A picture from the summer that has struck me funny almost everytime I have seen it... This was one of the days I was working as the school/ministry photographer...
he is one of the orphans in Chiang Mai...
October 12, 2006
October 09, 2006
More blogging?
Dave Atkins, the executive director for Asia's Hope has set up a blog to keep us all updated on what is going on in Thailand and Cambodia while they have teams there... hope that you'll check it out... http://www.asiashopenews.blogspot.com/
October 02, 2006
Cambodia blogging...
John McCollum is leading a group of people from the Central Vineyard Church in Columbus to serve the varying ministries of Asia's Hope for a few weeks... check out his blog at http://www.othersideofdawn.blogspot.com/.
September 25, 2006
Ohio State 28 Penn State 6
A friend of mine gave me a really nice gift the other day and took me to a Ohio State game. I took a ton of pics... here are just a few. We also stopped and saw my brother Greg for a few moments as well (top pic). Thank again Dave!
September 20, 2006
The Life of Investment
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him." - John 12: 24-26
These words have always had an effect upon me. As I have read them the last few nights, I have been struck once again by reality of investment. Jesus is talking about what kind of investment we will make with our lives. The mental picture of one seed sacrificing itself so that hundreds of other seeds can be created has great appeal to me. In so many ways one seed is so insignificant. But when in the soil, it can produce so much more.
I don't think that Jesus means a literal hated of our own lives, but a love that is so significant, potent and powerful for the eternal that it makes all other loves look like hate.
I was thinking about what it means to be a servant last night according to what Jesus says... how am I, or even can I, be a servant of the Living, Eternal, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient God? The answer for now is A) I am not completely sure and B) to love Him and everyone else as much as I can and to show that love by compassionate acts.
These words have always had an effect upon me. As I have read them the last few nights, I have been struck once again by reality of investment. Jesus is talking about what kind of investment we will make with our lives. The mental picture of one seed sacrificing itself so that hundreds of other seeds can be created has great appeal to me. In so many ways one seed is so insignificant. But when in the soil, it can produce so much more.
I don't think that Jesus means a literal hated of our own lives, but a love that is so significant, potent and powerful for the eternal that it makes all other loves look like hate.
I was thinking about what it means to be a servant last night according to what Jesus says... how am I, or even can I, be a servant of the Living, Eternal, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient God? The answer for now is A) I am not completely sure and B) to love Him and everyone else as much as I can and to show that love by compassionate acts.
September 13, 2006
Steady Words
"My dear brother, we must not mind a little suffering for Christ's sake. When I am getting through a hedge, if my head and shoulders are safely through, I can bear the pricking of my legs. Let us rejoice in the remembrance that our holy Head has surmounted all His suffering and triumphed over death. Let us follow Him patiently; we shall soon be partakers of His victory."
(H.C.G. Moule qouting Charles Simeon in the book Charles Simeon, [London: Inter-Varsity, 1948], 155f.)
(H.C.G. Moule qouting Charles Simeon in the book Charles Simeon, [London: Inter-Varsity, 1948], 155f.)
September 12, 2006
September 08, 2006
September 07, 2006
A picture that nevers ceases to make me laugh...
Sana was absolutely hilarious the last night at the student center...
September 05, 2006
Stars in Their Courses
Yesterday I finished reading Shelby Foote's historical narrative Stars In Their Courses. The book is a retelling of the greatest, and perhaps most tragic battle ever fought on American soil.
The Battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1-3, 1863 and eventually decided the outcome of the American Civil War, although not as fast as some would have desired. Shelby Foote (who just died last year), does a fabulous job of explaining the thoughts, actions, personalities and miscues of both sides. While the Confederates had the decided advantage coming into the battle, due to many recent victories and superior officers, the Union emerged with the victory more due to a superior position on the field, better numbers and the faulty battle plan of Robert E. Lee on the third day of battle.
The tragic nature of war was exacerbated by the fact that men were shooting at literal friends and countrymen. Foote does a good job of mixing in the friendship of Hancock and Armistead, as well as the good relationships that had been shared by officers of both sides in the Mexican War when they had all fought together.
The title of the book comes from the statement that even "the stars in their courses" had fought against Lee that day, and had prevented a Confederate victory.
The Battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1-3, 1863 and eventually decided the outcome of the American Civil War, although not as fast as some would have desired. Shelby Foote (who just died last year), does a fabulous job of explaining the thoughts, actions, personalities and miscues of both sides. While the Confederates had the decided advantage coming into the battle, due to many recent victories and superior officers, the Union emerged with the victory more due to a superior position on the field, better numbers and the faulty battle plan of Robert E. Lee on the third day of battle.
