Around Christmas, Sasha and I send out thank you cards to all of our supporters. We have 19 churches, and over 40 individual supporters who gave to our work in Bulgaria this year. They will each get a hand written note from us thanking them for making our being in Bulgaria possible.
I love sending out these cards because it reminds me of all the wonderful people around the world who care enough about the people of Bulgaria to sacrifice their own finances to help share the message of Jesus with them. Sending these cards also serves as a reminder of how seriously I need to take my job. I have about 60 donors that I'm accountable to, and I want to do the best job possible to make sure their donations are used well.
This year as I was writing the cards I thought about the envelopes. (For our younger readers, an envelope is a sleeve of paper that covers a letter or card to protect it while it is transported great distances over several days. The envelope also contains the address information of both the sender and the receiver. This was the primary means of sending mail before the computer era. Still confused? Ask your folks.) When I get a letter in the mail, I care very little about the envelope. I look at it to see who the letter is from. I then open it, remove the letter, and throw the envelope away. All the envelope is for is to make sure the message makes it to its target audience securely.
In a way, I'm like an envelope. I have a message that I carry inside me. It is a message that is vitally important to deliver. My main purpose in life is to deliver that message. I am not responsible for whether or not that message is accepted or rejected. I merely have to deliver it. Perhaps this is what Paul meant when he wrote about us being jars of clay in 2 Corinthians 4:7. We are ordinary, but the message (or treasure as Paul put it) is very valuable.
Please pray that we will all be good "envelopes" for the message of salvation through Jesus; especially now as Christmas approaches and we remember His coming.
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 10, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Languages
This morning I was reflecting on learning languages. I've lived in Europe for over 6 years now, and in that time I have spent about 30 months in full time language study and achieved fluidity in two languages that I did not previously know. Now anyone who has learned another language knows that I am not done learning. I'm not even done learning English. Just a few weeks ago I learned an English word I had never heard before. (Skeuomorphic) Naturally there are many thousands more Bulgarian and Polish words that I have yet to learn.
I am of the opinion that if you are going to live in another country for any extended period of time, learning the local language is important. Naturally it is important for communication, but if you know English well you can probably survive in most European countries on that alone. The real importance is in quality of life.
Now, I'm married to a Bulgarian. I have family members that speak little to no English. On top of that, my two best friends are Polish and Texan, so getting good at other languages has to be a priority for a guy like me. For the rest of you though, if you are living outside of your native language and don't learn the language of your neighbors you will miss out on so many of life's joys. Cultural events, local TV shows, sitting down for a meal or drinks with your neighbors, none of these can be appreciated without knowing the language well.
Without knowing the language, every conversation is like a conversation with this guy.
When I finished my full time study of Polish several years ago, I was invited over to my teachers house for a meal. I sat and talked with him, and his family for a couple hours entirely in Polish (even though several of them spoke great English). I remember thinking how nice it was to have gotten to a point where talking in Polish was an enjoyment just like it was in English. When we moved to Bulgaria, I worked hard to get to that level quickly because I knew what I was missing. Living without the language is living a half life.
Different people have different levels of ability when it comes to learning a language. If you are on the lower end of that scale and are frustrated, you may think that you cannot cut it because you lack talent. Don't give up. I'm sure most of us know someone who was not very athletic who decided one day to run a marathon and did. It took them months if not years of training to get to where they needed to be, but they did it regardless of talent. Motivation is key, and the reward is worth it.
I am of the opinion that if you are going to live in another country for any extended period of time, learning the local language is important. Naturally it is important for communication, but if you know English well you can probably survive in most European countries on that alone. The real importance is in quality of life.
Now, I'm married to a Bulgarian. I have family members that speak little to no English. On top of that, my two best friends are Polish and Texan, so getting good at other languages has to be a priority for a guy like me. For the rest of you though, if you are living outside of your native language and don't learn the language of your neighbors you will miss out on so many of life's joys. Cultural events, local TV shows, sitting down for a meal or drinks with your neighbors, none of these can be appreciated without knowing the language well.
Without knowing the language, every conversation is like a conversation with this guy.
When I finished my full time study of Polish several years ago, I was invited over to my teachers house for a meal. I sat and talked with him, and his family for a couple hours entirely in Polish (even though several of them spoke great English). I remember thinking how nice it was to have gotten to a point where talking in Polish was an enjoyment just like it was in English. When we moved to Bulgaria, I worked hard to get to that level quickly because I knew what I was missing. Living without the language is living a half life.
