The students who have enjoyed my class soooo much this term. Please pray for breakthrough with these students and a leader for Jesus to come from among them.
16.9.07
Read This First!
Hey everyone. I have pasted a few pics below and three new posts. The great thing about my blog is that you can choose what you want to read about. For those of you who want to know what we did this summer, please read the newsy "What Went on this Summer Post." For those of you who want some ponderings on theology and Thailand, please read the "He is Pleased With You" post. For those of you really interested in adventure and excitement, please read the "Biking Stories" post. For those of you who are avoiding the work you need to do, please read all the posts and read some of the old ones again. Really, you don't need to think too hard...you can just read all the new posts 'cus you like us. Feel free to skim and/or come back when you have more time. This is a guilt free blog maintained and operated with the goal of keeping the ones who love and support us so well up to date. We love you all and really miss family and friends right now! One more thing, Ben and Kate started back to school and Julie is teaching again. Jak started Thai preschool. He is learning not to wack his friends too much (they just don't quite understand his "love language").
Four things to pray for now:
1.) Language helps for Brent's huge 6th grade equivalency exam coming in December.
2.) Jak's adoption to get finished (still we wait).
3.) Julie, Ben, Kate and Jak to be light and have peace and joy in their various school positions. They are all on mission to be light here!
4.) Saturday nights...an important night for us connecting with our Thai friends.
Love ya,
Brent and Julie
Four things to pray for now:
1.) Language helps for Brent's huge 6th grade equivalency exam coming in December.
2.) Jak's adoption to get finished (still we wait).
3.) Julie, Ben, Kate and Jak to be light and have peace and joy in their various school positions. They are all on mission to be light here!
4.) Saturday nights...an important night for us connecting with our Thai friends.
Love ya,
Brent and Julie
Mrs. Wonderful
Julie's gonna hate me for uploading this to the blog, but I can't resist. Isn't she great? She took this pic herself. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the most courageous and talented woman I know. She is also a bit narrow minded, so if you are looking at this, you are one of the lucky few before she made me take it off...
14.9.07
Flickr: Thai'ed Together Photos
Click here or go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/thaiedtogether/ if you just like to look at photos. There are many more pictures on the Flickr sight.
3.9.07
What Went on This Summer (Actually Rainy Season)
A lot has happened over the past couple months. Here are some of quick highlights. Brent has been working more at Rajaphat University and overall that has been good for developing relationships but a little harder on family life. Now that we have figured out some of the expectations and needs at the university, family life is balancing. The university provides a visa, which is crucial for our living in country as well as our strong value of entering the community in a way that Thais respect. Next semester I will be doing final preparations for the 6th grade equivalency exam for Thai language, so I will cut back a bit on teaching hours to do some of the final learning for the test. You can pray that Dean and I do well on this test. Because the test covers speaking, listening, reading and writing at a 6th grade level (any of you who have a sixth grader in the house recognize that they have lots of words!!), our brains always need a little more refining. We are getting there, but we need some final prayers and three months of cramming.
Mama Ann and Papa Jack came to visit for three weeks. Can you believe it? We couldn’t either. They were so kind to bless us with their time. You should see the changes in Jak. He received so much loving during that time and his words and character grew as a result. Ben and Kate also were loved on well. Recently, Kate was talking with me about her friend, Oh (that is her name…not an exclamation). She said, “Dad, why is it that Oh’s grandmother (who lives with her) never does anything fun with her? Mama Ann and Nana come here to do fun stuff with us!” I think Kate has a clear understanding about what grandmothering is all about. Those who know Papa Jack are now wondering what he did the whole time with us (Papa Jack has a…a…a…let’s say a high value for work). Through the blessing of internet he was able to keep going with some of his business affairs while working on our lawn and loving on his kids and grandkids. I am truly amazed at how much he gets done.
Mama Ann and Papa Jack flew into Chiang Mai, so we picked them up there and had a few days enjoying Chiang Mai city. Chiang Mai is the largest city in the north and some conveniences that are many years away for our growing Chiang Rai (like Burger King and Starbucks). We also hiked to a waterfall which was so beautiful that in a few weeks Mama Ann probably won’t even remember the pain caused by her sprained ankle. This is one of the three toughest grandmothers I know, the other two being my mom who still takes her daily walks regardless of snowstorms or below zero temps and that grandmother on Columbia sportswear ads (but who knows if she is really that tuff???)
While we were in Chiang Mai, one of our friends who is also one of Papa Jack’s business partners, Steve Mack, happened to be bringing a youth group from his church to work with Robert Reagan at the Payap Student Center Church in Chiang Mai. It was quite a unique opportunity for all of us to meet up and attend this church thousands of miles from their homes in Abilene and Boerne, Texas. I can’t really explain how fun it is to connect with people over here that have been so kind to us over there. It is really kinda weird to be sitting at a dumpy little Thai restaurant eating incredible Thai food for nothing while Steve Mack and Papa Jack explain to Ben the way to “sort through” girls at ACU (our alma mater) in order to find the right one (Ben had a little trouble recognizing the terminology “sort through” as it applies to looking for girls, so it took some explaining). Great things are happening at Payap Student center with Robert and his team.
On the day Mama Ann and Papa Jack were flying out, our pastor, Jamey Miller and another couple, Yancy and Lanette Smith, came as a visiting team from our home church. So we got a little check-up. Mainly they came to encourage us and pray. It was also very helpful to have someone on the outside come in and give us some critical insights. We had a week of this blessing and came out even more affirmed in our present efforts. One specific evening of prayer left each one of us with thankful hearts and high expectations for what God has done over the past year and will do in this coming year.
The best reminder from the trip was their challenge to continue building relationship one by one. When the teaching or team building or Thai language gets busy, it is critical to remember that we came here to build relationships and share Christ. Don’t we all have this same temptation? Sometimes the structures we create to develop relationships are the exact things that keeps us from the relationships. While my teaching is critical to our being here and developing relationships, at the end of the day it is the relationships that come from teaching that will be the thing Jesus uses to share His life and change this city. Considering this, we are thankful for some recent opportunities for deeper connection with students.
Mama Ann and Papa Jack came to visit for three weeks. Can you believe it? We couldn’t either. They were so kind to bless us with their time. You should see the changes in Jak. He received so much loving during that time and his words and character grew as a result. Ben and Kate also were loved on well. Recently, Kate was talking with me about her friend, Oh (that is her name…not an exclamation). She said, “Dad, why is it that Oh’s grandmother (who lives with her) never does anything fun with her? Mama Ann and Nana come here to do fun stuff with us!” I think Kate has a clear understanding about what grandmothering is all about. Those who know Papa Jack are now wondering what he did the whole time with us (Papa Jack has a…a…a…let’s say a high value for work). Through the blessing of internet he was able to keep going with some of his business affairs while working on our lawn and loving on his kids and grandkids. I am truly amazed at how much he gets done.
