5K

   This morning (Saturday morning since I couldn't post till today - Sunday) I ran my first 5K (37 Minutes, so I have some work cut out for me) and yes I am still sore.

   The 5k was a fund raising effort by Lanvwa to fund their cyber-schools (Joconal, Guatemala and Port-Au-Prince, Haiti – both places I'd love to return to multiple times if I could; yes I've been there). So now as I recover (and somehow got some chores done) from both the run itself and my OCD over my possible over-use of parenthesis; I have some interesting thoughts.

   First, unless you're an athlete, a superhero or Jack Baur, you can't roll out of bed and run a 5k. You need a month or two of training. You need to build up your muscles and push yourself outside your comfort zone. Some of the biggest improvements in my run time actually came through learning how to pace my steps and breathing; as opposed to muscle strength.

   Now, I think there are Christians who do this with Christianity. I know I have. You need training and practice before you can do ministry, evangelism, outreaching, etc (notice I didn't say “if you do these things” if you're reading this and a Christian, you should be doing these things). This takes the form of serious Bible Study, Prayer, Fellowship with other Christians, attending Church, Fasting and Meditation (Yes, there is a Christian version to meditation). By the by; There's an excellent book about this: “Celebration Of Discipline” by Richard Foster. Tis very well written.

   Second thought. Throughout the run, the various volunteers along the way and then a cheering crowd at the end gave me a very singular thought. They were only encouraging and uplifting. No one shouted judgments or condemnations over if they thought someone was too slow. No one jabbed at me over having not taken running seriously sooner in life (although maybe two people knew this and even they were nothing but encouraging).

   Unfortunately, the Church does not have a perfect track record here. We are told to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. We are told to bear with each others weaknesses (Ephesians 4 : 1-6 and Romans 14 : 1-12). We do not always do this. I am not saying that we shouldn't beware of false teachers/prophets and I'm not saying we shouldn't hold each other accountable. I am saying there are encouraging and uplifting ways of doing so (Or speaking the Truth with Love).

   Third thought. Everyone was either running, helping “behind the scenes” somewhere, or both. Few, if any, were mere spectators. You shouldn't need an explanation on how this relates to the Church body. Yet, if you do, look no further than the fact that most of Jesus' instructions involved actions. There is no mention of “sit and watch” / “sit and talk about” (or tweet for the modern folk). In fact He even directly told a few to “get up and go”.

    Since I haven't just crashed and passed out like I thought I was, I'm going to go squeeze in some more chores and make some banana bread. Because, sure, why not?

   

Christianity is a Team Sport

One day, I saw a television program discussing some the requirements for a theoretical mission to Mars. In it, one of the issues was psychology and personality types. That not only is there need for certain personality types (Such as leader, navigator, moral booster, etc) and ones that need be avoided (loner, rambo-cowboy, psycho, etc); but it was also required that every member have a “team player” personality type. That no one turns into a “glory hog” and that everyone gives consideration to one another. This got me thinking.

What if the Church body took things that seriously.

In I Corinthians 12:4-31; Paul tells us that the Church is one body with many parts. Each member has different and unique parts. Each member has a specific role and set of duties. This can also be seen as a team. Everyone works together for the benefit of all.

Going a bit further back, I Corinthians 3:7-15 directly tells us that each Christian is a coworker to another. Coworker should mean exactly what it implies. That we have the same job!

And then sports. When you look at sports teams, you see that the whole team plays. Granted, some teams have the so-called “Star Players” that are gifted and are the “Play-Makers”. They are the ones that can really make the difference between a win or a lose. However, you also have teams that can make do without those “stars” and win. These teams play as teams. Each player contributes and all players work for the same goal. Each player has a different set of strengths and weaknesses. Some are fast, some are strong. Think wide-receivers and running backs. The receivers are fast and can catch; running backs are strong and shed tacklers. Some are smarter and can use strategy better. Some are hard workers, and can overcome the physical shortcomings by always working hard and being in the right spots at the right time. Everyone has something to contribute! There isn't a single person who isn't important (Even Seattle's so-called “12^th man” helps the team; the noise was blamed for the safety in the recent Super Bowl!)

