This all seems pretty obvious, right? So why do we not make the same logical connections in the political arena? Why do you think Obama won last term? He promised change. Was it the same change that he ultimately gave us...I'll leave that debate to the political pundits. But about this time every election season, there is an underlying assumption by politicians, media, and water-cooler convo’s that we need a change. We need to get “things back to the [fictitious] way they used to be”! 

In words that most will understand (otherwise infomercials wouldn’t be so popular, let alone successful), we want to get back to that 20-something body we had in college. So we jump on board the latest diet craze...(dot com, housing, rhodium, the expanding use of leverage, i.e., debt, sub-prime mortgage trading), which seem to work for a while before the bubble bursts and we realize we can’t sustain the harmful blowbacks. Like a shot of adrenaline these work in the short run (corporate bailouts, raising the debt ceiling) but they just delay the inevitable. I can starve today and weigh less tomorrow, but that isn’t addressing the issue or the goal. I want to live healthy, not die lighter. 

So what do I have to do? If things remain the same, I can’t expect change. I have to make systematic changes to the way I live. I have to eat smaller portions of the right foods (refusing to further raise the debt ceiling so politicians can no longer spend recklessly, opposing all unfunded mandates and unnecessary regulations on small businesses and entrepreneurs); I have to be active, which will in turn give me more energy and allow me to be even more active (with my kids, mentally, socially, relationally, emotionally). I am not saying you have to be like Chris Traeger, but something has to give (Only send our military into conflict with a clear mission and all the tools they need to complete the job – and then bring them home).

We are a consumer nation that needs to make dramatic changes to our modus operandi if we expect to have a healthy economy. Personally, I think over-eating and over-spending point to a similar problem. Eat whatever you want and still lose weight, doesn’t work. I’ve eaten whatever I wanted, when I wanted and I did not get thinner. If things remain the same, I can’t expect change.

Maybe I am just overly cynical with a touch of apathy; however, all but one of the current presidential candidates (the incumbent included) sound like one of those psychologically slick infomercials that play to what I want by promising me what I am too lazy to work for through self-control and austerity. The one who doesn’t sound that way is Dr. Ron Paul. He has a proven track record for voting consistently with his stated views. He has promised to make the hard decisions to decrease spending (which may hurt in the short run) that will make us a healthier country in the long run. He has a foreign policy that does not assume that because we have the power to destroy other countries, then we also have the power to build them back up again. Who better to weigh in on the healthcare issues than a man who was a practicing medical doctor for twenty years! Granted that I do not agree with him on everything. But right now he is the only option that will bring anything resembling the change that everyone is always clamoring they want. If things remain the same, you can’t expect change.

Learn more at http://www.ronpaul2012.com/

Honestamente, todos tenemos una idea preconcebida de lo que es "mejor" para nosotros y los demás. Cuando oramos, o pedirle a Dios que bendiga a algo o alguien, que generalmente se le pedía que trabajar de acuerdo con nuestra idea de lo que es mejor. Teniendo en cuenta la raíz de la palabra hebrea para bendición (rodilla, arrodillarse, hacer de rodillas), una afirmación fuerte puede hacer que la sumisión es un componente clave de un concepto bíblico de la bendición de Dios. Por lo tanto, vemos una progresión del pensamiento de su mandato, "Sed fecundos y multiplicaos" a formas mucho más específica de vivir y ser en comunidad con los hombres y aceptable a Dios cuando Israel era una nación-estado. La bendición de Dios se hizo cada vez más ligado a funcionar correctamente dentro de esta relación de pacto con Dios. Si uno espera la bendición material (los niños, las cosechas, rebaños, casas, vino, etc) o espiritual (oraciones contestadas, la sabiduría, la felicidad, el carácter, etc), entonces una sincera devoción a la ley de Dios sería el fin. Es en este contexto de una posición correcta delante de Dios en una vida sometida a la instrucción que se podría esperar ser una bendición y recibir la bendición del Señor.

  Y permítanme mencionar aquí, a pesar de los abusos abundante de centrar su devoción a Dios en torno a la "prosperidad," pidiendo o anticipando un que Dios bendiga a física o materialmente era esperado por todos en el Antiguo Testamento. Claro, como con casi todo, la responsabilidad también se esperaba (Proverbios 11:24-28), así como el sufrimiento (Sal. 73). Pero tenemos que asegurarnos de que no se conviertan en gnóstico en nuestra comprensión de cómo Dios trata con nosotros, porque esto es lo que significa "sed fecundos y multiplicaos."

