Blog a thon day 14 - keeping an eye out

Today I was riding on the Metro and I was struck how many people are basically oblivious to everything around them. This is why some of the pickpockets are so successful. People are just enduring the ride until they get home. I on the other hand like looking around checking out people’s expressions and dress. Some look blank, some look happy, and some look sad. They come in all ages. The other day I watched a brother and sister interacting, it was fun. The older sister kept unzipping her brother’s jacket and he kept zipping it up. There was no anger, just a game they were playing. But that is not my point. My point comes back to the level of awareness that people live in. I remember my OIC giving a lecture about this. He had these 5 different levels from level one which is oblivion to level five, feeling completely threatened. I kind of scoffed at it, but now I can see application. I purposely try to be paying attention to what is going around me and where my wallet is and such. I try to hold my backpack in my right hand, resting against my wallet in my front pocket. It makes it kind of hard to pickpockets to get your wallet when you are touching it.

I also pay attention to the people around me. I have learned to spot pick pockets by the way they look at others. Some travel alone and try to play that they not paying attention, but their eyes tell you another story. Other times they work in teams of two or more. I remember being buffed about by three of them when I was getting on to a marshrouteka. They acted like they had lost their balance, but I knew immediately what would going on. I’m not invulnerable, I just pay attention.

But this led me to thinking about this from a spiritual perspective. Am I watching to see what God would have me see? Will I see the babushka who is crying because she doesn’t know how she is going to pay the bills? Will I see the young person who is hurting because their home life is a wreck? Will I see a brother or sister in the Lord and rejoice with them? In Ephesians Paul tells us that we are God’s workmanship, made for good works. I read that so say that since He redeemed me, part of my job is to do good works; good works My Lord has prepared in advance for me to do, but how can I see these opportunities if my spiritual eyes are not looking for them?

I think I miss some opportunities because I am so bent on where I am going. I am going to the store or I am off to work or I am returning home. If I would slow down for a minute and give my spiritual eyes a chance, I bet the spirit would tell me a thing or to. Now I always seem to gravitate to the idea of giving. In fact the Lord stopped me on a bridge the other day to talk to me about that. I think I may have written about it earlier, but the opportunities that God has provided for me are there. I just need to have eyes to see and ears to hear. God cares about people. God wants us to care about them too. Yes we should love our family and friends, but shoot even non-Christians do that. Jesus says we are to love those who are unlovely. I am not sure how good I am at that, but I am willing to learn. I have been noticing a lot more of them around me. I pray and desire that my language skills would be up to sharing the Good news with them. That is in fact one of my weekly lessons. Pray with me that I would become proficient enough to share to love of God with these hurting people. Pray that I would have the courage to reach out to people who might be dirty and smelly, drunk and angry. Pray that I would be God’s light in this dark dark world.

I also would challenge you. How is your spiritual vision? Do you see bad people who deserve their plight or do you see broken people crushed by the hardness and hurtfulness of this world? If you see the first and not the latter, then I suggest you ask God to adjust your prescription and help you to see people the way He sees them. We are told that Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him. That joy was the thought of making a way to save all the broken and hurting sinners of the world, because He knows how much the Father loves us.

In His Grace,

Alan

Blog a thon day 13 - of faith and works

Matthew 5:16 – Let you light so shine before me that they may see your good worlds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Have you ever had a Biblical theme that you cannot get away from? This happens all the time to me. God begins to speak to my heart about something and then every where I turn I see reference to it or opportunity for application. In the letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul says that we are not saved by works, lest we boast. He goes on to say that we have been saved by grace; a true statement. We cannot save ourselves and we cannot save anyone else from damnation. We can tell them the Good News, we can share what we know about our faith, the rest is up to the Holy Spirit and the person. But somehow in the process the Protestant church has some how managed to think that works are a bad thing.

If a particular Christian faith says that we need to do works, we denounce them saying “They are preaching a works salvation!” But how can we have a salvation and there be no works. How can we say we have faith in God and there be no works? I had a very well read friend of mine say that when you take and boil down everything that both Calvin (who put God’s sovereignty first) and his antithetical student, Jacob Arminius, who put man’s freedom first, it comes to this. They both agree that the only true proof of salvation is in the works of the person.