So it is with the Church. We have the same goal and can experience more “success” the more we “play nice” and incorporate team player mentalities. Can you name a Church were one person (or a few) do most of the work that goes on in a Church? Is that your Church you're thinking about? If so, how are you contributing? Notice how I worded that. I didn't ask 'if' or 'are' you contributing to your Church. I asked 'how'. Every person who attends and counts themselves as members of a Church should generally help out to some degree. I'm not suggesting that they (or you) turn into “super-volunteers”. I'm simply saying that there is something going on within their (or your) Church that they (or you) can help with. If you are uncertain, then certainly you can (and should) ask. Start small, so that you don't bite off more than you can chew. This will also help build credibility for those in the Church leadership to trust you with small work in the beginning and gradually you can do more. They will certainly appreciate the help, especially if they are a few who do most of the work! This most certainly is a case where “ask and thou shall receive”!

In the manner that the Church is a team and that no one man can do the whole work of the Church, so it is that no one can go their whole life without help. It is good not to be a burden upon another person, but it is also wise to know when you need help with a matter. If a person or a few offer help with a matter (be it a ride to Church, financial assistance, help with a job search) it is wise to accept. Refusing help when you need it is a mark of pride. We know what follows pride. We have seen it. It takes a wise person to learn from mistakes and a wiser person still to learn from the mistakes of others. It shows humility to know when you need help and can graciously accept. What would you think of someone who helped everyone but always refused help (Even the Doctor needs help from time to time!).

Now, some Churches are larger and some are smaller. A small Church cannot do work on the same scale as a larger Church. Is the smaller Church useless then? Certainly not! Any Church you can name can do good works within the community in which it resides! This applies to any Church at all! Larger Churches can help on a wider scale and go over seas more often than a smaller Church. Yet look! I am a member of a very small Church that has had several missions trips to Central America! So it is the same anywhere. The harvest is great but the workers are few!

Are some works greater than others? Any work done for the glory of God and that actually helps a person or people is good. Remember work is done for the glory of God; not the glory of yourself. Remember the hypocrites in the street and what is said about them.

Now, if we as Christians could remember this and can consistently work together as opposed to arguing over debatable matters, we might be able to get more work done. We might be able to help more. We might better be able to show the world what it truly means to love our neighbors and to help the least of these.

Jesus Was Homeless

Jesus was, indeed, homeless. He didn't have a home. He traveled during His entire ministry. That's what can be inferred from the lack of anything mentioning Him having a home. Always staying with other people. Now, we can assume He had a home during His "childhood" with Joseph and Mary, but between the instance when He was 12 at the temple and His showing up appearing around 30 years, there isn't much to indicate when He left His parents house or where He was or what He was doing. Just that He was homeless during His ministry. Reading through Luke chapter 4, for example, one can see that much of Jesus' time was spent traveling and doing works.

Now, I'm not suggesting everyone become homeless. Who would give shelter to the homeless if no one had a home? How would the human race have shelter from the elements? I don't think this is so much of a "be poor" thing as it is a "don't be in love with material possessions" thing. Take Matthew CH 19:16 - 30 for example. Jesus' instructions to the rich man were to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor. I interpret that this means that we should be willing to part with any material possession. Nothing I possess will be so valuable to me that I would keep it at risk of losing my soul.

Listed below are four links to two different news stories regarding use of wealth and large homes.

The first is in regards to a German Bishop who uses the Catholic Church's funding to renovate his mansion. He is then expelled for being luxurious and the mansion is then used to serve the needy and homeless. Very fitting indeed. Now, I assume that all reading this are against people using other people's money for such purposes and that this is clearly greed and borderline theft? We needn't spend much more time on this, right?

Now for the next story. A pastor in North Carolina uses money from his book sales to build a mansion for himself and his family. In terms of needs vs wants, this does fall into the category of greed. No one needs a mansion. He did use his own money, and for some, that's reason enough. So, in terms of capitol, he technically did not do anything wrong. He didn't steal or lie his way into having the money. And furthermore, I disagree with telling other people what to do with their own money. (albeit, if he had asked me for my opinion; spending $1 million on a house would not have been suggested) There is another discussion on how much time was spent at his pulpit advertising his book, but that's really neither here nor there. What we should focus on are things like "For the love of money is the root of all evil" and Jesus remarks regarding the rich entering Heaven as compared to a camel entering the eye of a needle. I think the answer here is not to tear down the people who don't quite do what they should, but to build up the people that are good examples (Such as John Wesley, who is known for his saying: "What should rise is not the Christian’s standard of living, but his standard of giving.").

