Thanks Where Thanks is Due

Location: Parents' living room, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA (about 5:00pm on the 23rd of April)

If you have not yet read my previous post, take a look at it--at least at the photos!

However, I wanted to go ahead and post again, because I want to thank you. Yes, I love to write, but more than that, I must give thanks.

You see, I have MANY things to be thankful for, and I try to remain thankful always. For example, today I had the privilege of visiting my high school French teacher, whose efforts over the course of four years in French and Russian laid the groundwork for my language learning not only as I pursued French, but as I studied Spanish and Romanian, and as I dabbled in other languages like Zulu. Alors, merci beaucoup, Mr. C.! (By the way, for those of you who know that adventure follows me, you will not be surprised that when I arrived for the visit I found the high school on "perimeter lock-down" due to an area bank robbery with the suspect at large and on foot!)

As I said, I am thankful for many things, but I want to take a moment to address the question of finances. I am often asked, in one way or another, how I finance my travels and my work. The simple answer is that I do not. No, I am not independently wealthy. No, I am not paid by a church or organization of any kind. No, I do not currently have a paying job.

Whence come my funds? Well, they come from the same place as the rest of my provision: the LORD. You see, God provides for His people, reminding us that if the sparrows and the lilies do not worry about provision, then neither should we. Moreover, I believe that when the Lord specifically calls someone to a certain task, He specifically provides for His purposes to be fulfilled. He has never let me down.

Actually, this is none of your business; the only reason I write this is to encourage you to trust the Lord in any and every situation. More importantly, if the Lord is calling you to something, follow Him obediently. He will provide for and protect you. However, I want to get more detailed in this description so that I can give thanks where thanks is due.

Last year, I read the biography of George Mueller (his last name is spelled different was depending on the translation from the German). He was a German man who lived in England more than a century ago. He cared for more than two thousand orphans, yet he never solicited anyone except God for his funds, nor did he publicize his needs. Yet God always provided, often in miraculous ways.

I had heard of Mueller before, and when I read his biography, that cinched it. I decided to live the same way. God knows my needs better than anyone else, even me! So why not trust Him to provide for them? In this way, I do not put my faith in a job, nor do I put my faith in a charitable group of people; my faith is only in the Lord Most High.

As if to confirm my decision, four persons in the month of December--while I was in Romania--unexpectedly walked up to me and discreetly put money in my hand. This was something new for me. Occasionally good friends who wanted to encourage me would give me a gift, but never had I so abruptly and directly received funds. Since December, this has happened to me on what I would consider a fairly regular basis.

But if you ask God to provide, you must humbly receive what He provides. It may not be the way you expect. For example, when I quit my job a couple of years ago to pursue a study of prayer, I purposely did not seek a new job, trusting the Lord to provide. He did! He dropped a part-time job in my lap, a job perfectly flexible for what I needed, with a paycheck that met my needs. Another way He provided recently was by calling me to report for federal jury duty, ironically during this short time I was in the United States. Though I was dismissed after the first day, I was paid for reporting. When I was in Romania last year, I received hand-me-down clothes since I had not come to Europe expecting to be there during the winter season. Other ways the Lord has provided for me is by providing meals, places to stay, and work I can do to receive a wage.

Often I am asked, "You don't work?" Yes, I work! I work very hard, and I enjoy working hard. However, I do not report to a human boss, nor am I paid by a human agency.

Why do I tell you all of this personal information? I DO NOT tell you this to express a need; I tell you this to express God's faithfulness. I want to thank you, though many of you are anonymous. Thanks to my parents and to the Church, who have blessed me in many ways. If you are someone the Lord used to bless me with a meal or a bed or clothes or funds, I want to make sure you know that I appreciate your obedience; I want to thank you. If you recently pressed a gift into my hand; thank you. I am very conservative with my resources, and I promise you that I am using it as wisely as I can for the glory of God. I also try to be as generous with what I receive as the Lord has been to me. More importantly, however, I want to boast in the Lord; I want to thank my God. You see, He provides for me for your benefit and mine. I benefit by having my immediate needs me, and often you benefit because I am then able to intercede for you in prayer, to minister to you, to encourage you, or even to provide for your needs.

