Preacher Al's Blog

Our World View

2009-12-08T06:57:00.006+02:00

A few years back the term "World View" seemed to be circulating pretty much in many circles. I don't hear it used quite as often, but I think how we view things is so very important. Our world view helps define us and how we see others

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version, 2 Co 5:16-17 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989).

Recently I was struck by the above passage. It actually began before I reread this passage. I was having a conversation with Emily, the young woman who lives with us, and some how in the conversation it came out that what we see in other people (all to often) is not the redemptive work of Christ, but the consequence of sin. That leads us to criticizing and condemning others (cursing them), when they have been created (and as Christians recreated) in the image of God. When God created them, He had something good in mind. I believe this is why when Jesus dealt with both the woman at the well and the woman caught in adultery, that he didn't condemn them. They already knew they had sinned. But according to John 3:17 Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it. All those who don't already believe stand condemned. He saw them as people God had created rather than just seeing them through their sin.

But my point is that we tend look at people (and ourselves) from a "worldly" perspective. We don't see ourselves or others as created or redeemed by God to serve God's purposes on the earth. We see their quirks and their sin (or ours) and we condemn them in our minds and reject them. Now this could go lots of directions but for now I want to restrict my discussion to how we look a people in their physical form...

Consider the following images -

This is an image by Paul Rubens and in its time people considered such women quite beautiful

And this lovely beauty is an image of a fertility goddess. I am sure I could pick some images of modern day beauties as well but my point is, that what is considered beautiful changes from age to age and from culture to culture. What we think is beautiful may not be considered beautiful by others.

Some cultures want their women shaved. Some want them to have tattoos on their faces or bones in their noses. In America, or in the modern world, we have come to define beauty by the images that modeling agencies parade before our eyes or by the current pop stars images. But even that is a gross exaggeration. The point is that the world will always try to dictate to us what is acceptable and what is beautiful. But if we are to accept the words of Paul recorded above. We as Christians can no longer judge people that way.

We cannot look at others the way the world does and judge them acceptable or not. All people who are walking this earth were created in the image of their Maker. No matter the gender, the race, the size or the age, they were all created in His image. And for those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we are recreated (redeemed). We are no longer what we were (speaking of our fallen or sinful state). What does this mean to us?

Simply this - We cannot define other people by worldly standards. We cannot judge a person by the package they are in. We cannot judge ourselves by others opinions of us either. We cannot say we are too fat or too skinny based upon some image we have been fed by watching movies and music videos. We must find our value in the eyes of our Creator and Redeemer.

Have you ever noticed how little the Bible has to say about people's weight. And when it comes to a woman's appearance is really encourages us to stop looking at the external and consider the eternal. If we reject someone for being over weight or the wrong color skin or the wrong height then we are judging our Creator. Ya someone may have issues with overeating. But the issue is their health and their substituting food for love. God doesn't like gluttony because it is just another form of idolatry. But that is back to the issue isn't your form as much as it is what you do with what God has given you.

In the natural on redeemed state what appeals to us is what our culture has told us is attractive. That could be the media or it could have been what our mother looked like and how are father reacted to her. As Christians we are not to look at people that way. We are not to look at ourselves that way. If we are... we need to ask for new eyes. To see people the way God sees them. Often what revolts us, is part of the reason Christ died; to save us from sin and the consequence of sin. He died to redeem our thinking and to redeem our values. He wants us to stop judging people by standards that do not have any application in the Kingdom of God.

Christian men, you are not to judge your sisters by the current sex goddess in the world. You are to love all of them as your sisters. Women of faith, stop judging yourselves by worldly standards. Stop thinking you have to live up to the images that our culture has thrust upon us. Seek God, live for Him, find your value in His eyes. Because in the end it is the only place where true value lies. All of us will grow old. All of our bodies will suffer loss. You can exercise if you want, there is nothing wrong with strengthening your heart, bones and muscles, but don't let becoming fit become your god. Nothing should rule you but the Love of God; Not sexual appetites, tastes for sweets or the desire to be beautiful in the world's eyes. Seek God and obey him. If He says relax then relax. If He says go for a walk, then go for a walk. If He says give up sugar then do so. The Spirit of God is in every one who has received God's salvation. Trust Him to lead you into the kind of life that God has created you for. Stop looking to others. Stop judging yourself by standards that are not God's standards. His ways are not the ways of the world. What the world calls wisdom, God calls foolishness.

Praying that as you read this that God will set you free from the trap of worldly thinking and standards. That God will open your mind to see others and yourself as He sees you though the Blood of Christ.

Blessings
Alan

Just another day

2009-12-04T08:48:00.002+02:00

God is so good. He continues to be faithful to us no matter what the world is doing or what other people are saying. I trust my Father in heaven to watch over me day and night. I trust that I can turn to him in times of trouble. My God in heaven cares ever so much more for me that I can ever imagine or think. That doesn't mean I always get what I want. That doesn't mean that life isn't hard. But I know He is for me and not against me. I know that I have His spirit within me. I know that He regularly uses me to accomplish His will. He speaks to me and through me. I am so blessed to know that God cares for me. He cared enough to send Jesus to die for me. God is so good. So this may be just another day, but a day serving my Lord is better than 10,000 other days. I don't long for riches or fame. I just want to be somewhere that I can serve Him, and do His will. I pray that you too will experience the Goodness of God and His grace and mercy as you walk along the path...

blessings,
Alan

Blogathon day 30, 2009

2009-11-30T21:55:00.003+02:00

Last post for November

I think a bad day preaching and teaching is better than any day that I am not. Well, maybe that is an exaggeration but today I got to teach in a little village called Homuttets where there is a church of people who have a heart to reach out to every surrounding village. This little church of maybe 60 people has helped plant churches all over surrounding region. They have also started rehabilitation centers for alcoholics. These people want to hear what I have to say about church! I think that is remarkable. I feel like when I go to teach there, I learn as much as I teach.

Right now I am working with the pastor of evangelism. He was thinking I was going to teach him how to evangelized.... No rather I encouraged him that God wants in to evangelize so that people can come to know God and learn what He wants for them. I showed how evangelism fits into the comprehensive plan to train people for works of service, so that the whole body can be built-up into the fullness of Christ. I love talking about God and encouraging others to follow in His ways. I love working with people excited about serving God. What a great job I have.

What a fitting post for the last day of the blogathon. I pray that I will keep at this and even work on some of my other blog posts.

Even with my back out of whack and spasming it was a great day. I wasn't up for the Acts Bible Study, but I did get to come home to greet my smiling family. That is another time that I never regret, time spent with loved ones.

Thanks for reading
Alan

Day 29 of Blogathon 2009

2009-11-29T22:28:00.002+02:00

Today I preached a sermon and the most miraculous thing happened. There was a young man from a central Asian country there who had a very awesome thing happen. He doesn't speak English very well. He gets buy. I have a terrible reputation for speaking very fast and this morning I drank coffee before preaching... something I usually try to avoid as I seek even faster then. So anyway after the service this young man we'll call Bob says, that for the first 10 minutes of the sermon he couldn't understand a word I was saying then all of a sudden he understood every word. He said that not only did he understand it, but it went straight to his heart. Wow what and awesome act of the Holy Spirit.

It is so good to be used of God. I must admit that lately I have been feeling a bit demotivated and useless. But God showed me that He is far from being finished with me. Now I just need to put my sermon to practice and keep offering up prayers to bless other. Keep claiming the promises of God. Keep speaking out who we are in Christ Jesus. God is so faithful He sees fit to both save us and put us to work. Thank You Lord, for give meaning to our lives. Thank you God for redeeming us from the self-destructive and sinful creatures we were and thank you for making us in to new creations formed in your image to do good works.

Lord, I thank you for this day. Lord I thank you for how you demonstrate your love for us. I am so grateful to know you and to serve you.

Blessings dear readers...
Alan

Blogathon Day 28 2009

2009-11-28T21:53:00.004+02:00

I cannot say that I have done a great job keeping up on a daily blog, but this has been encouraging to sit down and right a few words.

Today I spent most of my day in the kitchen helping young Miss Emily as she prepared our belated Thanksgiving day meal for a host of friends. I sure am glad that she has a creative mind when it comes to fixing meals. I am often content with a good ol' peanut butter and banana sandwich. Today we feasted on chicken, ham, green-bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes, potatoes aux gratin, pumpkin pie, cheese-egg-garlic sandwiches and a variety of fresh cut veggies. There were a number of other items on the menu, but we just ran out of time to prepare them all; even with another friend's help. My dear wife was at work on a make-up day for all the days lost to the flu mania here in Ukraine but she was able to join us for the meal after work. I am tired and sore, but am very glad for the day and all the friends who stopped by for a bite to eat.

I guess you could call me a kitchen drudge, cause i wasn't calling any shots. But that puts me in good company. I am reminded of Brother Lawrence who served with joy in the kitchen of some Catholic institute because he practiced the presence of God. He reminded himself that Jesus was there with him no matter what he was doing. I cannot say that I did such a great job of practicing the presence of God, but I do believe He was with me. He empowered me to serve with little complaining and experience the joy of seeing others blessed while I worked.

I pray that you too will find the joy in serving and will say no to complaints and grumbling. Jesus said the greatest among us will be the servant of all. It is a race for the bottom of the heap. What a joy it is to know that as we serve, we emulate the actions our Lord Jesus. Sometimes its good to be a Martha if you are making room for others to be a Mary. I think that was Jesus problem with Martha. She complained that she had worked hard but her sister was getting blessed. Maybe if Martha has seen the joy in serving Jesus, he might have blessed her instead of rebuking her.

Tomorrow brings Sunday and I am bringing the Word again. What a privilege it is to serve the people of our body and bring them encouragement and teaching so that they might be better equipped to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. I pray that my example and my words would bless and encourage, so that His Kingdom would come here on earth as it is in Heaven.

May your days be blessed as we enter into the month in which we celebrate and commemorate the birth of our Savior Jesus.

Thanks for reading,
Alan

Blogathon day 19

2009-11-19T11:20:00.002+02:00

Being used of God

I am excited about what today will bring. I have the privilege of leading a Bible study with a group of young men from an Asian Muslim country. I'm excited not because of what I know or what I get to share, but rather I am excited to see what God will do. Our God wants to bless and encourage and build people up. He wants his children to walk in confidence and obedience. When I get to teach or lead Bible studies, it is like the Lord is letting me be is mouth piece. I am often surprised by what comes out though me. I know that the Holy Spirit is in me. I know that I am a new creation. But it is such cool thing to be used by God to touch other people. I don't think I will ever get tired of that. I never seem to get tired of being used this way. I love working for the Lord. I cannot imagine a better job to have. There are times when the fight gets tough, and I feel like I am coming out of such a period. A time when I forgot how good God is. I time where I though I had to depend solely upon my abilities and talents. Sometimes we can do it for a bit on our own power, but the flesh is weak. But God is strong. I am so glad that I can lean Him, that I can look to Him to sustain me. Our God is an awesome God.