Now, I'm not saying people are evil for not living in shacks. However, we should be aware that having the biggest and best house should not be a priority. Our focus should be what Jesus instructed us to do (The two greatest commandments and the Great Commission). Helping the less fortunate should be the prime objective. Putting justice to injustice; right to wrongs. Many people have spent years being homeless, traveling or even being in prison for the Lord. Moses had two separate 40 year trips through the desert. No home outside the makeshift tents that would be pitched during rest stops. John the Baptist wandered through the desert until his arrest. Paul traveled a lot, whenever he wasn't visiting a fellow disciple or in prison.

Sources:

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2013/10/23/Pope-expels-German-luxury-bishop-from-diocese

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/german-bishop-of-blings-multimillion-euro-mansion-to-be-used-to-serve-needy-8907623.html

 http://www.wcnc.com/news/iteam/I-Team-How-a-pastor-paid-for-his-multi-million-dollar-home-228870731.html

http://www.wcnc.com/news/iteam/Elevation-Church-Pastor-responds-to-critics-of-his-17m-home-229413291.html

Batteries and The Sabbath

A while back, I found myself reaching for the lamp switch. As I turned it, the familiar blue flash indicated to me that the bulb had burned out. I then reached for the flashlight to find the light very dim, the batteries had died. Finding this an unacceptable means for shining light into the darkness, I went looking for fresh batteries.

This may be reaching*, but I couldn't help but see* the correlations between darkness/light* and blind/sight* analogies along with the concept of “burning out”* or needing “batteries recharged”*.

*All puns intended.

In Mark 1 : 35 – 39; Jesus himself goes into privacy to recharge His spiritual batteries. How much then should we, His followers, do so? There is great emphasis on sleep, eating and staying hydrated in order to recharge physical and mental batteries. How about the spiritual ones?

Everyone knows that they eventually recharge their phone and laptop batteries. Everyone knows they need to refill the gas (or petrol for those of you reading from Europe) in their vehicles. Everyone knows they need a holiday (vacation for those of you reading in the States) to recharge themselves. Yet, how easy is it to forget that prayer, meditation and fasting are all important to rest and recharge one's spiritual batteries?

Put another way; the Greek history includes the story of Marathon, a man who ran the distance from a military victory back to the capitol. Once he arrived and reported the news of the victory, he collapsed and died. In one view, this is an illustration of what happens when a person runs himself ragged without rest (Or in modern terms; a pastor running his Ford Focus ragged driving all over a county promoting His Church's events. It's not exactly taking the best care of a vehicle, considering gas prices and cost of repairs, but how could you not respect a man that devoted?). On the other hand, should this not be the enthusiasm that Christians should take when reporting the Good News of Christ? The pure, raw excitement of His Forgiveness should be motivation for anyone to run non-stop to those who haven't yet heard it. This is not to discredit the emotions of excitement, but it's still prudent to take rest when one can (even if it's merely a sleeping bag on concrete, which I can say from experience isn't at all conducive to proper rest).

Even God took a whole day to rest after creating the Heavens and the Earth and everything in it! On the seventh day (or Sabbath) He took a rest to view the work and saw that it was good. That is the other reason we have the sabbath (the 1st being to give praise to God), to rest from the week and recharge for the week to come.

All throughout the Bible, there are ebbs and flows. Periods of action and periods of rest. Even the entire nation of Israel had these periods. Sometimes they had feasts, others were that of famine. Periods of wealth and periods of enslavement. Times of peace and times of war.

What do yinz (you all, for those of you not from Pittsburgh) think? How do you rest and recharge spiritually?

Cinco!

The ting of excitement in the air. Plans made. Passports (almost) not forgotten. It's time.

ALLONS-Y!

Each trip has been an expansion and evolved form from the last. This trip is both the same and new.