Different people have different levels of ability when it comes to learning a language. If you are on the lower end of that scale and are frustrated, you may think that you cannot cut it because you lack talent. Don't give up. I'm sure most of us know someone who was not very athletic who decided one day to run a marathon and did. It took them months if not years of training to get to where they needed to be, but they did it regardless of talent. Motivation is key, and the reward is worth it.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Taking the Plunge
Have you ever jumped off a high dive or a cliff? As you stand on the edge you are excited and a bit afraid. Then you jump. In a split second you go from excitement to fear and back to excitement again. Then you hit the water and feel a sting. Depending on how you land, that sting can be with you for a second or several days. A split second later the sting is overshadowed by the shock of the cold water. You quickly get over the shock and acclimate to the temperature around you. You may even swim under water for a few seconds before your lungs remind you that you need to come up for air.
Tonight I was thinking about diving. I did this a lot as a kid having grown up in a land with over 10,000 lakes. It is, in many ways, a very fast picture of what moving to another country is like. At first you are excited and a little scared as you begin your time abroad. Then one day a sting followed by a shock hits you. Depending on how you hit this point, the sting may be with you for a short time or a long time. After the shock, things normalize until the day comes that you realize it has been a while since you have come up for air. Once you come up for air, you can swim around in your new culture for a long time and feel right at home. You may find yourself gasping for breath every so often, and you will never totally fit in (divers never become fish), but you will (probably) get to feel right at home.
Of course some people can't swim. And they should not dive. In the same way some people can't fit in in a second culture and they should not try to be what they are not. God did not make them for cross-cultural work, so they should be satisfied to take vacations abroad but not live there. There is nothing wrong with this. We all have different skills and gifts.
I took the dive into Bulgaria almost two years ago. I can safely say that I'm swimming as well in Bulgarian culture as I would in a lake back in Minnesota. I really like it here, and I have no desire to get out of the water just yet.
Tonight I was thinking about diving. I did this a lot as a kid having grown up in a land with over 10,000 lakes. It is, in many ways, a very fast picture of what moving to another country is like. At first you are excited and a little scared as you begin your time abroad. Then one day a sting followed by a shock hits you. Depending on how you hit this point, the sting may be with you for a short time or a long time. After the shock, things normalize until the day comes that you realize it has been a while since you have come up for air. Once you come up for air, you can swim around in your new culture for a long time and feel right at home. You may find yourself gasping for breath every so often, and you will never totally fit in (divers never become fish), but you will (probably) get to feel right at home.
Of course some people can't swim. And they should not dive. In the same way some people can't fit in in a second culture and they should not try to be what they are not. God did not make them for cross-cultural work, so they should be satisfied to take vacations abroad but not live there. There is nothing wrong with this. We all have different skills and gifts.
I took the dive into Bulgaria almost two years ago. I can safely say that I'm swimming as well in Bulgarian culture as I would in a lake back in Minnesota. I really like it here, and I have no desire to get out of the water just yet.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a bit different in Bulgaria. This is mainly because it is not a holiday here. Schools and work are open, and daily life continues uninterrupted. (There is also no Black Friday tomorrow.) While we prepared a feast, the rest of Bulgaria just went about its business.
It was a great day for us though. After dropping Sophie off at school, we started cooking. Okay, Sasha started cooking. I just did stuff like pealing potatoes, boiling water, and washing dishes for Sasha to use while preparing the next dish.
This was the first time we did everything ourselves. Every other Thanksgiving celebration we have attended or hosted has been the kind where everyone brings a dish or two and the hostess makes the turkey. Not this time though. This year we were almost alone. The only guests we had were Baba and Diado (Grandma and Grandpa), and as they were coming from Kostenets by train, it was impractical for them to bring anything. We bought the bread, but the rest was made from scratch.
It was a great meal. We really enjoyed ourselves. My father-in-law quickly learned the joys of gravy, and this was the first year any of our girls actually looked forward to the turkey. After dinner, I helped Sophie with her homework (remember, it's no holiday in Bulgaria), and Sasha cleaned the table to make way for pie. After Baba and Diado left, we broke out Small World, and played a couple games.
Thanksgiving is great!