Praying you too will experience the goodness of our God
Alan

Blogathon day 18

2009-11-19T11:05:00.004+02:00

God is so Good

I am so happy for God's presence in my life. I know that He has redeemed me with a price. I am not my own but His. He has adopted me as a son. He has given me new life. He has paid for my sins and no longer holds them against me.

I have preached on grace of God and how much He has done for us. I have lead bible studies and counseled friends, but it seems just recently that I have experience the greatness of our Lord's mercy. It was as if I have lived thinking it was for everyone else but me. I cannot speak to the source of it here but I have realized a fresh and anew what our God has done for us.

This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in in. I CAN do ALL things through Him who strengthens me. I can give thanks in all circumstances. I give thanks to God for my wife who has continues to show her love and her patience with me. Today is a great day. I feel so much lighter in spirit. I have a renewed hope in what God is going to do through me. I believe for the impossible. I know that our God and do immeasurably more than I can think or imagine according to His Power at work in me. The Sky is the limit.

Lord I look forward to you illuminating the path before me; the path that you have set me on. A path I have to fear of falling from. A path where you lead me to green pastures and still waters. A Path where even if is should lead me through or near the valley of the shadow of death.... I will not be afraid because I know that my God is with me. Jesus, your rod and your staff comfort me.

Great is our God. Glorious is our King on high. Great is his faithfulness to us. Great is his mercy to us. We must worship our God and declare his Greatness. We serve a mighty God. He is the Lord most High. Praise his holy Name.

Amen

Blogathon 2009 Day 16

2009-11-16T22:53:00.002+02:00

I am finding it a bit of a challenge to sit down and write something worth reading every day. Part of it has to do with the current situation in my life. Part of it has to do with my mind being somewhere else. Yesterday (day 15) was church day. Things didn't go smoothly. I was suppose to do the set-up before the services in time for the worship team to practice. BUT, I forgot my keys. SOOOOOO, I had to wait for someone to bring them. Emily hadn't left the house when I called so she was going to bring mine with her. M'md was on his way but wouldn't be there for like 45 minutes and I didn't have any helpers, so there wasn't much I could do but wait and pray. I must admit I could have been frantic and worried, how were we going to manage. Well, I just relaxed, talked to God and waited for the other folks to show up. It all went just fine. Of course there were lots of other little things to annoy me during the set up, but I just let it go and flowed with it.

Today I got to meet with a lawyer so that Emily could get registered. That went smooth. Then it was back home to prepare for tonight's Bible study. I had fun with that. I like coming up with questions to make the text relevant and to push those attending the study to look at things in new ways. What is funny is I don't often think of such questions unless I am doing a study. Its as if my gift will only work if I am teaching others. Hmmmm, isn't there something in 1 Cor 12-14 about the gifts being for the building up of others/the body?

The turn out at the Bible study was pretty good. We had about 15 people show up.
Now I need to start thinking about Thursday's bible study with the guys from central Asia.

Russian Lesson tomorrow, but still don't know if I will be doing any more training with the guys from Antioch.

So... that is all for now. Nothing profound. Just a typical day in the life of a missionary in Ukraine.

Thanks for reading....
Alan

Blogathon 2009 Day 14

2009-11-14T09:32:00.002+02:00

Keeping an attitude of gratitude

I know that The Bible says to give thanks in our trials. That takes some doing, or rather it takes a change in thinking. So often I find my self thinking or wishing that difficulties would not come my way. When they do I tend to complain or to mope. The truth is that life will always send us trials and tribulations; Jesus promised us that. But we want a life without strife, where everyone agrees with us, where no one finds fault with us and we are perfect. But we are not perfect and neither is anyone else (although some would disagree with me on that). So what does one do? We take the advice of the writers of the Bible and we give thanks for what we have and we give thanks that God is sufficient for our needs. We may not get what we want, but giving thanks some how changes our attitude. When we don't get what we want and we focus on that, our continence falls; some people get depressed. But when we give thanks something happens in our hearts and our minds that lifts our spirits.

A friend of mine who lives here in Kyiv was telling me about how God has been blessing him. When he got married he had $3 in in pocket and no apartment. He still has not job, yet God continues to bless him through various individuals. Now he has an apartment and car. They were gifted to him by his unbelieving father-in-law. Most time when he thinks about it he is grateful. But if he is not careful, ingratitude and complaining slips in. He starts to think about what his car needs in the way of repairs and then the gratitude starts to slip away.

When I compare myself to the average person in the world I have so much more. I have a place that is warm and clean. I have running hot and cold water (even if the hot gets turned of here and there). I have a wife who loves me and I have a fulfilling occupation. I am so far above the average or median life of people all over the world, I have so much to be thankful for. But better than all of that is the fact that through Jesus Christ I have access to the God of all creation. Through Him I have been granted new life. Through Him I have a hope and a future that is not dependent upon personal comfort or the acquisition of things or people's opinion of me. My hope, my salvation, my future and my value are all found in my Saviors eyes. I have to much to give thanks for. But like my friend, I can begin to question the value of the gift I have received if I let my eyes drop.

So my plan, my prayer is to keep my eyes on my Savior, to give thanks in all situations and to enjoy this life that God has given me.

Blessings and thanks for reading
Alan

Blogathon day 13

2009-11-14T00:28:00.001+02:00

Today I enjoyed the company of my wife. No Russian lessons no worries. I did also visit with a friend for lunch, but my time with my wife was the best. I really enjoy it when we talk about important things. We prayed together and shared concerns. Then we played some games and watched a episode or two of numbers, off the web. Now its late and I am more than ready for bed.

Sweet dreams,
with blessings,
Alan

Blogathon 2009 day 11

2009-11-12T08:16:00.002+02:00

Life continues to be challenging. I know the truth, but I still battle against lies. My enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion hoping to catch me unawares. I cast my hope upon the Lord. I look to God for my salvation. I cannot save myself. I cannot save anyone else. No one can save me apart for the blood of Christ. I am a new creation. My hope is in the Lord. I have no reason to fear man, what can he do to me. It is God who can destroy my immortal soul. People can shame me, hurt me, ignore me and lie about me, but it is God to whom I look. It is the Lord God alone that I can trust in. I am glad for my salvation. I am glad that He has paid for all my debts. I am glad to know that He has a plan for me. He has hope and salvation for me. I am a new creation in Him. Glory to God in the highest. Glory to God forever!

Praying that your day will be a day in which you put your trust in the Lord; A day of hope and of joy and of goodness. Great is the Lord and worthy of Glory is He!

Blessings
Alan

Blogathon Day 9

2009-11-09T21:14:00.002+02:00

I must admit that I don't feel particularly poetic or productive in the writing department. God is working on me. Trying to change the way I think and react. I'm still a work in progress. I am thankful He is a faithful, patient, kind and merciful God. I am glad He has adopted me. I am glad that I can call Him my Father. I am grateful for the gift of His grace and salvation. I pray that I would be better at walking in that Grace with faith.

Thanks for reading...
Blessings
Alan

Blogathon 2009 Day 8

2009-11-09T00:01:00.005+02:00

Today was a great day. I got to go to Chernighiv and bless some friends there. I missed having my dear wife along. She is such an encouragement. It was this church's 16th anniversary service. Unfortunately this church has also undergone a long battle because of some issues between pastors. The congregation is weary from fighting. I cannot point any fingers and even if I could I would not. I love these people and it has been so hard on them. I preached on the need to walk in God's grace, and what God's grace is. This is really the result of a personal walk - learning the meaning of God's grace in my life.

What is really encouraging is one of the pastors wants me to come back with my wife. He sees AnnMarie offering a ministry of comfort and me providing some "Milk" that the congregation needs. I have some ideas of my own about encouraging the existing leadership. God is good. I trust that He will work this all out.

Thanks for reading
Blessings,
Alan

Blogathon day 7

2009-11-07T22:57:00.002+02:00

Just to say that I did blog today.

The weather was nice and warm again. Stayed home with AnnMarie most of the day except for some grocery shopping. Lori visited us and is staying the night. Tomorrow we are off to Chernighiv to visit friends and preach in the church "The Resurrection and the Life"

Maybe more tomorrow after we get back

Alan

Blogathon 2009 Day 6

2009-11-07T08:26:00.006+02:00

Every day is a day of discovery. Sometimes it is rediscovery. Some concepts come slow to me. I was thinking about regret. Regret is putting your focus in the past. Hope is not in the past. Hope lies in our future. When we look ahead to the hope we have in Christ, when we look past our past failures and glories we begin to see what God can and will do in our lives. In Lamentations the author says that God's mercies are new every morning. Every day is a new chance to look for success. Every new day is a chance to put failure and disappointment behind us and to plan for a new success. This doesn't mean that we cannot learn from our past failures and successes, but we live in the present and it is constantly moving towards the future. What is done in the past is done. We cannot go back and change it. If we don't realize that, we may continue wishing that something wouldn't have happened or wishing that it would happen again. Today is all we have. Tomorrow is but a promise of things to come. Choose this day whom you will serve and how you will live. Learn from your past, plan for tomorrow, but live for today. We cannot change yesterday and we cannot be certain of what tomorrow brings, only that God brings it.

Blessings
Alan

Blogathon 2009 Day Four

2009-11-05T07:26:00.003+02:00

This day brought our first accumulation of snow. It was more easily measured in millimeters than inches and only if you measured the drifts. But it was what I would count as the first real snow. A new season is about to fall upon us, are we ready? Well we have the winter coats out and the wool socks. I have yet to find my gloves.
I wonder what new seasons God has waiting for me in my life. There is part of me that is bored with this season. I feel like I am not doing enough to count for something. Yes I preach and I teach, but is that enough. I am praying that the Lord will shake things up a bit. What storm or seasonal change is on it's way to me? I love being a missionary, but there are times when it has become to "normal" for me. I feel like I should be living a bit more on the edge, but my flesh would prefer being comfortable. I know that God can and will reveal His will for my life. I guess, as I see the leaves falling and the first dusting of snow, I wonder if I am slipping into my own winter of sorts. But winter means heavy socks and clothes. It means warming up after venturing out in the world and it means that there is a spring coming. A time of new growth and renewal. I look forward to God's refreshing and restoration. I look forward to seeing and experiencing what God is going to do.

