Tooth and Fang

This post is just for fun! My wife recently had a very strange thing happen to her car. She was visiting a friend who lives in a rural county, up on a small mountain, in northern Washington state. Evidently sometime during the night or morning hours as she was sleeping safely in the house, some kind of critter decided to use her passenger side bumper as a chew toy. I've greatly reduced the size of the images, so hopefully they won't overtax your connection...but I couldn't resist posting all of them.




Is that freaky or what? And no, there was no food being stored in the car.

Summer Saturdays

It's another Saturday - one of my favorite days of the week. My absolute favorite is Sunday, but Saturday is great, too. I love sleeping in and it's my only sleep-in day. I love doing little projects, especially on no particular rush or timetable. I love picnics in the park, to which we are headed this afternoon. I love the relaxed pace of life on the weekends.

You may have perceived it already, but I am definitely not a "Type A" personality. Nope. I am a sanguine. One who, left to my own devices, would spend my days pursuing relaxation and fun. I could very easily slip into "island style" living. If you haven't been to any of the Hawaiian or Caribbean islands, you may not be able to relate to that term. Spending a week or two on the coast regions would give you an idea, but it's not quite the same thing.

There is a deep something in the tropical air that simply begs you to relax, slow down, and enjoy the moment. Simple things like sunsets, the feel of the sand between your toes, the refreshing feel of a warm ocean current - oh yeah. That's the life for me. Yet, here I am in the near-desert climate of southeastern Washington state...and I am content.

I know I can drive for a few hours and be near the Pacific, I've been to Maui and plan to go back as soon as possible. Actually, I could probably live in Maui except for one simple fact. My church, my family and my friends are here. In the end, that's what keeps me here. I love the relationships Di and I have so much that location has become secondary.

Maybe that's a little taste of what Paul talked about when he said he'd learned to be content in all circumstances. The deep intimacy he had with his Maker and with his fellow believers was all he needed. His location and the circumstances became "background noise" that faded into utter unimportance.

What a great place to be.

The End of the Spear

Last night we watched a movie on DVD. We knew the basics of the story, but few of the details. The movie, The End of the Spear, is so powerful. If you haven't seen it, please do so as soon as possible. Buy it. You'll want to see it again and again. Seriously.
I have rarely been so moved by a motion picture. The background for this story is well known to Christians, but is most often told from the perspective of Elisabeth Elliot, Jim Elliot's widow. This movie takes a whole new perspective on an already powerful history. This is more of a story of two boys whose lives become bound by a single event. Without giving away too much of the plot, you see how two lives from completely different worlds intersect and both are changed forever.
I don' t mean this to be a movie review, instead I want to share the way the this movie has touched me. I was startled at the violence of the Waodani tribe. They lived (still live, actually) in a very dangerous place. There are all kinds of critters there who wouldn't mind having Waodoni for a meal, so there's plenty of reason to be fierce and tough. You'd have to be just to survive. What really got to me was that the very thing that allowed them to survive this harsh world became their greatest weakness. They had absolutely no mercy on anyone or anything that harmed one of their own. Thus, revenge killings became a way of life. A cycle of violence that was leading them to extinction.
I was struck by the similarities in our modern world. You can't look at the Middle East closely and not see the same cycle being repeated by the Islamic fanatics who seem to have taken over the culture there. There is absolutely no respect for human life. No boundaries on what they are willing to do to kill in order to satisfy their sense of justice. It's as if the entire culture has gone mad - they seem to have lost the ability to reason. All perspective is warped by the lens of hate so that they seem incapable of even a semblance of civility.
I am left with the amazing realization that Jesus died for such as these. He bore our sins on the cross so that they may live eternally with Him. And He has given we who love Him the commandment to love them. To plead for their salvation before the Throne of God. To intercede for them with compassion and love.
How can we do this? It seems so hopeless and naive. But it is His command and He has supplied the way...He's given us the Holy Spirit and invited us to abide in Him so we can see as He sees, and love as He loves.
A tall order, and it's one that I am still working on...probably for the rest of my life, but I don't see any other options given in the Scripture. How about it folks? Are we willing to pray? Are we willing to go and die if that is our calling?
Watch the movie. It may change your answer...or deepen your commitment to say, "Here I am, send me."