believer or not, but from the short conversation we had, it seemed to me that this life was all he had. He did not have hope for an eternity spent giving glory to God. He was enjoying each moment for what it was; tomorrow all the fun might be over. How painful to believe that each day might be your last, and there is nothing more to live for than the beauty of a sunset.

There are many thinkers and writers of in our present day (although their thoughts are truly nothing new) who declare that one may know God as long as he or she is seeking toward truth or that it is enough to know God through nature and the world around us. Friends, if this is true, let us stop striving to carry the gospel to all peoples and kick back and enjoy the sunset this evening. But if the truth as revealed by God through his Word is that those without the gospel are perishing (I Cor. 1:18), let us allow the glories of God’s creation to draw us into gladness and joy in his truth and burst forth from our smiles and our words to all of the nations. The knowledge of Christ's sacrifice is the essence of the gospel and the central focus of God's story he has written throughout time. We are commanded to tell of it, and true faith in God comes through knowledge of Christ's atonement in scripture (Romans 10:17) When you see the sunset this evening, smile and shout to all who can hear "He did it again!"

Go ahead, sing it if you know it:

This be the day, this be the day that the Lord did do, that the Lord did do,
We gonna get down, we gonna get down, and party too, and party too….

testing the waters of the blogging world ... an update after my 4 month sabbatical ...

2006-07-07T09:52:00.000-05:00

We'll see how long this lasts; I'm jumping back into the world of bloggging. I guess I've been reading the New York boys' thoughts and realized my life was a bit emptier without the blog; also I want to be just like my big sister when I grow up and she started back up...
(the main reason being my job this week is to answer phones at a law office and apparently no one needs a lawyer in the city of Auburn...)

To be honest my heart is not here in Auburn. I'm loving the time with my sister, but due to the nature of being in a transitional phase in life I have been traveling nearly every weekend so I am not really plugged into much. Life becomes void of meaning without relationships and I seem to have a lack thereof this summer. I treasure those I do have but I'm not pouring into others' lives the way I felt that I did at Lee. I think I left my heart somewhere in the Andes mountains... right at the roadblock that kept my weak (& vomiting) body from hiking to Incawasi to meet the Lambayeque Quechua people. I long to be there, or anywhere abroad where I feel more alive and where I sense the urgency of the gospel... but more than this I long to feel those emotions here. The haunting sentence I once read in Jim Elliot's journals runs through my mind - "wherever you are, be all there." Simple but convicting. I have been re-learning through conversations with Chris (and John Piper) about the joy that not only should be present but how absolutely vital it is to my life in Christ and my witness. Without a deeply satisfying joy that transforms my life into a passionate pursuit of his glory and fame in this world, I am nothing. "Come quickly & abide, or life is vain." The nagging question comes to my mind over and over again...I'm so fearful of it I can barely type it...am I really supposed to teach Spanish next year or I am a lazy person who has easily been drawn into apathetic living? I wish I were fully convinced of my decision making skills...

Also due to various conversations and reading R.C. Sproul's Chosen By God I've been thinking on the universality of human corruption...

"there is none righteous, no, not one;
there is none who understands;
there is none who seeks after God...
there is none who does good, no, not one" -Romans 3:10, 12

Total depravity, really? How does one explain to a non-believer that our every action is flawed and when we see people doing 'good' it is actually at its very core self-motivated? As Sproul says we must look at this passage and evaluate what we perceive when we read the word 'good.' In comparison with the deeds of man, many actions may appear good. But in comparison with the perfection of our God and our spotless Savior Jesus Christ, what is good. Do we even have a framework with which to measure ourselves against the perfection of Christ? I think not. By way of the Holy Spirit, understanding our falleness is most definitely central to gaining a proper perspective of Christ's work on the cross. Is it even possible to communicate this truth to a non-believer or is it only by a supernatural work that fallen minds will understand our depravity? As I study I am more grateful for the grace of God that continually interrupts my sinful mind and draws me to communion with Him.

"Uncommon Language"

2006-02-15T06:57:00.000-05:00

The following comes from a daily reading that I receive by email called "Slice of Infinity" from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries; the author of this particular message is Jill Carattini. I'm including it on my blog because it has everything to do with the stranger/host mentality concept addressed in The Gift of the Stranger and the sensitivity necessary for a foriegn language learner attempting to share a message of salvation with someone who is "other" to them. It speaks of Christ as a stranger to this world...
(I have only included portions of the original writing.)