Blessings
Alan

Blogathon Day Three

2009-11-03T16:10:00.002+02:00

Today was a kind of grey day. There was a bit of snow falling and the temp is hovering around freezing. No snow stuck, but it was a reminder of the colder weather coming our way.
Most of my day was spent preparing for and having my Russian lesson. I am please to report that my teacher thinks I am doing well, even if I am having trouble remembering key words in my sentences. The past three weeks dealt with covering how to talk about family; marriages, births, who is older who is younger. Who is married to who and when. It will make personal life discussions so much easier. I just have to get those talking to me to talk slowly :D.
My poor sweetie as a terrible headache and is down for the count for now. I have laid hands on her and prayed and am believing for a healing.
Emily made us Chicken soup and chicken salad. That should keep the cold germs at bay.
No profound thoughts today.
I read Psalms 60-67 today. God is an awesome God.
Blessings
Alan

Blogathon 2009 Day Two

2009-11-03T08:51:00.003+02:00

Today was a quiet day. My wife is off work because the schools are all closed for three weeks. I miss her, cause she is at work so much, but now I get to hang with her. That is a blessing. I reminds me of the first man. God said that it was not good that that man should be alone. I feel incomplete without my dear wife. Especially when I am at home. 22 years of being in the US Navy prepared me to be away from home, but being home without my spouse drives me nuts sometimes.
It was a sunny if cool day today. We have a package waiting for us to pick up from my mother in law; Emily picked up the slip at the post office. Its from the first round of Christmas presents that she is sending us. I cannot imagine how many packages she has sent us. Minimum 2, maximum 4 a month for years! Wow. Tomorrow brings my Russian lesson so I better get busy studying for it.

Blessings from the border land,
Alan

Blog-athon Nov 2009 - First post

2009-11-02T09:07:00.002+02:00

This will be a short blog, but still it is time to get back on the Band wagon so speak. It has been so long since I have written anything.

So My first blog is... Hey I'm back. Technically this is still the first in America so I have made the first day of November's blogathon. I am alive and well in Kyiv Ukraine. I serve as one of three pastors to a small congregation here in the city. I am learning to put to practice that which I teach. It is challenging, but I continue to stick with it.
Life in Ukraine is interesting, just because I am an American (if born Canadian) living in a former soviet country. But I am glad to be here and to serve.

Today's thought - Flu panic. Everyone here seems to be in a panic about the flu. Schools are closed. The open air markets have been close (or so I have heard) and all public places like theaters and such have been asked to close (to include churches). I don't think I have seen so many people scared by a disease. Usually people react this way to cancer or the news of it. But people are wearing masks and there are few people outside. Who knows, this may work to prevent a pandemic, then again it could just delay the inevitable. I don't WANT to catch the flu, but if I do, I guess I will pray, ask for healing and rest. But I will not live in fear of it. Even if I caught it and died, then I would be with Jesus. That is all I have to say for 1 November

Vengeance is mine says the Lord

2009-09-27T20:59:00.008+03:00

Today I preached on a passage out of Romans 12, where the Apostle Paul encourages his audience to not take revenge and to trust God to deal with vengeance. My main point was that we don't really trust God on this (and other issues.) We take revenge in all kinds of ways. We refuse to forgive those who wrong us. We feel the need to punish them by reminding them of their failures. We withhold our love. We shame them. It doesn't matter if they are our spouses, our parents, our children, our peers or our bosses. We all to often find ways to take revenge. My own personal favorite is to remind people that they are wrong and I am right; an "I told you so" of sorts.
I got a lot of good feed back from those who where there.
But I failed to give some good "putting things into practice" steps for those who came to listen. So I thought I would make a short list of things that might need addressing in our lives

1. Make a list of those people that you feel the need to correct and point out their sin (short comings).
2. Pray and ask God for forgiveness if you have been motivated by anything other than love (1 Cor. 13 applies).
3. Forgive them for being imperfect;-).
4. Make apologies and reparation where necessary
5. Make a plan to work at blessing others rather than punishing or cursing them

Blog a thon day 14 - keeping an eye out

2008-11-14T18:56:00.003+02:00

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

2008-11-13T13:38:00.001+02:00

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

2008-11-11T22:15:00.001+02:00

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

2008-11-07T09:35:00.001+02:00

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

2008-11-06T15:18:00.005+02:00

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

2008-11-05T09:04:00.002+02:00

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

2008-11-05T08:27:00.001+02:00

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

2008-11-03T15:42:00.001+02:00

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

God Sightings Part I

2008-08-22T17:36:00.003+03:00

God sightings Part I
Category: Life

These past weeks were an interesting time for AnnMarie and me. It seems that everywhere we turned God's blessing has showed up. We knew that we needed to get new passports and visas. This meant a substantial outlay of cash as well as time out of the country. I had been counting on George Bush's, "Stimulus Check" to get us over the hump. If our support would just stay on track we would be fine, I thought. Well the check never arrived from the Government; turns out I didn't earn enough tax credits for that. And our regular support was really short (almost $500 short). But God had a plan.

He put us on somebody's heart and someone gifted us enough to make up for the
shortage and help considerably with the costs of the passports and visas. The person remains anonymous. I don't know who they are and no one is saying… so whoever you are, I thank you for being obedient to God's prompting. We wouldn't have made it through this passage without going deeper in debt. But the blessings didn't stop there.

Monday morning AnnMarie and I headed out on our adventure to Warsaw and back. It would take us roughly 60 hours to get there and back as well as take care of business.

Our first stop was at the central train station in Kyiv (Valkzál). There we found a minivan (marshrouteka) to our first stop. We had been waiting to get all our ducks in a row before we took off. We had got new passports ($150) and letters of invitation. We really didn't feel like we could make any reservations before we had those two items in hand.

Now at our next stop, Lutsk', where our friends Hillary and Michele live and do ministry. We figured if we have any problems we could get their help. We didn't known the schedule of the buses and not sure we would make the connection. Little did we know that Michele was n Kyiv when we were heading towards Lutsk'. But as it turned out things went pretty smooth there. We weren't in Lutsk' 15 minutes and I had purchased tickets to Warsaw. We called Hilary who was at home with the kids, chatted a bit and said maybe next time. Now you have to understand how far I am out of my comfort zone at this point. I don't like going somewhere I have never been before without reservations and a hotel or something we could stay at. I also have never purchased tickets without the help of a translator. We had no reservation and we didn't even know if we could get a
bus for sure. Emily had checked on line and there were a number of hostels with beds available. But still a new town, never been there and not sure of where we were going (had a map but until you are there a map doesn't do me much good). I was a bit edgy the night before and the morning of our departure, but I realized with my wife's help that I was really walking in unbelief and needed to repent. God was there for us we just needed to trust Him and keep moving forward.

Our bus to Warsaw was not all that great, but it worked. It was a 40 passenger bus with lots of glass. But the border is where things got interesting. We arrived at about 8:30 pm (much later than I had expected) and the lines were long, but I guess public transportation gets head of the line privileges. The problem started with our passports.

We gave them our new ones and had our old ones on the ready, but they didn't take them. But then they came looking for us because there was no proof of our entering Ukraine in our new passports. Then when we gave them our old ones they got upset and I was having trouble understanding what was wrong. They seemed upset that we were coming across the border when we were. The problem turned out to be a bit of Russian induced dyslexia on my part. I had looked at our registration stamp in our passport and thought it read 2 Sep (which made sense cause that is when our passports expired) because I saw the Cyrillic letters "cep" which in my mind was sep. But the letter "p" in Cyrillic is really an "r". It wasn't 02 September when our registration ended it as the second of August! The abbreviation was for the Ukrainian word for August. OOPs. There wasn't much we could do about it. I explained that I had thought it said 2 September (and oh yes the Russian word for most of the 12 months sound quite similar to their English equivalents while the Ukrainian words have no correlation to the English words for the 12 months). They wanted to know what we were doing in Ukraine. I explained that we were volunteers and worked for no pay; That I was a teacher and my wife was a secretary. They had us step outside while they called their supervisor.

Now legally what should have happened was we should have been detained at the border and brought before a judge to explain why we had failed to register and then been fined some $90 - $120 each for failing to do so. But the guy decided for whatever reason to let us go. He stamped our new passports with an exit stamp and said just show that from now on. I had been praying for diplomatic immunity and it seems that God granted us just that. Then it was on to the Polish customs agents.

It went smoothly. The only comment they had for us was the question, "Why would you want to work in Ukraine as volunteers?" Apparently, the Poles may have some issue with Ukrainians. The rest of our bus trip was smooth. Now we were not sure where the bus stopped, but Hilary had described this empty lot with a bazaar surrounding it. We arrived there, but not everyone got out, so we decided to stay aboard. The next major stop was at something that had huge letters saying "Centralny" something. I remembered from reading directions to one of the hostels not far from the Ukrainian Embassy that this was a point of reference. So I asked about it and the driver indicated this was where we should get out. It turned out to be the central train station. It was 4:30 in the morning, local. So we just hung out at the train station and tried to get our bearings. Finally we left by foot and headed towards the hostel and the embassy. It took an hour but we found it and learned that the embassy would be opened at 8:00.

We were happy to know that because for all we knew it might have been a holiday. and it turns out that they are closed on Wednesdays! We walked by and stopped at a 24 hour grocery store to buy us something to eat (yougurt & buttermilk. Fresh bread hadn't arrived yet). Then headed to the hostel.

The girl finishing up the night shift was very understanding and accommodating. She let us rest in the lobby and use the bathroom to clean up a bit. She even sold us the last 2 passes for public transportation that were good for all day. We were back at the Embassy in time for its opening even if there was a bit of a line.

Within 20 minutes we had our forms in hand and were busy filling them out. At first we thought we were in trouble because the girl behind the glass said we didn't bring all the right paper work, Yikes! But it turned out she missed seeing the critical piece of paper in the stack we gave her. She really didn't seem too happy to see us and was not happy about how we filled out the forms. When it came time to pay for our new visas she handed us a deposit slip with an address written on it. She told us it was downtown and sent us off without map or directions. My wife said "Hey, lets move to the left away from this line of people." and no sooner than we did that a taxi pulled up to dropped someone off. We got the driver's attention showed him the address and he was able to get us there no prob. TBC…

What I have learned living in Ukriane

2008-06-13T17:59:00.006+03:00

13 June 2008

Okay… its been a while since I have written, so many things running around my head. One thing that I have been considering is what have I learned from living in Ukraine. I have grown up in America where we take so many things for granted… I have learned to be more observant and thankful in Ukraine for example.

I have learned to watch my step. Flat even sidewalks are not a given. In many places trees are pushing up the cements blocks. Stairs are not of uniform height everywhere you go. Its quite common to be going down stairs and suddenly be taking a much longer step than you were expecting. Where American safety laws require standard stair heights and runs, there seems to be little ryhme or reason in how steps are designed here in Ukraine.

I have learned to look both ways before crossing the street (even a one way street!). Ukrainian traffic laws seem to be optional. Not all cross walks work and some work only at certain times. Red lights are merely suggestions and some drivers will even honk at pedestrians using crosswalks who are slowing their drive home or to work. I have learned that just because it's a one way street doesn't mean that some one won't go the wrong way or back up long distances to avoid a little extra driving. At traffic circles its quite common (or at least is so on my street) for drivers to take a short cut along the crosswalk to avoid having to go all the way around the circle. Parking on sidewalks is permitted by law, which means cars regularly drive on sidewalks. It's not uncommon to suddenly realize that there is a car behind you waiting for you to get out of the way as you are walking along the sidewalk.

