The other thing I love about living here is the food. Let's start with bread. Fresh bread is made everyday, at every store! I love it. For supper a few minutes ago I had some fresh bread rolls, some cheese off of a block, and part of a sausage log. It was excellent. I purchased this for about four dollars, and have plenty enough for tomorrow also. Talk about a good deal!
Oatmeal is fairly easy to make, and they sell bags of rolled oats (not instant, but real) very cheaply. I haven't quite gotten the hang of not burning the oats in the morning, but it cleans up pretty easily. Say, how long are you supposed to cook regular oats for, anyway? I looked at the directions, but they weren't much help. You know, being in Czech and all.
I also enjoy making carrots. Man, I make a killer batch of boiled carrots! They sell them pretty clean, so I just have to rinse them off, chunk them, and boil them. Cheap, healthy, and tasty! Rice is the same way. That's been a staple at our flat. I've been using terriaki (yeah, I can't spell) sauce to flavor things a little. I found some honey, slightly expensive, but pretty good. Honey bread, mmm. Is there anything better?
Ben and I have our own rooms at the flat, which works out fairly well. I sleep in the sitting room, where we would entertain guests (if we had any). And Ben sleeps in the kitchen. It makes midnight snacks a little tricky, but I've been incredibly tired every night this week, so that hasn't been too much of a problem. Ben usually sleeps through (or tolerates) me making breakfast in the morning. It works out quite well.
In His Time,
Monday, January 31, 2005
Joeletter 6.3
The Joeletter
Wow, it's been way too long since I wrote last time. It's going to be difficult to write every week, based on how much time I have to be on the internet. But I'll try my best. There is a lot going on, and I want to share it with you.
Ben and I have been going to the gym on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Ben is showing me what to do. It's fun to be with him, and learn about weight lifting. Afterward we go somewhere to eat breakfast. Steve Cone is going to start going through Mere Christianity and A Long Obedience In A Single Direction with us during these breakfast times.
I love the metro! I've said this before, but I'll say it again. I love the metro! It's so nice to be able to go anywhere in the city, fairly quickly. I don't have to have a driver's license, just a metro card. I can get on any form of public transportation, and go anywhere. It's very convenient. I'll miss it when I come home. The funniest part of Prague's metro is the escalators. Many of the escalators that take you from the surface to the metro, and back up to the surface, are six or six and a half stories tall! It's amazing, and slightly mesmerizing to ride up and down. If you watch the ceiling while riding up, you may fall backward! And once you start, there's no stopping!
Saturday afternoon I went with Marek Mudrik to his son's hockey tournament. Just about every weekend they have a tournament somewhere. The games are either in or close to Prague. It was fun to be with him, and to watch Jan playing. Those kids are really good! They've got a lot of balance, and pretty good control of the puck. Part of being at the ice rink, even though it was indoors, was the cold. It was frigid, and we stayed for about five hours. But even so, it was fun.
Speaking of cold, it's been pretty cold here. I was looking on a map, and the CR is above all of the US. We are on the same line as Canada. That makes for some fairly cold weather, at least right now. Fortunately the public transportation is pretty warm. That helps a lot.
I'm learning a little Czech, slowly. The hardest part is learning what some of the letters sound like, that are different than we would say them. For example, c never sounds like "ka." By itself, c sounds like "st." With an accent mark over it, the c sounds like "ch." And ch sounds like "hu," expelling breath. Oh, and all Czech words are emphasized on the first syllable. As long as I remember that, it makes it easier to know how to say the word. But it's still not easy. The worst letter is r with an accent mark. R by itself is like our r. But with an accent mark it becomes like a cross between "zho" and "cho." The tongue touches the roof of the mouth, and moves forward. But no breath is expelled. And you have to roll the r while you are saying it. It's the most difficult letter in the Czech alphabet, even for Czech people.
I'm being helped by Carrie and Marquetta, and by their brother Jakub. They are part of the Christian community here, and wonderful people. Carrie spent four months in Virginia as part of a college internship. She speaks the best English of the three, but all of them do somewhat. Jakub (pronounced ya-cub - all 'j's sound like y's here) also goes to the gym at the same time we do.
Sunday evening I was invited to go to a gymnasium to play floor-ball with Jakub and his friends. Floor-ball is like hockey, but not on ice and with a ball. The goals are smaller too. The game lasts two minutes, and whichever team has the most goals in those two minutes wins that round. If you win the round you stay in and play the next team. It was very fun, even though I'm not very good yet. A few of the guys speak enough English that we could communicate. That was nice. One of the guys spent a year studying in San Diego. Now he calls everybody 'Nigga.' I call him 'White Trash.' He's a very athletic guys, and very good at floor-ball. For about five minutes at the end we played basketball. Now I wish I would have played more at home, and gotten better. These guys don't play very well, and they're still a little better than me!
