Pastor Tony Campolo published a book back in the 80s based on his well-known sermon, "It's Friday, but Sunday's Comin'". I haven't read the book (or heard the sermon, I don't think), but today I've been living the feeling.
The Friday of the crucifixion had to have been the most hopeless day Jesus' followers experienced. Everything they had believed in, everything they worked for, all of their hopes and dreams for the future...with the death of Jesus, all of those things seemed to be wiped out in just a matter of days or even hours. Things appeared grim to say the very least.
But Friday wasn't the end of the story. Sunday* was coming. And with Sunday came the resurrection! All of the seemingly vain actions regained their significance. All of the seemingly broken dreams were restored. All of the seemingly baseless beliefs were fulfilled in unimaginable ways. Yes, Friday was hopeless, even devastating...but Sunday was coming, and with it came the rebirth of hope!
These last few months have felt like a perpetual Friday. Disappointment, even devastation. A sense of helplessness and even hopelessness.
This weekend, I heard a song several times that has challenged me to adjust my perspective, not denying the difficulty of what has been or what is, but reaffirming my belief that God is still in control and that He has good things yet for the future. The song is based on Campolo's sermon. "It's Friday, but Sunday is comin'!"
Have you heard the song "Sunday" from tree63? If not, it might be worth looking up!
Nothing’s sacred, the days are cheap
Truth is thin on the ground
Still our prophets are crucified
Nobody believes we’re stumbling
It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming
Someone’s saying a prayer tonight
For hungry mouths to be filled
Someone kneels in the dark somewhere
And darkness is already crumbling
It’s Friday, but Sunday comes
Sunday – Hallelujah – it’s not so far, it’s not so far away
Sunday – Hallelujah – it’s not so far, it’s not so far away
Broken promises, weary hearts
But one promise remains:
Crucified, he will come again
It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming
It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming
Sunday…
Indeed, it feels like Friday right now, but I believe Sunday is coming!
20 January 2009
18 November 2008
I'm Baaack...
Bet you thought I was dead. Or at least, had fallen of the face of the earth. I'm not, and I didn't. I just really haven't felt like writing in a long time. About anything. The last time I wrote anything with any value whatsoever was back toward the beginning of September. That only got written because someone was depending on me to get it done & I had a deadline.
Truth - I still don't much feel like writing, but I'm going to force myself back into it. So, stay tuned for updates once a week or so. Probably Mondays. But not necessarily. I wouldn't want to be too predictable :)
Truth - I still don't much feel like writing, but I'm going to force myself back into it. So, stay tuned for updates once a week or so. Probably Mondays. But not necessarily. I wouldn't want to be too predictable :)
17 August 2008
Stay tuned...
If you are still faithfully checking here for updates, I'm impressed! My unofficial, unanticipated, unannounced blog break will come to an end on September 1st when I "relaunch" this blog and launch another (http://theraconteur.blogspot.com) which will focus on ministry & prayer updates. Also coming soon...a website with even more fun information (and pictures!).
31 May 2008
Church picnic...finally!
I almost can't believe it, but I can finally say that I've been to Libertatii's annual church picnic!
Traditionally, May 1st is "picnic day" here in Romania. It is actually the international version of labor day and was a major holiday under communism, celebrating the army of workers with parades, demonstrations, speeches, etc. Since the fall of communism, it continues to be a big holiday, but the government now plays a very small role (other than making sure most people have the day off!). Even before that, Romanians celebrated May 1st as the coming of spring. Now, everybody celebrates by getting out of the city to wherever they can find "green grass" (the way they describe it) and having a picnic. The church traditionally has their picnic on the Saturday after May 1st.
My first year here, I was out of town, having my first face-to-face meeting with our publishers. Every year since, we have had gorgeous weather on May 1st, but it has rained on the Saturday after. Because of the busy wedding season & other events, the picnic was always cancelled rather than simply postponed a few weeks. This year, true to form, it rained on the Saturday after May 1st & the picnic was cancelled. However, this year, we were finally able to reschedule the picnic for 2 weeks later (May 17), and I finally got to go. I even got the sunburn to prove it!
It was a gorgeous day, not too hot & not too cold. A few minutes of rain mid-afternoon, and then back to the sunshine we had been enjoying. We also enjoyed hot dogs and mici (pronounced "meech") - a Romanian barbecue staple. And green grass. And quiet. And no traffic (well, except our train of cars & the occasional horse-drawn cart that went past). Fantastic!
