A Time for Everything

This is a tale of two women. I did not know either one of them very well, and they did not know one another. One was 86 years old and the other 50-something. One was my next door neighbor and the other the neighbor of a friend of a friend. One I saw a handful of times when she would venture out to water her garden. The other I had only met once.

Last Monday however, both of these women came to the forefront of my reality. For Francisca, my neighbor, it was because she silently exited this world; and for the other woman, Blanca, it was because she quietly re-entered it.

That memorable morning the unexpected arrival of an ambulance with flashing lights, but no siren, prompted me to expect the worst. A paramedic shaking her head, family members speeding to the scene, and then the hearse confirmed my suspicions--Francisca had died in her sleep. A quick word of consolation to the family members, an offer of help if they needed anything. The arrival of more family, an invitation to the funeral and wake. My neighbor was gone, just like that.

But the day went on: friends over for lunch, helping the daughters with homework, a neighbor coming to use the phone-hers was cut off, a mom coming to get a copy of the day's homework and then another unexpected occurence.

The sister of a good friend calling for me. She had never called me before. Several questions in quick succession: "Do you know Blanca C.?" I did only because several months ago someone told me she was in a coma since January and had asked me to be praying for her. "They told me you went to pray for her." I did go in March, one time, when God put it on my heart and my daughters and I had been praying every day since. "I called to tell you something--Blanca is awake and talking. I have just spent the whole day with her." Again, just like that, but this time Blanca had awakened from her coma induced slumber.

Wow!! Unbelievable!! In the same day, one woman goes to sleep and passes from this life to the next one, while another woman, living in another dimension for nine months, literally comes back to life. What a mixture of joy and sadness. Only God knows why He picked the same day to juxtapose these two very distinct but related realities.

The words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes seem appropriate for such a day as this:

"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--
A time to give birth, and a time to die;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to be silent, and a time to speak..."

May I live the time that is appointed for this day....

Gym Encounters

For as long as I've known David (that is for over 20 years now!) he has loved to run and to go to the gym. Every morning he gets up around 5 a.m. and is at the gym by 6. Besides the satisfaction of the physical discipline and the health benefits, in the last year there has been an added bonus to this daily routine--he has developed some significant relationships with a few guys there.

Now besides seeing each other early each morning, several of them have gone out to breakfast various times where they have been able to touch on deeper topics that involve their jobs, their families, their worries and concerns and also spiritual themes. One man especially at these meals always asks David to share something. This week it was his illustration of the "tres circulos", (three circles, as he refers to it), that creatively illustrates our three-part reality as human beings--body, soul and spirit.

In response to David's words, this man assured him that he has been contemplating this very reality lately, especially after a freak bicycle accident resulted in hospitalization and emergency surgery, and one of his close friends and business associates was murdered recently in Tijuana. One never knows when the seeds we sow will fall on fertile soil.

Please pray for David and for these teachable moments and softened hearts at the local gym.

Believing is Seeing!

Jesus instructs us in Matthew 7:7 to "ask and it will be given to you." I think for most of us we think that is a good idea, and we wish it would work, but we're either afraid that it won't work or we really don't believe it could be true.

Over the past several months our ministry partners have been asking God for a dependable, used car. They asked us to join them in asking. And along the way, we posted it as one of the "opportunities" on this blog as a way of inviting you to "ask" for them too.

Well, God matched us and upped us one in the process! Our friends had a limited amount to spend--if they sold their current vehicle. Ideally they wanted a Toyota. Realistically they thought it would have to be an older model (1993 or so) given their budget. The night before the customer for the old car was scheduled to pick it up, some partners in Bakersfield informed us they had a vehicle available, and they would accept the amount our friends had to offer--a 2003 Toyota Camry!!

The car is now here in Ensenada, and yet our friends are still saying: "I can't believe it!" I would say that as you look at their smiling faces by their new car that "seeing is believing." But I think what God wants to remind us is with Him, "believing is seeing!"

Following God's Agenda

Sometimes it is hard to accept that the “interruptions” to our plans are really our calling…and that the tasks we have planned need to take a back seat to God’s agenda.

Take today for example. Tomorrow I am going to the U.S. and I have to send the donor receipts for September but I have not written the letter yet. So, the girls are off to school. I have a chunk of time to get the job done. After meeting with a few people I go home ready to do a few chores, start preparing lunch, write a memo for Jessica’s class and work on the letter. But just as I sit down at the computer my cell phone rings. It is one of the women we disciple. She is faithful, teachable, committed and responsible, but life has hit her hard. She is just recovering from the latest punch when an incident this morning involving her youngest child threatens to cut the thread on which her life is hanging. I drop everything and run to be with her. The chores, the lunch, the memo and the letter can wait.