To boast in the Lord's faithfulness, I can boast that I never ask anyone for money, nor do I advertise my needs. As best I can, I try to keep them hidden when I have needs. I do not collect unemployment; I pay my taxes faithfully. I do not enter into debt, except to use my credit card as a debit card, withdrawing funds I have. I do not ask my parents, my church, or any other friends or family to support me in any way except through prayer. God is greater, and I trust that if He wants someone to support me in other ways, He will encourage them to do so.

Boast with me in the Lord! Glory to God! Thanks be to God! Father, thank You for meeting my needs! Thank You for giving me a life that You use to encourage those around me! Thank You for giving me Your Word in the Bible when I need encouragement! Thank You for calling so many people to pray for me! Thank You for giving me opportunities to join in Your work! May I never be distracted by my needs or by my provision and let my eyes or my heart lose their focus on You! You are everything I need! Please give me the faith I need to be faithful to You! Please give me the grace I need to be thankful to You for Your faithfulness! Your love endures forever!

Hog Wild!

Location: Dining Room at my parents' house in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA (about 11:30am on the 21st of April)




Wishing I had more time to write, I nevertheless am prioritizing other things over my blog. For example, Dad and I took a motorcycle class this weekend, which was a blast! I now have my motorcycle endorsement on my driver's license, and I picked up my international driver's permit as well. My departure date is quickly approaching (pending volcanic activity), and I am trying to get everything ready in time.



Meanwhile, I have had some speaking opportunities--last Monday night, for instance--and I am scheduled to preach this weekend. Thank you for your prayers. In between those more formal opportunities, I have had many opportunities to meet up with friends and family members and even strangers, fellowshipping with and praying for them wherever we cross paths. God has also given me the great privilege of seeing several of my prayers answered very manifestly, for which I offer Him great thanks!

Justement (as they say in French), it is prayer that I want to highlight. I am hearing of situations all over the world (from friends and from the news) that are spiritual battles, and by-and-large Christians do not seem to be aware. From rioting in Thailand to earthquakes in China and Haiti to paralyzed airlines in Europe to Supreme Court appointments and Health Care dissention in the USA to devastating emotional trauma to pastors in Indianapolis to persons afflicted with mysterious diseases, we need to be in prayer. Christ is coming back someday, and that someday might be sooner than many people realize. At times, the Lord uses me to prophesize with His Word, so I want to be careful here: I currently have no divine insight into the end of the world. Nonetheless, the Church is suffering because we as Christians are neglecting our role in prayer, and we do not live as though we believe in healing, deliverance, and spiritual authority in prayer. We are not in the Scriptures frequently, and we waste our time talking about and absorbing useless or harmful matters instead of sharpening one another with virtues and encouragement that builds us up and supports one another! And the world is suffering because the Church is not obedient and faithful right now. During these challenges and crises, the world should be able to run to the Church, but because the Church currently looks so much like the rest of society, it does not stand out as a place of refuge and hope.

Stand up, Christ-followers, and show the world that we have hope in Jesus Christ! Kneel down, Church, and intercede for the world around us, for our brothers and sisters in the Body, and for our pastors and elders! This battle is not against flesh and blood. Whether the world ends tomorrow or 2,000 years from now, God's power is real today! Look past the financial crisis, past the natural disasters, past the political confusion and see Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, along with His Spirit that lives in us doing the same! Do not live in a reign of terror, but rather submitted to the lordship of Jesus, the Son of the Living God! I bless you in the Name of that Jesus today! If you do not know Him, or thought you knew Him but now have doubts, go immediately to a Christian you know and ask, or email me. Procrastination is more dangerous than most anything else we will face today.

Beneath a Redbud Rain

Location: A grassy hillside-lookout at Brown County State Park in southern Indiana, USA (about 2pm on the 15th of April--Tax Day!)

