Singing Vegetable Pirates...

Well, I've never been to Greenland
(But I have flown over it on my way to Europe a few times...it's BIG and not all that green.)
and I've never been to Denver
(Actually, I have been to Denver. I lived there from 1964-1971.)
and I've never buried treasure in St. Louie or St. Paul.
(No, not in St. Louis, but maybe St. Paul, since I probably did bury something there while in college at Bethel.)
And I've never been to Moscow
(Oh, but I want to go there some day. I won't likely be going to Starbuck's when I'm there -- I hear the Mocha Latte is $9.)
and I've never been to Tampa
(Again...been there. Going there Saturday for a Cross Country meet, in fact. I wonder if we'll see the ocean. I've not seen the ocean for months.)
and I've never been to Boston in the fall!
(I was there this past summer and I did not fall while there, so I think this remains true.)

'Cuz we're the pirates who don't do anything!
We just stay at home and lie around.
And if you ask us to do anything,
we'll just tell you... we don't do anything!

And I never hoist the mainstay
(I'm not sure what a mainstay is, actually.)
and I never swab the poop deck
(Oh, I think I've done enough babysitting that can say I've swabbing the poop deck...)
and I never veer to starboard 'cuz I never sail at all.
(That's true.)
And I've never walked the gangplank
(But...figuratively. I have walked it figuratively.)
and I've never owned a parrot
(I caught a kind of parrot in my backyard a couple days after one of the hurricanes a few years ago. Eventually found the owners. Does that count? And are you counting all the "qualifier" words in that sentence...good grief!)
and I've never been to Boston in the fall!
(Yeah, I think I already talked about this.)

'Cuz we're the pirates who don't do anything!
We just stay at home and lie around.
And if you ask us to do anything,
we'll just tell you... we don't do anything!

Well, I've never plucked a rooster
(True again.)
and I'm not too good at ping-pong
(I've never been too good at ping-ping unless I was playing against an 8 year old who enjoys the fact that I want us to "hit is as many times as we can" more than I want to win.)
and I've never thrown my mashed postatoes up against a wall!
(Can a person plead the 5th in a blog?)
And I've never kissed a chipmunk
(I kissed a pig when I was teaching as a homecoming stunt. I'd do it again.)
and I've never gotten head lice
(But I have treated head lice a few time. There are worse things in life.)
and I've never been to Boston in the fall!
(This is getting redundant.)

Dangerous Women Creed

Dear God, please make us dangerous women.

May we be women who acknowledge our power to change, and grow,

and be radically alive for God.

May we be healers of wounds and righters of wrongs.

May we weep with those who weep and speak for those who cannot

speak for themselves.

May we cherish children, embrace the elderly, and empower the poor.

May we pray deeply and teach wisely.

May we be strong and gentle leaders.

May we sing songs of joy and talk down fear.

May we never hesitate to let passion push us, conviction compel us,

and righteous anger energize us.

May we strike fear into all that is unjust and evil in the world.

May we dismantle abusive systems and silence lies with truth.

May we shine like stars in a darkened generation.

May we overflow with goodness in the name of God and by the power of Jesus.

And in that name and by that power, may we change the world.

Dear God, please make us dangerous women.

Amen.

Lynne Hybels penned these words and offers them in her book titled Nice Girls Don't Change the World. I offer them for your consideration... inspiration... to challenge myself.

September 07 E.Postcard Update

As has been true with my other postcards, if you want to see this image full sized, click on it and it will open in your browser.

Introducing: Tara Lynn Thompson

Click on the title of this blog and you'll be transported to Tara's blog.

I can't tell you much about her. I was looking for an old friend this morning -- Googled her and found a blog she'd started in 2005 and ended in 2005. I've had those too.

I followed a link on her blog to another.

And followed a link on that blog to another (maybe thinking some how I'd run into my friend?).

So, I went looking for Tomi Nicole and ran into God in a blog by someone I've never met. I love it when God does stuff like that!

Negative Spits or Banana Splits

These are my friends, Mark and Charlene. They're on a journey to a whole new thing that is perfect for them. They're letting me help them put together some "media" that will help them tell the story of their journey as they invite people to be a part of it. Above is the Title Slide for the Power Point I designed this weekend.

They suggested the theme -- inspired by Mark who has been developing into a "real runner." He's done marathons. He's even done some sprint triathlons.

I'm learning about running as I develop stuff like this for them. Like, I learned about "negative splits." When a runner runs a better second half of a race than the first half of the race...that's a negative split. I guess it's counter-intuitive, but also really effective for those who can pace it properly.

