When Two Worlds Collide- Part 2

My post titled, When Two Worlds Collide, generated an interesting discussion. Thank you for being open and talkative in your comments to me (and one another), I love it! I am very sorry that it took so long to answer the query that I posed.

Galant shared that at his church a guest speaker, who was from Iran and a former Muslim, had briefly mentioned Eastern countries being ‘shame based.’ He also touched on the reality that Western cultures are ‘guilt-based.’ Galant was disappointed that the man did not further explain the concept.

As you know, I am extremely passionate about spreading the message of Christ to all nations, languages, cultures and sub-cultures. There are not enough hours in the day for me to read and study the myriad worldviews that constitute humanity.

Humans are incredibly complex. There are no two people that are exactly the same. Similarly, cultures are complex and no culture is like another. Inside each group of people there are foundational beliefs and emotions which govern that culture’s general behavior. Their public actions, though, are only surface representatives for the undercurrent of their theology, philosophy, sociology and ethics.

There are three major classifications of cultures. They are the following:

1- Shame/ Honor based cultures
2- Guilt/ Innocence (or reward) based cultures
3- Fear/ Power based cultures

So I gave Galant an exercise that would declare what cultural worldview he possesses. Daniel Oh, a missionary trainer who travels around the world, taught a lecture at Perspectives on the World Christian Movement with this "quiz" as the central focus.

Have someone walk in front of you and drop something (like a pencil).
What did (or would) you say to them?

Before I share the explanation, here are some responses left in comments:

Galant answered- I'd go to pick it up and let them know they dropped it. "Excuse me...you just dropped this" - hold it out to them. Hopefully I'd smile, and then I'd go on about my business.

Kathie responded-
If someone walked in front of me and dropped something, I would pick it up for them, or attempt to pick it up for them and say, "Excuse me, you dropped this."

The easiest way to pinpoint a person's cultural base is to see where they place blame. There is one word in both of these answers that lets me know what culture base Kathie and Galant are from. Whether or not they meant to "blame" the person for dropping the item, they both said, "...you dropped..." They placed the blame on the person which leads me to conclude that they are from a Guilt/ Innocence culture.

People from the Shame/ Honor based culture would never think to say to a person, "you did this." Instead, they would pick the pen up and respond, "The pen fell from your hand" or "The pen jumped to the ground." Honor is so important to people from these cultures, that lying and cheating are better, if it honors a person, than bringing shame to someone.

Western cultures, such as the United States and England, are overwhelmingly guilt focused. Think about our advertisements, evangelistic strategies, laws, news and books. Everything is centered around who is right, who is wrong, what rewards we can get for doing right and who is being punished for thier bad choices.

Eastern cultures, such as Iraq, are overwhelmingly honor focused. People watch the news, of Iraqi men burning American flags and we blame, "Look at them. That is wrong." Yet, they are not thinking about right and wrong, they are trying to shame us and bring honor to their people. An incredible article, although lengthy, on Honor and Shame is here. They want more honor for themselves, their people and their families. They seek to honor others as a way to gain honor. They shame those who have brought shame.

The third culture, fear and power, is most commonly seen among tribal nations. Tribesmen fear spirits, disease and weather. The only way to overcome the fear is to be strong. If you have studied Jim Elliot and the time he spent with the Acuas, you will understand this culture a little bit. I encourage you to watch The End of the Spear, a movie about the missionaries to Ecuador, and the documentary Beyond the Gates of Splendor.

The most fascinating thing for me, as I have studied different cultures, is the reality that Jesus lived among people whose mindset flowed from honor/ shame. Many times when we read the Bible we filter passages through our guilt and reward biased mind. Did you know that when you talk to a person from an honor/ shame society they might answer a question with a question? They do this to bring honor to themselves by showing you that they can have a better question. Now, think about how Jesus related to the Pharisees. They asked a question. He responded with a question. And who had the question that left the other party speechless, bringing more honor to Himself (whether THEY realized it or not)? None other than- Jesus. Who honored those who were shamed by dining with them? Jesus. Jesus took the idea of honor/ shame and completely upset the basket.

Jesus and his apostles, like Paul, after Him, challenged people to honor others above themselves. This was a new concept. Honor one another above myself, my honor, my dignity? Think of them before I think of me? You have got to be kidding. Life is all about getting me honor and shaming others, isn't it? Not if you follow Jesus.