Already thinking about having a day of thinking and writing, I jumped at the chance to join my aunt from Minnesota and my mom as they headed down to beautiful Brown County, Indiana. At first, the hiking in the lovely weather was great, but soon I became frustrated when I tried to find a quiet spot to sit comfortably and work. Even here I am fidgety, and I wonder if I would have been more at peace had I remained at the house in Indianapolis. Yet even if the accommodations and productivity are not as high-quality as I had hoped, the breath-taking view is impossible to deny. I am under a bee-swarmed red budtree that already has shed a bee and some flower petals on my laptop. Intermittent car sounds intrude occasionally, but the rest is breeze and bird calls.

This has been a quieter week, heading into tomorrow night's first class in our weekend motorcycle course. Monday found me dismissed from jury duty before a few games of dodgeball that evening, and Tuesday evening saw me having a pizza-nic in one of our city parks with a couple friends. Wednesday we not only celebrated my grandmother's 80th birthday, but I also had the opportunity to spend some great time with some men of God. We had a prayer meeting I will never forget: four men in four rocking chairs on the corner of a porch looking out over a country lawn--the intensity and breadth of the prayer made stark contrast to the serenity of the setting.

Now I am less than a month from departure, and I am thinking about Romania all of the time. I have a lot to get ready, but I still have people to meet with and a few speaking opportunities next week. God continues to provide and guide faithfully, and I pray that He will always get the glory. Meanwhile, my prayer life has been mixed with joys from friends experiencing blessings and intercession for pastors under spiritual attack, especially in their families.

Please join me in prayer, Church. God is good; may His will be done!



(PS I posted a short story below, for those of you who are interested...)

Another Short Story

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana, about 10:35pm on the 14th of April.

Below you will find my latest short story in rough draft form. I wrote it on the 10th of April. Enjoy, and to my friends named Don, please do not take anything personally--it was just the perfect name for the story!

I will soon write another update as I psych myself up for the return to Romania! Thanks for your prayers!

According to Policy

The door opened warily, revealing one eyeball, a nose, and three-quarters of a bearded mouth. Before that mouth could sound an alarm or menace a threat, our hero started in, his voice intruding where his steps dared not to go:

"Good afternoon, Good Sir. My name is Don."

His drone continued on auto-pilot, running through his spiel with pretended animation, anticipating the moment the door would slam in his face--

Slam! This time it came a bit sooner than expected.

He sighed and ducked off the porch, thankful yet again that a door had slammed rather than a gun had shot or a dog had bitten. He squinted up at the sun as soon as he was out from under the awning's shade, wiping his high brow with a handkerchief while looking for a spot to break for lunch. At the end of the street, a park bench beckoned from its position half-buried under the branches of a willow, vis-a-vis a motionless merry-go-round. His weary feet moved in that direction even before his brain had seized the decision to aim for it.

By the time he reached the bench, he had all but forgotten the next three slammed doors on which he had knocked during his half-block journey to the park. Sadly, he was used to them by now. Contrary to his expectations, he had not become a very good insurance salesman.

This destiny had haunted him from the first day he woke up in the so-called "American Dream." A newborn baby perhaps could not understand, nor remember the conversation, but he had been reminded of it later. His father proudly named him "Donald," aspiring to raise a son who would one day be a famous athlete like his favorite baseball player; coincidentally, his favorite race car driver was also named "Donald".

His father's father, however, did not share the hope. "Donald?" Grandpa muttered. "Like Donald Duck? Or Ronald McDonald? At best, the name sounds like an insurance salesman." And Grandpa should know. He had run off many a hapless insurance salesman from his doorstep, often inheriting a derby hat or spectacles that one left behind in his hasty flight. So, from about Day Two of his life, Donald had been called "Don"; after all, who wanted to be mistaken for an insurance salesman?

He bit into his cold fried-chicken leftovers, musing at the irony of it all. Here he sat, "Donald" after all, despite his best attempts to be a Don. "A Don? Don Quixote is more like it," his conscience sang, sounding more like Sancho Panza than he wanted to admit.