This afternoon I take our girls rock climbing. Can I watch a friends’ daughter until she can get home. “Sure!” Homework, baths, dinner, violin practice, bedtime Bible story and prayers…soon I can get back to the computer and get that letter written. Then there is a knock on the gate. Someone is yelling my name…a mother of one of Geneva’s classmates. It is her second visit in the past couple weeks. She needs counsel, encouragement and a listening ear. And the letter to our partners—maybe later…She does not leave until 10 p.m.

Urgent needs and emergencies are never scheduled and are rarely convenient. But being a part of meeting those needs or responding to those emergencies is a conscious choice we make. Apparently Jesus lived life this way. In the midst of sharing an important spiritual message, someone who needed healing would “interrupt”. As He tried to get some time alone to pray or rest, the masses would follow Him wanting more teaching…or more bread. Walking along the road, a heartfelt question from one of His followers would warrant a pause in the journey to speak to that specific need. My heart tells me that He knew all of these “detours” were part of the plan for His life and He invested the time and energy to show us this is how God loves.

May God continue to prepare all of us to respond as He does to the daily “inconveniences” and “interruptions”. May we give His love freely and trust Him for the rest of the important tasks and responsibilities...including belated letters and blogs.

Challenges...On the Wall and In Life

Challenges…When faced and confronted they provide opportunities to excel, to thrive, to succeed, to go beyond what you thought or believed you could accomplish. But when resisted or avoided, they generate fear, regret, worry, failure and insecurity.

David shared recently with our faith community a well known passage that speaks directly to this concept. In Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus reminds us of several things. One is that in this life there will be situations that challenge us on a daily basis. Secondly, He shows us that when confronted with these situations we have a choice as to how we are going to react—either by worrying about how we are going to resolve the need or by trusting in Him to provide for that need. Third, we read that we are to rest in the fact that our Heavenly Father is perfectly aware of our situation and its accompanying needs. Finally, we are to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and these things we need will be provided. David concluded by challenging us with this thought: If we are filling our hearts and minds with trust in God, then there is no room for worry!

During the last couple of months our girls have been fantastic examples of facing challenges and of trust as they took up a new sport…rock climbing!! From the first day they listened intently to their instructor, followed his instructions and met the challenge head on, reaching the top of the wall. They love it!!

God has used our daughters’ new activity to remind us how to respond to the challenges of everyday life. We must listen to our Instructor (God), follow His instructions (the Word) and face the challenge head on (trust).

For us a substantial challenge lately has been administering our resources—both time and finances. Choosing to face the challenges and trust has been a recurring theme for us and we are growing as we see God’s direction in our lives and experience His faithfulness. We are in the process of forming a Board of Directors and our hope is that as we seek God together they will provide a steady source of wisdom and counsel in these and other areas. Please pray for us as we will meet for the first time on September 20.

So, we are going to follow our daughters' example and let God show us how to climb the walls in our life that can be challenging and intimidating. We'll see you at the top!

Independence Day and the Dependent Life

With a brand-new elementary school graduate in the family, we departed on commencement day to spend two weeks in the U.S. visiting partners in Bakersfield. One of the highlights of our time away was a gala 4th of July party (that included people from Columbia, Canada and Australia in addition to our Mexican delegation!)

Independence is a wonderful concept when you are referring to a country being freed from oppressive rule, or maturing in their ability to self-govern. Just as in the U.S., in Mexico Independence Day is celebrated with lots of fireworks and good food to commemorate the ultimate price that was paid to secure freedom for those of us who enjoy it decades and centuries later.

Independence however is not something to be celebrated as it relates to our relationship with God. As the result of seeing a movie that debilitated her with fear and worry, our oldest daughter has gone from a young believer who loved God, to a maturing pre-teen who needs God on a daily, sometimes hourly, sometimes moment by moment basis and someone who has experienced in a very real and personal way God's presence and activity in her life.

Before this event she read the Bible while preparing her Sunday school lessons and prayed when she ate her meals or went to bed at night. Now she regularly asks us to pray with her, suggest Scripture passages for her to read or verses that she can memorize. God is no longer just a positive influence in her life...He is a necessity.

Our daughter still has her moments when she struggles, she still has to make choices to dwell on scary images and fearful thoughts, or God's promises and truth. However, more and more she is returning to her carefree, social self, but with a new depth of faith in, commitment to and dependence on God. What a good place to be when you just started Jr. High!! What a great place to be whatever your age...for the rest of your life.

(Read about this experience from our daughter's perspective in the preceeding blog.)

Battling the Effects of Batman!

Hola,
I'm David and Karen's oldest daughter and I'm going to tell you guys a story that just happened very recently.

I was invited to go see Batman: The Black Knight by a friend of mine. Like I'm terribly bad at saying NO I went to see it. At first I was fine but later on I got scared. I got traumatized. (DO NOT TAKE YOUR KIDS AND TWEENS TO SEE IT! They might get mad, but it's better not to see it than to scare the living daylights out of them. Trust me I learned from experience.)