Neither is there blame or reward. Both cultures are seeking to make themselves look better, either through guilt or honoring self. Although two different worldviews, they lead us to the same place. Pride. And pride and the gospel cannot function together. Therefore, neither perspective is right all the way. We need the only One worthy of recieving honor, Jesus, to set us free. Since we are powerless to have a right relationship with Christ outside of His death and resurrection, we cannot boast. What can we boast about? There is no amount of honor that we can earn that will pay off our debt to God. There are not enough good things we can do to get a passage to heaven.

Jesus paid it all, for all cultures, for all times, for all worldviews and for all of humanity. He made Himself the center of the crisis, erased our debt and set those who believe free. So, honor one another above yourself. Let go of your guilt. Be free.

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 2:6-10

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"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited."

Romans 12:10, 14-15

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"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:3-10

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It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

Pure and Simple

Have you ever watched a delicate flower during a violent storm? As the rain and hail pound the tender leaves, it moves gracefully with the wind. No matter how hard the rain falls, when the sun shines again, the flower does everything it can to raise its head to the sun.

I want to be like the flower in this picture. There were more stunning flowers around it. It was small. It was strong. When I took the picture, I thought, I want to present this flower as looking large, yet small, all alone, but with the sun shining all over.

The storms in my life have fallen, hard and long, the last few years. Still, I have come out stronger and more like Christ because of them. Each joy, each heartache, I would not trade for anything if they have made me more like Jesus.

I have learned that purity is more than behavior or appearance. Purity invades the core of a person's life until they are conformed to the likeness of Christ. Purity is not ignorance, but knowing evil exists and resisting. Simplicity is similar, for it understands that life is only good when centered around God, the King of the Universe.
Pure and simple, like the flower, is what I want to be.

A Distant Thunder

Theology. Philosophy. Abortion. Genocide. Sociology. Homeschooling. Missions.

Truth.

Somethings are just too heavy to post about amid pictures of cute kids and funny stories. I have done what I thought I would never do- start a second blog. It always looks strange to me when there is a "life update" following an entry where I have either shared a deep thought or launched a spiritual challenge. Furthermore, I do not write as freely as I would like to about my convictions, spiritual thoughts and social issues.

Thus the second blog. I might rant about public schooling, weep over abortion, challenge common thought processes, discuss philosophy or review a book. I will write whatever comes to mind or what God is teaching me. We'll see.

I am sorry, in a way, to do this to my faithful "reader," for it is yet another blog you might feel obligated to read. But if you read anything of mine, please, read the new blog.

Thunder is rumbling in my heart. It shall not be silenced. Not this time. Too much is at stake.

A Distant Thunder

Introducing... "What was that???"

My dear friend, Katie, has started a blog. She began as just a co-worker, but quickly became one of the best friends I have ever and will ever have. I have watched her grow spiritually as we have spent hours together discussing life, love and Jesus. She is funny, classy, groggy in the mornings, an awesome snow-boarder and loves Jesus with all her heart. She is apart of my family, having supported us through many trials and joys the past four years.

Now, I am excited to share her with all of you. She is apprehensive about this blogging word, so please, for humor sake- go comment on her blog. :-P OH, and ask her why she titled it as she did. It's a good story!

I am pleased to introduce:

"What was that???"

Free the Dalits

Two things. First, please look at the Dalit Freedom Network website. I will be posting more about it soon. Second, I have begun a new blog and will tell you more about it next week. Be ready. I'm on fire.

When Galant Speaks

Galant's post this morning brought me to tears.

I would like for all of you to read it, not because it will strike the same emotion inside of you that it did in me, but because the exhortation that he communicates is crucial for all disciples of Christ. Before you read it, though, please read the following entry from My Utmost for His Highest, September 10th:


MISSIONARY MUNITIONS
"When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee." John 1:48

We imagine we would be all right if a big crisis arose; but the big crisis will only reveal the stuff we are made of, it will not put anything into us. "If God gives the call, of course I will rise to the occasion." You will not unless you have risen to the occasion in the workshop, unless you have been the real thing before God there. If you are not doing the thing that lies nearest, because God has engineered it; when the crisis comes instead of being revealed as fit, you will be revealed as unfit. Crises always reveal character.

The private relationship of worshipping God is the great essential of fitness. The time comes when there is no more "fig-tree" life possible, when it is out into the open, out into the glare and into the work, and you will find yourself of no value there if you have not been worshipping as occasion serves you in your home. Worship aright in your private relationships, then when God sets you free you will be ready, because in the unseen life which no one saw but God you have become perfectly fit, and when the strain comes you can be relied upon by God.

