This Weekend

Tomorrow we'll be concluding our Outflow series. Isaiah responded to the call of God with, "Here am I. Send me!" But Moses had a very different reaction. "Oh Lord, please send someone else to do it." Because of the incredible story of the plagues in Egypt and God opening up the Red Sea, we tend to forget how reluctant Moses was in the beginning. We may have some of the same concerns that Moses did. But those concerns aren't concerns to God. He knows what we're made of...and what He can do through us.

Librarian Action Figure

Just when you thought you'd seen everything, along comes the Librarian Action Figure. "With Amazing push-button Shushing Action! Plus Bonus Trading card and Bookmarks."
You may think this is silly but I suppose it makes a lot of sense. Librarians seem to have tremendous power. When I was in high school, my friends and I were in dreaded fear of her. And if you were making too much noise, your heart would stop at the sight of this little 4'2" woman with huge, mousy glasses. When she'd start walking toward you, you could hear Darth Vader's Theme playing somewhere. On very soft volume, of course.

Choosing Joy Over Bitterness

This is my buddy Dennis. I talked about him today during our study. Habakkuk imagines the worst possible circumstances and then says, "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." (Hab.3:18)
When Dennis had a motorcycle accident and eventually had to amputate his foot, I was angry. But God just kind of whispered to me that I should be thankful he was alive. Most wouldn't have survived it.
Dennis's reaction was much different. He didn't say, "Why me?" He said, "Considering all the trouble there is in the world, why not me?" His choice to trust and grow in God instead of becoming bitter over the situation helped him to have a greater personal revelation of God. His joy wasn't found in things, or in having both feet, but in God Himself. He said he wouldn't trade what God did in his life to have the foot back.
Job 42:5 "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you."

Living Large

This is from Psalm 138 -The Message Translation:
"Thank you! Everything in me says, "Thank you!"
Angels listen as I sing my thanks. I kneel in worship facing your holy temple and say it again: "Thank you!"
Thank you for your love, thank you for your faithfulness; Most holy is your name, most holy is your Word.
The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength."

This Weekend

We had a terrific showing for Bunco! It was really a kick. I was quite nervous as I had to keep score this time. You would think that would make me an automatic winner but it just didn't turn out that way. Huge heaps and piles of thanks to everyone who came. It was a fun group!
Tomorrow morning we'll be continuing our series on Outflow: Everyday Outreach For Everyday People. What is the most extravagant thing you've ever done? You'd be surprised at some of the things celebrities do. I'll mention some of those.
By contrast, Jesus didn't drive a Lamborghini around. In fact, He drove a donkey into Jerusalem. However, His love for people...wow! That's where He got extravagant.

Le MacDo

For some reason, this amuses me. This is one of two McDonalds on Tahiti. The locals call it Mac Do. They are quite popular there. I usually try to avoid all things American when I travel -just to take in the cultural experience. But sometimes it's important to stop eating all the fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, and get some healthy American food. And somehow seeing "Merci" just makes it all the more classy while partaking of this fine dining experience.

Two Year Old Fisherman

This is Taimoana. I told this story about him in our mid-week study. We went fishing with sticks and strings, and he caught a couple of fish. He did have a little help from Dad and Grandpa. He was so excited to snatch them up out of the water. They told him that it was a baby fish and he really should throw it back in the water, but he wasn't about to give up his catch. I suppose that when you're Taimoana's size, a small fish doesn't look all that small. They had it for dinner that night.

Two Eyelids Down

Went to see Transformers with Tyler on Monday. Here's my review: Tyler fell asleep.

Habakkuk Dares To Question God

This month I'm leading a study of the book of Habakkuk in our mid-week services. I'd always thought it was a cook book in Hebrew. But, on closer inspection, I found it to be much more.
This prophet cried out to God about the sins of His people. Then God responded by saying he was going to use the Babylonians to punish them. This didn't sit very well with Habakkuk because the Babylonians were ruthless, wicked people -and had become a large nation. One commentary said, "Judah was just a speck of loose dust before this gigantic vacuum cleaner."
I was trying to think of something that we could compare it to. Try this: Andy Taylor wants to teach Opie and his gang a lesson for breaking windows in the town. So he calls up a Los Angeles street gang to come and beat them up. Now we know that Andy loves Opie and only wants the best for him. So, what the heck?!
Join us as we see Habakkuk ask God, "What the heck?!"