I have learned to appreciate my college education regardless of what it cost me. In Ukraine some university teachers don't care much to teach, and many students apparently do not care to study (this includes international students). Many students and professors are content to call it a business deal. "You pay me, I give you a grade!" I really made sure I got my monies worth when I was in college. I know young people who are attending classes where their professors know nothing about the topics they are teaching and for students wanting to learn, they may have to find their own text books and do their own work on the side so as to learn what they need to learn. Now not all Ukrainian universities are like this, but it seems to be an all too common experience among young people I have talked to.
I have learned to live with a smaller personal space bubble. Public transportation merged with western financial thinking means more people per square meter means greater earnings. I don't much care of being crammed in tightly with many of my Ukrainian neighbors, but it is a way of life. I am just glad I am tall so that I can still get a bit of fresh air and I can usually reach a hand hold. I have also learned to plan just a few things in a day, as public transportation may take a bit longer as I cannot always get a direct route to where I want to go. But I must admit that the metro (subway) is the fastest way to go when your destination is anywhere near a metro stop.

I have learned to appreciate people who pick up after themselves. Ukraine when it comes to trash is like America before the big push for getting people to stop littering. If it were not for armies of people sweeping up and picking up after others, this city (Kyiv or Kiev for you Americans), would be a total mess. There are bottle caps, broken glass, plastic bottles and bags everywhere. Luckily the people who are paid to sweep and clean are pretty efficient. And by 9:00 A.M. much of the trash is swept up, but by evening, things are a mess again. It would be nice to see a "Don't be a litterbug!" campaign here. Not everyone is a mess pot, but there are enough of them to make the countryside a mess.
I have learned to appreciate American women's modesty. Apparently Ukrainian women think that dressing like the cover of Vogue is normal; though sometimes their idea of style is obnoxious as well overly revealing. Some times its hard for a Christian man to find a safe place to rest his eyes.

I have learned to appreciate regular running water. In Ukraine it is quite common to have your water, hot water or electricity shut off. Big cities like Kyiv its not as common, but not all cities have hot water and some have electricity on a schedule. This week and last our hot water is off, while the hot water plant gets it annual servicing. But the water has been shut off totally at least once during these past two weeks for reasons unknown.

I have learned to respect my neighbors and appreciate their help. I am blessed in that our neighbors look out for us. On more than one occasion they have shooed away some charlatan or potential thief. Some of our neighbors are very quick to question strangers in our stairwell to make sure they are legitimate guest or business people. Our neighbors know how to be good neighbors and I am learn from them.

I have learned what hospitality can look like. Ukrainians take grate pride in being generous with their guests. The crazy thing about it is the poorer the person, the greater the sacrifices and work they are willing to put into it. It is wild to think how those who have so little will sacrifice so much for a stranger. I am humbled by such people even if its just a culturally driven ritual, they still share greatly with we who already have so much.

I have learned to see the world from a non-American perspective. Growing up in America I use to think we were the center of everything good and true. But I have met people from Ukraine, Iran, Lebanon, Cuba, Russia, Kazakhstan, Germany, Brazil, Peru, Uzbekistan, India and more. And I have come to the conclusion that America doesn't own the market when it comes to wonderful people, or redeeming cultures. No culture has it all right or all wrong. But I am looking for and finding people who reflect the values of God's heavenly Kingdom. Borders may matter to politicians, statesmen and patriots, but to God the only thing that matters is the state of a person's heart and the words and actions revealing said state. My brothers and sisters are not those who confess their allegiance to the flag, but those call Jesus their Lord, and live like His children. I may have been born in Canada, carry an American Passport, I may be registered to live in Ukraine, but my citizenship lies with Him who is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

I pledge my allegiance to The Lamb.

In Him,
Alan

Spirital Maturity

2008-01-27T06:22:00.001+02:00

I have come to a simple understanding of spiritual maturity. It is when we move from the mindset that makes excuses for why we cannot do what we know is the right thing to do -- to where we where we defend our decision to do the right thing.

Maybe more simply said...

Before I could only think of the reasons I could not do what God wanted me to

Afterward I can only think of the reasons I must do what God wants me to do

Body Life

2008-01-25T20:34:00.000+02:00

I have been reading and discussing what is really important with regard to church services. There are all these discussions about what is the best form for church and then all these discussion saying the church is irrelevant that the only thing that is important is our relationship with God.
Sometimes I get the feeling like some people think that fellowship with God is all we need. Yet even with the first man before the fall... God said it is not good that man should be alone. We need each other nearly as much as we need God. Some how people think a church service meets the need. It really doesn't in fact as of late... I have been talking to people at the church I attend about this very thing. Their relationships with each other in the front facing, one or a few guys doing all the talking kind of service really limits the possibilities of building relationships with other parts of the body. The bigger the service the harder it is to get to know someone. Even a home group/church offers only so much opportunity to build the intimacy that is necessary to make a "body". When I say body, I mean a group of believers functioning together to carry out God’s purposes by using the giftings He has given each of them to support and encourage each other so that they might carry out what ever it is that God is calling them to do.
Now I also attend meetings of a different kind (there are three of us) offer that intimacy as far as men can have, but we also need to see that we are part of something bigger. We cannot discount any kinds of these meetings because each has its own function. I thought a Promise Keepers event was awesome. I've never been to anything like my first one... but it lacks intimacy. But it gets you a bit charged up seeing the size and the potential of the Body of Christ. The author of Hebrews also says that it is not a good thing to keep from meeting. There is a necessity in our meeting in various sized groups to accomplish some of the body functions that God has put in each of us for the sake of the others. But there is not one answer. All of it is pointless though without the relationship with the Father, through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. And yes we need not necessarily have a group meeting to experience God's presence. But some times that is exactly how He does it. God is mysterious. Why is it that some people have the God experience in their closet and others or at other times it is experienced in the communion of saints? God only knows... I think this comes back to a friend’s discussion about our personal history and experience. Too often we think ours is the only experience that counts. If it failed for us it will fail for you. Or if it worked for me it should work for you (or there may be something wrong with you); which doesn't lead me any closer to an answer than "God ways are mysterious." We want a formula so that we can be successful. God wants worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth, whatever the venue.
Lets us worship together the Lord of creation striving together to build up each part so that it can do its part in God’s manifold plan for his church and this world.
Amen, P.A.

The New Years Bomb

2008-01-08T21:28:00.000+02:00

24 Dec 2007
The New Year’s Bomb Category: Life

Well the landlord stopped over the other day to collect the next three months rent. He decided it was time to raise the rent. He said that starting January first our rent would be $700 instead of the customary $400. No notice... just I'm raising the rent NOW! He wasn't unkind about it, but it was so rude. No notice. No chance to ask supporters for more money... Just "oh ya I need to raise the rent" Okay I'm over stating it. Mostly he realized that what people are paying around us is much closer to $700 than our measily $400. So as a shrewd business man its a good move for him. Only problem... we don't have it. We might average $700 a month in support, so this kind of puts the bind on us. He's given us the option of coming up with the money or moving our by March.

So now its God's problem. Either we get the support or we move. I doubt we can find a place in Kyiv for less that $600 so that likely means moving out of the area. But whatever actions we choose, I trust that God will help us and help us decide the right thing to do.
Please pray with us as we consider what the right and God-led decision would be. We each have our ideas, but I really want to be on track with what God has in mind with us.
May your new Year be better and brighter as you follow the lead of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Him,
P.A.

Life As a Missionary

2008-01-08T21:24:00.000+02:00

17 Dec 2007
Life as a missionary Category: Life

So I was having a discussion with Em to day, and it stirred up a number of thoughts in me. We were discussing people buying clothes and suddenly I was reminded about how few clothes I had growing up. My brother and I had one nice set for Sunday or other special events and a couple more shirts and pants. Not a lot of stuff. We didn't have many toys either. They could pretty much all fit on the top shelf of our closet. What we got was pretty much limited to birthdays and Christmas. We didn't go shopping to buy stuff, just because we wanted to kill some time.

My first bike wasn't a new one, it was a used bike that was stolen within a year of it being purchased... though that was my fault for leaving hit out somewhere instead of putting it away. But any way because of all the outsourcing of jobs and such things are cheaper compared than they were when I was a kid. People have so much more "disposable" income. They often have lots more stuff, unless their trying to live beyond their means by buying a house to expensive for their income.

But all that to say, we have come to expect to have lots of stuff. I think we just buy it because we can. We have credit cards and more disposable income than we ever have, so we just keep buying cool stuff because we can. We never even ask, or seldom ask, if we should buy all this stuff. Americans have so much stuff they have to buy storage sheds to keep it in, because there houses are overflowing with it!

I see it in American missionaries too. I can't speak for British or German, and this doesn't apply to all missionaries, but it seems many feel the need to live like they did in the states or better. You have probably seen me rant and rave about this before. The thing is they seem like nice enough people. They are personable, they share their homes for parties and stuff, they have lots of people over... but I cannot but think about how this affects the Ukrainians who come to visit. Ukrainians, as a whole, don't have as much disposable income. It isn't uncommon to see some of them wear the same outfit day after day. Many don't make more than $500 a month. So anyway, what are they thinking when they see American missionaries. I am afraid our money, our nice homes and toys speak louder than our Christian witness. Maybe to us they don't mean much, but to those with so little, our wealth speaks volumes. It says things I am sure we have no intent to say. Like trust in wealth. American is the answer to your problems. It must be great to be a missionary so that you can be rich.

I'm not sure I am much better. I think I live as I do because this is all my support will buy. If I had $1500, or $2000 or like some missionaries $4000 a month, I am sure I might have a few more toys. I think that would be the case, because that was my objective as an American – to have cool stuff. I like big screen TV's and computers and Palm pilots. I like DVD movies and video games. I really think God has purposely taken me to a place, financially, where I cannot have a lot of stuff. I am dependent upon him. At first I was kind of angry at all those people who don't support me who should (at least in my mind). Don't they know I am working for God and they should make the sacrifice to support me? Ouch! That isn't a great testimony or as we say in Ukraine, "that's not pretty." I have to ask myself if the bone I have to pick with "rich" missionaries isn't motivated by envy. Am I envious of all the cool stuff they have and the big homes they live in, all on their supporter's dime? You bet I am. I'm not proud of that. In fact I am working to repent of that attitude. I am really trying to be right with God.

I guess I could have worked the system; spent a year or two drumming up support. Making sure I had a clear mission statement as to why I was coming over here and all. I could write glowing reports about all the ministry we do and make sure I have lots of photo's to show on my website and such… but God did something different in me. It was like he wouldn't let me do that. He put such a compulsion in me to go, I just couldn't wait to make sure I had all the support I needed. The only promise I had was from God. He said if I go, he would make sure I had all the support I needed. Now I think there may be some difference between what I thought God was going to provide and what He knew I actually needed.

