One Fehl Swoop

2010-01-01T13:45:00.004-05:00

Okay, so it's been a year & a half since I posted anything...yikes! Not promising when my next post will be, but here are some of my thoughts as I was reading in Genesis this morning.

Incredible Creation

Incredible how the story tells of God's creative acts. The first three days are him separating: the light from darkness, sky from seas, land from sea. Each one builds in its importance. God is making space, creating room for what is coming next.

Then the next three days mirror the first three. To inhabit the day and night (Day 1), he creates the big and little lights (Day 4). To inhabit the sky and sea (Day 2), he creates birds, fish, water animals (Day 5). Creating land (Day 3) was the big triumph of the first three days, so to populate it he creates land animals: wild animals of every type, from the largest blue whale to the tiniest insect, animals that slither, that crawl, that dash, and that lope (Day 6). Each of the things created in days 4-6 was created to inhabit and fill its space, which was created on days 1-3. The Creation is growing, building to something more...

And then, there is the second half of the sixth day. Now God makes something different. He makes something in HIS OWN image. He made us. But where we fall in this progression through creation is almost at the end. That placement shows that we are the most important of all he created, that we are different. Because of that place at the pinnacle of creation, he gives us dominion over all that he has created.

But that dominion is not absolute. He gives us dominion over HIS creation. We are the caretakers of what is truly his. It's not ours to do whatever we want with, it's his for us to watch over, care for, manage, and protect. How do the scriptures emphasize this? Continuing the pattern of building in intensity and greatness through the days of creation, man is not created at the end of the story. The end of the story is God's: his day, his rest, he is over all that has come before because he is the creator of it.

And that's why God commanded his people to take a sabbath, a day of rest. It's not only because we all need to relax sometimes. Not only because our bodies were not designed to function well when they are running at high capacity all the time. We are commanded to take a sabbath because it is a reminder that God is the one in control. Ultimately, we are not even in total control of our lives. God is the one who numbers our days. Our rest time helps us recognize that it's not all about us. The world does not fall apart when we are not working. The world is made up of things that are out of our control. But God is good.

Genesis 1:1-31 and Genesis 2:1-3

Mozambique moon.

2008-06-06T10:20:00.001-04:00

Mozambican Bishop

When we first arrived in the country, we were met by Armindo, who is the Mozambican ‘Volunteers In Mission’ (VIM) coordinator for the United Methodist Church. He had arranged meetings for us with several government officials, and he would also be our driver for most of the next week (except on those occasions where he let me drive: it was fun to get to drive on the left side of the road again!).

After dropping off our bags at the Methodist Guesthouse where we stayed, the first thing we did was drive out to the UM Bishop’s house in the outskirts of the city. The Bishop had recently had foot surgery, so he was at home rather than at the office. It’s hard to explain what it meant for me to meet Bishop João Somane Machado. I don’t toss around the word ‘hero’ lightly, but he is one of my heroes. He played a pivotal role in bringing peace to the country of Mozambique after 15 years of civil warfare between Frelimo (the ruling party) and Renamo (the rebel faction, now the minority political party). The two parties were not willing to come to the table because neither trusted the other after fighting started in 1977. After much work by Bishop Machado and a couple other Christian leaders, including the Catholic Archbishop, they were able to help assure each side that they would be heard and treated fairly if they came to the negotiating table.

After many years of meeting with each of the two parties, the finally brought them to the same table. With the help of a Catholic organization in Italy, they were able to negotiate a peace in 1992 which has lasted to this day. I am fascinated by the role of the church in international peacemaking. Jesus came to reconcile the world to himself and bring peace to his Kingdom, and this bishop played a role in doing that in Mozambique. And I had the opportunity to sit in his home office and talk with him about the possibility of us working in Mozambique. How amazing is that?!?

2008-06-05T09:52:00.004-04:00

Nothing But Nets

The New York Times has a great article today (here) on Nothing But Nets, the coalition between many organizations, including the United Methodist Church, the NBA and the United Nations Foundation, that gets insecticide treated bed nets into the hands of people in malaria-affected areas. $10 buys a net and trains a family to use it. It can literally save a life, particularly of a child under 5, who are at the highest risk. The UM Bishop who is mentioned, Tom Bickerton, is the bishop of our Western Pennsylvania Conference.

If you would like to give nets to Mozambique in particular, you can do that through the Missouri Conference of the UMC. You can make your contribution (payable to "Missouri Conference UMC") and send it to Missouri Conference Treasurer's Office, 3601 Amron Court, Columbia, MO 65202, marked "#7390 Nothing But Nets."

