isanin

The Shield of Faith

2012-02-18T23:23:00.001-08:00

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can

extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

There are many things that are good to have when fighting your spiritual battles but one of the best is a faith that is rooted in the ever faithful God who was willing to pay the ultimate price both sacrificing that which was most valuable to Him to gain for us salvation, protection from all the accusations that come at us in the form of flaming arrows. Hurled from the bowstrings of Satan (the accuser) himself.

Praise God that we are so well equipped with every good blessing in the heavenly realm and that our faith is more solid than any earthly shield.

Growing Pains

2012-02-17T06:04:00.003-08:00

My sweet son turned two this past week. He's growing up so fast. Watchingvideos from the past few months and years have illustrated to me how quicklylife changes and how fleeting a moment in our lives really is. The progress andgrowth not only of my son's vocabulary but physical strength, will-power andintellect have given me reason time and again to take pride in my beloved son.He is a boy who loves to dance and who chases down those whom he loveswith cautious pursuit grasping hold with little pain inflicted. He hasn’tquite learned to make sure his eyes are tracking where his feet are going andfrom time to time trips himself up falling to the ground. Sometimes he gets upbrushes off his hands and continues on and other times his fear leads him to cryout and sometimes his pain leads him to tears. I love being a witness to allthese events.

I can't help but hope and believe that God looks at us all in thissame way - with the pride of a Father who sees development in the livesof His children. As we pass new milestones - learn to use the potty on ourown, take our first steps, get free of the pacifiers and dress ourselves, walk,talk, get jobs, and eventually have our own kids – I can’t help but think thatGod sits back and says did you see that, one more achievement and the joy offorward progress. There are times when the frustration of rebuilding comes intoplay and already learned skills have to be relearned. Progress and regressionare part of our instable lives but God’s stability is never failing. On him wecan lean at all times. As we push out and try to do things on our owninvariably we find bigger and bigger reasons to return to the stabilizing handsof God.

The limitations of our physical strength, the uncertainty of ourfutures, the failings of our relationships or the frustration of our limitedunderstanding of life all drive us back to the arms of God for a reason - sothat we can take the next step. That isthe next step with God, not the next step towards God or from God but the nextstep with God. We can run around on our own and at times, when life is good andwe have our legs under us, things seem good and under our control. When wetrip, and that trip invariably comes, we hit the ground. If we’ve taken a fewfalls before then we know enough to try and get our hands out front keeping ourbig heads from smacking the concrete. If we don’t have experience we hit evenharder. Either way all that pain can be avoided if we’d just hold onto ourfather’s hand, and ask him to take us to places good and full of fun andadventure.

Visiting Cappadocia

2012-01-10T05:43:00.000-08:00

Usually I find myself writing posts these days for Dos Plumas and you’ll find that my articles text will often link you to their blog pages or home page for luxury private travel in Turkey. But I’m here to write today about a trip I did with another group just a few weeks ago, when our family took off from our home and flew through Istanbul to Cappadocia to be with a group of students from a nearby university. After the two one hour legs of our flight and our hour drive from ASR – Kayseri “International” Airport we arrived in the quaint tourist town of Göreme. Where we did not stay at the high end hotels that I get to write about on a regular basis and market to our clients but instead stayed in the most humble of motels on site where even the poorest of college students could afford to spend the long weekend.

We joined together with several of our great students from the university and some of the students from the national church for a Christmas celebration. We did everything from discuss the silly traditions and fun traditions to introducing the idea of Christmas as Christ’s birth to our friends. We sang Christmas Carols in Turkish in a small cave meeting area where we also ate our meals and watched “The Nativity Story” projected onto the back wall.

While at the motel we had discussions with everyone including the hotel staff about the message of Christmas and the contradictions between the Muslim recounting and the Christian account. We discussed with our friends the significance in the Biblical story of the promise of a savior (messiah, christ). We gez’ed as one of our friends likes to say an Anglicized version of the Turkish word “gezmek” which means “to walk around/sightsee.” We saw amazing places like Derinkuyu and Uçhısar castle. Some of us got to hike around Avanos and tour the pottery making capital of Turkey.

Unfortunately, some of our mobility was hampered by our sons 103 degree fever. Although he was ill he was a trooper and traveled well, getting out a few times to see the village of Göreme in his father’s arms. The day before we left we even got to tour the health clinic and get some much needed medicine to help with his cold and fever. Fortunately this did not limit us from joining in with all the great conversations we could have with the students and share our heart for Jesus and our understanding of his teachings. Some of you will have the chance to read about my discussions with a long time friend from the university who asked some classic questions of doubt from the Muslim perspective. His questions cannot go unanswered if we are to successfully share our lives and love with our Muslim brothers.

It is important that we take the time to think deeply about the reasons for our faith. Like a human immune system our faith too is proven strong after overcoming spiritual issues. As we subject ourselves to the doubt of others and allow our faith to be questioned we are given opportunities to strengthen our spiritual immune system. As answers like antibodies flow through our spiritual lives we become more vivacious in our constitutions and able to overcome greater obstacles placed before us. If we fail to ask ourselves the essential questions and struggle to find the answers to these questions - the ones that the doubters around us ask – then we will fall prey to the weakening of our spiritual immune systems and die. But if we press on we find answers for ourselves and no illness of the heart or mind can take away that which is given through perseverance in the spirit.

Just a day after our return my wife got ill with the same illness that my son had, and just a day after that my body followed suit. We lived through the struggle of that illness and now, thankfully, are on the other side of it. Our hope is the same for the spiritual interest and condition of these people our friends, neighbors and national leaders. It is our hope and belief that this will bring joy prosperity and peace to a region that has seen much turmoil throughout history.

There and Back Again–Antalya to Arvalya

2011-09-05T13:34:00.001-07:00

{For those of you who don’t get our newsletter I’m retelling a story I told in last weeks prayer newsletter that my wife has been faithfully sending to so many of you for the last several months.}

A week ago Thursday I set out in our van with a group of 10 college age “genç” – youth. We all got up early on Thursday morning about 3:30 AM so we could be on our way with luggage and coolers crammed in with ten passengers and me behind the drivers wheel for a fast and furious trip through the sites of the seven churches of the book of Revelation with a final destination of a camp located just to the South of the ancient site of Ephesus. The camps name and the final destination of departure was a Christian camp that meets yearly in a place called Arvalya.

Our journey took us first to Denizli though, a city I have visited often in the past few years and the gateway Westward from Antalya. The easiest way to get almost anywhere in the West from Antalya is to drive North through the mountains hit the junctions in Denizli and either head North towards Istanbul or West towards Izmir. The sun was just rising as we hit Denizli and we passed through the city quietly and quickly before making a quick stop outside Hierapolis where we had a view of Laodicea and Pamukkale. We ate breakfast and visited the hot springs in the area as many of the youth had never seen the springs that Mehmet, a good friend from Denizli, had showed me for the first time last November.

So, after breakfast and a quick feel of the hot waters and a bathroom pit stop we were on our way to city number two Philadelphia, now modern Allahşehir, we visited the only remains a church called St. John’s and E-n, the Turkish leader, had set up for youth to share at each location on one of the seven churches so (S.) one of the girls shared there and we were on our way.

Our next stop was Sardis, still one of my favorite locations although it was extremely hot, by the time we got to location number three of the day it was past lunch time so we stopped and had lunch under the shade of a tree next to a watering hole for sheep and goats. We had sandwiches from the leftovers of breakfast that E-n had packed for us in a cooler and we had picked up a watermelon and more bread, a Turkish staple, along the way. After eating well and visiting briefly the giant temple to Artemis we were on our way to Thyatira and Pergamum before finishing with dinner cooked on the beach.

This is where my first experience as a beach bum comes in. Traveling with a bunch of college students who were just trying to make ends meet with their budget on the trip meant that we spent the night on the side of the road sleeping on the beach, with wind blowing and no one being prepared for such cold weather all but three people ended up piling back into the car to try and sleep sitting up while E-n, one of the other students and I roughed it out on the windy beach. When morning came and I could bear the discomfort no longer I got up to find E-n and the other young man wrapped up in the one plastic beach mat like a giant burrito. I must say I was a bit envious because I had suggested this very same idea to the student a few hours earlier and he had shrugged it off as he was snoring or shivering, I’m really not sure which one it was or that I really conveyed the idea well in my cold sandy stupor.

So, Friday morning came and after I found a man who both was awake at six AM on a lazy Friday morning and who had pity on a poor sand blasted fool I was able to use the facilities and return just in time for everyone loading into the van to journey South along the coast to Izmir, ancient Smyrna, and then on to Ephesus the last of the seven cities before making it to our final destination at the camp grounds in Arvalya.

The college retreat was a special time, an introduction for me into the somewhat exclusive realm of the youth Christian movement of Turkey. About a hundred or so young people gathered from cities all over Western Turkey. We spent three days in prayer and study, as a rather charismatic keynote speaker shared with us his experience in working with the Holy Spirit. It was overall a very charismatic time which was a stretching time for many of our youth. We had many good discussions and were able to pray and lead in different ways. In the end I left with thirty or more new Turkish believing friends from around the country who are all connected on fb. It is a tight knit group of believers, when you think that the hundred youth could possibly represent a quarter or fifth of the Christian youth of Turkey.

After three days of intense study and prayer and some really fun activities including hiking up to the top of the ridge overlooking Ephesus and seeing the place called Paul’s prison from the ridge we loaded back into the van minus one young lady who returned by bus and plus two young men who joined us later on the week. After a full day on Monday we departed to tearful farewells and in the end thirty or forty people rocking the vans from the outside as we drove off and tried not to run over anyone. We drove late into the night and stopped at 2:30 in the morning for some soup and a bathroom break.

The choices for soup were lentil or sheep head soup. I opted for the less gas inducing sheep head soup and enjoyed some nice bits of sheep brain and sinew with an extra helping of melted butter over the dish called “kelepaça.” By 9 AM we had driven through the rain all the way home, I had dropped everyone off and made it home to my already lively son and wife who weren’t expecting me for another day and a half. I got to surprise them as I came in the door, Katie got up from her perch on the balcony to see who was coming in and found me standing at the door with a sheepish grin on my face. Maybe it was the soup. The trip was a huge blessing for me to get to know and see the status of the Christian youth of the nation of Turkey. I pray I have many more opportunities to see this group grow and grow in the years to come.

Visiting Lystra and Iconium

2011-02-08T06:18:00.001-08:00

It was great to see many of you on Skype this last week as we traveled over the mountains to Konya (ancient Iconium) and Gökyurt (ancient Lystra). We set out on a sunny Sunday morning early to make it to Lystra before traveling on to Konya for our afternoon meeting with the church. We stopped along the way and had our packed lunch and a snowball fight along the way. There were families stopped all along the way enjoying their day off work with their families building snowmen and having picnics. After building a snow woman and eating our lunch we headed down the mountain to the North side of the Taurus mountain range where we came first to Sillistra and Lystra. We visited the ancient remnants of the Lycaonian people. The chimney rock geological formations were possibly caused by lava mixing with water and forming these unique strikingly high rounded peaks in close sequence. The rock itself is porous and easy to carve into in order to form caves and shelters.

The foothills of the Taurus mountains all the way North through Cappadocia are filled with this striking mixture of natural geological formation and human architecture. The result is hundreds of thousands of caves to explore. After driving through the mud and testing the traction of the tires on our newly acquired vehicle we backed down the mound that was once the area near Lystra and headed back to the main road - 8 miles through a series of old shepherd villages – and on to Konya.

We arrived in Konya where we tried to find our way to the center and our hotel for the night located right across from the most important site for Muslims in Turkey. We stayed the night in a hotel across the street from the burial location of Mevlana, also known as Rumi the poet and Islamic theologian, one of the founders of the Sufi movement. Sufism is the mystic branch of Islam that incorporates monastic asceticism with drug induced trances and dizzying revolutions of the body. The world knows the Mevlevi dancers as Whirling Dervishes. I’ve always wondered where the word dervish came from and was able to find an interesting article in Wikipedia regarding the words etymology.

Unfortunately, I’ve left the camera with the rest of the pictures from the trip at the house. This means that you’ll just have to wait till next time to see the actual hill on which Lystra was founded the burial plots left over from the ancient city of Iconium and the photos from the mosque/place of entombment of Mevlana. Keep up the whirling and we’ll see you on the other side of dizziness.

Improving Resolution

2011-01-19T04:15:00.001-08:00

It seems that these days whether it’s a flat screen TV, a notebook computer, a hand held device, a decision about habits in the upcoming year, or a new eating regime everyone is looking for better resolution. I’m sure that none of our stoic readers have put off their three week old resolutions for next years New Year’s Resolution time but, in case you have, remember – like the ever advancing technology of our growing media driven world resolutions are meant to be improved upon, changed and revamped. In an ever changing world, dealing with ever changing people our steady focus on God must constantly change us and direct our feet on straighter paths towards Him.

“How has this focused directed your lives in Turkey?” you might ask. This year as in years past we’ve seen the ebb and flow of attendance in our weekly meetings. We’ve seen regression and progression in the lives of people we’ve been working with. We’ve seen God’s word give power and weakness to those with whom our lives are intertwined in this place and those with whom we work have seen changes in us as well. “Just last week I was told that I have changed in the way I react to criticism.” I found myself stuck with that compliment as it forced me both to admit that I wasn’t already perfect (probably not a big surprise for most of you) and also admit that someone else’s assessment of me might be clearer than my assessment of myself. Personal ability to change for the better is essential in the transformation work of evangelism.

In this semi-closed environment, where sharing and urging others towards a decision and action of faith is practically forbidden we find ourselves tip-toeing around the main subjects of the Bible to have brief discussions about Biblical truths. Often we find ourselves scaring off those with whom we have spent months prepping and testing the waters. The frustrating results lead us to constant assessment of our methods. Despite all our efforts at innovation in sharing the message in the end it is those who are most open to change who are able to receive the good news about Jesus. So, we continue to pray for openness to change in our own lives and the lives of those with whom we spend time regularly.