There are those who promised to support us but never provided a dime. There are those who supported us just for a short time, and there are those who have been faithful from the beginning and have even increased their support of us. It is a humbling thing to look to others for your support. If I had all my bills paid, and if I decided to do without life insurance and such, I could likely have an additional $800 or so to put to work. But the bills are still there and I guess I will just keep paying the insurance for now. I could also get some more money by dropping those missionaries we support. Isn't that crazy? I am a missionary supporting missionaries. It doesn't come out of the support we get from our people; it comes out of the remnant of my military stipend, but I cannot bring myself to do it.
Lately we have heard about people flying back to the US for Christmas, or going skiing in Austria. Someone is driving to the Netherlands and we know someone driving to Budapest. We on the other hand saw a down turn in our support and will not be going anywhere. We will be staying in Kyiv for Christmas and won't be going anywhere unless we absolutely have to. And I am okay with that. I'm really not a skiing in the Alps kind of guy, and neither is my wife. I would love to visit a few places like, Rome, Athens, Israel and such, but until God sees fit to change our circumstances we will just make the best of what we can do.

My land lord is here this week. So I am trying to get the money together for the next three months. He collects rent three months at a time them goes back to live in Crimea. I am praying he doesn't jack the rent up 'cause there is no way we can afford an increase right now. But I'm not mad at anyone. I am just learning to walk by faith. I will continue to write news letters and such and stay in touch with our supporters, and believe that God will provide for all our needs. We have yet to go hungry, not that we all couldn't stand to miss a meal or two. I may not be able to have all the cool stuff I want but I don't need it and knowing me, it would just get in the way of doing ministry. The more stuff you have the more you have to worry about losing. What I do have is God's, so if he sees fit to take it away, that's his business.

So in the mean time I am going to love my family, keep working on my writing projects, keep meeting with the guys, keep visiting our Ukrainian friends in Chernighiv, keep being a good host to all the people Emily invites and keep trusting God. I'm going to keep praying for my wife who works really long hours. I am going to keep praying for my family and my extended family. I'm going to look for opportunities to let God's light shine and I am going to walk the path God has set before me no matter how rocky it gets. I'm going to preach God's word every opportunity I am given and I am going to give thanks for everything I have.

I don't know why God blesses others more than some. I don't necessarily think America is more deserving of blessing than any other place in the world. I don't think American Christians are more deserving of stuff than Sudanese or Chinese Christians are. We will all have to answer for our lives. If God has blessed us abundantly then I am sure that his expectation will be that we are to bless others just as feely and abundantly.

So I pray that you are experiencing the good life with God. Not a life defined by possessions or by some other worldly standard. I pray that you too are being drawn into the bosom of God, learning how to depend on him day-to-day for your very breath and life. That is what my life in Kyiv is teaching me. It is teaching me that God is faithful It is teaching me that no matter what happens to me in the physical, that my eternal salvation is made sure because God loves me, Jesus has paid the penalty for my sin and I continue to live for him. I have learned that my expectations are inconsequential next to the will of God. I have learned that his plan for my life is better than anything I could have pursued. Not because I have more stuff, but because my life has more purpose. Maybe that is what Alan needed… less stuff to make room for more of God's purpose. I am grateful like I have never been grateful before. Even if I wake up and don't know exactly what I am going to do, I know that God will provide something or someone to make the difference.

Today it was sitting down to write this blog, which made all the difference. Tomorrow it may be in meeting with my friends who I serve with. The day after it may be a phone call I make to an old friend. There seems to be something most every day when I feel used of God and right in the middle of his will. Often it's little things. You see it in a person's eyes when you share some insight that God has taught you. Some times it's just the squeeze of a hand from someone grateful. Sometimes it's the look you get when you provide someone with something they needed. Sometimes it is just that sense of accomplishment you get from knowing you did what God wanted.

Blessings to all of you…

In Christ,
P.A.

Looking past the end of my nose

2008-01-08T20:20:00.001+02:00

I'm in a strange place. God is working in my heart, but I don't exactly know what the results will be. The other evening when my wife and I were on our way back from Chernighiv, we were going through an underground tunnel that leads to the metro. There were three people there being confronted by the police. Basically they were homeless people. One man showed evidence of having had parts of his feet cut off, I don't know if it was because of diabetes or frostbite. There was a young woman in her late 30's and another man, whose age I wasn't sure of, but he had scars all over his face. The weather has been frightfully cold. Getting close to 0 F at night and hanging in the teens during the day and I assumed they where in the tunnel to warm up a bit, if not to avoid freezing to death.

I have been hearing stories of people being found frozen to death in the city. One of our friends had reported seeing a man who was frozen solid to the sidewalk. He may have fallen there drunk and froze to death who knows. It's not too uncommon to find drunks passed out on the side walk now and then. But that really isn't my point. More I am concern is how would or will God's people (to include me) react to this. Will we sigh and say "The poor are always with us" and take that to mean there is nothing we can do. Will we look at the situation and sigh and go "There's nothing we should do, these people don't want help other wise they wouldn't be like this." It troubles my heart that we can so quickly dismissed those in dire need because we are unwilling to pay the cost to help them. Quite frankly it IS expensive both emotionally and in terms of how we may have to sacrifice in our life styles but is the price really a reason that we can ignore the commandments of our Lord. He paid a price for us that none of us could ever repay.

I know there are those who play on human pity to make a living for themselves. There are women who drug their children with vodka so they will sleep in there arms and then beg for food. We have seen at least one old woman who wears a sling, which changes arms day to day. But just because there are some who seek to take advantage of our good nature, need we ignore all who are or appear to be in need?

My heart was moved to pity by these three people in need, but I took no action. I know giving money is problematic as they may spend it on drugs and alcohol. But then what is stopping me from buying them a loaf of bread or a drink of water or a blanket? Unfortunately it was Eastern Christmas eve and most shops where already closed.

What disturbs me further is that I know if one of these people showed up on the door steps of our church that they would likely be turned away by the "security" people who are there to protect the building from thieves and other miscreants that we don't want darkening our door steps. Do we, if we truly are God's people, understand that God loves these people too? Do we truly understand that justice and mercy are the weightier parts of the law? Do we understand that when we help one of those that we are ministering to Christ? Do we truly understand that how we treat people like those I mentioned above is a test of our faith to see if we are truly followers of the Living God?

Recently I have been flustered by my landlord's increase in our rent. Yet even in moving I will have a place to live. Even if the three of us had to move into a one room apartment we would have a place to live, we would be off the streets and have a warm bed to sleep in, even if it were a fold- out couch. We would good food to eat and clean water to drink. Even if our apartment was a bit cool we wouldn't be freezing to death. Yet our Lord says that these concerns really aren't the stuff of true life. Our true life lies in Christ; in seeking His Kingdom and righteousness. If we can grasp this fully, the worries and concerns of this life will seem less vital to us and we will more likely to be willing to share the bounty that God has given us with those less fortunate than ourselves.

Pray with me that I would experience the fullness of God's freedom that I might be generous even when it seems that I have little to give. God has blessed us abundantly with family, friends, shelter and provision. We have so much and there are those with so little. Pray that we would not forget them and would look for ways to bless and share.

Amen,
P.A.

Tit for Tat

2007-12-11T21:03:00.000+02:00

Today, I found my mind wandering down a path. And I realized I had an ingrained thought pattern that said it was okay to get even with someone. The more I looked at it the more I found its ugly signature all throughout my thinking. If someone irritates me… its okay to flick them. If someone does something to me then I have the right to do that same back to them even it its wrong.

The Bible says “Vengeance is mine!” says the Lord. To often I want to extract my vengeance albeit a small revenge, but its all the same. How often to we do this. If someone calls us a bad name we feel obliged to do the same. If someone points out our sin, we have to make sure that they know about their sin too. Its not pretty and I find it at work in all around me. I find it at work in me! I must confess it is sin. I have this kind of self-righteous, thinking I am deserving of fair treatment kind of righteousness. I know this attitude is not of God, yet too often I hear it all around me in the body of Christ.

I’ll really try not to beat up on too many of you, as Jesus calls me to get the log out of my own eye first, before worrying about the speck in my neighbors eye. But I have noticed that I have this log in my eye so as I pull my log out will help you maybe see your own.

I know it is a worldly attitude that we get growing up. We all learn about retaliation in its various forms. Some people are bullish about it. They force their ways, they hit, they, shove, they name call, they insult, they shame others, all so they can feel like they got theirs in. Others of us are less obvious but just a ugly. We are passive-aggressive. We never do anything overt, but we still find a way to ignore someone’s request or find some excuse not to help. These kinds of little revenges are pitiful, but still just as sinful in nature. The Bible encourages us to love others, consider others’ needs above our own. We are called to love our enemies and forgive those who transgress against us. Yet as I look in the mirror, I am struck by this part of me that is not of God. This part that says I have the right to payback wrong for wrong. It says, if someone sins against you… return them the favor. Now I know it is wrong to act that way. I know this is not the mind of Christ, but yet there is this part of me that says, well that’s how it is. Its okay to smack someone who smacks you. It is okay to take someone to court who wrongs you, but that is the world speaking. It is not Christ speaking. I want to follow in the foot steps of my Master, but it is hard sometimes; hard because I don’t want to repent of my sinful attitudes, I don’t want to trust in His ways, I want to trust in the ways I have learned to live. I think somehow I am deserving of a self-empowered justice. Its only fair isn’t it?God isn’t fair as we understand fair. He is just. He does what is right, He repays wrongs, but He also forgives the sinner. Just because we think we are deserving of something doesn’t mean it fits into God’s idea of justice.

“Its not fair Mother!” the teenager cries, “All the other girls got the new Ipod Nano. Mine only has 10 gigs, theirs have 40!” But is it fair that other children cannot even afford food and basic needs. Our sense of fairness is so self-centered. How often do we really think about justice in the sense that God does. He cares about the widows and the orphans, do we. He cares about the homeless and prostitute do we? Do our lives reflect His sense of justice or is it just about us getting either what we want or what we think we deserve or need?

Okay where was I? Okay so I recognize that in me is this need to get my way, to even get even with others over minor things. It really bothers me when I see people driving recklessly; especially in residential districts. I would like nothing better than the citizens of my neighbor hood to take up all the chestnuts that fall every autumn and carry some with them so that when ever they say a car driving recklessly (too fast or blowing through an intersection or crosswalk) they could take those chestnuts and throw them at those drivers. It would make a part of me so happy, but I know its not the Jesus way. We are shown repeatedly in the New Testament that the only way to overcome evil is with good. Even in proverbs it says “A kind word turns away wrath.” Revenge, even in the smallest things is not really Christian. Its worldly and we are called to not walk as the world walks. And as we know little things lead to bigger things.