"I can't be expected to live the sanctified life in the circumstances I am in; I have no time for praying just now, no time for Bible reading, my opportunity hasn't come yet; when it does, of course I shall be all right." No, you will not. If you have not been worshipping as occasion serves, when you get into work you will not only be useless yourself, but a tremendous hindrance to those who are associated with you.

The workshop of missionary munitions is the hidden, personal, worshipping life of the saint.

Family Wedding

We had our first family wedding on August 19th. My cousin, Mat, married his long time friend, Katie. They asked my dad, as the pastor in the family, to officiate the ceremony. My dad was so honored! He led them through four weeks of premarital counseling where he and my mom discussed the various aspects of marriage. Since neither Mat nor Katie are believers, it was a special time for my parents to share Jesus' message of love.

The wedding went fantastic and we all had a wondeful time! These are two of my favorite pictures. Mat, the Groom and my cousin (picture taken by my dad); the cut cake and Katie's fingers (picture taken by yours truly).

I wish I had time to post pictures of us dancing, them doing the toast, the food and the rest of my family, but these two pictures on dial-up took 30 minutes to upload! More to come soon... I promise!!!

Drag Racing Bears Paint Roller Coasters

Drag racing bears paint roller coasters.

What? You didn't know that the bears who participate in drag racing also paint pictures of roller coasters? Ok, so just for fun I combined all of the events of my weekend into one sentence.

Drag Racing
Saturday Katie and I went to Bandimere Speedway to watch the Quaker State Drag Racing Finals. The event was set to begin at 9:30AM and so I picked Katie up at 8:15. We arrived on time- to an empty parking lot. It was cool and raining.

I guess, being a girl, it did not cross my mind to think that drag racing could not proceed in the rain. It makes complete sense now that I know. High velocity automobiles traveling 0-179MPH in 8 seconds cannot risk ANY moisture on the track. They hydroplane.

So we waited. And waited. The woman at the ticket counter said they were hoping to start by 11:30. So we waited some more. And waited. The rain cleared a bit and so we ventured into the stadium. We dried a seat and got comfortable. And then it started raining again. We decided to go eat lunch and come back. As we sat in my car eating the picnic lunch (the one I thought we would enjoy spread out on the grass) we heard the load speakers come on. It was finally time!


We went back to the stadium and found our bench. The drag racing started at 1:30PM. Four hours late isn't too bad, is it? Were we crazy for waiting? Maybe so, but Katie had never been to a drag race! She looked at me and quipped, "We have waited four hours. It's a good thing we like each other."

We had so much fun, although we stuck out like a sore thumb. The general demographic of the attenders were: Male; 25-50 years old; dressed in leather jackets and ball caps with flaming cars; these men and their "in training" 13 year old sons. The women we saw were their wives, dressed in tight jeans, brightly colored wind breakers and feathered hair styles from the 70's.

The super-long pro drag car traveled down the 1/4 mile track in 8 seconds at 179MPH. Don't blink, you might miss it! Until the super pro raced, the red and white Corvette held the record at 145MPH. Wooooooobuddy! I have pictures of some cars that I will try to upload soon! (Didn't I say that about 10 other things the last 3 months???)

Bears
Ben has been house-sitting for some people in a quaint montain town about 1 hour from our home. Monday night Victoria, Timothy and I went with him to check the plants, feed the animals and watch for bears. We refilled all of the hummingbird feeders with sugar water, gave the black squirrels and birds sunflowers seeds, dumped out peanuts for the elk and bears, and prepared hotdogs and cookies for the fox.

There was not special food for the skunk, but he came for dinner anyway. He hung around for 10 minutes while we took pictures (that did not turn out). We tiptoed out onto the deck, which is elevated about 10 off of the ground. As soon as we came out he skampered up the hill out of sight. A couple of times he did raise his tail in our direction- good thing we were in the basement.

As the sun set over the mountains, we decided to wait and watch for the fox to come get his dinner. We see fox all the time in our own neightborhood, so it was nothing super special. Timothy and Victoria, equipped with flashlights, were watching for the elk and bears. They moved windows and so I took over their post.

As soon as I stepped up to the window I could tell there was an animal down there. It was a large black shadow moving slowly toward the house. I aimed my flashlight at the shadow and clicked it on. Two glowing eyes stared at me from the face of the largest black bear I have ever seen. I whispered, "There's a bear! Come quick! Quietly! There he is!!!" We gathered at the window as Ben scrambled to turn on the camera. A bear. We were looking directly at a bear. And he was looking at us!

It was now pitch black and we, at least three of us, were too scared to go to the car. So we waited a few minutes and then made a run for it!

