True Identity

Tuesday, July 8, 2014 22:45KST/19:30UTC/15:30EDT

God is amazing.  Ten days before our team was to depart for Kenya, one of the nine members dropped out citing safety concerns.  Then five days later two more members begged off citing unexpected work conflicts that had to take priority.  The team leadership was certainly thrown a curve ball, but God had a marvelous better idea.  After praying about it, the last two resigned members donated their tickets to the church for two replacements if they could be located on such short notice.  After much prayer the leaders made two phone calls and got two positive replies.  Two individuals that God had prepared - one a young African-American school teacher fresh back (the end of May) from a mission trip to Uganda, and the other a respected bible study leader who has a wonderful women's ministry, said, "yes, I'll go."  And so it was that the eight of us came together for this marvelous journey of faith and obedience.

And because of that faith and obedience, today was a miraculous and transforming day in the lives of thirty Kenyan women who came together for a women's mini-retreat.  We had planned to have this retreat all along, but God has a way of taking our small offerings and perfecting them for His kingdom.

Because of her last minute opportunity to join our team, and because her obedience to come we were able to present a training session that was life-changing.  The women's ministry leader who joined us at the last hour has written a book, True Identity, that explores the tags and labels that women are given or that they assume due to appearance, peer pressure, or culture.  She helps them to do personality assessments that identify their natural gifts, talents and tendencies, and then teaches them to see these other traits in the people that they live with, work with, and encounter each day.

They learn that no matter what their personality type may be, they are first and foremost a child of God. And as such, they are special and unique. They have been given a special title of "princess of the King".  Armed with this knowledge, they are better able to understand how to interact in their community with grace, poise and dignity.  They are encouraged to be bold and confident in their daily living and not be afraid to claim their royalty status.

It was an amazing transformation.  These thirty ladies, who all came in on a bus like you would imagine a third-world bus would look like, were soft-spoken and quiet, humble and unassuming.  As they boarded that bus for the ride home they had a totally different countenance. They were lively and chattering, smiling and excited. They had been given a new lease on life.  They had been equipped with a knowledge and understanding of who they truly were and how they were made that enabled them to face their lives with confidence and understanding.

For those thirty women God had worked a miracle. And it was because two team members who had planned to come and be ministers, allowed two others to stand in their place.  Sometimes we don't understand why, when we have our hearts set on a goal it is inexplicably taken from us.  Here is a concrete example of how God can transform our loss to His gain.

This has been an amazing journey for me.  I've done things I've never done before and seen things I've never seen before.  I've made new friends here in Kenya, and I've fallen in love with the country.  Yes, it is a troubled nation, but it is also a nation that has a love for God.  The churches are exploding with new members seeking to find and follow Christ.  The mission and task of Divine Providence Training Center is more critical than ever.  This truly is a field ripe unto harvest in dire need of trained and equipped laborers to shepherd the congregations of believers.

The planned trip to DPTC from Roswell UMC in November is almost full.  If you would be interested in coming to Kenya on mission, I would ask you to pray about it and start planning for next July.  It will more than likely be around and over the Fourth of July holiday, so mark your calendars and make your plans.  But most of all pray daily for the Divine Providence leadership, and for the people and nation of Kenya.  I believe, and political scientists will tend to agree with me, that as goes Kenya, so will go a great deal of the African continent.

Tomorrow, after another day of making landscaping improvements to the camp, we will board a Swiss Air plane at 11:00PM local time,and fly over night to Zurich, Switzerland.  We will have a lay-over long enough to enjoy a good breakfast there then board an Air Canada flight to Toronto and then another one to Atlanta arriving late Thursday afternoon.  Please pray for travel protection and safety for our team.

See you soon...

Divine Providence
Monday, July 7, 2014 20:30KST/17:30UTC/13:30EDT

Today my appearance was a stark contrast to yesterday's garb.  We were busy around the camp doing improvement projects.  I did a lot of planting an weed pulling, along with some sanding of some furniture in need of re-varnishing.  I will not be bringing home the pair of pants I wore; a ten-year-old pair of khaki-colored Dickie's work pants that are now multi-colored with the addition of orange dirt and black clay.  Additionally we laid sod and grass plugs to improve the overall appearance of the camp and did some cleaning of the classroom in preparation for a women's seminar that will be held tomorrow.