Mama Ann and Papa Jack flew into Chiang Mai, so we picked them up there and had a few days enjoying Chiang Mai city. Chiang Mai is the largest city in the north and some conveniences that are many years away for our growing Chiang Rai (like Burger King and Starbucks). We also hiked to a waterfall which was so beautiful that in a few weeks Mama Ann probably won’t even remember the pain caused by her sprained ankle. This is one of the three toughest grandmothers I know, the other two being my mom who still takes her daily walks regardless of snowstorms or below zero temps and that grandmother on Columbia sportswear ads (but who knows if she is really that tuff???)
While we were in Chiang Mai, one of our friends who is also one of Papa Jack’s business partners, Steve Mack, happened to be bringing a youth group from his church to work with Robert Reagan at the Payap Student Center Church in Chiang Mai. It was quite a unique opportunity for all of us to meet up and attend this church thousands of miles from their homes in Abilene and Boerne, Texas. I can’t really explain how fun it is to connect with people over here that have been so kind to us over there. It is really kinda weird to be sitting at a dumpy little Thai restaurant eating incredible Thai food for nothing while Steve Mack and Papa Jack explain to Ben the way to “sort through” girls at ACU (our alma mater) in order to find the right one (Ben had a little trouble recognizing the terminology “sort through” as it applies to looking for girls, so it took some explaining). Great things are happening at Payap Student center with Robert and his team.
On the day Mama Ann and Papa Jack were flying out, our pastor, Jamey Miller and another couple, Yancy and Lanette Smith, came as a visiting team from our home church. So we got a little check-up. Mainly they came to encourage us and pray. It was also very helpful to have someone on the outside come in and give us some critical insights. We had a week of this blessing and came out even more affirmed in our present efforts. One specific evening of prayer left each one of us with thankful hearts and high expectations for what God has done over the past year and will do in this coming year.
The best reminder from the trip was their challenge to continue building relationship one by one. When the teaching or team building or Thai language gets busy, it is critical to remember that we came here to build relationships and share Christ. Don’t we all have this same temptation? Sometimes the structures we create to develop relationships are the exact things that keeps us from the relationships. While my teaching is critical to our being here and developing relationships, at the end of the day it is the relationships that come from teaching that will be the thing Jesus uses to share His life and change this city. Considering this, we are thankful for some recent opportunities for deeper connection with students.
He is Pleased With You
During our pastoral visit, Yancy and Jamey prayed for Jesus to give me a greater clarity of God the Father’s heart for me and for the fatherless of Thailand. One need look no further than our dinner table to recognize the significance of this prayer. By God’s sovereign providence Jak sits (at least, sitting is the goal) at a table where he is loved, included and supported by a mother, two siblings and a father. Explicating just cause concerning the merits of our family and our rightful enjoyment of this tan ball of energy is futile. Efforts at logic detailing Jak’s fortunate grafting in to our family tree come up empty. By grace Jak was providentially and sovereignly placed into our family. There is no other good explanation. How else might I say it? God’s sovereign desire was that Jak would have a father who would reflect the heart of his true Father in Heaven. I am almost embarrassed to say it. When Jak is loved, with great joy, by his earthly father, this is exactly what God the Eternally Great Father meant for Jak. And that is God’s desire for each Thai person who has never experienced a father who loves him or her.
But you say, “What about the Jaks out there who remain orphans? What about the Jaks out there with a father who will not or cannot show concern or affection toward their sons or daughters? What about the Jaks who only receive abuse from their fathers?” Just as I do not understand the grace that provided Jak with a physical manifestation of the Father God’s heart, I, painfully at times, do not understand the brokenness that causes so many to experience the lack of a loving father in their home. But this I call to mind… the Father runs to greet the wayward younger son. He also goes out to talk patiently with the indignant older brother. The Father is “always working,” and He comes down to make it clear to the crowd that His son is beloved and a pleasure to his Father. And yes, the Father turns His face from His beloved “first born” so that all His children might experience His merciful, affectionate heart. When Jesus reveals to me His Father, I become overwhelmingly confident in the Father’s plan that all His children might receive His love. And not just through redemption as children of God, but also through the warmth in a home from a physical father.
I often ask kids in the neighborhood about their dads. Some are in Bangkok working, many are dead, and some have just left their families permanently. Probably about 1 in 4 has a Dad that they live with. At first I was just staggered by this statistic. I mean what can you do about this besides weep? Now I am looking at Jak and taking great faith and confidence in the heart of his Father. I am believing that God is graciously working on behalf of these kids and all people in Thailand who feel empty when they think of their father or lack of father. I believe that He is going to use a physical person to come into their lives and show them their Heavenly Father by loving them like their father couldn’t. This is the scariest part…I believe that physical person is going to look a lot like you and maybe something like me! This is plan A; there is no plan B.
Jesus came into a Roman dominated world where major population groups were taken from their homes and divided up into Roman homes as slaves. Children born in these homes were not children but slaves. As slaves, they were treated as property and sent wherever necessary. For this and other reasons, a great portion of the populace in Jesus’ time was fatherless. Enter Jesus. He won’t shut up about His father. Stranger still, he is saying His father is their father too. He makes the audacious statement, get this, “If you have seen me you have seen your Father,” and then reaches out, with a “human flesh” hand, and touches them. He touched them! He reaches out with the Father’s love, and they were never the same. Who could help but sharing the love of their Father?
So I look at Jak, and I see our mandate. Whoever you are and whomever you are with, Jesus wants to use you to be the hand of the loving Father in this fatherless world. “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”
But you say, “What about the Jaks out there who remain orphans? What about the Jaks out there with a father who will not or cannot show concern or affection toward their sons or daughters? What about the Jaks who only receive abuse from their fathers?” Just as I do not understand the grace that provided Jak with a physical manifestation of the Father God’s heart, I, painfully at times, do not understand the brokenness that causes so many to experience the lack of a loving father in their home. But this I call to mind… the Father runs to greet the wayward younger son. He also goes out to talk patiently with the indignant older brother. The Father is “always working,” and He comes down to make it clear to the crowd that His son is beloved and a pleasure to his Father. And yes, the Father turns His face from His beloved “first born” so that all His children might experience His merciful, affectionate heart. When Jesus reveals to me His Father, I become overwhelmingly confident in the Father’s plan that all His children might receive His love. And not just through redemption as children of God, but also through the warmth in a home from a physical father.
I often ask kids in the neighborhood about their dads. Some are in Bangkok working, many are dead, and some have just left their families permanently. Probably about 1 in 4 has a Dad that they live with. At first I was just staggered by this statistic. I mean what can you do about this besides weep? Now I am looking at Jak and taking great faith and confidence in the heart of his Father. I am believing that God is graciously working on behalf of these kids and all people in Thailand who feel empty when they think of their father or lack of father. I believe that He is going to use a physical person to come into their lives and show them their Heavenly Father by loving them like their father couldn’t. This is the scariest part…I believe that physical person is going to look a lot like you and maybe something like me! This is plan A; there is no plan B.
Jesus came into a Roman dominated world where major population groups were taken from their homes and divided up into Roman homes as slaves. Children born in these homes were not children but slaves. As slaves, they were treated as property and sent wherever necessary. For this and other reasons, a great portion of the populace in Jesus’ time was fatherless. Enter Jesus. He won’t shut up about His father. Stranger still, he is saying His father is their father too. He makes the audacious statement, get this, “If you have seen me you have seen your Father,” and then reaches out, with a “human flesh” hand, and touches them. He touched them! He reaches out with the Father’s love, and they were never the same. Who could help but sharing the love of their Father?