I have become convinced that we may not be saved by works, but we were saved for works! Jesus didn’t just die on the cross to guarantee us a seat at the great banquet in the sky. He died so that we could be free of sin (basically selfishness) both its penalty and its works. God has planned good works in advance for us to accomplish. God has recreated us that we can be His workmanship, created for good works.

So what does that look like? It doesn’t mean protesting Obama. I’m pretty convinced its not supporting the protest against proposition 8 in California either. Its not starting movements called “God hates fags” and it isn’t attending gay rights parades either. Our good works are when we look at those in the world in need of care and comfort and we become the comforting arms of God. Yes there is a moral code associated with Christianity. Sexual purity is something to be striven for and maintained. But as we look at the whole some of the Bible NT and OT alike there are by far more scriptures encouraging God’s people to maintain justice for the poor and care for those in need, than there are even dealing with Holiness (as my Seminary professor once told me).

We cannot have salvation in Christ Jesus without an outflow of good works. It is not the government’s job to do good works. We aren’t really even supposed to be paying them to do that. Instead, we are to be the hands and feet of a loving God who cares for and defends the widow and the fatherless. In 25th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus makes it pretty clear in his illustration of the sheep and the goats. The goats (unbelievers – those who will not enter into His Kingdom) acknowledged the Lord Jesus but did no good works. The sheep (believers – those who will enter into His Kingdom), also acknowledged the Lord Jesus but feed the hungry, clothed the naked and visited those in jail.

The New Testament is pretty clear. You cannot ignore the needs of those living around you (believers and unbelievers alike) and say you have faith in God. The only belief that you have in that case is the same belief that the demons have and they shutter at the thought of Jesus.
Its easy to find excuses why not to care for others. We have bills, we have families; blah, blah, blah. I know I have and still struggle with making those kinds of excuses. But God is watching. And He cares for even the glue sniffers and prostitutes. If this seems overwhelming, I suggest you start small. Ask God to show you someone today that you could help. You may get ripped off. You may throw good money after bad, but I ask you, “Do you want to be counted with the sheep or the goats?”

We should use our money wisely in fact giving money is probably not the best way (it’s just the easiest) to help other believers and even our unbelieving neighbors. But still the plight of those in need must be answered. We don’t have to help them maintain a standard of living that so many westerners have come to expect, but we do need to make sure that those unable to care for themselves are cared for.

Lets all shine for Jesus!

In Him
Alan

Blog a thon day 11 - Just another sinner

So what should I write about today…? I can always complain about Christians… I are one and they irritate the stuff out of me. But finger pointing and waving won’t do me much good. I want to write about something important, something relevant; something I understand. I want to expose my dark side and while doing so expose yours. We all have stuff and the sooner we own up to it the better. Too many people pretend that they have it all together (some people even think I have it all together – fooled them!), most of us try to convince others that we have it all together. I cannot say that a day goes by without me thinking the worst about someone, thinking everything is dependent upon me and find myself worrying what others will think.

SO let’s us make this easy. I don’t have it all together. I have a temper that flares from time to time, a mind that was corrupted at a very young age. I procrastinate, I make excuses for not doing what I should and for doing what I shouldn’t. I justify my sin and condemn others’. So what makes me any better than anyone else? Nothing actually. I am a sinner. But there is something that helps. I have been saved by grace. Christ has paid the price for my sin and given me the promise and seal of His Holy Spirit. I have a hope and a future.

Yet there is still this sinful man living in this redeemed body. I am not sure how this all works, but I trust that God will complete the work he has begun in me. I am better than I was before giving my life to Christ. Some aspects of my life have radically changed. But somehow I start to think I am better than others… I’m not! If it weren’t for the work that Christ has and continues to do in me I would be a mess. Oh I would likely have a nice friendly exterior, but the truth be known without Christ I would just be another hell bent, self-serving human being.