Afterward Jakub and I, and a few other players, walked down through the castle. They explained some of the stuff about the castle, practicing their English. We shared quite a few laughs. The city was all lit up, and very pretty at night. That, to me, is the redeeming value of large cities. They are so beautiful to look at at night. I learned what my nickname means too. Carrie was the one who gave me this name. It's Shmudla. It means leprechaun or Dwarf. It's because of the way I am wearing my green balaclava. I tucked the end up into it, and am wearing it as a toboggan cap. But because of the way it is shaped it makes me look like....maybe like a Gnome.
They meet each Sunday night, and I'm invited back. I really hope that it will continue to work out to go each week. It helps me learn what it means to respond to God, to pursue Him, around people. That mindset helps, because I'm there to be with God, not to impress anyone. And that's a good thing, 'cause I sure wasn't very impressive.
God is teaching me about seeking Him in each thing. I'm learning about seeking Him around other people, and seeking Him in study. Also, I'm learning some about seeking Him in stress, and seeking His calmness and plan. Everything is about Him, I just have to learn to see that. And He is faithful.
I'm working on getting pictures on my blog from our flat, and other places around the city. It may take a little bit, but it's coming.
Thank you all for your continued prayers for health, and responsiveness to God. And thank you also for your comments.
In His Time,
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Monday/Tuesday
Monday, yesterday, was great. We caught the metro and tram line from our flat up to the Impact-Prague office, and had a wonderful meeting with all of the team currently available. Thus, we met with Marek and Elaine Mudrik, Jeff Valodine, Matt and Bethany Harris, and of course Tim. We discussed things that we are expected to attend, and how they can help us grow. We also got to talk about ministry opportunities that we are invited to be a part of, if we want. It was a great meeting.
Then Jeff, Tim, Ben and I headed off to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. We got to talk a little bit more, and caught the metro back to Jeff's house. I got to write a few e-mails, update my blog, and play xbox with Jeffey. Then Ben and I walked around town a little, practiced our Czech, and got . . . well . . . not lost. I always know where I am. It's just getting to where I want to go that's the hard part. And, really, it's not like it's possible to get lost here in Prague. I can get on any metro line and get back to my flat. The trams and buses are a little harder, and I'm still learning them. But the metro is a snap now. And we made it back quite nicely.
Today, Tuesday, has been a little hectic, trying to catch up with Jeff. But God is still good. I'm really glad I brought my guitar, it was nice this morning to be able to worship with it.
Today is 'hump' day, probably one of the harder days. I'm finishing up adjusting to jet lag, but with the rushing early this morning I'm a little tired. If I can keep going, I think that I'll be able to adjust pretty soon. Thanks for your prayers.
In His Time,
Then Jeff, Tim, Ben and I headed off to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. We got to talk a little bit more, and caught the metro back to Jeff's house. I got to write a few e-mails, update my blog, and play xbox with Jeffey. Then Ben and I walked around town a little, practiced our Czech, and got . . . well . . . not lost. I always know where I am. It's just getting to where I want to go that's the hard part. And, really, it's not like it's possible to get lost here in Prague. I can get on any metro line and get back to my flat. The trams and buses are a little harder, and I'm still learning them. But the metro is a snap now. And we made it back quite nicely.
Today, Tuesday, has been a little hectic, trying to catch up with Jeff. But God is still good. I'm really glad I brought my guitar, it was nice this morning to be able to worship with it.
Today is 'hump' day, probably one of the harder days. I'm finishing up adjusting to jet lag, but with the rushing early this morning I'm a little tired. If I can keep going, I think that I'll be able to adjust pretty soon. Thanks for your prayers.
In His Time,
Monday, January 24, 2005
Church and Shopping
I'm slowly learning the public transportation system. That's pretty much what we will use to get around town, that and walking. Tram 26 is what we took to get to church.
The service is held in a stadium-seating room that looks like a college classroom. The singing, preaching, everything, is in Czech. Fortunately, this church offers translation. You plug your earphones into a box under each desk, and a translator in the sound booth translates all the talking into English.
The singing, however is untranslated. And right now it's impossible for me to read and sing the words, simply because I'm unused to the pronunciation, let alone the meaning. But while we were worshipping through song I thought about the fact that it's the same God. In the midst of these Czech worshippers, I too was worshipping the same God. It's pretty amazing to me to realized how unfettered God is. He is not limited by language or place. He is the same everywhere.
And that's mainly what we are sent overseas to learn. The simple fact that God is the same everywhere, and thus our response toward Him is too. Away from all that is familiar, we can seek the same God, and draw all things from that.
We also went shopping. Aside from not being able to read anything, we did pretty good. We picked up some honey, milk, eggs, rice, bread, and some fruit and vegetables. Peanut butter is sold for about $2, in very small jars. Cheddar cheese is also scarce, and expensive. But most things we were able to get.
At the Czech-out counter we found out that they don't bag your groceries. And we had purchased quite a lot! Fortunately I had my backpack, and we had a plastic bag. We got everything home, but barely. Here people don't buy so much at one time. Instead, they stop by a store on the way home each and get a few things. It's quite different. But it's fun too.