Today is also a landmark day for me. It is the longest I have been out of the U.S. in one stretch. True, we have been living overseas for 6 years now, but I always had a reason to go back for a bit every now and then. Today I broke my previous record of time away. There are things I miss in America, but I also love it here. Besides, I have a beautiful wife who has embraced America and its culture. I feel at home wherever I am in the world as long as she is with me.
It was a great day for us though. After dropping Sophie off at school, we started cooking. Okay, Sasha started cooking. I just did stuff like pealing potatoes, boiling water, and washing dishes for Sasha to use while preparing the next dish.
This was the first time we did everything ourselves. Every other Thanksgiving celebration we have attended or hosted has been the kind where everyone brings a dish or two and the hostess makes the turkey. Not this time though. This year we were almost alone. The only guests we had were Baba and Diado (Grandma and Grandpa), and as they were coming from Kostenets by train, it was impractical for them to bring anything. We bought the bread, but the rest was made from scratch.
It was a great meal. We really enjoyed ourselves. My father-in-law quickly learned the joys of gravy, and this was the first year any of our girls actually looked forward to the turkey. After dinner, I helped Sophie with her homework (remember, it's no holiday in Bulgaria), and Sasha cleaned the table to make way for pie. After Baba and Diado left, we broke out Small World, and played a couple games.
Thanksgiving is great!
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Saturday Afternoon Surprise
Early this afternoon we got a call from the mom of one of Veronica's classmates. She and her daughter wanted to come over for a visit. Sasha quickly told me to put my tools away and stop my Saturday afternoon projects because we were having guests.
As I type this, Sasha is upstairs conversing with the mom over cookies, and the girls are playing with Veronica's friend.
One thing I love about our neighborhood is that it actually feels like a neighborhood. We have friends just stop by for the fun of it. It seems to be easier to connect with those around us than it was last year in our old neighborhood.
I'm very glad to see Sasha and the girls connecting with our neighbors. It makes home feel more like home.
As I type this, Sasha is upstairs conversing with the mom over cookies, and the girls are playing with Veronica's friend.
One thing I love about our neighborhood is that it actually feels like a neighborhood. We have friends just stop by for the fun of it. It seems to be easier to connect with those around us than it was last year in our old neighborhood.
I'm very glad to see Sasha and the girls connecting with our neighbors. It makes home feel more like home.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Mark 2 Ministry
I recently finished a personal study on Mark. Today I listened to a sermon by Pastor Dan Reid of Maranatha Church in Rice Lake, Wisconsin on Jesus' healing of a paralyzed man as told in Mark 2. That's twice in just a few weeks when this story has been brought to mind.
This is an interesting and rather strange story that is a favorite of Sunday school classes around the world. Four men try to get to Jesus with their paralyzed friend to have him healed. The house where Jesus is speaking is so packed full of people that they can't get to him, so they climb up on the roof and dig a hole to lower their friend down to Jesus. (How many of us have four friends who would destroy property for us.)
The thing that strikes me about this story is what Jesus does. The first thing he does is tell the man that his sins are forgiven. This, naturally, ticks off the religious leaders of the day as Jesus appears to be playing God. (Of course, we know He was not playing God at all.)
After forgiving this man's sins, Jesus turns to the religious leaders and asks them, "Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?" The obvious answer is that it is easier to say "Your sins are forgiven," because one cannot measure the reality of the statement. If I were to tell a paralytic to get up and walk and he did not (as would likely be the case) I would look like a crazy fool. If I were to tell someone that I forgave their sins (which is in essence a claim to be God) no one could prove that I had not forgiven them.
Jesus does not stop with merely the forgiveness of sin though. He then goes on to heal the man who walked out of the house on his own power.
The theological ramifications of this passage are obvious. Jesus demonstrated his deity in forgiving the man's sin. He backed up his claim by healing the man's illness. Jesus demonstrated his power over sin and sickness.
Today I though of an application to this passage that had not before crossed my mind. Over the past few months I have been involved with a sort of think tank that is looking to integrate the spiritual and physical aspects of ministry. Jesus demonstrated in Mark 2 just how important that is. If we merely tell people of the life changing aspects of the Gospel in the spiritual sense, and yet do not demonstrate it by ameliorating the felt needs of those around us, how will anyone see the reality of what Jesus' love has done in our lives. We will appear to be spiritual people who are useless in the so called real world. However, if we focus only on the felt needs of those around us we will fail to accomplish the most important part of our life on earth by communicating the message of God's transforming grace given to us freely through Jesus' death and resurrection. We need both.