Painting
Since our basement flooded a couple weeks ago, we had to replace drywall and paint, which we did Monday morning. My mom was the mad scientist and concocted a beautiful baby blue. We are transforming the once school room to the office/ library. The school room desks and current cirriculum has been moved to the adjacent large room in the basement. It is a mess right now and school was supposed to start 2 weeks ago. Who knew that leaving the hose on overnight would cause so much damage?

Roller Coasters
My aunt and her four grandchildren came down from Cheyenne to spend Labor Day Weekend with us. On Sunday we went to Six Flags, thus the "roller coaster" part of my random sentence. I love, absolutely LOVE roller coasters. The higher and the faster- the better!

So there is my random update about the weekend. I hope to post more pictures later when I have time. Ha. Hope all is well for everyone!!!

One Lonesome Picture

I have an innumerable amount of pictures that I would like to post. Alas, our wireless is currently disabled and we are functioning off of dial-up. Do you remember when dial-up was the only option and we all thought it was high-speed?

Here is one lonesome picture Scott took on Sunday:

Ben, Jaclyn Victoria and Timothy. Oh, and say hello to Phil looking at us in the background. Phil and his family moved to Colorado from England last year. They have a real, functioning, RED, double decker bus that Phil's dad bought on Ebay. No lie. You should see the garage for the thing... narrow, tall and huge!

Pride, Prejudice and Piano

The movie was good. The soundtrack is absolutely AMAZING.

Sophia has raved about this soundtrack for a while, so I finally ordered it through my YourMusic.com account. The sonnets have a classical piano sensation with a modern orchestral edge. A stunningly gorgeous combonation! There are light compositions, fun ballads and serious anthems.

I wish I played the piano. I guess playing the CD player will have to do for now...

Women Who Work and the Men Who Live with Them

This morning I read an article linked at Ladies Against Feminism called Don't Marry Career Women. I found the information fascinating and quite accurate from what I have seen displayed in the lives of people I know. I would be curious to hear any thoughts or disagreements about the article.

Commands of Christ

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments,"

Jesus proclaimed in John chapter 14.

Several years ago my dad obtained a copy of the little book, Commands of Christ. It outlines forty-nine commands given directly from Jesus. It gives you a command, Scripture that supports the command, names of God to pray, questions of reflection and a definition to ponder.

Command Three: Rejoice

Matthew 5:11-12, Luke 10:20
I Peter 4:12-14
I Thessalonians 5:16-19
2 Corinthians 12:9
Philippians 4:4, 6

Praying the Names of God
Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord Your Banner
Exodus 17:8-16, Deuteronomy 20:4
Jesus Christ is Life
John 14:6, 10:10

Examining My Heart
- Do I see trials as God's means of brining me to spiritual maturity?
- Have I found Scriptures to strengthen me in trials?
- How have I overcome reviling with good works?
- Have I thanked God for tirals and persecution?
- Do I keep my eyes on eternity when trials come into my life?
- Am I willing to join in the sufferings of Christ?
- Have I identified benefits in the trials I am facing?
- What qualities are my trials building in me?

Developing Character
Joyfulness vs. Self-Pity
Joyfulness is the bright spirit and radiant countenance that comes by being in full fellowship with the Lord.

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There is a complacent tendancy inside me to skim verses that are familiar, scanning the words and skipping true meaning. They are verses and sections that I have read hundreds of times. I memorized them as a child. They are lingos, cliches, token words and pat answers.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Or maybe Philippians 4:4 is just a catchy song I sing:

Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.

Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.

Rejoice, rejoice and again I say rejoice!

Through words and actions do I exemplify that there must be external performances of happiness, whether the happiness is real or perceived, in order to be a Christian? So many times I reduce rejoicing in my life to a plastered smile and fake laugh. Maybe to hide inner termoil. Maybe I fear vulnerability.

Or maybe we just don't feel like rejoicing.

We think that life is hard. Time and energy is foolishly spent chasing bigger houses, more money, better possessions and higher status. Bitterness weaves its clever fingers of unforgiveness through our heart suffocating any hint of joy.

We do not know how to rejoice. And we don't know why we would anyway.

We do not know why we would rejoice when evil attacks, disappointment surrounds, pressure weighs and stress creeps into our lives. We thought being a Christian would fix all of these feelings, didn't we? Sunday school teachers told us that "if you believe in Jesus you will be happy and go to heaven when you die."

Maybe we do not know how to rejoice because the object of our affection is self. Woah, harsh statement, I know. Think about it. How do you view your life? How do you view your relationship with God? What is the basis of your theology? Why did you become a Christian in the first place? To escape hell or because God is the only One worthy of worship?