We see this openness to change in only a few places but when we notice the openness we embrace the opportunities whole heartedly. Presently we are seeing this openness in the lives of some of our English students. This week I was talking with a friend, a musician, who likes American country music. He has been introducing me to some of his favorite songs and at the same time he has been admitting to me that he doesn’t understand the whole meaning to the songs he sings. So, together we have been addressing the meaning of several different country songs. I broached the topic of convictions with him through a Toby Keith song, “Love Me If You Can” and we talked about the origin of convictions. He then told me that one of his favorite country songs is, “Three Wooden Crosses,” by Randy Travis. I have no great love for country music and so was ignorant of the message of the song but understood immediately the imagery of three crosses. I looked up the song and tears came to my eyes as I saw the Lord giving me another open door to share the good news. It is impossible to deny that the work that is being done here is done by God’s gracious providence. In our own endeavors we find ourselves often falling short of the goals we have set for ourselves but we always find God willing to use us as witnesses to those who are open and searching for change.

Our pray is that we may have better resolution both in decisiveness and in clarity of vision as we seek to set our eyes on the creator, savior and Lord.

(the links reference both interesting websites about the highlighted topics and the sources of ideas and song lyrics)

Merry Christmas and a Whole Lot of Traveling

2010-12-23T04:48:00.001-08:00

“Just here those sleigh bells jingle,” may have been a meaningless line in a holiday song until the snow and frost of December 2010 came and grounded plains, packed the trains and snowed in all the automobiles. With fuel prices what they are around here ($9.50/gallon) and the mountains that we are planning to traverse being covered with snow a sleigh is beginning to seem like a better and better option. In the next few weeks I’m part of three different travel plans.

The first and most positively anticipated trip is the one we will be doing as a family with Katie’s mother and my brother Michael. Katie’s mother is coming in from Orlando this evening and barring any last minute flight cancelations (said a quick prayer) will arrive around 20:00 (we are growing more accustomed to the European way of telling time). Our close friends and members of the church Mehmet and Tanya will be coming in from their hometown to spend Christmas weekend with us and then my brother comes in Christmas day night (no that’s not a typo, he flies in late on the 25th) again barring any flight issues. Then on the 26th we will have our Sunday services. I will be preaching and then we’re headed out to Denizli, through the mountains and off to visit a small house gathering that we are encouraging in Denizli. The mountains are beautiful from where we sit two thousand meters below at sea level gazing up at their snow capped grandeur but may be neigh impassable this time of year.

A friend recently spent the whole night parked in a bus on the side of the road during what was supposed to be a 3 hour bus ride to Denizli. We are praying again for blessing in this journey as Mehmet and Tanya will need to be back for work on the 27th. From Denizli we continue on to Ephesus by way of Sardis, Philadelphia, Thyatira, Pergamum and Izmir (Smyrna) and arrive for a day or two in Ephesus before Michael and Grandma P. head back to their real lives. We will then begin our 8 hour return trip to our home.

The second trip I will be participating in is a much shorter and less involved trip but has taken up much of my time of late at the DP offices. I sold from start to finish a tour to a man who is writing a book and doing some research in the area. On the first of the year I will meet him at the airport and take him to see the city before leaving the next day for my third and final trip of the season.

On January 2nd I will spend several days on a nearby mountain translating for a hunter who is coming to shoot an Ibex with DP. I will spend time with Enes a brother from the church and employee of DP tracking the Ibex and guiding the hunter through the sharp ridges of the mountains near Akseki. All accounts of the area have given me a sense that the mountains we will be traversing are quite perilous. And that sums up the traveling that will be happening this season for me.

I pray that all your journeys and family meetings will be blessed this Christmas season, that you will find many ways to be reminded of God’s great love for you and thus be filled with warmth and strength that comes from traveling with our L & S – JC (Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ). Merry Christmas – That’s Merry Messiah-mas if you prefer the Hebrew.

Him First

2010-07-13T04:21:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, for the last few years for two weeks in the summer we've been attending a youth camp. The camp is an outreach and encouragement opportunity for us as we minister to MK's and get to introduce Turkish kids to the gospel for the first time. One of those kids, Jay (not the child's real name), asked each counselor about their jobs. He usually followed up his questions about our professions with, "does that pay well?" Jay's concerns with everyone's income and interest in well paying jobs was amusing and understandable. Some even went so far as to dub him a future Forbe's Lister, with his thoughts often geared towards riches. Jay comes from a mixed family with an English mother and a Turkish father. His father is a "toptan," or retail, merchant who sells everyday household items. When I asked Jay if he would like to be a business man like his father, he wasn't sure.

Later we had some discussions about how I survive if I don't make a good living working. I told him that my family is taken care of by God and then when that was not enough for his understanding I gave him a more specific explanation. When discussions like this come up I often am sent back to evaluating and recognizing the oddness of the whole situation. It also leads me to thinking about the concept of The Kingdom. The principal of putting the desires of a whole kingdom ahead of one's own desires is a well known concept echoed in all military actions and in every concept of civil service. It is also essential in the unity and growth of the church.

The Sunday after camp we gathered in our home for our weekly worship and study of God's

word and we talked even more about God's kingdom. Matthew 7 and the imperative to not worry from Jesus came up as well as the passage from Haggai chapter 1 where the Israelites are called to build the house of the Lord and not seek after personal gain. The lesson was important for many in our gathering who have been preoccupied with personal gain.

Summer time is a difficult time here, many people work 12+ hours 6 and a half days a week. This schedule continues for the whole of the tourist season and leads many to hate the tourist trade. The encouragement to work so hard now is the fact that many of these people are storing up for winter months when there will be no work, like the ants that are noticed in Proverbs chapter 30:25. It is a fine line that we walk encouraging others to be responsible workers and also faithful servants. It is especially a difficult task to encourage people to attend weekly services for those of us who are rewarded for much of our kingdom service with the support of others. Wanting to be considerate of the plight of those working in secular trades, and practical in our advice, we continue to try to encourage others towards spiritual faithfulness and dedication to the reading and teaching of God's word and prayer.

The best way to encourage others is through our strong belief that God's promises, as conveyed through the Biblical authors, are trustworthy and true. God points out in Haggai that if you spend your efforts and focus on building up your own houses you'll find your pockets have holes in them and your pantry's are full of rotten food, but if you build God's temple (kingdom) first then all those desired riches fall into place and life has great value. I still have to keep reminding myself about this viewpoint when I begin to doubt my reasons and motives, when the doubt of those around me begins to affect my perspective. Keep running to God's promises and building His temple and walking in His way and putting Him first.

Camp Songs

2010-07-07T06:45:00.001-07:00

Teaching a guitar elective and coming up with skits this year has produced several new lyrical works:

Rappin' Rabbits Rap (by the 5th and 6th grade boy campers whose name was the Rappin Rabbits)

Done to the tune of Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby"

Alright, Stop!

Collaborate and listen,

The Rabbits are here droppin' pellets of wisdom

Hoppin' cause we're hyped on candy

Just from the beach so we're all a little sandy.

When we gonna bathe, yo? I don't know,

Maybe a week maybe two and then I go.

To the extreme we go explore in our sandals

Not picking leaves not droppin' trash, we're not vandals

Free time, you might see us playin' Ninja

Don't worry cause we never get inja'd

At night when Renata comes around

Be still and never make a sound.

SHHHHH!

2. Song written by the guitar elective group that I was teaching to the tune of Jason MRAZ's song "I'm Yours" about the camp game called Bonkers.

You done hit me and you bet I felt it

I tried to be cool but it hurt so bad that I belted

You went and marked my arm -

And then I started to scream, "OH MEDIC!"

I stood right there watching kids just shoot by

Running for their lives from some insane guy.

Where is station 2?

"Behind the bushes but don't RUN through!"

I won't hesitate next time be sure

I'll start to cry I'm really sore

The red guy hit me twice the blue girl four

I'm all marked up but I've got to score

The medic came and I did the chicken dance

I got out quick but they hit me in the pants

Now I'm rollin' in the grass

And I'm crying again oh "Medic!"

Why oh why did I wait for this game

I'm all worn out this game's insane

The Nurse's Station's full and I don't know

The capital of Portugal -

Traveling in the USA

2009-11-11T14:15:00.001-08:00

Travel has always been somewhat of a dirty word in my family.

From the time I was six months old my family has been on the road and I,

now a grown man with a child on the way, find my parents have yet to slow

down in their travels; and my mother has yet to get used to the sometimes

frantic and tiring aspects of life on the road. The past two weeks have been

just another exercise for me in packing, re-packing, saying hello and quickly

saying goodbye before stopping somewhere else to go through the process

once again. Times like this remind me of all the great friends and family I

have, while also making me feel awkward about the short time I have to

spend with everyone.View Full Album

Highlights from the trip:

1. Visiting my Siblings – It was a great time to get together with my sister and two brothers over the past two weeks. The first night in Memphis I made Chicken Plov and my sister and I caught up on the past two years. In memory of all the crafts we used to do together with our mother in our childhood we did a creative project for a class that she was taking for her Masters of Education degree. The next evening I got to spend time with my sister’s cool husband who had just returned from a trip to Louisiana where he interviewed at one of several universities where he might do an Orthodontics Residency. He graciously took me to a great place for pulled pork despite not being a big fan of barbeque and taught me how to play Rock Band. We rocked out to the new Beatles game.

The next day I got to visit my youngest brother and a few of his friends at Harding. He was pretty overwhelmed having just finished pledging for BOX – his social club.

And finally I got to see my middle brother at Pepperdine who is about to finish his degree in History and hopefully continue his studies with Teach for America. My bro is involved in at least three different prayer and worship events a week on campus and I spent a week and a half going with him to most of these events. He and his friends have gathered a great community of friends from campus that encourage each other in their faith.

2. Visiting Family – I got to see everyone from my grandmother to my second cousin once removed and my great aunt. It is a great blessing in this day and age to be able to go from Orlando to Los Angeles and have family to stay with and visit all along the way. I am reminded every time I travel of the great wealth that is wrapped up in a large family. I believe the benefits of having a large family far outweigh the sacrifices one makes in sharing rooms, struggling for prime seating in the car and having to work one’s self through college.

3. Visiting Friends – I got to see my friends from my college days in California and in Texas. We spent our time doing what we always used to do – talking while playing video games and unsuccessfully trying to have adventures. In Texas I got to see all the improvements on the ACU campus and met up with some of my old co-workers and mentors. It’s always a bit strange to see how much places change while one is away.

4. Going to a Concert – While I was in Los Angeles my brother invited me to see Florence and the Machine who were playing at the Troubadour in Santa Monica. The openers for Florence were I/O Echo. Being the oldest of four I get to keep up with popular culture. For example I learned that the new way of expressing pleasure about things is denoted with the term “epic.” While this is not a completely new term it has come into frequent usage over the last two years among young people. Of course it is important to emphasize each of the syllables in the word for example, “the concert was ep-ic!” This way of saying things reminds me of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. So, the concert was epic as were the doughnuts we ate after the concert.

Babies and Butts

2009-08-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

Babies and butts have been what I have been doing the last few weeks. You may be wondering- huh? (how inappropriate!) . haha. Probably right! But I'm studying to be a midwife and we take care of the well woman and the pregnant women. So that means pap smears, STD cultures and the fun exams for fetal heart tones and cervical dilation.

From the beginning of August I have been working with a wonderful midwife, Vicki Brooks (not Vicky), who has been patient, understanding and a great teacher! I am so thankful that in His perfect time, God provided a place for me to begin my clinicals. A typical week has me in the office Monday- Friday with Wed. mornings and Fri. afternoons off. We are at the hospital at 0730 and in the office by 0830. If no one is in labor (or delivering immenintly) we get to eat lunch and go home by 1700.

The last few nights have been interesting! I had given one woman my cell number because she was planning on going natural (without an epidural or medications) during her labor and delivery and I wanted to experience what she went through. I was nervous about how that would go. Would I be the odd extra person in the room? Would I be at all helpful? Well God is good. Her sister called at 2100 and told me that the lady was having contractions every 3 minutes and they were heading to the hospital, so I put back on my scrubs and headed over. From 2115 until 0030 I enjoyed watching as she rhythmically rocked through contractions, changed positions, moaned or even yelled (only for a few when she felt out of control) through the process. It was amazing to see this strong woman go through the BACK LABOR she was having with such composure! Her husband, the only other person in the room, would occasionally put counter pressure on her back or wipe her brow with a cool towel. Their daughter was born at 0043 and I got to catch the little bundle of joy! It turned out that this sweet couple did not have any other family in town and were so thankful to have me there- just to support and "be" It was an honor for me!

So, after getting home about 0123 I woke at 0530 a few hours later to be back at the hospital for rounds, and a full day of work. It was a good day and besides CRAZY allergies I learned a lot, felt like a help instead of a hinderance, and went home at a reasonable hour. We were on call that night....

Sure enough, Vicki called me at 0130 to say one of hers was in labor. So up I got, put on my scrubs and headed out the door (trying not to wake the dogs who would wake sweet Marie- the dear woman who is letting me stay with her). I was pretty awake when I arrived and beat Vicki there (unusual). The lady in labor had an epidural and sat comfortably, smiling as we walked in. She had been 6-7 cm when Vicki called but when I checked her and, at the command, broke her water (my first experience doing that) we found that baby's head was just inside and the patient was a full 10 cm. So I coached her through pushing (her epidural made it so that she could feel nothing, not even pressure or contractions). It is always exciting to see the head crowning and this new life come through the birth canal! The baby was having some periods of low heart rate and so Vicki walked me through cutting my first episotomy. With the little extra room baby came right out with a TRIPLE cord wrapped around the neck (aka- it was around the neck 3 times!) and a knot in the cord! It was no problem (they most often aren't, praise the Lord) as we caught that baby keeping her head toward mama's legs and did a summersault motion with the body. The cord easily came untangled (measured almost or more than a YARD long- normal is 20 in?) and baby began the joyful noise of crying. I helped repair the episiotomy site until I felt faint and backed off. Vicki thinks my blood sugar was low, and while orange juice helped I was still weak. I think I was just tired. I didn't feel ill to my stomach. I'm sad. I have helped with two repairs but have yet to do one on my own. It is an art in itself.

So then, today was another full work day. So it's been a crazy last few days. I'm thankful to be home a little early and relax, put in my numbers for school and go to sleep early.
Last night the internet wasn't working either so I have some catch-up to do. The real sad thing was that I couldn't catch up on e-mails from Andrew! But I'm so thankful I got to read them today! I look forward to Skyping with him tomorrow. In this CRAZY LONG separation I am so thankful for Skype and e-mail. What a blessing!!