So I look at Jak, and I see our mandate. Whoever you are and whomever you are with, Jesus wants to use you to be the hand of the loving Father in this fatherless world. “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”
31.8.07
Biking Stories (not for grandmothers)
So Reg Cox requested some biking stories on the blog. If you could care less about these harrowing bike adventures, I will understand if you skip this section. For those of you who read my blog each time and are left wondering why I did not give an update on new bike routes I have tamed, this section is for you. Note that the bland language of other sections of my blog must be traded in for an “edgier” tone demanded by the relaying of bike stories.
Biking Chiang Rai’s mountains is truly a transformational experience after two years of biking the Bangkok streets and heat. Last week we got away with the fam for a long weekend and I took the bikes. We stayed at a hotel in the hills of Chiang Mai, and I spent every morning draggin me and Jak up 20 switchbacks through a ride that a biking brochure in Chiang Mai labeled as one of the best scenic rides in Thailand. The brochure sadly understated the beauty of the ride. Jak was sure to have me up at 6a.m. each morning, so what better did I have to do than put him in a bike seat and add an extra twenty pounds to my Chiang Mai mountainy ascent. (Aside..I picked up this sweet child’s bike seat 10 years ago with Ben and it is continuing to pay dividends. It is kinda sleak as far as bike seats go, and it pops in and out of the rack, which is nice for riding without the boy). Of course after the 15th switchback, I have some choice words for Jak and myself questioning my reasoning about getting on this bike in the first place, but when we reach the peak “we” had to have more. “We” went down the backside for another 5+ kilos (and then, of course, back up steeper than before). Jak can usually handle about an hour and a half without screaming as long as I take some change to buy him a yogurt drink or juice box somewhere along the way. Actually, Jak loves the bike. It has been a year since we picked him up at the orphanage in the south, and I think the first 8 months we probably averaged biking about 4-5 times a week. Jak likes getting out and it has been a great way to corral this child who we regularly catch on top of the pantry (5 feet up). Without these biking outings, I am checked in to the funny farm fer sure. Besides, I do my share of the kid watching on a bike. This would be a good time for some of you to admit how many episodes of Barney you have been watching.
Now I know what you are thinking…biking with a kid equals slow. (I think this would be a good point for my Mom and Mama Ann and aunts and other people to stop reading). To that I respond come on over and ride with us and then after an hour and a half we will talk about slow (this may be bordering on braggin but I am just wanting to ease concern from fellow bikers out there worrying about important stuff like speed).
On Sundays, I am riding (sans Jak) with a Canadian guy, Tim, who moved down the street a few months after we came here. It was weird, no farangs (westerners) anywhere in the neighborhood and then all the sudden they move in about 5 minutes from us (weird). And he bikes (weird). In fact, he is one of those guys we hate. He spent most of his 20s working on his body so now in his 30s he can go a week without biking and still be draggin me along. We generally ride a route that has been affectionately named the “Napa Valley” ride. Dude, you should see it. About a 30 kilo loop of hills roaming through this fruit farming area (pineapple, lynchee, oranges), a lake, and some Thai villages on the outskirts of Chiang Rai. One Buddhist temple that we pass is surrounded by a small reproduction of the Great Wall of China; this is the point that the ride turns a bit surreal. If the hills have been hard on you that day, you might, at this point of the ride, start questioning where this route has taken you…Italy? China? At the end of the hills, where I spent most of the time just trying to salvage my manhood, Tim chimes in with the standard “lets really open it up on these last 10 kilos!” In the hills you are hoping that he is more of a hill guy than a sprinter, and then you find out that was wrong. So, I spend most of the last 10 kilos drafting (staying on his back tire to gain the aerodynamic benefits) him and taking the lead to give him a breather like once so I don’t have to say I drafted him the whole time. Oh, did I mention he rides in flip flops. I mean they are good quality flip flops, but…
I also do a lot of riding just to get around. Julie gets first dibs on the car so I usually bike it to work and to language etc. Most people think I am weird because I end up looking like Reg saying his wedding vows (think sweat big time) by the time I get where I am going, but I consider it my sacrifice for the Al Gore for president campaign. My companions for these rides come along through the aid of earphones and MP3 technology. For the ride to school, I may invite any of the following with me: Mark Driscol (Mars Hill Church Seattle), Tim Keller (Redeemer Presbyterian), Jamey Miller (Christ Fellowship and our pastor), John Piper (Desiring God), Jimmy Seibert (Antioch in Waco), N.T. Wright (Jesus scholar), Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac, Peter Seller and Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, (NPR news game show and this is probably KR’s fault) NPR 5 minute news summary, This American Life, NPR Story of the Day (I am kinda an NPR junkie and thanks to iTunes I can keep up my habit) and Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing (not to be missed for English Teachers). None of this may interest you, but there is that one person out there who wants to know more about my days.
Only once has a motorcycle hit me… so far. Motorcycles are Chiang Rai’s mode of mass transportation. I have a conspiracy theory here. I believe that the motorcycles in this area cause teenage and 20 something guys to ride with unusual boldness and stupidity. I am theorizing that there is some kind of lead paint issue or something ‘cus once a guy around here gets on a motorcycle, they just tend to get dumber and dumber. One of my Thai friends explained with great “compassion” that motorcycles were Chiang Rai’s method of lowering the population of stupid people. Yikes. Anyway, a motorcycle clipped my handlebars and the bike was quickly knocked over. I somehow ended up hoping the handlebars and running down the street. Kinda looked cool actually. I probably needed to be a little more careful on this certain corner, and now I am. So pray for safety…Mom and Mama Ann.
Biking Chiang Rai’s mountains is truly a transformational experience after two years of biking the Bangkok streets and heat. Last week we got away with the fam for a long weekend and I took the bikes. We stayed at a hotel in the hills of Chiang Mai, and I spent every morning draggin me and Jak up 20 switchbacks through a ride that a biking brochure in Chiang Mai labeled as one of the best scenic rides in Thailand. The brochure sadly understated the beauty of the ride. Jak was sure to have me up at 6a.m. each morning, so what better did I have to do than put him in a bike seat and add an extra twenty pounds to my Chiang Mai mountainy ascent. (Aside..I picked up this sweet child’s bike seat 10 years ago with Ben and it is continuing to pay dividends. It is kinda sleak as far as bike seats go, and it pops in and out of the rack, which is nice for riding without the boy). Of course after the 15th switchback, I have some choice words for Jak and myself questioning my reasoning about getting on this bike in the first place, but when we reach the peak “we” had to have more. “We” went down the backside for another 5+ kilos (and then, of course, back up steeper than before). Jak can usually handle about an hour and a half without screaming as long as I take some change to buy him a yogurt drink or juice box somewhere along the way. Actually, Jak loves the bike. It has been a year since we picked him up at the orphanage in the south, and I think the first 8 months we probably averaged biking about 4-5 times a week. Jak likes getting out and it has been a great way to corral this child who we regularly catch on top of the pantry (5 feet up). Without these biking outings, I am checked in to the funny farm fer sure. Besides, I do my share of the kid watching on a bike. This would be a good time for some of you to admit how many episodes of Barney you have been watching.