One is self-centered and the other is God-centered. And this affects why and how we rejoice.

But first, what does it mean to rejoice? Truly? I am not talking about pat answers here. What IS hardcore rejoicing? The Greek word for 'rejoice' (used above in Philippians 4) is the primary verb chairo (khah'-ee-ro). It means, well, to rejoice. Webster's dictionary defines rejoice as: to be joyful. The prefix "re" means: to do again, anew. Put them together as rejoice, therefore, and we are commanded to be joyful again. In the context of Philippians 4:4, Paul is exhorting us to be joyful always! We had joy, we have it again- now keep it!

Easier said than done sometimes, right? I do not know about you, but I have a hard time with the commands of Christ because they ALL shatter my comfortable, plastic Christianity that is so easy to display on Sunday morning. But it is a command, directly from the mouth of Jesus and through His servant, Paul. If I love Him, I will obey His commands (John 14) and His commands are not burdensome (1 John 5) because He has given us all we need for godliness (2 Peter 1).

This morning I read Luke 10. Here Jesus sends out 72 disciples and they return eagerly reporting to Jesus (verse 10) that, "even the demons submit to us in Your name." Obviously they were excited for Jesus admonishes them by replying:

"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Jesus is communicating: "Of course they sumbit to my name, I cast Satan out of heaven for goodness sake! I have given you my authority and power, but this is not why you should rejoice. Rejoice that you have received my salvation!"

Sigh. Isn't it just like us humans? We try to boast and brag to Power Itself (Jesus!) that we are doing wonderful things for Him. We get busy serving Him that we loose much of who He is and what He has done for us. Jesus did not question how many demons they cast out; He did not let them chatter on and on about their "success." He brought their attention back where it needed to be.

On Him. On His position above the enemy, on His power that He gave the disciples and on the salvation that He had given them. The foundation for rejoicing is Him.

There is a sense of happiness that comes from knowing we have been saved from eternal condemnation in hell. It is not joy, though, but relief. Relief is self-focused and a mere feeling. Joy, on the other hand, flows from a heart that has found a treasure outside of self. Would you sell all you have for a glass of water? You may be extremely thirsty, but unless your life depended on that drink, I would guess most might wait for a drink. But, what if you found hidden treasure that was worth more than money could ever buy? Wouldn't you do anything to buy that land? What rejoicing would happen when you finally uncovered the treasure and realized it was yours.! That is the difference between relief and joy.

Jesus is the treasure. In Him is all joy because He is God. In Him is all joy because He took my condemnation and placed it upon Himself. In Him is all joy because I am free. In Him is my joy because He is Good.

So let us rejoice, not because we are "saved from hell," but because we have been given the Treasure of Jesus Christ. Let us teach our children to believe in the Messiah, not because they are miserable little sinners who need a Savior to go to heaven (and they are and do), but because Jesus is the only One worthy of worship, which shows us our sin and need for a Savior. Let us remember that heaven is not a reward for "accepting Jesus as our Savior," but a response of God's grace so that we can praise Him for eternity.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

"...rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:20

Rejoice!

A Piece of Me: Aged 23

Now listen, you who say,

"Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city,

spend a year there, carry on business and make money."

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.

What is your life?

You are a mist that appears for a little while

and then vanishes.

Instead, you ought to say,

"If it is the Lord's will,

we will live and do this or that."

As it is, you boast and brag.

All such boasting is evil.

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do

and doesn't do it, sins.

James 4:13-17

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No one is guaranteed tomorrow. It is arrogant of me to say that tomorrow I will do this or that or go here or there. No one knows what tomorrow will bring.

What is my life?

It is a vapor, a mist, a fleeting mark on humanity. My life is another birth certificate in a massive filing cabinet among thousands, millions and billions of people who have walked Earth. The rich. The poor. The famous. The outcast. Me.

In my self-centered arrogance I plan my schedule. I plan events for tomorrow, next week, the month and new years. Is it wrong to plan things for the future? Of course not- that was not the point James was presenting when he wrote the above encouragement. Instead of planning my life as if everything is certain, I must constantly redirect my focus to God and His sovereign plan.

Tomorrow might not exist for me.

And today, well, is my twenty-third birthday.

The years pass so quickly. They are gone before you realize it. Before you realize that you should have loved more, cared more, spent more, traveled more, spent less, been angry less, cleaned less. Laughed more with the people you love. Taken the time to watch sunsets. Worshipped God more. Served God more.

Sacrificed more for the gospel.

