A-pi-ko after mushrooms

Uganda was a beautiful country with beautiful people but communication was a bit of a problem. In a country roughly the size of North Carolina they spoke 42 languages! I picked up a little Lugandan and a bit of Swahili but that was it. In contrast Russia spanned 12 time zones (that is half the world for you geography buffs) and they spoke one language. Our home is roughly 1500 sq. ft. where we now speak 4 languages. English, Georgian, Russian and Anna Marian.

Lets see if you can figure out some of our favorites. Oatpea cookies - not too tough Oatmeal cookies; Clyda - a dear sweet lady in our church that most know as Claudia; Cindanella - pretty close to its English equivalent Cinderella; Kepuch - one our favorites and Anna Maria's too because she eats ketchup on every thing; Lispit - chap stick or lipstick; Mushrooms - no, not what you think, the -mallow after marsh is too tough so she adds -rooms cause its easier; but our all time favorite, because it was her first, and still most often used is A-pi-ko - not a clue? Us either for probably a year. Then one day I was standing at the fridge, door open, Anna Maria standing with me, looking up saying, "a-pi-ko, to my elation I grabbed a jar and ran to Nino telling her I had discovered the mystery that had plagued our household for, what had seemed like centuries. Now when anna Maria finishes her cookies, her ice cream or mushrooms she always wants to finish with a-pi-ko and while we would not select it after sweets we now know that she loves to crunch on a - pickle.

Language is a process as is our walk with Christ, I often remind my congregation that justification is instantaneous, while sanctification is a process. Sometimes a long and slow process. I wonder how often God just scratches his head and wonders if I'll ever get it right. I am just glad to know that my salvation is secure and that God does not, never has, nor ever will give up on me, even when my choices seem befuddling.

Let people be people and God be God

I was in a store not too long ago and I overheard a young lady who was looking at clothes, she found a shirt that she liked. The shirt, however, didn't have a price tag. To which she said,"I hate people." It really concerns me that something so simple could elicit such a strong response. While I could be wrong, to me, it honestly sounded like there was hate behind the comment and not just an off the cuff remark.

A long time ago I decided to let people be people and to let God be God. My faith is and always will be in the later. People are always going to let me down, if I put too much faith in them. That is why I choose to give them the freedom to make mistakes, and not have to worry about living up to my expectations. I want to love people in spite of their failings. Don't get me wrong, as a pastor I want to encourage and challenge people to live up to what God would have them to be, namely more Christlike. But if they fail I don't want them to fear disappointing me. The reason, I know how often I fail others. I know that many times I have let people down and disappointed them.

I am sorry that this young lady didn't find a price on the shirt she liked. In retrospect I wish I had said, here let me see if I can find someone who can tell you how much it costs. Who knows had I done so that feeling of hate might have subsided, but it also might have gotten redirected. Where? At me.

I fear that such a statement of hate shows something of the character that lies within that young lady. I read somewhere that your spirit, your inward character is in process of becoming something, (If you are in Christ we call that sanctification). Something either unbelievably good or something unimaginably dark. That something is the main thing God sees when he looks at us. I hope you are more concerned about what God sees than what I see.

Feel-like-it-ness

My goal is to try to post something new every Monday. But yesterday I simply didn't feel like blogging. So I had the choice of either trying to so something half-heatedly, or give it a day and see if I felt more productive today. We live in a world of fast paced, high stress deadlines. When it comes to preaching on Sunday, I can't get up and tell my congregation, "could you all please come back tomorrow, I don't feel like preaching today." At least I don't think I could get away with that... While my blogging does not come with such pressure I do realize that we cannot simply put things off because we don't feel like doing them right now.

I am so thankful that God's timing is perfect. I so glad that God's acting on our behalf is not dictated by His whims. As I read my Bible thru this year, as I have done every year for the past 10 years or so, I am struck by all of the promises that God makes. I have cool Logos Bible software and it allows me to do all kinds of different highlighting and notes in the Bible. One of the things I have been highlighting is God's promises. And you know, not once does God say, "if you obey and I feel like it..." or "Now you be good and I a happen to be in a good mood..." God's promises are based on His faithfulness not His 'feeling-like-it-ness.'

I am sure that Jesus did not feel like going to the cross. But I praise God that Jesus did not get to the garden and say, "Dad, I can't do it. It's harder than I thought it was going to be, we are going to have to find another way." I am driven to my knees with appreciation by the fact that Jesus, as the nails were about to be driven into his hands and feet, did not call time out and say, "Okay dad this is going to hurt way too much, those legions of angels, bring em on." I am glad that He did not look down through history and see me and think, "Naaa, Tom really isn't worth all this." Aren't you? He hung in there until He could say, "Tetelestai" (It is finished).