2011

This has been one crazy year. And I’m not talking football. I’m not talking politics. I’m talking about life. This year we saw Japan hit by a record quake (just a memorable one of many), and a record-breaking outbreak of tornadoes. Congressional approval ratings has reached an all-time low, as unemployment reached highs. Our president gave up on doing anything, as did congress and virtually everyone else.

In my life, I baptized more people this year than in my life so far. I prayed with a lot of people in hospitals. I started looking for a house. I knew a dozen women pregnant at the same time, including my sister who gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Kate, a.k.a. the Wiggle Worm. I also knew more people who passed away this year. My mother’s work was plagued by women losing their husbands. I took part in organizing and speaking at my Dad’s funeral last January.

Those were the most significant events of the year. I had one date (big whoop). I worked a lot, which was mostly enjoyable. My vacations all took me to the same place, my childhood home. Christmas morning was classified by these significant events. The first thing my sister and I opened were called “Memory Bears,” a teddy bear made from Dad’s sweatshirts. We cried. We remembered. Last Christmas time was the last time I saw Dad. A snowy flight home, lack of sleep, the most difficult moment of my life. Doing his funeral helped me move on. Just a few weeks later, my niece was conceived. God was involved directly. Kate gave us something to look forward to and helped us have a future to look to. Though she cannot replace Dad, we love her so much, and this joy helped our hearts not to dwell on the pain.

This year was also classified by a lesson. In February, I heard a sermon on John 15. Jesus said, “I am the vine. You are the branches. He who abides in my will bear much fruit.” What I have been learning this year is that it is not my job to produce fruit. It is not my job to help my church produce fruit. It is not my job to help other people produce fruit. It is my job to stay connected to the vine. Ephesians 2:10 says that if we are created new in Christ Jesus, this will result in good works. Galatians 5 says that if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, He will change us. That’s what God spent a year teaching me. My job is not to do for Him. My job is to build a relationship with Him. The doing will result from my closeness to Him. That's a lesson I continue to learn, to stay close to Him.

DC quake 2011

Yes, I survived it here in Virginia. Taken from facebook: "Your prayers are appreciated as we recover from the devastation of the earthquake."



I had just walked into a bank. Where I work, when the AC shuts off, the building shudders. It felt like that at first, then it got stronger and kept going for 10 seconds or so. It was actually rather funny.

Ok, some chimneys are knocked down, a few windows are broken along the coast, and the Washington Monument and National Cathedral have some damage. But this is cosmetic. This was a joke. Literally. The above picture has been used with that caption, or simply "WE WILL REBUILD!"

I've also seen jokes like "Sorry about the quake. I guess I shouldn't have had the bean burrito." Or "MSNBC reports that the Washington Monument is leaning to the left. Fox News reports it is leaning to the right." Or "That wasn't an earthquake. That was the founding fathers rolling over in their graves."

Japan, Haiti, those are other stories. We just felt a disturbance in the Force, if you will forgive a movie pun. My guess is that the approaching Hurricane set to pass over the same area will be much worse than this little tremor we had yesterday.

"2011 sucks"

That is a quote from a friend of mine. This came when I called him with yet another prayer request. My notebook of requests has a longer list then usual. The particular request comes with a story.

My mother works at the same elementary school that my sister and I attended. One of the teachers there is a lovely lady, whose oldest daughter was a classmate of mine. They both came to the visitation when Dad passed. Dad had always kidded with everyone. This lady was a second grade teacher when I was a student there. Dad always told the kids that she was his second grade teacher too, even though she was younger than he was (kids aren't good at guessing ages, and always believed him). He even told my entire class that while accompanying me on a 2nd grade field trip.

Anyway, her husband Danny passed away suddenly from streptocaucal pneumonia, which is strep that turns to pneumonia (and no, I have no idea if that is spelled correctly). In a little country elementary school, she is the third lady to lose her husband since Christmas, all of whom I knew to one degree or another. One, named Ken (aka "Little Ope" to people who went to NHHS), died of cancer, Dad of heart, and Danny of strep. This was followed shortly by one of mom's best friends (who also works at this school) learning her mother had cirosis of the liver even though she has one drink of champagne at a New Years' party each year, and that's the only alchohol. Then the music teacher's mom died suddenly over the weekend. "What is going on here?" my mom asked in frustration.

Add into that my friend, that I was telling this to, whose car started having alternator problems, serpentine belt snapped, and started leaking coolant. His hours were cut back at work, his pregnant wife lost her job, and has been unable to find another. After all, no one is going to hire a very pregnant woman.

These may seem relatively small, but are fairly damaging to the people involved. Japan however, is large relative to... pretty much anything you want to compare it to.