An interesting display of language and culture befell my husband and me
while standing in line at an ice cream shop. The owner of the shop is a
friendly man whose primary language is Hindi; through heavily accented
words, he took our order in English. The one preparing the desserts was a
new employee, in the process of being trained, who spoke neither Hindi nor
English, but only Spanish. Relaying our order along with the steps it
would take to make it, the owner spoke in careful, fragmented Spanish, at
one point stopping to ask his wife something in Hindi and clarifying
something with us in English. "Te hables Espanol?" my husband immediately
asked, impressed at the sight of such a blend of languages. "Not really,"
the owner replied. "But the teacher is no good unless he speaks the
language of the student."

I have often wondered what went through the minds of the disciples as
Jesus spoke of mustard seeds, wine skins, and thieves in the night. In
the three years they spent together as rabbi and pupils, I am sure the
question often crossed their minds: "What is this language he is
speaking?" More than once, the Gospels impart the disciples
conferred with each other like a group of befuddled students—"What is he
saying?" Eventually, someone decided they had to ask the teacher himself.
As Jesus finished telling a crowd of people a story about seeds and soil,
the disciples took him aside and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in
parables?" (Matthew 13:10).

I suspect his answer did not offer the clarity they were looking to
receive. Jesus responded, "I speak to them in parables because 'though
seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.'
In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: 'You will be ever hearing but
never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.' For
this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their
ears, and they have closed their eyes… But blessed are your eyes because
they see, and your ears because they hear" (Matthew 13:13-16).......

The words God has chosen to speak we may not fully understand at first
hearing, but that He is a God who holds value and purpose in language
should compel us to listen again. Christ's parables leave us asking not
only, "What is he saying in this parable about the real world" but more
invasively they leave us inquiring, "What is the real world?"
However this question is asked, with ears hardly hearing, with eyes opened
or closed, in Hindi or English or Spanish, there is an answer.

the invisible children

2006-02-14T22:35:00.000-05:00

I spent a portion of my evening watching a film called The Invisible Children. It was made by four guys who traveled to Sudan to document what's going on with the civil war that has been going on for nearly twenty years. The title for the film comes from the focus on the kids who are abducted and made to become "child soldiers" by the rebel groups who are trying to overthrow the government; they sleep piled up by the thousands together in the city where they can be somewhat safe from kidnapping and then they commute everyday back to outskirts of the city where their families live. It breaks my heart to be reminded that there are wars going on in underdeveloped countries and genocide occuring yet it seems that the vision of the countries with the resources to do something about it, the problem becomes "invisible." I don't know how well I'm going to sleep tonight...

www.invisiblechildren.com

God, reformed theology, and the problem of evil...

2006-02-12T01:07:00.000-05:00

I've been having rather interesting dialogue recently on the way a Calvinistic viewpoint connects God to the problem of evil. Check out Romans 3:3-7. Then check out some writings from Piper I found on www.mongerism.com...

God "works all things after the counsel of his will" (Ephesians 1:11).This "all things" includes the fall of sparrows (Matthew 10:29), the rolling of dice (Proverbs 16:33), the slaughter of his people (Psalm 44:11), the decisions of kings (Proverbs 21:1), the failing of sight (Exodus 4:11), the sickness of children (2 Samuel 12:15), the loss and gain of money (1 Samuel 2:7), the suffering of saints (1 Peter 4:19), the completion of travel plans (James 4:15), the persecution of Christians (Hebrews 12:4-7), the repentance of souls (2 Timothy 2:25), the gift of faith (Philippians 1:29), the pursuit of holiness (Philippians 3:12-13), the growth of believers (Hebrews 6:3), the giving of life and the taking in death (1 Samuel 2:6), and the crucifixion of his Son (Acts 4:27-28).

From the smallest thing to the greatest thing, good and evil, happy and sad, pagan and Christian, pain and pleasure - God governs them all for his wise and just and good purposes (Isaiah 46:10). Lest we miss the point, the Bible speaks most clearly to this in the most painful situations. Amos asks, in time of disaster, "If a calamity occurs in a city has not the LORD done it?" (Amos 3:6). After losing all ten of his children in the collapse of his son's house, Job says, "The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job 1:21). After being covered with boils he says, "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10).