I want to end by telling you the most beautiful thing I have seen during my clinicals! About a week ago I was able to witness part of the labor and catch the baby for an amazing couple! Mom was going naturally and what a champ! During contractions she would put her arms around her

husband's neck and do a slow dance with him as he supported her. Inbetween her head was up, she was smiling and talking. When another would come on she would say "excuse me" and get close again to her favorite person. When contractions got harder, and she was in the bed, she would stare into his eyes and he stared back at her and told her how good she was doing and how proud he was of her. They were the most amazing team! When she said "I can't do this, I don't remember it being this bad" He would say "You are doing it and you are doing great. You are in control, look back at me." It was the most beautiful thing I have seen yet! I wanted to cry! If you are considereing going naturally YOU CAN DO IT! What a beautiful thing! Talk with your husband, practice at home, read about it and do it! She was up and moving, nursing and chatting within the hour (and could have been up sooner). Every birth is a beautiful miracle, but this last one I will remember all of my life!

Olympos and Olympus

2009-08-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

Many of you have probably never even considered the geographical difference between the letter "o" and the letter "u" between the "p" and "s" in the word Olymp's. For me the two differing spellings represent bookends of my trip to Greece from Turkey this last week. In the span of two weeks I was on the slopes of two historic mountains which have leant their name to the mythical aura of the Mountain of the Gods. I started my solitary trek from the shadow of the pines of Olympos in Turkey two weeks ago.

Olympos, Turkey is a mountain which has gas deposits that can be lighted. Once the sun has

gone down one can hike the thirty minutes to the first area of gas springs or the longer hour hike to the high flames and see the mountain aflame. Part of this range is an area called Chimera where the story of the wild fire breathing beast, with a head of a lion and a goat and a tail of a snake, who was defeated by Bellerophon and the Pegasus is said by Homer to

have taken place. Turkey's Olympos is also part of the Lycian way, a historical road which runs between a series of city states which comprised the kingdom of Lycia.

My time at the Chimera flames on Olympos marked the start of

my journey to visit my parents and grandparents in Athens and consequently brought me to the top of another mountain. I departed from the base of the Turkish mountain and took a bus along the coast following near the Lycian way on the modern road which runs from Antalya to Kas and beyond. At Kas, pronounced kawsh, I caught a ferry to the Greek island of Kastelorizo where I walked to the airport. The airport on Kastelorizo is located between two of the highest points on the island and requires some hiking to reach.

After catching my flight to Rhodes and then to Athens and spending some precious time with my youngest brother, who was on his way to college, and welcoming my grandparents to Greece from Southern California at my Mom's pressing we tackled a more formidable Mt. Olympus, the

better known but less firey mountain. We spent two days hiking and climbing to the highest peak on Olympus called Mytikas. We found no Dodekatheon, but did enjoy some fearful climbing up some steep slopes. My parents were able on this trip to realize a twenty-five year old dream to climb Mt. Olympus. This was something they wanted to do when I was a young toddler but were unable to do. Now that I was able to carry the heavier items for the trip and not need to be carried as I would have needed at two years of age my parents were able to realize this dream.

My father's excitement and my mother's joy in accomplishing a long desired goal made the trip a

special time and began a summer tradition for me of climbing to the top of

mountains. Last year Ararat and now this year

Olympus only the Lord knows what mountain it might be next summer but it may need to be the metaphorical mountain of parenthood, or the very real mountain of diapers that will have been changed, Lord willing, this time next year. My time climbing the two Olympo/uses was a great part of my summer and a welcome distraction from the fact that my wife is across the sea finishing her Masters of Midwifery. More than I looked forward to seeing the peaks of these mountains I look forward to seeing her on the other side of this seeming mountain of time as we both look forward to the mountain top experience of our first child.

Blessings to you as you climb mountains of your own, metaphorically or physically.

Okey!

2009-07-25T01:27:00.000-07:00

I was saying to Mike the other day how lovely it would be if there was a table we could sit around and eat. Unfortunately, at the time we believed there was no such contraption in the bachelor pad. We were wrong.

This morning after finding out that my meeting with friends was canceled, I sat down to stumble a bit and then after responding to a few e-mails I was in the middle of reading about a cheap way to make outdoor lights when V. came in with a friend E. and after a few minutes of talking about the relative heat and the upcoming wedding people settled down and began deciding what they would do on this hot Saturday morning. E is getting married in October and his engagement party, a completely different concept from the American engagement party, is this evening.

It was then decided that the guys in the apartment were going to play Okey, a variation of Rummykub. At that point V. told me I was going to have to get up cause they were going to have to use the table. It was a moment of revelation. The two by four foot thing that I was sitting at was the apartment's table and when it wasn't used for housing random electronic devices and the laptop, which I am now holding in my lap and utilizing the characteristic of the device from which it's name is derived, it is used as the house table. And so with that realization the house became a younger version of what you can find on every corner in Turkey - a Turkish Tea House.

The Turkish Tea House is usually filled with retired or unemployed men who have given up on the ambitions of commerce and accomplishments and have resigned themselves to watching the world pass by while challenging eachother to a battle of luck and wits while playing Backgammon, Okey, or Pishti. When the guys sat down and started teaching Mike to play Okey I knew his Turkish cultural education was nearing it's apex. In a matter of hours Mike would have the germ which permeates most Turkish males. Unfortunately, the Turkish guys were unbeatable and Mike walked away without being hooked on Okey the way he's hooked on Backgammon.

Living with my Turkish Brothers

2009-07-21T05:48:00.001-07:00

In every man's life there comes a time when he gets/has to live in a house where the toilet rarely works and the washing machine is on the fritz, when air conditioning is not an option and the concept of personal space is limited to the bathroom walls when the doors are locked. There comes a time when a young man wants to find out the limits of his patience and the depths of his resolve towards personal hygiene. Is it enough for a person to shower once a week if stepping into the bathtub brings danger of cementing ones feet in soap scum residue? Is it okay to schedule your visits to other people's houses around your bathroom necessities? Is it okay to leave a plate on the floor of the kitchen if there is no more room in the sink or on the counter filled with dishes? What is the shelf-life of unrefrigerated eggs at 40 degrees Celsius? What is proper etiquette when dining in the living room while using an overturned cork-board for a table? How quickly can an apartment be filled with empty Coke bottles? These are all questions that I have been finding the answers to over the past two weeks. I am certain that in the two months to follow more discoveries in the exploration of the natural habitat of Turkish bachelors will turn up even greater discoveries and more poignant, or possibly pungent, pictures of life in apartment "Rejep Bulbul."

On the first day I came in with Mike who's been staying at the apartment already for a few days. After having a glass of coke and finding out that it was fine if I used the laptop anytime it was not in use I plopped down on the floor, since all the couch space was taken up, and began to play a sad song on the guitar as I realized I had another two months of separation from my wife. The first song that came to mind was by a group called Pinhani and the song was titled "Beni Al." The song laments the regrets of someone who is not with the person they love. So, after a few moments of self-pity one of the housemates V, who has an awesome testimony, came over and we played Turkish worship songs together. As the clock hands were pushing 1 AM I made my way to the bed in the corner of the living room and the others moved to the balcony.

I was told the next day by Murat, who was visiting that night, that around 2 AM while he was watching an episode of LOST on the laptop, which sits on the table ten feet from my bed, I sat straight up in bed glared at him and lay back down. This is not something out of character for me. I tend to do odd things when I am stressed out in a sleeping arrangement and am only glad that my reaction to this new situation was not worse. I have been known to sleep walk or threaten people in my sleep. Just ask my college roommates.

Take My Hand

2009-06-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

I recently downloaded a song by Shawn McDonald called "Take My Hand." The song expresses a great need for the Father. The song was introduced to me by a group that visited us from the U.S. this last month. They spent three weeks praying for, studying with, learning about, and exploring the land of the Turks. In that time I was greatly refreshed in several ways. Primarily it is a great pleasure to work with people who love the Lord and with whom we share many of the same goals and dreams. In a relatively short amount of time we became a team with the group, and I got to experience for a short time the focused and expedient result of team evangelism. If it takes a village to raise a child, as many educators point out, then the same should be said of raising a new believer in Christ. I hadn't realized how much I have missed the benefit of a more focused communal work, and was blessed to experience the presence of one this last month. The visiting group turned out to be fuel on the fire, giving added energy to our endeavors with friends here.

From encouraging young believers to develop personal quiet times to praying for some suffering spiritual oppression and reading the Scriptures with others, it seemed our time was a constant opportunity to witness to our faith, hope and love. Now in the absence of the team we continue to seek after a cross-cultural community that holds as close ties as those we have had with many of you, our compatriots. We are seeing more and more of this with our Turkish brethren as we interact on a regular basis and with greater fluency. Sitting together and struggling through the difficult topics of faith and doctrine, while sharing in meals and watching football matches, sun-bathing and swimming, visiting parks and attending church.

The upcoming months hold many new adventures for us. Andrew is a few short days from finishing his Turkish proficiency classes and being graduated from TOMER. Katie is preparing for her final test before returning to the U.S. to complete her Masters of Midwifery in July. We will both spend a two week period serving at a Youth Camp an hour from here in a place called Olympos, prior to Katie's departure. After that Andrew will be moving in with a couple of Turkish bachelors and will be involved in several endeavors. He will be learning about running a business as a foreigner while helping out Dos Plumas with their new Biblical Tours work, at the same time he will be providing a summer language course for the personal and professional improvement of the Turkish believers and whoever else from the community chooses to join, while continuing his responsibilities to the Russian Church.

During that time Katie will be finishing her lab-based studies in Kentucky and going from there to the still unknown location of her internship. We are in the process of finding a Midwife who will take Katie on as an intern for the three to six months that it will take her to finish her requirements for her degree. In short the next six months will be quite hectic for both of us and we're leaning heavily on the Lord's hand as we walk firmly in his promises knowing that he will show the way.

The past few months have been filled with such a variety of events from the reception of a new brother and the return of an old, from ministry to the abused to studies with diamond merchants. It seems as though the Lord is giving us a wide range of people with whom we might share our life. We hope you will keep these things in your prayers.

March-ing On

2009-03-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

We recently sang this old hymn in the international worship service we attend and the words with the simple tune came across as such a powerful message that we both mentioned how the hymn touched us. I believe part of the struggle is holding fast to the hope that regardless of the situation or how bleak a believer’s life looks physically or spiritually we are called to hold up our fellow brothers and sisters with great resolve.

How Firm a Foundation
Selections of: John Rippon

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

In the recent weeks we’ve seen where we have been lacking in our encouraging those who are in need. We need to be more resolved as we were reminded in the final verse of this hymn. It is easy to slip into a feeling of fatalism about the faith of our fellow followers of Jesus; to believe that we play no part in the development of their spiritual character.

It comes as no surprise that the hymn was a favorite of several presidents and a soldiers tune for many years. This tune speaks first of God’s amazing saving power and his faithfulness throughout trial, but finishes with the task at hand - to hold fast to the souls of our brothers knowing that their lives are in the midst of a spiritual war. In these verses I felt the admonition of the Lord to not let go of several for whom we have been praying for here, and the moving to continue to encourage the local believers in even greater ways.

My Turkish Hospital Experience

2009-02-03T02:42:00.000-08:00

My friend told me that when she went to visit a friend in the hospital who was hit by a tram here in Antalya, she entered a long narrow room with beds lining both side walls. By each bed was one chair in which the family could sit, be it one person or the whole extended family (that might make for quite a pile up). There was no privacy and a serious lack of cleanliness. These hospitals do still exist in Turkey but I'm so thankful that my experience did not include one!
The hospital I stayed at was a private modern hospital with young nurses (men and women) in crisp white uniforms with small blue triangles on the cuffs and pockets. The instruments used to start my IV and drain my bladder were the same (or nicer) as those I was accustomed to during my time of work in the States. There was the same familiar waiting and the same small hospital gowns (though mine was a nice dark blue and not see through, praise the Lord!). As we entered the facilities a receptionist asked us to wait and about 15 minutes later told us she would help us over there (or so we thought). After completing her sentence she literally ran off around the corner. So Andrew and I gathered out things and began to follow, making running motions and smiles at the other receptionist. “I'll help you here” she said and we had laughed at the importance of clear communication. As we began to sign in a friend spotted us and began telling us how our doctor was the best and this hospital was great. God comforted us from the beginning. The sign-in process consisted of answer “what are you here for” and 3 signing papers. There was no talk of insurance at this time (we had met days earlier about that) only a file handed to us and instructions to go up to the 5th floor by ourselves.
Upon arrival to the 5th floor and after giving questioning looks to the only nurse we saw she kindly took our file and led us into a medium sized, double bed hospital room with a TINY but flat screened tv and nice furnishings (including a private blue tiled bathroom). She gave me my gown, started my IV and administered that favorite of medicines that has you running to the bathroom, but not until you've held it for 20 minutes!!! We maybe waited ½ and hour before the anesthesiologist (a large but young man in orange with a earring) came in asked about allergies and medicines and answered our questions. Soon after his visit another young man came to wheel me down. I said "see you later" to Andrew and then we waited for the elevator for what seemed like 5 minutes (good thing I wasn't going to the ICU!)
I was wheeled into the operating room and presented with two shiny metal steps to help me climb up onto the thin green operating table. Above me were those huge circular lights seen in the movies. As they strapped my arms to boards (I felt like I was on a cross) my doctor came in casually with her purse around her arm. She chatted easily with me but made me a little uneasy when she said “I think your cyst is on the right side, yes?” Ha!! I recall that in the states it is routine to get the patient to mark the site to be operated on as a safety, even when the staff already know. Still, it was a little shocking. Behind her came the big anesthesiologist who saw me and began to laugh friendlily. His laugh soon turned into a mad scientist laugh and I asked him if he was okay or crazy. He admired that I could joke from the operating table. Probably nervous humor. My doctor left (I hoped to scrub up) and soon they were putting me under telling me I would have good dreams. “Kolay gelsin” (may it (work) go easy) I said and drifted off. I write all of this because the relaxed and joking attitude of this Turkish operating room reminded me very much of my clinicals in the Texas operating rooms. It was comforting to me.
I remember being moved to my bed and the intense shivering that was so painful. I remember throwing up what little was in my stomach and feeling better afterwards. I remember turning on my side, painfully, so she could give me a painful shot in my rear to take away my pain. (I missed the IV pain meds of the States). I remember the nurse waking me up to take my blood pressure frequently, and I comically remember her waking me up at 2AM so we could walk to the door and back! Odd timing! I had heard that in Turkish hospitals they don't tell you what medicine they are giving you so I was so thankful when the nurse offered an explanation of what she was giving me. I had to laugh as she put an ID bracelet on my arm and then wrote my first name only on it.
After the first hard night (in which I learned the pain medicine only made my rear sore but didn't help my pain) I learned to relax and be continually surprised at the lack of severe pain. My doctor came in both mornings, cheerily checked my incision without gloves (though as she cleaned she never touched my skin with hers) and answered my questions. I was allowed to shower the next day and told that I could go home after noon. My discharge instructions included not to eat foods that cause gas and I had to laugh as I recalled my previous meals in the hospital. Peas, bread, cheese, apple juice, and many others-all the cause gas buildup! After Andrew finished paying downstairs we were told we could go when we were ready. There was no wheelchair ride downstairs, no signing instruction papers; just warm smiles and wishes or a quick passing of the pain. I appreciated so much the taxi driver who drove abnormally slowly and purposefully avoided pot holes and most bumps as he took us home. I was thankful to get home!
I would definitely recommend the Andaolu hospital and Dr. Demir! The staff were kind and efficient (although one did smile as she lifted my pain shot for my rear). The facilities were clean and pleasing to the eye. I am so thankful to God who walked with us throughout the whole adventure. And as I sit in bed writing this I praise Him for the lack of pain I feel and the greater movement that I can unexpectedly do. I'm also so thankful for everyone who has been praying for me and I feel the effects of their prayers! I am surprised at and thankful for our neighbor Batuhan who visited us in the hospital, brought a peace lilly to our home along with yummy lentil soup (and this from a bachelor!) Lastly, I am so thankful that Andrew could be with me! He was and continues to be such a help and a comfort, even if he does make my stomach hurt with his joking (laughing moves my muscles that were cut and causes pain). He is definitely proving faithful and getting his share of "in sickness and in health". We look forward to how God will use this experience to open doors with my future work as a midwife and perhaps even towards growing our family.