Now I know what you are thinking…biking with a kid equals slow. (I think this would be a good point for my Mom and Mama Ann and aunts and other people to stop reading). To that I respond come on over and ride with us and then after an hour and a half we will talk about slow (this may be bordering on braggin but I am just wanting to ease concern from fellow bikers out there worrying about important stuff like speed).
On Sundays, I am riding (sans Jak) with a Canadian guy, Tim, who moved down the street a few months after we came here. It was weird, no farangs (westerners) anywhere in the neighborhood and then all the sudden they move in about 5 minutes from us (weird). And he bikes (weird). In fact, he is one of those guys we hate. He spent most of his 20s working on his body so now in his 30s he can go a week without biking and still be draggin me along. We generally ride a route that has been affectionately named the “Napa Valley” ride. Dude, you should see it. About a 30 kilo loop of hills roaming through this fruit farming area (pineapple, lynchee, oranges), a lake, and some Thai villages on the outskirts of Chiang Rai. One Buddhist temple that we pass is surrounded by a small reproduction of the Great Wall of China; this is the point that the ride turns a bit surreal. If the hills have been hard on you that day, you might, at this point of the ride, start questioning where this route has taken you…Italy? China? At the end of the hills, where I spent most of the time just trying to salvage my manhood, Tim chimes in with the standard “lets really open it up on these last 10 kilos!” In the hills you are hoping that he is more of a hill guy than a sprinter, and then you find out that was wrong. So, I spend most of the last 10 kilos drafting (staying on his back tire to gain the aerodynamic benefits) him and taking the lead to give him a breather like once so I don’t have to say I drafted him the whole time. Oh, did I mention he rides in flip flops. I mean they are good quality flip flops, but…
I also do a lot of riding just to get around. Julie gets first dibs on the car so I usually bike it to work and to language etc. Most people think I am weird because I end up looking like Reg saying his wedding vows (think sweat big time) by the time I get where I am going, but I consider it my sacrifice for the Al Gore for president campaign. My companions for these rides come along through the aid of earphones and MP3 technology. For the ride to school, I may invite any of the following with me: Mark Driscol (Mars Hill Church Seattle), Tim Keller (Redeemer Presbyterian), Jamey Miller (Christ Fellowship and our pastor), John Piper (Desiring God), Jimmy Seibert (Antioch in Waco), N.T. Wright (Jesus scholar), Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac, Peter Seller and Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, (NPR news game show and this is probably KR’s fault) NPR 5 minute news summary, This American Life, NPR Story of the Day (I am kinda an NPR junkie and thanks to iTunes I can keep up my habit) and Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing (not to be missed for English Teachers). None of this may interest you, but there is that one person out there who wants to know more about my days.
Only once has a motorcycle hit me… so far. Motorcycles are Chiang Rai’s mode of mass transportation. I have a conspiracy theory here. I believe that the motorcycles in this area cause teenage and 20 something guys to ride with unusual boldness and stupidity. I am theorizing that there is some kind of lead paint issue or something ‘cus once a guy around here gets on a motorcycle, they just tend to get dumber and dumber. One of my Thai friends explained with great “compassion” that motorcycles were Chiang Rai’s method of lowering the population of stupid people. Yikes. Anyway, a motorcycle clipped my handlebars and the bike was quickly knocked over. I somehow ended up hoping the handlebars and running down the street. Kinda looked cool actually. I probably needed to be a little more careful on this certain corner, and now I am. So pray for safety…Mom and Mama Ann.
20.5.07
Everybody Smile Big
We had a great time at the beach when Uncle Jackson and Aunt Erin came to visit. They were so encouraging and fun. Just what we needed.
Krabi
Jackson and Erin came to visit and we went to a small town in the south called Krabi. Kind of an adventure and lots of beautiful beaches.
Beauties
I love this pic of Julie and Kate. They are my glamour girls. Girls who love Jesus are just the best!
Kate is Eight
Kate is definitely ready to take on the world. She had a great birthday with her Thai and western friends.
Jak Havin' Fun
Jak's favorite place to play. This is behind our house where the laundry water runs out.
19.5.07
Taste and See
I just finished an e-mail Anda Brown sent and I am completely inspired by what Rich Mullins called “This reckless ranging fury that we call the love of God.” I cried as I read her e-mail and continue tearing up as I write this. Most of you know Anda, but for those who do not let me give you a little blip about her life. Anda is married to one of my favorite people presently still breathing, Randy Brown. The decision by Anda to say yes to marry Randy has resulted in a wonderful and intense marriage (aren’t they all), 5 kids (I don’t know about the intensity level of this but I now have a ton of family members that I can ask. By the way we are at 20 nieces and nephews now thanks to these family members. Hmmm…I think I remember all their names), a change of churches, and a number of moves all closer and closer to “the hood” in Ft. Worth. Oh, and the last move was into “The Hood.” Now Randy works as a doctor in the public clinic nearby and they are reaching out to their neighborhood by discipling young men and teaching them how to read. They are also taking steps to bring pastors and leaders from the community together in order to see the community changed.
So why the tears when I read her email? Yes, I am inspired by what they do, but that is not what brought me to tears. The tears are when I hear that people steal from them, try to throw a brick at them, “borrow” money that they know will not be paid back, etc. and this is all from the people they are in the process of loving. Don’t hear me wrong; the tears are not out of concern or sadness about their suffering or difficulties. My tears come when I get a taste of Jesus in their life. I use the word “taste” here very purposefully because their story is giving me an experience of Jesus that cannot be described by my “knowing.” When I see how Jesus takes a normal person like Anda or Randy and makes them “reckless” and “raging” in their love for those God has called them to, that love becomes much more than my mind can process. In her writing, I can smell, taste, and feel their love for the people of Como. This love is so raging and reckless that the processing of it overwhelms my emotions, and I must tear up.
When the Psalmist says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” (Psalm 34) the Psalmist is not just using these words as a nice way to describe the process of acquiring more info about God. We are not only to know but also to taste that the Lord is good. God is much more that your mind can process and He is gracious to allow us to experience him deeply through our senses. Tim Keller (church planter in New York) asks why does Jesus continue to characterize His salvation as wine? Why does the Bible continually talk about Christianity as a feast? These terms are chosen with great purpose. Randy and Anda understand that what they are inviting the people of Como to is the greatest draught of wine ever and the tastiest morsel ever prepared. Were I to ask them to describe what has brought them to this love for their people, they would fail miserably if their descriptions did not include sensual words like Jesus uses all the time in the New Testament.
So I read the stories Anda writes, and I leave the table full. Satisfied. Can I go as far as to say intoxicated? But it is not Anda. And it is definitely not Randy (he is kinda dorky when it comes right down to it:o)) “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” You also were made to hunger and thirst for Him. Our job here in Thailand is to find a few Thai people who will taste this and be changed forever, hungry for His feast forever. Thirsty for this cup that only His sacrificial love could provide. This country will be changed by wine and feasting. I am convinced of this. Please pray for hungry people.