  Normalmente, cuando le pido a Dios que bendiga a mí oa otras personas me lo han pedido que intervenga por Dios en una situación de modo que él está trabajando directamente para la promoción de su nombre, gloria y propósitos, por lo general en respuesta a una promesa anterior. De esta manera, entiendo que el medio por el cual Él puede escoger hacer lo que no necesariamente se corresponden con mis propias expectativas (Santiago 4:13-16). Por lo tanto, presento mi voluntad a la suya, sabiendo que "para aquellos que aman a Dios todas las cosas obran para bien, para aquellos que son llamados conforme a su propósito. (Ro. 8:28)." Además, hay ambos una expectativa entendido y declarado de la obediencia (en qué grado o medida es un punto de gran debate entre los cristianos) en la parte de nosotros como seguidores de Cristo, si hemos de esperar que Dios nos bendiga (hacer nosotros una bendición a los demás) en el máximo, el sentido más rico de la comprensión.  

  El deseo de Dios es para nosotros para llegar a nuestra potencialidad de lo que significa ser un ser humano (Ef. 4:13) y esto es en última instancia, logrado en Cristo. Pero a medida que aprendemos en la vida de Cristo: hay cosas que sólo pueden aprenderse a través de las lágrimas (Hebreos 2:10,18). Por eso, cuando oramos por la bendición de Dios sobre nosotros y los demás (los planes, esfuerzos), vamos a presentar a los caminos de Dios, su tiempo, y el resultado, y al hacerlo nos hará una bendición para otros.

Jarett "Javier" Hall

Honestly, we all have a preconceived notion to what is “best” for us and others. When we pray or ask God to bless something or someone, we are usually asking him to work according to our idea of what is best. Given the root of the Hebrew word for blessing (knee, kneel, make kneel), a strong assertion may be made that submission is a key component to a biblical concept of blessing from God. Therefore we see a progression of thought from the mandate, "Be fruitful and multiply" to much more specific ways to live and be in acceptable community with men and God when Israel was a nation-state. The blessing of God became evermore tied to operating correctly within this covenantal relationship with God. If one expected blessing materially (children, crops, flocks, houses, wine, etc) or spiritually (prayers answered, wisdom, happiness, character, etc) then a heart-felt devotion to God’s law would be in order. It is within this context of a right standing before God in a life lived submitted to his instruction that one could anticipate being a blessing and receiving blessing from the Lord.

And let me just mention here, despite the abundant abuses of centering one's devotion on God around prosperity, asking or anticipating God to bless one physically or materially was expected by all under the OT. Sure, with most everything responsibility was also expected (Pro. 11:24-28), as was suffering (Ps. 73). But we need to make sure that we do not become gnostic in our understanding of how God deals with us, because this is what it means to "be fruitful, and multiply." 

Normally, when I ask God to bless me or others I am asking Him to divinely intervene in a situation so that he is directly working for the advancement of his name, glory, and purposes, usually in response to a previous promise. By doing so, I understand that the means by which He may chose to do so will not necessarily correspond to my own expectations (James 4:13-16). Therefore I submit my will to His, knowing that "for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Ro. 8:28)." Also, there is both an understood and stated expectation of obedience (to what degree or extent is a point of much debate among Christians) on the part of us as followers of Christ if we are to expect God to bless us (make us a blessing to others) in the fullest, richest sense of the understanding. 

God's desire is for us to reach our full potentiality of what it means to be human (Eph. 4:13) and this is ultimately achieved in Christ. But as we learn in Christ's life: there are things that can only be learned through tears. (Heb 2:10,18). So when we pray for God's blessing on others and ourselves (plans, endeavors), let us submit to God's ways, timing, and outcome, and in doing so He will make us a blessing to others.

That's my excuse for now...

~Karl Barth, CD IV/4, 58-59. (Italics mine)

"Resolved, always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. -Jonathan Edwards, Aug. 11, 1723."

My goal is not to change (mature) those around me, my circumstances, or God's will for me, but rather myself.

Goals for the next 30 days:

1. Wake up before 7 am, spend 30 min in the Word and then 30 in prayer...everyday.

2. Fast (more like this in concept), except for Sundays.

3. Speak the Gospel into at least one non-believer's life everyday, as well as a fellow believer.

4. Take Matthias camping, teach him to ride a bike, and read to him for 30 min each night. Speak as lovingly as I can to him and be intentional about using everyday examples to share the Gospel with him.