Oh, yes, Satan is real and active and involved in this world of woe! In fact Job 2:7 says, "Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head." Satan struck him. But Job did not get comfort from looking at secondary causes. He got comfort from looking at the ultimate cause. "Shall we not accept adversity from God?" And the author of the book agrees with Job when he says that Job's brothers and sisters "consoled him and comforted him for all the adversities that the LORD had brought on him" (Job 42:11). Then James underlines God's purposeful goodness in Job's misery: "You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful" (James 5:11). Job himself concludes in prayer: "I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted" (Job 42:2). Yes, Satan is real, and he is terrible - and he is on a leash. - John Piper

discontentment...

2006-02-11T23:35:00.000-05:00

Snow changes everything... you walk outside and all of a sudden everything is peaceful and beautiful... the world around you is hushed and the silence is the most beautiful part about it all... it brings a new perspective and I love it. Encountering beauty always changes something inside me in an inexplicable way.

Discontentment... in my lack of knowledge of the theology that I claim to believe... in my teaching abilities... in my Christian witness and my concern for the lost... in my adherance to the quote I so often mock -> "Preach the gospel and when necessary use words"... in my selfishness in my attitude towards others... in my general apathy towards prayer and time spent with my Savior. Recently I've been seeing my own depravity and utter selfish motives at the heart of everything I do and it is ugly. I'm so incapable of good on my own and a fresh reality check is painful and humbling ... it places me with a 'fresh discontentment' that I so deeply need in order to live in full reliance of God's workings within me.

Student teaching is one of the first things I've ever done for which I feel equipped and capable... and adequate. It's always been a struggle of mine. Question... where God places you, does He always equip? I've heard phrases like, "where He calls, He provides" and "God will give you the gifts for what he asks you to do." I mean, in a very general sense I believe He does; maybe it's just not always in the ways we think it will be. For example, Moses wasn't gifted with the ability to speak, so God had Aaron to be his "mouth." I want to explore these thoughts more because I think the implications are huge for how we view calling. I am about to read a book on "faith & calling" from the head of the theology department at Lee, so I'm willing to bet I will be writing more on this subject...

"It is not what man does that determines whether his
work is sacred or secular, but why he does it." -A.W. Tozer

Reflections on The Gift of the Stranger by David Smith and Barbara Carvill

2006-02-09T21:36:00.000-05:00

Before reading The Gift of the Stranger I had not truly considered the concept of the other; I had never been presented with the perspective of the host and the stranger. While I believed that whatever a Christian feels called to is his or her personal ministry, whether it be “sacred” or “secular” as some would differentiate, a new perspective of faith and calling has entered my thoughts due to my working through the writings of David Smith and Barbara Carvill in The Gift of the Stranger. Prior to reading, my thoughts on how a Christian should teach language might have been as far-fetched as the quoted “Is there a Christian way to boil water?” My enlightened viewpoint is one of a new lense by which to view scripture, examine my personal view toward the stranger, and critically think through teaching methodology in a traditional second language learner’s atmosphere.

I enjoy both the boldness and yet thoughtfulness seen in the perspectives of Smith and Carvill. From a historical viewpoint the most basic reason for learning a foreign language is found in language education’s connection with world missions. The authors boldly say “though secularists may frown at the very thought, we find nothing odd or inappropriate in seeking to communicate to others a truth that has set us free.” Yet they are also very quick to assert that the missionary endeavor, labeled by Smith and Carvill as the ‘persuader’ aim, must guard against arrogance and undergo a “humble process of learning.” To embrace the stranger is to follow in the footsteps of Paul as he addresses the Corinthian church and says "I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." I desire to continue to reflect on how the truths of the God of compassion who commands that we care for the stranger (Exodus 22:21) may become intertwined in my lifestyle and become the very essence of how I relate to others, how I view political issues, where I choose to live, and how I spend my free time.