2008-06-04T20:32:00.004-04:00

Mozambican Muslims

We had the chance to meet with a couple of key Muslim leaders in the country. It came about without us intending to (one of the many times we could tell people were praying for us!). We were meeting with a United Methodist pastor who was talking about the need for Christians of different denominations to work together for the cause of Christ. As part of the follow-up to that conversation, Steve asked about the relationship between Muslims and Christians in the country in general. Pastor Guilherme (pronounced ‘Gill-yair-may’) responded that there was not much tension between the two groups in the country, but rather they were just focused in different directions. They did not interact much. Steve asked if Guilherme knew any Muslim leader, and Guilherme told us that if we were interested he could have several leaders meet with us the next day in his office if we were interested. We were excited to have the chance to meet with them.

We were interested in this meeting for several reasons. For one thing, even though we do not agree on matters of theology, there are still many things we do agree on. Just as we can find common ground with secular organizations that are trying to improve the quality of life in the world, we can also find that with Muslims who are doing good things in the community. We might view the work in different ways, but we can still work side by side for some common goals.

Secondly, we think it’s a good thing if there can continue to be a positive co-existence between members of two of the three largest religious groups in Mozambique. If we can be a part of keeping people on good terms rather than taking up arms against each other, that is a benefit for the country and for the entire planet. Some people frame the new/coming world order as one of conflict between “Christian” nations and Islamic nations. It does not have to be that way, and one way we can affect that is by reaching out in the circles in which we have influence.

The meeting itself went really well. Of the two leaders, one was the head of the Islamic Counsel of Mozambique and the other is one of the two Mozambican Peace Ambassadors to the United Nations. They told us of ways their organizations are working to help their people, and many of them lined up with things we heard from the government and other churches. Some things were charitable, and some were more oriented towards training and development (I talked a little about how we have been struggling with that tension in my post on May 26). We are still discerning if and how we would partner with them, but the ability to even have the conversation was encouraging.

One thing they mentioned that excited me was the need for religious leaders to be involved in the election process as neutral observers. Mozambique will have national elections toward the end of 2009. One of the needs is always for observers for the voting processes. Religious leaders have the advantage of being respected members in the community. The people know them to be honest and trustworthy, so their opinions on the election process would not be taken lightly.

Often in elections in countries such as Mozambique, the election results are contested. In the Mozambican elections of 2004, international observers noted some irregularities, but not large enough to affect the outcome of the election. The minority party then refused to take their seats in parliament in the first days after the election because they were protesting the results. By providing religious leaders to be election observers, some of this might be able to be prevented, which could help set a positive political tone in the country for the next 5 years.

The European Parliamentary Group is apparently training observers for Mozambique. They would be willing to train religious leaders, but there would need to be a comprehensive plan in place for making it happen. This is one of the opportunities we are praying about participating in as a church.

There are a lot of opportunities for us as a church to work in the country, so now our challenge is discerning which ones are right for our church. Which ones does God have lined up for us to participate in?

2008-05-26T06:50:00.001-04:00

From Mozambique

This is our fourth day here in Mozambique, and I have to say it has been very fruitful so far. We have had many good meetings and opportunities to talk with people who are doing things here in the country, both Mozambicans and Americans, Christians and not, Church workers, missionaries, and government officials. The pre-existing connections here have been invaluable; we could not have accomplished the depth of learning and understanding that we have without them. Our two main avenues of connection have been the United Methodist Church (a connectional system that is strong here in the country) and my relationship with OMS International. Because of those relationships, we have been able to connect with people and hear from them in valuable ways. They are already here on the ground doing good work, so we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. We are able to look for ways we can partner with what they are already doing. That will maximize our investment as a church, as well as strengthen what they are doing. We do not have to arrange an infrastructure for what we do because there is already one existing.

The focus of this trip has been learning, asking questions, and making connections. A lot of learning has happened! The church has much we can learn from. Each evening (or whenever we have a spare moment, really!) Steve and I have been processing the meetings, trying to discern how our church can be involved in healthy and helpful ways. There are so many opportunities, possibilities, needs, and ways we can learn. One question that we have repeatedly come back to is the difference between charity and development. We want to help, but not in ways that will only create dependency. There has been enough help of that sort, so we must work very hard not to give hand-outs, but to help in ways that will allow people to help themselves.

Many of our conversations have come back to the idea of training. Of course, there is the old saying that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; if you teach him how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. As one of the Mozambicans said, If you give me food, I’ll just eat it and then lie down and take a nap! As we think about ways Crossroads UMC can be involved, there is a great opportunity for training. We met with a person from the Ministry (equivalent to a Department in the US) of Education this morning. He said they have done a better job over the last ten years of providing access to primary school (through 7th grade) throughout the country; there are now 4.5 million children in school, compared with 2 million 10 years ago. But there is a lack of quality in the teaching. The teachers need training, but the need for teachers is so urgent that they have accepted teachers who were willing, but don’t have training. Maybe this is one way we can contribute in a meaningful way to the future of this beautiful country.

Tomorrow we have a meeting with some Muslim leaders in the capital city of Maputo, where we have been the whole time so far. We hope to find ways we can bridge the gap between the religions in the area of development work, while we still maintain our commitment to Jesus.