So I am not in much of a position to judge anyone, yet Christ has given me a call to correct, to rebuke and to encourage because most of us are unwilling to listen to sound doctrine. We like it when people tell us what we want to hear and we hate it when they say things that we disagree with. So I have to set myself and my assumptions aside and look to both the Word of God and to God’s Holy Spirit working in me. I will likely continue to provide correction and the occasional rebuke and I pray some encouragement through careful instruction, but not because I am uniquely qualified in myself, but rather because Christ has chosen me to do so and equipped me to do so. I am no better than the next guy; guilty of one sin – guilty of all sin. But I do want to be obedient to the call the Christ has given me, so hence some of my scathing blogs. I cannot let people live out lies thinking they are doing God’s will. That isn’t very loving on my part. Matthew 7 scares me too much for that. So I will continue to write as I am either provoked or as I am led by the Spirit. Please pray for me that I do not become self-deceived in all of this or puffed up. I can do none of it apart from God, which means I need to stick as close to Him as I can. I pray that you too will learn that lesson. Stick close to God and life will be so much more doable even when it’s tough.

In Him
Alan

Blog a thon day 7

To the god of freedom
As I was praying for America this day it struck me – our nation is and has been sacrificing to another god. It is the god of choice and personal determination. It is how this nation was founded and it is a value that continues to drive us. Now we have sacrificed over 35 million unborn children to this god. And the people of the land want to sacrifice more. President elect Obama wants to sign the Freedom of Choice Act to make abortion of all kinds available to all women. And some of us actually think this is a Christian country!

It is obvious by our acts that we have made the god of choice our god. The God of the Universe is not the god we trust in. We trust in a god who will give us what our greedy little hearts desire. We want freedom to choose for good or ill. We want freedom from the responsibility of facing the consequences of our actions. We want freedom to have what our eyes see and our flesh desires no matter how damaging or wrong it might be. This is the kind of freedom that America has come to crave and thinks the rest of the world needs.

Freedom from oppression is not a bad thing, but freedom from all consequences is dangerous. Consequences teach us self control. Consequences teach us good from bad. Consequences help us to see that others are valuable too.

Christ has granted freedom to all who will believe in his name. But the freedom He grants us is the freedom from the power of sin; freedom from our baser selfish desires that cause so much of the wrong in the world. The sacrifice that Christ demands of us is not our unborn children but of our personal life; our wants our desires our hopes – our future. Being a Christian means that we are willing to accept that we many not know what is best for us. Being a Christian means that we believe God knows what’s best for us. We Americans live in a culture where the greatest good seems to be seen in an individual’s rights, but this is antithetical to Christianity, which says the greatest good is in our personal and corporate sacrifice to/for the betterment of others. The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven is not he who rules over others, but rather the one who lays his live down for the sake of others, he or she who is the servant of all.

So pray with me for America, that the people of God would wake up and realize that maybe they have been worshiping at the altar of another god. Its time to tare down our idols, repent and seek the One True God – the God who sent his son to die for our sins. The God whose desire for us is better than anything we might think or imagine. Our God isn’t a republican or a democrat or libertarian. He is the absolute God of the universe. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts.

So let us cast aside our darkened thinking and accept the mind of Christ that we might honor Him with our lives and see His Kingdom come and His Will be done here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen

Your servant in Christ,
Alan

Blog-a-thon day 6 - Seasons in life

The weather is making a turn here. It is finally starting to get cold. I went out to day to do some shopping and I just loved the smell of fall leaves and crisp cool air. It was good to be out of the apartment for a bit. I always find it interesting looking at the trees and watching their change over the seasons. I am always looking for metaphors that point to our life in Christ. Right now the leaves have served their purpose to act as little solar powered factories that convert CO₂ and water into sugar. Now that the days are short, the tree sheds them and goes into a period of restfulness, while it prepares itself for the next period of growth.

Our lives are like that. We have times when we are taking in the Word; being fed, then there are times of quite reflection where we prepare ourselves for the next growth period. I guess that is the point of our lives in Christ, or one of them, in that we are to grow. We are to grow into people that more and more each year, resemble Him. The more a try grows the more critters it can provide a home for. The more we grow into Christ the more we can minister to the needs of others. But there will be seasons for each. Solomon states in Ecclesiastes that there is a time and season for everything.