Life IS a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow. Yet, I have been given God's grace. Grace that compels me to share that grace with a world lost in hopelessness. There is no purpose for my life other than that. So this next year is going to be more focused on my passion for making God known to all people. I am tired of sitting back and doing nothing, or not enough, or too little. I am scared to death and more alive than ever at the same time!

Happy Birthday to me! Thank You, God, for every breath and each new day. May I make You known to all peoples, near and far. May I have more of You. At the end of the day, that is all I want, more, more, MORE of Jesus.

For You ARE life.

A Piece of Me: Aged 10

Friday I will celebrate my birthday. Some have informed me that this year I will officially be in my mid-twenties. Personally, I think I have one more year before that...

I can tend to get quite retrospective on two days: my birthday and January 1. I love to look back at the year behind me and ask questions like: How have I become more like Jesus this year? Am I more like Jesus this time this year than I was at this time last year? What new struggles am I facing? How have I matured? What do I need to work on in the new year? What would I like to learn spiritually and academically? Am I fulfilling my callings as a daughter, sister and follower of Jesus to the best of my ability?

This year, though, I have thought about the last year as well as the last ten years.

Can you remember where you were 10 years ago? Can you remember who you were, what stage of life you were in and who were your friends? What was your maturity level spiritually, emotionally and physically?

Ten years is a long time. So much can change. So much can happen. I have lived in the same town the last 10 years. I did not know how to drive ten years ago. Ten years ago my dad was graduating Seminary. Ten years ago I did not have a job. I had not been overseas ten years ago. Ten years ago I was a little girl.

The last 10 years of my life, since I am only in my twenties, have proved to be the maturing, growing and developing years. I have passed from childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood. I have experienced more trials than I would like to recount. I have accomplished many things. I have laughed. I have cried. I have pondered. I have wept.

Many people dread the reality of getting older. There are so many methods that promote youth and postpone the aging process. But I am enjoying getting older. It comes with a new set of struggles and trials that I did not have to experience as a child. Yet, it also has its joys that a child cannot understand. I am learning that no stage of life has all of the benefits.

Except one: knowing God.

And this is what I love about watching another year of my life pass. I know Christ better than I did at this time last year. As I read my journal from July and August of 2005 I see how I have grown. CS Lewis in his book, Prince Caspian, describes it perfectly when Aslan seems bigger to Lucy, not because he (Aslan) has grown, but because she is older and is able to comprehend more of his character.

As each year passes I am able to see more and more of who God is... and at the same time realize with age that I have only scratched the surface of who He is!

It is a beautiful paradox.

I would not trade the painful trials I have faced the last 10 years. I know Him more as a result. I would not trade the joys with which He has blessed me. I know Him more as a result.

How long will I live? 75 years? 80 years? Not long enough to know Him as much as He can be known on earth. I guess that is what eternity is for....

The last fews years Isaiah 43:10 has been my life verse. It sums up who I am and what my purpose on earth should be:

"You are My witnesses," declares the LORD,

"and My servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may know and believe Me

and understand that I am He.

Before Me no god was formed,

nor will there be one after Me.

Isaiah 43:10

Readers Block

You have heard of "writers block," right? Writers block is when a writer has difficulty with ideas, creativity or motivation. Well, what about readers block?

Galant gave me what I will title "Readers Block" today when he tagged me with this questionnaire. It is practically impossible for me to give you only one book for each question. I have read so much and many excellent books that to name one does injustice to the ten others I could put too!

Still, I gave it my best...

1. One book that changed your life.
Ha! ONE? (Other than the Bible) You have got to be kidding me… I look at my life in eras and for every stage I could name a book that changed me in some way or another. Most Recently I would declare The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis as an influence of perspective change. Also, several years ago God used My Life for Yours by Douglas Wilson to remind me of who I am and what I want to be. I am not sure if it was life changing, but I know it redirected my focus at that time.

2. One book you've read more than once.
Mommy, I have to go potty! by an author whose name I cannot remember. I am sure that I read this a dozen times in a row during the beginning stages of potty training Samuel!

Seriously, now: I have read The Great Divorce several times. I tend to skim books for a refresher, reading what I highlighted, not always taking the time to read the whole book through again.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island.
The Bible, of course, and My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers (or anything by John Piper).

4. One book that made you laugh.
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (the title always makes me giggle!)

5. One book that made you cry.
Mind Siege by Tim LaHaye and Dr. David Noebel.

6. One book you wish had been written.
I may write this book myself someday- Between the Pulpit and Politics. It would give the lay church member an in-depth look at the pastor and his family, their struggles and the expectations that people place on them.