During my reading of the text I have begun student teaching in a second level Spanish class at Bradley Central High School. Students’ comments such as “Why can’t they just be normal and speak English?” have not only made me sigh, but also made me think critically about how to implement a love of the stranger. Furthermore, how does one instill a desire and love for a language when most students begin learning at an age level where all of their biases and opinions have already been formed and many are simply concerned with passing a test? Many questions that arose from my readings are still lingering, unanswered queries off in space: how does one teach the average language learner to not only view the stranger with new lenses but also to learn to be a good host? Is it possible to teach this notion? I began to implement some of the concepts highlighted in Chapter eight on Faith and Method due to my inner dialogue with the authors and a personal connection with the problems of the foreign language classroom. Smith speaks of the conviction he felt when a student asked him how to say a certain phrase in German and he asked them to stick to the vocabulary that pertains to the exercise which they were completing. I was able to understand Smith’s dilemma and put into practice the thoughts that emerged from my reading of this illustration. My students were currently studying extracurricular activities and several activities offered at our high school were not listed in the text’s vocabulary. Rather than asking the students to ‘stick to the vocabulary,’ I decided to let them choose about five more words that pertained to their activities to add to the vocabulary and then we erased a few of the words which described activities that the students were not involved in. This is just a small example of the implementation of new thought processes in my personal methodology of language teaching.

I now feel that I can not only critically think on a deeper level about my personal field of study and perhaps my future profession but also offer an informed opinion on the foreign language classroom, second language learners, and what it means to be a stranger and a host. As quoted in The Gift of the Stranger, author Henri Nouwen wrote “If there is any concept worth restoring to its original depth and evocative potential, it is the concept of hospitality.” I don’t believe that before my reading of Smith and Carvill’s work that I would have been able to relate to Nouwen’s statement; however, I now understand the implications of the term hospitality and long to communicate them in love with a fresh perspective to others.

embracing the stranger...

2006-02-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

We are strangers in this world. Jesus came to us as a stranger. This concept of the stranger, the foreigner, the alien, the sojourner... it's all over scripture but through reading my text for class as well as some other circumstances these words have become more apparent to me.

"When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:33-34

Do we remember that loving our neighbor also means to love the stranger? What does scripture mean for our views on immigration? An estimated 6.3 million illegal immigrants from Mexico live in the U.S. with an average of 485,ooo more arriving every year.... interesting article in the February 6th issue of Time Magazine. Some states are in support of legislation which promote benefits and civil rights for migrant workers while other states are cracking down on tighter policies against illegal immigrants. Is there a Christian response, a Scriptural view on this issue?

Echoing a sermon on Exodus 22: 21 - 27 that my pastor at Concord Baptist Church taught about a month ago, why is God concerned that we defend the sojourner, the widows & orphans, and the poor? Because God says "I am compassionate." Is the law of the Old Testament still applicable to us today? Cursed is he who distorts justice... We live under grace now; yet the God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. He is still a God of compassion. His character does not change. As his children, we are called to exeplify his character. Maybe we can all ask God to help us see those around us who are in need in a way that we have never seen them before. Perhaps there is a language barrier, but we may ask him to help us to hear them in a way we have never heard the 'stranger' before. And in doing so, may we not only hear but actually listen. May we not only speak, but learn to communicate.

John Fischer's thoughts on worldview...

2006-01-29T22:58:00.000-05:00

My opinion on Relevant magazine has changed quite frequently; after reading a friend's, I decided to begin subscribing even though sometimes I wish I had not. While I am not aligned with many of the perspectives the magazine represents, I do glean truth from some points. And I am constantly examining what I read through scripture and through my personal Christian worldview...ahem...

John Fischer has written some, to the more conservative Christian, quite challenging articles. His words, dependent upon interpretation of his statements, are loaded with the implications of postmodern philosophies. Fischer writes on worldview in the January/February issue of Relevant:

"If our worldview is informed by the Bible (which we believe is truth), it is necessary that we agree with other worldviews because they could not exist if they didn't account for at least some of the truth. Put another way: The Bible agrees with the way things are. Other worldviews must also agree to some extent with the way things are, or else they would be alien to our lives and our culture. To a point, a proper Christian worldview should be comfortable around other worldviews and also be open to where another point of view can inform ours.

As Christians, we need to abandon the concept that we are right and everyone else is wrong. It is simply not true, and it drives a wedge between us and those to whom Christ has sent us. We need to be able to find areas of agreement with other worldviews and also be open to where another point of view can inform ours."

I don't know how to interpret Fischer's words. I do not personally know him. However, I believe the core of these statements to be damaging to a true Biblical Christian worldview. Is it not true that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing? Are we not told repeatedly in the Bible that the messenger of God's truth carries an offensive word and we will meet opposition? This is the danger I mean when I see Lee's mission statement which says "All truth is God's truth, no matter where it's found." This statement must be further clarified if we are to uphold a Biblical worldview.

