The Chocolate Soldier

In honor of Veteran's Day here is a sample of one of my favorite pieces of revolutionary Christian writings entitled "The Christian Soldier" by C.T. Studd...wow! What a man!

Heroism is the lost chord; the missing note of present-day Christianity!

Every true soldier is a hero!
A SOLDIER WITHOUT HEROISM IS A CHOCOLATE SOLDIER!
Who has not been stirred to scorn and mirth at the very thought of a Chocolate Soldier? In peace true soldiers are captive lions, fretting in their cages. War gives them their liberty and send them, like boys bounding out of school, to obtain their heart's desire or perish in the attempt. Battle is the soldier's vital breath! Peace turns him into a stooping asthmatic. War makes him a whole man again, and gives him the heart, strength, and vigor of a hero.

EVERY TRUE CHRISTIAN IS A SOLDIER of Christ - a hero "par excellence"! Braver than the bravest - scorning the soft seductions of peace and her oft-repeated warnings against hardship, disease, danger, and death, whom he counts among his bosom friends.

THE OTHERWISE CHRISTIAN IS A CHOCOLATE CHRISTIAN! Dissolving in water and melting at the smell of fire. "Sweeties" they are! Bonbons, lollipops! Living their lives on a glass dish or in a cardboard box, each clad in his soft clothing, a little frilled white paper to preserve his dear little delicate constitution...

"God's foolishness is wiser than mans wisdom..." 1 Corinthians 1:25
Man, aint that the truth! Recently I was thinking about the many ways I have seen this to be true in my life. I'm convinced that one of God's hobbies is to confound the wisdom of man and showcase the emptiness of it, while simultaneously displaying the brilliance of his own 'foolishness'.

Man says that if you want to be married, go to the church or the bar.
God says "Don't worry, just follow me. I'll take care of it."

I met my wife following God to Siberia.

Man says that if you want to make a living, get skills, be marketable, find a niche.
God says, "Follow me and I will provide for you abundantly."

Man says that he who dies with the most toys, wins!
God says to lose your life in this world and then you will gain it back in eternity.

As believers, we all have the privelage of impacting people for Christ. And we get to do that every day God gives us on this earth!!

Please add a few of your own if you want. I'm discovering that mans way is actually pretty dull. The real adventure is to live foolishly, following Him without any reservation whatsoever.

IWAN's song

For those of you who are familiar with Iwan Surna, the POWERHOUSE of Indonesia. (OK, Cheryl, since you're the only one who reads my blog, this is for you...) Recently a group doing Tsunami releif visited and wrote this song about IWAN...oh, it goes to the song Louie, Louie..

Iwan, Iwan
Oh Baby I said
We need Iwan

Every day at four he translates some more
Indonesian into the English
Sometimes it’s confused, sit sighting keeps me amused
It’s Iwan, Iwan
Oh baby
We need Iwan

He tells us what they say, takes six showers a day
It’s Iwan, Iwan
He likes Durien & Dog, he sleeps like a log
Untill his wife calls, I hear through the walls
It’s Iwan, Iwan
Oh baby I said
We need Iwan

Move To Portland

Ok, I haven't posted in quite some time so here goes. We'll we did it. We moved to Portland. 9 months ago we thought the idea of moving to Portland was CRAZY! We had other ideas about how our life would look. BUT, we felt the SPIRIT urge us. Ever had that happen? Has the SPIRT ever urged you to do something that didn't make human sense? Portland made NO sense to us! It was risky. It defied what we felt would be "good" for our family. Yet this is how GOD works. He loves to defy human imaginations. "The intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate". He does this to show us that we must trust only HIM in this life. "Trust not in your own understanding, In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your path straight". And we are discovering that this is exactly what he did in this move to Portland. There are blessings here literally around every corner. In fact, the Pastor of Southwest Bible Church is my neighbor. Literally, I chat with him almost every day. He is an incredible man of God who has an IMMENSE passion for God's Word! Also, I am meeting Russians, Iranians, Greeks, and people from all over. God is faithful. He called us to do something we initially thought was impractical...stupid...nonsensical. And now we see afresh that He indeed is worthy of following. God knows best where to take us in this life. I shudder to imagine where my life would end up if I were calling the shots. YIKES!!

Africa At Its Best

This is definitely the coolest You Tube video I have ever seen to date. You absolutely must watch this in its entirety. WOW!!!

Awkward Good Samaritan

Ever find yourself in a situation where YOU have a chance to be the good samaritan, but you don't know what to do? The other day I was in such a situation. I was at a popular theme park in the area cruising with my son (pushing him in his stroller) toward the exit. The crowds were too much that day and I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to leave, and NOW! In fact, I was in such a hurry that Kristen didn't see any of which I am about to explain, she was too far behind me. I was on Disney's Main Street when, ahead of me, almost in slow motion, I noticed a VERY rotund man on a mechanized wheelchair up on the sidewalk make a costly miscalculation. He got too close to the curb. His left front wheel went over and then it was all over. Horror filled his eyes as he felt the wheelchair tip in the direction of Main Street. A girl nearby screamed. The man's wheelchair turned on its side and ejected the man into the street. I was one of the first people on the scene. But, when I arrived, I immediately grabbed the wheelchair and began to lift. The man was too big for me to handle by myself. He also had the wheelchair pinned down so my feeble attempt to wrestle the wheelchair free was totally ineffective. Finally, a crowd had gathered and a group of people lifted the man and his wheelchair back to sitting position. A lady behind me was coaching me and the rest of the group through the process. I hadn't a clue as to how to handle the situation tactically, all I had was a will to help. After the whole scene was over I felt good about being able to help, but a little perturbed that I was so awkward in that moment. But, like I said, the will to help is what counts I guess, but I would like to be more "effective" the next time...and perhaps a little stronger.

Brave German Kid

Ok, I heard about this, but here is the whole story. What guts!

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/05/25/003.html