Forgiveness Video

A few people asked me where they could view the "Forgiveness" video I showed Sunday as part of my message. Here it is. . .

Hawaii Favorite

Someone asked me what I most enjoyed about our trip to Hawaii this summer. There were so many things -- lollygagging beside the pool, the Wakiki sunsets, the Baptist World Congress, Pearl Harbor, spending time with friends,
hiking to the top of Diamondhead -- this was a tough question!

However, as I mentally reviewed our fantastic trip, one thing emerged as my favorite: our lunch at Bubba Gump's with Lyn, Glenn, Lucas, and Asher Arakawa.

Lyn was an active member of our church as a college student. After she finished her degree, she attended Golden Gate Seminary and assisted Kelly Nelson in our college ministry. She moved to Mill Valley, CA to work on her intercultural studies degree in preparation for service as a missionary. That's where she met Glenn, and it wasn't that long before 20 members of our church headed to Mill Valley for their wedding!

After graduation, they were appointed as missionaries to east Asia and served for a term alongside Otey & Cheryl Enoch. However, it had been years since Susie and I had talked with them, and we had not met either of their sons. Glenn is from Hawaii, so they decided to spend their stateside assignment (furlough) in Honolulu. They had only been there a couple of weeks, and Glenn had been sick almost up to the time we got together. Since all four of them had "cabin fever," they were delighted to see us!

We had a wonderful time catching up on each others' lives. One of their challenges has been raising Asher in a foreign country. He is four years old now and "developmentally delayed." They have not had a lot of the specialized support they might have gotten in the U.S. Since our time with them, Asher has been diagnosed as autistic, and the school system's special ed people are preparing a plan to work with him and their whole family.

However, they don't know what this means for the long-term. Will they be able to return to their ministry in Asia? Or will Asher's special needs require that they resign as missionaries?

Here is what Glenn wrote me recently: "It's fine to put our pictures on your blog. We would appreciate as much prayer for our situation as possible. It has been quite an emotional roller coaster ride for us. We try as much as possible to keep our eyes on Father. It is a bit scary to wonder what will be next for our family but at the same time exciting to see what God brings about through this situation. Please pray that we will draw closer and closer to Him."

Seeing Glenn, Lyn, Lucas, and Asher is my favorite memory from Hawaii! Will you join me in praying for them?

Robert Duvall

Robert Duvall received the Best Actor Academy Award in 1983 for his work in one of my favorite films, "Tender Mercies." His co-star, Tess Harper, said Duvall inhabited the character so fully that she only got to know Mac Sledge, the man he played, and not Duvall himself.

And that's what I love about Duvall. He brings to life characters who are deeply flawed and marvelously interesting. Like Sonny Dewey in "The Apostle" (another favorite film), Bull Meechum in "The Great Santini," or Boss Spearman in "Open Range." And that doesn't even count his better known work in "Mash" and the first two Godfather films.

If you like Duvall, you will want to see his newest film, "Get Low." He portrays another eccentric personality, Felix Bush, a 1930s Tennessee hermit who throws his own "funeral party." Given that plotline and the fact that Bill Murray plays the funeral home director, you might expect this to be a comedy. But, although there is a lot of humor, the film deals with serious themes such as regret, loss, confession, and forgiveness.

Currently, "Get Low" is showing at four theaters in the Portland/Vancouver area, including the Bridgeport Regal. If you go, let me know how you like it.

A Church Or A Church Building?

The words we use do make a difference.

People often ask me where our "church" is located. I know they're asking me about where we meet for worship, but sometimes I respond, "Our church is all over the westside of Portland, and we have some on the eastside as well." They then ask what I mean. "Well," I say, "our church is a group of people who are trying to be the Body of Christ. Our church is people, not a building or a location." From there, the conversation can go in a lot of different directions.

The members of the church in this Soriano village received us warmly. This picture was taken as we were getting acquainted with them. The tarps covered their "worship center" as well as their parsonage. Despite their poverty--their village didn't even have electricity--this congregation was generous. They served us drinks and later asked us to stay for lunch. And they are mission-minded. Twice a week they travel several miles to hold a Bible study in another village .

Church is not about a building. Church is about sharing Jesus with others. It's about being the Body of Christ.