How long ago was it that I left for the bright lights of the city (Hippos) just across the lake from home (Capernaum)? I was a little headstrong when I asked for my inheritance. I knew that in a cashless society that would mean having to sell some land - the south forty as we used to call it back in Wray, Colorado - that is my father would give the land to me. I thought that someone would buy the land - fire sale prices would make that an easy sell - and I would be on my way to the longed dreamed about time of my life! A pocket full of money always makes a dream bigger and the anticipation much stronger.
A days journey around the top of the Sea of Galilee and I will be in heaven - maybe a two day journey but it will feel like freedom and who cares how long the journey will take? I'm I'm away from home, away from big brother, away from responsibilities, away from that small town spirit - the big city!
Hippos - the city set on a hill. I have heard the sounds as long as I can remember. I have seen the fires at night time and have wondered what it must be like to dance around one of those fires, hearing the music, looking at the other young people and sensing the fun they were having. Its only about 8 miles across the lake and sound travels really well when the winds are from the east. Hippos, I'm on my way and I have a pocket full of money - I hope you are ready!!!
Capernaum - you will be easily forgotten. You are Jewish in every respect. The synagogue dominated our lives. Every day we were reminded that we were a special people set aside to worship and to claim our inheritance as God's people.. With a pocket full of cash who needs to be reminded of God anyway? Caperham the daily jobs needed to survive, your stay at home kind of people, your far from real life dusty streets, you will easily be forgotten - I've got a pocket full of cash!
How long does it take to go through a pocket full of cash - especially when new friends find out about the cash? It seems like only yesterday that I started on this trip. Am I broke already? There must be some kind of job in Hippos that I can do. A country kid from Caperham should be able to compete with these cities guys. Where to look to sustain the pleasures for the last few months? At last a job - if feeding pigs is a job, but I can survive in the big city with even a pig job. But, the rent comes due, food is hard to come bye and pig smell is not too attractive and besides my people have never herded pigs so I'm an absolute novice!
Maybe I can go back home and asked if I could become hired hand on my fathers farm, of course my older brother is probably still at home - he hasn't seen a bright light in his whole life - but I can work around that. Its only a couple of days walk back home but I wonder if home is still there for me. I really offended dad and the whole village when I sold my(?) part of the farm. When the pockets are empty of cash, things really look different !!.
Now, I sit at a banquet, the people of the whole village are licking their fingers from the fatted calf, they are dancing, and I am here at the head of the table with my fathers robe over my shoulders, the family signet ring is on my finger, my sore feet are in my fathers sandals and I cannot even eat more than a small morsel of bread. My body is so wasted that I cannot even join in the feast! But, I am home. Home has never felt so good! Even the man who bought my (?) part of the farm has greeted me, old friends whom I called stupid and lazy, even they have greeted and honored me - what a price my father has paid in letting me sit in his place at this banquet! But, I'm home - is there any place like home? Any place whose "lights" are brighter, whose friendship embrace you - anyway?
Helmut Thielicke in his book THE WAITING FATHER wrote p.29 "Wherever forgiveness is proclaimed there is joy and festive garments. We must read and hear this gospel story as it was rally meant to be: good news!"
Welcome home - and a truly happy thanksgiving banquet....
Bill
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Train Trip
Last week was a renewed experience of slow down travel. Inside of driving to Minnesota for an all day meeting a friend and I decided that an Amtrak trip would allow for relaxed conversation, long dialogues on long neglected subjects and needed direction. Mostly all of that worked out - but - train travel is always subject to delays and this trip was not a disappointment in that matter! Arriving at 10:30 P.M. we were picked up by our hosts and driven 3 hour further north - is this the Artic Circle already? A short nights rest and then the all day meeting followed by a 3 hour trip back to the "cities", as St. Paul and Minneapolis are called.