The view from our room.

Noel Partisi

2008-12-29T11:10:00.000-08:00

As we wrapped up our last month of language study we decided it would be appropriate and a good opportunity to share the story of Christ's birth with our friends. So, we invited forty, possibly more, of our friends and neighbors to come to our house for an "American Christmas Party." Katie and I cooked up a storm of traditional Christmas favorites and put some of our precious gifts from our dear family at Landmark to use in making gingerbread cookies and a vegetable tray with dips and cheese balls with pecans and parmensian cheese.

It was amazing how the gifts that others sent came at just the right time to be of use among our guests giving just the right accent to our celebrations. As the guests arrived and we waited for others to bring out the pizza and wassle we had them each decorate ginger bread cookies. Our Turkish friends made a big joke out of us making them work before they could eat. After they decorated their cookies and ate we introduced them to the joys of a Yankee Swap gift exchange. In the end everyone learned the importance of alliances and the danger of getting a good gift.

Several of our believing Turkish friends came as well and we sang together "Joy to the World" and "Silent Night" in Turkish. Then with the guitar out we got to singing "Over all the Earth" and our friends asked some questions about the Wise Men and Katie got to share with some of our friends the birth story of Jesus. One of our older Turkish friends wrote a poem for Christmas about the birth of Jesus:

Ne Yucesin Rabbim

Alti punde yanattigin dunya

Her kosesi bir harika

Nice yasam var sonsuzlukla

Ne yucesin Rabbim

Insani yanattin tabiatin ustunu

Farkli yaptin beynini bustunu

Kurtarmak icin gonderdin Mesih'i

Ne yucesin Rabbim

Insanin emrine vermissin dogayi

Bir duzenle yazariz bu dunyayi

Bizim incin parlattin gunesi, ayi

Ne yucesin Rabbim

Insanlar icin gonderdin elcileri

Seytana uyup, dinlenediler seni

Affedip onlari, verdin sevgini

Ne yucesin Rabbim

Layik olmasak ta kucaklarsin bizi

Her zaman gosterirsin mucizeri

Lutfundan amaliyiz dersimizi

Ne yucesin Rabbim

Seni oymeye sozler yetmez

Ustunlugun anlatmakla bitmez

Dilerim izigim ustumden gitmez

Ne yucesin Rabbim

(by: Teacher N D)

This was written by one of our dear sisters who writes poetry and music and has promised to help Katie meet several midwifes who are friends of hers. The poem talks about the glory of God coming down to earth. Each stanza ends in "I praise you my Lord."

In the end Katie and I collapsed on the couch and celebrated the end of a great Christmas party. Our neighbor stuck around and helped clean up and was an awesome help to us. We are truly blessed to have great neighbors and friends. We are thankful for the gift of friends and family like you this year.

Shukran Gunu (Thanksgiving Day)

2008-11-30T04:41:00.000-08:00

As many of you have now found the perfect gifts for your loved ones or at least a great deal on some item that you've been eyeing for the past few months we too are getting caught up in the gift giving season. At this time on this particular year our neighbors are remembering a variant story of Abraham and Isaac (Ishmael if you're Muslim) and preparing for their "Sacrifice Feast." This year the feast falls right between our two favorite holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, during the week of December 5th. Cold winds and more frequent rains have also come to give company to the shortened days and lengthening times of darkness.

The days on the calendar seem to have flown by this year as we come up on our first anniversary in our new home. We give thanks for safety and health in a foreign land where we feel we have thrived among our neighbors and friends in the city. Turks react cheerfully to our wishes of "iyi bayramlar" (good feastings) on the street as we greet neighbors and friends. The marketing effects of the West are seen clearly in the Christmas products sold in all major shopping areas. The only thing that is missing are what might be considered slight religious undertones, as there are no actual portrayals of baby Jesus (Isa) being sold in the stores.

A few extra days away from language school allowed me to work in our apartment building garden area. Expecting a large number of guests for a Christmas celebration leads us to care about the general trashy state of the courtyard outside our building. We can once again see the earth where it was once covered by leaves and trash, and we celebrate the idea of a clean and organized garden area, even if it is not a long term reality. It seems like our life in general though, a constant battle between organization and chaos, as at the end of each week we find ourselves reorganizing our clutered desk, night tables, and kitchen table.

It seems at times that our truest form of motivation for organization is to transfer the message of Christ from our lives to the lives of those around us. I pray that in this time that we celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus, and the miracle of his birth to a virgin more than two - thousand years ago. As we appreciate God stepping into the chaotic world we live in to show the truth of his love despite the harshest of circumstances we find a great opportunity to reorient our lives in view of this act of sacrifice and love. God comes a house guest to a home completely unprepared for a royal visitor. That is one of the miracles of Christmas: The creator God visiting his world on loan to mankind ever the gracious guest and host. Belonging more than any other in his world and less than any in the mess. For this we see Christmas as another day of great Thanksgiving and Sacrifice.

Celebrate with Christ in mind.

Living at the Crossroads

2008-10-03T02:31:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a month for us living at the crossroads. The center of our city is the epitome of colliding cultures. Located in one of the most historic cultural and geographical divides of all forms of history, my wife and I find ourselves each day confronted with dichotomies that have been heavy on the hearts of humans for centuries. For us the intersections: old and new, young and old, religious and secular, Christian and Muslim, East and West, rich and poor, native and foreign, incarnate and divine, natural and synthetic, experiential and intuitive, intentional and accidental, and many other contrasting ideas and agendas come to convergence each day in our neighborhood. The constant contrast leaves one grasping for consistency in their life as travelers arrive at break-neck speeds stopping only momentarily to choose a direction and speed off directed by one of those desert sign posts with hundreds of directions tacked on. Feeling ourselves the “Wiley Coyote” in pursuit of our “Road-Runners.” All contraptions prone to backfire and all energy expended in the pursuit.

The last month has been an exercise in finding the foundation. As the spectacle of concerts, plays, sermons, crowds, and feasts has unfolded a stones throw from our home we have witnessed many of these tensions. It no longer strikes me as odd to pass by the celebration booths selling puzzles on how to properly pray the Namaz prayers in proper Muslim style before passing the contrasting booths with posters and books lauding the great secular nation all the while the materialist booths pedal the latest plastic trinkets form China. Finally we arrive at the Cafe where the church gathers to visit with young and old charismatic believers, given free reign in the absence of the more conservative “high-church” pastor, embracing any possible method presented to reach a world they know only God can fully understand. In frustration with the old methods we reinvent the wheel and thus find we can commit to a new program with an old foundation. While we agree that personal refining is essential, we often find we have strayed far from our intended path if we are not careful.

Then after a time of Spirit guided worship we find ourselves at the booth for lunch waiting for our halal meal free of the influence of vial pork, talking with our good friend at Fatih's Buffet. While he prepares our hot-dog with cheese and pickles he admits that it's not possible to be happy all the time, inadvertently admitting the defeat of his nations motto “How happy to say I am of this nation.” But he continues to greet us with a smile and the hospitable “good-day” as we pass him on our return to the cafe where we meet with our family from the North. Our conservative Northern brothers are facing the same issue of inventing themselves as a body trying to find the ideal system that will unify the members and maximize our witness to those “Road-Runners.” Foundations of Faith continue to be so obvious and yet elude a concrete answer between the handful of men who gather to decide the future direction of the body.

We return home to the indifference of our downstairs alcoholic and upstairs workaholic, and wonder what new method can we use to convey our message. We must pray. We must study. We must be relevant. We must be self-deprecating, culturally sensitive, linguistically fluent, self-less, hopeful, trusting, faithful and all the while try to be careful not to be too overtly us in case we might step on somebody's toes. In the long run we find ourselves like the man in the fable carrying the horse we were supposed be riding while pulling the cart behind. In all this we hear the words of the song taken straight from the book about God come down “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Come to me and I will give your rest you seeking the best methods, seeking true religion, seeking true happiness. Come to me all you who are poor and hungry. He calls all to rest. That's where I want to call people too. To the rest of the Lord. Not to the stress of life-changing work, but to the comfort of life-giving rest. That's where we call our friends our contacts our language partners and ourselves standing at the crossroads, trying to catch the “Road-Runners.”

Ararat Day 1 - 06.16.08

2008-07-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

Flew in early from A. to Van where Cengiz met us and took us from the airport to Kit's house where she welcomed us in the midst of seeing off Rick and Vonda who were visiting from the city, and also in the midst of a city wide water cystem maintenance week.

Spent the day in Van visiting Akdamar, an island in lake Van and an old Urartian - Selcuk - Ottoman castle as old as 855 B.C. Got great pictures at sunset of the view from a top and saw some old sanskrit-cuneiform tablets thanks to our Iranian brother and sister M. & M. They were great guides who took us all over and we will hold them dear to our hearts. So, after having Iskender and walking back to Kit's place where we crashed.

Kit's got quite a story having served as a Med Tech and Science teacher. She worked for several years on the Anastasia and lived in Zimbabwe for a time and in Uzbekistan before living in Istanbul and how 4 years in Van. (edited) Our time with Kit was illuminating with regards to the culture of fear in Eastern Turkey. She told us of her work with a women's group and that Van is the center for women's rights in Eastern Turkey.

One of the M's from Iran is applying for immigration to the US as most of the Iranian believers have done or are now presently trying to do. Her family has tried once as a group to immigrate but has been denied entry. So, now they are going the individual route. She was in Istanbul last week reapplying at the US embassy.

The other M. became a believer while in S. Korea where he worked for 3 years. He did 2 years of university in Iran before his school was closed because "it had an English name." He would like to finish his education and find work in I.T. We discussed a question he had from the OT. "Why did God only choose the Israelites?"

In a nutshell, my response was God chooses all who believe, and Why does God choose sinners?

We also met many Turkish people who were visiting Van on vacation including a boy from the Black Sea region of Turkey, Fatih, and his friends. Ibrahim was another of the people we meet and spoke with along the way he owns and runs a resteraunt across from the Akdamar Island, which is found in Lake Van. He's run the business there for 20 years and gave us a free ride back into Van with him a distance of 50 + km.

June in Review

2008-07-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy month with visitors from the US and trips out to the far reaches of Turkey to climb the famous Mt. Ararat (No! We did not find the Ark). Then there was a mad dash to return to our home just to head out the next day and serve as camp counselors for a Youth Camp to the east of the city. Three weeks on the road with minimal cloths washing and bathing facilities coupled with time in the elements of heat and cold wore us out. We are glad to say that in spite of the traveling we are greatly blessed.

It is hard to decide where to begin in catching up with all of you. It seems that possibly posting on the month of June might be the best method and working our way forward from there. June happens to be my favorite month of the year for the simple reasons that it is usually when school gets out for the summer, that it is the beginning of summer, and that my birthday is celebrated in this month. The latter being the most prominent reason, I must confess my self-centered attitude and repent of my vices before you all.

So, June began with the return of a good friend of ours from his military service. Gokhan, his name means Sky King, finished his 15 months of service and came home at the beginning of the month. After a week of trying to get together with him we finally met up with him and his serious girlfriend Serap, which means Mirage, at the new Starbucks. It was great to catch up on Gokhan's life and hear about his time in the military. Gokhan has been an amazing friend and symbol to Katie and myself of Turkish hospitality and the Lord's providence in giving us trustworthy Turkish friends.

In a weeks time we collected all the necessary items for climbing the mountain of pain. Agri Dag, better known as Ararat in English, means mountain of pain. Having all our gear ready, we received some guests who joined us in our trek up Ararat. Neal and Rebekah came and visited our home, while Neal presented a study for a journal and Culture Conference that took place in Side, Turkey. Side is only a short drive to the East of us and is an interesting little city with Greek and Roman ruins. The city has small streets lined with pillars where Turkish drivers whizz by barely missing each other and the two thousand year old ruins that seem to be everywhere. Neal and Rebekah's time with us was exciting. Neal makes for a great tour companion as he observes so many things with fresh eyes and childlike wonder. It was amazing being both in Perge (Acts 13 and 14) and on Ararat (Genesis) with Neal.

