giving thanks

I really wasn’t looking forward to the thanksgiving holiday this year. It was my first thanksgiving without my family, and it appeared that all of my new friends were leaving Pasadena to go home for the weekend. On top of that I had a pile of school work that needed my attention. All in all I just couldn’t see a whole lot to be thankful for; however, as is usually the case, the break turned out to be better than expected.

While this may not be the typical list you find this time of year, these are the things I found myself thanking God for over the last couple of days. I am so very thankful for Aaron and Lindsay and their ten friends who made me feel so welcomed at the thanksgiving table. It was here that I was able to experience the amazing tur-duck-en, three kinds of succulent meat, three kinds of stuffing, all cooked together to form the most amazing of thanksgiving culinary delights. I was also quite thankful that the only Texas A&M football game I was able to see this year (read: nationally televised) did not end up being the complete annihilation I expected. All I could do was thank God when I received a much awaited letter from Ginger. Although she is on the other side of the world, I felt as if she were sitting right next to me while I read those forever treasured pages. Interestingly enough, even my schoolwork left me somewhat thankful. My four hour stay at the library provided protection from the wind storm outside. When I finally emerged from my studious endeavor, the campus was strewn with broken limbs and wayward lawn furniture that had been tossed about by the 40+ mph winds.

Once again God revealed himself as a faithful provider and comforter when all else seemed naught.

surprise

I’ve always thought of myself as an observant person and didn’t think I could easily be surprised, but I was definitely kept in the dark this time. Yesterday as Lindsay was driving me through Los Angeles I pretty much figured we were headed to the airport, but I still had no idea what was going to happen next. What an amazing surprise when we picked up Randi, who flew out here to spend my birthday with me. I know good times will ensue, and I look forward to everything that will happen this weekend.

blessed are the persecuted

I cannot even begin to imagine how different my life would be if Christianity could not be openly practiced in the United States. Actually I tried, but once I realized how far-reaching the effects would be, I decided to stop. But while I can simply decided not to think about religious persecution, for many people around the world it is a daily reality. According to the World Evangelical Alliance, over 200 million Christians in at least 60 countries are denied fundamental human rights solely because of their faith.

Here are just a few examples of what is happening around the world.

• Colombia – Pastors have been targeted by guerrilla movements such as FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), with 400 churches being forced to close in areas under the control of armed groups. Christians have also been killed for speaking out against violence and the widespread drug trade.
• Morocco – Anyone converting to Christianity can face charges of treachery and illegal contact with foreign missions. A small Moroccan church is emerging, estimated to number some 500 indigenous believers in 2000.
• Iran – Shi’a Islam is the state religion. Conversion from Islam to another faith is a capital crime. There is a ban on the printing of all Christian literature, and constant surveillance of churches and those who attend them.
• Malaysia – Although the constitution guarantees religious freedom, fundamentalist Muslims do everything in their power politically to inhibit Christian evangelism. Ethnic Malays are not allowed to have a Christian place of worship.

This week is specifically set aside to pray for the persecuted church around the world. Please take some time to pray for other Christians, wherever they might live, who do not enjoy the same religious freedoms we do. But more than that, I urge you to educate yourself so that you may become a voice for the voiceless.

http://www.persecutedchurch.org/
http://www.releaseinternational.org/

“Remember the persecuted as if in prison with them, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” -Hebrews 13:3

rumination and procrastination

I was trying to think about my research paper, but then I got sidetracked and started thinking about researching paper and what a paper about paper would really look like. Then I remembered a book I used to really love when I was younger called The Westing Game. Sadly I don’t remember all that much about the story other than it was a mystery involving a paper manufacturer. I enjoyed the book so much I did a book report about it in the fifth grade and then again in the sixth grade. The second book report was written on a paper towel because our assignment was to cut and decorate our paper into a significant shape that reflected the plot of the book. I got points taken off because my paper was neither cut nor decorated. I contested the grade because book reports are not normally written on paper towels, which in this case was entirely fitting. The teacher did not change my grade; she didn’t appreciate my art. Funny, I can no long remember the name of that teacher. Her name may have started with a K or possibly a C, but that is as far as I can get. It makes me wonder how much I will remember and forget over the course of my lifetime. How significant are the things I am doing right now going to be after another decade has past? These are the thoughts that keep me up at night, or at least keep me from writing my paper.