We went to several different church services yesterday and were blessed by it. Steve went to the service where all 5 United Methodist churches in the city came together for a celebration. He said there were several times when tears came to his eyes because of what God was doing. The music and the spirit of cooperation was wonderful.

I went to a service in another part of the city where I preached in Portuguese. I have been pleased to find that I haven’t lost too much of my language in the 7 years since I was last here, although I have confused several words with Spanish! I preached about God’s plan for the city and the importance of Maputo in God’s plan for reaching Mozambique. Afterwards a young man named Amilcar came up for prayer. God had been challenging him to do something significant, and he said the preaching Sunday was God’s word for him. He wants to help reach the city for Christ; Praise God!! Please pray for Amilcar.

I also got to go to the last part of the service in T-3, which is the church I was a part of when I was here in 2000-2001. It was good to see some of the people from my time there.

Some quick notes:
- It has been great getting to drive here again! I missed driving on the left side of the road.
- There is a lot of new development here in the last 7 years. It seems much of the city has a fresh coat of paint and a fresh coat of pavement.
- Here in the city people seem busier than they were at that time. They have become more punctual and more obsessed with the schedule. The joys of modern life!
- We are 6 hours ahead of Eastern time. Interestingly, Steve and I happened to spend the time from 4:00-5:00pm here talking about the Bridgeville campus. With the 6 hours time difference, that means we spent the whole time of the Bridgeville service talking about Bridgeville! We were thinking about and praying for you all.

Thank you for your continued prayers. We have more meetings scheduled for the week, and we’re working to schedule still more before we fly out on Thursday afternoon. On Wednesday we are heading up to Xai-Xai (pronounced shy-shy). This is a couple hours north in a more rural area. So far all we have seen is Maputo, which is much different than the rest of Mozambique. It will be good for me to get back out there, and I’m glad Steve will get the chance to experience it.

From Maputo, Mozambique,
Jonathan

2008-05-20T23:59:00.003-04:00

Trip to Mozambique

Well, in a few short hours Pastor Steve and I will be heading to Mozambique. We are going to be there for a week exploring opportunities for our church to partner in the country to help reach the goals Mozambicans are striving for. This trip is one of learning and exploration: we want to talk with key people (in the church, government, and secular world) to find out what areas they are trying to improve, what triumphs and obstacles they have faced, and how we might be able to help them meet those goals.

It has been 7 years since I was last in the country. I lived there for a year and a half and got engaged there --the best thing I've ever done on a beach! Since Katherine and I have been married, we have tried several times to go back, but it has never worked out. If things go the way we think the Spirit is leading us now, this will not be my last trip there. Crossroads will build lasting relationships with Mozambicans through a steady stream of work trips tailored to meet the needs in Mozambique and the gifts of the people in our congregation. Exciting stuff!

I am very pleased to be able to meet with the people we will be talking with, including the United Methodist Bishop of the South Mozambique Conference (a personal hero of mine because of the key role he played in bringing the warring parties to the negotiating table during the Civil War in the 1980s and 90s), leaders in the government areas of education, health, and religion, and many pastors. I am very excited to get to re-connect with some of the young men whom I ministered alongside in my earlier time there. Several of them are now pastors and/or church planters seeing many people come to Christ while meeting the needs of their communities.

Here is a rough outline of where we will be and when, if you would join us in praying. My main request for this trip is that we will have "the right conversations with the right people." All in His timing:

Wed - Thurs.: flying: overnight in Johannesburg South Africa.
Friday morning: flight into Maputo, MZ; meet with United Methodist officials.
Saturday: a.m. meet with MZ church officials about their “Village Church Planting” model (which is rapidly growing in the north)
p.m. Meet with Christian Micro-Enterprise Development program leaders
Sunday: worshipping at MZ churches: I preach (in Portuguese!)
Monday: meeting with MZ pastor, and later with the MZ national governement Director of Relgious Affairs
Tuesday- Wed.: Chicuque (Methodist) Rural Hospital; follow up with any connections we discovered since arriving
Thursday - flying…. home Friday. If all the connections work, Steve will be preaching the next day at Crossroads.

It has been so encouraging to hear from so many people that they are praying for us. I really feel this can be a key point in the life of our congregation.

Well, so much for getting to bed early the night before the trip!

2008-05-02T18:04:00.000-04:00

Last Service at Star City

We had the last Crossroads: Bridgeville service at the Star City Theater this past Sunday, and I have to say, I am really proud to be a part of this church. During the last 2 months we have been looking for a new, more permanent location in which to worship. But during that time the attitude in our congregation has been great; I have not heard people grumbling or worrying. There has not been a sense of panic. There has been a strong sense that, no matter where we are meeting, we will continue to be the church. We are living into an understanding that the church is not a building. There are some who are new to our community who have said they knew this was the church for them because we were not so wrapped up in a building that we were afraid to be the church.

