It's taken me a while but I'm back on Xanga since we've moved to Singapore. For those who read these ramblings I want to thank you and for those who just happened upon this site and/or visited after a long hiatus... please join me again as I journey through high's and low's of living over seas once again. . . And please, keep me (and my family) in your thoughts.

So, here's a little something I read the other day. It seems, strangely enough that my Father tends to bring words of all sorts that either bug the crap out of me because I know their definitely corrective for my life or at other times just to stir my brain and heart... Of course these are not the only two reasons, juts two broad ones which seem to occur quite often. In any case, here's what I read;

"Fully immersed in this world, Christians belong to no world. Instead, while teased by each hope and every vision, they know them to be only hints of the new heaven and the new earth rooted in divine promises. And our yearning to become lost in God only intensify our tears over the thought of leaving this life. Christian existence is a joyful nonsense. In a culture of self-realization, the Christian's call is to renounce self; in the face of noise, silence is the preference; in a world of competition, the Christian's declaration is that the winners will be losers and the losers winners; in a culture whose economy is intent on consumption, the Christian insists on simplicity; in a culture structured by possessions, the Christian insists upon a high standard of life; and at every point, the Christian exposes the emptiness of fullness for the sake of the gospel's fullness of emptiness." - W. Paul Jones

WOW! Chew on that... Here I am dealing with a new culture- people- whom at the core, are just like all other cultures preferring "self" first... Of course I am speaking from a huge generalization stand point and not taking into consideration religious faith actually altering one's habitual cultural actions. In any case, this quote seems to cut to    the chase...
 
We believers have been called to a 180 degree different lifestyle, one that does alter our "habitual cultural actions" to in turn, create a "counterculture lifestyle". One that stands in the face of the "culture" (ie the worlds way of living) at large. We truly have been given a calling to a world view that begins and ends with the Almighty. The One who "was, is, and is to come". The One who in the beginning, was the Word! Strangely this Word now wants us to be fully immersed in this world that we live in, yet not "belong to it"! What a challenge.

I was pushing my son in the stroller the other day and as I began to cross the street, with all the legal right to, a car pulling backwards out of a parking spot took no time to look before actually reversing the car, hit our stroller. I even reached out over the stroller and banged on the car trunk to indicate that we were there, but he continued to back up... I was furious and all I wanted to do was, make his wrong doing evident to the world, especially because I was pushing my infant son. However, I held my tongue, and actions (even though inside my head I played out the amazingly huge Hollywood scene). It was extremely hard for me to not say anything, especially since the driver did not even roll down his window and apologize, he just continued on his way.  For those reading this and wondering if Jeremiah or I were alright- we were and are!

So, at times I wish for the culture like the one I grew up in that would actually give way to pedestrians or at least apologize to ones. But then I realized- it's not a wordily culture that recognizes "the other before oneself", it's the "ones" that have been called out of "culture" and into His way of living with a new world-view, a Kingdom world-view where we serve one another, grace one another, bless one another, love one another. Because simply, "they will know that we are His disciples by how well we love one another".

Maybe I should of said something, or maybe not... But in the end, I hope my actions were of His world view even though maybe my mind ran away from me for a few?!

So, I'm alone in KC. Just after we celebrated Natalie's 2 year birthday, D took the kids to see their grandparents and aunt in Placerville, CA. Simply, I miss them a ton. It may be quieter. . . I may be able to read more. . . watch more movies. . .and even blog more, but it's just not the same. I'm not one for keeping things the same, which is plainly evident in the number of times I've moved in my life. But since being a husband and father, I like to take the journeys of life as a family.

D and the kids get back in less than a week, and I'm ready. But until then, you might be hearing from me a bit  more these next couple days as I have am on a reading  retreat. So here's my first thought. . . 

"The ship is safest when it is in port. But that's not what ships were made for."- Paulo Coelho.

So, how many of us are not being what we were created to be? Or living lives which we feel as if we weren't created to live? What do you think it would be like to truly have a "peace that passes understanding" or live "life to the fullest" while one and at the same time, enthusiastically journeying in a life filled with ambiguity, certainties, and well just about everything else that life throws us? Could a life like this even be possible?

I think, just like the ship that leaves port. We too need to embark on a life that may not be the safest, but one which we most definitely were created for. In turn, we just might face storms, high tides, and much peril. But we'll also see amazing star gazing nights, incredible seas and lands, as well as much joy and fulfillment. Right?!

Happy Holidays everyone.

So have you ever hear a 20 month old little girl say "Blue Shirt"? It's amazing what one can hear coming out of the mouth of a child just learning to speak! Anyway, this got me thinking about how well people listen to one another. I mean are we out there in relationships truly listening or just hearing a bunch of noise- a bunch of  "bull sh**t"? You see that's what I heard my daughter say when she was actually saying "blue shirt"!

I think there are many times that we are only hearing the noises around us instead of actually listening to what  people are trying to say or what might actually be happening, and/or what life is trying to tell us. What do you think it will take for us to not only hear but listen?

Its like when I was a kid playing in the streets of NYC. I'd be out playing stick-ball or skateboarding down the streets in my neighborhood and I would hear my mom call and tell me to watch out for the cars. Somehow, what she said seemed to quickly enter one ear and escape out the other. My mom would then normally follow up with a couple statements which would elicit a small conversation between the two of us which normally went something like this; "Timmy, did you hear me? I told you to watch out for the cars in the street." "Sure mom." "Tim, are you listening?!"

You see, my mom realized that I heard her, but she wanted to know if I was listening. The word listen in English comes from the Latin word audire. From audire we not only get the verb to listen but also words like audio. However, the root meaning of audire means to obey. Therefore, when we are truly listening we are obeying! I   think my mom understood this in her instinctive motherly "statements!" Because, honestly, if I listened to my mom, I would obey what she was saying.

What would this mean in all our relationships or better yet, in our lives? I think just possibly it might be that we would be present in every moment possible. This just might be a life of obedience- that is being obedient to being present with people and loving them at all costs! Maybe this is what Christ called us too as well? When we listen to Christ tell us that - people will know that "we are his disciples by how well we love one another", and that we are to "love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength [and] to love our neighbor as ourself" . . . Maybe living like this is a natural result of listening- it's obedience of both the heart, mind, and body, just possibly?!

Well,  I guess this all brings me back to what my daughter said the other day. I may have been hearing her say "bull sh**t", but if I was listening, I'm sure I would have actually heard, "blue shirt"! Can we be a people, a body of believers who listen and hear "blue shirt"?!

BTW, my daughter was holding my blue shirt, so maybe some of us need a "visual aid" in helping us hear- or that could just be me?!

Peace