In His Time,
The service is held in a stadium-seating room that looks like a college classroom. The singing, preaching, everything, is in Czech. Fortunately, this church offers translation. You plug your earphones into a box under each desk, and a translator in the sound booth translates all the talking into English.
The singing, however is untranslated. And right now it's impossible for me to read and sing the words, simply because I'm unused to the pronunciation, let alone the meaning. But while we were worshipping through song I thought about the fact that it's the same God. In the midst of these Czech worshippers, I too was worshipping the same God. It's pretty amazing to me to realized how unfettered God is. He is not limited by language or place. He is the same everywhere.
And that's mainly what we are sent overseas to learn. The simple fact that God is the same everywhere, and thus our response toward Him is too. Away from all that is familiar, we can seek the same God, and draw all things from that.
We also went shopping. Aside from not being able to read anything, we did pretty good. We picked up some honey, milk, eggs, rice, bread, and some fruit and vegetables. Peanut butter is sold for about $2, in very small jars. Cheddar cheese is also scarce, and expensive. But most things we were able to get.
At the Czech-out counter we found out that they don't bag your groceries. And we had purchased quite a lot! Fortunately I had my backpack, and we had a plastic bag. We got everything home, but barely. Here people don't buy so much at one time. Instead, they stop by a store on the way home each and get a few things. It's quite different. But it's fun too.
In His Time,
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Praha, Czech Republic!
We Have Arrived! Ben and I, along with Tim, landed here in Prague (Praha) around 1:15 Eastern time, about 7:15 Prague time. We had three flights; Indy to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Prague.
The longest flight, over the Atlantic Ocean, was in an Airbus30-300. It was, quite simply, the largest passenger airplane I have ever seen or been on. In addition to the large 1st class section there was two huge coach sections. Each coach section had two rows of seats on each side, and a row of four seats down the middle. So there was eight seats across, with two hall/paths. It was just amazing.
We have our own flat over here in Prague, a really nice setup for Ben and I. There is a Kitchen, a Living Room/Bedroom, a hall-type area, and a very small balcony. It's huge and really nice compared to how a lot of people here in Prague have to live.
The bathroom that we use over here is different than at home. It's split into two parts, the toilet part and everything else. The toilet room (or Water Closet) is very small. And our particular model (circa 1950's) uses a gravity flush. Yup, we pull a cord and the water runs down from a tank up on the wall. It works pretty good, it's just funny to be using one.
The other part of our bathroom is slightly larger, and includes the bathtub and washing machine. Here in Europe they don't have dryers, so when we do laundry we will have to hang it out to dry.
Just getting into our apartment is still exciting. We live on the fourth floor. Fortunately, we do have an elevator. At nights when we come home we turn on the light at the door downstairs, and get into the elevator. At the top we have about enough time to try unlocking the door about once before the light turns off. We haven't gotten in in that short amount of time yet, though. There are five locks on our door. And getting the lock to be open, while opening the actual door with our key is quite tricky! We'll get it soon, I hope!
In His Time,
The longest flight, over the Atlantic Ocean, was in an Airbus30-300. It was, quite simply, the largest passenger airplane I have ever seen or been on. In addition to the large 1st class section there was two huge coach sections. Each coach section had two rows of seats on each side, and a row of four seats down the middle. So there was eight seats across, with two hall/paths. It was just amazing.
We have our own flat over here in Prague, a really nice setup for Ben and I. There is a Kitchen, a Living Room/Bedroom, a hall-type area, and a very small balcony. It's huge and really nice compared to how a lot of people here in Prague have to live.
The bathroom that we use over here is different than at home. It's split into two parts, the toilet part and everything else. The toilet room (or Water Closet) is very small. And our particular model (circa 1950's) uses a gravity flush. Yup, we pull a cord and the water runs down from a tank up on the wall. It works pretty good, it's just funny to be using one.
The other part of our bathroom is slightly larger, and includes the bathtub and washing machine. Here in Europe they don't have dryers, so when we do laundry we will have to hang it out to dry.
Just getting into our apartment is still exciting. We live on the fourth floor. Fortunately, we do have an elevator. At nights when we come home we turn on the light at the door downstairs, and get into the elevator. At the top we have about enough time to try unlocking the door about once before the light turns off. We haven't gotten in in that short amount of time yet, though. There are five locks on our door. And getting the lock to be open, while opening the actual door with our key is quite tricky! We'll get it soon, I hope!
In His Time,
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Joeletter 6.2
In class yesterday we were given the opportunity to study any portion of Scripture. Ben and I chose, through a process of elimination, Philippians 3:7-11. As you read through this paragraph, note the colored words. These are keywords that I marked with colored pencil in my Bible. This is one method of study that can help highlight the motion in a text.
"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ -- The righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
The red marks all the 'I's, green for the Trinity, blue for verbs, and purple for what comes from Christ to us. Keep this in mind as we keep studying.