That said, it is usually hard to leave a place that has been a part of our worshiping life. My 4 year old son Samuel has told me he is going to miss having church at the Star City; "I like it there!" But he went with me this week to work on some of the paperwork with our temporary location, the South Fayette Fire Hall. He really liked the fact that it is a part of the fire station. And he was surprised to see the fire engines were yellow with bees on them, rather than red. I think he's adjusting to the idea of the change though. Yesterday he asked me if I wanted to build something with him. When I said yes, he asked what I wanted to build. I suggested a garage (one of his favorite things to build). Then when I said, "Or how about a fire station?", his face lit up! "Let's build a fire hall!" Here's what we built (notice the yellow fire engines in the station, and Joey on the move in the background). Yeah, I think he's going to be fine with the transition.

In the meantime, we are still praying for the right longer-term location to come through for us. We are in negotiations with a possibility right now, and we are waiting to hear back from them. Please keep praying for that.

2008-04-23T23:24:00.003-04:00

Bridgeville Campus Move

On May 4^th (one week from this Sunday), Crossroads Bridgeville will begin services at our temporary home, the South Fayette Fire Hall in Cuddy. We will continue to search for a more permanent meeting location.

We will hold our last service at the Star City Theater this Sunday, April 27^th at 10am.

To get to the Fire Hall from the Star City Theater, make a left out of the parking lot on Rte. 50. Turn right on Millers Run Rd. The Fire Hall is about 2.5 miles down on the left at 661 Millers Run Rd, Cuddy, PA 15031. Our Sunday services will still begin at 10:00. Bring a friend and celebrate this step of faith in our God. We are still the church, no matter where we are meeting!

2008-04-06T21:16:00.005-04:00

Two Quirky Little Boys

For Samuel and Joey's friends who appreciate their goofball ways. . . here is a sample of what they were up to Friday:

At 7:45 this morning, Joey walked into our room (we were still asleep, of course) and announced, "This is a saaaaandwiiiiich." He was holding his favorite blankie, folded up to look amazingly like a sandwich.

When Joey and Katherine were building with giant legos (she ended up just watching because every time she put on a piece, he would move it), he completed the walls of his "castle" and then started talking about putting on a roof. The dilemma was that the structure was 5 units wide, but the longest pieces we have are only 4 units wide. She could see the wheels turning in his mind as he experimented, not satisfied with this or that solution. She held her breath when he put a column of singles in the middle of the structure. Did he do that on purpose??? Would he take the next step???? Without missing a beat, he laid a crossbeam over the column. Then, he did it again! Our two-year old "invented" columns and crossbeams! Katherine didn't think her day couldn't possibly get any better after that!

She called me to tell me the good news. I had to say that I answered the phone trepidatiously, not sure what kind of situation our house was in. I always get a lump in my stomach when she calls in the middle of the day like that.

Yesterday in preschool, Samuel learned about the letter "W." First of all, Samuel's teachers taught him how to make a "W" using both hands. We think it might be a gang sign. But the best part of the "W" lesson was construction of Samuel's "Wonderful Wand." I wish you could see how he wields it. They obviously gave the children creative freedom in this project: the big star topping Samuel's wand is his favorite color-- PINK. The pink star says, "My Wonderful Wand" and in silver, "Samuel." The reverse of the star is purple, with a giant "W." The rest of the wand consists of an orange straw and red and yellow streamers, which look dazzling when he waves it around.

Now that you can picture the wand, you have the context for what happened while Katherine was getting out ingredients to make dinner, lentil soup. "Mama, what's that?" "Spinach." "Yuck." "You always say that, but then you like it." "I don't want you talking to me about spinach anymore." She heard him rustling behind her and turned to look. He was waving his wand at her. "I'm waving my wand and turning you into a goon! Now you are a goon!" So now she is a goon. Samuel ate 5 helpings of lentil soup, spinach and all, that night.

Lots of love from the goon family,

Jonathan and Katherine

2008-04-02T23:53:00.002-04:00

Zimbabwe Update

Well, it looks like Mugabe's party has lost control of the Parliament, which was always a stronghold. The race for the presidency is close. There were three candidates, and if no one gets more than 50% of the vote, it will go to a runoff with the top two vote-getters. The leading opposition candidate's party has said their count of the tally gives their man, Tsvangirai, 50.3%. The government has not released the official results. Word was that yesterday there were official conversations about Mugabe stepping down, but they haven't gone any farther. Keep praying. For more info, here's the NY Times article.

2008-03-28T22:20:00.002-04:00

Zimbabwe Elections

I want to ask your prayers for the elections in Zimbabwe. They are Sat (3/29). Zimbabwe is 7 hours ahead of us, but even if you don’t get this email until Monday or Tuesday, still pray. The results can take a long time to get tabulated. You might know that the Zimbabwe economy has crashed over the last 5 or 6 years (“crashed” doesn’t even begin to explain the inflation and unemployment levels). This is largely due to the corruption of President Robert Mugabe and his party. Mugabe came to power after the white regime was thrown out in the 1980’s, but he has not proven to be the answer Zimbabwe was looking for.