So why the tears when I read her email? Yes, I am inspired by what they do, but that is not what brought me to tears. The tears are when I hear that people steal from them, try to throw a brick at them, “borrow” money that they know will not be paid back, etc. and this is all from the people they are in the process of loving. Don’t hear me wrong; the tears are not out of concern or sadness about their suffering or difficulties. My tears come when I get a taste of Jesus in their life. I use the word “taste” here very purposefully because their story is giving me an experience of Jesus that cannot be described by my “knowing.” When I see how Jesus takes a normal person like Anda or Randy and makes them “reckless” and “raging” in their love for those God has called them to, that love becomes much more than my mind can process. In her writing, I can smell, taste, and feel their love for the people of Como. This love is so raging and reckless that the processing of it overwhelms my emotions, and I must tear up.
When the Psalmist says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” (Psalm 34) the Psalmist is not just using these words as a nice way to describe the process of acquiring more info about God. We are not only to know but also to taste that the Lord is good. God is much more that your mind can process and He is gracious to allow us to experience him deeply through our senses. Tim Keller (church planter in New York) asks why does Jesus continue to characterize His salvation as wine? Why does the Bible continually talk about Christianity as a feast? These terms are chosen with great purpose. Randy and Anda understand that what they are inviting the people of Como to is the greatest draught of wine ever and the tastiest morsel ever prepared. Were I to ask them to describe what has brought them to this love for their people, they would fail miserably if their descriptions did not include sensual words like Jesus uses all the time in the New Testament.
So I read the stories Anda writes, and I leave the table full. Satisfied. Can I go as far as to say intoxicated? But it is not Anda. And it is definitely not Randy (he is kinda dorky when it comes right down to it:o)) “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” You also were made to hunger and thirst for Him. Our job here in Thailand is to find a few Thai people who will taste this and be changed forever, hungry for His feast forever. Thirsty for this cup that only His sacrificial love could provide. This country will be changed by wine and feasting. I am convinced of this. Please pray for hungry people.
Our Life Now
Here are a few blips about what we are doing.
Next month Brent is going to start working at Rajaphat University teaching English. What a great way to be a part of the community and meet students and leaders of this community. His language study will continue, but we feel that it is time to move into a phase of establishing more relationships.
Julie and kids finish school next month. Julie continues to enjoy teaching and will be the coordinator of the elementary next year for the Family Learning Center. She is so gifted in what she does for our kids and others through her teaching. She is literally pouring her life into this community (our kids, Thai kids, missionary kids, international kids). She continues to study language and will continue this summer.
Ben and Kate are excited to be out of school for a while. They have developed some good relationships with neighborhood kids and that provides fun and more Thai language practice. Mama Ann and Papa Jack (Julie’s parents) will come for a few weeks this summer. That will be a great time. I think we may do some landscaping and get as much work outta Papa Jack as we can (which, if you know him, is quite a bit).
Jak continues to amaze us with his feats of energy. If it is there, he will climb it: top bunk, kitchen stools, back of the couch, front gate, and dad’s back. He is so much fun to have around right now with his lexicon of English and Thai words. Yesterday he figured out how to lock himself in his room. When this happens, you start by asking him nicely to open the door, then order him to open the door, and finally jimmy the lock because you know he locked the door on purpose in order to have his own private exploratory time in his room.
We take a trip to Kuala Lampur and Singapore next week for two reasons. Our good friend from Ft. Worth, Kenny Kon (he is Singaporean) is getting married and we get the joy of experiencing the festivities with him on this side of the world in KL. Then we take a bus trip to Singapore where we will visit the Toh family (they have kinda adopted us and given us family on this side of the world). We will also be able to get a visa in Singapore so we can stay in Thailand and start work next month. Singapore is one of the closest countries where we can go to and get the visa I need for teaching in Thailand.
In July, Jamey Miller will visit and bring along Yancy and Lanette Smith. Jamey is the leader of our church plant organization SLNI. He will come to bring encouragement and counsel. Yancey and Lynette, members of our church in Ft. Worth, come along for they have been and will be great support for our team. We are excited they are coming.
Please pray for these three things:
1. Pray that Brent’s teaching at Rajaphat will be full of life and that through this we will all (including Ben and Kate) be able to develop relationships with students and young professionals who have open hearts. Pray that this would be a great joy to us all. Please pray for a strong speaking voice for Brent as he is still struggling with his voice.
2. Pray for continued language vocabulary development and ability to hear the language and speak it like a Thai.Pray that Jak’s adoption would be finalized. We keep running into slow processes. Pray that details will work with starting the adoption process with the U.S.
Next month Brent is going to start working at Rajaphat University teaching English. What a great way to be a part of the community and meet students and leaders of this community. His language study will continue, but we feel that it is time to move into a phase of establishing more relationships.
Julie and kids finish school next month. Julie continues to enjoy teaching and will be the coordinator of the elementary next year for the Family Learning Center. She is so gifted in what she does for our kids and others through her teaching. She is literally pouring her life into this community (our kids, Thai kids, missionary kids, international kids). She continues to study language and will continue this summer.
Ben and Kate are excited to be out of school for a while. They have developed some good relationships with neighborhood kids and that provides fun and more Thai language practice. Mama Ann and Papa Jack (Julie’s parents) will come for a few weeks this summer. That will be a great time. I think we may do some landscaping and get as much work outta Papa Jack as we can (which, if you know him, is quite a bit).
Jak continues to amaze us with his feats of energy. If it is there, he will climb it: top bunk, kitchen stools, back of the couch, front gate, and dad’s back. He is so much fun to have around right now with his lexicon of English and Thai words. Yesterday he figured out how to lock himself in his room. When this happens, you start by asking him nicely to open the door, then order him to open the door, and finally jimmy the lock because you know he locked the door on purpose in order to have his own private exploratory time in his room.
We take a trip to Kuala Lampur and Singapore next week for two reasons. Our good friend from Ft. Worth, Kenny Kon (he is Singaporean) is getting married and we get the joy of experiencing the festivities with him on this side of the world in KL. Then we take a bus trip to Singapore where we will visit the Toh family (they have kinda adopted us and given us family on this side of the world). We will also be able to get a visa in Singapore so we can stay in Thailand and start work next month. Singapore is one of the closest countries where we can go to and get the visa I need for teaching in Thailand.
In July, Jamey Miller will visit and bring along Yancy and Lanette Smith. Jamey is the leader of our church plant organization SLNI. He will come to bring encouragement and counsel. Yancey and Lynette, members of our church in Ft. Worth, come along for they have been and will be great support for our team. We are excited they are coming.
Please pray for these three things:
1. Pray that Brent’s teaching at Rajaphat will be full of life and that through this we will all (including Ben and Kate) be able to develop relationships with students and young professionals who have open hearts. Pray that this would be a great joy to us all. Please pray for a strong speaking voice for Brent as he is still struggling with his voice.
2. Pray for continued language vocabulary development and ability to hear the language and speak it like a Thai.Pray that Jak’s adoption would be finalized. We keep running into slow processes. Pray that details will work with starting the adoption process with the U.S.