Traditionally, May 1st is "picnic day" here in Romania. It is actually the international version of labor day and was a major holiday under communism, celebrating the army of workers with parades, demonstrations, speeches, etc. Since the fall of communism, it continues to be a big holiday, but the government now plays a very small role (other than making sure most people have the day off!). Even before that, Romanians celebrated May 1st as the coming of spring. Now, everybody celebrates by getting out of the city to wherever they can find "green grass" (the way they describe it) and having a picnic. The church traditionally has their picnic on the Saturday after May 1st.
My first year here, I was out of town, having my first face-to-face meeting with our publishers. Every year since, we have had gorgeous weather on May 1st, but it has rained on the Saturday after. Because of the busy wedding season & other events, the picnic was always cancelled rather than simply postponed a few weeks. This year, true to form, it rained on the Saturday after May 1st & the picnic was cancelled. However, this year, we were finally able to reschedule the picnic for 2 weeks later (May 17), and I finally got to go. I even got the sunburn to prove it!
It was a gorgeous day, not too hot & not too cold. A few minutes of rain mid-afternoon, and then back to the sunshine we had been enjoying. We also enjoyed hot dogs and mici (pronounced "meech") - a Romanian barbecue staple. And green grass. And quiet. And no traffic (well, except our train of cars & the occasional horse-drawn cart that went past). Fantastic!
21 May 2008
Progress
Remember this? The train station in the shipping container?
They finally finished the REAL train station, and it's really nice...
...apart from the fact that there is still nowhere to sit and wait for the train. Some things take a little while longer than others, I guess.
14 March 2008
Worlds Apart
For an hour or so this evening, I forgot that I live here:
Because I was here:
(Here is one of the two new malls in Cluj, a two-hour drive from Targu Mures.)
I was an "Americanca" through and through tonight! I walked to the mall without a coat (oh no, you might die of a chill!). I wore jeans and tennis shoes, and I ate at Pizza Hut.
And I had a tall hot chocolate from Starbuck's for dessert. Just because I could. This Starbucks just opened on Monday, and it's the first one in the country outside of Bucharest.
I never went to Starbucks in the States. Never. Not a single time. And I never went to Pizza Hut by myself; it was strictly a group activity. So, why do I feel the need to go here? Because it's a taste of home. It's a little world unto itself, a little bit of sanity, civility, predictability, a little piece of America.
Because I was here:
(Here is one of the two new malls in Cluj, a two-hour drive from Targu Mures.)
I was an "Americanca" through and through tonight! I walked to the mall without a coat (oh no, you might die of a chill!). I wore jeans and tennis shoes, and I ate at Pizza Hut.
And I had a tall hot chocolate from Starbuck's for dessert. Just because I could. This Starbucks just opened on Monday, and it's the first one in the country outside of Bucharest.
I never went to Starbucks in the States. Never. Not a single time. And I never went to Pizza Hut by myself; it was strictly a group activity. So, why do I feel the need to go here? Because it's a taste of home. It's a little world unto itself, a little bit of sanity, civility, predictability, a little piece of America.
10 March 2008
Preaching to myself, yet again
Yesterday was another one of those days when I had to wonder if the lesson I taught in Sunday School was more for the kids (teens) or for me.
We're using the Firm Foundations curriculum from New Tribes Mission to study chronologically through the Bible. It's taken us 6 months, but we've finally made it to Joseph's story. Last week's lesson left off with Joseph on his way to Egypt, sold as a slave by his own brothers.
One thing that I love about this curriculum: when taught correctly, it doesn't get bogged down in all of the details of some of the Bible stories, but concentrates on the big over-arching themes of Scripture. Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all discounting the details of the Scriptural accounts...but many of our kids (and adults) have heard those details over and over again and can spit them back out upon command. What they can't always do is identify the "so what?", the take away value of those stories.
So, we skipped all of the details of Joseph's troubles, Pharaoh's visions, and even the incredible reunion scenes between Joseph and his brothers. We concentrated on the big picture: the fact that, no matter whether Joseph was at a high point or a low point in his life, every single moments was within the knowledge and control of the sovereign God. It's easy to look back on Joseph's life and understand how God used the hard things - being hated by his brothers, sold as a slave, injustly accused, thrown in prison, forgotten by those he had helped - to accomplish His plan of fulfilling His promises and delivering His people from famine. It's easy for us to say that the end result was worth all of the pain and suffering, because we can see the end result.
