Monday, January 29, 2007
My Life has a Sound Track
Jane just yelled down the hall, "Are you trying to convince yourself, or what?"
Well, not that I can't hold a tune. But I never know all the words.
If Jane speaks with exclamation points, my life has a sound track.
I was getting a cup of coffee and singing out loud, "It's morning time. It's morning time." No, there is no such song. It was more like a sing-song chant than anything else. I was actually still in my mind in Jonathan's room and soon on my way back here to wake him up.
As I said to Jane, my life is lived to musical accompaniment. She readily agreed.
My children know this. Allison will laugh if you just mention the song "I believe I can fly." And Jonathan is ready to kill me if I start up with "Oh, Jonnie boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling."
My colleagues know it , too. At Timken, I'd often whistle to myself as I walked from the office area out to the lab. Just the other day, Rodney and I were working in the office here at the Phare and I came back in humming some old song from my youth. I realized it and turned to him to ask, "Where's the music? Why don't you have that computer playing something? You don't want to listen to me!" His reply was, "Yeah, I'm doing it right now. As soon as I heard you singing, I remembered."
My children know this. Allison will laugh if you just mention the song "I believe I can fly." And Jonathan is ready to kill me if I start up with "Oh, Jonnie boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling."
My colleagues know it , too. At Timken, I'd often whistle to myself as I walked from the office area out to the lab. Just the other day, Rodney and I were working in the office here at the Phare and I came back in humming some old song from my youth. I realized it and turned to him to ask, "Where's the music? Why don't you have that computer playing something? You don't want to listen to me!" His reply was, "Yeah, I'm doing it right now. As soon as I heard you singing, I remembered."
Well, not that I can't hold a tune. But I never know all the words.
If Jane speaks with exclamation points, my life has a sound track.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Jesus is Coming So...
I'm preaching tomorrow.
I ought to be working on the sermon instead of posting this blog, but I'll take a minute and share with you a bit. If you were here at the Phare with the North Way team last week, forgive me for repeating myself!
I was reading and thinking about the book of James last week and the week before. I've moved on to I Peter since, but the things that struck me then continue to stay in my thoughts. So, I take that to mean the Lord wants me to share them in Ouakam. I've also been reading "Being Human: The Nature of Spiritual Experience" by Macaulay and Barrs. It's an old IVP book from our college days that sat on the shelf way too long. I've been digesting it slowly, or rather, I've been reading it in courses. Their thoughts on what it means to be "spiritual" gave certain verses in James new flavor.
Take James 5:7-9. Verse 8 says: "You, too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." Jesus is coming back. He'll come in glory to judge the world! What should we do? Sell the house? Pray all night? Dedicate our lives to tell others about Him? Well, James aims a little closer to home. "Dont grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door." In other words, Jesus will be back soon. You all can put up with each other until then, can't you?
It's almost prosaic. Shouldn't we be aiming for a certain other-worldliness? Shouldn't James be exhorting us to deep religious feeling and activity? Well, no. James has it right. He warns that being judgmental toward your fellow "sinner saved by grace" will bring Jesus' judgment.
James' understanding of "spiritual" is not mystical or religious. The godly person is not aiming for some higher-state of consciousness. The righteousness - the goodness - that God desires is being a good listener who doesn't get angry (1:19-20). A truly religious man has control of his tongue and cares for the downtrodden(1:26-27) . A man with real wisdom - a deeply insightful guy in touch with heaven - will be known for purity, for a love for peace, for being considerate of others, for having mercy and being impartial and sincere (3:13-18). A man who actually believes that Jesus is coming back soon will be forgiving and gracious toward his brothers.
Doesn't that just make your head spin? It does mine.
So, lately I've been more keenly aware about how serious the stuff of daily life is: how I'm treating Jane and Jonathan; how much I'm turning to God in my mundane work duties; how I'm thinking about other drivers on the roads the Dakar; how well I'm actually listening to others in a meeting. I'm seeking to live in God's grace with grace to others. I'm trying hard to keep short accounts, to forgive quickly and to let go of anger before I'm even asked to. I want to be "spiritual" in this deep biblical way. I want to have more of this God-life, this goodness that comes only from Him.
How about you?
I was reading and thinking about the book of James last week and the week before. I've moved on to I Peter since, but the things that struck me then continue to stay in my thoughts. So, I take that to mean the Lord wants me to share them in Ouakam. I've also been reading "Being Human: The Nature of Spiritual Experience" by Macaulay and Barrs. It's an old IVP book from our college days that sat on the shelf way too long. I've been digesting it slowly, or rather, I've been reading it in courses. Their thoughts on what it means to be "spiritual" gave certain verses in James new flavor.
Take James 5:7-9. Verse 8 says: "You, too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." Jesus is coming back. He'll come in glory to judge the world! What should we do? Sell the house? Pray all night? Dedicate our lives to tell others about Him? Well, James aims a little closer to home. "Dont grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door." In other words, Jesus will be back soon. You all can put up with each other until then, can't you?