Quick geography lesson. Zimbabwe borders the western part of Mozambique, and Mozambique has received many economic refugees. This is a reversal of the situation during Mozambique’s Civil War where many Mozambicans found refuge in a relatively stable Zimbabwe.
Thanks for your prayers.

2008-03-25T16:26:00.003-04:00

Bridgeville Worship Update

To those who have been praying that we will find the right new place to meet for our Bridgeville campus of Crossroads Church, thank you. We are still looking and praying. I think he will use our looking for a new location to take us to the next level of growth and allow us to reach more people. God is in the business of changing lives, and we want to let him use us to do that in the Bridgeville area!

We are still meeting in the Star City Theater until further notice. Keep checking my blog or the Crossroads website for updates. If you have not heard otherwise, assume we are meeting at the Star City. Thanks for your prayers!

2008-03-23T21:01:00.002-04:00

The Day of All Days

What a blessing to be in worship Easter morning at Crossroads: Bridgeville! The Spirit of God was definitely at work this morning. Personally I wasn't sure how I would feel come Sunday morning. It has been a very tough week, and I didn't feel like I would want to celebrate. But in the morning I was reminded that the day wasn't about me, but that this day gives me hope to make it through any day, no matter how tough.

I thought about those days I was recovering in the hospital last year after my near brush with death. Times like that really bring life into focus. I realized that there is nothing I would rather do than whatever God has for me. It's easy to waste our lives away: entertainment is so pervasive, there are so many temporary pleasures to chase, and it's flat-out easier not to do anything too hard. But it's the hard things God calls us to that are going to make a difference into eternity.

It was anything but easy to suffer death on the cross. But Jesus did it, knowing the whole time that if at any moment he decided he had had enough, he could call it quits. But he didn't.

Jesus' choice to go through with it wasn't just a one-and-done decision. Even after making it, he still had the opportunity to back down. I don't know about you, but I find it a lot easier to make a one-time decision than one I constantly have the opportunity to reneg on, especially if it involves suffering. But knowing that Jesus continued to choose to suffer for us makes it a little easier to suffer through the tough weeks.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

2008-03-20T08:01:00.003-04:00

Katherine's Crash Course in Sudan

During Maundy Thursday and Good Friday we take time to remember the suffering that Jesus endured before he died on the cross (For a good clarification between suffering and punishment in the Easter story, read here). Jesus' suffering is something that I cling to when I read so many stories of pain in the world. One area that has caught the attention of my family is the situation in Sudan. Have you wondered exactly what the situation is there? Some of my wife's friends asked her that, and she wrote up a short history of the issue. Here's her "Crash Course in Sudan." Warning, there are some very disturbing descriptions below.

A major aspect of understanding conflict in Africa (and this is the case with Sudan) is to realize that before Europeans explored and colonized the continent, Africa was not divided according to the current system of countries. Land was tribally owned, a tribe being a specific ethnicity of people with its own culture, language, and leadership. Tribes warred, conquering each other's lands and then ruling over or enslaving other tribes (hence, Africans willing to sell other tribes to white slave traders). When white people came, they established countries based on colonial rule, boundaries that divided a tribe between two countries or grouped enemy tribes into the same country. For example, Sudan was British, yet Darfur alone contains 30 people-groups, and Mozambique was Portuguese (Mozambique has over a hundred separate tribal languages). Jonathan points out, "In many places (such as Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya) the colonial governments played the different tribes off one another. They would support one tribe over another, or would fuel tensions between them to keep them separated. If the locals were fighting against each other, they were less likely to unite against the colonizers." As African countries gained independence from colonial rule (Sudan in 1956, Mozambique in 1975), tribal conflict continued and continues today. Tribal conflict in Sudan is even more complicated because of its pre-colonial history with Egypt: Sudan is home not only to people descended from African tribes but also to people descended from Arab tribes-- and people of blended ancestry. Northern Sudan is more Arab and Islamic, and southern Sudan is more black and Christian or animist. Note that Sudan gained independence from British rule in 1956: The first civil war between the north and the south was 1955 to 1972. Before the country was even free from the British, they were already fighting over who would dominate the country, Arabs or Africans, Muslims or Christians. Interestingly, the agreement to cease conflict was reached through talks sponsored by the World Council of Churches (Wikipedia link). (The Church was instrumental in the Mozambican peace process during its major, post-colonial civil war, too. Jonathan wrote a massive paper about this.)