About a decade ago God began to stir the hearts of the founders of this mission effort, one of them, Beth Cayce and I had an opportunity to chat about it.  After doing several medical mission efforts through local churches in the country, and visiting with many of the pastors, it became clear that God was poised to do a mighty work, but the pastors were in desperate need of help and assistance.  Their sincerity and desire to be good shepherds to their congregation was being frustrated by a lack of training and knowledge.  Several members of Roswell United Methodist Church with expertise in a variety of specialized areas responded to the plea from Beth and others to share their wisdom and insights, and over the next several years a curriculum was formed and classes at the Divine Providence Training Center were begun.

Over the course of two years, a selected group of about two dozen pastors will come together for eight two week periods.  During these sessions they are housed, fed, and trained at Camp Chimi-Chimi.  In the interim periods, they are given assignments to complete and are mentored one-on-one.  The class culminates in a summer graduation ceremony in November (they are in the Southern Hemisphere so their seasons are revered from the United States).  So far, there have been three classes, with latest class set to graduate in November of this year.  That will put almost seventy pastors with this much needed training in the churches around Nairobi and across the country of Kenya.

But that is not all.  In addition to the training that the pastors receive, their wives receive training as well.  Anyone who is friends with a pastor knows that it is a profession that is a consuming one.  It is a job that has him on call 24/7 to provide comfort and counseling to his congregation when they are in need.  And the pastor's wife is usually right there by his side.  Also, there are many occasions where the pastor's wife is actually better suited and able to provide needed support because of the sensitive nature of the need.  As a woman, she can speak to other women with frankness, honesty, compassion, and empathy that the male pastor never could.

They are not forgotten once they are graduated.  There is on-going support and mentoring as well as scheduled class reunions.  Additionally, the students themselves have accountability groups that meet regularly to encourage and support each other.  The transformation that has been amazing.  The churches with alumni pastors are growing, but more importantly they are flourishing.  As the pastors preach and teach their flock, they too are being empowered to be stronger Christian witnesses in their workplaces and community.

The ultimate vision of the Divine Providence Training Center is to make the cost of the schooling minimal to the students.  By providing scholarships that offset the cost of the books and training materials, meals, food, lodging, and other needs for the class, the students are basically left to be responsible for getting to the camp each of the eight times.  They are not there yet, and need help.  The average cost for a student to attend over the two years is...  There are several foundations that have been established to accept gifts and donations that can be invested and used to help offset the cost of the pastors' training.  If you would like to be a part of this work, and help send a pastor to school, send me a note and I'll get you in touch with the right people.  Maybe you can't afford to pay for an entire two year's tuition, but could you help cover a single two-week session?  It just will take seven more like you and a pastor's tuition will be covered.

Pray about it. Talk about it. You may be the Divine Providence that a local Kenyan pastor is praying for right now that will allow him to become the man of God that his local congregation needs.

Whatever He Says To Do, Do it.

Sunday, July 6, 2014 11:00KST/8:00UTC/4:00EDT

NOTE:  I was asked to deliver the sermon today at Strong Tower Church in Naivasha.  These are my sermon notes.  Please excuse the lack of literary preciseness as this was to be a prompt for my oral presentation. Hopefully it will make sense.

This is a story of four people, a proud mother, an obedient son, an embarrassed groom, and a proud Father-in-law. And it has two lessons I hope you hear.

Now there are some stories that are told for fun, and some stories that are told to teach.  I like to tell story for fun, that make people laugh and be happy... Like this one: one beautiful  Sunday morning little Johnny decided that he wanted to go fishing in Lake Naivasha.  He was supposed to go to church, but little Johnny said to himself, "it will be OK.  God made the beautiful day and I will praise him in it while I go fishing."  So he got himself a big stick, just the perfect size for a fishing pole, and he got himself some string, and he got him a bit of wire to make a hook.  He took a little bit of biscuit from the breakfast for bait, I mean his momma, she make the very best biscuit, and if Johnny likes them, then the big fishes will like them too! So he puts the biscuit in his pocket and off he goes to catch a fish, I mean to go to church, yeah, that's it, church.

