This is Joel's Old Blog

Educate yourself on the Buddhist World

Buddha taught that 1.)life is suffering, unsatisfactoriness, illusion and 2.) the cause of that suffering is man's cravings for wrong things, even life itself  3.) Suffering can only be escaped through man's insight and effort  4. through the Noble eight fold path   --  Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism can point to an individual founder and look back to a date for its beginning - Siddhartha Gautama, a Hindu born about 560 BC at Lumbini near the Indian border in what is now Nepal. However, those in Bihar state in India say he was born in Bihar, India.    Want to know more and read more.  Click here for the Buddhist Monitor - Read about:  a partnership focused on the Buddhist world  New events: Snow Mountain Radio, Thai churches, more
New Persecution: India, Vietnam, India riots: Trends: Dalits, Bhutan constitution, China churches

Zayd turns 3!

Had a few of Zayd's friends over today to celebrate Zayd turning 3 --   

organism vs organization?

you have heard it said before, "The church and/or christian organizations are an organism not an organization!"  It is living, active, moving, etc. oppose to stagnant and caught in the slowness of 'meetings' -  I have been thinking that the reality is both oppose to an either/or  -  The inevitable reality of any human organization is that one has to deal with policy, decision making, resolving conflicts/disputes, authority structures, etc.  Yes, organizations hold to the values and ethics of the Kingdom of God --    Being flexible, creative, & fluid with the "structural" needs are key.  This looks different with every organization but there is nothing wrong with the emergence of systemic type of procedure -- How has anyone reading here unlocked the tension here?  I would welcome any thougths...   

why blog?

C.S. Lewis said, "We read to know we are not alone" -   

Indeed, we blog to know we are not alone.

self-awareness

What you know about yourself you can change, what you don't know will control you.   In Genensis 3, God asks Adam a question not because he needed to know but to allow Adam to become self-aware, "Where are you?" asks God.   "I was afraid, so I hid..." Adam becomes self aware and admits his fear. Fear is the first emotion recorded in scripture.     We live in a culture that is not self aware of ourselves.  Indeed,  we in the the church are guilty of this.  We are not aware of our losses in life. How do we even recognize what loss is? I know I am beginning to see some of my own losses in our lives of global ministry:  Safety, Identity, Stable home, suport system, financial security, lack of spiritual resources, privacy, convenience, support system.  However, can one's search for self-awareness lead to self-centerdness?  This is my struggle.  Jesus said we should deny ourselves, right?  Seek the interests of others before our own interests, right?   There is a great balance here in allowing God to "search me and know my heart and see if there is any offensive way within me.." (Ps. 139)  I am growing to know myself more and desire to realize my need for God in a deeper way.

Let it snow...Let it snow..let it snow..

Snow fell hard all through the night - Today was a day that Zayd is LOVING!

what is business?

The word for 'business' that is written in Chinese is actually translated into english, "Heart Annihilation" Can our business lead to not being true to our heart?  Indeed, this is true.   Jesus was one who could have really gotten into the "busy" trap.  People were calling to him, wanting help, counsel, healing, etc.  But Jesus knew the helathy rythym of taking solitude and time away to be with the father and relish in His love and commune with God.   So we must follow the WAY of Jesus (Jn 14:7) How I must follow this and have time to DETOX and cleanse the pores of my soul of the noise, distractions, and working.   We are human BEINGS and not human DOINGS.  We must take time to be and allow God to love us and purse us as he so wants to do... Indeed, we are on his mind far more than he is on ours throughout every day

the myth of having it together

there is for sure cultural pressure that exists of communicating, verbally and non-verbally, of having it all together.  We don't want people close to our pain, struggle, or hardship.  We live in this false diplomacy of 'i have it together'.   Jesus knows  that none of us have it together and we all have those corners of our closets where no one knows about or goes or is invited into.  In singleness this is true.  In marriage, this is true and the same myth exists. What mariage does not have issues to work on?  What marriage does not have conflict? if it does not exist, then intimacy is not present.  2 who live avoiding conflict and avoiding to 'speak the truth in love' as we are instructed to do...seem to live in a superficial type of illusion.  In every relationship there is conflict, missed expectations, hurt, regret, and pain.  Yet, there is always the possibility of redemption, healing, and transformation to happen through the wisdom of the Spirit--   We must loose this MYTH and be honest and real and open with our pain to those close friends who can understand and speak into our lives. 

3rd culture kids - Global Nomads

In a session now with a woman talking about 3rd culture kids / global nomads. 

Very good stuff. She is from Interaction -- 3rd culture kids are individuals who do not identify with their parents home country or their country they are living in - THey are often diplomats, missionary kids, military kids, immigrants, business kids - The spheres of Influence on global nomads are...1. Host country 2. expatriate community  3. schools 4. sponsoring community 5. caregivers culture 6. paretns passport country

The average TCK moves 8 times before they are 18-  The value for a kid is to be ROOTED in Relationship and not rooted in PLACE ----  It is not a sense of a place but a sense of belonging that is to be stressed.  Family security is most crucial and the marriage strength of their paretns is vital --

the team in boulder