I’m a pastor and I have seen lots of ugly behavior on the part of Christians and they talk that like they are in the right and are justified. It makes me sad. I have seen spouses commit adultery because they were convinced their own spouse was already committing it. I have seen Christians take Christians to court. This is a huge no no. I have seen men and women trade insults back and forth in this kind of tit for tat kind of pattern. Its not pretty people, but it has been engrained in us by this world system. I ask you to join with me now and repent of this sinful thought pattern that says its okay to trade wrong for wrong. Its OF THE DEVIL! We are not called to live that way. We are called to forgive quickly, to not keep track of wrongs and to love others in a way that the world can’t comprehend. I can go on an on about this forever but lets just end it here. We don’t need this kind of attitude. Its not a Kingdom of God kind of attitude. Its an ugly, self-centered, me-first, worldly kind of thinking that only leads to death. Lets repent of it not only in the big things… but even in the littlest, seemingly innocent need to get even with our friends, neighbors and enemies.

Be blessed this day I prayIn Him,P.A.

What do We Do

2007-12-09T13:05:00.000+02:00

Its strange how things can touch your mind and heart. I was watching an episode of Numb3rs this morning and something touched me. It was about gang killings. The numbers, if accurate, were staggering. In the L.A. area alone there were some 8000 shootings and 2000 resulting deaths in a period of 4 years. I know it was just a show, but it hit on a really tough thing. I don’t know how accurate the numbers where but it was staggering to think of how many Americans were killing other Americans, for who knows what reason. My first reaction was a racial one, then a social one. I felt so separated and distant from those people and what they are living in. But after a while my heart began to grieve for them. I was thinking about young people filled with anger and hopelessness, killing people around them to preserve their respect or some other intangible thing. Maybe it has to do with territory, maybe its about power and drugs, but it struck me how these people were busy killing each other and often killing innocent people not involved in this madness. What struck me was that they are fighting against the wrong things. They have made their neighbors their enemies. They have set greed and pride as their gods. And what they are reaping is the harvest of their own investment.

Now I can sit back and go, “Oh the pity, why don’t they know better?” or “Why do they live that way?” I’m sure there is some choice involved, but some of it is that they must feel trapped in the choices that those before them have made and the choices their parents have made and the choices they have made. Now we can sit in our white urban middle class homes and cluck our tongues going tisk-tisk, but are we any better as we chase after the dream of wealth and comfort. We may not murder our neighbors, but we sure seem to ignore them and pursue our own goals. Is not our ignoring the needs of our neighbors as condemning as those who are killing them?

I cannot speak with any authority to Americans in general, but I can speak to Christians with the authority of the Word of God and the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn’t save us to live safe secure lives. He saved us to be instruments of His will in the world. How many Christians are really concerned for and therefore loving their neighbors? This is an important part of the great commandment. Jesus further redefined the term neighbor in the parable of the Good Samaritan. A good neighbor isn’t just one who looks after others like them, but a good neighbor is someone who takes care of those who might even hate him.

In the story of the good Samaritan, we sometimes forget the background. Jews and Samaritans where very divided about the place of worship. Jews hated Samaritans so much that the would walk miles out of their way to avoid going into Samaria. Sounds a lot like rich Americans and the inner-city urbane areas some people call ghettos. Well it is the despised Samaritan who helps a Jew in need. In this story Jesus shows that true love of neighbors knows no cultural, ethnic or territorial bounds.

I know I have a long way to go on this one. I have few friends of color. I currently live in a country that is very very predominately white, yet I encounter cultural differences that I too must learn to cross that I might show the love of my Lord and Savior Jesus.

Back the main point. Jesus wants us to love people regardless of how they view us and treat us. We WILL be persecuted for obeying Jesus. We WILL be ridiculed for following Jesus, but that’s okay. We’re in good company with all the saints that when before us. What isn't okay is living a life of ease and refusing to follow Jesus’ example by loving people that most religious people refuse to love. It’s a high standard, but Jesus doesn’t ask us to do anything He didn’t already show could be done and He gave us his Holy Spirit to empower us to do it. We are not in this alone. He hasn’t left us out to dry. He has in fact given us the dynamite to change the world around us. Its time we put it to work for His Name’s sake.

As Christians we aren’t called to be grumblers and complainers, but instead triumphant world changers. Not by purposely changing it, or by seeking to be world changers but by being obedient to God’s will, loving and offering salvation to all who will hear. And then teaching them then how to live as people of the Living God; teaching them how to love their neighbors and their enemies with courage, love and determination that flows out of a ongoing personal relationship with Our God and Savior.

Right now I am on the wrong side of the world to do much about this in America, but I pray that as I am praying for God’s will in this, that you too will pray and ask God, “What do you want me to do about this?”

How do we help the people of inner cities combat the real crimes? How do we help them to stop worshiping at the alters of personal power and personal glory? How do we change how we live to affect the lives of others for the better? Our lives cannot be about amassing wealth and creature comforts. Our lives cannot be about protecting ourselves from the “bad” people.

Our lives need to be defined in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Our lives need to exhibit the transformational work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot ignore the needs of our neighbors and call ourselves Christians. Jesus clearly stated in the end times judgment of the goats and the sheep that his people minister to the needs of the people around them, while those who just think they are His do not help their neighbors and therefore are not His people. If you have any problems with this I suggest you read the gospels a few more times and get back to me.

In His Love and by His Grace,

P.A.

Day 16 of the National Blog posting month - Mentorship

2007-11-16T20:09:00.000+02:00

Category: Life

Today I met with my friend who I have a accountability/mentorship relation with. It had been 3 weeks since we had last met. I was struck again how much it is needed; how much I needed it. I never had such a relationship growing up. I feel like I really missed something important. But I am grateful to have it now.

I think there was a day in America when fathers and sons, or older men and younger had these kinds of relationships... but then came the modern age where life became about the pursuit of wealth. Father's were conned into believing that their purpose in life was just to bring home the bread. And they abandoned the idea that their primary responsibility was to train up their children in the admonition of the Lord. "That was the churches job" and for those who have abandoned the church they leave their children's mores to be shaped by the culture we dwell in through television, movies, music and such. And they feel they have no choice because working hard for your money leaves you exhausted and then you have little time for your children. Some how we seek our value in our occupation and our ability to provide stuff for our children. And our children learn the lesson well and see their value in how much stuff they have, but one can never have enough stuff... because it never satisfies. So... Okay this has gone on long enough... I'll stop ranting now. It just gets me all spun up.

My value is found in the person of Jesus Christ. He is my all and all. I am glad to be man, a husband and even a father figure, but my value comes from my relationship with Him. Out of that bond, every other relationship can then be defined as either serving the purposes of the King do kings or not. Money doesn't make me great. Building great edifices doesn't establish my worth, but obeying God and reaching down to help one of the least does make me great. The greatest in the Kingdom of God is the servant of all. He who humbles himself in the sight of God will be exalted.

I am so glad to be in a relationship with another man which its primary goal is for us both to walk closer to God, to love with abandon and to obey God without question. We realize that it is a journey, but a journey that I will not willingly abandon. I want to be all that I can be in and for Christ Jesus. I want to lay my life down for anyone that God tells me to. I want to see all people the way He does... worth dying for instead of problems deserving of His wrath. I may not like every person I meet. I may not agree with everything that other people are doing, but I am called to love them, even those who would spit in my face.

I not quite there yet, but I know that this is the goal. I know this is what Christ has called me to in the example of His life. He has called me to love sinners and hate sin. He has called me to bless those who persecute me and provide for my enemies. What a challenge, but then God never asks us to do something unless He has already provided us with the resources to do it. We may not see it, but with obedience, we will reap a harvest.

Amen

P.A.

Day 15 National Blog posting month

2007-11-16T20:05:00.000+02:00

So here I have been trying to get my work done, but all I seemed to be able to do was sigh and go... "I don't wana" or something like that. This life in Christ is not all a bed of roses. There are battles with both defeats and victories. Sometimes the enemy lands a few blows, other times we give him a good whack back in the Name, power and authority of Jesus.

I am finding that I need to remember day by day, hour by hour, who I am in Christ. I spent a fair amount of my life living apart from Christ, now that I am living for him, my old habits try to assert themselves off and on. When I am living and knowing who I am... no matter what I face it seems doable. But when I am living in the ways of the flesh, suddenly it gets quite hard. Hmmm maybe there is a lessen here. I think that is what yesterday and today was all about. I was trying to persevere, but I was trying to do it in my own strength... much as I have lived most of my life. Today with a little encouragement for a little bird... a.k.a. Emily, I was reminded to look to Christ for my strength. I spent some time on my face in prayer. Spent another half hour or so in my prayer journal, declaring the truth of my life in Christ and wala... I'm doing better. I still have aches and pains. I still have the enemy after me.. but I am no longer weary of fighting him. I am no longer complaining about my situation. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I am so grateful for my brothers and sisters in the faith who stand by me and remind me of who I am in Christ. I may not like it at the moment, but I have learned to listen when someone like my wife says, "What are you confessing? Is it life or defeat? What are you hearing, is it the voice of the accuser, your own voice or the voice of the Good Shepherd? What are you believing?"

Jesus says his sheep will know his voice. I know the voice of my Lord and Savior. I know what He would say to me. So then... whose voice will I listen to. Sometimes we just repeat what we are use to hearing or saying. I heard it said that our brain is stupid, it only believes what you tell it, and you only feel what you think? So what are you listening to? What are you repeating to yourself? Are you repeating how defeated you are or are you repeating that you are a child of the King and that He has redeemed you for his purposes through Jesus Christ? We believe what we are told. If someone... especially someone in a parental role has told us we are junk, then we may find ourselves believing it. In my case that wasn't the case. I don't know why I ended up believing I was defeated and couldn't do much, but I did and it is that voice that all to often comes back to haunt me. Some days I choose, out of habit, to believe it. This morning I was in such a place. Now I am not. A sister in Christ, spoke the truth over me and now I am giving the devil a dose of God's truth... I am more than an overcomer. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I am the Lord's beloved. He has paid for ALL my sins. He will not allow anyone or anything to pluck me out of his hand. Nothing can separate me from His Love. Nothing I face or struggle with is anything different from what other people struggle with and God is faithful, He will help me when I struggle and help me find a solution so escape it.
So having said all this.. be encouraged... If God is for you who can stand against you. If neither angels or demons can separate you from the Love of God, do not fear. Even if your feelings or the voices in your head are telling you different, stand firm, declare the truth and overcome all that opposes you. You are a child of the King. You are victorious in Christ. Your future is assured in Him, so remain in Him. He is our Lord. He is our Savior. Submit to Him, declare your position in Him, and resist the devil and he MUST flee from you! Be encouraged again I say. This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice in it.
In Him,
P.A.