After finding a Motel close to the train station - it i now 11:00 P.M. - another short night - we made our way to the train station for a 7:30 A.M. departure - guess what - a 3 hour delay due to a frozen rail out in Montana someplace. The station master gave us directions to Bonnies Cafe - which proudly displayed the banner "Voted best by Twin Cities papers". How would a person find a small "hole in the wall" cafe except by a delayed train departure?
The trip back to Chicago gave plenty of time to get over the anger, frustration, missed connections, high prices in the dining and snack cars, and questions about why we did not fly -- but it really was a good trip until we were stopped 10 miles out of Chicago to investigate whether a trespasser had been hit by the train. Finally we made it to Union station where Amtrak decided to put 5 of us, plus the driver into a small van for a 3 and a half hour trip to Jackson, MI. close to home, another short night with hopes of recovery the next day! I've almost forgotten the reason for the whole trip, but as good friend Bruce would say, "Its a great, restful, way to travel"!
We are home for Thanksgiving and through the rest of the year - maybe.
Bill
After finding a Motel close to the train station - it i now 11:00 P.M. - another short night - we made our way to the train station for a 7:30 A.M. departure - guess what - a 3 hour delay due to a frozen rail out in Montana someplace. The station master gave us directions to Bonnies Cafe - which proudly displayed the banner "Voted best by Twin Cities papers". How would a person find a small "hole in the wall" cafe except by a delayed train departure?
The trip back to Chicago gave plenty of time to get over the anger, frustration, missed connections, high prices in the dining and snack cars, and questions about why we did not fly -- but it really was a good trip until we were stopped 10 miles out of Chicago to investigate whether a trespasser had been hit by the train. Finally we made it to Union station where Amtrak decided to put 5 of us, plus the driver into a small van for a 3 and a half hour trip to Jackson, MI. close to home, another short night with hopes of recovery the next day! I've almost forgotten the reason for the whole trip, but as good friend Bruce would say, "Its a great, restful, way to travel"!
We are home for Thanksgiving and through the rest of the year - maybe.
Bill
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Lord's Prayer
11/10/10
This past week Wilma and I were in the Washington D.C. area. I had a board meeting and we saw a number of our friends ( all over the geographical map - so lots of driving ).
Last Sunday we attended the church we attended over 50 years ago, with good friends. This morning I woke with my mind racing. This blog will be an attempt to capture the feelings that I am still processing.
This great church, still with a beautifully robed choir, great singing, a gifted preacher, at least 3 morning services, an expanded building, (neighborhood parking plus bus service from a local mall) i.e. lots of people, and yet ---I came away with the feeling that I had sat through a service of 50 or more years ago. Every part of the service was the same with a different preacher, different people in the choir, different choir director, different support young pastor, different men taking up the collection etc. etc.
At then end of the preaching we were led to the communion portion of the service - only this time the elements were broken wafers and grape juice in plastic rather than glass cups. Everything was the same, I guess most of that must be good, but in the end the pastor led the congregation to say the Lord's Prayer. What struck me, was that I, and those around me, seemed to "mumbled" the prayer! At least is what it feels like right now. Why didn't someone stand up and yell out don't mumble this prayer. Why don't we yell out to Jesus that we want his name to be honor in our lives? Why don't we yell out to Jesus that we want what he is thinking and dreaming about to happen here on earth as it is in heaven? What he is thinking about to truly happen in DC or Ann Arbor or anywhere else in the world.?
Fifty years ago at that great old church the people mumbled their way through the same prayer. ; And, now fifty years later I mumbled my way through the prayer again because I didn't have the guts to stand up and really lay my heart before Jesus - and apparently neither did anyone else in the congregation. My trip to Ethiopia has apparently changed something inside of me. When the kids at the school "mumbled" the same prayer and I was able to think with them about the prayer, to think with them about what it really means to pray, "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" and they began to tap their chests in a gesture of "speaking to their hearts" I too changed
; I can't "mumble" the Lord's Prayer any longer. Jesus do I really want what you are thinking about to become reality here on earth? Jesus do I really want your name to honored here on earth as it is honored in heaven? Jesus may your will, your thinking, your dreaming, really be done in my home, my country, in other countries, etc.