I have also noticed that all these seasons produce an abundance of leaves that to us humans seem a mess, but in God’s plan provide for the making of good soil. We busily carry them away as garbage, but they would be better suited to being converted into compost for gardens. Sometimes we look at the results of our life and think it is all wasteful, but then maybe if we looked a little closer we could offer our cast offs to someone who could use them.

As members of Christ’s body, we are here to do a number of things. We are called to help one another, and we are called to reach out to a hurting and dying world. I am just so glad that God is at work in me making me better equipped each year. Transforming me bit by bit so that I look more and more like Him. Sometimes my life is quite fruitful, other times is seems barren and dry. But no matter what it seems like, Christ is at work in me and through me by his Word and His Holy Spirit. I am so thankful that it is not all up to me. I cannot change myself. I do not have in and of myself to become all that Christ would have me be, but I do know that He is faithful and he will complete the work he has begun in me.

I pray that whatever season of life that you are in that you would look to Him who has redeemed you and is your strength and your hope.

To God be the glory, for ever and ever, Amen!

In Him,
Alan

Elections are over

November 5, 2008
The Election is over… now our job begins

Okay, America has its first “black” president. I don’t have a problem with that. I do have problem with what he stands for, but like it or not for the next four years he is going to be the president of America and he is going to have a Democrat dominated congress to help him ram though every bill that is on the Democrat’s agenda. I weep for my nation, I weep for all the killing that will continue and will be even be made easier in abortion clinics.

But didn’t the Christians of the first century have an even more difficult time. Their meetings were antithetical with regard to Roman law. The emperor of Rome was god, and Christians denied that. Many where killed in horrible ways to sate the hate of the Roman empire for these people who loved God and loved each other. So Christian’s I guess its time to repent for our short sightedness; to repent for not praying for our nation. I don’t like what the Democrats stand for, but I also don’t always like that the Republicans stand for. I guess I would be more like a southern Democrat of the 1960’s. I hate that America as so little regard for the unborn Americans. We have reclassified them as non-humans to we can rid ourselves of them; so that we don’t have to be responsible for our actions. We have done to them what Hitler did to the Jews, Gypsies, Poles, Ukrainians and anyone else he didn’t like. I hate that America has worked at redefining marriage to include same-sex marriage. But here we are with all these people in control of our country. We can shake our fists at those who voted them in office. We can shake our fists at those in office. But it comes back to us; were we obedient to God’s commandments and Jesus’ great commission in America? I think sadly, no we were not! We failed to impact our country with the Gospel message. We have been convinced that some how people should come to us (in our churches) for the answers, when Jesus said, “Go and make disciples.” I really don’t think we have made many disciples. We have lots of church attendees, but few true disciples, because we leaders in Christ’s church have convinced ourselves that if we just preach good enough and have great services and cool programs that some how we will impact the world. Sorry, it’s going to take a lot more people than us. And it’s not programs of preaching that changes lives it’s Jesus Christ working in and through his Holy Spirit that will change us. He won’t change us into Republicans or Democrats. He will change us into the people of God who love Him, who love each other and who love our neighbors so much we wouldn’t want them to live without Him.

Okay, I have ranted enough. I guess I am just frustrated by the challenge that we now face in this nation. But God is bigger than any challenge we face if we will just set our own agendas aside and submit ourselves to His will for us. Don’t know that it is… Seek it and you shall find it… Knock and the door will be opened. God wants us to both seek Him, and to respond to Him, while He Himself reaches out to us. This election’s doesn’t mean God is powerless. It doesn’t mean that the devil has won. But it does mean that for those of us who think life is precious, that we are concerned about what the future holds. Let us all pray and seek God’s face and pray for our new president-elect that God will convict him of any wrong thinking or any wrong motives and will grant him the wisdom he needs to lead our nation with integrity and honor.

“The heart of the King is in the hand of the Lord.”