So Johnny keeps his promise and before takes his big old long pole and his string with wire made into a hook and his mamma's best biscuit, and throws that biscuit on that hook in the Lake Naivasha, he says a little prayer, just like he was in church. He close both eyes, puts his hands together, and says, "Oh God, thank you for such a beautiful day to go fishing, I mean go to church.  Help me today to catch a fish. Amen." And with that he toss that hook with his momma's best biscuit into the Lake Naivasha.

Now God, He sees little Johnny on the side of Lake Naivasha with his pole and his string and his hook made from wire with his momma's biscuit on it and says, "why isn't little Johnny in church? Today is Sunday! So God says, I'll fix little Johnny! I'll teach him a lesson to skip church and go fishing! And God says to a big fish, a fish near about as big as little Johnny, "Mr. Fish, I want you to swim up to that biscuit that little Johnny's momma made and eat it." So he did, and he ate the hook too. And suddenly little Johnny feels a tug on his line and his pole. He jumps up and starts to pull and pull on the line with the stick and slowly, he pulls the big fish out of the water. Man, was it big! Little Johnny ran over and lay done be side it and put his feet next to the fish's tail, and puts his hand on the top of his head and then puts it next to the big fish, and his head only comes up to Mr. Fish's eyeball. The fish is bigger than Johnny! He hops up and says, I can't wait to go tell my friends Paul and Joseph about my fish... And then he realizes. He can't.

Johnny is not supposed to be fishing on the Lake Naivasha, he's supposed to be in church just like
Paul and Joseph.  Poor Johnny was so sad. Here he had caught the biggest fish ever and he could never tell anyone about it.  For to tell his fish story would be to admit that he had lied and not gone to church.

That's my story. Was it true? Of course not. The fish only came up to Johnny's knees.

Today's Bible story is different from my story. It really is a true story. It is in the Gospel of John, the second chapter, the first ten verses:



On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to
him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”



In the village of Cana, whenever there was a wedding, everyone was invited. This included Mary, the
mother of Jesus. Because they happened to be nearby, Jesus and his disciples were at the wedding as well.

As the story goes, all was well, everyone was having a wonderful good time, the food was delicious, and the wine was flowing... until a servant boy whispered to an attendee, "we have no more wine." This was a problem.  The father of the bride was the host of the feast, but it was the groom who was in charge of the wine. This was not a good way to start of a relationship with his new wife's family! If he couldn't even get enough wine for the party, what kind of loser son-in-law was he going to be?

Quickly this sad news was spread in hushed whispers throughout the crowd standing in line with empty glasses until Jesus' mother heard it. Because she was a friend of the groom, and did not wish to cause him embarrassment, she turned to her son and said, "Jesus, they have no more wine."  You see, Mary knew that Jesus could solve this problem, she had raised him as a baby boy, watched him grow up, listened with joy as he and his father discussed the scriptures he was learning in church school, and beamed with pride when left home to begin his life as a traveling Rabbi. Jesus. Psst Jesus! They are out of wine!

Jesus, who must have been in the the middle of a conversation with his friends said, "Mother, don't meddle! It is not your problem, and since I'm not the one getting married, it is not my problem either.  Don't bother me right now." Can't you see I'm busy?

But Mary, knowing her son, and knowing his heart, confidently went up to one of the panic-stricken servants, and said, "See my son over there? His name is Jesus.  He will take care of your problem. Whatever he says to do, do it."  Listen as we read again what he said to do... (Vs. 6-7)

Six jars, each holding 25 gallons of water... 150 gallons. That is a lot of water.  But it made sense.  This was water that they used to clean up with before sitting down to eat. The would clean their hands, their arms, their faces, and their feet. Considering there were so many guests at the party that they ran out of wine, they probably needed all of that water. And what did Jesus say? Something very simple. "Fill the jars with water bring them back, pour some in a cup and take it to the Bride's father."

