Friday, July 31, 2009

A Nephew's Wedding


O God of Light and Love,


Tonight we rejoice and give thanks to you for Nathan and Ingrid, for the laughter, art, and poetry of their lives. We rejoice because you loved each of us so much that you allowed us to know them as friends and family, and in that way have graced each of us beyond measure.

We thank you because of who Ingrid and Nathan are and who they are becoming. Thank you that they came into each others' lives at just the right time. And thank you for their open hearts and adventurous spirits.

Let their love for each other remind them of how much you love them and how much you want their life together to be filled with joy and purpose. Bless them in the commitments that they express here tonight, so that those commitments can last and so they can face any difficult together...and with overcoming love.

For I pray these things in the name of the One who embodies your love, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Hot Hiking!


Paul & I have wanted to hike together this summer, but other things kept interfering -- jobs, appointments, etc. Because of the heat, he worked an earlier shift (5 a.m.-1 p.m.) on Tuesday, and we agreed to go hiking that afternoon . . . on the hottest day of the year! Sometimes you've just gotta do what you've gotta do.

We thought we were pretty tough until marathoner Kara Goucher blew past us two times!

A Varied Weekend



After working on our yard Saturday morning, I headed to Eugene/Springfield. That afternoon I enjoyed seeing Grant Giraldi play a great game in the Little League State Tournament (11-12s). After supper I enjoyed a "sentimental journey" as I hiked the north side of the McKenzie River, viewed the new baseball stadium outside Autzen, and surveyed all the changes on campus.

Sunday morning I worshiped with Harvest Community Church and ran into Brian & Amanda Bird and their daughter. They were members of our church for a short time before doing two years of missionary work in Central Asia. Later that morning I was at Eastside Baptist in Springfield. Two elderly members remembered me from 30 years ago, and Wayne Strong, the church's music leader, proudly showed me their plans for a new facility. I had lunch with Corey Zanotti, the pastor, and his beautiful family. What a great weekend!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

My Mom


Leona Langston -- "Mom" -- is a very young 92! And today she told me, "I'm just so happy."

And that made me happy.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Bibliophiles, Unite!


While I was in Israel, Susie & Paul conspired on the nicest Father's Day gift I could imagine -- converting Paul's old bedroom into a home office for me. They found bargains on a great desk, lateral file, inn table, and matching artwork! The only inadequacy in the entire arrangement was the small amount of shelving for books. I accused Susie of doing that on purpose, but she won't admit to anything.

Of course, I think there is never enough room for books. Those who don't read a lot--and even some that do--have difficulty understanding this perspective. That's why I was pleased to run across an article by retired pastor Gordon MacDonald yesterday. Allow me to share part of what he wrote:

I dread the town fair because … well, perhaps you'll understand why if I tell you what my wife, Gail, said to me a few days ago: "Next week I want us to donate 500 books from our library to the used-book sale at the fair. So you might want to go through your books and pick out what you don't think you'll need anymore."

If you love your books as much as I do, you understand how impossible it is to imagine any book in your library that you'll not need anymore. Even lending a book to a friend is a personal crisis for me. It tests my Christian generosity. I want to encase a loaned book in something similar to what the banks use when they surrender money to a bank robber--something that explodes with indelible ink if the book is not returned in a week.

Gail raises this book-donation idea about this time every year, and she always increases the culling number. It started at 25 books a decade ago, and now has reached 500. I don't know if this number is thoughtfully calculated, or it simply comes off the top of her head. But it always increases. It never, like John the Baptist, decreases.

I usually protest, but Gail is experienced in the discipline of downsizing. All she has to say is, "Okay, I'll do it." The thought of Gail choosing which of my books are going one-way to the fair is really not thinkable.

Some of you will understand when I say that each of my books is precious to me. When I am among them, I feel as if I'm wrapped in a warm blanket. Like a protective shepherd, I know my sheep (or books) by name. I know where almost every book is located on the shelves. The logic of their placement may defy you. But I know my books!

Gail used to tell our children when they were small, "Books are our friends." I remind her of this when she sets the annual downsizing quota. I say, "Have you become so calloused that you're ready to throw our 'friends' away?"

My question never dissuades her.

The minute I donate even one of my books to the town fair, I find that, within two weeks, I need something from it: a quote, for example, or a story. I may have not cracked that particular book once in ten years. But be assured that I will need that book within two weeks of its sacrifice.

Once or twice I've parted company with a book and then had to re-purchase another copy of that book online a few months later. Once I saw a former book of mine on the used-book table and felt so badly that I bought it back. But I never told Gail that I did this.

(The entire article can be found at http://www.christianitytoday.co/le/currenttrendscolumns/leadershipweekly/ditchingfriendsathefair.html.)

Believe it or not, everything that MacDonald said here made perfect sense to me. However, I made a decision a long time ago that my books--like the rest of my possessions--belong to God, so if you ever want to borrow one or more, don't hesitate. The only thing I ask is that you "check it out" by writing down the name and author of the book, your name, and the date you borrow it. And, if you forget to return it, you will know that you stole it from God!

Incidentally, "bibliophiles" are "lovers of books." About the only people who know that are bibliophiles!


Monday, July 13, 2009

Friends and More Friends!



One of the most enjoyable aspects of our trip to the Southeast was visiting with friends. In Myrtle Beach, SC, we had dinner with Tish's best "long-distance" friend, Jordan, and her husband, Russell. Up the coast in Swansboro, NC, we reconnected with the Roodhouse clan (Jereme, Laura, Liam, Ellie, Keegan, and Ziva). We especially enjoyed celebrating "Belle's" ninth birthday and meeting Ziva Tish for the very first time!
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Sunday, July 5, 2009

Location, Location, Location!



Before I left for Israel, a couple of people told me that they wanted me to determine exactly where Jesus was crucified. Personally, I don't think it matters where he died, only that he died, and that he died for our sins. Nevertheless I promised to pay attention to the pros and cons concerning the various alternatives.

Some real estate agents say that the top three things that determine the value of a property are "location, location, location." This also applies to Golgotha.

My first picture shows one of the sites. We know from Mark 15:22 that Jesus was brought "to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull), and can't you see the resemblance to a skull? I was told that the resemblance was even greater until an earthquake a few years ago damaged part of the ediface. Since the site is a stone's throw from the "Garden Tomb"--or "Gordon's Tomb", as it sometimes is called--it is understandable that many evangelicals have been persuaded that this is the location of Golgotha.

However, my second picture looks even more like a skull. However, I
know it isn't Golgotha since it's part of the Captain Hook Adventure Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

And I have the same problem agreeing that the Garden Tomb is where Jesus was buried and that the nearby site was the location of Golgotha. In the first place, at the time of Jesus, there was no city gate near these sites. Second, the Garden Tomb is characteristic of tombs at least a century later than Jesus.

I don't think we can know for certain where Jesus was crucified and buried. The most likely sites are located in the Church of Holy Sepulcher, and this bothers many evangelicals because it is an Orthodox Church and is alien to our experience and sentiments. However, knowing the location isn't the main thing.
"I need no other evidence; I need no other creed. It is enough that Jesus died, and that He died for me."