It's almost prosaic. Shouldn't we be aiming for a certain other-worldliness? Shouldn't James be exhorting us to deep religious feeling and activity? Well, no. James has it right. He warns that being judgmental toward your fellow "sinner saved by grace" will bring Jesus' judgment.
James' understanding of "spiritual" is not mystical or religious. The godly person is not aiming for some higher-state of consciousness. The righteousness - the goodness - that God desires is being a good listener who doesn't get angry (1:19-20). A truly religious man has control of his tongue and cares for the downtrodden(1:26-27) . A man with real wisdom - a deeply insightful guy in touch with heaven - will be known for purity, for a love for peace, for being considerate of others, for having mercy and being impartial and sincere (3:13-18). A man who actually believes that Jesus is coming back soon will be forgiving and gracious toward his brothers.
Doesn't that just make your head spin? It does mine.
So, lately I've been more keenly aware about how serious the stuff of daily life is: how I'm treating Jane and Jonathan; how much I'm turning to God in my mundane work duties; how I'm thinking about other drivers on the roads the Dakar; how well I'm actually listening to others in a meeting. I'm seeking to live in God's grace with grace to others. I'm trying hard to keep short accounts, to forgive quickly and to let go of anger before I'm even asked to. I want to be "spiritual" in this deep biblical way. I want to have more of this God-life, this goodness that comes only from Him.
How about you?
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
So what do you do, exactly?
I hate when people ask what I do. It happens often when church teams come.
But the problem is with that one word. No, not "strategic." "Contributing!"
The problem is not that I don't do important stuff. I know I do. I'm more comfortable with my role now than ever before. I'm contributing to a number of really strategic efforts here in Senegal.
But the problem is with that one word. No, not "strategic." "Contributing!"
I don't have a title like "Director" or "Professor" or "Pastor" or even "Church Planter". Immediately, when people hear a word like that, they feel like they know what you do. They don't, of course! Titles unexplained are just ways to reinforce preconceived ideas.
In the end I am forced to explain a number of the things I do and just describe myself as a "general missionary" or some other made-up term! Any title, of course, is better than "administrator". That conjures up images of shuffling papers all day and making no substantive contribution to the enterprise.
In the end I am forced to explain a number of the things I do and just describe myself as a "general missionary" or some other made-up term! Any title, of course, is better than "administrator". That conjures up images of shuffling papers all day and making no substantive contribution to the enterprise.
Let me give you some examples from yesterday. Perhaps you can think of a good term.
Balla came to the Phare in the morning. He works for UWM now, since the first of January. We are founding a discipleship program, a three-month intensive, live-in deal where he will be our "rabbi" for 6 young potential leaders sent by their church or mission. This is a dream coming true for our UWM team, an effort that began in discussions 3 or 4 years ago.
So when I got back from the regular DA Board prayer meeting / Exec Committee consultation at around 10:30, I found Balla and Rodney both in the office. I wanted us to talk about the school before either of them got away! But first I had to make my rounds. Patrice is following up on the work done by last week's team. The ladies painted our Chambre H, but we still need to rewire the room. He is putting in the surface channel. I'll go in today and wire it up. So I went to consult with him on how to make the channel look better by mitering the corners and following the center line of the room.
Then I checked on Jean and the new restroom. He wasn't there! And he hadn't called. After a deep sigh, I moved on, figuring he was stuff in traffic from the Dakar Rally. I found out later that he spent the whole day in the city trying to find enough of the tile we picked last week. As of late last night, he hadn't found it and was going to propose a different tile.
The guard, Mbaye, also filled me in on the day's crisis, a death threat the night before from a jealous fiance of a co-worker here. I won't explain all of that. Poor Herve was intervening. At least the fellow came asking for forgiveness.
Then I went down to the house to check in. I remembered the piles of stuff left by the North Way team that are filling the living room, waiting for Jane and I to distribute and sort. Some is for us personally, wonderful gifts from the States (like Jif!!!). Some is leftover medicines and vitamins and toys for the talibe ministry. Others is food supplies that we'll hold until the next team visits. Other stuff is to distribute to families here. I made a quick cut at handing the medicines to Antoinette to put in the talibe pharmacy.
Then I got back to Balla and Rodney. Our committee (the three of us plus Jose) has come up with educational objectives for knowledge, character and skills. We've organized the school days into two blocks of time in the morning for teaching and one in the afternoon for activities. Balla and I have been working on putting together a twelve-week plan of topics for those teaching times to cover all of the list of objectives. We've also been making a list of equipment and materials we'll need. So yesterday, I wanted to update Rodney and get some decisions made to keep moving forward. So we looked at the educational stuff, as well as the financial. We settled on the start date for the school (February 19th!) and discussed cooking arrangements. Today I'll type up all of that as minutes (in French) to and we'll continue to move forward.