28.3.07
Seeking the Prosperity of the City
I went in to apply for a job the other day. You are thinking, I thought you had a job as a missionary. Basic to our philosophy of mission is to enter the community we are targeting (specifically the university students in Chiang Rai). Why is this? I am stealing some stuff from a guy named Tim Keller who is a church planter in New York to explain the reason why truly entering this community is critical for us. He says Christians are to “sacrificially serve the good and peace of the whole city.” I know you are saying, “No duh,” but check this out from Jeremiah 29:4-7:
4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.
God is doing something different here. Prior to the exile in Babylon, the focus of God’s work was His people in Jerusalem. Now God’s people are in Babylon and rather than telling them to hole up and guard their children, culture, and religion, He challenges them; well, commands them really; to enter the Babylon community, seek the peace and prosperity of the city and to pray to the Lord for the city that it might prosper. What a beautiful example for us as missionaries (when I say us I am referring to you as well…hmmm) and precursor to the reality of what Christ was all about as the incarnate Son of God who enters our “city” to seek our prosperity and pray for us.
This does not mean losing who we are in conformity to an unredeemed culture. Rather we are so strong in our identity, sons and daughters of the living God, that we are able to enter and serve a pagan community and allow them to see from the inside what Christ does in a life given to Him. Seeking the prosperity of the city and praying are the keys to this. That is seeking Christ in and for the community we serve. We are not seeking power but service to Christ by giving our all for the benefit of the city. God’s not worried about his people becoming Babylonian clones because He knows how strong His identity will be in and for them as they serve the city. Think about it. This is the Lord of service who will eventually wash his disciples feet to show them who He is and what His Spirit will eventually make of them.
So with Jeremiah’s words on our hearts and Christ’s incarnation as our example we seek the prosperity of this community. What does this look like right now? Well, our team is praying for and seeking ways to serve this community. Entering this community as a teacher in order to serve the students and the faculty is a way for me to seek the prosperity of the city. I am confident that this can be an important area of service to this community. I am also confident that Christ will be exalted and shared as we seek the prosperity of the city in this way.
Here are some other ways we seek the prosperity of the city by serving in this community:
· Julie and the kids, most Tuesdays, go and pray on the campus for the students and the teachers.
· We study Thai on campus. Not that this is a great place to study, but because by being there we run into students, talk to them and pray for them.
· Julie teaches in our kid’s school and works diligently to bring excellent education to our kids and other kids of this community. She does this by pouring herself out into the lives of these kids and into the lives of her fellow teachers including Thai teachers.
· We visit some students at their dormitories and show interest in their studies and their lives.
· Our team pursues ways to use our talents to serve this community: teaching, computer skills, music, art, counseling. All of these are needs of this community. We pray for opportunities in these areas.
· We connect with a church here with a young Thai pastor learning all that we can from his church.
· Our kids invite Thai kids from our neighborhood over to play and sometimes go to their homes. We are deliberate about being home most evenings and weekends so that our kids might develop these relationships in our neighborhood.
· We speak the language of our city and work with diligence to understand our culture. Oh, and we continue to study the language to speak in a deeper way that might give us more opportunities to serve.
Why am I telling you all this? Well it is good for you to hear our strategy and know more of what we are doing and who we are, but I am also thinking about your city. How is the prosperity of your city? Two things I know: I know your city is just as important to Jesus as Chiang Rai, Thailand, and I know that Christ serving is bringing life to your city. What city doesn’t need that? I am not saying we have got this all together, but I do feel peace in challenging you to be reminded of how important it is to serve and pray for your city.
Finally, we are so thankful to you who are committed to pray for us and seek our prosperity. It is really that simple, my family is prosperous because you pray. Here are three things to pray for:
Pray that we will know how to serve and pray for this community. This includes knowing the areas of the community for us to enter and knowing how to speak the language and interact in the culture of this community.
Pray that we all would all function well in our areas: Julie as teacher and mother, Brent seeking a teaching position and meeting with students, Ben and Kate as students, Jak learning to obey, and all of us learning Thai.
Pray that God would be provider of health, peace, vision, relationship, open hearts in students/teachers at the university, teachers for Ben and Kate’s school next year (btw; this is an important need and if you know anyone interested in teaching overseas for a year or a semester please send us an e-mail at pennbjk@hotmail.com or check the school’s website at http://www.flcschool.com/). We also need a visa for this coming year, so pray that our visa works out through the teaching position.
4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.
God is doing something different here. Prior to the exile in Babylon, the focus of God’s work was His people in Jerusalem. Now God’s people are in Babylon and rather than telling them to hole up and guard their children, culture, and religion, He challenges them; well, commands them really; to enter the Babylon community, seek the peace and prosperity of the city and to pray to the Lord for the city that it might prosper. What a beautiful example for us as missionaries (when I say us I am referring to you as well…hmmm) and precursor to the reality of what Christ was all about as the incarnate Son of God who enters our “city” to seek our prosperity and pray for us.
This does not mean losing who we are in conformity to an unredeemed culture. Rather we are so strong in our identity, sons and daughters of the living God, that we are able to enter and serve a pagan community and allow them to see from the inside what Christ does in a life given to Him. Seeking the prosperity of the city and praying are the keys to this. That is seeking Christ in and for the community we serve. We are not seeking power but service to Christ by giving our all for the benefit of the city. God’s not worried about his people becoming Babylonian clones because He knows how strong His identity will be in and for them as they serve the city. Think about it. This is the Lord of service who will eventually wash his disciples feet to show them who He is and what His Spirit will eventually make of them.
So with Jeremiah’s words on our hearts and Christ’s incarnation as our example we seek the prosperity of this community. What does this look like right now? Well, our team is praying for and seeking ways to serve this community. Entering this community as a teacher in order to serve the students and the faculty is a way for me to seek the prosperity of the city. I am confident that this can be an important area of service to this community. I am also confident that Christ will be exalted and shared as we seek the prosperity of the city in this way.
Here are some other ways we seek the prosperity of the city by serving in this community:
· Julie and the kids, most Tuesdays, go and pray on the campus for the students and the teachers.
· We study Thai on campus. Not that this is a great place to study, but because by being there we run into students, talk to them and pray for them.
· Julie teaches in our kid’s school and works diligently to bring excellent education to our kids and other kids of this community. She does this by pouring herself out into the lives of these kids and into the lives of her fellow teachers including Thai teachers.
· We visit some students at their dormitories and show interest in their studies and their lives.
· Our team pursues ways to use our talents to serve this community: teaching, computer skills, music, art, counseling. All of these are needs of this community. We pray for opportunities in these areas.
· We connect with a church here with a young Thai pastor learning all that we can from his church.
· Our kids invite Thai kids from our neighborhood over to play and sometimes go to their homes. We are deliberate about being home most evenings and weekends so that our kids might develop these relationships in our neighborhood.
· We speak the language of our city and work with diligence to understand our culture. Oh, and we continue to study the language to speak in a deeper way that might give us more opportunities to serve.
Why am I telling you all this? Well it is good for you to hear our strategy and know more of what we are doing and who we are, but I am also thinking about your city. How is the prosperity of your city? Two things I know: I know your city is just as important to Jesus as Chiang Rai, Thailand, and I know that Christ serving is bringing life to your city. What city doesn’t need that? I am not saying we have got this all together, but I do feel peace in challenging you to be reminded of how important it is to serve and pray for your city.