Paul starts out saying, "Whatevery was to my profit..." Ben and I asked, "What was to his profit?" In the verses before this passage Paul lists the reasons that he could have confidence in this flesh. He was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Isreal, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
This is an impressive list. Paul was pretty much perfect under the old Law. As you read through your five books of the Law in the OT, it's a stringent law. But as much as this impresses us, these qualifications would have meant even more to the intended recipients of this letter.
Philippians was written to the Christians in Philippi, who were falling prey to Judaizers. The Judaizers started out as Jews, and became convinced of the truth that Christ is the Messiah. They grew up under the law, and thus knew it intimately. Knowing the law gave them added insight into the new covenant that God set up in Christ.
All this is so far well and good. But then the Judaizers began to think that everyone else had to become a Jew and keep the Law before becoming a Christian. They were, in fact, forcing anyone who wanted to be a Christian to follow the Jewish faith as well. This was against the purpose of God's new covenant. It was because the Law had no power to save that God set the new covenant of Christ's blood into place. The Judaizers were essentially setting aside the need for Christ's sacrifice and forgivenness.
So Paul is writing in part to refute this heretical teaching of the Judaizers. He is saying that he himself was practically perfect under the old Law. But Paul considered all that he had before as lost, in comparison to knowing Christ. More than lost, rubbish! Something that is lost may be found at some time. But Paul even says that it is rubbish to him. He assigns so little value to all that he had before that it is trash, fit only to be thrown away!
So in conclusion, Paul is saying that all that we have, all that we could suffer, anything other than knowing Christ, is rubbish and trash. It matters not at all. The only thing is seeking intimacy with Jesus each day. An excellent lesson and reminder for me, and us all.
So that's something that I've been learning. In other news, we're getting really close to time to go! Friday at 2:30 p.m. we fly out of Indianapolis. We go to Detroit, then Amsterdam, and finally land in Prague after fourteen n hours. I'm at once excited and scared. Not really scared scared, but just realizing that it's going to be so different, and not really knowing what to expect.
We had an excellent class that kind of addressed this issue. We listed out things that will be different from what we are used to. Then we listed what will be the same. There was a really long list of things that will be different. But really the only thing that will be the same is God. And because God is the same here and there, being overseas will help us learn what it is to pursue God only, away from all we are used to. That, in fact, is the point of going overseas. It's not to be serving on the mission field. Rather, it's to learn what it is to seek intimacy with God as the only thing. Please pray that I will be able to do this. Thanks.
And everything else is all rubbish anyway!
In His Time
"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ -- The righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
The red marks all the 'I's, green for the Trinity, blue for verbs, and purple for what comes from Christ to us. Keep this in mind as we keep studying.
Paul starts out saying, "Whatevery was to my profit..." Ben and I asked, "What was to his profit?" In the verses before this passage Paul lists the reasons that he could have confidence in this flesh. He was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Isreal, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
This is an impressive list. Paul was pretty much perfect under the old Law. As you read through your five books of the Law in the OT, it's a stringent law. But as much as this impresses us, these qualifications would have meant even more to the intended recipients of this letter.
Philippians was written to the Christians in Philippi, who were falling prey to Judaizers. The Judaizers started out as Jews, and became convinced of the truth that Christ is the Messiah. They grew up under the law, and thus knew it intimately. Knowing the law gave them added insight into the new covenant that God set up in Christ.
All this is so far well and good. But then the Judaizers began to think that everyone else had to become a Jew and keep the Law before becoming a Christian. They were, in fact, forcing anyone who wanted to be a Christian to follow the Jewish faith as well. This was against the purpose of God's new covenant. It was because the Law had no power to save that God set the new covenant of Christ's blood into place. The Judaizers were essentially setting aside the need for Christ's sacrifice and forgivenness.
So Paul is writing in part to refute this heretical teaching of the Judaizers. He is saying that he himself was practically perfect under the old Law. But Paul considered all that he had before as lost, in comparison to knowing Christ. More than lost, rubbish! Something that is lost may be found at some time. But Paul even says that it is rubbish to him. He assigns so little value to all that he had before that it is trash, fit only to be thrown away!
So in conclusion, Paul is saying that all that we have, all that we could suffer, anything other than knowing Christ, is rubbish and trash. It matters not at all. The only thing is seeking intimacy with Jesus each day. An excellent lesson and reminder for me, and us all.
So that's something that I've been learning. In other news, we're getting really close to time to go! Friday at 2:30 p.m. we fly out of Indianapolis. We go to Detroit, then Amsterdam, and finally land in Prague after fourteen n hours. I'm at once excited and scared. Not really scared scared, but just realizing that it's going to be so different, and not really knowing what to expect.
We had an excellent class that kind of addressed this issue. We listed out things that will be different from what we are used to. Then we listed what will be the same. There was a really long list of things that will be different. But really the only thing that will be the same is God. And because God is the same here and there, being overseas will help us learn what it is to pursue God only, away from all we are used to. That, in fact, is the point of going overseas. It's not to be serving on the mission field. Rather, it's to learn what it is to seek intimacy with God as the only thing. Please pray that I will be able to do this. Thanks.
And everything else is all rubbish anyway!