So, we headed out early on a Monday morning for Van with the intent of spending a calm day in Van before meeting up with the rest of our group the next day to begin our trek up Ararat. Van is the hub of the far East of Turkey and located on beautiful Lake Van which is the largest lake in Turkey. Instead of the intended calm day before the Ararat trek our host, a four year resident of the city sent us out on an adventure to just a few of the amazing historical places in the region. We took a bus trip to a place called Akdamar a small island where we saw an old 10th century AD Armenian church and then returned to Van and spent the rest of the day with some Iranian believers visiting a Urartian, later Ottoman, castle. The original structure dates back to 850 BC, and there are still cuneiform tablets of stone around the ruins. We took in the sunset over lake Van and then returned being blasted by a sand storm brought in by the winds from the East.

Van was an amazing city and our hostess there has been blessed by the Lord with great wisdom and knowledge about that region of Turkey. Her situation has not always been easy living among the more volatile Easterners of Turkey, but she bears her cross with great grace. Please lift up our sister working in Van when you read this.

Early on the 17th we headed out to the foothills of Ararat and began our climb with our 3 guides and a pack of mountain horses and Kurdish shepherds and horsemen. Our climb up Ararat was amazing, both in picturesque views and in difficulty. The first day was in retrospect quite enjoyable. We took a slow pace and made it to base camp in a matter of a few hours of climbing set up camp, found some good places to relieve ourselves in private and ate a wonderful first meal on the mountain prepared by the cook, one of our three guides. Days two and three on the mountain were the ones that left us gasping for air and holding our heads in the agony of altitude sickness.

Day 2 took us to high camp, which was a small pile of rocks and gravel surrounded by snow and ice. It was at an elevation that is too high to stay for more than one night without the risk of serious sickness. We woke up at 2 AM to make it to the summit on day 3.

Day 3 was one of the most strenuous days of my life. We reached the summit with a mixture of great joy and relief, knowing that the road was all down from there. Most everyone lost their lunch either on their way up or on their way back down the mountain. I found that my stomach's vertical limit was 5,050 M (50 M from the summit). As we reached the summit I was struck by the magnitude of a God who made this world not just to please man but to prove His grandeur and I began to weep with joy. I intend to post my journal entries from our week on the road at a later time to give those of you who are interested greater perspective on the climb.

We returned to our home knowing we had one night to prepare for Olympos. The rest of the month of June we spent at a camp at the foot of Turkey's Mt. Olympos. Thought to be the original Mt. Olympos due to the natural flames that spring from surface fissures in the rock. The birthplace of the tale of the Chimera or fire breathing creature which was part goat, snake and lion. The spiritual topic of the camp was Christian Virtues. Katie served as the camp Nurse and I was a life guard and ESL teacher during our days at camp.

The week and a half of camp that we were part of spanned from the end of June to the beginning of July and so my post is coming to an end. During our time at camp we found out that the cultural center was going to allow Misha our Russian brother to rent their facilities for worship services on Sundays. This came as great news and an answer to prayer allowing us to have a more central and official location to invite people for church. We continue to be amazed at the way in which the Lord works things out for his glory, usually not in ways we expect. Since we can't always anticipate this "out of the box" God we are sometimes uncomfortable but as we realize His workings we are always amazed and often times brought to tears of joy in the realization of His awesomeness.

Nisan has Come and Gone

2008-05-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

It is the name for April used in several Middle Eastern languages and consequently the month that I missed posting a message in to all of you my faithful readers. We spent the month of April anticipating and preparing for the summer and for groups of friends that would be with us. In the midst of our preparations, preaching, teaching and studying Turkish we also had the great oportunitiy to sit down with old friends from Hinkson where we went to school in Moscow. After digging up dirt on my youngest brother and finding out news about our home town, we went up on the roof for a photo shoot and for some quick lessons in physics as some of us tossed pine cones from the roof and determined whether or not they reached terminal velocity.

Speaking of studies, Turkish continues to be a joy to learn and practice with Turks and amongst ourselves from time to time. I must admit that my mind is not one for details but for general themes and so in the perfection of speech I am week. Getting the point across is no problem but I often find myself after a conversation laughing at what I've said. In the first months I would laugh at myself for wishing people good evening in the morning. As we speak more we find the statements we make to be very funny to our audience, if not completely dumbfounding. The other day I was trying to ask some people to be a bit quieter outside our classroom and instead of saying "Can you be a little quieter?" I said "Can you be any louder?" Fortunately they understand the concept of irony in Turkey as well and naturally assumed I was being ironic. They did not get louder and our students rolled with laughter at my mistaken and yet correct handling of the situation. Fortunately Katie's mind is one for the specifics of grammar, and she is able to help me when I can't remember which ending is correct.

As the end of April has come we greet the first week of May which marks the second stage of the Turkish Youth Festival. Two weeks ago we watched as the primary school students put on a spectacular show in the stadium behind our house. They sat under the hot sun for four hours on a Wednesday to perform Turkish cultural dances in celebration of the youth of Turkey of 2008. Katie and I had the chance to film some short parts of the show and have posted them for you. Dancing the outline of Turkey . There is clearly great love and pride in the youth of this country.

Exploring the Natural Wildlife

2008-03-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had the joy of traveling to the farthest reaches of the city to make a visit to our neighborhood Post Office. Where we were able to easily pick up a package sent from home. After easily procuring the package and getting lunch before heading back towards the center of town and our humble abode we boarded the Number 15 bus which would take us through the heart of the city and eventually wander it's way to our stop. The trip quickly became an adventure since as soon as we boarded the bus the bus driver decided he wanted to get in an altercation with a neighboring bus driver. Parking the bus at a crooked angle across two lanes of traffic he jumped out and walked back towards the offending bus driver and said something.

This gave us the opportunity to get to know the extra talkative octogenarian sitting next to where we were standing. It didn't seem to phase the woman that we didn't understand most of what she was saying. Fortunately the bus driver's altercation did not come to blows and we were back on the way home within a few minutes. As we continued on the way we passed by the main university where the bus was filled with students on their way to enjoy a weekend downtown. As we continued on our way it was clear that the bus driver was not aware of crowded state of the passengers in the back of the bus. At each stop he would ask people to move to the back and the people in the back would try to yell forward that there was no room.

Soon, letting the bus driver know how displeased the passengers were became a team sport with a synchronization of "Yer yok! Ya!" (There's no room! Ya!) being yelled forward. Even our elderly friend was taking part on the behalf of those of us standing. In the end we made it to our stop and were able to squeeze our way out of the can of sardines. None of the difficulties seemed like too much to endure as we anticipated with great joy the packaged we carried in our hands and the joy of opening it to find how much our friends care about us.

Today as we were hanging our laundry out to dry we dropped a few cloths pins on the ground in the tall grass below our balcony. As I walked down to the ground floor and went to pick the cloths pins up I found a rather large turtle in our backyard. I brought him upstairs to show Katie and he promptly peed all over the floor. So we took him to the balcony where for a while we enjoyed the Lord's wonderful creation embodied in this simple animal.

As I prepare my thoughts for tomorrow and the celebration of our Lord's Resurrection and I think about the wildness of life, and the crazy pace that we sometimes find ourselves moving at in life, I am thankful that in the midst of it all we carry around a package. Like the package that we carried from the Post Office it brings us great joy and a supernatural patience with others as we pursue the day when we will at last open the gift and meet the creator who spent so much time creating things like giant turtles and who came to earth to redeem to Himself all who are willing.

"But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!"

Romans 5:15

"Chickish" and Other Fun Words to Say

2008-03-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

Last week Katie and I finished our second month of courses at our Turkish language school and made our necessary exit of the country. In Turkish this is known as a chickish (exit). We drove three hours to a small city to the West of our home and took a ferry boat to Greece (probably not the part of Greece you are imagining). This island had no acropolis, crested with the Parthenon. It didn't even have very many people. This Greek island lies only 20 minutes by boat from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, and is a popular place for foreign residents to go in order to renew their visas.

While on the island, prompted by Katie's adventurous spirit we trekked to the top of the island's peaks and explored what turned out to be the farm of one of the islanders. Katie picked up random chichekler (flowers) along the way and I picked a few flowers for her. Let it never be said that I never gave my wife flowers.

We then returned home that evening in time to make it to choir practice for Easter service. Which we thought might be imkansiz (impossible) but due to some great driving skills we made it back with time to spare. I think I may have worried Katie a bit with my driving through the windy coastal roads, but thank the Lord we met with no out of control trucks and avoided sliding off the edge of any cliff sides.

We returned to a busy weekend with our Turkish friends and the beginning of another month of language courses. Katie had an excellent visit with one of her classmates, while I watched Antalya's Soccer team play from our roof with some of my language school friends and our downstairs neighbor. At this point in time we are constantly amazed by the hospitality and beauty of this country and are waiting patiently for the second shoe to drop. Praise the Lord who works good out of all situations regardless of how we see them through our pink or blue tinted glasses.

Kendiniz Iyi Bakin

2008-02-19T07:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's clearly been too long since our last posting. In the last two months we've been busy studying Turkish setting up house and meeting lots of great new friends in our city. It seems that this is a year of severe weather, and as the tornadoes and storms rage through Alabama and snow falls so strong winds and snow fall here.

They had their first snow in 15 years here yesterday. We're huddled in our office room working on Turkish homework and enjoying the space heater. All the while we have felt the blessing of God's guidance and providence. "Kendiniz iyi bakin" is the dynamic equivalent of take care of yourself. Something you hear often in Turkey as people are coming and going. Today I spent some time with a friend practicing Turkish and trying to retrieve his lost cell phone (it is apparently difficult to retrieve a lost cell phone from a city bus). When it came time to part ways he told me to "take care." If only he knew how well we have been taken care of in this place.

This last week we had a great meeting on Sunday evening with a Russian/Turkish family. This next week we begin a weekly study of the book of Luke together. I am constantly amazed at how great God blesses me with greater insight into His word when studying with others. For example I keep gaining new insight through the words of Matthew 11:28-30, I sang for our Turkish speaking friends these words, and through their remarks have grown in my faith and hope for this country. and so even in that way we are taken care of in our striving after Him and His will for us. It is amazing how that only when taking up the yoke of Jesus' lordship do we feel the cares and burdens of the world melt away, and at present we are blessed by that realization.

For now Kendiniz iyi bakin.

Yavash Yavash

2007-12-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

I won't say I LOVE rain, but I like it so much better now because it makes me think of this verse: "Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm," Job 38: 25- God alone and He is beautiful! The thunder is loud and the lighting still strikes in Turkey! This is the first trip I have experienced real rain in Antalya but it is as real and as heavy and as cleansing as everywhere else. God makes everything new-if we will just let Him and invite Him to!

He is making our home new! Yavash, Yavash (slowly, slowly) our new apartment is becoming cleaner and fuller (more full?). Our boxes arrived today in record time. We were not expecting them for another week (more thunder:) and yet they are all here, not one is missing! AND-this is only God-the whole Russian china tea set made it without breaking! Amazing! We had little hope, but our God is great. Another plate did break but it was not nearly so dear to us. I am so excited about using these wonderful tea things to serve our family-of many varieties-and prospective family. May God use the conversations had over tea to bring many to a fuller understanding of Himself. May we too come to know Him better.

Moving has been harder than I anticipated. I knew it would be difficult and I knew it would take time but, for some reason, the reality of it had never set in. Maybe it can not truly set in until you are in your new land making an apartment into a home. It takes longer, is more confusing, is stranger and for us, colder than we had thought. BUT- in the midst of it all I am reminded that I am here. How amazing! I am living in Antalya! How long have we dreamed and prayed about being here, and God has taken us, one step at a time, and brought us, at last, ...I want to say home...but I feel like home will never be anywhere except for worshiping Him in heaven. But the earth is His footstool, so for now, we are home.

Things I am thankful for: friends, near and far: God has given us friends and people we could call on already and we do not feel alone; prospective work: two possible teaching English opportunities, a private hospital prospect and possible connections to midwives; heaters: while it is not by any means, freezing- it is DAMP (maybe humid is the better word) and often you are just a little bit chilled. It is so cozy to wake up under heavy covers and to be tosty warm (you can tell you are so warm because your nose is still cold as it peaks out from under the covers); boxes: i have told you; cookies: our friends make wonderful cookies; white chocolate: any of you who know me know this is delightful to me; a kind person: we went to get our tax number the other day and the guard at the building was so kind and smilied and it was beautiful to me! ..oh so many more things. Praise the Lord, for He is good! His love endures forever!

Well what else is there to say? I'm sure many things but for now we will come to an end and try to incorporate some pictures for your viewing pleasure. God bless all of you!

Baklava

2007-11-05T13:36:00.000-08:00

It doesn't matter whether you believe this dessert originated in Greece or Turkey, because today anyone can make a pan of tasty baklava due to the marketing of Athens food products. Now anyone can open the box of exotic Eastern cooking by picking up a box of Phyllo (pronounced fee-low) dough in your local Wal-Mart's Frozen pastry section. Here's the recipee I've used for the past several years. I got it from http://myweb.cableone.net/gob/Recipes/BAKLAVA.HTM

Baklava

Ingredients:

· 1 lb Walnuts - Finely Chopped
· 1/2 C. Sugar
· 2 tsp Cinnamon
· 1.5 C. Butter (3 sticks), Melted
· 1 Package Frozen Fillo / Phyllo Dough (16 oz) Thawed
· 1 C. Sugar
· 1 C. Water
· 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
· 1 C. Honey (Net weight 12 oz.)
· 1/2 tsp Vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Combine and set aside walnuts, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon

Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bottom and sides of a 10x14" (about 1-2" deep) pan with melted butter.

Open the phyllo dough and layer 6 layers (butter each layer)

Butter the 6th layer and spread 1 cup of the walnut mixture.

Layer 4-5 more layers buttering each layer.

Spread 1 cup of the walnut mixture.

Repeat 4-5 layers and walnut mixture twice. You will end up with 4 layers of nuts.

Layer the remaining phyllo sheets (no more than 6 layers) on top -- butter each layer.

Brush the top with the remaining butter.

Trim the edges off.

Cut halfway through the layers using the diagram.

Bake 1 hour or until golden brown.
15-20 minutes before the baklava should be done, mix 1 cup sugar, water, and lemon juice in a sauce pan.

Cook sauce over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat, add the honey and vanilla, and stir until well blended.

Remove the baklava from the oven and finish cutting through the layers.

Pour the sauce over the hot baklava.

Cool. Let it sit for at least 24 hours (lightly covered -- but not in the refrigerator)

Notes:

You can find Fillo (Phyllo) dough in the Wal-mart Frozen Deserts area.