When the bride's father tasted this new wine, he sipped it, swished it around in his mouth, let it lay on his tongue, and then finally swallowed it. A big grin came across his face as he jumped up and ran over to his new son-in-law, gave him a big hug, and said, "welcome to the family 'son'.  Most people serve the good wine first, then when everyone has a bit of a dull tongue, they bring out the cheap stuff, but you have not done that.  You served a fine wine first, but this is an even better wine!

Here is what I want you to hear:

First each of you, and I, need to take to our heart the words of Mary, "This is Jesus, whatever he says to do, do it."

Consider the courage of the servants to listen to the words of this woman...   Without a deep journey into the social implications of listening to a woman, any woman for advice and counsel at that day and time in history,  consider that the essence of of her message, do what this man says to do, which really was not a concrete solution at all.

Secondly, don't be surprised, when what he tells you to do is both simple and obvious.

Again, consider the courage of the servant.  If he had said, take the jars, go down to the river, fill them up, then carry them to the temple, put them on the steps, jump up and down three times, turn around two times, spit on the ground, say some magic words, them bring them back to the wedding, it would made a much better story, but no, he simply said fill the jars with water.

In summary, we learn from this story that the solution to our crises is always to do what Jesus tells you, and to not be surprised when his message is simple and obvious.

Amen

Blessed Beyond Measure

Saturday, July 5, 2014 21:00KST/18:00UTC/14:00EDT

Once again, I am unable to find the right words to describe my experiences today.  This is obviously a frustrating predicament for a writer. I saw so much and experienced so much, but yet, while there are surely words to describe the visit to Strong Tower Children's Home, my fear is that any adjective I would offer would be either too melodramatic or, fail to adequately convey the concept.

First of all, with your mind's eye consider any picture you have ever seen of children living in an environment that looks for all the world like a landfill.  Then with your mind's ears, imagine the sounds of children at recess on an American elementary school playground. Now merge these two seemingly incongruous things together.  Children living in squalor (by American standards) but deliriously happy.  When you understand where they come from, however, you come to see how this environment, while not something that we would necessarily find acceptable, is so much better than where they were, their joy is understandable.  Here they have found safety. Here they have a dry, warm place to sleep. Here they have three meals a day. But most of all, here they are loved.  They have been blessed beyond measure.  It has been proven time and time again in a myriad of circumstances, that people can endure things that would seem to be unbearable if they know they are loved and that someone cares about them.

The story of Paul and Martha Ndungu and the formation of Strong Tower Childrens Home is worthy of a book.  Unable to have children because of a sad and traumatic history of her own, Martha saw the street children in her village of Naivasha and began to feed them, clothe them, and love them.  In time, and with the strong support of her husband, they began an orphanage.  It was a rough and tough beginning, but they persevered.  These street children, always the first "usual suspects" whenever there was a theft or other crime in the town, carried that stigma with them to the orphanage which the locals presumed to be an organized crime training center.  In time, love prevailed and today the local law enforcement are allies of Strong Tower.

Our "fly-by" one day visit was an eye-opener for us all, even those who had been many times before.  For us first-timers, there was the anticipated shock over the conditions, but to the veterans, there was surprise and joy at the progress that had been made.  Our visit, not unlike a USO tour stop at a military base, was to bring a day of fun and games, stories and personal time with the children.  As the designated photographer/videographer, I was never at a loss for "moments" to capture.

One activity was particularly noteworthy.  In the US, right now there is a growing fad for children to make "rubber and jewelry."  We brought some of these supplies with us.  Watching the children making rings, bracelets and jewelry from little rubber bands was fascinating in two respects: how quickly they learned the weaving process, and how eager they were to teach and help their friends who needed coaching.  As leaders, we ended up with little to do but watch and be amazed after the initial orientation.  I would wager that there was a total investment of twenty-five dollars in supplies that brought delight and joy to nearly twice that number of children.  Afterwards and throughout the afternoon we would see the children, from 3 to 16, proudly wearing their new creations, some of which were amazingly intricate and ornate.