Finally, we are so thankful to you who are committed to pray for us and seek our prosperity. It is really that simple, my family is prosperous because you pray. Here are three things to pray for:
Pray that we will know how to serve and pray for this community. This includes knowing the areas of the community for us to enter and knowing how to speak the language and interact in the culture of this community.
Pray that we all would all function well in our areas: Julie as teacher and mother, Brent seeking a teaching position and meeting with students, Ben and Kate as students, Jak learning to obey, and all of us learning Thai.
Pray that God would be provider of health, peace, vision, relationship, open hearts in students/teachers at the university, teachers for Ben and Kate’s school next year (btw; this is an important need and if you know anyone interested in teaching overseas for a year or a semester please send us an e-mail at pennbjk@hotmail.com or check the school’s website at http://www.flcschool.com/). We also need a visa for this coming year, so pray that our visa works out through the teaching position.
16.2.07
The Penningtons Feb. 11, 2007
The fam at Doi Tung. Thirty minutes from our house, this mountain has a beautiful garden dedicated to the king's mother, "Mae Fah Luang." Everything grows well here on these mountains. A coffee plantation and a rose garden are just around the corner.
In the Neighborhood
Lately the rituals of Buddhism have been rather in our face. Yesterday an elephant walks into our driveway, and the owners ask Julie if she wants to make some good merit by feeding the elephant. What do you say when an animal bigger than your car is asking for money? Julie politely declined the invitation and took a pic of the elephant at our front door. Have you had an elephant show up at your door lately?
The culture in Thailand is quite fixated on this principle of merit. Merit is based on the Buddha’s philosophy that in order to get good in life or in death one must do good works now. From the Buddha’s teaching and from their own philosophizing, Thai people have come up with thousands of ways to get good from doing good. Giving food to hungry elephants is just the beginning. Giving food to hungry monks…even better.
During the holidays our neighborhood organized a huge festival at the Buddhist temple in the front of our village to cook up some good karma for our neighborhood. The leaders of our neighborhood gathered funds from families in our neighborhood to give to the temple in order to buy some relics to place in the chedi of the temple grounds.
If you are a Christian, you may recall a time in history when Christians believed that contact with the bones or precious items from holy saints like the apostles would alleviate unwanted illness or sin. The Christian leaders of the time were quite happy to allow a repentant sinner or a worried family member to brush up against or look upon these relics for a small offering to the church. This program was quite fortunate for the building program of the church at that time and for us now as tourists of the antique beauty of the age of relics and indulgences. I thank God for his revelation to men like Luther, and I humbly recognize that the respect of relics is not completely foreign to Christianity.
I will have to confess, I was quite surprised when I heard that our neighborhood used the funds they raised for the temple in order to buy some fragments of the bones of Siddhartha Gautama “The Buddha.” They told me they came from India and Nepal, but I think they may have gotten them off Ebay…you can get everything on the internet these days. They held a temple party for three days to celebrate the coming of these good luck relics to our neighborhood temple. The party included small concerts, dancing girls, dancing boys dressed as girls, Thai dramas, Muay Thai (Thai Boxing), imported discothèques (dance floors, lights, sound systems and disc jockeys), Ferris wheels, and lots of alcohol. It was kind of a carnival/fair atmosphere. At one place they seemed to be having a competition to see which dance floor was flashy, sexy and loud enough to attract the most customers/dancers for the 20 baht entrance fee. The dance floors were literally within 30 yards of each other.
The day before the culminating ceremony, Julie was stopped on the way home by the temple parade. For days, families had spent much time producing animal floats that looked like big rats and ostriches or royal Thai throne floats loaded with gifts of food, clothes, money, etc. Watching them work on these float creations reminded me of hours I have spent creating floats for parades when I was in college. I am struck by some of the interesting similarities. Parade day consisted of all the families joining in as the parade passed their houses carrying these floats of good merit to the temple. Julie and the kids waited in the car watching the parade and waving to neighbors or smiling politely to drunken men and women approaching the car. I would like to say that I saw some cultural good in this “fun,” unfortunately, the heavy alcohol use at these parties combined with the empty practice of making merit produce a rather heavy and sobering spiritual atmosphere. This was a good opportunity for Julie and the kids to pray for our neighborhood and Thailand. When they arrived home they were visibly tired.
The final day of the ceremony was a day for the entire neighborhood to dress in white and come out for the ritual of placing the relics in the chedi. Chedis are large, pointed structures that serve as holy places for safekeeping of relics (the bones of the Buddha or the ashes of a king). Wat (a temple) complexes are often built expressly to surround a sacred chedi. I was allowed to take pictures and observe the ceremony. This also gave me the opportunity to pray to Jesus about this event and for the people of my neighborhood. People sat with hands together in front of their faces in meditation and watched on as the monks pulled a rope attached to a sacred bird image carrying relics up to the high place of the chedi. My landlord was one of the important people who had the job of placing the sacred urns that housed the small relics on the sacred bird image. I love our landlord. You would love our landlord. I left the ceremony feeling sad.
I noticed two types of people that attended the ceremony. There was the person who was very interested in the ceremony bowing with reverence at all the right places. These people tended to be the older people. Makes sense really. Our older neighbors are approaching their curtain call and require high producing interest rates for their karma needs. Others seemed to be there because their family or culture expected their attendance. These people tended to be the younger people. Noticeably bored with the rituals they have seen time and again, the young Thais seemed to doubt the usefulness of this ceremony for their spiritual life as a whole. Neither group was a fortress of hope.
Before I criticize Buddhism too much, let me tell you that I watched the movie Luther with a friend, Jonathan Hance, visiting the other day (his visit is another story for another blog, but know that we were glad to have him come along on our Thai adventures for a few days). In this viewing, I was reminded that Christian religion also has a tendency to create performance and behavioral expectations that are apart from a relationship with Christ. Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3, “Don’t be surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above’—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God (The Message).” This verse makes me nervous. My flesh is more comfortable with rituals and behaviors that I can “do” which will create positive religious merit visible and tangible to myself and others. Jesus seems rather comfortable with promoting a relationship over ritual and a redeemed spirit over religious habits. Don’t get me wrong, I have been blessed by Christian ritual in a variety of settings, but my desire for the merit or works righteousness that often goes with religion and ritual leaves me empty like my neighbors. Jesus says look at the trees (probably coconut trees for me) bending and remember the unseen power at work in you and for you. Power for a new birth…a new life…a new ritual. With new life comes redeemed works, but no ritual, no habit, and no work could birth this kind of “out of this world” hope that comes from the Spirit within. With this Wind in us, our works look a lot less like performances and a lot more like trees dacing in the powerful storm of His will.
So pray for my neighbors. Pray that the emptiness in these rituals would be replaced by the Spirit moving upon them to open their hearts to a new life in His Spirit and new rituals of hope in Jesus.
Also, please pray for these three things:
1. We need prayers for continued language study while beginning the process of implementing our strategy of church planting by entering this university community. Some new Thai Christian friends of ours who own CEC English language schools in Chiang Mai have opened up some small schools next to the campus. We are talking with them about how we might connect with them to reach students. Pray for more insight into opportunities like this as well as other opportunities to be and work on the campus.