7. One book you wish had never been written.
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. The ideas he presented in this work, as well as his other writings, were by no means “new” ideas. His influence though, coupled with the current political and social events of that era, threw his perspective into the lime light. It was definitely a book that changed the course of history and society.

8. One book you're currently reading.
The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges
(and if I can do two… So Much More by Elizabeth and Anna Sofia Botkin)

9. One book you've been meaning to read.
I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist by Norm Geisler

10. Now tag 5 people.
Ben, Vince, Ann Marie, Sophia and Katie (links to their blogs on the sidebar)

The Blazing Center

Say hello to the sun.
It is a simple star, really.
Basic. Small. Ordinary.
Tiny when compared to other stars.

And yes, that is Earth pictured next to it. Tiny star called the sun next to speck of dirt known as Earth.

My home. My world.

And the Rocky Mountains seem gigantic to me.

Incomprehensible Sun Facts:

Distance: 93 million miles from your home.
Size: About 33,000 times the size of the earth.
Equatorial Circumference: 2,715,0000 miles (the earth is 24,000 miles around)
Surface Temperature: Approx. 10,000 degrees F.
Discovery Date: Ancient Times :-P
Creator, Designer and Engineer: God Himself

Speechless

In December 2004, a neutron star flared up so brightly, it temporarily blinded all the x-ray satellites in space, and lit up the Earth's upper atmosphere. This tremendous blast of energy was from a giant flare created by the neutron star's twisting magnetic field. Objects like this are called magnetars, and they produce magnetic fields trillions of time more powerful than those here on Earth. These fields are so strong they can actually buckle the surface of the neutron star causing these powerful star quakes. (From Nasa's website)

Our entire physical structure was designed to be staggered by God's infinite character. God created our mind with the ability to TRY to comprehend Him, yet, we are too small to even begin understanding. It is good for our brain to suffer from mind boggling God-centered thoughts. We spend far too much time thinking about mindless tasks, problems and entertainments. Day by day we move about on this ball of dirt called Earth doing our ant like bustling and scurrying.

In order to keep perspective, visit these sites regularly or buy some space books that detail the stars, nebulas, solar systems and galaxies. Allow your mind to be stunned by the compexity of creation and the simplicity of its Creator. We are small, really, really, REALLY small.

And that's good.

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Nasa

Hubble Telescope

Just in case you thought you were something!

Who has measured the waters

in the hollow of his hand,

or with the breadth of his hand

marked off the heavens?

Who has held the dust

of the earth in a basket,

or weighed the mountains

on the scales

and the hills in a balance?

Isaiah 40:12

Happy Sweet Sixteen Galaxy (M82)

The galaxy is remarkable for its bright blue disk, webs of shredded clouds, and fiery-looking plumes of glowing hydrogen blasting out of its central regions.

Throughout the galaxy's center, young stars are being born 10 times faster than they are inside our entire Milky Way Galaxy. The resulting huge concentration of young stars carved into the gas and dust at the galaxy's center. The fierce galactic superwind generated from these stars compresses enough gas to make millions of more stars.

In M82, young stars are crammed into tiny but massive star clusters. These, in turn, congregate by the dozens to make the bright patches, or "starburst clumps," in the central parts of M82. The clusters in the clumps can only be distinguished in the sharp Hubble images. Most of the pale, white objects sprinkled around the body of M82 that look like fuzzy stars are actually individual star clusters about 20 light-years across and contain up to a million stars.

The rapid rate of star formation in this galaxy eventually will be self-limiting. When star formation becomes too vigorous, it will consume or destroy the material needed to make more stars. The starburst then will subside, probably in a few tens of millions of years.

Located 12 million light-years away, M82 appears high in the northern spring sky in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear. It is also called the "Cigar Galaxy" because of the elliptical shape produced by the oblique tilt of its starry disk relative to our line of sight.

This galaxy is also 28,000 light years wide.

If you have not studied your science lately, here are some facts:

Light year: A unit of measurement for the distance that light travels in one year, which is 5,878,786,100,000 miles. (If you do not understand- that is almost 6 TRILLION miles!)

That galaxy pictured above is 12 million miles x 6 billion miles away! That is a lot of zeros... if I did my math right it would be:

74,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 MILES from little earth to Happy Sweet Sixteen Galaxy!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

Who has measured the waters
in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand
marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust
of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains
on the scales
and the hills in a balance?
Isaiah 40:12

And I bet you thought your problems were big!

God, in the form of a human, Jesus, stepped INTO His creation, a teeny tiny speck of dust called Earth, and DIED to redeem humanity. Jesus, Creator of the universe, displayed the glory of God in His death and proclaimed God majestic in His resurrection!