5. Take my beloved on at least 3 dates, write her no less than 11 encouraging letters (notes), and keep the house clean for her.

6. Take Valerie on at least 3 dates and/or shopping trips so she can pick out a "pretty" dress

7. Journal (at least a little) about each day before bed, which will be earlier.

It's hard to make a list and then not become legalistic about it. Being more patient with Matthias or writing notes to Mary Carole and everything else on this list are things that I want to do; I am just not always as intentional about doing them. My prayer is that this focused time will begin to work these disciplines into me so that they become more natural (2 Corin. 5:17). There are also some important decisions and issues that I want to saturate in prayer and I want to be sober-minded about asking and listening to the answers. 

Why am I putting these goals out here for all the world to see? Probably because I know myself and if I kept them a secret, then they would be really easy to forget and give up on. This way, I may run into one of you and you might ask me (or my family) how I'm doing with them and so I will have some accountability. Some of you even have committed to pray for us, so here would be a very specific way!

building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Eph 4:12-16

 He told me that he was born in Spain, where his father was from, but moved to Guatemala when really young, where his mother was from. His father was a doctor with a background in the military. Jackie rebelled young and always bucked against his father’s way of raising him because he treated his family too militant, as though he was a general and his children troops. This might explain why when he was 20, he moved to Miami and joined the Navy. He told me he was a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War.

 He told me that he regretted moving to New York once back from the war, because it was here that all his problems began. Throughout the eighties, he fathered nine children mostly from different women. Also, NYC is where he began to drink. Until five years ago, he was a superintendent and doorman at a nice apartment complex in the Upper Westside. However, the excessive drinking, especially on the job, ultimately got him fired and enflamed an old war injury in his leg. It was hard to understand exactly what the injury was but as he explained it, it sounded like some type of blood clot that was aggravated by alcohol.

 He told me that his father was still alive, at the age of 91, and had visited him a few times in NY but he didn’t imagine that he would ever see him again. Also, it had been a few years since he had seen his children, but he did say that he is still in touch with them.

 I asked him if the Dominican community helped to support him. He told me that the Catholic church up the road and a local synagogue helped to look after him. They would occasionally provide food, water, and keep his Metro card with credit. His father was Jewish by birth and his mother was Catholic, so he considered himself both Jewish and Catholic. As he was explaining how they both worshiped the same God, a young man walked up and asked, “Hey Mr. Jackie, I’m with the Center for Urban Community Services. Are you ok? Can I get you anything?” Jackie responded as though this happened all the time, “I could use some cold water.” The young man walked back to the marked Prius and returned with two ice-cold bottles of water. Jackie thanked him and then tucked them away in one of the many crevices of his jerrybuilt jalopy. I asked if that was normal and he said yes. He didn’t recognize this particular young man but they work in the neighborhood to look after the homeless.

Then I asked if there was something I could pray for him about. He told me that he is having trouble getting his social security checks cashed. He knows a lawyer that is trying to help, so we prayed about that and that he would find a family and community in his local church. Overall, he had a basically positive attitude and acted as though his current situation was only a set back; he would be back on track soon enough. Not once during our conversation did he ask me for anything or hint that I could somehow meet a need he had. Instead, I felt like he was genuinely happy that I had sat down and listened to his story. 

"Disculpe, ¿cómo puedo usar estas máquinas?" (Excuse me, how do I use these machines?) I asked a group of ladies that looked the most experienced as I wondered around the laundromat with a puzzled look on my face. “It can’t be that hard to figure out,” I thought, I’ll just go in and see if it’s like my washer and dryer from home. With a raised eyebrow, she politely pointed to where everything was and then showed me how the directions are clearly printed on each of the machines. So much for blending in.

One of the many assignments we have while here this month is to do ethnographic observations, or cultural assessments, which means we are to write down what we observe from the culture and what questions these thoughts bring up. The reason for this is because our culture greatly impacts how we share the gospel. Notice that I did not say, “impacts the gospel,” but rather how we communicate it to others. For example, how I live out the gospel in service, humility, love, grace, forgiveness, respect, hospitality, etc. may, and often times, look different in my culture than, lets say S. Korea. So I must be aware of these cultural norms that are prevalent yet often unspoken. By observation, I can detect them and also enter a culture with a learner’s posture that will not only build trust within my new relationships, but also better equip me to share the good news of Christ with them in a way that I originally aimed to do so.

In New York City there are many places to do just this, such as the subway, coffee shops, park benches, street corners, and you guessed it…laundromats.