If you have left over phyllo dough you can rewrap it and store it in a zip-lock baggie in your freezer.

Fillo is also used in making Spanakopita (a wonderful spinach pastry)

Splash of Culture at the Montgomery Fair

2007-10-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

Last Monday we added to our cultural awareness of our surrounding city by attending the fair. I've attended my share of State Fairs from Massachusetts to California and Texas in between. It seems no matter where I go there is a fair in town. As we were sitting down to our Greek food, or should I say Ameri-Greek food, that cost only half of my life savings I realized how much this hodgepodge of cultural events resembles my life.

I wouldn't say that I feel comfortable at the fair with it's aroma of fried foods, collection of transportable attractions and myriad of hustlers, thieves and bums setting their snares with overpriced and overstuffed accolades. The very hope is that some poor unsuspecting soul caught in a fit of hubris will drop a few hundred dollars trying to dunk the verbally abusive clown, or win the reward of admiration in the form of an over sized teddy bear. No, I don't feel at home in that setting, but I certainly recognize my life somewhere in between the Greek gyro stand and the Racing Pigs.

Among the attractions you find the old favorite of Montgomery denizens. "Meet the Rojo Brothers," you hear the old man cry as he releases the latch and four pigs take a lap around a small hay lined track. The aluminium stands are filled and people with strollers fill any gaps so that access limited as children and adults alike are enraptured in the simple pleasure of racing and diving pigs.

In all of this I watch with detached interest as I recognize the symbol of another stop on the road map of my life. Almost a year in Alabama on the road to my final destination with longer stops planned along the way. My memories quickly accumulate into a hodgepodge of favorite pictures, smells, foods and moments. Each memory caught up in the screaming of roller coaster riders or children throwing tantrums in hopes of just one more of something for themselves.

I have learned that most places around the world are quite similar, but like each fair I visit have slight differences that make them unique. Montgomery has a circus tent up and a one ring act with acrobats and tigers performing. There is also a shark and sea lion exhibit, where animals normally seen at the beach are transported in large aquariums from place to place so people can pay money to have a picture with a seal. So, if in the differences we take note and marvel and if in the similarities we take comfort the journey doesn't seem so foreign and the hodgepodge doesn't seem so bizarre.

Our House

2007-10-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's not exactly like the one you hear about in the Crosby Stills and Nash song. But we're excited to have a place near the center of town with great access to the many social venues of the city. Here is a collection of the photos of the apartment:

Come visit us some time.

Is it Twix time?

2007-09-25T12:36:00.001-07:00

About this time (2:36pm) on many afternoons my question to Andrew is "Is it Twix time"? Twix is a great candy bar because it contains two cookies, one for him and one for me. It is a better candy bar because it offers a distraction from my, occasionally, tedious and , more often, eye fuzzying studies. I have since learned that the machine does not take five dollar bills, sigh..no Twix today. If anyone would like to start a Twix fund for us that would be much appreciated.

BUT-for the next two weeks "Twix time" is less needed because I just finished my last exam in my class on Clinical Diagnosis in Primary Care..Hallelujah! Now I eagerly await my grades for that exam and another MONSTROUS paper that was mailed a few weeks ago. I am so excited to think of all the time I will be able to read (maybe even finish-gasp) one, or maybe even two, of the FIVE books I am reading at this present time. It really is kind of silly to start more than one book at a time but these books that I am reading now are SO good or have significant meaning to me that I can not help myself..or simply do not wish to. How to develop a powerful prayer life by Dr. Gregory R Frizzell, Destined for the Throne by Paul E. Billheimer, And the shofar blew by Francine Rivers , Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs , the Bible by God...all awesome, some more so than the others (like that last one..sweet as honey!!:))

You know though, even as I say a blissful farewell to the classes (diagnosis and community assessment) I anticipate with great eagerness and joy my next challenge-Antepartum Care! FINALLY I am getting to the real midwifery care studies. This class will be about pregnancy and the amazing way in which God knits us together in the womb (Ps. 139).

My sister-in-law is currently experiencing this amazing, beautiful and wonderful miracle! To imagine that God is active in the growth of the life inside of her, that He takes a few tiny cells and creates a brain, a heart, other organs and bones and blood and vessels..oh it is too wonderful!! He knows every hair, every cell ..every everything! He is the Creator God, the beautiful One, Almighty, All knowing and all seeing..Alpha and Omega..sees us and is active in our lives from the beginning to the end..and before us and after us..and this God wants us to know Him! If you seek Him, He will be found by you (1 chronicles 28:9). Wow! hmm...it is time to seek

Tracking Down Tigers

2007-09-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I attended my first NCAA football game. Being relatively new to college football (I've only been watching for two or three years), I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I was invited by Wes to join them for the whole experience. So, donning my new Tiger Tracking gear (a baseball cap) I joined them on their Saturday adventure. We headed North from their house packed into a SUV filled with food and Tiger fans.

We left five hours early for the game so we could partake in the feasting rituals of college football aficionados. As we entered the tailgating party area of Auburn, Alabama I found out that our hunting party had a preselected feasting site. We joined the group for a first course of chips cookies and a wonderful Buffalo Chicken Dip provided by Wes and Amanda. After bolstering the troops with a rousing game on the portable television we began our trek into the heart of Tiger Town taking the youth Taylor with us on this right of passage (his first Tiger game) on the shoulders of the elders of the family.

It wasn't long before we found ourselves weaving through the crowds of people seeking out the drummers who would lead the war cries of the fans. It took us considerable time to find the meeting place of the drummers but in the end the drummers came to us at the heart of Tiger town. As they began their war cries the crowd was filled with vigor and blood lust (okay, not quite blood lust). We spotted the Tigers entering the arena and quickly returned to our feasting party for a quick last meal before the final battle.

The stadium was not quite full at this my first Tiger siting many of the regulars were not there due to a poor showing on the part of the Tigers over the past few weeks, but as the hour approached for the games to begin elbow room became scarce and our party was displaced once or twice. Finally, situated at an optimal vantage with binoculars at the ready I took in my first Tiger game. Apparently I brought them good fortune, or possibly they were playing an inferior opponent, and the Tigers rallied to beat up on the opposing Aggies from the far off land of New Mexico.

Overall, I would say we had great success and my interest in NCAA football and Tiger Tracking has been satiated, at least to last a couple weeks. Watch out for those tigers! They're everywhere!

Ramadan? What's That?

2007-09-13T11:05:00.001-07:00

Today marks the beginning of a month of seemingly frenetic fasting. The Muslim ummah (community) spends the ninth month of their calendar year, "Ramadan," in abstinence from food and drink, smoking and romance during the daylight hours. Observing the fast during the month of Ramadan is one of the few things that fosters widespread solidarity among Muslims of all nations. A community of believers in the teachings of Muhammad gather together to collaborate their suffering.

Ramadan, the most pious month in Islamic practice, commemorates the day when Muhammad received the Qur'an from Jibril (Gabriel). Muslims around the world believe they gain better blessings throughout the year because of their piety in observing the fast. Conversely it is shameful for an able bodied Muslim to ignore the fast.

It is important to understand that the significance of the Muslim religion is a strict moral code enforced by the authority of the religious leaders. The religion, like most religions, uses outward actions to attempt to foster inward values and character traits. To accept a moral code one must believe that it encompasses all aspects of life and so like in the Jewish and Christian religion Muslims have taken the relatively small amount of laws recited by Muhammad and published thousands of volumes of laws complicating and specifying the moral code of Muhammad- this they call the Hadith.

On the surface level they are true to say that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are similar. But strictly on a limited amount of surface issues. A deeper reading of Islamic law shows that even in legalism Christianity and Islam differ greatly. I don't have the time in this blog to explain all facets of my assertion. But the nature of legalism is the key issue that unites all the religions for they are all susceptable to this temptation. Each of these religions can be used to portray human nature as something greater than it is.

Islam makes concession for piety by claiming perfection is a common occurence in people. It claims that over a thousand prophets were perfectly good and thus were worthy to receive "Allah's" (God's) Kitap (book). Christianity claims only one perfect man; the son of God. Islam claims we will be judged only on our good and bad deeds. Christianity claims God is just and forgiving, and that the price of his being forgiving was the death of his only son.

So, as Muslims fast and pray we celebrate God's goodness and pray that they will come to believe as we do that Jesus, was the son of God, was perfect, died to show God's justice in paying the price of sin and death, rose back to life to show God's authority over death, returned to God to show the final destination. Let us celebrate in a manner that puts our pious Muslim friends to shame, that they might join us in worshipping the one true God. We do not seek to draw them away from piety but to have a piety that excedes the boundries of human legalism.

Post Labor Day Musing

2007-09-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

We’re all back in the office today after a three day weekend. I find the practice of taking an extra day off in celebration of the glories of labor to be somewhat ironic. It is only slightly less contradictory than the standard result of labor. It seems that no other past-time has been more successful in producing contentment than finding joy in one’s labor. This seems to some as the epitome of paradox. For others it is a simple truth.

In fact “Shlomo the wise” states that the only way to find happiness, outside of God, is to take pleasure in the immediate benefits of your work. I know no other proponent that argues this theory more readily than my own mother. While I feel strongly that Shlomo was not offering his observation of work as an answer to man’s need for God, I do believe he makes a wise statement about human need.

There is nothing more fulfilling than taking joy in one’s work, with the presupposition that one’s work will not be destroyed. Unfortunately most people, including our wise teacher Shlomo, outlive the success of some aspect of their work. Whether it is the work one does in raising a family, or building a business, or partnering in marriage, or sharing the gospel, there is always some aspect of life that falls down.

There is a great amount of interdependence that leads to the collapse of some of our human constructs. No matter how hard someone works, or how carefully they plan, Murphy’s Law still comes into play.

Nevertheless we labor in building our castles, some in wise places and some in foolish. And, while no person I know has been successful in building all aspects of their life on the rock that the wise builder found, many have been successful in building good portions of their life on that foundation.

So, as I sit back and realize how lethargic I feel at the end of a weekend of labor-less living, I submit to you this postulation: “the very act of labor, no matter how taxing on the muscles of the body, invigorates the mind and aligns the soul with the very nature of the Creator.”

Steadfast

2007-08-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been drawn like a magnet to Psalm 57-again and again. Each time new prayers and praises are revealed. Here are my thoughts on this psalm.

2 I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me.

God has a purpose for me..and for you! The God who created the Universe and all that we do not have a clue about beyond that...He knows me and you..and has purpose for each!

3 God sends his love and his faithfulness.

God is love, God is faithful! Regardless of the circumstance-God IS! We see as through a mirror..only seeing part of the puzzle. For my birthday my beloved and his parents gave me a WOW DVD and one of the songs on it was Held by Natalie Grant-the bridge strikes me hard each time I listen to it..if hope is born of suffering and this is only the beginning, can we not wait but ONE HOUR for our Savior?..that's not it exactly but you get the idea. When I am aching and praying for a child..God is love, God is faithful. When I hold that child in my arms..God is love, God is faithful! He is unchanging!

4 I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts— men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. 6 They spread a net for my feet— I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path— but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah.

These lines are a prayer for me, for one whom I will not name but pray for the nameless one. I pray that the mouths of the lions will be closed, that the enemy and his sword will fall into the pit they have dug. May this one exalt the God who is above the heavens and in the midst of my tears for this one I will say..Be exalted, O God!

7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
I love this line-it is as if the writer is convincing himself. In the middle of the trial he tells himself my heart IS steadfast! Also a reminder to God, perhaps, to hurry, to run, to fly on the wings of the clouds to rescue him. But in the waiting..I will sing and make music.

8 Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
This is so hard for me-to get out of bed to watch the sunrise but OH it is like waiting for Him to appear..eagerly expecting, knowing that soon the Light of the world will come. The beauty is intoxicating.

9 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.
Among every nation..every tripe..every people-another prayer-another lifesong.

10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
Worthy is the Lamb, Worthy is the God of heaven and earth to receive glory an honor! How great is our God-Praise Him! Praise the GREAT GOD...who knows you and fulfills His purpose for you! Be at rest, oh my soul..all that is within me praise His Holy Name!

Borscht, Bowling and Birthdays "Oh My!"

2007-08-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

This past week we've done a lot of cooking at home. Preparing food and cakes for friends and family and trying to get rid of a really big pot of borscht we made at the beginning of the week. We've had visitors from as far away as Atlanta and as close as Istanbul with us this week.

Our dear friend, Igor, visited from Istanbul at the beginning of the week and we spent some time together talking and praying about his future work. We spent one evening at Wes and Amanda's house with a group of people who love Turkey. Igor shared about living in Istanbul and sharing a dormitory "obshezhitiye" with 5 other students. After the majority of the group left Wes, Igor, Joey, and I went swimming in Wes' pool. The stars were out in great numbers as we swam beneath the hot blanket of the summer air.

The rest of the week was filled with lunch meetings and visits with friends. We shared our borscht with several different groups. Some of the college students came over one day for lunch and some of the staff at work tried the borscht. All of the borscht socializing lead up to the end of the week and Katie's birthday. We celebrated in several ways.

Katie loves surprises and so I planned with her knowledge to go bowling the day before her birthday, just so she wouldn't be suspicious of the surprise visit we had from her brother and his wife on her actual birthday. We had a great evening bowling with friends on Thursday night I think I bowled a whopping 99 and we broke the bowling machine nine or ten times. Three hours and two different lanes later we finished our two hours of bowling. We had a Dirt Cake (mostly consisting of crushed Oreos, pudding, and cream cheese) for dessert, and to celebrate Katie's birthday and went home.

Then Friday while Katie was at work, Katie's brother and sister drove down from Atlanta. When Katie got home she found the house in surprise mode with streamers and balloons all over the apartment. So then to accommodate the surprise Katie and I went to the store to allow her brother and sis-in-law to sneak into the house and surprise us. I don't think she was as surprised by their presence though as she was by the streams of silly string she got sprayed with as we walked into the apartment.

We made pizzas and had ice cream cake and had a grand old time with Alex and Lydia before they had to head back to Atlanta for work the next day. Over all it was a packed weekend and Katie was honored very much by so many great friends spending time with her on that day. Thanks to all of you who wrote or e-mailed sent cards and joined us during this time. We send our love and gratitude.