Now I was the one who led that meeting. I didn't have more authority than the other guys. But I had the fire in my gut and a list of topics in my head and I took notes and I pressed for clear decisions and made sure someone was designated to follow-up each item. Yet, it all happened with mutual respect and collegiality. I'm not the chair of the committee. I wasn't forcing anything. We all are eager for this thing to advance. It was very natural and fulfilling and fun work.
But what title do I claim to explain things like that in a word or two? Beats me.
Balla came to the Phare in the morning. He works for UWM now, since the first of January. We are founding a discipleship program, a three-month intensive, live-in deal where he will be our "rabbi" for 6 young potential leaders sent by their church or mission. This is a dream coming true for our UWM team, an effort that began in discussions 3 or 4 years ago.
So when I got back from the regular DA Board prayer meeting / Exec Committee consultation at around 10:30, I found Balla and Rodney both in the office. I wanted us to talk about the school before either of them got away! But first I had to make my rounds. Patrice is following up on the work done by last week's team. The ladies painted our Chambre H, but we still need to rewire the room. He is putting in the surface channel. I'll go in today and wire it up. So I went to consult with him on how to make the channel look better by mitering the corners and following the center line of the room.
Then I checked on Jean and the new restroom. He wasn't there! And he hadn't called. After a deep sigh, I moved on, figuring he was stuff in traffic from the Dakar Rally. I found out later that he spent the whole day in the city trying to find enough of the tile we picked last week. As of late last night, he hadn't found it and was going to propose a different tile.
The guard, Mbaye, also filled me in on the day's crisis, a death threat the night before from a jealous fiance of a co-worker here. I won't explain all of that. Poor Herve was intervening. At least the fellow came asking for forgiveness.
Then I went down to the house to check in. I remembered the piles of stuff left by the North Way team that are filling the living room, waiting for Jane and I to distribute and sort. Some is for us personally, wonderful gifts from the States (like Jif!!!). Some is leftover medicines and vitamins and toys for the talibe ministry. Others is food supplies that we'll hold until the next team visits. Other stuff is to distribute to families here. I made a quick cut at handing the medicines to Antoinette to put in the talibe pharmacy.
Then I got back to Balla and Rodney. Our committee (the three of us plus Jose) has come up with educational objectives for knowledge, character and skills. We've organized the school days into two blocks of time in the morning for teaching and one in the afternoon for activities. Balla and I have been working on putting together a twelve-week plan of topics for those teaching times to cover all of the list of objectives. We've also been making a list of equipment and materials we'll need. So yesterday, I wanted to update Rodney and get some decisions made to keep moving forward. So we looked at the educational stuff, as well as the financial. We settled on the start date for the school (February 19th!) and discussed cooking arrangements. Today I'll type up all of that as minutes (in French) to and we'll continue to move forward.
Now I was the one who led that meeting. I didn't have more authority than the other guys. But I had the fire in my gut and a list of topics in my head and I took notes and I pressed for clear decisions and made sure someone was designated to follow-up each item. Yet, it all happened with mutual respect and collegiality. I'm not the chair of the committee. I wasn't forcing anything. We all are eager for this thing to advance. It was very natural and fulfilling and fun work.
But what title do I claim to explain things like that in a word or two? Beats me.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Apologies and Busy-ness
I'm so sorry that I haven't been blogging in so long. It's been almost three weeks!
This week we have a construction team here and so my life is entwined with theirs. That is fun. I get to know new folks and I get to actually use my hands a bit. I've posted a bit about them on the Phare's blog. This morning I made them crepes for breakfast and led a devotion again. I'm watching over their work day and will probably hang with them through the evening. I'm sure Jane will join in after we get Jonathan off to youth group.
Jane and Jonathan started up at DA this week after nearly three weeks off. That's good. And that's bad. Jane loves teaching and Jonathan loves his life at school. But homework has started and the grading of homework, so we're in that mode where we don't see each other nearly enough.
On Saturday, though, we did host the combined teams for supper (20). In fact, Jane was able to participate fully in the orientation on Saturday and all the activities on Sunday, since school hadn't started yet. That is great fun for her. And for me, too, since everyone then tells me what a wonderful wife I have. Don't I know it!
Over Christmas break, we did get away with the team (minus the Carters, of course) for 4 days at a vacation home. We worked half-days together doing evaluation and planning, and then we played the rest of the day! Jonathan enjoyed the time with Caleb Duttweiler. They actually went to the beach to challenge the Senegalese guys to soccer in the sand. Jonathan held his own with the big dudes. We watched Munk episodes and played games and generally had a great time. The week after that, Rodney headed up to be with Paul and Kate in Paris and I dug in to prepare for those North Way teams.
Life is good. Full and varied and reasonably balanced! But busy!
[I think Anna and Jane found a way to get a package out with a team coming in February. A new camera will be part of it and I'll start taking pictures again!]