In His Time
Walking on the Water
Here at Deeper we're becoming more and more like Jesus! This morning we walked across the lake to class. It's pretty exciting. And, it's faster to get back and forth from The Cave and our classroom.
Ben and I made breakfast this morning, biscuits and gravy. It was really good. I'm glad it went well, because we will be cooking several of our meals over in Prague.
Class is going well, and I am learning quite a lot. We are continuing to study through Mark, and prepare for being overseas.
It was really nice to be home this weekend, and be with my family and Aunt Rhonda one more time. I'm gonna miss 'em, but hopefully I'll be able to call each week so we can talk.
I picked up some more tips for flying, dealing with jet lag (just a well prepared sleep-bank in my case), and being overseas from talking with my Aunt Rhonda. Also, Ben was able to meet with a person who grew up in the CR. He taped the conversation so I could listen to it. That also was very helpful.
Three days left! Wow.
In His Time,
Ben and I made breakfast this morning, biscuits and gravy. It was really good. I'm glad it went well, because we will be cooking several of our meals over in Prague.
Class is going well, and I am learning quite a lot. We are continuing to study through Mark, and prepare for being overseas.
It was really nice to be home this weekend, and be with my family and Aunt Rhonda one more time. I'm gonna miss 'em, but hopefully I'll be able to call each week so we can talk.
I picked up some more tips for flying, dealing with jet lag (just a well prepared sleep-bank in my case), and being overseas from talking with my Aunt Rhonda. Also, Ben was able to meet with a person who grew up in the CR. He taped the conversation so I could listen to it. That also was very helpful.
Three days left! Wow.
In His Time,
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Indy Round Robin visit
I got to go to Bloomington, Indiana today to watch my sisters play Bible Bowl. They each did a nice job, and it was fun to see them play. I also got to catch up with several Bible Bowl friends that I hadn't seen since last June at the National Tournament. That was really nice. Bible Bowl is definitely about memorizing God's Word. But the relationships that you form as you play really come through as a huge blessing.
I miss playing Bible Bowl. I just do. I really was blessed by being with the people. I don't miss the studying. It took so much time, for me at least. But I'm getting quite a bit of use out of that memorizing even now, so I'm glad that I put the time in.
I'm still scrambling here at home, trying to make sure that I've got everything that I'll need, but not too much stuff. I don't want to take things that won't be used, that would be silly. In the mean time, working on getting this stuff together is doing wonders for my sleeping pattern. I managed to scrape by on four hours this morning before going to the Round Robin! Not exactly the most healthy way to live.
Speaking of sleep, I'm thinking that would be a good thing to get right now. I'm out.
In His Time,
I miss playing Bible Bowl. I just do. I really was blessed by being with the people. I don't miss the studying. It took so much time, for me at least. But I'm getting quite a bit of use out of that memorizing even now, so I'm glad that I put the time in.
I'm still scrambling here at home, trying to make sure that I've got everything that I'll need, but not too much stuff. I don't want to take things that won't be used, that would be silly. In the mean time, working on getting this stuff together is doing wonders for my sleeping pattern. I managed to scrape by on four hours this morning before going to the Round Robin! Not exactly the most healthy way to live.
Speaking of sleep, I'm thinking that would be a good thing to get right now. I'm out.
In His Time,
Friday, January 14, 2005
Traveling
Well, today is Friday. One week from today, I will be flying out of the Indianapolis airport on my way to Prague! Seeing it this close is slightly scary, slightly exhilarating.
But this weekend I get to go home one more time. My sisters are playing Bible Bowl in the Indy Round Robin, a semi-annual invitational Bible Bowl tournament. This one is being held in Bloomington. So, I get to ride along and see all my Bible Bowl friends who are still playing.
In addition to seeing my family and friends this weekend, I also get to see my Aunt Rhonda! My aunt and uncle were in Pigeon Forge, TN for an Impact Ministries conference. On Wednesday Rhonda got to fly up to Cincy to be with my family for a few days. It will be nice to see her again before going overseas. Hopefully she can advise me on dealing with jet lag!
And hopefully jet lag won't be too bad. Prague is six hours ahead of Eastern time, seven ahead of Central time, eight ahead of Mountain time. . . well, you get the point. Man, I'm excited, but slightly nervous too. I....well, that pretty much sums it up. ;-)
Thanks for your prayers for peace, health, safety, and good packing.
In His Time,
But this weekend I get to go home one more time. My sisters are playing Bible Bowl in the Indy Round Robin, a semi-annual invitational Bible Bowl tournament. This one is being held in Bloomington. So, I get to ride along and see all my Bible Bowl friends who are still playing.
In addition to seeing my family and friends this weekend, I also get to see my Aunt Rhonda! My aunt and uncle were in Pigeon Forge, TN for an Impact Ministries conference. On Wednesday Rhonda got to fly up to Cincy to be with my family for a few days. It will be nice to see her again before going overseas. Hopefully she can advise me on dealing with jet lag!