Forgetting he was arguing only with himself, he let his blood boil, defending himself passionately aloud. "I am not a failure! You know very well that the company offered me this position because of my expertise, and I meet an important need in society!" The birds on the bush off to his right, which had looked at him quizzically when he began his utterance, waited in vain for his conscience to reply. But Sancho remained silent, and wisely so.

After all, the Don was right. A prominent businessman in the past, he had done well. He never became popular or iconic, but in many ways he could have been the poster boy for the American Dream. Notwithstanding his humble beginnings, he earned a decent living by working hard, often during long hours. Moreover, he had carefully calculated this career change when the opportunity came, but the move seemed natural. Like his peers, he had his retirement plan and savings bonds backing up his stock market investments, and his insurance policies under-girded him in a nice safety net. In fact, he had purchased just about every policy offered by his insurance agency: life insurance, home insurance, car insurance, health insurance, travel insurance, earthquake insurance, flood insurance, and more. By now on a first-name basis with the agents, he had become their best client! He did not realize the agency had struggled to fill their vacated position for a few months, but he did know that they had decided to offer him the job because of his familiarity with their policies. Stifling his distaste for such a job title, he soon accepted the offer, recognizing the statistical demand for what he would be selling. Hardly an American lived a single day without insurance coverage of some sort, and usually each had numerous policies! Like any American would, he chose the opportunity that would overshadow the self-destroying identity he would have to assume. Millions survived in nine-to-fives cubicles or on assembly lines. The pay-off would more than make up for it.

Unfortunately, he had proved to be a rather sorry salesmen. His confidence grew with practice, yet was not enough to convince stubborn homeowners of their need to purchase another invisible product that would visibly cost a fortune. These were hard times, and his fast-talking plea met its match with steely resistance from tax-plundered wallets and unemployed egos. Furthermore, he had failed to consider the amount of insurance most people already owned, which left little room for additional sales.

Silently, he reflected on his day. An unfruitful morning and the late afternoon loomed ahead: hopefully slamming doors rather than shotguns! He thought about his wife and children, comforted that he had invested in such a way that they would be protected should something ever happen to him. He thought about his earnings and his investments, thinking about the government-insured bank accounts and feeling secure that they were padded with past successes that would carry him through these dismal months.

Suddenly, he began to feel invincible. What did it matter if today was hard? Things could only get better! After all, he was covered! He was ready to face the future! How far could he fall with so many safety nets stretched beneath him? How could he fail with so many plans and back-up plans in place? Who could touch him after he had so carefully prepared for the worst? He began to smile. He polished of the rest of his meal quickly, eager to start knocking on doors again. He felt sure of his success! He practically jumped to his feet, stuffed his garbage in the convenient can nearby, and began whistling as he set off again.

* * *

Donald's wife opened the letter without feeling. She had remained numb for weeks after his death. True, all her hope was riding on this letter, but her shock had dimmed her expectancy. Who would have guessed that her husband would have disappeared so suddenly? Even worse was the fact that the authorities had never located his body; who knew what had happened? She had no closure. Fortunately, he had always prepared for the worst in every way he could, and most certainly he had insured himself against everything known to man. For once his obsessive foresight would pay off! She almost smiled to think of it as she tore open the envelope, ripping through the return address of the insurance agency. This check would help her arrange the next hard months of life's challenges.

Suddenly, she froze as her eyes pierced the unfolding page--"We regret to inform you...." She scanned more closely, and then re-read the letter word-for-word. She choked on the cry that fell from her lips when she finally remembered to breathe again, now in disbelief. The equation finally made sense through her denial, even if the legal jargon did not:

Numerous policies + years of paid premiums + fine print + no body = NOT COVERED.

For the Faithful...

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana (about 5:15pm on the 11th of April)

My dear faithful blog followers, I apologize for my infrequent updates. Actually, I hate that I am not posting as often, because I love to write, and I am not finding as much time to write as I would like. Here's why...