2. Please pray for growth and open doors in our relationships with university students and neighbors. Pray for open hearts to Jesus.
3. Pray for fun. I know this sounds strange, but in Thai culture if it is not fun it is quite literally not going to happen. I just visited with a friend missionary who has been at this for 13 years in Thailand, and his first bit of advice was, “It needs to be fun or it is not going to work.” Pray that our family has fun and that we have fun with the people we meet. There is a bit of a learning curve in having fun in a different culture.
The culture in Thailand is quite fixated on this principle of merit. Merit is based on the Buddha’s philosophy that in order to get good in life or in death one must do good works now. From the Buddha’s teaching and from their own philosophizing, Thai people have come up with thousands of ways to get good from doing good. Giving food to hungry elephants is just the beginning. Giving food to hungry monks…even better.
During the holidays our neighborhood organized a huge festival at the Buddhist temple in the front of our village to cook up some good karma for our neighborhood. The leaders of our neighborhood gathered funds from families in our neighborhood to give to the temple in order to buy some relics to place in the chedi of the temple grounds.
If you are a Christian, you may recall a time in history when Christians believed that contact with the bones or precious items from holy saints like the apostles would alleviate unwanted illness or sin. The Christian leaders of the time were quite happy to allow a repentant sinner or a worried family member to brush up against or look upon these relics for a small offering to the church. This program was quite fortunate for the building program of the church at that time and for us now as tourists of the antique beauty of the age of relics and indulgences. I thank God for his revelation to men like Luther, and I humbly recognize that the respect of relics is not completely foreign to Christianity.
I will have to confess, I was quite surprised when I heard that our neighborhood used the funds they raised for the temple in order to buy some fragments of the bones of Siddhartha Gautama “The Buddha.” They told me they came from India and Nepal, but I think they may have gotten them off Ebay…you can get everything on the internet these days. They held a temple party for three days to celebrate the coming of these good luck relics to our neighborhood temple. The party included small concerts, dancing girls, dancing boys dressed as girls, Thai dramas, Muay Thai (Thai Boxing), imported discothèques (dance floors, lights, sound systems and disc jockeys), Ferris wheels, and lots of alcohol. It was kind of a carnival/fair atmosphere. At one place they seemed to be having a competition to see which dance floor was flashy, sexy and loud enough to attract the most customers/dancers for the 20 baht entrance fee. The dance floors were literally within 30 yards of each other.
The day before the culminating ceremony, Julie was stopped on the way home by the temple parade. For days, families had spent much time producing animal floats that looked like big rats and ostriches or royal Thai throne floats loaded with gifts of food, clothes, money, etc. Watching them work on these float creations reminded me of hours I have spent creating floats for parades when I was in college. I am struck by some of the interesting similarities. Parade day consisted of all the families joining in as the parade passed their houses carrying these floats of good merit to the temple. Julie and the kids waited in the car watching the parade and waving to neighbors or smiling politely to drunken men and women approaching the car. I would like to say that I saw some cultural good in this “fun,” unfortunately, the heavy alcohol use at these parties combined with the empty practice of making merit produce a rather heavy and sobering spiritual atmosphere. This was a good opportunity for Julie and the kids to pray for our neighborhood and Thailand. When they arrived home they were visibly tired.
The final day of the ceremony was a day for the entire neighborhood to dress in white and come out for the ritual of placing the relics in the chedi. Chedis are large, pointed structures that serve as holy places for safekeeping of relics (the bones of the Buddha or the ashes of a king). Wat (a temple) complexes are often built expressly to surround a sacred chedi. I was allowed to take pictures and observe the ceremony. This also gave me the opportunity to pray to Jesus about this event and for the people of my neighborhood. People sat with hands together in front of their faces in meditation and watched on as the monks pulled a rope attached to a sacred bird image carrying relics up to the high place of the chedi. My landlord was one of the important people who had the job of placing the sacred urns that housed the small relics on the sacred bird image. I love our landlord. You would love our landlord. I left the ceremony feeling sad.
I noticed two types of people that attended the ceremony. There was the person who was very interested in the ceremony bowing with reverence at all the right places. These people tended to be the older people. Makes sense really. Our older neighbors are approaching their curtain call and require high producing interest rates for their karma needs. Others seemed to be there because their family or culture expected their attendance. These people tended to be the younger people. Noticeably bored with the rituals they have seen time and again, the young Thais seemed to doubt the usefulness of this ceremony for their spiritual life as a whole. Neither group was a fortress of hope.
Before I criticize Buddhism too much, let me tell you that I watched the movie Luther with a friend, Jonathan Hance, visiting the other day (his visit is another story for another blog, but know that we were glad to have him come along on our Thai adventures for a few days). In this viewing, I was reminded that Christian religion also has a tendency to create performance and behavioral expectations that are apart from a relationship with Christ. Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3, “Don’t be surprised when I tell you that you have to be ‘born from above’—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it’s headed next. That’s the way it is with everyone ‘born from above’ by the wind of God, the Spirit of God (The Message).” This verse makes me nervous. My flesh is more comfortable with rituals and behaviors that I can “do” which will create positive religious merit visible and tangible to myself and others. Jesus seems rather comfortable with promoting a relationship over ritual and a redeemed spirit over religious habits. Don’t get me wrong, I have been blessed by Christian ritual in a variety of settings, but my desire for the merit or works righteousness that often goes with religion and ritual leaves me empty like my neighbors. Jesus says look at the trees (probably coconut trees for me) bending and remember the unseen power at work in you and for you. Power for a new birth…a new life…a new ritual. With new life comes redeemed works, but no ritual, no habit, and no work could birth this kind of “out of this world” hope that comes from the Spirit within. With this Wind in us, our works look a lot less like performances and a lot more like trees dacing in the powerful storm of His will.
So pray for my neighbors. Pray that the emptiness in these rituals would be replaced by the Spirit moving upon them to open their hearts to a new life in His Spirit and new rituals of hope in Jesus.
Also, please pray for these three things:
1. We need prayers for continued language study while beginning the process of implementing our strategy of church planting by entering this university community. Some new Thai Christian friends of ours who own CEC English language schools in Chiang Mai have opened up some small schools next to the campus. We are talking with them about how we might connect with them to reach students. Pray for more insight into opportunities like this as well as other opportunities to be and work on the campus.
2. Please pray for growth and open doors in our relationships with university students and neighbors. Pray for open hearts to Jesus.
3. Pray for fun. I know this sounds strange, but in Thai culture if it is not fun it is quite literally not going to happen. I just visited with a friend missionary who has been at this for 13 years in Thailand, and his first bit of advice was, “It needs to be fun or it is not going to work.” Pray that our family has fun and that we have fun with the people we meet. There is a bit of a learning curve in having fun in a different culture.
10.2.07
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Happy Birthday Samuel Jakarin! Two years old but first birthday with us. We are all happy about this. I think Jak is still trying to figure out what birthdays are all about.
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Neighbors paying respect at the ceremony for storing the Buddha's relics. Notice the white rope they all hold as a symbol of unity
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