The second civil war "was" 1983 to 2005. (I put was in quotation marks because the government has failed to follow through with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005.) The second civil war started when the government (dominated by the north) went against the peace agreement that had ended the first civil war. From Wikipedia: "The Sudan People's Liberation Army(SPLA), based in southern Sudan and opposing the Islamic government in the north, formed in May 1983. Finally, in June 1983, the Sudanese government under President Gaafar Nimeiry abrogated the Addis Ababa Peace Agreement. The situation was exacerbated after President Gaafar Nimeiry went on to implement Sharia Law in September of the same year." In addition, "observers say the biggest obstacle to reconciliation is the unresolved status of the oil-rich region of Abyei, which is on the north-south border."

In 2003, conflict in Darfur, Sudan's northwest region, added to the issues of the Civil War. Supported by Khartoum (the northern government), Janjaweed (Arab militia, Muslim) began launching raids, bombings, and attacks on villages, killing civilians based on ethnicity, raping women, stealing land, goods, and herds of livestock. Unlike north-south conflict, which pits Muslim v. Christian, Darfur is a Muslim region, so the situation in Darfur is Arab Muslim v. black Muslim. Here is an overview of that development: http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/alert/darfur/contents/01-overview/.

Also, here is the Human Rights Watch summary from May 2004 (Yeah, it's that old, yet not much progress has been made, even with the "Comprehensive Peace Agreement" of 2005.):

http://hrw.org/reports/2004/sudan0504/2.htm#_Toc71531687.

"On Sept. 9, 2006, the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell termed the Darfur conflict a 'genocide,' claiming it as the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century. . . So far, over 2.5 million civilians have been displaced and the death toll is variously estimated at 200,000 to 400,000 killed." (Wikipedia)

I have read multiple accounts from women who escaped Janjaweed attacks on different villages at different times. All include murder of every present village male (including children), rape and brutalization of women, and burning of all village structures. Most also include bombs dropped from government military planes and contamination of wells. From an article in Time, this is one woman's account of a Janjaweed (Arab militia/ raiders) attack on a Darfur village:

The first sound Zahara Abdulkarim heard when she woke that last morning in her village was the drone of warplanes circling overhead. Then came gunshots and screams and the sickening crash of bombs ripping through her neighbors' mud-and-thatch huts, gouging craters into the dry earth. When Abdulkarim, 25, ran outside, she was confronted by two men in military uniform, one wielding a knife, the other a whip. They were members, she says, of the Arab militia known as the Janjaweed, which over the past 18 months has slaughtered tens of thousands of black Africans like Abdulkarim across the western Sudanese region of Darfur. Another man, rifle in hand, was standing over her husband's body while others set fire to her home. Two of the intruders, she says, grabbed her and forced her to the ground. With her husband's body a few yards away, the men took turns raping her. They called her a dog and a donkey. "This year, there's no God except us," Abdulkarim says they told her. "We are your god now." When they were finished, one of the men drew his knife and slashed deep across Abdulkarim's left thigh, a few inches above her knee. The scar would mark her as a slave, they told her, or brand her like one of their camels. By nightfall, says Abdulkarim, more than 100 women in the town of Ablieh had been raped and dozens of people killed, including two of her sons, four of her in-laws and her husband. The only survivors in her compound were Abdulkarim and her son Mohammed, 6. "They also wanted to kill me, but when they saw I was pregnant, they released me and let me live," she says. That was eight months ago. Sheltering in a refugee camp in neighboring Chad, Abdulkarim, her baby Mustafa playing in her lap, says she will never go home.

As for the rest of the article, the statistics are watered down (ex. It says "hundreds of women have been raped." In reality, thousands of women have been raped.). But here's the link if you're interested: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101041004-702074,00.html.

Here is one of the first articles that got my attention about Darfur: http://www.worldmag.com/articles/10479.

The link to "More Images from Sudan" isn't working for me right now. It had some significant images, such as aerial images of a burning village-- really undeniable evidence. It really is one of the most telling articles I have ever read on Darfur.

Although the Khartoum tried to stop Darfurians from fleeing the country, Chad has been flooded with refugees. As for what it is like to be a refugee, here is a very telling article from the New York Times:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06E5D8163BF937A25757C0A9629C8B63.

By the way, refugee means you have fled to another country. Displaced means you are in your home country but have fled from your home.

You asked why all those people are still in refugee and displacement camps if the conflict is over. For one thing, the conflict is not over (see the next paragraph). Also, the villages are obliterated, and the wells are contaminated. Besides, would you want to return to a place of such horrific memories? The woman whose story you read said she will never go back.

The genocide started in Darfur, but further genocide is brewing in Southern Sudan. Here is an article from a little more than a week ago:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/28/opinion/28kristof.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin.

This struck me: "Only 1 percent of girls here finish elementary school, meaning that a young woman is more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than to become literate." Also, here's more from the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/opinion/02kristof.html.

Add to the painful Sudan mix: war with Chad, rebel groups on the Eastern Front, on-going slavery, floods in 2007. . . and UNICEF recently reported that around 80 infants die each day in Darfur as a result of malnutrition.