2007-11-13T21:39:00.001+02:00

God is good. I get to work for Him everyday. Yesterday I preached and today I led an impromptu bible study with two young ladies who very much love serving God. We prayed, we studied the first 7 verses of Acts 6 and then we prayed some more. Then we watched an episode of Numb3rs. We had down loaded it off of itunes. It was fun. I get to study, preach, teach and still have a chance for a bit of relaxation. I enjoy the life I have been given. I love my family. I love living in Ukraine. Go figure. I thought I would be happy living in a big house with lots of toys making a huge salary as a programmer, but God saw fit to put me in ministry then send me to Ukraine, and guess who's happy? ME. I don't know what all He has in store for me... but I want more of it. I am physically tired from my exertions preaching yesterday, but it feels good to know I was doing just want He wanted me to be doing. I can't control the out come or people's responses. But it is a blessing to serve the King of kings. It is an honor to lead and serve those who are called his children. I can't imagine any other way of life at this point. I am glad to live where I do. I am glad to be dependent upon His pleasure and his will. I am glad to teach others what He is teaching me.
Is life getting you down... then I suggest you consider turning yours over to the real life giver. To the one who made you and who knows what is best for you.
May you experience the joy of service and the blessing of God's favor. With Love...P.A.

OBTW I also post on Myspace under preacheral

Thoughts about Home makers... (Day 3 of 30 Bloggathon)

2007-11-03T10:20:00.001+02:00

Category: Life

Okay, where to start...
I spent 22 years in the Navy with my wife mostly staying at home. She had odd jobs, but it wasn't until the last few years of my Naval career that both of us where working regular. But in all that time I pretty much expected my wife to carry the torch when it came to taking care of the house hold chores and such. Oh I vacuumed here and there and did the odd dish and pan, but for the most part it was her job. Well now we live in Kyiv, Ukraine, my wife get's up every morning at 5:00, I make her breakfast, and lunch and send her off to work. I work out of the house. I do my writing on the household computer and run out for the odd mentorship meeting with some of the guys I am training. Now I am not doing all the work, cause we have Emily living with us, but I do a fare share of dish washing. And I must say my appreciation for those people (mostly women) who have stayed home to take care of the house has risen greatly. It is a never ending job that just seems to recreate itself every few hours. Its tedium and messy. Some times its quick, like after lunch, and sometimes its quite lengthy like after a big dinner. So to all you who keep the fires stoked and keep the kitchen clean... Good on ya.

Now this also led me to think about what it was like some 200 years ago, which isn't hard, because many of the villages around here currently aren't much better than turn of the century (19th-20th) were in the US. No running water, outside toilets, Brick stoves for heating and cooking.

So my point is this... could you imagine doing dishes without running water and without detergent. Can you imagine life without disposable sponges and paper towels. Could you imagine trying to clean dishes with a dish rag that hadn't been washed in a week or more. Could you imagine all the food particles and stuff that could accumulate around your kitchen if you didn't get down and scrub the wooden floors regularly. Could you imagine the smell that might be emanating from such a kitchen? Oi!

So that is my blog for the day... just something to think about it and how blessed you are to have all the modern western conveniences!

Have a blessed day
In Him,
Preacher Al

Day 2: Bloggathon

2007-11-02T10:15:00.000+02:00

Okay this is day 2 of the month of constant blogging. I don't want to be accused of being a slug... so here is my post!
Today has been a banner day. After a conversation with my wife, I had a revelation... on something I should have known already! Shoot Pastor Bob just preached on this a few weeks ago. But apparently it needed to be said again.

It is simply this... If God asks you or requires you as a Christian to do something... like love your wife, obey Him, give to the poor... HE has ALREADY placed the capacity in you.

So many times of recent I have found myself praying for what I should have already had. I guess its time to claim the truth of who I am in Christ and what He has done for me and get busy doing what He has given me to do!

I got like 5 hours sleep and I wide awake and ready to tackle whatever God or life hands me to day. I can say yes to God and no to sin. I can love those who are unlovable. I can forgive the unforgivable and I can do what seems impossible in my own flesh, because my Savior has already given everything I need for life and godliness. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. And if I hear anything different... I know that it isn't coming from my heavenly Father, but from the prince of lies!!!

God is good and so is this day... This is the day HE has made and I am rejoicing in it!!!!

Have a blessed day, and may you get the revelation of all that Christ has done for you too!

Alan
a.k.a. Preacher Al

Living with Christ Category: Life

2007-11-01T10:06:00.000+02:00

Last night we had a house guest and her life and faith in Christ spoke to me. Its one thing when I complain about Christian's and I do that more than I should. But it such an honor when I can look at one and say… "Wow they really have this living for Jesus thing down." Well really she really has living for Christ down. She'll know who I am talking about when she reads this, but I want her to receive her rewards in heaven. Now she's not perfect, WHO IS? But I see her living her life trusting God in ways that I would want to emulate. You see she lives in an apartment in Kyiv like we do, but the difference is she is letting a family of Ukrainians live with her… and as far as I know… free of charge. They clean and cook and take care of her too, but she isn't concerned about them "carrying their weight." She just loves them, trust God for her provision, and if they have family stop by and stay for a week, she is cool with it. I so admire her attitude. I so want God to work in my heart to have that kind of attitude. She isn't try to maximize her financial status. She isn't making sure she has enough for tomorrow. She knows who brings tomorrow and she thrust HIM more than most Christians I know.

You see I unfortunately many of the western Christian Missionaries I have met are more concerned about their personal comfort and security than they are in spreading the Gospel! OUCH I felt that too. Too many want to have a really comfortable base of operations from which they can "do the work of the ministry." But so often they seem caught up in making sure they have the latest and greatest technology. And when they leave do they give it to some one less fortunate and emulate the principles of Christ's Kingdom???? No they try to sell it and get as much as they can for it. Part of my angst with this is the realization of my own lack of faith. I think that I need the best and fastest computer to do my work. I thought I needed a PDA (a.k.a Palm computer). I think I need a roof over my head and lots of food on the table… but you know there are 100's of millions of Christians living without those things, and God loves them and he provides for them. HE is more interested in their eternal salvation and status than He is in minor comforts…

I know my God loves me. I know He provides for me, but too often I find I am complaining that I don't have enough cool stuff to do my work. Actually I have more than I need. I can write, I have pens and I can buy paper if needed. The computer can be helpful but it can also rob me of valuable time when it decides to act up.

So where am I going with this? I hope and pray that more of us Christians could catch the kind of attitude that I saw in this young woman who blessed our home the other evening. I feel so blessed to know her and I am blessed by the example of her faith and her trust in our Father in Heaven.

So the next time you find you saying, "I need 'such an such'", take a step back and consider what you really need… Jesus. You have his love and his salvation… everything else is gravy. Most of us could stand missing a meal or two and a night sleeping on the street might teach us how much we have and how blessed we are in material wealth. But if all that vanished tomorrow. If our world was suddenly turned upside down and we had no food, no job and no place to live, that wouldn't mean that God had stopped loving us or that our eternal salvation had been taken from us. All's it would mean would be that our lives would be temporarily uncomfortable and maybe hard. But compared to the all the Christians around the world that are facing death every day because of their Muslim neighbors who hate them, we would still be living a relatively sedate Christian life.

May you experience a true sense of God greatness and love this week. Praying that you too could be released from the bondage to materialism and the need for creature comforts…

In Christ,
Your brother and friend,
Alan

More thoughts on VT Shooting

2007-04-23T08:30:00.000+03:00

Okay…I am still thinking about the VT shootings and the young man who committed them. It wasn't like people where completely unprepared… they were just hoping it wasn't as bad as it looked. I think we all have moments like that. We want to hope for the best or maybe we just can't imagine the worst.

Quite frankly I cannot understand hate crimes… It just seems like such a waste of my time and energy to be hating other people. I dislike some of their choices, but to hate the person is like hating their Creator.

Anyway back to VT shooting and Cho Seung-Hui. Many people knew he had problems. He had been hospitalized. His teacher reported him because of the graphic and dark nature of his writing and yet it seems no one was able to stop this young man. His sister loved him. His parents are at a loss. What happened?

One source is stated at some point in his suicide letter he had gone on and on about rich students. This is reminiscent of a book I read by Dallas Willard "Divine Conspiracy", were he noted that even at Christian Colleges, the rich tended to treat the poorer students without respect. Now I don't want to take this too far, but what, if any, efforts were made by the Christian community on campus to reach this young man?

My wife told me she had read that the Campus Crusade for Christ, people had tried to befriend him, but to of no avail. So were all those students then just condemned to die because Cho Seung-Hui was somehow unreachable? I think not.

In the 13th chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul, tries to impress on his readers the importance of love. Not the "love your mama" love or "love your girlfriend" love, but the Love that proceeds from the very heart of God; agape love. In the midst of this Paul states that Love never fails. I believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and if it says, "Love never fails," then I am inclined to believe it. But if we fail at loving, it doesn't mean that God's love is failing. God's love is not based upon our pride or our feelings, but rather it is a decision to trust God and treat other people like they are made in His image and worthy of respect. We don't wait to give people respect. They don't have to earn it, as Christians we should just give it, regardless or how we are treated.

People tried to diagnose and maybe fix Cho Seung-Hui, but who really tried to love him outside of his family. And I am sorry, telling him about the four spiritual laws doesn't count. Telling him he needs Jesus may not really count either. Who said to him, "Wow, you really seem to be having a bad day, do you want to talk?" And then didn't just give up when he pushed them away or refused their help. I am not blaming the Christian campus community for what happened, but I am asking, did it do all it could do. Did it try to love Cho Seung-Hui, or did it just see him as an aberrant, disturbed, boy, who should be shunned?

Virginia Tech

2007-04-19T09:14:00.001+03:00

This is all the news… Many people must be speculating about this young man and how this could have been prevented… Maybe if we had better counseling services… maybe if we had tougher gun laws…. Maybe if we had tighter restrictions on college admission or better screening of foreigners coming into our country this wouldn’t have happened. But another thought comes to me altogether
What if a couple of God fearing, born again, Christians had befriended this young man. Too often I have seen Christians take the “Ooh, what horrible sinners and people they are… let’s stay away from them.” We are encouraged by the Apostle John to walk the way Jesus walked. And Jesus hung out with prostitutes, sinners and tax collectors; basically all the people that good religious people would avoid.
So think about it, what kind of effect could some godly love have had on this young man? From what little I have heard, he sounds tormented and tortured, emotionally and mentally. So who was it that came to bind up the broken hearted and to release the captive? Maybe some “real” Christians could have made the difference and turned him from a path of destruction.
This really makes we want to rant and rave about how we have turned Christianity into this exclusive club and we want to keep all the “unworthy” people, or people who make us uncomfortable out of the club. Christianity is not just for rich people, or white people. It is a religion born out of God’s love for all people. A love that was expressed in the person of Jesus Christ. A love that was displayed in the life of Jesus Christ. We can display that love when we embrace “difficult” people and love on them instead of demanding our rights to be treated fairly. This side of heaven there are no guaranties that anyone will treat us fairly. We are only admonished to treat all people with kindness and love; even our enemies. So Christians, take this as a wake up call. The few chances you take in loving people, the more chances that people like this young man how killed all those people at VT, will rise up again and again.
But I do warn you don’t approach such people by yourself. Make sure to take a buddy/prayer partner. Jesus sent his guys out two by two.
Amen…

What's wrong with Christ's Bride?

