Good News?

"What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad... Do you know what I'm talking about?"

The Matrix

I think the gospel is good news to those that explore the ideas that there's "something wrong with the world" and "this can't be the way it was meant to be."

I believe the most frightening thing of all is when we DON'T feel that gnawing sense that things are not what they are supposed to be or when we see it, but say to ourselves, "Maybe this is just the way it is" and we slowly go numb in our addictions and succumb to resignation.

I think salvation begins when we start to understand what Jesus meant when He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven". When we recognize our own poverty of spirit, our own nothingness, it can be "like a splinter in our mind driving us mad" , but when that drives us to seek out answers it can be the dawning of a new day. The gospel has nothing to say to those who are content with themselves and the way things are. But to those that mourn (Blessed are they that mourn for they will be comforted) because of the state they find themselves in, the gospel becomes the "pearl of great price" the "treasure in the field" the thing that they will give up all to have. No price is too high to obtain this good news. So, first the gospel seems to cut down before it builds up. Otherwise, we wouldn't see it for the priceless treasure that it really is.

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like...

I've been exploring and meditating on the "Kingdom of Heaven is like" statements that Jesus mentioned in the gospels. The one I feel like I'm somehow discovering for the first time is, "The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches." Matthew 13:31-32

What I think I'm discovering is that Kingdom works usually begin so seemingly small and insignificant yet, are capable of growing into something beyond what we would ever think possible.

I think over the years I've planted a few "mustard seeds" and failing to recognize their potential, I never watered, never cultivated, never recognized the awesome potential. Then wondered why I never saw a harvest.

Lately, life is taking on new meaning as I walk the neighborhood, meeting new folks, learning new names, inviting people in, giving away tomatoes and chestnuts and praying silently as I walk along and ask God to open my eyes. When I see these God lead activities as planting and cultivating a crop that eventually grows into something massive, it becomes easier and easier to envision a different future. Actually, it almost becomes difficult NOT to! If one goes out into a field and plants a whole row of pine trees, he expects them to grow and he dreams of what that will one day look like. I suppose in a sense, he is seeing into the future.

I see a future neighborhood that is forever changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ and marked by genuine love for one another. I see a future neighborhood where there is genuine community and where Christ is exulted and lived out in everyday life. A neighborhood where relationships are prized over possessions and where hospitality is valued over independence.

Lord, I pray your Kingdom come to this neighborhood, help us see where your Spirit is currently moving. I humbly pray that I and my family could be apart of your work here.

Summer Highlights

Our Summer started in mid-May, by going to India to pick up Alesha from the orphanage.

One of the things God showed us while in India was what hospitality looks like. The family we stayed with took us in and treated us as though we were part of their family. I struggled a bit because I was so worried about being a burden to them. I learned that people who practice true hospitality, tend to not see it as a burden but, as a privilege. I think April and I are learning to move in this direction, I have a long ways to go. Thank you Uma and Yaman for SHOWING our family what hospitality looks like.

Once we got home from India we entered an exciting, yet very difficult summer. Alesha had some stubborn health problems that haunted us for most of the summer. April has been much more faithful in blogging than I have so, you can read about some of the health problems Alesha was having over the summer here

We also had a few great times over the summer that I hope are captured in the photos below.

Beautiful flower in Kolkata

April and Alesha meeting for the first time in the orphanage.

Mother and daughter bonding.

April with Uma and Yaman, our wonderful host family while in India.

Children from the slums of Muneer a small Muslim village outside of Delhi.

4th of July at the McMillans. Todd riding "little blue".

Camping at Camp Dakota. Had fun until Alesha's head starting oozing smelling strep and staph infection and we had to cut the trip short and come home early.

Luke and I had a great time heading up to the north-east side of Mt. Hood to camp out at Tie In Rock at about the 8,000 ft. level. Never seen so many shooting stars in such a short period of time in all my life.

Martin is playing his first year of football. After seeing how cookie cutter the "professional" photographers mass produced the years photos, I had a moment of inspiration and this is what followed.

Camping with the Hawley and Pfeiffer men at Stub Stewart State Park. Like my friend, Ian, I enjoyed the cigars at least until the last part when I was questioning whether or not I was going to hurl. I am thinking a smaller cigar for the next camping trip.

Yes, these look like marsh mellows, but are actually powdered donut holes. The idea was to warm them up before eating them. The problem was they took on a smokey flavor, which does not necessarily go well with the powdered donut flavor.

We finished out summer by going kayaking with our friends the Hellers at Hagg Lake.

As you can see Alesha had fun in the water and wasn't afraid of the dirt.