The tragic nature of war was exacerbated by the fact that men were shooting at literal friends and countrymen. Foote does a good job of mixing in the friendship of Hancock and Armistead, as well as the good relationships that had been shared by officers of both sides in the Mexican War when they had all fought together.
The title of the book comes from the statement that even "the stars in their courses" had fought against Lee that day, and had prevented a Confederate victory.
The Great Evangelical Disaster
I finished reading The Great Evangelical Disaster by Francis Schaeffer last week. I have read it before, but it was good to read it again, and learn from this incredibly wise man. Several people who have learned that I have read this book have asked, "So what is the great evangelical disaster?". The answer is accommodation. Accomodation to un-biblical ways of viewing the world, the church and reality. In some ways that does not sound that imposing or scary, however it will be the end of evangelical Christianity if it is followed to it's logical conclusion.
Perhaps one of the best mental pictures that comes from the book is of the snow at the top of a mountain ridge. The snow on the east side of the ridge and the the snow on the west side of the ridge are so close together and similar in appearance when they reside near the peak. However, as the sun warms the area and the snow begins to melt and to descend into their respective valleys on the east and west sides of the ridge they could not be farther from each other. In Schaeffer's example, one ends in the Mediterranean and the other in the North Sea. The point is that things that appear to be so similar to evangelical Christianity are shown to be diametrically opposed to it when followed to it's logical conclusion... and that those conclusions are the difference between truth and falsehood, life and death.
The solution is being faithful to the Scriptures (easier said than done), but also using loving, truthful confrontation to bring our (and others) thoughts back to Christ as He is revealed in His Word. Obviously if you could learn everything about the book from a blog posting, you would not need to read the book, so I have only scratched the surface... The book is 20 years old, and yet it is so attuned to the situation of our day. He was an incredible mind.
Perhaps one of the best mental pictures that comes from the book is of the snow at the top of a mountain ridge. The snow on the east side of the ridge and the the snow on the west side of the ridge are so close together and similar in appearance when they reside near the peak. However, as the sun warms the area and the snow begins to melt and to descend into their respective valleys on the east and west sides of the ridge they could not be farther from each other. In Schaeffer's example, one ends in the Mediterranean and the other in the North Sea. The point is that things that appear to be so similar to evangelical Christianity are shown to be diametrically opposed to it when followed to it's logical conclusion... and that those conclusions are the difference between truth and falsehood, life and death.
The solution is being faithful to the Scriptures (easier said than done), but also using loving, truthful confrontation to bring our (and others) thoughts back to Christ as He is revealed in His Word. Obviously if you could learn everything about the book from a blog posting, you would not need to read the book, so I have only scratched the surface... The book is 20 years old, and yet it is so attuned to the situation of our day. He was an incredible mind.
August 29, 2006
A good reminder that I need today...
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." - Proverbs 1:7
August 25, 2006
August 24, 2006
Love and Holiness, not Accomodation
"In every generation God calls his people to show forth his love and holiness, to be faithful to him, and to stand against accommodation with the world's values of the day. In order to show forth God's love and holiness and to present the Good News to our generation in such a way that the message has viability, we must try in a balanced way not to fall into the... mistake of thinking that we are courageous and 'being with it' when we are really only fitting into what is the accepted thought-form of the age around us."
- Francis Schaeffer, from The Great Evangelical Disaster
- Francis Schaeffer, from The Great Evangelical Disaster
August 22, 2006
Grisham's First Novel
Well, I finally read a John Grisham novel. I have avoided reading his stuff for a couple of reasons... first, he seemed like the flavor of the month for a while, and I hate bandwagons... second, I really got into Michael Connelly and his fabulous character Harry Bosch, so I was committed to that... but then I finished all of the Connelly novels... Grisham has proven that he can keep up his popularity over a long stretch, so I decided that I could try one out... I don't like bandwagons, but I am intrigued by cultural phenomena... so I read his first book, A Time To Kill... instantly I realized that I had listened to it on audio book, but kept reading, and I liked his style. There were some things in the storyline that were downright disturbing, but that is not a first. One of the most interesting aspects of his writing that adds to the 'down home' feeling of the south in this particular novel was the "homey" conversations on the porches and balconies and diners of this sleepy southern town... it was a good read if you can get past some of the more violent/tragic parts of the story.
August 16, 2006
August 13, 2006
First They Killed My Father
If you have any interest in knowing more about what has affected the Cambodian culture more than any other event, you must read the book, First They Killed My Father. I have read several books on the Cambodian genocide under Pol Pot that took place in the mid to late 1970's, but this one provides first hand experience as I have not read before. It is not a long book, and the reading is very easy to understand... I would say it is must reading for anyone who wants to do ministry in Cambodia, or just visit.
