Stewardship

 I am currently doing a study on money through the Bible Study Podcast with Chris Christiansen.
His work always seemed to be just a my level. Theologically conservative yet contemporary and thoughtfull.   Chronologically, this was last year's study and I hit a few of the episodes, but am now more methodical in listening to them all. He is on Itunes. I highly recommend these podcasts if you are a lay person. I think if I had been to Seminary and had an M-Div  in Theology I might find his approach a bit simple for for the average person he is great!

This passage was one I had not remembered from prior readings:

Proverbs 30 :  5- 9

5“Every word of God is flawless;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

6Do not add to his words,

or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

7“Two things I ask of you, O Lord;

do not refuse me before I die:

8Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

9Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’

Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of my God. 

BTW- My title above is misleading. This is really about the inside work. 

Remaining Faithful

 So I was looking to Henri Nouwen and Scripture this morning to cheer me up and help me to put on the armor. I had been feeling a bit challenged and discouraged. Everywhere we see so much suffering and unmerited pain. Though this meditation did not, "cheer me up,"  It certainly right sized me and put my concerns in perspective:

Wednesday September 14, 2011

Remaining Faithful

Many people live with the unconscious or conscious expectation that eventually things
will get better; wars, hunger, poverty, oppression, and exploitation will vanish;
and all people will live in harmony.  Their lives and work are motivated by that
 expectation.  When this does not happen in their lifetimes, they are often disillusioned
and experience themselves as failures.

But Jesus doesn't support such an optimistic outlook.  He foresees not only the
destruction of his beloved city Jerusalem but also a world full of cruelty, violence,
and conflict.  For Jesus there is no happy ending in this world.  The challenge
of Jesus is not to solve all the world's problems before the end of time but to
remain faithful at any cost.

By popular demand: I was there. At the World Trade Center

  This is What I saw 

Yes, I was there         
  

In a conference room on the 42nd floor we were in a morning management meeting discussing competitive products. With my face turned away from the large windows, I heard the roar of a jet  flying much to close to our building. As I turned to see the explosion I saw the back half of the plane breaking off and descending to the ground. It was eerily similar to a Hollywood extravaganza sitting too close to the front of the theater.  My colleagues and I were in shock and awe. 
As we shouted and cursed, I prayed the the Lord be there with each of us. The back half of the plane broke off and tumbled to the patio we shared with the North Tower. The flames and quantity of debris was staggering.  Much like a ticker tape parade office papers started fluttering in the wind to the ground almost immediately. As we started to see the people falling and jumping to their deaths there were few atheists in our office. My prayers were for each of them and their families. I prayed they had come to know the Lord and could find some peace. My friends and I were all yelling, crying and guessing what the heck was happening. 
The we saw dead people. Lot´s of dead people. Splattered on the ground in front of us like raw hamburger splattered on your driveway thrown from the third floor of your house. I was 42 years old and consciously thought I was glad my eyesight was starting to fade and I was unable to see the corpses as well as others. John shouted, ¨That guys head just popped off like a pumpkin.¨ My heart still aches when I repeat that audio  in my mind. 
Like popcorn popping people jumped. Sometimes alone and sometimes in pairs or more. Wondering silently and still years later which was better  facing the end alone or holding the hand of an office mate.  At times, people appeared to be continuously jumping and other other times it appeared to slow.  I had been no stranger to death, but the quantity of people dying quickly was mind boggling.  
I was so very glad that I knew Jesus and prayed that those dying also knew him. I strongly believe many of those passing recommitted to their faith in a profound and sincere way. They now sit with Him and watch us with love.  Dear reader, I love you and do not wish in any way to preach the exclusivity of my faith or any others.   Many of my friends and readers are not Christian and I love you. 

What happened next ??  (more to come.....) 


PART 2  

Yes..... I was there..... Part 2 the evacuation

  Shortly before the second plane hit someone suggested that we call our families. Only 15 of the 150 plus people on our floor were still present. The smart ones and the people who had been there in `93 had already left. After calling and leaving a message at the house, I picked up my binolculars and headed back to the conference room. I remember thinking about the irony of having just taken my binoculars to my new job just as the world appeared to be coming apart.  Next to the conference room I stopped to try my binoculars.

  The binoculars were strong and I could see the facial features and gestures of the people preparing to jump to their deaths. I could see people frantically gesturing inside the tightly sealed strong windows. One woman was like in the play of Evita: gesturing from a busted balcony that never excited before or after. The result of a plane crashing into the sleek steel and glass walls had created an opening. Was it a balcony or a platform for a messenger?  I thought (naively) that I hope the helicopters would arrive soon and they would all be rescued through the roof top.   How very naive of me because even if the building had not collapsed the heat from the fires would have precluded a rooftop rescue. Also, naively I continued to pray for this Evita and think I would try to follow here story as she was rescued. BOOM!  Plane number two hit the South Tower.

  I may be dumb, but I am not stupid. After the second plane it we knew we had to leave. We could here the television blaring about another plane, but from our vantage point on the 42nd floor (Building 7)  we thought it was a bomb. The windows exploded in our disrection and we saw nothing of the plane. Someone coarsely yelled that perhaps the government was not telling the truth because of the bomb vs. plane.  We all started wondering about bombs and planes.

  The handful of us left planed evacuation. I asked Darren if we should wait for Peter our boss. I said that I would not want him to be alone in the event that he returned and felt he had to go down with the ship alone.  "Expletive   Peter.. let`s go"   Darren said. We swept the floor with the Systems Administrative guy who had that morning finally delivered my beatiful new laptop computer which remained (remains) locked in the my desk.  He decided to take the elevator as Darren and I chose the stairs. No way was I going to travel in an a  electronic mausoleum to the next home. I l^ ooked aorund the now vacant floor and throught,  "Hmm what`s next?"
  As we descended we found our colleague Mary struggling down the stairs. Late 50`s and seriously overweight.  Darren steadied her and I carried bit their stuff. They had far more to carry than I. Turns out they were the smart ones.....   Laboriously we descnded the 42 stairwells, praying for safety and wondering what was going on outside...