More stoves* and some new projects. The new ones:

Water Filters: Through our contact known as Gaborrrrrrrr, we were able to connect with a non-profit that supplies water filters to schools. Now we are able to provide these to the school, the Church and the leivas farm. These are better designed filters that aren't expensive to replace and even then, the only part that would need replaced is the clay part inside.

Standing Vegetable Gardens: Debbie and Greg have a plan for vegetable gardens for the people of Joconal. Gardens that the chickens cannot reach (to steal away with the seeds).

Financial Education: Zak and his mother plan on giving financial education and determining what the people of Joconal know about finances.

*The Stoves: The stoves we have been installing for the people (which vent the smoke out of the kitchen) has been the project for the past 3 trips. It is now visible that some of them have built their own stoves themselves. It's beautiful, they're seeing how the stoves work and making their own (as opposed to waiting for us to come and do everything. Speaking of which. This time around, the men of each house are working with the stove construction. This is good on several levels. First, the men of each house are now taking ownership. Second, we are not
“magic-white-santa-clause” people. We are there to help, not become crutches. Third, this is hard work. Each piece of stove needs to be carried up a very steep, very muddy hill. All help is appreciated.

I should take the time now to note that Zak is listening to an Ipod. I make note for no other reason than that Zak is using an Apple product. Meanwhile, Mr. Covalt was kind enough to provide transportation and amuse us with personal anecdotes. Speaking of amusing, I was able to take a few video clips of Guatemalan driving 'dash-cam' style. Just some video evidence that some (or all) Guatemalans treat traffic laws more like guidelines than actual laws.

While there for our first day, we make our way over to Armando's brother's Church to do some work. We are to sand down the support beams and paint over them. Zak even found a bees nest, next to his face. Fortunately no one was stung. We celebrated with nachos in Antigua, which would have been more enjoyable without a noisy crowd of people who had also appeared.

After our 5-6 hours of driving through the country and the van not making it up the driveway, the mountains kick our buts from the start. Meanwhile, Zak and Greg must deal with re-adjusting the satellite for the internet – it is rather cumbersome and the signal is elusive.

After installing the stoves for the day, I sit down for a snack and take notes. I take a look at the trees and see a massive swarm of bees! Bees swarming in giant circles, staying away from the building, but making me nervous none the less. After a few minutes, these bees return to a branch. After another few minutes, I see a rock fly past the nest. Some of the kids are throwing rocks at the hive! Silly loco Guatemalan kids.

Now, the nearby Church that we also help has a new pastor. From what I've seen on this trip, I like him. He not only makes his way around the village, but he also assists with a few of the stoves. He is not afraid to do work and get his hands dirty. (No, really, the old stoves are basically blocks of dirt, so it's dirty work – or dirty deeds, done dirt cheap ;)

Over the course of the week, the battle continues. The mountains kick our buts and we get stove after stove installed. The other projects get completed and Kelly threatens me thrice. Her issue (one I agreed with at the start) was that my allergy to certain biting insects needs further review, or rather an appointment with a doctor. One more thing on my to-do list once we get back, but then again, I agree with the concern.

The final day of the week. We spend time in Antigua and I get to enjoy the ice cream and pizza shops I missed from last year. I also enjoy a cup of coffee and time alone with my thoughts walking the streets of Antigua. The many beautifully colored buildings and especially the Churches. I take the time to pray in one of them. As much as I joke about going and not returning, that might actually happen some time. It's a beautiful country and I feel deeply connected with the people I've met there over the years.

Or Die Trying

I don't fear failure; I fear succeeding at something that doesn't matter. -Author Unknown (Because I haven't found the proper citations)

This is, I think, quite sums up something that humans have gotten quite good at: The pursuit of irrelevant goals.

Such as:

-What do body builders do when they have their muscles?

-What do Stamp Collectors do when they have all the stamps? Or want to mail something?

-What does the person do with his life once he has watched every episode of every tv series ever (Note: There are too many so this isn't possible).

-What does the athlete do with his brass-knuckle  of a jewel-encrusted rings. I mean, have you seen how expensive they can be? You could by a car or even a cheap house with one of those. Check out the link about Super Bowl Bling from the Weather channel. Because the Weather channel had an article about Super Bowl rings. What do they do with all of their athletic achievements when their knees need replaced at age 40 and they get Alzheimer at age 50.