I'm guessing it wasn't always so easy for Joseph. I could be wrong, but I think he probably had days when he questioned, even doubted. Maybe he wondered if God had forgotten him just as Pharaoh's servants had forgotten him as soon as they were released from prison. We don't really know what Joseph was thinking most of the time, but we DO know what he did: he continued to be faithful, to be a hard worker, to inspire confidence in the people around him. He continued to live in light of what he knew to be true - that the sovereign God was still in control - rather than living in light of his circumstances, which often seemed to spiral out of control. He trusted in the midst of the storm, when the outcome was still unknown. I don't know about you, but I'm challenged/convicted by his example.
There is one time when we do know exactly what Joseph was thinking, and it's another powerful lesson for me. After God used Joseph to save Egypt (and Israel!) from famine, Joseph's father died, and his brothers got a little nervous. What if Joseph had only been kind to them out of respect and deference for their father? What if it was all just an act? Now their father was gone, and there was no longer any reason for Joseph to pretend. Once Joseph understood their concern, he immediately set out to allay their concerns.
"Yeah, you intended to do something horrible to me, no question about it. Lucky for you, God is bigger and more powerful than you are, and He took your evil intentions and turned them into something bigger and better than any of us could have ever imagined!" (that's the Becky paraphrase of Genesis 50:20). Another statement of Joseph's bold faith in the sovereign God. He didn't let them off the hook by ignoring what they had done, but he extended God's gracious forgiveness to them. A strong faith in the sovereignty of God is a powerful motivator for forgiveness! Because it doesn't matter what someone does to me, even if it is painful, even if it is blatantly intended to be painful, the all-powerful God can take those evil intentions and change them into something good, something useful, something that brings honor to His name. That's a kind of forgiveness that I need to learn to extend more often!
** Relax, I wasn't really preaching. Just teaching. It's ok. Really. I promise :) Teaching in Romanian is hard enough. I'll leave the preaching to others with much better language skills than mine (and a Y chromosome).
We're using the Firm Foundations curriculum from New Tribes Mission to study chronologically through the Bible. It's taken us 6 months, but we've finally made it to Joseph's story. Last week's lesson left off with Joseph on his way to Egypt, sold as a slave by his own brothers.
One thing that I love about this curriculum: when taught correctly, it doesn't get bogged down in all of the details of some of the Bible stories, but concentrates on the big over-arching themes of Scripture. Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all discounting the details of the Scriptural accounts...but many of our kids (and adults) have heard those details over and over again and can spit them back out upon command. What they can't always do is identify the "so what?", the take away value of those stories.
So, we skipped all of the details of Joseph's troubles, Pharaoh's visions, and even the incredible reunion scenes between Joseph and his brothers. We concentrated on the big picture: the fact that, no matter whether Joseph was at a high point or a low point in his life, every single moments was within the knowledge and control of the sovereign God. It's easy to look back on Joseph's life and understand how God used the hard things - being hated by his brothers, sold as a slave, injustly accused, thrown in prison, forgotten by those he had helped - to accomplish His plan of fulfilling His promises and delivering His people from famine. It's easy for us to say that the end result was worth all of the pain and suffering, because we can see the end result.
I'm guessing it wasn't always so easy for Joseph. I could be wrong, but I think he probably had days when he questioned, even doubted. Maybe he wondered if God had forgotten him just as Pharaoh's servants had forgotten him as soon as they were released from prison. We don't really know what Joseph was thinking most of the time, but we DO know what he did: he continued to be faithful, to be a hard worker, to inspire confidence in the people around him. He continued to live in light of what he knew to be true - that the sovereign God was still in control - rather than living in light of his circumstances, which often seemed to spiral out of control. He trusted in the midst of the storm, when the outcome was still unknown. I don't know about you, but I'm challenged/convicted by his example.
There is one time when we do know exactly what Joseph was thinking, and it's another powerful lesson for me. After God used Joseph to save Egypt (and Israel!) from famine, Joseph's father died, and his brothers got a little nervous. What if Joseph had only been kind to them out of respect and deference for their father? What if it was all just an act? Now their father was gone, and there was no longer any reason for Joseph to pretend. Once Joseph understood their concern, he immediately set out to allay their concerns.