If you want to keep up with this, I suggest Eric Reeves' blog, especially his "news" section with links to the best coverage. Pretty much every website on the Darfur/ Sudan crisis has a link to the blog of Eric Reeves: http://www.sudanreeves.org/index.html. This quote from a website that links to him sums up why I recommend Eric's blog over any other conventional source of news about Sudan: "By far the best independent analysis of the developing situation--and usually much more pessimistic than official accounts. Also usually proves to be more accurate." He is a college English professor but has been on partial leave for the last 9 years to work full-time as a Sudan researcher and analyst. Here is a short NPR audio clip for an idea of why I consider him the most reliable source of information on Sudan:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6788320.

"He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

2008-03-19T21:27:00.005-04:00

Mozambican Preschool

While Katherine and I were in Mozambique, we attended a church in an area called T-3. This was the first church planted by OMS International (or here for their work in Mozambique), the mission organization we were with. The established a preschool at the church that meets a great need in the area. For one thing it provides the first steps toward success in the public schools. For another, when people do find jobs, often it is difficult to provide care for their children while they are at work, (and it helps that lunch at the preschool is included!).

Both the church and the preschool have grown since we were there almost 7 years ago. Recently the government has decided to raise its standards for receiving a license as a preschool. There had never been a problem with the walls being made of cane, but now their permit cannot be renewed until they have cement block walls. As of now, the work has now been completed, and they are having to go through the recertification process. You can read more about it on Dave and Ann Dedrick's blog. Unfortunately, they had to spend more money they didn't have in order to get the preschool opened as soon as possible. As a parent of 2 preschool boys, I know what a life-saver preschool can be. If you feel moved to give a gift to help this preschool, there is information in their blog post on how you can do that. Perhaps you would like to give a gift (even a small one) in honor of a preschooler in your family or neighborhood, so that a child on the other side of the world can enjoy an early education. Most of all, pray that this preschool will be a powerful way for the church to speak to its community. God hears the prayers of his people.

2008-03-19T00:33:00.007-04:00

Oh blog, oh blog, I have not forgotten you...

It seems like when things are so busy that I have a lot to blog about, I don't have the time I want to write an entry!

Here are some of the major ministry happenings right now:
- We are looking for a new worship space for our Bridgeville campus. This is an exciting thing, because we hope to have a space that will allow to continue to grow to the next level. Of course, the building does not make the church, so our main focus will continue to be serving, evangelizing, and making disciples in the community. But the time is right for us to work on making this move. I will try to get a link to the verbal announcement I did at our service on March 9.

- Pastor Steve (the senior pastor) and I will be going on an exploratory trip to Mozambique to look for opportunities for our church to partner with Mozambicans in a variety of ways. We will be building relationships and learning ways that our church's gifts might be used to influence different domains of life. Two of our congregation's strong suits are medical/health work and education. We will not be limited to those fields, but we hope to use the natural connections within the field that our people have in order to connect with Mozambicans. God has given us our occupations, and we want to use them for his glory.

-Holy Week: We have Maundy Thursday services, a Good Friday "multi-sensory worship experience," and many Easter services. Easter has always been one of my favorite times of year. I remember loving the atmosphere of celebration and joy, even when I was young. This will be my first Easter celebration as a pastor, and I am really looking forward to leading our congregation. Easter is the central day of the Christian calendar, and really of all history. Jesus was raised from the dead, and the world will never be the same! Hallelujah!

2008-02-25T23:57:00.003-05:00

Floods in Mozambique

Waters have flooded parts of Northern Mozambique over the last 6 weeks or so, but it looks like the worst is over. The floods have been compared to the ones in 2000, which came three days after I got there. His blog brings back memories of my time doing relief work after the floods. Here's his latest post: The End in Sight???

2008-02-25T23:52:00.000-05:00

The World Is Flat moment #2
As we hopped out of our rental car at the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport, the worker came bounding over to us and said, "Hola!" I answered in Spanish, and we completed the transaction that way. As we were walking away, I noticed his name tag said 'Amin.' He asked where I learned Spanish, and he told me he was actually from Indonesia. I asked him some questions based on what I knew of Indonesia from my friends who are from there. An odd situation!

2008-02-19T09:10:00.000-05:00

Eric Park has an excellent post on his blog about our culture's views of sexuality, using the Britney Spears saga as a bit of a case study. Check it out here.

2008-02-16T22:00:00.007-05:00

Repentance

I'm watching a PBS program I recorded a while ago on Andrew Jackson. What a complicated man! I think he exemplifies some of the paradoxes that make up our country. He was strong and idealistic; definitely a man of action. He was determined and always certain he was right, whether he was or not.

He also fought for the rights of the common man on the one hand, but the definition of the common man did not include women, blacks or Indians. He presided over much of the Indian removal, including the Trail of Tears. He broke countless treaties with Indian chiefs and tribes in order to provide farmland for the common white man.

I think the broken treaties and the removal of the Indians from their land is still a sin that affects our nation. Almost anyone who owns property in the United States is benefiting from land that was taken from its rightful owners. A sin on that scale cannot go un-repented.