We brought along a playground parachute that the children enjoyed playing with, as well as markers an paper for drawing pictures and face paint.  What we received in return was a day full of love-filled, exuberant children who couldn't give us enough hugs and handshakes when it was time to go.  The ride back to the hotel was quiet as we reflected on the experiences of the day and because of the exhaustion.  For me the images of the day will stay with me for a long time.

Please pray for Paul and Martha and their ministry.  Pray for their children and the continued development of the orphanage.  Pray especially for two young men who are now "graduates" of the orphanage, and are working and attending technical schools to become tradesmen.  One is becoming an electrician and the other is working as an apprentice in flooring and tile.  They have promising, self-supporting futures now, something they could never have imagined a few short years ago.

Indescribable

Friday, July 4, 2014 22:00KST/19:00UTC/15:00EDT

I consider myself to be a pretty capable wordsmith - an alphabetical acrobat able to craft together words, phrases, sentences, and stories in a cogently complete, and exhaustively explicative manner to convey my thoughts and ideas.  Usually, succinctness is the unwitting victim of this effort, but brevity is not a friend to details.

And yet, as I sit to describe what I have seen in the past 24 hours, I am totally without adequate words. I could construct a partial list the animals I've seen: elephants, giraffes, zebras, lions, a black rhino, a cheetah, but that would rob you of the thrill of seeing them in their wild, native habitat, and give short shrift to the other dozens of inhabitants of the Masa Mara preserve we saw.  Our fabulous guide, Paul, was excellent in his deftness in finding these species, and was full of great insights as to how the kingdom of animals coexist and actually support each other.

One simple example is this: teams of termites, boring into the earth, cause rises or mounds, in the earth.  These small plateaus only ascend three or four feet at the most, but are the salvation of many Thompson Gazelles, or as Paul called them, "Cheetah Sandwiches".  From this vantage point a designated look-out can survey the grasslands around his fellow grazing companions and provide an early warning of spotted predators on the prowl.  In time, and with the rains, these mounds will collapse creating mud bogs that provide a spa-like mud bath for the water buffalo, wildebeests, and others that enable them to ward off the oppressive heat of the scorching sun.  Yes, even the lowly termite is a vital part of the eco-system.  This is an experience that, if you ever have the opportunity, you must have.

Our group stayed in a "luxury tent camp", Masa Siria that I must say was much better than I imagined.  The rooms were large, clean, and they had flush-toilets.  They also had hot showers, but by reservation only... upon request they would bring a 10-gallon container of hot water and transfer it to a canvas bucket that they would hoist up into the air with ropes and pulleys on a pole. Then, your gravity-fed hot shower was ready. So far, it was the best bathing experience I've had.

On our flight into Masa Mara, I had a chance encounter with a celebrity athlete that I wish I could have gotten to know better.  David Backes, "winger" and the captain of the St. Louis Blues NHL hockey team (and member of the 2014 US Olympic Hockey team) and his wife Kelly, sat in front of us.  They were such an unassuming couple, I had to research them on the Internet to appreciate the true honor I had just had.  Our entire conversation was focused on their foundation, Athletes for Animals, and the fact that they split their lives between Minnesota and St. Louis.  Kelly was so passionate about the foundation and David was so quiet, he was nothing like I would imagined for a hockey player aside for his size; he even had a full set of teeth!  I think I must now change my allegiance from the Bruins to the Blues! Raise that cup in 2015 David!

At dinner the night we were there I had an unexpected treat.  Some of our fellow campers were at first blush a bunch of rowdy college frat boys. As it turned out, they were the Whiffenpoofs, the world-famous men's Glee Club of Yale University.  They graced the diners and staff with a pair of songs at the end of dinner and were fabulous.   I called Eileen to tell her, and she didn't believe me. I held my phone out to the group and said, "Guys, this Eileen, my wife. She is a big fan of yours as well, and doesn't believe me." They then with out hesitation broke into perfect six-part harmony and sang "Hello Eileen".  What a great group of guys.  They were off to South Africa in the morning and then on to Asia as they continued their three month World Tour.