And hopefully jet lag won't be too bad. Prague is six hours ahead of Eastern time, seven ahead of Central time, eight ahead of Mountain time. . . well, you get the point. Man, I'm excited, but slightly nervous too. I....well, that pretty much sums it up. ;-)
Thanks for your prayers for peace, health, safety, and good packing.
In His Time,
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Deluge
After the ice storm last week that left a 1/4 - 1/2 inch coating on everything in sight, it has finally warmed up. Yesterday and today have been wonderful, feeling like late spring / early summer. But the downside of all this melting is the large amounts of water that have nowhere to go. On top of that, we have been getting quite a bit of rain, since it is too warm for snow. Thus, as I write this, the field across the road is now a scenic watercourse, complete with Canadian geese.
The pond next to the Conference Center, where we are staying this week, is equipped with an overflow pipe that keeps the pond at a certain level. Under normal circumstances, there is less than 1/4 inch of water flowing over the edge of the pipe at any given time. Now, the pipe is totally covered with rushing water 24 hours a day, and it cannot be seen through the large amount of water. Even this is not enough to relieve the pressure. About five feet from the pond, on the other side of the small dam is a small circle of earth vomiting water. The water just gurgles up out of the dirt and merrily flows on down the dam. Slightly concerning, if you ask me.
In His Time,
The pond next to the Conference Center, where we are staying this week, is equipped with an overflow pipe that keeps the pond at a certain level. Under normal circumstances, there is less than 1/4 inch of water flowing over the edge of the pipe at any given time. Now, the pipe is totally covered with rushing water 24 hours a day, and it cannot be seen through the large amount of water. Even this is not enough to relieve the pressure. About five feet from the pond, on the other side of the small dam is a small circle of earth vomiting water. The water just gurgles up out of the dirt and merrily flows on down the dam. Slightly concerning, if you ask me.
In His Time,
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
God's Provision
As most of you know, I received an iPod as an Eagle Scout/graduation/going away present at the beginning of Deeper, around the end of August. I have been greatly blessed by having this resource. At the beginning of our six-week trip, the control pad on my iPod malfunctioned. Fortunately it was still under warranty, so I sent it in to Apple, and about two weeks later received a working iPod. That worked out ok, because I was in New York at the time, and Mom was able to mail it to me.
Fast forward to yesterday morning. I sat down to do Personal Worship Time, and found that one of the parts on the control panel didn't do what it was supposed to do! I tried several things, but nothing made any difference. That particular part didn't do it's job. Needless to say, that made the iPod slightly less useful, and definately more cumbersome to use. I think it could have been done. But while it is still under warrenty, why not send it in? The only problem is, we will be flying out Jan. 21, a week from Friday. I didn't know if it would be back from Apple by then, and suspected that it wouldn't be. And yet, that was all that I personally could do. In my Journal I asked God, for His glory, if He would provide a fine, working iPod by the time we flew overseas. The way I saw Him responding would be to speed up the fixing process so that my iPod would be back to me before we left.
I logged into the Apple site and completed a service request form so they would send me a box to mail my iPod back to them in. Then I regretfully put my iPod away, and left it all day. When getting ready for bed, I decided to try using the part of the music that was accessible even with that part not working. To my immense surprise, the part was working again! I was in a small state of shock! All I can do is thank and praise my good Father, from whom all good things come.
I wanted to share this with you because it was a huge encouragement from God to me, especially after feeling so distant for the past few days. Thanks for your prayers.
In His Time,
Fast forward to yesterday morning. I sat down to do Personal Worship Time, and found that one of the parts on the control panel didn't do what it was supposed to do! I tried several things, but nothing made any difference. That particular part didn't do it's job. Needless to say, that made the iPod slightly less useful, and definately more cumbersome to use. I think it could have been done. But while it is still under warrenty, why not send it in? The only problem is, we will be flying out Jan. 21, a week from Friday. I didn't know if it would be back from Apple by then, and suspected that it wouldn't be. And yet, that was all that I personally could do. In my Journal I asked God, for His glory, if He would provide a fine, working iPod by the time we flew overseas. The way I saw Him responding would be to speed up the fixing process so that my iPod would be back to me before we left.
I logged into the Apple site and completed a service request form so they would send me a box to mail my iPod back to them in. Then I regretfully put my iPod away, and left it all day. When getting ready for bed, I decided to try using the part of the music that was accessible even with that part not working. To my immense surprise, the part was working again! I was in a small state of shock! All I can do is thank and praise my good Father, from whom all good things come.
I wanted to share this with you because it was a huge encouragement from God to me, especially after feeling so distant for the past few days. Thanks for your prayers.
In His Time,
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
I? No, You
Over the past three days or so I have had some difficulty worshipping. My mind wanders, I don't feel very reverent, and I just can't seem to focus on God. I have had this problem both in corporate worship, and in my own Personal Worship Times. I continue to seek God, but I just don't feel Him. I realize that seeking God is not just based on feelings. And, in fact, I think it can build my 'faith muscles' to seek after Him when I personally feel dry and empty. But at the same time, I feel dry and empty. This may be a time where God is giving me a discomfort to help me spiritually move along on the path He has for me, to get more involved in seeking Him. I think that I need to spend more time in His Word, trying to understand what He has done in the past, and what He is doing in my life. So, that's part of what I'm trying. I would appreciate your prayers for insight and discernment, as well as a renewed reverence. And I wouldn't mind having those 'feelings' again. I know that feelings are not what we base pursuing God on, but it certainly does feel better.
