Sick, Ugh!

I am sick again which means it takes WAY more energy to do the normal things of the day.  And that means I have no energy left to do anything besides the "musts" of the day.  Ugh.  It's times like this that I'm tempted to think, "Well if I'm way over here in the tropics just to lie at home and be sick, what use is that?"  And of course, we all know the answer, I need to rejoice in all things!  And I need to be faithful in the "ugh" days just as much as I need to be faithful in the "woah!  I got a lot done!" days.

It's mid-afternoon and a light rain just began.  A soft breeze is coming through our house and it's lovely.  My boys are quietly entertaining themselves.  I've just popped a huge bowl of popcorn for us as well as made a pitcher of grape Koolaid.  I actually know what I'm gonna cook for dinner so I won't be frantic come 5 O'clock.  I am resting on a comfy couch under a ceiling fan with a laptop in my lap.  So I'm a little sick, but there is so much more good around me, it's hard to be too upset!

Puzzling Pictures: Elegant Presence!

Staying at this hotel made me feel so...elegant!

Pea Brains

“You pea-brain!” 

Insult?  Well, that depends on what culture you come from!  I was explaining the analogy of a pea-brain to an Asian friend who kept looking at me, bewildered, waiting for the punch-line.  

“It’s an insult,” I said.  Aware that my audience was not catching on, I added, “It’s like saying your brain is the size of a pea.  That’s insulting!”

“Why?” he asked.

“Well, because a pea is so tiny, and if your brain is the size of a pea, that means your brain is tiny!”

“Yes,” said he, “but even though a pea is tiny, it has lots of benefits!  It is healthy and gives so much nutrition even though it is so small.  I thought you’d say it was a compliment!”

I hope it doesn’t happen, but if you ever do get the urge to call someone a pea-brain, stop and consider: you might be paying them a compliment!  Be careful though, the opposite can prove true as well.  If you want to compliment someone from another culture, be sure you aren’t insulting them!

“You’re fat!” 

That’s a compliment, or at least a benign observation, on the island where we live.  We as Westerners feel that calling someone fat is an insult.  But that’s not how folks here feel!

Now this is a little extreme, but just hang with me to the end of this post.  Think about it:  calling someone a “pea-brain” or “fat” where I live is not actually anything but a simple compliment!  Now I’m from Texas and I have a pretty good idea what would happen if someone dished out that comment while standing in line at the grocery store!  You can imagine what would happen in your own neck-of-the-woods.  If culture and words and emotions are so tightly intertwined, I need to be very careful to share Jesus’ love with others in a way that they can understand and receive it.  I thank the Lord for HIS LOVE, that transcends language and culture, enveloping our emotions and chasing away our fears!  I also thank the Lord for HIS GRACE that fills in the gaps in our words and actions as His Holy Spirit draws people to Himself!

And the next time someone makes you feel like a “pea-brained fatty," just think, that’s a compliment in some cultures! J

Puzzling Pictures: Trapping Baggage

Last month I did a little traveling.  I found this great banner in the airport that offers free baggage trapping.  I stayed far away from the counter lest I got trapped along with my baggage!  By the way, as stated on the banner, baggage trapping is "safety for your and for your flight."

Who's Gonna Win?

The team is gathered in our living room.  They have been practicing for this day.  It is a big game in the city-wide basketball tournament.  Kris, a high school math teacher, is the oldest on the team.  He is giving his teen-aged African teammates a pep talk.  The have gone over the plays.  They have rehearsed their strategy.  Now Kris inspires them with words of encouragement and then calls them to a unified ending with the dramatic, climactic question: "Now WHO'S gonna WIN?"

pause...

The players look at each other.  They are confused.

"We don't know who is going to win, we haven't played yet."

All Kris can do is laugh (on the inside, of course) and try to explain, "WE are!  We have to believe that WE are gonna win!"  The confidence booster is lost on them.

Don't we live life like that sometimes?  Like we've forgotten Who is gonna win?  The difference is, we aren't playing basketball and we aren't playing against another team of equal skill.  In our life, the Lord Himself is our Leader and He has already won!  But for some reason, it seems like His children often find themselves fretting over difficulties in life as if they've forgotten Who is gonna win.  When we do so, we are acting like that basketball team, looking around at each other, wondering who is gonna be the strong one, or even who is gonna be the weak link. The great news is, we don't have to because in Christ we are already victorious!  Let's act like winners!

Kris and his basketball team in Eritrea.  Can you guess which one is Kris? :) 

My Life as a TCK

I ride my bike as fast as I can

Beside rice paddies full of green,

And feel the wind blow through my hair

And smile and sing.

I hide my treasures ‘hind the box

In the garage and there I write

Secrets on the cardboard walls

Out of sight.

I swing about on bamboo poles,

Constructed into jungle gym.

Pretending I’m a gymnast star

And that I win!

I eat delicious delicacies

Of rice and fruits; spicy and sweet.

And never have I since had food

So good to eat!

I swim in tropical waters blue,

Among sand dollars and jelly fish.

I am a mermaid, I am a pirate

Anything I wish!

At night I watch the lava red

Trickle down the sides of the volcano.

The only sound is its rumbling

The stars above glow.

Then for a visit we travel

To the land of my family, far away.

And life there seems, well, not so deep.

I’m glad we will not stay.

Others shake their heads and tisk,

“To live where you do must be burdensome!”

But I shake my head and inside I ask,

“When can I go home?”

The World Around Us

The other night we lay out on the flat terrace on our roof.  There were clouds in the sky, but we could still see some stars.  We began to sing praise songs and especially enjoyed the songs that talked about the stars that God created.  It was peaceful and a great spontaneous time of worship.  When we stood up to roll up the mat and go back inside, I realized that the waist-high brick wall that surrounds the terrace had blocked our view of the neighborhood, as well as the porch lights that otherwise would have hampered our view of the stars.  As I stood, the whole neighborhood came back into view.  Houses with neighbors of different social levels and different religions.  It all popped back into view as I stood up and looked around.

Wow, what a great time of worship:  all the things around me blocked out, just me and the sky and the other people praising God.  Then we stood up and there it was, the world that we are sent to live in.  May we be faithful to seek time daily for focusing on Him alone, and then be faithful to go out into the world He has called us to!