As you can read, the people I met were much easier to describe than the sites I saw. I took a whole bunch of pictures, and they will have to suffice.  The flight home was a much more "exhilarating" experience than the flight out.  A Cessna Caravan came to pick us up, a one engine, two pilot, nine passenger plane.  Actually it was only one-and-a-half pilots because it became quickly obvious that the rights seat pilot was still in training.  He did a fairly good job of getting us off the ground and, since I could clearly see all of the instrumentation in the "cockpit", I'll have to say he did a pretty good job of guiding us homeward, following the straight line on the navigation screen pretty faithfully.  We were on finally approach to the runway, and were on target over the outer markers and the inner markers; all was looking good until we got to the stripes at the end of the runway and he realized that he was still about 50' too high and a little too fast.  The senior pilot took over and we immediately dropped 35' and cut our airspeed by about a third.  We landed and rolled out without any more drama, but there was about a second or two where I was certain we were going to have to wave off and fly around.  My final thought on that leg of the adventure is that I owe someone a bottle of Bonine. If I hadn't had two of those magical pills before takeoff, I would have a much different experience.

Finally back at camp, we were treated to an all-American cook-out, complete with hamburgers, s'mores, and ice cream.  It was a great meal. In the morning we are off to Naivasha to visit the Strong Tower Children's Home, an orphanage for street children.

Brutally Honest

Thursday, July 3, 2014 12:00KST/9:00UTC/5:00EDT

NOTE: while I'm on safari, I'm going to post this.  It is not necessarily specifically related to my trip, but is something in my life I'm dealing with while I'm over here. Writing this has been extremely cathartic.  I realize that it is not a "light read", and you may be tempted to abandon the effort, but I challenge you to read it slowly and digest it as you are able. Then, I want your response. Am I spot-on, totally off-base, or some of both?

It is a common trait amongst "civilized" cultures to protect the feelings of another person for fear of offending and imparting a sense of rejection of that person due to a perceived flaw or short-coming.  This is especially true in the "genteel" southern US.  Sadly, this can often be a counter productive trait that actually harms relationships more than it helps.  We owe it to our friends, colleagues, and associates to "speak the truth in love."  They may not be aware of the flaw, and would be grateful for your intervention, especially if the message of reproof also provides a path to improvement.

I am reminded of an event in my life where one day a dear friend I worked with had a particularly nasty case of offensive body odor.  It was not a common trait, but on this particular day, due to whatever reason, he was quite pungent.  I do not know if he was aware of his offense, but I do know that he was in desperate need of intervention in the form of deodorant.  As it so happened I had a small canister of spray-on antiperspirant and deodorant in my car.  I was able to place it inside a large take-out cup for discreetness and hand it to him with this simple message, "a true friend has your back, even when it means saying potentially offensive but brutally honest things."  He saw the contents of cup, realize the intent of the message and thanked me before exiting to remedy his situation.

Sometimes, the deficiency is not so easily rectified, and this is where it gets tricky.  A life-lesson I learned many years ago say this,"no one wants to be told that their baby is ugly."  When you see sub-standard traits and characteristics in an individual's work or life that in your experience or belief will severe impair their chance to succeed and have a positive outcome in the end if they continue down the path that they have been allowed to choose, you have a tough decision.  Sometimes it is hard to know if the inferiority is due to ignorance, which can be corrected, or innate inability which often cannot. To borrow a line from Sarah Palin, even if you put lipstick on a pig, it is still a pig.

So, if you know of someone who needs your sage wisdom, you must choose which is the greater "crime": to offer real and raw counsel that says you believe continuing along in the current direction will not lead to success for an extended period of time if ever, then offer advice that runs contrary to the path they are on; or to "pass the buck", write them off, and let them wallow along in their delusion as their frustration over never being successful is allowed to fester. Yes, learning you believe they are never going to achieve success in the pursuit they are chasing can "rock their world," and may even evoke a strong rebuttal, but this is where a true friend is proven. You still need to be brutally honest with them but then follow it up with a love-filled bear hug of caring.

