The God Who Doesn't See

The other day I was walking along the beach road in Cha-Am, Thailand and was startled to see a statue of a sitting figure with hands covering his ears, face and feet. At first I wasn't sure my eyes were seeing correctly. But no, there in a religous compound near the beach was a statute of a god who was deliberately covering his ears, his eyes and mouth and sitting with another set of hands holding his feet. I snapped this photo and my mind started to wonder.

I wonder what it would be like to have a god who does not desire to hear, see, speak or move on our behalf. I suppose you could ask, what good is a god like that?

As I meditated on this picture, I realized that I am serving a God who is far different than that which is portrayed in this statute. I recently read some thoughts from the psalmist in Psalms 34. The Message translates as follows:

"GOD keeps an eye on his friends, his ears pick up every moan and groan. ... Is anyone crying for help? GOD is listening, ready to rescue you. If your heart is broken, you'll find GOD right there; if you're kicked in the gut, he'll help you catch your breath. Disciples so often get into trouble; still, GOD is there every time. He's your bodyguard, shielding every bone; not even a finger gets broken."

I am so grateful to God that He is a different kind of God. He

• Keeps His eyes on me. He watches over me, knows what is going on in my life
  
• His ears pick up every moan and groan! He is paying attention when I cry for help. He is listening ready to leap into action to rescue.
  
• He is ready to take action, to get up on his feet and rescue me,
  
• He's my bodyguard, going into action, shielding me from injury.

Last update: 06-23-2008 04:03

We can all live together!

I was having breakfast with some freinds this morning, and noticed this very interesting tree out in the yard. This type of flowering tree is common around Asia, but this one is different. Instead of just of one color, there are many (I counted at least four colors).

What an interesting feat! The horticulturalist who grew this tree had to start with a particular tree stock and then patiently grafted in many different colored branches into the stock. I find it interesting that not only did he graft in the different colors, but he did so in many different places, multiple times.

I remarked to my table mates and Larisha commented, "That's an illustration of the body of Christ. " How true! As I travel around Asia and different parts of the world, I come in contact with many different cultures, ethnic origins and races. Yet when grafted into Christ, we can live together. My "preacher brain" wanted to make a 3 point sermon out of it:

• We can grow together as long as we are all connected to the primary stock of the tree. Jesus said, "no branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine." We can live together but only if the Lord is our source of life. Growing together does not come naturally. It will only work if we are connected to the primary source of our life, Christ Himself.
• We must be grafted in. We are not naturally part of the Kingdom. Paul remarked that all non-Jewish Christians can only participate in God's Kingdom because God graciously chose to graft us into a new tree.
• Even after we are grafted in, we maintain our special identity. This blesses me! I become a part of God's Kingdom, I draw my spiritual and community life from Him, yet He does it in such a way that I maintain my unique identity as His creation. I am not lost in an anonymous ocean of nothingness.
  

Last update: 06-15-2008 23:03

So is this just another regular class?

Well, I suppose it is just that, just another leadership class in another place on the other side of the world.

Today I completed 10 days of intensive teaching on the subject of Biblical Leadership. This is the first class of Maluku Bible School's fourth year program leading to a Bachelor's in Leadership.

But wait, maybe it isn't just another class.

• This class is being held on a Bible school campus that was occupied by the Indonesian military for several years. They occupied it because in 1999, the whole Ambon island went crazy. Muslim fighting Christians, Christians fighting Muslims. Over the top of the mountain behind the school, a flood of people came down and nearly destroyed the school. Thousands of buildings were destroyed on Ambon island; thousands of Christians and Muslims lost their life in inter-religious strive. This is the first school year in nearly 10 years that the school is back in operation! That's not just another class!
• What makes this class unique to me is that all of these men and women are in full-time ministry. They have taken time out of their busy schedule to study Biblical leadership. I have been teaching leadership to Bible college students for the last several years. This is the first time I have been blessed to teach to people in the ministry. They relate to the content because it aimed at helping them where they are.
• This is the first course of the first class the Maluku Bible school's first Bachelor of Arts in Leadership program. It's fun to be first! But it also rewarding because these men and women don't get much chance to study. Just about anything you share is new.
  

So, yes, it is "just another class." Teaching a 3 credit course on a tropical island during rainy season in 10 days is not a walk in the park. It is full of routine, teaching hours at a time, often with the rain pouring outside.

But no, it's not. It's special, It is my investment in the Kingdom in this part of God's world. Thank God for the opportunity I have had to be able to be a part of this group's lives.

Last update: 06-06-2008 07:02

In Indonesia there is a certain type of bananas that are particularly delicious. Most Indonesians call them "pisang Ambon" or Ambon bananas. And that is where my travels take me today.

What a delight for me to bite into one of them for lunch today. Just they way God meant them to be: tree ripe! (No, Joy, you wouldn't like them).

This week, I am teaching a class on Biblical leadership at Maluku Bible School, Kate-kate, Ambon. You will have to look real hard to find Ambon on the map. It's a small island in the eastern part of Indonesia. Used to be the center of spice trade in the 17 and 18th century. Now it's just one of the 17,000 islands of the Indonesian archipelago.

What makes this particular bunch of bananas and this particular village special is that it is the place my parents and I first resided in Indonesia, almost 48 years ago.

The table where these bananas were served to me is in the house where Mom, Dad, my sister and I lived. The house is much nicer now, but what memories.

What is even more fulfilling is the fact that the campus where we first lived is still a thriving Bible school. And I have the privilege of being here teaching leadership to 22 Indonesian ministers.

Thanks for the heritage and the memories, Mom and Dad!

Last update: 06-02-2008 07:32