In Him,
Alan

Ukraine is in trouble

November 4, 2008

So what gives for today…
Ukraine is in for a rough ride I think. Here in Kyiv, they have just raised the price of the metro and buses 4 and 3 times what it was. For the first time that I have been here it is actually possible to get a Marshroutka for less than the cost of a city bus – crazy! To add the problems, the people have lost confidence in the banks and over the past month people have withdrawn some three and a half billion dollars from banks attempting to buy US dollars, which in turn drove the US dollar up (at one point a few days ago the exchange rate was 7.00 to $1), up from 4.6 in August. They have basically closed the banks or limited people’s withdrawals and the exchange rate has settled at about 6.00 or a bit less. Good for me, my dollar goes a bit further, bad for the average Ukrainian because soon all the prices of products that come from outside of Ukraine will be more expensive.

Because of the world wide recession, steel sales have all but dried up and steel makes up for 40% of Ukraine’s industry exports. So, massive layoffs have occurred; some 20,000 laid off from the steel industry, but country wide half a million people have been laid off. There are all kinds of dire predictions for the future of this nation, but I see it as a chance for Christians to step up and start being Christians, helping those who have lost hope, inviting others to know the hope that we have, blessing others with the blessing that God has granted us.

I know it isn’t easy. I’ve let recent financial concerns rob me of my joy. But God continues to be faithful. God continues to bless. I pray that I will be a reflection of what He is doing for me to others. I am repenting of my faithlessness. I am not looking to capitalist, politicians or philosophers to save me. My one and only savior is Jesus Christ. I pray that I will honor Him in the way I treat others around me, those who need a drink of water, a meal or clothes for their backs. God is able to do immeasurably more than I can think or imagine. I have no real concerns. I have wants, but thus far God continues to meet all our needs in this household.
Praying your day will be filled with opportunities to praise God for his goodness!

In Him,

Alan

Just blonging along

November 3, 2008
I guess I am a couple of days late on this… That is for the unofficial international month of blogging. I cannot say that is its real name, but November is considered that month for blog posting. It is a challenged raised to us to post a blog every day… Oh well already missed that. But still I want to rise to the challenge if even a couple of days late. I do have things to say, I do have opinions and stories to share so once again… here goes… (yes I like ellipses).

So here it is Monday, the 3rd say of August. What do I have to say? I think for starters I will report on my weekend. I was left alone this week end. And for Alan that is not a pleasant thing. I would much rather have people around me, even if they are just sitting there quietly. AnnMarie was at a woman’s retreat and Emily stayed at a friends. I stayed home and did chores... I did 5 loads of laundry, caught us up on downloading some favorite programs and I made homemade split-pea soup. It was my first time. I also had to go and do some foraging. In fact I went out three separate times on Saturday trying to stock up on stuff, and check the mail. I also watched a few episodes of StarGate Atlantis, Prison Break, Numb3rs and StarTrek Enterprise (thanks Kit for those DVD's). So here my wife was off being spiritually refreshed and I was just living in the flesh… such is life at times. Sunday on the other hand was another deal all together. I got to go to Chernighiv, which is my habit for the first Sunday of the month. I got to share at my friend, Valeriy’s home church. God has been talking to me about a topic… Long and short of it – We cannot be saved by works, but we were saved for works. Want to know anymore… read Ephesians and who knows I may yet get to blog about it.

But it was a great trip. I always feel used of God when I go there and I am also well received. Valeriy and I have some great theological discussions. This week we were talking about the duality of our existence as Christians. Both redeemed of God, yet living in a body that does it best to try to lead us astray, and has wants that are often contrary to our new redeemed nature. My argument was that our new redeemed life should exert control over every aspect of our life. Valeriy argued that we will always being living lives driven by flesh. Some things like jobs and food feed the flesh, other things like church, the bible and prayer feed the spiritual side of us. It was fun to wrestle with what the scriptures say and present our points with God’s word. I’m not sure either of us convinced the other of anything but it was good all the same wrestling with it and hearing his side. I am discovering that Ukrainians have some strange ideas (well strange to me anyway) about faith and spirituality and I am working at sorting out what is culture and what is scripture.

So now it is Monday. I’m trying to get back on track. I have done my scripture reading… still need to pray, had breakfast, studied some Russian and need to work on my course rewrite (will it ever end?). I’ll call this it for now… let’s see what tomorrow brings.

The preacher dude