In chapel today, we were given a chance to write a poem describing where we are with God right now. That was a wonderful experience, and I'd like to share it with you here.
I know You are there, and I trust You implicitly,
but do i?
I know Your command, and I seek You completely,
but do i?
I know You are glorious, and I worship You constantly,
but do i?
I know You are my Father, and all good things come from You.
i do.
Myself, I can do nothing; weak and bent toward evil in my flesh.
Faith, the ability to seek You, is from You.
do i?
No, i cannot.
But You can,
And You have,
And You do.
I trust You are there, and I will know you implicitly.
You do this.
I seek Your command, and I will know You completely.
You do this.
I worship You as glorious, and I will know you constantly.
You do this.
My Father, You are good to me, and all I know comes from You.
You.
In typing this up on the computer, I was struck again by how the point is God, and He does the working. I cannot, so He does all the good. It kinda ties in with the pride thing. I need to humble myself once more, and seek Him with all my heart.
In His Time,
In chapel today, we were given a chance to write a poem describing where we are with God right now. That was a wonderful experience, and I'd like to share it with you here.
I know You are there, and I trust You implicitly,
but do i?
I know Your command, and I seek You completely,
but do i?
I know You are glorious, and I worship You constantly,
but do i?
I know You are my Father, and all good things come from You.
i do.
Myself, I can do nothing; weak and bent toward evil in my flesh.
Faith, the ability to seek You, is from You.
do i?
No, i cannot.
But You can,
And You have,
And You do.
I trust You are there, and I will know you implicitly.
You do this.
I seek Your command, and I will know You completely.
You do this.
I worship You as glorious, and I will know you constantly.
You do this.
My Father, You are good to me, and all I know comes from You.
You.
In typing this up on the computer, I was struck again by how the point is God, and He does the working. I cannot, so He does all the good. It kinda ties in with the pride thing. I need to humble myself once more, and seek Him with all my heart.
In His Time,
Monday, January 10, 2005
American Sign Language
I'm learning American Sign Language, ASL for short! It's really a lot of fun, and the book that I'm working through is very simple to understand. I know about thirty signs now, and counting. Ben, my team partner when we go overseas, is also learning ASL. The reason for this is that one of the staff members overseas is deaf. This will help us be able to communicate both with her, and with each other. It's really fun.
I'm looking forward to going over, from all the things I've heard it will be a wonderful four months. But I would ask that you pray for health and safety for us, both in traveling and also in just living over there. My Dad reminded me that the stress of traveling is very likely to give me a cold, and that would be a horrible way to start the trip. Also, please pray for our/my focus on God. As the classes keep reminding me, if I'm focusing on and pursuing God, then nothing will really be a problem. As I lose focus, then it could get messy. Thanks for your prayers.
In His Time,
~Joel~
I'm looking forward to going over, from all the things I've heard it will be a wonderful four months. But I would ask that you pray for health and safety for us, both in traveling and also in just living over there. My Dad reminded me that the stress of traveling is very likely to give me a cold, and that would be a horrible way to start the trip. Also, please pray for our/my focus on God. As the classes keep reminding me, if I'm focusing on and pursuing God, then nothing will really be a problem. As I lose focus, then it could get messy. Thanks for your prayers.
In His Time,
~Joel~
Joeletter 6.1
JOELETTER
Happy New Year! I and the rest of the students have returned to Deeper, and are currently involved in three weeks of class time. Our classes include cross-cultural training, Intro to the New Testament, and studying the gospel written by Mark.
As I was contemplating The JOELETTER, I realized that the subscript that I had originally included "The all Joel, all the time newsletter" needed to be done away with. As you probably guessed, I put that in as a joke at myself, since this letter started out being all about me, and what I was doing up here at Deeper.
But even though that was just a humorous phrase, I decided to take it out. The Joeletter isn't really about me anymore, but about the things that God is leading me in. It's about lessons that He's teaching me, and the opportunities that He is providing. So, this is really the "God working in Joel's life" newsletter.
I'm continuing to learn about a single-minded focus. Like I wrote last time, it's so easy to be distracted from pursuing God by things that are really good in themselves. (My room is still a mess, just slightly cleaner because I'm not there right now).
I'm also learning about humility. Quite a lot of my life has been driven by a desire for approval/appreciation from other people. God calls us to seek only His approval, not the approval of men. So this means that seeking approval from anyone other from God is sin. This is actually the whole point of Deeper, that we seek God only.