Hurricane and Fire....

   Just as power and internet returned here to the Adirondacks one of our family houses burnt to the ground yesterday morning. It's my brother's house right next door to mine on the lake and it burst into flames at 7:50 am yesterday. From my bedroom window I saw the kitchen already engulfed in flames.  Praise the Lord that nobody was hurt. 

   I had recently purchased my deceased Mother's property and it is an old Adirondack Camp type structure.  A much more obvious candidate for fire. My brother had just re-built his cottage about 20 years ago. His gas oven apparently backfired and started the fire. It was truly frightening how quickly the structure was past the point of saving. So many happy memories of the kids and their childhoods.

  God is good and merciful. Nobody was hurt and we are fortunate to have things like good insurance, other homes and helpful families. Please pray for my brother and his family.

Daniel's Prayer

 
Solo Fe  

"¹⁷ “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸ Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹ Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”


The rest of the Chapter 9 there is more of the Prayer and the important and prescient Prophecy

Daniel’s Prayer

 ¹ In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes^[a] (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian^[b] kingdom— ² in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. ³ So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.  ⁴ I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:
   “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁵ we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. ⁶ We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
 ⁷ “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. ⁸ We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, LORD, because we have sinned against you. ⁹ The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; ¹⁰ we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. ¹¹ All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
   “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. ¹² You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. ¹³ Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. ¹⁴ The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.
 ¹⁵ “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. ¹⁶ Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
 ¹⁷ “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸ Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹ Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

The Seventy “Sevens”

 ²⁰ While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill— ²¹ while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. ²² He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. ²³ As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:  ²⁴ “Seventy ‘sevens’^[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish^[d] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.^[e]
 25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,^[f] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. ²⁶ After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.^[g] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. ²⁷ He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’^[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’^[i] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple^[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.^[k]”^[l]
Footnotes:

1. Daniel 9:1 Hebrew Ahasuerus
2. Daniel 9:1 Or Chaldean
3. Daniel 9:24 Or ‘weeks’; also in verses 25 and 26
4. Daniel 9:24 Or restrain

Great Activity for Special Kids and Shout out to visiting Missionaries.

On Friday we were invited to a nation wide event celebrating the performing arts of special needs kids from all over the country. It was kind of like the Special Olympics where everybody has great success and great joy. We coordinated our travels with two sister orphanages that have some kids with moderate disabilities. We all had a terrific time and the kids really benefitted from the exposure and the

enthusiasm.

We were doubly blessed because it was the first day of a visit from two missionaries from Texas; Brittany and Kat. I think they were nearly overwhelmed at first and it would have been nice to give them a day of orientation at the center, but they handled the event with poise and energy.

I am going to look for more online information for this event. It was hosted by a Catholic Church group that does outreach and has some outstanding programs. The event was in the middle of seemingly nowhere: Chapas Santa Rosa. The county of Santa Rosa is not even mentioned in any of the tour books, so I guess we had an authentic Guatemalan experience.

Rainy Day update...

All well here. The kids are just fine. Inside a bit too much, but still all is well.

Ileana was happy to see me. She is 11 and can stand for long periods of time. Her seizures are under control and she has many possibilities. Her arms and legs were broken in early infancy and never properly set. Her adult teeth have come in nicely and there are no visible cavities. Her smiles is nice.
When I arrived her rotten baby teeth were evident and her longish hair was always very dishevlled.
She was consuming a bottle of formula to help her severe malnutrition.  At some point we realized that she had caught up on the malnutrition and was actually getting kind of chubby. Her diet the last year is more normal and like most adolescents she is thinning out to a normal physique. She can crawl and stand, but lacks the intellectual motivation to do so. 

Hosea is 17 years old and may return to his family soon. He has a severe MS and his legs and arms are permanently twisted because the tendons have hardened throughout his childhood. If the family does not even maintain a minimal amount of movement the extremities become hardened and makes future progress exponentially more difficult.  He is fairly intelligent and knows many words. He understands much, but has a limited vocabulary of individual words to express himself. They are currently investigating if his family can accommodate his needs when he turns 18 next year.

We have a need boy, Carlos. He is six and always has a smile. His face is expressive and it appears he understands what is happening around him.  His legs are of little use and he can barely crawl or turn over. His smile is endearing and he is very popular with the neneras.

The educational opportunities are running better and the walks around the neighborhood are routine. The kids have far more activities and freedoms than previously.  Many challenges ahead, but God will provide.

God is Good. Switching planes in Houston heading back to Guate

  I am very excited to see my kiddlies. It will be great to see them and see how God is influencing and leading them forward. I think I have identified the split in my heart when I am away from them. It hurts so much that only Prayer reduces the pain and sadness.  Conversely, when I am there I miss my family in the States so much.

  Whatever joys and sadnesses that I feel pale in comparison to the Love and compassion that the Lord feels for us. What did He feel as he watched his Son suffer and die on the cross.    When I see the pain and suffering of the kids at CRPN, I am reminded that the Lord has called us and He has the plan. As I said, my heart is torn and aches with empathy and sympathy for the misery that these people suffer and endure. How wonderful it is that they are so appreciative of whatever creature comforts and personal attention they receive. I know more is to be revealed.

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"

First Place Piseco Triathalon

Piseco Triatholon 2011

 Some Photos of the finish line

Winner Piseco Triathalon Women's Division !!