"Yeah, you intended to do something horrible to me, no question about it. Lucky for you, God is bigger and more powerful than you are, and He took your evil intentions and turned them into something bigger and better than any of us could have ever imagined!" (that's the Becky paraphrase of Genesis 50:20). Another statement of Joseph's bold faith in the sovereign God. He didn't let them off the hook by ignoring what they had done, but he extended God's gracious forgiveness to them. A strong faith in the sovereignty of God is a powerful motivator for forgiveness! Because it doesn't matter what someone does to me, even if it is painful, even if it is blatantly intended to be painful, the all-powerful God can take those evil intentions and change them into something good, something useful, something that brings honor to His name. That's a kind of forgiveness that I need to learn to extend more often!
** Relax, I wasn't really preaching. Just teaching. It's ok. Really. I promise :) Teaching in Romanian is hard enough. I'll leave the preaching to others with much better language skills than mine (and a Y chromosome).
18 February 2008
The truth
The truth is, I just don't have time to write here at this point in my life. Life is crazy right now, but most of it is "good crazy". I'm really enjoying teaching, and I love the structure that it gives to my schedule. On the other hand, spending 3 hours in the middle of every afternoon at the school means that I need to manage every other minute pretty carefully.
Take today for example: I was at the office supply store when they opened this morning, bought the things I needed, went directly to the office where I spent 4 hours making photocopies. Then I came home, ate a quick lunch, and threw an apple cobbler in the oven while preparing for class this afternoon. The other teachers ate the apple cobbler while I stapled tests, also for class this afternoon. The first hour was supposed to be review, but, really, who wants to come to class to review more before taking a test? I could tell my students weren't really into it, and in their place, I wouldn't have been either. Just give me the stupid test and let me get it over with! While they took their tests, I graded another set of tests from youth group this weekend.
(That's right...we gave our youth group a test. Disguised as a contest, of course. It was interesting to see who learned what. No big surprises, but interesting nonetheless.)
Back to my day...after class, I came home, started dinner, and wrote some e-mails. Half an hour later, around 7:30, I discovered that the oven had gone out for some reason, so I restarted it. An hour later, dinner was finally ready. Some day I'm going to eat dinner at a normal hour again. Maybe. Now it's 10, and I'm contemplating which project to tackle next. Or whether to ride my stationary bike for a while (my leg muscles are screaming "NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!).
While I consider the options, here are a few images from the last couple of weeks to keep you entertained.
First, a series of my favorites. Early last Saturday morning, I was headed to the store to pick up a case of copy paper. On the way, I was met with an unexpected obstacle. May I remind you, I live in the city. Not in a village. Not out in the country. No, in the city. And yet, as I was driving down the road, suddenly this was walking out into the road in front of me:
So, what does one do while waiting for a herd of sheep to cross the road in front of her? Take pictures, of course. I was a little slow on the draw (the camera was buried in my bottomless-pit-of-a-purse), so you don't get the full effect of seeing the donkey leading the sheep across the street; that's him in the left of the frame. Trust me, it was quite entertaining.
Typically, the shepherd follows behind the sheep rather than leading them. Is it like this in the rest of the world, I wonder? What does that do to songs like "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us"?
On a totally different note, last week I made one of my favorite winter meals, hamburger soup, a recipe I borrowed from Sara Hile in South Africa & then modified. I spiced it up a bit by turning the ground beef into taco meat & then got rid of the green beans (which are much better by themselves than in soup).
This is pretty much the only meal I make in the crock-pot, so it's the only meal that cooks while I'm not here. Gas pressure is way too unpredictable to leave the oven on when I'm not home. I can't even describe how wonderful it felt to arrive home and smell something delicious before I even opened the front door. Hot and fresh! Good stuff. I think I might need to hire a cook to occasionally have a hot dinner waiting for me when I come home in the evening (just kidding, in case you were wondering...).
And, finally, a random shot of a random child taken while in the mountains with the choir last weekend. Hopefully, another post will follow before too long (as in, during the next few days) with more details about that adventure!
Okay, off to do some more work in PhotoShop before doing my time on the bike for the night. Happy Presidents' Day!
Take today for example: I was at the office supply store when they opened this morning, bought the things I needed, went directly to the office where I spent 4 hours making photocopies. Then I came home, ate a quick lunch, and threw an apple cobbler in the oven while preparing for class this afternoon. The other teachers ate the apple cobbler while I stapled tests, also for class this afternoon. The first hour was supposed to be review, but, really, who wants to come to class to review more before taking a test? I could tell my students weren't really into it, and in their place, I wouldn't have been either. Just give me the stupid test and let me get it over with! While they took their tests, I graded another set of tests from youth group this weekend.