Once the subject is broached and after the initial shock of hearing rare brutal honesty sinks in, hearing the truth in love from a truly caring friend can occur.  At this point it is essential to outline their positive attributes and describe how when applied in a different manner, a different result can be achieved; one that is more positive, rewarding, and with a higher likelihood of a success-filled future.  Look at other, unused,or under-used skill-sets they possess, and consider how these might be the keys to unlocking that brighter future.  Taking time to do this can be be risky, but if your heart is in it, your chance for success is high.

In the same way, we need to be willing to stand up and say to our friends and co-workers in need of a relationship with Jesus, dear brother or sister, "I want to help you to correct a seriously glaring shortcoming in your life".  It takes courage and it takes risking the relationship. Coming up out of the blue and telling someone they "need to be saved" is tantamount to telling someone they are a loser without hope.  It is disingenuous at best and patently offensive at the worst.  A wise man once told me you can't help some to be saved if they do not know they are lost. Yes, the more difficult task always is explaining, with brutal honesty, how the road they are on will never provide them the safety, security, and success they are seeking.  With sincerity and sensitivity, showing them you truly care will usually lead to a willing ear, ultimately open heart.  Remember the old-but-true adage, "they won't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

In closing, know that the only things that change instantly are coffee and grits, and in both case most people agree that however satisfying the immediacy may seem, the result is almost always an inferior product to the one that is allowed to simmer and reach it peak flavor in the fullness of time.  Don't be disappointed if perceivable change isn't immediate, but trust the Holy Spirit to provide the low-and-slow heat that will yield the lasting, long term, desired result.

Sweeten the Mix

Wednesday, July 2, 2014 22:30KST/19:30UTC/15:30EDT

Today was a very good day.  We were able to accomplish a great deal of landscaping and gardening work that was desperately needed.  I was able to do some rudimentary repairs to some damaged wiring - most notably a 220VAC extension cord that had two nicked places that had been "fixed" with duct tape.  It is now a 49.25 meter extension cord, but no one will get zapped accidentally and the cord won't short out either.

They have a dual wireless mic system from a company I've never heard about before, a Yamaha  MG166CX16 channel audio mixer a Peavey 2-channel amplifier, yada, yada, yada. I hooked it all up and checked it out. Everything worked fine after I discovered a faulty operator (me) who didn't have the volume on the wireless mic output turned up.  I found the usual problems I find on a mixer operated by someone who is unfamiliar with what all the knobs do... Some knobs were turned all the way to the left, others were turned all the way to the right.  Here is my guiding principle: all ways start out in the middle-especially if you are unsure of the effect a knob may have on the audio signal.

This applies to life as well. When you are trying to improve you own personal mix or you are introduced to a new concept, opinion, idea, or even a new acquaintance, always try to start out in the middle, or neutral position, then as you listen and learn, you can make small adjustments as necessary to fold them into your over-all life/philosophy/belief system.  Some things you'll want to add a lot more of, other you'll edit out completely.  The goal of every good sound system operator, whether live or recording, is to "sweeten the mix" by the addition, and subtraction, of various elements that shape the audio signal so that when it becomes sound, it is pleasing and desirable.

Here in Africa, I am doing this a great deal as there is much that is new to me.  From foods to accommodations, to transportation, I am really getting introduced to a lot of new and different things.  For example, here in Kenya, like in Europe, they drive on the "wrong" side of the road, and there are NO traffic control devices.  Add a liberal helping of roads that would need to improve a great deal before you could call them bad, and motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians that are fine being less than a foot from your vehicle, and now you know the good points of driving in Nairobi.  I am glad we have wonderful drivers to transport us.  My coping mechanism is to close my eyes and pray. So far, it has worked.  My "room" is literally a canvas tent.  It is not a Boy Scout pup tent by any means however.  It is as large as some motel room I've stayed in, has a working commode, a shower with warm water, and two nice beds with the ancillary furniture you'd expect to find. The foods, though mostly familiar are all delicious which is putting a severe kink in my plan to lose weight while I'm gone.  Two wonderful chefs, William and Naomi, prepare three meals a day as well as tea-time each afternoon (a mandatory event).

Please remember to pray for our team today, and excuse me for a day or two as I will be taking an overnight field trip to Masa Mara Game Preserve.  I'll be back Friday afternoon.