Well back to the subject, I was so scared I couldn't sleep. That was the moment I was scared and helpless. I knew clearly I could not get over it alone, so I asked God to help me because this was definitely my time of need. It was and is the strongest spiritual battle I've had in my life. As time has gone by I've certainly improved, but the process of improving has been very dificult. I've shed my buckets of tears but what has helped and what I've had to do is learn Bible verses like "In my anguish I cried to the Lord and he answered me by setting me free."(Psalms 118:5) and "The Lord is with me I will not be afraid."(Psalms 118:6)

But what was most difficult for me to do is TRUST God. I'm still in this spiritual battle. I know I am trusting in God but I need to trust more that he WILL SET ME FREE. In our lives we have all types of spiritual battles but what we have to learn is that we can NOT possibly overcome them alone. We need to trust in God because he is on our side and he has given us all the stuff to overcome anything. (I still need to get that stuck in my head:] ) Please pray for me because I'm not totally over it. It's only been a week and a half.

May this blog be a warning to kids, tweens, teens, etc. because movies have incredible control over our minds. Parents please be careful what you let your kids watch. I totally regret what I watched. Like that song that Steve Green sings that goes: "Be careful little eyes what you see..." And believe me, God means it!

May God bless you.
Love,
A "Tween"

25 Years Learning to Love...

Last night I attended my 25th college reunion. The dinner was held in the hall where all of us had gathered for orientation upon our arrival on campus as new students and where many of us had lived during our freshman year. (Yeah, Page!!) However, this evening there were approximately 60 of us "40-somethings" getting reacquainted and reminiscing for hours.


I almost didn't make it. (See earlier blog--True and the Truth). Now the process that brought me back to my Alma Mater was reaffirmed as one after another of my fellow alumni stated in their own way--"It's all about relationships."


That is what we have all been called to in the two greatest commandments--love God and love your neighbor. May these next 25 years allow me to understand and reflect even more these principles as a natural part of my life.

The Difference between True and Truth

We were in a board meeting the other day for Rama de Olivo Ministries (with Shaun and Maria, who will hopefully have a blog of their own really soon!!) As happens every time we gather, the conversation was dynamic and charged with energy as we all discussed current events, books, and concepts that have challenged us lately.

In the midst of our discussion Greg made a comment that stopped us all in our tracks. He said, "There is often a difference between what is true and the truth." Puzzled by the apparent inconsistency, Jeff questioned the veracity of Greg's statement with his characteristic simplicity and honesty.

Greg began to elaborate in simple terms a concept so profound that it rocked our world right in the middle of the meeting. "For example" he said. "I arrive ten minutes late to work. I explain to those who are waiting for me. 'I'm sorry to be late, but the traffic was really bad and my car ran out of gas.' " He continued, "Although both those reasons are true, there was traffic and my car did run out of gas, it is not the truth. The truth is that I didn't leave my house on time to allow for traffic. Furthermore, I ignored the gas gauge when it told me that my tank was low, so I didn't fill up in time to avoid running out of gas."

He proceeded to give one more example. "Likewise, I can look at my account balance and say, 'I have no money, therefore God is not taking care of me or providing for my needs.' It's true the bottom line on my bank statement can be low or in the red. However, it is not the truth that God is not providing or concerned about my needs. There's a world of difference."

At this point David and I looked at each other and realized God's Spirit had just spoken to us. Just the day before we had made some important decisions based on fear, desperation, preoccupation and faithlessness. We had examined our financial situation and decided we needed to take matters into our own hands, cancel all "unnecessary" activities and expenses and merely survive until the numbers were more favorable. (Although at the point we made the decisions we felt it was the "wise" and "responsible" thing to do and had not identified the "spirit" behind our decisions.)

After the meeting as we drove south, we talked about what God had spoken to each of us. We realized we had mistaken what was true for the truth and had made some rash and drastic decisions based on our perceptions. As we prayed together God brought both conviction and peace to our hearts and reminded us of whose we are and what we have been called to do. Then and there on the 805 freeway we reversed the decisions we had made just 24 hours earlier. We decided that we needed to make choices based on relationships, not on how much money we have in the bank at any given moment. Our earlier "wise" decisions had been based on our own resources and capabilities and were "safe". But God has not called us to a life of self-dependence and safety. He has called us to a life of faith and trust in Him, because Jesus dared to claim when He walked on the earth: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life...." John 14:6. If we accept what Jesus said, then it is up to us to decide if we really believe it enough to put it to the test in our daily lives.

That reminds me of another profound thought I received from a friend in college that adorned a poster in my dorm room: "A ship in the harbor is safe...but that is not where ships were made to be." So stay tuned--we are heading out to the open sea in a boat named Truth!