Anniversary Number Four

2007-08-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

This past week Katie and I celebrated our fourth year of marriage. We were able to spend the day together running errands buying birthday gifts and doing a little back to school/work cloths shopping. We spent the evening at Kabuki, a Hibachi grill, and went out to see a movie called No Reservations. We had a wonderful relaxed evening filled with great conversation and a reaffirming of our commitment to eachother.

Due to the low ammount of patrons at the resteraunt we actually had our own chef and had a nice conversation with him. We asked him where he learned to cook so dramatically and he told us at the Waffle House, which took us a while to understand due to his heavy Asian accent. There must be a lot of action in the back of those Waffle house kitchens. We asked if he had ever met a female Hibachi(ist?), and he said he knew of only one in Atlanta. Then he and one of the wait staff got in an argument over who was a better cook. It turns out the waitress is a better cook but the Hibachiist is a better showman. Next time we're going to have the waitress cook.

As usual we had lots of food leftover and had lunch for the weekend. We spent the whole weekend together. This was our first weekend together in two months that we weren't traveling over 15 hours by car somewhere. As usual our anniversary signals the end of a crazy summer and the beginning of a more peaceful time of the year with families coming back from summer vacation and Sunday and Wednesay meetings starting back up on a more regular basis. New fall programs are starting and the Football season is beginning.

We celebrate the consistency of God's love throughout the hectic and peaceful times of our year and enjoy the variety that is found in each day as we seek to follow the Lord's leading in our years together. Praise God for another year of love, and another season of adventure.

kbgoing2bmidwife

2007-08-02T09:21:00.001-07:00

I have a new e-mail address and instead of kbmidwife it really should be kbgoing2bmidwife..because I am not a midwife yet..BUT one day, Lord willing, the address will be appropriate even for me. There is so much to learn! The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know much at all. I am thankful that God, who created all, knows everything and everyone so I can rely on Him. The problem is I think I know everything and so often try to do things in my own strength. I realize when I am painfully succeeding or utterly failing that doing it God's way is truly better and more joyful!

So I am studying how to make decisions about what is wrong with people! MAN!! :) These are physical ailments..not mental or everyday craziness! SOOO...it's like a puzzle..someone comes in with fever and dark urine and the shakes...and i have to use their lab values and symptoms to diagnose them..any guesses anyone..it's very very hard when you don't have the lab values:) I think the patient has pyelonephritis..characterised by the high fever and the urine positive for leukocyte esterases and WBCs..: )..okay enough of that! By the way this is an example of a pregnant woman (my sister) who does not have pyelonephritis, instead she has a strapping 2 week old baby boy. My favorite and first nephew. Congratulations!

My desk is my bridal chest and on it are support letters ready to send out and some still in processing..sooo..it's almost lunch time so I guess this too shall end..cause I am HUNGRY!! Kind of a sad first blog but I will try again when I am more inspired! Love you all!! Till next time.

Feasts and Fish

2007-07-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

We just returned from our tour de Texas, visiting Abilene and the Metroplex in our Saturn Ion. We visited many dear friends and got to be with family at the wedding of my cousin (third cousin I believe) Jonathan Lassen and, his now wife, Erin Lassen. As it turns out we spent every meal eating with some friend or another and actually had to fit in extra times of eating just to facilitate times with everyone we needed and wanted to see.

Apart from our feasting with friends we did get to spend a short time with one of Andrew's former students. Joseph is a rowdy 8 year old who loves to swim. So we spent a few hours on Wednesday with him at the pool. As you can see he's quite an acrobat. He surprised me in his courage. While we were at the pool he decided he wanted to jump off the diving board into the deep end (12 feet) of the pool.

So, recognizing that he was not a strong swimmer, I decided in my foolishness to let him try but he had to wait till I got down at that end of the pool to make sure I could grab him if he started drowning. As soon as I was ready and told him he could go he went running off the end of the diving board, flipping through the air and crashing into the water. When he realized he couldn't even touch the bottom of the pool while under water he started to panic but he continued to paddle and together we got him back to the side of the pool. The more times he went the better he got at swimming back to the edge of the pool until I only had to be there in case he got tired. I was proud of him for his courage and proud that I could help him in some small way.

This past week was our first time to share with our Texas family that we are leaving on December 10th for Turkey. It was sad to say our longer farewells, but still a time filled with long conversations about the work we have ahead of us and the support we have behind us in this pursuit of God's will for our lives. We want to thank all who have housed and fed us along the way. Without your friendship, support and love, we could not have possibly dreamed of setting out on this journey.

As Katie and I were returning from this trip we began to think and talk about all the tasks that spread out before us between now and our departure date. We discussed packing and selling our cars, buying tickets and making sure all of our affairs are in order, and the deeper we got the more we began to feel like we were jumping off the deep end of the pool with Joseph. Praise God that he is always there to catch us and that he helps us when we are unable to help ourselves. Like Joseph we feel we're attempting something a bit daunting and we probably look a little reckless to those more experienced but it is our belief that God is attending to this matter and we know we will not drown.

Blue Like Jazz: A Testimony And A Confession

2007-07-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

Donald Miller's story of his spiritual growth and journey in his life towards God is refreshing. The book Blue Like Jazz could be considered the memoirs of a generation. The post-modern (pre-futuristic) Christian finds themselves deeply identifying with many of the thoughts that Don shares. His ideas about God and sometimes biting sentiments towards Christian Institutions are indicative of an entire generation of believers.

I would like to share some of my thoughts about the ideas in this book. There were several things that stood out to me as significant: the importance of a cause, the desire for reform, the necessity of ownership and the rebirth of generations.

In Donald Miller's book he focuses on the significance of a social gospel. He acts as a spectator and tentative participant in the practice of social witnessing. Feeding the poor and seeking to aid the down-trodden are all aspects of this cause. It is the desire of every generation to achieve validation through a righteous cause, and the pre-futuristic (post-modern) era will be no different. They will bind themselves to the plight of the suffering and fight the injustice of the indifferent bystanders.

A righteous cause usually revolves around reform. An ancient writer once pointed out to the gathering religious and convicted that there is a cyclical nature to history. Writing to the Ecclesia and drawing on the fashionable Greek philosophies of his time, this man stated that all that is good under the sun is to work hard and eat and drink. In his old age he became disillusioned with his cause. The restoration of hope is the gift of youth. This is true even in a generation that seriously lacks a true source of hope.

Finally I envisioned through the message of the "Imago Dei" church in Portland, the sense of ownership that each generation needs. A person works most fervently for the things which he believes he owns. That is why God gives us free will. We would not know how much to value our life if God did not give us ownership. Ownership entitles squandering and squandering implies sin. To use our gift of freedom to enslave ourselves, to waste our lives, is to waste the realization of ownership and to miss the opportunity for reinvestment in God's eternal trust.

When generations past have come to the point of desperation they have always found God. New insights into his nature and great wisdom in guiding each other towards relationship. Each generation has the opportunity for renaissance, just as each person has a lifetime to be reborn.

Baby Shower in O-town

2007-07-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

We spent this weekend in Orlando, or as Katie refers to it, O-town. The drive down was uneventful but the time we spent in O-town was packed with things otherwise known as events. Saturday morning we went to the driving range with Katie's Dad. I discovered that two hours of golfing can give you quite a nice sun burn, and Katie discovered that I am bad at applying suntan lotion in any consistent pattern.

Saturday evening we attended my first Saturday church service, and listened to a sermon on David and Bathsheba. It was an interesting topic and quite pertinent for most life situations. As we were greeting people around us it was a natural instinct to say good morning instead of good evening. I guess you get pretty set in your ways after a while. It was overall a good and uplifting experience.

We had some good discussion with Katie's mom who we stayed with while we were in O-town. We read bits of a Patrick McManus book around meal times and laughter filled the kitchen as anecdotes of outdoors adventures filled the air. Anyone looking for some clean family entertainment will love these stories of Pat's misadventures in the wild. I would suggest beginning with A Fine and Pleasant Misery and then moving on to They Shoot Canoes, Don't They .

Sunday morning we got up early and sneaked over to Katie's sister's apartment and John Katie's brother-in-law let us in to set up the surprise baby shower. As the photos show it was an event for men and women including baby food tasting games, and diaper changing practice. Katie and Lydia (Katie's sister-in-law) did a wonderful job planning out the event and hosting the surprise. The baby is due at the beginning of August and Katie is hoping to be down in O-town again soon for the birth. Katie is hoping to put some of the knowledge she is gaining from her Midwifery courses to good use while helping out her sister, Mandy in any way possible. We are so blessed to be able to be close to Katie's family during our time in Montgomery, and are blessed also to have time to visit with them.

We cannot help but feel God's blessing in our lives and we wonder why we have been so blessed. He is truly a great and gracious God who must expect much from us for giving us so much.

Send the Rain

2007-07-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months Montgomery has experienced a short drought and a refreshing rain. I was unaware of the significant changes until we picked up one of the Landmark teams returning from Africa after their month work in the winter time nation of Zimbabwe.

The team was astounded by the verdent grass and trees that filled the landscape. Remarks about the return to yard work and the never ending grass cutting. I have always enjoyed rain and the green hues of spring and summer. But it is so easy to forget your surroundings.

I began thinking about the way in which we get used to our immediate surroundings. In a matter of months Katie and I are already used to life in Montgomery. In a few more months we will be getting used to life in a completely different place. We begin to wonder, "will we be watered where we're planted?" Will our lives be as blessed in Turkey, or will we face greater trials.

Khaled Hosseini and "A Thousand Splendid Suns"

2007-07-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

In his second novel Khaled Hosseini continues to write his beloved country into existence. The hearts and minds of the American reader will soon find in these pages a greater appreciation for the suffering of the nation of Afghanistan. Hosseini has perfected the art of tragedy taking his readers to the precipice of hope only to dash it to pieces on the rocks of human indecency.

The hope for some form of closure or rest for the heroines in his book lead the reader to persevere through the tragedies of their lives. In this act of persevering the reader grows to better understand the plight of millions who find themselves trapped in war stricken countries. It is an insiders view to a world portrayed by outsiders as dirty and backwards, and Hosseini paints the picture with the loving and sometimes romanticized strokes of a native and a refugee.

To anyone who wants to learn to yearn for a country through the plight of it's people I recommend A Thousand Splendid Suns. Be prepared to weep for those who are weeping and to laugh with those who are laughing. See the countries history in the eyes of a woman who lived through the invasion of the Soviets and the fighting of the Mujahideen, who saw the rise of the Taliban and the coming of foreign troops to fight yet another war. Though a novel, it is not hard to believe that this book gives perspective and truth to an otherwise foreign situation.

Transformers and the American Dream

2007-07-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered why we have this thing called "The American Dream?" In my experience this phrase has become synonymous with amassing a fortune or creating an easy life. The American Dream, a phrase coined by James Truslow Adams in 1931, was a phrase denoting the unique nature of the United States of America. The American Dream denoting hope for a generation of people looking for opportunities to create for themselves a better standard of living. Adams asserted that this dream was the dream that made America distinct.

A few weeks ago we spent a few days celebrating summer with my sister and her husband in Memphis. We spent time doing the usual Memphis things; walking Beale Street, having sticky ribs and Crawfish Etouffee. We even popped into a theater and watched the film that our country is touting this year as it's Independence movie. (aside) Have you ever noticed the ingenious marketing methods in Hollywood using patriotic themes in movies to be released around the fourth of July? The film was well made and an exciting collection of Computer Graphics mixed with quick witted car humor. No, it wasn't Bratz. It was Transformers.

After seeing this film I believe that the American dream has changed over the past century. The American dream has become the pursuit of a woman/man, with the attaining of a nice car coming in close second in the list of priorities. The purpose of the pursuit of the car is merely to achieve the primary and aforementioned goal, and takes up mostly the thought life of males. In Transformers the main character is disappointed to not receive a Porche as an end of the year gift and instead gets a beat up Bumble Bee transformer in the form of a Camaro. As time goes on Sam Witwicky becomes more dissatisfied with his car and using alien technology the car changes into a brand new 2007 Camaro with a nice paint job. That is the new version of the American dream. Alien technology giving us what we want on demand.

I have noticed that there have been several movies in recent history that have asserted that the technological advances we've had in the past 40 years have been the result of extra-terrestrial technology. The product is the result of superior powers and the powers provide all our needs. Sounds kind of like a god to me. It also seems to be the one to which so many Americans are tied.

I'm burrying this article in the back of my blog but I felt like posting it none the less. I started it back at the beginning of July but didn't know what specifically I was going to say and felt it was probably a little preachy. Now I know it is and am glad I waited to finish the material. I did enjoy the movie, and would watch it again but it did make me think about the American dream and what it meant to achieve or strive for that dream.

We do have a hope for superior intelligence to provide what we truly need. But I assure you it's not the Autobots who will provide it. The dream has been fulfilled and is being lived right now.

"But there has been also the American dream, that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement."

The Original: Mind the Gap

2007-06-30T09:14:00.000-07:00

Ezekiel 23:30-31

"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD."

The original gap was not a gaping hole between platform and train but between profession and practice. There was a gaping hole in the walls of Jerusalem. The physical walls were imposing but the relationship between the citizens and the true builder of the city had decayed. The creator of Israel had grown tired of waiting for positive change. The “gap” was not being minded. The proverbial Little Dutch Boy in “The Hero of Haarlem” with his finger in the dam was nowhere to be seen in Jerusalem.

As the living God stood before the city of Jerusalem, bringing forces to bring down judgment, He found no hero, no Moses or David, to stand before him on behalf of the people. I can hear the cry of a generation passing through the “Tube” in London crying “Mind the Gap” a simple phrase that has drawn tourist attraction. “Mind the Gap” now means much more than a gap between train car and platform. It is the cry of responsibility.
We must mind the gaps between our head and hearts, between our words and actions, between what we profess and what we practice. If we claim to have fellowship with the builder of our spiritual Jerusalem yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. It is the centuries old plight of man, to suffer this blindness to the gap and so Ezekiel cries out beyond his generation to all the people of God to stand before him in the gaps that our generations’ have left unmanned.

Now Who Is The Smart-Alec?

2007-06-28T08:29:00.001-07:00

In my recent reading and contemplating about the idea of tolerance, and epistemological humility I have come to a key question. To be wise do you need to have experience? Is it necessary to know all the possible wrong answers in order to give someone the right answer? If it is necessary then great wisdom comes only with great age and sorrow. The scars of life are the true accolades and certificates of experience. But, if it is possible to bypass the painful stages of learning and as true students of life avoid the didactic situations from which so many people suffer unremitting pain then why would we ignore those opportunities?