August 11, 2006
August 08, 2006
I miss you, my friends...
Here are a few pictures of some of the friends I am missing right now from Cambodia... May God bless you, and pray that I will be there again soon, according to His will! Talk to you all soon. More pictures to come! Graham
August 02, 2006
The reading rarely stops...
So, I just spent five weeks in Southeast Asia... what did I do when we weren't with orphans or college students or teachers in a Christian school... most times we collapsed in a pile... but at those times when all I had to was sit, guess what, I read... and on planes, late at night, etc... I got through three books, and just finished another one that I got in Los Angeles... here they are...
The Great Republic by Winston Churchill is a good read for any American, but a great read for a history buff. The first half of the book is a collection of writings that Churchill did on the beginnings of America as part of his History of the English Speaking Peoples, which won a Pulitzer prize for literature. His grandson (also named Winston Churchill) has gone through the original four volume work and gleaned out everything about "The Great Republic", the name his grandfather gave to America. The second half of the book is a collection of speeches that he made during the course of his lifetime that had America has either a main topic, or as an influential part of his oratory. Some of you may be interested to know a bit of minutiae about Churchill... his mother was an American, and it was a common joke for him with American politicians that if his father had been American instead of his mother, he may have made his speeches to the American Congress as an elected member instead of as an honored guest.
Agatha Christie again played a prominent part in my reading this summer... the first book was Peril at End House. I won't give it away for those who desire to read it, but there is a certain genius about this novel that I found intriguing, even though, thanks to the David Suchet presentation, I knew the end from the beginning... sorry for the bad joke. As I read it (knowing the outcome) I was again amazed at Christie's ability to create a new way to conceive of an elaborate murder plot.
I also read her ultimate work, The Murder on the Orient Express. Again, due to the movie, I already knew how it would end, but the genius that she creates in developing yet another new way to approach the murder mystery is why she is the best selling mystery writer of all time. She is the author that all of the contemporary Grisham-types must learn from over and over again... excellent.
This morning, thanks to a case of jet lag, I just finished The Lincoln Lawyer, by my favorite contemporary writer, Michael Connelly. On the cover there is a quote from USA Today that says it might be Connelly's best book yet... I thought, "whatever", and started reading... only it is true. There is no fluff in this book. It is direct, well crafted, without any of the constant tie-ins from other books that I sometimes think is a little too much... the main character is believable and is easy to follow... I really liked this book, and even though Harry Bosch will always be my favorite character from Connelly, Michael Haller, is an easy second. Connelly gives great explanations of the legal-eze that is encountered, and the story comes across strongly and with a sense that you can really believe it is all possible... I love picking good books.
The Great Republic by Winston Churchill is a good read for any American, but a great read for a history buff. The first half of the book is a collection of writings that Churchill did on the beginnings of America as part of his History of the English Speaking Peoples, which won a Pulitzer prize for literature. His grandson (also named Winston Churchill) has gone through the original four volume work and gleaned out everything about "The Great Republic", the name his grandfather gave to America. The second half of the book is a collection of speeches that he made during the course of his lifetime that had America has either a main topic, or as an influential part of his oratory. Some of you may be interested to know a bit of minutiae about Churchill... his mother was an American, and it was a common joke for him with American politicians that if his father had been American instead of his mother, he may have made his speeches to the American Congress as an elected member instead of as an honored guest.
Agatha Christie again played a prominent part in my reading this summer... the first book was Peril at End House. I won't give it away for those who desire to read it, but there is a certain genius about this novel that I found intriguing, even though, thanks to the David Suchet presentation, I knew the end from the beginning... sorry for the bad joke. As I read it (knowing the outcome) I was again amazed at Christie's ability to create a new way to conceive of an elaborate murder plot.
I also read her ultimate work, The Murder on the Orient Express. Again, due to the movie, I already knew how it would end, but the genius that she creates in developing yet another new way to approach the murder mystery is why she is the best selling mystery writer of all time. She is the author that all of the contemporary Grisham-types must learn from over and over again... excellent.
This morning, thanks to a case of jet lag, I just finished The Lincoln Lawyer, by my favorite contemporary writer, Michael Connelly. On the cover there is a quote from USA Today that says it might be Connelly's best book yet... I thought, "whatever", and started reading... only it is true. There is no fluff in this book. It is direct, well crafted, without any of the constant tie-ins from other books that I sometimes think is a little too much... the main character is believable and is easy to follow... I really liked this book, and even though Harry Bosch will always be my favorite character from Connelly, Michael Haller, is an easy second. Connelly gives great explanations of the legal-eze that is encountered, and the story comes across strongly and with a sense that you can really believe it is all possible... I love picking good books.
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