Breaking News: Star Falls In Pool

Genesis 1:31 "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."
No argument there. This is the view from the backyard of the Jamet's home. They live in Tahiti. The island in the distance is Moorea. Sunsets here are an incredible work of art that is different every night -and every night is a masterpiece.
When night comes, it is incredible how clearly you can see the stars. I always have to stare at the sky for awhile before going to sleep. It's easy to see a lot of shooting stars too.
Genesis 1:16 "...He also made the stars."
One night, I was swimming in this pool while beholding these stars. The next day, Tama, who is a pilot, told me he saw me while flying over. He said that I'm so white, I shine like a star. Guess I need to work on my tan. While staring at the sky, you never know who could be staring back.

Yee Haw, Boo Hoo

Mamas don't let your cowboys grow up to be babies.

Shut The Window

My computer froze this morning. I felt so concerned for it. It just kept telling me that it was trying to close the Windows. For two hours it was trying to close the Windows. Poor frozen computer. So I brought it a blanket and some hot chocolate. It seems to be doing much better now.

Tuesday Night Worship & Prayer

It was encouraging to see so many at our Tuesday Night Worship & Prayer service last night. I just have to thank God for His faithfulness to meet with us as we gather together -and His encouragement for us to call out to Him. He is amazing.
Tuesday nights, from 7 to 8, we dim the lights and the prayer times are focused on certain things throughout the hour. We also worship throughout the hour -as so many songs are actually prayers. This service is open to everyone. We reserve this time strictly for worship and prayer...no announcements or offering. No church membership required! The way we see it, your prayers offered up helps your church as well. I encourage you to join us and connect with the God who created everything, who cleanses us from all sin, who is a very present help in time of need, and who loves us more than we could possibly imagine.

It's A Gas!

Yesterday I was quite excited to receive a letter from my buddy Don Croswhite. He is serving in the Army at Fort Benning, Georgia. This is directly from his letter:
"I did the gas chamber today. That really sucked. You walk into a 20 by 50 ft. brick building with your gas mask on. And almost instantly any exposed skin begins to feel like you have a major sun burn. The Drill Sergeants then make you pull your mask away from your face and yell out the last four of your social. You then have to do a procedure that blows out the gas from inside your mask so that you can breathe again.
Then the fun begins. In groups of 15 out of 40 you take off your masks completely, take your helmet that has been resting on the barrel of your M16 that you're holding up with your legs, put the helmet on properly, strap it and then hold up your weapon and gas mask. As soon as all the members in your team have done this you grab the back of the guy in front of you and orderly walk out. If you run or panic or drop your weapon arm, you go back in.
This gas is a harsh chlorine burn but 10x worse. Your chest hurts, your eyes burn. It's "CS Gas". You can Google it and check it out."

I was a bit stunned to read this because we went through this same procedure when I started working at Dairy Queen.
Don closed his letter saying, "I am having a great adventure here, don't worry." That is so cool.

Surfing Tahitian Airwaves

Last Saturday morning I was in the car with my Tahitian brother, Tama. Our conversation was all about his wedding -which was to occur that afternoon. I'll post some pics soon.
Then he said, "I heard your song on the radio again this week." I said, "What?" He repeated his statement and I replied that I didn't even know they were playing a song of mine. He couldn't remember the title so he told me to sing one in the car. I did and he said, "No, that's not it." Then I sang one titled "For All Time" and he said, "That's the one!" I was quite happy about that. The Christian music station has been playing it. They may like it because it features some drums and congas and percussion in the middle of it.
Sometimes at night as I'm falling asleep on the island, I can hear some native drums in the distance. Sometimes I wonder if I'll wake up in a big pot of boiling water surrounded by vegetables. But I think Tahitians like their meat lean. So I'm pretty safe for now.

Protecting Families

Had a wonderful 4th of July with my family. Went swimming with Gary & Lauren & Tyler. We played Marco Polo but Tyler cheated. I'm placing him on the prayer chain.
Then my folks served up these Fred Flintstone-sized steaks for dinner. Yowsa! It was wonderful to just relax, visit, and laugh with the family.
I'm very thankful for people like Don Croswhite, Eric Ure and Sammy DeLaRosa -who serve in our military. They actually protect us to continue on in our way of life. Their willingness to serve helps make life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness possible. God bless these individuals who are willing to stand up and be courageous in these times. I hope they had an awesome Independence Day.

C'est fini.

Well, it was an amazing trip. God did some pretty spectacular things which I hope to mention here in the near future -along with some pictures. Today is my first day back in the office so I'm playing catch-up. Also, right now I'm 3 hours behind California time. But the real issue is getting myself out of vacation-mode.
My stay was extended -which the airline had told me was not possible. But I believe that God made it possible for several reasons. One of the greatest was -I was able to attend Tama's wedding. He is like a little brother to me. I was able to be a witness at the signing of the license. I'll tell you more later. But I just have to say here that we serve an awesome God.