Here is the danger of avoiding pain through wisdom. Success through wisdom is a tight-rope act of balance and concentration. It is an act that we can not hope to succeed at for the span of a life. We all bare the scars of multiple mistakes. It is easy though to focus on our successes in properly utilizing wisdom, and to end up depending too much on what we might believe to be our success. We see the collector of wisdom point out in his own message about the rewards of wisdom that believing you are wise in your own eyes is a pitfall of heeding wisdom. "Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil."

There is a promise then to those who heed wisdom but do not own it as their own. Wisdom from God and humility in administering that wisdom "bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones." These words from the third chapter of PROVERBS are a reminder of the need for humility in the midst of utilization of wisdom. Our avoiding pain in life is not by our own wit. More often than not my own wit gets me into trouble, not out of it. But borrowed wisdom from the one who defines truth is the only way to walk the tight-rope of wisdom and unscathed living.

Book Report: Blink

2007-06-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

What if you could see and analyze all possible futures? Would you take your power to the Casino, would your faith in God be challenged or encouraged? What if your power was only for a brief time what would you use your power to accomplish? Ted Dekker sets up an interesting story with a healthy helping of supernatural mixed in with some real life issues.

In one novel Dekker attempts to give a picture of the despair of many women within Islam. He also gives the standard American answer to traditional beliefs in Islam. The flaws in Islamic belief are exposed in an American way by the main character, Seth. He claims impartiality and unbelief as evidence of his objectivity in a search for the God who answers prayers.

The extreme circumstances and supernatural powers that Seth is gifted with, work as a time warp in building a relationship between the two characters. Dekker leaps beyond boundaries that take decades and generations to cross by putting a Muslim woman in a car with a strange American man. For most people the formation of such a relationship between two opposite extremes of the ethical and social spectrum takes patient relationship. Trust is not easily formed where indoctrination has been so efficiently applied, and flippant remarks about one’s deeply held religious beliefs takes more than just study. It takes personal sacrifice. So, the answers that Seth uses in refuting the Islamic religion are trivial in comparison to the personal sacrifices he made for this Muslim person.

To simply state the truth is not enough in most cultures, where the American altruism, “I cannot tell a lie…” is replaced with, “I cannot shame my family…” As Westerners it becomes hard to understand the dilemma one faces when approached with the concept of a personal savior. What about a corporate savior? This is the same problem that many of the Jews faced in Jesus’ time. “What about a savior who will save us as a nation?”

If our human plight could be saved by the right regulations of our activity on a national level then Moses would have been widely successful in leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. Or the prophets would have been successful in redeeming Israel. But laws are impossible to keep all the time. Relationships are difficult to maintain, but laws are impossible. That is why governments fail, standards can only be upheld for so many generations before they begin to slip and the law of Entropy finishes the task when paired with time.

I'm a Quarter

2007-06-25T07:54:00.000-07:00

Jude 24-25

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand
in His presence blameless and with great joy, to the only God our Savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, dominion and authority before
all time and now and forever, Amen."

Righteous! Joyful! Blameless! At twenty-five years of age I am more aware than ever of my need for a righteous savior. It's been a long journey, chronicling it is evidence of that fact. Five years here and five years there, throw in a couple places for a year or two and you have my twenty-five years of relocation. You might call me the relocation expert, although to be honest I have very little expertise on the relocating part. It just kind of happens to me, even when I'm the instigator. One thing I do know is that it's great to have a fallback and with God in Christ Jesus we have the ultimate supporter.

Never alone and always with reason to be joyful, 25 is just one year closer to being with Him. A quarter of a century is what I am. I think when people ask I'll tell them "I'm a quarter!" Have a great day remember He is able to keep you from stumbling.

Book Report: The Samson Syndrome

2007-06-24T12:49:00.000-07:00

In The Samson Syndrome Mark Atterberry paints a poignant picture of the spiritual battle faced by men who would be considered by the world to be a Samson. Paralleling the life of Samson with situations that men commonly face, Atterberry points out the significance of this often ignored story from the book of Judges.

Whether you are worldwide superstar or a father, a giant in your field of expertise or simply a man who desires the respect of his peers then this book is worth your time. The book has been cleverly marketed towards strong men with the understanding that all men see in themselves some aspect of leadership and strength. Every man can find something that speaks specifically to him in this book about Samson the strongman that lives caged in all men.

The twelve chapters focus chronologically on the life of Samson and tie specific aspects of his life to his ultimate downfall. Atterberry begins with the shame that comes from disregarding God's implemented boundaries.

"God has the way of bringing the secret sins of strong men out into the open. Just ask Bill Clinton. Or Jesse Jackson. Or any one of a million other humiliated men who thought they were sly and sneaky enough to step over God's boundaries and get away with it."

I happened upon this book in the church library and read it cover to cover within two days. Atterberry mixes storytelling with pragmatic approaches to stunting the growth of sin in our lives. His pragmatic approach gives the simple practical answers that most men are looking for but are too proud to ask for. I recomend reading this book and then discussing what you learn with your family. Find the part you feel you have been struggling with most, whether it be disregarding boudaries or avoiding intimacy with your closest friends and family, and see if your family has noticed these things about you.

Take a good look in the mirror and see if God's trying to point out how you are throwing away your Samson strength because of the "Samson Syndrome."

Messiah and the Pentecost Feast

2007-06-21T07:33:00.000-07:00

John Herzog spoke to our fellowship yesterday evening expounding upon the significance of the Pentecost feast and the time between the Jewish Passover leading up to Pentecost. In the class he explained the prophetic and symbolic meaning behind the celebrations both in reference to the Israelites captivity in Egypt and the Messiah's fulfillment. Herzog pointed out that a majority of practicing Jews have little understanding of the reasons behind their observance of these holidays. In explaining a general ignorance of Jewish feasts he pointed out the gaping chasm between adherence to form and celebration of a reality. We too often loose the value of our celebrations when we forget the purpose of our gathering.

Fifty days after the end of Passover or the 7 weeks and 1 day remembrance of the passover the Israelites were commanded to observe the Pentecost feast. Pentecost is a Greek name meaning fifty days which originally would have been called the 7 week feast. Herzog pointed out that all aspects of the Bible leading up to and preceding the Resurrected Christ, should be seen in light of the life of the Messiah.

During Passover the Israelites were to eat unleavened bread (bread with no yeast in it) symbolizing their purity before the Lord. I know of Jewish families today that before the Passover feast go through their house with a feather duster and dust out every corner of their house from the kitchen to the bedroom to make sure that not a speck of yeast is present. Then adding another practice to the Sabbath of breaking the loaf into three pieces placing the three pieces in three compartments of a bag and then removing and hiding the Afikomen (the middle piece) for the children to find and return to the table for a reward adds a greater dynamic to the story of the Messiah. There is a vibrant and deep symbolism in the Passover Feast. Can we expect anything less from the creator God over all the universe? If Judeo-Christians truly believe that God created all things than we should expect what we find when we see unity in his redemptive work.

There is no less symbolism in the Pentecost feast. The offering at Pentecost is two loaves of leavened bread. We already know that leaven was bad for the Passover feast so why would we need this leaven in the Pentecost feast? Could it be that fifty days after our purification we find ourselves in a predicament? As an illustration let me lay out for you one of my odd habits. There is a period of time after I buy a pair of new shoes that I become astutely aware of where I walk and how often I clean my shoes. For the first month people can recognize my shoes are new, due mainly to my obsessive compulsion to clean my shoes every time they get smudged. After a months time I begin to grow weary of the task, and quickly my shoes go from their new look to the old raggedy look of a well used pair of street shoes. By the fifty day mark my shoes are looking used and beginning to show signs of wear. That's what Pentecost is for, to remind the Jews of when their sacrifices were new and how quickly their vigilance in maintaining righteousness could falter.

But why the two loaves? Why not bring only one loaf? As an outsider to Judaism and by most technicalities a Gentile in practice, I was astonished by Herzog's assertion drawn from Leviticus 23; the second loaf is for the Gentiles. For the foreigners and aliens that are provided for in the verses immediately preceding the Pentecost instructions. For God's chosen people were never intended to be ethnocentric but rather the intent of the holy and separating "Word of God" was to make us Theo-centric (focused on the one true God). All "religious practices" laid out for Jews and then for followers of the Messiah were to achieve the singular goal of our being Theo-centric.

Living by Faith: Why we all do it

2007-06-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

In a world moving rapidly towards a new paradigm, it seems unnecessary to point out the flaws in an already faltering world view. All around us we find evidence that the old ways are going by the wayside. Whether in politics, ethics, education, or religion one can witness the paradigm change. What was taboo fifty years ago, now is the norm.

The faculties that we once considered as faithless, empirical evidences have proven themselves to be unreliable. Colors, numbers, and meanings have become relative. Is this a new
phenomenon?

"Why is this generation so much worse than the last?"

"Young people today face much harder issues, than we had to face as children."

These common statements coupled with the evidence of a growing discontentment with political leadership, and an obvious decline in a standard of ethical behavior in the youth of this country all seem to be evidences of the entropy of a great nation. But, is this a new phenomenon?

This is not the first time a nation has collapsed from within. We have seen collapse time and again throughout history. Beginning with the Egyptian empire, chronicled in the history of the Israelites in Exodus and continuing on to the downfall of the Ottoman empire with nations of lesser historical significance presently growing on the global scene making their places in the history books as waves rising and crashing into the rocks of the cliffs of discontentment.

What is left for us to hope for? If systems of governement do not prevent political entropy, if advances in science do not prevent physical decay of people and architecture and ethical policies lack power to constrain the most obscure human instincts towards self-destruction, then how can we live by anything but faith?

As I sat down in my chair to write to you this morning I threw caution to the wind and sat in a chair that I had little to no empircal evidence of it's sound construction. But over the past years of sitting I have grown to find a simple minded faith in the integrity of chairs. Why live by faith? We must have faith. It is not a question of whether we irrationally trust something, but rather what we irrationally trust. Our tendency then is to follow the crowd. Not only the present crowd but our audience of ancestors who have passed down practices throughout the generations.

It is their tendencies that have defined our practices, and we in the end will crash just like they on the rocks of discontentment. The waves of our generation like ocean spray will be dashed upon the rocks and blown to the wind. This realization is not new Ancient writers have pointed out time and again the cyclical nature of the human plight: how we seek to accumulate, legislate, dictate, and delegate in order to achieve lofty goals only to find that those goals were the same goals that our predecessors had tried to accomplish and failed.

So, most in the end on their dying beds realize that self-faith is the worst faith of all. It leaves you dying and alone in the end. The realization comes for most at a point too late in life to change. Be careful what you put your faith in. My chair worked today, it is a foundation on which I pursue my writing. But one day it too will let me down.

Turkish Salesmanship

2007-06-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

"Where are you from? America? I have a friend in Texas! From Texas? Oh, Cowboy!"

The cries of the Bazaar and the tourist trap salesmen who mar the experience for many. It is not uncommon for tourists to come away with a sour experience leaving the crowded confines of the "Grand Bazaar."

For some this bombardment of communication can be an anectdotal experience while for others it can be a nerve grating nightmare. Either way the situation is not one that fosters true relationship. In the crowded city of Istanbul a group travels through the city and hears all kinds of witty statements made by people who do not understand the intricacies of the language and culture in which they are communicating. The result is frustration and unachieved goals for both parties.

This minor tourist shopping problem is a wonderful analogy for the woes of cross cultural ministry. There is a great difference between guessing how a person wants to be treated and knowing how a person wants to be treated. In ministry we make up for this by trying a variety of methods and the result is similar to these pushy carpet salesmen.

"Can I help you spend your money? How can I cheat you? Come in have some tea and look around."

These methods all work at one point or another, but no one of them is the perfect device for sales. In the same way no one ministry, passage of Scripture, or spiritual gift will draw all people to you. In fact there are very few that isolated achieve anything. This leads me to believe then that there are no devices that are effective tools other than the character of the person using the devices. True interest in the well being of the audience is the only device with equilateral effect. That's why in the first letter to the Corinthian church Paul points out that if you have multiple devices and messages but do not have "love" you are only speaking gibberish. The truth is in the moment of transaction it hardly matters what you're promoting as long as your medium exudes love.

We've all had moments of buyers remorse in which we realize that the love we felt from the seller was false or founded on faulty products. To arrive at home and realize it was a fancily packaged lie is more dissappointing than if we simply have a bad encounter with a salesperson. So, another important ingredient is truth. Truth is a commodity that requires faith, on the part of the salesperson and the buyer.

When in the marketplace whether well versed in the language and culture or simply a novice in the language we must remember these important ingredients for cross cultural salesmanship and these important keys to cross cultural ministry.

A Vanished Blog and a Reappearing Passport

2007-06-12T11:48:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,

It has been a long time since I have posted, and unfortunately I recently lost all of my previous posts from years past. This will begin a new chapter in our lives and this blog will document many of the ways in which we have been blessed over the years. The title Isanin speaks to who we are and our purpose. The name "Isa" is Turkish for Jesus, the ending "nin" implies belonging. So in our travels and in our homes we aspire to be Isanin, or to belong to Jesus. We also recognize a desire to belong in you, our readers. It is our prayer that we will help many more come to claim they are Isanin, in the nation of Turkey or across the world in the U.S. No matter where we find ourselves it is that belonging that defines us more so than any other title.

A group just returned last week from Turkey where they visited the city that Katie and I will be living in come December. The group prayed for the people of Turkey that they would prosper and grow in their knowledge of Jesus. I was preparing to join and lead the team through Turkey with the help of my wife, Katie, and Wes Gunn. Unfortunately my passport was late in returning from the US office where it was being processed. My passport reappeared the day that the team was returning from Turkey and so it has been concluded that I was not meant to go on the trip. God had plans for the group though allowing them to see the situation of the Turkish people. The team met with groups of people who follow Isa in Turkey and prayed with them for their work and their futures. Ultimately all, including myself, were encouraged by the trip and strengthened in their resolve to be part of an ongoing effort in Southern Turkey.

So, I begin again with my blogging holding onto a passport that has just reappeared through the mail system. I will soon post Katie's thoughts and experiences in Turkey for you to read and see specifically what God has done through their journies.

"For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." - Psalm 100:5