Do our votes really matter? Especially in this so-called "two-party" system?

Then check out these stats on climbing Mount Everest:

http://sometimes-interesting.com/2011/06/29/over-200-dead-bodies-on-mount-everest/

http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2013/01/07/everest-2013-how-much-does-it-cost-to-climb-everest/

Now, personal accomplishments can be good, but it's just that so many of them are either pointless or don't benefit anyone. At all.

But is it really worth your life to be on top of a mountain? For some it is, but let me ask it another way.

Is it worth a life to climb a mountain and if so, is that person's priorities and perspective's in proper order?

Is it good enough to string together a list of accomplishments that don't mean anything?

Yes, I realize that I'm suggesting that entire chunks of human population have wasted most, if not all, of their lives pursuing things that don't matter. And I mean to.

There are people so devoted to a cause that they would rather die than fail. And then there are people who have no idea as to how to prioritize their life.

It's truly admirable to see someone so devoted to something. It's even better when that something actually matters. It's actually painful to watch someone strive to accomplish something that really doesn't amount to anything meaningful. How many of the classic sci-fi movies have a scientist create some horrific monster to only after the disaster, wonder if he should have been doing that in the first place?

I would rather my life's work be meaningful. To be something that actually makes a positive difference in someone's life. Sometimes I feel like I've done that. Sometimes I feel like I'm doing the Lord's work. Sometimes I feel like I've attempted to do the Lord's work only to make something akin to a crayon drawing a kid makes for his parents to put on the fridge.

Customer or Commodity?

A good friend of mine emailed me the following qoute and I had to start off my post with it to set the tone. So, with that in mind, I shall begin.

Pigs. Pigs live for free; they are not free. They don't pay rent. Nor do they pay for their food. Nor do the pay for anything else. Well, until the day they're slaughtered that is. Then they pay with their life. They live in comfort and are comfortably numb. They eat, drink and generally be merry (even in their own filth). All that is expected of them is that they get fat; and that's what they do. They aren't the customer to the farmer. They aren't the consumer (though they do eat a lot). They are the commodity; the product to be sold for profit.

Enough about pigs; now onto humans. Throughout human history, there have been those very special types of people that only saw their fellow neighbors as commodities. As beings that are either bought and sold; or suckers to sell things to. This is the dark side of capitalism. Not to say that capitalism, in and of itself is bad. Rather, that human nature, being what it is, can (and does) corrupt it. Using it for devious and nefarious purposes for their own greedy end. That everything has a dark side (or a dark passenger). That capitalism is neither good nor bad; but how the human uses it is what dictates its nature.

To view other humans as a commodity is what leads to slavery. To view another human as potential property (and therefore, less human) is what slavery is. It is disgusting. They see a free market as a means to freely do whatever they want. They ignore the fact that there are consequences to actions. They lose their soul in a vain attempt to gain the world. This is why it is so, that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

This is materialism (or consumerism) to buy things, to seek things, to treat things as an idol. The alter for this, of course, is the shopping mall. To buy (or consume) any of a wide assortment of things to the point of worshiping the dollar and what it can buy. What would you like? Whatever it is, there is a store for it. How many people pay $60 for a pair of jeans? How many of them care where it came from? How many would care if they knew it was stitched together by someone making a quarter an hour to be shipped halfway across the world for their comfort? Remember the clothing factory in Bangladesh back in April?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/world/asia/bangladesh-factory-fire-caused-by-gross-negligence.html?_r=1&

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2012/09/21/the-wasteful-culture-of-forever-21-hm-and-fast-fashion

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/reports-fire-kills-43-poultry-farm-china-19310266#.Ua1DXkC3-8A

But wait, aren't those factory workers getting paid? Does it matter? They're being treated to lives and working conditions that many in 1^st world countries wouldn't tolerate for wages many would take unemployment welfare over.

1^st world country. If that term isn't indicative of the “rat race”, “bigger is better”, “latest-greatest”, entitlement culture of secular materialism, then I don't know what is. Not only is our country amongst the elite of the most developed and advanced technology, but we need a “1st” label so everybody knows it. We need a “3rd” label so those less fortunate (“least of these” anyone?) know their place. (Has anyone ever heard or read which countries constitute as “2^nd world”?).