Matthew 24:4-8
4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
NIV

As Kyle Idleman pointed out, there is a funny thing about birth pains. As it gets closer to time, they get more frequent and more intense.

Jesus said no one knows the day and the hour when he would return, so don't even try to figure it out. But, we know that the time is getting closer, so be ready. Have you fully committed yourself to Jesus? Have you shared the gospel with those around you who haven't accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord? Who do you want with you in heaven? What have you done to get them there?

Japan

There are many things that I could and should write about. I should probably write an entry a week to catch up (man March is flying by). I'll start with the most urgent.

Friday I awoke to turn on the news, to watch about a 9.0 earthquake that struck Japan. This was the strongest to ever hit the nation made of smaller islands, and tied for the fourth strongest quake ever recorded. Let me give you some perspective on how strong this was.

1. Japan moved 8 feet, up to 13 feet on the island closest to the epicenter.
2. It was felt in China, and recorded affecting things as far as St. Louis, MO, USA.
3. It adjusted the axis of the earth a few feet, according to some experts.
4. It actually sped the rotation of the earth.
5. There have been hundreds of after shocks, with more than 100 registering as a 5.0 or stronger.

This quake also unleashed a 33 foot Tsunami, with tens of thousands dead as of today, with possible hundreds of thousands missing. Millions are homeless. What shelters there are stand well beyond capacity, with no food, water, electricity, clothes, or medicine available to survivors. The wave also struck California, wiping three onlookers out to sea. Two were recovered alive.

However, there is a measure of hope. Japan has less than 1% Christians. It is one of the hardest missions fields to reach. At this time, missionaries on the ground, as well as organizations like International Disaster Emergency Services (IDES) and World Vision and many more are stepping in, providing help to a proud, stubborn, traditional people who need help for the first time maybe ever in their culture.

Governments are only able to help so much, due to red tape, pride, and the general waste that accompanies anything the government sticks their hands in. The government is helping with the nuke reactors that were damaged and seem to be exploding one at a time, but these missions organizations are uniquely primed, uniquely trained, and uniquely skilled at assessing and delivering aide to those who need it most. All the governments in all the world cannot do as much as the Church of Jesus Christ. Besides, no government has the blessing of God as the church, and no government can have the lasting impact of everlasting life that comes only through Jesus Christ. So please, give to one of these organizations.

Pat Robertson, world's most vocal idiot

This week, there was a 7.3 earthquake in Haiti, virtually leveling the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Hospitals are gone. Within 24 hours of the quake, the Red Cross in Haiti was completely out of supplies. Haiti is the poorest country in this hemisphere. They have nothing to start with. Now, their buildings lay in ruins, and they have no ability to repair those hospitals and schools without help from the outside world.

God, help me to serve you in a way that will benefit the people of Haiti. I want to be your hands in that country. Help me not to just offer prayers, but be willing to obey.

In light of the great need (to help, I recommend working through World Vision or IDES; they are reputable and have experience in disaster relief), many are pulling together to help, as they should. Soon, people will make fake charities, preying on people's generosity. Over and over again throughout the Bible, God condemns those who do wrong to the poor (especially in the prophets, proclaiming destruction upon those who have done so. Read Amos). Amos 5:12 "For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts." (NIV) God PROMISES judgement on those who prey upson the poor. If that is you, you have been warned.

God, You will be faithful to your promises. Great and terrible will be your wrath on those who oppress the poor and refuse to repent. God, help me to turn from the ways in which I oppress the poor. Be gracious to me, teaching me and all who do this wrong to turn from our sin to your righteousness.

In addition to these warnings, let me know express my feelings about Pat Robertson. If you don't know, he said that the earthquake was a curse, because they supposedly made a pact with Satan to throw off the rule of Napoleon. So, to you, Pat, I say:
You wicked fool! How dare you, oh one of great senility, speak in such evil and ignorance! You blame the poor for being oppressed! You blame them for Satan's evil. Even if the pact was made, Ezekiel 18:20 says, "The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father , nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him." (NIV) God would not hold them cursed for the sins of their fathers! Woe to you, who sits in your chair as if it were a throne, wearing your fine suit like a kingly robe. You drive a car as the Caesars drove chariots! You live in a mansion, like a palace of old! Woe to you, for you proclaim judgement and oppress the poor by your words. Worse, you lead others to follow you! Great will be your judgement when you stand before God. Repent!

For anyone else who would read this, do not hold Christians accountable for Pat Robertson. He is the violation of what we believe. He is a Pharisee, a hypocrit. He claims to hold to our religion, but does not practice it in any way. He is a blight, a disease. He causes my stomach to turn.