Personally (and I know you'll not have any trouble believing this at all), I prefer banana splits.

Parable of the Wheat and Weeds

MATTHEW 13

24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.

“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

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As I read from Matthew this morning, I was struck by this parable of Jesus. Here is the question I am chewing on (yes, kind of like a cow chews her cud): How much time and energy do we waste trying to pull weeds out of the fields in which we are growing as Kingdom wheat?

Motivated externally by the desire to produce a perfect harvest for Christ -- and internally by the desire to not be associated with the weed by those looking on from the outside -- we yank and tug and tear. Doesn't this passage tell us to not waste our time and that God will do the sorting later?

We should just grow and quit trying to kill off the weeds around us.

Can Long-Standing Racial Trends in Missions & Bible Translation Be Broken?

This press release hit the wire yesterday. One of my responsibilities is working with the DeMoss Group as Wycliffe presents various slivers of the Bible Translation story to the public through the media. I'm quite excited about this story -- about this relationship between Wycliffe and Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, so I decided to share it with whoever might be reading my blog this week.

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Wycliffe Bible Translators & Dallas-Based Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Partner to Develop Missions & Bible Translation Opportunities for African-American Churches

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 14, 2007 - Orlando-based Wycliffe Bible Translators and Dallas-based Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship (OCBF) have partnered to launch a nationwide effort to alert African-American churches to the needs and opportunities around overseas missions and Bible translation.

The partnership between Wycliffe and OCBF - founded and led by pastor, author and radio host Dr. Tony Evans - is the first of its kind and will challenge long-standing attitudes within African-American Churches regarding Bible translation and overseas missions.

"For generations, African-American Christians didn’t have the luxury of investing resources to serve people groups outside of our own communities," said Dr. Evans. "We had urgent equal rights issues right here at home. The minimal involvement of African-American churches in international evangelism and Bible translation efforts is a remnant of earlier civil rights injustices. Through this partnership with Wycliffe, we aim to change that."

The partnership leverages Wycliffe's 65 years of expertise in missions and Bible translation with OCBF’s ability to mobilize thousands of African-American Christians in a culturally relevant way.

Wycliffe is an international association of ministries dedicated to making God's Word accessible to all people in all languages. Although racially diverse, OCBF is one of the nation’s most influential, predominantly African-American churches with a congregation of some 8,500.

For Wycliffe Bible Translators, this is an opportunity to develop a new and creative model of partnering with the church that has the potential to impact lives for Christ. "Wycliffe is passionate about Bible translation and mission work," said Bob Creson, President of Wycliffe Bible Translators. "The African-American church has been passionately committed to - and successful in - breaking down social barriers and opening doors of opportunity in this country. We believe this is a God-given opportunity to combine our efforts to change the world for Christ."

WHAT: Wycliffe and OCBF will formally acknowledge the partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding

WHEN: Sunday, Sept.16 at 7:30 a.m.

WHERE: Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship at 1808 W. Camp Wisdom Rd, Dallas 75232

WHO: Wycliffe President, Bob Creson and Dr. Tony Evans

ABOUT WYCLIFFE BIBLE TRANSLATORS: There are more than 6,900 language groups in the world today. Of these, more than 2,200 languages are still without a Bible translation program started. Founded in 1942, Wycliffe is one of more than 70 organizations around the world that are assisting the Church in making disciples of all nations through Bible translation. The combination of tried and true language development techniques and technological advances are significantly accelerating the pace of Bible translation and impacting global evangelism and ministry efforts of every kind. Wycliffe and its partner organizations are working to start a Bible translation program in every language that needs one by the year 2025.

ABOUT OAK CLIFF BIBLE FELLOWSHIP: OCBF was founded by Senior Pastor Dr. Tony Evans and his wife, Lois, 1976 with ten people in their home. Today it is 8,500-member church that includes a state-of-the art Christian private school educating some 600 students, a social outreach program serving 6,000 people annually. OCBF serves nationwide via two major conferences and TV (broadcast in more than 100 countries) and radio broadcasts, including The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans (broadcast on 600 U.S.-based radio stations and in more than 40 nations worldwide).

Madeline L'Engle's Bibliography

1. 18 Washington Square South: A Comedy in One Act, 1944
2. The Small Rain, 1945 (This is one of my favorite books.)
   