Interested in reading more about racial reconciliation? Check out Living in Color, by Randy Woodley. He challenges us to get out of our bubbles and live the church like God created the world: with great variety! I studied with Randy at Seminary. He and his wife have a great vision for ministry among Indians. Learn more about Eagle's Wings Ministry here. Click on the link labeled "Ministry". Plus they have a farm for sale in Kentucky, if you are interested!

2008-02-16T12:39:00.003-05:00

Joey and the Golden Oldies

My birthday was last week. I heard Joey, my two-and-a-half year old, singing 'Happy Birthday' in the other room. Then right after that he started singing "Baby, baby, can't you hear my heart beat"! He and Samuel (4) have discovered my Best of Herman's Hermits CD, and that has been getting a lot of play recently. Samuel's favorite is "I'm Henry the VIII I am."

2008-02-14T22:43:00.002-05:00

The World Is Flat moment #1
I have a Mozambican friend who lives near Dallas. For a couple of weeks before I went I tried to call and was never able to connect with him. Finally I shot him and email. I found out he was in POLAND! We talked via Skype while I was in Dallas. We were talking in Portuguese, and I thought he said he was in Bologna, Italy. Turns out he said "Polonha"=Poland. Either way, via Skype I am speaking from Dallas with my Mozambican friend to Poland in Portuguese. What a world.

2008-02-12T01:30:00.002-05:00

The pic in my banner is a deee-licious fried oyster po' boy from Kimball's Seafood in Pass Christian. In addition to the great experiences I had in my trip to Mississippi and Texas, I got to do some good ole food tourism. Shrimp, crayfish, catfish, BBQ ribs, BBQ brisket, BBQ pork (Memphis style & North Carolina style), oysters on the half-shell, soft-shell crab... I know how to take culinary advantage of my journeys.

2008-02-11T22:44:00.000-05:00

Ok, the kids are a bit older now than in my last post. A friend of mine gave me the needed kick in the behind to start blogging after my false start 2+ years ago.

Here is what is on my mind: serving and the Kingdom. I just got back from a week-long trip to Mississippi and Dallas. The first part was to help build some houses for people who lost theirs in Hurricane Katrina. The second part was to attend a church-planting conference. What I came away with: You can't serve God without serving others.

In Pass Christian, MS our group (about 25 from two churches) worked in several different places. I was on a team of 3 (Peggy, Ron, and me) who worked laying tile and hardwood flooring in Ms. Jeanette's new house. She is currently living in a "Katrina cottage" until her new house is completed by volunteer labor. While the labor is donated, she is responsible for purchasing all the supplies and materials used in it's construction. She was so pleased with the work we were doing for her. It was very satisfying, and a blessing to be able to help out someone who had lost so much.

Then I flew to NorthWood Church in Keller, TX, in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. I met other
members of the Crossroads management team (Steve, Mike, R.J., and Jerrel) for a conference that was ostensibly about church planting. But it was about much more than that! In actuality it was talking about how we do church. Key learning points: 1) Get involved in the community where you are. 2) Get involved internationally as soon as possible.

More about #1- This means not waiting for others to come to our church, but rather going to them. Our church does a fairly good job of this, but there is so much more. They talked about becoming involved in your community through each of the different domains of life, not just the religious sphere. In fact, there is no "religious sphere" of life. God and his Kingdom overlays all the domains of society. What are these domains? Bob Roberts includes agriculture, economy, science & technology, education, and some others. How can we use the domains in which God has placed us for his glory?

I think one thing that needs to change is our view of work. It is not just something that earns us money so we can survive or enjoy the weekends. Work is God-honoring. He has given you the talents you use in your career, whatever it is. Before the Fall, there was work. We didn't have to toil and worry like we do now ("sweat of our brow"), but there was work, and it was good.

When we re-capture a godly view of work, we can see that our vocations can be used for his purposes. I'm not just talking about having a Bible study at your workplace. I'm talking about using your work to change the community for the better.

More about #2- This is where a lot of my passion lies. My wife and I were in Mozambique for a year and a half, and the experience changed our lives. Our church has taken the tack of reaching our own areas first (our Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria) and then going international. We have changed that position and are looking to get more involved internationally. Just like our local involvement, this will be in many domains of life. We hope to focus on one or two countries in order to maximize our impact.

Our church's mission is to transform the world by making disciples who make disciples. We're taking some great steps toward that.

2005-11-22T22:17:00.000-05:00

So, I suppose it's obligatory to say something like, "Well, I guess I'm a blogger now." Well, I'm not going to do it. I'm going to resist that temptation, even fighting against my African-grown sense of propriety and formality, and the importance of a "saludo" and a "despedido."
These are my kids! I am married to an amazingly cool woman, Katherine. She has brought into the world these two (amazingly cool) little beings. Both of them smile like there was nothing wrong in the world.