the piper and resolutions

An adaptation of one of Aesop’s fables goes something like this:

A piper with a grand villa went to the seaside one day, looking to collect fish to live in the waters of his estate.

He played his flute with great mastery to entice fish to come to him. Yet no fish jumped toward the jar of water that he set out for them. He played another song, again with no positive results.

Finally, frustrated, the piper called a fisherman and had him cast a net, bringing in a great haul of fish to the beach.

As the fish flopped on the beach, gasping for precious life, the piper looked at them and said,

“I piped and you didn’t dance. I played a sad song and you did not weep. Now it is too late for you to respond. Your fate is sealed.”

I used the story in my sermon last week, hoping to illustrate the two ideas. First, our time is limited. Second, our window (and self-determining ability) to make a decision may be shorter (and smaller) than we know.

I spoke Sunday morning on New Year’s resolutions, challenging the church to commit to only two:

1) I implored the church to recapture the joy of salvation. In reading the story of the Exodus, the salvation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, we get a look at our own stories. We also get an idea of how incredible the God of salvation really is. He surely parted seas in our lives to bring us unto Himself. The beauty and joy of that should be rediscovered daily.

2) I begged the church to begin to understand that we are to bring hope to those who are suffering. Suffering is acute here, but people all over the world are suffering from things: loneliness, poverty, depression, disease, hunger, loss, and so much more. We, as the church, can commit to seeking out the suffering and finding ways to bring hope into hopeless situations. Moses did so for his people, leading them through great suffering, both in Egypt and in the wilderness. We should do the same.

pastor willie in san antonio (and houston)

It is a bit strange for us to think about, but Pastor Willie (our South African pastor) will be preaching in San Antonio on January 13th. (Especially strange will be that I will be preaching in his church in South Africa while he is doing the same in San Antonio.) Anyway, this is your chance to hear from the man who teaches us so much.

So, if you are interested in meeting the man behind the legend, he will be at Grace Point Church in San Antonio, http://www.gracepoint.org/. Click the link for directions. Service times are 9:30am and 11:00am.

(Any of our beloved Houston readers can also see Pastor Willie at Houston NW Church on Sunday, January 6th. Go to http://www.hnw.org/ for service times and directions.)

miracle drug

Something we pray for often is a "miracle drug", some unforseen solution to the AIDS-related suffering here in Africa.

I don't buy the "sin = sickness" nonsense that some people try to sell in order to remove from themselves responsibility. It is a lame excuse and no one who has held the dying would hold that stance.

Jesus came and healed lepers. He touched the sick. He offered himself as comfort and hope to a forgotten and needy people. He asked us to do the same in Matthew 25.

AIDS is in its third generation in many families here in Africa. And a child born to an infected mother did nothing to earn his/her HIV-positive status. So, together we will continue to pray that somewhere God might spark an idea in a laboratory that leads to a truly miraculous discovery...a miracle drug.

Maybe this year, 2008, will be the year.

freshlyground - just for you

Hello.

We aren’t completely sure why, but you people continue to show up here by the hundreds. Another boat-load of people have this blog delivered in their email everyday. So, for whatever reason you keep coming back, thanks for making this place a part of your day.

I have to believe that one reason you’re here is because we share something. Some of you surely share DNA with us, but others share something much simpler. Maybe our paths crossed somewhere. Maybe we have a similar sense of humor. Maybe the Jesus quietly contained in these words resonates in the depths of your being. Maybe this is simple escapism from a world that tends to be one letdown after another. Maybe you stumbled here and don’t quite know why you keep returning. Maybe Africa is calling you and this is your vicarious living until you can get here. I don’t know.

What I do know is that we share enough that you are here. And that’ll be enough for me.

Today, we want to add to the things we share. Now, we haven’t recommended many things in this space. Sure, I tell you about what we’re reading, but really, we have never come out and said “YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS!!”

Well, we would like to introduce you to FreshlyGround. They are everything that is wonderful about the new South Africa. They are a music group, with a fun, ethnic, approachable, and altogether wonderful new album called “Ma’Cheri”.

No matter who you are, we think you would enjoy this, so much so that we are ready to say, “YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS!!”

Listen to the Album on the FreshlyGround Website - Click Here

chaos in kenya

We interrupt this regular blog post to bring you a special report...seriously, though.

We had planned to tell you about our new favorite music group, FreshlyGround. We'll get to them tomorrow.

Instead, we want to tell you about something close to our hearts that is getting a lot of airtime in Africa but is probably not being talked about much in the US.



Kenya is falling into chaos, tearing at the seams.

A disputed presidential election is taking an immense toll on Kenya, a previously peaceful country. An election that has had multiple accusations of vote-rigging has uncovered centuries-old tribal rivalries which has then resulted in much (too much) bloodshed.

Among the areas hardest hit by the violence and unrest is Eldoret, the major city nearest the orphanage we were at only months ago.

From the New York Times:

Dozens of people seeking refuge in a church in Kenya were burned to death by a mob on Tuesday, according to witnesses and Red Cross officials, in an escalation of ethnic violence that is threatening to plunge the country into chaos.

Up to 40 people died inside the church, a few miles from a town called Eldoret, after young men from a rival tribe poured gasoline on it and set it on fire, the witnesses and officials said.

In Nairobi, the capital, tribal militias squared off against each other in several slums. Witness reports indicate that more 200 people have been killed in the past two days in violence connected to a disputed election Kenya held last week.

A knot of rage seemed to be moving across the country, from the slums of Nairobi, the capital, to the cities along the Indian Ocean, to usually tranquil towns on the savanna. Many people were furious that President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner on Sunday in the country’s most fiercely fought election, despite widespread evidence of fraud.

Please pray with us that our brothers and sisters in Kenya would soon find peace.

caffeine-induced bonus post

I am up late tonight. We were treated to dinner out and I decided that 4 cups of coffee and a waffle was a good idea. Thus, I am in a caffeine-induced writing frenzy and my Stefani is peacefully sleeping next to me.

She is amazing. Still. Quiet. Precious. Beautiful.

I wonder what she dreams about, what images race through her brain as her body lies motionless. I hope she dreams of children. She is going to be an incredible mother. I hope she dreams of home. She is going to love the familiar embrace of community. I hope she dreams of old-age and grandkids, of slurping Jell-O and reminiscing. I can’t wait to journey there with her.

I hope...

I think I’ll sleep now. I hope I dream of her.

remembering 2007 in musical slideshow form

We think we figured out how to do this. Our 2007 slideshow...On YouTube.



Please forgive any audio or video quality issues. We're learning.

Oh, and the song is called "GoGorilla" by FreshlyGround. More on them tomorrow...