The paralytic received two gifts that day. Those around him probably thought that the second gift was the better one as it was the one they could see. But what good is it to have a whole body for the duration of our life on Earth, and yet enter eternity guilty of sin? The first gift was by far the greater. The second was the proof of the first.
We tend to view ministry as either spiritual or felt needs. Jesus did not separate them. Why should we?
This is an interesting and rather strange story that is a favorite of Sunday school classes around the world. Four men try to get to Jesus with their paralyzed friend to have him healed. The house where Jesus is speaking is so packed full of people that they can't get to him, so they climb up on the roof and dig a hole to lower their friend down to Jesus. (How many of us have four friends who would destroy property for us.)
The thing that strikes me about this story is what Jesus does. The first thing he does is tell the man that his sins are forgiven. This, naturally, ticks off the religious leaders of the day as Jesus appears to be playing God. (Of course, we know He was not playing God at all.)
After forgiving this man's sins, Jesus turns to the religious leaders and asks them, "Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?" The obvious answer is that it is easier to say "Your sins are forgiven," because one cannot measure the reality of the statement. If I were to tell a paralytic to get up and walk and he did not (as would likely be the case) I would look like a crazy fool. If I were to tell someone that I forgave their sins (which is in essence a claim to be God) no one could prove that I had not forgiven them.
Jesus does not stop with merely the forgiveness of sin though. He then goes on to heal the man who walked out of the house on his own power.
The theological ramifications of this passage are obvious. Jesus demonstrated his deity in forgiving the man's sin. He backed up his claim by healing the man's illness. Jesus demonstrated his power over sin and sickness.
Today I though of an application to this passage that had not before crossed my mind. Over the past few months I have been involved with a sort of think tank that is looking to integrate the spiritual and physical aspects of ministry. Jesus demonstrated in Mark 2 just how important that is. If we merely tell people of the life changing aspects of the Gospel in the spiritual sense, and yet do not demonstrate it by ameliorating the felt needs of those around us, how will anyone see the reality of what Jesus' love has done in our lives. We will appear to be spiritual people who are useless in the so called real world. However, if we focus only on the felt needs of those around us we will fail to accomplish the most important part of our life on earth by communicating the message of God's transforming grace given to us freely through Jesus' death and resurrection. We need both.
The paralytic received two gifts that day. Those around him probably thought that the second gift was the better one as it was the one they could see. But what good is it to have a whole body for the duration of our life on Earth, and yet enter eternity guilty of sin? The first gift was by far the greater. The second was the proof of the first.
We tend to view ministry as either spiritual or felt needs. Jesus did not separate them. Why should we?
Sunday, October 14, 2012
CTL
I'm in Hungary at the moment attend the City Team Leaders' conference. We have been talking a lot about global partnerships. This makes a lot of sense to me as the Church is meant to be from all nations. It only makes sense that the Church's ministry be from all nations as well.
I was reflecting today on just how natural global relationships have become. My two closest friends are a Polish guy I met while living in Szczecin, and a Texan who is married to a Canadian. I'm married to a Bulgarian. I currently have cousins living in Africa, Asia, and North America. I have never had an English conversation with my father-in-law. Every Wednesday, Sasha takes the girls over to the home of a British woman living in Sofia. Last year I taught English to men from Turkey living in Bulgaria. The list goes on and on.
In the age of the internet, global communication quick and effortless. Just look at the map on this blog. I've had readers from every continent except Antarctica.
It is evident that international relationships mean more today then they ever have in the past. As a ministry leader, I need to evaluate how best to serve not just in my own city, but globally.
Please pray that I do so.
I was reflecting today on just how natural global relationships have become. My two closest friends are a Polish guy I met while living in Szczecin, and a Texan who is married to a Canadian. I'm married to a Bulgarian. I currently have cousins living in Africa, Asia, and North America. I have never had an English conversation with my father-in-law. Every Wednesday, Sasha takes the girls over to the home of a British woman living in Sofia. Last year I taught English to men from Turkey living in Bulgaria. The list goes on and on.
In the age of the internet, global communication quick and effortless. Just look at the map on this blog. I've had readers from every continent except Antarctica.
It is evident that international relationships mean more today then they ever have in the past. As a ministry leader, I need to evaluate how best to serve not just in my own city, but globally.
Please pray that I do so.
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