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Hebrews 1:1-4

Never again doubt God's love for you. God spoke and the galaxies, trillions of them, appeared. Never doubt God's power. Our sun is a speck in our galaxy and nothing in comparison to other stars. Never worry. The heavens tell of the glory of God. Never fret over evil on earth. God is in control of the universe. Lay aside fears.

You are but a vapor.

Instead, stand to your feet OR fall flat on your face in reverence, awe and praise before the God who alone is worthy. Instead, shout to the nations that He alone is God. Tell the people that their foolish ideas, philosophies, worries, cares and good works are NOTHING, literally, in relation to the stars, nebulas, black holes, solar systems and galaxies. And NOTHING in perpective to their Creator, who with the WORD of His mouth said, "Let there BE!"

And there was.

I knew him when.........

When a person has the possibility of becoming famous people might say, "I knew him when..."

Well...

I knew him when he was but a few hours old.
I knew him when he was learning to walk, read, spell and add.
I knew him when he did not know how to even play the guitar.

Who did I know when? My brother, Ben!

Ben has matured so much the last year. He is an amazing guitarist. He has a beautiful voice. And he has a deep seeded passion for Jesus Christ. He has also taken steps to pursue his desire to make Jesus famous through music.

Ben has no desire to pursue music for the end goal of fame. He does not want to be rich or popular. He loves music. He loves Jesus. And the two go together very well.

Last October he began his journey by becoming the Lead Worshipper (he likes this instead of Worship Leader or Music Minister) at Canyon Ridge Baptist Church. I have had the honor of traveling with him to Fort Collins (an hour and a half away) to help with the church plant. I have watched him grow, mature and develop in his musical and leadership skills.

He has also been strengthening and training his voice through personalized vocal lessons with a well respected man in the music industry.

In March he went to a singer/ songwriter competition in New Jersey. He competed in both songwriting and vocal contests, where he was judged by his voice coach, others such as Ginny Owens and top record producers. Of the 100 competitors he won third place.

Since returning home from New Jersey his voice coach has told Ben that he has improved by 90%. And I agree. There is a deeper, more smooth sound to Ben's singning. In just three months he has developed to the point where he probably would have won. Maybe next year.

In June Ben had the opportunity to lead 1,500 people at the Colorado Home Educators of Colorado Conference. It was the largest crowd, so far, that he has guided in worship. He looked so comfortable, so natural and so free.

Since Ben works at the Lifeway Christian Store he was asked to be staff for a conference in Estes Park this week. You might have heard of it; It is called Music in the Rockies. There are workshops and conferences but the main attraction is the competitions. The top producers, songwriters and vocal coaches in the nation gather to encourage the musical hopefuls. Some people that have been "discovered" at Music in the Rockies are Point of Grace, Rachel Lampa and Chris Tomlin.

So, since Ben is working with Lifeway at the conference, he has a pass to all the concerts and workshops. He will get a glimpse into the real competition and judge how he rates, in his mind, although he will not be competing this year. He will know what to do and what not to do next year.

Yesterday at Music in the Rockies he met with his vocal coach (Dr. Scott) and some people from the conference in New Jersey. They are hoping to start a similar competion in Colorado as in New Jersey. Since he is Dr. Scott's pet he was included in the planning meeting.

Sunday night my mom and I went to Estes Park for the Chris Tomlin, David Crowder and Louie Giglio night. As silly as it sounds, when I watched Chris Tomlin I saw my own brother, Ben. Tomlin talked about the first time he was in Estes Park as a musical hopeful. He challenged the people to not seek fame but to seek Jesus.

I cannot wait to see what God has planned for Ben's life. I am honored to be his sister and to watch first hand his journey. Hey, maybe one day he will be on stage in front of large crowds. That is definately not the goal... but it is fun to think about.

And I can say,"I knew him when...."

Jaclyn's Heart Right Now

Do you ever have times when you feel like crying, laughing, singing and screaming all at the same time? Do you ever feel that God has made Himself so obvious to you and all of your emotions clash in one big bang? If not, then I stand alone. My guess is, though, that you know exactly what I am talking about. If I may, I am going to lay aside all attempts at a formatted, grammatically perfect or sensational post. I am going to talk to you from my heart.

I am in love.

Do you realize that I have a personal relationship with the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE?

If you did not get chills, then may I say it this way...

YOU can have a relationship with the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE.

Chills yet?

God loves me. Stop. This about that: God loves me. GOD loves me. God LOVES me. God loves ME!