Last week, I had some wonderful experiences with God! I got to meet my mentor's new baby early in the week. I had fabulous conversation time with my aunt. I visited some Bible study groups and wrote a new song. At one large Bible study, I had the privilege of sharing from God's Word as the guest speaker. I visited some family I had not yet seen, and one cousin gave me a lesson on his dirt bike. I joined a college gathering of people seeking Jesus on the 100-year anniversary of one of the great revivals in America. I had the privilege of praying for folks, and of being prayed for. I had the privilege of seeing God provide, and hearing about Him answering prayers. I helped my grandparents prepare there cabin at the lake for the summer to come, and I even dove in the chilly water four or five times!

This morning, I worshipped among my church congregation, as well as visiting another. I was a bit sleepy because of a special dinner conversation last night that lasted nearly until today, but I was excited to join with fellow believers this morning. Now I am looking ahead into a week of probable jury duty, of family get-togethers, and hopefully a motorcycle class at the end of the week. Meanwhile, I did a better job of resting this past week, and not only did I write a song, but I wrote a rough draft of a short story that I will try to post soon. For now, I do not have time to get into anything profound, for I must leave for worship with my Mexican church in the next five minutes. However, know that I am praying diligently for you, you who are in Romania, Switzerland, France, Illinois, and Indiana, as well as other places! I bless you in the Name of our Jesus! Surrender to Him today!

Back to Normal

Location: Bedroom, Indianapolis, Indiana (11:00pm on the 5th of April)

Today was beautiful outside, and kind of a bummer inside.

What do I mean? Well, I spent the majority of the day on the computer; I hate that. Besides, I spent my time working on financial details, credit cards and bank accounts, insurance plans, etc. These are the things I hate the most in life. On top of all that, almost none of my work was successful; at the very best, it had to be left unfinished until a later date. Finally, it was topped off by some sobering thoughts and discouraging conversations, making a lot of the day tough to stomach.

But wait! I tell you that so you know that life is not all sandy beaches and sunshine, but let me tell you about the blessings, which far outweigh these dark moments.

Have you been wondering where I am? Well, I got "away" for a couple of days to spend time in prayer and peace. Then I scurried into the day of the open house, which seemed to go rather well. That night, I left for Alabama, co-leading a group of teenagers on a service project. I can post pictures of the teenagers, but you can see by the piles of leaves that we worked them hard.

Of course, we had fun, too. We spent a little time at the beach and did some other fun activities. In fact, though it was an exhausting week with long drives and long hours, it was refreshing for me to focus my mind on one thing in one place, not preparing for anything or dancing in a schedule. The highlight was a conversation with a couple of the teenagers one night, a conversation that lasted hours and resulted in floodgate-hearts opening with things never told to parents or counselors, etc. God was moving in a powerful way, healing hurts and giving hope! Even if I left Romania just for that conversation, it would have been worth it! Another huge blessing went by the name of T., who was my co-leader. He and I work so well together that every challenge is exciting!

More blessings? Sure, I will tell you a few more. 6AM Sunrise Service at my Mexican church on Easter morning was very much worth the neglected sleep, and that afternoon, my immediate famliy was completely reunited, along with both sets of grandparents! Today, I got to meet the newly adopted infant daughter of my mentor, J., and she is incredibly beautiful--a great reminder of my Father's creative ability and grace!

So, I apologize for my week's silence and for not having a chance to label my blog that I was out of town; I hope you did not worry too much about me. However, most of you know you can find me via email, as many of you in Romania have been doing.

Thanks for your notes and prayers. Inside of me, there is a bunch of things swirling around. Not bad or good, just there. God is speaking to me, friends and family are speaking to me, I am having bizarre dreams, and life goes on. I find it interesting that as I get "older," I become more conservative. Yet as I become more conservative, I become more radical from the world's perspective. How odd it seems to realize that the radical liberals in our society are closer to "normal" than I am! And all because I have learned to take Jesus for Who He says He is, to take Him at His Word.

I have a lot inside that I cannot express right now, for a variety of reasons. But as I sift through what is going on inside of me, I aim to be true to my risen Savior no matter what happens in the world outside of me.

Meanwhile, take a look at the world around you, and ask yourself if you want to be a part of what is normal...

All glory and honor and power to the God who is beyond EXTRAORDINARY!