30September2014 Quickshot: Shaken

"Though the mountains move and the hills shake, My love will not be removed from you and My covenant of peace will not be shaken," says your compassionate LORD."  Isa.54:10

24September2014 Not forgotten

“I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me,

And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock,

And established my steps.” Psalm 40:1-2

It is easy to agree with a very common assessment heard from refugees.  “The world has forgotten us.”  These sentiments are real.  Just look at the numbers*.  They’re daunting.  Look at the widespread destruction.  It’s numbing.  Look at the suffering.  It’s defeating.  Just evaluating the scope of the crisis is nearly a losing battle in itself.  But there are slivers of light in this foreboding shadow.  One such spot is the community of people who are helping.  God bless those who have been moved by the pain of their neighbors and are engaging.  We have served alongside folks from Argentina. South Korea, Costa Rica, Germany, Switzerland, Britain and the US.  Many different languages, one heart, all coming together to serve the vulnerable.

Not all the world has forgotten refugees! 

We have not forgotten refugees! 

God has not forgotten refugees! 

*The number of UN-registered refugees from Syria alone recently surpassed the 3 million mark. 

19September2014 Quickshot: Down by the River

Months ago M told us that she had made THE decision and wanted to be immersed.  Today the opportunity arose.  It took place in a very special spot, the location (or at least within very close proximity to the location) where the Lamb was immersed.  What an amazing day!  Great memories for M, P and the rest of our family.  PTL!

14September2014 eNews is Out

We just hit "send" on the latest edition of our eNewsletter, Footprints.  If you didn't receive a copy make sure you sign up in the field on the right.  -->

13September2014 Quickshot: Car Seats

This photo (something we see all the time) illustrates a couple things:  1. Children, especially boys, get away with more in this neck of the woods.  2. Child safety seats are not a big seller here.

11September2014 Quickshot: Afresh Each Morning

"Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning." Lamentations 3:23

8September2014 Rami from Bethlehem

 

It takes a little courage, just a little, to put yourself in the hands of Rami from Bethlehem.  "Courage" because he has a razor in his hand and at times said razor is very close to your jugular.  "Courage" because he really could jack up your do.  The first reason is survival.  The later, vanity.  I say "little" because realistically what's the worst thing that can happen to a guy?  If he butchers your hair just shave if off and start over, right?

Yesterday, J and I headed down to a local barber shop.  Honestly I've walked by there a couple times but never could muster the gumption to go in.  I can speak some Arabic but really, saying phrases like "Take a little off the top." or "Fade it on the sides." at this stage in the game could've resulted in a the loss of an ear or at the very least a bona fide mullet.  With my eldest in tow it was impossible to back out.  What kind of example would that've been?  So in we went.

Rami greeted us with a smile and welcomed me to his chair with a flourish of his towel.  A boy brought his razor, scissors, clippers and comb and laid them on counter in front a large mirror.  "What would you like to drink? Coffee, tea, or Pepsi?" the barber asked.  The same boy returned quickly with a glass of cold water on a silver tray. 

The hospitality was disarming.  Calming even.  Rami asked what I wanted done and I tried to explain.  Apparently he understood and off he went.  Clippers buzzing and scissors scissoring, all to the beat of a catchy Middle Eastern tune playing throughout the shop.  Minutes later he was done and I was...unharmed.  He did a very good job, especially considering what he had to work with.  I paid (read "got gouged" or "charged the white dude tax") and we out of there.  All that worry over nothing.

Isn't worry usually like that?  Will Rogers said, "Worrying is like paying on a debt that may never come due."  Jesus put it like this:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Next time you find yourself worrying about something, even something silly like a Middle Eastern haircut, remember His words.  Even better, put your worries in the hands of the Guy from Bethlehem.  Not Rami the barber, Jesus the Messiah!

"Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden." Corrie Ten Boom

5September2014 Quickshot: Juma

Yom al Juma, Friday, is the day of prayer here.  Please join us as we pay for the millions that worship under the crescent. 

2September2014 Love is patient, love is kind...

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 

1Corinthians 13:4-7

Maybe it's like riding a bike.  Once you drive in the Middle East you never forget how.  However, the intensity of the experience...fingers tightly gripping the steering wheel, teeth grinding, perspiring uncontrollably, flashes of anger...maybe you forget some of that.  So, when we walked out of the airport and I jumped into the driver's seat it was a cultural reacclimatization for sure.  
It's not that there aren't rules on the road it's that they are interpreted individually.  It's not that there aren't lines on the road it's just that they are merely there for decoration.  Suffice it to say, I need to write the verse above on an index card and superglue it to the dash of the van.  

So, today's devotion from Our Daily Bread really resonated with me:

Traffic was bad and everyone was cranky on that hot afternoon. I noticed a car with two young men waiting to enter traffic from a fast-food restaurant driveway. I thought it was nice when the driver ahead of me let them in

But when the “nice” driver ahead of me didn’t get a nod or even a thank you wave, he turned ugly. First he rolled down his window and shouted at the driver he had let in. Then he gunned his engine and raced forward as if to ram into his car, honking and yelling as he continued to vent his anger.

Who was “more wrong”? Did the young driver’s ingratitude justify the “nice” driver’s angry response? Was he owed a thank you?

Certainly the 10 lepers Jesus healed owed gratitude to Him. How could only one return to say thank you? I’m struck by Jesus’ response: “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:18). If the King of Kings can get only a 1 in 10 response of thanks, how can we expect more from others? Better to do our deeds to honor God and serve others than to do them to collect gratitude. May the grace of God be seen in us even when our kind acts go unappreciated.

 God help us to live 1 Corinthians 13 here AND may God's grace be seen in us "even when our kind acts go unappreciated.