2007-04-16T15:13:00.000+03:00

So I was on this site this morning… An I-hate-church-site. I was wondering what it was about. I wondered if it had been started by a Christian to examine some of the problems of why people are leaving the church, or was it a I hate Church folks place to hang out and complain about anyone who believes in anything. It was the latter. I read some of their questions and remarks, and found they are a bitter bunch. They were asking some interesting questions though about faith and God. Things that would set most of us on fire.

But I was stuck by the hopelessness of their position. I was stuck by their conclusions about what they read in the bible. On one side I could see where they were coming from. But they fail to address the real question…..

Why is the world in such a mess or why are we humans in such a mess.

We know something is wrong with the world. We know something is wrong with us. We don't have to look far. We just know some things are wrong. Theft, murder, unfaithfulness, child-molestation, hate, war, drug abuse etc.

We of the religious community (an honor I am dubious about) claim to have the answers, but yet when the world around us looks at us, we are no better. We point our fingers at the world and say you are the problem. We say things like Jesus is that answer, yet do our actions really show.

Okay back to the main point here. How do we engage these people in discussion or address their concerns; do we even consider trying? Their remarks are inflammatory and often send us off the deep end. Yet if I have faith in God above through our Lord Jesus, should anything really shake me? Can I lead them back to God, or are they a lost cause. If I engage in discussions with them will I be led into the same pit that they have fallen into?

I am convinced that one of the major reason these people have turned their backs on God and his Church is Christians themselves. When Gandhi was asked what it would take for him to become a Christian he answered.. "For Christians to act like Christ!" I don't see a lot of Christ-likeness in many Christians.

But all this does is make me ask more questions… Why are Christians so bad at living like Christ? Do they have any real faith, or are they/we just selling fire insurance? Is it a life transforming experience or a dead philosophy? I think we tend say it's the first, then sell the latter; the ultimate bait and switch. We claim to believe, we say we have the Bible, but we explain all the greater truths away. We make God powerless, even though we claim He is all powerful, then we say the Bible is supreme truth and explain away anything we do not like. We point our fingers at other Christians and say they are wrong. We say they are heretics, deceived, liberals, legalists or fundamentalists. Basically anything that keeps us from being in dialog with them, or allowing them to question our position. I really surprised Christ, hasn't just thrown up his hands and said, "I quit, they can all go to hell." But He loves us and died for us, now he is stuck with us. Not the best picture I can paint. We are His bride and He is not done with us.

I heard a sermon that touched on it part of the problem. We don't live by faith in God. We live by faith in the strength of our arm, or faith in our riches or faith in our intellect. We refuse to move into a realm where we might not be in control. We don't even have the faith of a mustard seed. I haven't seen to many mountains moved as of late. That is why His church has become so impotent and why so many are turning their backs on it. We are reminded in God's word about a time when men will become God haters… I think we have entered that age. The website I visited may just be the tip of the iceberg.

Have you ever heard of the burning man festival they have in the US. Basically a bunch of neo-pagans having this huge pagan feast and festival. I don't really want to got into to it here, but I read a comment in Christianity today that really struck me. They sent a reporter to it to find out why people go and what they think about Christians. Well the reported noted that most of the people attending this thing has been hurt by church folk, and had turned their backs on God because of those wounds.

So if you're still with me… I have to ask, "What are we doing to make the church more like what Jesus wants it to be?" In the beginning, most people liked Jesus, except the super religious types. If Jesus was at work in our churches wouldn't we see people flocking to them/us? Wake up church… Its not about the Sunday service! Its not about the building! It about us living out the principles that Jesus and his disciples laid down in the Gospels and the Epistles of the New Testament in our daily lives. If we aren't loving each other and loving our neighbors, how will anyone see "Christ in us the Hope of Glory?" If we are living lives of faith in God, were are the miracles to follow, where is the proof?

So why don't you tell me, "What are we to do?"

More Ranting and Raving

2007-04-02T10:17:00.000+03:00

So what else makes me a heretic? Well besides believing that people can choose to give up their salvation, I also believe in a God who continues to work through people in miraculous ways. It bothers me to think that some people think that because we have the Bible, that there is no more need for the miraculous. Without a God who works miracles in and through people, Christianity is just a historical philosophy. I believe in a world that is beyond our understanding and a realm that is beyond our ability to measure. I am not a Humanist. I am not a deist, I am someone who believes that apart from God, humans can do little good. If fact if left to themselves and their own devices they can be down right evil. Why??? I think humans can be so evil, because they begin to believe in their own rightness. Oh they may try to cover their antics with religious jargon and invoke the name of God and our Savior Jesus Christ, but the truth be know their efforts will be seen in their actions. I don’t care if your talking about the Christian Crusades, Hitler, or Jim Jones, the proof is in the fruit. What sort of fruit do you see in their lives. The only fruit that counts is the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Anything else is from the devil himself. But what about righteous anger? According the Epistle of James (1:19,20) The anger of man does not accomplish the will of God. So what else do I think about Christians… I think it is okay for Christians to be oppressed but never okay for Christians to oppress others. God’s objective for Christians is not to be comfortable in the life they have, but to strive to make their lives worthy of emulation. I think there are a lot of people who think they are Christians, but are not. They have been sold a bill of goods. “Oh just say this prayer and it will be all good.” Sorry but God expects more. Not perfect performance from the onset, but rather a heart that wants to find out how to live a godly life. In order to choose God, through Christ, we have to reject things that we used to believe in. We have to be willing to subject our lives to critical examination by God’s Holy Spirit and by other believers. A Christian’s life is not his or her own, it now belongs to God and to the family of faith. Scary thought, but that’s the way it is. It’s a journey, but its so worth it…

So what else can I rant about…. I sorry but you’ll just have to wait until the next issue

What Matters

2007-03-30T06:17:00.000+03:00

I am coming to realize that I am basically a principalist. I am not interested in acting out every commandment that the Bible seems to list, the list would quite frankly drive most of us silly. But rather I would like to look at what drives those commandments. What is behind the commandments.? What is God trying to tell us about Himself and His will for our lives? I think Jesus put it the most simply in what we refer to as the "Great Commandment" passage; just that everything boils down to loving God and loving our neighbors. Sometimes we refer to this as the law of love.
Obedience is something that God wants from us. We have lots of list of commandments that we can try to follow (under the old covenant and in the New Testament), in our attempt to show our love and respect for God, OR we can instead give Him our hearts and try to live obediently by the Spirit day by day.
Let me give you an example... unfortunately it is how I failed to obey, but still. We are encouraged in the book of James to give to widows and orphans, or rather care for them. On more than one occasion I have been walking along the boulevard when I felt like God was telling my by His Spirit to give all that I had in my pocket or wallet to an old woman who had caught my eye. Now on two of those occasions, I just happened to have a large sum of money and was on my way to either buy something or to pay someone for what I owed. So of course my response was "I can't give them my money... I need it to pay..." both times I walked past the old woman and missed a chance to obey God's higher call. I know from the Scriptures that God cares about the widows and the orphans and on many occasion I have given change or small bills out of my pocket to those who where begging, thinking I was showing God's heart towards these people. But I feel convicted by my passing by these other "grandmothers" or as they call them here babushkie. They were not begging for money. They were just sitting on a bench, and God had pointed them out to me. I pray that God will offer me other opportunities to be faithful and to share what He has given me to bless others with. I don’t want to look at the money I am entrusted with as mine but rather His. He provides for my needs and I in turn am to use that money to further His Kingdom and His purposes, not just to make my life easier or more comfortable.
The principle I see at work here is that God is more concerned about the state of my heart (The true inner man) than He is about the comfort of this fleshly vessel I reside in. I pray that my next opportunity will show that I trust God, more that I trust money.

Who am I

2007-03-27T19:23:00.000+03:00

So like, I wonder what I will say today.... Well like I am kinda of a Heritic. I like believe the things that Jesus said about how we should live in this life. The church (His bride) has strayed far from the mark. They have become like the Pharasees who make it so hard for people to know God, or they make God so ungodlike, that no one can recognize him. So what do I have to say.... Shape up church... ouch that refers to me too. I am saved, by grace, but I have entered into a new life. I must run the race, fight the good fight and work out my salvation with fear and trembling....
So Like why am I a heritic (or however you spell that)? I don't believe in onced saved always saved... I don't believe that the KJB (a.k.a the Authorized Version) is the only enspired English translation. I'm not into creeds, but I am not into cheep grace either, I don't believe in a works salvation, but salvation/faith without works is dead. I don't believe that Jesus died on the cross so we can live selfish self consumed lives.... He actually expects his people to do something!!!!!!!!! And I am not refering to just the paid clergy. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit living in them. Every Christian has been given some sort of gift or talent, and not putting those gifts to work is a stinking crime. Now I now that people may take a while to discover their gifts, or maybe God calls people to sit out for a while, but shoot you can't go to church for 20 years and be a do nothing Christian and expect a "Good and Faithul Servant" greeting from the Master at the end of your life... So have I irritiated enough of you???? I hope so. I have plenty more to say... but when and what is up to debate and up to the Holy Spirit.... Yes there is a third person in the Trinity and He is alive and well, working in us so long as we aren't doing our level best to quench Him.
What do I believe....

1. Every Christian needs to have a vital and growing relationship with their creator... and the church building is not the place for that. It is like a 24/7 thing. If we want to know Him, we have to spend time with him. When is the last time you picked up your Bible. When it the last time you made time to listen to Him? Think about it!!!!! How are you going to know Him or know His Will if you don't spend time in His love letter and try to listen for His still quite voice? Don't just depend on a paid preacher... some are good, some just tell you what your iching ears want to hear

2. Every Christian needs to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the making of Fruit of the Spirit. Our lives should reflect the Glory of God. We should walk in peace, both with our brothers and sisters and with the people outside the His body.

3. Every Christian has a story to tell about God's grace at work in his or her life. We all need to be sharing these stories with other believers, family friends, coworkers and just about anyone willing to listen. People don't need a canned salvation message, they need to hear that God is alive and kicking and that your lives reflect that truth.

4. Every Christian has been given gifts by the Holy Spirit. These need to be employed both in the body for the commen good of God's people, but also in the world. Jesus' ministry reached all kinds of people, not just churchy types. In fact He was more enclined to go where modern Christians don't want to go... bars, the red lite district, etc...

After that I think its mostly up for debate, and Christians waste too much time debating debatable things.... How about God's people just love each other, love their enemies and get on with it.

Okay... nuff said for now....

In Him,
Alan J. Beckett
Missionary to Ukriane and beyond.