3. Ilsa, 1946
4. And Both Were Young, 1949
5. Camilla Dickinson, 1951
6. A Winter's Love, 1957
7. Meet the Austins, 1960
8. A Wrinkle in Time, 1962 (I know it makes some crazy that L'Engle wrote science fiction with Christian twists and turns -- it's not "modern" in it's clear, linear apologetic, that's for sure.)
   
9. The Moon By Night, 1963
10. The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas, 1964
11. The Arm of the Starfish, 1965
12. Camilla, 1965
13. The Love Letters, 1966 (I found this one accidentally and have enjoyed it more than once. The first time was over Spring Break in Johnson City, Tennessee. I also was introduced to southern sweet tea that week. Hmmmmmm. It was good.)
    
14. A Journey With Jonah (a play), 1967
15. The Young Unicorns, 1968
16. Dance in the Desert, 1969
17. Lines Scribbled on an Envelope and Other Poems, 1969
18. The Other Side of the Sun, 1971
19. A Circle of Quiet, 1972
20. A Wind in the Door, 1973 (I read this one first -- before the first one in the then trilogy.)
    
21. Everyday Prayers, 1974
22. Prayers for Sunday, 1974
23. The Risk of Birth, 1974
24. The Summer of the Great Grandmother, 1974
25. Dragons in the Waters, 1976
26. The Irrational Season, 1977
27. A Swiftly Tilting Planet, 1978
28. The Weather of the Heart, 1978 (I believe that this is the first thing of L'Engle's I ever read -- a collection of her poetry.)
    
29. Ladder of Angels, 1979
30. The Anti-Muffins, 1980
31. A Ring of Endless Light, 1980
32. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art, 1980 (I read this as a freshman at Bethel. As an art major it was life changing.)
    
    "Stories are able to help us to become more whole, to become Named. And Naming is one of the impulses behind all art; to give a name to the cosmos we see despite all the chaos… When we look at a painting or hear a symphony or read a book and feel more Named, then, for us, that work is a work of Christian art. But to look at a work of art and then to make a judgment as to whether or not it is art, and whether or not it is Christian, is presumptuous. It is not something we can know in any conclusive way. We can know only if it speaks within our own hearts and leads us to living more deeply with Christ in God." (from Walking on Water)
    
    
33. A Severed Wasp, 1982 (Oh, yes!)
    
34. The Sphinx at Dawn, 1982
35. And It Was Good: Reflections on Beginnings, 1983
36. A House Like a Lotus, 1984
37. Trailing Clouds of Glory: Spiritual Values in Children's Literature, 1985 (with Avery Brooke)
38. Many Waters, 1986
39. A Stone for a Pillow: Journeys with Jacob, 1986
40. A Cry Like a Bell, 1987
41. Two-Part Invention, 1988
42. An Acceptable Time, 1989
43. Sold Into Egypt: Joseph's Journey into Human Being, 1989
44. The Glorious Impossible, 1990
45. Certain Women, 1992 (One of my TOP FIVE by L'Engle...)
    
46. The Rock That is Higher, 1993
47. Anytime Prayers, 1994
48. Troubling a Star, 1994
49. Glimpses of Grace, 1996 (with Carole Chase)
50. A Live Coal in the Sea, 1996
51. Penguins and Golden Calves: Icons and Idols, 1996
52. Wintersong, 1996 (with Luci Shaw)
53. Bright Evening Star, 1997
54. Friends for the Journey, 1997 (with Luci Shaw)
55. Mothers and Daughters, 1997 (with Maria Rooney)
56. Miracle on 10^th Street, 1998
57. A Full House, 1999
58. Mothers and Sons, 1999 (with Maria Rooney)
59. Prayerbook for Spiritual Friends, 1999 (with Luci Shaw)
60. The Other Dog, 2001
61. Madeleine L'Engle Herself: Reflections on a Writing Life, 2001 (with Carole Chase)
62. The Ordering of Love: The New and Collected Poems of Madeleine L'Engle, 2005

The Name-Ox

God, by his grace, prepared the Murle people of East Africa to hear the Good News that would come to them in the form of His Word long before anyone began to translate the Scriptures into their mother tongue. He built a perfect illustration of himself into their culture.

A teenage Murle boy receives his title of manhood through a special ceremony in which he is given a secret name and a gift of an ox. Bonding takes place between the boy and his name-ox, and the ox goes wherever the boy travels.

The boy has a natural desire to be part of his age set group. If he commits a sin, the ultimate punishment is to be ostracized from his age-set. To restore his relationship with the age-set, he must kill his ox in a special ceremony. His beloved animal is sacrificed for the boy's sin.

The Murle understand that Jesus became the name-ox for mankind.