(That's right...we gave our youth group a test. Disguised as a contest, of course. It was interesting to see who learned what. No big surprises, but interesting nonetheless.)
Back to my day...after class, I came home, started dinner, and wrote some e-mails. Half an hour later, around 7:30, I discovered that the oven had gone out for some reason, so I restarted it. An hour later, dinner was finally ready. Some day I'm going to eat dinner at a normal hour again. Maybe. Now it's 10, and I'm contemplating which project to tackle next. Or whether to ride my stationary bike for a while (my leg muscles are screaming "NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!).
While I consider the options, here are a few images from the last couple of weeks to keep you entertained.
First, a series of my favorites. Early last Saturday morning, I was headed to the store to pick up a case of copy paper. On the way, I was met with an unexpected obstacle. May I remind you, I live in the city. Not in a village. Not out in the country. No, in the city. And yet, as I was driving down the road, suddenly this was walking out into the road in front of me:
So, what does one do while waiting for a herd of sheep to cross the road in front of her? Take pictures, of course. I was a little slow on the draw (the camera was buried in my bottomless-pit-of-a-purse), so you don't get the full effect of seeing the donkey leading the sheep across the street; that's him in the left of the frame. Trust me, it was quite entertaining.
Typically, the shepherd follows behind the sheep rather than leading them. Is it like this in the rest of the world, I wonder? What does that do to songs like "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us"?
On a totally different note, last week I made one of my favorite winter meals, hamburger soup, a recipe I borrowed from Sara Hile in South Africa & then modified. I spiced it up a bit by turning the ground beef into taco meat & then got rid of the green beans (which are much better by themselves than in soup).
This is pretty much the only meal I make in the crock-pot, so it's the only meal that cooks while I'm not here. Gas pressure is way too unpredictable to leave the oven on when I'm not home. I can't even describe how wonderful it felt to arrive home and smell something delicious before I even opened the front door. Hot and fresh! Good stuff. I think I might need to hire a cook to occasionally have a hot dinner waiting for me when I come home in the evening (just kidding, in case you were wondering...).
And, finally, a random shot of a random child taken while in the mountains with the choir last weekend. Hopefully, another post will follow before too long (as in, during the next few days) with more details about that adventure!
Okay, off to do some more work in PhotoShop before doing my time on the bike for the night. Happy Presidents' Day!
03 February 2008
La Multi Ani!
Happy 26th birthday to my "little" sister Sarah! (Someday I'm gonna start getting in trouble for telling everyone how old she is...but I think this year's still safe.)
Sarah, the choir enjoyed your birthday cupcakes tonight. I think. I really don't know for sure, because as soon as our break started, I went downstairs to grab drinks & snacks from the kitchen. When I got back, they were all gone. As in "not a crumb left in sight." Glad I left one at home. It was yummy! Sorry you didn't get one... I think that's the first time I've used a boxed cake mix & store-bought frosting together in over 2 years. Did I mention it was yummy?
So, since she lives in New Orleans and this is Mardi Gras weekend, she figures it's basically a city-wide celebration of her birthday. Oh, and that football thing everyone else is talking about tonight? That's the national version of her birthday party. Forget SuperBowl...think SuperParty!
Happy birthday, Sarah! I love you. Next year I'll make you a birthday cake you can eat ;)
And, for those of you who don't know her, Sarah's the sister on the right. The one in the middle is my older sister, Ruth; I won't tell you how old she is, since I'm probably already in enough trouble just for posting this picture...
Sarah, the choir enjoyed your birthday cupcakes tonight. I think. I really don't know for sure, because as soon as our break started, I went downstairs to grab drinks & snacks from the kitchen. When I got back, they were all gone. As in "not a crumb left in sight." Glad I left one at home. It was yummy! Sorry you didn't get one... I think that's the first time I've used a boxed cake mix & store-bought frosting together in over 2 years. Did I mention it was yummy?
So, since she lives in New Orleans and this is Mardi Gras weekend, she figures it's basically a city-wide celebration of her birthday. Oh, and that football thing everyone else is talking about tonight? That's the national version of her birthday party. Forget SuperBowl...think SuperParty!
Happy birthday, Sarah! I love you. Next year I'll make you a birthday cake you can eat ;)
And, for those of you who don't know her, Sarah's the sister on the right. The one in the middle is my older sister, Ruth; I won't tell you how old she is, since I'm probably already in enough trouble just for posting this picture...
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