Today, I'm back in the days of the old church in DC hearing the people "mumble" their way through the prayer and I wonder what it takes to gets people to ask, "Jesus, will you teach us how to pray?" Are people all over the world "mumbling" their way through the prayer as we seem to be doing and as the kids in Ethiopia seemed to be doing also. Did the disciples of Jesus quickly begin to mumble the prayer? Jesus, please teach us to pray!
This past week Wilma and I were in the Washington D.C. area. I had a board meeting and we saw a number of our friends ( all over the geographical map - so lots of driving ).
Last Sunday we attended the church we attended over 50 years ago, with good friends. This morning I woke with my mind racing. This blog will be an attempt to capture the feelings that I am still processing.
This great church, still with a beautifully robed choir, great singing, a gifted preacher, at least 3 morning services, an expanded building, (neighborhood parking plus bus service from a local mall) i.e. lots of people, and yet ---I came away with the feeling that I had sat through a service of 50 or more years ago. Every part of the service was the same with a different preacher, different people in the choir, different choir director, different support young pastor, different men taking up the collection etc. etc.
At then end of the preaching we were led to the communion portion of the service - only this time the elements were broken wafers and grape juice in plastic rather than glass cups. Everything was the same, I guess most of that must be good, but in the end the pastor led the congregation to say the Lord's Prayer. What struck me, was that I, and those around me, seemed to "mumbled" the prayer! At least is what it feels like right now. Why didn't someone stand up and yell out don't mumble this prayer. Why don't we yell out to Jesus that we want his name to be honor in our lives? Why don't we yell out to Jesus that we want what he is thinking and dreaming about to happen here on earth as it is in heaven? What he is thinking about to truly happen in DC or Ann Arbor or anywhere else in the world.?
Fifty years ago at that great old church the people mumbled their way through the same prayer. ; And, now fifty years later I mumbled my way through the prayer again because I didn't have the guts to stand up and really lay my heart before Jesus - and apparently neither did anyone else in the congregation. My trip to Ethiopia has apparently changed something inside of me. When the kids at the school "mumbled" the same prayer and I was able to think with them about the prayer, to think with them about what it really means to pray, "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" and they began to tap their chests in a gesture of "speaking to their hearts" I too changed
; I can't "mumble" the Lord's Prayer any longer. Jesus do I really want what you are thinking about to become reality here on earth? Jesus do I really want your name to honored here on earth as it is honored in heaven? Jesus may your will, your thinking, your dreaming, really be done in my home, my country, in other countries, etc.
Today, I'm back in the days of the old church in DC hearing the people "mumble" their way through the prayer and I wonder what it takes to gets people to ask, "Jesus, will you teach us how to pray?" Are people all over the world "mumbling" their way through the prayer as we seem to be doing and as the kids in Ethiopia seemed to be doing also. Did the disciples of Jesus quickly begin to mumble the prayer? Jesus, please teach us to pray!
Monday, November 1, 2010
New book
Last week Ken and I went to Ft. Wayne, IN. to the headquarters of Project Mercy ( both of us are on the board of PM ) while there we were introduced to a new book TESTIMONY - The Terrible Beauty Of Aids, Genocide, and Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa by Sean Sheridan of Colorado Springs, CO. Published in 2010.
This book was 5 years in the making and is the work of a photographer and his team.
In the introduction Sean wrote, " For me caring about Africa and those caught up in extreme poverty is as simple as knowing that the children and families who suffer in these places could have just as easily been mine. Knowing this, I feel compelled and responsible to treat them as I would want to be treated if it were me, or my family, standing in their shoes. So, I'm working toward that. If you're in the same boat, then you're holding the right book.
"Here are two things you might consider First, you can safely believe that statistics about Africa. It is and emergency. It is as bad as 'they.' say it is and is likely to get worse in some ways before it gets better in most ways. But to complicate matters, many efforts in Africa are, for a variety of reasons, perpetuating a need for crises-driven aid and development that can create and unhealthy dependence in Africans and caregivers. Politics and power plays --- these are the development world's downside, and they are not easily undone.