More to come... what do you think of Fischer's perspective? I was hoping the article would be at www.relevantmagazine.org yet it is not. However, Sigur Ros is featured on their site right now.... wow.... how relevant is too relevant?

the task.... to define my personal worldview

2006-01-29T16:58:00.000-05:00

(a paper I wrote on my personal worldview... I will be adding to the thoughts of this paper as the course moves along...)

Understanding what a worldview is, yet not knowing how to begin to describe my own, I went to the faithful Webster’s for help; the dictionary defines worldview as both “the overall perspective from which one sees and interprets the world” and “a collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group.” In pondering my own set of beliefs and perspective on the world, it seems to me only natural to return to the place of the initial shaping of my view on life… the home. One’s immediate family plays an important role in the shaping of a person’s worldview.

All of my life I have listened to my mother answer the phone with the phrase “Jesus is Lord!” At first I thought it was normal; when I learned it was not how every other mom answered the phone I was mortified and asked her to stop. Many people have called our home and, believing that they have dialed the wrong number, they hang up. This phrase is at the core of my mother’s worldview and, even on a very practical level, governs everything she does. Growing up in a home where Jesus as Lord was unabashedly proclaimed and the truth of the Bible was taught, my worldview was shaped through this set of beliefs.

I have many beliefs which influence the way in which I view the world. To break it down to the bare essentials, I believe that there exists a God. I believe that Jesus Christ, as the son of God and therefore deity, actually took on human flesh to die for the sins of the world. At the center of my beliefs about God is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The root of my beliefs is found in the Bible, which I believe to be the true will of God. The essential question of one’s worldview are two questions: “What do you view as truth?” and “How does one come to know the truth?”

Even further at the center of this worldview is the truth which exists concretely, stands alone, and governs the universe. In the closing paragraph of Lee University’s mission statement, there lays a statement loaded with implications; “truth is truth, wherever it is found.” While I am in agreement with this statement, I feel that further specification should be made in order to defend Truth. There are universal truths. For example, I may be able to glean wisdom from a Hindu’s practices and beliefs; but the ‘truth’ I find there is lacking unless it leads to the knowledge that, apart from Christ, a religion is leading to eternity without God. To further illustrate my point, I turn to C.S. Lewis. In his fictional work The Great Divorce, Lewis allows us to hear dialogue of two characters’ discussion on truth:

“For me there is no such thing as a final answer. The free wind of inquiry must always
continue to blow through the mind, must it not? ‘Prove all things’…to travel hopefully is
better than to arrive.” to which the other responds, “If that were true, and known to be
true, how could anyone travel hopefully? There would be nothing to hope for.”

A popular phrase in our present culture has become “I am comfortable with questions as answers.” While I would never deny that there are many questions with which we cannot form definite answers (‘now I know in part; then I shall know fully’, I Cor. 3:12), and to try to form answers to some questions would be overstepping our boundaries as finite beings, I do cling tightly to the truth I know to be revealed through the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit. Yet the truth is messy and not easily packaged into a nice little gift-wrapped box. To attempt to do so would deny that God seeks us out and reaches different people in different ways.

I believe in a God-centered theology as truth; that all men were created to glorify God forever. But the very real truth which is in Scripture is that men cannot come to know their Savior through nature; they must hear the truth of the gospel. At the very center of my worldview is that those who are apart from Christ are perishing, and therefore I will answer the call to make disciples. This is the main truth which governs the Christian worldview with which I live.

an introduction....

2006-01-24T16:21:00.000-05:00

My intent is to use this blog as both a place for personal reflection in my own writing style in order to share my journey with you , a memoir if you will, as well as a portion of a cummulative project for my Capstone course at Lee University which involves the integration of faith and learning (as a Spanish major, this course is more specifically called Linguistics & Faith).

I will post usually once or twice per week in response to readings from the course as well as other materials I come across in regards to the concept of "worldview" and what my personal worldview is. As I attempt to define my personal worldview as well as my mission statement, This blog may also include from time to time my joys and frustrations of student teaching as well as my struggle to discern what to do after graduation from Lee in May.

Because so much of learning is dialogue, I welcome your comments!