And, really, I was aware before Deeper that I wasn't seeking God wholeheartedly. I actually identified to myself that there were parts of me/my life that I wasn't willing to trust God on. Parts of my life that I just would not give up. One of the tools that God used to help me identify that was a song played over the Air 1 radio network (www.air1.com). The song is entitled, "Take My Life." It's asking God to take all of me with these words.
"Take my life, take my mind, take my soul, take my will, 'cause I'm am your's, Lord, I give it all to you."
When I heard this song on the radio, I realized that I couldn't sing it with my whole heart.
As crazy as it may seem, this desire for approval engendered a deep, hidden pride. I wasn't even aware of how prideful I was, and laughed along with everyone else at people who were proud of their humility. But in seeking God here at Deeper, I began asking Him to help me not depend on others for my approval. I want(ed) to only need Him, not anyone else for how I feel/felt. As I did this, He started showing me pride within myself. It was kind of painful to find out.
But God is faithful. As I was becoming aware of this pride, He also began showing me His Words during my Personal Worship Time that helped me to be reformed in His image. He reminded me that only because of Him is there anything good in my life. I am not the one who makes good things happen. He is the author of all good things. So, I really don't have anything to be proud about, since it isn't me who is responsible for any good. And I don't have anything to be jealous about, because it's the same Father of us all who gives His good gifts and makes good things possible.
Let me share some of these verses with you.
2 Corinthians 1:9
"Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."
2 Corinthians 1:12
"Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are form God. We have not done so according to worldly wisdom but according to God's grace."
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
2 Corinthians 1:24
"Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm."
2 Corinthians 13:4
"For to be sure, he (Christ) was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you."
Do you see in each verse how it's God who is doing all the work? In this new covenant that He has set up, He keeps His end of the bargain, AND He keeps our end of the bargain. He gives us the ability and all the help that we need to chose and pursue Him. It's wonderful.
So as I was home over Christmas Break, I heard "Take My Life" on the radio again. I am able to mean it now.
In His Time,
~Joel~
Happy New Year! I and the rest of the students have returned to Deeper, and are currently involved in three weeks of class time. Our classes include cross-cultural training, Intro to the New Testament, and studying the gospel written by Mark.
As I was contemplating The JOELETTER, I realized that the subscript that I had originally included "The all Joel, all the time newsletter" needed to be done away with. As you probably guessed, I put that in as a joke at myself, since this letter started out being all about me, and what I was doing up here at Deeper.
But even though that was just a humorous phrase, I decided to take it out. The Joeletter isn't really about me anymore, but about the things that God is leading me in. It's about lessons that He's teaching me, and the opportunities that He is providing. So, this is really the "God working in Joel's life" newsletter.
I'm continuing to learn about a single-minded focus. Like I wrote last time, it's so easy to be distracted from pursuing God by things that are really good in themselves. (My room is still a mess, just slightly cleaner because I'm not there right now).
I'm also learning about humility. Quite a lot of my life has been driven by a desire for approval/appreciation from other people. God calls us to seek only His approval, not the approval of men. So this means that seeking approval from anyone other from God is sin. This is actually the whole point of Deeper, that we seek God only.
And, really, I was aware before Deeper that I wasn't seeking God wholeheartedly. I actually identified to myself that there were parts of me/my life that I wasn't willing to trust God on. Parts of my life that I just would not give up. One of the tools that God used to help me identify that was a song played over the Air 1 radio network (www.air1.com). The song is entitled, "Take My Life." It's asking God to take all of me with these words.
"Take my life, take my mind, take my soul, take my will, 'cause I'm am your's, Lord, I give it all to you."
When I heard this song on the radio, I realized that I couldn't sing it with my whole heart.
As crazy as it may seem, this desire for approval engendered a deep, hidden pride. I wasn't even aware of how prideful I was, and laughed along with everyone else at people who were proud of their humility. But in seeking God here at Deeper, I began asking Him to help me not depend on others for my approval. I want(ed) to only need Him, not anyone else for how I feel/felt. As I did this, He started showing me pride within myself. It was kind of painful to find out.
But God is faithful. As I was becoming aware of this pride, He also began showing me His Words during my Personal Worship Time that helped me to be reformed in His image. He reminded me that only because of Him is there anything good in my life. I am not the one who makes good things happen. He is the author of all good things. So, I really don't have anything to be proud about, since it isn't me who is responsible for any good. And I don't have anything to be jealous about, because it's the same Father of us all who gives His good gifts and makes good things possible.
Let me share some of these verses with you.
2 Corinthians 1:9
"Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."
2 Corinthians 1:12
"Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are form God. We have not done so according to worldly wisdom but according to God's grace."
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
2 Corinthians 1:24
"Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm."
2 Corinthians 13:4
"For to be sure, he (Christ) was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God's power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God's power we will live with him to serve you."
Do you see in each verse how it's God who is doing all the work? In this new covenant that He has set up, He keeps His end of the bargain, AND He keeps our end of the bargain. He gives us the ability and all the help that we need to chose and pursue Him. It's wonderful.
So as I was home over Christmas Break, I heard "Take My Life" on the radio again. I am able to mean it now.
In His Time,
~Joel~
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