"Second, don't let seemingly insurmountable problems prevent you from getting involved --- just be smart about how you do it. Despite the fact that some people and organizations are still stumbling along Africa's rocky road of development, others are already doing many things right and are learning all the time. That's something worth joining, however flawed it may be.
"This is the fabric that weaves itself through the stories of Roda, Bekele and Rabirye...what we discovered, on the backstroke, was not so much an important development lesson, but how, when properly encouraged and equipped, the human spirit can rise up to create something remarkable: grace in the midst of turmoil, hope in the middle of pain, and the roots of transformation growing deep into the rich soil, fabric, and lives of Africa.
"That is the terrible beauty of Africa. This is their testimony."
Belele is a young boy who was carried, for weeks, by his sister to Project Mercy in Yetebon because it was at the school that he would get food and help. On our trip to Ethiopia we had the privilege to meet his sister, and I did not even know who she was, in order to thank her. Bekele's story is the middle part of the book TESTIMONY.
As I look back on being no the Board of PM for 25 years, I am amazed that Jesus let me be involved in the Yetebon project. We, the Board, said yes to a request by the people of Yetebon, even though we had never done a "development project"! That yes 20 years ago has, through much effort on the part of Deme and Marta and others produced something worth replicating. But, at what price for the future generation of Ethiopians? The Bright Futures Union, started by the young people who have been educated in our school, will need a clear vision and heart to carry out a vision for their country. This too is part of the "development project" in Yetebon.
Bill
This book was 5 years in the making and is the work of a photographer and his team.
In the introduction Sean wrote, " For me caring about Africa and those caught up in extreme poverty is as simple as knowing that the children and families who suffer in these places could have just as easily been mine. Knowing this, I feel compelled and responsible to treat them as I would want to be treated if it were me, or my family, standing in their shoes. So, I'm working toward that. If you're in the same boat, then you're holding the right book.
"Here are two things you might consider First, you can safely believe that statistics about Africa. It is and emergency. It is as bad as 'they.' say it is and is likely to get worse in some ways before it gets better in most ways. But to complicate matters, many efforts in Africa are, for a variety of reasons, perpetuating a need for crises-driven aid and development that can create and unhealthy dependence in Africans and caregivers. Politics and power plays --- these are the development world's downside, and they are not easily undone.
"Second, don't let seemingly insurmountable problems prevent you from getting involved --- just be smart about how you do it. Despite the fact that some people and organizations are still stumbling along Africa's rocky road of development, others are already doing many things right and are learning all the time. That's something worth joining, however flawed it may be.
"This is the fabric that weaves itself through the stories of Roda, Bekele and Rabirye...what we discovered, on the backstroke, was not so much an important development lesson, but how, when properly encouraged and equipped, the human spirit can rise up to create something remarkable: grace in the midst of turmoil, hope in the middle of pain, and the roots of transformation growing deep into the rich soil, fabric, and lives of Africa.
"That is the terrible beauty of Africa. This is their testimony."
Belele is a young boy who was carried, for weeks, by his sister to Project Mercy in Yetebon because it was at the school that he would get food and help. On our trip to Ethiopia we had the privilege to meet his sister, and I did not even know who she was, in order to thank her. Bekele's story is the middle part of the book TESTIMONY.
As I look back on being no the Board of PM for 25 years, I am amazed that Jesus let me be involved in the Yetebon project. We, the Board, said yes to a request by the people of Yetebon, even though we had never done a "development project"! That yes 20 years ago has, through much effort on the part of Deme and Marta and others produced something worth replicating. But, at what price for the future generation of Ethiopians? The Bright Futures Union, started by the young people who have been educated in our school, will need a clear vision and heart to carry out a vision for their country. This too is part of the "development project" in Yetebon.
Bill
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)